Category Archives: Out of Egypt

Luke 4

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Luke listened, saw, and believed in the Lord of the kingdom Paul was proclaiming. Luke then listened more, interviewed witnesses, collected words, and sorted what he heard; then he organized and wrote it. I believe that like the prophets before him the Holy Spirit led this Greek, this Gentile, as he proclaimed Jesus. He gleaned from Matthew, Mark, Mother Mary, and countless others the narratives he writes to build faith in people for centuries. Thank you, Luke.

Chapters 1 – 3 are the formal introduction of Jesus with some background history. Luke 4 is the beginning of His ministry; it also has some connections to Israel’s past when they were in the wilderness after being called from Egypt. His baptism connects with the journey through the Red Sea and the forty days in the desert mirrors the forty years it took for Israel to get to the Promised Land. This is the first of two special forty-day periods in Jesus’ life. This story is also in Mark 1 and Matthew 3-4.

Our Lord’s return to Nazareth is interesting. (Luke uses Nazareth more than any other Gospel writer.) His return to Galilee (the Northern Kingdom) is important. Matthew quotes Isaiah twice about these locations: Isaiah 9:6 is in Matthew 4:15-16 about the land of Zebulun and Naphtali and an obscure mention to Him being called a Nazarene. The root word for Nazareth/Nazarene is netzer which means branch. So, Isaiah 11:1, Zechariah 3:8, and Jeremiah 23:5 are those prophetic announcements. (See post below.) Second, I think there were safety issues; not only staying away from Herod, but the rulers in Jerusalem. Third, this is the land of the Northern Kingdom. Think of the promises to Israel in the writings of the prophets who lived in the shadow of Assyria; this is the fulfillment of many of those, like Nahum 1:15a. Forth, massa, like Isaiah 53:3 had to happen, Luke records the rejecting starting in Nazareth.

The Holy Spirit is a key figure in Luke 1-4; He is part of the action 12x. When Jesus is baptized, Luke 3:21,22, the Trinity is all there; the Father speaks and the Holy Spirit physically lands on Jesus in the form of a dove. Why? Luke 4:1 has Jesus “full” of the Holy Spirit at the Jordan and then the Spirit led Him into the desert; verse 14 Jesus returns “in the power” of the Spirit to Galilee. Luke 4:1-30 has four displays of the Spirit’s gifts that I will point out.

  1. When Jesus took control of the questions from Satan, He had a logos of wisdom and used God’s Word to answer.
  2. In verse 23, He had a logos of knowledge about the people and their thinking.
  3. Verse 24-27 was a prophetic message about things He was going to do. He went to the region of Sidon and helps a woman with her child, Mt 15:21 and Mk 7: 24-30. In verse 27 is story of a leper, who was the enemy; Jesus healed a leper in Luke 17:15 from Samaria. Elijah and Elisha had done the first miracles.
  4. Jesus walked through an angry crowd and ‘went on His way’! Walking through an angry crowd that liked to throw rocks, untouched, is miraculous. That gift is not listed in 1 Corinthians 12 or Romans 12; okay, maybe the gift of miraculous powers. It was not the only time He did this, John 8:59 and 10:39. Peter was escorted out of prison by an angel, the Apostles were released from jail in Acts 5:19, and Philip was taken from the eunuch by the Spirit in Acts 8:39.

Luke records more workings/gifts of the Holy Spirit and the offices of the five-fold ministry in the rest of Chapter 4 and 5; not a bad way to start a world changing ministry.

Nazirite, Nazareth, and Grapevines | Mark’s Bible Study

The Root, The Branch, The Fruit – The Christmas Story | Mark’s Bible Study

Fruit and Nuts – Date Palms and Israel

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This post has grown from my repeat reading of Psalms and Isaiah. Dates and especially palm trees are mentioned with several important places and practices in Israel. Please, do not get your metaphorical hackles raised because of my choosing Israel as the ‘nuts’ in this post; it is not about all of the Children of Jacob.

