I love Psalm 102 because of the line in verse 2: answer me speedily in the day which I call.....that totally sums me up!
And verse 18 says let this be recorded for generations to come, so that people yet unborn may praise the Lord......praise in the midst of anguish......Praise even when you don't feel like it.....it starts the healing....
Psalm 103 is by David.?..it is thanksgiving for God's goodness....may favorite line is:
As far is the east is from the west
So he removes our transgressions from us...
There is no judgement for a believers repentant sin.....God literally forgets it.....than goodness God is not fair for the wages of sin is death....that's what we deserve.
and finally in Psalm 104, God is our creator and provider...we get to have a relationship with the creator of the universe.......how many time do we forget the majestic part of his character.....we sometimes forget it in our day to day....but he picked us. The creator. Of the universe wants to have a relationship with us......I hope you can begin to get your head around that today.
Look what comes up from the depths of the sea.
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Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
1Chronicles 7-10
The Chronicler finishes the genealogies by linking Saul to the Benjamites.....did you notice that there was divorce in the tribe in 8:8? God allowed divorce, but he hated it.
Chapter 9 moves into the return of the Israelites from exile.....the Chronilcler is not being chronological here. Scholars think it is here because the Chronicler wanted to show the need for Israel to return to obedience. The nation had been unfaithful and were conquered....however this shows that God loved the nation even through bad decisions and forgave them.....we meet gatekeepers....they guarded the 4 main entrances to the temple(the timing in this is goofy.....we haven't read about the building of the temple.....God doesn't allow David to build the temple....that job God gives to his son Solomon who we really haven't met yet.)
Chapter 10 begins David's remarkable reign by reminding us of what happened to Saul......how would you like to be captured forever in the Bible by 10:13......Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, but did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.
david trusted in God's promise that he would be king in God's good timing......wow......he could have even killed Saul but respected the announcing by God.....David did better here than Sarah and Rebekah, who tried to help the Lord deliver his promises.......who are you more like? Yikes.....I can really relate to the women, if truth be told.
Chapter 9 moves into the return of the Israelites from exile.....the Chronilcler is not being chronological here. Scholars think it is here because the Chronicler wanted to show the need for Israel to return to obedience. The nation had been unfaithful and were conquered....however this shows that God loved the nation even through bad decisions and forgave them.....we meet gatekeepers....they guarded the 4 main entrances to the temple(the timing in this is goofy.....we haven't read about the building of the temple.....God doesn't allow David to build the temple....that job God gives to his son Solomon who we really haven't met yet.)
Chapter 10 begins David's remarkable reign by reminding us of what happened to Saul......how would you like to be captured forever in the Bible by 10:13......Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, but did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.
david trusted in God's promise that he would be king in God's good timing......wow......he could have even killed Saul but respected the announcing by God.....David did better here than Sarah and Rebekah, who tried to help the Lord deliver his promises.......who are you more like? Yikes.....I can really relate to the women, if truth be told.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Psalm 81/88/92-93
Psalm 81 is apparently a holiday hymn.....it reminds Israel of her history (and us) and what God has done. Again, you see how David introduced music to worship.....Verse 7 "I answered you out of a thundercloud" refers to Exodus 19:19....God answered Moses and they had a little chat on Mt. Sinai.
"I tested you at the waters of Meribah" refers to Exodus 17:7 where the traveling Israelites were cranky and wanted water and tested God........God let the people be stubborn and the Israelites learned the consequences of sin the hard way....if they had listened to God, things would have been a whole easier for them......any lesson for us here?
Psalm 88 is a real bummer.....the psalmist is feeling so low that he sees no relief in sight. this Psalm is unique in that there is no praise....just raw, powerful emotion. these are honest thoughts and God can handle them.....He already knows how you feel so expressing honest emotion is part of having an authentic relationship.
psalm 92 is about being thankful every day...
psalm 93....I love the NRSV notes which say, " In the ancient Near East, Kings wore distinctive garments to indicate their power. As heavenly king, the Lord is robed in power itself.
I didn't get the imagery of seas being lifted up and research says that God's power is grater than that of the waters(shoot, He created them) God established dry ground by overcoming the water......see the account of Creation in Genesis where the Spirit hovered over the water.....no dry land yet! pretty cool.....
"I tested you at the waters of Meribah" refers to Exodus 17:7 where the traveling Israelites were cranky and wanted water and tested God........God let the people be stubborn and the Israelites learned the consequences of sin the hard way....if they had listened to God, things would have been a whole easier for them......any lesson for us here?
Psalm 88 is a real bummer.....the psalmist is feeling so low that he sees no relief in sight. this Psalm is unique in that there is no praise....just raw, powerful emotion. these are honest thoughts and God can handle them.....He already knows how you feel so expressing honest emotion is part of having an authentic relationship.
psalm 92 is about being thankful every day...
psalm 93....I love the NRSV notes which say, " In the ancient Near East, Kings wore distinctive garments to indicate their power. As heavenly king, the Lord is robed in power itself.
I didn't get the imagery of seas being lifted up and research says that God's power is grater than that of the waters(shoot, He created them) God established dry ground by overcoming the water......see the account of Creation in Genesis where the Spirit hovered over the water.....no dry land yet! pretty cool.....
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
1 Chronicles 6
The Chronicler moves to the lineage of Levi and we see some very familiar characters...The Kohath clan produced Moses, Aaron and Miriam....this was the time of the tabernacle....God was teaching about His laws and worship... By the time you get to verse 31, we are dealing with a progression of worship....David appoints musicians and we start to get music ministry...Solomon, David's son, will build a temple.....both the temple and the tabernacle are a shadow of what is currently in Heaven.....they are a pattern of what is in Heaven....the genealogy continues with the land where the Levites resided.....they were within existing tribes and the tribes were to be taking care of the priests since they could not own land.
The Chronicler will continue the genealogy with David ultimately at the center of it. He will be crowned King by the end of the chapter.
The Chronicler will continue the genealogy with David ultimately at the center of it. He will be crowned King by the end of the chapter.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Psalm 73-77-78
These Psalms ar in Book 3 of the Psalms....they emphasize God's soverignty and God 's covenant with David...the ones today are by Asaph, who is found in 1 Chronicles 25:1.....David appoints him as a leader of one of the temple choirs.
Psalm 73 shows what a bummer it is when the wicked of the world seem to be getting money and blessing. It points out that the ones that follow God get the blessing in the end. We won't perish with God....God knows all about the wicked people...it may look like they are getting ahead, but they will end with this earth and all their security will go with them....
Psalm 77-78 are pretty cool because we have read all about how God delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians.....this is the Hebrew story of salvation and God commanded that the stories be told from generation to generation. We are supposed to be learning from their mistakes....are we?
Psalm 73 shows what a bummer it is when the wicked of the world seem to be getting money and blessing. It points out that the ones that follow God get the blessing in the end. We won't perish with God....God knows all about the wicked people...it may look like they are getting ahead, but they will end with this earth and all their security will go with them....
Psalm 77-78 are pretty cool because we have read all about how God delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians.....this is the Hebrew story of salvation and God commanded that the stories be told from generation to generation. We are supposed to be learning from their mistakes....are we?
Monday, April 25, 2011
1 Chronicles 3-5
Interesting to me that this book is positioned where it is....some people we have heard of...others we haven't....for example, we have not read about David's children yet....we. Haven't heard about Zerubbabel nor the exile he has returned from yet...
My NRSV Biblr has an interesting take...the Chronicler moves from names to distinctive regions....the genealogies of the sons of Israel express the core of the Chronicler's interest....Judah recieves first position and indeed this will be a major line with David and Jesus coming from this line. This is the key and points to our Savior....
My NRSV Biblr has an interesting take...the Chronicler moves from names to distinctive regions....the genealogies of the sons of Israel express the core of the Chronicler's interest....Judah recieves first position and indeed this will be a major line with David and Jesus coming from this line. This is the key and points to our Savior....
