Proverbs 5 "My son, be attentive to MY WISDOM, incline your ear to MY UNDERSTANDING; that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge FOR THE LEEPS OF A LOOSE woman DRIP HONEY, and HER SPEECH is SMOOTHER that OIL; but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as two-edged sword. HER FEET go down TO SHEOL; she does NOT take heed TO the path of LIFE; her ways wonder, and she does not know it."
"And now, O sons, listen to ME, and DO NOT DEPART FROM MY WORDS of MY MOUTH, keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house; lest you give your honor to others and your ears to the merciless; LEST the strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of an alien; and AT the END of your LIFE you GROAN, when your FLESH AND BODY are CONSUMED, and you say, 'How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. I was at the point of utter ruin in the assembled congregation,'"
The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is caught in the toils of his sin. He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is lost.
"Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well."
"Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets?"
"Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely hind, a graceful doe. Let her affection fill you at all times with delight, be infatuated always with her love. Why should you be infatuated, my son, with a loose woman and embrace the bosom of an adventuress?"
"For a MAN'S WAYS ARE BEFORE THE EYES OF THE LORD, and HE WATCHES ALL HIS PATHS."
Ecclesiastes 7: Do Not Take Everything For Granted.
A goo reputation is better than a fat bank account. Your death date tells more than your birth date. You learn more at a funeral than at a feast - after all, that is where we will end up. We might discover something from it. Crying is better than laughing. It blotches the face but it scours the heart. Endings are better than beginnings. Sticking to it is better than standing out.
Sages invest themselves in hurt and grieving. Fools waste their lives in fun and games. You will get more from the rebuke of a sage than from the song and dance of fools. The giggles of fools are like the cracking of twigs under the cooking pot, and like smoke.
Brutality stupefies even the wise and destroys the strongest heart. Do not be quick to fly off the handle. Anger boomerangs. You can spot a fool by the lumps on his head.
Do not always be asking, "Where are the good old days!" Wise folks do not questions like that.
Wisdom is better when it is paired with blessings, especially if you get both while you are still living. It double protection, wisdom and wealth! Plus this bonus: Wisdom energizes its owner.
Take a good look at GOD'S WORK. Who could simplify and reduce Creation's curves and angles to a plain straight line?
Job 31: What Can I Expect From God?
"I made a solemn pact with myself never to undress a girl with my eyes. If I have let myself be seduced by a woman and conspired to go to bed with her, fine, my wife has every right to go ahead and sleep with anyone she wants to. For disgusting behavior like that, I would deserve the worst punishment YOU could hand out. Adultery is a fire that burns the house down; I would not expect anything I count dear to survive it."
"Have I ever been unfair to my employees when they brought a complaint to me? What then will I do when GOD confronts me? When GOD examines my books, what can I say? Do not the same GOD who made me, make them? Are not we all made of the same stuff, equals before GOD?"
"Have I ignored the needs of the poor, turned my back on the indigent, taking care of my own needs and fed my own face while they languished? Was not my home always open to them? Were not they always welcome at my table?"
"Have I ever left a poor family shivering in the cold when they had no warm clothes? Did not the poor bless me when they saw mw coming, knowing I had brought coats from my closet?"
"If I have ever used my strength and influence to take advantage of the unfortunate, go ahead, break both my arms, cut off all my fingers!"
"THE FEAR OF GOD HAS KEPT ME FROM THESE THINGS -how else could I ever face HIM?
Tuesday, 27 December 2016
Monday, 26 December 2016
LAW AND ITS PURPOSE.
One of the most important themes in the Scripture is the Law's relationship to the Divine Administration of Justice in the World.
The Books of Psalms and Proverbs present what was likely the traditional understanding of this issue in ancient Judah. The Books of Job and Ecclesiastes raise critical questions regarding this understanding. All four books share, however, the assumptions that GOD is the FINAL JUDGE of human behavior, put humans on trial, and gives blessings to those found righteous, and punishment to those found guilty of sin. Their view places the relationship with GOD through the eyes of the Law. Thus, much of the language used in the prayers, instructions and discourses of these writings also has legal meaning.
A strongly Deuteronomic point of view underlies the psalmists' emphasis on adherence to the Law. This connection manifests itself both in the psalms' legal vocabulary and in their view of Divine Retributive Justice. For Deuteronomy, it is 'obedience' to GOD's commandments that will bring health, prosperity and success. HE requites disobedience with sickness, poverty and defeat. For the psalmists, GOD is the supreme and righteous JUDGE of the cosmos. As such HE makes COVENANTS, investigates covenantal breaches, and enforces the covenants with lawsuit. GOD evaluates the degree to which an individual or a society adheres to covenantal law and blesses or punishes accordingly.
The Wisdom literature in Proverbs reiterates in many respects the view of justice. It is righteousness that GOD will reward with economic prosperity, good fortune, and long life; those who displease GOD, conversely, are punished. The texts includes behavior that accords with the Law: accurate weights and measures, justice in the judicial system, and general obedience to the commandments.
A righteous life includes, however, more than strict adherence to the law. Mere obedience no longer equals the blessing of GOD. The equation requires the addition of Wisdom, that is the range of virtues considered to accompany a life governed by Wisdom: diligence, generosity, judicious speech, humility, and sexual fidelity, among others.
With the book of Job a different perspective on law and justice appear. The book is replete with legal content and tends to follow the format and procedures of a trial. The purpose is to explore a common conception in his day that those who undergo suffering are the subject of a divine trial and of retributive punishment if found guilty. The characters agree on how Justice should operate: the wicked should experience suffering as punishment for their wickedness, while the righteous should be blessed. They disagree, however, regarding whether or not Justice actually does work this way and, if it does not, whether GOD should be held responsible. The trial is complex but seems to begin when Satan brings a formal legal accusation against Job in the Divine Council that Job possesses a blasphemous mind. God must permit the trial to proceed in order not to corrupt or circumvent the existing Divine legal system.
