#Ephraimites

[lordgodjehovahsway]

Judges 12: The Ephraimites Accuses Jephthah Of Betraying Them

1 The Ephraimite forces were called out, and they crossed over to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We’re going to burn down your house over your head.”

2 Jephthah answered, “I and my people were engaged in a great struggle with the Ammonites, and although I called, you didn’t save me out of their hands. 

3 When I saw that you wouldn’t help, I took my life in my hands and crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave me the victory over them. Now why have you come up today to fight me?”

4 Jephthah then called together the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. The Gileadites struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, “You Gileadites are renegades from Ephraim and Manasseh.” 

5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a survivor of Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he replied, “No,” 

6 they said, “All right, say ‘Shibboleth.’” If he said, “Sibboleth,” because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time.

7 Jephthah led Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in a town in Gilead.

Ibzan, Elon and Abdon

8 After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem led Israel. 

9 He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He gave his daughters away in marriage to those outside his clan, and for his sons he brought in thirty young women as wives from outside his clan. Ibzan led Israel seven years. 

10 Then Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem.

11 After him, Elon the Zebulunite led Israel ten years. 

12 Then Elon died and was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

13 After him, Abdon son of Hillel, from Pirathon, led Israel. 

14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. He led Israel eight years. 

15 Then Abdon son of Hillel died and was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.

[moreapples]

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.

The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but the hearts of fools are not upright. The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

A person finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word!

The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil. The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

—Proverbs 15:1-2, 4, 7-8, 23, 28-29

~~~~~

Freedom in this Speech

By Jennifer Kane

A gentle answer

quiets the storm,

turns aside the fury

like soft rain on parched ground.

But a harsh word,

a spark that feeds the flame,

stirs anger’s heat

like wind through dry fields.

The wise adorn knowledge,

their words bloom like trees of life,

steady, bearing fruit in season,

while foolish words rush like a flood,

sweeping any peace away.

The lips of the wise spread knowledge—

planting kindness in each syllable.

But those whose hearts run crooked

cannot walk the path of truth.

The Lord knows our hearts,

accepts the prayers of the upright,

but from the wicked,

sacrifice is hollow sound.

Joy springs forth

from a word fitly spoken—

like apples of gold,

a timely gift,

an answer weighed in wisdom.

The righteous wait,

measuring words with love,

while the wicked mouth

gushes only harm.

The Lord draws near

to those who seek His way,

listening to gentle voices,

for the prayers of the righteous

delights His heart.

~~~~~

Scriptures: Proverbs 15:1-2, 4, 7-8, 23, 28-29

In a world quick to speak and slow to listen, Proverbs 15 stands as a reminder of the power of our words to build peace and bring healing. Each verse captures the significance of responding with wisdom, a gentle spirit, and a heart tuned to God’s will. Our speech reflects the state of our hearts and impacts our relationship with God and others.

"A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger." Proverbs 15:1 shows us that peace can be preserved with a gentle response. Like a soothing balm, soft words can defuse anger, while harsh words only escalate it. This approach allows God’s grace to shape our responses, making us peacemakers. Just as Gideon’s mildness brought peace to the Ephraimites, our calm words can restore relationships and prevent unnecessary conflict.

"A wholesome tongue is a tree of life." the healing power of wise and gentle words, which soothe wounded consciences and restore broken spirits. Our words can be a "tree of life"—they can heal, encourage, and uplift others. When we practice speaking with kindness and grace, we spread hope and comfort, like the leaves of the tree in Revelation that bring healing.

In verses 2 and 7, we’re reminded that wise speech is rooted in a good heart. Those with knowledge should share it, using their words for the benefit of others rather than keeping it to themselves. Wise words are like seeds scattered in fertile soil, able to inspire and strengthen others. On the other hand, foolish talk is destructive, spreading confusion and harm.

God delights in the prayers of the righteous, as verse 8 tells us, while sacrifices from insincere hearts are an abomination to Him. When we come to God with humility and a desire to live according to His will, our prayers are a delight to Him. But if our words and actions lack integrity, they do not please God. A heart grounded in God is seen in sincere prayer and consistent, loving actions toward others.

