Ian Heard's Blog

‘In SALEM is His tabernacle... And His dwelling place in ZION’ (Psalm 76)

10/10/2021

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Note: The words above from Psalm 76 are typical Hebrew poetic parallelism and means therefore, that Salem and Zion are the same place.

Asaph who penned these words, was a prominent Levite singer and seer in David’s court and was the son of Berachiah of the tribe of Levi.
His song mentions the tabernacle or tent which has to be the tent David pitched at Gihon to house the ark and the sacred items, including the anointing oil.
We notice that Asaph uses the very ancient name for this special site where the ‘priest of God most high’ dwelt—yes Melchizedek—who came out to meet Abraham and to bless him.

Asaph sees the site, with the tent and the presence of God dwelling there as the centre from which the enemies of Israel met their destruction. It was the earthly throne of Yahweh.

Asaph identifies the ancient Salem of Melchizedek with Zion and both are associated with the ‘tabernacle.’ This can only be the tent erected by David after he took Zion which he then called the City of David.
We know that this tent (or tabernacle) was at Gihon.
As the sacred site, recognised by David--the site that had been occupied by Melchizedek, the precursor and 'type' of Messiah, it was where the permanent temple must have been erected.

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‘This MOUNT ZION where you have dwelt’ (Psalm 74:2b)

2/9/2021

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Asaph’s contemplation in Psalm 74 is about the desolations of the temple of Solomon after its destruction and is a plea for relief from the oppressors. He says ‘the enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary’ (v.3b) and says in verses 6 & 7, ‘they break down its carved work, all at once with axes and hammers. They have set fire

to your sanctuary; they have defiled the dwelling place of your name to the ground.’

Where was this ‘sanctuary’—the temple?

Note how Asaph described the location of the sanctuary, the temple in verse 2b…’this MOUNT ZION where you have dwelt’ (v.2b).
David had also said, ‘For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place “This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.”’ (Psalm 132:13-14)

God had chosen MOUNT ZION! David knew God’s plan and that is why he knew he had to wrest the ancient site from the Jebusites who had long held it.
‘Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David)’ 1 Chronicles 11:5.
‘…the City of David, which is Zion’ 1 Kings 8:1.

There are quite a few other references which equate Zion with the City of David, that somewhat crescent-shaped neck or ridge of land running north/south above the Kidron Valley and the Spring, Gihon (see the City of David area outlined in yellow in the 1930 aerial view above).

David’s conquest of the stronghold called Zion—re-named by him as the City of David—was via the ‘tsinnor’ or water shaft above the Gihon Spring.
There can be no association of that site with the site some 200 -300 metres north which has erroneously become known as Temple Mount.

This site near the Gihon Spring was deeply impressed in the psyche of Israel because it was the site which had become special to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who all had significant events there and all called the site HaMakom—The Place.

Zion has not moved. The City of David was Zion—and therefore the site of Solomon’s temple, somewhere above Gihon Spring which provided the ‘living water’ that typified the life-giving presence of God among His people.

Get the full story by reading 'THE PLACE, HaMakom: where Jerusalem's temples stood' (Amazon worldwide, Koorong Books, Booktopia etc)

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THE 'HOUSE' AT THE RIVER... (Psalm 36:8-9)

5/8/2021

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Psalm 36 comes from David, so God’s ‘house’ that he speaks of in verse 8 would have been the temporary tent that he had erected at Gihon for the Ark and the sacred furnishings from the old Tabernacle.

We know that the anointing oil was
there because he instructed the priest and prophet to take Solomon down to Gihon and anoint him there (1 Kings 1:33-35).

So…when David says in Psalm 36:8-9 ‘they are abundantly satisfied with the fulness of your house, and, you give them to drink from the river of your pleasures, for with you is the fountain of life’, the picture is of the site he had created with the tent or tabernacle at the Gihon Spring. Gihon is 'the river' and 'the fountain' at the 'house.'

