BRAGADAYJAH 831

BRAGADAYJAH 831
And,  said Samuel to Saul, "The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you shall prophesy with the prophets and you shall become a new man.  And let it be so that when these signs are come upon you, that you shalt do as you are led to do; for God will be with you.  And you shall go down before me to Gilgal, and I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings. You shall wait for seven days for me to come down to you and show you what you should do." And it happened that when Saul turned away from Samuel God gave him a new heart; and all that Samuel told him came to pass. And when he came to the hill a company of prophets met him and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him; and he prophesied among them. And when the people who knew him before saw him prophesying among the prophets they were full of wonder and asked, "Has Saul the son of Kish become one of the prophets?"
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BRAGADAYJAH 830

BRAGADAYJAH 830
Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on Saul’s head and pronounced to Saul that the Lord has anointed him to be captain over his inheritance. He further told Saul that when he leaves he will meet two men by Rachael’s sepulcher in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they would tell him that the asses which he went out to seek are found; and his father has left off caring about the asses and is in deep sorrow and wondering what had become of him. After that, Samuel told Saul go on and he would  come to the plain of Tabor; and there he would meet three men going up to God at Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread and another carrying a bottle of wine. That theyvwould  salute Samuel and give him two loaves of bread. And he would thenl go up to the hill of God where there is stationed the garrison of the Philistines.  And it shall come to pass when he arrived at the city he would come to a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery and a tabret, and a pipe and a harp before them and they shall prophesy.”    
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BRAGADAYJAH 829

BRAGADAYJAH 829
Saul did not understand or could not believe what Samuel was saying to him. So he asked Samuel, “Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? What, then, do your words mean? And Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the parlor and made them sit down in the most prominent place among those who were bidden of about thirty persons. And Samuel told the cook to bring the special portion which he had earlier instructed him to set aside.  And the cook took the shoulder of lamb and set it before Saul and Samuel told Saul, “Eat for this meal has been prepared for you.” And Samuel and Saul dined together that day. And the following morning Samuel went to the top of his house and invited Saul to come up to him that he may show him the word of God before he sent him away.”
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BRAGADAYJAH 828

BRAGADAYJAH 828

Having spoken to the maidens, Saul and his servant went into the city when Samuel was about to go up unto the high place.  But the Lord had already told Samuel the day before, that the following day He shall send him a man out of the land of Benjamin, and he should anoint him to be captain over his people Israel, that he may save His people out of the hand of the Philistines; for the plight of His people had moved Him to send them a deliverer. And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, “This is the man whom I told you will rule over my people Israel.”  Then Saul drew near to Samuel at the gate of the city and spoke to him and asked him, “where is the house of the seer?”  And Samuel answered Saul and said, “I am the seer.  Go up before me unto the high place; for you will eat with me today and tomorrow I will tell you what is in my heart.  And as regards the asses which have been missing the past three days, do not worry about them for they have been found.  And the focus of Israel is not the missing asses, but on you and your father’s house.”

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BRAGADAYJAH 826

BRAGADAYJAH 826

Now Saul told his servant that he would have to take a present for the man of God, but that he had nothing left.  And so the servant told Saul that he had the fourth part of a shekel of silver which they could give to the man of God so that he might tell them what way to go. At that time it was customary in Israel that when a man went to see a man of God to enquire of God, he would say, “Come and let us go to the seer; for that is what a prophet was before times called.”  So Saul and his servant proceeded unto the city and headed for the place where the man of God was.  And as they went up the hill to the city they met some young maidens going to fetch water, and enquired of them about the seer.  And they told him that the seer was around because he had come into the city to attend a special sacrifice along with the people. But they advised him to go quickly before the man of God blessed the sacrifice and the people begin to eat the sacrifice.
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BRAGADAYJAH 825

BRAGADAYJAH 826

At that time, there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath the son of Aphiah, a mighty man of Benjamin and of great power. And he had a son whose name was Saul, a choice and goodly young man; and there was not found among the children of Israel a goodlier man than he.  He was taller than most other men. And the asses of Kish, Saul’s father were lost. And Kish told Saul to take one of the servants with him and go and look for the missing assess.  And Saul passed through Mount Ephraim, and through the land of Shalisha; but he could not find them. Then he went through the land of Shalim, and then through the land of the Benjamites; but still he did not find them. And they continued searching.  And when they came to the land of Zuph, Saul told his servant they should return to his father lest his father started to care less about the missing asses and start worrying about them. And Saul’s servant told him that there was in the city a man of God, who was an honorable man, and whatsoever he said came to pass. Therefore, he said let us go and talk to him.  “Maybe he can help us.”   

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BRAGADAYJAH 825

BRAGADAYJAH 825

Samuel recites life under a king (continued)

And he, [a king] will take your fields and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take your menservants and your maidservants, and your best young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.  And he will take the tenth of your sheep and make you his servants.  And you will cry out to the Lord in that day because of your king which you have chosen, and the Lord will not hear you. But having told the people all of these things, the people refused to listen to the counsel of Samuel, and insisted that they wanted a king. Moreover they said we want a king like other nations; to go before them, and to fight for them, and to judge them. And when Samuel told the Lord all that the people had said, the Lord told Samuel not to worry; that he should go ahead and make the people a king; and Samuel made preparation to grant them their wishes for a king.  

