Topics Covered
- Debate about use of Warren's Shaft
- Gihon spring is where the king is anointed
- David Takes Jerusalem
- the ark of the covenant
- founding the temple
it was discussed that the Gihon spring was a central place and part of the anointing ceremony that took place when a new king was anointed over Israel. It says "ride my own mule...Gihon...Anoint him king...Gihon" in 1 Kings 1:32-40 where the anointing of Solomon takes place. This again repeated in Zechariah 9:9-10 "yout kind comes to you...riding on a donkey, on a cold, the foal of a donkey" As part of the anointing process, the future king is taken down to the river. This only seems appropriate, since the Gihon river is mentioned in the creation story - it says that it is one of the 4 rivers that came from a main river in the Garden of Eden. It is only natural that the king should be anointed in a holy place.
It is interesting that there is a debate as to whether the Ark of the Covenant is considered to be an idol, even though it was commanded to be built by G-d. Why would G-d command His people to build something that He, Himself forbids? The only explanation that I could possibly think of is that G-d saw the sin that the people of Israel committed in the desert with the golden calf, and He understood that a wandering people might need physical proof that there is something that is protecting them. This way, the ark could be a protector for holy objects while still providing the people of Israel the reassurance that they craved.
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