Have you heard of
Ur of the Chaldees?
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It's mentioned
four times in the Bible.
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But Ur was lost and forgotten,
and scholars denied that it
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ever existed.
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Now, through the work of
archaeologists, we know that it
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was, in fact, a very important
city of the ancient world.
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In this program David will be
telling us about its discovery
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in recent times.
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Have you ever heard
of Ur of the Chaldees?
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Well, if you've read your Bible
you should have because it's
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mentioned four times in
the Biblical record, although
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actually, each of those
four times virtually says
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the same thing.
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I'll read you, for instance,
what it says in Genesis 11:31
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where it says And Terah took his
son, Abraham, and his grandson,
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Lot, and they went out with them
from Ur of the Chaldees to go to
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the land of Canaan.
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So, in other words, the only
reference to Ur of the Chaldees
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is the reference to Abraham
leaving his home place there
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and going to the land of Canaan.
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Now there are no
historical records about Ur
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of the Chaldees.
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So apart from the Bible,
there's no mention of it.
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And so guess
what the critics said?
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Oh well, they said, Ur of the
Chaldees is just a figment of
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the Bible writers
imagination; just a legend.
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Or, if it was actually a place,
just some obscure little village
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in Mesopotamia.
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We don't know where it was.
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And so they just wrote
it off as a Bible blunder.
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Now I'd like you to come with
me to Southern Iraq, to a site
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called Telelmiciah.
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And here we find a ziggurat, or
temple tower, and it literally
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means in an
Arabic, mound of pitch.
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Now it is called this because
all the bricks of this ziggurat
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are stuck together
with pitchamen, or pitch.
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And so they call it
Telelmiciah, mound of pitch.
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Well, it was in 1954 that the
British Museum sent a message
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to the British Consul in Mosul.
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You see, Layard had dug up
so many winged bulls in Assyria,
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and sent them back to the
British Museum, and the British
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public was hungry for more.
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And so the museum sent a
message to its Consul there
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saying, hey, old boy, see if
you can get us some more stuff
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to put in the museum.
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Will you?
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So Taylor, seeing in this
an opportunity for a little
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diversion from his
boring Consular activities,
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readily agreed.
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He rounded up some Arab workmen,
got some donkeys, picks,
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and shovels, and all the
rest of it, and away they went.
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to Telelmaciah.
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Well, when Taylor got there he
saw this big ziggurat, you know,
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and he thought, now there
must be some fabulous treasures
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inside this, so he walked
all around it, tapping on the
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sides, hoping to find some
hollow sound which would betray
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a room or some place
inside where there could be
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stored some valuables.
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But that temple tower or
ziggurat was just as solid as
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the Rock of Gibraltar.
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And there was no
echo from within.
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Well, Taylor was undaunted.
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He took his men up to the
top of the tower and started
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savagely attacking it with these
picks and shovels, throwing all
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the bricks down onto the ground
below, and hoping to come down
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to some place where he
would find something valuable.
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They did an enormous amount
of damage, which makes the
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archaeologists shudder these
days, but those were the days
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before
archeology really was born.
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So Taylor had no experience
whatsoever, and he just kept on
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digging down, down, down,
and he virtually found nothing.
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At last he gave up in disgust.
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All he had found were four
clay cylinders inscribed with
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cuneiform writing which he
sent back to the British Museum
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with sort of an
apology: Sorry old chaps,
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this is all I could find.
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Well, the British Museum
that was used to getting these
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winged bulls from Layard were
pretty disgusted, but they put
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these cylinders into a back room
and left them there and really
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forgot about them.
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Little did they realize what
a fabulous treasure they had!
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Well, about twenty years
went by, and in the meantime
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the cuneiform script
became understandable.
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Sir Henry Rawlinson had cracked
it open as a result of his study
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on the
Bahistanal Bisatoon Rocket.
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Now people could read
and understand the cuneiform.
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So it occurred to somebody to
get these cylinders that Taylor
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sent back and find out
just what was written there.
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They discovered that it was a
dedicatory cylinder in which the
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builder of the ziggurat, or the
rebuilder of it, mentioned that
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he had done this
reconstruction work.
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And it mentioned that
his name was Source Ur-Nammu.
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Source Ur-Nammu?
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Could it be that this was
King Nummu, and he was the king
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of the city of Ur?
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Yes, indeed it was!
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And so it was identified
as Ur of the Chaldees.
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That was a bit of a shock,
of course, to the critics.
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They had to take
a back seat then.
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And so now Ur of the Chaldees
was definitely identified as a
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geographical
locality, and obviously, a very
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important one too.
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In 1919 the British Army was
driving the Turks out of Iraq.
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They were moving up from the
Persian Gulf, and they came to
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Ur of the
Chaldees, or Tel El Micaiah.
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Now it so happened that
there was a certain officer
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in the British Army by
the name of Major Thompson.
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As he galloped by
this spectacular ziggurat,
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he was very impressed.
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As opportunity permitted he did
a little scratching around there
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because it so happened he'd been
employed by the British Museum.
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That was before
his military days.
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So he did a little scratching
around, and he sent a message
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back to the British Museum
saying that here is a site
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that would be worth excavating.
