Pharaohs' role as "mediator" between the gods and men

Internal organs of the dead were dried and treated with ointments before being wrapped in linen and stored in Canopic jars

Relief fragment from Sharuna temple, Ptolemaic Period, 305-285 BCE

Ancient Egypt is to me, a land of mystic and intrigue. Judging from the long queues at the National Museum of Singapore last Tuesday during the Museum's open house day, it was apparent that many people were still captivated by the mysteries behind the Egyptian mummies and the "afterlife" world of the Egyptians.

I was told that ancient Egyptians believed in many gods and, among others, the religious concept of the creation of the universe. The universe was believed to work according to a strict eternal law called ma'at (balance). What astonished me was that the pharaohs were to fulfil the role of mediator between the gods and the people. Upon accession to the throne, the pharaoh became "a human in the role of a god", emboding a dual nature of both human and divine.

To the ancient Egyptians, death was regarded as a necessary transition to a new state of being. Thus the Egyptians' funerary preparations were treated with pomp, as in the case of mummification of dead bodies, the construction of tombs and delicate preservation of internal organs in funerary jars. All these were directed to enable the dead in achieving akh, the ideal state of immortality. There was even a manual for the afterlife called the Book of the Dead, which essentially was a collection of spells, passwords and images to be used by the dead in the underworld.

Mankind has been searching for immortality and an innate quest for a divine purpose in life. The ancient Egyptians believed in the supernatural, but missed out on the grand salvation plan that God has for mankind.

Dear Lord Jesus, the Creator of the universe and all mankind, thank You for being our mediator and sacrificial lamb by dying on the Cross for our sins. We no longer have to seek ways to attain immortality because of Your salvation plan for those who believe in You. The Book of Life has invalidated the curse of the Book of the Dead with the promise of eternal life. Hallelujah!

Global Warming Debate

The United Nations Climate Change Conference next week at Copenhagen has been a buzz in the local newspapers recently, with talks of a failure in the offing.

Interestingly, the papers ran a column of what Singapore would be like in the future in battling the effects of global warming --- dykes along its coasts and lush gardens within the city. That, was what occurred to me, a rather palliative touch.

Jim Daly, the President and CEO of Focus on the Family, wrote in his musings ("At Home with Jim Daly", Focus on the Family, 2009) of broken marriages and divorces popularised by law firms specialising in dissolving marriages. While lamenting that the younger generations have trivialised marriage, Jim highlighted a research study pointing to divorce being bad for the planet. Upswing in the divorce rates contributes directly to a sharp increase in the consumption of natural resources and the creation of household waste. This (arguably) contributes to global warming.

Recently, I read of an article talking about suggestions of staying single so as not to contribute to global warming! What's next --- staying married without procreation?

We need to stop blaming marriages and procreation as a contributing factor to global warming. Mankind has yet again, proven to be selfish and self-centred in our ways of denying total responsibility to what we have been entrusted to do.

Slow Fade

Joseph reminded me of this beautiful song by Casting Crowns, "Slow Fade" recently during one of our cell group meetings. The song was played in one of the church services when Senior Pastor was anatomising the book of Daniel as a grave reminder for Christians to walk in holiness and not let sin eat us away. Many sins that we committed are those that we either frivolously dispensed them as trivial or following the worldly lifestyle and belief system.

In Daniel 5, King Belshazzar was full of himself and did not acknowledge the Lord's presence even when the Lord gave a stern warning to him with the writings on the wall. Daniel interpreted the writings that King Belshazzar's days were numbered and that his kingdom would be given away to the Medes and Persians.

Senior Pastor's message for the day was for Christians to be conscious of the supposedly "trivial and little sins" that we sometimes disregard lest we cross the line of no return, just like King Belshazzar.

How befitting is the lyrics of the song "Slow Fade"! May the Lord guard our hearts, eyes, ears and feet, so that our hearts will not be hardened and to live a life after God's heart. More importantly, I pray for God's forgiveness in any thing that we do that is not pleasing to Him. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Slow Fade (Casting Crowns)

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day

Oh be careful little eyes what see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see

Arts Museum Open House (20 Sep 09)

We had a wonderful time at our cell group family outing yesterday afternoon at the Arts Museum. The kids had lots of fun trying out painting, origami and balloon sculpting. It's also a great time catching up with one another and for kids' interaction and play.

Blessed belated birthday, Joseph

We celebrated Joseph's birthday yesterday at cell meeting.

"Dead Sea Scrolls and the Ancient World" Exhibition in Singapore

The "Dead Sea Scrolls and the Ancient of the World" exhibition is now showing at the Arts House, Singapore. It had been an eye-opener for me in witnessing the historical moment of the dead sea scrolls exhibiting in Asia for the first time.

There were guided tours and lectures at the exhibition, covering the discovery site of the dead sea scrolls, the canon of the Bible and the significance of the translation of the anicent Bible to English.

I've done up a mind map for the information on dead sea scrolls (above, click to enlarge) and hope to provide an overview of what I'd learnt at the exhibition.

Happy Birthday, Andy!

Happy and blessed birthday to Andy, our birthday boy in August.

FCBC's 1st Bowling Rally@Kallang Leisure Park

Last Friday's bowling rally saw such an overwhelming turnout that my cell group only started bowling at about 10pm. Nevertheless, we had a great fellowship time at Wang Cafe. Nathan had a great time playing with Joshua at Wang Cafe, which gave some respite to the frazzled parents.

It's also great catching up with Kim Seng, my ex-colleague from Webvisions.

Biblical Perspective on Chinese Customs and Beliefs

I read CH Kang and Ethel Nelson's "The Discovery of Genesis: How the Truths of Genesis were found hidden in the Chinese Language" (Concordia Publishing House, 1985) a few years ago with some understanding of how ancient Chinese words appeared to contain some aspects of biblical context. Some of the truths were etched in my mind and perhaps develop in me, an interest in traditional Chinese customs and beliefs.

Since last year, I have been practising Chinese body massage on my 2 elder children almost evey night before they went to bed. I learnt it from a book which advocated the many health benefits of Chinese massage for young children. I have been particularly conscientious of working on the Chinese way of eye massaging as I do not wish my children having myopia like me. Little do I realise the underlying origin of Chinese massage until I read Daniel Tong's "A Biblical Approach to Chinese Traditions and Beliefs" (Armour Publishing, 2007). Daniel advises against Christians learning and practising Chinese acupuncture and massage, tracing the origins of the practice to Taoism and Buddhism in ancient China.

I pray for God's wisdom in discerning the good and bad influence of traditional health practices.