The Heavens Declare...

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I got to see my second total eclipse on Monday.

It was just as amazing as the first, even though my pictures are pitiful.

Both my sons had some awesome pics; I think I need to sit down and read all the photography tips I can find for my Pixel 7a.  I  just don't know much more than point and shoot.

All the family except one nephew made the trek to my parent's farm, which was right in the path of totality. At about 30% we headed down the lane and across the road to the hill in the field for a 360 degree view.

My brother got a drone shot of us all looking at the sky at about 50% (I am in the purple T shirt with my hands clasped in front)

The Artist elected to find a different vantage point; he's on top of the taller of the two grain bins, back up near the house.  The Princess got this shot; which is amazing considering how zoomed in she was from across the road.

I don't know if the Artist's spot was actually better than the hill across the road, but he did get some fantastic pics up there.

(Click on the above photo to make it big enough to see the actual eclipse...and, I think, Venus) 

The photo I got looks pretty lame compared to his...just didn't pick up the gorgeous colors at all.

It is amazing how the switch flips from 99.9% to  totality and again when the moon just beings to clear.  At the end, it was like standing on a dark stage, then suddenly someone hit us with a spotlight.

So many folks were content to see the 'almost total'...when a wee bit of driving would have gotten them to totality.  It's magnitudes more amazing.

And the next comparable eclipse in the US isn't until 2045.  I will be an old, old woman then.

So glad the weather cooperated.  It rained on the farm Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week., but Monday was a gorgeous day.

And, as it happened, my Father-in-law's internment  happened two days later, on what would have been his 99th birthday.  Since we were just 3 hours away on Monday, we all elected to stay a couple more days so we could attend that short service.  Which was far enough away that it didn't rain there.

No frou frou, and it was 99.9 percent immediate family. After the pastor spoke, and the, for want of a better term, boxing up began, someone said, 'We should sing something'.  

So we all sang 'The Lord Bless You and Keep You / Seven fold Amen'

Only half of us knew the first part, and we were all a little lumpy throated but...it worked.

And, appropriately, the columbarium that the ashes were placed in is labeled 'Harmony'.

So...a good trip.  A very good trip.

There was a lovely sunset Monday after the eclipse as well.

The heavens do, indeed, declare the glory of God.

Blogging Bible Study : The Heart of the Matter - 2 Chronicles, part 2, The Nation Divides

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Our tour through the Bible looking at Heart/ Hearts has brought us to the early years of the divided kingdom, as recorded in 2 Chronicles.  Of course, we have already covered this part of history in 1 Kings, but Kings looks mostly at what was happening in the Northern Kingdom, while Chronicles focuses more on the Southern Kingdom.

One detail that is not mentioned in the narrative in 1 Kings is that a number of the people who were, technically, supposed to be in the Northern Kingdom bailed when Jeroboam promoted idolatry.  The Levites, of course, all moved south to be where the Temple was, but turns out...they weren't the only ones.

[Jeroboam] appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat and calf idols he had made. Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on the LORD, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices for the LORD, the God of their fathers.  -- 2 Chron. 11: 16 ('Hearts' -   Strong's H 3824 - lebab, which we have seen frequently).

So the Southern Kingdom of Judah, which was kind of officially the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, also included the Levites and a goodly number of folks from other tribes who did not want to follow the idols that Jeroboam set up. Their hearts were for God...so they left their homes and moved to Judah.  But, even though the Temple was there and the Levites were offering sacrifices to the Lord, Rehoboam, who was the son of an Amonite woman, did not pursue God.

King Rehoboam established himself firmly in Jerusalem and continued as King.  He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel in which to put his name.  His mother's name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite.  He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the LORD. -- 2 Chron. 12:13-14 ('Heart is Strong's H 3820 - leb, the other frequent word used , which is actually a form of 3824, above).

Do you see the cause and effect there?   He did evil BECAUSE he had not set his heart on seeking God.  If you turn that sentence around...He did not set his heart on seeking God, therefore, he did evil.

It doesn't take an active choice to do evil.  Evil comes because...we don't make God a priority.  Evil is the default setting.  It takes a deliberate choice to seek God to avoid doing evil.  And, truth be told, even those who DO set their hearts on seeking God mess it all up royally at times (Consider David and Bathsheba).  Every king of Judah messed up somewhere.  Every single one.  We won't cover all of them because not all of those narratives mention 'heart', but a good exercise is to read through 2 Chronicles and see what each of those kings did that resulted in ...negative consequences. But not seeking God in a particular area is pretty much the summation of what resulted in them making bad decisions.

Rehoboam was succeeded by his son Abijah, who reigned three years and isn't recorded of doing much other than defeat Jeroboam, who was still king of the northern kingdom, in battle.  Actually humiliated him pretty badly, but that defeat did not serve to unite the kingdom.  However, that did strengthen the position of the southern kingdom, and Abijah's son Asa came to power in a fairly good position.  

And Asa brought the people back to serving the Lord...mostly, anyway. 

They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their Fathers, with all their heart and soul. -- 2 Chron. 15:12 ('Heart' - Strong's H 3824)

 He even removed his grandmother from her position as 'Queen Mother' because she had made a forbidden Asherah pole, which he cut down and burned.

Although he did not remove the high places from Israel, Asa's heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life. -- 2 Chron. 15:17 ('Heart' - Strong's H 3824)

But Asa did make a mistake. Baasha, then king of the Northern Kingdom, set up a blockade to prevent folks from entering or leaving Judah.  And Asa, instead of turning to God for help, took silver and gold from the treasury and sent it to Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, to get his military support against Israel.  It broke the blockade, but at a higher cost than Asa expected.  The prophet Hanani was sent to Asa to tell him of his error and its consequences.

"For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.  You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war."  -- 2 Chron. 16:9 ('Heart' - Strong's H 3824)

Jehoshaphat was Asa's son, and he, like his father, was devoted to God.

His heart was devoted to the ways of the LORD; furthermore, he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah. -- 2 Chron. 17:6 ('Heart' - Strong's H 3820)

Jehoshaphat was the first king of Judah to NOT be at war with the king of the northern kingdom of Israel.  In fact, Jehoshaphat rode to battle allied with Ahab and, although it is not mentioned in this passage, it is mentioned elsewhere that his son Jehoram was married to the daughter of Jezebel and Ahab.  Perhaps Jehoshaphat believed that he could reunite the kingdom by marrying his son to Ahab's daughter? We'll never know, but on his way back from the battle in which he had fought as Ahab's ally (and, incidentally, in which Ahab was killed by a stray arrow), he was met by a prophet with a word for him:

Jehu, the seer, the son of Hanani, went out to meet him and said to the king, "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is upon you. There is, however, some good in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah poles and have set your heart on seeking God." -- 2 Chron. 19:2 - 3  ('Heart' - Strong's H 3824)

There were dire consequences coming to the house of Jehoshaphat as a direct result of his alliance with the house of Ahab, which we will see shortly.