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The British Museum got
the message and sometime later
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it did send a exhibition out
to do a little investigating.
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They came back with a good
report, and in 1922 a large
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scale expedition was
mounted with Sir Leonard Woolley
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as its director.
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Leonard Woolley made it his
virtual life work, working there
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from 1922 to 1934
on these excavations.
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And he made some
spectacular discoveries.
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He didn't pay much
attention to the ziggurat.
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He did excavate the
temple area around the ziggurat.
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In particular, he
discovered what are known as the
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Death Pits of Ur.
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He found that these early kings
had been buried in brick vaults.
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Outside of these
vaults there was a pit.
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Into this pit marched down
a whole assembly of courtiers,
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servants, musicians, bullock
drivers, and all the rest of it,
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anything up to eighty people
moved into one of these pits.
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And then, when the set time was
come, and already everyone was
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all set around, they
drank a cup full of poison,
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and laid down and died.
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Wooly even found the bowl
that contained the poison,
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and the cups
from which they drank.
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It seems to have been
quite a voluntary affair.
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In other words, these
people were voluntarily choosing
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to go into the after
life with their departed king.
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At least they had the courage
of their beliefs, you know,
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in the after life.
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And that's more than a
lot of people have today.
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So these death pits
proved to be very spectacular.
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There were some remarkable
things found inside the tombs
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of the kings.
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For instance, there was the
beautiful golden, or it was gold
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and silver helmet
of Michkellemdark.
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There was the
headdress of Queen Shubard.
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Beautiful things!
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Gold leaf,
delicately, exquisitely done!
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And they are in
the museum today.
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And then there were pendants,
jewels, and all types of
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beautiful ornaments.
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Many rich treasures
came out of these tombs of
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Ur of the Chaldees.
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And so it was realized that
Ur of the Chaldees was not just
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some obscure village in
Mesopotamia, but was actually
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the center of a very prosperous
and important civilization.
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In fact it was a civilization
that nobody knew existed:
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the Sumerians.
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Now we know, of course, that
the Sumerians were the world's
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first civilization.
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Yes, before Egypt, before
Assyria, before the Hittites.
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The Sumerians were the people,
for instance, who first learned
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to write cuneiform script.
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They were the people who
learned to work out the area
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of a triangle.
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They were the people who
understood the formula 2 pi r.
00:10:01.93\00:10:05.80
It was an incredibly
advanced civilization.
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So Abraham, instead of coming
from some village in Iraq,
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actually came from a wealthy,
and well educated society.
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Undoubtedly, Abraham
himself was a well educated,
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intelligent, and affluent
person with a large following.
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One of the best known
items that Woolley found in
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Ur of the Chaldees was
this here, which is known as the
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Royal Standard of Ur.
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It is made of stone, beautiful
blue stone, with ivory inlay.
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On this side it shows a domestic
scene; on the other side it
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shows a military scene.
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This gives us a very good
idea of the type of people,
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the type of vehicles, the type
of dress, that existed in Ur
00:10:56.88\00:11:01.60
in ancient times.
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It was carried as a standard;
probably into battle on the
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end of a pole.
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So it is known as
the Royal Standard of Ur.
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Now I suppose you've all
got a dictionary at home.
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Have you?
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An Oxford Dictionary or
a Webster on the shelves
00:11:16.91\00:11:20.16
of your bookcase?
00:11:20.19\00:11:21.26
Now just in case you think
that a dictionary is a modern
00:11:21.29\00:11:25.08
invention, forget about it.
00:11:25.11\00:11:27.16
The Sumerians had it
thousands of years ago!
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Look, here is a clay tablet, and
you'll notice it's in columns.
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One column gives you
the Sumerian word, and in an
00:11:35.40\00:11:39.86
adjacent column it
gives you the Assyrian word.
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You've got the definitions
there, you see, just like you
00:11:43.94\00:11:46.33
would have in
your Oxford Dictionary.
00:11:46.36\00:11:48.71
And they also had this king
list; rather an interesting one,
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it's triangular, you
see, and it was on clay.
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This is an exact replica.
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And rather interesting actually,
the periods of reign for these
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kings are actually
in thousands of years.
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Now, of course, we can't accept
that each king reigned for a
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thousand years, but it
does indicate that those early
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people did live a long time.
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You know, you read the record
in the Bible and you think,
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Oh boy, surely they
couldn't have lived that long.
00:12:15.86\00:12:18.59
Well, here is a list that
gives very extended periods,
00:12:18.62\00:12:22.93
too far really, but it
does show that they understood;
00:12:22.96\00:12:27.00
that people back there
lived a very long time.
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Today we are in Hebron.
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The building behind me here is
a mosque that is built over the
00:12:31.90\00:12:38.06
site of the burial place
of Abraham and his family.
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You see, Abraham was a nomad.
00:12:42.20\00:12:45.01
He didn't have any
possessions in this land.
00:12:45.04\00:12:49.89
And so when Sarah, his wife,
died he had to arrange somewhere
00:12:49.92\00:12:54.77
for her to be buried.
00:12:54.80\00:12:55.77
He purchased a plot
from Ephraim the Hittite.
00:12:55.78\00:13:00.33
They did a bit of
bargaining over it, and finally
00:13:00.36\00:13:04.57
he purchased this
cave, and buried Sarah there.
