#Leviticus is a wild book

[yaoimothman]

Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I Am The Lord

[leahbasavraham]

Mizrah by Israel Dov Rosenbaum 1877

Despite the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and the dispersion of most Jews, the Land of Israel has remained a primary focus of Jewish identity. A commonly felt, deeply rooted bond to the Land of Israel and the hope of all Jews to return eventually to it have been important unifying factors. One expression of this intense bond is found in the practice of facing toward Jerusalem during prayer. For Jews in the West, this direction is east, and the custom developed of placing a decorative plaque on the eastern walls of homes and synagogues to indicate the direction of worship. Such a sign came to be known as a mizrah, Hebrew for "east." Mizrah is also an acronym composed of the initial letters for the Hebrew phrase "from this side the spirit of life." This inscription appears in the four corners of the central panel of this papercut, indicating that it functions as a mizrah.

In Eastern Europe, mizrah plaques were often made out of cut paper, resembling the carved wood Torah arks of Polish synagogues in the intricacy of their design. As is common in many other extant examples, the composition in this papercut is symmetrical, designed on one half of a sheet of paper, folded vertically, and cut out through both halves, thus creating a mirror image revealed upon unfolding the sheet. Papercuts were usually mounted on a plain or colored paper background to provide a contrasting effect, as seen here. Although architectural features such as columns and arcades often balance the composition of papercuts, the use of an imposing building as the central element, as seen in this example, is rare. Whether the building was based on an existing or imaginary one, Israel Dov Rosenbaum, the creator of this extraordinary papercut, made sure to include a clock at its dome, possibly a hint at his profession as clockmaker to the local count in the small town of Podkamen, Ukraine. A Jewish community existed in Podkamen at least since the seventeenth century, and by the late nineteenth century, the town was home to more than a thousand Jews.

The elaborate design and the repeated use of thin connecting lines make this mizrah an exquisite example of its kind. The creatures, both mythical and real, as well as the vegetal motifs and horror vacuii of this composition, are typical of Eastern European art. Included here are lions, deer, eagles, and what appears to be a pair of small leopards atop the dome of the central building. These four animals usually appear in Jewish papercuts to illustrate the saying "Be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a deer, and strong as a lion, to do the will of your Father who is in Heaven" (Ethics of the Fathers 5:23). The doubled-headed eagle is often interpreted as a political symbol associated with the Russian Empire. Several Eastern European artifacts in The Jewish Museum collection feature the double-headed eagle, including Torah shields and Hanukkah lamp; as well as a mold for pastries baked for the holiday of Purim.

Among the mythical beasts featured in this papercut are the leviathan (portrayed as a curled fish) and the wild ox-the legendary food of the righteous in the world to come (Leviticus Rabbah 13:3, 22:10)-depicted in the lower register, and the unicorn, seen in the outer frame. The interiors of wooden synagogues were often filled with elaborate animal and plant designs, many having symbolic meaning. Animals are also found in carved Jewish tombstones in Eastern Europe. Likely more portable or readily available sources were printed books such as Hebrew primers featuring a depiction of an animal for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet or illustrated copies of the Meshal ha-Kadmoni, a collection of animal fables written in 1281 by the Spanish Hebrew author Isaac ibn Sahula. First printed in Brescia, about 1491, the work soon gained popularity and was reprinted many times, including nine known Yiddish editions. Many of the extant copies are embellished with illustrations, mostly portraying the disputing animals, who "converse" in biblical Hebrew and are all well versed in Jewish learning: the rooster is a Bible scholar, and the deer an expert in the Talmud. Two pairs of roosters appear on the upper margin of the mizrah, flanked by a pair of birds. In one of the illustrations for the Meshal ha-Kadmoni, the rooster and a similar quail-like bird (though referred to as a hawk) are paired in "conversation."

[blood-mocha-latte]

literally just realised someone else asked you that already 😅 so...fave webgott headcanons instead?

bestie i am happy to answer ANY ask of yours do not Fret. anything for u truly. now!! have some post-war webgott <3.

- they don’t end up with each other. at least in a conventional way: there’s no staying at the same house, or eating dinner together, or even being on the same coast.

- even when it’s been years, and there’s no reason to fear something happening, or either of them being caught, or they could do it, maybe, they could maybe make it, it doesn’t matter. because in their heads, maybe they can’t.

- webster still comes down to california, of course. liebgott tends to not find himself in the east, he says it’s too cold and it’s the same thought of not making it that keeps webster from complaining.

- they’ll spend maybe a week together, fighting and annoying and bothering each other.

- web leaves, doesn’t write to liebgott and liebgott doesn’t write to him. then one of them will call and have the same conversation about california and webster is buying a train ticket all over again.

- and so the cycle begins anew.

- liebgott is prone to anger. to fighting back. always has been, but after the war it seems to become drier, like a husk that he can’t peel away from his organs.

- and, well, websters father was prone to dry anger. he isn’t real good at fighting back against it.

- they clash against each other and into each other and with each other but it’s always dry anger, and on the offset that it’s more gentle than thought doesn’t matter because the anger comes right on back with the nightmares and lost thoughts of guilt and grieving and the whole cycle starts all over again.

- webster reads and re-reads and re-re-reads the hollow men by ts eliot. next to him in a too-small bed, liebgott puts a cigarette out in the ashtray on the nightstand and tells him that if the world is going to end, it sure as hell won’t be with a whimper.

- there’s a bell in the kitchen that webster thinks that liebgott might have stolen from a restaurant; he likes to ring it to make the other come out and make him breakfast.

- liebgott never does, so webster rings the bell to entertain himself and then sorts through the cupboards that he memorized years ago to find pans and mugs and plates.

- web may not be catholic anymore, but a cross isn’t a skin that can be shrugged off. it isn’t a coat or an idea, it’s as core to someone as the knowledge that lungs inflate when someone inhales. it’s believing with every atom in your body that something doesn’t exist, but still having a small part in the back of your head that sounds suspiciously like a child asking are you sure?

- he carries around a bible, the only tab in it opens onto leviticus 18 22.

- the cover is dusty and hardly seems to have ever been opened. liebgott sees it only once, carefully packed into websters back with ts eliot and oscar wilde and doesn’t say a thing on it

- once, when webster came down in november, he opened it. read where the tab marked and closed the book again. he didn’t touch it, after that.