The joy that comes from speaking wisely and at the right time. It’s better than just the satisfaction of simple a snappy comeback. A well-timed word brings encouragement and blessing, both to the speaker and to the listener. It’s a joy to know that our words have touched someone, offering hope or insight just when it’s needed. This encourages us to be attentive to the Spirit, ready to speak life-giving words at the right moment.

"The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous." God is close to those who live righteously and speak wisely, hearing and answering their prayers. When we walk in His ways, He draws near to us, offering His comfort and guidance. Yet, those who defy Him distance themselves from His blessings. Henry emphasizes that God is a present help to those who call on Him in sincerity, and His nearness is a precious gift for all who seek Him.

Consider your words today—are they gentle, healing, and wise? Do they bring peace or stir up conflict? As we cultivate hearts aligned with God’s wisdom, our words become a powerful witness of His love and grace. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance to use your words thoughtfully, so they may bring life and healing to all who hear them.

~~~~~

My Lord God,

Please fill my heart with Your wisdom, so that my words may bring peace, healing, and joy. Help me to speak with gentleness and truth, reflecting Your love to those around us. Draw me close to You, and may my words honor and delight You.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

[dhaaruni]

And now here we are, almost at the end of this little stream of words. We’ve arrived at the point at which I must state clearly “where I stand on the issue,” that is, which particular political settlement should, in my own, personal view, occur on the other side of a ceasefire. This is the point wherein—by my stating of a position—you are at once liberated into the simple pleasure of placing me firmly on one side or the other, putting me over there with those who lisp or those who don’t, with the Ephraimites, or with the people of Gilead. Yes, this is the point at which I stake my rhetorical flag in that fantastical, linguistical, conceptual, unreal place—built with words—where rapes are minimized as needs be, and the definition of genocide quibbled over, where the killing of babies is denied, and the precision of drones glorified, where histories are reconsidered or rewritten or analogized or simply ignored, and “Jew” and “colonialist” are synonymous, and “Palestinian” and “terrorist” are synonymous, and language is your accomplice and alibi in all of it. Language euphemized, instrumentalized, and abused, put to work for your cause and only for your cause, so that it does exactly and only what you want it to do. Let me make it easy for you. Put me wherever you want: misguided socialist, toothless humanist, naïve novelist, useful idiot, apologist, denier, ally, contrarian, collaborator, traitor, inexcusable coward. It is my view that my personal views have no more weight than an ear of corn in this particular essay. The only thing that has any weight in this particular essay is the dead.

[transgenderer]

in case you ever need to identify the seattle-ites in a mixed crowd for purposes of murder a la the ephraimites a good shibboleth seems to be to have them say "measure" - they like to pronounce it as "may-jure" - an adjunct professor at my college has gotten no end of shit for this

oh like fred scooby doo trayjure...kind of charming. trayjure

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The Lord Will Care for Judah

1 Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone. 2 The idols speak deceitfully, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd.

3 “My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the Lord Almighty will care for his flock, the people of Judah, and make them like a proud horse in battle. 4 From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler. 5 Together they will be like warriors in battle trampling their enemy into the mud of the streets. They will fight because the Lord is with them, and they will put the enemy horsemen to shame.

6 “I will strengthen Judah and save the tribes of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them. They will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them. 7 The Ephraimites will become like warriors, and their hearts will be glad as with wine. Their children will see it and be joyful; their hearts will rejoice in the Lord. 8 I will signal for them and gather them in. Surely I will redeem them; they will be as numerous as before. 9 Though I scatter them among the peoples, yet in distant lands they will remember me. They and their children will survive, and they will return. 10 I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon, and there will not be room enough for them. 11 They will pass through the sea of trouble; the surging sea will be subdued and all the depths of the Nile will dry up. Assyria’s pride will be brought down and Egypt’s scepter will pass away. 12 I will strengthen them in the Lord and in his name they will live securely,” declares the Lord. — Zechariah 10 | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide. Cross References: 2 Samuel 22:43; 1 Kings 8:47-48; Psalm 33:21; Psalm 44:5; Psalm 135:7; Isaiah 5:26; Isaiah 11:11-12; Isaiah 19:5; Isaiah 30:23; Isaiah 44:21; Isaiah 49:19-20; Isaiah 51:9-10; Isaiah 54:4; Isaiah 54:13; Jeremiah 25:34; Ezekiel 30:24; Ezekiel 34:10; Micah 4:5; Matthew 9:36; Mark 6:34; Luke 20:17; Ephesians 2:20; Revelation 7:9

Faithless Shepherds Condemned

[stoweboyd]

Word of the Day: Shibboleth

'Art thou an Ephraimite?'

a word or saying used by adherents of a party, sect, or belief and usually regarded by others as empty of real meaning

[jbfly46]

Sephardim Vs Ashkenazim

