And a young man ran to Moses and said, Eldad and Medad are prophesying [sounding forth the praises of God and declaring His will] in the camp. Joshua son of Nun, the minister of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, My lord Moses, forbid them (Numbers11:27)
Hey Neighbor!
In many urban neighborhoods, there is a notorious saying, that âSnitches get Stitches!â
Have you heard It??
Well, in not so many words, if You run to go tell on me, you might, potentially suffer some painful consequences.đ¤đŠź
Now several months ago, we uncovered a âjealousâ snitch in the book of Numbers, as shown in our lead scripture; where a young, âminister-in-training,â Joshua, ran to go tell Moses of how Eldad and Medad, were prophesying, inside of the camp.
Hereâs that Trivia-Riddle, where Joshua was exposed as our âsnitch.â
Now, Moses quickly âsquashedâ all that Eldad/Medad drama, which was actually due to a young Joshuaâs âjealousyâ and/or his reverence for Moses; and where he (Joshua) assumed that Eldad and Medad were disrespecting Mosesâ authority in the camp.
And, quite fortunately, there were no later consequences due young Joshua, for having snitched!!đ
But there were indeed consequences for another snitch, in a subsequent Book of The Bible.đŤŁ
Why??
Well, this dishonest, and mischievous snitch, went and told on David, after realizing that David was on the runâŚand as he (David) was seeking refuge from a raving mad, King Saul.
Now later in this particular (Book) story, David remembered that our âsnitchâ had been spying đľď¸ââď¸ on him that dayâŚand David even discloses to the reader, that he (David) knew that something was about to go down, after he (David) had been spied out (by our snitch.)
Now David does not tell us if this âSnitch got his Stitchesâ in that particular story!!đ
But ultimately, David did write a âsongâ about it; where he revealed to us, how the Lord avenged this dastardly betrayal against His anointed, (David) and also how The Lord did forever âstitchâ up the lying lips of this mischievous snitch!!đ¤
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Can You place a Name on our âsnitch,â and Can you quote the âsongâ đź that David đ¤ composed about the ultimate demise of this deceitful âsnitch.ââ°ď¸
So Solomon expelled Abiathar [descendant of (1Ki 2:27) Eli] from being priest to the Lord, fulfilling the word of the Lord which He spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. (1Ki 2:27)
Hey Neighbor!
These are the families of Levi according to their generations. Amram took Jochebed his fatherâs sister as wife, and she bore him Aaron and Moses
In the lead Scripture above, we see where God was finally fulfilling his promise, and wielding the final fateful blow upon the House of Eli!!
You may want to go back and get some essential background information from our 2 previous Lessons on Eli and The Fall of the Church in Shiloh.
Now, The first blow ( 1 Sam 4:17) resulted in Eliâs 2 sons (Hophni and Phinehas) being slain togetherâŚon the battlefieldâŚon the same day, after they willfully and recklessly departed from the Tabernacle at Shiloh, with the ark of the Lord.
Now the demise of these two wicked boys had already been foretold by the man of God in 1 Samuel 2:34
To Eli: And what befalls your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be a sign to you–in one day they both shall die. And I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest (Priest), who shall do according to what is in My heart and mind.
You see Eli was an âUnfaith-fullâ High Priest!!
He was the Judge, and the Chief Magistrate in Shiloh.
He was a Levite, and a direct descendant from the priestly line of Aaron. (See the chart above)
Now Eliâs grandfather, Aaron, Israelâs High Priest, had also lost two of his young sons (Nadab and Abihu), after they too, had also profaned the Lordâs altar in the tabernacle.
–AND NADAB and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and offered strange and unholy fire before the Lord, as He had not commanded them. And there came forth fire from before the Lord and killed them, and they died before the Lord. (Lev 10:1-2)
Aaronâs Four (4) Sons
Now after Aaron had lost his first two sons – Eliâs uncles- Aaron obviously became much more watchful and diligent to train up his two remaining sons in the fear and admonition of the Lord.
After all, as Godâs High Priest, Aaron had a sacred responsibility to honor and revere the Holy things of God; and He had a responsibility, as parent, to keep a continual eye upon Eleazar and Ithamar, as they were âpriests- in- training,â before the Lord.