- webster was awake when he flipped through the bible. the next time he went down to california, he left it at home in a box under his bed.

- guilt is a funny thing, and he has a lot of it.

- over the book. over his own thoughts. over a war that ended a millennia ago that he missed out on, and doesn’t regret, but does look back on and wish. for what, he doesn’t know, but he’s always been an outsider, so he supposes it doesn’t matter.

- of course, it doesn’t matter. it never did, it never will, it never has.

- liebgott pretends that he forgets websters first name. won’t say it, ever, and webster can’t figure out why. it makes him angry, but not the angry that liebgott is, that his father was.

- a shakier kind of upset, that’s more grief than rage. all it seems to do is prove an argument he made inside his own head.

- webster always leaves the same way. in a huff. slams the door shut, liebgott won’t accompany him down to the train station. he won’t call him, either, and webster had given up on writing to him years ago.

- but maybe liebgott sits down and writes a letter, one day. maybe he writes, and it’s the first thing he’s ever written to web and the war ended twelve years ago and there’s a bell sitting in his kitchen, deathly quiet.

- and webster always tends to be predictable. he always has to get the last word in.

- the next visit down to california is much, much longer.

[kepler-collective]

Fucking kill yourself already, you piece of shit. No wonder Roy left you. You're just a waste of oxygen and space

Fun fact: I know exactly who this is. No need to remain anonymous, or are you afraid of what your friends would think if they saw you telling strangers to kill themselves?

And I've attempted to before. The very first time I tried to take my own life was when I was 12. I took a handful of my medicine.

After I recovered, I started going to church. I found peace in worshipping God and Jesus Christ. I loved going to church, I loved being part of such a community.

I was raped at 14 inside of a church by someone I thought I could trust, and I tried to kill myself again when I was 15.

My view of religion turned sour, and I began to realize how fictional the Bible was, how evil it was. I turned my back on God and Jesus. If God's love is conditional, then I want nothing to do with it.

People like you, mindless Christians who follow an ancient book blindly, hoping it'll give you answers for the unexplained, it gives you comfort believing that there's something out there that you can trust.

And I respect that.

But for you to use such evil as a way to explain your immoral actions is unjustifiable. You ignore everything in those pages except for what you can use to hurt others.

Let's take a look at a few paragraphs.

(Women aren't supposed to wear pants.)

Deuteronomy 22:5 - A woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment; for whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the Lord thy God.

Deuteronomy 22:28 - If a man comes upon a young woman, a virgin who is not betrothed, seizes her and lies with her, and they are discovered, the man who lay with her shall give the young woman's father fifty silver shekels and she will be his wife, because he has violated her.

Genesis 7:21 - Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.

Deuteronomy 21:18 - And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

Proverbs 23:13 - Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die.

1 Samuel 15:3 - Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.

Leviticus 21:17 - For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; no man with a crippled foot or hand, or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.

Leviticus 20:13 - If a man lies with a male as with a woman, they have committed an abomination; the two of them shall be put to death; their bloodguilt is upon them.

Timothy 2:11 - A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.

Leviticus 26:29 - You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters.

Ephesians 6:5 - Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ.

Genocide, sexism, homophobia, racism, murder, and none of this is important to you because god forbid, someone's gay!

Next time, do your research. You're shaming your own religion.

[vernalloy]

🌹💋🕸️

ASK BLAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[oc x canon ask game]

[ID from alt: A screenshot showing you-hate-time-travel sent many duplicates of this ask. End ID.]

AAAAAAAAAAAAA Thank u fur the ask :3c

🕸️ : any song that reminds you of your ship?

HEAVY RAIN ON HOT TIN ROOFS by The Narcissist Cookbook. Sorry I don’t have much more to say! It kind of speaks for itself.

🌹: is their relationship healthy, or more unhealthy/complicated?

This is going to sound really boring but they’re as healthy as they can be. (LOUD BOOING) YEAH I KNOW I KNOW TOXIC YAOI LOSS but genuinely I want Norman to be happy. As a result, there isn’t any particularly wild violence (beyond the murder attempt + stabbing) or psychological torment.

That isn’t to say that Arcanary is a fluffy pairing or story— John and Norman are two very broken people, caught in their own private traps, scratching and clawing at each other. Even in the best of circumstances with the clearest communication, they don’t know what they don’t know, and that means running into very dark places on complete accident.

💋: what motifs/symbols do you associate with your ship?

While I’ve answered this as a pairing, I’d also like to appreciate the motifs of the story, because it’d be a shame to go without mention of the bird and house symbolism.

Birds are taken directly from the first film. They don’t really reappear through the series, only in minor cases such as Norman’s taxidermy in the opening of Psycho III and his caged bird in Psycho IV, which to me is a tragedy given they are such potent images. More broadly, they often represent freedom and entrapment— clipped wings and cages— but some have more specific associations, such as crows with death or owls with eyesight.

Norman is described in comparison with a lot of birds, but I’m very happy with John’s pet name for him of “turtledove”. While more broadly the species is associated with love, in the Torah a pair of turtledoves are acceptable offerings for correcting a sin. The circumstances of their sacrifice are defined in Leviticus, which is a book on levitical matters; it’s where kashrut is detailed, for one, and the origin of the term scapegoat. Not all ritual impurity is moral impurity— a woman that bears a son is unclean for seven days, but having children is not a sin. Leviticus does give a list of abominable actions, though. You’ll likely recognize 18:22.

In keeping with this topic of cleanliness, Leviticus covers what to do in cases of leprosy, with a scab, a garment, a person, and relevantly, in 14, a house.

The Bates House is probably one of the most famous houses in all of cinema, a centerpiece of trauma both for the audience and its inhabitants. It is, in many respects, a reflection of Norman, being as it is isolated with little upkeep after his father’s death. This lack of cleaning or renovation likely contributes to his ill health, and yet Norman is hesitant to leave; it’s all he’s ever known.

Norman relates an awful lot to very passive things. Stuffed birds, stuffed animals, rotten corpses, a rotten house.