00:13:04.70\00:13:07.50
Later on he himself was buried
here, and other members of his
00:13:07.53\00:13:12.67
family, such as
Rebecca and Isaac.
00:13:12.70\00:13:16.24
Actually, you
can't see their graves.
00:13:16.27\00:13:18.39
The only way to get down into
the cave is through an opening
00:13:18.42\00:13:24.65
in the floor.
00:13:24.68\00:13:25.65
Underneath there
is where the tomb is.
00:13:25.66\00:13:28.74
Now nobody has ever been down
there; nobody of archeological
00:13:28.77\00:13:32.22
ability anyway, so we
really don't know just what
00:13:32.26\00:13:34.81
is down there.
00:13:34.84\00:13:35.81
But this is where,
undoubtedly, Abraham was buried.
00:13:35.82\00:13:38.41
Well, Abraham spent quite a
lot of his life here in Hebron
00:13:38.53\00:13:43.23
and its environs.
00:13:43.26\00:13:44.53
It was while he was here
that a rather dramatic incident
00:13:44.56\00:13:47.72
took place.
00:13:47.75\00:13:48.73
Abraham's nephew, Lot, lived
way over there in the Jordan
00:13:48.76\00:13:52.89
valley at a place called Sodom.
00:13:52.92\00:13:54.10
While he was there was an
invasion from Mesopotamia of
00:13:54.13\00:13:58.97
five of their kings.
00:13:59.00\00:14:00.79
They captured Sodom,
and took Lot and his family,
00:14:00.82\00:14:04.46
and made off with them together,
of course, with all the booty
00:14:04.49\00:14:07.47
from the city.
00:14:07.50\00:14:08.47
Well, Abraham felt obliged to
do something about this, so he
00:14:08.48\00:14:12.49
mustered his forces.
00:14:12.52\00:14:13.61
He was quite a wealthy man, you
know, and he had quite a lot of
00:14:13.64\00:14:16.24
people attached
to his household.
00:14:16.27\00:14:17.96
He marched down there, and
he followed them up, and he took
00:14:17.99\00:14:22.73
these kings and their armies
by surprise, defeated them,
00:14:22.76\00:14:25.71
and brought Lot
and his family back.
00:14:25.74\00:14:28.28
Together, of course, with all
of the other things that this
00:14:28.31\00:14:31.50
invading army had taken.
00:14:31.53\00:14:32.77
Well, naturally, the
local inhabitants were
00:14:32.80\00:14:34.78
very grateful for this.
00:14:34.81\00:14:35.94
It tells us in Genesis 15:18,
Then Melchizedek king of Salem
00:14:35.97\00:14:42.80
brought out bread and
wine: he was the priest of
00:14:42.83\00:14:45.62
God most high.
00:14:45.65\00:14:47.09
And he blessed him,...
00:14:47.12\00:14:50.98
And then it goes on
to say, ... And he gave
00:14:51.01\00:14:55.40
him a tithe of all.
00:14:55.43\00:14:57.20
Now the word tithe means tenth.
00:14:57.23\00:14:59.01
So Abraham gave Melchizedek
a tenth of all he had acquired.
00:14:59.04\00:15:05.90
Now that's a lot, isn't it?
00:15:05.93\00:15:07.39
Yet I think it's the
secret of Abraham's prosperity;
00:15:07.42\00:15:11.23
this practice of paying a tithe.
00:15:11.26\00:15:13.18
You know there's some people
that think that the secret of
00:15:13.21\00:15:15.48
prosperity is to hold
onto every cent you've got.
00:15:15.51\00:15:18.32
Don't let it slip
through your fingers.
00:15:18.35\00:15:20.10
The idea of giving a
tenth of your income to God;
00:15:20.13\00:15:24.09
that's just not on.
00:15:24.12\00:15:25.40
But that's what Abraham did,
and I think that was the secret
00:15:25.43\00:15:28.57
of his prosperity.
00:15:28.60\00:15:29.57
It says over here in the book
of Proverbs 3:9 Honor the Lord
00:15:29.58\00:15:35.68
with your possessions, and with
the first fruits of all your
00:15:35.71\00:15:38.66
increase: so your barns
will be filled with plenty.
00:15:38.69\00:15:42.41
So that's what
Abraham did, and he prospered.
00:15:42.44\00:15:46.67
Well now, that doesn't mean,
of course, that if you give a
00:15:46.70\00:15:49.19
tenth of all your income to
the church that immediately you
00:15:49.22\00:15:52.92
become a millionaire overnight.
00:15:52.95\00:15:55.20
But I'll tell you this, if
you have faith that could move
00:15:55.23\00:15:59.40
mountains, and all you're doing
is putting twenty cents in the
00:15:59.43\00:16:02.75
offering plate occasionally when
you go to church, I'll tell you,
00:16:02.78\00:16:06.14
you can't expect
much of God's blessing.
00:16:06.17\00:16:07.99
Its got to be
shown in a practical way.
00:16:08.02\00:16:10.29
That is what Abraham did,
and I think that was the secret
00:16:10.32\00:16:13.89
of his prosperity.