But aside from that serious blunder, Jehoshaphat was, overall, a good king who was a good leader, involved with his people.

He walked in the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.  The high places, however, were not removed, and the people still had not set their hearts on the God of their fathers. -- 2 Chron 20:32-33  ('Heart' - Strong's H 3824)

So, somewhere along the line, apparently the people, whose hearts were not set entirely on God, had rebuilt the high places because they were there at the end of his reign.  He was succeeded by his son Jehoram, who was married to Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel.  Jehoram rebelled against his father's legacy and followed the gods of the Northern Kingdom.  He also slaughtered all of his brothers immediately upon becoming king.  This was clearly the influence of Jezebel manifesting...the first disaster to hit the house of Jehoshaphat.  Jehoram reigned for eight years, then died a horrible, grisly death from diseased bowels.  The people buried him in the city, but not in the tombs of the kings, and did not mourn him.  He was succeeded by his son, Ahaziah, but his wife Athaliah clearly retained some power as the Queen Mother.  

Ahaziah  was no less a pagan than his parents, and he was close to his cousin, the king of Israel.  In fact, he was visiting him when God's judgment, in the form of Jehu, came crashing down on the house of Ahab.  Jehu killed the princes of Israel, had Jezebel thrown down from her balcony, and did not let Ahaziah escape.

He then went in search of Ahaziah, and his men captured him while he was hiding in Samaria.  He was brought to Jehu and put to death.  They buried him, for they said, "He was a son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart."  So there was no one in the house of Ahaziah powerful enough to retain the kingdom. -- 2 Chron. 22:9  ('Heart' - Strong's H 3824)

It's interesting that, out of respect for Ahaziah's grandfather Jehoshaphat ('son' frequently is used for 'descendant' in Hebrew genealogies...think how many times Jesus was called 'the son of David'), Ahaziah was given an honorable burial instead of being thrown outside the city for carrion.  So the legacy of Jeremiah was still somewhat revered, even though his house had abandoned the worship of God.

And what followed was more bloodshed...Athaliah, the queen mother, upon hearing that her son had died, proceeded to slaughter all her grandchildren and seize power.  As a grandmother myself, that action just chills my heart. I can NOT imagine a woman so perverted and cold that she could kill off her grands.  It just doesn't compute.  But the horror is that...it's true.  And it happened because Jehoshaphat made an alliance with the house of Ahab.

Oh, did I say all?  There was one...an infant... who escaped, thanks to his quick thinking aunt.  We'll pick up the narrative with Joash in the next installment. 

As I am reading through all of this, the repetitive concept of seeking God with one's whole heart is hammering home the vital importance of it.  Folks, that means making it a priority.  But it is one that protects...as we kind of saw with Rehoboam, failing to do so leads to bad things.  Jeroboam apparently missed seeking God on only one thing...but what horrific consequences followed.  I don't think the consequences were horrific because he failed once...but because of WHAT he failed in that one time. It was a major area that he just went with what made sense to him.  And it caused great loss in his family and great turmoil in the nation.  That failure didn't negate his overall devotion or reputation, but it did affect generations to come.  Sobering.

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter -- 2 Chronicles Part 1, Solomon's Pinnacle, revisited

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Whew, y'all, I've had some deadlines to beat but I can squeeze in a post this week.

We are going through the Bible looking at references to 'heart/ hearts' and we've come to 2 Chronicles...which is pretty much a repeat of 1 & 2 Kings, so we have a second look at the pinnacle of Solomon.  We have more detail about the dedication of the temple; chapters 5 - 7 cover that event and we do have some references there to check.  We begin with Solomon's dedication speech, which includes a bit of backstory.

"My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel.  But the LORD said to my father David, 'Because it was in your heart to build a temple for my Name, you did well to have this in your heart."   -- 2 Chron. 6:7 - 8, NIV 84.  ('heart'  is Strong's H 3824, lebab, in each instance; as we have seen, this is one of the most common Hebrew words for 'heart')  Of course, David was not the one to build the temple...that was declared to be Solomon's task...and they were celebrating its completion.

Then Solomon prayed an eloquent prayer, which was also an exhortation to the people about sin and its consequences...and God's mercy

"and when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel -- each one aware of his afflictions and pains, and spreading out his hands toward this temple -- then hear from heaven, your dwelling place.  Forgive, and deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you know the hearts of all men)"  -- 2 Chron. 6:29-30 '(heart/ hearts' is Strong's H 3824 again)

"When they sin against you -- for there is no one who does not sin -- and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to a land far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity and say, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly'; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity where they were taken, and pray toward the land you gave their fathers, toward the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Name, then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas and uphold their cause.  And forgive our people, who have sinned against you."  - 2 Chron. 6:36-39 

The second passage is interesting; the second use of 'heart' in the NIV ('turn back to you with al their heart and soul') is Strong's H 3820, Leb, which is the other most common Hebrew word for 'heart', but the the phrase translated 'have a change of heart' is not uniformly translated using the word 'heart'.   The Hebrew there is Strong's H 413 - el.  , which is a preposition meaning, generally,  'to, towards' .   The ESV  reads 'if they turn their heart';  The NASB renders it 'If they take thought';  New King James is 'when they come to themselves' NLT is 'they might turn to you'; the Hebrew Names version is 'repent themselves'.

Lots of words from a little two character word; the connotation in English is that there has been reflection and consideration that leads to a reversal, in pretty much all the translations listed on the page in the Blue Letter Bible app (I have only included the more common ones).  Clearly, the Hebrew word has a lot more shade and color than comes across in the strict translation, that the change of heart is movement, action, with a direction...a movement towards...not a movement away.

Y'know, I had some idea of what I was going to say before I looked up the words.  I expected them all to be 3824/3820, which really are variations of the same word.  But 413 threw me a bit.  Wasn't expecting that.

But you know, the application still works.   God will deliver his people from their captivity if they confess their sin...ie, agree with him that they have done wrong...and repent; change direction, and cry out to him.  Now, it's got to be genuine.  All the way through and real.  That's why we have the word 'heart' there.  However, what struck me is that there are lots of forms of captivity that don't necessarily involve being carted off to a foreign land.  Some captivity is mental.  Some captivity is an addiction or some other bad habits.  Maybe it's self-loathing;  Maybe it's a relationship with a person who is...a bad influence.  What EVER.  

God can deliver from captivity.  When there is genuine confession and repentance.

After Solomon's prayer, fire fell from heaven and consumed the sacrifice.

Now they once again had the holy fire of God to use in their lights and their offerings and their rituals.  All they have to do is keep the fire going...on the altar, or via the lampstand.  .Just keep relighting one from the other and the fire will be the holy flame from God.  Years down the road, it would still be the same fire, so long as it never was allowed to go out. 

That's not on topic but it just struck me fresh again. Holy fire is a real thing...

