#gibeah

[scripture-pictures]

[lordgodjehovahsway]

1 Samuel 11: Nahash Overtakes Jabesh Gilead Until Saul Rescues The City

1 Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you.”

2 But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel.”

3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you.”

4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept aloud. 

5 Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, “What is wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?” Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said.

6 When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. 

7 He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out together as one. 

8 When Saul mustered them at Bezek, the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and those of Judah thirty thousand.

9 They told the messengers who had come, “Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, ‘By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be rescued.’” When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated. 

10 They said to the Ammonites, “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever you like.”

11 The next day Saul separated his men into three divisions; during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

Saul Confirmed as King

12 The people then said to Samuel, “Who was it that asked, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Turn these men over to us so that we may put them to death.”

13 But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today, for this day the Lord has rescued Israel.”

14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingship.” 

15 So all the people went to Gilgal and made Saul king in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.

[kdmiller55]

Israel’s Glory is Gone

16 And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in Geba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual; 18 another company turned toward Beth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that looks down on the Valley of…

[wisdomfish]

Gibeah, Gore, and the Power of the Gospel

[aprettyjewishyear]

אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן: יוֹם שֶׁהוּתַּר שֵׁבֶט בִּנְיָמִין לָבוֹא בַּקָּהָל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְאִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל נִשְׁבַּע בַּמִּצְפָּה לֵאמֹר אִישׁ מִמֶּנּוּ לֹא יִתֵּן בִּתּוֹ לְבִנְיָמִן לְאִשָּׁה״. מַאי דְּרוּשׁ? אָמַר רַב: ״מִמֶּנּוּ״, וְלֹא מִבָּנֵינוּ.

Rav Yosef said that Rav Naḥman said: The fifteenth of Av was the day on which the tribe of Benjamin was permitted to enter the congregation of the Jewish people. After the tragic incident at Gibeah, for which the tribe of Benjamin was blamed, the other tribes ostracized them. They took an oath to prohibit themselves from marrying a member of the tribe of Benjamin, as it is stated: “And the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying: None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife” (Judges 21:1). The Gemara asks: What did they expound that enabled them to dissolve this oath? Rav said: They understood the verse literally, as it states: “None of us,” and not: None of our children, i.e., the oath applied only to the generation that took the oath, not their descendants.

translation courtesy of Sefaria, Koren-Steinsaltz. Taanit 30b:11.

Trigger warning: rape, gendered violence, kidnapping

The "tragic incident at Gibeah" referenced in this passage was thus: a Levite brought his concubine into the city of Gibeah and, when its citizens threatened to rape him, he offered up his concubine to be raped instead. She died of the brutality. The Levite desecrated her body and sent pieces of it to each tribe, inciting the war and the oath.

After this oath and after peace was made with the Benjaminites, but before the oath was annulled by time, the Levites kidnapped four hundred women who had not taken the oath and forced them to marry four hundred of the six hundred remaining Benjaminites. The remaining two hundred Benjaminites abducted their wives themselves.

The expiration of this oath is one of the many things celebrated on Tu b'Av, but the story is a difficult one to grapple with. When I celebrate Tu b'Av and I think of this story, I will celebrate not because the men of the tribe of Benjamin were once more free to marry outside of their tribe, but because all of them of the generation who participated in these horrific acts must have died. The end of the oath represents and necessitated an end to the violence, and the end of this violence feels like something worth celebrating.

Of course, no two people will interpret this story or this Talmud passage or this holiday the same; I put forth my thoughts not as an authority but as one of many voices.

art titled The Levite Carries the Woman's Body Away. by Gustave Doré, originally published in Doré's English Bible.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

God's Judgment on Israel and Judah

1 Hear ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.

2 And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all.

3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled.

4 They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the Lord.

5 And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity: Judah also shall fall with them.

6 They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them.

7 They have dealt treacherously against the Lord: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.

8 Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Bethaven, after thee, O Benjamin.

