Thought for Today: Tuesday February 28:
So often we think that to be encouragers, we have to produce great words of wisdom when, in fact, a few simple syllables of sympathy and an arm around the shoulder can often provide much needed comfort. Remember thus, it is not how many years we live but what we do with them that counts.
SERIES I --- THE NATION UNITES --- LESSON 04
THE ARK OF YHVH
THE DAY THE ARK WAS LOST
From 1 Samuel 4
When war swept across the land, the Philistines set up camp at Aphek and the Israelites at Ebenezer. In one great battle against Israel, the Philistines killed four thousand Israelite troops in the fields and sent the survivors retreating to camp to report their defeat. Why has Adonai let this happen to us? The elders of Israel asked. Perhaps if we brought the Ark of Adonai here, along with Hophni and Phinehas, then Adonai might save us. Word was sent to Shiloh for the Ark of Adonai to be brought, as well as Hophni and Phinehas, Eli’s sons. Would not Adonai Who sit on His throne above the cherubim bring victory? Excitement swept through the camp of Israel when the Ark arrived. The men shouted so loud that the earth trembled. What’s happening over there in the Hebrew camp? The Philistines wondered when they heard the shouting. Then the report came that the Ark of Adonai had come into the battle. The Philistines were afraid when they heard that. They have brought their YHVH to fight with them, they said. Woe to us! We have never fought their YHVH before. Who can save us from His power, for He is the One Who saved the Hebrews by sending plagues to the Egyptians. Take courage! Fight like men, so that we will not become their slaves as they have been ours. The Philistines fought mightily and defeated the people of Israel again, killing thirty thousand Israelites this time. They also captured the Ark of Adonai and killed Hophni and Phinehas. A man from the tribe of Benjamin escaped from the battle, arriving in Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and his head covered with dirt to show his sorrow. When he told what had happened that day, a great cry went up from the city. Eli had been sitting by the gate where the road went into the city, waiting for news of the Ark, for he was deeply concerned for it. When the cry went up from the city, Eli shouted out, what is all that noise about? Then the messenger ran over and told Eli about the great defeat and the loss of the Ark and the death of his sons. Eli was ninety-eight years old and was blind and fat. I escaped from the battle today, said the messenger. Our people have been defeated and your sons have been killed, along with thousands of our men. The Philistines have also captured the Ark of Adonai. When Eli heard about the Ark of Adonai, he fell backward from his seat at the gate and broke his neck. For forty years he had ruled over Israel as judge. Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, also heard the tragic news that both her husband and father-in-law were dead and that the Ark of Adonai was captured. She had been expecting a baby. When she heard this news, she began to give birth to the child. Don’t be afraid, for you have had a baby boy, the women who helped her said. But Phinehas’ wife was dying and did not answer them, although she did name the child Ichabod, which meant {The Glory is Gone.} The glory is gone from Israel, she said, for the Ark of Adonai was gone and her husband and Eli both were dead.
COMMENTARY
THE BATTLE OF EBENEZER
When an Israelite army was defeated by the Philistines, a call went out to bring the Ark of Adonai’s Covenant to the army camp. The Ark, dating from the time of Exodus, was the focus of YHVH’s presence with His people. It was to be kept in the inner room of the tabernacle. But the army cried, {Bring the Ark that it may save us.} Trust in YHVH could have brought deliverance. But trust in the Ark of YHVH led to devastating defeat. It was a dark day for Israel. The cheers of the jubilant soldiers seemed to rock the ground when Phinehas and Hophni entered the camp with the Ark. Alone they had little hope of defeating the Philistines, but with the Holy Ark they were certain they would not fail. Many of the soldiers believed that the Ark would guarantee YHVH’s presence on the battlefield. They remembered other times that YHVH had acted through the Ark. When the priests waded into the Jordan River, the waters opened up for the people to cross into Canaan. Throughout the years of the Exodus and the Conquest, the Ark was an instrument of YHVH’s direction. Surely, they reasoned, it would work for them this time as well. The Philistines were frightened when they discovered the Israelite plan. Other people carried their idols into battle as a safeguard against danger, but they were especially afraid of the Israelites’ YHVH. Everyone knew of the wonders He had worked in Egypt. Both sides were stunned at the end of the battle. To the Israelites, Adonai had deserted His people. To others, Philistine military power seemed stronger than Adonai’s Power. The Israelites had learned a hard lesson. YHVH had warned them He would punish the corruption of His temple. His power alone gave meaning to the Ark; it could not be used to manipulate His actions.
