UNICORNS: Fact or Fiction?

Unicorns

        Fact?

Or

             

Fiction?  

I have to start off by saying that I do not believe in the mystical unicorns that are often portrayed in cartoons and toys.

But I recently did learn that they do exist and are even mentioned in the Bible. Let me give you a few examples from the King James Version of the Bible.

 God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. Numbers 23:22

 And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. Daniel 8:5

But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil Psalm 92:10

And there are more if you want to look them up for yourself. They are found in Job 39:9, Job 39:10, Psalm 22:21, Deuteronomy 33:17, Numbers 24:8, Psalm 29:6, and Isaiah 34:7.

Now friends I have to admit. I am 71 years old and have read lots of the bible over my lifetime. How is it that I never knew that this animal was listed in the Old Testament?

And how did I just recently come to find this out?

Well, I can't really answer that first question. But I can tell you the second one.

A few days ago, I was talking to my son on the phone. He lives in Ohio and as is during many of our conversations, different subjects come up between us about the Bible and what we are reading and learning. 

That day he asked me point blank. "Mom, do you believe in unicorns?" and then "Did you know unicorns are mentioned in the Bible?" 

To which I said, "No" and "Huh?" As he was talking, I actually put unicorns in my search engine with the word Bible and up came these verses about them. 

Interesting. But what were they really? I had wondered. 

I am not going to answer that question today but come back on 2/15 and I will have some information about them for you. 

Better yet, by all means do your own research if you would like. 

It seems when God created the animals for us, the unicorn was more than just a fictional one. But what was he? One that might kill or one that was tame?

 It amazes me at the things in the Bible that He uses to stump us at times. 

And that even at 71 years of age, I am still learning things that I did not know. And you know what that does? It sure keeps me humble. 

Thanks for coming by! God bless you!

And also, Happy Valentines Day!

Which Way is Best?

 What do you do when you have raised your children the very best you can and have been a family in the church trying to live like a Christian. And one or more of your children left the church when they grew up and left their family going out on the own?

What do you do? Preach at them? Quote Bible scripture to them every time they come in your door? 

Or do you think it is better to live your life before them, expecting that yes, they are going to sin. And just pray for them instead of hounding them with what they really don't want to hear.

Not that we condone what they may be doing. But understand what the Bible says in Isaiah 53:6:

All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned, each of us, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

I mean, who doesn't sin? We all do. Even as we truly love and try to live our lives according to God's Word. We still sin.

My dad loved the Lord with all his heart. But he wanted his sons to know Jesus. And so, as they grew up, they wondered away from God and got into drugs and alcohol. My oldest brother died when he was in his early 50s. I am not sure if he ever did go back to the Lord. He lived in another state at that time, and I didn't really have a relationship with him. 

My other brother is about 68 now and the last time I saw him, several years ago, he had pretty much become a drunk. I do not have a relationship with him either and assume he probably is still a drunk. He left us as a family and for years before dad passed, we didn't see him. Now that dad has been gone for quite a few years, we again have not seen him.

And I wonder if my dad could have just not hounded them with his own love for Jesus, perhaps his own judgement of their lifestyles, would they have turned out different?

My parents did the best they could. I have no doubt about that. They saw that we were in Sunday School and Church. And they loved us. And they sure can't be held responsible for how my brothers have turned out. 

I just pray that as I watch my own family members that don't know Jesus, as they continue in life that I can be a witness to them by my daily living and not badger them with a holier than thou attitude. I want them to see Jesus in me and want what I have because they can see Him working in my life. 

And in the meantime, praying for their salvation. That doesn't mean that I don't hide what I believe when they are around. Sometimes I can get a word in giving God glory for what he has done in my life. And after my husband passed, I was talking to my son that lives in another state and I said to him, "Thats why we need to be ready to meet Jesus because we never know when our time will come." 

End of that particular conversation. And he did not respond. But I pray that it gave him something to think about.

And so, we can either try to shove God's word down their throats every time we see them, or we can gently step where we go and let God work on their hearts. Because, the thing is, if they are not ready to receive what we have to say, it could do the opposite of what we are hoping it will do. I think it's better to let God do the work of the heart. He is the one that calls each of us. Even though as parents it can sometimes weigh heavy on our own hearts to watch our kids go their own way. 

But that is my own opinion. Maybe I am right. But then maybe I am wrong. All I know is that God is faithful all things, in no matter what my life brings to me. 