That site, known as HaMakom throughout the Old Testament was recognised by David as the ‘X’ spot of history which God had marked to the Patriachs with His presence. When he gave his son Solomon the plans God had put in his heart (1 Chronicles 28) it would have been for near the Gihon/HaMakom site where the ‘river of God’ flowed. In my view Gihon’s gushing waters were piped up to service the temple requirements for copious washings. It provided the type of the ‘living water’ that flows at the throne of God.

See details by clicking on 'THE PLACE HaMakom; where Jerusalem's temples stood'

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‘SPRINGING UP into eternal life’

8/6/2021

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The Temple and the Spring...

In the quote above, Jesus was talking to the Samaritan woman about the kind of water He could give her to drink...‘living water’ that would not only totally quench her deepest thirst, but ‘spring up’ from within her also!

When Jesus demonstrated to her that this amazing living water was springing up from within Him as He disclosed secrets about her life, she started in with a discussion (or argument) that raged between Jews and Samaritans at that time about where they should worship.

She said, “you Jews say that IN Jerusalem is The Place where we should worship” (note: not “Jerusalem is the place”) indicating that she was aware of the nickname for the site which had become known since patriarchal times as, The Place. In the Old Testament Hebrew of the patriarchal narratives, this was HaMakom—The Place. It was where Abraham surrendered Isaac and where Jacob had had his dream ‘and called the place (HaMakom), Bethel’ (Beit-El—House of God).

Because the temple was in the City of David somewhere above Gihon Spring (and not on what falsely became called Temple Mount), it had ‘living water’ springing up within it, just as He promised believers (as His new temple or dwelling place in the earth) would have.

For more on this fascinating subject read 'THE PLACE HaMakom; where Jerusalem's temple stood'
Details HERE

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WHY A THRESHING FLOOR and WHY A SPRING?

2/4/2021

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In the Old Testament, the Jewish Temple was where God presenced Himself among His people as the God who was among--and near and accessible to His own.

The Temple practices and rituals enabled God’s people to draw near to Him--

1. To find mercy and forgiveness and to be cleansed and refined

2. To receive life from Him

The mercy and forgiveness was found as the blood of a substitute animal was taken into the Holy of Holies by the high priest and sprinkled on the ‘mercy seat’ where the ‘Presence’ resided.

That this occurred on a place chosen by God which was once a threshing floor where grain was separated and purified or refined typifies the purifying and refining work of God in lives. John the Baptist said (of Jesus) to the Pharisees and Sadducees, “His winnowing fan is in His hand and He will thoroughly clean His threshing floor and gather His wheat” (Matthew 3:12)

The receiving of life from Him was typified by the presence of living (and life-giving) water at the Temple site, flowing from the Gihon Spring.

Yes, on a threshing floor and at a spring...two essential elements typifying the life of Jesus who takes away the sin of the world, refines those who come to Him--and, gives them (as He said) living water to drink!

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'...but the name of that city had been Luz previously’

23/2/2021

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‘…and he (Jacob) called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously’ (Genesis 28:19)
On the left above is a fairly accurate depiction of the Mount Moriah complex as it would have appeared from the south and south-east before any structures or settlements there.
The blue line represents the stream of water flowing southward from the Gihon Spring in the Kidron Valley.
To the immediate left (west) of the spring and parallel to the stream is the ridge on which the City of David eventually stood. To the north the ridge tapers and then widens again to a bump on which today stands both the Mosque of Omar and the Shrine, the Dome of the Rock. In the view of many including this author, that bump is erroneously thought to be the site of Jerusalem's ancient temples.

The picture at left also reveals that the Mount Moriah complex as viewed from the high ground to the south would have appeared somewhat like a torso with shoulders, a neck and a head.
The name Luz means either almond or a bone of the neck (or even just neck).
In my view, as the site was developed with a settlement next to and around the Spring, the location became known as The Neck (Luz) and later as The Place (HaMakom) which I also believe is where Jacob had his dream and called the site Beit-El (Bethel or House of God).