[divinekangaroo]

Starting to rethink about s5/6 being my fav (theme) because the literary subconduct in s3 (symbol) is freaking wild. S3 has a whole second and maybe third story going on just through symbol

I started down this rabbit hole with two thoughts 1) why was it necessary to this story for the Shelby dad to die when it’s seemingly a Thing that happens and that’s it, and 2) what’s in the Book of Leviticus

four weeks ago and various religious studies and I still haven’t stopped

I also think sometimes PB’s strength is that it doesn’t try to tie all this shit together in some neat meaningful point, it’s just THERE, as long as it’s thematically relevant, adding relevant layers and dead ends and fragments and shards and jagged ends that add texture to the fabric

[bills-bible-basics]

WHY POISONOUS SNAKES SPIDERS AND SCORPIONS -- KJV (King James Version) Bible Verse List #Scriptures #BibleStudy #BibleVerses "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Genesis 3:17-19, KJV "And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife." Genesis 12:14-17, KJV "And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth." Exodus 9:13-15, KJV "And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate. And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins." Leviticus 26:21-24, KJV "And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died." Numbers 21:5-6, KJV "Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;" Deuteronomy 8:15, KJV "If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God." Deuteronomy 28:58-62, KJV "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." Isaiah 45:5-7, KJV It is likewise because of sins and rebellion, that great plagues occur in the Book of Revelation as well. If you would like more info regarding the origin of these KJV Bible verse lists, go to https://www.billkochman.com/VerseLists/. Thank-you! https://www.billkochman.com/Blog/index.php/why-poisonous-snakes-spiders-and-scorpions-kjv-king-james-version-bible-verse-list/?WHY%20POISONOUS%20SNAKES%20SPIDERS%20AND%20SCORPIONS%20--%20KJV%20%28King%20James%20Version%29%20Bible%20Verse%20List

[thefernmanner]

"The Data Dog." From the Book of Sirach, "The Manner of the Fern" 11: 7-9.

Next Sirach discusses how to handle corruption. Corruption is rampant in this world because our lawyers do not feel able to do their jobs. The prosecuting attorney is mankind's brightest light in the darkness when corruption is encroaching. They must not rest until every foul and nasty thing in every church and state house is dead or dying.

Sirach agrees saying righteous persons must not "sit with sinners" while a case against the wicked is being prosecuted.

To sit is 199, קץץ, katzatz, "a chopper."

To chop is to delude the Spirit of Evil before it deludes you:

"The famous prohibition to strike off or round the corner of one's head or destroy the corner of one's beard gave rise to typically Jewish coiffure (Leviticus 19:27, 21:5), and this custom is generally explained to have to do with the habit of surrounding nations to somehow make markings in one's hair in order to delude spirits, and all that (see Jeremiah 9:26, 25:23, 49:32). But note that the word for hair does not occur in all these contexts, and the term "cutting the corner of one's head" may in fact be a colloquial expression of which the meaning has been lost."

Sirach says instead of sitting with sinners, we must chop them off:

Deliberation and Caution

7 Do not find fault before you investigate;     examine first and then criticize. 8 Do not answer before you listen,     and do not interrupt when another is speaking. 9 Do not argue about a matter that does not concern you,     and do not sit with sinners when they judge a case.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 7: Examine first. The Number is 4085, םףה, the meffa, "the map, the tablecloth."

Maps and table cloths are preparations for what is to come. From the harvesting of the linen to the moment it becomes a garment, a sheet, or a bandage, every word that is spoken in favor of the welfare of all sentient beings is a map to tomorrow.

"The noun καλαμος (kalamos) means reed or stalk, or anything made from reeds — anything from roof covering to flutes, arrows, fishing rods, measuring rods, rods for support of vines and of course, pens to write with. In the Old Testament, reed often refers to papyrus, from which paper was made (see our article on βιβλος, biblos, paper).

Our noun comes from an ancient Proto-Indo-European root meaning the same, with the same broad application. In Matthew 12:20 our noun καλαμος (kalamos) translates the Hebrew noun קנה (qana), whose root is identical to a verb that means to create or purchase; hence the names Cain, Canaan and Cana."

Sirach says we must be able to read, write, and speak in the language of the Torah which defines mankind's ethical responsibiltiies before we examine our prospects for the future.

v.8: Do not answer before you listen. The Number is 4943, דטדג‎, datadg‎, "the data dog."

Dogs are "caleb" or faith. They cannot run wild or be allowed to shit and go pee pee on the rug. They must be housebroken and trained. A person of faith must not put his energy into responsibilty offices that are actually contrary to the actual data represented by proper execution of the Torah.

v. 9: Do not sit with sinners. The Number is 6867, מחוז‎‎, mechoz, "the contract with the district, with the township canton."

The term contract in Hebrew refers to the agreement we have made as sane human beings to agree to work for pay within a free society:

"The verb עבד ('abad) means to work, to serve or to be a serf. Since working or serving is a common activity in any culture, this verb is deployed almost 300 times in the Old Testament. Curiously enough, this verb has the power to take meaning from whatever comes next. If the story tells of "dressing" vines, the Hebrew literally reads "working" vines. When a field is tilled, the Hebrew reads that the field is "worked".

The Hebrew idea of "working" can also mean "working something," and that something determines the kind of work that's done. When Jacob "works" Laban, he's not trying to change his mind but simply serving him (Genesis 29:15). This verb can even be used to indicate putting someone to work, or even enslaving someone (Exodus 1:14).

The difference between a worker and a boss was back then the same as now: if you get to keep the money your labor generates, you're a boss or a free person. If you get some kind of compensation for your labor (now called a salary, then called your purchasing price, but really the same thing) but the actual proceeds of your labor go to someone else, you're an עבד ('ebed)."

So long as free persons are forced to live alongside their potential captors, the Contract God signed with us in violation and life on earth will not work properly. We must ensure the world's prosecuting attorneys enforce the terms of the Contract.

[marysittingathisfeet]

God Uses the Bubonic Plaque

After Joshua conquered the lands, not all of the people had been driven out as God had commanded. One of those people groups was the Philistines who plagued Israel off and on throughout the book of Judges. Thus in 1 Samuel, the Philistines and Israel are at war again. Eli was the chief priest and judge at that time. He had two sons- Hophni and Phinehas. During this war, the Philistines were able to capture the ark of the Lord.

Now Eli's two sons were scoundrels or so the Bible tells us.

"Eli's sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord." 1 Samuel 2:12. What were they doing for them to be called scoundrels? The sacrifices that the people brought, these two men were claiming a portion for themselves.