Currently, there exist two types of Jews: the converted “Israelites” and the Judahites. Despite being converted Berbers themselves, the Sephardim are considered the true descendants of the ancient Judeans and thus, the royalty of the Jews. The ten tribes of northern Israelites, represented by the converts, are now the Ashkenazi European Jews. In the minds of Sephardics and powerful Kabbalists, Ashkenazis pursue science and reason, reject faith and spirituality, and make themselves, rather than the Lord, sovereign rulers over the world. Zionism is an expression of their rejection of God's plan for the Jewish people in favour of their own self-determination. The Sephardics believed that the European Ashkenazis would be punished for this. There is a plan to exterminate the Ashkenazis in the name of healing the rift between Esau and Jacob. The ruling Kabbalists have plans to do to the Ashkenazim what they believe happened to the ancient Ephraimites. The plan is to have their souls resurrected into the bodies of Ishmaelites after the great war to purge their ranks of unclean blood. This event is supposed to occur once the Palestinian genocide is complete and this is why the Jews expect ⅔ of Jews to be sacrificed during the great war.

[lordgodjehovahsway]

Judges 8: Gideon And His Three Hundred Troops Pursue Zebah And Zalmunna

1 Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?” And they challenged him vigorously.

2 But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? 

3 God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided.

4 Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it. 

5 He said to the men of Sukkoth, “Give my troops some bread; they are worn out, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”

6 But the officials of Sukkoth said, “Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?”

7 Then Gideon replied, “Just for that, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers.”

8 From there he went up to Peniel and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Sukkoth had. 

9 So he said to the men of Peniel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower.”

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen. 

11 Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the unsuspecting army. 

12 Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army.

13 Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres. 

14 He caught a young man of Sukkoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Sukkoth, the elders of the town. 

15 Then Gideon came and said to the men of Sukkoth, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, ‘Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?’” 

16 He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Sukkoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers. 

17 He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town.

18 Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?”

“Men like you,” they answered, “each one with the bearing of a prince.”

19 Gideon replied, “Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the Lord lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you.” 

20 Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, “Kill them!” But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid.

21 Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Come, do it yourself. ‘As is the man, so is his strength.’” So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments off their camels’ necks.

Gideon’s Ephod

22 The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”

23 But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” 

24 And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)

25 They answered, “We’ll be glad to give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it. 

26 The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels’ necks. 

27 Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.

Gideon’s Death

28 Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace forty years.

29 Jerub-Baal son of Joash went back home to live. 

30 He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives. 

31 His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelek. 

32 Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33 No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god 

34 and did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. 

35 They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them.

[jamespoeartistry]

NIV, 1 Samuel 1:1

There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.

[thenewdeadseascrolls]

Judges 12: 4-6. "The Ford."

Once a Jew dons the Yarmulkah, and agrees with the Ark of Covenant, a conscious decision that ignites the forest under its brim, next comes the rational decision making that permit one to cross the Ford at the River Jordan.

Crossing the Jordan is poorly defined in the Midrash in my opinion. In the Torah it is likened to the final crossing before one enters the Promised Land, into Jericho in the Book of Joshua. One has to spy the territory first, then there are all kinds of speculation about how to breach the wall, kill the Nephilim and take over by sleeping with prostitutes and breaching the Western Wall.

If we perfom a little Chabad, what we discover we want to know is what is the relationship between the East Side of the Jordan and penetration of the Western Wall of the City?

First we know it is a job for a man not a boy. Boys are virgins and do not have the ability to understand adult conversations about history and society. They are supposed to learn from adult models how to handle these things appropriately.

An Ephraimite, Number 307 is "a freemason'' a member of a secret society of men who have lost their virginity. Gileadites are 160, "the sun" men who have done much more than that with their time.

If we follow the metaphor, the upcoming verses state Jephthah, "the key to understanding the Words of Moses is to surpass the loss of innocence and excel at understanding all that one can understand."

Renegades are those who switch loyalty from the angels of the Alefbeis to the "Ministers of Persia", the scientists and academics of the world while still pretending to be religious.

Unless one is well versed in sex, the religion, and as many sciences as one can learn competently, one is not sporting the full glory of the Yarmulkah. The reason the Torah says we have to push and pess forward after we lose our innocence all the way to the Western Wall, and pierce it, heading Northwest, which is as far as a man can go and live, is to discover all that can be known about Ha Shem, which requires quantum mechanics, the highest hanging fruit of all the sciences.