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BRAGADAYJAH 824

BRAGADAYJAH 824

The Lord told Samuel that ever since the day he delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt, they have rebelled against Him and served other gods, as they were still doing. Therefore, God told Samuel, if they have forsaken Him, their God they can be expected to do likewise unto him, Samuel. Therefore, God told him listen to them but warn them of what will happen to them under the king they were requesting to reign over them. And so Samuel told the people all that the Lord had revealed unto him. He told them that the king they asked for will take their sons and use them for himself; for his chariots and to be his horsemen, some shall be footmen, to run before his chariots; he will appoint himself captains over thousands, and captains over fifties, and will set them to work his fields and reap his harvests.  He will put them to work to make instruments of war, and fittings for his chariots. And he will make your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks and to be bakers. (More)

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BRAGADAYJAH 823

BRAGADAYJAH 823

And it came to pass that when Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel.  The name of the first-born was Joel, and the name of the second Abiah; they were judges in Beersheba.  And Samuel’s sons did not walk in the manner of their father, but turned aside after money, and took bribes, and perverted justice.  And all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah, and told him that now he was old, his sons were not walking in his footsteps.  Therefore they told Samuel that they wanted a king to judge them like the other nations had. But Samuel was displeased when they said to him that they wanted a king to judge them; and Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told Samuel to listen to the voice of the people, and do as they ask; for said the Lord, “They have not rejected you; but rather they have rejected me that I should no longer rule over them.”

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BRAGADAYJAH 822

BRAGADAYJAH 822

And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh and chased the Philistines and smote them all the way until they arrived at Bethcar.  Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpeh and Shen and called the name of the place Ebenezer because he said, hitherto has the Lord helped Israel, “and this stone is the stone of help.”  So the Philistines were subdued and they came no more to the coast of Israel; and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. And the cities which the Philistines had captured were restored to Israel, from Ekron unto Gath; and all the coasts of Israel was at peace. And there was also peace with the Amorites; and Samuel continued to judge Israel to the end of his life. And Samuel went from year to year on circuit to Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpeh and judged Israel in all those places.  And after visiting those cities Samuel would return to his house at Ramah, where he had built an altar to the Lord.   

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Jesus - Son of Mary

        Jesus – Son of Mary.

I truly wonder if there is one person in this whole world who does not know or does not believe in the historicity of Jesus, the one called Christ. For surely without a doubt sometime during the reign of Caesar Augustus the records show that such a person was born.

Needless to say, Jesus is not the only man, not the first man, nor indeed the last man of history. There have been many men of history among the millions that were before and also after Him.  To document just those of note would fill many tomes; but to make the point just a handful will be named here.

Before Jesus, there were many men, beginning with Adam.  Men such as Isaac, the father of Jacob, whose name God changed to Israel, and who was the father of twelve sons representing the twelve tribes of Israel, the people know in history as the Jews.

Then there was Moses, about whom much has been written and said, and is perhaps more than any other, a household name for all times, in all languages, and among all peoples. The records shows he lived for some 120 years, between 1391-1271.

King David is another well-known name. We know he reigned over Israel 40 years, actually thirty three years over Jerusalem and seven years in Hebron, during the period just over a thousand years before the birth of Jesus.

David’s son Solomon who succeeded him, reigned from around B.C. 970-931

In between those men of renown were two women equally well known and spoken of.-

The Queen of Sheba, known to history as an Ethiopian Queen by the name of Makeda, around the period of King Solomon’s reign in the 10^th century B.C. 

And although much later in history we see the name Cleopatra, the Queen of the Nile, the Pearl of Egypt during the period B.C.69-30. Apart from her apparently exquisite beauty and charm, she may be best remembered for her affair with Julius Caesar and being bitten to death by her asp.

Tarquinius was the last King of ancient Rome (534-509 B.C), and in the last days of the Republic, names such as Augustine, Justinian, (the prolific law maker), Gaius, Pompey and Brutus, Julius Caesar.

Julius Caesar was born just about 100 years before Christ. He was a great military leader, who extended the Roman Empire abroad, and in so doing made enemies for himself at home. Among his exploits were his invasion of Britain in 44, at which time he uttered the famous words vini, vidi, vici, words which some say the Brits interpreted as weeny, weedy, weaky, and led to their early capitulation. But he also fought and one another battle in his romance with the beautiful Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, and his assassination during the ides of March.

Apart from Kings and Queens and military leaders and rulers, there were the men of literature and learning, philosophers and poets.  Men such as Publius Virgilius Marco, born 70 B.C and known to us as the poet Virgil, and a couple of decades later, Ovid, whose interest was law and politics, but best known for his poetry.  He was born around 43 B.C. and both he and Virgil would have been still living in Rome at the time of the birth of Christ. And speaking of literature, we must not forget or fail to mention the great library built at Nineveh by the great Assyrian leader Cennacherib circa B.C 705 years before that built by Alexander the Great at Alexandria, remnants of which still stands today, while fragments of the Nineveh library may still be found at the British museum and elsewhere.

Cennacherib as well as his grandson Ashurbanipal are well known within the Bible and also in extraneous records for their successful campaigns against Babylon and Judah.

Pythagoras.  When in the mathematics classroom we learn that in a right angle triangle the square on the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares on the other two sides, we are not just talking mathematics; we are remembering a great mathematician whose name was Pythagoras.  He was born over 500 years before the birth of Christ and is another indication that there were great scholars and thinkers on earth before and at the time Jesus was born. Men who could think and write, calculate and articulate; men who could not be easily fooled.

