Judges 13:6 refers to the angel of the Lord as looking like "terror laced with glory" I Loved that! Then in verse 18 they asked his name and he said "you wouldn't understand,it. It's sheer wonder." Then, the really cool part, they lit up the sacrifice and he ascended in the altar flames... hmmm so was that just an ordinary angel? I don't think so (smacks of foreshadowing to me)
Samson was such a goose! I think that if my wife intentionally did Everything I'd told her would hurt me, "just checking", I'd be a Little suspicious. I think he felt he was untouchable, was playing with living on the edge, because he was so sure it wasn't going to catch up to him. I love the line where he says that they wouldn't have known if they hadn't been "plowing with my heifer" not sure I would have liked being called that! I had forgotten that they Killed his wife!
Ruth is so coo,l but there has been so much said, written about that book, I don't feel that I have anything to add.
On to Samuel. In ch 3 I noticed the Philistines Knew the stories about God and Egypt and were worried. Why would the Philistines put so much stock in the old stories about the Israelite God, but the Israelites Didn't?
Ch 5 always cracks me up. They steal the Ark, go and put it by their god Dagon, and in the morning Dagon had tumbled from his pedestal! They put him back, and the next morning, not only did he fall over, but he broke into pieces. Looks like a Pretty clear sign there!
Saul ... what to say... He was going along just fine, but he got impatient (ch 13) All he had to do was Wait for Sam to show up, but he thought he was just as capable of making the sacrifice. Besides, everyone was waiting, and well, he just didn't know that Sam was gonna show, so he thought he better go on ahead and take care of it. "Yeah, yeah, I know I'm not a priest, and I'm not supposed to do it, but I'm the King! So it will be ok. We can't wait around all day for the old man to show. What will everyone think if I just hang out and Wait? Yeah I better just go ahead..." Poof...fire starts.. Oops, here's Sam now. "Well, I didn't know if you were coming, so I just went ahead..."
I can totally see how that could happen. God isn't taking care of business on OUR time, so we will just go ahead. "Maybe that's what He would want me to do. I'll just take care of this part, God won't mind if I don't wait for Him." "He won't mind if I just go ahead and do whatever I can to help this situation along." "It's not like I'm really Trying to do His job or anything, I'm just in a hurry here!"
Ch 15:22-23 one of my favorite passages. God isn't really so concerned about the rituals and sacrifices, He just wants us to Obey! And 16:7 I didn't realize the part about God looking on the Heart, not the outside, was way back here in the OT!
The story moves on about David. I'm really enjoying reading about him, but again, so much has been said before I don't think I have much to add.
It was interesting to watch Saul, after he messed up, it wasn't like God cursed him with boils or leprosy or anything, just said he wasn't gonna stay King. He got more and more upset as he focused on that, more angry and bitter and Sick. This version uses the work Fixated (on killing David). Got paranoid, self absorbed and sicker and angrier. I can't help but wonder, what would have happened if he had just confessed, accepted the fact that he wasn't gonna stay king, and worked on furthering God's people by working With and training David? He and his family would have been blessed, And, bonus, he wouldn't have had to be so Ticked off all the time!
So David takes off and becomes Robin Hood! His band of misfits, outcasts etc. Funny, cause I could picture him, (we have the whole OLD black and white series of Robin Hood) hiding and doing sneaky stuff and fighting the philistines. He cuts off the edge of the robe while Saul is going potty! But then says..."Look, I could have killed you, but I just want to be friends!" I bet Saul about came Unglued! But he did see, for the moment, that he was wrong and left Dave alone.
My favorite part of everything so far this week has been Jon and David.
Love Jonathan and David! ;)
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