Sunday, April 24, 2011
psalm 43-45/49/84-85/87
Happy Easter everyone! He is risen....He is risen indeed....
We have Psalms today written by The sons of Korah....they are temple assistants. Korah was a Levite who led a rebellion against Moses Numbers ( 16:1-35). he was killed, but his descendants remained faithful and continued to serve God in the temple. David will appoint men from the clan of Korah to serve as choir leaders....
I like Psalm 43, where there is conversation with one's own soul...."why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?.....even so, the Psalmist praises God....Psalm 44 is all about a plea for victory.....look at what God has done in the past....He will deliver!
psalm 45 is one of the Messianic Psalms...it describes the Messiah's future relationship to the church.....He is the bridegroom and the church is the bride.....she will unite forever with Him.
psalm 49 is all about how you can't take your sorely possessions with you....you can't buy eternal life....our treasures are the ones we have stored up in Heaven.......how do you think you get those?
psalm 84 deals with our pilgrimage on eath to get to God's presence....He shapes us and builds our character and sometimes, quite frankly, it hurts....
Psalm 85 deals with revival....we all need it at some point.....churches and Spiritual movements can need revival also.....I think we are having a revival in our church right now.
psalm 87 is about Zion....the future holy temple which represents the community of believers....this is the part that Brother Jim talks about where we have read the last chapter and we know how it ends! Oh yes, Rahab is not referring to the prostitute we read about, but refers to an ancient sea monster the people believe in.....here, Rahab represents Egypt.
We have Psalms today written by The sons of Korah....they are temple assistants. Korah was a Levite who led a rebellion against Moses Numbers ( 16:1-35). he was killed, but his descendants remained faithful and continued to serve God in the temple. David will appoint men from the clan of Korah to serve as choir leaders....
I like Psalm 43, where there is conversation with one's own soul...."why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?.....even so, the Psalmist praises God....Psalm 44 is all about a plea for victory.....look at what God has done in the past....He will deliver!
psalm 45 is one of the Messianic Psalms...it describes the Messiah's future relationship to the church.....He is the bridegroom and the church is the bride.....she will unite forever with Him.
psalm 49 is all about how you can't take your sorely possessions with you....you can't buy eternal life....our treasures are the ones we have stored up in Heaven.......how do you think you get those?
psalm 84 deals with our pilgrimage on eath to get to God's presence....He shapes us and builds our character and sometimes, quite frankly, it hurts....
Psalm 85 deals with revival....we all need it at some point.....churches and Spiritual movements can need revival also.....I think we are having a revival in our church right now.
psalm 87 is about Zion....the future holy temple which represents the community of believers....this is the part that Brother Jim talks about where we have read the last chapter and we know how it ends! Oh yes, Rahab is not referring to the prostitute we read about, but refers to an ancient sea monster the people believe in.....here, Rahab represents Egypt.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
1 Chronicles 1-2
1 Chronicles really supplements 2 Samuel....it emphasizes the religious history of Judah and Israel. Genealogy was extremely important to the Jewish people because gave them the link to the promise, they felt.....the direct link to Abraham. we haven't met Ezra yet, who according to Jewish tradition, wrote this book. Isreal will be going into captivity in Babylon cue to their disobedience, and Ezra will lead them home.
Pretty interesting that the ruler's of Edom are listed....they are not part of David's line. Esau was Issac's oldest son....but his link with pagan women shows the enemy genealogy...this is how Edom began.
Remember Amalek in 1:36? He was Esau's grandson and was the ancestor of the Amalekites, the first people to attack the Israelites on the way to the Promised Land......Esau certainly provided a lot of trouble to the Israelites, as was prophesized to Hagar, his mother.
1:34 mentions Esau and Israel. Remember that Jacob was renamed Israel. Israel will refer to the Nothern kingdom and Judah will refer to the southern kingdom.....the tribes were not unified and David was king of Judah first.....
Pretty interesting that the ruler's of Edom are listed....they are not part of David's line. Esau was Issac's oldest son....but his link with pagan women shows the enemy genealogy...this is how Edom began.
Remember Amalek in 1:36? He was Esau's grandson and was the ancestor of the Amalekites, the first people to attack the Israelites on the way to the Promised Land......Esau certainly provided a lot of trouble to the Israelites, as was prophesized to Hagar, his mother.
1:34 mentions Esau and Israel. Remember that Jacob was renamed Israel. Israel will refer to the Nothern kingdom and Judah will refer to the southern kingdom.....the tribes were not unified and David was king of Judah first.....
Friday, April 22, 2011
Psalm 6/8-10/14/16/19/21
Happy Good Friday......this day commemorates the day our Lord hung from the cross...he died as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He died for you...
David writes more Psalms....have you ever felt the way that David writes in Psalm 6.? My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord how long? There is some really honest emotion going on here.....God is able to deliver us.
Psalm 8 is about the majesty of God.....He is King....he IS majestic....God has given humans lots of authority in taking care of His creation....but God created creation.
Psalm 9 is probably written after a victory with the Phillistines
Psalm 10...I love how David cries out and says Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? The enemy seems to be getting away with murder...but the Lord knows everything that is going on.
Psalm 14 was really cool to me since we are reading "the cristian atheist"..My study notes say the true atheist is either foolish or wicked-foolish because he ignores the evidence that God exists or wicked because he refuses to live by God's truths. We become athiests in practice when we rely more on ourselves than God. yikes!
psalm 16 is so cool because it is a messianic Psalm (Messiah/Jesus). it is quoted in the New Testament when speaking of Christ's resurrection.....see 9-10....because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay......Jesus had not one bit of decay on Him when he arose....how could David have any inkling of this...pretty cool.
psalm 19 show God'sexistence in nature and creation...
psalm 21 show David's example of always thanking God for His help...always give God the glory!
David writes more Psalms....have you ever felt the way that David writes in Psalm 6.? My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord how long? There is some really honest emotion going on here.....God is able to deliver us.
Psalm 8 is about the majesty of God.....He is King....he IS majestic....God has given humans lots of authority in taking care of His creation....but God created creation.
Psalm 9 is probably written after a victory with the Phillistines
Psalm 10...I love how David cries out and says Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? The enemy seems to be getting away with murder...but the Lord knows everything that is going on.
Psalm 14 was really cool to me since we are reading "the cristian atheist"..My study notes say the true atheist is either foolish or wicked-foolish because he ignores the evidence that God exists or wicked because he refuses to live by God's truths. We become athiests in practice when we rely more on ourselves than God. yikes!
psalm 16 is so cool because it is a messianic Psalm (Messiah/Jesus). it is quoted in the New Testament when speaking of Christ's resurrection.....see 9-10....because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay......Jesus had not one bit of decay on Him when he arose....how could David have any inkling of this...pretty cool.
psalm 19 show God'sexistence in nature and creation...
psalm 21 show David's example of always thanking God for His help...always give God the glory!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
2 Samuel 1-4
2 Samuel is names after the prophet who anointed David and guided him in living for God....what a huge mark Samuel made in David. David loves and trusts the Lord.
our chronological reading is going to pop us around a bit.....Chronicles and Kings record the King of Israel 's reigns...so hold on tight for our April readings.
2 Samuel opens with a little liar reporting Saul 's death to David. This fellow was looking for some type of reward for killing Saul.....1 Samuel 31:3,4 shows the true account of how Saul threw himself on his sword. The guy posed as one of Israel's enemies...an Amalekite...David felt that since God anointed Saul, only God had the right to depose Saul....David has the liar killed......Remember that this is a different culture.
David is anointed king over Judah.....this is a Southern tribe and very large. there is still Civil War and tribe fighting among tribe. Ish-Bosheth, Saul's son rules over the rest. OK it now begins to get confusing to me as it relates to the "characters"...
