Joshua & the river Jordan miracle

 Promised land. The scenes show the Hebrew’s approaching the swollen & dangerous river Jordan, but then God’s amazing intervention on their behalf, as He divides the waters so that they can cross into the promised land on dry ground.

I have also included three of these scenes without the figures, so that you can see the background scenery more clearly.













Joshua 03 - Jordan crossing - Scene 01 - Officers orders

Joshua 03 - Jordan crossing - Scene 02 - 12 men

Joshua 03 - Jordan crossing - Scene 03 - Jordan in flood

Joshua 03 - Jordan crossing - Scene 03 - Jordan in flood - Landscape

Joshua 03 - Jordan crossing - Scene 04 - River waters divided

Joshua 03 - Jordan crossing - Scene 04 - River waters divided - Landscape

Joshua 03 - Jordan crossing - Scene 05 - River crossing

Joshua 03 - Jordan crossing - Scene 05 - River crossing - Landscape

Bible Cartoons for American Christian sports organisation

I’ve finished the Bible Cartoons for the American Christian sports organisation, see below:

Exodus 01 - Hebrews oppressed - Scene 03 - Hard labour

Exodus 02 - Birth of Moses - Scene 01 - Nile Basket

Exodus 02 - Birth of Moses - Scene 02 - Pharaoh’s daughter

Exodus 02 - Birth of Moses - Scene 04 - Moses playing

Exodus 02 - Moses murders - Scene 01 - Egyptian slave master

Exodus 03 - Burning Bush - Scene 01 - Wonder (fiery version)

Exodus 03 - Burning Bush - Scene 01 - Wonder (shadow version)

Exodus 03 - Burning Bush - Scene 02 - God calls to Moses

Exodus 04 - Burning Bush - Scene 04 - Staff

Exodus 04 - Burning Bush - Scene 05 - Snake staff (Large version)

Exodus 04 - Burning Bush - Scene 05 - Snake staff (Small version)

Exodus 14 - Parting of the Red Sea - Scene 10 - Walking through (version 03)















Deuteronomy 34 - Death of Moses - Scene 01 - Promised land

Joshua 03 - Jordan crossing - scene 05 - River crossing

Bee hives in Israel: new archeological evidence

Here’s an interesting article about bee-keeping in Biblical times! Apparently there was no actual archeological evidence of this practice, until three years ago. Some of the main points in the article are quoted below:

“Ancient bees found in Israel hailed from Turkey
The origin of insects found in clay beehives in the Jordan Valley, the oldest known commercial beekeeping facility in the world, suggests extensive trading and complicated agriculture 3,000 years ago...

..three years ago, researchers found a 3,000-year-old apiary [bee hive] in the Iron Age city of Tel Rehov in the Jordan Valley, the oldest known commercial beekeeping facility in the world...

..The lack of archaeological evidence about beekeeping is not surprising, Mazar [1] said, because the hives were constructed of straw-based unbaked clay similar in appearance to hives used in the region today. Even in the arid desert of Israel, such unbaked clays do not survive for long...

...The Israelites prized honeybees for the honey they produced and for the wax of their combs, which was used in metallurgical casting. Mazar and his colleagues suspect that there may have been bronze-casting workshops near the apiary, but have yet to discover any...”

[1]
archaeologist Amihai Mazar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The full article, from the Los Angeles Times, can be read here:
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/08/science/la-sci-ancient-bees-20100608

Here’s a quote from the ISBE about bees, for those interested:

“Bee
Honey is mentioned many times in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, but the word "bee" occurs only four times, and only one of the four times in connection with honey in the story of Samson (Judges 14:8). Both wild and domesticated bees are found today in Palestine, but it is not clear that bees were kept in Bible times, although it would seem very probable. The frequently recurring phrase, "a land flowing with milk and honey," certainly suggests that the honey as well as the milk is a domestic product. The hives now in use are very primitive and wasteful as compared with hives that are made in Europe and America. Sometimes a large water jar is used. More frequently a cylinder about 3 or 4 ft. long and 6 inches in diameter is constructed of mulberry withes plaited together and plastered with mud or cow dung. A number of these cylinders are placed horizontally, being piled up together under some rude structure which serves as a protection from the direct rays of the sun. In the passage already cited it is related that Samson found a swarm of bees and honey in the carcass of the lion which he had killed on his previous visit. We are not told how much time had intervened, but it does not take long in the dry climate of Palestine for scavenging beasts and insects to strip the flesh from the bones and make the skeleton a possible home for a swarm of bees. The other three passages refer to the offensive power of bees. In Deuteronomy 1:44, in the speech of Moses he says, "The Amorites chased you, as bees do"; in Psalms 118:12, the psalmist says, "They compassed me about like bees"; in Isaiah 7:18, the bee is the type of the chastisement that the Lord will bring from the land of Assyria.
- Alfred Ely Day”
(Source: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)

Praising God in adversity

Just listening to Australian preacher Katherine Ruonala’s podcast “Praising God in adversity - Part 1" [Transcript of part of the podcast [3]]

Referencing the narrative of Paul & Silas in prison, who didn’t complain about having been beaten for their faith, but, instead chose to sing hymns to God at midnight in the prison. See Acts 16:16-40]...

