Have We Reached Our Expiration Date? By Linda P. Kozar

"A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished." Proverbs 27:12 

Is This The End, My Friend?

You may have noticed a plethora of apocalyptic TV shows airing, all in anticipation of the Mayan prediction of the end of the world at midnight, December 21st, 2012.

With that date in mind, a ground swell of doomsdayers are prepping and preparing to protect hearth and home, not only with food and medical supplies, but with guns and ammunition. The reason--anything from national emergencies, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, to end of the world scenarios. But when does prepping transform into hoarding and avarice? And how much is too much?

There's no argument that people should prepare for these scenarios (with the exception of alien and zombie attacks--C'mon now).

I've lived through enough hurricanes to realize the wisdom in keeping an emergency cabinet. There's even advice about preparing in Proverbs 6:6:

"Go to the aunt, you sluggard!

Consider her ways and be wise.

Which, having no captain, overseer or ruler,

She provides her supplies in the summer.

And gathers her food in the harvest."

Of course, back in ancient times people had to lay up food in the summer to get them through the winter. Food was stored up in times of plenty to prevent starvation in times of drought and famine or times when war made agriculture impossible. That same logic, when applied to modern case scenarios begs the question, "Why not lay up food for the possibility of hard economic times to come, or to temporarily provide nourishment and creature comforts through natural or man-made disasters?" Many people are stocking their homes with that very purpose in mind.

But others are stocking away food and supplies for an extinction event.

Extinction Event

Just what is an extinction event?

An Extinction-Level Event or ELE, is a period in time when a large number of species die out above and beyond the normal background level, events not caused by changes in habitat or competition. ELEs are caused by catastrophic events (meteors, super volcanoes, etc.)

There have been five mass extinction events throughout the earth’s history: Ordovician/Silurian (450-440 Ma), Late Devonian (375-360 Ma), Permian/Triassic (251), Triassic/Jurrasic (205) and Cretaceous/Paleogene (65.5).

Preppers call such an event: TEOTWAWKI, an acronym for "The End Of The World As We Know It."

And some people are forecasting a sixth extinction event. Here are some of the ways scientists and end-time theorists are predicting the world might come to an end:

• Asteroid Impact
• Comet Collision
• Orbital Obliteration (Orbits out of whack)
• Pandemic (Bird Flu, etc.)
• Terrorism
• Antimatter (from Particle Accelerators)
• The Machines Take Over (Computers/Robots become sentient)
• Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) (The Sun goes all supernova on us)
• Gamma Ray Bursts
• Global Warming or Cooling
• Loss of Biodiversity
• Ocean Acidification
• Solar Storm
• Alien Invasion (Little Green Men with BIG eyes)
• Supervolcano (Caldera)
• Geomagnetic Reversal (Polar Shift)
• Nuclear War
• Artificial Black Hole
• Zombie Attack (Really?)
• The X Factor (Unknown Cause)
• Judgment Day

Wow! Some of these predictions require a lot of imagination to entertain the thought (I'm picking on the zombie thing again). If I've left any out, please don't judge. I know there are more apocalyptic options, but I had to stop somewhere.

And while we're on zombies, for those of you who actually believe in such a thing, I might as well mention that aside from the resurrection at the end of the age, the dead will not rise, nor will they be hungry for human flesh. Corpses cannot utilize any of the five senses. They can't see or hear possible prey. They can't taste or digest. The neurons aren't firing in their brains. Their muscles and joints would no longer function, so shambling around, or any movement at all would be out of the question. Did I mention rigor mortis? Bloating? Aside from all that, insects and bacteria would make short work of the "living" dead. So there...

Stockpiling:

Many people have prepped way beyond their emergency cabinets and pantries. Their bedrooms, secret rooms and garages are full of food, gas masks, HazMat suits, weapons, seeds, tools and much more.

Hoarders typically fill their home and property with "stuff," eventually cramping their living space to the point where they are not able to move about freely. They believe they will use the items to scavenge and store someday.

