Witnesses

Romans 12 opens with a mysterious statement by Paul. He says, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded (compassed about) by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of God." (Rom. 12:1-2). The Greek meaning of the phrase "compassed about" is: enclose, encircle, have round one, be bound with. The root meaning includes: of things put and set in place, of vessels, of a throne, or the site of a city, of a foundation; of laws to be made, to be set by God's intent, destined, appointed. The verses go on from there, urging perserverance against hostility and sin. Because Paul starts this chapter with the word "Therefore", we look back to the previous chapter to see to whom he is referring as being witnesses. The chapter before, discusses great heroes of faith, who were obedient to what they heard from God, despite sometimes extremely difficult circumstances. We can then consider these forerunners of faith, the "witnesses" to whom Paul is referring. The Greek word used here for "witnesses" is the word martys, from which we get the word "martyr". The Greek meaning does include the concept of martyrdom in affirming faith, but it includes more than that in its meaning. The meaning also includes: a witness in the legal sense, the historical sense, spectator, record, one who avers what he himself has seen, heard, or knows by any means. While some of those that were named in Chapter 11 bore terrible afflictions, and some even death for their faith, not all were martyrs. However, we can understand that witnesses play a very deep spiritual role from what Jesus said about them: "But if he (a brother who has sinned against you) will not hear, take with you one or two more, that "by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established." (Mt. 18:16, also see Deut. 17:6, Deut. 19:15). Jesus was revealing that things were established by witnesses. The word established here is the Greek word hestame. It means: to cause or make to stand, to make firm, fix, establish, to be kept intact, to cause a person/thing to keep his or its place, to continue safe and sound, to stand ready and prepared, to be of a steadfast mind, one who does not hesitate or waiver, abide, appoint, continue, covenant. A witness then has a spiritually important role in the establishment of anything. Looking at Paul's statement in Romans, and taking into account the fact that Paul was Jewish, we can find out more about witnesses if we consider the Hebrew sense of the word. We will look at the Hebrew concept of witnesses in the Book of Joshua. At the end of the Book of Joshua, the tribes of Israel are replacing the people who had inhabited the land of promise. These former inhabitants of the land had descended into iniquity. Joshua makes the following personal commitment to the LORD before the people of God: "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Josh. 24:15). The people answered and insisted to Joshua that they too will vow that they will serve the LORD, who brought them out of Egypt with great signs. Joshua warned the people that after making such a commitment, if they should turn and worship other gods, the LORD, who had previously done them good, would turn and do them harm. The people responded, "No, but we will serve the LORD!". (v. 16-21). Here, Joshua brings in the solemn meaning of "witnesses": "...You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD for yourselves, to serve Him." And they said, "We are witnesses!" Joshua then made that day a covenant, a statute, an ordinance with the people. He wrote the words in the Book of the Law, and he also took a large stone, and set it under an oak tree by the sanctuary there in Shechem (meaning "consent, back and shoulder, to carry a burden on the back and shoulder"). Joshua then said, "Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God." (v. 27). It is time now to find out the Hebrew meaning of the word "witness". It is the word edah which means: testimony, witness, always plural and always of laws as diivine testimonies; a precept, a recorder, a prince, concretely. The root word is ud, which means:surround, to return, to restore, to affirm solemnly, to warn, to exhort, to admonish, to charge. As we see from the meaning of the word in Hebrew, and what Jesus revealed, the role of the witness is to establish a precept that reflects divine testimonies. That witness also establishes a point of return and restoration. The witness is surrounding us also to give warning, to admonish, and to charge. Joshua not only recorded the witness in the Book of the Law, but set a large stone to be a witness to what had been consented. This witness of the people that day was not only to set precedent and establishment to a people of faith, but also to a people who were now assigned and inhabiting a specific geographical location. This was also the beginning of a nation. That great cloud of witnesses that Paul spoke of as surrounding us is not only to spectate, or cheer us on, but spiritually, they are also a point of warning, and a point of retoration. They are the point of establishment. Our nation also has those who are spiritual witnesses from our beginnings. There are also stones that have been, as in Joshua, set as witnesses. We already know of the Puritans and Separatists (Pilgrims) who established covenant in New England. There is a stone, or monument that is a witness to this covenant, The National Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth, Massachusetts, having on it a guide to spiritual restoration for this people. We also associate Plymouth Rock with the first step onshore of the Puritans of the Mayflower. Besides the Puritans, there are others who settled this land, who became spiritual witnesses surrounding our people. First of all, all of the English Charters, and also the Dutch Charter, had a provision to bring Christianity to the Native people who were inhabitants of the land. Although the first permanent settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, established in 1609, was not established primarily because of religious reasons or persecution, the settlers showed themselves to be people of faith. They spent two years discipling the Native king's daughter, Pocohontas, to Christianity (Church of England). The first building in the settlement was a church, in which prayers were said morning and evening, and communion was shared several times per month. When it was discovered that one of the leaders of the community neglected to bring his Bible from England, he was removed from his position. It is recorded that as the settlers