Then we see that

On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes,  joyful and glad in heart for the good things the LORD had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel.   -- 2 Chron. 7:10 ('Heart' is H 3820 again)

Solomon then had a dream again, and God appeared to him and confirmed all that he had said.

"I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever.  My eyes and my  heart will always be there." -- 2 Chronicles 7:16; notice this is GOD'S heart in this verse.  And it is H 3820 also.

One more verse that shows Solomon's influence at the height of his kingdom...

All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart." -- 2 Chron. 9:23, 'heart' is also H 3820.

So much incredible good stuff from God to his people in these chapters.  But people are fickle and forgetful and...even Solomon forgot the exhortation he gave his people when the temple was dedicated.

Ain't nobody so high up they can't fall. And ain't nobody who's fallen so low that God will not hear and respond to a whole-hearted repentance.

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - 1 Chronicles

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

In any attempt to read the Bible straight through, it seems I sail right along until I hit 1 Chronicles.

I mean, basically the first 9 chapters are genealogies, which is pretty dry reading, but it also is a retelling of everything that was just read in the first 7 books of the Bible, albeit from a slightly different viewpoint.  So suddenly, I bog down, lol.  It takes some pushing to get through the Chronicles.

I suddenly remembered that repetition about halfway through 1 Kings as I was working my way along looking at 'Heart/Hearts', and I wondered if I should have been also looking at the parallel passages in 1st and 2nd Chronicles as I went through the history of the United and Divided kingdom instead of just doing the books in order.  Well, too late then.

So, here we are at 1 Chronicles, looking at the verses containing 'heart/hearts' and there's going to be some overlap of what we have already talked about.   There are not many verses so I think I can make a coherent post of them all. Gonna give it a go, anyway.

First up...we have Michal's reaction to David's raucous celebration as the Ark of the Covenant is brought into Jerusalem

As the ark of the covenant of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart.  -- 1 Chron. 15:29 ('Heart' - Strong's H 3820 , Leb, which we have seen used repeatedly),  which is an almost exact quote of 2 Sam. 6:17.   Michal lost whatever respect she had for David that day.  She didn't understand his zeal for the Lord, and I honestly don't think she cared to.  But she had been through a lot herself, which I talked about in the post from 2 Samuel that mentioned this event.  Her trauma may have influenced her actions and opinions.  Michal had had very little say in what happened to her throughout her life...but ultimately her own choice to scorn her husband cost her whatever chance she had to have a significant place in history.

David wrote a psalm to commemorate the occasion, snippy wife aside; it's recorded in 1 Chron. 16: 8 - 36 and we see a reference to 'hearts'  pretty quickly there-in:

"Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice."  -- 1 Chron. 16:10 ('Hearts' -  Strong's H 3820 again)  The whole psalm is full of praise and I encourage you to give it a read.

The other verses have to do with the transfer of power from David to Solomon, and the preparation David did for the building that Solomon was to do.

Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the LORD, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon, "I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God." -- 1 Chron. 22:6-7.  ('Heart' - Strong's H 3824, Lebab, which we have also seen repeatedly).  But, David is told through the prophets that he has too much violence in his history and that his son Solomon would be the one to build the house. So David assembled the resources and the craftsmen, and instructed the leaders of the people to support Solomon in his building.

"Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God.  Begin to build the sanctuary of the LORD God , so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the LORD." -- 1 Chron. 22:19 ('Heart' - Strong's H 3824 again).

That just struck me as I was typing it...I had kinda read it as 'set your heart and soul to building the temple' but that's not what it says.  It says to set the heart and soul to seeking God.  Because, apparently, seeking God will result in the leaders having the wisdom to build, the favor of the people, the ability, etc. to actually do the work.  Don't start by building...start by seeking.  THEN start building.

We read virtually the same account later in the book; David calls an assembly of all the officials of Israel.

King David rose to his feet and said: "Listen to me, my brothers and my people.  I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it. But God said to me, 'You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood."   - 1 Chron. 28:2-3  ('Heart is Strong's H 3824 again).

David went on to relate that God had chosen Solomon to be king after him, and that Solomon would build the house for the Ark.  He charged the Israelites to be careful to follow all the commands the Lord had given them.  Then he turned to Solomon

"And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.  If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever." -- 1 Chron. 28:9. ('Heart' is Strong's H 3820)

Whoa.  Lookit that right there.  'The LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.'.

Read that again.  And maybe again.  We can fool others...we can even fool ourselves...but there's no fooling God.  He knows EXACTLY what our motives truly are.  "God knows my heart" is frequently a justification that someone will give to excuse behavior that may not exactly match up to the standard Jesus set for us...but the truth is, God DOES know the heart and he knows, better than that individual might, what's really going on.  It's time for the people of God to be honest with ourselves and own our actions and attitudes that are based in self-deception.  

David concluded his transfer of the kingship to Solomon with a prayer, and he reiterates that point again in that prayer:

"I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity.  All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent.  And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.  O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you."  -- 1 Chron. 29: 17-18 ('Heart/ Hearts - Strong's H 3824)

God tests the heart; integrity (no deception of others or one's self) pleases him. So David's prayer is that the people would always have hearts loyal to God.  Because a heart that's loyal will be a heart that does the right things.

Blogging Bible Study - The Heart of the Matter : 2 Kings

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

2 Kings has really only a few mentions of heart/ hearts so we'll look at all of them today...

The first mention isn't until chapter 9, so there's a fair amount of action that happens before we get to it. But in chapter 9,  Jehu was anointed to be king over the northern tribes, and he consequently took it upon himself to complete the prophesied destruction of the house of Ahab.  Ahab had died, his son Ahaziah had died, so Ahaziah's brother Joram was now king over the northern kingdom.  Jehu took a chariot to where Joram was, arriving at the same time as Jehoshaphat's grandson Ahaziah (yeah, I double checked.  Same name), who had succeeded his father Jehoram as king over the southern tribes and was technically Joram's nephew,  as his mother Athaliah was Joram's sister.  Jehu rode right up to the other two; it just so happened that they met at the field of Naboth...which Jezebel had obtained for Ahab by having Naboth killed on false accusations several years earlier.  

When Joram saw Jehu he asked, "Have you come in peace, Jehu?"

"How can there be peace," Jehu replied, "as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?"  

Joram turned about and fled, calling out to Ahaziah, "Treachery, Ahaziah!" Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders.  The arrow pierced his heart, and he slumped down in his chariot. - 2 Kings 9:22 -24 (Heart: Leb  Strong's H 3820, which we have seen often. In this case...the physical organ).

Jehu had Joram thrown on the field of Naboth, fulfilling a prophecy that the blood debt of Naboth would be paid on that very plot of ground.  Jehu also killed Ahaziah, Joram's kinsman and ally, which touched off a blood bath in Jerusalem instigated by Ahaziah's mother, but that story doesn't involve the word heart/hearts so...another time.

