Most importantly, one must remember that there was never a nation called "Palestine," and that the so-called "Palestinians" have no right to
live there. David > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: {dbilg} Re: Fw: Daily Bible Reading For Friday March 20 > Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:49:07 -0400 > > > The Philistines in the Bible are ancestors of todays Palestinians of the > Gaza Strip. Eli was Blind. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "O.Addison Gethers" <[email protected]> > To: "Deaf-blind inspirational life groups" <[email protected]> > Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 10:11 PM > Subject: {dbilg} Fw: Daily Bible Reading For Friday March 20 > > > > > > > > O. Addison Gethers > > e-mail address : [email protected] or [email protected] > > window live messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: > > cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> > > To: <[email protected]> > > Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 8:53 PM > > Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Friday March 20 > > > > > >>1 Samuel 4-6 (The Message) > >> > >> 1 Samuel 4 > >> > >> The Chest of God Is Taken > >> 1-3Whatever Samuel said was broadcast all through Israel. Israel went to > >> war against the > >> Philistines. Israel set up camp at Ebenezer, the Philistines at > >> Aphek. The Philistines marched out to meet Israel, the fighting spread, > >> and Israel was badly > >> beaten-about four thousand soldiers left dead on the field. > >> When the troops returned to camp, Israel's elders said, "Why has God > >> given > >> us such a beating today > >> by the Philistines? Let's go to Shiloh and get the Chest > >> of God's Covenant. It will accompany us and save us from the grip of our > >> enemies." > >> > >> 4 So the army sent orders to Shiloh. They brought the Chest of the > >> Covenant of God, the > >> God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the Cherubim-Enthroned-God. Eli's two > >> sons, Hophni and Phinehas, accompanied the Chest of the Covenant of God. > >> > >> 5-6 When the Chest of the Covenant of God was brought into camp, everyone > >> gave a huge cheer. The > >> shouts were like thunderclaps shaking the very ground. > >> The Philistines heard the shouting and wondered what on earth was going > >> on: "What's all this > >> shouting among the Hebrews?" > >> > >> 6-9 Then they learned that the Chest of God had entered the Hebrew camp. > >> The Philistines panicked: > >> "Their gods have come to their camp! Nothing like this > >> has ever happened before. We're done for! Who can save us from the > >> clutches of these supergods? > >> These are the same gods who hit the Egyptians with all > >> kinds of plagues out in the wilderness. On your feet, Philistines! > >> Courage! We're about to become > >> slaves to the Hebrews, just as they have been slaves > >> to us. Show what you're made of! Fight for your lives!" > >> > >> 10-11 And did they ever fight! It turned into a rout. They thrashed > >> Israel > >> so mercilessly that the > >> Israelite soldiers ran for their lives, leaving behind > >> an incredible thirty thousand dead. As if that wasn't bad enough, the > >> Chest of God was taken and the > >> two sons of Eli-Hophni and Phinehas-were killed. > >> > >> Glory Is Exiled from Israel > >> 12-16 Immediately, a Benjaminite raced from the front lines back to > >> Shiloh. Shirt torn and face > >> smeared with dirt, he entered the town. Eli was sitting > >> on his stool beside the road keeping vigil, for he was extremely worried > >> about the Chest of God. > >> When the man ran straight into town to tell the bad news, > >> everyone wept. They were appalled. Eli heard the loud wailing and asked, > >> "Why this uproar?" The > >> messenger hurried over and reported. Eli was ninety-eight > >> years old then, and blind. The man said to Eli, "I've just come from the > >> front, barely escaping with > >> my life." > >> > >> "And so, my son," said Eli, "what happened?" > >> > >> 17 The messenger answered, "Israel scattered before the Philistines. The > >> defeat was catastrophic, > >> with enormous losses. Your sons Hophni and Phinehas died, > >> and the Chest of God was taken." > >> > >> 18 At the words, "Chest of God," Eli fell backward off his stool where he > >> sat next to the gate. Eli > >> was an old man, and very fat. When he fell, he broke > >> his neck and died. He had led Israel forty years. > >> > >> 19-20 His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and ready > >> to > >> deliver. When she heard > >> that the Chest of God had been taken and that both her > >> father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went to her knees to give > >> birth, going into hard labor. > >> As she was about to die, her midwife said, "Don't > >> be afraid. You've given birth to a son!" But she gave no sign that she > >> had > >> heard. > >> > >> 21-22 The Chest of God gone, father-in-law dead, husband dead, she named > >> the boy Ichabod > >> (Glory's-Gone), saying, "Glory is exiled from Israel since the > >> Chest of God was taken." > >> > >> 1 Samuel 5 > >> > >> Threatened with Mass Death > >> 1-2 Once the Philistines had seized the Chest of God, they took it from > >> Ebenezer to Ashdod, brought > >> it into the shrine of Dagon, and placed it alongside > >> the idol of Dagon. > >> > >> 3-5 Next morning when the citizens of Ashdod got up, they were shocked to > >> find Dagon toppled from > >> his place, flat on his face before the Chest of God. > >> They picked him up and put him back where he belonged. First thing the > >> next morning they found him > >> again, toppled and flat on his face before the Chest > >> of God. Dagon's head and arms were broken off, strewn across the > >> entrance. > >> Only his torso was in one > >> piece. (That's why even today, the priests of Dagon > >> and visitors to the Dagon shrine in Ashdod avoid stepping on the > >> threshold.) > >> > >> 6 God was hard on the citizens of Ashdod. He devastated them by hitting > >> them with