"Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: therefore I love thy testimonies."

Ps 119

In the Bible, yeast symbolizes sin and, like sin, it's impossible to rid your house of all of it. It's in the air. You do what you can and you trust God to cover the rest. #tzav #passover

SERIES K --- ISRAEL’S GOLDEN AGE --- LESSON 13

DAVID GRIEVES

DAVID MOURNS FOR ABSALOM

From 2 Samuel 18:19-19:8

Absalom was dead, but King David did not yet know about it. ‘Let me run to the king with the good news that Adonai has brought judgment on his enemies,’ said Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son. ‘No,’ said Joab. ‘Some other time. This is not good news for the king.’ Joab turned to a man from Cush. ‘You may take the news to the king,’ he said. The man from Cush bowed and ran off to tell the king about Absalom’s death. Ahimaaz kept pleading with Joab. ‘Please let me run to the king,’ he begged. ‘Why? This is not good news for the king and you will certainly not be rewarded for it!’ Joab replied. ‘Let me run anyway,’ Ahimaaz argued. ‘All right then! Run!’ said Joab. Ahimaaz ran off as fast as he could go. He took a road by the Jordan Valley which was shorter than the way the man from Cush was running, so he soon got ahead of him. Back at Mahanaim, David was sitting between the outer and inner gates, waiting for news. The watchman was on the wall, looking for a messenger. Suddenly he saw a man running alone toward the city and shouted this bit of news to David. ‘If he is alone, he must have news for us,’ said David. ‘He runs like Ahimaaz!’ the watchman called back to the king. ‘But there is another runner behind him. He too must be bringing news.’ ‘Ahimaaz is a good man,’ said David. ‘He must have good news.’ When Ahimaaz was close enough, he called to the king. ‘All is well!’ he shouted. Then he reached the king and bowed before him. ‘Blessed be Adonai your YHVH, who has brought the defeat of the men who rebelled against you,’ he said. ‘But is my son Absalom safe?’ David asked. ‘When Joab sent me, there was a lot of confusion, but I’m not sure what it was all about,’ Ahimaaz answered. ‘Then move aside and let’s hear the next report,’ said the king. So Ahimaaz stood to one side. By this time the man from Cush had arrived. ‘Good news!’ he shouted. ‘O king, Adonai has brought judgment on those who rebelled against you.’ ‘But is Absalom safe?’ King David asked him. ‘May all your enemies that rebel against you become as he is,’ replied the man. Then David knew that Absalom had died. He was so stirred that he retired to an open roof on top of the gate, weeping as he went. ‘O my son Absalom!’ he cried. ‘My son! My son Absalom! If only I could have died in your place! O Absalom! My son, my son!’ Word soon came to Joab that David was weeping and mourning for his son Absalom. When the warriors heard this, they slipped quietly back into the city as though they had been defeated, for the joy of victory was suddenly turned into sadness. King David covered his face and kept weeping for Absalom. ‘O my son Absalom! O Absalom! My son, my son!’ he kept saying. As this kept on for some time, Joab went to the king in his room. ‘You have brought shame today to all of us who saved your life and the lives of your daughters, wives and concubines,’ he exclaimed angrily. ‘Why are you showing love to those who turned against you and hate for those who helped you? If Absalom were still alive and all the rest of us were dead, you would be happy! Now get out there and speak well to your warriors. I vow before Adonai that if you do not, every man will turn against you and you will be in worse trouble than you have ever been before.’ The king listened to Joab. He arose and went out and sat in the royal seat in the gateway of the city. When news reached the warriors that ‘the king is sitting in the gate of the city,’ they rushed out to be with him.

COMMENTARY

WALLS, GATES AND TOWERS

From ancient times until about three hundred years ago, cities were surrounded by walls and their gates. Usually there was only one main gate, though there might be a few smaller ones as well. The walls and gates served as protection from attacking enemies and from wild animals. In Bible times, there were many walled cities with gates, The Old Testament mentions several: Babylon, Beersheba, Bethlehem, Damascus and Jerusalem and others. Solomon built three gates at the cities of Gezer, Hazor and Megiddo for triple protection; an outer, inner and middle one. The city gate was equipped with single or double doors that were opened at dawn and closed at dark. The doors were suspended on hinges attached to gate posts that turned in stone sockets. The doors were made either of iron, or of wood covered in bronze or other metal. On the inside they were locked with heavy bars of metal or wood that swung across them. Roofs were built over the gate and reached by a stairway. These roofs were usually the highest points in the city, and guards could see for miles in every direction. Normally, city gates were built with towers on each side. Projecting from the walls, they were made of stone or baked mud bricks. Timbers were used inside as reinforcement. Often towers were constructed at several places around the city walls to provide a defensive structure on all sides. Watchmen and guards were posted there during times of peace to watch for enemies and unexpected visitors, and warriors used them during times of war. The gates were obviously very high and wide. They were large enough to hold rooms and chambers within that could be used for storage or for official functions. Sometimes such chambers were built separately, directly above the gates. As important for defence as it was, the city gate was like the centre of a town square. Law courts were held there, friends met and talked, and the merchants brought their wares to sell.

This week's Torah reading is Tzav ("Command", #leviticus 6:8-8:36). Here are some related New Testament passages, articles, and videos.

https://www.americantorah.com/....2021/11/22/parsha-tz

I am starting to setup a shop for TTN and would like to find out what it the preferred platform for online shop owners so that I can model the Shop @ TTN on that format.

Please add your comments if you have other preferences or use multiple shops.

According to rabbinic tradition, the offerings of Cain and Abel, the destruction of Sodom, and the binding of Isaac all might have been during #passover. Consider this:

At Sodom, there was a quick meal of unleavened bread, death outside the door of the house, and an angel who guides God's people into the wilderness where they sin against him.

Isaac was accompanied to the mountain by two unnamed servants, walked three days journey with Abraham, carried the wood for his own sacrifice, went willingly to his death, and rose again, just like #yeshua, who was executed at Passover.

Good morning and happy new week! I got a concussion a couple years ago, and over the past few weeks, I've been struggling with some of my residual symptoms. However, we had a restful and encouraging Sabbath yesterday, the sun is shining, and I have a delicious cup of coffee in front of me. The Father always sustains me. My plan for the week is to practice rejoicing. https://archive.aweber.com/awlist6425868/H53hk