00:16:13.92\00:16:14.92
Abraham's grandson, Jacob,
also paid tithe, you know.
00:16:14.95\00:16:20.41
You've probably read the story
of how he deceived his brother
00:16:20.44\00:16:23.67
Esau, and Esau was
determined to kill him.
00:16:23.70\00:16:26.58
So Jacob decided it would
be healthiest if he left home.
00:16:26.61\00:16:31.27
So he came to what the Bible
describes as the city of Luz,
00:16:31.30\00:16:35.42
later known as Bethel.
00:16:35.45\00:16:37.15
Well, we're in Bethel now,
or rather the town of Bethel
00:16:37.18\00:16:39.84
is over there.
00:16:39.87\00:16:40.84
This is just outside the town.
00:16:40.85\00:16:42.92
It was somewhere here
that he laid down to sleep.
00:16:42.95\00:16:45.78
The Bible says that he
had a stone for a pillow.
00:16:45.81\00:16:49.98
Well, I don't know which
stone he used for his pillow.
00:16:50.01\00:16:53.90
I'm quite sure he didn't
need a stone as big as any
00:16:53.93\00:16:56.57
of these here.
00:16:56.60\00:16:58.38
You might think,
well, I wouldn't like
00:16:58.41\00:17:00.14
a stone for a pillow.
00:17:00.18\00:17:01.36
I'd rather have a feather
pillow, or something like that,
00:17:01.40\00:17:03.79
but it was common
practice in those days.
00:17:03.82\00:17:05.64
For instance,
Tutankhamen had a stone pillow.
00:17:05.67\00:17:08.38
I don't know whether
you've ever noticed that among
00:17:08.41\00:17:10.09
his treasures.
00:17:10.12\00:17:11.09
And he had all the
money in the world!
00:17:11.10\00:17:13.12
So that night Jacob slept
well, but he was troubled.
00:17:13.15\00:17:17.63
He was heartsick and weary
at having to run away from home,
00:17:17.66\00:17:21.08
and also feeling of
guilt for what he had done.
00:17:21.11\00:17:25.54
But as he slept he had a dream.
00:17:25.57\00:17:27.94
The Bible says he saw a
ladder set up to heaven.
00:17:27.97\00:17:31.83
Now, it's interesting.
00:17:31.86\00:17:33.23
That word that is translated
ladder there is the very word
00:17:33.26\00:17:36.83
that was used during the
time of his Grandfather Abraham
00:17:36.86\00:17:40.43
in Ur of the Chaldees for
the steps of the zegreget.
00:17:40.46\00:17:43.38
Now these zegrets were supposed
to be steps up to heaven.
00:17:43.41\00:17:46.47
And here were steps which just
didn't reach the temple on top,
00:17:46.50\00:17:51.37
they reached all
the way to heaven.
00:17:51.40\00:17:53.46
And Jacob saw the angels of
God ascending and descending
00:17:53.49\00:17:56.86
on these steps.
00:17:56.89\00:17:57.93
When he awakened in the morning,
he was so thrilled to know that
00:17:57.96\00:18:03.27
he was not rejected by
God just because he'd done
00:18:03.30\00:18:05.67
something wrong.
00:18:05.71\00:18:06.68
God had accepted his repentance
and sorrow for his sin,
00:18:06.69\00:18:10.06
and so he had this dream.
00:18:10.09\00:18:13.09
Jacob was so pleased when
he wakened up that he changed
00:18:13.12\00:18:16.24
the name of this
location from Luz to Bethel,
00:18:16.27\00:18:19.49
meaning house of God.
00:18:19.52\00:18:20.94
He said, surely I didn't realize
that God is in this place.
00:18:20.97\00:18:24.47
And then he made
a promise to God.
00:18:24.50\00:18:26.43
You'll find it in Genesis 28:20
where it says, And Jacob made
00:18:26.46\00:18:34.66
a vow, saying, If God will
be with me, and will keep me
00:18:34.69\00:18:37.66
in this way that I'm going, so
that I come back to my father's
00:18:37.69\00:18:40.69
house in peace; then the
Lord shall be my God: and of all
00:18:40.72\00:18:44.16
that you give me I will
surely give a tenth to you.
00:18:44.19\00:18:48.18
Now don't get the idea
that Jacob was driving a
00:18:48.21\00:18:51.46
bargain with God.
00:18:51.49\00:18:52.61
He wasn't saying, well listen,
if you do this, I'll do this.
00:18:52.64\00:18:55.91
He was simply saying,
well, how good God is, and if He
00:18:55.94\00:19:00.08
brings me back to my father's
house so that I can pay my
00:19:00.11\00:19:03.28
tithe, I will
surely give a tenth to God.
00:19:03.31\00:19:06.72
And I'm sure he
kept that pledge too.
00:19:06.75\00:19:09.75
Well, how does this
tithing system work?
00:19:09.78\00:19:13.18
How do you go about it?
00:19:13.21\00:19:15.42
How do you calculate it?
00:19:15.45\00:19:17.11
We're given a clue in the
book of Leviticus 27:30 where it
00:19:17.14\00:19:23.12
says, and all the tithe of the
land, whether of the seed of the
00:19:23.15\00:19:26.91
land, or of the fruit
of the tree, is the Lord's:
00:19:26.94\00:19:29.52
it is holy to the Lord.