Joab is the son of Zeruiah, David's half sister
Abner is Saul's cousin
Abishai is Joab 's brother
Asahel is another brother
Ish-Bosheth is Saul 's son
Abner suggests to Joab that there be a dagger fight, 12 on 12...this is kind of like how they pick representatives to fight when David fought Goliath.....Abner kills Asahel. War continues between David and Saul....David continued to prevail.
Note that at the beginning of Chapter 3, David begins the polygamy thing. This is going to bring much distress to him..Ahmet goes over to David's side and brings him Michal whom David was betrothed to. Joab murders Abner and David mourns.
Ish-Bosheth is then murdered in his own bedroom and David has the men that murdered him killed....so much blood is shed
our chronological reading is going to pop us around a bit.....Chronicles and Kings record the King of Israel 's reigns...so hold on tight for our April readings.
2 Samuel opens with a little liar reporting Saul 's death to David. This fellow was looking for some type of reward for killing Saul.....1 Samuel 31:3,4 shows the true account of how Saul threw himself on his sword. The guy posed as one of Israel's enemies...an Amalekite...David felt that since God anointed Saul, only God had the right to depose Saul....David has the liar killed......Remember that this is a different culture.
David is anointed king over Judah.....this is a Southern tribe and very large. there is still Civil War and tribe fighting among tribe. Ish-Bosheth, Saul's son rules over the rest. OK it now begins to get confusing to me as it relates to the "characters"...
Joab is the son of Zeruiah, David's half sister
Abner is Saul's cousin
Abishai is Joab 's brother
Asahel is another brother
Ish-Bosheth is Saul 's son
Abner suggests to Joab that there be a dagger fight, 12 on 12...this is kind of like how they pick representatives to fight when David fought Goliath.....Abner kills Asahel. War continues between David and Saul....David continued to prevail.
Note that at the beginning of Chapter 3, David begins the polygamy thing. This is going to bring much distress to him..Ahmet goes over to David's side and brings him Michal whom David was betrothed to. Joab murders Abner and David mourns.
Ish-Bosheth is then murdered in his own bedroom and David has the men that murdered him killed....so much blood is shed
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Psalm 121/123-125/128-130
David probably did not write all these Psalms....King Hezekiah is thought to be the author of some....we'll meet him when we read Isaiah...
The Psalms of Ascent continue....pilgrims were the ones that were headed to the temple for the religious festivals that God commanded his people to....The pilgrims would sing these songs together and in doing that were also teaching the younger generations about God....God protects us and watches out for us.....God will lead us, but we need to be attentive to it
I love Psalm 128...it is apparently called the marriage prayer because it was often sung at Israelite marriages.....my notes say that God will reward your devotion to him with inner peace.....isn't that a gift to be delivered from anxiety and worry....I probably would have more peace if I quite trying to help God......I like to think I am among good company in that Sarah and Rebekah struggled with ehe same so long ago.
That leads directly to Psalm 130....we have the assurance of forgiveness.....God knew we would need it, so he made provision for it....God will surely forgive us if we confess our sin to him.....
GOD LOVED US WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS.....Thank God for that....
The Psalms of Ascent continue....pilgrims were the ones that were headed to the temple for the religious festivals that God commanded his people to....The pilgrims would sing these songs together and in doing that were also teaching the younger generations about God....God protects us and watches out for us.....God will lead us, but we need to be attentive to it
I love Psalm 128...it is apparently called the marriage prayer because it was often sung at Israelite marriages.....my notes say that God will reward your devotion to him with inner peace.....isn't that a gift to be delivered from anxiety and worry....I probably would have more peace if I quite trying to help God......I like to think I am among good company in that Sarah and Rebekah struggled with ehe same so long ago.
That leads directly to Psalm 130....we have the assurance of forgiveness.....God knew we would need it, so he made provision for it....God will surely forgive us if we confess our sin to him.....
GOD LOVED US WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS.....Thank God for that....
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
1 Samuel 28-31; Psalm 18
And we finish 1 Samuel....out of desperation, Saul goes to a witch in Endor....he is afraid of the Philistines.....God forbade use of these "dark arts", because the source of their power was not Him, but the devil......somehow, Samuel comes vfm from the dead (I'm thinking that the medium didn't do it, but God allowed it somehow). Samuel tells Saul that he will die, along with his sons.
Achish trusts David to fight Israel, but his Philistine comrades aren't having it....they remember the Goliath incident.....God's plan is to have David separate from the Philistines....David returns to Ziklag and finds his camp brned and his wives taken captive by the Amalekites....David asks for the ephod which contains the Urimm and asks God 's will for his next steps (there is the difference between David and Saul)and the Lord grants David victory in war...he shares the plunder.
As Samuel said....Sauls's sons are killed. Saul is injured and he throws himself on his sword.....the way has been cleared for David to claim his role as king.
Psalm 18 is full of thankfulness and praise from David to God....
Achish trusts David to fight Israel, but his Philistine comrades aren't having it....they remember the Goliath incident.....God's plan is to have David separate from the Philistines....David returns to Ziklag and finds his camp brned and his wives taken captive by the Amalekites....David asks for the ephod which contains the Urimm and asks God 's will for his next steps (there is the difference between David and Saul)and the Lord grants David victory in war...he shares the plunder.
As Samuel said....Sauls's sons are killed. Saul is injured and he throws himself on his sword.....the way has been cleared for David to claim his role as king.
Psalm 18 is full of thankfulness and praise from David to God....
Monday, April 18, 2011
Psalm 17/35/54/63
David continues to talk with God.....he is afraid, he is honest, he praises the Lord. I was impresses to see in Psalm 17:15 that David believed in life after death....that is what the word "awake" indicates...my study Bible says that although belief in resurrection was not widespread in Old Testament times, several verses show that it was at least partially understood:
Job 19:25-27
Psalms 16:10; 49:15; 139:17, 18
Isaiah 26:19;
Daniel 12:2, 13
Psalm 35 is called an "imprecatory" (cursing) psalm that calls on God to deal with enemies....David is asking God to do it....he is not doing it himself.....can you imagine what David is going through mentally? He is anointed as a king, but he is running for his life....the Psalms show he didn't exactly thnk it was fair....but he doesn't appear to question God...he is definitely lonely.....and what a future is coming to him if he can just hold on.
Job 19:25-27
Psalms 16:10; 49:15; 139:17, 18
Isaiah 26:19;
Daniel 12:2, 13
Psalm 35 is called an "imprecatory" (cursing) psalm that calls on God to deal with enemies....David is asking God to do it....he is not doing it himself.....can you imagine what David is going through mentally? He is anointed as a king, but he is running for his life....the Psalms show he didn't exactly thnk it was fair....but he doesn't appear to question God...he is definitely lonely.....and what a future is coming to him if he can just hold on.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
1Samuel 25-27
Samuel dies....there is no one to guide spiritually...
A woman comes to the forefront....Abigail makes up for her foolish husband's behavior....David and his men had been protecting Nabal's land......he acts like the foolish one he is by not feeding David 's men.....now before you sympathize with Nabal, you need to know that the culture of the time required that hospitality was law....there were no hotels or restauraunts...David and his group were doing there duty and had every right to ask robe. Fed....Abigail "got it".....go woman, go woman, go woman....and she ended up being one of David 's wives...pretty cool to be married to a man soon robe king..
Again, David spares Saul's life.....remember that David knows he is to be king and is bidding his time according to God's will...what a good man.....I think I would at least have slapped him!.... OK I have issues!
David moves to the Philistine land and fobs about who he fights....why do you think that is?
A woman comes to the forefront....Abigail makes up for her foolish husband's behavior....David and his men had been protecting Nabal's land......he acts like the foolish one he is by not feeding David 's men.....now before you sympathize with Nabal, you need to know that the culture of the time required that hospitality was law....there were no hotels or restauraunts...David and his group were doing there duty and had every right to ask robe. Fed....Abigail "got it".....go woman, go woman, go woman....and she ended up being one of David 's wives...pretty cool to be married to a man soon robe king..
Again, David spares Saul's life.....remember that David knows he is to be king and is bidding his time according to God's will...what a good man.....I think I would at least have slapped him!.... OK I have issues!
David moves to the Philistine land and fobs about who he fights....why do you think that is?
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Psalm 56/120/140-142
David continues to write Psalms that speak of the Lord being his refuge in times of trouble. David also continues to praise....I wonder how these got recorded....did David memorize them and then eventually have a scribe right them down?
Psalm 120 is part of a group of Psalms called the Psalms of Ascent....the people (pilgrims) would sing thm aloud as they traveled to the annual feasts....each psalm was a "step" in their ascension of the journey. Beth Moore does a great study on the Psalms of ascension if you are interested. This is part of the way that Israel communicated her history to each generation....everyone knew thaws songs.
I must say that I am glad to see a bit of human emotion iN David as he wrote in Psalm 140:9-12
let the heads of those who surround me
Be covered with the trouble their lips have caused.
Let the burning coals fall upon them;
May they be thrown into the fire,
Into miry pits, never to rise.
let slanderers not be established in the land;
May disaster hunt down men of violence....
David was giving God a few suggestions and I soooooo repect that....
Have you ever had to retreat into a "cave" to hide or lick your wounds while you pleaded with the a Lord?
Psalm 120 is part of a group of Psalms called the Psalms of Ascent....the people (pilgrims) would sing thm aloud as they traveled to the annual feasts....each psalm was a "step" in their ascension of the journey. Beth Moore does a great study on the Psalms of ascension if you are interested. This is part of the way that Israel communicated her history to each generation....everyone knew thaws songs.
I must say that I am glad to see a bit of human emotion iN David as he wrote in Psalm 140:9-12
let the heads of those who surround me
Be covered with the trouble their lips have caused.
Let the burning coals fall upon them;
May they be thrown into the fire,
Into miry pits, never to rise.
let slanderers not be established in the land;
May disaster hunt down men of violence....
David was giving God a few suggestions and I soooooo repect that....
Have you ever had to retreat into a "cave" to hide or lick your wounds while you pleaded with the a Lord?
Friday, April 15, 2011
Psalm 7/27/31/34/52
How cool to read what David wrote during the time we just read about....there is a common refuge theme.....Jesus has not even come yet, but David has a great love for God, the Father....he has spent time learning who God is and knows God can save and protect him. David is scared for his life but gives God thanks and praise....do we do this? Perhaps we haven't come to the point of being fearful for our lives....but we have all been fearful at one time or another.
David says in the midst of chaos..One thing that I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life....this is setting priorities! I am usually dwelling on the chaos I hate to say...
An interesting thing in 34:20, particularly as we get close to Easter..."he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken"..look at John 19:36....there is the fulfillment of the scripture where Jesus hung on the cross...the Roman soldiers would break victim's legs to hurry death along...when a person hung on a cross, death came by suffocation, but the victim could push against the cross to hold his body up and keep breathing. With broken legs the victim would suffocate more quickly....do you think David knew he was prophesying when he wrote that?
David confined to praise.....no matter what.....quite an example for us, huh?
David says in the midst of chaos..One thing that I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life....this is setting priorities! I am usually dwelling on the chaos I hate to say...
An interesting thing in 34:20, particularly as we get close to Easter..."he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken"..look at John 19:36....there is the fulfillment of the scripture where Jesus hung on the cross...the Roman soldiers would break victim's legs to hurry death along...when a person hung on a cross, death came by suffocation, but the victim could push against the cross to hold his body up and keep breathing. With broken legs the victim would suffocate more quickly....do you think David knew he was prophesying when he wrote that?
David confined to praise.....no matter what.....quite an example for us, huh?
Thursday, April 14, 2011
1 Samuel 21-24
David goes to Nob to escape. ahimelech allows him to have consecrated bread...the priest put David's needs ahead of religious ceremony......Jesus will later refer to this to show that God's laws should not be applied without compassion....Ahimelech gives David Goliath's sword....David fled from Gath to a cave in Adullam.....his leadership comes into play as he organizes a band of outlaws.....Saul has the priesthood murdered because they helped David...only Abiathar escapes.....David takes the blame and inquires of God what to do and God delivers the Philistines to David....Saul pursues David into a cave and David could have killed Saul.....David chooses not to because he respects the divine placement of Saul....Saul apologizes and gets an oath from David not to kill is descendants....who needs soap operas????? We have enough drama right here in the Bible....
psalms for tomorrow...
The center of the Bible is Psalms.....they are songs and prayers that express pretty much every emotion...Psalms has 5 books.....BOok 1 is Psalms 1-41:13 and it mirrors Genesis...book 2 is Psalms 42:1-72:20 and mirrors Exodus......Psalms 73:1-89:52 mirrors Leviticus.......Book 4 is Psalms 90:1-106:48. Which mirrors Numbers and finally Book 5 mirrors 107:1-150:6 which mirrors Dueteronomy
psalms for tomorrow...
The center of the Bible is Psalms.....they are songs and prayers that express pretty much every emotion...Psalms has 5 books.....BOok 1 is Psalms 1-41:13 and it mirrors Genesis...book 2 is Psalms 42:1-72:20 and mirrors Exodus......Psalms 73:1-89:52 mirrors Leviticus.......Book 4 is Psalms 90:1-106:48. Which mirrors Numbers and finally Book 5 mirrors 107:1-150:6 which mirrors Dueteronomy
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
1 Samuel 18-20; Psalm 11/59
Jonathan and David become deep fast friends and they made a covenant with each other. Saul begins to get jealous of David....simple songs of the women begin to be like a worm in Saul's mind.....Saul tries to kill David....do you think you could do this? David continues to protect Saul....I just think I'd stay away from the crazy man....
SAul tries to trap David by marriage to his oldest daughter...it would require something significant and though David's family has prosperity, it is no match for a monarch...then Michal, another of Saul's daughters falls in love with him.....Saul decides that the "significant thing" David can do is defeat some Philistines, thinking that he will die in battle...but David prevails and Saul's plan backfires.
Jonathan and Michal intercede for David....Papa has truly gone bonkers and they realize they have to help David get away.....Saul hightails it to Samuel and the Holy Spirit keeps Saul from making his way to David....Saul goes into a prophetic frenzy and lays naked all day and all night (God is so cool and gets dramatic, doesn't he?)
Finally, Jonathan tests Saul and figures out that he really will kill David.....Saul is trying to protect his throne by human means......how far do you get without God, particularly after a prophet tells you that God rejects your kingship?
David writes some Psalms...Psalm 11 deals with your foundations when you are panicking....God is still in control and God will deal with the wicked
Psalm 59 is all about pleaing to God to protect from enemies...David was being hunted, but still turns to God.....can you do that?
SAul tries to trap David by marriage to his oldest daughter...it would require something significant and though David's family has prosperity, it is no match for a monarch...then Michal, another of Saul's daughters falls in love with him.....Saul decides that the "significant thing" David can do is defeat some Philistines, thinking that he will die in battle...but David prevails and Saul's plan backfires.
Jonathan and Michal intercede for David....Papa has truly gone bonkers and they realize they have to help David get away.....Saul hightails it to Samuel and the Holy Spirit keeps Saul from making his way to David....Saul goes into a prophetic frenzy and lays naked all day and all night (God is so cool and gets dramatic, doesn't he?)
Finally, Jonathan tests Saul and figures out that he really will kill David.....Saul is trying to protect his throne by human means......how far do you get without God, particularly after a prophet tells you that God rejects your kingship?
David writes some Psalms...Psalm 11 deals with your foundations when you are panicking....God is still in control and God will deal with the wicked
Psalm 59 is all about pleaing to God to protect from enemies...David was being hunted, but still turns to God.....can you do that?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
1 Samuel 15-17
God commands complete destruction of the Amalekites because they attacked Israel when they came out of Egypt. Deuteronomy 20:16-18 shows that God wanted everything completely destroyed or what was left could lead Israel to idolatry. Saul spares Agag, the king. He kept what he shouldn't and when confronted by Samuel quickly thinks on his feet and says he was going yo use the best livestock for sacrifice to the Lord.....Samuel believes him...NOT! Samuel basically tells him he won't rule and that his command will go to someone else.....then he proceeds to kill Agag.
The Lord moves Samuel to annoint the next king.....it is not what Samuel thought.....it was the youngest son of Jesse.....God didn't look at outward appearance, but at heart.......David will become the king after God's own heart.....(ponder that and tell me what you think that means)....the Spirit of the Lord leaves Saul......I was bummed to read about God sending an evil spirit and scholars are divided as to what this means....could be that when the Spirit of God left him he was left vulnerable.....could be that he was depressed...could be that God allowed an evil Spirit to torment him because of his disobedience.....either way, Saul is headed toward insanity which leaves the door open for David to get into Sauls household....perhaps God is training him for his job. Remember David was annointed in secret
And can't be king till Saul dies....
Finally we have David and Goliath....if you had any Sunday School, you know these characters....David kills Goliath with his trusty slingshot......wat is YOUR giant? David knew he wasn't alone when he faced his giant. Do you really KNOW you aren 't alone when you face/hide/run away/ignore yours?
The Lord moves Samuel to annoint the next king.....it is not what Samuel thought.....it was the youngest son of Jesse.....God didn't look at outward appearance, but at heart.......David will become the king after God's own heart.....(ponder that and tell me what you think that means)....the Spirit of the Lord leaves Saul......I was bummed to read about God sending an evil spirit and scholars are divided as to what this means....could be that when the Spirit of God left him he was left vulnerable.....could be that he was depressed...could be that God allowed an evil Spirit to torment him because of his disobedience.....either way, Saul is headed toward insanity which leaves the door open for David to get into Sauls household....perhaps God is training him for his job. Remember David was annointed in secret
And can't be king till Saul dies....
Finally we have David and Goliath....if you had any Sunday School, you know these characters....David kills Goliath with his trusty slingshot......wat is YOUR giant? David knew he wasn't alone when he faced his giant. Do you really KNOW you aren 't alone when you face/hide/run away/ignore yours?
Monday, April 11, 2011
1Samuel 13-14
...and now the pride thing begins....Saul takes credit for his son's conquest of the Philistine outpost.....he had been told to wait for Samuel to come and do the burnt offering and when Samuel didn't arrive on time Saul took matters into his own hands and made the offering. Now one could argue that it was good that Saul thought of the ritual, but this was against God's laws....Samuel tells him that God rejects him because of his disobedience.
Saul is exemplified as a bad leader now...he doesn 't communicate with his son...he makes foolish curses...and he neglects his soldiers
Jonathan sneaks away from camp and listens to God 's direction about fighting the Philistines...he prevails and the Lord rescues Israel from the Philistines...
Jonathan almost dies at the Hands of his father because he ate some honey, not knowing about the foolish curse....cooler heads prevailed and saved Jonathan....God still allows Saul to win wars...Gd has a plan in the midst of all this...
Saul is exemplified as a bad leader now...he doesn 't communicate with his son...he makes foolish curses...and he neglects his soldiers
Jonathan sneaks away from camp and listens to God 's direction about fighting the Philistines...he prevails and the Lord rescues Israel from the Philistines...
Jonathan almost dies at the Hands of his father because he ate some honey, not knowing about the foolish curse....cooler heads prevailed and saved Jonathan....God still allows Saul to win wars...Gd has a plan in the midst of all this...
Sunday, April 10, 2011
1Samuel 9-12
So what would you do if you were walking along looking for your Daddy's pick up truck (the donkey was the pick up truck of that day)and you run into someone that says they have a message from God for you? Next thing you know, you are announced the first King of Isreal? Now there is a day! You see the Holy Spirit coming on someone again in power...aren't you just so glad that you have the Holy Spirit that is a permanent dweller in your heart? Thank you Jesus!
Saul ends up rescuing the city of Jabesh and he is confirmed as King...(the process for the first king is a) get annointed by a prophet b)have the tribes select you by lot...remember the Urim and Thummim that the High Priest uses to find God's will? and c) confirmation. See 11:14)
Samuel continued to serve as priest, prophet and judge, but Saul began to take more military control of the tribes....Carefully observe Sauls's character in your reading...he will struggle constantly with jealousy, insecurity, impulsiveness and deceit...
Samuel reminds the people they did evil by wanting a human king and God made a miraculous thunderstorm that could destroy crops.....our Lord was a tad bit displeased....
Saul ends up rescuing the city of Jabesh and he is confirmed as King...(the process for the first king is a) get annointed by a prophet b)have the tribes select you by lot...remember the Urim and Thummim that the High Priest uses to find God's will? and c) confirmation. See 11:14)
Samuel continued to serve as priest, prophet and judge, but Saul began to take more military control of the tribes....Carefully observe Sauls's character in your reading...he will struggle constantly with jealousy, insecurity, impulsiveness and deceit...
Samuel reminds the people they did evil by wanting a human king and God made a miraculous thunderstorm that could destroy crops.....our Lord was a tad bit displeased....
Saturday, April 9, 2011
1 Samuel 4-8
Remember the Philistines? (how can you not the way my Urban Dictionary posted 461 times? ) They are descendendents from Noah's son , Ham....arch enemies to Israel....War begins because Israel isn't behaving.....they have begun to use the Ark of the Covenant as a good luck charm and not as the dwelling of the Lord...the Phillistines capture the ark and Israel feels the glory of God is gone...Hophni and Phinehas desecrated the tabernacle by going into the Most Holy Place and getting it..they die on the same day fulfilling the prophecy in 2:34. Eli dies and breaks his fat neck...
The Philistines place the Ark next to their God Dagon (Remember how I suggested you remember him? ) and isn't God cool to show what He can do with a god? People also get tumors...the Ark resides in Philistine territory for seven months and they send the Ark back with a guilt offering of gold tumors and gold rats....yikes...the Lord gets testy with His rebellious people and strikes some down
Samuel says that if the people return to the Lord that they need to give up foreign Gods and Ashtoreths...the people did and God delivered them from the Philistines...
Samuel gets old and his sons don't walk in his ways and the people want a king like the other nations have....Samuel warns them what a king would entail and they still want one....they are essentially rejecting God as their King
Whew!
What do you think of Samuel?
Take a stab and tell me how this all relates to us today..
The Philistines place the Ark next to their God Dagon (Remember how I suggested you remember him? ) and isn't God cool to show what He can do with a god? People also get tumors...the Ark resides in Philistine territory for seven months and they send the Ark back with a guilt offering of gold tumors and gold rats....yikes...the Lord gets testy with His rebellious people and strikes some down
Samuel says that if the people return to the Lord that they need to give up foreign Gods and Ashtoreths...the people did and God delivered them from the Philistines...
Samuel gets old and his sons don't walk in his ways and the people want a king like the other nations have....Samuel warns them what a king would entail and they still want one....they are essentially rejecting God as their King
Whew!
What do you think of Samuel?
Take a stab and tell me how this all relates to us today..
1 Samuel 1-3
We open this book to where Israel has been ruled by judges for over 200 years...Hannah is one of two wives and has had no children...Hannah wants a child so bad she goes to the temple and Eli the priest thinks she is drunk.....Hannah explains her fervor and Eli tells her to go in peace.....Hannnah will dedicate any child to the Lord and it happens with her son Samuel. Eli the priest has wicked sons that have no respect and there is a prophecy against them..
The Lord calls Samuel directly and reveals himself to Samuel on a regular basis.
The Lord calls Samuel directly and reveals himself to Samuel on a regular basis.
samuel overview
Samuel is our last judge and Saul will be our first king..we will see Isreal's transition from a theocracy (led by God) to a monarchy (led by a king). The author of this book might be Samuel...but apparently it also has writings from prophets Nathan and Gad...
Ruth
I am on my husband's iPad so bear with me...the book of Ruth.....whew! This takes place in the time of Judges....not such a great time in Isreal's history....people were doing as they saw fit...the purpose of this book is to show how three people remained strong in character and true to God even when society around them was collapsing...
We meet Naomi an Isrealite who loses her husband and her sons. Naomi decided to return to her homeland of Isreal from Moab....Ruth loves Naomi and decides to go with her....this is the way that a Moabite woman finds the one true God...Naomi's God. Naomi is bitter at her losses but shows a real relationship with her God...He can take her disappointment and real feelings.
We see the practice of gleaning which was a law in Leviticus 19:9, 23:22 so that widows and the poor can eat. Boaz is kind and happens to be a relative of Naomi's.....(there are no coincidences you know) and Naomi decides to find a home for Ruth and tells her what to do to get Mr. Boaz.
The kinsman-redeemer law comes into play....Boaz can find someone to marry Ruth or marry her himself...a closer relative is in town and can marry Ruth, but the relative did no want to complicate his inheritance situation by marrying the Widow Ruth....Boaz becomes husband to Ruth and it seems that it isn't just convenience but genuine affection...Obed is born.....very big deal because he will be the father of Jesse who is the father of David (just you wait Bonnie; this is an important biblical figure) Oh by the way... Boaz is a descendent of Rahab the prostitute.....Isn't God cool....
Sylvia, I totally get your questions....she was not of the tribe of Isreal...she was from Moab an enemy.....apparently if he can use prostitutes He can use people from Moab...as it relates to Naomi...I think God knew her heart and understood that she felt like she was getting a bum rap but loved God all the same......good question about the name of Obed....I haven't found anything yet but wonder if it is a first name and the last name was carried on by Ruth 's late husband...
We meet Naomi an Isrealite who loses her husband and her sons. Naomi decided to return to her homeland of Isreal from Moab....Ruth loves Naomi and decides to go with her....this is the way that a Moabite woman finds the one true God...Naomi's God. Naomi is bitter at her losses but shows a real relationship with her God...He can take her disappointment and real feelings.
We see the practice of gleaning which was a law in Leviticus 19:9, 23:22 so that widows and the poor can eat. Boaz is kind and happens to be a relative of Naomi's.....(there are no coincidences you know) and Naomi decides to find a home for Ruth and tells her what to do to get Mr. Boaz.
The kinsman-redeemer law comes into play....Boaz can find someone to marry Ruth or marry her himself...a closer relative is in town and can marry Ruth, but the relative did no want to complicate his inheritance situation by marrying the Widow Ruth....Boaz becomes husband to Ruth and it seems that it isn't just convenience but genuine affection...Obed is born.....very big deal because he will be the father of Jesse who is the father of David (just you wait Bonnie; this is an important biblical figure) Oh by the way... Boaz is a descendent of Rahab the prostitute.....Isn't God cool....
Sylvia, I totally get your questions....she was not of the tribe of Isreal...she was from Moab an enemy.....apparently if he can use prostitutes He can use people from Moab...as it relates to Naomi...I think God knew her heart and understood that she felt like she was getting a bum rap but loved God all the same......good question about the name of Obed....I haven't found anything yet but wonder if it is a first name and the last name was carried on by Ruth 's late husband...
I'm back!
Major computer issues had me down and out...but I'm back now...I am so pleased you missed the entries! Well now time to catch up,
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Judges 19-21
Did you notice that the first sentence we read is "In those days Israel had no king" and the last line of the chapters is "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit"....Israel regresses to the first civil war in these chapters of infighting among her own tribes....
There is a huge parallel in chapter 19 to Genesis 19, where the angels go to spend the night in the square; Lot shows them hospitality and the depraved citizens beat on the door for sex.....perhaps this is showing a cycle of behavior.....the Levite ends up throwing his concubine out the door (nice, huh? Way to treat a woman) and she is repeatedly raped and ends up dying. The Levite wants action and cuts her up into 12 pieces, and distributes the pieces to each of the tribes (I couldn't help thinking that Israel was not being one body here, there was dissention among the members of the body). The crime took place in Gibeah in Benjamin, and the Benjamites would not deal with justice. The Benjamites have war and are defeated.....now Israel begins to feel bad and they don't want the whole tribe wiped out and realize they need wives. Because of a vow, they can't marry their women so they go to Shiloh and kidnap wives (again, how nice and way to treat a woman!). An illustrious history! We finish this book on such shameful behavior. We of course, have never acted that way or put ourselves first. We have never fought within our own families because we knew what was best. We have never had any idols that come before God. I'm just so glad that I am not mentioned in the Bible by my behavior........however, people can still learn from our behavior, can't they? Whew.....we will take in a whole book of the Bible, Ruth, tomorrow....I'm so proud of your persistence......
There is a huge parallel in chapter 19 to Genesis 19, where the angels go to spend the night in the square; Lot shows them hospitality and the depraved citizens beat on the door for sex.....perhaps this is showing a cycle of behavior.....the Levite ends up throwing his concubine out the door (nice, huh? Way to treat a woman) and she is repeatedly raped and ends up dying. The Levite wants action and cuts her up into 12 pieces, and distributes the pieces to each of the tribes (I couldn't help thinking that Israel was not being one body here, there was dissention among the members of the body). The crime took place in Gibeah in Benjamin, and the Benjamites would not deal with justice. The Benjamites have war and are defeated.....now Israel begins to feel bad and they don't want the whole tribe wiped out and realize they need wives. Because of a vow, they can't marry their women so they go to Shiloh and kidnap wives (again, how nice and way to treat a woman!). An illustrious history! We finish this book on such shameful behavior. We of course, have never acted that way or put ourselves first. We have never fought within our own families because we knew what was best. We have never had any idols that come before God. I'm just so glad that I am not mentioned in the Bible by my behavior........however, people can still learn from our behavior, can't they? Whew.....we will take in a whole book of the Bible, Ruth, tomorrow....I'm so proud of your persistence......
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Judges 16-18
And the Philistines become troublesome..however, our hero continues to sucumb to his weaknesses. He likes sex and uses prostitutes until he falls in love with the famous Delilah...The Philistines were ruled by 5 rulers and
they offered huge amounts of money to Delilah to trap Sampson...why Sampson couldn't figure out her repeated plots is beyond me, but when you don't want to know the truth and you'd rather follow lust, slippery slopes can happen. Sampson gets the famous haircut and his seven braids are lopped off. Do you really believe that the hair was actually his source of strength? He gets his eyes gouged out and the Philistines want to sacrifice Sampson to their god Dagon (remember him for future readings), and the Lord grants Sampson one last hurrah...God can use sinners who make bad choices!!! Have you ever heard the term Philistine in today's language? Here's how the Urban Dictionary uses the term..
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=philistine
Not very Christian, huh?
Israel continues to crash and burn morally....the tribe of Dan had not conquered their land yet because they did not trust God. We meet Micah who has stolen from his mother and proceeds to make his own little religion, complete with idols. The key verse in this reading unfortunately is:
In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit......
What is a priest (Levite) doing in the hills of Ephraim? Priests are supposed to be in religious centers (Shiloh at that time) or spread out for the people to come to them and worship or make offerings. Times have gotten so bad that people aren't following the Lord; priests have no land inheritance and they weren't getting supported by tithes. The Danites come along and steal the priest and the idols. The Danites attack Laish, who we learn are peaceful......God did not guide the tribe of Dan to conquer them. The priest claimed to speak for God when God had not spoken through him......get this:
There the Danites went up for themselves the idols, and Jonathan, son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of captivity of the land........what would Moses have said about this? Remember the "Golden Calf" thing????
Are you beginning to notice the repetition of "In those days Israel had no king"...?
| 1. | philistine | 190 up, 57 down |
Philistine = No Culture more... A conformist in everything they do. A person who is obsessed with sports, sex (among the High School and College set in particular, but some may not be at all) and Motor vehicles. They listen to whatever everyone else is listening to (especially if it is Country Music, Classic Rock, Nickleback, Limp Bizkit or rap/Hip Hop in the case of many younger philistines), wear whatever everyone else is wearing, and avoid anything that is in the least bit unusual, unique, or eccentric. They tend to have little to no use for art, be of limited intelligence, be obsessed with such things as NASCAR, golf, Hunting and Fishing, and tend to drive gas guzzling vehicles like SUVs and Extended cab Pickup Trucks. They are the fuel behind reality television. They love A... jock redneck conformist reality tv conservative status quo mtv bible belt popular culture tha hood the trailer park my sweet 16 nascar the fast and the furioussuburbia jackass fear factor ballcaps red state north american football basketball baseball automobile racing by Miskatonic Jack 2 Oct 23, 2006 share this | ||
| 2. | philistine | 103 up, 17 down |
n. 1. A member of an Aegean people who settled ancient Philistia around the 12th century B.C. 2. a) a smug, ignorant and normally boureoise classified as being ingnorant or opposed to cultural values b) one who lacks knowledge in a specific area adj. 1. of a boorish or barbarous nature n. You, sir, are a philistine, a member of the "great unwashed" adj. your philistine reputation is known to all | ||
they offered huge amounts of money to Delilah to trap Sampson...why Sampson couldn't figure out her repeated plots is beyond me, but when you don't want to know the truth and you'd rather follow lust, slippery slopes can happen. Sampson gets the famous haircut and his seven braids are lopped off. Do you really believe that the hair was actually his source of strength? He gets his eyes gouged out and the Philistines want to sacrifice Sampson to their god Dagon (remember him for future readings), and the Lord grants Sampson one last hurrah...God can use sinners who make bad choices!!! Have you ever heard the term Philistine in today's language? Here's how the Urban Dictionary uses the term..
| philistine | 190 up, 57 down | |
Philistine = No Culture more... A conformist in everything they do. A person who is obsessed with sports, sex (among the High School and College set in particular, but some may not be at all) and Motor vehicles. They listen to whatever everyone else is listening to (especially if it is Country Music, Classic Rock, Nickleback, Limp Bizkit or rap/Hip Hop in the case of many younger philistines), wear whatever everyone else is wearing, and avoid anything that is in the least bit unusual, unique, or eccentric. They tend to have little to no use for art, be of limited intelligence, be obsessed with such things as NASCAR, golf, Hunting and Fishing, and tend to drive gas guzzling vehicles like SUVs and Extended cab Pickup Trucks. They are the fuel behind reality television. They love A... jock redneck conformist reality tv conservative status quo mtv bible belt popular culture tha hood the trailer park my sweet 16 nascar the fast and the furioussuburbia jackass fear factor ballcaps red state north american football basketball baseball automobile racing by Miskatonic Jack 2 Oct 23, 2006 share this | ||
| 2. | philistine | 103 up, 17 down |
n. 1. A member of an Aegean people who settled ancient Philistia around the 12th century B.C. 2. a) a smug, ignorant and normally boureoise classified as being ingnorant or opposed to cultural values b) one who lacks knowledge in a specific area adj. 1. of a boorish or barbarous nature n. You, sir, are a philistine, a member of the "great unwashed" adj. your philistine reputation is known to all | ||
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=philistine
Not very Christian, huh?
Israel continues to crash and burn morally....the tribe of Dan had not conquered their land yet because they did not trust God. We meet Micah who has stolen from his mother and proceeds to make his own little religion, complete with idols. The key verse in this reading unfortunately is:
In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit......
What is a priest (Levite) doing in the hills of Ephraim? Priests are supposed to be in religious centers (Shiloh at that time) or spread out for the people to come to them and worship or make offerings. Times have gotten so bad that people aren't following the Lord; priests have no land inheritance and they weren't getting supported by tithes. The Danites come along and steal the priest and the idols. The Danites attack Laish, who we learn are peaceful......God did not guide the tribe of Dan to conquer them. The priest claimed to speak for God when God had not spoken through him......get this:
There the Danites went up for themselves the idols, and Jonathan, son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of captivity of the land........what would Moses have said about this? Remember the "Golden Calf" thing????
Are you beginning to notice the repetition of "In those days Israel had no king"...?
Grateful Dead Samson & Delilah Lyrics
If I had my way, I would tear this old building down.
Well delilah was a woman, she was fine and fair,
She had good looks, God knows, and coal black hair,
Delilah she gained old samsons mind.
When first he saw this woman, you know he couldnt believe his mind.
Delilah she climbed up on samsons knee,
Said tell me where your strength lies if you please.
She spoke so kind and she talked so fair,
Well samson said, delilah cut off my hair.
You can shave my head, clean as my hand
And my strength will become as natural as any old man.
If I had my way, if I had my way, if I had my way,
I would tear this old building down.
You read about samson, all from his works,
He was the strongest man that ever had lived on earth.
One day when samson was walking along,
Looked down on the ground, he saw an old jawbone.
He stretched out his arm, God knows, chains broke like thread,
When he got to moving, ten thousand was dead.
If I had my way, if I had my way, if I had my way,
I would tear this old building down.
Now samson and the lion, they got in a tack,
Samson he crawled up on the lions back.
You read about this lion, he killed a man with his paws,
But samson got his hands around that lions jaws.
He ripped the beast till he killed him dead.
The bees made honey in the lions head.
If I had my way, if I had my way, if I had my way,
I would tear this old building down.
Well delilah was a woman, she was fine and fair,
She had good looks, God knows, and coal black hair,
Delilah she gained old samsons mind.
When first he saw this woman, you know he couldnt believe his mind.
Delilah she climbed up on samsons knee,
Said tell me where your strength lies if you please.
She spoke so kind and she talked so fair,
Well samson said, delilah cut off my hair.
You can shave my head, clean as my hand
And my strength will become as natural as any old man.
If I had my way, if I had my way, if I had my way,
I would tear this old building down.
You read about samson, all from his works,
He was the strongest man that ever had lived on earth.
One day when samson was walking along,
Looked down on the ground, he saw an old jawbone.
He stretched out his arm, God knows, chains broke like thread,
When he got to moving, ten thousand was dead.
If I had my way, if I had my way, if I had my way,
I would tear this old building down.
Now samson and the lion, they got in a tack,
Samson he crawled up on the lions back.
You read about this lion, he killed a man with his paws,
But samson got his hands around that lions jaws.
He ripped the beast till he killed him dead.
The bees made honey in the lions head.
