When is it the right time to scatter stones? When should stones be gathered?
Learn the Deep meaning behind this frequently read bible passageđź”˝
What does it mean that there is a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them (Ecclesiastes 3:5)? | GotQuestions.org
https://www.gotquestions.org/time-to-scatter-stones-and-time-to-gather-them.html
#ChristianFaith 🤺🛡 #ChristianLiving #bible #KingSolomon #Ecclesiastes
"Never judge a #book by its cover, the saying goes. Well, with #EishetChayil: #WomanofValor, published by #Kehot #Publication Society, you actually can.
Pick up the beautiful #hardcover, encased in a lavender slipcase, and you know you are holding something exquisite. The book feels less like a volume and more like an object meant to be treasured. Its linen-bound cover invites you to open the pages with thoughtful intention.
What becomes clear almost immediately is that the book’s external beauty is proportional to the depth contained within.
#Written by renowned #author #Rabbi #YossiMarcus, Eishet Chayil focuses in its entirety on the hymn from #KingSolomon’s #Proverbs of the same name honoring the woman of valor, which is traditionally sung at the #Shabbat table on Friday nights, through the lens of 24 #Jewish #heroines."
#KingSolomon and the #Ant
(I will tell the story of King Solomon and the ant. I've read a lot of versions of this story and this is my own based on what I know about ants.)
King Solomon continued his journey flying over a vast desert on his flying carpet. Below him his army marched in neat rows. He could see for miles from the great height. "This is magnificent." he thought.
And because he could understand the speech of the animals he heard the birds agree.
#threads #storyTime
1/
Proverbs, Chapter 18
“From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is filled.”
Proverbs 18:20
An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends. He defies all sound judgement. A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions. When wickedness comes, so does contempt. And with shame comes disgrace.
The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters. But the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. It’s not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the innocent of justice. A fool’s lips bring him strife, & his mouth invites a beating.
A fool’s mouth is his undoing, & his lips are a snare to his soul. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels. They go down to a man’s inmost parts. One who is slack in his work is brother to 1 who destroys.
The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run to it & are safe. The wealth of the rich is their fortified city. They imagine it as an unscalable wall. Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud. But humility comes before honor.
He who answers before listening. That’s his folly & his shame. A man’s spirit sustains him in sickness. But a crushed spirit who can bear? The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge. The ears of the wise seek it out.
A gift opens the way for the giver & ushers him into the presence of the great. The 1st to present his case seems right, till another comes forward & questions him. Casting the lost settles disputes & keeps strong opponents apart.
An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city, & disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel. From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is filled. With the harvest from his lips he’s satisfied.
The tongue has the power of life & death, & those who love it will eat it fruit. He who finds a wife finds what’s good & receives favor from the Lord. A poor man pleads for mercy. But a rich man answers harshly.
A man of many companions may come to ruin. But there’s a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
One-Time Monthly YearlyMake a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
$1.00 $5.00 $10.00 $1.00 $5.00 $10.00 $5.00 $10.00 $15.00Or enter a custom amount
$Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Proverbs, Chapter 16
“Pride goes before destruction.”
Proverbs 16:18
To man belongs to the plans of the heart. But from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue. All a man’s ways seem innocent to him. But motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, & your plans will succeed.
The Lord works out everything for his own ends. Even the wicked for a day of disaster. The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They’ll not go unpunished. Through love & faithfulness sin is atoned for.
Through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil. When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him. Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice.
In his heart a man plans his course. But the Lord determines his steps. The lips of a king speak as an Oracle. His mouth shouldn’t betray justice. Honest scales & balances are from the Lord. All the weights in the bag are of his making.
Kings detest wrongdoing, for a throne is established through righteousness. Kings take pleasure in honest lips. They value a man who speaks the truth. A king’s wrath is a messenger of death. But a wise man will appease it.
When a king’s face brightens, it means life. His favor is like a rain cloud in spring. How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver! The highway of the upright avoids evil. He who guards his way guards his life.
Pride goes before destruction. A haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit & among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers. Blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
The wise in heart are called discerning. Pleasant words promote instruction. Understanding is a fountain of life to those who have it. But folly brings punishment to fools. Wise man’s heart guides his mouth. His lips promote instruction.