00:19:29.55\00:19:31.27
So that means the people who are
on farms growing wheat; a tenth
00:19:31.30\00:19:36.83
of all they reap, every
tenth bag, belongs to God.
00:19:36.86\00:19:40.58
It's His.
00:19:40.61\00:19:41.77
And the same with the people
who are looking after sheep.
00:19:41.80\00:19:45.39
It says, And concerning
the tithe of the herd,
00:19:45.42\00:19:47.83
or of the flock, or
whatever passes under the rod,
00:19:47.86\00:19:51.70
the tenth shall
be holy to the Lord.
00:19:51.73\00:19:54.13
So every tenth baby lamb, every
tenth baby calf that is born;
00:19:54.16\00:19:59.03
it all belongs to God.
00:19:59.06\00:20:00.33
So the people who are in
agriculture; that's the way
00:20:00.36\00:20:03.97
they'd calculate it.
00:20:04.00\00:20:04.97
Now, of course, you are
probably earning a wage.
00:20:04.98\00:20:08.06
You're probably getting
a weekly or monthly salary.
00:20:08.09\00:20:11.24
Well, the same principle applies
when you get your pay packet.
00:20:11.27\00:20:15.21
Just figure out what a tenth
is going amount to and that
00:20:15.24\00:20:19.07
belongs to God.
00:20:19.10\00:20:20.12
Well now, what
do you do with it?
00:20:20.15\00:20:21.96
Do you use it for helping
the poor, or building a church,
00:20:21.99\00:20:25.73
or something else like that?
00:20:25.76\00:20:27.52
No.
00:20:27.55\00:20:28.52
Again we're given
specific instructions.
00:20:28.53\00:20:30.71
It says, Behold I have given the
children of Levi all the tithes
00:20:30.74\00:20:34.97
in Israel as an inheritance
in return for the work which
00:20:35.00\00:20:37.80
they've performed,
the work of the tabernacle
00:20:37.83\00:20:40.43
of the meeting.
00:20:40.47\00:20:41.52
So in Israel's day the people
were to give their tithes to the
00:20:41.55\00:20:46.20
Levites for the
work that they did.
00:20:46.23\00:20:48.40
Now does this apply to
the Christian dispensation?
00:20:48.43\00:20:51.55
I believe so because in
1 Corinthians 9:13 it says,
00:20:51.58\00:20:56.99
Do you not know that those who
minister the holy things eat of
00:20:57.02\00:21:01.48
the things of the temple?
00:21:01.51\00:21:02.48
That's referring to
the Levitical priesthood.
00:21:02.49\00:21:04.99
Even so, or in like manner,
has the Lord commanded that
00:21:05.02\00:21:09.88
those who preach the gospel
should live from the gospel.
00:21:09.91\00:21:13.66
So just the same as the
Levitical priests were supported
00:21:13.69\00:21:17.50
by the tithe, so the gospel
minister was to be supported
00:21:17.53\00:21:22.02
by the tithe, too.
00:21:22.05\00:21:23.25
Well, is this obligatory?
00:21:23.28\00:21:25.79
One day Jesus was teaching
in the temple and the Pharisees
00:21:33.57\00:21:37.21
arrived again.
00:21:37.24\00:21:38.21
And they came with
another of their hard questions.
00:21:38.84\00:21:41.99
One of these loaded questions,
you know, which ever way you go
00:21:42.02\00:21:45.44
you're going to be wrong.
00:21:45.47\00:21:46.44
That's what they thought anyway.
00:21:46.45\00:21:47.92
And they said, good master, we
know that you teach the truth,
00:21:47.95\00:21:52.68
and we know that's
you're not afraid of any man.
00:21:52.71\00:21:55.30
Tell us, should we pay
tribute to Caesar or not?
00:21:55.33\00:21:59.41
Now they thought they had
him cornered again, you see,
00:21:59.44\00:22:02.87
because if he says, Yes, you
should pay tribute to Caesar,
00:22:02.90\00:22:06.37
they would have gone running
off to the people and said,
00:22:06.40\00:22:09.06
There you are, you see, he's
teaching submission to these
00:22:09.09\00:22:11.96
hated Romans.
00:22:11.99\00:22:12.96
And, of course, paying taxes
back then was no more popular
00:22:12.97\00:22:16.07
than paying taxes today.
00:22:16.10\00:22:17.62
On the other hand, if Jesus
said, No, you should not pay
00:22:17.65\00:22:22.09
tribute to Rome, they would have
immediately gone running off
00:22:22.12\00:22:26.08
to the Roman authorities
and said, Hey, this fellow is
00:22:26.11\00:22:29.20
teaching people
not to pay their taxes.
00:22:29.23\00:22:31.10
And the government wouldn't
react any more favorably
00:22:31.13\00:22:33.73
back then than they would today
if somebody taught people not to
00:22:33.76\00:22:37.06
pay their taxes.
00:22:37.09\00:22:38.06
So they thought they had
him cornered, but Jesus came up
00:22:38.07\00:22:42.51
with he right answer.
00:22:42.54\00:22:43.51
He said, Show me a penny.