So Jehu obliterated the house of Ahab and became king over Israel.  God was pleased with what he had done and promised him that his descendants would rule over Israel for 4 generations.

Yet Jehu was not careful to keep the low of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he caused Israel to commit.  -- 2 Kings 10:31 (Heart: Lebab, Strong's H3824, which we have also seen often.)

I believe that, if Jehu had torn down those altars that Jeroboam built, God would have kept his house in power in Israel.  But...he didn't.  So his dynasty was limited to 4 generations.  Which, incidentally, was the longest time any one family line ruled in the Northern Kingdom. Treason, murder, and coups were the typical way of succession in Israel. It was a violent era.  But Jehu's line ruled through his son Jehoahaz, grandson Jehoash, great-grandson Jeroboam II and great-great-grandson Zechariah...who was the 4th generation.  None of the kings following Jehu served God, but God kept his promise to Jehu.  Zechariah ruled for 6 months...and then was assassinated.  Roughly 20 years later, after a series of coups and assassinations, the Assyrians attacked and defeated Israel, forcing the people into exile and bringing foreigners in to replace them.

Meanwhile, in the Southern Kingdom, the lineage of David continued unbroken, with a slight hiccup when Athalia seized power, but it was soon set to right and Joash was anointed king, returning rule to David's line,  There were kings who served God, and kings who didn't, and kings who started well but got sideways.  Hezekiah, who followed God,  saw God deliver them from the same Assyrians who overran Israel. But neither Hezekiah's son nor his grandson were righteous, which led the people into deep error.  Hezekiah's great-grandson, Josiah, however, had a heart for God and, in restoring the Temple, found the Book of the Law.  He had the book read and was alarmed at what he heard, for the people had not kept that law.  Huldah the prophetess, however, had a word from God; Josiah's heart had been seen.

"Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard.  'Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD.' "   2 Kings 22:18-19 (Heart is  H3824 again)

Huldah assured Josiah that the calamity spoken about would not happen in his lifetime.  Josiah looked to inspire the people to forsake their false gods and had the Book of the Law read to them.

The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD -- to follow the LORD and to keep his commandments, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book.  Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant. -- 2 Kings 23:3 (Heart here is H 3820...the center of the will)

After that, revival swept through the land; Josiah and the people tore down all the altars in the high places; Josiah even destroyed and defiled the altars that Jeroboam had built at Bethel, which fulfilled a prophecy made at the time it was built.  After the land was cleansed, they observed Passover.

Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did -- with all his heart and with all his soul  and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses. -- 2 Kings 23:25 (Heart:  H 3824)

However, for all that the people jumped on Josiah's bandwagon and followed him in tearing things down, it seems there was no genuine repentance happening; nowhere do we read of the people mourning as Josiah had done when the Law was read to them. It inspired them to  get religious and zealous, but not repentant.  God did not relent on the consequences of the idolatry, which they resumed immediately when Josiah died; perhaps even because Josiah died.  Three of Josiah's sons and one of his grandsons ruled over a period of about 22-23 years, but none of them actually served God or even listened seriously to the prophets.  Mattaniah, whom the Babylonians renamed Zedekiah, rebelled against Babylon and in the ensuing battle and siege the Babylonians defeated him and Judah utterly, and Judah went into captivity.

We will be revisiting this story again at least two more times, but what struck me today was the incredible religious zeal of the people in Josiah's revival.  Things actually changed for a bit; which is a sign of a real move of God BUT...there was no repentance accompanying it, so the moment things didn't go as the people expected (IE, Josiah died in battle) they completely abandoned their law-following practices and went back to what they'd been doing all along.

Because while their actions matched the king's, their hearts...did not.  

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - 1 Kings Part 3, Solomon's Error and the Kingdom Split

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

After the glorious descriptions of life in Israel under King Solomon in 1 Kings 10...1 Kings 11 begins with  a very ominous observation.

King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter -- Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods."  Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.  As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. - 1 Kings 11:1 - 4.

Now, the truth is that in that time and place it was not unusual for one king or ruler to give a daughter to another king to marry...read, add to his harem...as a sign of a treaty or alliance.  However, Solomon allowed that to become extreme.  I have always found it incredible that someone with so much wisdom could do something so...stupid...as to go so blatantly against the instructions God gave in more than one place and in more than one way.  But...his heart was led astray.  ('Heart' here, and everywhere else it appears today with two exceptions, is Strong's H 3584, Lebab)  He did not follow God, who had supernaturally spoken with him twice, who had given him wealth and riches and fame and wisdom for ruling,  with his whole heart.  

I have always thought that Solomon, after years of living with all those blessings and wisdom, kind of forgot where it came from.  We will get to the book of Ecclesiastes down the road a bit and see how Solomon's mind was working in his later years, but he had asked for wisdom to govern the people and God gave it to him.  And so, in my humble opinion, Solomon didn't really need God; he could run the country on his own.

So he did.  And he, in his human wisdom, completely forgot the basic instructions God had given them regarding living in that land.  David, in all his screw ups, never forgot that God was the one who gave victory and who guarded the land and led his people. Solomon started doing what made sense to him.  And it cost him.

The LORD became very angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD's command.   -- 1 Kings 11: 9-10.

You can read the story in 1 Kings 11...God told Solomon he would take the bulk of the kingdom away from him, but, for the sake of David, would leave a remnant following the house of David.   Jeroboam, son of Nebat, from the half tribe of Ephraim, was told by the prophet Abijah that God would give him ten of the tribes of Israel and make him king, since Solomon had turned after other gods:

"I will take the kingdom from his son's hands and give you ten tribes. I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name. However,  as for you, I  will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel." -- 1 Kings 11:35-37 (Heart: Strong's H5315, Nepes...which, interestingly enough, is not translated as 'heart' in other translations.  For instance, NASB skips it altogether, just  rendering 'whatever you desire'; KJV translates it as 'that thy soul desireth'.  Interestingly, this word also carries the connotation of appetite.)

Sure enough, after Solomon died, his son Rehoboam acted arrogantly towards the people and ten tribes rebelled. There was war and Jeroboam became king of the rebelling tribes.  And he, despite the promises and warnings and even seeing the consequences playing out right in front of him with Solomon and Rehoboam, immediately built an alter in Bethel and shrines in high places so his people would NOT go down to Jerusalem to worship God, lest they get the idea that they needed to reunite with the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin.  

Jeroboam was told, through the prophet Ahijah, 

"I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, but you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes.  You have done more evil than all who lived before you.  You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you have provoked me to anger and thrust be behind your back." - 1 Kings 14:8 - 9

After Jeroboam died, he was succeeded by his son Nadab, who was assassinated after just 2 years by Baasha, of the tribe of Issachar.  Baasha's first action was to slaughter the entire family belonging to Jeroboam (1 Kings 15:29) and the dynasty that could have been was completely annihilated. 

