Sarai's Jewelry, Frosty Buffalo, and a Brand New Way to Experience the Exodus
See you in April?
Hello! Hope you’re well. Here’s the latest:
Tickets Are Live Today
Today’s the day! Tickets for Holy Ghost Stories Live: The Exodus Tour are available at this very moment.
I’m inviting you to join me in person for a magical evening where we immerse ourselves in the epic story of the Exodus and meet Yahweh inside it.
WHO WILL BE THERE?
Besides you, that is? I’m delighted to tell you that I’ll be joined by none other than Kendall Ramseur, the fabulous composer and cellist responsible for the entirety of the musical score you heard in the Exodus series here on the podcast. Kendall is a Boston Music Award winner, a finalist on America’s Got Talent, he’s performed at the Grammys—trust me, you’ll love hearing him play and experiencing the live accompaniment he’ll provide as I tell you this unforgettable story. Not only that, we’ll be joined by gifted vocalist Eve Adeline, who will help give voice to our wonder and praise as we gaze upon Yahweh together. Eve happens to be my daughter, and I can’t wait for you to hear what God’s been up to with her these last couple of years.
I’m telling you, this will be a very special time.
WHERE AND WHEN?
Dates and Cities are as follows:
NOW’S THE TIME
If you’d like to join us, be sure to grab your seats asap. These shows consistently sell out (I’ve heard from many of you, for instance, who weren’t able to get tickets to the Christmas show before they were gone)—so don’t procrastinate. I’d especially love for readers of The Latest to be in the room with us—you guys are the Real Listeners. :)
BONUS
Oh—and we’re doing a pre-show bonus. It’s a meet & greet and Q&A with Kendall and myself before the show that you can add to your ticket at purchase. We want it to be intimate, so there’s a limited number of spots per show; but we’d love to be able to meet you guys and chat about the Exodus or my research trip to Egypt or the process of collaborating or. . .well, anything else you fancy.
Also: seating is general admission, but anyone who grabs the pre-show bonus gets a guaranteed front-of-house seat.🎉 So come hang out and get a great spot for the show.
SEE YOU THERE!
We cannot wait to see you in April. I promise you, this will be an unforgettable night of story and song; I hope you’ll be able to join us.
Before Abram Was Abraham
We dropped a brand new episode of Holy Ghost Stories this week. It’s a beefy one that took a lot of work, and I’m thrilled to share it with you. It tells the story of Abram and Sarai’s early days (can your “early days” happen when you’re 75 years old?), and I’ve found their story resonating with me in some deep ways.
For instance, this one gets us into territory like “What do you do when there’s reason to doubt God’s promise?”, “What is home, really?”, and “What if you’re obedience to God gets…interrupted?”
I hope it’s a blessing to you.
BITS AND BOBS
The Past is Not A Low Budget Movie - I find myself banging this drum often, but it’s so important for us to understand a bit of the world we’re entering when we interact with Biblical narrative. It’s rich and textured, and so very much like the world we live in today. These people were not two-dimensional “Bible characters,” but real human beings with full lives and layered hearts. For me, a bit of world-building goes a long way to remembering this.
So in the interest of that, here’s some jewelry on display in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s from the exact place Sarai and Abram lived, and actually predates our star couple by as much as 600 years. In other words: as fresh as it looks, this stuff would have been ancient antiques in the time of Abram. Beautiful, though, right?
The Stories Abram Heard - At the end of this episode we’ll think out loud about particular stories Abram grew up with. There would have been more, though. Archaeologists have discovered loads of literature in the Ur tel—school-essays, proverbs, precepts, fables, riddles, and library catalogues.
Here are some of the stories with which Abram would likely have been familiar:
The many charter myths about Nanna-Sin (or just “Sin”), the moon god and patron deity of Ur
The one about the water-god Enki and the mother-goddess Ninhursag, and the blessing of Dilmun by Enki that turned Ur into a divine garden and a port noted for its docks and quays.
“The Deeds and Exploits of Ninurta”—a tale about the stormy god of the South Wind, who slew the demon of disease and built a mountain barrier to the east of Sumer in order to prevent the waters coming from below the earth.
