Qualified to serve

Daniel 1:3-4 - Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility - young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace.

I wonder how many men fit this job description. How many young, upper class, smart, quick-learning, hunks do you know?

Now further restrict that list to humble Christians. Pretty short list, eh? That's the "A" list that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were on.

I wonder why we almost always use Daniel's Hebrew name, but we refer to his 3 friends by the new (Babylonian?) names given to them by the chief official who was first in charge of them during their captivity. I wonder if the official gave all his trainees new names.

Two sticks in one

Ezekiel 37:15-28 - The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it, 'Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him.' Then take another stick of wood, and write on it, 'Ephraim's stick, belonging to Joseph and all the house of Israel associated with him.' Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your hand.

"When your countrymen ask you, 'Won't you tell us what you mean by this?' say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which is in Ephraim's hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah's stick, making them a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.' Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

" 'My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.' "

I wonder how many people actually asked Ezekiel what the meaning of the sticks was.

I wonder what the sticks looked like. Were they long and flat like cricket bats? Were they short and round, just fallen from a tree? What did Ezekiel use to write on them?

With prophecies like these, I don't wonder that some (many?) Israelis expected to someday live in a great and powerful kingdom again -- like that of David and Solomon. No wonder people asked Jesus if he would restore the kingdom. But I believe that both these prophecies and Jesus own words pointed to a heavenly kingdom. Jesus himself is really the "David" mentioned here in Ezekiel's prophecy. He's the only "servant" and "prince" who could rule "forever."

Egypt as pay

Ezekiel 29:17-20 - In the 27th year, in the first month on the first day, the word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon drove his army in a hard campaign against Tyre; every head was rubbed bare and every shoulder made raw. Yet he and his army got no reward from the campaign he led against Tyre. Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am going to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth. He will loot and plunder the land as pay for his army. I have given him Egypt as a reward for his efforts because he and his army did it for me, declares the Sovereign LORD."

I wonder why Nebuchadnezzar got no plunder from Tyre. Maybe it was because his army so completely destroyed it that there was nothing worthwhile left to take! After all, God had said that no one would ever find Tyre again. (See previous blog post.)

Notice how Nebuchadnezzar was being used as God's tool to carry out judgment on Egypt. That's quite a reward for doing what God wanted -- the wealth of a whole country. Consider what wealth can be yours if you do what God says too. Your reward will be great in heaven, yes, but (not that this is the motivation for obedience) it could be great here on earth too.

Merchandise from Tyre

Ezekiel 26:19-27:23 - This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I make you a desolate city, like cities no longer inhabited, and when I bring the ocean depths over you and its vast waters cover you, then I will bring you down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of long ago. I will make you dwell in the earth below, as in ancient ruins, with those who go down to the pit, and you will not return or take your place in the land of the living. I will bring you to a horrible end and you will be no more. You will be sought, but you will never again be found, declares the Sovereign LORD.

The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, take up a lament concerning Tyre. Say to Tyre, situated at the gateway to the sea, merchant of peoples on many coasts, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:

You say, O Tyre,
"I am perfect in beauty."

Your domain was on the high seas;
your builders brought your beauty to perfection.

They made all your timbers
of pine trees from Senir;
they took a cedar from Lebanon
to make a mast for you.

Of oaks from Bashan
they made your oars;
of cypress wood from the coasts of Cyprus
they made your deck, inlaid with ivory.

Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail
and served as your banner;
your awnings were of blue and purple
from the coasts of Elishah.

Men of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen;
your skilled men, O Tyre, were aboard as your seamen.

Veteran craftsmen of Gebal were on board
as shipwrights to caulk your seams.
All the ships of the sea and their sailors
came alongside to trade for your wares.

Men of Persia, Lydia and Put
served as soldiers in your army.
They hung their shields and helmets on your walls,
bringing you splendor.

Men of Arvad and Helech
manned your walls on every side;
men of Gammad
were in your towers.
They hung their shields around your walls;
they brought your beauty to perfection.

Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin and lead for your merchandise.

Greece, Tubal and Meshech traded with you; they exchanged slaves and articles of bronze for your wares.

Men of Beth Togarmah exchanged work horses, war horses and mules for your merchandise.

The men of Rhodes traded with you, and many coastlands were your customers; they paid you with ivory tusks and ebony.

Aram did business with you because of your many products; they exchanged turquoise, purple fabric, embroidered work, fine linen, coral and rubies for your merchandise.

Judah and Israel traded with you; they exchanged wheat from Minnith and confections, honey, oil and balm for your wares.

Damascus, because of your many products and great wealth of goods, did business with you in wine from Helbon and wool from Zahar.

Danites and Greeks from Uzal bought your merchandise; they exchanged wrought iron, cassia and calamus for your wares.

Dedan traded in saddle blankets with you.

Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your customers; they did business with you in lambs, rams and goats.

The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you; for your merchandise they exchanged the finest of all kinds of spices and precious stones, and gold.