If you're house is not so much a home as a storage facility, you might have a problem. You might have made the leap from prepper to hoarder.

Those who watch the NatGeo show, Doomsday Preppers on TV really get an eye and earful of what some people are doing to prepare. They are building huge compounds to house their families and friends, underground bunkers (some in abandoned missile silos or in caves deep underground), storing massive caches of food in a variety of locations, stockpiling medical supplies, weaponry and ordnance. And many of these structures are booby-trapped. One man even booby-trapped extra food supplies by lacing them with poison. Can you imagine a group of starving, desperate people--men, women and little children devouring those supplies only to perish?

Christians and TEOTWAWKI:

For Christians, the last ELE is of most importance. It is also the only event which has any meaning and it is definitely not a true extinction event (except for sin)! Funny, if you check out all the apocalyptic websites and forums, the return of Jesus Christ to judge the quick and the dead isn't at the top of the list.

Preparing for disasters is the smart thing to do. It's also the right thing to do, but obsession with prepping borders mental illness and certainly ventures into the area of sin. Now hear me out...

Prepping and Avarice

You might have read about the "Seven Deadly Sins" listed at various places in the Bible: Wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony.

Greed is also known as avarice or covetousness and like lust and gluttony, is a sin of excess. It expresses an excessive desire and pursuit of wealth, status and power. Thomas Aquinas wrote that greed was "a sin against God, just as all mortal sins, in as much as man condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal things." Greed is an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs, especially with respect to material wealth.

Yet God proves over and over in the Bible that He is well able to provide for His people.

In 1 Kings 17: 1-4, Elijah prophesied the Word of God to all the people that a drought would be over the land. God commanded him to hide by the Brook Cherith, drink there and receive food from the ravens, whom God commanded to bring him food. And that is exactly what happened.

Later, in 1 Kings 19: 5-8, Elijah was despondent.  After a showdown with the false prophets of Queen Jezebel, she wanted Elijah dead, so he had to flee into the wilderness. Depressed and without resources, he prayed that he might die and fell asleep under a broom tree. He awoke to the touch of an angel who said, "Arise and eat." Then he looked , and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water." He ate twice and was sustained by that heavenly food for forty days and nights.

And remember the widow and her young son in 1 Kings 17:16? "The bin of flour was not used up, not did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah." God can keep provisions flowing, bring you to food or bring the food to YOU

God is well able to provide for His people. "A good man gives an inheritance to his grandchildren and the wealth of sinners is kept for the righteous" (Aramaic Bible in plain english). Though we are prudent to prepare for emergencies and disasters, there is no guarantee the things we have stored up will survive such scenarios or be accessible to us.

But should we worry and wring our hands together over the future? Proverbs 15:15 “All the days of the desponding and afflicted are made evil (by anxious thoughts and forebodings), but he who has a glad heart has a continual feast (regardless of circumstances).

The Book of Revelation is the last book of the bible. God's unerring and eternal Word that reveals to us how the end of the world as we know it, will conclude. There will be a time of great tribulation, such as the world has never known. At some point during the tribulation, believers will be raptured, taken up (harpazos) to heaven with Christ. 

This is the sticking point with many Christians who ask "Will we have to go through part or all of the tribulation?" If so, many wonder how and where they would live without taking the mark of the beast (who will require every person to take his mark--name or number--on their body in order to buy, sell or trade. Imagine this situation for a moment. If you were suddenly unable to buy, sell or trade, how could you buy groceries? Pay your mortgage? Buy gas? The answer is, you would not be able to. You and your family would be forced to bug out--to retreat into the wilderness to survive. And you would eventually be pursued, hunted down by the world government, totally under the control of the antichrist.

But as I pointed out earlier in this discourse, God is well able to take care of His people, prepared or not. Elijah was not a prepper. He was a pray-er!

