Category Archives: Bible 911

Hevel or Abel

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My post on Hevel or Abel is a 2fer. I will talk about Abel and the food God gave man from Genesis 2 through 9.

Abel

The second son of Adam does not get a lot of printed words in the Bible; Genesis 4 and he is mentioned four times in the New Testament. Now Abel is mentioned many times and is associated with town names, it seems to refer to stream, so be careful in your studies.

Hevel is another form of Abel or pronounced the same as Abel. It means vanity and is used by Solomon and others. The vanity idea comes from a breath that is quickly passing. Please use the links below as they do a great job of exploring this word.  

These words surprised me by ending in “el” and not being associated with God. The root words for these words are not the same Hebrew word. I find it interesting that the second son of Adam is associated with breath and a stream of water. This sounds like part of the Trinity to me, not by name but by association.

Hevel: VANITY of Vanities! Is life a Vapour of Nothingness? – Hebrew Word Lessons

Strong’s Hebrew: 1892. הָ֫בֶל (hebel) — vapor, breath (biblehub.com)

Abel | The amazing name Abel: meaning and etymology (abarim-publications.com)

The references in the New Testament deal with blood, either his own or through his sacrifice in Genesis 4. Luke 11:51 and Matthew 23:35 are a statement that Jesus made on the Temple Mount the Tuesday before His crucifixion. He was fussing at the Temple leaders, it is part of the “seven woes”. In this section (V29-39), Jesus points out all of the innocent lives that were lost because religious men were not following God.

Hebrews 11:4 – This starts a section of “better” in my post Better in Hebrews. Abel is recognized for his faith because of his sacrifice in Genesis 4. This is also the verse that made me think about food in Genesis 2 – 9. Better in this verse is polys in Greek, it makes you wonder how much or how many times Abel had made offerings.

Hebrews 12:24 – This is the end of the section that started in 11:4, this “better” is kreitton. It could be read that Jesus’ sprinkled blood is more excellent than Abel. Some translators include or say “of the blood” of Abel, but that is not what the Greek says. Hebrews 12:24 Greek Text Analysis (biblehub.com) I am glad the Holy Spirit who has mastery of all languages helped Hebrew/Aramaic educated men who were writing in Greek.

Food

While working on my Genesis 911 post it was clear that food and animals were part of the plan for the ark. This led to questions that did not have a simple clear-cut answer. I love to find answers in God’s Word and see things in a better level of understanding. Oh, I am good with not always finding an answer, after all this is a STUDY, not an answer. I did look through many websites, Jewish and Christian, but was not confident they were answers to my question. Look up Cain and Abel, but be prepared; even from ancient times, man’s imagination has been very fertile on this subject. Opinions vary on topics like the sacrifice and why it was rejected, the twins’ relationship with their mother, and many other things that were opinions with little or no proof. Some writers superimposed things from after the Law was given back onto Genesis 4. Even the text in Chapter 7 mentions ideas from the Law long before it was delivered to Moses on that mountain. Now for my question.

Why was Abel keeping flocks when they had not been given to man as food? Yes, I came up with many hypotheses, but most required Exodus to Deuteronomy to be a plausible answer. Yes, clothing first came to mind, but then there is the sacrifice. So, please follow the verses from Genesis as I go through what man got to eat and when.

Genesis

2:15 Adam and Eve could eat from the trees.

3:18 Part of the curse was eating the plants of the field.

4:3 Cain brought fruits of the soil, Abel brought fat of the firstborn. This may imply knowledge of what was good inside that lamb.

6:21 To prepare for the flood every kind of food to be eaten was taken into the Ark.

7:2 Seven pairs of every clean animal and two pairs of the unclean animals were to go into the Ark. This predates the requirements of the Law. Please remember that some of the sacrifices and offerings in the Law were eaten in the presence of the Lord after a portion was burnt on the altar.