“God wants to release you into hope. So that you can begin to celebrate...”

Katherine Ruonala goes on to remind us that we NEED TO TAKE THOUGHTS THAT OCCUR TO US CAPTIVE, especially those thoughts that aren’t any good for us [distracting thoughts, worries, etc]...

“[We should say] God, I take those thoughts captive, that are exalting themselves above the knowledge of who you are. You are good, you are lovely, you are wonderful. And I’m not even going to think about these other things [distracting thoughts, worries, etc] My heart’s desire is simply to enjoy you; is to love you & enjoy you.” [1]

Katherine Ruonala goes on to make a VERY important observation about any negative thoughts we continue to allow into our own minds:

“Can you enjoy Him [The Lord] when things AREN’T the way that you want them to be in your circumstances around you? If you can’t, then the circumstances are probably going to get worse, because it’s going to prove to be an EFFECTIVE TOOL OF THE ENEMY [Satan]. It’s like, “oh, that’s working!” But if you are unmoved by the things that the enemy brings to you, & instead, turn it around for good, saying [to yourself], I’m not even going to entertain it, I’m not going there. I’m not going there devil, I’m going to sing. I’m going to sing praises to God. I’m going to be looking out for opportunities to minister, to release the love of God...”

That point seems vital to me: Unless we choose to take captive any thought(s) that are negative & self-destructive, then we are in danger of becoming more & more subject to such thoughts. And we definitely don’t want to go down that road!
It is therefore VITAL that we so order our own thinking that we DO decide to take negative thoughts captive, just as many times as they occur to us. They probably won’t just occur to us once per day! They may occur to us ten times, or a hundred times, or a thousand times per day. What matters is our firm determination to take negative thoughts captive NO MATTER HOW OFTEN THEY OCCUR TO US.

I’m sure Jesus wasn’t tempted by the devil just the one time recorded in the Bible (see Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13) but was tempted pretty much every day of his life, just like we are. In fact Luke 4:13 tells us “When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him UNTIL THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY CAME.” So clearly Jesus was tempted again, at a later date.

Back to the negative thoughts that occur to our minds...
Negative thoughts grow more powerful in our minds IF we allow them to “roost” there. So we need to ruthlessly root them out & deliberately decide to think about positive things INSTEAD. They may try to come back, countless times again, but if we are unmoving in our RESOLVE to reject any & all negative thoughts, regardless of how many times they occur to our minds, then we will take back control of our own thinking. This is self-help at its best! It is also what the Lord God wants us to do. [2]

<br />
[1]
Katherine Ruonala is referring to the first point of the Westminster Larger Catechism, which begins with:
Q. 1. What is the chief and highest end of man?
A. Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.

[2]
2 Corinthians 10:5 New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, AND WE TAKE CAPTIVE EVERY THOUGHT TO MAKE IT OBEDIENT TO CHRIST.”

Romans 12:2 New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the RENEWING OF YOUR MIND. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

[3]
Katherine Ruonala - Praising God in adversity - Part 1 [Podcast]

[21 mins 21sec’s into podcast]
“God wants to release you into hope. So that you can begin to celebrate, “Thank you Father, thank you Lord, that you are faithful & true. You are my divine distraction, God, you are my divine obsession. God, I take those thoughts that are exalting themselves above the knowledge of who you are. You are good, you are lovely, you are wonderful. And I’m not even going to think about these other things [distracting thoughts, worries, etc] My heart’s desire is simply to enjoy you; is to love you & enjoy you.
Can you enjoy Him [The Lord] when things aren’t the way that you want them to be in your circumstances around you? If you can’t, then the circumstances are probably going to get worse, because it’s going to prove to be an effective tool of the enemy [Satan]. It’s like, “oh, that’s working!” But if you are going to be unmoved by the things that the enemy brings to you, & instead, turn it around for good [like Paul & Silas - see Acts 16:16-40]... say, I’m not even going to entertain it, I’m not going there. I’m not going there devil, I’m going to sing. I’m going to sing praises to God. I’m going to be looking out for opportunities to minister, to release the love of God. To know, this is my divine purpose; is to love God & enjoy Him forever. To bless Him. I’ve been created for fellowship with Jesus. I’ve been created for fellowship with God Himself.”