King David - A man after God's Own Heart

[Book of Jeremiah]

King David was a man after God's Own Heart. He was not a perfect man but his heart was perfect towards God and God took note of that. God does not look upon the outward part of a man but upon the inward part, a mans heart. Reading the Psalms it is clear that David had a very intimate, wonderful relationship with God that sustained him through some of the darkest hours of his life.


King David - A Man After God s Own Heart

King David was a man of contrasts. He was singlemindedly committed to God, yet guilty of some of the most serious sins recorded in the Old Testament.
David lived a frustrating life, first in the shadow of his brothers, then constantly on the run from vengeful King Saul. Even after he became king of Israel, David was engaged in almost constant warfare to defend the kingdom. King David was a great military conqueror, but he could not conquer himself. He allowed one night of lust with Bathsheba, and it had disastrous consequences in his life.
Although King David fathered Solomon, one of Israel's greatest kings, he was also the father of Absalom, whose rebellion brought bloodshed and grief.
King David's life was a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows. He left us an example of passionate love of God and dozens of psalms, some of the most touching, beautiful poetry ever written.
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cont reading on link....
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[Book of Jeremiah]

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. - Psalm 51: 6

 

[Penelope]

I'm a Joseph fan myself. God also looks at the actions of people. Also King Cyrus.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

I love Joseph too, Penelope. As you were speaking about God looking upon the actions of people I think David did reveal his heart towards God and others by his actions. When Saul was seeking after David's life because of his great jealousy of David - it was within Davids ability on more than one occasion to take Saul's life yet he refused to do that. Instead he showed mercy and spared his life. When his men - the mighty men in his company risked their very lives to get water for David - because he said, "I thirst" - they brought him the water - surely they were thirsting greatly too but they did this for their king you see, and David knowing they have risked their very lives - poured the water out on dry ground. He refused to drink it.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

One more for you, Penelope. When Araunah offered to give King David the threshing floor and oxen to make sacrifice unto God King David refused and insisted on paying him. He said he would not offer the LORD that which cost him nothing. David's heart was right with God.

 

[hotpotato]

Is that the David who sent a friend to certain death so he could steal the unfortunates wife? The same David who already had eight wives? The same David who then dumped his wives for a heathen? The same David who went against the first commandment and worshipped another god before the god who's heart he was after?
You can understand why god would like him, had a mind of his own...unlike some!

 

[hotpotato]

Pretty much sums up the christian philosophy. Know all the rules but pick and choose the bits you like. When you sin, look towards the heavens, say sorry and kiss the @ss of the imaginary skyfairy and hunky dory you are a better man than your neighbour. Horse poop!

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

I'm a Joseph fan myself. God also looks at the actions of people. Also King Cyrus.

Penelope I copied this for you - so that you could read the first part but it would not let me copy part so if you scroll down to Cyrus protection I think you will find that story must fascinating - if you have not heard it before. - Jeri

