heartstrings

Well I guess you could feed them til their bellies are full. That would work. Or give them a shot of tranquilizer.

Word: יַרְבִּיצֵ Speech: Verb Stem: Hiphil Type: Imperfect (yiqtol) Person: 3rd Person Gender: Masculine Number: Singular Long: Hebrew Verb: Hiphil Imperfect (yiqtol) 3rd Person Masculine Singular Unfortunately, I am not a Hebrew or Greek scholar but it appears that the Hebrew word "rabas" covers the whole phrase "He maketh me to lie down" so I can't determine if "maketh" here refers to "forces" me to lie down" or "produces me to lie down". I do know that an actual sheep cannot be forced to lie down. They have to...#1 want to lie down. #2 Feel safe/secure enough to lie down.

Psalm 23:2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:......... From my observations, sheep prefer to lie down in the dirt. Where all they have is grass, they scratch out a bed. When they rise, they immediately defecate and urinate in their bed go about their day and the next night go back to the holes and lie down again. The feces carries the eggs of whatever parasites the sheep may have, which then hatch, climb the blades of grass and are reingested to complete their life cycle. The parasites feed on the sheeps blood and nutrients and make them sick. The more they eat this, the more their health is compromised. So I can see how a large flock of sheep could foul up an good pasture in a hurry. I don't know much about Biblical shepherds but I'm thinking that, in a semi-arid land such as the land of Israel, a "green pasture" would be too precious a commodity for a shepherd to waste by letting the sheep bed down in one. So I'm thinking that Biblical shepherds, wise ones, would lead the flock to a barren area to lie down so as not to ruin the good, clean grass. Even though we are inclined to lie down in the "dirt" as well, God has enough good pasture, that his children don't need to lie in the filth of the World. He leads us to a green pasture. Open for discussion.

Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah 1:17 A whale shark, basking shark, even an adult great white would have no trouble swallowing a man whole but the digestive juices would begin to dissolve his skin immediately not to mention making it impossible to breathe in there. Maybe I'm wrong but, I always took that word "prepared" to mean that God "prepared" the fish so that Jonah could survive in there. The words about the "belly of Hell" and all that are poetic prophetic references to Christ. In "typology", this passage points to Christ. But brother Jonah was actually inside a great fish, not "Hell". So I believe Jonah was alive.

sin·gu·lar /ˈsiNGɡyələr/ 1. GRAMMAR (of a word or form) denoting or referring to just one person or thing. "the third person singular form of the verb" 2. exceptionally good or great; remarkable. "the singular beauty of the desert" I remembered, from watching StarTrek one time, that there was mention of a "singularity off the port bow'' or something like that. So, when reading Leviticus 27:2, and looking up the word "singular", I remembered right away and knew what it was referring to. You see I had always assumed that the word "singular" just meant "one". What it really means is something that stands alone, is "outstanding" or "extraordinary". Now I would like to interject here, that if someone says I'm getting theology from "StarTrek", then we can't discuss anything further. I'm only establishing the meaning of a word. "Singular" is exactly what Jephtha's vow was; it was extraordinary and "over the top". Nowhere in the book of Leviticus do you find that God considered one of such "singular vows" to be "foolish", What God did do in the Book of Leviticus, however, was to make an exception or provision in case someone did utter such a vow. (Please read Leviticus Chapter 27). So I personally don't believe Jephtha's vow was "foolish" as is often said. The only thing which would have been foolish, according to the Word of God, would have been for Jephtha to fail to pay the vow. Which he did not fail to do. Another thing, is that God says in His word that He does not "delight in sacrifices" anyway(Psalm 51:16). and He considers human sacrifice an abomination. Furthermore, all up to this point, Jephtha had trusted God, with extraordinary faith, to help him to defeat the enemies; why would God double-cross him by letting his daughter be the one to come out just to make to poor man have to slit her throat and burn her body for a gruesome sacrifice which God didn't really want anyway? Jeptha was a "mighty man of valor" and not afraid to dive into the fray of hand combat with spears, arrows and swords(we're talking about a man badder than a Samurai), and at the same time a man of great love and faith. I personally believe Jephtha to be a man more inclined to slit his OWN throat before touching a hair on his beloved daughter; to save his own skin. After all; will the act of not paying a vow send a man to Hell? No. There are lesser consequences for that. Lastly, there is no rebuke from God in the Word of God against Jephtha. All that is mentioned of Jephtha is his faith, as further mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11. I believe his daughter simply remained a virgin for the rest of her life, dedicated to God, inm keeping with the provisions made in Leviticus Chapter 27. And though Jephtha had no earthly heir, besides his only virgin daughter, and had been kicked out of his own family for being illegitimate, he is now an heir of righteousness by faith. We'll meet him in Heaven.

