EL Amen Faithful God
I would like to take you on an archaeological and historical journey to find El Amen, faithful God. The LORD, YHWH, made covenants (God promises which will not be broken) with Adam, with Abraham, with Moses, with David right up to Christ (God) pronouncing the Covenant in His blood to all who would believe.
-The scene is set in Samaria 40 miles north of Jerusalem at 2 mountains, Mt Girizim and Mt Ebal. It is around 1406 BC and Joshua had just conquered the city of Ai.
-now Moses had given instructions to Joshua about this very moment, when they crossed into the promised land.
Deut. 11: 26-30 Moses’s writing
26 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse— 27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; 28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known. 29 When the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings, and on Mount Ebal the curses.
-this view is from the slope of Mt Ebal with Mt Gerizim in the distant left
Here Joshua and the Israeli people renew the Covenant.
Joshua 8:30-33
30 Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, 31 as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses—an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the Lord burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings. 32 There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses. 33 All the Israelites, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and the native-born were there. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel.
34 Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them.
Mt Gerizim Mt Ebal
Covenant Blessings Covenant Curses
1 million people ark 1 million people
On the slopes priests On the slopes
El Amen People be Amen
ALTAR
- here the covenant was renewed, the blessings and the curses
-here the Book of laws written by Moses was read
-and here sacrifices were made
Deuteronomy 7:9 listen Moses’s words
Know therefore that the Lord (YHWH) your God (Elohim) is God; he is the faithful God (El Amen), keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.
A little aside to Joshua’s altar -1n 1980 archaeologist discovered this altar on Mt Ebal and dismantled parts of it, finding little except some animal bones. Several months ago in 2023, Adam Zertak went back to this site and sifted more carefully the refuse pile of stones from the first dig. He found a small tablet which was put there in Joshua’s time or shortly after.
-it is called the curse tablet as it contains YHW‘s curses
It reads YHWH’s name written in ancient Paleo Hebrew and the curses
“Cursed, cursed, cursed.
Cursed by the God YHW
You will die cursed.
Cursed you will surely die.
Cursed by YHW
Cursed, cursed, cursed.”
-you get the sense that God takes very seriously His covenants
God means each word of every blessing and every curse.
He is faithful in this
If one obeys God, loves God à blessings
If one opposes God, goes after other gods àcurses
Faithfulness is the concept of unfailingly remaining loyal to someone and putting that loyalty into consistent practice regardless of extenuating circumstances.
Lamentations 3:22–23 says, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
The Hebrew word translated “faithfulness” means “steadfastness, firmness, fidelity.” The opposite of being faithful is to be ever-changing or wishy-washy. Psalm 119:89–90 says, “Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations.”
If God spoke something a thousand years ago, it still stands. He is faithful to His Word because His Word is an expression of His character. The promises He made still hold true because He does not change, God is immutable/unchanging, God remains faithful to His promises, even though we are often unfaithful to Him.
To provide for us He is faithful YHWH Jireh
To be with us always He is faithful YHWH Shammah
To be our guide He is faithful El Amen
To be our light He is faithful YHWH O^ree
To discipline us He is faithful El Aav (Father)
To be our rock He is faithful YHWH Ha^zur
To be our defender He is faithful YHWH Magin^ee new
To be our helper He is faithful
To be our salvation He is faithful YHWH Ye^She
He is El Amen, Faithful God.
Wherever you are, whatever circumstances you find yourself in always remember God will be faithful to you, He will never fail you because God is faithful, El Amen
Previously I spoke of our gracious and compassionate God from Exodus 34:6 where God met Moses and where God declared His names. Listen to the last word of vs 6 of God declaring His Name:
“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,”
-one more verse on God’s faithfulness -El Amen
Deuteronomy 32:4
He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.
Can you imagine if God wasn’t faithful every time? That God would choose to not be faithful, to change His mind and abandon us for even 1 day? To not be with us, to not help us, to not provide for us?
Oh, but God is faithful, always was, always will be for you.
And in return God wants us to be faithful to Him, always & forever.
-God asks us, He commands us, He warns us,
He desires for us, you and me, to be faithful.
2 Samuel 22:26
“To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
4 examples of people who were faithful to God.
Genesis 5:24 Enoch
Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more,
Genesis 6:9 Noah
This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.
Numbers 12:7 Moses
But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house.
2 Chronicles 31:20 Hezekiah
This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God.
We are to be faithful, each of us, faithful & loyal to God, El Amen
Joshua 24:14 From Joshua to God’s people
“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness.
Be faithful in your service to God.
Psalm 4:3
Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.
Do you want God to hear you when you pray à be faithful to God
Psalm 30:4
Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name.
Be faithful to praise God
Psalm 31:23
Love the Lord, all his faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to him,
Be faithful in your love for God à put God first
Psalm 32:6
Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found;
Be faithful in your prayers
Psalm 86:2
Guard my life, for I am faithful to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God;
You want God’s protection, to guard your life àbe faithful
He is your God, your faithful God. El Amen
God will reward your faithfulness.
1 Samuel 26:23
The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness.
As the children of Israel were entering the Promised Land they were reminded to be faithful
Deuteronomy 11:12-14 New International Version
12 It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.
13 So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul— 14 then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil.
Be faithful, I want to hear El Amen, Faithful God, when I meet Him say- to me “well done my good and faithful servant”.
April 30, 2023