9 Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.

10 The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.

11 Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.

12 Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.

13 When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound.

14 For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him.

15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early. — Hosea 5 | King James Version (KJV) The King James Version Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Genesis 42:21; Leviticus 26:40; Deuteronomy 19:14; Deuteronomy 27:17; Deuteronomy 28:33; Judges 5:14; Psalm 7:2; Psalm 39:11; Psalm 50:22; Proverbs 1:28; Isaiah 1:14-15; Isaiah 3:7; Isaiah 5:24; Isaiah 7:16; Isaiah 28:1; Isaiah 29:15; Isaiah 37:3; Isaiah 48:8; Isaiah 59:12; Jeremiah 2:19; Jeremiah 30:12; Ezekiel 23:7; Hosea 4:1-2; Hosea 4:6; Hosea 4:12; Hosea 8:1; Hosea 9:8-9; Hosea 9:16

[orthodoxydaily]

SAINTS&READING: SUNDAY. SEPTEMBER 15, 2024

september 2_september 15

TRANSLATION OF THE RELICS OF PRINCE PETER (1228) AND PRINCESS FEBRONIA (tonsured David and Euphrosyne), WONDERWORKERDS OF MUROM

Holy Prince Peter (David in monasticism) and Holy Princess Febronia (Euphrosyne - Euphrosynē - in monasticism), Wonderworkers of Murom. Prince Peter was the second son of the Murom prince Yuri Vladimirovich. He entered upon the throne of Murom in the year 1203. Several years before this Saint Peter had fallen ill with leprosy, from which no one was able to heal him. In a vision it was revealed to the prince that the daughter of a bee-keeper would be able to heal him: the pious maiden Febronia, a peasant of Laskova village in Ryazan gubernia. Saint Peter sent his emissaries to this village.

When the prince saw Saint Febronia, he fell in love with her because of her piety, wisdom and virtue, and vowed to marry her after being healed. Saint Febronia healed the prince and became his wife. The holy couple loved each other through all their ordeals. The haughty boyars did not wish to have a princess of common origin, and they urged that the prince leave her. Saint Peter refused, and so they banished the couple. They sailed off on a boat from their native city along the River Oka, and Saint Febronia continued to console Saint Peter. Soon the wrath of God fell upon the city of Murom, and the people begged the prince return together with Saint Febronia.

The holy couple was famous for their piety and charity. They died on the same day and hour, June 25, 1228, having received the monastic tonsure with the names David and Evphrosyne. The bodies of the saints were put in the same grave.

Sts Peter and Febronia showed themselves exemplary models of Christian marriage, and are considered as the patron saints of newly-weds.

Sourcec: Orthodox Church in America_OCA

RIGHTEOUS ALEAZAR AND PHINEAS, THE GRANDSON OF AARON AND SECOND HIGH PRIEST OF ISRAEL (c. 1500 B.C.)

Eleazar was Aaron's third son by his wife Elisheba. Eleazar became a priest along with his father and three brothers. He married a daughter of Putiel who bore him a son, Phinehas. After his two older brothers, Nadab and Abihu, were killed for making an unholy offering to God, and during his fathers lifetime, "he was supervisor over those who had charge of the sanctuary" (Num. 3:32). "Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, is to have charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering and the anointing oil. He is to be in charge of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including its holy furnishings and articles" (Num. 4:16).

When Aaron died at Mount Hor, Eleazar became the high priest. Before Moses died, the Lord instructed Moses to appoint Joshua as his successor, and to "stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation" (Num. 27:19). Eleazar served as the high priest through the rest of Moses' life and throughout Joshua's leadership in taking over Canaan.