"Now it was the practice of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priests' servants would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat was being boiled and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself... 1 Samuel 2:13-14

Basically they were stealing from God and mocking the sacrifices. Like God wouldn't notice. To make matters worse they would even steal the meat before it was cooked.

"But even before the fat was burned, the priests' servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, "Give the priest some meat to roast; he wont accept boiled meat from you, only raw. If the person said to him, "let the fat be burned first, and then take whatever you want," the servant would answer, "No, hand it over now; if you don't I'll take it by force." 1 Samuel 2: 15-16

Eli's sons were entitled to some of the meat from fellowship offerings, but not before the fat was burned.

The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons. You are to give the right thigh of your fellowship offering to the priest as contribution." Leviticus 7:32, 33.

The two men could not even wait for the fat to be cooked? Were they really that hungry? Or maybe it was greed and power. They could command the people, so they did. Just because you can, does not mean you should. So how did God feel about Hophni and Phinehas behavior? Well he was not pleased to say the least.

This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord's sight, for they were treating the Lord's offering with contempt." 1 Samuel 2: 17.

In addition they were living a wild life.

"Now Eli who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. So he said to them, why do you do such things? I hear from the people about these wicked deeds of yours." 1 Samuel 2:22, 23.

Eli warned them that their behavior was heading for disaster, but his sons ignored him.

"His sons, however, did not listen to their father's rebuke, for it was the Lord's will to put them to death."1 Samuel 2: 25B.

Why did God want to put them to death?

"...Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained." 1 Samuel 2: 30B

Hophni and Phinehas were making a mockery of the sacrifices that people were offering to God. Eli was not stopping their behavior. What was this teaching the people? That God was weak. That you could openly sin and their would be no consequences.

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." Galatians 6:7-8

It was obvious Hophni, Phinehas, and even Eli had no fear of the Lord. Hophni and Phinehas not only lacked wisdom , but also self control.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer." Proverbs 9: 10-12.

What foolish men if they believed that there would not be consequences to their actions. We hear about the unforgiveable sin which is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. There are debates about what this could mean. I believe that Hophni and Eli's total disregard for the sanctity of the sacrifices to God is an example of this.

"Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."  Matthew 12: 31-32.

Their hearts had become so hardened and calloused toward God and toward right and wrong, that they had crossed the line. What did Eli do to curb his son's behavior? Not much. Yes, he chastised them, but they did not have consequences to their actions. Thus Eli was held responsible for his sons actions. A man of God came to Eli and prophesized against Eli and his sons. The prophet speaking for God says,

"Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?" 1 Samuel 2:29.

What were the consequences? God basically told Eli that Eli and his sons would die on the same day. All of his descendants would not reach old age.

It was this environment that Israelites lost the ark of God when they fought against the Philistines and it was all part of God's plan.

"And the Lord said to Samuel: See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle." 1 Samuel 3:11.

The Israelites and the Philistines met in battle and about 4000 Israelites were killed. Because they lost, the elders of Israel decided to bring the ark of the Lord with them into battle. After the ark was used successfully in the past. But the ark was not a magic charm rather it is where God himself sits enthroned. The ark also symbolized God's covenant with Israel. Without God's presence and promises it wss just a gold covered box.

"So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. And Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. " 1 Samuel 4:4

At first the Philistine's were frightened when they heard the ark of the Lord was in the Israeli camp. They had heard about how God had struck down the Egyptians. The Philistines declared...

"Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men and fight!" 1 Samuel 4: 9

So they fought and 30,000 Israeli soldiers were killed. The ark of God was captured by the Philistines and Hophni and Phinehas were killed. After the Philistines captured the ark they took it to their city of Ashdod. They put the ark in the temple of their god Dagon. The next morning the statue of Dagon was laying on its face before the ark of the Lord. Talk about a statement. All other gods will bow before the one and only True God.

The people set the statue back up, but the next morning when the arose Dagon had fallen on its face again before the ark of the Lord. His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold: only his body remained.

Why were the hands and face on the threshold? This was a symbol that God had completely defeated the Philistines god. Their god had was stripped of his power and authority. Dagon had absolutely no power over the true God of Israel. The threshold symbolized that boundary between the common and the sacred. By placing the severed parts of the idol on the threshold it showed that Dagon was mundane and common.

Did the Philistines get the message? I think not. Although they removed the ark from the Dagon temple, they did not repent and worship God. They did not return the ark. Instead they took it to another city called Ashdod. However, the ark was not a blessing to the Philistines for God's covenant was with Israel, not the Philisitines.

The Lord’s hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation on them and afflicted them with tumors. ! Samuel 5:6

The people of Ashdod understood that it was the presence of the ark of God that was causing the problems.

"When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said. "The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god." 1 Samuel 5: 8

"So the ark was taken to the city of Gath. But after they had moved it, the Lord’s hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors. So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. 1 Samuel 5:9,10

After 7 months of the plague of tumors, the Philistines wanted to send the ark back to the Israelites so they consulted their spiritual leaders who instructed them to send back the ark with a gift.

"They answered, "If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it back to him without a gift; by all means send a guilt offering to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you." 1 Samuel 6: 3.

So it was decided that "Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number of the Philistines rulers, because the same plaque has struck both you and your rulers. Make models of the tumors and of the rats that are destroying the country, and give glory to Israel's god." 1 Samuel 6: 4

Now what were the tumors spoken of here. This was swelling of the lymph nodes in the groin, neck, and armpits. During the bubonic plaque in the Middle ages the lymph nodes would swell painfully large and ooze pus and blood when opened. These tumors, called buboes or gavocciolos, were a common symptom of the bubonic plague. They could grow to the size of an apple or an egg. We also know that the Bubonic plaque was carried by the fleas that infested the rats. Thus the 5 tumors and 5 rats are symbolic of the bubonic plaque.

[dfroza]

A Love Letter

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 2nd chapter of the letter of 2nd Corinthians:

I finally determined that I would not come to you again for yet another agonizing visit. If my visits create such pain and sorrow for you, who can cheer me up except for those I’ve caused such grief? This is exactly what I was writing to you about earlier so that when we are face-to-face I will not have to wallow in sadness in the presence of friends who should bring me the utmost joy. For I felt sure that my delight would also become your delight. My last letter to you was covered with tears, composed with great difficulty, and frankly, a broken heart. It wasn’t my intention to depress you or cause you pain; rather, I had hoped you would see it for what it was—a demonstration of the overwhelming love I have for all of you.