Beats me.

I was never into watching any sports, so no change for me. That includes pro wrestling, golf, and everything in between. Though I'm a Southerner through and through, I don't even care for Nascar.

There has been some discussion concerning "positivity" in another thread. Though I disagree with twisting the Word of God to support some "name it, claim it" agenda, I do think we should always be careful to interpret scripture in a positive light of the overall theme of God's Truth and His nature, comparing "scripture with scripture" of course. So I ask you, personally, two questions: #1 What did Jephtha do with his daughter and #2 Why was God OK with it? Please explain why, with scripture. Judges 11 29 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon. 30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. 32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hands. 33 And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. 34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back. 36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the Lord hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon. 37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows. 38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. 39 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, 40 That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

Once again, "Heartstrings" did not say this. Merely posted a quote from Tony Evans for others to see and discuss. Any point/s I might have made are in my posts in this thread and I don't care to rehash it anymore. have a blessed day brother.

Also, wouldn't that mean that there is still a family of Jewish lepers today; descendants of Gehazi?

I once had a pastor for many years, IFB, a "Dr". He had salvation nailed down right, as well as all of the basic fundamentals of the faith. If I mentioned his name, someone reading this might know him and many of his IFB preacher friends would be ready to tar and feather me, but he would teach some pretty 'twisted" stuff. One was that when Noah cursed Canaan, it was for committing a "homosexual act" and it destined Black people to be slaves. I would interject that it was Ham who was the father of the Black race and Canaan was the father of Phoenicians/Canaanites. Be that as it may, a little more "positive thinking" could have helped in his interpretation here, which really amounted to a "supposition" and a pretty serious error, but I would hardly call it "heretical" in this case.. Concerning Tony Evans, I'm not going to say whether or not his interpretation here is correct but, I'm still open to the possibility because, you see, as with Brother Noah, who after lying naked and drunk, cursed his own grandson for something the poor kid didn't even do(can you say that Noah wasn't "walking with God" and being a "just man" at this point?), likewise it was Elijah, not God, who cursed Gehazi (and his children). And, as the brother above pointed out, Gehazi did stand before the King of Judah. So, I'm open to the possibility.

No sir, "Heartstrings" did not say what you quoted above; That is a direct quote from Tony Evans.

Calvinists regularly use the term "sovereignty" when arguing that God controls our will pertaining to salvation. Because of that I refuse to use the term at all and I don't have to because neither the term, nor the doctrine associated with it, are found in the King James Bible.

"Election" doesn't mean what they think it means: Even Jesus and angels are "elect". "Predestination" doesn't mean what they think either. The Gospel is NOT complicated like that, as Calvinism tries to make it. "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." the Bible says. And when a man gets saved, he's saved for ever because he's been sealed, born of the Spirit, born of God, a "son of God", passed from death unto life, shall not come into condemnation, and indwelled with the Holy Ghost. So, I tell people that BOTH Calvinism and Arminianism is in error. I am neither.

Not a sister, Not a pastor. But still a brother.