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul & healing to the bones. There’s way that seems right to a man. But in the end, it leads to death. The laborer’s appetite works for him. His hunger drives him on.
A scoundrel plots evil. His speech is like a scorching fire. A perverse man stirs up dissension. A gossip separates close friends. A violent man entices his neighbor & leads him down a path that isn’t good.
He who winks with his eye is plotting perversity. He who purses his lips is bent on evil. Gray hair is a crown of splendor. It’s attained by a righteous life. Better a patient man than a warrior. A man who controls his temper that 1 who takes a city.
The lot is cast into the lap. But its every decision is from the Lord.
One-Time Monthly YearlyMake a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
$1.00 $5.00 $10.00 $1.00 $5.00 $10.00 $5.00 $10.00 $15.00Or enter a custom amount
$Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Proverbs, Chapter 10
This chapter is about King Solomon’s Proverbs. King Solomon’s Proverbs goes all the way to chapter 22. There are definitely some gems to find here. It just depends on what you’re looking for or need to hear.
“Ill-gotten treasures are of no value.”
Proverbs 10:2
A wise son brings joy to his dad. But a foolish son griefs his mom. Ill-gotten treasures are of no value. But righteousness delivers from death. The Lord doesn’t let the righteous go hungry but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
Lazy hands make a man poor. But diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son. But he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son. Blessings crown the head of the righteous. But violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. The wise in heart accept commands. But a chattering fool comes to ruin. The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
He who winks maliciously causes grief, & a chattering fool comes to ruin. The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life. But violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. Hatred stirs up dissension. But love covers over all wrongs.
Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning. But a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment. Wise men store up knowledge. But the mouth of a fool invites ruin. The wealth of the rich is their fortified city.
But poverty is the ruin of the poor. The wages of the righteous bring them life. But the income of the wicked brings them punishment. He who heeds discipline shows the way to life. But whoever ignores correction leads others astray.
He who conceals his hatred has lying lips, & whoever spreads slander is a fool. When words are many, sin isn’t absent. But he who holds his tongue is wise. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver. But the heart of the wicked is of little value.
The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment. The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, & he adds no trouble to it. A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct. But a man of understanding delights in wisdom.
What the wicked dreads will overtake him; what the righteous desire will be granted. When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone. But the righteous stand firm forever. As vinegar to the teeth & smoke to the eyes. So is a sluggard to those who send him.
The fear of the Lord add length to life. But the years of the wicked are cut short. The prospect of the righteous is joy. But the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. The way of the Lord is a refuge for the righteous.
But it’s the ruin of those who do evil. The righteous will never be uprooted. But the wicked will not remain in the land. The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom. But a perverse tongue will be cut out.
The lips of the righteous know what’s fitting. But the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.
Make a one-time donation
Your contribution is appreciated.
Donate
Make a monthly donation
Your contribution is appreciated.
Donate monthly
Make a yearly donation
Your contribution is appreciated.
Donate yearly
Shedim
Romanized name: Sedim; singular: Sed.
These are spirits or demons in Tanakh & Jewish mythology. Shedim weren’t considered evil demigods. But the gods of foreigners. They were envisaged as evil only in the sense that they weren’t THE Hebrew god.
They show up 2x in the Tanakh (Psalm 106:37 & Deuteronomy 32:17). In both passages, the text deals with child or animal sacrifices. With the translation of Hebrew texts into Greek, with the influence of Zoroastrian dualism, shedim was translated into Greek as daimonia with negative connotations. Later, in Judeo-Islamic culture, shedim became the Hebrew word for jinn.
According to 1 legends, the shedim are descendants of serpents, or of demons in serpent form. This may be an allusion to the story of the serpent in Eden as told in Genesis. Another view is that they’re the offspring of Lilith. This is from her union with Adam or with other men.
While a 3rd version says that God created them on the 6th day, starting to fashion their bodies but failed to finish the job because he was observing the Sabbath. Even after the Sabbath, He left them as they were to show that when the Sabbath comes, all work still unfinished at the beginning of the Sabbath must afterward be viewed as complete.
As a result, the shedim have souls like humans, but don’t have bodies to contain them. Yet a 4th story says that the shedim have their origins with the builders of the Tower of Babel. In this 4th story, these beings were divided by their motivations into 3 groups of which the 3rd & worst comprised of those who sought actively to wage war against God & were punished for their sacrilegious hubris by transforming into the shedim. Finally, the Zohar describes them as offspring of the demons Azazel & Naamah.