Cyrus God s Annointed Shepherd - bible-prophecy.net
CYRUS: GOD'S ANOINTED SHEPHERD
Nearly 150 years before Cyrus was born, the prophet Isaiah foretold his birth, his name, and the tasks that the Creator God had predetermined for him to accomplish. The Bible records that certain people are foreordained to be born and carry out specific tasks for God during their lifetime and a few of these individuals are even named before their birth. Cyrus the Great was one of these individuals whom God had predestined to play a pivotal roll in his awesome plan for humanity.
King Cyrus was an extremely important person, because God destroyed the Babylonian empire through him, and brought a close to a seventy-year punishment of the Jews that God imposed on them for their rebellion against him. Also through King Cyrus, God set into motion his seventy-week prophecy that fixed the year for the Messiah's death and resurrection, and reveals the sequence of events and dates for the Messiah's return which will bring to an end human rule of the earth, and usher in the government of God to rule over the entire earth.
Although historians have slightly differing interpretations and views of the historical record concerning the dates of Cyrus' birth and death and his various accomplishments, there is ample historical documentation that Cyrus the Great was indeed a real person whose name is mentioned over 22 times in the Bible and whose tomb in Iran can be visited today.
Cyrus' Protection
In Volume 1 of his historical works, The Greek historian Herodotus records that, before Cyrus' birth, King Astyages dreamed that out of his daughter Mandane flowed a stream of water that filled his capital and flooded all of Asia. When he asked the interpreters of dreams what this meant, they told him that his pregnant daughter would have a son who would overthrow his rule.
In order to stop this perceived threat to his rule, King Astyages sent for his trusted servant Harpagus and told him to kill and bury his daughter's child as soon as it was born; however, Harpagus could not bring himself to kill the newborn child and instead gave him to a shepherd and his wife to kill. But, they were also unwilling to kill the child and instead reared Cyrus as their own.
Harpagus' reluctance to kill the infant Cyrus and the emotional attachment to the newborn child by the married couple shows the Creator God's hand at work to fulfill his plan for Cyrus. See Isa.45:10-13.
The Bible is full of accounts of individuals in whom God had a special interest being protected and guided through their life; this was the case with Cyrus. God had foreordained this man to be his anointed servant (Isa.45:1) and protected and guided the events of his life in order for him to fulfill his destiny.
Cyrus the Man
Cyrus was the grandson of Astyages, King of the Medes. He was born in the province of Persis, in southwest Iran in 590 BC and died in battle in 530 B.C.. He founded the Archaemenian dynasty and the Persian Empire. He overthrew three great empires: the Medes, Lydians, and Babylonians. He also united most of the ancient Middle East into a single state stretching from India to the Mediterranean Sea, which meant that he possessed the largest empire in the world at that time.
Cyrus was a leader of tremendous military ability and high moral and ethical values; he was not inclined to extreme brutality, cruelty, and the perpetual conquest for new territories as were many other conquerors. Cyrus was also extremely tolerant of the customs and the religions of the nations he conquered.
The Greeks considered the Persian Empire to be the greatest threat to their own independence, but they highly regarded Cyrus because of his character and ethical rule.
The Cyrus Cylinder
One important source for the history of Cyrus is the so-called Cyrus cylinder discovered in 1879 by Hormonz Rassam during excavations at Babylon. Although the cylinder is not totally intact and there is some controversy concerning the exact translation of the cuneiform script, it is clear that this ancient document substantiates the biblical record concerning the destruction of the Babylonian empire and the Jews' return to Palestine from their Babylonian captivity.
The following is a partial translation of cuneiform script on the Cyrus cylinder which is dated 538-529 B.C. and housed in the British Museum:
"I am Cyrus, king of the world, great king, mighty king, king of Babylon, king of the land of Sumer and Akkad, king of the four quarters, son of Cambyses, great king, king of Anshan, grandson of Cyrus, great king, king of Anshan, descendant of Teispes, great king, king of Anshan, progeny of an unending royal line, whose rule Bel and Nabu cherish, whose kingship they desire for their hearts' pleasures.'
"When I, well-disposed, entered Babylon, I established the seat of government in the royal palace amidst jubilation and rejoicing. Marduk, the great God, caused the big-hearted inhabitants of Babylon to love me. I sought daily to worship him. My numerous troops moved about undisturbed in the midst of Babylon.'
