Don't fool yourself

April 1 is known as April Fool’s Day. It is not an official holiday, but it is a day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on others. It has been celebrated in many countries around the world for many centuries. April Fool’s Day can also be called Atheist’s Day, as per Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1, where David writes: “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

David’s son Solomon, who had wisdom given to him by God, wrote many proverbs about fools to contrast the fool’s behavior to that of wise people and in order that people would not become fools. Here is a summary of these proverbs about fools.

The attributes of a fool:

Fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7).

Fools hate knowledge (Proverbs 1:22).

The mouth of the foolish is near destruction (Proverbs 10:14).

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes (Proverbs 12:15).

It is an abomination to fools to depart from evil (Proverbs 13:19).

In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride (Proverbs 14:3).

The folly of fools is deceit (Proverbs 14:8).

The foolishness of fools is folly (Proverbs 14:24).

A fool despises his father’s instruction (Proverbs 15:5).

The heart of the fool does not disperse knowledge (Proverbs 15:7).

The mouth of a fool feeds on foolishness (Proverbs 15:14)

A fool’s mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snare of his soul (Proverbs 18:7).

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool (Proverbs 28:26).

The actions of a fool:

He spreads slander (Proverbs 10:18).

He does evil like a sport (Proverbs 10:23).

The heart of a fool proclaims foolishness (Proverbs 12:23).

Fools mock at sin (Proverbs 14:9).

A fool rages and is self-confident (Proverbs 14:16).

The mouth of fools pours forth foolishness (Proverbs 15:2).

The foolish woman pulls down her house with her hands (Proverbs 14:1).

A fool has delight in expressing his own heart (Proverbs 18:2).

A fool’s lips enter into contention and his mouth calls for blows (Proverbs 18:6).

The heart of fools is in the house of mirth (Ecclesiastes 7:4).

Anger rests in the bosom of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:9).

The results of foolishness:

The complacency of fools will destroy them (Proverbs 1:32).

Shame shall be the legacy of fools (Proverbs 3:35).

A foolish son is the grief of his mother (Proverbs 10:1).

A prating (chattering, babbling) fool will fall (Proverbs 10:8, 10).

Fools die for lack of wisdom (Proverbs 10:21).

A fool’s wrath is known at once (Proverbs 12:16).

A fool lays open his folly (Proverbs 13:16).

The companion of fools will be destroyed (Proverbs 13:20).

The folly of fools is deceit (Proverbs 14:8).

A foolish man despises his mother (Proverbs 15:20).

Honor is not fitting for a fool. (Proverbs 26:1).

God has no pleasure in fools (Ecclesiastes 4:4).

What should we do when we encounter a fool? Solomon gives good advice to us in Proverbs 14:7: “Go from the presence of a foolish man, When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.” Paul also writes in Ephesians 5:15, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise.” 

Now that we know all about fools, we should make sure that we don’t follow in their footsteps.  We should fill our hearts and minds with God’s Word and learn wisdom. 

Thanks as always for reading!  See you next time!

 Diane

 

Overcomer

The book of Revelation is a book of the Bible that a lot of people say they don't understand, or maybe they just don't want to understand.  "It doesn't apply to us today, " they say. "It's about the future. I don't care about that."  Yet over twenty-five percent of the Bible is prophecies about the future. If God didn't want us to know what was going to happen in the future, He wouldn't have told us.  And Revelation is the only book of the Bible that promises blessings to those who read it and follow it. Revelation 1:3 reads: "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near." God's time is not the same as human time, so "near" means something different to God than it does to us.  