According to Rashi, shedim like lillin (We mentioned these entities in our post about Lilith.), has a human form. Although no human body. They eat & drink as mortals do. They can cause sickness & misfortune, follow the dead, & fly around graves.
1 is admonished not to do anything that could invoke the shedim, such as whistling or even saying the word: shedim. The shedim aren’t always malicious creatures. They can be helpful. Some are said to be even able to live according to the Torah, like Asmodeus.
Conjuring shedim isn’t necessarily forbidden. Depending on whether the theologian discusses the topic views such as summoning to constitute sorcery. Even if summoning shedim is an act of sorcery & thus forbidden, consulting shedim conjured by a non-Jew would be permissible.
In early midrashim, shedim are corporeal beings. They take the form of men, but have no shadow, 7-headed dragons. If a man could see them, he would see them he would lack the strength to face them.
Although he can see them by throwing the ashes of the fetus of a black cat around his eyes, or by scattering ashes around his bed he can trace their footprints similar to those of roosters in the morning.
To see if the shedim were present, ashes were thrown to the ground or floor, which rendered their footsteps visible. Shedim can shape shift. Sometimes assuming a human form, the Talmud tells how Asmodeus assumed King Solomon’s form & ruled in his place for a time.
Make a one-time donation
Your contribution is appreciated.
Donate
Make a monthly donation
Your contribution is appreciated.
Donate monthly
Make a yearly donation
Your contribution is appreciated.
Donate yearly
#Adam #Asmodeus #Azazel #Demons #Deuteronomy3217 #Dualism #Eden #Genesis #Greek #Hebrew #Jewish #Jinn #JudeoIslamic #KingSolomon #Lilith #Midrashim #Naamah #Psalm10637 #Rashi #Sabbath #Sed #Sedim #Serpents #Shedim #Talmud #Tanakh #Torah #TowerOfBabel #Zohar #Zoroastrian
Sacred King
In many historical societies, the position of kingship carried a sacral meaning & was identical with that of a high priest & judge.
Divine kingship is related to the concept of theocracy. Although a sacred King doesn’t necessarily rule through his religious authority. But rather, the temporal (or non-religious) position itself has a religious significance behind. The monarch may be divine, become divine, or represent divinity to a greater or lesser extent.
In sacred kingship, the king often has little political power, & is contrasted with divine kingship where the king triumphs in the politico-religious struggle between the people & the king. A sacred king is often encumbered with ritals & used as a scapegoat for disasters such as famine & drought. However, they can become divine & achieve greater power.
In Africa, sacred kings are often represented as volatile & potentially dangerous wild animals. The Ashanti flog, yes flog, a newly selected King (Ashantehene) before enthroning him.
From the Bronze Age in the Near East, the enthronement & anointment of a monarch is a central religious ritual, reflected in such titles as Messiah or Christ. This became separated from worldly kingship. Sargon of Akkad described himself as a “deputy of Ishtar.” This is like how the modern Catholic popes take the role of the “Vicar of Christ.”
Kings are styled as shepherds from the earliest times. The term was applied to Sumerian princes such as Lugalbanda in the 3rd millennium BCE. Shepherd imagery combines themes of leadership & the responsibility to supply food & protection, as well as superiority. As a mediator between the people & the divine, the sacred King was credited with special wisdom (like Solomon or Gilgamesh) or vision (via oneiromancy). Oneiromancy is a form of divination based on dreams, & also uses dreams based on dreams, & also uses to predict the future.