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, Rehoboam died and was succeeded by his son, Abijah.

He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully committed to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been.  (1 Kings 15:3)

Abijah only reigned 3 years, and then he died, and he was succeeded by his son, Asa.  Asa was king for 41 yeas, so he must have been pretty young when he took the throne.  Asa, however, was different than his dad and granddad:

Although he did not remove the high places, Asa's heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life. -- 1 Kings 15:14

 In the Northern Kingdom of Israel, Baasha died and his son Elah succeeded him, and was assassinated after two years by Zimri, one of his captains.  Zimri's tribe is not mentioned, but he reigned exactly long enough to slaughter the entire family of Baasha...one week.  The army, led by Omri, laid seige to the city so Zimri set the palace on fire and died there.  A brief power struggle ensued between Omri and Tibni, but Tibni died and Omri emerged as king, ultimately moving the capital to Samaria.  After twelve years, Omri died and was succeeded by his son Ahab...who was married to Jezebel, and had a run-in with a prophet named Elijah, who said it would not rain again until he said so.

Ultimately, the drought lasted three years and culminated with a showdown between the priests of Baal and Elijah on Mount Carmel.  The sacrifice to Baal drew nothing but flies all day, despite the frenzy of the priests, then Elijah stepped up, building the altar, arranging the butchered bull, and, unbelievably, pouring twelve large jars of precious water over the sacrifice and the altar and filling a trench he'd dug around it.

"At the time of the sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "Oh LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel,  let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." -- 1 Kings 18:37 ('Heart' is Strong's H 3820, Leb, a form of  H3824, above)

The fire fell, the people worshiped God and then slaughtered the pagan priests.  Elijah prayed for rain, sent word to Ahab that a deluge was coming, and ran all the way back to Jezreel, beating Ahab, who presumably got bogged down in the mud.

We have more history recorded in 1 Kings, but that's the last mention of 'heart/ hearts'.

And it's interesting...the heart is the key.  A committed heart...mostly does the right things.  A heart that isn't fully committed...does the wrong things.

I imagine we will see this on repeat as we go through the rest of the History books...

Hodge Podge for Valentine's Day

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi.

It happens, from time to time, when I read the questions for the weekly Hodge-podge meme...one jumps out and grabs me and insists on being answered.

Can you guess which one it was this week? LOL

Click the box to find all the folks participating in this week's exploration of Love...we're all answering the same questions...

1. What does love mean to you? 

Love is one of those weird ambiguous words.  The Greeks have at least four different words for love...eros, phileo, storge, agape...  each one with a different nuanced meaning.  But English has one word - love - for the whole spectrum.  We English speaking Americans love pizza, love chocolate, love our sports team, love our college, love the beach, love our cat (or dog), love our spouse, love our kids, love our parents, love our friends...the list goes on and on.  But, since we're talking about the day honoring St. Valentine...who, according to one tradition, was put to death for breaking the law and performing marriage ceremonies in defiance of the ban intended to keep young men eligible for military service...I believe love is the binding that keeps people connected and working towards one another's good.  It's not a feeling...it's an emotion beyond feeling that borders on compulsion.  One must care for the beloved or break something in one's heart.

2. Is love blind?  

No.  Infatuation is blind.  Obsession is blind.  Love sees all the flaws...and commits the heart anyway.  Love recognizes the differences and finds ways to work with and around them. 

3. How do you remember Valentine's Day as a kid? Do you have any special plans for the day this year? 

I wrote a blog post years ago about my experiences with Valentine's day as a kid...but Valentine's day falls on a Wednesday this year, and Wednesdays are Very Busy Days.  Maybe a card and a bit of chocolate?  Maybe? LOL

4 Are you a fan of the movie genre known as 'rom-com'? What's your favorite (or one of your favorites)?

Generally speaking, I love a movie that makes me laugh.  Some Rom Coms do...and some just seem kinda dumb.  But you can't go wrong with a classic like What's Up, Doc?   I think that counts as a Rom-Com, lol, although I've seen it referred to as  a 'Screwball Comedy'...

5. What's something you recently put your heart into? 

The 30- Day Shred.  Which isn't what you think it is, lol. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

In general, I think Valentine's Day is WAYYYY over hyped. As a day to remind your beloved just how important s/he is to you...great.  As a day to spend $$$$ on big-ticket gifts (a car?  A big screen TV?  Seriously???)...or as a rationalization for extorting diamonds or pearls or whatever from your sweetie...good grief no....

Of Comfort and Sweet Memories

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

We've known it was coming for a long time.  And yet...somehow, we had grace for still more years.   

 I remember their 50th anniversary; we didn't think we would gather like that again.  But we did for the 60th.  And the 70th. And even beyond that...most of the family was able to be on hand for the 75th wedding celebration last June.   How amazing.

But time marches on, and my Father-in-law fell back in October and couldn't get back up.  He went in to rehab to try and rebuild his strength but he had problems with hemoglobin counts and other things and just couldn't get back on his feet.  Christmas was a good day, but he began a serious decline right after.  He spent about a week on hospice care and passed away on Jan. 21st at age 98; he would have been 99 in April.

With family coming in from Pennsylvania, California, Florida and Alabama, it took a minute to get everyone organized and travel plans made.  My Sweet Babboo and I drove up to my folk's farm west of Indianapolis on Wednesday, picked up the Florida kids at the Indianapolis airport Thursday evening and drove up to Elkhart; The Artist and his wife arrived at the farm a couple of hours after we left and came to Elkhart on Friday, swinging by West Lafayette and picking up a cousin from Purdue on their way up.  The Princess was on a work trip to Florida (She's a Disney travel agent,  but was learning about Universal Studios), which she cut short, flying back home on Thursday and she and her hubby and the two wee boys made the entire drive up on Friday.  By Friday evening, everyone was in town. Only one granddaughter, who was ill with the flu, was unable to attend; the memorial service was live-streamed so she could see it.

The memorial service was Saturday afternoon, in the 100 + year old Methodist church all the siblings grew up in.

He was a member of the Greatest Generation...a Purple Heart/ Bronze Star WW 2 veteran.  He taught chemistry for years at the local high school, and sang Barbershop, in both quartets and a chorus, and in the church choir, for decades; the memorial service was full of music.  We sang his favorite hymns, and listened to recordings of his barbershop quartet and also of the family, including the special music we sang at church for their 70th Anniversary (I confess to wiping a couple of tears at that point).  But my Mother-in-law was insistent that this was not to be a 'sad affair'; she wanted us to sing and remember good things.  

I was surprised to see some folks I knew; it was good to see distant cousins and old friends we had not been able to contact for a while.

Memorial services are good for that.

My sister-in-law said it well, in a meal blessing on Friday: "We gather to comfort and encourage one another, and to honor the memory of our beloved Dad."

Yes.