Per Merriam-Webster, one of the definitions of "revelation" is "something that is revealed by God to humans." We Christians mostly refer to the book of Revelation as just Revelation, but the actual title of the book is "The Revelation of Jesus Christ."  The other books of the Bible were transcribed by men and inspired by God. Per Revelation 1:1, God gave Jesus the revelation in the book of Revelation to give to men. This last book in the Bible is not only directed to the Asian churches for correction and reproof (and for us as well), it also reveals what will happen in the last times, at the Second Coming, and what will happen after.  It also reveals what rewards we will receive for being faithful believers, or overcomers, as Jesus calls us.  There's a lot to dig out of the book of Revelation, but for this blog post, I'm going to concentrate on the first three chapters.  

In Revelation 1, John greets the seven churches of Asia. Like Paul's epistles, this book was forwarded from church to church to be read to each congregation, as per Jesus' instructions in Revelation 1:11. Revelation 1:7 reminds me of Zechariah 12:10-14, where all of Israel looks on the One who they pierced (Jesus) and they will mourn.  

In Revelation 1:9, John gives us some background as to where he is and why he is there.  In verse 10, John mentions that he was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, which means that he was in prayer on a Sunday.  He heard a voice behind him, which turns out to be Jesus since He refers to Himself as the Alpha and the Omega. 

John knew that voice.  He heard it for three years while Jesus walked on the earth.  John quickly turned around so that he could see Jesus, but He looked very different than He did when He was walking on Earth. In fact, His appearance was so different that it shocked John and he fainted. But Jesus laid His hand on John and comforted him.  Jesus explains about the seven stars in His right hand, which are the angels of the churches, and the seven lampstands, which are the churches. 

Jesus also instructs John to write down what he sees and hears and send it to the seven churches. He starts the letters right away in Revelation 2. The letters continue until the end of chapter 3. Jesus addresses each church in the first person. He could have told John, "Write that Jesus says to tell you," which would put the letters in the third person.  Jesus also addresses Himself by a different title for the letter for each church.  He has John address each letter to the angel of that particular church. The "angel" of the churches, per various commentators, are the pastors of the churches. 

Each letter to the churches has three parts.  In the first part of each letter, Jesus tells that particular church about the good things they have done or believed, to encourage them. Then in the second part of each letter,  Jesus tells them about what they have done wrong and what will happen if they don't correct that wrong.  In the third and final part of each letter, Jesus gives a promise for believers who stay faithful.  This is usually preceded by the phrase, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Sometimes this phrase is at the end of the letter.  Either way, it is the hint that the reproof/correction is finished. 

The table below summarizes and explains the first two parts of each letter.  Then I'll summarize what overcomers will receive in Heaven after the Rapture. You will only see entries for five churches in the table below because not all of the churches had done things they needed reproof for.  When you read the "What was done wrong" column, think about how that entry would translate to you and/or the modern church. 

What was done wrong:	How to correct what was done wrong:	What happens if the wrong isn’t corrected:
Nevertheless I (Jesus) have this against you, that you have left your first love.	Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works.	Else I (Jesus) will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.
But I (Jesus) have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.	Repent.	Or else I (Jesus) will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
Nevertheless I (Jesus) have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.  And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.	Repent (implied, not in the text).	Indeed I (Jesus) will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.
Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I (Jesus) have not found your works perfect before God.	Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent.	Therefore if you will not watch, I (Jesus) will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
I (Jesus) know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.	I (Jesus) counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.	Jesus doesn’t detail what would happen if the wrong isn’t corrected.

Now for the good news!  For those who keep the faith and are overcomers, here are the promised rewards:  

He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

 I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.

Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.

I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.

To him I will give power over the nations—I will give him the morning star.

He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

The "I" in each verse above refers to Jesus. Aren't these promises wonderful? They give us something to look forward to and they encourage us when we feel sad.  I wonder what Jesus' new name is, don't you?   How thrilling it will be when all these promises come true and we will be with Jesus eternally!  

Thanks for your patience and continued reading of my blog. I hope to write more soon.  See you next time!