Job endures a torturous legal investigation. Then Satan's hope is to hear Job blaspheme GOD to HIS FACE, an act that would serve as the best evidence on the charge before the Council. Job assumes, though, that GOD is the accusing party and decided to countersue GOD. He claims that GOD is guilty of abuse of authority, primarily for bringing a suit that lacks sufficient justification. Job seeks to find someone to join his claim as a 2nd accuser against GOD, but no one is willing. Instead the 3 friends seek to impeach Job, impugn his integrity, and defend GOD. The friends insist that Job plead guilty and seek GOD's mercy. What happened at the end of the book can be characterized as an out-of-court-settlement. GOD, having defended himself vigorously, seems forced to admit that allowing the suit to go forward was unfair. There is no decisive legal victory for either party. GOD justly controls the suffering of humankind.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, understanding the treatment of Law, it requires a decision regarding the book's literary integrity and purpose because it seems to contain conflicting ideologies and approaches to the law. The text's overriding concern is to keep in proper perspective aspects of life that lie outside the scope of Law.
The Books of Psalms and Proverbs present what was likely the traditional understanding of this issue in ancient Judah. The Books of Job and Ecclesiastes raise critical questions regarding this understanding. All four books share, however, the assumptions that GOD is the FINAL JUDGE of human behavior, put humans on trial, and gives blessings to those found righteous, and punishment to those found guilty of sin. Their view places the relationship with GOD through the eyes of the Law. Thus, much of the language used in the prayers, instructions and discourses of these writings also has legal meaning.
A strongly Deuteronomic point of view underlies the psalmists' emphasis on adherence to the Law. This connection manifests itself both in the psalms' legal vocabulary and in their view of Divine Retributive Justice. For Deuteronomy, it is 'obedience' to GOD's commandments that will bring health, prosperity and success. HE requites disobedience with sickness, poverty and defeat. For the psalmists, GOD is the supreme and righteous JUDGE of the cosmos. As such HE makes COVENANTS, investigates covenantal breaches, and enforces the covenants with lawsuit. GOD evaluates the degree to which an individual or a society adheres to covenantal law and blesses or punishes accordingly.
The Wisdom literature in Proverbs reiterates in many respects the view of justice. It is righteousness that GOD will reward with economic prosperity, good fortune, and long life; those who displease GOD, conversely, are punished. The texts includes behavior that accords with the Law: accurate weights and measures, justice in the judicial system, and general obedience to the commandments.
A righteous life includes, however, more than strict adherence to the law. Mere obedience no longer equals the blessing of GOD. The equation requires the addition of Wisdom, that is the range of virtues considered to accompany a life governed by Wisdom: diligence, generosity, judicious speech, humility, and sexual fidelity, among others.
With the book of Job a different perspective on law and justice appear. The book is replete with legal content and tends to follow the format and procedures of a trial. The purpose is to explore a common conception in his day that those who undergo suffering are the subject of a divine trial and of retributive punishment if found guilty. The characters agree on how Justice should operate: the wicked should experience suffering as punishment for their wickedness, while the righteous should be blessed. They disagree, however, regarding whether or not Justice actually does work this way and, if it does not, whether GOD should be held responsible. The trial is complex but seems to begin when Satan brings a formal legal accusation against Job in the Divine Council that Job possesses a blasphemous mind. God must permit the trial to proceed in order not to corrupt or circumvent the existing Divine legal system.
Job endures a torturous legal investigation. Then Satan's hope is to hear Job blaspheme GOD to HIS FACE, an act that would serve as the best evidence on the charge before the Council. Job assumes, though, that GOD is the accusing party and decided to countersue GOD. He claims that GOD is guilty of abuse of authority, primarily for bringing a suit that lacks sufficient justification. Job seeks to find someone to join his claim as a 2nd accuser against GOD, but no one is willing. Instead the 3 friends seek to impeach Job, impugn his integrity, and defend GOD. The friends insist that Job plead guilty and seek GOD's mercy. What happened at the end of the book can be characterized as an out-of-court-settlement. GOD, having defended himself vigorously, seems forced to admit that allowing the suit to go forward was unfair. There is no decisive legal victory for either party. GOD justly controls the suffering of humankind.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, understanding the treatment of Law, it requires a decision regarding the book's literary integrity and purpose because it seems to contain conflicting ideologies and approaches to the law. The text's overriding concern is to keep in proper perspective aspects of life that lie outside the scope of Law.
Friday, 23 December 2016
THE AFTERLIFE ACCORDING TO EGYPT.
The Ancient Egyptians believed firmly in an afterlife, and death was a brief interruption to an existence that continued beyond the grave for eternity, in a world much like the one which they inhabited in life.
The Egyptians thought that the human body was home to 3 main spirits that were released when a person died. This were the 'Ka', a person's life force, which were represented by a pair of up-stretched arms; the 'Ba', a wandering soul, which was commonly depicted as a human-headed spirit-bird; and the 'Akh', a kind of ghost that was represented by the crested ibis. The ghost was deemed to return to the stars at death, and the wandering soul a the person's life force depended on the body for survival. The preservation of the body was essential if life was to continue after death.
In Pre-dynastic times, most people were buried in shallow graves directly in the sand, and often accompanied by funerary goods. The sand dried the body, leaving many corpses well preserved.
The first story concerned with death and rebirth is that of Osiris. The ancient Egyptians believed that their gods had originally ruled on Earth before them, and that Osiris, one of the first kings of Egypt, had been killed by his treacherous brother Set, and his body cut into pieces and scattered. However, his wife and sister, Isis, recovered the pieces and was shown by Anubis how to bind him together with linen bandages. He came to life briefly and fathered a son, Horus, who then inherited his throne.
Osiris, meanwhile, was made king of the Land of the Dead (Duat) or the Underworld, and became the god of death and resurrection.
During the Old Kingdom, from the 4th Dynasty onwards, each king, or pharaoh, came to be regarded as the living embodiment of the god Horus, who would become one with Osiris at death, to return to spend eternal life with the gods.
The cult of Osiris promoted the belief that all the people of Egypt would share in eternal life in the "Field of Reeds," an idealized kingdom of eternal spring, but in practice the idea was first extended to the nobility, as is seen in the "Coffin Texts" on the Middle Kingdom, which were placed within the coffins of important or wealthy people, and later, in the New Kingdom, as extracts from the "Book of the Dead" came to be placed in even the poorest people's graves. These practices developed alongside a belief in a personal final judgment that provided everyone with an opportunity of entry into the afterlife.
