God declared that His choice for a new king would be “a man after his own heart” (1 Sam 13:14) Not that David was perfect, but his attitudes and inclinations were in the right direction-toward praise and faith in God as an almighty, all-caring sovereign. One glance at David’s life can’t miss the glaring mistakes he made, but David never tried to blame others or make excuses for his sins.
Continue reading WHAT MADE DAVID ONE OF HISTORY’S OUTSTANDING LEADERS?
This watchman had been posted on the city wall above the gates of Mahanaim to relay news about the battle against Absalom to King David (read 2 Samuel 18:24).
Continue reading BIBLE CUSTOMS AND CURIOSITIES (WATCHMEN AND PORTERS)
Term used to express the deity of Jesus of Nazareth as the one, unique Son of God. In the OT certain men and angels (Gen 6:1-4; Psa 29:1; 82:6; 89:6) are called “sons of God” (note text notes in modern translations). The people of Israel were corporately considered the son of God (Exod 4:22; Jer 31:20; Hos 11:1). The concept also is employed in the OT with reference to the king as God’s son (Psa 2:7). The promises found in the David covenant (2 Sam 7:14) are the source for this special filial relationship. The title can be found occasionally in intertestamental literature (Ezra 7:28-29; 13:32,37,52; 14:9).
Continue reading DEFINITION OF THE DAY (SON OF GOD)
The battle gear that David carried into battle against Goliath seemed ridiculous when compared to the giant’s weapons. Several items in David’s arsenal are mentioned in these verses.
Continue reading BIBLE CUSTOMS AND CURIOSITIES (DAVID’S BATTLE GEAR)
King David sent several ambassadors to Hanun, king of the Ammonites, to express his sympathy at the death of his father (2 Samuel 10:1-2).
Continue reading BIBLE CUSTOMS AND CURIOSITIES (A DOUBLE INSULT)
Goliath, the Philistine giant whom David faced in battle, was equipped for close-quarter combat. Several implements of attack and defense are mentioned in these three verses.
Continue reading BIBLE CUSTOMS AND CURIOSITIES (GOLIATH’S BATTLE GEAR)
Created beings whose primary function is to serve and worship God. Though some interpret the “us” in Gen 1:26 as inclusive of God and His angelic court, the Bible does not comment as to when they were created. Unlike God they are not eternal or omniscient. The Hebrew word in the OT is mal’ak, and the NT Greek word is angelos. They both mean “messenger” and occasionally refer to human messengers.
Continue reading DEFINITION OF THE DAY (ANGEL 1 OF 3)
If we tear our clothing, it is generally by accident unless we are tearing up an old garment for rags. This was not true in the culture of Bible times where the tearing of one’s garment was an external sign of one’s internal pain. The average person of the era did not have multiple changes of clothing like we do in our closets and dressers; consequently, they took great care to prevent accident tearing of their clothing (Exod 28:32; Matt 9:16; Mark 2:21). But there was “a time to tear and a time to mend” (Eccles 3:7); the time to intentionally tear was a time of intense grief that might have included repentance.
Continue reading EVERYDAY LIFE IN BIBLE TIMES (TEAR A GARMENT PT 1 OF 2)
We may expect that the idea of one person owning another would be strongly censured in the Bible. What we find instead is a general acknowledgment of the existence of slavery, the use of slavery as a metaphor, and a theological trajectory that moved society in the direction of abolition without formally demanding it.
Continue reading EVERYDAY LIFE IN BIBLE TIMES (SLAVE “TO BECOME OR TO BE FREED” PT 1 OF 2)
The Bible also contains examples of flogging that are figurative or symbolic. In several places in Proverbs we read of a spirit that has been flogged (NIV “crushed”) Heartache can be unbearable; it can beat down one’s spirit like a whip on the bare back, robbing us of joy and leaving up physically exhausted (Prov 15:13; 17:22; 18:14). Sometimes that heartache is caused by those who speak maliciously about us. That is why the tongue itself is likened to the whip that delivers a flogging (Job 5:21).
Continue reading EVERYDAY LIFE IN BIBLE TIMES (FLOG, WHIP, SCOURGE)