Rise up, you are no longer the enemy

Our fourth day in Egypt started out with another sunny morning! We enjoyed omelettes made to order, fresh fruit juices, pastries, tea and coffee, then met for our morning meeting. Jennifer read Psalm 20:7:

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

She contrasted the images of the pharaoh smiling his enemies to our gracious, loving God who says to us, “Rise up, you are no longer the enemy.” Jonathan discussed the Ptolemaic period of Egyptian history Since we would see two temples today which are “new” at around 2250 years old in comparison to the 4500 year-old pyramids.

Our group enjoyed another cultural experience this morning by writing to our first site in horse-drawn carriages through the busy streets to Edfu Temple. Edfu is the most well-preserved temple of ancient Egypt. Part of the reason it was so well preserved is because it was completely buried in sand and clay until nearly the turn of 20th century. Inside are some of the original paint colors! This temple is based upon a love story between Horus, the protector of God of the pharaohs, and Hathor, the goddess of fertility and motherhood.

We returned to the boat afterwards and enjoyed some free time, lunch, and time on the sundeck. We met again at 4 o’clock to discuss the Israelites and the Exodus. Jonathan reminded us that Exodus chapters 1 through 18 is the highest form of God‘s redemption. We discussed the hardening of pharaoh’s heart, the 10 plagues and how they correlate not only to the deities of Egypt but mainly to the Pharaoh, who WAS THE LAW and was supposed to maintain justice and order.

After watching a beautiful sunset from our cruise ship, we disembarked and walked a short distance to the Kom Ombo Temple. Another temple, you ask? Yes, but again, very unique. This temple is a double temple, split in half and dedicated one side to Horus, the second side to Sobek, the crocodile god of the Nile. This temple served many purposes, one of which was a medical and birthing center. It was also a place where crocodiles were raised on religious grounds as living incarnations of Sobek. When they die, they were mummified as manifestations of their patron god. Next-door was a museum that displayed the crocodile mummies, from egg form all the way up to 12 feet long.

We walked through the street vendors to return back to our ship where we had dinner alfresco on the top deck of the boat. We enjoyed grilled chicken, grilled vegetables, kebabs, various salad, breads and desserts. Everyone is looking forward to a good night’s sleep and a wonderful last day in Egypt tomorrow!

Each day we start by asking, “Who is God?” Exodus 15:6,11 answers: “Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy… “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” Praise the mighty name of YAHWEH!