00:22:43.52\00:22:46.83
Now that word penny
should be translated denarius,
00:22:46.86\00:22:50.87
which was a common
Roman coin in Jesus' day.
00:22:50.90\00:22:53.80
A few years ago I
purchased a denarius.
00:22:53.83\00:22:57.53
It cost me
$100.00 way back then.
00:22:57.56\00:22:59.75
It's worth a lot more today.
00:22:59.78\00:23:01.03
It's a genuine coin.
00:23:01.06\00:23:02.93
It has the head of
Tiberius Caesar, and it has his
00:23:02.96\00:23:07.53
inscription under it.
00:23:07.56\00:23:08.85
Now Tiberius Caesar was the
Roman emperor at the time of
00:23:08.88\00:23:13.31
Jesus, so this is a genuine
coin, and I'm not going to claim
00:23:13.34\00:23:16.96
it's the very coin that Jesus
used, but it was certainly from
00:23:16.99\00:23:20.37
his time, you see.
00:23:20.40\00:23:21.42
And so Jesus held up the
coin and he said, whose image,
00:23:21.45\00:23:27.02
that is head, and
superscription, that is the
00:23:27.05\00:23:29.99
inscription around it, is this?
00:23:30.02\00:23:31.41
And, of course, they
had to say it's Caesar's.
00:23:31.87\00:23:34.71
Alright he said, render
therefore to Caesar the things
00:23:34.74\00:23:39.43
that are Caesar's, and to
God the things that are God's.
00:23:39.46\00:23:43.35
In other words, you
should pay your taxes.
00:23:43.38\00:23:46.92
I hope none of you are trying
to avoid paying an honest tax.
00:23:46.95\00:23:50.95
On the other hand, Jesus
says you should give to God
00:23:50.98\00:23:55.06
the things that belong to Him.
00:23:55.09\00:23:56.40
Well, what belongs to Him?
00:23:56.43\00:23:57.68
Well, of course, everything
in the world belongs to God.
00:23:57.71\00:23:59.90
But in particular
He claims a tithe.
00:23:59.93\00:24:03.80
A tenth of all our
income belongs to God.
00:24:03.83\00:24:07.16
And He says, render therefore to
God the things that are God's.
00:24:07.19\00:24:12.76
Now, of course, the first
reaction of most people who
00:24:12.79\00:24:16.93
first hear about
tithing is one tenth!
00:24:16.96\00:24:21.12
I just couldn't
afford to pay so much!
00:24:21.15\00:24:23.48
But my answer to that would
be when you hear what the Bible
00:24:23.51\00:24:28.76
says about it, I think you'll
agree that you just can't afford
00:24:28.79\00:24:32.27
not to pay your tithe.
00:24:32.30\00:24:33.80
Listen to what it
ways in Malachi 3:8.
00:24:33.83\00:24:38.75
Will a man rob God?
00:24:38.78\00:24:40.63
Yet you have robbed me.
00:24:40.66\00:24:42.95
But you say, In what
way have we robbed you?
00:24:42.98\00:24:46.40
In tithes and offerings.
00:24:46.43\00:24:49.38
You see God says the
tithe belongs to Him.
00:24:49.41\00:24:52.52
It doesn't belong to us.
00:24:52.55\00:24:54.15
So if you use it for your own
purposes you are robbing God.
00:24:54.18\00:24:58.57
That's not good, is it?
00:24:58.60\00:25:00.13
So He says, Bring all the tithes
into the storehouse, that there
00:25:00.16\00:25:05.32
may be food in my house,
and prove me now in this.
00:25:05.35\00:25:09.55
Just try it out.
00:25:09.58\00:25:11.07
Put it to the test, God says.
00:25:11.10\00:25:13.11
If I will not open you the
windows of heaven, and pour out
00:25:13.14\00:25:19.25
for you such a blessing, that
there will not be room enough
00:25:19.28\00:25:22.64
to receive it.
00:25:22.67\00:25:23.69
You can't afford to be without
a blessing like that, can you?
00:25:23.72\00:25:26.53
He even says, And I will rebuke
the devourer for your sakes,
00:25:26.56\00:25:31.20
so that he will not destroy
the fruit of your ground...
00:25:31.23\00:25:34.24
You know, all those
grubs, caterpillars, rats, mice,
00:25:34.27\00:25:37.83
and so forth.
00:25:37.86\00:25:38.83
God says He will look after
you, and that's worth having,
00:25:38.84\00:25:42.63
isn't it?
00:25:42.66\00:25:44.45
Now I want to say a few
words to a friend of mine,
00:25:44.49\00:25:48.63
Arthur Scofield,
who is an orange farmer.
00:25:48.66\00:25:52.39
He pays his tithe.
00:25:52.42\00:25:55.59
Arthur, you seem to
have a lot of trees here.
00:25:55.62\00:25:58.50
Have you ever counted them up?
00:25:58.53\00:26:00.03
Well, there'd be
between 7 and 8 thousand, David.
00:26:00.06\00:26:04.30
That's a lot of trees!
00:26:04.33\00:26:05.30
I wouldn't like to have
to pick all those oranges!
00:26:05.31\00:26:07.14
How long have you
been paying tithe, Arthur?