But if anyone has caused harm, he has not so much harmed me as he has—and I don’t think I’m exaggerating here—harmed all of you. In my view, the majority of you have punished him well enough. So instead of continuing to ostracize him, I encourage you to offer him the grace of forgiveness and the comfort of your acceptance. Otherwise, if he finds no welcome back to the community, I’m afraid he will be overwhelmed with extreme sorrow and lose all hope. So I urge you to demonstrate your love for him once again. I wrote these things to you with a clear purpose in mind: to test whether you are willing to live and abide by all my counsel. If you forgive anyone, I forgive that one as well. Have no doubt, anything that I have forgiven—when I do forgive—is done ultimately for you in the presence of the Anointed One. It’s my duty to make sure that Satan does not win even a small victory over us, for we don’t want to be naïve and then fall prey to his schemes.

When I arrived at Troas, bringing the good news of the Anointed, the Lord opened a door there for me. Yet my spirit was restless because I could not find my brother Titus. Eventually I told them good-bye and set out for Macedonia.

Yet I am so thankful to God, who always marches us to victory under the banner of the Anointed One; and through us He spreads the beautiful fragrance of His knowledge to every corner of the earth. In a turbulent world where people are either dying or being rescued, we are the sweet smell of the Anointed to God our Father. To those who are dying, they smell the stench of death in us. And to those being rescued, we are the unmistakable scent of life. Who is worthy of this calling? For we are nothing like the others who sell the word of God like a commodity. Do not be mistaken; our words come from God with the utmost sincerity, always spoken through the Anointed in the presence of God.

The Letter of 2nd Corinthians, Chapter 2 (The Voice)

A note from The Voice translation:

Interpersonal relationships are often filled with disagreements and tensions. It’s common to hear someone long for the “good old days” of the New Testament when things were simpler and people were holier. But Paul’s ministry proves the first-century churches were no different. They were just as full of fights, tensions, and power plays as modern churches are. We should seek to be loving but also firm when the situation demands it. We should be quick to offer forgiveness to and seek reconciliation with those who turn back from their divisive actions. That’s what Paul did.

Today’s paired reading from the First Testament is the 5th chapter of the book of Leviticus:

Eternal One: When anyone sins by hearing a public call to testify about a matter he has seen or knows something about, yet he does not speak up, then he is considered guilty and must be punished. If anyone has physical contact with some impure thing such as the carcass of a ritually unclean wild animal, domestic animal, or even an insect—even if he is unaware of the incident—he has become ritually unclean and must accept the consequences. If anyone has physical contact with some kind of human impurity, regardless of the form of impurity it is—even if he was unaware of it at the time—once he realizes it, he must accept the consequences. If anyone speaks a careless vow to do something bad or something good or any careless vow for that matter—even if he was unaware of it at the time—once he realizes what he has done, he must accept the consequences. Regarding any of these situations, when the guilty party realizes the offense, he must confess it. He must present to Me an offering for his guilt as a remedy for the sin he has committed. This purification offering for sin must be a female lamb or goat from the flock. The priest will make atonement for the guilty person’s sin.

Eternal One: But if the guilty person is poor and cannot afford to offer a lamb, then he must bring to Me two turtledoves or two pigeons as a purification offering for sin. One of these will act as the purification offering and the other will be a burnt offering. The guilty person must take them to the priest, and the priest will offer the purification offering for sin first. He will wring the bird’s neck but not separate its head from its body. He will sprinkle some of its blood on the side of the altar and drain the remaining blood out at the base of the altar. This will be the ritual for the purification offering for sin. Then the priest will conduct the ritual for the second sacrifice, the burnt offering, in accordance with the regulations. The priest is to make atonement to cover the sin of the guilty, and the guilty will be forgiven.

If a person cannot afford to offer two turtledoves or two young pigeons, he must offer four pints of his finest flour as the purification offering for sin. He should not mix it with oil or frankincense because it is an offering for the purification of sin. He will give it to the priest, and the priest will take a handful of the flour as a memorial portion and offer it up as smoke along with the other fire-offerings presented to Me. The flour is a purification offering for sin. This is how the priest will make atonement to cover the sin of anyone guilty of these things, and the guilty will be forgiven. The leftover flour belongs to the priest as in the grain offering.

The Eternal One then told Moses about the guilt offering.

Eternal One: If anyone violates his covenant duties and unwittingly commits a sin against any of My sacred objects, then that person must bring Me an unblemished ram from the flock or its value in silver (according to the sanctuary standards) for a guilt offering.

The guilty person must offer restitution for the wrong he has committed against the sacred thing, add ⅕ of its value, and then give it to the priest. The priest will then make atonement for him by offering the ram to cover his guilt; and the guilty will be forgiven.

If anyone commits a sin by violating the directives I have given you—even if he was unaware of it—once he realizes it, he bears the guilt and must still accept the consequences. He must bring to the priest an unblemished ram from the flock or its equivalent value as a guilt offering. The priest will then make atonement to cover the guilty person’s wrong, which he unwittingly committed, and the guilty will be forgiven. This is a guilt offering because the person was guilty in My eyes.

The Book of Leviticus, Chapter 5 (The Voice)

A note from The Voice translation:

These are some cases where a purification offering for sin is required. It is important to note that sacrifice is not some magical cure for sin or its consequences. Before you come to God through the sacrifice, you must realize the error of your ways and confess it. Confession has always been act one of restoration.

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for Wednesday, june 5 of 2024 with a paired chapter from each Testament (the First & the New Covenant) of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about Numbers:

The sages named the fourth book of the Torah "Bamidbar," meaning "in the desert," because the word occurs in its opening verse, and also because it aptly describes the Israelites' forty years of wanderings in the desert of Sinai after the great Exodus. Because God commanded a census of people to be taken several times in the book, however, the midrash calls it "Sefer Ha’pikudim" (ספר הפקדים), or the "Book of Countings," from which the English translation "the Book of Numbers" is derived. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for desert (i.e., midbar: מִדְבַּר), originally meant "from where the cattle are driven," that is, an area of pasturage that was uninhabited and fit for animal grazing. The Hebrew root "davar" (דבר) means "word" but also means "shepherd," evoking the call and direction of one who would guide his flock.