–So Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priestâs office in the presence and under the supervision of Aaron their father (Num 3:4)
Now, if only Eli had learned from his grandfather, maybe he would have been more alert and attentive, when he first began to train up Hophni and Phinehas.
Maybe he would have been more diligent to restrict, restrain, rebuke, and/or even to remove Hophni and Phinehas from their honored positions of service, at the first sign of their willfulness and/or disobedience.
You see after God had slew Nadab and Abihu, Aaron became a full-time father, fully alert, and a priest who actively followed The Lordâs commands, within and without the tabernacle.
He became both a âfaith-fullâ High priest and parent.
Aaron was not a âsometimeyâ part-time parent/priest, like Eli!!
Remember it was Eliâs lackadaisical parenting style, and his direct neglect and lack of supervision that caused his father, Ithamarâs (priestly) branch to break off and die in ShilohâŚwhereafter, Godâs anointing was later transferred to Eleazarâs (priestly) branch in JerusalemâŚunder the reign of King Solomon!! 1 Kings 2:27
Letâs look at the gradual downfall of The House of Eli!!
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Now after the death of Hophni and Phinehas on the battlefield, there came the fall of EliâŚwhen he âfellâ out of his chair in Shiloh; he broke his neck and he died. (1 Sam 4:18)
That was the final nail in the coffin for The Church in Shiloh – after The Presence of God was departed from the Tabernacle.
Then there was the bloody fall of Eliâs great grandson, Ahimelech at Nob, where He and all of Eliâs remaining descendants were utterly slaughtered – except for Abiathar, Eliâs only descendant who survived to mourn and tell the story!!
Do you Remember this (below) forewarning, prophesied by the very same man of GodâŚto Eli??
– Yet I will not cut off from My altar every man of yours; some shall survive to weep and mourn [over the familyâs ruin], but all the increase of your house shall die in their best years. (1Sa 2:33)
You see, after the demise of the Church in Shiloh, Eliâs remaining descendants, (grandsons by Phinehas) made their home in the priestly city of Nob – (minus the Ark of the Lord.)
Now Ahimelech was the High Priest on duty at Nob, When his family was judged and punished (by the hand of King Saul, and an Edomite), and where another 85 men from Ithamarâs branch, plus all of the women, children, sucklings, and even the animals were utterly slaughtered in 1 Samuel 22:18.
–And I [now] announce to him that I will judge and punish his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, for his sons were bringing a curse upon themselves [blaspheming God], and he did not restrain them. (1Sa 3:13)
Again, God spared the life of Abiathar, who fled and narrowly escaped with his own life; but ultimately, he too would soon become another male, destined to fail and fall from the priesthood – from the House of Eli!!
Friend, Our God is not a man, that He should Lie!!
The Lord had previously proclaimed that he would both Judge and Punish Eliâs house forever!!
Remember that Eli was fully aware of the sins of his sons, and yet, he had failed to stop them!! đ
But Our Great God of Justice, will not Stop until He Puts an end to this foolishness thatâs going on in His HouseâŚeven today!
Remember when God told Jeremiah that He was always on duty, alert, and fully active to watch over His Word; He said he would completely fulfill it!!
–Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it. (Jer 1:12)
And Indeed God was about to dot every âiâ and cross every âtâ where his Words were concerned against Eli.
Remember when God told Samuel that every ear would tingle when they heard of itâŚWell They Did!!
– The Lord told Samuel, Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of all who hear it shall tingle. On that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end (1Sa 3:11-12)
So next week, we will continue with Part II, where we will learn more about the doom and demise of Eliâs great-grandson, AhimelechâŚ
And we will also witness Godâs final rebuke upon the âunfaith-fullâ Abiathar, (Eliâs great, great, grandson) and ultimately, Abiatharâs removal from both the priesthood, and from before The Presence of God, in The Lordâs House!!
We will also see how David was used by God, even upon his deathbed, to fulfill Godâs oath against Eliâs House; as He (God) was actively transferring his anointing from Ithamar, (Eli) to Eleazar, (Zadok)
Get Ready for Your EarsđTo Tingle!!
–But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to minister to Me, and they shall attend Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood, says the Lord God (Ezekiel 44:15)
Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their kinsmen were at their command.
(1Chronicles 12:32)
Hey Neighbor!