00:26:07.83\00:26:11.09
It's over fifty
years now, David.
00:26:11.12\00:26:14.33
Fifty years is a
long time, Arthur.
00:26:14.36\00:26:16.60
I guess in that time you've
paid a lot of money in tithe.
00:26:16.63\00:26:19.60
How do you feel about this?
00:26:19.63\00:26:20.84
Well, now you've brought it up,
we have paid a lot of money over
00:26:20.87\00:26:24.99
that time, but feel very happy
about it, David, to be in the
00:26:25.02\00:26:29.50
tithing scheme.
00:26:29.53\00:26:30.50
This has always been the Lord's
way of supporting the ministry,
00:26:30.51\00:26:34.28
and getting the
gospel to the world.
00:26:34.31\00:26:36.25
I'm sure happy to be
one that supports it.
00:26:36.28\00:26:38.90
Do you feel any
benefit from it yourself;
00:26:38.93\00:26:41.24
spiritually for instance?
00:26:41.27\00:26:42.50
Well, Yes, every time I pay
it it reminds me that God owns
00:26:42.76\00:26:50.23
everything; myself included.
00:26:50.26\00:26:52.65
And it reminds me that, and
keeps me from being selfish,
00:26:52.68\00:26:59.67
that I'm just a steward of His.
00:26:59.70\00:27:01.65
That's a good point!
00:27:01.68\00:27:03.40
Tell me, how do you
get off financially?
00:27:03.43\00:27:06.84
Do you feel you're worse
off financially as a result of
00:27:06.87\00:27:10.04
paying tithe?
00:27:10.07\00:27:11.04
The nine tenths, with God's
blessing, is much better than
00:27:11.05\00:27:15.43
the ten tenths!
00:27:15.46\00:27:16.62
We've done better, and regarded
along the whole experience over
00:27:16.65\00:27:22.87
here, as more progressive than
any of the other orchardist.
00:27:22.90\00:27:27.01
And, surely, that
must speak volumes.
00:27:27.04\00:27:29.56
Rod Adams is a wage earner
with a wife and two children.
00:27:29.59\00:27:33.73
I asked him how long
he'd been paying tithe.
00:27:33.76\00:27:37.74
We've been paying tithe
around fifteen years now.
00:27:37.77\00:27:40.98
That's a long time!
00:27:41.01\00:27:42.73
You've got a wife and
two children to support.
00:27:42.76\00:27:45.26
I guess you're
trying to pay off your home.
00:27:45.29\00:27:47.26
Do you feel that paying
a tenth of your income is
00:27:47.29\00:27:50.53
putting you back, you know?
00:27:50.56\00:27:51.82
Has it made it hard for you?
00:27:51.85\00:27:53.01
We feel that it has been far
better in the last fifteen years
00:27:56.08\00:28:00.00
than previously.
00:28:00.03\00:28:01.46
Putting your trust in
God has been more beneficial
00:28:01.49\00:28:08.78
in many ways.
00:28:08.81\00:28:11.07
Today's life is full of
complexities and worries,
00:28:13.74\00:28:17.67
and by putting God first in
tithing, and putting Him as the
00:28:17.70\00:28:23.17
highest priority,
we've been able to ride out
00:28:23.20\00:28:25.94
those difficult spots.
00:28:25.97\00:28:27.12
So you've been able to
manage financially, hey?
00:28:27.15\00:28:30.01
Yes.
00:28:32.01\00:28:33.08
Not our own doing.
00:28:35.22\00:28:36.84
It's our ways haven't been
often God's ways, but we have,
00:28:36.87\00:28:43.98
even in the difficult times,
been able to... the Lord has
00:28:44.01\00:28:47.58
shown us a way around.
00:28:47.61\00:28:48.58
Not always giving us money, but
there has always been a solution
00:28:48.59\00:28:53.38
to that very perplexing problem.
00:28:53.41\00:28:55.88
And we feel the peace of mind
of knowing that we can trust
00:28:55.91\00:28:59.57
in God has been worth more
than any tithe paying, or any
00:28:59.60\00:29:07.69
donation we've ever made.
00:29:07.72\00:29:09.58
I'm talking to Ray Anderson,
who is a retired businessman.
00:29:09.61\00:29:12.89
Ray, you look a bit
young to be retired.
00:29:12.92\00:29:15.51
How come you retired so early?
00:29:15.54\00:29:16.93
Well, it's interesting that
you ask a question like that.
00:29:16.96\00:29:21.01
I suppose my wife
asked me that every morning.
00:29:21.04\00:29:24.20
But I think the cemetery is full
of people who've tried just to
00:29:24.23\00:29:30.46
make that little
extra, and they've worked,
00:29:30.49\00:29:32.14
and worked,
until the last minute.
00:29:32.17\00:29:33.62
My philosophy in life is that
perhaps if I can enjoy, while I
00:29:34.86\00:29:39.48
have good health, good strength,
enjoy the latter years of my
00:29:39.51\00:29:42.81
life, then I think it
all may be worthwhile.
00:29:42.84\00:29:45.71
So I thought that maybe
I'd make an early start.
00:29:45.74\00:29:49.96
What do you do with your time?