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - 1 Kings part 2; Solomon's Pinnacle

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Life is crazy, lol, and, well, likely over the next few weeks I'll be posting when I catch the chance. And I thought I'd go back to routine after Christmas ...hahahahaha.... Anyway, we're looking at the words 'Heart/ Hearts' through the Bible and we have reached 1 Kings.

The nation of Israel reached a peak of glory in the early years of Solomon that arguably has not been reached by any kingdom on earth since, allowing for the technology of the day.  One of the first things he did was to build the temple for which his father had been collecting materials.  It took seven years to complete, and chapter 8 records the consecration of the temple, in which Solomon stood before the people and made a short introductory speech, summarizing the events leading to that day, including David's heart for a house for God:

"My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel.  But the LORD said to my father David, 'Because it was in your heart to build a temple for my Name, you did well to have this in your heart.' "  1 Kings 8:17-18; 'Heart' is Strong's H 3824, lebab,  which we have seen repeatedly as we have gone along.  

After Solomon's words to the people, he stood before the altar and prayed a prayer of praise, dedication, and supplication, in which he mentions 'heart/hearts' in his petition:

"When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when an enemy besieges them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, and when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel -- each one aware of the afflictions of his own heart, and spreading out his hands towards this temple -- then hear from heaven, our dwelling place.  Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men), so that they will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers."  -- 1 Kings 8:38-40; 'Heart/ hearts' is, again, Strong's H 3824.

"When they sin against you -- for there is no one who does not sin-- and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their conquerors and say, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly';  and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their fathers, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause." --  1 Kings 8:46-49; 'Heart'  in verse 47 is Strong's H 3820, leb,  which we have also seen used repeatedly, but 'Heart' in verse 48 is H 3824 again.  I think I have mentioned it before, but 3820 is actually a variant form of 3824, according to the Etymology listed in the link.  The usage and definitions are very, very similar; I simply am not educated enough to see what must be a fine line of distinction between them.

After Solomon's prayer, there were sacrifices and celebrations for a full two weeks. Then

On the following day he [Solomon] sent the people away.  They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the LORD had done for his servant David and his people Israel.  -- 1 Kings 8:66; 'heart' is H 3820 again.

After the temple was completed and dedicated, God appeared to Solomon again, as he had at Gibeon (i.e., in a dream - see 1 Kings 3:5) and renewed the covenant. 

The LORD said to him: "I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever.  My eyes and heart will always be there.  As for you, if you walk before me integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, 'You shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.' " -- 1 Kings 9:3-5 - God's heart, in verse 3, is H 3820;  Solomon's heart, in verse 4, is H 3824.  Again, same word, slightly different form.

The splendor of Solomon's court and the building program he initiated, the income he had, the reputation of his wisdom all spread to cause an African queen to undertake a visit to see for herself if what she had heard was true; she exclaimed that she hadn't heard even half of the truth. 

King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.  The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. -- 1 Kings 10: 23-24; 'Heart' is H 3820.

Over and over again we see 'heart' referring to the seat of feeling, emotion, thought, understanding.  It is the place of pure devotion...or twisted ambition.  When the heart has been dedicated to following God, his deliverance and blessing follow.  If it is turned away from God...to anything else...not so good things follow. But God sees the heart.  He knows what's REALLY there.  We might be able to fool other people, we may even deceive ourselves, but God sees the truth.  The REAL truth.  A heart that messes up and repents is always accepted. 

A heart that is determined to serve oneself...well, that's the next installment.

Completed the challenge....

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

The last two years, our youth pastor has kind of low-key challenged the kids to start off the year by doing the 30-Day Shred. No, it's not a diet plan...it's a plan to read the ENTIRE BIBLE in 30 days.

This year, I happened to remember that on January 1.  So I decided I'd give it a go and downloaded the guide.  And I also gave myself a slightly different goal...read the entire Bible in January, which gave me an extra day,  lol.

We had a major conference at church in the middle of the month, too, so that kind of blocked out 3 whole days.  And when you're reading 42 chapters a day, missing several days like that throws a real wrench in the works. 

Fortunately, one of my talents is that I am a fast reader, so I had that going for me.  And I started off by doing 50 chapters a day instead of 42, just to get a bit of a running start to carry me through the conference days.

Then I got involved in a sewing project and completely missed reading the day before the conference.  Never even thought of it.  So I was a bit behind, despite having read extra earlier, when the conference actually started.

I was reading mostly from my NIV 84 study Bible; it's very familiar, which made it easy to push my reading pace; I was mostly reading words I can almost quote.

But I did have some doctors appointments this month, so whilst I was waiting at the Dr I opened up the Blue Letter Bible app on my phone and read from the NLT, just to see how that translation went.  I was in Ezekiel for part of that reading...and the NLT puts the measurements in feet and inches instead of cubits, which I really appreciated.

Finished Revelation 22 about an hour ago.

It was an interesting exercise.  The idea is to just get the 50,000 foot view, not to do in-depth study.  I kept wanting to stop and dig and...couldn't.  Nope.  Keep reading.

I was surprised at the relentless bombardment of judgement in the prophets as I read through.  It has never really struck me that way before, studying through them at a slower pace.  But pushing through 60 chapters or more a day (I was trying to catch up after the conference) it really hammered in.  I would get mixed up...was the particular judgement against Israel or Judah?  Or was it Egypt, Syria, Damascus, Edom, Babylon....?  There was the occasional relief of 'I will preserve a remnant' and 'I will give you a heart of flesh instead of your heart of stone' type verses, but mostly what I saw is...God is serious about consequences.  

Part of me thinks it would be easier for someone who is well acquainted with the scripture to finish, since that person would be covering familiar territory, but, on the other hand, speed reading through the Bible in a month does kinda take the intimidation factor out of it.  

And I think I want to get a NLT to read and compare, lol.  A new Bible to ponder and mark up always peels back layers of assumptions, especially if it's a translation I haven't read much.

I don't know if I will do it again next year.  Right now...I kinda think it's a one and done.  I prefer a slower pace, as y'all know from the slow plodding study of 'heart/hearts', lol.

But it was a good challenge and I'm glad I did it.

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of The Matter -- 1 Kings Part 1, Solomon comes to power

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Looks like we'll do 1 Kings in 4 chunks; the narrative is long and the pieces don't really mesh with each other.  I could put the 1st two weeks together, but there are a lot of verses in part 2 so in the interest of tying to keep from writing all night, lol, I'll just keep this bit to the verses dealing with Solomon becoming king.  