Here are some examples of some sacred kings:
Make a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
$1.00 $5.00 $10.00 $1.00 $5.00 $10.00 $5.00 $10.00 $15.00Or enter a custom amount
$Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearly
#3rdMillenniumBC #9thCentury #Africa #AncientEgypt #ArchonBasileus #Ashantehene #Ashanti #Athens #BronzeAge #Catholic #Chakravartin #Christ #Devaraja #Divination #DivineKingship #DragonKing #Dreams #EastAsia #EmperorOfJapan #England #EzeNri #Freyr #Germanic #Gilgamesh #Goryeo #Heracles #HighKingOfIreland #HighPriest #HolyRomanEmperor #IgboLanguage #IgboNriKingdom #Igwe #Indian #Ishtar #Islam #IslamicJurist #Japanese #Judge #Kami #Kende #KingSolomon #KingsOfLuba #Lugalbanda #Madkhalism #Magyars #Messiah #Monarch #NearEast #Nigeria #Odin #OmukamaOfKitara #Oneiromancy #Papacy #Pharaoh #Popes #PreChristian #Priests #SacredKing #SargonOfAkkad #Scandinavia #Shah #Shepherds #SonOfHeaven #SoutheastAsia #Sparta #Sumerian #Tenno #TheKhagan #Theocracy #VicarOfChrist
Entering Heaven Alive
This is also called ascension, assumption, or translation. This is the belief that’s held in a variety of religions.
Sine death is the normal end to an individual’s life on Earth & the beginning of afterlife, entering Heaven without dying 1st is considered exceptional & usually a sign of a deity’s special recognition of a person’s piety.
In the Hebrew Bible, there are 2 people, Enoch & Elijah, who are to have entered Heaven alive. But both wordings are subject to debate. Genesis 5:24 says, “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” But it doesn’t say whether he was alive or dead nor where God took him.
The Book of Kings describes the prophet Elijah being taken towards the Heavens in a whirlwind. But the word can mean can mean either Heaven as the home of God or the sky.
According to the post-biblical Midrash, 8 people went to, or will go to, Heaven alive. This is also referred to as the Garden of Eden & Paradise. The 8 people were: 1) Enoch, Noah’s great-grandpa (Genesis 5:22-24). 2) Elijah (II Kings 2:11). 3) Serah, the daughter of Asher, the son of Jacob. 4) Eliezer, the servant of Abraham who chose Rebecca to be Isaac’s wife. 5) Hiram I, King of Tyre, who helped Solomon build the First Temple. 6) Ebed-Melech, the Ethiopian 7) Jaabez, the son of Judan ha-Nasi, who was the editor of Mishnah 8) Pharaoh’s daughter, sometimes called Bithiah
There were also 4 rabbis who visited Heaven. 4 entered the orchard: Ben Azzai, Ben Zoma, Acher (also known as Elisha Ben Avuya) & Rabbi Akiva. One looked & died. One looked & was harmed. One looked & cut down the trees. The last one went up in peace & went down in peace.
Jesus is considered by vast majority of Christians to have passed away before being resurrected & ascending to Heaven, bodily, to sit at the right hand of God with a promise to someday return to Earth.
There are some people who believe that Jesus didn’t die. These are known as the Swoon hypothesis & Docetism. The Virgin Mary is thought in Eastern Orthodoxy to have passed away before being translated into Heaven. Roman Catholicism believe this also.
Protestants generally believe that Mary died and passed away naturally like another mortal person. Then Mary entered Heaven in a pretty usual manner. But certain observers belonging to the Evangelical Catholic tradition of Lutheranism & the Anglo-Catholic tradition of Anglicanism believe in the Assumption of Mary. Others in these traditions reject the Assumption of Mary.
With the adoption of the Nicene Creed in 325, the ascension of Jesus into Heaven has been officially taught by all Christian churches. It’s celebrated on Ascension Thursday. In the Roman Catholic Church, the ascension of the Lord is a Holy Day of Obligation. In the Eastern Orthodox Church the ascension is 1 of 12 Great Feasts.
In the Reformed Churches, which teaches Calvinist theology, belief in the ascension of Christ is included in the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Heidelberg Catechism, & the Second Helvetic Confession.
Dispensationalists believe in a “rapture.” The rapture is rejected by Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, & most Protestants. The rapture comes from a reference to “being caught up” that’s found in I Thessalonians 4:17. This passage says that when the “dead in Christ” & “we who are alive and remain” will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord/God. Christians differ on the interpretation of this Bible passage.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church teach that Mary died a natural death like any other human being. She was buried by the Apostle, except for Thomas (of Doubting Thomas fame), who was late. 3 days later, after Thomas arrived, Mary was found to be missing from her tomb, just like her son Jesus.
They also teach that the Apostles got a revelation during which Mary appeared to them & told them that she’d been resurrected by Jesus & taken body & soul into Heaven. They teach of Heavenly bliss that other saints will experience only after the Last Judgment.
