Order Amidst Chaos

Our group had a very full and wonderful day for our fifth day in Egypt! Before departing the cruise boat, we enjoyed a filling breakfast and a session with Jonathan and Jennifer Greer as they touched on the Ptolemaic period of Egypt. We then ventured out into the sunny morning toward the horse-drawn carriages for a ride to a nearby temple, Edfu.

Edfu temple is the Ptolemaic temple of Horus, god of protection to the Pharaohs and took 180+ years to build (237 and 57 BC). Its divided pylon gate opens to an outer court, then an inner court, then a holy of holies where the sacred bark boat holding the statue of the god would be parked. Interestingly enough, the temple was completely covered with sand and silt from the Nile River flooding each year (3 miles away) and a town was built on top of it before it was discovered. We then returned to the cruise boat for a lovely bbq lunch on the sun deck with fresh salads and breads, grilled chicken, lamb kabobs, fish and vegetables. 

The Greers held an afternoon meeting and also a question and answer time on the sun deck at tea time. We then left for an evening visit to another temple, Kom Ombo. This temple is unusual in that is is designed in duplicate form for two gods: Sobek, the crocodile god of fertility as well as Horus the elder, god of medicine. Some interesting things are depicted on the walls here, such as the calendar for the days of the month and the three seasons at the Nile: the inundation season (flooding), planting season and dry season, as well as images of surgical instruments. Over 300 mummified crocodiles were found in the area and are displayed in the adjacent Crocodile Museum.

The Ptolemaic period began after Alexander the Great died and his successor, Ptolemy I took over Egypt. Instead of Hellenizing the area as the Greeks usually did, they adopted the Egyptian culture with which they had been enamored for ages. The Ptolemies took on traditions of Egypt, dressed in Egyptian style and participated in religious life. Part of becoming Pharaoh, the embodiment of the deity and Son of Ra, meant that they were to battle and tame chaos in the world. If he is strong, Egypt is strong. If he has order, Egypt has order. You can imagine the fallout when the Pharaoh died.

Jennifer shared with us this morning Psalm 46 which says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble… nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts… He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth’.”

We thought of Christ, as he inserted himself into the story so many times in scripture and tamed the chaos with the order of his person, his character as being one with the Father. He stepped out into the raging storm and with one word made the water motionless. The disciples respond, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him?” (Matthew 8). So many times, whether with a demon-possessed person, a sick or dying (or dead!) person, one desperate for human touch, one outcast by society, Christ stepped into their personal chaos and restored peace and order. And praise God He still does it today! Will you let him?