The book begins: "The Lord spoke (דבר) to Moses in the desert of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting" (Num. 1:1). Now recall that during their wandering in the desert God's presence was symbolized by the Mishkan, or "Tabernacle," a central tent-like structure that had a secret inner chamber called the Holy of Holies, and within that hidden chamber was a sacred chest called the Ark of the Covenant (ארון הברית) that held the tablets of the Ten Commandments (עשרת הדברים). Upon the cover of the Ark, called the kapporet, were two cherubim (angelic figures), and it was there that God's audible word was spoken (see Exod. 25:22).

In light of this, among other things we can understand the book of Bamidbar to recount God's shepherding words given to the people as they wandered through desert places in search of the fulfillment of God's promise for their lives. The excursion into the desert is part of the journey of faith. God leads us by way of the desert - through struggle and waste places - to discipline our hearts to look for the greater hope of Zion.

[ Hebrew for Christians ]

========

Psalm 23:1-3 reading:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/psalm23-1-3a-jjp.mp3

Hebrew page:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/psalm23-1-3a-lesson.pdf

6.4.24 • Facebook

from yesterday’s email by Israel365

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

[fordecree7]

THE BIBLE THE BOOK OF GOD

Leviticus

Chapter 26

1 Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God. 2 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. 3 If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; 4 Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. 6 And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. 7 And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8 And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. 9 For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you. 10 And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new. 11 And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. 12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. 13 I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright. 14 But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; 15 And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: 16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. 18 And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. 19 And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: 20 And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.

21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. 22 I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate. 23 And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; 24 Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26 And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied. 27 And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me; 28 Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. 29 And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. 30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. 31 And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. 32 And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. 33 And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. 34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. 35 As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it. 36 And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth. 37 And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies. 38 And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. 39 And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them. 40 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; 41 And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: 42 Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. 43 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes. 44 And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God. 45 But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD. 46 These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the LORD made between him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses.

Leviticus 26

Diane Beauford

[whereareroo]

THE GOLDEN RULE

WF THOUGHTS (4/9/24).

At the risk of alienating most of you, I’m going to spend another day on Trump and religion. If you want to stop reading right now, that’s fine with me. It’s a free country. God bless you.

I keep thinking about the religious stuff because we’re in the midst of a time period that features many religious observances. We just celebrated Easter. Ramadan began on March 10th and it will end this week. Passover starts on April 22nd and ends on the evening of April 30th. It’s amazing that so many religions have important observances during a seven week time period. Don’t blame me for being particularly focused on religion during this time period. If you have a complaint about that, talk to the guy upstairs.

Many major religions focus on a key commandment: LOVE THY NEIGHBOR. For good reason, it’s frequently called the “Golden Rule.” It has Old Testament roots in the Book of Leviticus. In the New Testament, it appears in the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark, and the Gospel of Luke.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was discussing the Golden Rule and an asinine lawyer asked a stupid question. Hoping for a very narrow definition that would excuse his maltreatment of others, the lawyer asked: “Who is my neighbor.” Jesus answered with the famous Parable of the Good Samaritan. If you don’t know it, grab your Bible and look at Chapter 10 of Luke. The gist of the parable is simple. In biblical times, Samaritans were detested by everyone. They were considered to be impure “half-breeds.” They were thought to be diseased and unclean. They had “different” cultural traditions and “different” religious beliefs. Nobody liked the Samaritans. Using the parable, Jesus taught that everyone is our neighbor- -including the Samaritans.

Many religious traditions have adopted the idea that our “neighbor” is everyone. In the Catholic tradition, we tend to focus on a passage from the 25th Chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus describes God welcoming people to heaven by saying: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” The confused righteous people ask God: “When did we see you and do such things?” God replies: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of my people you did it to me.” Before we go on, please read this whole paragraph again. Thanks.

Yesterday, we discussed the fact that Trump has recently thrown himself into the religious arena. Trump suggests that, either as a prophet or the Messiah, he has been sent by God to save America. As additional blasphemy, he has associated his name with a particular Bible and he’s selling that Bible for personal gain. When Trump does his religious shtick at campaign events, the crowd goes wild.

At every rally, Trump also talks about migrants and border security. He says that migrants are “animals.” He calls them “vermin.” Stealing language that was used by Hitler, he suggests that migrants are inferior mongrels who are “poisoning the blood” of America. The folks at the Trump rallies, wearing their red hats, cheer for this garbage.

Please don’t overlook the facts about the migrants. Many of them are fleeing from physical danger and running for their lives. Almost all of them are running from starvation and unbearable poverty. I don’t deny that the multitudes of migrants include some questionable people. The fact remains that the overwhelming majority of migrants are desperate people who believe that leaving their homeland is a matter of life or death.

Maybe I’m a dreamer, but I still have hope that God-fearing people will come to their senses about Trump. It’s totally acceptable to have a legitimate discussion about border security. It’s totally acceptable to argue that the border should be closed. It is not acceptable to dehumanize other people. It is not acceptable to refer to others as “animals” or “vermin.” We’re all God’s children. In addition to being deranged, anyone who dehumanizes others is violating a basic teaching from God.

It’s abundantly clear that Trump disdains the Golden Rule. His heart has no room for LOVE THY NEIGHBOR. His mind cannot grasp LOVE THY NEIGHBOR. His lips cannot utter LOVE THY NEIGHBOR. He feels no obligation whatsoever towards people who are hungry, thirsty, naked, and displaced. He’s incapable of recognizing that migrants are children of God. Migrants are our neighbors. In Trump’s sick world, migrants are subhuman. Trump views migrants as infectious rodents.

I urge all Americans to think about the Golden Rule when they think about Trump and his religious antics. He’s a charlatan. He’s a snake oil salesman. Nobody should believe that he cares about God or God’s message. I pray that voters see the light with respect to Trump, and that they vote accordingly.

[piasgermany]

[Album] Queer-Stolz, Verletzlichkeit und Exzess: das Debütalbum "ABOMINATION" von Lynks erscheint am 12. April über Heavenly!