In Mandaeism, the Left Ginza (1 of their holy books) mentions that Shitil (Seth), the son of Adam, was taken alive to the World of Light without a masiqta or death mass.
In the Hellenistic religion, Apollonius of Tyana was said to have been “assumed” into Elysium by Philostratus.
In Hinduism, Yudhishthira, of the Mahabharata, & Lakshmana, of the Ramayana, are believed to be the only humans that were able to cross the plane between mortals & Heaven/Svarga while still in their mortal bodies. Nahusha was admitted to Heaven in his human body, as were several other kings. Tukaram is believed to have taken to Vaikuntha on Garuda. This event is reported to be seen by villagers.
In Islam, Muhammad was transported from the Great Mosque of Mecca to Al-Aqsa during the Night Journey. After he lead prayers at the mosque, Muhammad ascended into Heaven alive. In Heaven, he greets, individually, previous prophets. Later, he speaks to Allah. Allah gives Muhammad instructions regarding the details of prayer. Muhammad’s ascent into Heaven was temporary. He came back to Earth later. Islamic texts deny the idea of the crucifixion or death accredited to Jesus by the New Testament.
The Quran says that people (Jews & Romans) sought to kill Jesus. But they couldn’t crucify or kill him. Although “this was made to appear to them.” Muslims believe that Jesus wasn’t crucified but instead he was raised by God into the Heavens. This “raising” is often understood to mean through bodily ascension.
Some Islamic scholars have identified the prophet Idris to be the same person as Enoch from the Bible. This is because the Quran states that God “raised him to a lofty station,” & that has taken to be term for ascending, on which it’s concluded that Idris was Enoch.
Members of various Ascended Master Teachings, a group of New Age religions based on Theosophy. They believe that Francis Bacon underwent a physical ascension without experiencing death. He then became the deity St. Germain.
They believe that there were a lot of others that have undergone Ascension. They were called the Ascended Masters & act as spirit guides to human souls on their spiritual path. The leaders of these religions claim to be able to receive channeled messages from the Ascended Masters, which they then relay to their followers.
One-Time Monthly YearlyMake a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
$1.00 $5.00 $10.00 $1.00 $5.00 $10.00 $5.00 $10.00 $15.00Or enter a custom amount
$Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearly
#12GreatFeasts #325 #Abraham #Acher #Adam #alAqsa #Allah #AngloCatholic #Apollonius #Apostles #AscendedMasters #Ascension #AscensionDay #AscensionOfChrist #AscensionOfJesus #AscensionThursday #Asher #Assumption #AssumptionOfMary #BenAzzai #BenZoma #Bithiah #BooksOfKings #Calvinist #Christian #Christians #Crucifixion #DeathMass #Dispensationalists #Docetism #DoubtingThomas #EasternOrthodox #EasternOrthodoxChurch #EbedMelech #Eliezer #Elijah #ElishaBenAvuya #Elysium #Enoch #EvangelicalCatholics #FirstTemple #GardenOfEden #Garuda #Genesis52224 #Genesis524 #God #GreatMosqueOfMecca #Heaven #Heavens #HebrewBible #HeidelbergCatechism #Hellenistic #Hinduism #HolyDayOfObligation #IThessalonians417 #Idris #IIKings211 #Isaac #Islam #Jacob #Jesus #JudahHaNasi #KingHiramIOfTyre #KingSolomon #Lakshmana #LastJudgment #LeftGinza #Lutheranism #Mahabharata #Mandaeism #MaryMotherOfJesus #Masiqta #Midrash #mosque #Muhammad #Muslims #Nahusha #NewTestament #NiceneCreed #NightJourney #Noah #OldTestament #Paradise #Pharaoh #Philostratus #Prayer #Prophet #Protestants #Quran #RabbiAkiva #Ramayana #Rapture #Rebecca #ReformedChurches #RightGinza #RomanCatholicism #Saints #SecondHelveticConfession #Serah #Shitil #SpiritGuides #Svarga #SwoonHypothesis #TheMishnah #Thomas #translation #Tukaramis #Tyana #Vaikuntha #VirginMary #WestminsterConfession #WestminsterConfessionOfFaith #Whirlwind #WorldOfLight #Yudhishthira
Cindy
SpiritualKhazaana
דער קערפער פֿון השם
myrmepropagandist
Spirituality & Religious Studies