He helped in the allotment of Canaan among the twelve tribes of Israel (Joshua 14:1-2). Eleazar was buried at Gibeah, a town belonging to Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim. Phinehas succeeded him as high priest. In King David's day, 16 of the 24 priestly houses were descended from Eleazar, including the family of the high priest Zadok.Righteous Phinehas (Feast Day - September 2 & March 12)

Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, was a grandson of Aaron. He was a zealous priest. During the desert wandering, Phinehas killed Zimri, an Israelite, and Cozri, a Midianite woman, whom Zimri had brought into the camp (Numbers 25).

This act ended a plague by which God had judged Israel for allowing Midianite women to corrupt Israel with idolatry and harlotry. For such zeal Phinehas and his descendants were promised a permanent priesthood. “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned My anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for My honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in My zeal. Therefore tell him I am making My covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites” (Num. 25:11-13).

Phinehas became the third high priest of Israel, serving for 19 years. In other events in Phinehas' life, he accompanied an army of 12,000 in a war against Midian, in which the Israelites won decisively. He averted a war between the 10 tribes west of the Jordan, with the tribes east of the Jordan, when he learned that the altar built by the east tribes was only a reminder "that the Lord is God", and that it was not an act of idolatry.

He also conveyed the Lord's order to the Israelites to attack the tribe of Benjamin in retaliation for the rape and murder of a woman traveling through the land. In the battle, 25,100 Benjamite warriers died.

Phinehas's strong defense of the Lord's law made him a model to zealots of later generations. His descendants were among those returning from exile in Babylon.

The Righteous Phineas, grandson of the High Priest Aaron (also commemorated today) and son of the High Priest Eleazar, was also a priest and zealous in his service.

When the Israelites, after the holy Prophet Moses (September 4) led them out of Egypt, were already near the Promised Land, their neighbors the Moabites and Midianites were overcome by fear and envy. Not trusting in their own strength, they summoned the magician Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites. The Lord revealed His will to Balaam, and Balaam refused to curse the People of God, seeing that God was pleased to bless them (Num. 24:1).

Then the Moabites drew the Israelites into the worship of Baal-Peor. God punished the Jews for their apostasy, and they died by the thousands from a plague. Many, beholding the wrath of God, came to their senses and repented.

At this time a certain man named Zimri, of the tribe of the Simeon, “brought to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, and they wept at the door of the tabernacle of witness” (Num. 25:6). Phineas, filled with wrath, went into Zimri’s tent and killed both him and the Midianite woman with a spear.

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Phineas... has caused My wrath against the children of Israel to cease, when I was exceedingly jealous among them.... Behold, I give him a covenant of peace, and he and his descendants shall have a perpetual covenant of priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel’” (Num. 25:10-13).

After this, at the command of God, Phineas went at the head of the Israelite army against the Moabites and brought chastisement upon them for their impiety and treachery. After the death of the High Priest Eleazar, Saint Phineas was unanimously chosen as High Priest. The high priesthood, in accord with God’s promise, continued also with his posterity. Saint Phineas died at an advanced age around 1500 B.C.

SOURCE: Orthodox Christianity Then and NOW and Orthodox Chruch in America_OCA

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Luke 6:17-23

17 And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, 18 as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. 19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all. 20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh. 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man's sake. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

[biblebloodhound]

Fear or Faith? (1 Samuel 13:23-14:23)

The opposite of faith is not unbelief; it’s fear.

The pass at Micmash had meanwhile been secured by a contingent of the Philistine army. One day Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come on, let’s go over to where the Philistines have their outpost.” But Jonathan did not tell his father what he was doing. Meanwhile, Saul and his 600 men were camped on the outskirts of Gibeah, around the pomegranate tree at Migron. Among Saul’s men was Ahijah…

[nerdsandthelike]

First Lines Meme

Rules: Share the first line of your last ten published works or as many as you are able and see if there are any patterns!

I was tagged by @icannotreadcursive and I wound up doing more than 10, because I think there are some interesting data points outside of my most recent 10!

these inward wars once out of hand (T, Original Work)

Avrin sat on the floor of his cell, waiting.