David had apparently made his intentions to pass the throne to Solomon known to at least a few folks (Nathan, Bathsheba), but his oldest living son, Adonijah, had his eye on the throne himself. Furthermore,  he had the support of Joab and Abiathar, the priest.  I suspect Joab figured he had a better chance of retaining his power with Adonijah...in any case, once again, he believed he knew better than David.  I have no guess as to why Abiathar, whose support saved David when Absalom revolted, decided to ally with  Adonijah.  Anyway, there was a feast with sacrifices and dignitaries, all with the intention of proclaiming Adonijah king before David could abdicate in favor of Solomon.  David, however, got word  and beat them to the punch, publicly passing the crown to Solomon with a grand celebration before all the people.  They raised such a sound that the would-be usurpers heard the celebration.  THAT party came to a screeching halt when Abiathar's son, Jonathan (who had warned David to cross the Jordan before dawn when he was fleeing Absalom) told the people at Adonijah's event what had happened down in the city.  Adonijah famously ran to the altar and grabbed the horns and begged for his life...which he was granted, so long as he behaved himself.

All of that is important as it plays into what Solomon did after David's death to consolidate his power.   And all of it was according to David's directions.

But first, David instructs him to be strong and follow God:

"and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, and that the LORD may keep his promise to me: 'If you descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to  have a man on the throne of Israel.' "  -- 1 Kings 2:3-4  (Heart:  one we have seen several times before, Strong's H 3824)

Then, David proceeded to give him instructions regarding folks who had supported him -- or not -- in his critical moments.  Solomon was instructed to kill Joab, for his murderous past, and Shimei, for his attack on David when he was fleeing Absalom; and to be kind to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead, who stood with David in that same revolt.  Solomon promised to do so; but he waited until Adonijah messed up by asking to marry the young woman who had been the companion of David in his final years (Remember, this is a whole power grab thing regarding wives/ concubines in that culture).  Adonijah was executed for this backhanded attempt to legitimize his claim to the throne.  Abiathar, being a priest, was removed from the priesthood and exiled to his land; and Joab was killed at the altar, to which he had run to try and obtain mercy.  Shemei, who had agreed not to leave the city of Jerusalem on pain of death, lived there three years and then apparently forgot?...Or thought Solomon forgot?...and left town to go after some runaway slaves.  Solomon had he brought before him:

The king also said to Shemei, "You know in you heart all the wrong you did to my father David.  Now the LORD will repay you for your wrongdoing." -- 1 Kings 2:44 (Heart: also  H 3824)

Shemei was immediately executed, and we read in 1 Kings 2:46 that 'the kingdom was now fully established in Solomon's hands.'

And he went up to Gibeon, where the Tabernacle and the altar made in the wilderness during the Exodus had been set up.  There, God appeared to him in a dream and said, basically, 'Ask me for whatever you want'. Solomon's reply is famous.

Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart.  You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on  his throne this very day.  Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David.  But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.  Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.  For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" -- 1 Kings 3:6-9 (Heart: 1st reference is H 3824 again, the second one is both Strong's H 3820, which we've seen even more than H 3824)

Whether or not Solomon picked the absolute best thing or not is kinda up for debate, but he did choose well and God was pleased.  

"I will do what you have asked I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be." -- 1 Kings 3:12 (Strong's H 3820 again)

Of course, God also promised Solomon the things he DIDN'T ask for...like wealth, fame. power, etc., but the number one thing we ALL think of when we think of Solomon is his renowned wisdom...his discerning heart.

So, Solomon was exhorted by his dad to seek God with all his heart, he reminded an old antagonist of his father's of the ill intent of his heart long ago, and he asked for, and was given, a discerning heart to be able to govern the people.

Sounds like he was soundly prepared to lead his people.  Might be a couple of good points there for any one of us who might be moving into a leadership position...

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - 2 Samuel Part 3, Absalom's Fate

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Our journey through the Bible looking at the word 'heart/ hearts' has brought us to Absalom's revolt; last week we saw that David had heard of the conspiracy and had fled Jerusalem just in the nick of time.  There's a ton of narrative that happens between verses that mention 'heart/hearts', so I'm trying to do a synopsis of the events so that the verses have some context to make sense.

One of David's trusted advisors, Ahithophel, had joined Absalom's faction, and David knew he was a shrewd tactician, so when another friend, Hushai, met David and asked to go with him, David hatched a counterespionage plan.  Hushai was sent back, to feign allegiance to Absalom, in order to send word to David about Absalom's plans and, if he could, thwart advice given by Ahithophel (2 Sam. 15:32-37).  

So David, with some other small drama, headed to the ford to wait for news while Hushai headed into town to meet up with Absalom and Ahithophel.  Hushai convinced Absalom that he was really and truly on his side, and in the first strategy meeting, Ahithophel advised Absalom to violate all ten of the concubines David left behind to care for the palace....publicly.  Now, this is nonsense to us, but in that day it was a way of demonstrating dominance over a leader...to lay with his women (remember the accusations Ish-Bosheth made about Abner and one of his dad's concubines?  Same logic.  It also comes into play later between Solomon and one of his brothers).  So Absalom did this thing  in order to cement his place as his father's successor while his dad was still living.

Next, Ahithophel advises Absalom to take  a quick tactical force and pursue David's entourage immediately and hit them while they were still tired, kill only David, and bring the rest back safe. The elders agreed to this, but Absalom wanted to hear Hushai's advice.  Hushai reminded Absalom of his dad's  incredible Mighty Men, and his experience of hiding from Saul, so the chances of the smaller band being successful in finding and killing David at all, let alone without suffering a great loss, were not good:

"Then even the bravest soldier, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will melt in fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a fighter and that those with him are brave." -- 2 Sam 17:10 (both instances of 'heart' is Strong's H3820). 

Hushai advised Absalom to muster a large army and then go after David's troops with an invincible force.  Absalom and the other leaders liked that idea better and put that plan into place. Meanwhile, Hushai sent word to David...again, with some drama...to cross over the river immediately and get to a defensible position.  David's entire party crossed the river before dawn the next day.  Ahithophel, when he saw that his advice was not taken, went back to his village, put his house in order, and hung himself....which I have always thought was a very sad end to the life of a king's advisor.

David was met by allies on the east side of the Jordan, at Mahanaim, and his party was given provisions. Once they had rested and eaten, David drew up his battle plans, dividing his force into three parts.  He fully intended to ride to battle himself, but he was overruled by the men, who pointed out that the enemy was coming for him.  David's last words to the men commanding the three companies was 'Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake" (2 Sam 18:5)

The battleground was the forest of Ephraim (2 Sam 18:6), and David's forces soundly defeated Absalom's army, It must have been very rough terrain, because we are told  'the forest claimed more lives that day than the sword.' (2 Sam 18:8).

In the course of the battle, Absalom came upon David's forces, but his luxurious, thick hair got caught up in the branches of an oak tree and his  mule ran right out from under him, leaving him hanging helpless in the branches.  I suppose it's possible that he might have started hacking at his hair with a knife or dagger, to free himself, but one of David's men saw what happened and quickly reported it to Joab, who chided him for not striking Absalom dead on the spot.  The soldier protested, reminding Joab of David's specific instructions regarding Absalom.

Joab said, "I am not going to wait like this for you."  So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom's heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. And ten of Joab's armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him.  -- 2 Sam18:14-15 ('Heart' - Strong's H3820 again; this time, clearly referring to the heart as an organ or physical center of the body).