8:20 After the flood Noah offered animals and birds as sacrifices and the aroma was pleasing to God. Here is the first mention of animals being food for man.

9:3 God adds everything that lives and moves to be food just like the green plants. This verse begins and ends with everything (H 3605). It was repeated for a reason, to confirm the decision.

9:20 God has made a covenant with Noah. The next thing we read is him planting a vineyard, making wine, and getting drunk. I doubt this was an accidental discovery. You could have gotten vinegar just as easily (sour wine). So, there was a process that he must have known about before going into the Ark.

Contrast the big picture of Noah and the Flood to the text of Jeremiah 31 and the new covenant God would make especially verse 29.

Okay, it appears that Abel and later Noah had the idea of an altar and offerings made by fire. I know that Abel and his offering were pleasing to the Father. Jesus refers to him as righteous and the blood of his sacrifice and possibly his blood were part of that consideration.

To complete the study, view some about Cain.  

Strong’s Hebrew: 7014. קָ֫יִן (Qayin) — Cain (biblehub.com)

Cain | The amazing name Cain: meaning and etymology (abarim-publications.com)

What I can rest in is that Adam, Cain, and Abel/Hevel were told things that were not included in our Genesis narrative; I am good with that.

Proverbs 911

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Proverbs 9:11 is a promise and a transition in a chapter that compares and contrasts Wisdom and Folly. Please allow me to explain. Verses 10-12 are the shift from Wisdom to Folly; #10 informs you of Wisdom’s benefits and #12 introduces the results when you choose to not fear the Lord and that leads to Folly.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

11 For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

12 If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it. (KJV)

Proverbs 9:10 Hebrew Text Analysis (biblehub.com)  Use the blue arrows to go through all of the verses. A few minutes researching wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and wise will be worth your time. The Strong’s numbers are hotlinks to a short definition. Wise and wisdom are related terms.

With individual text analysis, section headings, and chapter and verse numbers it is hard to remember that is not how Solomon’s treatise on wisdom and folly was written; there were none of those things in his original work. Proverbs 1:7 introduces the letter with almost the same statement as 9:10. Take a moment and reflect on those verses, and note where they are in Solomon’s “nine chapters” master class on Wisdom and Folly. It is easy to believe that you are to go from knowledge to wisdom as you read the lessons and move into the fear of the Lord. I personally believe that this section, like the rest of Proverbs, was the result of collecting, studying, and carefully reflecting before he wrote anything. He did the time and work, but the Spirit directed the outcome. The Book took a long time to reach its final form, see 25:1.

In the big picture, I see the two Trees in the Garden of Eden. Solomon is presenting knowledge to us about good and evil, but Life is where we should be going. There are many things in these verses and some live and work very close to each other as they call out to us; choose the righteous one.

The Woman Wisdom

Is there a spiritual person in Heaven named Wisdom? My guess, Sophias are there; Chochmahs I am not so sure about (not a top-ten name for girls or boys). On that topic, my body is weary because of binah.

I decided to discuss Her personification with the same respect I have given Daughter Zion and the Bride of Christ. God’s Girls are important to Him. Proverbs begins with women and ends by talking about a woman. Why would the Spirit use women as the metaphor for wisdom? Women carry babies to birth and nurture children. Men, we are to follow Father God’s example in caring for our wife and children. (I would bet Adam thought about that missing rib when he took a breath. He gave up something from his side to have Eve by his side.) Malachi 2:15 is clear on the fact that the Father wants Godly offspring; read verses 13 – 16. Ponder that thought as you see the devil and “the woke” attack the family and women.

This calling, desire, and responsibility from God is seen in the vignette of 9:1-6 and Her advice in verses 7 – 9. Proverbs 9:11 is her promise to us of life if you listen to her, she wants to look out for you.