Poured Out Like Water (T, Jesus Christ Superstar)

Judas never expected to wake up.

The Rumour (G, "The Duel"- Georgette Heyer)

Charlie had not been entirely conscious of the events of the afternoon.

With heart so full I can't explain (T, Leverage)

Things were finally falling into a rhythm with Megan living with them.

A Hell of a Lot of Hope (M, The Old Guard)

Quỳnh was still in shock.

Rubbers and Revolution (T, The Old Guard)

Travis Johnson had his hands more than full as the vice principal of Central High School.

Gender and Sexuality for Immortals: or how not to start fights in gay bars (and other queer spaces) (T, The Old Guard)

Of all the things that Nile had expected to be doing with her new immortality, getting kicked out of a gay bar because three of the world’s four oldest queers had gotten into a fight with a drag queen was not one of them. 

people on the edge of the night (M, Stranger Things)

When Will first hears the slur yelled, he ignores it.

Rust On Their Love (T, Stranger Things)

Robin thinks she won’t be able to sleep that night.

Rust In Their Eyes (T, Stranger Things)

Robin is not an optimist.

Nobody Told Us (Cause Nobody Showed Us) (T, Stranger Things)

Robin would not consider herself an expert in social situations.

Them That Hope in His Mercy (G, Tanakh)

When he had still felt young, David had been taken to the palace at Gibeah to play the lyre for King Saul.

A Lot of Space Between Your Ears (T, Good Omens- book)

It was a sunny June day, nearly a year after the end of the world when Crowley returned to his flat from a leisurely afternoon of sitting outside a café with his feet just slightly too far into the pavement.

Nobody Knows It (T, Stranger Things)

It is just Robin’s luck.

Be Ace, Do Crimes (G, Leverage)

“And then Breanna will come in and flirt with him,” Sophie continued.

Practiced at the Art of Deception (T, Leverage)

“Eliot.”

So there's a lot to learn (and feel deeply called out by) here! Clearly I'm a big fan of starting with the feelings of the PoV character. I'm slightly less likely to do that if I'm intentionally mimicking someone else's style, like in the Good Omens fic, where I was very intentionally trying to sound like the book or the Tanakh fic where I saw trying to sound a little more biblical. But the fact that all of my Heart Attack fics (the first three), start in exactly the same way suggests that a short sentence with the PoV character's name and how they're feeling is a pretty strong default start for me. It's what I did consistently when I didn't have time and wasn't editing much. And only Leverage fics get to start with dialogue, I guess!

I was also really interested to see that "Rust On Their Love" started EXACTLY the same way as the others because that's actually a missing scene. that was never intended to be the first sentence of a fic! So maybe this is something about how I start scenes in addition to how I start entire fics.

But more than the actual sentence structure (which I could obviously mix up sometimes), what's interesting to me is that I so often start fics with my characters somehow vulnerable or unsure. A lot of these start with characters confronting something unexpected or feeling out of their depth in some way. Even the ones that start with dialogue, that dialogue is something that is going to shock or unsettle the main character of the fic. And thinking about it, that makes sense to me! Especially from the PoV character, it's a fun way to get the reader inside their head and make them feel relatable. Narratively, it also gives the character room to grow and that insecurity is often what kicks of the plot. So honestly, I may start making my characters vulnerable at the beginning on purpose. Or if I make a different decision, maybe I'll do it more intentionally. What kind of story and what kind of relationship to the PoV character do you get if they start out from a place of power or confidence? That'd be fun to write!

Anyway, lots to think about! I'd love to see anybody who wants to do this, but especially @when-did-this-become-difficult. If anyone does it, please tag me, this was fascinating and I want to see what other patterns are out there!