Once again, I am telling on myself. I was comfortable with the level of study I had done on dates; can’t say Father God was. So, with the Small Voice in my heart, I dived into the subject like I should have done at first.

The Fruit – Dates and the Palm Trees

  • The Hebrew words connected with palms are Strong’s H8558 to H8561. H8558 is the main root word, more on that later.
  • Dates as consumable food is mentioned twice in the Bible and the references tell the same story. The occasion is when David brought the Ark of God to Jerusalem: 2 Samuel 6:19 and 1 Chronicles 16:3. He gave a date cake and a raisin cake to every man and woman who joined in the party. I would guess it was to make sure the people had food on the trip back to their houses. That act of concern reminds me of Jesus feeding the multitudes after teaching them in the wilderness. That had to be a lot of dates and raisins. Given the archeology and historical evidence, I find it unusual that there are not more references to them as food. Strong’s Hebrew: 829. אֶשְׁפָּר (eshpar) — Finger joint, knuckle date rolls or cakes. 2 Samuel 6:19 Hebrew Text Analysis men and women got a set.
  • In Song of Songs 7:7+8 it talks about palm trees and then it seems to switch to grape vines and clusters of grapes; actually, it is ‘clusters on the vine’. As I have looked at Hebrew words and their roots, the great imaginations that formed them are amazing.    Song of Solomon 7:8 Hebrew Text Analysis  Judean date palm – Wikipedia The fruit on the tree has a draping quality that could resemble a cluster of grapes hanging on a vine, the stem looks like a vine. You will need to find a picture of a date palm in fruit:) Many translations could be better because they just assumed it was grapes.
  • Tamar is the name of several women in the Bible. It comes from the palm tree’s quality of standing tall and erect. Find these women’s stories in the Bible, one is grandmother of Jesus.
  • There is an associated word that connects the upright quality of Palms to buildings. The art work in the Solomon’s Temple is rooted in this word. He put palm trees as decorations on the panels of the Temple, 1 King 7:36. Strong’s Hebrew: 8561. תִּמֹרִים (timorah) — Palm tree, column, pillar
  • Date and Palm Trees – Yes, there were other types of palms in the Levant, but the date palm was the most abundant, it seems okay to think of all references to palms as date palms. (Think H8558) Strong’s Hebrew: 8558. תָּמָר (tamar) — palm trees, palm, palm tree The first use of this word is the comforting oasis in Exodus 15:27 and Numbers 33:9; it was a green spot with flowing water in the middle of a sand-sea. The last use of this word is in Joel 1:12 where locusts are ravishing the land. That thought is a good segway into the ‘Nut’ portion of this post.
  • Jericho needs to added into the ‘first’ list for palms. Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world. The name places it as an oasis with palms trees. So, the Children met palms when they left Egypt and when they entered the Promise Land; a good place to compare and contrast for teaching purposes.
  • Branches from these trees are included in two customs in the Bible. With a connection to the oasis, the Festival of Booths (Day of Atonement) encourages the building of their booths using palm branches. The second custom is welcoming the king by laying down palm branches in his path, that would include David and Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem. A practical aspect here is to cut down on dust.
  • Isaiah 9:14 uses palm branches as a metaphor for the elders and prominent men of Judah, the ‘head of society’; while the false prophets are portrayed as reeds or the tail of society for teaching lies.

BibleGateway – Keyword Search: palm

The Nuts – Israel

This “nut” was not picked lightly and has been hard for me to crack. To break this one open and see the meat inside has proven difficult. I will extend the metaphor a little further; part of any nut is not edible, but even the non-edible part can be useful. The Father has always reserved part of Abraham and Sarah’s children for Himself, even as most of them fell from the faith-tree that this couple planted and rolled after other gods. Spiritual Israel this might be a good time to check your stock in this family tree.