Archimedes was another great thinker.  He was he was born in Syracuse, in Sicily, B.C 287-212, and educated in Egypt.  He was the one responsible for what is known to us today as Archimedes principle a theory which helped the king prove he was being jilted by his goldsmith, by showing how much gold was displaced and stolen.  

Getting even closer to Jesus’ day was a well-known name, an Emperor of Rome whose name is Caesar Augustus.  He was born Gaius Octavius in B.C 30 and ruled Rome as Emperor until his death on August 19, 14 A.D. It is evident then, that Jesus was born during Augustus’ rule.

Caesar Augustus was succeeded by Tiberius in 14 A.D. and ruled until 37 A.D. that is to say throughout the life of Jesus.

When Jesus was born, therefore, it would have been during the reign of Caesar Augustus and when he was arrested and tried, it would have been during the reign of Tiberius.

First things First

Is the Bible not a true record and a liable repository of the history of mankind apart from being God’s Word?  We have seen that Caesar Augustus was the ruler at the time and remained ruler until A.D. 14.  So now here is Luke, not a disciple of Jesus, but one who became fascinated by him after His death and resurrection; a physician by profession, but later became a follower and friend of Paul. Luke writes.

                “And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed, or enrolled,” (Luke 2:1), like Obamacare today?  Be that as it may the decree went forth, and it is a fact of bible as well as secular history.

Next Thing Next

Before continuing on, the next thing we need to know is this. In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth, he made reference to a king Herod, to whom the wise men had come and made inquiry concerning the new birth; who after feeling he was tricked gave order to destroy all the new born 2 years and under.

“Behold when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the King, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem saying, where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and we have come to worship him.”  (Mt. 2:1-2)

Of course it was not part of God’s plan to allow Herod to kill his son at that time; so He caused the wise men not to return, which made Herod even more mad; and so he gave an order to kill every child around 2 years and under.

Who was this King Herod, and why he was so frighteningly jealous? Some critics may even ask, How come he is mentioned as King and Augustus Caesar Emperor? This Herod is known to historians as Herod the Great, the wicked King who out of pure wicked jealousy gave order to destroy all the babes within his kingdom. He saw Jesus as not only a rival but a serious threat. After all he Herod was king of the Jews; so when the wise men told him they had come to worship a newborn king that was enough to drive him over the edge.

Herod had ruled over the Jews in Jerusalem for some time. His father was a Jew and his mother Arabic. He had received the favor of Caesar Augustus who had appointed him King of the area and he schemed and connived his way further into Caesar’s favor by his building and other programs. And in particular during a period of unrest he was able to restore peace thus remaining in the Emperor’s good book. The point is, his kingship was limited to that of the Jews.

The next thing is Luke’s reference to Tiberius. He writes, “And in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea and Herod being Tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Phillip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.” (Luke 3:1-2)

The import of all this is to show how succinctly the Biblical record fits into the Roman history.  John the Baptist’s preaching ministry, then would have begun around A.D. 29-30, six months to a year before Jesus’ own short ministry.      

Flavius Josephus

One name that cannot be omitted is that of Flavius Josephus. He was born in 37 A.D. just 3-4 years after Jesus’ death on the cross. Josephus is a celebrated Roman/Jewish historian and scholar. He would not have known Jesus personally. But his parents, aunts and uncles, cousins and other grown-ups around would have known a great deal about the life and times of the man Jesus. His words, His miracles, His life, His death, and what was claimed by His disciples regarding His resurrection.  And surely many of Jesus’ disciples were still alive when Josephus himself came to age. He could have spoken to them.  After all that is what historians do, as well as examining official records.

Josephus never became a disciple or friend of Jesus.  Neither did he show by his biographies and other writings, any indication of having accepted Christianity.  Indeed he used language which shows that to him Jesus was little more than a curiosity piece.  But the things he did say proves that Jesus’ existence was never a question of doubt in his mind. For example, he said things like, “There was this fellow called Jesus, who went around trying to convince others that all men were brothers.” He wrote about James, the brother of Jesus, and about John the Baptist, and about Jesus’ execution and resurrection. It is alleged that the Jews in some parts redacted, suppressed and destroyed much of Josephus’ references to Jesus; but sufficient evidence remains to show that to him, Jesus’ existence is in no doubt. Josephus lived into the end of the first century during the time when all of the gospels and epistles were being written.

And what about a name such as Confucius the well-known Philosopher, born Kong Qui in China and commonly called Confucius, in China 551A.D; and Muhammad the Prophet of Islam, born around 570 and died around 632 and proclaimed as a god to his followers; and Haile Selassie the Rastafarian Messiah. The interesting thing about these three proclaimed by their followers as gods, their mortal remains, like that of John Brown’s body, lie decaying in their graves.

Charlemagne or Charles the first also called Charles the Great was born A.D 747 died in January 814. He was king of Austrasia, now Germany, king of the Franks, king of the Lombards, and from 800 to 814 Holy Roman Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

William the Conqueror

Every English school boy and most other schoolboys, would have read about the man called William the Conqueror, and would know that in the year 1066 he defeated the Anglo-Saxon king Harold Godwinson on 14^th October 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and so began the Norman conquest of Britain.

After William, many great men appeared on the scene. Men such as Johannes Gensfleisch Zur Laden zum Gutenberg who lived between AD 1398 -1468. A blacksmith, goldsmith, printer and publisher who introduced printing to Europe and started a printing revolution, and was an important catalyst leading the way to the Renaissance, and the age of science and enlightenment, including the printing of the first bible. 