No one knows why God concluded life should exist the way that it does. Nothing He has made is flawed or malfunctions, at least as far as are able to know. We know it results from the interaction of black space with the periodic table of the elements and quantum gravity, but why that means we are doomed to become fascinated with a woman's boobs or a boy's hairy legs (hopefully not both) we cannot come to comprehend. He has left the subject of puberty open for debate within the Self, and is the object of endless jocularity in society provided it is not overshadowed by superstition.

Superstition has no place in a world governed by a factual God. This is why we call Him Ha Shem the Witness, because one can only witness Him after one acquires the facts about Him. He is not a God over this chaotic world.

This is always the contest, faith vs. fact. The Shoftim illustrates this via the never ending struggle between classical physics and quantum mechanics as to how observation makes an uncertain phenomenon transition into something concrete. It is called shibboleth vs. sibboleth: "oatmeal vs. endurance", "chips vs. fibers", "waves versus forces", AKA "knowledge versus speculation."

Further it says Manasseh, "forget what you thought you knew...know it for sure."

All of this equates to a willingness to cross the Jordan and surpass those who are protective of the other side: Non-Jews need not apply.

4 Jephthah then called together the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. The Gileadites struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, “You Gileadites are renegades from Ephraim and Manasseh.”

5 The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a survivor of Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he replied, “No,”

6 they said, “All right, say ‘Shibboleth.’” If he said, “Sibboleth,” because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed at that time.

The reason black holes, singularities as they are called fascinate us is they are neither waves, which we can detect and define nor are they forces, which can be defined empirically as the result of something else. They both cause uncertainty and are themselves uncertain - they zip all over the place, bobbing and weaving in space like a piece of dry ice in a tub of water, until they quantize and when they do it is too late.

The human mind is a black hole. It is a product of uncertainty and is uncertain until it is witnessed by its owner who quantizes reality right before his eyes by training his thoughts. Gilead, another name for Ha Shem will not recognize a man that does not properly handle his mind.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 4: Jephthah then called together the men of Gilead. "The Key to Understanding the Torah is to call together all that is know about Ha Shem." Forget the rest.

The Value in Gematria is 7306, זגאֶפֶסו‎, zagapesso, "zig zag". The Torah contains a secret science after the fashion learning the ABCs or 123s contain the secrets of novels like the Lord of the Rings or advanced calculus. One must learn the Numbers and the Letters one at a time and in combination or Ha Shem shall not be attained.

v. 5: The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan. "The sciences own the West Side, the enlightened side of the Jordan."

The Number is 9633, טוג‎ג‎ , togg, "From a note to the roof."

The Angels think of the Torah as one contigous message. It is both a map and a blueprint to the Science of the Eternal, called Judaism "the true legend" in Hebrew, and Sanatan Dharma "the level of duty" in Sanskrit.

The roof is the 7th Day, also called Shabbat, but that is just the beginning until one rejects one's current level of understanding and yearns for more, then one begins a new day.

One will climb the ladder of the Seven Days all of one's life in an attempt to assuage one's desire for more life. For the most part one will discover the means except for why one loves one's honey, except this longing will not end not even in the Presence, not even on the Last Day, not even in heaven.

v. 6: Because he could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized him and killed him. The Number is 10320, יגבאֶפֶס‎,Yagbafes, "Yah, in degrees."

The Word Yah is one of the oldest in human history. It is the first concise and comprehensive term coined for the Supreme Being and this took place early in human history. The first intelligent men who were Jews, who wrote in Hebrew, as far back as 5000 years ago, knew God was present, they knew He was invisible, they knew He could be figured out. They spent a lot of time on this.

Modern civilization is the result, except for one thing, we are able to fathom the Mystery of God. How to use the Torah to learn how stop being a violent, aggressive, ambitious human race and settle down, grow and make things and be very happy together.

Thus the contest on either side of the Jordan, between Shibboleth vs. Sibboleth, "oatmeal" or "endurance." We exist in a state relative to our understanding of this, between knowledge and supposition:

The unused verb שבל (sabal) probably means to extend or go forth in a wavy fashion. Noun שבל (shobel) denotes a kind of flowing garment. Nouns שבלים (shibbelim) and שבלת (shibboleth) either refer to a flowing stream or to ears of grain. Nouns שבול (shebul) and שביל (shebil) mean way or path.

Life is supposed to flow, it is not meant to be an endurance test. The difference is making the right choice at which point to cross a river lest one gets swept away.

Who understands the meaning of this difference can wear the Yarmulkah.

[eugene114]

23And God raised up another adversary against him, Rezon the son of Eliadah, who had fled from his lord, Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24So he gathered men to him and became captain over a band of raiders, when David killed those of Zobah. And they went to Damascus and dwelt there, and reigned in Damascus. 25He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon (besides the trouble that Hadad caused); and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.