Israel started out as Jacob and the use of both names needs to be considered as part of any lesson where both appears. Many will break them apart as a function of history, but it is a good time to “be still and know God”. As northern Israel and southern Judah cracked apart, they still shared the rootstock of Jacob/Israel, so, look a little deeper.

I picked these talking points from the withered, dead nuts that choose to drop from the faith-tree. You may have others or even call them something different, I am okay with that. Were they the root problem or the bad fruit? I may think about that for a while.

  • Eye Candy – This problem showed up as Israel camped under the Cloud in front of Mt. Sinai and reappeared in Judges all the way through to the Assyrian/Babylonian exiles. The People wanted a god they could see and party around; the nations that surrounded them had idols, a physical thing they could touch, kiss, and make. Psalm 106 (a historical psalm) is a good reference, but they are mentioned in many Books of the Old Testament. Psalm 106:19,20 talks about the golden calf and verses 35 to 39 add references to continued unfaithfulness by making gods.
  • Prostitution – Along with the ‘eye candy’ came burning incense and sex. It may have been in the high places, sacred groves and gardens, or pagan temples, male and female prostitutes were part of demon worship; they even made it in to the Temple in Jerusalem under some of the bad kings. Judah, son of Jacob, worshipped with a shrine prostitute, or so he thought in Genesis 38:13; it was Tamar his daughter-in-law (you still need to find the others). Isaiah 2:6-8 and 65:1-12 also talk about this prostitution. Christians like to spiritualize this subject, and Father God also accuses Israel of spiritual prostitution. Unfortunately, some churches and denominations have placed worldly agends over Jesus’ Resurrection and the work of the Holy Spirit. Also see 2 Kings 17:9. John in the Book of Revelation quotes Jesus confronting this problem in His church at Thyatira with a woman who claims to be important, Jezebel. I see no reason to believe that this was just a “spiritual prostitution”. Please, note that not all in that church were led astray.
  • Greed – Another topic that may not get a lot of pulpit-time. Did ancient Israel have a problem with greed? Yes, and with the rest of humanity God gave us the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20; the last few cover the subject very well. Jesus in Matthew 19:16-22 covers the topic again for us with the rich young ruler. If you need a reference in between those check out Isaiah 3:14-15 and read Proverbs, Solomon does talk about things connected to being greedy.

The relationship between Israel and God has had its problems, just read Kings and Chronicles. But they are God’s chosen people through Abraham and some always look to the Father; Elijah thought he was alone but God had 7,000 that had not worshipped Baal, the servant girl who bragged on Him to Naaman, Nehemiah and Ezra, Esther, and the Prophets, the list is long. The seven Christian churches in Revelation tell a very similar story; some had problems, some did not. There is good inside that hard outer shell.

Jacob/Israel and his family are this study. I try to study this name change and how it is used many times in Scripture, when it shows up in another study. This time, I found connecting words and stories in Genesis 32:22-31 and Hosea 12:3. I found the words in these two passages very interesting.

Cleopas and the Third Day

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This is my second Third Day post and the reason for this one is Cleopas and his statement in Luke 24:21. It is Holy Week 2026, and I have been reading the last Chapters in Luke and the Songs of Ascent, more on that in another post. Jesus knew what was going to happen to Him and had been telling His disciples for some time. Cleopas heard and had his doubts so he was leaving Jerusalem and going the wrong direction; not towards Galilee. Jesus went and got him.

Cleopas, in his conversation with Jesus, reveals the perfect mix of knowledge, emotions, and paradigms that all of the disciples were dealing with. If I remove our well-written Bible, 2,000 years of study, and the Holy Spirit I can say I would be in the same position as His disciples were in. I believe Jesus wanted the disciples in Galilee so they would be safe and feel safe. Did the disciples have to stay in Jerusalem for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, no. Yes, Passover was a different story, but even the Children in Egypt were changing location after eating the lamb.