Haran, Canneh and Eden and merchants of Sheba, Asshur and Kilmad traded with you.' "

I wonder what it was that everyone wanted from Tyre. Since Tyre "will never again be found," we may never know the full scope of their wares. Perhaps the ships themselves were purchased in some cases, but it says there were "many products."

I wonder how many (if any) people have tried (unsuccessfully?) to find the ruins of Tyre.

The delight of his eyes

Ezekiel 24:15-18 - The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears. Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food of mourners ."

So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded.

I wonder if he told her ahead of time. I hope not. I think.

Just a nice parable

Ezekiel 20:49 - Then I said, "Ah, Sovereign LORD! They are saying of me, 'Isn't he just telling parables?' "

I wonder who it was that was spreading such gossip about Ezekiel. Did the elders believe this too? Perhaps some did. I wonder how may people actually got to hear Ezekiel prophesy firsthand. How many even cared to? It's difficult to imagine what spreading this news in those days would have been like. Remember, there were no radios, TVs, movies, telephones (cell or otherwise), and no Internet. It was almost entirely word of mouth, plus some writings. I wonder if his writings got passed around much.

A lament is a lament is a lament

Ezekiel 19:14 - This is a lament and is to be used as a lament.

Was there a problem with people using laments for other purposes? Why else would you specifically state what a writing (poetry, in this case) is to be used for? Sometimes things can be used for purposes other than the creator's intended one. A book can be used as a doorstop. But what else would you use a lament for? It's very nature is sad. How could it be used successfully any other way?

How to go into exile

Ezekiel 12:3-7 - "Therefore, son of man, pack your belongings for exile and in the daytime, as they watch, set out and go from where you are to another place. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house. During the daytime, while they watch, bring out your belongings packed for exile. Then in the evening, while they are watching, go out like those who go into exile. While they watch, dig through the wall and take your belongings out through it. Put them on your shoulder as they are watching and carry them out at dusk. Cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have made you a sign to the house of Israel."

So I did as I was commanded. During the day I brought out my things packed for exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands. I took my belongings out at dusk, carrying them on my shoulders while they watched.

Having never gone into exile myself, I wonder what you pack before doing so and how you behave in order to appear to others that you are going into exile, even though you are doing so voluntarily and solo. I mean, unless they asked him, how did anyone know Ezekiel was pretending to go into exile?

I also wonder how much use a city wall really is that can be dug through with your bare hands. I wonder if anyone made Ezekiel fix the hole later.

Between heaven and earth

Ezekiel 8:1-3 - In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, the hand of the Sovereign LORD came upon me there. I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man. From what appeared to be his waist down he was like fire, and from there up his appearance was as bright as glowing metal. He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God he took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance to the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood.

I wonder what the elders thought when they saw Ezekiel levitate. Or did he maybe (seem to) disappear from their vantage point? It's hard to say with descriptions like this partly because they're so hard to describe to someone who hasn't experienced the same thing.

What does it really mean to be taken somewhere else in "visions of God"? Was his body moved there too? Or are visions by definition only spiritual?

At the beginning of chapter 11, this story (vision) seems to continue. But now Ezekiel is taken to the temple apparently body and all -- yet he is still only seeing a vision based on the last verse of the chapter: "Then the vision I had seen went up from me...."

Where was Ezekiel at that point? By the temple? In his house? No, it doesn't matter. It's just something I wonder about.

Hair everywhere

Ezekiel 5:1-4 - "Now, son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber's razor to shave your head and your beard. Then take a set of scales and divide up the hair. When the days of your siege come to an end, burn a third of the hair with fire inside the city. Take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city. And scatter a third to the wind. For I will pursue them with drawn sword. But take a few strands of hair and tuck them away in the folds of your garment. Again, take a few of these and throw them into the fire and burn them up. A fire will spread from there to the whole house of Israel."

I wonder how many people stopped what they were doing to watch Ezekiel shave, burn, chop, scatter, and tuck away his hair.

I wonder how many got the message.

Side to side

Ezekiel 4:4-6 - "Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the house of Israel upon yourself. You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the house of Israel.

"After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the house of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year."

This is well over a year, folks! 390 + 40 = 430 and 430 - 365 = 65 About 14 months!

I wonder if Ezekiel spent the whole day (apart from providing for his physical needs) lying there on his side. If he did, I wonder who provided his food. Did his relatives help him out? His friends? Or were they too embarrassed to be seen with this lunatic -- much less to be helping him out? Was Ezekiel independently wealthy? Did he have 14 months of food in store?

Did he have any shelter from the elements?

I don't wonder if anyone made fun of him.

Difficult languages

Ezekiel 3:5-6 - You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and difficult language, but to the house of Israel - not to many peoples of obscure speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understand.

I wonder which language(s) God considered difficult to learn and understand compared to the Hebrew that Ezekiel spoke.

Glowing metal

Ezekiel 1:4-5 - The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures.

I wonder where Ezekiel had previously seen glowing metal. Most likely in the shop of a blacksmith -- or whatever such a craftsman of that type was known as. You don't normally try to make a comparison between something you are currently witnessing and something you've never seen before. So this is why I think it's fair to assume Ezekiel actually had seen glowing metal before.