Then there arose another man to rescue IsraelâŚ
This man was one from amongst the 12 tribes of Jacob, whose descendants would someday come to understand the signs of the times and thus, they would also comprehend what actions Israel must take to prevail against their enemies.
This judge governed Israel after the death of the Shechemiteâs âchosenâ king, whose skull was crushed by a woman with a millstone.
Today’s Oldie is from 2015, back when I realized that God wanted to extend his helping hand into every area of my life. The Holy Spirit gave me a fresh opportunity to try Him out…and Yes!! – He showed and proved that He was ‘Faith-full’ to fulfill every Promise!!
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–Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully-
(1Peter 5:7)
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Yesterday, in Our Bible Study at the Center, We talked about giving All of OUR stuff to Jesus…ALL of Our issues, whether Great or small.
That’s – ALL of our Anxieties, ALL of Our Worries…ALL of Our Cares and Concerns.
Once…and For ALL!!
I told the class a story about how I have a special agreement with the Holy Spirit, Who helps me find ALL of my stuff, after I’ve misplaced it!!
Here’s Part 1 of My Story….
The Holy Spirit and I started this thing together, after I had misplaced a train ticket that I had purchased for my Aunt JoAnn, who was coming to visit me from California.
Well, Customer Service had mailed the train ticket to my house, in Illinois, instead of mailing it to my Aunt in Cali…so I held on to it…and I set it aside…and I lost it.
Uh-Oh!!
Now When my Aunt called me, asking me to mail the train ticket to her in California, I had absolutely no idea where it was. I couldn’t tell her that I had lost it, she would lose her mind!!
So I avoided her call…while I searched through everything for several days…but I Still couldn’t find it!!
Finally, I threw up my hands and I sat down and I cried to the Lord, Telling Him how I had looked everywhere, and how frustrated I was…and how I just didn’t know what else to do.
Then I heard the Holy Spirit whisper,
“Ask Me.”
Huh?? I thought…Ask the Holy Spirit to help me find something that I misplaced??
That doesn’t make any sense!!
Then, He gave me this scripture:
–But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you-
(John 14:26)
I thought, Wow!!….He does bring All things to Our remembrance…That is one of His many, Jobs!!
Then, I thought…That’s just too easy!!
Then, I remembered this scripture:
–For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good–not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne-
(Mat 11:30)
So I did it…I asked Him, “Holy Spirit, Please help me to find My Aunt JoAnn’s ticket.”
I didn’t get an immediate response, but I decided that since this whole ‘ask Me for help thing’ was His idea…I was just going to Try Him out!!
So during that week, while I waited to hear from Him, I kinda expected to hear Him whisper to me, saying something like, “Look in the Glove Compartment!” Or “Look under the Desk.”
But Nothing…No Word….Until He reminded me that I had unconsciously, restarted my search.
I was out in the car looking in the glove compartment…
I was on my knees, looking under that desk…When I heard Him Say…
“Are YOU Going to find it…Or Are You Going to Trust Me to Show YOU?”
So I agreed, AGAIN, that I would give up my independent search…Once and for ALL!!
Although it was really hard to relinquish dependence upon myself, and to not continue my search, using my own effort and power to locate the ticket, I had to stop looking…while I was learning to lean on Him.
I had to refocus my attention on the Goodness of God and ALL the things that He had brought me through, thus far!!
I had to go on with my day, as usual, without continuing to worry and stress about that ticket.
You see…He was teaching Me how to REST in His perfect peacefulness…while I committed the WORK to Him.
My job was to Wait Confidently, and to FULLY, and Completely, rely on Him!!
–You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.-
(Isaiah 26:3)
Well…That’s It for Part 1!!
So Join Me Again, Tomorrow, to hear God’s ‘Amazing’ End to This Story!!
Remember…We Are going to be Amazed at God, Together, in 2015!!
Until Tomorrow,
God Loves You and So Do I!!
đTam
Leave A Reply and Share Your ‘Amazing’ God Story with the CareBibleStudy friends or Send me an email to ttwear@gmail.com.
Thanks for Hanging Out…And If You Enjoyed, Share the CareBibleStudy Blog with Your Neighbors, Friends, and Loved Ones!!
-Is anything too hard or too wonderful for the Lord? At the appointed time, when the season [for her delivery] comes around, I will return to you and Sarah shall have borne a son-
(Genesis 18:14)
Hey Neighbor!
