...................................................................LET US LEARN TOGETHER WHAT IS GOOD. Job 34:4b(NIV)................................................................Some people see the Bible as a long and boring book filled with incidents and events from the lives of ancient people who probably never existed. The biblical stories are seen as fables. Notably, Romans 15:4 reveals: For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.(KJV) In this blog, many of the situations and conversations found in the divinely inspired Scriptures of the Holy Bible have been placed in categories that correspond to expressive sayings and phrases. Reference information, background information and links connecting the people and places are given to help you find a place to begin reading the Bible for yourself.

Monday, August 03, 2015

We Spy the Non-Israelites

And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.) And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy. And when he shewed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family. And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof unto this day.-Judges 1:23-26***Jacob (Israel) was the favorite child born to his mother Rebekah. Jacob's older fraternal twin brother Esau (Edom) was the favorite of their father Isaac. After Jacob obeyed Rebekah, and deceived Isaac, and cheated Esau, and Rebekah learned that Esau planned to kill Jacob, Rebekah spoke words to Isaac that led Isaac to send Jacob from their home in Canaan to Rebekah's family in Padan Aram, Haran, in northern Mesopotamia. While journeying, Jacob rested in Luz, and renamed the area Bethel, and thought of the area as the house of God. During Jacob's 7th year in Haran, he was married to Leah and Rachel, the daughters of Rebekah's brother Laban the Syrian (Aramean). Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and daughter Dinah were born to Jacob and Leah. Dan and Naphtali were born to Jacob and Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant. Gad and Asher were born to Jacob and Zilpah, Leah's maidservant. Joseph was the 1st son born to Jacob and Rachel. During Jacob's 20th year in Haran, he departed from the property with his family and possessions. Shortly thereafter, Jacob and Esau were reunited. In Canaan, near Bethlehem, Benjamin was born to Jacob and Rachel, and Rachel died. Near Hebron, Canaan, Jacob and Isaac were reunited. When Joseph was at least 17 years old, his brothers sold him to merchants traveling to Egypt. In Egypt, the merchants sold Joseph to Potiphar, an Egyptian official. After Potiphar's wife made a false accusation, Potiphar put Joseph in prison. At least 2 years after Joseph explained the meaning of a dream to the imprisoned cupbearer who served Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and explained the meaning of a dream to Pharaoh's imprisoned baker, Joseph explained the meaning of a dream to Pharaoh, and Pharaoh proclaimed Joseph second-in-command. After the 2nd time that Joseph's brothers were in Egypt to buy grain (corn) during a famine, Joseph identified himself to his brothers and told them to move with their families, including Jacob, to Egypt. During the journey, the Lord God spoke to 130-year-old Jacob. In Egypt, Jacob proclaimed Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons born to Joseph and his wife Asenath, to be his own sons. When Jacob was 147 years old, he died in Egypt and Jacob's family buried is body in Canaan. Sometime after 110-year-old Joseph and his siblings were dead, the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. Miriam and her younger brothers Aaron and Moses were from the tribe of Levi. When Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83, they led the Israelites away from Egypt, across the divinely parted Red Sea, and into the desert wilderness of Shur, according to the commands of the Lord God. During the 40-year journey to Canaan, the Promised Land, Miriam the prophetess died and was buried in Kadesh, in the desert wilderness of Zin. Upon Mount Hor, 123-year-old Aaron the high priest died. When Moses went upon Mount Nebo, the Lord God showed Moses the Promised Land, and 120-year-old Moses the prophet died and was divinely buried. Joshua, Moses' successor from the tribe of Ephraim, led the Israelites across the divinely parted Jordan River and onto the land that the Lord God promised to give to Jacob, and Isaac, and to Isaac's father Abraham (Abram the Hebrew), and their descendants. As Joseph's descendants prepared to conquer their portion of the Promised Land, they sent spies on a mission to Bethel (Luz). Over 1,300 years after 110-year-old Joshua died and was buried in his tribe's portion of the Promised Land, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was born. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born into the tribe of Judah to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin.-Genesis 11:26-50:26, Exodus, Numbers 20:1-29, 27:12-23, Deuteronomy 31:1-30, 32:44-52, 34:1-12, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 16:1-10, 23:1-24:33, Judges 1:1-2:23, 1 Chronicles 1:1-34, 2:1-17, 3:1-24, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts 1:1-26

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