Throwing away the scroll

Jeremiah 51:60-63 - Jeremiah had written on a scroll about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon—all that had been recorded concerning Babylon. He said to Seraiah, "When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud. Then say, 'O LORD, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither man nor animal will live in it; it will be desolate forever.' When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates...."

I wonder how many copies of the prophecy against Babylon were made. There must have been at least two. There was the one that Seraiah was to throw into the Euphrates -- presumably lost forever. And there was the one that has been passed down through the ages here in the book of Jeremiah. Or did the one that was thrown into the river survive? Did it ever actually get thrown away?

The cistern

Jeremiah 38:1-13 - Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people when he said, "This is what the LORD says: 'Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague, but whoever goes over to the Babylonians will live. He will escape with his life; he will live.' And this is what the LORD says: 'This city will certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it.' "

Then the officials said to the king, "This man should be put to death. He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin."

"He is in your hands," King Zedekiah answered. "The king can do nothing to oppose you."

So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king's son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.

But Ebed-Melech, a Cushite, an official in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate, Ebed-Melech went out of the palace and said to him, "My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city."

Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Cushite, "Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies."

So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. Ebed-Melech the Cushite said to Jeremiah, "Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes." Jeremiah did so, and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.

I wonder why Jeremiah's enemies didn't just kill him outright. Why did they go through the trouble of putting him into the cistern. He could still shout his prophecies from there if he wanted to.

I wonder why King Zedekiah waffled so much regarding the fate of Jeremiah. One minute he gives Jeremiah over to his enemies and the next he allows him to be rescued.

I wonder if Ebed-Melech was a personal friend of Jeremiah. I wonder how many friends Jeremiah had amongst the palace officials.

Irijah

Jeremiah 37:11-15 - After the Babylonian army had withdrawn from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh's army, Jeremiah started to leave the city to go to the territory of Benjamin to get his share of the property among the people there. But when he reached the Benjamin Gate, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, arrested him and said, "You are deserting to the Babylonians!"

"That's not true!" Jeremiah said. "I am not deserting to the Babylonians." But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. They were angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a prison.

I wonder how Irijah knew; that is, recognized Jeremiah. Maybe he didn't have to know him by sight. Maybe he had to ask everyone leaving the city who they were and what their business was.

I wonder why Irijah decided to pick on Jeremiah. Did he accuse any others of desertion? Was it just because Jeremiah was a prophet of God that Irijah arrested him? Did Jeremiah accidentally do something to arouse Irijah's suspicions? If not (and he probably didn't), what did Irijah have to gain by falsely accusing him? Had he worked out some deal with Jeremiah's enemies?

The Recabites

Jeremiah 35:6-10 - But they replied, "We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jonadab son of Recab gave us this command: 'Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine. Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents. Then you will live a long time in the land where you are nomads.' We have obeyed everything our forefather Jonadab son of Recab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops. We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jonadab commanded us.

I wonder if people thought the Recabites were a little strange. They didn't do some very common things that pretty much everyone else did.

No drinking
No houses
No farming

Nothing wrong with any of that, but wouldn't you think someone like that was a little strange even today? They don't drink alcohol. They don't owna home. Maybe they move from Motel 8 to Motel 8 because their jobs keep them constantly on the move.

Any one of those traits by itself -- or even two -- isn't so strange, but try to find someone with all three. And whole families for generations besides!

I wonder if any of the Recabites ever wanted to live a more "normal" life.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Jeremiah wakes up

Jeremiah 31:26 - At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.

I wonder how long it took Jeremiah (or almost any Bible write, for that matter) to write his book. That is, on how many different occasions did he have a message to write, and how long were the periods in between writings? Sometimes clues are given as when a historic event or a king's reign is mentioned. But in this case, Jeremiah just says that he woke up from a pleasant sleep in which the Lord had been speaking to him. When did that revelation start? Was it just a few sentences earlier (verse 23)? Was it a whole chapter? The whole book to this point?

Seventy years later

Jeremiah 29:10-14 - This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

I wonder (but not very much) if there were some exiles who, upon hearing these words, said, "Yeah, right!" All but the very young would probably die in Babylon, so they knew the words of this promise were for the next generations. Even some of the young ones would be in their "retirement" years by the time they would return. Yet their must have been a few such people, because we know that later, when they did return, some wept when the foundations of the new Temple were laid as they remembered what the previous Temple had looked like.

I wonder how often those who did believe the promise told their descendants about it.

Sending the letter to the exiles

Jeremiah 29:3 - He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon.

I wonder why King Zedekiah sent Elasah and Gemariah to Babylon. I doubt it had anything to do with Jeremiah's letter. I wonder if Jeremiah had to "sneak" it to them. Apparently he trusted them. I wonder if they were perhaps even good friends.