Today’s Scripture Reminds Us that God Always Keeps His Promises!!
Here’s a little story about a couple from the Bible that faced hardship in their marriage…
I think we all recognize the names, Abraham and Sarah, but before God changed their names, they were Abram and Sarai and they had a tumultuous marriage!!
Abram and Sarai had survived many trials together, but still, they often argued because they both desired a son…but Sarai was barren.
God had promised Abram that He would indeed bless him with a son, but Abram’s faith had wavered and so did Sarai’s
But God came through, delivering a son and thus, restoring the joy in their marriage
You know…God Always Keeps His Promises!!
Here’s their story…
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So Sarah was finally holding her baby in her bosom. – It was a boy, and she called him Laughter!!
Why Laughter??
Well, You see – just the year before, Sarah had been standing inside her tent, when she had overheard the Angel of the Lord prophesying to her husband; proclaiming that she – Sarah – a 89 year old woman would soon bear a son.
Sarah LOL’ed!! [ Laughed Out Loud]
To Sarah, this was hilarious!!
In fact…it was so funny, that Abraham laughed also!!
In Genesis 17:17, scripture tells us that Abraham was ROFLMAO!! – [Rolling on the floor, laughing his *** off]
– Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart, Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a son? (Gen 17:17)
Still, God kept his Promise to Abraham and Sarah. He remembered Sarah and gave her Laughter!!
Again, God Always Keeps His promises!!
Even though Abraham and Sarah had been spiritually shackled by their doubt and unbelief, God graciously intervened and severed their chains!!
NOTHING is too hard for God!!
You see, God had stopped by to see Abraham, just to remind him that He had not forgotten him!!
God was saying,
“Abe…This baby thing is not a big deal.”
I GOT THIS!!
And Even though Abraham and Sarah laughed and giggled as if the ‘Angel of the Lord’ had been an angelic comedian on tour, God had shown up to fulfill His Promise!!
The Angel of The Lord was prophesying restoration and reconciliation for Abraham and Sarah!!
You see, Abraham and Sarah had suffered great turmoil in their marriage, after Abraham slept with Hagar…and Hagar had Ishmael.
Yes!! It had been Sarah’s misguided suggestion for Abraham to sleep with Hagar. And we know that Sarah ended up regretting that foolish idea.
Sarah grew extremely jealous of Abraham and Hagar!!
She blamed everything on Abraham, but she took her frustrations out on Hagar.
Now Hagar had played her part in this as well, Hagar had despised Sarah, once she learned that she was pregnant with Abe’s baby.
I can imagine Hagar taunting and provoking Sarah, and flaunting her baby bump!!
But after Isaac was born…Sarah had reached her boiling point with Hagar!!
Sarah demanded that Abraham put Hagar out!!
She was fed-up with Hagar’s ‘games’ and now Hagar’s son, Ishmael was also teasing and taunting Sarah’s son, Isaac!!
I guess Ishmael learned it from his Momma!!
Abraham was very upset with Sarah, because he did not want to be separated from his first born, but God confirmed to Abraham, that it was time to send them away!!
It was time for Abraham and Sarah to stop fighting and to share their Laughter together, in peace!!
It was time for Abraham and Sarah to experience joy and pleasure in their marriage, and to put away the pain of their past and to walk ‘faith-fully’ with God… And to enjoy His Promise!!
Oftentimes, we find it extremely difficult to get passed the hurt and pain that we’ve suffered in our marriages, but God wants to mend those broken hearts â¤ď¸â𩹠and He wants to restore the sanctity of the marriage.
God wants Us to Enjoy The Abundant Life with our spouses!!
What Has God Promised You regarding your Marriage??
–Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees, so that every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire. (Luke 3:9)
Hey Neighbor!
I’ve got another OLDIE but a GOODIE for you!!
It’s another blast from the past (2016), but it’s also another real-life victory that attests to the truth and value of the Scriptures in our real lives!!
Enjoyđ¤Š
– And Jesus answered them, Truly I say to you, if you have faith (a firm relying trust) and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and cast into the sea, it will be done (Matthew 21:21)
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Well, my mountain manifested as three giant, rotten trees that loomed over my house for several years…and I was worried that they would become weighed down with snow this winter, causing the limbs to begin to break off and fall onto my roof. Unfortunately, I was not financially prepared to contact a professional tree cutter, so I was praying and trusting God for a resolution to my tree troubles.