Martin Luther, the German Lawyer, Friar, priest, professor of Theology and a key figure in the Protestant Reformation movement, and probably best known for his rejection of several teachings of the Catholic Church. Martin Luther was born 10 November 1483 and died 18 February 1546. Luther, apart from being the founder of the Lutheran movement, is also remembered for his ninety Five Theses, condemning the authority, efficacy and use of indulgencies by the Roman Catholic Church. A subsequent and well-documented follower of Luther was John Calvin, famous in his own right.

Whenever I think of martyrs, the first name that comes to my mind, apart from Stephen the first Christian martyr, is that of William Tyndale, (1494 to 5 October 1536). A man who choose rather to be strangled and burnt at the stake than abandon his primary stated ambition to translate the whole Bible into English. Whereas the New Testament had been translated into Latin, there was no English translation extant. Tyndale wanted to ensure, “that even he that drives the plough could read the word of God for himself in English.”  For printing and circulating his Bible in English in England, the Tyndale Bible, he was strangled and burnt at the stake in the year 1536.

Catherine the Great

Her Russian name was Yekaterina Alexeyevna. She was the best known and the longest ruling Monarch of Russia. Born 2 May 1729, she became Empress of all Russia in 1762 and reigned until her death 17 November 1796

Frederick the Great, 1740 to 1786, was another great man of history. It is said he came to the throne hoping nothing, believing nothing and fearing nothing. He was a dictator; but a benevolent one showing concern for the development of the country and caring for the needs of the poorest. No one who was willing or able to work was left out. Dictator or not he was a good and brave Ruler.

Another man other than Hitler who caused a great deal of trouble in the world was Napoleon Bonaparte who plunged the world into conflict, and would have defeated the world and set himself up as king if the hand of God did not stop him, using the same elements He used to frustrate the Egyptian army in pursuit of the children of Israel, namely, fire and cloud. God used the cloud element on both occasions in dealing with Napoleon and later Hitler; cloud over the English Channel by day and night. Napoleon was born 15 August 1769 and died in banishment on the island of St. Helena 5 May 1821.

Queen Victoria

The final great personage I would like to mention is the Great Queen Victoria. Born 24 May, 1819 in Kensington Palace, London, she lived until 22 January 1901 at Osborne House, East Cowes.  Victoria was Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1837 to her death.  She also took the title Empress of India from 1 May 1876. Until the Present Queen Elizabeth II who may overtake her shortly, Queen Victoria was and still is Britain’s longest serving Monarch. She was exclaimed by one and all as a great Queen, a Queen never-the-less who proclaimed that her greatest honor was to see with her eyes the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in glory when according to her, she would, “Cast all of her crowns at His feet.”  

It was intended indeed to end with Queen Victoria, but it might be instructive to mention her great grand- daughter the reigning Queen Elizabeth II.  One reason is I was speaking to an atheist some time ago, who when cornered on the fact of people of history, said there was no proof that any of the names mentioned ever existed.  “How about the President of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush?”

Her reply was forthright if astonishing. “You have no proof of him either.”  Am afraid at that stage I rested my case. It is true, “If you convert an unbeliever against his will he remains an unbeliever still.”

So anyhow, Queen Elizabeth everyone in the world would have seen at some time or the other. She was named Elizabeth Alexandra Mary at birth, 21 April 1926. She acceded to the British throne in 1952 and is still the reigning Queen. Elizabeth is the Great, Great Granddaughter of Queen Victoria and is included to make a point later. Elizabeth is Queen of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales; but also Queen of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts, Nevis Anguilla and remaining Colonies and Protectorates such as Montserrat, Tortola and Gibraltar. Someone could just as easily make the point that she does not exist either.

So there we have all these men of history. Kings and Queens, soldiers, philosophers, statesmen, writers and poets. The question is are there any among us who do not believe that these men and women existed? Is there any who would say, none existed, or all existed except one, the man Jesus called Christ. And if any would say that, what possible sane reason could he or she give for such exclusion?

The man Jesus has not existed, does not exist in a vacuum.  Like all other men, He was born of father and mother, at a certain time in a certain place.  The men of his day who lived in his part of the world knew Him; the children he grew up with knew him as children growing up; others came from afar to see Him.  When he spoke men heard His words; some were uplifted by them; some were offended.  Some men loved him, some men hated him; some men cherished him others despised him.  When he healed the sick, He did it openly, when he caused the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, the blind to see, He did all of those things openly; and when he brought back to life he that was stinking in the grave, even His worst detractors were there. None could deny his presence.

As a matter of fact, it is recorded that when some about Him saw the miracles and heard the power of his words they asked, “Whence has this man this wisdom and these mighty works?  Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And His brethren James and Joses, and Simon and Judas?  And His sisters are they not right here with us? The question is, they asked, where does he get his wisdom from?”

Before Jesus was born many men and women of note lived; and after he departed this world there were many men and woman after Him. It was as if Jesus was just planted there in the middle of them all, as it were, joining the old with the new. And consider this outstanding fact. Before Jesus was born, there were many Calendars, the last of which was the Julian Calendar which began in 45 B C. The significant thing is, all those Calendars reckoned time backwards.  Imagine the Julian Calendar like all others started 44, 43, 42, and so on, counting down to what or better still to whom?  However after Jesus birth, although the same Calendar remained in use, time was counted in another direction upwards, as in one two three, and although the Gregorian calendar took over from the Julian time continued to be counted up until now we are at 2015. Is that not a curious fact at least? Could it be that mankind from the very dawn of recorded history was unwittingly counting down time in anticipation of some great event, like the count down at a shuttle launch? Like counting down to the birth of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Jesus the Saviour’s birth?  Even the most skeptical would be forced to admit it’s an interesting question.