Letter to the exiles

Jeremiah 29:1 - This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

The words of chapter 29:4-23 are only a copy of the letter Jeremiah wrote to the exiles. The actual letter itself went to Babylon with Elasah and Gemariah. So there were at least 2 copies of it. I wonder if there were ever any more. It was sent to all the exiles as if everyone was supposed to read it or at least hear it read to them. I wonder if they all did get to hear it word for word. The elders and priests probably did, but I wonder about the rest of the people.

Pashhur ben Immer

Jeremiah 20:1-6 - When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, the chief officer in the temple of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the LORD's temple. The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, "The LORD's name for you is not Pashhur, but Magor-Missabib. For this is what the LORD says: 'I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will hand all Judah over to the king of Babylon, who will carry them away to Babylon or put them to the sword. I will hand over to their enemies all the wealth of this city—all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies.' "

I wonder if Pashhur put any stock in Jeremiah's warnings. Sure, he hated Jeremiah and what he was prophesying, but that doesn't automatically mean he didn't believe any of it. After all, I think by this time Israel knew about Babylon and the threat it posed.

Buying a jar

Jeremiah 19:1-2 - This is what the LORD says: "Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take along some of the elders of the people and of the priests and go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate.

I'm surprised Jeremiah could convince anyone to go with him out to the Valley. I wonder what these elders were thinking.

Elder to self: "Gah! This time he's carrying a jar."

Elder to Jeremiah: "Jeremiah, what's in the jar?"

"Nothing."

"What are you bringing it along for?"

"You'll see."

"Where are we going?"

"Ben Hinnom."

"Ben Hinnom! What for?"

"You'll see."

Elder to elder: "I told you this was gonna be weird."

"Weird? I think it's almost laughable. I mean, look at him. Here's this wacko taking a brand new, empty jar outside for who knows what and.... Ya know what? Twenty shekels says he breaks it over his own head."

"Twenty-five says he fills it with mud first."

"You're on." [low chuckles]

Third elder to first two: "You know what's really sad? We took the time to follow him out here to watch him do it."

"Hm, point taken. Then again, didn't have anything better to do back at the Temple anyways."

Shouting at the gates

Jeremiah 17:19-27 - This is what the LORD said to me: "Go and stand at the gate of the people, through which the kings of Judah go in and out; stand also at all the other gates of Jerusalem. Say to them, 'Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and all people of Judah and everyone living in Jerusalem who come through these gates. This is what the LORD says: Be careful not to carry a load on the Sabbath day or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem. Do not bring a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your forefathers. Yet they did not listen or pay attention; they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline. But if you are careful to obey me, declares the LORD, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath, but keep the Sabbath day holy by not doing any work on it, then kings who sit on David's throne will come through the gates of this city with their officials. They and their officials will come riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by the men of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever. People will come from the towns of Judah and the villages around Jerusalem, from the territory of Benjamin and the western foothills, from the hill country and the Negev, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings, incense and thank offerings to the house of the LORD. But if you do not obey me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.' "

It must have been business as usual every Saturday -- the Sabbath. Why else would Jeremiah have to repeat these words not just at one but at every city gate -- and there were many -- of Jerusalem. I can imagine that this was one of the first commandments that went by the wayside after idolatry set in. It was all about the almighty shekel. I imagine that at first just a few less religious businessmen kept their shops open on the Sabbath. Then when outside traders heard about them -- which probably took all of 2 or 3 days -- they came in through the gates to make a killing on Saturday too. It wouldn't have been long -- maybe a few months to a couple of years -- before nearly everyone was doing it just to keep up with the competition, stay in the black, or even gain that slight edge on the guy across town.

"Hey, Hassan, did you hear Shekaniah's date shop is open on Sabbath now?"

"Yeah, and so is Josh's leather goods. I'm gonna check it out this weekend. I hear he's got some sweet deals on belts. Mine's about shot. What about you? You busy this Sabbath?"

"Not too. Me and Martha were maybe gonna take the kids down to the river to pray for a while, but then I might play around with the scales a bit myself...see if it would make sense to keep the mill open on weekends too."

"Not you too, Abe! I never thought I'd hear something like that come from your lips!"

"Yeah, well...we got to move these kittels and ephods. We got to move these colorful fleeeeece."

I wonder if Jeremiah could even be heard above the din that there must have been at each gate.

When was the last time you had something more important to do on Sunday morning than to worship God for just 1 hour? You've got the whole rest of the day to go shopping. After all, almost every store is open 8 days a week.

Signs

Jeremiah 10:1-2 - Hear what the LORD says to you, O house of Israel. This is what the LORD says:
"Do not learn the ways of the nations
or be terrified by signs in the sky,
though the nations are terrified by them.

I wonder what signs in the sky terrified the people. Consider the various phenomena that could be called signs:

• clouds
• storms
• thunder
• lightning
• eclipses
• comets
• moon phases
• auroras
• meteors
• planets

Some (all?) of the people recognized signs in the sky. God himself says there are signs -- it's just that the people shouldn't be afraid of them. I wonder what they are signs of. Why would people be afraid after seeing them?

On being chosen

Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19 - The word of the LORD came to me, saying,

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

"Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.