Wisdom’s house in 9:1 caught my attention. I pondered those seven pillars and the seven spirits of God, I hoped to draw a brilliant statement comparing the two, but it did not happen. There are many ideas about what those pillars are, but as I looked at my clock, I realized they could hold up a round building. Six pillars will evenly space to support the walls and you put the seventh one in the middle to hold the roof. I wrote about the seven spirits of God and identified them with Isaiah 11:1-4. The first word in that list is chokmah (wisdom) and the second one is binah. Number six is the fear of the Lord. James 3:17 is a great list of what wisdom is, but there are eight things.

  • pure
  • peace-loving
  • gentle
  • reasonable
  • full of mercy and good fruits. Most translators list these separately, making it a total of eight.
  • impartial
  • free of hypocrisy

1 Corinthians 1:24 and 30 identifies Jesus as the wisdom that comes from God. Verse 30 lists righteousness, holiness, and redemption as the wisdom from God that is in the God-Man, Jesus. (I am sure that there is more to come on this topic, but I need to get back on track.)

Folly’s vignette is verses 13 – 18. Like any good lie, Folly mimics Wisdom and does some of the things she does. Compare their advertising techniques and how they want to feed the people who come to them. Please notice both are in the “highest” part of the city. Now, contrast everything else, especially their messages.

It is not unusual for Solomon and Lady Wisdom to be compared to non-Hebrew deities and other countries’ wisemen. True wisdom belongs to God, so if Solomon repeated true wisdom that is fine with me.

Woman Wisdom: Bible | Jewish Women’s Archive (jwa.org) You need to read the whole article and not cherry-pick lines from it. It is one of the better articles I have read that compares Wisdom to pagan goddesses, I believe they are for Woman Wisdom, but many are not.

Mother Nature or Father God is something a Christian should think about. I will stick with Father God, but remember that Satan fell to earth and does have some power down here. Come, Lord Jesus.

Long Life

David’s greeting for Nabal was “have a long life” in 1 Samuel 25:6. Nabal’s greed and foolishness brought about his early death.

Solmon did not pray for a long life in 2 Chronicles 1:11 and 1 Kings 3:11 but for wisdom to rule God’s people.

Psalm 91, by Moses, starts with “he who dwells with the Most High” and ends with God giving him long life and salvation.

Hezekiah prayer for God to remember the things he had done and was given fifteen more years.

Wisdom, fear of the Lord, and long life appear in Proverbs 3:2 and 16, 4:10, and 10:27.

Paul in Titus 1: 1-3 talks of eternal life that had been promised: “a long time ago”. Faith, truth, hope, and knowledge came from Paul’s preaching because of his revelation and commission from God the Father and Jesus. I still wonder what it would have been like if Adam and Eve had eaten from the Tree of Life.

Bible 911 – 1 Samuel

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1 Samuel 9:11 And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the seer here? (KJV)

This verse segways from a donkey hunt to the anointing of a king. Chapters 9 and 10 should not be just a Sunday School story, but a lantern lighting our minds to the power and glory of Father God. There is a lot of geography, customs, and additional characters in this story. So, please do not impose modern paradigms on the ancient peoples in this tale that is proclaiming God’s sovereignty.

The Main Participants  

  • Servant – I did a post on Saul’s unnamed servant because he is the clear-minded God-aware light early in this story. He is used by God to get Saul into position for his anointing.
  • Saul – He was a complex person. In his introduction, we see him as an obedient son who accepts God’s plan for his life. The end of his story is another thing altogether. Saul | The amazing name Saul: meaning and etymology (abarim-publications.com)   One form of the Hebrew word for Saul means grave, that is just extra:)
  • Samuel – The last Judge of Israel was also a seer/prophet. He had many great accomplishments in his long life.

Seer – This is the gem I found in this Bible 911 study. Verse 9 gives a cultural change in Israel. Seer or ro’eh is part of the word for a shepherd. The prophet or navi carries the idea as “a source” of God’s words. If Samuel is a transition figure, we can see him leading and caring for the people and he starts to write the story of Israel. (It makes you think who compiled the Book of Judges?) I found these sites to help with the study, I do not always use Christian sites and I have no connection with any of these. They are just informative.

