Another travelling Levite.
:18 - No place to lay his head on the way to the house of the Lord.
:21 - Finally a "good samaritan" in an old man. But the situation turns on him when criminals come that night!
Again, a very strange action by this older gentleman, in trying to protect the honor of his guest, he offers his daughter to these obviously not-well-intentioned men. I don't understand why that would even come to his mind to do. He needs that mind like Samson to light some foxes on fire or something!
Judges 20
:18 - Judah is whom God says will go first to battle. This is the tribe Jesus came out of. I am really realizing the significance of God doing battle. It is hard to really imagine the God of love being involved in all these battles. I keep reading more and more of them.
Judges 21
Tribe of Benjamin is outcast from the other tribes of Israel.
I am reminding myself that the purpose of this blog is to keep myself accountable and involved, not to summarize what I've read.
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Ruth 1
Ruth's name means friendship. http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H7327&t=KJV Very neat that her name goes so well with the thing that gave her a book in the Bible...strong relationship.
:22 - Root for Moabitess in the Hebrew sounds very similar to the place I spent the last couple years in CA, the Mohave Desert. Moabitess = from father: what father? http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H4125&t=KJV
Ruth 2
:11 - a mighty man of wealth (:1) has heard of Ruth's story and is impressed with her. He takes care of her.
Ruth 3
Explanation of custom of uncovering the feet of a kinsman redeemer.
:10 - I have the impression that Boaz is significantly older than Ruth because he praises her with these words: thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
How gentlemanly that Boaz protects her honor by being discreet and sending home barley for her and Naomi.
Ruth 4
:7 - To seal a deal they gave their shoe to the person back then.
:17 - Neighbors named Ruth's baby. And that baby, Obed, was King David's grandaddy.
1 Samuel 1
Don't know that I will ever understand how they could biblically have more than one wife and that was somehow not wrong before God.
:24 - Amazing how giving the child she had prayed for didn't seem enough to Hannah. She brought all kinds of offerings and gifts in addition to her great gratitude and prayers before God for answering her.
1 Samuel 2
I love the lyrics that the thankful Bible people sung when they were so happy with God.
:10 - exalt the horn of his anointed. I believe this is comparing the horn to us as a vessel of oil like the horn that held the anointing oil. horn=1) horn
a) horn
b) of strength (fig)
c) flask (container for oil)
d) horn (as musical instrument)
e) horn (of horn-like projections on the altar)
f) of rays of light
g) hill
:12 - Eli, the priest, had sons that did not know the Lord. Preacher-kid syndrome even back then.
:34-35 - God actually told Eli that He would kill both his sons in one day and raise up a faithful priest.
I know that Samuel knew Eli's voice because he grew up like a son to Eli in the temple...so it is very interesting that when the Lord calls Samuel, He calls in a voice that sounds like Eli.
1 Samuel 4
Eli was a priest and also judged Israel. He died at 98 after falling down when he was told the ark was taken.
1 Samuel 5
Trouble with that Dagon god of the Philistines...again. This is the same one Gideon had to replace the altar and cut down the groves. This time the Dagon god was face down on the ground, headless, and handless in the morning...it appears to be a supernatural God thing--not one done by a person of God in the earth.
:9 - Hemorrhoids were their consequence for stealing the ark.
1 Samuel 6
Attempts in planning to return the cart respectfully.
1 Samuel 7
Samuel speaks and calls for repentance from Israel serving other gods.
1 Samuel 8
Samuel had sons, but where is his wife?
Samuel prophesies of what will happen when the king Israel has asked for comes.
1 Samuel 9
Saul seeks out Samuel to give him directions...and wants to bring a gift! Doesn't seem to be one to be a bad king.
1 Samuel 10
:1 - Samuel anoints Saul captain over his [God's] inheritance
:9 - Everything changes when the prophecy comes to pass and Saul turns from Samuel. People start to think Saul is also a prophet. That Spirit of God was transferred to him!
:22 - Saul was hiding when it was time for him to become king! And then when he was found, he was a head taller than everyone else! That would make it extra hard to hide!
1 Samuel 11
:7 - cutting creatures into pieces and sending them out appears to be a frequent method of communicating in Scripture
1 Samuel 12
:10 - How often has this happened now? Israel serves other gods and then confesses to God and asks to be delivered from their enemies...AGAIN
:17 - Harvest times are often pointed out
1 Samuel 13
:6 - When you can't fight, hide
:10 - Saul made a sacrifice instead of waiting for Samuel to come and do it. He got in trouble for this.
I am enjoying reading Scripture without judgment, just absorbing what I read and what observations come to me.