In any event Jesus is there indelibly embedded in human history.  For one reason or other, a lot of people would wish it not so.  Just as when he rose from the dead, Satan was furious at the thought; and so were the Jews! They conspired with the soldiers who saw the stone rolled away to lie and pretend it did not happen. They bribed them, they paid them money to cover up the plot and then published abroad a Passover plot involving the disciples.

This brings us to the question why the high priests and the Jewish rulers wanted to dispose of Jesus.  As we have seen, King Herod held the Roman appointed office of King of the Jews.  It was not only a prestigious office, it was profitable to him.  The high priest Annas and his son-in-law Caiaphas were his appointees and Sanhedrin consisted mostly of the hand-picked men of the high priests.  So to be sure there was a great deal of nepotism, cronyism and simony. So when the shepherds told Herod that there was born a King of the Jews, he was understandably furious. He felt threatened; and when they told him they wanted to worship this new born king, one could understand his anger.

The problem for many people with Jesus is, he was not just a man; he was also God, He is God. Jesus said he was the son of God, who had come down from heaven. So when Philip asked Him to reveal the Father Jesus said, if you have seen me you have seen the father.  In addition, he was called God.  So when doubting Thomas hailed Him as “My Lord and my God,” Jesus responded and said, “Because you have seen me you believe; but blessed are they who have not seen and yet believe.” In addition, Jesus seemed to be God, and His very detractors bore this out, for when he told the paralyzed man, “Be of good cheer thy sins are forgiven thee,” the Jews cried, “Blasphemy, for only God can forgive sin!” So that they saw in Jesus God-like qualities, but would not bring themselves to acknowledge Him as God.

And this is part of the problem even today.  Many people have a problem with admitting the truth about Jesus because if they do, it cut from beneath their feet the very ground on which they stand, in so far as they make bold to say there is no God. For Jesus proves that God exists.  Just as some people reject the Bible because if they accept it they would also have to accept that there is God.

Even now, as we approach another end of year, we come to a time when we celebrate the birth of the Christ.  But many begrudge Him even that, refusing to use the word Christmas unless they have merchandise they are trying to sell in which case Christmas is alright.  

In conclusion, therefore, we say this.

1      That Jesus is as much a man of history as all the other men and women, those mentioned here and the millions not mentioned. Jesus lived on earth over two thousand years ago.  Obviously, none of us living today can physically point him out and say, “There goes Jesus,” no more than we can point out our great, great grandparent, as few of us ever get to know in the flesh any of our numerous ancestors, beyond, say, a great grand. There was a man in history that I loved and admired very much. He lived and died during my lifetime; but I never met him.  But even now, I hear his voice in his music. I know he existed.  Similarly, those who love Jesus, hear His voice in the words which He spoke in Holy Writ.

2      As has been said earlier those who deny God has to deny both Jesus and the Bible, because they speak of God. And in the words of a well-known song, “you can’t have one without the other.” As Jesus told Philip, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father also;” and He adds, “I and my Father are one. I am in the Father and the Father in me.” Of course there are those who opine that Jesus is not coeternal and consubstantial with God, and is therefore not God. They insist that Jesus and is God’s son, as indeed he says, “I am the son of God the Father.” While not accepting that narrow theological construct, it also bolsters the point for the existence of God; for if Jesus is God’s son, then that proves that Jesus’ Father is God.

3      Who then can deny the existence of God?  It is averred that those who do so fall exclusively into three main categories, namely: (a) those who are mentally unstable, (b) those whom God has given over to a reprobate mind. (c) those who have no knowledge of, or who are ignorant of the history of mankind.

(a)   The mentally unstable.  God’s word says, that the fool says in his heart there is no God. Properly understood, this refers to a person who lacks mental capacity, for example, the criminally insane. That is what God says and, therefore, it must be so.

(b)   The Reprobate.   The Bible also refers to those whom God has given over to a reprobate mind. Here again it is submitted that the person with the reprobate mind is a person who is in a state where he is unable to differentiate between right and wrong, much like the person who is mentally unstable. Here God has given such a person over; that person God has decided, has no moral worth and cannot be saved.

(c)   Apart from the above two categories of atheists it is postulated that a person may be so ignorant of history or so lacking in general knowledge, or common sense that he might never have had the mental capacity to see Jesus as a man of history, and not just some mysterious or mythological personage found in the area of folklore or fairy tale. In terms of today’s world, such a person would have to have lived a very sheltered and darkened life.       

Finally Jesus Himself gives us an explanation of the unbeliever which may apply to all of the three categories outlined above, and it is this. “That Light (Jesus) is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.”

In addition, I would say this if you have been seriously seeking and failing to find God, it may be that you have not yet come to the place where you know, that God is. That is the first hurdle and every man has a natural, inborn capacity to know God. For it has been well said, “Knowledge of God is by rational intuition.”  In other words once you possess mental capacity you have the ability to know God. And once you know God you would automatically be led to learn more about him.  “For he that comes to God must first believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

As we enter into the Christmas season in the year of our Lord 2015, may the Light of Christ shines in every heart and lightens every shadow of darkness. A very blessed and Happy Christmas to all.