"I did not allow any to terrorize the land of Sumer and Akkad. I kept in view the needs of Babylon and all its sanctuaries to promote their well-being. The citizens of Babylon. . .I lifted their unbecoming yoke. Their dilapidated dwellings I restored. I put an end to their misfortunes.'
"At my deeds Marduk, the great Lord, rejoiced, and to me, Cyrus, the king who worshiped, and to Cambyses, my son, the offspring of my loins, and to all my troops, he graciously gave his blessing, and in good spirit is before him we glorified exceedingly his high divinity.
"All the kings who sat in the throne rooms, throughout the four quarters, from the Upper to the Lower Sea, those who dwelt in. . .all the kings of the West Country who dwelt in tents, brought me their heavy tribute and kissed my feet in Babylon. From. . .to the cities of Ashur and Susa, Agade, Eshnuna, the cities of Zamban, Meurnu, Der, as far as the region of the land of Gutium, the holy cities beyond the Tigris whose sanctuaries had been in ruins over a long period, the Gods whose abode is in the midst of them. I returned to the places and housed them in lasting abodes.
"I gathered together all their inhabitants and restored to them their dwellings. The Gods of Sumer and Akkad whom Nabonidus had, to the anger of the Lord of the Gods, brought into Babylon, I at the bidding of Marduk, the great Lord made to dwell in peace in their habitations, delightful abodes.
"May all the gods whom I have placed within their sanctuaries address a daily prayer in my favor before Bel and Nabu, that my days may be long."
The above text shows that King Cyrus did indeed allow many of the nations he conquered to not only practice their various religions. Moreover, he rebuilt their temples, restored their articles of worship, and allowed several ethnic groups (including the Jews) who were captive in Babylon to return to their homeland.
Cyrus Invades Babylon
The follow excerpt from the cylinder text tells about the ease with which Cyrus' army entered the city of Babylon. This also substantiates Isaiah's prophecy and the events in the Book of Daniel:
"His widespread troops-their number, like that of the water of a river, which could not be counted, strolled along, their weapons packed away. Without any battle, he made him enter his city Babylon, sparing Babylon any damage. He delivered into my hands Nabonidus, the king who did not worship him."
The Book of Daniel only reveals that the same night in which the king of Babylon was having a great feast, the city was invaded and the king was killed. The biblical account seems to support the text on the Cyrus cylinder; in that, the invasion of Babylon was swift and that there was little or no resistance from its defenders.
In Volume 1 of his historical works, The Greek historian Herodotus records the following about the invasion of Babylon by King Cyrus:
"On the top, along the edges of the wall, they constructed buildings of a single chamber facing one to another, leaving between them room for a four-horse chariot to turn. In the circuit of the wall are a hundred gates, all of brass, with bronze lintels and side-posts. . .The city is divided into two portions by the river, which runs through the midst of it. This river is the Euphrates, a broad, deep, swift stream, which rises in Armenia, and empties itself into the Erythraean Sea.
"At the rivers end of these cross streets are low gates in the fence that skirts the stream, which are, like the great gates in the outer wall, all of brass, and open towards the water. . .Cyrus on his way to Babylon came to the banks of the Gyndes, a stream which, rising in the Matienian mountains, runs through the country of the Dardanians, and empties itself into the river Tigris. The Tigris, after receiving the Gyndes, flows on by the city of Opis, and discharges its waters into the Erythraean sea.
"When Cyrus reached this stream, which could only be passed in boats, one of the sacred white horses accompanying his march, full of spirit and high mettle, walked into the water, and tried to cross by himself; but the current seized him, swept him along with it, and drowned him in its depths. Cyrus, became enraged at the river, and threatened to break its strength so that in the future even women should cross it easily without wetting their knees.
"Accordingly he put off for a time his attack on Babylon, and, dividing his army into two parts, he marked out by ropes one hundred and eighty trenches on each side of the Gyndes, leading off from it in all directions, and making his army dig, some on one side of the river, some on the other, he accomplished his threat by the aid of a great a number of hands, but not without losing the whole summer season. Having defeated the river Gyndes by dispersing it through three hundred and sixty channels, Cyrus, with Spring approaching, marched forward against Babylon. The Babylonians, encamped without their walls, awaited his coming.
