The Wellspring. No.3
“Understanding
is a Wellspring of Life to him who has it.” (Proverbs. 16:22)
Occasional papers by Arthur & Rosalind Eedle
Petra is the name given to the (remains of) an ancient city of Edom. It was
re-discovered in 1812 by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt after being
lost for nearly six hundred years. On the pretext of making a sacrifice at the
tomb of Aaron, (Jebel Haroun), Burckhardt persuaded a native guide to lead him
through the Siq to Petra. The account of his journey, including reference to
the hundreds of rock-cut tombs with ornate facades, published posthumously in
1822, encouraged other travellers to visit the city and write of their
journeys. In 1929 systematic archaeological investigation was begun by George
Horsfield under the Petra Exploration Fund Expedition. As might be expected,
the published results of these investigations created the urge for many people
to visit the site. It therefore became a Jordanian tourist attraction,
with the fascination of its temples and mausoleums cut into the red sandstone
cliffs. The name "Petra" does not occur in the Bible, but it is
thought to be synonymous with Mount Seir, or Sela, translated in the Septuagint
Version as Petra, hence the name has stuck ever since. Dean John William Burgon
(1813 - 1888) the English clergyman and Professor of Divinity, visited the
region in the early days after its discovery, and subsequently wrote a poem in
1848 entitled "Petra", -
Match me such marvel save in Eastern
clime,
A rose-red city, 'half as old as time.'
According to Deut.2:22 the Horites had inhabited Seir before they were driven
out by the Edomites, and eventually these descendants of Jacob's brother Esau
established a kingdom in the region, with Petra as its capital and stronghold.
(Gen.36:9) Some of the crags of Nubian red sandstone rise to 5000 feet above
sea level, and therefore attract enough rainfall for some cultivation and
animal husbandry. But perhaps the most important physical advantage of Seir in
ancient times was its location, within the Arabah, (the Rift Valley),
positioned to control the trade routes from Arabia and the Red Sea. It was the
only route possible from the south into Palestine, without making a very long
detour.
At the time of the Exodus the Edomites appear to have been a powerful nation
under a king, and on the Israelites requesting permission to pass through Mount
Seir, by the King's Highway, on their journey towards the plains of Moab, they
were refused. The Edomites made a demonstration of force to resist the passage.
(Numb.20:14-21) Hear the story as Moses related it - "Moses sent
messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, 'Thus says your brother Israel - -
- we are here in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. Now let us pass
through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, neither will we
drink water from a well; we will go along the King's Highway, we will not turn
aside to the right hand or to the left, until we have passed through your
territory.' But Edom said to him, 'You shall not pass through, lest I come out
with a sword against you.' And the people of Israel said to him, 'We will go up
by the Highway; and if we drink of your water, I and my cattle, then I will pay
for it; only let me pass through on foot, nothing more.' But he said, 'You
shall not pass through.' And Edom came out against them with many men, and with
a strong force. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory;
so Israel turned away from him." They were therefore forced to "compass
the land of Edom." (Numb.21:4) Afterwards, the Lord told Moses
not to "contend with their brethren, the children of Esau,"
for God had "given Mount Seir unto Esau for a possession"
Even as late as the days of King David they were able to make war, and cause
trouble. But this does not mean they were an intrinsically powerful nation, but
rather that they possessed a geographical stronghold that was more or less
invincible.
And now for a little more geographical detail. Petra, the famous capital city,
was situated in a fertile well-watered basin of the Wadi Musa, (named after
Moses) at an elevation of 2700 feet in the Jordanian highlands, about 50 miles
south of the Dead Sea. The site is approximately one mile long and barely half
a mile wide, bounded on east and west by parallel ridges of sandstone rising
more than a thousand feet above the plateau.To the north and south the area is
open, and although access to the city is possible over steep and difficult
trails from these directions, entry is, and was, generally made through a
colourful, narrow, twisting cleft in the eastern ridge known as "the
Siq." And so Petra was the capital of a trading empire, connecting the
southern port of Ezion Geba with northern towns like Ammon and Damascus, and
was the point where the trade route from Gaza by way of Beersheba and the
Ascent of Akrabim joined the north-south route. The Edomites dwelling in Petra
were therefore favoured by the continual passage of caravans bringing goods
from north and south, which made their life militarily secure, pleasurable,
luxurious, and economically viable. The gateways into and out of their city
were easily guarded by small contingents of soldiers. They were able to
allow or refuse at will, those who approached their city fortress. Whereas
other cities needed walls, ramparts, and many troops, the Edomites possessed
the ultimate in terms of security. And in the process of time this engended
pride amongst its people.
In some ways they reminded one of the luxuries of Sodom, and the
"middle-man" empire of Tyre. God overthrew Sodom and the other
cities of the plain by the judgment of fire and brimstone, as an example of
judgment on incurably wicked men. He overthrew the wickedness of Tyre
prophetically, calling in the armies of Nebuchadnezzar. But this king was
unable to subdue the island fortress, only the mainland town. It was left to
Alexander the Great to build a mole across the waterway, and invest the island
city. But what about the pride of Petra, the city of Edom? How was it overcome?
The Lord has many ways and methods of dealing with the intransigence of men who
refuse to behave in a humanitarian way. The ultimate fate of Petra is an
interesting example of divine judgment. Let us see.
