Surprise of the Day

Samuel Had a Musical Family

I Samuel 1:2, 10-11;  I Chronicles 6:25-36

Fact Of the Day

He inherited his musical genes from his mother. When childless Hannah was praying at the tabernacle for a son, the original Hebrew said she was singing. That may account for High Priest Eli thinking she was drunk. (Shame on him.) Maybe she was sitting and rocking back and forth with the son in her arms that she only dreamed of having. Samuel had a family of singers.   One of Samuel’s grandsons was “Heman the singer” in Temple worship. He was the first in a long line of descendants of “Heman the singer” even during Solomon’s time. Check it out in Chronicles. It is very interesting.

 

Oops of the Day

Samuel was eligible to become high priest because he was of the tribe of Levi.

I Samuel 1:2, 10-11, I Chronicles 6:25-36

Fact Of the Day

No!  Samuel’s father was Elkhanah, an Ephriam-ite. But, his later descendants were Levites.  Apparently, Levite high priest, Eli, adopted Samuel at age 2 when his mother took him to the temple to live. As a boy he served as a priest.  Later, he became high priest.

 

Oops of the Day

The Jews were slaves only in Egypt, Babylon, and Assyria.

Judges 3:8 &14;   Judges 4:2-3;   Judges 6:1;   Judges 10:8;   Judges13:1.

Fact Of the Day

No!  After they moved into their Promised Land as led by Joshua, each time they left God and worshiped pagan false gods, they were weakened so much, they served six pagans kingdoms a total of 111 years.

1. Mesopotamia – 8 years.
2. Moab ;  – 18 years
3. Canaan – 20 years
4. Midian – 7 years
5. Amon – 18 years
6. Philistia – 40 years

 

Surprise of the Day

Two women conquered a nation’s army near Nazareth from nearby Mount Tabor and the valley below. 

Judges chapter 4; Isaiah 9:1-2; Matthew 4:13-17

Fact Of the Day

Mt. Tabor was the closest mountain to Nazareth and probably where Joseph and Jesus went to chop down trees for lumber. (They didn’t have lumber yards then.)  This is where Deborah, fourth judge & prophetess. led the Israelite army to do battle. The entire Canaanite army was destroyed in the valley below.  After the battle a second woman  destroyed Sisera, their famous captain, and left the Canaanites powerless.

Oops of the Day

Rahab Was a Harlot.

Joshua 2; Matthew 1:5-6

Fact Of the Day

No!  She was an inn keeper, but that did not make her a harlot.  Her family, including her parents, lived there.  Rahab was probably the gr gr gr grandmother of David. 

 

Oops of the Day

The Jews gave ten percent of their income as a tithe to the temple every year

Deuteronomy 14:22-28;   Deuteronomy 26:12;  Leviticus 1-5;   Leviticus 27:2;  Numbers 21:2; I Samul 1:11;  II Samuel 15:7-8;  Psalm 22:11,  Psalm 25;   Pslam 66:13; Psalm 76:11;  Psalm 116:8,14,18-19;   Job 22:27;   Jonah 1:7-9

Fact Of the Day

No!   It was much more. A good Jew gave about 1/3 of his income, not just 1/10th…the Jews had to give an extra tithe every three years for their welfare program. (2) They had to pay for their vows, which in many cases were really special prayer requests. (3) They had to buy animals for sacrifices for intentional sins, unintentional sins and sins requiring restitution. (4) If they wanted to thank God for anything, they had to buy grain for a sacrifice (Leviticus 1-5). If they didn’t have to buy the animals or grain, they had to take them out of their own supply, thus depleting their own “pay check.” (5) And every time one of their flocks or herds had a first-born, they had to sacrifice it ~ another depleting of the “pay check.”

 

 

Oops of the Day

God was mean to tell the Jews to take over someone else’s land.

Deuteronomy 12:29-31;  Genesis 15:13-16;   Deuteronomy 12:29-31;  II Kings 17:16-18, 29-30;  II Kings 21:3-11

Fact Of the Day

No!  The Amorites were the great great grandchildren of righteous Noah.  Abraham was promised their land, but not until the sins of the Amorites peaked about 500 years after the promise.  God is the God of Second Chances and he gave the Amorites chance after chance to repent; but they were having too much fun with their gods and goddesses.  The Amorites were practicing human sacrifice to the fire god Moloch.  They also practiced legalized male and female prostitution to the pornographic goddess Astarte.  But God warned the Jews.  “If you begin worshiping these same gods, I am going to send another nation to take this land from you.  Despite the warning, eventually the Jews became just as sinful as the Amorites and worshipped their terrible, terrible gods. So armies from northern Iraq (Assyria) took the northern part of Canaan/Palestine from them and armies from southern Iraq (Babylon) took the southern part of Canaan/Palestine from them.

 

Oops of the Day

Eye for Eye” in the Bible gives everyone permission to do to our enemy what he did to us

Leviticus 24:11,20,23; Exodus 21:23-24; Deuteronomy 19:18-21

Fact Of the Day

No!  Only judges could decide whether to use this law.  In Leviticus 24:11,20 ,23, it says God told Moses, who was the only judge at that time, to make the decision.  In Exodus 21:23-24, it says it must be the decision of a judge.   And in Deuteronomy  19:18-21 it says it must be the decision of a judge.  In other words, it is not a decision to be made by just anyone; it must be the decision of a judge

*Of course, Jesus changed all that in Matthew 5:30 and said, “If your enemy slaps you, offer your other cheek to him.”  In other words, no more retaliation; instead, forgiveness and loving your enemies (Matthew 5:44).

 

Oops of the Day

The Law of Moses had only the famous Ten Commandments

The entire book of Leviticus, 3rd book of the Bible

Fact Of the Day

No!  Try wading through the book of Leviticus written for the tribe of Levi from which came their priests who made sure the Law of Moses was kept.  Leviticus has 27 long chapters of intricate instructions.  It included three kinds of laws:  Moral, Ceremonial, Judicial (civil).  There are people today to want to dip back into the Law of Moses to do things they would love to have an excuse to do.  Incense in worship is part of the Law of Moses.  Candles in worship is part of the Law of Moses.  A separate priesthood is part of the Law of Moses.  Etc.  But, the Bible also says that if you keep part of the Law of Moses, you are obligated to keep all of it.  And that includes stoning for adultery, stoning for working on Saturday, and stabbing animals to death for sacrifices to God. Wow!  

 

Surprise of the Day

The Egyptians Enslaved the Jews

But before that,  Jewish Joseph enslaved the Egyptians

Exodus 1:6-11 and Genesis 46:34

Fact Of the Day

When the Egyptians enslaved the Jews, it was PAYBACK TIME.  When Jewish Joseph controlled Egypt’s food during a 7-year famine. the Egyptians ran out of money.  So they gave all their land to Joseph who passed it on to Pharaoh.  But the famine kept going.  The Egyptians did not have anything left of value, so sold themselves into slavery to Joseph who passed them on to Pharaoh.  So a couple of hundred year later after Joseph died, the Egyptians “turned the tables” on the Jews and enslaved the Jews.