Diane

Recharging your batteries

I own an Apple Watch (yes, I'm a gadget girl).  Every day-and-a-half or so, the low battery warning appears on my watch.  The message says: "Low Power You have 10% power remaining." There is another box below the message which reads "Power Reserve." When I see the Low Power message, I hurry up and connect my watch to its charger so that it will charge back up.  It usually takes about an hour to an hour and a half to recharge my watch and then I can wear it again.

Our personal batteries can wear down too, can't they?  Unfortunately, our bodies don't give us the low power warning that my Apple Watch gives me.  Many things drain our personal batteries - work, raising our kids, the world in general.  On a personal note, I'd like to salute those parents who are both working full time from home and homeschooling their kids during this pandemic.  That would drain my batteries for sure. 

Psalm 121:4 reads, "Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep."  But there was one time God did rest - on the seventh day after He created everything.  Genesis 2:2 reads, "And on the seventh day God ended His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done." That was a lot of work. God deserved a rest. 

Since Jesus was part human, His batteries occasionally ran down too, especially with all the healing and the teaching that He did.  In Matthew 8:23-27 (and also Mark 4:35-41 and Luke 8:22-25), Jesus and the disciples were in a boat on the sea, and Jesus was asleep.  Suddenly, a storm came up which scared the disciples. Jesus obviously slept very soundly, for the disciples had to wake Him up.  So a good, deep sleep helped Jesus recharge his batteries.

Jesus also recharged his batteries by going up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  We see this in Matthew 14:23 and Mark 1:35. Jesus spent time talking to His Father. This helped give Jesus the power for what He needed to do. 

God knew when He made us that we would need to recharge our batteries on a regular basis.  That's why He created the Sabbath day, which is mentioned for the first time in Exodus 16:23. The Sabbath correlates to the seventh day that God rested after He created everything.  We Gentiles have made Sunday our rest day since Jesus rose from the grave on that day. In Exodus chapters 31 and 35, you can read about all the Sabbath laws that the Jewish people had to follow.

True rest, however, is found in Jesus.  In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says the following:  "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Since Jesus is our rest, we don’t have to follow all of the Sabbath rules. 

So what should we do on Sundays since we don’t have to follow the Sabbath rules? If you aren’t sick, you should attend a worship service. Worshipping the Lord will bring peace to your soul. Meeting up with fellow Christians at church is a good way to recharge your batteries.  Spend time with God by reading His Word and praying.  A regular day of the week to unwind and recharge your batteries is essential for all aspects of your health. 

 

But what if you can’t wait until Sunday to recharge your batteries?  What if you’re so exhausted you just can’t function?  Even if you have to lock yourself in the bathroom or go down to the basement, you need a break.  You need to get away and spend time with the Father in prayer.  Jesus spent time with His Father in prayer, and you should too. 

 

Sometimes when I get that low power message on my Apple Watch, I can’t put it on its charger right away.  If I let the low power message stay on for too long, it takes much longer to recharge the watch than it normally would.  That can happen to our bodies too.  If we don’t take regular breaks to recharge our bodies and our minds, we can become physically and mentally ill, and it takes us much longer (and maybe even a hospital stay) to get our batteries recharged.  So make time to recharge your batteries!

Thanks as always for reading! See you next time!

Diane

 

Reactions and promptings

In Luke 1, the archangel Gabriel was the messenger of some very important news.  Gabriel had a message for two different people, but each person reacted to the message in different ways.  

The first person on Gabriel's message list was Zechariah.  Zechariah was a priest and he was in the temple burning incense.  Suddenly, an angel appeared at the right side of the altar.  Zechariah was frightened. He had probably never been visited by an angel before. 

Gabriel told Zechariah that the prayers of Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth for a child had been heard.  Gabriel told Zechariah that he would have a son and that he should call his name John.  Gabriel told Zechariah about how John would be filled with the Holy Spirit and that he would lead the Jewish people back to God.

