ABRAHAM’S DISTRESS at being childless was caused by his concept of the afterlife. In the Amorite culture that dominated his world, it was believed that one’s quality of life after death depended on your descendants performing a monthly ritual to provide your food and drink.
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WE’RE BACK with a brief summary of highlights from our whirlwind tours of the Holy Land and the UK.
We discuss sites we visited, such as Gilgal Refaim, Joshua’s altar, and Harosheth Haggoyim (the headquarters of Sisera, commander of the army of the Canaanite king Jabin), the amazing artifacts at the British Museum, and an incredible divine appointment at the site of Aleister Crowley’s home overlooking Loch Ness.
Our next study of the Old Testament begins with Genesis 1 next week!
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WE BEGIN our study of the second of the Historical Books of the Bible. Judges is named for the twelve leaders who were raised up by Yahweh at critical points in Israel’s history from the late 13th century to the mid-11th century B.C., and it chronicles Israel’s slide into apostasy and chaos, showing the need for a godly king to lead them.
Today, we look at the first five judges: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar (who may have been a devotee of the Canaanite goddess of war), Barak, and Deborah.
We also discuss a few interesting aspects of the Song of Deborah (Judges 5), especially the curse by the Angel of Yahweh (Jesus, if you’ve just joined us) against Meroz. According to a Jewish tradition, Meroz was a group of supernatural inhabitants of the second heaven who refused to fight for Yahweh against the Canaanites.
Filed under Old Testament, Virtual Meetings