In doing this study I found another group of people who knew about the “Third Day”. The chief priest had gone to Pilate in Matthew 27:64 and had fears for the third day after He was sacrificed. Even with the story from the guards, they did not change.

The links make a good study for Jesus telling His disciples (all of them not just the Twelve) about His death and Resurrection. He also used the story of Jonah, check “three days” for that reference. These are NIV, so change the translation preference at the top, but they seem to share the same verses.

BibleGateway – Keyword Search: third day Luke

BibleGateway – Keyword Search: third day Matthew

He has risen! He has risen indeed!

Bible 911 Exodus

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Exodus 9:11 – And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. (KJV)

Exodus 9:11 is part of what God did to set His people free from bondage by bring them out from Egypt. This narrative is about the plague of boils verses 8 – 12. We will start with 9:11 and then look at the rest of this plague.

This is not the first time the magicians have been part of trying to keep Israel in Egypt, but it is the last time we hear about them. They played a role with the rod that became a snake, the water being blood, the frogs, and the gnats. In 8:19 they finally admit that “the finger of God” had done this. I want to think that was an admission of how great God is, but I am not sure of that. They could be part of the “officials” that were there to advise Pharoah. Their inability to “stand” before Moses is a serious blow to the aura of Egypt’s power and their beliefs. Anyway, they are not heard from again, I wonder if they recovered from their boils. This is on par with their later counterparts in Babylon not being able to supply what Daniel could give.

Strong’s Hebrew: 2748. חַרְטֹם (chartom) — an engraver, writer (biblehub.com)

Stood – These words for Moses before Pharoah and the magicians come from the same root but are different forms of the word. Strong’s Hebrew: 5975. עָמַד (amad) — to take one’s stand, stand (biblehub.com) Moses’ word means to stand and the magicians’ word implies not able to stand, it is the first time it is used in the Hebrew text. You can imply several aspects of the word but do your homework first. I just find it amazing that Moses was allowed to be standing and not made to kneel in the presence of this self-proclaimed god.

Boils – Strong’s Hebrew: 7822. שְׁחִין (shechin) — a boil, eruption (biblehub.com) The King James will have the word blains in this verse, look it up. This affliction was on man and beast, this is a first. Yes, the flies and gnats bothered both and may have left bites. The goddess Isis is the deity that the Lord is embarrassing here, she was over medicine and peace. This is a great pdf for the plagues. 10_Eqyptian_gods_10_Plagues.pdf (rice.edu) 2 Timothy 3 gives a name to these priests – Jannes and Jambres. Historical fact or legend, I do not know but that is what they have been called. Please note that only two names are listed.

The Egyptian people and the magicians or “soothsaying” priest took the brunt on this. Boils are not nice, so this must have been an attention getter. The text uses several words that our modern thinking may run together. Exodus 5:3 and 9:15 is deber, it is also used in 2 Samuel 24:15, when David counted the men. Strong’s Hebrew: 1698. דָּ֫בֶר (deber) — pestilence (biblehub.com)

Moses and Aaron

9:8-12 is about the boils, but it has several special things associated with it. The Lord addressing Moses and Aaron is also with the snake story (7:8, the first sign) and with the Passover (12:1, the last thing). The other ones are addressed just to Moses. I believe this shows plague #6 (number of man) that personally affects the Egyptians is significant. Why stress that both are present and told? Aaron was needed as the second witness to confirm the matter (he also was “speaking” for Moses). Two witnesses are seen again in Revelations 11:6.

“The Lord said” or its variations are used many times in the Bible, it is a very common statement/thought. I think we tend to overlook the importance of it. Strong’s Hebrew: 559. אָמַר (amar) — to utter, say (biblehub.com) (This is just one word for this statement or speaking.) Once upon a time I had started that study, I lost the notes, but it is more complex than you may think.  