first came on shore, they erected a cross, before continuing on up the James River to establish their settlement. Recently, a stone was discovered from Jamestown. The secular historians are cslling it a type of Rosetta Stone that had both the English language and the Native language carved into it. However, rather than being a type of Rosetta Stone, which had not been discovered at the time anyway, I believe this stone is a stone of witness. If the settlers had wished to create a language dictionary, they would surely have done so with parchment, quill, and ink, rather than hammer and chisel into stone. Also, the only two words which remain legible on this newly discovered stone are the words, "Abraham" and "book". Many things have been said lately about the Jamestown settlement, but it appears that they were people of strong faith, and may be among the spiritual witnesses that were established for this nation. Another early settlement in this country was in New York, and it wasn't the Dutch, as we have been told. The Dutch claimed the territory from the explorations of Henry Hudson. While they had trappers and traders in the territory, they had not considered establishing a settlement of dwellers. In 1612, again before the Puritans of Massachusetts, a small group of settlers arrived in the harbor of what they would name "New Netherland", after the ship on which they arrived, under the Dutch Charter. These people were Walloons. The Walloons were from Belgium originally. As Protestants out of the Reformation movement, they were persecuted in their homeland. They petitioned England for permission to join the Jamestown settlement, but were denied. They then petitioned the Dutch for permission to settle on the Dutch held territory in America. They were a small group of 32 families. Some of the families settled there at the base of what became known as Manhattan, and some were sent by the Dutch upriver to what we now call the Albany area. Shortly afterwards, the Dutch began to also send their own countrymen to establish settlements. There is a monument, or granite stone, located in the Battery area of lower Manhattan to commemorate the arrival of the Walloons. They were another group of believers who became part of the cloud of witnesses, not only for our personal faith, but witnesses for the establishment of precedents of faith for a nation. We have talked here about some of the earliest of the American colonies established. Now, we will talk about the last colony to be established in America. The Georgia colony was also established under an English Charter. They were not specifically founded for religious reasons, or because of persecution. A man named James Ogelthorpe was a philanthropist in England, who did philanthropic work in the debtors prisons of England. The system of debtors prisons were a hopeless dead end for those who found themselves in them. Ogelthorpe convinced the king that he could bring some of these debtors to the American Territory to have a new and successful beginning. King George agreed. A settled area, in what would be called Georgia, would also act as a buffer against Spanish aggression from their holding in Florida northward into the territory claimed by England. English settlements in Georgia would be a protection for the valuable Carolina colonies. In 1733 a group of 114 were brought to America by Ogelthorpe. Ogelthorpe was treated as the leader and authority of the colony, although he did not formerly hold that position. The settlers called him, "Father". He instituted rules prohibiting Negro slavery and rum, because he wanted to encourage settlers who were Christians to come. Early on, over half of the settlers began to succumb to sickness as a result of the heat. Even the doctor was stricken and unable to care for the sick. It looked like the sick would not survive. Unexpectedly, a ship arrived. It was full of Jewish people looking for a place to settle. They were at first rejected by the leaders of the Georgia colony there in Savannah. On board the ship, however, was a Jewish doctor named Dr. Samuel Nunez. He offered to treat the sick, and he did so without payment. The sick recovered, but the board of leaders still did not want to accept the Jewish settlers. Ogelthorpe overruled that decision, not only accepting the Jewish refugees, but allowing them to purhase land, and establish a synagogue. That synagogue remains the oldest active synagogue in the South, and the third oldest synagogue in America. Ogelthorpe would makes trips back and forth to England, and on one of his return trips to the colony, he brought with him John and Charles Wesley, ministers of the Church of England. In 1738, George Whitefield (also spelled Whitfield) arrived in the Savannah colony. He was a Church of England minister, and the founder of the evangelical movement. In 1734, a German anti-slaver, Rev. Boltzius came to minister to German speaking Protestants of the colony called Saltzburgers. Ogelthorpe gave them a settlement which was named "Ebenezer", and they became the oldest continuing Lutheran congregation in America. "Ebenezer" is a Hebrew word meaning "stone of help". In Israel, it was a stone placed by the prophet Samuel to mark the place where God helped Israel defeat the Philistines. We have always known that America's beginnings were established by people of faith. However, they were not only settlers, but "witnesses" placed in this nation for the purpose of establishing the divine testimonies, and as a point of warning, charging, admonishing, and just as importantly, as a point of return and restoration of faith for this nation. We should understand the solemn warning of Joshua for a people who turn away from their witness. If the LORD withdraws His hand of going good to a nation, repentance before the witness of truth is necessary for restoration. The settlers and their colonies were not perfect, but neither were the witnesses mentioned in Heb. 11. The spiritual role of the witnesses is only part of the story, rather than the whole story, but the witnesses do have a role to play. The Heb. 11 witnesses were often accounted as righteous, and grace was extended to many of them because of their obedience and faith to what they heard from the LORD. Their importance as witnesses to us will extend forever. May the Lord bring us to the place of admonishment, warning, return, and restoration in Him by the establishing witnesses that He provided for this nation. Our Father has encompassed us and this nation about with a great cloud of witnesses. Special thanks to G.S. for valuable contributions to this entry.