“The Death of Dumuzi,” according to which the doomed Dumuzi had a death-dream whose ominous contents turned out to be only too true.
And others: “Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta,” “Lugalbanda and Enmerkar,” “Gilgamesh and the Land of the Living,” “Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the Nether World.”
Abram and Sarai would have known the hymns as well (even if they did not sing them themselves):
The hymn to Enlil glorifying him as a beneficent deity without whom civilized life would be inconceivable
A hymn to Nidaba, the goddess in charge of storehouses filled with provisions and supplies for the temple and palace.
The song praising Ningishzida as an awesome, terrifying, inscrutable deity.
The hymn to the goddess Bau as the guardian angel of her beloved mankind
For me, these pieces of literature are a reminder of how vast the mesopotamian pantheon was in Abram’s day. He was swimming in idolatry.
They Had Board Games - Again—in the interest of world-building, here’s a board game discovered in a mesopotamian burial chamber. Archaeologists call it The Royal Game of Ur and even think they know how to play it:
History Repeats Itself - This is the first of three Genesis narratives in which a patriarch strategically misleads a ruler about his wife to avoid conflict with the power establishment.
Don’t You Agree? - I compare the Nile delta in this episode to a ginko leaf—spot on, no?
“We’re Not Climbing That, Right?” — You’ll hear me imagine an exchange between Sarai and Abram when they get to the epic rise of Mount Hermon in northern Canaan. Here’s what it looks like in real life:
The Exodus Before The Exodus - It’s fascinating how Genesis 12 very clearly foreshadows the Exodus narrative that will play out a few generations later. Abram ventures into Egypt because of famine (Joseph’s family will do this later on); interacts with Pharaoh (as does Moses), Yahweh inflicts plagues on Pharaoh, and finally sends Abram out enrichhed with Egyptian spoils. …Familiar, no?
But Wait—When Did This Happen? - Reading Yahweh’s promise in Genesis 12:1-3, it’s easy to get a little confused as to when exactly God spoke to Abram. At first, it seems like it happened in Haran—after all, that’s where Abram is as Genesis 12 begins. But in Acts 7:2-3 we hear Stephen say, “Hear me, brothers and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’”
With this in mind, it’s clear that Genesis 12 begins not with a real-time account of Yahweh’s promise being made, but with a recap of sorts—the timely inclusion of a detail that will immediately become relevant as Abram’s story is told. In fact, you’ll see some translations try to tip you off to this by translating verse 1 “And the LORD had said to Abram…” That’s a helpful addition.
At any rate, I’ve chosen to incorporate Yahweh’s promise as a flashback. See what you think, but it seem to me that something must have happened after years in Haran to bring God’s command to Abram’s mind and light a renewed fire of obedience under him. :)
How Big Was Abram’s Caravan? - To answer this question, Alistair Roberts reminds us of Genesis 14, in which we learn of 318 fighting men who are in Abram’s clan at this point, meaning the clan’s size may be as much as three or four thousand. Crazy, right?
Sarai’s Beauty, Pharaoh’s Interest, and Abram’s Plan - This is often a confusing triad of details for readers of this section of Genesis. I’d be interested to know if they’ve been puzzling for you, and if this telling of the story is helpful in that regard.
GIVE IT A LISTEN
I hope you’re blessed by this time with Abram and Sarai and Yahweh. Do share any thoughts/observations/objections you have as you listen—I always love hearing your impressions.
4 Cool Things
Whalefall - Read this novel recently and I really dug it. It’s a fictional-but-scientifically-accurate account of a teenager who gets swallowed by a sperm whale in Monterey Bay.
Jupiter!! - Guys, these photos of the largest planet in our solar system are just incredible.
Buffalo Chill - This footage from photographer Drew Simms of Yellowstone bison hanging out in -37F temps is both amazing and gorgeous.
Branching Out - Patrick Dougherty, please come to my house and do lots of this.
That’s the latest! I’m truly looking forward to seeing so many of you in person on the Exodus Tour. Here’s the link for tickets one more time.
Gratefully,
Justin
Things I liked in this edition of The Latest: 1. A tour!! And Eve Adeline. 😊 2. Sarai’s jewelry (replicas for sale, please) 3. Snowy buffalo--be still my heart.