IsraelBiblicalStudies.com

Ro’eh – Shepherd – En-Gedi Resource Center (engediresourcecenter.com)

Ra’ah: The LORD is my SHEPHERD – Hebrew Word Lessons

What Is the Meaning of Navi? – The Jewish Link

The Tribe of Benjamin

The progenitor of this tribe is the second-born son of Rachel and the thirteen child of Jacob. He is the only son who was born in the Land of Promise. He also had his name changed, which in the Bible is important. Benjamin, the Tribe, stays with Judah after Rehoboam divides Israel in 1 Kings 12. Esther is a member of the Tribe that was deported out of Israel, she is also a granddaughter of Saul.

The last event in the Book of Judges plays a part in the life of Saul and his children. Lo Debar is in the region where some of the wives for Benjamin came from, which may explain why Jonathan had Mephibosheth sent there. The story of Barzillai (2 Samuel 17:27) is a part of this connection with Jonathan and David. I can not prove this, but I think Barzillai was related to Mephibosheth through his mother’s side of the family.

Many cities and sites in Samuel are located in the territory of Benjamin. Jerusalem is in this area of inheritance and the Prophet Jeremiah’s hometown is a city allotted to the priest in the land of Benjamin. 

The City

Please use these as points of study.

  • “Drinking Water” – In this story the girls were out of the town going to draw water for the day. Why might wells or springs be outside of the city walls? Key words here will be springs, wells, and cisterns; these may change with your favorite translation.
  • City on a Hill – Major towns may have had walls, but they were also on top of hills. Can you find other towns or cities that were on a hill?
  • High Places – These definitely have a pagan connection; groves are another term associated with pagan worship. Since Samuel was sacrificing here it seems not all were pagan. At the time of this story, there was no Temple, but Shiloh was where the Ark was. Abraham, Elijah, and Solomon, and others have stories set around hilltop sites. In your study, please note that God found many of these places a snare to His people, why?
  • A Roof – This is in 9:25. Find the times that roofs were part of the action for people in the Bible.

2 Corinthians Bible 911

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2 Corinthians 9:11 is part of a teaching on generosity and sowing (6 – 14). I have understood verses 10 and 11 as a prayer (it starts in #8) that Paul prayed over the Churches. I personalized it, so below is my rewrite of those verses.

God you supply seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and increase my store of seed and enlarge the harvest of my righteousness. I will be made rich in every way so that I can be generous on every occasion, and my generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (2 Corinthians 9: 10 + 11, my paraphrase.)

Unless your Bible is well equipped with footnotes and references you may not appreciate how much of the Old Testament is incorporated into the New. Below are some references that I have found while reading and have written them next to our verse for today (In my Bible.). All of these references are in KJV. 

Isaiah 55:10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

Isaiah 30:23 Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.

Psalm 111:5 He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.

Psalm 126:6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 112:9 He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.

3 John 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Philippians 1:11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Hosea 10:12,13 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. 13 Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.

Proverbs 11:18 The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.

Ecclesiastes 11:6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.

Just because there is a lot said about sowing and reaping, I will chime in lightly, but a study of some of the words in verses 6-11 was worth the time. Oral Roberts credits a farmer he talked to with planting the idea of seeds, sowing, and reaping in modern Christian thought. Jesus used agricultural metaphors, often, in His parables. So, Paul builds on those parables and thoughts from the Old Testament in writing this portion of his letter.

  • Sparingly – pheidomenos G5340. This word is used twice in the New Testament, both are in this verse (9:6). I used Mounce as a reference.
  • Generously – epi eulogia is a phrase that means a blessing, blessed object, or Holy Eucharist. Eulogia – Wikipedia A reference verse is Ephesians 1:3.
  • Decided – proaireo G 4255 is used only in this verse (9:7). “Choose” is a good definition.
  • You need – autarkia G 841. It is used here (9:8) and in 1 Tim. 6:6. Having what is necessary for life and contentedness are the ideas associated with this Greek word.