We all make mistakes. We do the best we can, and we pray a lot.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Have a blessed day. Next post date will be 2/14 and the subject that day will be on:

Unicorns!

What? Please come back to find out about these creatures.

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Apologies to my Friends

Please forgive me as I have decided to end my studies of these men. I plan to be back tomorrow on 2/12 with a different subject. If you would like to continue read up on this series yourself, I suggest gotquestions.org as a place to start.  This series is just hard for me at this time for me to continue. As I have stated before, I am not a bible scholar. Thank you for your patience. Have a blessed day.

The Twelve Tribes of Israel: Simeon

Got Questions.org tells us who Siemon was in the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

Who was Simeon in the Bible?

Simeon in the Old Testament is the second-born son of Jacob, born to Jacob’s wife Leah. Jacob was the patriarch, or father, of the twelve tribes of Israel and had received the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 28:14–15).

Simeon was a man of anger and violence. His sister Dinah was taken and defiled by a Hivite named Shechem, a son of the ruler of that area (Genesis 34:2). When Jacob and his sons learned of this, “they were shocked and furious, because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in Israel by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done” (Genesis 34:7). All the brothers conspired to initiate a plan to establish a false treaty with Hamor’s family (Genesis 34:13). The treaty involved all the men of the city being circumcised (verse 15). But, instead of the family of Jacob and the family of Hamor living peacefully together as Hamor was led to believe (Genesis 34:21), the sons of Jacob, including Simeon, sought to avenge their sister. After the men of the city had been circumcised, while they were still in pain, Simeon and Levi “took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male. They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left” (Genesis 34:25–26). Jacob rebuked Simeon and Levi for their bloody act: “You have brought trouble on me by making me obnoxious to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land” (Genesis 34:30).

Later, as Jacob was nearing death, he gave his sons a patriarchal blessing. At that time, he remembered the sins of Simeon and Levi, saying, “Simeon and Levi are brothers—their swords are weapons of violence. Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel” (Genesis 49:5–7). Jacob’s words came to pass as, centuries later, after the conquest of the Promised Land, the tribe of Simeon was small and was forced to share territory with Judah, a larger and more powerful tribe (Joshua 19:1–9). The curse on Simeon reminds us that vengeance belongs only to God (Genesis 4:15; Psalm 38:20; 1 Peter 3:9).

The Bible also shows that Simeon was a man of envy and hatred. He and his brothers were jealous of their father’s love for Joseph and angered by Joseph’s dreams that the brothers construed as arrogance, so they sold Joseph into slavery (Genesis 37). Simeon was then complicit in leading their father to believe that Joseph had been killed by a fierce animal. Later, Joseph, as vizier of Egypt, tested his brothers and imprisoned Simeon until his brothers returned from Canaan (Genesis 42:18–19, 24).

Despite Simeon’s wrongdoing, we see God’s love and grace. Simeon was justly rebuked and cursed by his father, but he was also honored by Jacob as recorded in two special moments. The first occurs when Jacob, still grieving the supposed death of Joseph, is presented with the possibility that he might lose Simeon as well and equates Simeon with his two favorite children, Joseph and Benjamin: “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me” (Genesis 42:36). We also see Jacob’s grace when he recognizes Joseph’s sons as being equal to Reuben and Simeon, his first and second born. In this blessing of his grandchildren, Jacob, despite Simeon’s prior violence, murder, and lies, recognizes Simeon’s rightful place in the family.

In Revelation 7:7 the tribe of Simeon is listed in a place of honor, among the twelve tribes of Israel who are sealed by God’s protection in the tribulation. Simeon, son of Jacob, is referenced throughout the Pentateuch and seven times in the book of Joshua. Simeon and/or the tribe that bears his name is also mentioned in the historical records of 1 and 2 Chronicles and in the book of Ezekiel.

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God's love never ceases to amaze me although it should. Such a man as Simeon who was angry and violent still was found in the grace of God. It doesn't matter who we are. It doesn't matter what we have done. God's love can never be taken from us. 

How amazing is that, friends?

Thanks for coming today, God bless you!

Amen!!!!!

The Twelve Tribes of Israel: Reuben

 

And so Reuben was the oldest of Jacob's sons.  I did find some interesting stories about Reubens life at WHO WAS REUBEN IN THE BIBLE @ questions.org. You might be interested in reading about him as I have copied and pasted them below for you. 