                                                            Rev. Dr. John S. Weekes

                                    Pastor Founder www.Gatewaytoheavencurch.org

                                                                       

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BRAGADAYJAH 821

BRAGADAYJAH 821

The Gathering at Mizpeh

And at Samuel’s word, the children of Israel gathered at Mizpeh and drew water and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day and said, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpeh. And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together at Mizpeh, the Lords of the Philistines went up against Israel; and when the children of Israel heard it they were very much afraid of the Philistine.  And the children of Israel said to Samuel, “Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us that He will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.” And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it a burnt offering holy unto the Lord. And Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel, and the Lord heard him. And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering the Philistines drew near unto battle against Israel; but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines and discomforted them; and they were scattered before Israel.    

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BRAGADAYJAH 820

BRAGADAYJAH 820

And so the men of Kirjathjearim came down and took the ark away from Bethshemesh and carried it to their city in Kirjathjearim, and placed it in the house of Abinadab and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord.  And it came to pass that while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, it remained there some twenty years during which time all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord. And Samuel spoke unto all the house of Israel and told them if they return unto the Lord with all their hearts, and put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among them, and turn their hearts unto the Lord and serve Him only, then He would deliver them out of the hand of the Philistines. Then the children of Israel did as Samuel told them and put away Baalim and Ashtaroth and served the Lord only. And Samuel told them to assemble themselves at Mizpeh and that he would pray unto the Lord for them there.     

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BRAGADAYJAH 819

BRAGADAYJAH 819

Now seeing the Ark of the Lord in the hands of the Bethshemites, the Philistines returned unto their city in Ekron the same day. These are the golden emerods which the five lords of the Philistines offered for a trespass offering unto the Lord.  For Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, and for Ekron one. And the golden mice according to all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities and of country villages even unto the great stone of Abel whereon they set down the ark of the Lord which stone remained thereafter in the field of Joshua the Bethshemite. And the Lord was angry with the men of Bethshemesh because of the way they violated the Ark and its offering, and he slaughtered them with a mighty slaughter. So the men of Bethshemesh sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim telling them that the Philistines had brought the ark to them and asking them to come down and get it.  

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BRAGADAYJAH 818

BRAGADAYJAH 818

The Ark Sent Away

The Philistines decided to return the ark of God together with the trespass offerings.  The mode was to make a new cart to be drawn by two milk cows, that have never been yoked, and the ark of the Lord placed on the cart.  And they put the ark of God on the cart and the jewels of gold for a trespass offering and sent it away. And the cows took the straight path via Bethshemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines walked behind them up to the border of Bethshemesh. Now the people of Bethshemesh were at the time reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they looked up and saw the ark and rejoiced to see it. And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood still beside a great stone; and the people opened the cart and offered the cow a burnt offering unto the Lord. And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the coffer that was with it and the jewels within the coffer and put them in the great stone; and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrifices the same day unto the Lord.    

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BRAGADAYJAH 816

BRAGADAYJAH 816

Now after the ark of the Lord was in the land of the Philistines seven month during which the plague of sickness had befallen them, the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and asked them what they should do, whether they should send the ark away to its place? “Yes,” they were told, “send it away, but send it not away empty; but whatever you do send it with a trespass offering that you may be healed and you would know that it was the hand of God that was upon you.”  So the people asked what shall be the nature of the trespass offering.  And they were told, five golden emerods, and images of the mice that mar the land.  Also they were told to give glory unto the God of Israel. “Perhaps He would then lighten His hand from you and your gods and your land.”  “Remember,” they were told, “how the Egyptians and Pharaoh had hardened their hearts and God had shown His mighty power among them until they let his people go.”  

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BRAGADAYJAH 816

BRAGADAYJAH 816

Having determined that the sickness among them was caused by the presence among them of the Ark of God, the people of Ashdod gathered together all of the Lords of the Philistines and sought their advice with regard to the ark of God. And they advised that it be taken away from Ashdod and be taken to Gath; and so they carried it to the city of Gath. But it came to pass that after the ark was taken into the city, the hand of the Lord was stretched out against that city and smote the men small and great with sores on their private parts. So the people of Gath sent the ark of God to Ekron; but as the ark was about to be carried into the city, the people cried out in protest saying, “They are bringing the ark of God of the children of Israel to slay us and our people!” So they sent and gathered together all the Lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of God, and let it go to its own place, that it slays us not and our people.” For those who did not die from the presence of the ark in the city, were smitten with the sores sickness.

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BRAGADAYJAH 815

BRAGADAYJAH 815

And the Philistines took the ark of God from Ebenezer to Ashdod, and put it into the house of their god Dagon.  And when the people of Ashdod rose early on the following morning and looked to their god, it was fallen flat on its face, and lay on the ground before the ark of the Lord, so they took up Dagon and set it in its place again. And when they rose early on the following morning, Dagon was again fallen to the ground flat on its face; but this time its head and arms were severed, only a stump remaining. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any other came into Dagon’s house,  or unto its threshold ever since. And the hand of the Lord was heavy upon the people of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, (tumors, piles), from within Ashdod and also along its coast. And when the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they decided that the ark of God should not remain with them in their city, because it caused them and their god sore trouble.