Zechariah was skeptical.  He asked Gabriel how he would know that he would have a son.  If an angel told me I was going to have a son after years of trying and praying, I would believe him.  But Zechariah didn't believe Gabriel and that got him in big trouble.  Gabriel finally announced just who he was, and since Zechariah didn't believe Gabriel, Gabriel made him unable to speak until John was born.  

The next person on Gabriel's message list was a young girl named Mary, who lived in Nazareth in Galilee.  Mary was engaged to a man named Joseph. Gabriel had a very enthusiastic greeting for Mary when he saw her.  "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women!" he said. Mary was afraid, and wouldn't you be too? Gabriel told Mary not to be afraid and he also told her that she had found favor with God. Gabriel went on to tell Mary that she would become pregnant, give birth to a son and his name would be Jesus.  Gabriel told Mary that Jesus would be given the throne of His father David.  Mary knew that meant that Jesus was going to be the Messiah.  

Mary had a better response to Gabriel's news than Zechariah did.  She asked Gabriel how this was all going to happen since she hadn't known a man.  "Know" in this context meant to know a person intimately, i.e., have sexual relations.  Since she was engaged, she probably had already had "the talk" with her mother so she knew how babies were made.  Mary wasn't questioning why her pregnancy was going to happen; she was questioning how it was going to happen without a man around. Gabriel explained that the Holy Spirit was going to take care of all that. He also told her that her cousin Elizabeth was six months pregnant.  And then Gabriel drops one of my favorite Scriptures.  He tells Mary that with God, nothing is impossible.  Mary tells Gabriel that she was the handmaiden of the Lord and that she agreed with what was going to happen to her.

So let's compare the reactions to Gabriel's news.  Zechariah was afraid and cynical.  Mary was afraid at first but then she was open and accepting of Gabriel's news. Gabriel approved of Mary's reaction but not Zechariah's reaction. In fact, Gabriel was angry with Zechariah's reaction. 

Has the Lord ever prompted you to do something? Maybe He prompted you to witness to your next-door neighbor. Or maybe He prompted you to join a Bible study group.  What would your reaction be?  Would you be frightened and questioning like Zechariah? Or would you be open and accepting like Mary?  

The Lord prompted me to start this blog over ten years ago.  He also prompted me to start a podcast of this blog three years ago. A few months ago, the Lord prompted me to start a YouTube channel featuring hymns.  You can find the link to my YouTube channel in the right-hand column, in case you're interested. You can also access it here:  Hymns4Him. I was obedient to the Lord's leading.  I hope He is happy with how I have followed His prompting.  

So if the Lord prompts you to do something, will you be open to His leading? Or will you be like Zechariah and be questioning and frightened?  I hope you choose the right response. 

Thanks as always for reading!  See you next time!

Diane

It's a family affair

I'm not sure if it's my age, but I'm getting interested in genealogy.  I think I'm going to put an Ancestry DNA test on my Christmas list.  I'm especially interested in the finger length DNA trait - I have short fingers (the fingers on mittens are way too long) and my pinky fingers are extremely short - they only come halfway up the second joint on my ring finger.  I wonder if that's a birth defect of some sort, especially since I had problems with small motor skills as a child. 

The Hebrews in the Old Testament were also extremely interested in genealogy.  In modern days, we have first names and surnames. For example, I'm Diane (my first name) Schultz (my surname). But in Old Testament times, a man was referred to as "the son of ____," and sometimes, a second "the son of _____" was added.  Occasionally, the tribe of which the man belonged was added - for example, Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.  

2 Chronicles 1-9 lists all of the generations of Jewish men up until Saul. A listing of all the people who returned to Israel from Babylon is found in Ezra 2.  Evidently, the genealogies were kept up during the exile in Babylon, because in Ezra 2:62, it states that some of the men who thought they were priests were not found in the genealogies and therefore, they were defiled.  Ezra outlines his own genealogy in Ezra 7, and it shows that he is a descendant of Aaron, the chief priest.  Therefore, he was extremely qualified to teach the law.  