[scripture-pictures]

[spiritsoulandbody]

#DailyDevotion The LORD Will Eventually Deal With The Idols Of Our Hearts

#DailyDevotion The LORD Will Eventually Deal With The Idols Of Our Hearts Hos. 10 7Samaria and her king will be cut off and be like a piece of wood on the water. 8The hill shrines of Aven — Israel's sin — will be wiped out. Thorns and thistles will grow up on their altars. People will say to the mountains, “Cover us,” and to the hills, “Fall on us." Samaria is another name for the northern kingdom of the Israelites. You might remember the LORD split the kingdoms after the reign of Solomon. Jeroboam, whom the LORD appointed as king over the northern tribes, in fear of losing his people back to allegiance to Jerusalem, built two temples, one in Bethel and the other in Dan. At these altars he placed golden calves to represent the LORD. This always irritated the LORD and He was patient with them for a couple centuries, until the effects of those idols, namely the worship of other gods and a departure from the rest of the Law, has now brought the destruction of this country. So Samaria and her king would be cut off and be like a broken off branch being carried away by the river. The LORD would finally put an end to these two temples and altars by the hands of the Assyrians. To this day, they are at best archaeological digs. Thorns and thistles are the inhabitants of them now. The destruction brought down upon the Israelites because of their sin will be apocalyptic and the prophet proclaims the people will say to the mountains, “Cover us,” and to the hills, “Fall on us.” Jesus would quote this referring to the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans and then to the Day of Judgment for the whole world. They say this in hopes of being hidden from the wrath and judgment of the LORD. Of course nothing can provide cover for the Day of the LORD than the blood of Jesus. 9“Since the time of Gibeah you have sinned, Israel; and it's still the same. Will no war against wicked people reach them in Gibeah? 10I will punish them when I want to. People will be gathered against them since they are yoked to a double wrong. Gibeah is interesting. It is there the men of Israel circumcised themselves having entered the Promised Land because they did not practice this since leaving Egypt. From there they embarked on taking the Land the LORD was giving them. It was there the sin against the Levites concubine took place and Benjamin was almost wiped out by the other Israelites. It was where Saul was from and where he was chosen as Israel's first king, the people having rejected the LORD as their king. In placing the time since Gibeah, the LORD is basically saying the people of Israel were rarely faithful since entering the Promised Land. Now Gibeah was also one of the furthest places in the kingdom, hence the question, “Will no war against wicked people reach them in Gibeah?” They perhaps thought they were safe by distance. But no, the Assyrians will reach there as well. God will punish them when He wants to do so. The people who will be gathered against Israel are the Assyrians. The being yoked to a double wrong is a reference to the golden calves at Dan and Bethel. Always a stick in the LORD's craw, He would finally execute judgment on them for having departed from His instructions of worshiping only where He put His name and not having any images of Him to worship. What shall we do? Examine ourselves for any idols, anything we substitute for the LORD, cast them out and trust only in the face of our LORD Jesus Christ, the image of God. Heavenly Father, by Your Holy Spirit, cast out all idols from our hearts so we may worship You only in the image of our LORD Jesus Christ, Your Son. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

[kdmiller55]

The Beginning of the End

1 Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel, 2 Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. 3 Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at…

[garudabluffs]

IDF Soldiers BLOW UP Critical Water Facility In Rafah

Aug 25, 2024 Palestinians are wading through puddles and sewage in search of water. Jordan Uhl, Sharon Reed and Yasmin Khan discuss on The Young Turks.