There are three ideas in Paul’s teaching and prayer: 1. God wants you to give just as He has given. 2. We are to receive what He wants to give us. 3. In all of this He is to be praised and given glory.

May this happen to you as you study His word. In another reading I was directed to Philippians 4:10-20, this passage mirrors our focus passage. I suggest you read it.

In 2 Corinthians Paul uses autarkia, in Philippians two related words are translated as “need”. Use the links to study those words.

ὑστερέω | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

ὑστέρησις | Free Online Greek Dictionary | billmounce.com

Take a Muse Moment for “need”.

666

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Man O Man O Man I never thought I would be writing on 666. I have seen this number wrap believers in fear, and Hollywood has helped the paranoia. I have seen a loud rock band in the 80s have this as a venue decoration, of course, they had their own traveling pharmacist also. There have been Christians who have tried to calculate who it is by converting letters to numbers. Then there is the www and an energy drink. I have observed its change as technology has changed, my example is barcodes tattooed on a person to a microchip implanted in you, and do not forget eighteen-digit credit card numbers.

I will look at the occurrences of it in the Bible. This study started because of a post I am doing on Solomon. As I was doing this my wife was reading a book on Revelations – Wedding of the Lamb by James L. Papandrea. He takes a different approach to John’s vision, and he makes many good points. One is the source of John’s concern and who was the 666 he was writing about. Is there an end-time warning and person, probably?

Solomon

2 Chronicles 9:13 and 1 Kings 10:14 tell the same story of how much gold was brought to Solomon each year, 666 talents. Different translators assign various numbers and values to that amount, the NIV has 25 tons (US). We are not told when that amount started coming in or for how long. We know he used it to gold plate the Temple and build up Israel. That was a good use for it, but it should be noted that later kings stripped it off to pay tribute to invaders (That is a Muse Moment). I believe a bad outcome from all of his business dealings and that much money helped to lead his heart away from God.

666 talents of gold a year was it a blessing or curse? Jesus gave up gold streets to be born in a barn and die on a cross, who came out ahead?

Adonikam

Well, he is not a household name. 666 men of his family were part of the first wave of those who returned to Israel when Cyrus let them go (Ezra 2, especially vs 13). Nehemiah relates the same thing but he listed 667 men, no I do not know why.  So, why am I including a list “number”? In Ezra 8:13 Adonikam’s family shows up again by sending more men to Israel, this time with Ezra in the second wave. I think the names are worth mentioning.

  • Adonikam – The lord is raised
  • Eliphelet – God delivers me
  • Jeuel – God hath taken away
  • Shemaiah – God heard

Not the set of names you might expect to be associated with 666.

The Beast and His Number

Hollywood has used these ideas for their own good. I believe many well-meaning Christians have tried to scare people out of Hell with them. Jesus gave Revelations and the visions to warn the Churches in Asia to be on their guard. Yes, parts of that Book were for future times and some of them are only possible now with our advanced technology. So much of what drives us into a frenzy they easily understood, because it was written for them. I will say that in another way; Jesus gave the visions and the imagery for good, not to be confusing or to destroy.

These are not new ideas or even mine, but they are worthy of consideration. 666 shows imperfection and sin. It was probably the coins of the Roman emperor Domitian. (The Expanded Bible and Wedding of the Lamb) The part of Revelation 13:18 that is so in your face is “this calls for wisdom” and “who has insight” has been taken as a challenge so we can show who is right. I am pretty sure there are no bragging rights in Heaven.

The real challenge for the Churches and us is to not worship and follow the idolatry of the rulers of this world system. See the lesson of Solomon, money allows you to do things, but too much will lead you to sin and a hard heart.