Ezra 8 lists all the names of the families that returned to Israel with him.  Interestingly, there is a Daniel listed.  But is it the Daniel from the book of Daniel? The "son of _____" designation is not used for Daniel in the book of Daniel. Since Daniel was in Babylon by this point, who his father was is not important, and he may have been dead by that time. In Daniel 1:4, Daniel and his companions are listed as "young men." If Daniel was 18 years old at the time of the captivity and Israel was in exile for 70 years, that means he would have been 88 years old at the time of the first trip back to Israel.  The Daniel listed in the book of Ezra is listed as one of the sons of Ithamar, who was one of Aaron's sons. These Daniels may be one and the same, but I couldn't find any corroborating evidence in my brief research.  I will add this to the list of questions I will ask the Lord once I get to heaven.

You may wonder why the Hebrews were so interested in genealogy.  As noted above, the genealogies showed which people were real Hebrews and which people were not. The main reason, however, that the Hebrews were interested in genealogy is that the Messiah would come through one of the Hebrews' family lines.  This was predicted in Genesis 3:15 after the serpent (Satan) tempted Eve to eat the apple from the Tree of Life:  "And I will put enmity, Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” The Seed, of course, is Jesus.  Jesus was to come through the line of Adam and Eve and later, through the line of David.  Jesus is referred to as the Son of David in the Bible.  Jesus confounded the Pharisees in Matthew 22 by asking them who they thought whose son the Christ was. They replied that that Christ was the son of David, but Jesus said in verse 45, "“If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?”  The genealogy of Jesus through Joseph, His earthly father, can be found in Matthew 1, and the genealogy of Jesus through His mother Mary can be found in Luke 3.  Mary's genealogy listing goes all the way back to Adam, while Joseph's genealogy listing only goes back to Abraham.  Both Joseph and Mary were from David's family line, although they were from different branches of David's family tree.  

Throughout the Gospels, the "son of _____" wording is still used when men are introduced into the story. But starting in the book of Acts, the "son of _____" designation is no longer used.  Why? you may ask.  I think there are two reasons.  First, Jesus the Messiah had already come (and returned to Heaven), and the Hebrew genealogies didn't matter anymore as far as the Messiah was concerned.  Second, the members of the Christian church were not only Jews but people from all over the known world, thanks to Peter's sermon at Pentecost and Paul's missionary journeys. The "son of _______" designation was no longer necessary.  As church members, we are members of the family of God and the only father that is important (besides our biological fathers) is our heavenly Father.  So dear reader, you are my brother or sister in Christ and God is our heavenly Father! 

I have traced my family line on Ancestry.com and other genealogy websites back two generations.  I would like to know a little bit more about my great grandparents.  I would also like to know what countr(ies) my ancestors emigrated from.  The results of the DNA testing will be very interesting.

Thanks as always for reading! See you next time!

Diane

The gift of laughter

One of the best parts of being human is the ability to laugh.  If God wouldn't have wanted us to laugh, He wouldn't have given the ability to laugh.  Proverbs 17:22 reads, "A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones." What better to make a heart merry than a good bout of laughter?  

Per Genesis 1:27, God made man in His own image, so He must laugh as well.  God placed many instances of humor in the Bible for us to enjoy.  Three of my favorites are listed below.

Balaam and his donkey

Numbers 22:22-31:

Then God’s anger was aroused because he (Balaam) went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. 24 Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again. 26 Then the Angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.

28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”

29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!”

30 So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?”

And he said, “No.”

31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. 32 And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me. 33 The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.”

Balaam didn't listen when the Lord told him not to go with Balak's entourage to curse the Israelites, so the Lord used Balaam's donkey to circumvent his plans.  Animals and humans do not, as a rule, have verbal communication with each other, so to have the donkey talk to Balaam is very humorous to us.  Interestingly, Balaam didn't think it was at all strange that his donkey was talking to him.  I wonder if the animals spoke with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before they committed the first sin, and whether animals will be speaking with us in the Millennial Kingdom?  Something to think about, for sure. 