Today the City of David area is completely covered with dwellings and buildings as shown in the picture at right which superimposes the area today over the ancient wall and the fortification which once protected the Gihon Spring.

In summary, the area around ancient Gihon became recognised and recognisable (depending on who was speaking and their background) by a number of different names; Salem, Luz, later Bethel then Jebus, Zion, the City of David and Jerusalem. (A modern Australian and simple example of a place with differing names would be the Aboriginal name Uluru which for many years was generally recognised by its European name, Ayers Rock. All over the world there are places known by differing names).

We are informed here in Genesis 28:19 that this site which Jacob named Beit-El (House of God), because of his dramatic encounter, was formerly known as Luz.
It is entirely possible that this piece of land around the Gihon Spring and just to its north where this apparent Neck stood had become known by some as Luz for the reason stated above.

Read the story of 'THE PLACE HaMakom; where Jerusalem's temples stood' available here

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THE SPECIAL PLACE on THE SPECIAL PLANET

16/2/2021

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That God’s plan for the specially created Planet that he made for a special people should also have a special place should not come as a surprise.

It is where the story of mankind began, where it culminated in the one called Yeshua and where it will be finalised.

This special site became known in the Patriarchal narratives as HaMakom THE PLACE.
The unecessary repetition of the term HaMakom in these narratives is clearly there to emphasise its uniqueness and 'special-ness.'

Here is an excerpt from Professor Yoel Elitzur...

'Ha-makom in Genesis

Once we understand the significance of “the place,” we can see that this keyword – ha-makom – is a keyword that is emphasized in the stories of the patriarchs in the book of Genesis as well. It appears in the story of the binding of Isaac and in Jacob’s Bethel narrative. The proof that the prominent role of the word ha-makom in these passages is no coincidence lies in the fact that often, the word is stressed in the Biblical text much more than what would be linguistically reasonable. That is to say, there are several instances in Genesis where the word ha-makom makes it difficult to understand the simple meaning of the verse. The Torah says:
Jacob left Beer-sheba, and set out for Haran. He came upon that place (ba-makom) and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place (ha-makom), he put it under his head and lay down in that place (ba-makom). (Genesis 28:10-11)

The word appears again shortly thereafter: “Surely the Lord is present in this place (ba-makom)… How awesome is this place (ha-makom)! This is none other than the abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven” (28:16-17).'

In my view this HaMakom is, THE PLACE--the Special Place is none other than Gihon Spring and the settlemet that grew around it.

Read 'THE PLACE HaMakom; where Jerusalem'e temples stood' to get the full story of the vital importance of this site to the history of the people of God.

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BEFORE THERE WAS A JERUSALEM!

13/2/2021

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The picture at Left is an artist’s impression of the Mount Moriah complex and the Gihon Spring as it would have appeared before any settlement there.
On the Right is an impression of development of a settlement around the spring with early walls built to guard the settlement and the vital water supply.

The earliest record of settlement at Gihon is that of Salem where Melchizedek dwelt. Salem later became Jebus, whose occupants, the Jebus-ites (meaning ‘Downtreaders’) held it until David captured it and renamed it the City of David.

The ancient site with its amazing spring called ‘Gushing Forth’ (Gihon) had also become known as HaMakom, The Place, because it was chosen by God as central to His plans for the people He would call His own.

The Place features prominently in the Patriarchal stories of Abraham and Melchizedek, Isaac and Jacob. It was Jacob, who after his extraordinary dream/vision of angelic beings on a stairway between earth and heaven, called HaMakom ‘Beit-El’ or Bethel—House of God!

This therefore is the true Bethel. Yes, this is where he was, as the repeated use (in fact deliberate over-use) of the term HaMakom in Genesis 28:10-22 appears to be for a specific purpose. The same applies to Abraham and Isaac’s visit there in Genesis 22.
It becomes clear in the Hebrew record that it was chosen by God.

