By the time Sarah was seventy-six years old, she felt certain she would never give Abraham a child. “Go and sleep with my servant,” she told him. “Perhaps I can have children through her” (Genesis 16:2). Abraham slept with Hagar, and Ishmael was born.
Continue reading LITTLE KNOWN FACTS ABOUT (SURROGATE MOTHER, ANCIENT STYLE)
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)
A biblical analogy to gun control is recorded in 1 Sam 13:19-22. The Philistines, who held a monopoly on the manufacture of iron implements, refused to allow the Israelites access to swords or spears. In spite of the Philistine attempt at armament control, the Israelites were able to defeat both the Philistines (1 Sam 14) and Amalakites (1 Sam 15) in battle.
Continue reading DEFINITION OF THE DAY (GUN CONTROL)
One of Isaiah’s favorite themes was that the pagan gods of his time were powerless, while Yahweh, the supreme God of the Israelites, was all-powerful. Here the prophet portrayed two gods of the Assyrians and Babylonians as so weak and helpless that they had to be carried around by oxen and horses.
Continue reading BIBLE CUSTOMS & CURIOSITIES (HELPLESS PAGAN GODS)
ASSYRIAN AND BABYLONIAN INFLUENCES
It was the exile of the Jews into Assyria and Babylon that led to further developments in education. When they returned and their land became part of the Greek empire, there were still further developments. The Assyrian kings collected thousands of clay tablets into a library at Nineveh. They contain every kind of knowledge–botany,
Continue reading MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE BIBLE “EDUCATION” (PART 2)