"A battle was fought at a short distance from the city, in which the Babylonians were defeated by the Persian king, whereupon they withdrew within their defenses. Here they shut themselves and made fun of his siege, having laid in a store of provisions for many years in preparation against this attack; for when they saw Cyrus conquering nation after nation, they were convinced that he would never stop, and that their turn would come at last. Now Cyrus did not know how to proceed, for as time went on he made no progress in conquering the city.
"In his distress either someone made a suggestion to him, or he himself came up with a plan, which he proceeded to follow. He placed a portion of his army at the point where the river enters the city, and another body at the back of the place where it comes out, with orders to march into the town by the bed of the stream, as soon as the water became shallow enough: he and his army then withdrew, and went to the place where Nitocris dug the basin for the river, where he did exactly what he had done in the past: he turned the Euphrates by a canal into the basin, which was then a marsh, on which the river sank to such a low level that the natural bed of the stream became crossable.
"Hereupon the Persians who had been left at Babylon by the riverside, entered the stream, which had now sunk so as to reach about midway up to a man's thigh, and entered into the city.
"Had the Babylonians been aware of what Cyrus was up to, or had they noticed their danger, they would have never allowed the Persians to enter the city, but would have destroyed them; for they would have closed all the street-gates which opened to the river, and mounting upon the walls along both sides of the stream, would have caught the enemy, as it were, in a trap. But, as it was, the Persians came upon them by surprise and took the city.
"Owing to the great size of the place, the inhabitants of the central part of Babylon, long after the outer portions of the town were taken, knew nothing of what had taken place, for they were engaged in a festival of dancing and reveling. Such, then, were the circumstances of the first taking of Babylon." See Daniel chapter 5.
Nearly 150 years before Cyrus' birth, God declared through the prophet Isaiah that a man named Cyrus would be the anointed shepherd of his people and rebuild Jerusalem. At the time of the prophecy of Isaiah, Jerusalem was a prosperous city that would not be destroyed for more than 100 years by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar.
Isaiah 44:24, 26-28"This the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, who makes all things, stretching out the heavens; I alone spread out the earth . . . He confirms the word of his servant and completes the counsel of his messengers. He says to Jerusalem, You will be peopled; and to the cities of Judah, you shall be built; and I will raise up its ruins" (vs.24, 26 Para.).
In verse 24, God reminds national Israel that he is the Creator of all things and their Redeemer. In verse 26 he says that he has the power to carry out the things that are said by his servants and messengers and promises to repopulate Jerusalem and rebuild the cities of Judah."He says to the deep, be a waste! And I will dry up your rivers! He says, To Cyrus my shepherd; he will fulfil all my will, even to say to Jerusalem, you shall be built; and to the temple, you shall be set up" (vs.27-28 Para.).
Some feel that the reference to the deep and the drying up of the rivers in verse 27 refers to the method by which the Euphrates River was diverted in order for Cyrus' army to enter the city of Babylon. Although this seems like a plausible explanation given the historical account of the invasion of the city, there may be other interpretations, which are beyond the scope of this study. However, verse 27 is very clear; God names Cyrus as the man who will shepherd his people and carry out his plan to return the Jews to their homeland and rebuild the cities and the temple.
Isaiah 45:1-13
"This says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whom I have seized by the right, to subdue nations before him. Yes, I will open the loins of kings, to open the two-leaved doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut. I will go before you and make hills level; I will tear apart the bronze doors and cut the iron bars in two. And I will give you the treasures of darkness, even treasures in secret places, that you may know that I am the Lord who calls you by your name, I the God of Israel" (vs.1-3 Para.).
In verses 1-3, we see that Cyrus is called the Lord's anointed (Heb. mashiyach [maw-shee'-akh]). which denotes a person specifically chosen and set apart for a specific task. Notice also that God promised to intervene and help Cyrus conquer many nations (i.e., make hills level).
The opening of the two-leaved doors, the tearing apart of the bronze doors, and the cutting of the iron bars seem to picture God's intervention to open the hundred copper-alloy gates of Babylon to King Cyrus and his army.
Imagine Cyrus' amazement and sober contemplation as he became aware of Isaiah's prophecy and realized that almost 150 years before his birth he had been named and ordained by the God of the Israelites to become a mighty conquering king and perform a task for this God whom he neither knew nor worshiped.

