...................................................................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, September 19, 2022

Do the Do's, Don't the Don'ts, and Be the Be's

Moses speaks to his fellow Israelites:

When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee. And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge: In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates: At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.-Deuteronomy 24:10-15***Ishmael was born to 86-year-old Abraham (Abram the Hebrew) and Hagar, the maidservant of Abraham's wife Sarah (Sarai). Isaac was born to 100-year-old Abraham and 90-year-old Sarah. Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah were born to Abraham and his 2nd wife Keturah. Before 175-year-old Abraham died in Canaan, he gave the largest portion of his wealth to Isaac and gave smaller portions to his other sons. Isaac was wealthy and became wealthier. Fraternal twins Esau (Edom) and Jacob (Israel) were the born to 60-year-old Isaac and his wife Rebekah, Abraham and Sarah's grandniece. When Isaac was elderly, Jacob obeyed Rebekah and deceived Isaac, and cheated Esau. After Rebekah learned that Esau planned to kill Jacob, she spoke to Isaac and led Isaac to send Jacob to Rebekah's family in Padan Aram, Haran, in northern Mesopotamia. Jacob journeyed away from Canaan with no wealth and only a walking stick in his hand. 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 born in Haran to Jacob and Rachel. During Jacob's 20th year in Haran, he began journeying to Canaan with family and all the servants, animals, and goods he had acquired. In Canaan, Benjamin was born near Bethlehem to Jacob and Rachel, and Rachel died. When Joseph was at least 17 years old, his brothers sold Joseph to merchants traveling to Egypt and led Jacob to believe that Joseph was killed by a wild animal. The merchants sold Joseph to Potiphar, an Egyptian official, and Joseph became the top servant in Potiphar's home. After Potiphar's wife made a false accusation, Potiphar put Joseph in prison. Over 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 that 30-year-old Joseph was  second-in-command. During a famine, Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain (corn). After the 2nd time that Joseph's brothers were in Egypt, Joseph identified himself to his brothers and told them to move with their families, including Jacob, to Egypt. During the journey, 130-year-old Jacob heard the Lord God speaking to him. In Egypt, Jacob proclaimed Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons born to Joseph and his wife Asenath, to be his own sons. Sometime after 147-year-old Jacob died in Egypt, and Jacob's family buried his body in Canaan, and 110-year-old Joseph and his siblings were dead, their descendants the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. Miriam and her younger brothers Aaron and Moses were Israelites from the tribe of Levi. When Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83, the Lord God sent them to speak to the Israelite elders and Pharaoh. After the Lord God brought the 10th and final plague upon Pharaoh and Egypt, Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron to get the Israelites and their animals and go serve the Lord God. Before leaving, the Israelites asked for and were given a vast amount of valuable goods, fulfilling the words that the Lord God spoke to Abraham over 600 years earlier. The divinely inspired Scriptures of the Holy Bible reveal that Moses and Aaron led the Israelites, and those with them, away from Egypt, across the divinely parted Red Sea, and into the desert wilderness of ShurIn the desert wilderness of Sinai, in the region of Mount Sinai, the Israelites were consecrated according to the commands of the Lord God. At the appointed time, the Israelites heard the sound of a trumpet (horn), and the Lord God descended upon Mount Sinai in fire. The Israelites heard the voice of the Lord God proclaim the Ten Commandments to them, and the Israelites were frightened and only wanted Moses to speak to them. The Lord God agreed with their request and began giving Moses judgments, statutes and laws for the Israelites. 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 priest died. When the Israelites were assembled, Moses began proclaiming his last messages, recounting their history and ancestors, and the promises, commandments, judgments, statutes, and laws that the Lord God gave for the Israelites. Moses spoke about people who would be poor in Canaan, the land of milk, honey, water, crops, iron, and copper. Moses told the Israelites that the poor would never cease from being in Canaan. Moreover, Moses described the blessings that would overtake the Israelites if they obeyed the voice of the Lord God and observed to do all of his commandments, and the curses that would overtake them if they did not obey the voice of the Lord God and did not observe to do all of the commandments and statutes of the Lord God. 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 Abraham, and Isaac, and to Jacob, and their descendants. Over 1,300 years after 110-year-old Joshua died and was buried in his tribe's portion of the Promised Land, John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, were born. John the Baptist was born into the tribe of Levi to Zechariah (Zacharias) the priest and his wife Elizabeth (Elisabeth). Jesus the Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Elizabeth's relative  Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born in Bethlehem into the tribe of Judah to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin. Approximately 30 years after John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ were born, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Jesus having prayed, the heavens tearing open, the Holy Spirit descended as a dove and lit upon Jesus. The Lord God in heaven audibly acknowledged his Son Jesus, and the Holy led Jesus into the desert wilderness. Jesus fasted 40 days and nights and was tempted. Afterwards, Jesus was tended to by angels, and Jesus went to the area near John the Baptist, and John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus to be the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world. In Galilee, Jesus told specific Israelite men to follow him, and Jesus began to preach teach and perform miracles among the Israelites. The gospel was preached to the poor, and Jesus taught about selling possessions and giving and distributing to the poor, and inviting the poor, and Jesus told his disciples and other listeners that they would always have the poor with them.-Genesis 11:26-50:26, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers 20:1-29, 27:12-23, Deuteronomy, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 23:1-24:33, Judges 1:1-2:23, 1 Chronicles 1:1-34, 2:1-17, 3:1-24, 6:1-81, 7:20-29, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts 1:26

Reference Information:
abroad = bahus = chuts = outside, outer street, separated by a wall

hire = sekarow = sakar = wages, salary, payment

his day = beyowmow = yom = each day, each appointed time

pledge = abotow = abot/abat = an article given or held as security

sleep = tiskab = shakab = keep overnight, lie down

Reference Scriptures:
If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury. If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down:l For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.-Exodus 22:25-27

And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.-Exodus 23:10-11

And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.-Leviticus 19:9-10

And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.-Leviticus 23:22

If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.-Leviticus 25:25...And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee.-Leviticus 25:35...And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant:-Leviticus 25:39

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