Well, I was blessed to have a friend come out and cut them down for me…and not because I asked him too, but Because he was concerned about our welfare and the Lord had sent him.
He was no professional tree cutter, so after I made sure that my homeowner’s insurance was in place (lol), I agreed to let him proceed.
Again, he was a friend of mine, so I was also very concerned about his welfare…as he was standing there underneath that massive tree, so I found myself praying for his safety as the chainsaw slowly sliced through the tree…inch by inch.
Of Course the Lord Gave His Angel’s charge over Us to Protect Us and I Thank And Praise God for Miniaturizing my Mountain!!
My God was concerned about Me and my family’s welfare…and He sent Oscar to cut-down that looming threat…from over our heads.
It wasn’t long after the trees had been cut down and the logs neatly stacked along my driveway that I ran into this scripture, which I had written down this past Summer.
–Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees, so that every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire. (Luke 3:9)
And so, once again I was reminded of just how Loving Our God is, because while the weather was still hot and humid in June, and I was steadily worrying about what would befall Us with those trees…whether it would be drought, or wind, or rain to cause one of them to fall, God had already designed a plan.
When each of those trees had failed to acknowledge God first, for the very moisture that they needed to sustain its life…When they had failed to sprout leaves that would whistle in the wind, magnifying Him…and finally, when they had failed to produce fruit, God cursed them, having already laid the axe to their roots.
It reminds me of when Jesus cursed the fig tree that served no fruit, yet after it withered up and died, it served for fuel.
And now, during these frigid winter days and nights of below freezing temperatures, God has kept our family warm and cozy by the fire, as we most contentedly cast our wood…from those three rotten trees…into our fireplace.
Look At God…As He was caring about my family’s welfare, with such loving kindness, He was also tending to our need for warmth throughout this winter.
God is So Awesome!!…He indeed does miniaturize mountains!!
Thank You Jesus!!
Thanks For Stopping By…Until We Meet Again,
God Loves You and So Do I!!
đTam
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And He glanced around at them with vexation and anger, grieved at the hardening of their hearts, and said to the man, Hold out your hand. He held it out, and his hand was [completely] restored. (Mark 3:5)
Hey Neighbor!
In the scripture above, we see where Jesus boldly healed the man with the withered hand, in the synagogue. The man simply held out his hand, and the King of Mercy, God Himself, manifest in the flesh, fully restored the manâs dried up hand.
Now, in the scripture, there was yet another man whose paralyzed hand was also fully restored unto him.
However, this hand was not that of just any ordinary man. This man was a King of IsraelâŚand even as wicked as he was, when his hand dried up, God mercifully empowered, and permitted the prophet to completely heal and restore this kingâs withered hand.
– And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance (1Sa 17:42)
Hey Neighbor!
– And when he cut the hair of his head, he weighed it–for at each yearâs end he cut it, because its weight was a burden to him–and it weighed 200 shekels by the kingâs weight. (2Sa 14:26)
– And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; (Judges 16:19)
In the three scriptures above, we are given the physical descriptions of several well-known Bible characters.
First, we meet the shepherd-boy David in 1st Samuel; and we learn that he had a healthy, reddish (ruddy) color, just before he battled with Goliath.
We even meet young Absalom, in 2nd Samuel, Davidâs eldest son, who was blessed with a most abundant head of hair, which ultimately contributed to his demise in battle.
And finally, we are given a description of the Nazarite, Samson, in The Book of Judges, whose head had never been shaven since his birth; just prior to him loosing those seven luxurious locks in the shears belonging to Delilah.
Now There is another Character in the Bible who is also described by his head; or certainly by the utter lack thereof.
He is described in the scriptures as the âbald-headedâ prophet.
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.(John 7:37)
Hey Neighbor!
Now long before Jesus had come into the world, manifest in the flesh, and promising to give His Holy Spirit to all of those who were spiritually parched, there was a king who thirsted (in his flesh), and he longed for waters from the well of his youth.
Who were his three mighty warriors that risked life and limb to fetch waters for their king, from his hometown in Bethlehem?? *******************************************
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