Have you ever hoped God would choose you for some special task? Has he given you gifts that you think could be used in a unique way to further the spread of his saving word to all nations? If so, "Get yourself ready!" Perhaps you too have been chosen before you were born for a specific purpose, much like Jeremiah.

Jeremiah didn't think he was so special though. Notice how much encouragement God had to give him right from the start. I wonder if Jeremiah thought, "What could possibly be headed my way (or what am I heading into) that is going to require so much help from God? It sounds like I'll be worse off if I try not to do what he says though. Well, I better get ready."

Stuff was going to happen that could terrify him. He had to be made tough as iron and bronze. He would need rescuing. I wonder how many of us today could handle such a message -- living in our cushy lifestyle as we do.

Peace

Isaiah 57:1 - The righteous perish,
and no one ponders it in his heart;
devout men are taken away,
and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
to be spared from evil.

I wonder how many attendees at a Christian's funeral realize they should only be sad or cry for themselves and others who are still alive. The dead "righteous" person, the Christian, is having a grand time in the afterlife. Survivors who can mange it ought to be shouting, "Yes! Woohoo! Way to go! Congratulations!" as if the deceased had just won the lottery.

Do you think that's insensitive? Stop reading this for a few moments and think about it. Stop reading! Close your eyes and think. Resume with the next paragraph after some thoughts of your own.

Then think again.

The dead Christian just got what he's been "working" for his whole life (possibly). He got what the rest of us can only look forward to. Should that make us sad? If it were any other good thing that he got, we wouldn't be. So we shouldn't be sad for his sake now that he's dead either.

I can still recall being sad, watery-eyed, at my 20-something cousin's funeral. She had had cancer for about 6 months. I was fine until I saw her little sister crying. See, I wasn't sad for my older cousin. She was fine now! I was sad for the family who would miss her. I don't think that family has been the same (with one exception) since.

Proper perspective = peace.

Free lunch

Isaiah 55:1 - "Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost."

I wonder if there was a common saying like, "There's no such thing as a free lunch" in Isaiah's day. In this verse, God is offering a "free lunch" to everyone. It's free to us because the price was paid in full by someone else. Jesus paid the fare, the tab, the bill because there's no way we could. No amount of dish washing could ever have covered the cost. But since Jesus did step in, we can "delight in the richest of fare" -- heaven -- forever.

Twinkle, twinkle

Isaiah 40:25-26 - "To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

That's a lot of names.

I wonder if we can infer from this that no stars or other major heavenly objects have ceased to exist since the beginning of creation. Even if the universe is 10,000 years old, maybe that's not long enough for a star that scientists would consider "old" to be completely burned out or dead.

A really bad boil

Isaiah 38:1 + 21 - In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover."

Isaiah had said, "Prepare a poultice of figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover."

What kind of a boil leads to death? Or wasn't it the boil itself that would have killed Hezekiah? Was it only a symptom of something else? Or was this a cancerous boil?

What was in the poultice that healed him? (It goes without saying that the Lord actually did the healing. But he might have used the chemicals in the poultice to do so.)

Wha' happened?

Isaiah 37:36-37 - Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.

I wonder if Sennacherib (among others) discovered all the dead soldiers on his own or if someone delivered the message to his tent -- possibly even waking him to do so.

I wonder how many soldiers were left in his army after the 185,000 were gone. There were obviously not enough left to fight with in his opinion.

I wonder what thoughts went through his mind when he first learned about his decimated troops. Did he consider that there was a connection between his boasting and the killing? Did he attribute the deaths to natural causes? What did he tell the families of the soldiers when he got back home? The truth? I doubt it. That they died gloriously in battle? Probably something like that. I wonder if he tried to silence those survivors who knew the rest of the story.

Countdown

Isaiah 21:16-17 - This is what the Lord says to me: "Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the pomp of Kedar will come to an end. The survivors of the bowmen, the warriors of Kedar, will be few." The LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.

How does "a servant bound by contract" count differently from anyone else? Or does he mean the attitude with which he counts -- eagerly awaiting the end of the contract? Then again, what if the servant had a good contract? Would he be full of despair or worry or trepidation that the contract was going to end and he might not get another as good -- if he got one at all?

Buck nekked

Isaiah 20 - In the year that the supreme commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it - at that time the LORD spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said to him, "Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet." And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot.

Then the LORD said, "Just as my servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush, so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared—to Egypt's shame. Those who trusted in Cush and boasted in Egypt will be afraid and put to shame. In that day the people who live on this coast will say, 'See what has happened to those we relied on, those we fled to for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?' "

I wonder what people thought of Isaiah during and after this "stunt." Did they consider it a stunt? Did they think he was insane? Apparently no one tried to "put him away." Did they think he was crazy but mostly harmless?

I wonder if Isaiah was totally naked 24 hours a day for all 3 years. Did he have a family of his own -- wife and children -- at this time? What did his other relatives think of him? Did anyone try to make him get dressed?

I find it interesting that such a striking display was used "as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush." It wasn't even Israel that he was warning! He went through all this for 3 years for a bunch of foreigners -- Gentiles!

