The Bulls of Bashan

    Psalm 22 was written by David and contains many prophecies of the crucifixion of Jesus a thousand years before it happened. Verse12 says, "Many bulls have compassed me; strong bulls of Bashan have beset me." What are the bulls of Bashan?

   Bashan was an area east of the Sea of Galilee. The tribes of Reuben and Gad asked to be allowed to settle on that side of the Jordan river because of the fertile pastures for their cattle.(Numbers 32) Moses granted their request on the condition they help the other tribes conquer the land west of the Jordan River. The tribe of Manasseh, being the oldest son of Joseph, was  given a double portion of land on both sides of the Jordan River. The portion east of the Jordan River stretched across Bashan up to Mount Hermon and included what we know as the Golan Heights.

    Bashan was a rich but very wicked place. The pagan temple of Pan at Caesarea Philippi, was at the foot of Mount Hermon. Pan was the god of nature, goats, and fertility. A cave there was believed to be the entrance to the underworld and called the Gate of Hell. This is where Jesus declared, "I will build My church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Pantheism is a philosophy alive today rooted in the god Pan that believes everything in nature is God.)

   In Amos 4, the women who lived a luxurious arrogant lifestyle at the expense of the poor and in rebellion against God are called cows of Bashan. Amos warned that they would be caught with fish hooks and dragged away. 1 Chronicles 5:26 records that the tribe of Manasseh "increased mightily" and "went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land." The king of Assyria captured the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, carrying them away as Amos had warned. The three tribes east of the Jordan were the first to be exiled and scattered among various countries.

   Putting all this together, “the bulls of Bashan” in Psalm 22 are metaphors for strength and belligerence.  The belligerent Jewish leaders who wanted Jesus crucified by the strength of Roman law and soldiers were like bulls of Bashan. They stood under the cross mocking Jesus while He was in agonizing pain, dying to provide a way for their sins to be forgiven.

 

Blooming Under the Snow

   This winter has been one for the books. The ground has been covered with snow and ice since the middle of December. Temperatures plunged to below zero repeatedly with wind chills of -20 on several occasions. Sunday morning church services were canceled three times due to snow. With ponds and lakes frozen solid for weeks, skaters enjoyed a longer season than usual for this part of the world. Last week the temperatures finally rose above freezing and continue to do so this week. The snow pack is slowly melting. 

    My Snowdrops are the first flowers to bloom and usually appear in January. They were buried under a snow drift. Had they come up? And if they had, were they frozen? I had to see. I grabbed a shovel and dug the snow off their spot in the flower bed. There they were! Up and blooming under the snow! Bravo! Now that the sunshine can reach them they will shoot up to herald the new spring that is just around the corner.

     The roots of the Snowdrops are firmly planted in the soil. When their time has come to grow and bloom, nothing can stop them, not even a heavy, cold snowdrift. I asked myself, can I grow and bloom under a heavy, cold burden? Can I sense and reach for the sun even when I can't see or feel it? 

    Life has its heavy burdens and cold seasons. If our faith in God is firmly rooted, we can grow and bloom in spite of the adverse conditions. We know the Son is there and reach for Him even though we don't see Him or understand what happened. 

  Job knew how to bloom under the snow. He said, "Behold I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left had, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:8-10). 

    The secret to blooming in the snow is trusting God, believing the Son is there even when we don't see Him. It is knowing one day all the burdens will be lifted and we will bloom in the Light.

No Cabin Fever

    Winter is the season where life moves indoors and more slowly. This winter has been cold and snowy for weeks. The Susquehanna River is frozen solid. The snow geese usually begin arriving at the Middle Creek Wildlife Preserve this time of year but they are late this year. The lake is frozen and the fields are covered with snow. How do they know to wait because there is no food or water available here?  

   This winter is a delight for folks who love ice and snow. Me? Not so much. It's a time to hunker down and enjoy some of the things there isn't as much time for in the other seasons of the year. Now I am speaking as a senior citizen living in an empty nest. I well remember that in the years when we were raising a family the winter was as busy as any other season. Driving children back and forth to school takes a chunk out of the day five days each week. There were seven lunches to pack every morning and a whole cake was gone in two days. Not to mention all the cleaning, laundry, and you name it that goes with raising children.

   Now the tables are turned. Our children are all married and capable of taking care of themselves, and help us with some of the heavy work like shoveling snow, making repairs in the house etc.  Does that mean I have time on my hands and get bored in the winter? No! I never run out of things to do. I still need to cook, clean, and do laundry. It's not in such large amounts, but I don't move as fast either. I won't mention how many days I took Leroy to doctor appointments. I still had time for all the "fun" things there are to do indoors in the winter. Here are samples of what is keeping me busy.

Writing short stories and historical articles.

Crocheting baby caps and blankets

1000 piece puzzles

Reading books

Scrapbooking

   I will never run out of things to do as long as my hands, eyes, and brain work. I embroidered a quilt top I intended to quilt this winter. I see the winter slipping away and am beginning to think it might have to wait for another winter. As someone once said, "The Good Lord is not going to take me Home until my work is done. I'm so far behind I'll never die." 😄The reason I can't catch up is because I keep getting ideas for things I should do. There's no cabin fever for me!

Snow Day

  January started out mild but then hit us with a double whammy of cold and snow. Today was the second Sunday in a row that church was canceled. The snow started falling during the night and continued all day, sometimes mixing with sleet and freezing rain. We had been duly warned of the coming storm and prepared in case the power went off. Thankfully, the power stayed on and none of it was needed.

   With all the resources available today, we were able to listen to my nephew preach a sermon that was recorded in the fall. We also listed to a chorus program. That served as in-home church today. We had a good warm lunch in a warm house.  And at the end of the day two volunteers showed up to clear the driveway. 

   Snow days used to be full of activities with people milling around, going in and out. There would be sledding, digging caves in the drifts, wet mittens, boots making tracks across the floor, hot chocolate, popcorn, and much more. Now only two of us slowly rattle around in the house. We don't set foot outdoors unless it is necessary and then hurry back inside. We like snow best with glass between us. He reads and naps. I crochet, listen to music, and chat on WhatsApp.

    While we were cozy in our snow day at home, Russians once again bombed Ukrainian utilities, cutting off power to thousands of innocent people on a cold winter day. This is the fourth year the Ukrainians have been suffering cold, powerless winters. If we lose power for a couple hours we don't know what to do with ourselves. They have been living with intermittent power failures for years. My heart goes out to them. I felt guilty being so well off while they suffer. It's not fair. Why should we have it so easy? 

Blue baby blanket with stripes of variegated colors

The storm has moved on and the sun is shining again.