Nach drei EPs und ausverkauften UK-Tourneen hat Lynks kürzlich das Debütalbum "ABOMINATION" angekündigt, das am 12. April über Heavenly erscheint. Im Mai geht es mit den neuen Songs zudem auf eine ausgedehnte EU- und UK-Tour. Mit Inspirationen, die von Peaches über M.I.A. und Courtney Barnett bis hin zu Janelle Monae reichen, ist der Sound von Lynks so etwas wie eine wilde Clubnacht, die in einen großen Mixer geworfen wird. Selbst geschrieben, selbst produziert und selbstverherrlichend vereint das Debütalbum die künstlerische und persönliche Entwicklung der letzten fünf Jahre.

Während die früheren Werke einen Stil aus Effekten und gepitchten Vocals verbanden, gibt “ABOMINATION” Lynks den Raum, auf eine andere Art zu experimentieren – mit einer größeren Bandbreite an Ideen, Gesangsstilen und neuen Genre-Elementen. Das Ergebnis ist ein Debüt, das mit den Extremen spielt und dabei zwischen abgrundtiefer Scham und hedonistischer Freude schwankt.

"I think on the EPs, I was trying so hard to get anyone to pay attention", scherzt Lynks. "Early on I was like ‘well, every song needs to be a hilarious concept.’ Whereas this album, there’s quite a few of those, but there’s also songs that aren’t necessarily funny, or they’re exploring an idea rather than being really specific." Das Album beginnt mit dem Instant-Klassiker "USE IT OR LOSE IT", gefolgt von den Singles "NEW BOYFRIEND" und "CPR". Auf den weiteren Songs nimmt uns Lynks mit auf eine lebendige Tour durch die moderne Queer-Kultur, die von Gelegenheitssex ("(WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM) SEX WITH A STRANGER"), wilden Fantasien, chaotischen Irrungen und Wirrungen und einer einseitigen Liebesaffäre mit einem heterosexuellen Tennistrainer geprägt ist ("TENNIS SONG"). In dem Spoken-Word-Stück "LEVITICUS 18" liest ein Priester das berüchtigte Bibel-Kapitel und den Vers: "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination." Der Titeltrack des Albums greift die Idee des Unheiligen auf und liefert eine trotzige, euphorische Antwort auf Unterdrückung, indem Lynks sich über die religiöse Verurteilung von Homosexualität lustig macht.

Als Gegengewicht dazu erkennt "LUCKY" an, dass im Großen und Ganzen jetzt wahrscheinlich trotzdem die beste Zeit in der Geschichte ist, um eine queere Person im Vereinigten Königreich zu sein. "LYNKS THINKS" und "FLASH IN THE PAN" bringen gegen Ende des Albums die Dichotomie des Lynks-Projekts auf den Punkt. Ein riesengroßes Selbstvertrauen und Queer-Stolz, der trotzdem von extremer Verletzlichkeit durchbrochen wird - wenn auch nur für einen Moment, um entschlossen weiterzumachen und exzessiv die schönen Seiten des Lebens zu feiern.

Tracklist "ABOMINATION": 01. USE IT OR LOSE IT 02. NEW BOYFRIEND 03. CPR 04. (WHAT DID YOU EXPECT FROM) SEX WITH A STRANGER 05. TENNIS SONG 06. I FEEL LIKE SHIT 07. ROOM 116 08. LEVITICUS 18 09. ABOMINATION 10. LUCKY 11. SMALL TALK 12. LYNKS THINKS 13. FLASH IN THE PAN

Live: 02.05.24 Köln – Artheater 03.05.24 Berlin – Cassiopeia 04.05.24 Hamburg – Turmzimmer Booking: Z|ART Agency

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[jashim6356]

15 Things Forbidden by The Bible That You Probably Do:

15 Things Forbidden by The Bible That You Probably Do: The Bible is a holy book that guides millions of people worldwide in their daily lives. However, did you know that there are some ridiculous things that are forbidden by the Bible, which you probably do every day? From wearing mixed fabrics to eating certain foods, the Bible’s rules can seem arbitrary and outdated to modern readers. Let’s explore some of these “forbidden” activities and see if you’re all sinful. Buckle up, and get ready to uncover some surprising revelations about the Bible’s strange prohibitions. 1.Wearing clothing made of mixed fabrics. According to Leviticus 19:19, people were forbidden to wear clothing made of two different materials, which in today’s world would be pretty much impossible if you want to have a fashion sense. 2.Eating pork or shellfish. Leviticus (11:7-12) strikes again, listing various animals that were considered unclean and therefore prohibited from being eaten, including pigs and 3. Shaving beards. Can you take a wild guess who said no to men shaving the edges of their beards? Leviticus 19:27. Just so you know, you’ll see his name pop up a lot here. 4.Tattoos or body piercings. Who would have thought that the same guy who was against trimming beards would also dislike tattoos and piercings, among many other things? It’s crazy how much clout Leviticus (19:28) had back in the day that people actually list 5.Charging interest on loans. The Bible forbids charging interest on loans to fellow Israelites, as noted in Deuteronomy 23:19-20. For everybody else, however, it’s all godsend to him.

6.Women speaking in the church. In 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, women are instructed to remain silent in church and are not allowed to speak. Ladies, you need to speak up! 7.Divorce. While divorce is now widely accepted, it was frowned upon in biblical times and seen as a sin, as stated in Mark 10:9-12.in silent in church and are not allowed to speak. Ladies, you need to speak up! 8.Banning women from the church after they gave birth. According to Leviticus 12:2, a woman that gave birth was not allowed to visit the church for a whole week. 9.No Tarot readings. Leviticus 19:31 forbids people to turn to mediums or spiritists. 10.No jewelry. According to Timothy 2:9, women had to wear proper clothing and look modest. Braiding hair, adorning gold or pear

11.Working on Saturday. Exodus 20:8-10 commands people to keep the Sabbath day holy and refrain from any work 12.Leave the fallen grapes for the bums. Leviticus 19:10 says not to pick up the grapes from the ground and instead leave them for the poor and the foreigner. This guy, wow. 13.Drinking too much wine. While drinking alcohol is not forbidden, Proverbs 23:20-21 cautions against getting sloshed. 14.No honey. According to Leviticus 2:11, the Lord hates honey and yeast in his offerings. Surely, that’s got nothing to do with the guy’s allergies. 15.Eating meat with blood. In Leviticus 17:10-14, it is forbidden to consume meat that still has blood in it. So all you rare steak aficionados are sinful as heck.

