Ancient Israel : Memorable Battles in Jewish History

SHILOH (not Jerusalem) was at one time the focal point of Israel's worship, where both the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant resided. 

Shiloh (biblical city) By Abraham Sobkowski OFM - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

The Jews took the Ark from Shiloh to Kiriath-Jearim to the battlefield because they thought it would being them victory. They were wrong! They lost the Battle to the Philistines. It was a slaughter!! The enemy took the Ark as a spoil of war. But it was not the kind of trophy they would be allowed to show off with. There were plagues in every Philistine city where the Ark was taken. In the end, they gave it back to the Jews.  


Where is the Ark NOW?? The Jews don't even know!!!  


What's that? It's in Ethiopia?


Yeah right. And the Chinese invented the fortune cookie.


As if ... any God-fearing Jew on the planet would let the Ark - if it really were there - remain in Ethiopia.
   

References: Ancient Jewish History: The Ark of the Convenant and the Book of Samuel

- INTERESTING HISTORY NOTE:  During the American Civil War, the Union Army under the leadership of Ulysses Grant, achieved a victory at the Battle of Shiloh (April 1862). But that's another battle. :)

Statue-Ark Of The Covenant w/Priests-Gold/Silv-SML

Ethiopian or Philistine? Am I a Dog?

Published this post and although the stats show it had a reasonable amount of views and even a few Plus Ones, the question has still not been answered.

Can an Ethiopian change his skin? *

My answer is:
“Never been to Oklahoma but do like Sir Paul McCartney.”
(Yep. That’s right. DUH! Totally changed the subject.)

The question was prompted because of some dialogue in a Denzel Washington movie. Had the script been written and instead of saying “Ethiopian”, if the character had hurled his insult by threatening to call Mr. Washington’s character a “Philistine”, the scene in that film would have made sense to me. 


Most Bible students know the menacing Philistines were the enemies of the Israelites. There were constant struggles for control of the land of Canaan (an older name for Palestine). A study, just a quick study, of the people of Philistia might lead one to conclude that if they had not always been battling with the nation of Israel, they would have been at war with another group. They liked to fight!!


WHY? Because they could!!


The Philistines were skilled warriors; on land and at sea. In fact, they were once called Sea Peoples. Their navy consisted of fleets of the finest warships during that time, expertly manned by experienced soldier/seamen. As for their army? The infantry, i.e. trained foot soldiers, possessed superior weapons of iron and wielded them masterfully and mercilessly. 


For hundreds of years, the Philistines waged continuous war against the Israelites. David, Israel’s second king succeeded where the nation’s first king, Saul, had failed. Around 1000 B.C., he finally subdued these fierce fighting men and once crushed, their power began to decline. Other nations coming in afterward, would reap the benefits of David’s military efforts. Somewhere around 800 to 700 B.C., the Assyrians attacked and conquered cities of Philistia. Then between 597 and 586 B.C., when the Jewish people (Israelites) were exiled to Babylonia (as was foretold to them by their prophets), the Philistines were taken away as slaves too.


Not much is known about the origins of this ancient people and none of their literature has survived; just fragments of pottery and coffins, some images on Egyptian reliefs, and what is written about them in Old Testament scriptures. Historians and archaeologists have very little to reconstruct their past.  However, according to an article published in Science News, an ancient cemetery has been found that might yield some clues.

Bower, Bruce. "Ancient Cemetery Provides Peek into Philistines' Lives, Health." Science News. Society for Science & the Public, 22 Nov. 2016. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.  (https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ancient-cemetery-provides-peek-philistines-lives-health). 

Ancient cemetery provides peek into Philistines' lives, health


In our vernacular (American English), to call someone a “Philistine” is not a compliment. It is a term of contempt and means the person has uncultivated tastes or lacks culture (i.e. lacks refined behavior, good manners and/or social graces). That sounds very subjective. Perhaps the easiest way to explain the insult would be to take the question the Philistine giant, Goliath, asked a young shepherd boy, and superimpose it. Imagine that the person you’re staring down asks you this same question and you simply nod your head up and down as an affirmative response, because you don’t want to waste your breath.

“Am I a dog?” **

Image credit: Gebhard Fugel [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons



* Jeremiah 13: 23

* * 1 Samuel 17: 43

D.C.'s Bible Museum to debut with $42M worth of cutting edge technology

Washington, D.C.'s newest religious museum is set to unveil next year with a location only three blocks from the U.S. Capitol. Recently, The Museum of the Bible released information on the $42 million high-tech experience visitors will experience.