Once more, Joab acts on his own authority, this time going directly against specific words of the king.  And he has some very strong words for David, who, instead of rejoicing over the military victory, went into deep mourning over the death of his son.  Joab chewed him out for mourning the death of an enemy and demanded that David to go out and encourage the men who had fought for him. 

So David went out to the city gate and sat with the rulers of the city, and the men came to him.  He went so far as to extend mercy to the troops who had fought for Absalom, even telling Amasa, his nephew, who had been Absalom's military commander,  that he would replace Joab as David's captain.

He [David] won over the hearts of all the men of Judah as though they were one man.  They sent word to the king, "Return, you and all your men."  (2 Sam 19:14)

There was more drama over bringing David back to Jerusalem, and another rebellion headed by Sheba, son of Bicri, because of the tensions between the tribes.  Joab murdered Amasa, his cousin,  much the same way he had killed Abner years before--bringing Joab's 'I know better than the king' death count to three.  

The last mention of 'heart' in 2 Samuel is in David's song of deliverance, praising God for giving him victory over his enemies:

You  have delivered me from the attacks of my people; you have preserved me as the head of nations.  People I did not know are subject to me, and foreigners come cringing to  me; as soon as they hear me, they obey me.  They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds. -- 2 Sam. 22:44-46 ('lose heart' is actually translated from a verb, Strong's H5034 nâbêl,  a primitive root; to wilt; generally, to fall away, fail, faint)

That's just one point in a long list of things for which David praised God; that whole chapter is a psalm of thanksgiving and praise.

I think it is rather remarkable that David, having lost so much and been through so much grief, still praised God for the good God had done for him.  It would have been so easy for him to have become bitter and angry and disillusioned...but he did not.  He was still a man after God's heart.

Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - 2 Samuel, Part 2, Absalom's Revolt

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Just a little blurb for anyone who's late to the game...this is not intended to be a polished up Bible study.  This is me, real time blogging a study I'm doing and sharing any insights I've gained.  Currently, I'm cruising through the Bible looking at all the references to Heart/ Hearts as identified by my Exhaustive Concordance for the NIV 84, so all scripture references are from that text, unless specifically identified as being from a different one.

Normally I post on Fridays, but sometimes things come up and I miss one here and there.  Today being a holiday, it's standing in for last Friday, which I missed.

And today we are looking at the tragedy of  two of  David's  oldest sons...Amnon, who was the firstborn and son of David's wife Ahinoam, about whom we only know her name and that she was from Jezreel,  and Absalom, David's third son, born to David's wife Maacah, who was the daughter of the king of Geshur and likely given to David as wife as part of a political alliance.  David's second son, Kileab, was the son of Abigail, Nabal's widow, but as we have absolutely no record of him other than his name it's possible that he died while still a child.  At some point Maacah bore David a daughter, Tamar, who is also part of the story.

It's interesting to me that there is no reference to heart/ hearts in the entire narrative pertaining to David's sin with Bathsheba.  But David's sin and the following cover up led to the violence in his house.  Did his sons...especially Amnon...believe that because their dad had  behaved in such a way it was ok for them?  Did David's guilt over what he had done prevent him from disciplining his sons as they grew up?  The whole story smacks of a lack of real relationship between David and his older sons.

But Amnon became infatuated with his half-sister Tamar in a most unhealthy way, and, by way of deception and sheer physical strength, violated her (2 Sam. 13 1 - 14).  Once he'd done so, however, he was repulsed by her...likely because she was going on about him marrying her and being responsible for what he'd done; I'm basing this on what she said in 2 Sam 13: 16 ("Sending me away would be a greater wrong than you have already done to me.").  So long as she was out of reach, he wanted her.  But when she threw herself at him, demanding he now fulfill his duty to her, he hated the sight of her and had her thrown out.  

He treated her shamefully...but he did, perhaps, rationalize that his dad had done a similar thing so...why not?

Tamar went into mourning, and went to her full brother Absalom, who minimized her trauma:

Her brother Absalom said to her, "Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet now, my sister; he is your brother.  Don't take this thing to heart."  And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom's house, a desolate woman. - 2 Sam. 13:20 'Heart' is Strong's H 3820, which we have seen before.

He basically told her it was no big deal...can you imagine?  He did, however, despise Amnon for what he'd done and he quit speaking to his half-brother.  David was furious when he heard about what Amnon had done, but he did nothing about it.   Two years later, Absalom finally managed to get Amnon isolated and had him killed, then hightailed it out of town.  David mourned both his boys...the one who died and the one who went into hiding.  I actually think he mourned for Absalom more, because Absalom had held his brother accountable for what he'd done.  

We do not know if Tamar had peace after she was avenged or not.  She's not mentioned again, but Absalom named his first daughter after her.

As time passed, David missed Absalom and wanted to go to him...but he did not.  Was Absalom his favored son?  I kinda suspect he was, which makes the rest of the story even more poignant.

Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king's heart longed for Absalom -- 2 Sam. 14:1 (Strong's H 3820 again), so he set up a lady to come to David with a story that moved his heart, much like Nathan had done earlier,  then called him a hypocrite for not allowing Absalom to return. 

So, David called Joab to go get Absalom and bring him home, but...and this is a big but...Absalom was not permitted to come into David's presence.  Now Absalom was frustrated, and grew even more frustrated as two more years passed and he still was not allowed to see his father.  He tried twice to talk to Joab, but Joab ignored him until Absalom burned his fields.  Absalom basically said, "Why was I allowed to return home if I can't see the king?  If I'm guilty of anything, just go ahead and sentence me to death."

Joab spoke to David, and David finally received Absalom and they were reconciled.

Or so it seemed. But Absalom was not someone who allowed an injury to go unavenged, and he had a plan.  He started small...ingratiating himself into the hearts of the people.  He was handsome, he was sympathetic, he was personable, and he was accessible to the people.  

Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the men of Israel. -- 2 Sam. 15:6 (Strong's H 3820 again).

Absalom did this for four years, then he sprung his plot to have himself anointed king when  he took an entourage to Hebron to 'worship'; even David's long time advisor Ahithophel joined Absalom's faction.  When Absalom went to Hebron, some one...it's not mentioned who...caught wind of the conspiracy and sent word to David.

A messenger came and told David, "The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom." -- 2 Sam. 15:13 (once more, H 3820).  I have always marveled that that statement was enough for David to recognize his peril.  Had it been me...I might have thought, good!  He will be king after me!  The people should love him!  But David immediately recognized the implication that Absalom was usurping the kingship and that he and all his household were in immediate danger.   They packed up and fled (all but ten concubines, who stayed behind to do the housekeeping) to the wilderness, so when Absalom and his entourage came back ready to assassinate David...he was gone.

It was now a civil war.  Because the hearts of the people had turned from David to his son.