Jeroboam’s Rebellion

26Then Solomon’s servant, Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zereda, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king.

27And this is what caused him to rebel against the king: Solomon had built the Millo and [f]repaired the damages to the City of David his father. 28The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon, seeing that the young man was industrious, made him the officer over all the labor force of the house of Joseph.

29Now it happened at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the way; and he had clothed himself with a new garment, and the two were alone in the field. 30Then Ahijah took hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. 31And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you 32(but he shall have one tribe for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), 33because [g]they have forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David. 34However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of My servant David, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and My statutes. 35But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and give it to you—ten tribes. 36And to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My name there. 37So I will take you, and you shall reign over all your heart desires, and you shall be king over Israel. 38Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you. 39And I will afflict the descendants of David because of this, but not forever.’ ”

40Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

[craftylovegentlemen]

Judges

Chapter 12

1 And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire. 2 And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands. 3 And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me? 4 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites. 5 And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; 6 Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand. 7 And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead. 8 And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. 9 And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. 10 Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Bethlehem.

11 And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years. 12 And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun. 13 And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel. 14 And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years. 15 And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites.

Judges 12

Diane Beauford

[wutbju]

It's pretty plain where Scott Aniol is headed (11:46). After explaining that the Israelites had integrated everything with their pagan neighbors:

It was very common for Pagan nations to have religious talismans that they would bring with them to battle as a sort of good luck charm, and that's exactly what the Israelites ... what the Ephraimites intended. They thought that if they took the ark out of the Tabernacle at Shiloh and brought it with them to battle, then surely God would be with them. And of course, you know what happened. They lost miserably.

Wait. He caught himself there. Do you see it?

He wants to blame the "Ephraimites" explicitly for the military loss.

The Bible seems to more explicitly blame Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas. Eli, btw, was descended from Aaron who was in the tribe of Levi.

So ... whatevs really. But that's kind of like blaming 9/11 on Chelsea Clinton.

But Scott has to wedge his point into Psalm 78.

[modernerrors]

Jezebel within the Church of Thyatira

We are so conditioned to feminist ideals, and to lauding the suffragettes, that most people have lost sight of God’s views on how to live our lives under His guidance, fellowship and precepts.

In Kings we saw

1 Kings 11

1  King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter--Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.

2  They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.

3  He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.

4  As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

>>>>

There were many worthy women in the bible and I like the record of the Queen of Sheba.  We need not listen to popular ideas of her beauty and an affair between her and Solomon.  The bible does not hang back from giving such details, but there are no such details between these two.  She went there to meet Solomon, and to ask questions and other seeking activities.

1 Kings 10

6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 7 But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. 8 How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 9 Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel.

>>>>

So now we come to disappointing, managing mothers of evil influence:

1 Kings 11

26 Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against the king. He was one of Solomon’s officials, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah.

1 Kings 14

21 Rehoboam son of Solomon was king in Judah ... .his mother’s name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite.

22 Judah did evil in the eyes of the Lord. By the sins they committed they stirred up his jealous anger more than those who were before them had done.

1 Kings 15

Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah became king of Judah, 2 and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maakah, daughter of Abishalom.

his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been

We don’t get the name of Asa’s mother, but the grandmother is the problem influence:

… Asa became king of Judah, 10 and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maakah, daughter of Abishalom.

11 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done. 12 He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made. 13 He even deposed his grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother …

During Asa’s reign Ahab, king of Israel married Jezebel.  This woman’s evil manipulation tops the lot.

1 Kings 18