If I had my way, if I had my way, if I had my way,
I would tear this old building down.
| 1. | philistine | 190 up, 57 down |
Philistine = No Culture more... A conformist in everything they do. A person who is obsessed with sports, sex (among the High School and College set in particular, but some may not be at all) and Motor vehicles. They listen to whatever everyone else is listening to (especially if it is Country Music, Classic Rock, Nickleback, Limp Bizkit or rap/Hip Hop in the case of many younger philistines), wear whatever everyone else is wearing, and avoid anything that is in the least bit unusual, unique, or eccentric. They tend to have little to no use for art, be of limited intelligence, be obsessed with such things as NASCAR, golf, Hunting and Fishing, and tend to drive gas guzzling vehicles like SUVs and Extended cab Pickup Trucks. They are the fuel behind reality television. They love A... jock redneck conformist reality tv conservative status quo mtv bible belt popular culture tha hood the trailer park my sweet 16 nascar the fast and the furioussuburbia jackass fear factor ballcaps red state north american football basketball baseball automobile racing by Miskatonic Jack 2 Oct 23, 2006 share this | ||
| 2. | philistine | 103 up, 17 down |
n. 1. A member of an Aegean people who settled ancient Philistia around the 12th century B.C. 2. a) a smug, ignorant and normally boureoise classified as being ingnorant or opposed to cultural values b) one who lacks knowledge in a specific area adj. 1. of a boorish or barbarous nature n. You, sir, are a philistine, a member of the "great unwashed" adj. your philistine reputation is known to all | ||
| 1. | philistine | 190 up, 57 down |
Philistine = No Culture more... A conformist in everything they do. A person who is obsessed with sports, sex (among the High School and College set in particular, but some may not be at all) and Motor vehicles. They listen to whatever everyone else is listening to (especially if it is Country Music, Classic Rock, Nickleback, Limp Bizkit or rap/Hip Hop in the case of many younger philistines), wear whatever everyone else is wearing, and avoid anything that is in the least bit unusual, unique, or eccentric. They tend to have little to no use for art, be of limited intelligence, be obsessed with such things as NASCAR, golf, Hunting and Fishing, and tend to drive gas guzzling vehicles like SUVs and Extended cab Pickup Trucks. They are the fuel behind reality television. They love A... jock redneck conformist reality tv conservative status quo mtv bible belt popular culture tha hood the trailer park my sweet 16 nascar the fast and the furioussuburbia jackass fear factor ballcaps red state north american football basketball baseball automobile racing by Miskatonic Jack 2 Oct 23, 2006 share this | ||
| 2. | philistine | 103 up, 17 down |
n. 1. A member of an Aegean people who settled ancient Philistia around the 12th century B.C. 2. a) a smug, ignorant and normally boureoise classified as being ingnorant or opposed to cultural values b) one who lacks knowledge in a specific area adj. 1. of a boorish or barbarous nature n. You, sir, are a philistine, a member of the "great unwashed" adj. your philistine reputation is known to all | ||
Monday, April 4, 2011
Judges 13-15
This reading was especially cool for me today, because I remember the Sunday School story of how mighty Sampson was.....the adult perspective shows how flawed Sampson was...there is hope for us! God can use us even with our flaws.
God chose for Sampson to be a Narzirite...this is a vow that means set apart for God. No wine, no touching a dead body, and the "outward sign" is no cutting of the hair. The Philistines were oppressing Isreal at the time...they were known as fierce sea people. Sampson also wanted one for his wife...this would be a huge disgrace for Sampson's family, who were God fearing Jews (note the burnt offering and the grain offering that Manoah had made)....see the lion's carcass in 14:8......breaking of the vow since it was a dead animal. Verse 10 Sampson "made a feast"....this is a drinking party scholars say....another breaking of the vow....and then there is the riddle in which Sampson's wife is manipulated-Sampson is tricked at his own wedding feast....Sampson uses his gift of strength for selfish purposes (Note that everytime the Spirit of the Lord came upon Sampson, it was in power......) Sampson gives his wife to a friend, but then comes back as if he can sleep with her again......Papa of bride has an issue with this.....Sampson just seems flat mean to me in fastening torches to fox that were tied together...The Philistines burn up Sampson's wife and her father and take Sampson prisoner...the Spirit of the Lord comes on Sampson as power, he breaks free from the ropes that bind him and kills everyone with the jawbone of a donkey. Sampson is proud and boasts only of his strength....still, God has Sampson lead Israel for 20 years.....now, take your reading back to Judges 13: 5....note that the angel of the Lord says that Sampson will BEGIN the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines...Sampson has not delivered the Israelites...more tomorrow!
God chose for Sampson to be a Narzirite...this is a vow that means set apart for God. No wine, no touching a dead body, and the "outward sign" is no cutting of the hair. The Philistines were oppressing Isreal at the time...they were known as fierce sea people. Sampson also wanted one for his wife...this would be a huge disgrace for Sampson's family, who were God fearing Jews (note the burnt offering and the grain offering that Manoah had made)....see the lion's carcass in 14:8......breaking of the vow since it was a dead animal. Verse 10 Sampson "made a feast"....this is a drinking party scholars say....another breaking of the vow....and then there is the riddle in which Sampson's wife is manipulated-Sampson is tricked at his own wedding feast....Sampson uses his gift of strength for selfish purposes (Note that everytime the Spirit of the Lord came upon Sampson, it was in power......) Sampson gives his wife to a friend, but then comes back as if he can sleep with her again......Papa of bride has an issue with this.....Sampson just seems flat mean to me in fastening torches to fox that were tied together...The Philistines burn up Sampson's wife and her father and take Sampson prisoner...the Spirit of the Lord comes on Sampson as power, he breaks free from the ropes that bind him and kills everyone with the jawbone of a donkey. Sampson is proud and boasts only of his strength....still, God has Sampson lead Israel for 20 years.....now, take your reading back to Judges 13: 5....note that the angel of the Lord says that Sampson will BEGIN the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines...Sampson has not delivered the Israelites...more tomorrow!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Judges 10-12
Isn't it interesting to see how God talks about some leaders without detail and some with detail...Tola and Jair have very little mention.....
We see that Israel AGAIN does evil in the eyes of the Lord and Wesley (founder of the Methodist tradition) remarks that "They grew worse and worse...Before they worshipped God and idols together, now they forsake God, and wholly cleave to idols". So God lets them wallow in it for a bit...in fact He says, "I will deliver you no more"....but God is compassionate and 10:16 tells us that He could no longer bear to see Isreal suffer.
We meet Jepthah son of a man and his prostitute....he is a deal maker....he makes an unneccessary vow when He bargains with God to deliverd them and finds that his daughter gets caught in the crosshairs of the deal. What is more important, the human vow? God would never condone a child sacrifice....scholars debate about whether she was really sacrificed or if she was set apart for service to God, not killed....the point is that Scripture doesn't tell us specifically, so it isn't important for us to know...bottom line, we don't need to bargain with God...
Then we move to a little Intertribal Dissention.....
Shibboleth vs. Sibboleth.....wonder if that is like our Civil War between the North and South?
Coke vs. Soda
purse vs. pocketbook
buggy vs. shopping cart
Ya'll vs. You Guys....
Confederate vs. Yankee...
We see that Israel AGAIN does evil in the eyes of the Lord and Wesley (founder of the Methodist tradition) remarks that "They grew worse and worse...Before they worshipped God and idols together, now they forsake God, and wholly cleave to idols". So God lets them wallow in it for a bit...in fact He says, "I will deliver you no more"....but God is compassionate and 10:16 tells us that He could no longer bear to see Isreal suffer.
We meet Jepthah son of a man and his prostitute....he is a deal maker....he makes an unneccessary vow when He bargains with God to deliverd them and finds that his daughter gets caught in the crosshairs of the deal. What is more important, the human vow? God would never condone a child sacrifice....scholars debate about whether she was really sacrificed or if she was set apart for service to God, not killed....the point is that Scripture doesn't tell us specifically, so it isn't important for us to know...bottom line, we don't need to bargain with God...
Then we move to a little Intertribal Dissention.....
Shibboleth vs. Sibboleth.....wonder if that is like our Civil War between the North and South?
Coke vs. Soda
purse vs. pocketbook
buggy vs. shopping cart
Ya'll vs. You Guys....
Confederate vs. Yankee...
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