Isaiah and the prophetess

Isaiah 8:3-4 - Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the LORD said to me, "Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. Before the boy knows how to say 'My father' or 'My mother,' the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria."

I wonder if God told Isaiah to go to the prophetess in order to have a son. I have the feeling that he did because of the name he was told to give the boy and because of the symbol that the boy was to be.

I wonder if God had told the prophetess about his plan for her and Isaiah. I wonder if she would have been surprised if she hadn't been forewarned.

I wonder if Isaiah and the prophetess were considered husband and wife from this point on.

Bic or Parker

Isaiah 8:1 - The LORD said to me, "Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz."

So apparently they had different styles or qualities of writing instruments in Isaiah's day. I wonder what the "ordinary" Bic type looked like. And what did the fancy Parker type look like?

Why was Isaiah supposed to specifically use the ordinary type? Was it to be symbolic of something or did God just mean to say, "Quick grab whatever pen is handy. Don't go looking for something special to write with even though you know it's going to be word for word something coming directly from me."?

Byline

Isaiah 1:1 - The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

I wonder if Isaiah didn't write any of this down until Hezekiah's reign. Or did he write all throughout these king's reigns and then this introduction was inserted later? Or did he write it before anything that follows knowing who the next kings would be and that he would write during their reigns? Hey, he was a prophet!

The duty of man

Ecclesiastes 12:13 - Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.

Six little words: Fear God and keep his commandments. So simple, yet so deep. I sometimes wonder why some people add more to this and make it harder and more complex than it really is.

Just a few sentences before this, Solomon said, "The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one Shepherd. Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them." Don't add your own ideas to what God has simply said. Do try to understand what he says though. And to understand it, you have to know it. And to know it, you have to read (or listen to) it. And most of that you can and should do on your own.

You'll never study the entire Bible only by hearing a sermon once a week. You won't even cover the whole book in a Bible class, unless it's a very special one. So just sit down and start reading (or listening to a recording) by yourself. It can be done. It'll probably take a year or more, depending on how much time you give it daily. Start at the very beginning. When you finish, start over. You will be blessed for doing so. Promise.

A little bird

Ecclesiastes 10:20 - Do not revile the king even in your thoughts,
or curse the rich in your bedroom,
because a bird of the air may carry your words,
and a bird on the wing may report what you say.

I wonder if this is the origin of the phrase I've used often enough: "A little bird told me."

The wise man and the king

Ecclesiastes 9:13-15 - I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it. Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.

I wonder which city and which king this was. Was it a city in Israel? Did this happen during Solomon's lifetime? Was the king Solomon himself?

I wonder what the wise man did to save the city. Did he trick the king? Did he talk him out of attacking? Did he convince him that the benefits of saving the city outweighed its destruction? Was there something valuable in the city that was surrendered? Did the people agree to be servants if their city was spared? Was the city really too small to bother capturing?

And why were huge siegeworks needed against a small city in the first place?

Agur

Proverbs 30:1 - The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh

I wonder who Agur was. He, along with King Lemuel, are right up there with Solomon amongst the proverbial elite. Most people probably think the whole book of Proverbs belongs to Solomon, but not so. Here is Agur with his own n+1 style of wisdom.

At least in the few proverbs recorded here, we see he likes numbers. 'There are 3 things -- no, wait -- 4 things....' He's not the only writer to use this technique, and I believe it was (is?) a fairly common style in that culture.

Agur is also the one to write the well-known passage about disobedient children and overzealous birds. There's a trivia question for you!

I wonder if Agur was one of Solomon's officials.

I wonder in general how many of these writers actually did their own writing. We know that Paul used a secretary to write much of the New Testament. I wonder if Solomon sometimes used one too. I wouldn't be surprised if he did. Agur, on the other hand, seems like a guy who'd do his own writing. I don't know why I think so; I just have that feeling.

Patience...now!

Proverbs 19:11 - A man's wisdom gives him patience;
it is to his glory to overlook an offense.

Do you know any patient people? How many? How about impatient people? In general, which are there more of? I see more impatient folk.

Since it's wisdom that gives patience, is it fair to say there's a lot of foolishness going on? Wisdom isn't the only thing that can lead to patience, so that tempers the number of fools somewhat.

The type of patience spoken of here is what's needed when you've been wronged. What's your first reaction when you've been hurt, cheated, dis'd? Do you choose to patiently overlook the offense? You may be wise to do so sometimes; it could be to your glory, your benefit.

I wonder how often Solomon got to exercise this kind of patience? What were the offenses he chose to overlook? I'm guessing some were the same ones I might -- even though he was king, and I never will be.

The silent fool

Proverbs 17:28 - Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent,
and discerning if he holds his tongue.

There isn't much I wonder about in the Psalms or Proverbs, but here is one small item. I wonder how many silent fools the writer (Solomon) had met before he created this proverb. I suppose he determined that the quiet person was still a fool by his actions.