tumors. This > >> happened in both the town and the surrounding neighborhoods. > >> He let loose rats among them. Jumping from ships there, rats swarmed all > >> over the city! And everyone > >> was deathly afraid. > >> > >> 7-8 When the leaders of Ashdod saw what was going on, they decided, "The > >> chest of the god of Israel > >> has got to go. We can't handle this, and neither can > >> our god Dagon." They called together all the Philistine leaders and put > >> it > >> to them: "How can we get > >> rid of the chest of the god of Israel?" > >> > >> The leaders agreed: "Move it to Gath." So they moved the Chest of the > >> God of Israel to Gath. > >> > >> 9 But as soon as they moved it there, God came down hard on that city, > >> too. It was mass hysteria! > >> He hit them with tumors. Tumors broke out on everyone > >> in town, young and old. > >> > >> 10-12 So they sent the Chest of God on to Ekron, but as the Chest was > >> being brought into town, the > >> people shouted in protest, "You'll kill us all by bringing > >> in this Chest of the God of Israel!" They called the Philistine leaders > >> together and demanded, "Get > >> it out of here, this Chest of the God of Israel. Send > >> it back where it came from. We're threatened with mass death!" For > >> everyone was scared to death when > >> the Chest of God showed up. God was already coming > >> down very hard on the place. Those who didn't die were hit with tumors. > >> All over the city cries of > >> pain and lament filled the air. > >> > >> 1 Samuel 6 > >> > >> Gold Tumors and Rats > >> 1-2 After the Chest of God had been among the Philistine people for seven > >> months, the Philistine > >> leaders called together their religious professionals, > >> the priests, and experts on the supernatural for consultation: "How can > >> we > >> get rid of this Chest of > >> God, get it off our hands without making things worse? > >> Tell us!" > >> > >> 3 They said, "If you're going to send the Chest of the God of Israel > >> back, > >> don't just dump it on > >> them. Pay compensation. Then you will be healed. After > >> you're in the clear again, God will let up on you. Why wouldn't he?" > >> > >> 4-6 "And what exactly would make for adequate compensation?" > >> > >> "Five gold tumors and five gold rats," they said, "to match the number > >> of Philistine leaders. > >> Since all of you-leaders and people-suffered the same > >> plague, make replicas of the tumors and rats that are devastating the > >> country and present them as an > >> offering to the glory of the God of Israel. Then maybe > >> he'll ease up and not be so hard on you and your gods, and on your > >> country. Why be stubborn like the > >> Egyptians and Pharaoh? God didn't quit pounding on > >> them until they let the people go. Only then did he let up. > >> > >> 7-9 "So here's what you do: Take a brand-new oxcart and two cows that > >> have > >> never been in harness. > >> Hitch the cows to the oxcart and send their calves back > >> to the barn. Put the Chest of God on the cart. Secure the gold replicas > >> of > >> the tumors and rats that > >> you are offering as compensation in a sack and set > >> them next to the Chest. Then send it off. But keep your eyes on it. If it > >> heads straight back home > >> to where it came from, toward Beth Shemesh, it is clear > >> that this catastrophe is a divine judgment, but if not, we'll know that > >> God had nothing to do with > >> it-it was just an accident." > >> > >> 10-12 So that's what they did: They hitched two cows to the cart, put > >> their calves in the barn, and > >> placed the Chest of God and the sack of gold rats and > >> tumors on the cart. The cows headed straight for home, down the road to > >> Beth Shemesh, straying > >> neither right nor left, mooing all the way. The Philistine > >> leaders followed them to the outskirts of Beth Shemesh. > >> > >> 13-15 The people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. > >> They > >> looked up and saw the > >> Chest. Jubilant, they ran to meet it. The cart came into > >> the field of Joshua, a Beth Shemeshite, and stopped there beside a huge > >> boulder. The harvesters tore > >> the cart to pieces, then chopped up the wood and sacrificed > >> the cows as a burnt offering to God. The Levites took charge of the Chest > >> of God and the sack > >> containing the gold offerings, placing them on the boulder. > >> Offering the sacrifices, everyone in Beth Shemesh worshiped God most > >> heartily that day. > >> > >> 16 When the five Philistine leaders saw what they came to see, they > >> returned the same day to Ekron. > >> > >> 17-18 The five gold replicas of the tumors were offered by the > >> Philistines > >> in compensation for the > >> cities of Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. The > >> five gold rats matched the number of Philistine towns, both large and > >> small, ruled by the five > >> leaders. The big boulder on which they placed the Chest > >> of God is still there in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, a landmark. > >> > >> If You Are Serious About Coming Back to God > >> 19-20 God struck some of the men of Beth Shemesh who, out of curiosity, > >> irreverently peeked into the > >> Chest of God. Seventy died. The whole town was in mourning, > >> reeling under the hard blow from God, and questioning, "Who can stand > >> before God, this holy God? And > >> who can we get to take this Chest off our hands?" > >> > >> 21 They sent emissaries to Kiriath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have > >> returned the Chest of God. > >> Come down and get it." > >> > >> > >> Please join us on Skype Monday thru Friday at 8:00 EST for our Morning > >> Skype Prayer Time. > >> > >> > >> Contact Me At: > >> Donnie Parrett > >> 1956 Asa Flat Road > >> Annville, Kentucky 40402 > >> Home Phone: 606-364-3321 > >> Church Phone: 606-364-PRAY > >> Skype Name: Donnie1261 > >> Email: [email protected] > >> > >> > > > > > > > > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/DBILG?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