 

[Penelope]

Yes, he was a great King.

Cyrus was a leader of tremendous military ability and high moral and ethical values; he was not inclined to extreme brutality, cruelty, and the perpetual conquest for new territories as were many other conquerors. Cyrus was also extremely tolerant of the customs and the religions of the nations he conquered.

Wonder sometimes if Jesus was not Persian, the Magi !!!

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

The plan God had for Cyrus's life is just astounding. I can see why it would impress you, Penelope. As for Joseph's life - he is another example of one with a great destiny - I am thinking about how Joseph is a depiction of Christ. He is disguised from his brethren. His brethren were jealous of him as he was highly favored of their father, Jacob. So Joseph has this dream of his brothers and his father bowing down to him - this is again is a foreshadow of the Messiah being revealed to the Jews - then if you think upon the scene where Joseph no longer disguises himself and reveals himself to his brothers - they are in shock - this man who is the right hand to the Pharoah is their own brother and they had thought he was dead - they were in great distress upon realizing this was their brother Joseph and with that Joseph tells them this plan was from God for a great deliverance - again speaking of Jesus death on the cross for their sins so that they would be ransomed from hell - what an amazing picture of Christ and his compassion and love - I saw it some time ago. I do not recall how it happened but that picture has always been the reunion picture to me of the Jew to their Messiah Jesus Christ.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Yes, he was a great King.

Cyrus was a leader of tremendous military ability and high moral and ethical values; he was not inclined to extreme brutality, cruelty, and the perpetual conquest for new territories as were many other conquerors. Cyrus was also extremely tolerant of the customs and the religions of the nations he conquered.

Wonder sometimes if Jesus was not Persian, the Magi !!!

No, Jesus was Hebrew - the root of Jesse - son of David - the Messiah to the Jews although they didn't recognize him the wise men who came to worship knew. So did Anna the prophetess because she stayed in the temple day and night praying. So she knew.

Think of the gifts they brought him, Penelope. Those gifts were prophetic in their nature. Cyrus was kept alive by the divine protection of God. It is an amazing story. Excuse me while I try to erase some of the bottom part of that long post! Oh my gosh. It would not let me copy a small clip for the part about Cryrus protection. I don't know why it wouldn't work but it wouldn't!

 

[hotpotato]

Cyrus was obviously a better man than David!
Pity that Luther killed him and blamed the Warriors...that Luther was a bit of a Rogue!

 

[Penelope]

Yes Joseph was really the man of the Bible. One could trust him completely.

King Cyrus, I wonder if this was the garden of eden as you know Cyrus , Darius and the Pesians were great gardeners.
http://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/garden/
The word paradise comes from the Old Iranian word for exceptional gardens, pairi-daeza, which in later years was shortened to parideiza and then to paridiz. Pairi means all around, thoroughly and ultimate, while the precise meaning of daeza is uncertain. However, as a compound word, pairidaeza came to mean a celestial garden, a heavenly paradise on earth. The description of the Garden of Eden as paradise is derived from the Persian Avestan pairi-daeza, and some would say, was located in the northern Iranian Zagros mountains (see Gardens of Ancient Tabriz below).
In Persian, chahar means four and bagh means garden. Chahar bagh or the four gardens was the formal garden style used by Cyrus the Great (c. 600 to 576 - August 530 BCE) for his palace gardens at Pasargadae, the capital of Pars (Persia) during his reign. The garden at Pasargadae is the earliest known example of the chahar bagh, a design that became the core design for subsequent formal Iranian gardens including the gardens of India's Mughal rulers. The gardens of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India are based on Cyrus' Chahar Bagh design and are so named even today (see photographs below).

There is some speculation in the literature, that the four quadrants of the garden - the four rectangles or squares within a rectangle or square - represented the four quadrants of the Persian empire. The squares were created by walkways and straight white limestone lined water channels that connected square basins or pools placed at regular intervals. These water-courses or aqueducts formed the principle and secondary axes of the quadripartite layout and are the earliest known record of gravity-fed water rills cascading into regularly spaced basins arranged in a geometric system. The channels and basins served both a practical irrigation function and an aesthetic function. Besides, they also modified the climate of the immediate surroundings.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Is that the David who sent a friend to certain death so he could steal the unfortunates wife? The same David who already had eight wives? The same David who then dumped his wives for a heathen? The same David who went against the first commandment and worshipped another god before the god who's heart he was after?
You can understand why god would like him, had a mind of his own...unlike some!

David had 7 wives before Bathsheba. Not eight. Yes, that is the man! Isn't he wonderful? I love his heart towards God! He knew how to repent! hint! hint!

Jesus loves you, HP. Me too.

* Davids wives: Michal, Ahinoam, Abigail, Maacah, Haggith, Abital, Eglah, Bathsheba

 

[hotpotato]

"He was not a perfect man but his heart was perfect towards God and God took note of that"

Was his heart perfect towards god when he was cavorting and writhing under the influence of Baal?
Perhaps god is Baal? After all he does claim to be Iam who Iam!

 

[hotpotato]

Is the Ark of the Covenant in the country of the queen of Sheba's keeping (Ethiopia) or is it in some American warehouse gathering dust after Mr Jones found it?
We need to know these things, rather than who is a better man, David or Cyrus!

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Yes Joseph was really the man of the Bible. One could trust him completely.

King Cyrus, I wonder if this was the garden of eden as you know Cyrus , Darius and the Pesians were great gardeners.
http://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/garden/
The word paradise comes from the Old Iranian word for exceptional gardens, pairi-daeza, which in later years was shortened to parideiza and then to paridiz. Pairi means all around, thoroughly and ultimate, while the precise meaning of daeza is uncertain. However, as a compound word, pairidaeza came to mean a celestial garden, a heavenly paradise on earth. The description of the Garden of Eden as paradise is derived from the Persian Avestan pairi-daeza, and some would say, was located in the northern Iranian Zagros mountains (see Gardens of Ancient Tabriz below).
In Persian, chahar means four and bagh means garden. Chahar bagh or the four gardens was the formal garden style used by Cyrus the Great (c. 600 to 576 - August 530 BCE) for his palace gardens at Pasargadae, the capital of Pars (Persia) during his reign. The garden at Pasargadae is the earliest known example of the chahar bagh, a design that became the core design for subsequent formal Iranian gardens including the gardens of India's Mughal rulers. The gardens of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India are based on Cyrus' Chahar Bagh design and are so named even today (see photographs below).

There is some speculation in the literature, that the four quadrants of the garden - the four rectangles or squares within a rectangle or square - represented the four quadrants of the Persian empire. The squares were created by walkways and straight white limestone lined water channels that connected square basins or pools placed at regular intervals. These water-courses or aqueducts formed the principle and secondary axes of the quadripartite layout and are the earliest known record of gravity-fed water rills cascading into regularly spaced basins arranged in a geometric system. The channels and basins served both a practical irrigation function and an aesthetic function. Besides, they also modified the climate of the immediate surroundings.

Before the flood paradise was moved to below the earth, Penelope, which is why Jesus told thief on the cross today you will be with me in paradise. You see, Penelope, when Jesus died he went down to hell and the grave to take back the keys which Satan had obtained through Adam's sin in the garden. It was at the cross that Satan was stripped of his powers. When Jesus told the thief he would be with him that that day in paradise he spoke the truth because as He had not yet ascended to heaven - heaven was not yet opened to those waiting in the grave - paradise was a place of waiting until heaven was opened through Jesus - paradise was within view of hell - we know this because of the rich man who begged Father Abraham to permit Lazarus to come bring him a drop of water for his tongue. Abraham told him that could not happen. There was a wide gulf between the two places. Then the rich man who was suffering great torments in hell said he wanted someone to go warn his brothers who were on the earth to not come to that place of torment - hell - because they were still alive - they could repent - but Abraham said if they would not believe the living neither would they believe the dead. When Jesus went to and took the keys to hell and the grave - he emptied paradise - when he ascended to heaven - heaven was opened and the grave was emptied. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets are in heaven right this minute.

 

[Penelope]

If Satan was stripped of his powers why is so much evil in the world? Are you saying we all go to hell before heaven?

 

[September]

Yes Joseph was really the man of the Bible. One could trust him completely.

King Cyrus, I wonder if this was the garden of eden as you know Cyrus , Darius and the Pesians were great gardeners.
http://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/garden/
The word paradise comes from the Old Iranian word for exceptional gardens, pairi-daeza, which in later years was shortened to parideiza and then to paridiz. Pairi means all around, thoroughly and ultimate, while the precise meaning of daeza is uncertain. However, as a compound word, pairidaeza came to mean a celestial garden, a heavenly paradise on earth. The description of the Garden of Eden as paradise is derived from the Persian Avestan pairi-daeza, and some would say, was located in the northern Iranian Zagros mountains (see Gardens of Ancient Tabriz below).
In Persian, chahar means four and bagh means garden. Chahar bagh or the four gardens was the formal garden style used by Cyrus the Great (c. 600 to 576 - August 530 BCE) for his palace gardens at Pasargadae, the capital of Pars (Persia) during his reign. The garden at Pasargadae is the earliest known example of the chahar bagh, a design that became the core design for subsequent formal Iranian gardens including the gardens of India's Mughal rulers. The gardens of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India are based on Cyrus' Chahar Bagh design and are so named even today (see photographs below).

There is some speculation in the literature, that the four quadrants of the garden - the four rectangles or squares within a rectangle or square - represented the four quadrants of the Persian empire. The squares were created by walkways and straight white limestone lined water channels that connected square basins or pools placed at regular intervals. These water-courses or aqueducts formed the principle and secondary axes of the quadripartite layout and are the earliest known record of gravity-fed water rills cascading into regularly spaced basins arranged in a geometric system. The channels and basins served both a practical irrigation function and an aesthetic function. Besides, they also modified the climate of the immediate surroundings.

Before the flood paradise was moved to below the earth, Penelope, which is why Jesus told thief on the cross today you will be with me in paradise. You see, Penelope, when Jesus died he went down to hell and the grave to take back the keys which Satan had obtained through Adam's sin in the garden. It was at the cross that Satan was stripped of his powers. When Jesus told the thief he would be with him that that day in paradise he spoke the truth because as He had not yet ascended to heaven - heaven was not yet opened to those waiting in the grave - paradise was a place of waiting until heaven was opened through Jesus - paradise was within view of hell - we know this because of the rich man who begged Father Abraham to permit Lazarus to come bring him a drop of water for his tongue. Abraham told him that could not happen. There was a wide gulf between the two places. Then the rich man who was suffering great torments in hell said he wanted someone to go warn his brothers who were on the earth to not come to that place of torment - hell - because they were still alive - they could repent - but Abraham said if they would not believe the living neither would they believe the dead. When Jesus went to and took the keys to hell and the grave - he emptied paradise - when he ascended to heaven - heaven was opened and the grave was emptied. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets are in heaven right this minute.

In the name of God, Buddha, Allah, and the great Mikael Akerfeldt, what in the Cosmos are you talking about?! Satan "losing his powers at the cross"? Jesus going to Hell aka the Harrowing of Christ is not in the Bible at all, I always viewed it as a Catholic myth, like Purgatory, derived from interpretations based on scripture, but not actually derived from scripture itself- kind of like how everybody calls inaccurately calls Satan "Lucifer".

What is all this about Satan taking keys obtained through Adam's sin and then Jesus pulling a Dante's Inferno to get the keys back?

Speak, Jeremiah.

​

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

"He was not a perfect man but his heart was perfect towards God and God took note of that"

Was his heart perfect towards god when he was cavorting and writhing under the influence of Baal?
Perhaps god is Baal? After all he does claim to be Iam who Iam!

David never woshipped Baal. David sinned against God and repented for it. God is the great I am. Baal was defeated at the cross by Jesus Christ, HP. Come to Jesus. God loves you. God loves you so much! ! ! !
It is written:
Surely he hath born our griefs, and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smittten of God, and afficted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him , and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way , and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

God is waiting for you. He wants you , He wants to heal you and make you whole - he offers you forgiveness through His Only begotten Son - Jesus Christ. I bind you Satan, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I bind the spirits holding hotpotato and hold the Blood of Jesus Christ against you - leave now! The LORD loves you HP Come to Him now. You are hating life as it has been and who could blame you? It has been awful! God knows everything and is ready to forgive you of all of your sins. The Holy Spirit is here. Do not wait. Do it right now. I'm praying for you tonight, HP.