Prior to the spread of the belief in a final judgment, acceptance into the afterlife was believed to be guaranteed if a person had conducted their life according to the principles of Maat, the Egyptian notion of order and morality, but following a breakdown in order during the First Intermediate Period, the idea was promoted that individuals would actually be judged before the gods by Osiris for their earthly actions.
First, a person had to undertake a perilous journey through the Underworld, accompanied by their wandering soul (Ba), in order to reach the Hall of Judgment, where, in front of Osiris and 42 assistants, they would deny having committed any of the long list of sins, before proceeding to the next stage, the Weighing of the Heart. The jackal-headed Anubis would place their heart on a pair of scales, where it had to balance exactly with the feather of Truth, belonging to the goddess Maat. If the heart was heavy with sin, then it would be eaten by Ammut, the 'Devourer of Souls,' a terrifying beast with the head of a crocodile, the forequarters of a lion, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus.
As the heart was believed to contain the "true self"of the individual, then if the heart was heavy of sin, the person cease to exist, and be denied passage to eternal life. However, if the scales balanced, the individual would be permitted to join Osiris in the afterlife, and his spirit was free to move between the lands of the living and the death.
The Egyptians thought that the human body was home to 3 main spirits that were released when a person died. This were the 'Ka', a person's life force, which were represented by a pair of up-stretched arms; the 'Ba', a wandering soul, which was commonly depicted as a human-headed spirit-bird; and the 'Akh', a kind of ghost that was represented by the crested ibis. The ghost was deemed to return to the stars at death, and the wandering soul a the person's life force depended on the body for survival. The preservation of the body was essential if life was to continue after death.
In Pre-dynastic times, most people were buried in shallow graves directly in the sand, and often accompanied by funerary goods. The sand dried the body, leaving many corpses well preserved.
The first story concerned with death and rebirth is that of Osiris. The ancient Egyptians believed that their gods had originally ruled on Earth before them, and that Osiris, one of the first kings of Egypt, had been killed by his treacherous brother Set, and his body cut into pieces and scattered. However, his wife and sister, Isis, recovered the pieces and was shown by Anubis how to bind him together with linen bandages. He came to life briefly and fathered a son, Horus, who then inherited his throne.
Osiris, meanwhile, was made king of the Land of the Dead (Duat) or the Underworld, and became the god of death and resurrection.
During the Old Kingdom, from the 4th Dynasty onwards, each king, or pharaoh, came to be regarded as the living embodiment of the god Horus, who would become one with Osiris at death, to return to spend eternal life with the gods.
The cult of Osiris promoted the belief that all the people of Egypt would share in eternal life in the "Field of Reeds," an idealized kingdom of eternal spring, but in practice the idea was first extended to the nobility, as is seen in the "Coffin Texts" on the Middle Kingdom, which were placed within the coffins of important or wealthy people, and later, in the New Kingdom, as extracts from the "Book of the Dead" came to be placed in even the poorest people's graves. These practices developed alongside a belief in a personal final judgment that provided everyone with an opportunity of entry into the afterlife.
Prior to the spread of the belief in a final judgment, acceptance into the afterlife was believed to be guaranteed if a person had conducted their life according to the principles of Maat, the Egyptian notion of order and morality, but following a breakdown in order during the First Intermediate Period, the idea was promoted that individuals would actually be judged before the gods by Osiris for their earthly actions.
First, a person had to undertake a perilous journey through the Underworld, accompanied by their wandering soul (Ba), in order to reach the Hall of Judgment, where, in front of Osiris and 42 assistants, they would deny having committed any of the long list of sins, before proceeding to the next stage, the Weighing of the Heart. The jackal-headed Anubis would place their heart on a pair of scales, where it had to balance exactly with the feather of Truth, belonging to the goddess Maat. If the heart was heavy with sin, then it would be eaten by Ammut, the 'Devourer of Souls,' a terrifying beast with the head of a crocodile, the forequarters of a lion, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus.
As the heart was believed to contain the "true self"of the individual, then if the heart was heavy of sin, the person cease to exist, and be denied passage to eternal life. However, if the scales balanced, the individual would be permitted to join Osiris in the afterlife, and his spirit was free to move between the lands of the living and the death.
Thursday, 22 December 2016
AN EGYPTIAN LETTER WROTE TO A DEAD PERSON.
One of the Egyptian Letters to the Dead, dated from 2,100 BC, was written on a pottery dish. The dead man was named Nefersekhi and the letter was from his widow asking for his intervention in a property dispute.
The widow deep and sincere desire was that she wanted to ensure that their daughter get a fair share of the inheritance and therefore she called for the dead man's intervention.
The Egyptians believed that the world of the dead had a sort of influence over the world of the living, therefore all sorts of help could be gained from the souls of the dead in journey to their final destination.
For these ancient people there was a link with the dead, as the dead were supposedly in the netherworld and it was not difficult for them to assess the petition and and use the powers in the unseen world granted to them to assist the living.
An often request was for a cure for infertility. A woman's status often depended on her ability to have children. Cures were also requested.
The religious goal for these ancient people was to ensure the continuity of the soul well-being and the development of a positive disposition towards the living, and the social goal was to cultivate kinship values like family loyalty, and the continuity of the family lineage.
The story in 1 Samuel 28 is one of the most strange stories of the Old Testament, and a very sad story of Israel's first anointed king falling into sin and the grip of darkness. He afterwards killed himself. It is a display of the strange reality of the forces of darkness and evil.
If you read the story, the prophet Samuel responded to the call of a medium. She was, however, shocked and cried out in fear when she saw Samuel and immediately recognized Saul, the king.
Samuel was upset that Saul disturbed him by "bringing him up," but nonetheless he spoke God's judgment on Saul saying:"tomorrow you and your sons will be with me."
We understand with this narrative that there is a strange world of evil and spirit forces. God is in control of all of this and it serves His Purpose. The two forces displayed in it means no threat to God.
