20
January 1927
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
Finally, many are astray in regard to the requirement of worship. “The hour cometh, and now is, when the true wor shippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth” (Jno. 4:23, 24). Here is the Divine rubric on worship. How posi tive it is—only spiritual worship is acceptable to Him who is Spirit. We cannot worship with our eyes, by looking on at an imposing ritual; we cannot worship with our noses, by smelling incense, however sweet; we cannot worship with our ears, by listening to music, however beautifully “rendered” ; for these are all flesh, and God is Spirit. Worship must proceed from the new nature; “that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” ; and they that worship Him MUST worship Him in spirit and in truth. There is no other alternative. God cannot be worshipped by the bodily senses. May the Lord draw out the heart of every Christian reader unto Himself, that we may worship Him “in the beauty of holiness.” , N ote : The above is from Dr. Sheppard’s Booklet, “Topsy- Turvy.” Sodom and Gomorrah W. F. Albright, director of the American Schools of Ori ental Research at Jerusalem, lately visited the Dead Sea, and believes that Sodom and Gomorrah “lie within its waters.” He has noted the asphalt deposits mentioned in the Bible as ‘slime pits,’ and, while .he dismisses the theory that a volcano over whelmed the cities, he is working out what he believes to be the true cause of the disaster. Land of Canaan “The land of Canaan, into which the Israelites migrated, was, so we read in 'the book of Joshua, strongly fortified. The cities were walled up to heaven. Today the foundations—uncov ered by Prof. W. F. Bade, of Berkeley, Calif.—of Mizpah, a word meaning watch-tower or fortified outpost, are found to be fifteen feet thick.” Armageddon “The battle-field of Armageddon or Megiddo, is dominated hot only by the ancient city of that name, under excavation by Dr. Clarence S. Fisher of Pennsylvania, Dr. D. H. Higgins and Dr. Edward DeLoch of Chicago, and others, but by Bethshan, where Saul’s body was exposed and rescued. There are proofs of Egyptian occupation, and on Mount Carmel, to mention but one case, Professor Breasted has picked up a tablet which men tions Sheshonk or Shishak, the Pharaoh who in the decadent days of King Rehoboam stript Jerusalem of her treasure.” Moloch and Baal ‘T h e /‘abominations’ of Molqch arid jBa^l, which included passing children through the fire, are ho longer imaginative. And the terrific imprécations of Samuel and Elijah, leading'their nation against the practise of these horrors, are restored to the basis of ethics. The very altruists who have been so shocked by the stern language would themselves use no different language if they were confronted by the same moral agony. At Bethshan, the actual pillars, reader to the Baal and the Ashtaroth and denounced by the Hebrew prophets, have been identified.” Ahab, Omrif Jeroboam In Samovaria, Dr. G. A. Reisner has excavated the palaces successively occupied by Omri, Ahab, and Jeroboam II. Among his interesting “finds” was an alabaster vase belonging to Ahab.
before the Lord for having prospered him in his errand. Wor ship is the adoration of a heart that is filled with praise and thanksgiving. So of the first mention of “worship” in the New Testament, we read that the wise men from the East worshipped the Christ-child, “and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts”- '(Matt. 2:11). T rue U nity in W orship Again, man’s ideas are all upside down in connection with the subject of worship. The popular conception is that sinners and saints may unite together in worship. Comparatively few see anything incongruous in terming the singing and praying of believers and unbelievers “the public worship of God.” But the testimony of Scripture is clear as daylight: “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination unto the Lord” (Prov. 15:8). Christ said to the Scribes and Pharisees, “Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in vain do they worship Me” (Matt. 15:7)1 Unless worship proceeds from a renewed heart, it is utterly “vain,” yea, “an abomination” in the sight of the Thrice Holy One! rT " lH E spade has been hard at work verifying the Scriptures throughout the year 1926. All of the lands where the Bib lical scenes were enacted—Egypt, Palestine, Asia Minor, the Euphrates Valley—have been echoing the excavator’s pick. It behooves us to watch carefully the progress of archaeological research as more and more the truth of Scripture is being cor roborated. , Excavations at Shechem But a few weeks ago Bishop H. M. Du Bose reported from Nablus, Palestine, the excavations directed by Prof. Sellin at Shechem. He stated that this work had accomplished the valida tion of the Bible stories relating to the history of Abraham and Jacob. The common origin of the Genesis stories was also prac tically established, he declared. Tower of Babel P. W. Wilson, writing of archaeological achievements, in the New York Times, says the story of Babel is no longer a myth. “Early mankind,” he says, “believed in worship on a mountain. When there was no mountain they built one. In Ur of the Chaldees, today, excavators from the University of Pennsylvania have been uncovering what looked like a huge rubbish heap, but proved to be an immense pyramid temple, similar to what may be seen in Mexico, a staged tower, 195 feet long, 150 feet wide and 60 feet high, standing on an artificial terrace and oriented to the cardinal points of the compass.” Ur of the Chaldees Dr, D. L. Woolley of the Pennsylvania expedition finds that Ur was subject to disastrous wars. Invaders from Persia over ran the country at about the time of Abraham. “Out of such miseries Abraham emerged, a heroic figure. The excavation shows us that he emigrated from a highly elaborate community. Damascus, the most ancient of extant cities in the world, still marks the detour northward by which Abraham, in his journey to Palestine, avoided the desert. The mosque of Hebron covers a cave which, corresponds precisely to that grotto of Machpelah so carefully purchased by Abraham for the burial of his dead. Coffins, purporting to be those of the patriarchal family, are pre served. There is one curious coincidence. Rachel is absent. According to the Scriptural record, she died suddenly, and had to be buried at Ramah.
Archaeological Review for 1926 "Speak to the earth and it shall teach thee”
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker