Kings and Prophets of Judah and Israel is a study help. I believe the prophets are paired with the king(s) they served with, there may be some over-lapping that I did not catch.
Kings and Prophets of Judah
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Logos – Truth
Truth, the word, as part of the logos of John’s Gospel (KJV) is used by John, himself, questioned by Pilate, and given by Jesus. In my Strong’s/Vines Concordance it is G #225 – Aletheia (truth) it signifies the reality lying at the basis of an appearance, the manifested, veritable essence of a matter. G #230 or “of a truth” (truly) is used by the disciples at the feeding of the five thousand when the leftovers were picked up (6:14), and the Jew’s at the Feast of Tabernacles (7:40).
In the 2011 version of the NIV, John uses the word truth in forty-two verses, in his Gospel he used it in twenty-three verses, and in nineteen verses in 1,2, and 3 John. The word truth is not used in Revelations. This is in contrast to Matthew who uses it once in his Gospel. (Different translations will differ in the total number of uses. These numbers are for the base word truth, so truthful, etc. is included. True does come into play in some translations.) The New Testament uses truth 102 times, while the Old Testament has thirty-five uses of the word.
John using the word truth more than the other writers of the Bible makes sense because John is showing us that Jesus is the Christ and God’s Son. There have been seven outstanding miracles highlighted in John. This is a shame because more miracles are documented in the Gospel of John (See Plus One and +++). The total number is not given because Jesus healed large numbers of people at various times in that Gospel. Truth is used a large number of times to highlight John’s purpose in declaring Jesus as the Son of God.
So, is truth a capstone, something to always be reaching for, or is it a foundation stone, something that you are built on and has always has held you up? One will always have you looking and never finding your answer. The other one you can rest on knowing it is there. If you go looking for it, it may still be hard to find, you may have to dig a bit, but you know it has always held you up.
Friday of Holy Week had Jesus being questioned by a man in John 18: 28-40. These two men had very different views on what truth was. Pilate’s question (vs 38), “What is truth” shows that he viewed it as a capstone, something that he was unable to reach or know. Jesus’ statement in verse 37 has Him resting on His foundation so that He can testify to the truth even in His moment of trouble.
That precious “morning moment” when I woke up and those two choices played around in my mind made me realize I needed to choose one. In fact, it has shown me that there are other foundation stones that I keep putting in the wrong place. God’s love, grace, and the power of the Holy Spirit are a few things that I have put high into the air, to reach for, instead of realizing that they are what has always held me up as a Christian.
If truth has always been out of your reach, make the Logos of God your foundation by praying the pray in “Following Jesus” at the top of this post, or learn to rest on Jesus if you have prayed that prayer.
Lost Tribes of Israel??????????
Are there ten tribes of Israel lost? I guess it depends on how you look at it. The Naked Archeologist did a movie and explored the topic, it was interesting. Back to the question – are the ten tribes of Israel lost? I don’t know where they are but Father God never lost them, He knows where they are. 2 Kings 17:7-23 tells the reasons why God put them out of His presence. Verse 23 states that at the time of the writing of Kings they were still in exile.
This was an interesting way for Assyria (and Babylon) to control a conquered nation. The “winners” would just make the population pack up their stuff and move them far away. 2 Kings 17:24 tells the story of who was brought in to take Israel’s place. They became known as the Samaritans in New Testament. But was everyone taken? Babylon in conquering Judah never seemed to take everyone (Jeremiah 52:28). 2 Kings 17:6, 18:11 tells us where they (Samaria) were taken and 1 Chronicles 5:26 adds that the east bank tribes were also taken to the same place – the Habor River.
Okay, the reason for this thought and post is what tribes were the Twelve disciples from? It would make sense that the Twelve are from those who returned from Babylon and that should have been the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi. We do not know and are not told; the topic is never brought up in the Gospels. In the Gospels and Revelations, it seems like the Twelve will be judging the Tribes. Ezekiel divided the land around the New Temple/Jerusalem for the twelve tribes. Now, let us look and see what tribes are talked about after 2 Kings 17:23.
2 Chronicles 30 is the story of Hezekiah’s Passover, in verses 10, 11, and 18 other tribes are sent the message and invited to come to celebrate in Jerusalem. Actually, the proclamation went from “Dan to Beersheba”, or from the top to the bottom, or from north to the south of the country. That phrase is a code for all of Israel. Beersheba is at the bottom (south) of Judah near the land of Edom and Dan is in the north (See Judges). (To add to the drama 2 Kings 23:8 and Amos 8:14 talk about “a god” that was worshiped in Beersheba.) People from Ephraim, Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Issachar responded to the call and came to the Passover. Not all of the people were sent to the Habor River by the Assyrians, or some came back!
The one tribe that really makes me think is Simeon. Genesis 49:7 states that Levi and Simeon will be scattered in Israel. Levi is easy to see, they were given towns in Israel because of their work with the Tabernacle and Temple. The land Simeon received was inside Judah to the south of Jerusalem. But Jeroboam got ten of the twelve tribes in 1 Kings 11:31. Did Simeon move out?
The New Testament has Anna from the tribe of Asher talking to Mary and Joseph at the Temple. Paul is very proud to be from the tribe of Benjamin in Romans 11. And Jesus was from the tribe of Judah and there were priests in the Temple from Levi. So, several tribes are mentioned after the exile of the northern tribes.
I will still go with the idea that the tribes of Israel are not lost, the Father knows exactly where they are. As children of Abraham, they will come to Him when the time is right.
My take away. God’s people are everywhere some just still need to be found.
Rachel – The Loved
Rachel-The Loved is a spin-off of Leah The Overlooked. Rachel is a type of grace, she did nothing to get the love of Jacob. Since Rachel had her faults it needs to be mentioned that to be a “type and shadow” every characteristic and action does not have to be perfect. Leah and Rachel are many of the pairs of people that are used to teach us lessons in the Bible. (Examples – Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, David and Jonathan, Paul and Peter. The pair does not need to be in conflict but their actions teach us something.)
Rachel is a picture of grace because she did nothing to inspire Jacob’s love for her. Rachel means ewe or female sheep (#7354 Strong’s). Like David, her grandson, she was probably taking care of the sheep because she was the youngest. Genesis 29:17 (NIV) says she was “lovely in form and beautiful” but I can imagine her as a tough and harden individual. Taking care of sheep was not easy work.
As a “mother of Israel” she bore Jacob Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) and Benjamin. Benjamin was the last child born to Jacob and was the “other tribe” that stayed with Jerusalem when the kingdom split under Rehoboam. (Judah and Levi are the tribes who stayed.)
Rachel had her share of struggles and problems, but she was loved. I can imagine Jacob’s anger when Laban’s household gods came out of the camel’s saddle as they went to Bethel (Genesis 35). In spite of her issues Jacob still loved her, that is grace.
Leah – All that is said about her was that she was older and had “delicate or weak eyes”. I have heard many negative things said about Leah over the years. Considering that she had seven children by Jacob I cannot imagine that she was ugly or some of the other things I have heard. Leah according to Strong’s (#3812) means “to be or make weary”. I read this as speaking to her life and the pain she endured from Rachel, Jacob, and her father. Laban used his daughters to snare Jacob and then used up everything that came from the bridal cost – fourteen years of work. She also had to watch her first three sons not receive a blessing from their father – Ruben committed adultery and Levi and Simeon slaughtered the men of Shechem bring trouble to Jacob/Israel.
It would be very easy to cast Leah as “natural Israel” and all of the weariness they have endured over the millennia. I just don’t think it is that easy! Leah is still a “mother of Israel” and the grandmother of Jesus. So, my type is going to be edgier than that – she is a picture of those who are working for their place at the feast and not those who understand and walk in grace. That can cover the people who sit in Christian churches every week and still struggle with their walk with Jesus. Compare this to Rachel you enjoyed the love of Jacob even when she did some pretty outrageous things.
Laban’s Daughters – These two girls are probably behind the command in Leviticus 18:18 not to marry your wife’s sister. Siblings will disagree, unfortunately, it may be very heated. In reading Genesis 29 through 31 it is obvious these ladies have issues. I will not attempt to excuse them but please do not discount the example they were raised by – Laban. But you got to love the Bible, it does not pull punches. Problems and praises can be on the same page. Sometimes you wish more was written as that would help frame the issues better. On somethings, they are not so, just study (thoroughly) and don’t take things out of context.
The last post in this series (hopefully) will be on the family that produces the players from Abram to the Exodus. It is important to remember that even though Leah was chosen and placed with Jacob, and Rachel was loved by him both played a part in the Father’s plan.
What If
This “What If” post started as a reflection on the Tree of Knowledge series and in particular The Tree They Could Eat post. However, as Christmas 2020 and Epiphany 2021 has come and gone my “what if” post started to look and feel different – it does help if you wait on God. So, please read on as I either ramble or expound (readers’ choice) on the topic of – What If.
Tree of Life – The “what if” here will require some imagination. What if Adam and Eve had eaten from the Tree of Life first? Would the great religious term “original sin” have been draped on our necks? Following this thought would there have been a need for religion at all?