The Biblical Truth is that everything, even the evil forces, exist only because God allows it to exist.
The narrative is placed in the Scripture as a warning to us. The apostle Paul wrote: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph. 6:12).
In 1 Chronicles 13-14 "Saul died in disobedience, disobedience to God. He did not obey God's Words. Instead of praying he went to a witch to seek guidance. Because he did not go to God for help, God took his life and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse."
Jesus said: "God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24).
The widow deep and sincere desire was that she wanted to ensure that their daughter get a fair share of the inheritance and therefore she called for the dead man's intervention.
The Egyptians believed that the world of the dead had a sort of influence over the world of the living, therefore all sorts of help could be gained from the souls of the dead in journey to their final destination.
For these ancient people there was a link with the dead, as the dead were supposedly in the netherworld and it was not difficult for them to assess the petition and and use the powers in the unseen world granted to them to assist the living.
An often request was for a cure for infertility. A woman's status often depended on her ability to have children. Cures were also requested.
The religious goal for these ancient people was to ensure the continuity of the soul well-being and the development of a positive disposition towards the living, and the social goal was to cultivate kinship values like family loyalty, and the continuity of the family lineage.
The story in 1 Samuel 28 is one of the most strange stories of the Old Testament, and a very sad story of Israel's first anointed king falling into sin and the grip of darkness. He afterwards killed himself. It is a display of the strange reality of the forces of darkness and evil.
If you read the story, the prophet Samuel responded to the call of a medium. She was, however, shocked and cried out in fear when she saw Samuel and immediately recognized Saul, the king.
Samuel was upset that Saul disturbed him by "bringing him up," but nonetheless he spoke God's judgment on Saul saying:"tomorrow you and your sons will be with me."
We understand with this narrative that there is a strange world of evil and spirit forces. God is in control of all of this and it serves His Purpose. The two forces displayed in it means no threat to God.
The Biblical Truth is that everything, even the evil forces, exist only because God allows it to exist.
The narrative is placed in the Scripture as a warning to us. The apostle Paul wrote: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph. 6:12).
In 1 Chronicles 13-14 "Saul died in disobedience, disobedience to God. He did not obey God's Words. Instead of praying he went to a witch to seek guidance. Because he did not go to God for help, God took his life and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse."
Jesus said: "God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24).
Saturday, 19 November 2016
THE SYCAMORE TREE AND ZACCHAEUS.
Described as a short man, Zacchaeus, at Jericho, climbed up a Sycamore Tree so that he might be able to see Jesus as He passed by. When Jesus reached the spot He looked up into the branches, addressed Zacchaeus by name, and told him to come down, for He intended to visit his house. (Luke 19).
Unlike the common Fig-Tree, the Sycamore is a strong hardy evergreen tree that grows up to 14m/45ft tall, very similar to the hight of the Walnut Tree and may live for several hundred years. While its heart-shaped leaves are smaller than those of the Fig-Tree, and fragrant, and also resembling those of the Mulberry-Tree; hence it is called the Fig-Mulberry Tree, the foliage is thick. It has wide-spreading branches that provide a delightful shade.
The Sycamore Tree is easily destroyed by Frost (Psalm 78:47), and it is mentioned as one of the heaviest of Egypt's calamities that her Sycamore Trees that grew abundantly in the Shephelah were destroyed by hailstones. (1Chronicles 27). In addition to growing in the Jordan Valley (Luke 19) and around Tekoa (Amos 7), the Sycamore Trees were especially abundant in the lowlands of the Shephelah (1Kings 10; 2Chronicles 1; 9), frequently planted along the roadsides where the climate is mild. The short, stout trunk soon branches out with its lower limbs close to the ground, and this made it a convenient tree for a small man like Zacchaeus to select as the one he would climb along the roadside to get a clear view of Jesus.
This tree mentioned in the Scripture has no relation to the North American Sycamore (Acer pseudo-platanus), which is a type of maple often called a plane-tree.
The Sycamore, in Egypt and Palestine, is a tree of a very great value and importance because of its wood and of its fruit and has a very extensive use.
The wood is somewhat soft and porous and quite inferior to that of the cedar, but it was very durable and much used in building. (Isaiah 9). Mummy coffins made of Sycamore wood have been found in Egyptian tombs and are still in good condition after some three thousand years.
During the Time of the 10 Plagues, the trees were very abundant and up to today the tree continue to provide a source of food there.
The Fruit grows directly from the trunk itself on little sprigs, and in abundant clusters, like grapes, and are smaller and hard to ripe comparing to the ones of the common Fig-Tree. It is the present practice of Egyptians growers of the Sycamore (Fig-Mulberry) Trees to pierce the premature fruit 3 or 4 days before gathering with a nail or other sharp instrument in order to accelerate the ripening process. If this is not done the fruit will secrete a quantity of watery juice and will not ripen. The Sycamore Fig of Biblical times was fertilized by wasps. The prophets Amos (7) and Jeremiah (42) refers of its Fruit. This sheds light on the occupation of the prophet Amos who was, by profession, a dresser of Sycamore Figs (Amos 7). The original employment of these type of Sycamore Trees, as the prophet Amos mentions, whose fruit King David considered of sufficient value to place the Shephelah groves under the care of an administrative chief, as he did for the Olive Trees (1Chronicles 27).
Modern Sycamores Trees now produce seedless figs and grow only in cultivated form.
Unlike the common Fig-Tree, the Sycamore is a strong hardy evergreen tree that grows up to 14m/45ft tall, very similar to the hight of the Walnut Tree and may live for several hundred years. While its heart-shaped leaves are smaller than those of the Fig-Tree, and fragrant, and also resembling those of the Mulberry-Tree; hence it is called the Fig-Mulberry Tree, the foliage is thick. It has wide-spreading branches that provide a delightful shade.
The Sycamore Tree is easily destroyed by Frost (Psalm 78:47), and it is mentioned as one of the heaviest of Egypt's calamities that her Sycamore Trees that grew abundantly in the Shephelah were destroyed by hailstones. (1Chronicles 27). In addition to growing in the Jordan Valley (Luke 19) and around Tekoa (Amos 7), the Sycamore Trees were especially abundant in the lowlands of the Shephelah (1Kings 10; 2Chronicles 1; 9), frequently planted along the roadsides where the climate is mild. The short, stout trunk soon branches out with its lower limbs close to the ground, and this made it a convenient tree for a small man like Zacchaeus to select as the one he would climb along the roadside to get a clear view of Jesus.
This tree mentioned in the Scripture has no relation to the North American Sycamore (Acer pseudo-platanus), which is a type of maple often called a plane-tree.
The Sycamore, in Egypt and Palestine, is a tree of a very great value and importance because of its wood and of its fruit and has a very extensive use.
The wood is somewhat soft and porous and quite inferior to that of the cedar, but it was very durable and much used in building. (Isaiah 9). Mummy coffins made of Sycamore wood have been found in Egyptian tombs and are still in good condition after some three thousand years.
During the Time of the 10 Plagues, the trees were very abundant and up to today the tree continue to provide a source of food there.
The Fruit grows directly from the trunk itself on little sprigs, and in abundant clusters, like grapes, and are smaller and hard to ripe comparing to the ones of the common Fig-Tree. It is the present practice of Egyptians growers of the Sycamore (Fig-Mulberry) Trees to pierce the premature fruit 3 or 4 days before gathering with a nail or other sharp instrument in order to accelerate the ripening process. If this is not done the fruit will secrete a quantity of watery juice and will not ripen. The Sycamore Fig of Biblical times was fertilized by wasps. The prophets Amos (7) and Jeremiah (42) refers of its Fruit. This sheds light on the occupation of the prophet Amos who was, by profession, a dresser of Sycamore Figs (Amos 7). The original employment of these type of Sycamore Trees, as the prophet Amos mentions, whose fruit King David considered of sufficient value to place the Shephelah groves under the care of an administrative chief, as he did for the Olive Trees (1Chronicles 27).
Modern Sycamores Trees now produce seedless figs and grow only in cultivated form.
Sunday, 6 November 2016
THE SYMBOLIC POSITION OF DAN IN THE FUTURE.
According to the Book of Genesis, Dan was the 5th of Jacob's 12 sons, born in Paddan-Aram, and the 1st born of the two sons of his mother Bilhah, the maidservant of her barren mistress Rachel, who substituted for her as a secondary wife to Jacob (30:6).
The name 'Dan' derives from 'Dananni', meaning 'God has acted as my judge .. so that He gave me a son', in reference to Rachel's belief that she had gained a child as the result of a judgment from God.
Bilha, Dan's mother is described as Laban's handmaid, who was given to Rachel to be her handmaid on Rachel's marriage to Jacob. Laban was Rachel and Leah's father. When Rachel failed to have children, Rachel gave Bilhah to Jacob to bear him children. Bilhah gave birth to Jacob 2 sons, who Rachel claimed as her own and named Dan and Naphtali.
By the time Jacob moved down into Egypt, taking along the whole household, Dan himself had a son named Hushim (Genesis 46, called Shusham at Numbers 26). Some 2 centuries later after coming out of slavery the Tribe numbered 62,700 men twenty years old and upward (Numbers1). It was the 2nd most populous Tribe as to 'men of battle age'. Hushim became the forefather of the Shushamites, the only tribal family enrolled for Dan.
In the wilderness Dan's Tribe, with Ahiezer as chieftain (who was with Moses when he numbered the 'assembly' of Israel), was assigned to camp on the 'North' of the 'Tabernacle' alongside the tribes of his full brother Naphtali and of Asher, the 8th son of Jacob and 2nd of two sons and full brothers (Gad) through Zilpah, Leah's maidservant, that occupied adjacent areas (Numbers 2). Asher was not prominent among the 12 sons of Jacob. However, in his father's deathbed prophecy, Asher was promised a life blessed with an abundance of rich foods, and the history of his descendands demonstrates the fulfillment of this prediction. Prior to entry into Canaan, Moses' prophetic blessing again predicted a prosperous portion for Asher.
On the move the Tribe of Dan marched in the 'highly' important position as 'rear guard', a compliment to their courage, loyalty, and dependability (Num.2; 10).
When the Promised land was divided up, the chieftain named Bukki the son of Jogli represented Dan, and as matters turned out, the Tribe got one of the smallest territories despite the fact that it was still the 2nd largest in number. Its lot, however, the 7th, fell on very desirable soil, bordering the Tribes of Judah, Ephraim and Benjamin, a land extending from the fertile Valleys of the Shephelah to the Sea Coast Plains of the Mediterranean. Initially the Danites attempted to settle 'in the South', in the vicinity of Zorah and Eshtaol (Joshua 19). This attempt failed in a region crowded with Amorites (Judges 1) and immigrant Philistines (chapters 13-16). But because of not driving out these squatter nations, as God had commanded, Dan suffered severely (Numbers 26; 34; Joshua 19; Judges 1). As a result, part of the Danites migrated during the period of the Judges to 'the extreme North'(Judges 18) of Palestine.
In the course of this event, 5 Danite spies set out, and by consulting a Levite priest in Mount Ephraim along the way, they discovered Laish, a city both rich in resources and vulnerable to attack. A war party of 600 warriors soon followed and took the city, which they renamed 'Dan' in honor of their tribal ancestor. The Danites forced the Levite priest to accompany them. Then they robbed the man named Micah of his carved image and set it up as their own god, and founded a sanctuary at Dan. Not-with-standing that members of Dan had been chosen years earlier to stand for the 'maledictions' from Mount Ebal, which included, "Cursed is the man who makes a carved image or a molten statue, a thing detestable to God"(Deuteronomy 27). Then the Danite territory was largely confined to this single urban center. Some of the Danites that remained 'in the South', made the core of which Solomon's 2nd administrative district preserved (1 King 4).
Judges 18 tells about the capture and destruction of Laish, and the rebuilt of the new city over the same foundation of the 'old city' and renamed 'Dan' and of its 'sanctuary'. A 'priesthood', which traced its 'roots' to Moses, served at the 'Danite shrine'. After the split of the monarchy, the Israelite king Jeroboam made 'the shrine of Dan' (along with Bethel) one of the 2 sanctuaries for the Northern Kingdom in his effort to divert his subjects from the Temple in Jerusalem. The prophet Amos condemned 'these shrines' (chapter 8), in which Jeroboam installed 'images of bull calves' (1Kings12; 2Kings10).
Second-millennium Mesopotamian and Egyptian records mention the 'city of Laish' or 'Leshem' meaning 'the Lion city' to its inhabitants, its real name prior its invasion by the Danites, who renamed it.
(Joshua 19; Judg.18). Four centuries earlier, in the account of Abraham's pursuit of Chedorlaomer and his allies, the extreme place that Abraham reached in the pursuing was "Dan"(Gen.14). A river has its source just below the city and its symbolic position in the narrative signal the coming of the Messiah.
The name "Dan" again appears in Deuteronomy 34, where it is included among the extremities of the territory seen by Moses in his final view of the Promised Land from his position on Mount Nebo.
In many aspects the Danites are unusual. They did not have many clans (only one is listed in Num.26), and sometimes they are referred to as a 'clan'(Judges 13;18) rather than as a 'tribe'.
The Danites were 'the only tribe' who 'failed' to hold (Judg.1; Josh.19) or receive a 'tribal allotment'. They are criticized in the Song of Deborah for conspicuously failing to give support in joining the Israelite coalition against the Canaanites (Judg.5).
In the Scripture, certain individuals of the Tribe of Dan distinguished themselves. There was Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, who was given divine wisdom to assist Bezalel; he was a man highly skilled in embroidering and weaving costly materials for the Tabernacle furnishings (Ex.31; 35; 38).
The best known Danite, Samson, the faithful servant of God, was the most uncharacteristic of the Judges (13-15). As 'judge' of Israel for 20 years proved Moses' prediction true: "Dan is a lion cub" (Deut.33; Judg.13; 15). When David became king, 28,600 Danites were numbered among his loyal troops. Later, Azarel the son of Jeroham is mentioned as the chief prince of the Tribe (1Chron.12; 27).
The mother of the "skillful man" that the king of Tyre sent to assist Solomon in building the Temple was of the tribe of Dan (2Chron.2).
Seventeen years later from the time Jacob moved down into Egypt, taking along the whole household, dying Jacob called his sons to his bedside, at this specific moment, Dan had 'full legal' status along with the other 11 as 'family heads' of the 12 tribes of Israel. In blessing him Jacob's deathbed 'words about Dan' were the following: "Dan shall judge his people 'as one' of the tribes of Israel. Let Dan prove to be a serpent by the roadside, a horned snake at the wayside, that bites the heels of the horse so that its rider falls backward. I shall indeed wait for salvation from You, O God" (Gen.49).
As a frontier post, Dan was memorilized in the common phrase "from Dan to Beersheba"(Judg.20; 1Sam 3) which marked, respectively, the Northern and Southern limits of Israel.
The name 'Dan' derives from 'Dananni', meaning 'God has acted as my judge .. so that He gave me a son', in reference to Rachel's belief that she had gained a child as the result of a judgment from God.
Bilha, Dan's mother is described as Laban's handmaid, who was given to Rachel to be her handmaid on Rachel's marriage to Jacob. Laban was Rachel and Leah's father. When Rachel failed to have children, Rachel gave Bilhah to Jacob to bear him children. Bilhah gave birth to Jacob 2 sons, who Rachel claimed as her own and named Dan and Naphtali.
By the time Jacob moved down into Egypt, taking along the whole household, Dan himself had a son named Hushim (Genesis 46, called Shusham at Numbers 26). Some 2 centuries later after coming out of slavery the Tribe numbered 62,700 men twenty years old and upward (Numbers1). It was the 2nd most populous Tribe as to 'men of battle age'. Hushim became the forefather of the Shushamites, the only tribal family enrolled for Dan.
In the wilderness Dan's Tribe, with Ahiezer as chieftain (who was with Moses when he numbered the 'assembly' of Israel), was assigned to camp on the 'North' of the 'Tabernacle' alongside the tribes of his full brother Naphtali and of Asher, the 8th son of Jacob and 2nd of two sons and full brothers (Gad) through Zilpah, Leah's maidservant, that occupied adjacent areas (Numbers 2). Asher was not prominent among the 12 sons of Jacob. However, in his father's deathbed prophecy, Asher was promised a life blessed with an abundance of rich foods, and the history of his descendands demonstrates the fulfillment of this prediction. Prior to entry into Canaan, Moses' prophetic blessing again predicted a prosperous portion for Asher.
On the move the Tribe of Dan marched in the 'highly' important position as 'rear guard', a compliment to their courage, loyalty, and dependability (Num.2; 10).
When the Promised land was divided up, the chieftain named Bukki the son of Jogli represented Dan, and as matters turned out, the Tribe got one of the smallest territories despite the fact that it was still the 2nd largest in number. Its lot, however, the 7th, fell on very desirable soil, bordering the Tribes of Judah, Ephraim and Benjamin, a land extending from the fertile Valleys of the Shephelah to the Sea Coast Plains of the Mediterranean. Initially the Danites attempted to settle 'in the South', in the vicinity of Zorah and Eshtaol (Joshua 19). This attempt failed in a region crowded with Amorites (Judges 1) and immigrant Philistines (chapters 13-16). But because of not driving out these squatter nations, as God had commanded, Dan suffered severely (Numbers 26; 34; Joshua 19; Judges 1). As a result, part of the Danites migrated during the period of the Judges to 'the extreme North'(Judges 18) of Palestine.
In the course of this event, 5 Danite spies set out, and by consulting a Levite priest in Mount Ephraim along the way, they discovered Laish, a city both rich in resources and vulnerable to attack. A war party of 600 warriors soon followed and took the city, which they renamed 'Dan' in honor of their tribal ancestor. The Danites forced the Levite priest to accompany them. Then they robbed the man named Micah of his carved image and set it up as their own god, and founded a sanctuary at Dan. Not-with-standing that members of Dan had been chosen years earlier to stand for the 'maledictions' from Mount Ebal, which included, "Cursed is the man who makes a carved image or a molten statue, a thing detestable to God"(Deuteronomy 27). Then the Danite territory was largely confined to this single urban center. Some of the Danites that remained 'in the South', made the core of which Solomon's 2nd administrative district preserved (1 King 4).
Judges 18 tells about the capture and destruction of Laish, and the rebuilt of the new city over the same foundation of the 'old city' and renamed 'Dan' and of its 'sanctuary'. A 'priesthood', which traced its 'roots' to Moses, served at the 'Danite shrine'. After the split of the monarchy, the Israelite king Jeroboam made 'the shrine of Dan' (along with Bethel) one of the 2 sanctuaries for the Northern Kingdom in his effort to divert his subjects from the Temple in Jerusalem. The prophet Amos condemned 'these shrines' (chapter 8), in which Jeroboam installed 'images of bull calves' (1Kings12; 2Kings10).
Second-millennium Mesopotamian and Egyptian records mention the 'city of Laish' or 'Leshem' meaning 'the Lion city' to its inhabitants, its real name prior its invasion by the Danites, who renamed it.
(Joshua 19; Judg.18). Four centuries earlier, in the account of Abraham's pursuit of Chedorlaomer and his allies, the extreme place that Abraham reached in the pursuing was "Dan"(Gen.14). A river has its source just below the city and its symbolic position in the narrative signal the coming of the Messiah.
The name "Dan" again appears in Deuteronomy 34, where it is included among the extremities of the territory seen by Moses in his final view of the Promised Land from his position on Mount Nebo.
In many aspects the Danites are unusual. They did not have many clans (only one is listed in Num.26), and sometimes they are referred to as a 'clan'(Judges 13;18) rather than as a 'tribe'.
The Danites were 'the only tribe' who 'failed' to hold (Judg.1; Josh.19) or receive a 'tribal allotment'. They are criticized in the Song of Deborah for conspicuously failing to give support in joining the Israelite coalition against the Canaanites (Judg.5).
In the Scripture, certain individuals of the Tribe of Dan distinguished themselves. There was Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, who was given divine wisdom to assist Bezalel; he was a man highly skilled in embroidering and weaving costly materials for the Tabernacle furnishings (Ex.31; 35; 38).
The best known Danite, Samson, the faithful servant of God, was the most uncharacteristic of the Judges (13-15). As 'judge' of Israel for 20 years proved Moses' prediction true: "Dan is a lion cub" (Deut.33; Judg.13; 15). When David became king, 28,600 Danites were numbered among his loyal troops. Later, Azarel the son of Jeroham is mentioned as the chief prince of the Tribe (1Chron.12; 27).
The mother of the "skillful man" that the king of Tyre sent to assist Solomon in building the Temple was of the tribe of Dan (2Chron.2).
Seventeen years later from the time Jacob moved down into Egypt, taking along the whole household, dying Jacob called his sons to his bedside, at this specific moment, Dan had 'full legal' status along with the other 11 as 'family heads' of the 12 tribes of Israel. In blessing him Jacob's deathbed 'words about Dan' were the following: "Dan shall judge his people 'as one' of the tribes of Israel. Let Dan prove to be a serpent by the roadside, a horned snake at the wayside, that bites the heels of the horse so that its rider falls backward. I shall indeed wait for salvation from You, O God" (Gen.49).
As a frontier post, Dan was memorilized in the common phrase "from Dan to Beersheba"(Judg.20; 1Sam 3) which marked, respectively, the Northern and Southern limits of Israel.
Saturday, 5 November 2016
THE SEVEN ABOMINATIONS OF THE HEART.
Proverbs 6:16-19 'These are 6 things which the Lord hates, 7 which are an abomination to Him: Haughty Eyes, a Lying Tongue, and Hands that shed innocent blood, a Heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that make haste to Run to evil, a False witness who breathes out lies, and a Man who Sows discord among brothers.
To better understanding which are the ones who shed innocent blood, we read the passage at Matthew 26 referring to the Church leaders' plan to kill Jesus.
26:2 "Jesus said to His disciples, 'you know that after 2 days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified'."
In the 26:3 verse we clearly see the vice 'a Heart that devises wicked plans': Then the 'chief' priests and the 'elders' of the people gathered in the 'palace of the high priest', who was called Ca'Iaphas, and took counsel together 'in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Him'. But they said, 'not during the feast, lest there be a tumult among the people'.
Then we can learn, from Psalms 1:1-6, how to deal with the 'Feet that make haste to run to evil' :
"Blessed is the man who 'walks Not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the 'way of sinners', nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. The wicked are not like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither, but are like chaff which the 'wind' drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the 'judgment', nor 'sinners' in the 'congregation of the righteous'; for the Lord knows the 'way of the righteous', but the 'way of the wicked' will perish."
The Haughty Eyes can be seen in Psalm 2: "Why do nations conspire, and the 'peoples plot in vain?The kings of the earth 'set themselves', and the rulers 'take counsel together', against the Lord and his anointed, saying, 'Let's rebel against them (burst their bonds asunder), Let's break free from them (cast their cords from us)."
Man who sows division is presented in this passage Matthew 26:6 "Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the 'house of Simon the leper', a woman came up to Him with 'an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment', and she poured it on His head, as He sat at the table. But when 'the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, 'Why this waste?' For 'this ointment' might have been sold for a large sum, and given to the poor." 26:10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to 'them', "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to Me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have Me. In pouring this ointment on My Body she has done it to prepare Me for burial. Truly I say to you, wherever 'this Gospel' is preached in the 'whole World', what she has done will be told 'in memory of her'."26:14 Then one of the twelve who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the 'chief priests' and said, 'What will you give me if I deliver Him to you'? And 'they paid' him 30 pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought 'an opportunity' to betray Him.
Another example in the Scripture about having the 7 abominations is presented in Proverbs 6"12 "Some people are just trouble makers. They are always thinking up some crooked plan and telling lies. They use secret signals to cheat people; they wink their eyes, shuffle their feet, and point a finger. They are always planning to do something bad. But they will be punished. Disaster will strike, and they will be destroyed."
The dangers of being a False witness is explained in Proverbs 6:2 "If you are snared in the utterance of your lips, caught in the words of your mouth; then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into 'your neighbor's power' (be caught under the power of other people): you must go and free yourself. Beg them to free you from that debt. Do not wait to rest or sleep. Escape from that trap like a deer running from a hunter. Free yourself like a bird flying from a trap."
Another example presenting the vices, especially the first one that deals with Haughty eyes, are in Jeremiah 26: 2 Thus says the Lord: "Stand in the court of the Lord's House, and speak to all the cities of Judah which come to worship in the House of the Lord 'All the Words' that 'I command you' to speak to them; 'do not hold back a Word'."
26:3 "It may be they will listen, and every one turn from 'his evil way', that I may repent of the evil which I intend to do to them 'because of their evil doings'."
26:4-6 You shall say to them, "Thus says the Lord: If you 'will not listen to Me', 'to Walk in My Law' which I have set before you, and 'to heed the Words' of My servants the Prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not heeded, then I will 'make this city a curse' for all the nations of the earth"
26:7 The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these Words in the House of the Lord. 8)And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold on him, saying, "You shall die! Why have you prophesied in the Name of the Lord, saying, 'This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant?'
26:10-11 When the 'princes of Judah' heard this things, they came up from the king's house to the House of the Lord and took their seat 'in the entry of the New Gate' of the House of the Lord. Then the priests and the prophets said to the 'princes' and to all people, "This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears."
26:12-13 Then Jeremiah spoke up to 'all the princes' and 'all the people', saying, "The Lord sent me to prophesy against 'this House' and 'this city' all the Words you have heard. Now therefore 'amend your ways and your doings', and 'obey the Voice of the Lord your God', and the Lord will repent of the evil which He has pronounced against you."
26:14 "But as for me, behold, I am in your hands. Do with me as seems 'good and right' to you. Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring 'innocent blood' upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for 'in Truth' the Lord sent me to you to speak all these Words in your ears."
To better understanding which are the ones who shed innocent blood, we read the passage at Matthew 26 referring to the Church leaders' plan to kill Jesus.
26:2 "Jesus said to His disciples, 'you know that after 2 days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified'."
In the 26:3 verse we clearly see the vice 'a Heart that devises wicked plans': Then the 'chief' priests and the 'elders' of the people gathered in the 'palace of the high priest', who was called Ca'Iaphas, and took counsel together 'in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Him'. But they said, 'not during the feast, lest there be a tumult among the people'.
Then we can learn, from Psalms 1:1-6, how to deal with the 'Feet that make haste to run to evil' :
"Blessed is the man who 'walks Not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the 'way of sinners', nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. The wicked are not like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither, but are like chaff which the 'wind' drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the 'judgment', nor 'sinners' in the 'congregation of the righteous'; for the Lord knows the 'way of the righteous', but the 'way of the wicked' will perish."
The Haughty Eyes can be seen in Psalm 2: "Why do nations conspire, and the 'peoples plot in vain?The kings of the earth 'set themselves', and the rulers 'take counsel together', against the Lord and his anointed, saying, 'Let's rebel against them (burst their bonds asunder), Let's break free from them (cast their cords from us)."
Man who sows division is presented in this passage Matthew 26:6 "Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the 'house of Simon the leper', a woman came up to Him with 'an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment', and she poured it on His head, as He sat at the table. But when 'the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, 'Why this waste?' For 'this ointment' might have been sold for a large sum, and given to the poor." 26:10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to 'them', "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to Me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have Me. In pouring this ointment on My Body she has done it to prepare Me for burial. Truly I say to you, wherever 'this Gospel' is preached in the 'whole World', what she has done will be told 'in memory of her'."26:14 Then one of the twelve who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the 'chief priests' and said, 'What will you give me if I deliver Him to you'? And 'they paid' him 30 pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought 'an opportunity' to betray Him.
Another example in the Scripture about having the 7 abominations is presented in Proverbs 6"12 "Some people are just trouble makers. They are always thinking up some crooked plan and telling lies. They use secret signals to cheat people; they wink their eyes, shuffle their feet, and point a finger. They are always planning to do something bad. But they will be punished. Disaster will strike, and they will be destroyed."
The dangers of being a False witness is explained in Proverbs 6:2 "If you are snared in the utterance of your lips, caught in the words of your mouth; then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into 'your neighbor's power' (be caught under the power of other people): you must go and free yourself. Beg them to free you from that debt. Do not wait to rest or sleep. Escape from that trap like a deer running from a hunter. Free yourself like a bird flying from a trap."
Another example presenting the vices, especially the first one that deals with Haughty eyes, are in Jeremiah 26: 2 Thus says the Lord: "Stand in the court of the Lord's House, and speak to all the cities of Judah which come to worship in the House of the Lord 'All the Words' that 'I command you' to speak to them; 'do not hold back a Word'."
26:3 "It may be they will listen, and every one turn from 'his evil way', that I may repent of the evil which I intend to do to them 'because of their evil doings'."
26:4-6 You shall say to them, "Thus says the Lord: If you 'will not listen to Me', 'to Walk in My Law' which I have set before you, and 'to heed the Words' of My servants the Prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not heeded, then I will 'make this city a curse' for all the nations of the earth"
26:7 The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these Words in the House of the Lord. 8)And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold on him, saying, "You shall die! Why have you prophesied in the Name of the Lord, saying, 'This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant?'
26:10-11 When the 'princes of Judah' heard this things, they came up from the king's house to the House of the Lord and took their seat 'in the entry of the New Gate' of the House of the Lord. Then the priests and the prophets said to the 'princes' and to all people, "This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears."
26:12-13 Then Jeremiah spoke up to 'all the princes' and 'all the people', saying, "The Lord sent me to prophesy against 'this House' and 'this city' all the Words you have heard. Now therefore 'amend your ways and your doings', and 'obey the Voice of the Lord your God', and the Lord will repent of the evil which He has pronounced against you."
26:14 "But as for me, behold, I am in your hands. Do with me as seems 'good and right' to you. Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring 'innocent blood' upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for 'in Truth' the Lord sent me to you to speak all these Words in your ears."
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