00:29:49.99\00:29:51.64
Well, I made a vow years
ago that if the Lord blessed me,
00:29:51.67\00:29:58.72
and helped me to become
financially secure, that I would
00:29:58.75\00:30:04.58
devote the latter part of
my life in helping His church,
00:30:04.61\00:30:08.34
helping His people,
and generally working to
00:30:08.37\00:30:12.17
make others happy.
00:30:12.20\00:30:13.43
I find that by doing that I
make myself happy, and my life
00:30:13.46\00:30:16.48
is much fuller as a result.
00:30:16.51\00:30:18.29
Very worthwhile, too!
00:30:18.32\00:30:19.82
Ray, did you always
have your own business?
00:30:19.85\00:30:22.47
You know, were you born with
a silver spoon in your mouth?
00:30:22.50\00:30:25.20
Well, it's a long story,
but actually it's far from that,
00:30:25.23\00:30:29.57
because you've heard of people
say when they come back from
00:30:29.60\00:30:32.96
their honeymoon,
they have nothing.
00:30:32.99\00:30:35.61
When I came back from
my honeymoon I was in debt.
00:30:35.64\00:30:39.25
I got married a little
later than the average.
00:30:39.28\00:30:42.73
I was married at 28 years
of age, and I retired at 54.
00:30:42.76\00:30:48.35
So during that 26 year period
I basically went from being in
00:30:48.38\00:30:53.32
debt, to being at a stage where
I can just live off the interest
00:30:53.35\00:30:58.44
of the money that I've invested.
00:30:58.47\00:31:00.33
So we worked very hard.
00:31:00.36\00:31:03.18
During the early
years what were you doing?
00:31:03.21\00:31:06.93
I suppose it would be easier
to tell you what I didn't do.
00:31:06.96\00:31:11.68
You tried everything!
00:31:11.71\00:31:12.82
I tried everything.
00:31:12.85\00:31:13.86
I had a car cleaning run.
00:31:13.89\00:31:16.65
I cleaned windows.
00:31:16.68\00:31:18.03
I sold health
foods from door to door.
00:31:18.06\00:31:21.16
I sold life insurance.
00:31:21.19\00:31:23.71
I parked cars up behind
the Chevron Hilton there at
00:31:23.74\00:31:26.65
Kings Cross up until 2
and 3 o'clock in the morning.
00:31:26.68\00:31:29.49
So you worked pretty hard on it.
00:31:29.52\00:31:30.87
Exceptionally hard.
00:31:30.90\00:31:32.36
My wife took in ironing.
00:31:32.39\00:31:33.67
We had a go at everything.
00:31:33.70\00:31:35.85
Then gradually I worked up
into having a health food store.
00:31:35.88\00:31:39.35
Then I bought a nursing home.
00:31:39.38\00:31:40.90
I had several of those.
00:31:40.93\00:31:42.11
And I suppose it was there
that I saw what the ultimate end
00:31:42.14\00:31:46.22
of mankind was, as I saw people
lying in the nursing home.
00:31:46.25\00:31:50.36
And I thought, well, perhaps I
ought to get my values straight.
00:31:50.39\00:31:53.94
You know?
00:31:53.97\00:31:54.94
Now over the years
I guess you've made
00:31:55.29\00:31:58.41
quite a lot of money.
00:31:58.44\00:31:59.72
That means if you've paid
tithe on that money, you've paid
00:31:59.75\00:32:03.35
an awful lot of money into
the church, or into God's work,
00:32:03.38\00:32:06.29
whatever it is.
00:32:06.32\00:32:07.29
How do you feel about
parting with all of this money?
00:32:07.30\00:32:08.69
Well, whose money
is it to start with?
00:32:08.72\00:32:12.82
Where did I get my health, and
my strength from, and my ideas
00:32:12.85\00:32:17.89
and my incentive,
and my initiative,
00:32:17.92\00:32:19.61
and all of these things?
00:32:19.64\00:32:20.61
I've been in
several partnerships.
00:32:20.62\00:32:23.26
Some have been very good.
00:32:23.29\00:32:24.71
Some have been very bad.
00:32:24.74\00:32:26.25
But I've never been in a
partnership where a person is
00:32:26.28\00:32:29.75
going to give me all of these
things, and in return all He
00:32:29.78\00:32:33.87
wants is one tenth;
and it's His anyway!
00:32:33.91\00:32:36.63
So I figure this is a
pretty good partnership.
00:32:36.66\00:32:39.19
And I'm quite happy
to give back a tenth.
00:32:39.22\00:32:42.76
I don't care what the figure
is because I've got nine tenths.
00:32:42.79\00:32:45.55
I find that if I invest and use
that, that will do me plenty.
00:32:45.58\00:32:49.58
On our next program we'll have
some surprises for you, I think.
00:32:49.61\00:32:54.28
The Bible contains so
many records of prophets having
00:32:54.31\00:32:57.69
dreams and visions from
God, but have you ever wondered
00:32:57.72\00:33:01.32
why there are no prophets today?
00:33:01.35\00:33:03.52
In our next program we visit
ancient Corinth where St. Paul
00:33:03.55\00:33:08.19
has so much to say on
this particular topic.
00:33:08.22\00:33:11.41