[just-bible-musings]

Fed By Ravens

Something I've been thinking about lately:

In 1 Kings 17:3-6, Elijah, one of the greatest prophets that ever lived, had to go and hide beside a hidden brook. Elijah had prophesied against the evil king of Israel, Ahab, and Ahab was looking to kill Elijah. So God told Elijah where to go and how He would take care of him: by having ravens bring him food.

Elijah was an Israelite. And, as one of God's best prophets, he was probably known as someone who was obedient to the law (as written in the 1st 5 books of the Old Testament). Ravens were marked as unclean birds (Leviticus 11:15), probably because they are scavengers. Elijah obeyed God and let the ravens feed him, but I can't imagine that he liked it. He'd always been taught that it was a sin to touch an unclean animal, and now God was telling him that was how he would be fed? If I was Elijah, I would have been very confused, probably a little disgusted, and maybe even a little angry.

Another story in which God told someone to eat something unclean:

On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:  Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.  And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.  But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.  And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.  This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven. Acts 10:9-16

God gave Peter this vision because He was about to send Peter to witness to a Gentile. According to Jewish law, Jews would be considered unclean if they stayed in a Gentile's house. But Jesus didn't come only to save the Jews, but the entire world. God had to communicate to Peter that the laws of "clean and unclean" no longer applied. Jesus had fulfilled the law with His death on the cross, and now the entire world would be granted access to His salvation.

So, how does all this apply to us today? Especially if we're not Jewish and have no concept of "clean vs. unclean"?

Let me tell you a little bit about myself:

I'm one of those people who believes that the Mark of the Beast will somehow be related to computers and the Internet. There's just too many things in Revelation that don't make sense unless you factor the Internet into it. Like how people will be sending gifts around the world to each other to celebrate the deaths of the 2 witnesses (Revelation 11), or how the entire world mourns when the Whore of Babylon is destroyed (Revelation 18), or even how the Beast's one-world government comes about in the first place. It can only happen because of the Internet.

As a result, I am extremely bothered by... well, by pretty much everything God has told me to do. I know God has led me into both the life I have and the life I'm working towards. And it's all about computers. My job heavily relies on the Internet. I'm a gamer and aspiring game designer. And I get so mad at God. "You're just gonna tear it all down, why did you put me here? Isn't it evil? Isn't is all leading to the Mark of the Beast?"

I've had times when I've completely avoided video games because I wanted to avoid anything related to electronics or the Internet. I've asked God multiple times to just give me the gumption to walk away from my job, from everything, and go live in a cave somewhere, away from all of it. I still have so much trouble making myself study game design. And I get mad at work and no one but me knows the real reason- because it bugs me so much that all my paycheck comes from being on a computer all day.

And what finally made me realize that, for whatever reason, God actually wants me dealing with computers all the time, was when I started volunteering at a local resale house. I spent several days fasting to ask God where He wants me to be. That's actually a big thing for me, because not only do I like to eat, I also start getting nauseous if I go without food for more than a day. I made myself sick by fasting, but I came out of it knowing for certain that God wanted me to volunteer at this place.

And you wanna know what department I ended up in? Electronics. Cleaning up modems and routers and computer equipment to put out for sale.

I finally threw my hands in the air and told God, "Fine, have it your way. But I still don't get it." Literally everything in my life is computer- or Internet-related, and it bothers me.

I'm confused and angry. Angry at God, really. But I know I'm doing what He wants me to do, even if I don't understand it.

Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalm 37:4

A lot of people, including me, believe this verse means that God won't just give you what you desire, but that He will give you the desires themselves. So my interest in game design is from Him.

I often feel a lot like Elijah. "Unclean, unclean!" Yet this is the life God has given me. And it's not just being fed twice a day for a few months or years. This is for a lifetime.

So I know from experience that it is entirely possible to hate what God made you to be and to want to run away from it. To think of it as "unclean." Because that hatred comes from Satan. And he's very good at twisting the truth into a lie.

See, I was always into "eschatology"- the study of the end of the world as told in the Bible- even as a child. But I only came to Jesus 7 years ago, and He's having to rewrite my entire script, everything I've ever believed in. Truth is, even I know the Internet itself isn't a bad thing. It just gets used- and will be used- for bad things. But it takes time to readjust the way you see and feel about the world.

At present, I still believe that the Internet is related to the events of Revelation. But some of my thoughts on just what will happen have changed (too many to cover, I'll have to make posts about them all at some other time). At any rate, I keep trying to remind myself:

I'm where God wants me to be

I'm doing what He wants me to do

I'm not sinning if I am doing what He wants me to do

Sometimes God feeds us with ravens

And, maybe, sometimes those ravens are just things we tell ourselves- maybe they're not "bad" in and of themselves, after all

Is there anything in your life where you're confused about whether God actually told you to do it or not? Something where you've always said "this is bad, don't touch," but now God's telling you to do it? Maybe you need to do the same thing that I need to do, and stop thinking you have the right (ha! or the intelligence!) to decide what is "good" and what is "bad." If God says it is good, then it is good.

[bills-bible-basics]

WHY POISONOUS SNAKES SPIDERS AND SCORPIONS -- KJV (King James Version) Bible Verse List #Scriptures #BibleStudy #BibleVerses Visit https://www.billkochman.com/VerseLists/ to see more. "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Genesis 3:17-19, KJV "And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife." Genesis 12:14-17, KJV "And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth." Exodus 9:13-15, KJV "And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate. And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins." Leviticus 26:21-24, KJV "And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died." Numbers 21:5-6, KJV "Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;" Deuteronomy 8:15, KJV "If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God." Deuteronomy 28:58-62, KJV "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." Isaiah 45:5-7, KJV It is likewise because of sins and rebellion, that great plagues occur in the Book of Revelation as well. If you would like more info regarding the origin of these KJV Bible verse lists, go to https://www.billkochman.com/VerseLists/. Thank-you! https://www.billkochman.com/Blog/index.php/why-poisonous-snakes-spiders-and-scorpions-kjv-king-james-version-bible-verse-list/?feed_id=214993&WHY%20POISONOUS%20SNAKES%20SPIDERS%20AND%20SCORPIONS%20--%20KJV%20%28King%20James%20Version%29%20Bible%20Verse%20List