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BREAKING!!:WHAT DO ARABS DO IN ANCIENT JEWISH CITIES ON JEWISH LAND???!!Here’s a revised list of 100 ancient Jewish cities in Judea and Samaria, along with their English meanings or translations: 1. *Jerusalem* - City of Peace 2. *Hebron* - Friend 3. *Bethlehem* - House of Bread 4. *Jericho* - Fragrant 5. *Bethel* - House of God 6. *Shiloh* - Peaceful, Tranquil 7. *Gibeon* - Great Hill 8. *Samaria* - Watch Mountain 9. *Jaffa* - Beautiful 10. *Tiberias* - Fish 11. *Nablus* (Shechem) - Shoulder 12. *Ramallah* - Height of God 13. *Beersheba* - Well of the Oath 14. *Lachish* - Impenetrable 15. *Ashkelon* - Fortress 16. *Modiin* - Place of the Maccabees 17. *Zif* - Aroma 18. *En Gedi* - Spring of the Kid 19. *Kiryat Yearim* - City of Forest 20. *Ma'ale Adumim* - Red Ascent 21. *Gush Etzion* - Etzion Block 22. *Mitzpeh Jericho* - Lookout of Jericho 23. *Gezer* - Boundary 24. *Hazor* - Fortress 25. *Yavne* - To Build 26. *Capernaum* - Village of Nahum 27. *Taanach* - Place of the Tannins 28. *Caesarea* - Caesarea 29. *Acco* (Acre) - Stronghold 30. *Safed* - Branch 31. *Ashdod* - Stronghold 32. *Ein Kerem* - Spring of the Vineyard 33. *Qumran* - The Place of the Qumran Sect 34. *Arad* - City of the Wild Goat 35. *Gilead* - Hill of Witness 36. *Kfar Etzion* - Village of the Etzion 37. *Shushan* - Lily 38. *Kiryat Sefer* - City of the Book 39. *Bet Shemesh* - House of the Sun 40. *Geva* - Hill 41. *Kfar Saba* - Village of Saba 42. *Ein Gedi* - Spring of the Goat 43. *Giv'at Ze'ev* - Hill of Wolf 44. *Sde Boker* - Field of the Boker 45. *Tirosh* - New Wine 46. *Zichron Yaakov* - Memorial of Jacob 47. *Mevo Modi'im* - Entrance to Modi'im 48. *Shushan* - Lily 49. *Tzora* - Place of the Lion 50. *Shechem* - Shoulder 51. *Peki'in* - Opening 52. *Susiya* - Ruins 53. *Kirjat Arba* - City of Four 54. *Migdol* - Tower 55. *Gibeah* - Hill 56. *Givon* - Great Hill 57. *Kiryat Shmona* - City of Eight 58. *Taanach* - Place of the Tannins 59. *Kfar Chabad* - Village of Chabad 60. *Giv'at Hamivtar* - Hill of the Watchtower 61. *Bar Am* - Son of the People 62. *Hatzor* - Fortress 63. *Shiloh* - Peaceful 64. *Be'er Sheva* - Well of the Oath 65. *Adoraim* - Ruins 66. *Efrat* - Fruitful 67. *En Avdat* - Spring of Avdat 68. *Giv'ah* - Hill 69. *Ma'ale Levona* - White Ascent 70. *Tzfat* - Branch 71. *Bnei Brak* - Sons of the Wheat 72. *Giv'at Shmuel* - Hill of Samuel 73. *Rosh HaAyin* - Head of the Eye 74. *Betar* - Fortress 75. *Yitzhar* - Olive Oil 76. *Nahariya* - Place of the Clouds 77. *Yavne'el* - God Builds 78. *Ariel* - Lion of God 79. *Kfar Maimon* - Village of Maimon 80. *Sde Eliyahu* - Field of Elijah 81. *Sde Moshe* - Field of Moses 82. *Ein Avdat* - Spring of Avdat 83. *Hadera* - Place of the Water 84. *Kiryat Bialik* - Bialik City 85. *Kiryat Yam* - City by the Sea 86. *Ashdod* - Stronghold 87. *Giv'at Shmuel* - Hill of Samuel 88. *Yagur* - Place of the Yagur 89. *Nof Hagalil* - Galilee Heights 90. *Ramat Gan* - Gan Heights 91. *Petah Tikva* - Opening of Hope 92. *Tel Aviv* - Hill of Spring 93. *Ramat Hasharon* - Heights of Sharon 94. *Herzliya* - Herzl's Place 95. *Ra'anana* - To be Resurrected 96. *Giv'atayim* - Hill of the People 97. *Tiberias* - Fish 98. *Capernaum* - Village of Nahum 99. *Kfar Saba* - Village of the Father 100. *Ein Bokek* - Spring of the Bokek Feel free to ask if you need more details about any specific city!Show less

[vinceleemiller]

Grieving Our National Leaders | 1 Samuel 15:34-35

Do you grieve our national leaders?

