God promised Moses that when the Israelites were released from slavery, their women would carry from the land jewelry of silver and gold given to them by the Egyptians.
Continue reading BIBLE CUSTOMS AND CURIOSITIES (JEWELRY FOR ISRAELITE WOMEN)
Hebrews 11 is known as the “faith chapter” of the Bible it contains a list of several heroes of the Old Testament who were known for their great faith. Number three on this list is Noah, who, “being divinely warned of things no yet seen, [and] moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Hebrews 11:7 NKJV).
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King Ahab of Israel had won a previous battle against the Syrians (1 Kings 20:21), apparently among the hills and mountains of Israel. The victory gave rise to the Syrian claim that the God of Israel was a god of the high country, not of the level plains. The Syrians reflected the typical pagan belief that different nations and different parts of the earth had their own regional gods.
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In the work of creation, God the Father brought the universe into being out of nothing by the agency of His Word and His Spirit. In the first chapter of Genesis, one reads, “God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1). The unformed and uninhabited earth is covered by darkness and water, but the Spirit of God is “hovering” over the waters of the earth, ready to bring form to the earth so it can be inhabited. God then speaks: “Let there be light” (Gen 1:3). Throughout the works of creation, God the Father speaks forth His Words (i.e. the Son), and the unformed
Continue reading DEFINITION OF THE DAY (TRINITY PT 2)
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.
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Latin translation (followed by the KJV) of the Hebrews word for “day star” in Isa 14:12, where the word is used as a title for the king of Babylon, who had exalted himself as a god. The
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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.
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This verse is part of Jeremiah’s declaration that God would bring down the Egyptians because of their idol worship, “No” refers to Thebes, the thriving capital of Upper Egypt that was clustered on both sides of the Nile River. The Hebrew word translated as “multitude” by the King James Version actually refers to the Egyptian god Amon, the chief deity of the city of Thebes.
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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)
A yoke was a wooden collar placed on the neck of an ox to which plows and other farming implements were attached (Hosea 11:4). Jesus used the yoke in this passage as a metaphor for commitment to Him and His teachings.
Continue reading BIBLE CUSTOMS & CURIOSITIES (AN EASY YOKE)