Who was Reuben in the Bible?

ANSWER

Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob by Leah and the forefather of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The story of Reuben in the Bible is told in Genesis chapters 29–50.

Reuben’s mother Leah became the wife of Jacob by a cunning trick (Genesis 29:15–30). Jacob had gone to live with his uncle, Laban, in Paddan Aram. There he met and fell in love with Laban’s beautiful daughter Rachel. Jacob agreed to work seven years for the right to marry Rachel, Leah’s younger sister. On their wedding night, Laban substituted the heavily veiled Leah in Rachel’s place. The next morning, Jacob was shocked to discover the deceit. So smitten was he with Rachel that he consented to work another seven years for her.

Leah’s life turned out to be heartbreaking as she sought to win Jacob’s love. But God blessed Leah with the honor of bearing many children, including Jacob’s oldest son, Reuben.

Several meanings have been assigned to the name Reuben, but the most widely accepted is “behold a son.” When Leah gave birth to Reuben, she explained her choice: “She named him Reuben, for she said, ‘It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now’” (Genesis 29:32). This statement introduces the lifelong tension that existed between the two sisters in their marriage to Jacob.

As an adult, Reuben was one of the more honorable sons of Jacob. Reuben saved Joseph’s life when his brothers plotted to kill him. He talked the brothers out of murdering Joseph and convinced them to leave him in a pit instead (Genesis 37:21–22). Reuben intended to return privately and rescue Joseph, but his plan failed when, in his absence, the other brothers sold Joseph into slavery. Years later, as all the brothers faced misfortune in Egypt, Reuben called out his brothers for bringing disaster on their family: “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood” (Genesis 42:22).

An interesting episode involving Reuben in the Bible centers on his mother’s and aunt’s belief in folk medicine in Genesis 30:14–17. One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben came across mandrakes in the field. Mandrakes were herbaceous flowering plants known for their exotic fragrance and human-shaped roots. They were also believed to enhance a woman’s fertility. Reuben picked the mandrakes and brought them to his mother, Leah.

Rachel asked for some of the mandrakes Reuben had found, but Leah rebuked her: “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?” (Genesis 30:15). So, Rachel struck a deal with Leah. In return for some of the mandrakes, she let Leah sleep with Jacob. As a result, Leah became pregnant and gave Jacob a fifth son, Issachar.

Reuben demonstrated extreme love for his aging father when he offered his own two sons as a guarantee for the safety of Benjamin (Genesis 42:37). But, despite Reuben’s admirable qualities and good intentions, he lacked enduring strength of character.

Reuben’s great failure occurred when he slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah. This act, a serious crime punishable by death, revealed the loss of his earlier integrity. After Rachel died, Reuben was likely anxious because Jacob had shown favor to her sons over Leah’s. He may also have been worried for his mother. By sleeping with Bilhah, Reuben was likely challenging his father’s authority and grasping for power.

As the oldest son of Jacob, Reuben should have been granted the birthright, but he was denied this honor because of his act of disrespect: “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it” (Genesis 49:3–4).

The tribe of Reuben descended from Reuben and his four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. After helping the other tribes take possession of the Promised Land, the tribe of Reuben settled east of the Jordan River. Initially starting out strong, the tribe was always mentioned first—in the place of honor—in lists of the twelve tribes of Israel. However, because of Reuben’s incest with Bilhah, the tribe eventually lost its place of preeminence as Jacob had prophesied. No prominent judge, prophet, or ruler came from the tribe of Reuben, and no mention of the tribe, other than the listing in Revelation 7:5, is made in the New Testament.

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Reuben did have his share of troubles in his family. But what stood out to me was that as an adult he was an honorable son to his father. How many sons in life, whether in Bible days right up to current times, can honestly be said of that? Some fathers don't deserve honorable sons. Others do. But looking at the life of Jacob, his own sons tried to murder one son, Joseph. Reuben did not participate in this, and in fact saved his brother's life. 

No matter his troubled life. He was an honorable man. 

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. 

Come back on Wednesday, Feb.8 for the next post.

God bless you!

Twelve Tribes of Israel: A Broken Family

 God can't use me. I come from a broken family.

I ask you, "Really?"

The fact of the matter is this:

Sprinkled all through the bible are stories of familes in conflict, hate, murder and more.