David knew this fact when he took it—and that is exactly why he pitched a tent there, right at Gihon for the Ark of the covenant and the sacred objects.

David’s son Solomon also knew this when he built the House of God (The Bethel) there, in Zion, above the Spring which provided the water for both the City of David and for the temple which was built there in Zion just above and to the west of Gihon.

For an historic narrative and perspective on this strategic site read 'THE PLACE HAMAKOM; Where Jerusalem's temples stood' (or look elsewhere on this site)

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KING DAVID AND THE FOUNTAIN OF ISRAEL

7/12/2020

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In these images left to right we see an early 20th Century photo of the steps down to the water of Spring Gihon; a modern image of the diminished water flow today and, an aerial from 1900 of the area once occupied by the Biblical City of David. The X marks where the ridge drops into the Kidron valley (not visible due to camera angle), and the approximate location on the ridge edge above the Gihon Spring. This image serves to illustrate the ample relatively flat area (today fully built on with dwellings and other buildings) where Solomon's temple would have been constructed to make use of the flow of water upward into the temple and the city through pipes under the spring's pressure. Gihon means 'Gushing Forth.'

In Psalm 68 David describes the futility and helplessness of the enemies of God and of Israel who melt away at His presence. Even the great mountains of heathen territories belong to Him—and are jealous of Zion where the God of Israel dwells!

But David then sings of how the heathen have watched the procession of God to His dwelling place. This can be nothing but the witnessing by the nations of David bringing the ark into the City of David and to the special place he had prepared for it. Here is 2 Chronicles 1:4...

But David had brought up the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim to the place David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.

We know that the tent was erected at Gihon, the sacred spot, visited by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We know because when David instructed Nathan and Zadok the priest to anoint Solomon as king, it was at Gihon where they took the sacred oil from the tent, and anointed Solomon there.

During this period that was where the ark and therefore the presence of God resided. Now hear what David says in verses 24 to 27–

They have seen Your procession, O God,
The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.
The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after;
Among them were the maidens playing timbrels.
Bless God in the congregations,
The Lord, from the fountain of Israel.
There is little Benjamin, their leader,
The princes of Judah and their company,
The princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.

This is the formal procession, installing the ark in the tent, accompanied by the Levites and the singers and instrumentalists in great praise to God—and David encourages them to ‘bless’ or praise God in the congregation and from that location, that site. It is the site of what he calls the fountain of Israel—none other than Gihon whose waters could be heard surging and gushing upward (remember, Gihon means gushing forth), providing the 'type' of the living water found in the presence of God!
This was the sacred and special site, known through the ages as Ha Makom, The Place—and above which of course, Solomon later sited the Temple.
It was at ‘the fountain of Israel.’

For the full, enthralling story, Get you copy today of
'THE PLACE HaMakom: where Jerusalem's temples stood'

Amazon

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PLENTY OF ROOM FOR A THRESHING FLOOR AND LATER, A TEMPLE

24/11/2020

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The below very early 20th Century aerial photograph (left) of Jerusalem shows the alleged Temple Mount and the area once occupied by the City of David to its south (in lower right foreground) clearly provides ample area for the ancient threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite and later, the temple of Solomon.

In fact , in the photo, the region is apparently planted out in garden or crop plots and has long since been built on with dwellings and other buildings. The area circled on the ridge-top of that part of the Moriah complex would in fact have been ideal for a threshing floor as the prevailing breeze most predominantly from north-west meaning that chaff would blow south-eastward along the ridge, down the Kidron Valley and away from the city area (also see at right the prevailing wind rose for Jerusalem).

Solomon’s temple was built somewhare near the area circled in orange, above the Gihon Spring whose gushing water was piped up into the temple area, supplying copious water for both temple and city. As the Psalm says, ‘there is a river whose streams make glad the City of God.’
See this author’s book ‘THE PLACE, HaMakom: Where Jerusalem’s Temples stood’

Available worldwide from Amazon or other bookstores.