How were they spoken to? An audible voice? Dreams or visions? Was a priest or elder in the Israelite community giving voice to the Holy Spirit? I know Moses was special, however, do not let modern paradigms limit your supernatural God. I am thankful that the Father gave us His written Word to help direct us, but Moses and the Prophets did not have that luxury. They had some of it, but they were writing it for us.

Soot

The carbon/mineral residue from burning fuel. Moses and Aaron took this black or gray powder from a kiln or furnace that may have been used by God’s Children. The NIV has “handfuls” of this carried before Pharoah and thrown into the air. This is one of the special things about Plague #6, so we will look at soot. Strong’s Hebrew: 6368. פִּ֫יחַ (piach) — soot (biblehub.com)

When this dust multiplied and settled all over Egypt, it metaphorically turned the country into a furnace. This is reflected in Deuteronomy 4:20, 1 Kings 8:51, and Jeremiah 11:4. In these verses Egypt is referred to as an “iron furnace” that held the Family. I will give you some links; thoughts and “facts” that can run all over the place.

Use a text analysis tool and study the other words like scattered, and abroad. The connections here are interesting.

Moses took a product of the slavery and just threw it into the air with his hand. No staff, proclamations, striking the ground, or warnings, just boils taking out the magicians and covering the people.

Moses did something to announce the plagues. That almond tree limb was present with every sign and wonder that Moses did.

  1. Staff-blood
  2. Staff-frogs
  3. Staff-gnats struck the dust
  4. Spoke-flies
  5. Spoke-animals die
  6. Moses threw soot in the air nothing was said to Pharoah-boils
  7. Stretch out your hand-hail
  8. Stretch out your hand-locusts
  9. Stretch out your hand-darkness
  10. Warned them about the coming death

I need to revisit my post The Wonders that Plagued Egypt; more study adds to your thoughts.

Contrary to the noise I heard during COVID about Jehovah “causing or letting” that plague occur; I see that He announced the plagues He sent, so there was no mistake. That does include the one that David picked when he counted the fighting men.

Pharoah

The snake that got eaten in Chapter 7. His role was pretty limited from one respect, do what the Lord wants or have your false support system exposed and judged. This politician-god tried to control the narrative by ignoring or haggling with Moses and God. With each haggle he was hardened, and his losses were compounded. It is interesting that his people, more or less, supported him through all of this.  

Exodus 911 has moved a few “tent pegs” in my thinking.

Wine, Beer, and Vinegar in the Bible

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Wine, beer, and vinegar are some of the beverages you find in the Bible. These three all have their beginnings with yeast. Vinegar was made by letting air have free access to wine and the bacterium in the air does the rest. No, I do not think the ancients would talk to you about microbes, but they did understand yeast starters and the like. From everything I have read, their wine and beer are not like their modern counterparts. (See the articles below.)

Do I consume alcohol? No. That decision came very early in my Christian-walk and had nothing to do with Bible study or outside influences. Over the years it has been interesting to experience the reaction of people who do drink, when I choose not to. I do not remember anyone ever asking me why I don’t drink. SO, this study in not about your choice or mine. It is an introductory look at the topic because it is in the Bible.

There may have been distilling units in the Indus Valley a long time ago, but the production of alcohol got its start in Spain in the late 1200’s. (From an internet search.) So, Biblical references to “strong drink” are not what we call “intoxicating drinks”.

A reoccurring thought/statement is that wine, beer, and vinegar were safer and healthier to drink than the water. I find no reason to argue with that as not everyone had a nice spring next to the house. Please leave opinions and preferences aside and look at Paul’s advice to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:38 and 5:23. (I have heard statements about divine healing, medicine, in favor of and totally against drinking come from these verses.) In 3:38 Paul says “much” wine, not avoid wine. Timothy may have been choosing to not drink (like a Nazirite vow). Paul may have been repeating Luke’s medical advice because of the water, no that is not mentioned. Was Paul confused? I think the advice of “not much” and “a little” is what needs to be heard and why he might recommend this. This pair of verses show the good and evil sides of the same drink.