And yet, each person, each family had a purpose that God chose them to fulfill.

And so it was with the twelve tribes of Israel. 

If you missed it before, the twelve tribes came from Jacob's twelve sons.

Emma Danzey explains it this way: 

One of the most intriguing concepts in Scripture is the establishment of the 12 tribes of Israel. I find it amazing how we see a connection from the old covenant to the new covenant of Christ. We see 12 tribes established out of the line of Israel, then we see 12 disciples established from a variety of backgrounds. Each of these tribes had a significant role and responsibility for the nation of God’s people. As we acknowledge the Lord’s plan for His people, we can gain a greater understanding of what each tribe is known for. what each tribe is known for.

Who Are the 12 Tribes of Israel? The 12 tribes of Israel came from Jacob’s 12 sons. Each tribe was named after one of Jacob’s children or grandchildren. I love how when we look at the story of Jacob, we see the Lord still choosing to use his broken family for a greater purpose. Jacob was tricked into marrying Leah, then married her sister Rachel, then the women waged war over who could produce children to the point of giving their servants Bilhah and Zilpah to their husband. Out of these four women in a damaging life situation, came the 12 tribes of Israel. Below is the order of the sons of Israel (Jacob), the meaning of their names, and what each tribe is known for. 

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To find out more about these tribes, I will take one a day for the next twelve days (including today) and give you some information on each one. Starting with the first Tribe of Reuben

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Reuben: “It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now” (Genesis 29:32) The tribe of Reuben had territory east of the Dead Sea. They were never blessed like they could have been because Reuben sinned against his father with Bilhah (Genesis 35:22)

My notes. Please be aware that according to the KJV of the bible, I did not see that Reuben was not blessed like he could have for sleeping with Bilhah. It does say he slept with her but did not give that as a reason for not fully being blessed. 

According to the Torah, the tribe consisted of descendants of Reuben, the first son of Jacob, and a son of Leah, from whom it took its name. Modern scholarship views the events described in Genesis and Exodus, which contain the early stories about Jacob and his immediate descendants, as non-historical. ^[7][8][9The Bible divides the tribe of Reuben into four clans or families, the Hanochites, Palluites, Hezronites, and Carmites, which according to the Bible were descended from Reuben's sons Hanoch, Pallu, Hazron, and Carmi. ^[10]

Genesis 49 contains the Blessing of Jacob, a series of predictions which the Bible presents as delivered by the patriarch Jacob about the future fate of the tribes descended from his twelve sons. Some textual scholars date it substantially later than these events. ^{[11][page needed]} Reuben is characterized as fickle, "unstable as water", and condemned to no longer "have . . . the excellency" due to Reuben's crime of having sexual relations with his father's concubine Bilhah. ^[12]

The Bible relates that Jacob and his twelve sons, along with their sons, went down into Egypt as a group of about seventy persons, including Reuben and his four sons. ^[13] According to the account in Exodus, the Israelites stayed in Egypt for 430 years, and their numbers grew to include about 600,000 men, not counting women or children. ^[14] At this point they left Egypt (see The Exodus) and wandered for forty years in the wilderness between Egypt and the promised land of Canaan. ^[15]

As the tribes prepared to enter Canaan by crossing over to the west side of the Jordan, the Book of Numbers records that the Israelites defeated Sihon and Og, kings east of the Jordan. ^[16] The tribes of Reuben and Gad requested that they be given land in the territory east of Jordan, because it was suitable for their needs as livestock grazers. In exchange for their promise to help with the conquest of the land west of the Jordan, Moses accepted their request and granted to them and half of Manasseh land east of the Jordan. ^[17] Following the death of Moses, SAccording to Kenneth Kitchen, this conquest occurred around 1200 BC,^[21] but "almost all" scholars have abandoned the idea that Joshua carried out a conquest of Canaan similar to that described in the Book of Joshua. ^[22] Israel Finkelstein et al., have claimed that lack of evidence for a systematic conquest or the abrupt appearance of a new culture indicates that the Israelites simply arose as a subculture within Canaanite society. ^[23] The territory of Reuben encapsulated the territory of the earlier kingdom of Sihon

(see Wikipedia for more information)

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The above is what I found on Rueben today. Please forgive me if it looks a bit messy as I am having problems with my computer today. 

On Monday, February 6 I may have more on Rueben or may go to the next in line which is Simeon.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends.

God bless you

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