Moonstruck

Psalm 121:5-6 - The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

I know bad things can happen from being out in the sun too long, and I've heard of being moonstruck too. But I wonder if this is what the writer has in mind with the phrase "nor the moon by night" or if he was thinking more generally of bad things that are more likely to happen outside at night.

Midnight worship

Psalm 119:62 - At midnight I rise to give you thanks
for your righteous laws.

I wonder if the writer just got up in the middle of the night on random occasions, or if he did so on scheduled dates, or if there was one particular planned late night worship service that he attended. In any case, the point is that God should be praised and thanked at any and all hours of the day and night.

Been there, done that

Psalm 114:3-4 - The sea looked and fled,
the Jordan turned back;

the mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.

Israel's crossing of the Red Sea is mentioned many times in the Bible. I wonder why their crossing of the Jordan -- also a miracle -- is not spoken of as much. Is it the "been there, done that" syndrome? True, there was no army drowned in the Jordan, but it was still quite a show.

I wonder if the skipping mountains and hills refers to the probable volcanic activity at Mt. Sinai. Are there two separate instances of skipping referred to here -- one for the rams and another for the lambs?

Good vs evil

Compare these two psalms.

Psalm 105 - Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.

Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.

Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.

Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

O descendants of Abraham his servant,
O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.

He remembers his covenant forever,
the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,

the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.

He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

"To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion you will inherit."

When they were but few in number,
few indeed, and strangers in it,

they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.

He allowed no one to oppress them;
for their sake he rebuked kings:

"Do not touch my anointed ones;
do my prophets no harm."

He called down famine on the land
and destroyed all their supplies of food;

and he sent a man before them—
Joseph, sold as a slave.

They bruised his feet with shackles,
his neck was put in irons,

till what he foretold came to pass,
till the word of the LORD proved him true.

The king sent and released him,
the ruler of peoples set him free.

He made him master of his household,
ruler over all he possessed,

to instruct his princes as he pleased
and teach his elders wisdom.

Then Israel entered Egypt;
Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.

The LORD made his people very fruitful;
he made them too numerous for their foes,

whose hearts he turned to hate his people,
to conspire against his servants.

He sent Moses his servant,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

They performed his miraculous signs among them,
his wonders in the land of Ham.

He sent darkness and made the land dark—
for had they not rebelled against his words?

He turned their waters into blood,
causing their fish to die.

Their land teemed with frogs,
which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.

He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
and gnats throughout their country.

He turned their rain into hail,
with lightning throughout their land;

he struck down their vines and fig trees
and shattered the trees of their country.

He spoke, and the locusts came,
grasshoppers without number;

they ate up every green thing in their land,
ate up the produce of their soil.

Then he struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the firstfruits of all their manhood.

He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold,
and from among their tribes no one faltered.

Egypt was glad when they left,
because dread of Israel had fallen on them.

He spread out a cloud as a covering,
and a fire to give light at night.

They asked, and he brought them quail
and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
like a river it flowed in the desert.

For he remembered his holy promise
given to his servant Abraham.

He brought out his people with rejoicing,
his chosen ones with shouts of joy;

he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they fell heir to what others had toiled for-

that they might keep his precepts
and observe his laws.
Praise the LORD.

Psalm 106 - Praise the LORD.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD
or fully declare his praise?

Blessed are they who maintain justice,
who constantly do what is right.

Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people,
come to my aid when you save them,

that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones,
that I may share in the joy of your nation
and join your inheritance in giving praise.

We have sinned, even as our fathers did;
we have done wrong and acted wickedly.

When our fathers were in Egypt,
they gave no thought to your miracles;
they did not remember your many kindnesses,
and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.

Yet he saved them for his name's sake,
to make his mighty power known.

He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
he led them through the depths as through a desert.

He saved them from the hand of the foe;
from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.

The waters covered their adversaries;
not one of them survived.

Then they believed his promises
and sang his praise.

But they soon forgot what he had done
and did not wait for his counsel.

In the desert they gave in to their craving;
in the wasteland they put God to the test.

So he gave them what they asked for,
but sent a wasting disease upon them.

In the camp they grew envious of Moses
and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the LORD.

The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
it buried the company of Abiram.

Fire blazed among their followers;
a flame consumed the wicked.

At Horeb they made a calf
and worshiped an idol cast from metal.

They exchanged their Glory
for an image of a bull, which eats grass.

They forgot the God who saved them,
who had done great things in Egypt,

miracles in the land of Ham
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.

So he said he would destroy them—
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him
to keep his wrath from destroying them.

Then they despised the pleasant land;
they did not believe his promise.

They grumbled in their tents
and did not obey the LORD.

So he swore to them with uplifted hand
that he would make them fall in the desert,

make their descendants fall among the nations
and scatter them throughout the lands.

They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor
and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods;

they provoked the LORD to anger by their wicked deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.

But Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was checked.

This was credited to him as righteousness
for endless generations to come.

By the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD,
and trouble came to Moses because of them;

for they rebelled against the Spirit of God,
and rash words came from Moses' lips.

They did not destroy the peoples
as the LORD had commanded them,

but they mingled with the nations
and adopted their customs.

They worshiped their idols,
which became a snare to them.

They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to demons.

They shed innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was desecrated by their blood.

They defiled themselves by what they did;
by their deeds they prostituted themselves.

Therefore the LORD was angry with his people
and abhorred his inheritance.

He handed them over to the nations,
and their foes ruled over them.

Their enemies oppressed them
and subjected them to their power.

Many times he delivered them,
but they were bent on rebellion
and they wasted away in their sin.

But he took note of their distress
when he heard their cry;

for their sake he remembered his covenant
and out of his great love he relented.

He caused them to be pitied
by all who held them captive.

Save us, O LORD our God,
and gather us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.

Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Let all the people say, "Amen!"
Praise the LORD.

These psalms are both histories of Israel covering roughly the same period of time. But notice how Psalm 105 is virtually all about the good that God did for his people whereas Psalm 106 is about all the evil that his people did in return. I wonder if the same person composed both of these psalms.

Sea serpent

Psalm 104:25-26 - There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.

There the ships go to and fro,
and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

If this leviathan is the same creature mentioned at the end of the book of Job, I wonder if we're talking about a sea serpent here. There was some hint of a water creature in Job too. A fire-breathing sea serpent? Why not? It's a little difficult to picture such an animal frolicking though, isn't it?

The sparrow near the altar

Psalm 84:3-4 - Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.

I wonder if anyone tried to keep birds (and other critters) out of the tabernacle or the temple. Was there ever a debate amongst the priests and Levites about it? You'd think birds could make quite a mess in there. Then again, no more mess than all the sacrifices that were done deliberately.

This psalmist comes up with a good reason for leaving the sparrow alone. Even the small bird was happy there and was praising God (in song).

Sea monster

Psalm 74:13-14 - It was you who split open the sea by your power;
you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.

It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan
and gave him as food to the creatures of the desert.

I wonder if this is a reference to Moses and Israel passing through the Red Sea. There was no mention of any multi-headed sea monster in Moses' account however.

If this is not a reference to Moses time, then I wonder when this did happen. And what is this sea creature that has more than one head? Leviathan is mentioned in other places in the Bible, but I don't think anyone knows exactly which creature the term describes. In Job 41, leviathan sounds like the dragon of fantasy literature. Why not a two-headed dragon then as well?

The Next Generation (2)

Psalm 71:18 - Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.

I wonder if this psalmist knew just how many generations he would be telling about God's power. It's been many thusfar and likely will be many more before all is said and done.

Traitor 2

Psalm 55:12-14 - If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were raising himself against me,
I could hide from him.

But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,

with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
as we walked with the throng at the house of God.

I wonder if this is the same traitor mentioned in an earlier psalm (41).

From captivity?

Psalm 42-43 - As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?

My tears have been my food
day and night,
while men say to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"

These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go with the multitude,
leading the procession to the house of God,
with shouts of joy and thanksgiving
among the festive throng.

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and 6 my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.

Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.

By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.

I say to God my Rock,
"Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?"

My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

+++++

Vindicate me, O God,
and plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
rescue me from deceitful and wicked men.

You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?

Send forth your light and your truth,
let them guide me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.

Then will I go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God.

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

I wonder where the composer was when he wrote this psalm. It sounds like he may have been in captivity -- like in Babylonia. In any case, there seems to be some reason he can't get to the temple to worship and greatly desires to do so -- perhaps more than anything else at the moment.

When was the last time you had a similar feeling about worshiping God with fellow Christians? Perhaps never, because you've always had the opportunity and have never been physically prevented from doing so. Do you think you'll have such a yearning if the time comes and infirmity or opposition forces you to stay away from corporate worship?

I wonder if Psalm 43 was part of Psalm 42 (as a footnote suggests). Perhaps it was like an alternate ending -- sometimes added on, sometimes not.

Traitor

Psalm 41:7-9 - All my enemies whisper together against me;
they imagine the worst for me, saying,

"A vile disease has beset him;
he will never get up from the place where he lies."

Even my close friend, whom I trusted,
he who shared my bread,
has lifted up his heel against me.

I wonder who the traitor was.

Wink, wink, nudge, nudge

Psalm 35:19 - Let not those gloat over me
who are my enemies without cause;
let not those who hate me without reason
maliciously wink the eye.

I wonder how far back in history the wink has been used as a sign of trickery, malicious or otherwise.

Thunder boomers

Psalm 29:3-5 - The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.

The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.

The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

I wonder if David actually witnessed lightning strike the cedars of Lebanon and break some of them in pieces. Whether he did or not, it must have been quite a sight. It sounds like someone had seen it happen and considered it important enough to tell about.

Head of the gate

Psalm 24:7-10 - Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
he is the King of glory.

I wonder if there is/was a piece of a city gate that is routinely called the 'head' or if David is anthropomorphizing these doors. In the former case, perhaps that's a part of the gate -- like a latch -- that needs to be moved before the gate can be opened. In the latter case, I don't quite see the connection between lifting up the head (of a person) and being able to open a door.