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BRAGADAYJAH 814

BRAGADAYJAH 814

And the man from the army came to Eli at a time when Eli was 98 years of age and his eyes were dim so that he could not see. And Eli asked the man what were the tidings and the man told him, he had fled from the army.  And the man told him that Israel was fled before the Philistines and that there was a great slaughter among the people and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas were dead and the ark of God taken. And it happened that when Eli heard mention of the ark of God, he fell backwards from the gate on which he was sitting and broke his neck. He was an old man and he had judged Israel forty years. And Eli’s daughter in law, Phinehas’ wife was with child at the time. And when she heard the news, she bowed herself in agony of childbirth and she gave birth to a male child; and she named him Ichabod, for she said the ark of God is taken and the glory of God is departed from Israel and with those words spoken repeatedly, from her lips, she gave up the ghost.

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BRAGADAYJAH 813

BRAGADAYJAH 813

Israel Defeated Again.

Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout and perceived that it was because the presence of the Lord of Host of the Israelites was among them, the Philistines became very afraid and exclaimed, “God has come into the camp of our enemy, and woe is us, for this is a thing we have not seen before.”  “And now who shall deliver us from the mighty God of Israel, the God who smote the Egyptians with all those plagues!”  So the men of the Philistines were urged to brace themselves and fight like men, less they fall slave to the Hebrews. And the Philistines fought and Israel was smitten and those who were able to escape fled to their tents; and there was a great slaughter that day as there fell thirty thousand Israeli footmen that day; and the Ark of God was taken and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas were slain. That same day, a man came out of the army to Shiloh and found Eli sitting by the wayside waiting, for his heart was heavy and troubled for the ark of God; and when the man told the people what had happened they wept bitterly and loudly and Eli heard the weeping of the people even before the man from the army told him the bad news.

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BRAGADAYJAH 812

BRAGADAYJAH 812

And the word of the Samuel came to all Israel.  And at that time Israel went out against the Philistines to battle and pitched beside Ebenezer, and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel. And when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines and there fell on the field of battle four thousand men. And when the beaten army returned to the camp of Israel, the elders of Israel asked, “Why has the Lord smitten us today by the Philistines?”  Let us fetch the ark of the covenant out of Shiloh unto us that the Lord may deliver us out of the hand of their enemies.”  So the people went to Shiloh to take from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of Hosts which dwells between the cherubims. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas were there with the ark of the covenant of God. And when the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout so that the sound echoed through the earth. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they asked, what was the meaning of the noise of the shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they learnt that it was because the Ark of the Covenant was brought into their camp.    

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BRAGADAYJAH 811

BRAGADAYJAH 811

The Lord Appeared to Samuel

And the Lord appeared and stood and called as He had done the three times before.  And when the Lord said, “Samuel, Samuel,” Samuel answered and said, “Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth.” And the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold I will do a thing in Israel at which both the ears of everyone that hears it shall tingle.” At that time I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house; when I begin I shall also make an end of it.”  “I have told him I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows because his sons made themselves vile and he restrained them not.   And therefore, I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of his house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever.”   And Samuel lay until the morning and opened the doors of the house of the Lord; and Samuel feared to show Eli the vision. Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel my son;” and Samuel said,  ”Here am I.”  And Eli asked him, “What is the thing the Lord said unto you? I pray thee do not hide it from me. God do so unto you and more if you hide from me anything that the Lord revealed to you.”  And so Samuel told him everything and hid not anything from him. And as Samuel grew, the Lord was with him, and let none of God’s word fall to the ground. And all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. And the Lord appeared again to Samuel at Shiloh in the house of the Lord.

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BRAGADAYJAH 810

BRAGADAYJAH 810

In the meantime, Samuel continued to grow and minister unto the Lord before Eli.  And the word of the Lord was precious in the eyes of the people in those days. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli laid down to rest his eyes had grown dim; and Samuel also laid down to sleep.  And the Lord called Samuel and he answered, “Here am I;” and he ran to Eli and said, “here am I, I heard you call me.” And Eli said, “I did not call you; go lie down again.”  And the Lord called Samuel yet again. And Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here am I, for you called me.” And Eli told him the second time, “Go lie down for I surely did not call you.” It is clear that Samuel at that time did not know the voice of the Lord, and His word was not yet revealed to him. And the Lord called Samuel the third time and he rose and went to Eli the third time and said, “Here am I you called me.” And Eli then perceived that it was the Lord who was calling the boy; so he told him to go lie down again and if he heard his name again, he should say, “Speak Lord for thy servant heareth.”www.chaberbooks.com

BRAGADAYJAH 809

BRAGADAYJAH 809

The man of God continued to speak to Eli as follows: “Behold the day come, says the Lord, when I will cut off thine arm and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house. And thou shall see an enemy in my habitation in all the wealth which God shall give Israel, and there shalt not be an old man in thy house ever. And the man of mine whom I shall cut off from mine altar shall be to consume thine eyes and to grieve thine heart, and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age. And this shall be a sign unto thee; there shall come upon thy two sons, Hophni and Phinehas that they shall die in one day. And I shall raise me up a faithful priest who will walk according to all that is in my heart, and in my mind; and I will build him a sure house and he shall walk before mine anointed forever. And it shall come to pass that everyone that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, put me I pray thee into one of the priest’s office that I might eat a piece of bread.”

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BRAGADAYJAH 808

BRAGADAYJAH 808

The Man of God Appeared unto Eli

Now there appeared a man of God unto Eli and said to him, “The Lord says unto you, did I not plainly appear unto the house of thy father when you were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house” And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer incense on my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? And did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?  Why therefore you kick at the sacrifice and at my offering which I have commanded in my habitation; and you honor your sons above me to make yourselves fat with all the chief of all the offerings of Israel my people? Therefore the Lord God of Israel says to you, I say indeed that my house and the house of my father should walk before me forever; but now the Lord sayeth, be it far from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.”