Welcome to the Daily Devo. I am Vince Miller.

This week, we are in 1 Samuel 15. I've titled this chapter "The Consequences of Disobedience."

In yesterday's devotional, we saw how Saul's insecurity led him to disobedience by prioritizing the people's voice over God's, which resulted in his leadership being torn from him and given to the man we will read about in the next chapter. With this, we close off this chapter with this sad reality in verses 34-35:

Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel. — 1 Samuel 15:34-35

These two men went to their homes and never saw each other again. It is such a sad ending to forty years. We also learn that Samuel would outlive King Saul. That is an interesting detail, considering that before Saul was appointed King, the people thought Samuel was old and needed a successor. Now we learn Samuel would outlive his reign.

But notice Samuel's response to Saul. He was "grieved over" him. Samuel didn't psychologically hate him. He hoped something better would have transpired during his reign and that Saul would have obeyed. Therefore, he grieves for him and the situation.

I have met many believers from generations ahead of me who feel the same about our time. They are grieved about what they see and hear in our time, and their hearts are heavy.

Faithful servants of God don't celebrate fallen leaders and God's judgment and retribution. They grieve it because they know that sin awaits everyone, and they, too, are susceptible to its consequences.

Pray for our national leaders. Pray against untruthful ideologies and ask that God's truth be revealed to them. Pray that they will act in obedience to God. Pray for an end to untruth, disobedience, and deception. But don't celebrate it—grieve it because you, too, have sinful inclinations.

God, we pray for our nation. We pray for all our leaders. Expose untruth, reveal the truth, and call our leaders to obey you. Amen.

#PrayForLeaders, #GrieveNotCelebrate, #FaithfulResponse

Ask This:

How can you cultivate a heart of empathy and prayerfulness when faced with the failures or shortcomings of those in leadership positions, both in your community and on a national level?

In what ways can you personally model obedience to God in your daily life, especially when you see others in leadership not living out these values? How can this influence your prayers and actions toward leaders?

Do This:

Pray for our leaders.

Pray This:

Lord, help me grieve our leaders' shortcomings with a heart full of compassion and prayer rather than judgment. Guide me to live in obedience to Your commands and to seek Your truth in every situation. Amen.

Play This:

Let the Nations Rise.

Check out this episode!

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Civil War in Israel

18 The children of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked counsel of God. They asked, “Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin?”

Yahweh said, “Judah first.”

19 The children of Israel rose up in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. 20 The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah. 21 The children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day destroyed twenty-two thousand of the Israelite men down to the ground. 22 The people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day. 23 The children of Israel went up and wept before Yahweh until evening; and they asked of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I again draw near to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?”

Yahweh said, “Go up against him.”

24 The children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day. 25 Benjamin went out against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men. All these drew the sword.

26 Then all the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to Bethel, and wept, and sat there before Yahweh, and fasted that day until evening; then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh. 27 The children of Israel asked Yahweh (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease?”

Yahweh said, “Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver him into your hand.” — Judges 20:18-28 | World English Bible (WEB) The World English Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Numbers 27:21; Joshua 7:6-7; Judges 7:9; Judges 19:16; Judges 21:2; 1 Samuel 11:4; Psalm 78:62; Jeremiah 36:9

[nach-yomish]

Day 45: Judges 21 // שופטים כ"א

Warning again for violence against women, though less explicit than last time. This is the last chapter of Judges! Tomorrow we begin Samuel I!

(Link to full chapter text on Sefaria)