Vinegar or Sour Wine

Bacteria in the air will change alcohol into acetic acid, changing wine into vinegar. The ancients were not as quick to throw things away as modern societies do. You will find Ruth dipping her bread in vinegar during her rest break and Jesus being given some as He hung on the cross. I have come to believe that soldier, who was mocking Jesus, did not offer that to be nice.

Beer or Strong Drink

This ancient drink has a history much older than Moses and the five books he wrote. From everything I have read, it did not resemble our modern six pack from the corner store. The Egyptians baked bread and then made it into beer, apparently, they had various flavors and colors of this brew. It was part of the workmen’s daily wage in Egypt.

Compare an undiluted beer to straight water and it is “strong”; even the wine could be watered down and had things added to it for flavoring. Get modern out of your head, it is not the same drink, but it was possibly drunk every day.

Wine or the Blood of Grapes

If you chose to translate “new wine” as grape juice, that is fine. Grapes are harvested in the fall in Israel. I am not sure their refrigeration units would have kept the juice fresh until the springtime Passover Feast. I do respect your choice about not consuming the 12%. Christian Brothers used to make a nice communion wine, Manischewitz was also good, I do not suggest MD 20/20 as to many people wanted seconds.

Basic winemaking has changed little since Bible times; it has gotten more efficient and the product looks a little different. Mixing wines and adding flavors to it was practiced very early in human history. Like beer, it was more of a daily drink, because it could be stored once the alcohol killed off the yeast. In reading the Bible, excessive drinking was the problem and not the wine. Having “just one” does not always work.

Like knowledge, wine has a good and evil role in human history. Noah got drunk and Jesus said to remember it as His blood in communion, that is a wide spread for uses. Because of its many uses and restrictions, I see a lot more in that wood-plant that produces grapes.

Some positive references:

  • Genesis 14:18 – Melchizedek brought out wine and bread as a refreshing meal to Abraham and his party.
  • Judges 9:13 – The vine did not want to lose its new wine that cheered God and man to rule over trees.
  • New wine was part of the blessing in Joel 2:19.
  • Luke 7:33 and 34 – John the Baptist may have taken the Nazirite vow as found in Numbers 6:3, and was called crazy. Jesus must have drunk wine because He was called names.
  • It was a Drink Offering to the Lord.

Some other facts about wine:

  • Proverbs 20:1 – Wine is a mocker and beer is a brawler. If you use Bible Gateway looking for wine and beer, use the NIV. It is listed nine times; other translations have strong or intoxicating.  Proverbs 20:1 Hebrew Text Analysis (biblehub.com)
  • Nazirite Vow- Numbers 6:3. No wine, strong drink, vinegar, raisins, or any other part of the grape plant.  Numbers 6:3 Hebrew Text Analysis (biblehub.com) I feel it is important that in the rules for separating yourself for God, that the two major things were no grapes/yeast and hair. Step very carefully into that study.  
  • Deuteronomy 29:6 – Moses is talking to the Children, they had no bread, wine or strong drink for almost forty years so they could know God. Sounds like the vow for the Nazirite. Once they got manna they had no yeast. Deuteronomy 29:6 Hebrew Text Analysis (biblehub.com)

Ancient Israel and the History of Beer – Biblical Archaeology Society

Beer in Ancient Egypt | Ancient Egypt Online

Frogs in the Bible | Mark’s Bible Study (ificouldteachthebible.com)  Heket, the frog goddess and goddess of beer/bread, many of my original links are gone from the net.

Click to access 10_Eqyptian_gods_10_Plagues.pdf

Strong’s Hebrew: 3196. יָ֫יִן (yayin) — wine (biblehub.com)

Strong’s Hebrew: 7941. שֵׁכָר (shekar) — intoxicating drink, strong drink (biblehub.com)

It is important to know and remember that Jesus is our life, not if you drink or do not drink. Wine, beer, and vinegar were part of biblical life.