Jehu the Speed Racer

2 Kings 9:20:

So the watchman reported, saying, “He went up to them and is not coming back; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously!”

This must be the first recorded incidence of speeding in the Bible.  The mental image of Jehu driving his chariot furiously makes us laugh.  If Jehu was alive today, he would have been a NASCAR driver or an Indy 500 driver.  Jehu's fast (as in driving) reputation must have been known far and wide for the watchman to know it was him before he even saw him.  You have to feel sorry for Jehu's poor horses though, for having to run so fast.  

The god Dagon and the ark of God

1Samuel 5:1-6:

Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. 3 And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set it in its place again. 4 And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it. 5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

Since they were not Israelites, the Philistines did not know the commandment not to put other gods before God. God was angry that His ark was in the temple of a false god.  So He made Dagon, the Philistines' god, fall on its face before the ark.  The Philistines must have thought it was a fluke that Dagon had fallen over, so they set Dagon back in its place.  The next day, Dagon was found on its face with its head and both of its hands broken off on the threshold, with only its torso remaining. It is funny to see God showing the Philistines He was better than their god. 

There are many more humorous stories in the Bible, so if you have a favorite that I haven't listed here, drop them in a comment below.  

Thanks as always for reading! See you next time!

Diane

Lead us not into -

Temptation.  That's a word we don't hear often anymore, due to the fact that the world is such an evil place these days. It's not even discussed much in the church anymore.  But as Christians, we should be very aware of temptation and how it can affect our relationship with God. Let's start our study by looking up the definition of temptation.  Merriam-Webster defines "temptation" as 1: the act of tempting or the state of being tempted, especially to evil; and 2: something tempting: a cause or occasion of enticement.

There are plenty of stories in the Bible about temptation, but we will just look at three.  The first story in the Bible about temptation is in Genesis 3, where Satan, in the guise of a snake, tempts Eve into eating an apple from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve must have been used to having animals talk to her because she wasn't afraid at all of a talking snake.  Unfortunately, Eve gave into temptation and ate of the fruit of the tree and even worse, gave it to Adam to eat.  

Another story about temptation in the Bible is the story of Samson and Delilah, which you can find in Judges 16.  Delilah, in league with the Philistines, used her powers of persuasion to have Samson tell her how to make his strength go away so that the Philistines could tie him up.  Samson got the last laugh, however - he leaned against the pillars of the temple and pushed them so that the temple fell on the Philistines and killed them. 

The last story we will touch on is the story of Jesus in the wilderness and how he was tempted by Satan after fasting for 40 days.  Satan tried tempting Jesus with bread, with angels saving Jesus from bodily harm, and with the power of ruling all the countries of the earth if only Jesus would bow down and worship Satan.  Jesus, of course, didn't fall for any of Satan's wiles.  He is God and God can't be tempted.

In the first two stories, Satan used other people to tempt his targets.  In our third story, Satan himself was the tempter.  Satan, or someone he is working through, is always the tempter.  God never tempts us.  James 1:16 states: "Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone."  

As Christians, we must always be on our guard against Satan and his wiles.  In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter says, "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." Satan loves nothing better than to take a Christian down.  If we see a fellow Christian being led astray, we should encourage them and help them keep their eyes upon Jesus. 

So how can we keep from being tempted?  If there is something in our life that causes us to sin, Satan will use that to his advantage.  So we should stay away from what causes us to be tempted to sin, whether it be pornography, alcohol, drugs, etc.  We should keep our eyes on Jesus, using prayer and staying in God's Word to keep us on the straight and narrow.  In Philippians 4:8, Paul states: "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things."  Meditating on good things will keep us from getting tempted by bad things. 

Thanks as always for reading! See you next time!

Diane