Proverbs 3:18 connects the tree of life with wisdom. What Adam and Eve got was knowledge, not wisdom and we have seen how that worked out. Would the serpent be able to temp them at that point? Adam had imparted what he knew to Eve, how the “don’t touch” phrase got added is open to debate. That add-in became the first religious, not righteous, statement ever made – humanity has been adding their thoughts to God’s words and not doing His will ever since.
Besides living forever could the Tree of Life impart wisdom? We can see that at the end of all things the “overcomers” in Heaven will be able to eat from the Tree and be healed forever. Would Adam and Eve be able to ignore the temptation of the serpent and stuff a fig in his mouth thus changing history? Well, that did not happen so let’s go to God’s Plan B.
Christmas – I am going to ramble first so please bear with me. Because Adam and Eve ate the fruit we get to sing about figgy pudding at Christmas time. On the bright side, we don’t have designer fig-leaf and accessory lines to deal with. The Christmas Carol and most modern rom-com Christmas movies are really “what if” stories. (Spoiler alert- Amazon Prime actually listed one older version of the Christmas Carol as a horror movie.) Time-changing ghosts or angels, bumps on the head, or unusual “portals” allow people to change their lives and fulfill a “what if” in their lives. Lost loves, missed chances, or bad attitudes and behaviors are some of the “ifs” that will get changed. Okay, now I will expound some.
Jesus and the Christmas story had to happen because the fruit looked good. Eve had no context to know if it would taste good or give her any advance mental abilities (Gen.2:6). Well, the knowledge part could have come from the name of the tree (God said that) and a crafty, lying snake. The “good for food” part is still very much up for debate in my mind because not all good-looking fruit tastes nice.
Israel’s history up to the time of Jesus showed God’s mercy, compassion, and love for His people and His willingness to give second chances. Before you distort the “God is love” fact, please remember the fall of Jerusalem, the exile of the Northern Kingdom, and the horror stories that caused “judges” to have to arise and set things up for a “what if” story. God did allow judgments to fall on the People because they followed their concepts of “good and evil” and not those of the Father. Jesus’ life starting with His first coming (Christmas) and going to His crucifixion and ascension is the fulfillment of the types and shadows of the Old Testament. Jesus’ life, teachings, and ministry speak of the history and feast of Israel. They should shift our thinking back to the Father’s Kingdom and what it would have been like if Adam and Eve had eaten from a different Tree.
I believe Psalm 8:5-8 gives us a glimpse of our true position here on earth and why Satan tempted Eve and Adam. Mankind had a place of his own, a job, authority, and (verse 9) was to praise God. Satan wanted all of it, especially the praise.
The Gospel – The story of Jesus had to happen because Adam and Eve choose the wrong “if”. The Good News is a “what if” story in action- what can happen if I believe and follow Jesus. The main problem here is that you have to choose Jesus as your Lord. (Adam and Eve choose a different lord.)
I so wanted to somehow make faith into a “what if”, it is not! Hebrews 11:1 ended that thought – Faith is being sure of what we hope (NIV). This could easily go to a “big wheel” argument (it just keeps going in circles). Stepping out into something new may be a “what if”. Missing the perfect way can allow God to do a “what if”, so things surrounding faith may be or turn into “what ifs”.
Ramblings – In the secular movie Letters to Juliet the protagonist “What-if” shows up early in the movie- hidden and screaming in silence but trying to catch its voice. You don’t really see its full influence until the end, starting with the marriage feast. The antagonist “Win-win” really steers the early direction of the film starting with the trip to Italy. Win-win is a perfect hero for one character but leaves one gasping and grasping. As the film ends, you know that Win-win lost but What-if’s final status looks good but hidden in the haze of a beautiful setting sun. (If you watch the movie know it has some questionable themes.)
Win-win has snuck into churches and is in a constant battle with What-if. For 2000 years Win-win has taken Kingdom terminology, thoughts, and actions and have misused them. Win-wins have twisted all sorts of Kingdom ways into paths that do not have JESUS AS LORD. I have asked people if they are Christian. The answer was not yes or no but what denomination they belonged to. Some people might say they are saved, but they cannot tell you from what. While other pew-sitters are sure that the Epistles are the wives of the Apostles (lol).
Final Thought – You will have what-ifs when you are following the Holy Spirit as He leads you to Jesus. Some will and some won’t be what you expect. Grace, however, is our game changer. Jesus is in the forgiving and second-chance business. Mercy is new every morning, but you have to take it. I am sure that the Father has a Plan A and a Plan B for you and all will work your “what if’s” together for your good.
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