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Are there any 'words of Christ in red' translations you know of which use 'words of Christ in red' for Revelation 19:5 and 21:3-4?
But if "our God" are not words of the Lamb but of God, who would God's 'God' be?!
Am I missing something or finding something? God knows better and I ask Him to help me know better, so I can represent His Word better in this translation.
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The whole text of LLV=ABSV214 Which voice from God's throne? Edition:
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You sent
Am I missing something, or am I finding something?
You sent
God knows best, and God is good, and may He guide me to know and represent His word better and better in English.
Good advice.
Joshua 4:2-4 contains a parallelism on the selection of 12 stones within a chiasm on the selection of 12 men. Stones often represent people in Scripture.
A. Take 12 men, one from each tribe
B... Take 12 stones from the midst of the Jordan
C...... The place where the priests' feet stood firmly
B... Bring them over and lay them down
C...... In the place where you lodge tonight
A. Joshua called the 12 men, one from each tribe
#biblepatterns
"Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him."
Pr 29
SERIES I --- THE NATION UNITES --- LESSON 03
YOUR SERVANT LISTENS
A MESSAGE FROM ADONAI
From 1 Samuel 2:22-3:21
Although Eli had grown old, he was aware of the evil things that his sons were doing. Instead of serving Adonai as they should, these priests were spending their time doing evil with the young women who served Adonai at the entrance to the tabernacle. Why are you doing this? Eli complained to them. Everyone is talking about the evil things you are doing. If a person sins against another, YHVH will act as his judge. But if a person sins against YHVH, who will intercede for him? Eli’s sons ignored him, for they had given themselves to their sin so completely that Adonai had already planned to take their lives. During this time, Samuel was growing up. YHVH was pleased with Samuel and so were YHVH’s people. One day a man of YHVH brought Eli a message from Adonai. When your ancestors were slaves in Egypt, I chose Levi to be My priest, to burn incense and make sacrifices on the altar and to wear an ephod when he was in My presence. To the Levites I gave the burnt offerings, so why did you take the other offerings? And why did you put your sons ahead of Me, letting them fatten you and themselves with the best of My meat offerings? I promised that the Levites could be My priests forever, but not in the way that you are doing! I will give honour to those who honour Me, but I will show no honour to those who despise Me. No, your family will soon be cut off as My priests and they will all die before they reach old age. While Israel prospers, your family will suffer in want. Not one will live to be old. Those who do live will have sorrow and grief and many of them shall be killed by the sword. You will soon know that these things will happen, for both Hophni and Phinehas will die on the same day. When that happens, I will give their work to a faithful priest who will do what I want. He and his descendants will minister to My kings forever. Your descendants will come to his, begging for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread. They will beg for a priest’s job so that they may have food to eat. In those days, Samuel helped old Eli with the work at the tabernacle. YHVH seldom spoke to His people any more, but He did one night when Eli, who was so old that he could hardly see, had gone to bed. Samuel lay on his bed near the Ark of YHVH, in the innermost sanctuary of the tabernacle. The light from the seven branched lamp stand, still flickered, for it had not yet gone out. ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Adonai called. ‘I’m here!’ said Samuel. He thought Eli had called him, so he ran to Eli to see what he wanted. ‘You called for me,’ said Samuel. ‘What do you want?’ ‘I didn’t call for you,’ said Eli. ‘Go lie down.’ Samuel heard a voice calling him and hurried to Eli’s bed to see what the old priest wanted. Why would Eli call him in the middle of the night? But again, Eli protested that he had not called. Then it became clear that the voice was the voice of YHVH. Samuel went back to bed, but Adonai soon called to him again. ‘Samuel!’ He said. Again, Samuel got up and ran to Eli. ‘You called me again,’ said Samuel, ‘so here I am.’ ‘But I didn’t call you my son,’ said Eli. ‘Go back to bed.’ Samuel had never heard a message from Adonai before, so he did not realize that Adonai was calling him. Once more, when he heard his name called, he jumped up and ran to see Eli. ‘Here I am,’ he said to Eli. ‘You called me again.’ By now, Eli knew that it was the voice of Adonai calling. ‘Go back to bed,’ said Eli. ‘When Adonai calls again, tell Him to speak and you will listen.’ Samuel went back to bed and waited for Adonai to speak. Then Adonai spoke to Samuel as He had done before. ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ He called. ‘Speak, Adonai, for I am listening,’ Samuel answered. Then Adonai spoke to Samuel. ‘I have warned Eli about some frightful things that I am about to do,’ Adonai said. ‘I am about to do things which will make some ears tingle. I will do all that I said against Eli and his family. I have told him that I will punish his family forever because his sons brought great evil upon YHVH and themselves and he did nothing to stop them. Thus, I have warned that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be taken away through sacrifices or offerings.’ Samuel remained in bed until morning, when he opened the doors of the tabernacle, as he usually did. He was afraid to tell Eli about Adonai’s message, but Eli called for him. ‘What did Adonai tell you, my son?’ Eli asked. ‘You must not hide a thing from me, for if you do, may Adonai punish you.’ Samuel told Eli everything that Adonai had said. ‘Adonai has spoken,’ said old Eli. ‘Let Him do what He knows is right.’ As time passed, Samuel grew stronger and wiser. Since Adonai was with him, people valued his counsel. Everyone from the far north at Dan to the far south at Beersheba knew that Samuel would be Adonai’s prophet. From time to time, Adonai revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh and Samuel shared His messages with the people.
COMMENTARY
WHERE SAMUEL SLEPT IN THE TABERNACLE
YHVH gave general guidance to His people in the Scriptures. He also gave specific messages through prophets. At the time Samuel lived, no special word had been heard from YHVH for years. Now YHVH spoke to the young boy who slept by the golden lamp stand in the tabernacle. Through Samuel, the Word of YHVH would come to all Israel. Samuel was only three years old when his mother took him to the tabernacle to live with the high priest. Few children left home at such an early age, but Samuel’s mother had promised YHVH that her son would become a Nazirite; a child specially dedicated to the service of YHVH. As Samuel grew up, he spent much of his time working with Eli, his teacher. The old priest was almost blind and he depended on Samuel to help him care for the temple. Eli’s own sons did not listen to him and cared little for the proper ways of doing things in the temple. They ate the animals sacrificed to YHVH and misbehaved with the women who came to worship. At night, Samuel spread his mat on the temple floor and slept by the soft flickering light of the menorah. This special lamp stand had seven branches or stands, with a small lamp set on top of each branch. Each morning the lamps were filled with enough pure olive oil to burn through the day and into the night. Every few hours the wicks were checked to make sure they did not slip down and suffocate in the oil. For the Israelites, the burning lamps symbolized life and the constant presence of Adonai; tending the lamp of YHVH was probably one of Samuel’s most important duties. In later times the rules for tending the menorah were very carefully spelled out. Priests cleaned the oil cups and refilled them with fresh oil every morning and evening. Old wicks were replaced with bits of the priest’s worn-out clothing. If one of the side lamps burned out, it could be relit with the flame from another lamp. But the centre wick would be relit only with fire from the altar of sacrifice. Working from the outside, the priests lit all the wicks from the right to the centre, then from the left, leaving the centre wick for last. This method of kindling the menorah came to symbolize the unity of the people of Israel. Today the menorah is still one of the main symbols of the Jewish faith.
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