4 While Jezebel was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.)

Jehoshaphat is known for being a good king, and we do read his mother’s name.  Unfortunately Jehoshaphat also had a wishy-washy streak to him:

1 Kings 22

41 Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. 43 In everything he followed the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. The high places, however, were not removed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. 

44 Jehoshaphat was also at peace with the king of Israel.

>>>>>>

To the Church in Thyatira

The spirit of Jezebel did not leave the earth when she was killed … and we read how Thyatira is burdened by allowing that spirit to have sway.  The text says woman, but it is a spirit within.  The text focuses on immorality, and that is one of today’s great problems, in its overt and socially acceptable way.  Many excuses are wheeled out for women ‘having to’ be prostitutes or sensuous performers, in order to feed/clothe/educate themselves/their children.  That is another deception.

Revelation 2

20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. … Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’

[lordgodjehovahsway]

1 Kings 11: Solomon Married Multiple Women From Different Nations Against God's Command

1 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 

2 They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 

3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 

4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 

5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 

6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.

7 On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 

8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

9 The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 

10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command. 

11 So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. 

12 Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 

13 Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

Solomon’s Adversaries

14 Then the Lord raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom. 

15 Earlier when David was fighting with Edom, Joab the commander of the army, who had gone up to bury the dead, had struck down all the men in Edom. 

16 Joab and all the Israelites stayed there for six months, until they had destroyed all the men in Edom. 

17 But Hadad, still only a boy, fled to Egypt with some Edomite officials who had served his father. 

18 They set out from Midian and went to Paran. Then taking people from Paran with them, they went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house and land and provided him with food.

19 Pharaoh was so pleased with Hadad that he gave him a sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes, in marriage. 

20 The sister of Tahpenes bore him a son named Genubath, whom Tahpenes brought up in the royal palace. There Genubath lived with Pharaoh’s own children.

21 While he was in Egypt, Hadad heard that David rested with his ancestors and that Joab the commander of the army was also dead. Then Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me go, that I may return to my own country.”

22 “What have you lacked here that you want to go back to your own country?” Pharaoh asked.

“Nothing,” Hadad replied, “but do let me go!”

23 And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah. 

24 When David destroyed Zobah’s army, Rezon gathered a band of men around him and became their leader; they went to Damascus, where they settled and took control. 

25 Rezon was Israel’s adversary as long as Solomon lived, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So Rezon ruled in Aram and was hostile toward Israel.

Jeroboam Rebels Against Solomon

26 Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against the king. He was one of Solomon’s officials, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah.

27 Here is the account of how he rebelled against the king: Solomon had built the terraces and had filled in the gap in the wall of the city of David his father. 

28 Now Jeroboam was a man of standing, and when Solomon saw how well the young man did his work, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the tribes of Joseph.

29 About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country, 

30 and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. 

31 Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes. 

32 But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe. 

33 I will do this because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molek the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked in obedience to me, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my decrees and laws as David, Solomon’s father, did.

34 “‘But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who obeyed my commands and decrees. 

35 I will take the kingdom from his son’s hands and give you ten tribes. 

36 I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name. 

37 However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel. 

38 If you do whatever I command you and walk in obedience to me and do what is right in my eyes by obeying my decrees and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you. 

39 I will humble David’s descendants because of this, but not forever.’”

40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled to Egypt, to Shishak the king, and stayed there until Solomon’s death.

Solomon’s Death

41 As for the other events of Solomon’s reign—all he did and the wisdom he displayed—are they not written in the book of the annals of Solomon? 

42 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 

43 Then he rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.

[jeffersonvann]

Elkanah's love

20240225 Photo by George Dolgikh on Pexels.com Elkanah’s love 1 Samuel 1:1-8 (JDV) 1 Samuel 1:1 There was a man from Ramathaim-tsofim in the hill country of Ephraim. His name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.1 Samuel 1:2 He had two wives, one named Hannah and the second Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.1 Samuel 1:3…