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BRAGADAYJAH 807

BRAGADAYJAH 807

It came to pass that Eli was very old; and he heard reports of all the evil his sons had done in Israel, and how they were lying with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Eli spoke to his sons and asked them why they were behaving the way they did before the people. He told them that the reports he was hearing were not good, and ought not to be done by the people of God. He told them that if a man sins against another man, the judge shall judge him; but asked he them, “Who shall make petition for those who sin against the Lord?”  But in spite of Eli’s words of warning and rebuke to his sons, they changed not their ways, until the Lord slew them.  But in the meantime, Samuel grew and was loved both by God and man. 

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BRAGADAYJAH 806

BRAGADAYJAH 806

And Elkanah and his wife Hannah returned to their house at Ramah, leaving the child to minister unto the Lord with Eli. Now Eli’s sons were as children of the Devil in that they knew not the Lord. There was a custom that when the people offered sacrifice, the priest’s servants came while the flesh was cooking and with a flesh hook with three prongs they inserted it in the cauldron, or pot, or frying pan; and all that the flesh hook grabbed that portion was taken for the priest. And also before the fat was burnt, the sons of Eli would appear and demand that an unburnt portion be given for the priest; and if the request was declined they would demand and take it be force. So that the young men were so out of control that many were hesitant to make offerings unto the Lord. And Samuel served before the Lord as a young boy girded with a linen ephod.  In addition Hannah made her son a little coat which she took to him each year. And Eli blessed Hannah and said, “The Lord bless thee and give thee seed for that which you have given to the Lord.”  And the Lord visited Hannah; and she bore three sons and two daughters. And Samuel continued to grow before the Lord.”   

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BRAGADAYJAH 805

BRAGADAYJAH 805

Hannah’s Song of Praise (continued)

“The Lord killeth and maketh alive; He bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and make them inherit the throne of glory; for the pillars of the earth are the Lords, and He hath set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of the saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength will no man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them; the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth and He shall give strength unto the king, and exalt the horn of His anointed.”

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BRAGADAYJAH 804

BRAGAGAYJAH 804

In offering the bullock at the altar, Hannah told Eli, that she was the woman who had stood by him praying to the Lord.  Presenting her young son Samuel, she said, “this is the child; and the Lord has granted me my petition.” Therefore she said, “I have given him to the Lord, to serve the Lord all the days of his life, to serve in the Lord’s house.” And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart rejoiceth in the Lord; mine horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies, because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none Holy as the Lord; for there is none beside thee; neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceedingly proudly; let not arrogance come out of thy mouth; for the Lord is a God of Knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken; and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They who were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren has borne seven, and she that has many children has grown feeble,” (to be continued).

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BRAGADAYJAH 803

BRAGADAYJAH 803

The following morning, Hannah went up with her husband to the sanctuary and worshipped there before the Lord before returning to their home at Ramah.  And soon after Hannah conceived as the Lord answered her prayer; and in the course of time she had a son, and she called his name Samuel because she had asked him of the Lord. And at the time of year, Elkanah and all his house went up to Shiloh to sacrifice unto the Lord; but Hannah told her husband she would not go up until the child was weaned at which time she would carry him up and offer him there before the Lord. And when the child was weaned, Hannah took him up with three bullocks, one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and took the child Samuel into the house of the Lord the child being young. And they slew a bullock and took the child to Eli.

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BRAGADAYJAH 802

BRAGADAYJAH 802

Before proceeding with Hannah’s story, and if you are anything like me, you would be absolutely fascinated if not enthralled by Hannah’s prayer. We see firstly that Hannah had a problem.  It was a problem on the face of it, insoluble.  She was barren and a barren tree, a barren woman cannot bear fruit, or so it would seem from a medical point of view, and also from general human experience.  So what did Hannah do?  She approached God silently, and poured out her heart before Him.  Never mind what the priest thought he saw or knew.  Hannah knew what she needed, and she knew the only thing to do was to submit her petition to the Most High God; and so she did.  She did not shout her case from the mountain top. She did not do so standing at the back of the temple and shouting for all to hear.  It was her problem alone, and she spoke to God alone.  Year after year she had been teased and mocked and scorned by her husband’s other wife and her two sons.  So now it was time to let her God know that she knew that He could do whatever He wanted to , barren or not. So after she poured out her heart to God, she knew the matter was in His hand, and there was nothing more for her to do than to wait; and so she did, joyfully.

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BRAGADAYJAH 801

BRAGADAYJAH 801

How Hannah Prayed

While Hannah was speaking to the Lord, Eli the priest was observing her, and seeing her lips moving and hearing no sound coming out of her mouth, and it being still early in the morning, Eli concluded she was drunk.  So he said to her, “Woman how come you are in the house of the Lord so early in the morning and drunk beside!”  But Hannah replied to Eli and said, “No my Lord, I am not drunk; but I am a woman of a very sorrowful spirit; I have taken neither wine nor strong drink; but I was just pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard this sorrowful women as a daughter of the Devil; for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken.” Then Eli answered her and said, “Go in peace; and the God of Israel grant you your petition which you have prayed for.”  And Hannah said,  “Let thy handmaid find favor in thy sight;” so she went away and did eat, and she was no longer sad.

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