Look what comes up from the depths of the sea.
After you read, feel free to make a comment or ask a question in the comment box. You can sign up as a follower on the right, or you can sign up by e-mail at the bottom if you would like to follow the whole year. You may also chose to simply read along and make no comments. Whatever you choose. If you fall behind, as most people will do, don't worry...the whole year is here and you can catch up at your own speed. I highly encourage you to stick with it, If you read the Bible, you are going to mine some real jewels and insights.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
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...
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Judges 8-9
Seems like Gideon wants a little revenge when some tribes don't give his troops bread before they capture Zebah and Zalmunna,the kings of Midian...Gideon indeed captures the kings, but he goes back and does a little killing...scholars have different opinions about his motivation....
Gideon makes an ephod out of the spoils (earrings) and the Israelites prostitute themselves and worship it (remind you of the Golden Calf???) There is peace for 40 years and Gideon has 70 sons and a son from a concubine. This son from the concubine wants some serious power and essentially declares himself king of the people. He kills 69 of the sons. Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon tells the parable of the trees...it had to do with appointing leaders of good character...does the leader want power, prestige and praise, or is he in it for the people?
Abimelech gets killed by a silly old girl..irony is rampant here. How humiliating that he wasn't killed by fighting and he gets whacked by a farm implement instead of a weapon.....Abimelech was the exact opposite of what God wanted in a judge, so He took care of it.
Gideon makes an ephod out of the spoils (earrings) and the Israelites prostitute themselves and worship it (remind you of the Golden Calf???) There is peace for 40 years and Gideon has 70 sons and a son from a concubine. This son from the concubine wants some serious power and essentially declares himself king of the people. He kills 69 of the sons. Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon tells the parable of the trees...it had to do with appointing leaders of good character...does the leader want power, prestige and praise, or is he in it for the people?
Abimelech gets killed by a silly old girl..irony is rampant here. How humiliating that he wasn't killed by fighting and he gets whacked by a farm implement instead of a weapon.....Abimelech was the exact opposite of what God wanted in a judge, so He took care of it.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Judges 5-7
And we meet Gideon, because Israel had again done evil in the eyes of the Lord. For seven years the Midianites oppressed Israel (the were desert people descended from Abraham's second wife, Keturah) and evilly decimated the crops the Israel's had planted.
Gideon is called a Mighty Warrior by the Angel of the Lord before he is one 6: 12.....Gideon needs signs! So the Angel of the Lord works with him and has fire flaring from a rock...
Gideon has to take down the gods of his father, and in the night (yep, that's our mighty warrior...sneaking under cover of the night) broke the Asherah pole and Baal's altar and the people called Gideon Jerub-Baal which means let Baal contend.
Gideon needs more signs and askes God to leave dew on the fleece he will put out, and leave the ground dry....it happened and Gideon got a bowl full
of water.....he asked God for another reqest and asked for the fleece to be dry, and the ground wet.....God obliged.
Gideon defeats the Midians under God's power with only 300 men.....there could be no doubt that God did this. Trumpets are blown again (remember the walls of Jericho falling down when the trumpets were blown on the 7th day?)
Now Gideon asked for signs.......we don't really have to ask for signs now (though God is fully capable of giving them), but if we are looking for signs, we have the Bible (2 Timothy 3: 16, 17). Unlike Gideon, we have God's complete, revealed Word.......
Gideon is called a Mighty Warrior by the Angel of the Lord before he is one 6: 12.....Gideon needs signs! So the Angel of the Lord works with him and has fire flaring from a rock...
Gideon has to take down the gods of his father, and in the night (yep, that's our mighty warrior...sneaking under cover of the night) broke the Asherah pole and Baal's altar and the people called Gideon Jerub-Baal which means let Baal contend.
Gideon needs more signs and askes God to leave dew on the fleece he will put out, and leave the ground dry....it happened and Gideon got a bowl full
of water.....he asked God for another reqest and asked for the fleece to be dry, and the ground wet.....God obliged.Gideon defeats the Midians under God's power with only 300 men.....there could be no doubt that God did this. Trumpets are blown again (remember the walls of Jericho falling down when the trumpets were blown on the 7th day?)
Now Gideon asked for signs.......we don't really have to ask for signs now (though God is fully capable of giving them), but if we are looking for signs, we have the Bible (2 Timothy 3: 16, 17). Unlike Gideon, we have God's complete, revealed Word.......
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