Time went by. Esau's people remained as an invincible Edomite empire from the
days of Genesis right through to the time of Judah's captivity under
Nebuchadnezzar. It was then that the wrath of God arose against Edom, and He
called for His prophet Obadiah to pronounce judgment upon her. Why? Hear the
Lord's words - "Behold, I will make you small among the nations,
you shall be utterly despised. The pride of your heart had deceived you, you
who live in the clefts of the rock, whose dwelling is high, who say in your
heart, 'Who will bring me down to the ground?' Though you soar aloft like the
eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, thence I will bring you down,
says the Lord." What triggered off this strong word? "For
the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall
be cut off for ever. On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers
carried off his wealth, and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for
Jerusalem, you were like one of them. But you should not have gloated over the
day of your brother, in the day of his misfortune; you should not have rejoiced
over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin; you should not have boasted
in the day of distress. You should not have entered the gate of my people in
the day of his calamity; you should not have gloated over his disaster in the
day of his calamity; you should not have looted his goods in the day of his
calamity; you should not have stood at the parting of the ways to cut off his
fugitives; you should not have delivered up his survivors in the day of
distress."
The Lord also gave Ezekiel strong words of denunciation of the Edomites as a
result of their shameful behaviour towards their brother Israel. Hear the words
of the Lord - (Ezek.35:10-15) "Because you said, 'These two nations
and these two countries shall be mine, and we will take possession of them,'
(although the Lord was there,) therefore, as I live, says the Lord God, I will
deal with you according to the anger and envy which you showed because of your
hatred against them; and I will make myself known among you, when I judge
you. And you shall know that I, the Lord, have heard all the reviling
which you uttered against the mountains of Israel, saying, 'They are laid
desolate, they are given to us to devour.' And you magnified yourselves against
me with your mouth, and multiplied your words against me, and I heard it. Thus
says the Lord God: For the rejoicing of the whole earth I will make you
desolate. As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel, because
it was desolate, so I will deal with you; you shall be desolate, Mount Seir,
and all Edom, all of it. Then they will know that I am the Lord."
History records that shortly afterwards the prophecy came true. The Edomites
were vanquished, and the land became desolate, thereafter to be taken by
another nation, the Nabataeans. But how did it come about? Was it by military
conquest? No. That would have been impossible for reasons shown already. A
simple device was used, and one which required not a single arrow, spear, or
weapon of war. For reasons which are not apparent, the nations that used to use
the narrow route through Petra for their trading decided to take another
course. Petra was left alone. She languished for lack of commodities. Her pride
was brought low. Eventually internal strife and feud, coupled with famines,
caused the intractable hordes to emerge from their mountain fastnesses, and
never return. The Edomite people scattered and mingled, so that today, no one
is able to determine where they are. They are no longer a nation or a people.
Dean Burgon has well expressed the desolation in other words of his poem,
"Petra."
How changed - how fallen! All her glory fled,
The Widow'd City mourns her many dead.
Like some fond heart which gaunt disease hath left
Of all it lived for - all it loved - bereft;
Mute in its anguish; struck with pangs too deep
For words to utter, or for tears to weep.
The Lord said, through Obadiah, "The day of the Lord is upon all
nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you, your deeds shall return to
your own head." Paul echoed this to the Galatians, when he said, "God
is not mocked: for whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap."
(Gal.6:7) This is a universal law, which cannot be changed. It may be
called the boomerang effect. Righteous deeds return with righteous rewards;
unrighteous deeds return to devastate those who seek ill of others. We have
seen in this brief sketch how God used three methods against inhumanity, Fire
for Sodom, Siege for Tyre, and Starvation for Petra. If the boomerang fails to
return in this life, one needs to know that it is still in flight in the next.
So how will God deal with the men who are causing the present world to be
filled with fear and foreboding? Will military might expose and arraign
bin-Laden? It is highly unlikely. The man is cunning, intelligent, and under
the demonic sway of a religion that breeds hatred of all save Moslems. He has
carved out for himself underground shelters, and found others who can
masquerade as "look-alikes". He is rich and influential, a master of
the minds of many thousands of Islamics. What chance is there of overcoming the
Taleban movement? It was easier to conquer Hitler's Germany, even though
it cost thousands of lives. What can bring his ultimate fate, this son of
Ishmael, half-brother of Isaac, out for the blood of Israel and the Jews? Will
he destroy himself through pride and vain-glory? Or will some of his henchmen
defect and betray him?
I sought the Lord, and He brought to mind a vision He gave us some 30 years
ago, when we asked a similar question. I saw a mediaeval town, surrounded by
high walls. Inside there were many dwellings, jostling with people. In the
centre of the enclosure was a Keep, a tall tower with battlements on the top.
And I saw the proud, haughty and wicked King of that town enter, with his
bodyguard, via the drawbridge, which was raised, and the portcullis
lowered. The king made his way to the Keep, and climbed the narrow winding
stairway to the top, where he entered his own apartment. He closed the door
behind him and bolted it. Outside two sentries were on duty. There was just one
window in the room, consisting of an open space arrayed with vertical iron
bars. The King disrobed, knowing that he was absolutely safe. No one could
reach him, attack him, wound him, or kill him. He stretched, yawned, and laid
himself down on a bed settled on a stone ledge, with his bare feet beneath
the window. In his state of absolute security, he easily and quickly fell
asleep. After a while a robin alighted on the window with a feather in its
mouth, which dropped and slowly floated down to touch the King's toes. It tickled
him, and he awoke, sitting up quickly, whereupon his forehead came into smart
contact with an overhanging buttress. The blow was so great that he fell
backwards, dead.