We know from the Book of Revelation that almost all of the scenarios listed above will come to pass in the destruction of the heavens and the earth. We know that an asteroid or meteorite named "Wormwood" (Revelation 8:11) will be on a collision course with earth. It will poison the water supply. Most of the sea life and animal life will perish. Plants will die off. There will be wars, bombs, fires, floods, solar flares, volcanoes, earthquakes, starvation, plagues and suffering. Those who are left on the earth till the bitter end, will ask the mountains to fall on them so they can put an end to their suffering. "And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb" Revelation 6:16.

Jesus, the Lion of Judah will return and put a swift end to Armageddon. The antichrist and false prophet will be destroyed. Satan and all his fallen angels will be vanquished forevermore. The righteous will be taken away to heaven. Unbelievers will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment and cast into Hell. Revelation 21:1 states: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. . ." The Holy City of Jerusalem will descend out of heaven with God to the new earth. 

To a believer, the end of the world is a good thing. The end of the temporal world will usher in the eternal reign of Christ who will sit at the right hand of the Father, ruling a new heaven and a new earth. In heaven there will be no more tears, no more strife--no more sin and the destruction that results from it.

The Seven Deadly Sins can be counteracted by the daily choices we make.  Instead of puffing up with  pride in yourself, be humble; instead of hoarding food for your own use, collect and share food with homeless shelters or your church's food pantry. Substitute love for envy, kindness for wrath and self-control instead of lust. Don't be a glutton--eat sensibly instead. And substitute a pure zeal for God and His call on your life instead of being lazy and slothful. 

People have wondered about the end of the world since the beginning of the world. Remember Noah?The poet, Robert Frost pondered the end of the world, sharing his thoughts on the matter in the poem below. Whatever you believe about doomsday, the world will surely end at some point. And you'd better be ready on some level, but the most important preparation to make is to ask Jesus into your heart if you haven't already done so. Salvation is the only prep you'll need for eternal life with God.

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice. 

Robert Frost

Want to know Jesus?

John 3:36

The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects the Son will not see life, but God's wrath remains on him.

1 John 5:11-13

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. The onw who has the Son has this eternal life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this eternal life. 

Colossians 2:13

And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions.

John 5:24

I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears My message and believes the One who sent Me  has eternal life and will not be condemned, but has crossed from death to life. 

Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast.

The Truth About Angels--By Linda Kozar

Turn on the television, listen to the radio or tap into Facebook conversations and guess what you’ll hear a lot about? Angels. 

There is a fascination with angels in our present-day society. Remember the show, "Touched by an Angel?" My girls and I used to put a flashlight behind out heads and then say something we hoped was profound. Then, switch on the light. Kind of fun but kind of a spoof.

The Hebrew word for angel is mal’ach and the Greek word is angelos. Both mean "messenger" and describe one who executes the purpose and will of the one they serve.

Unfallen angels are also referred to as Holy Ones. They are:

1. Created without flaw or sin

2. Holy because of their purpose and set apart by God as his servants and attendants to His holiness.

Some believers do claim to have had encounters with angels. The Bible does refer to such encounters:

(Ps. 91:11 For He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways. They shall bear you up in their hands. Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

 Matt. 4:11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.)

So why is everyone so interested in angels?

Part of the explanation could be a search for the meaning of life—for answers that are not to be found in cold rationale or through intellectual pursuit. And of course New Age, Cults and the Occult traffic in their own concept of angels. Truth be told, most people would rather believe in angels than in God. They would prefer the substitute of heavenly celestial beings watching over them than bowing their knee to the Creator of Heaven and Earth.

Mystical, supernatural, spiritual—our society seems fascinated with exploring the idea of angels amongst us without benefit of consulting the Word of God:

Ephesians 2:12 …that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 4:17-19 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hear; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to licentiousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

Angels are:

Sons of God--

In their holy state the unfallen angels are called this. 

Created beings--

Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth and all the host of them, were finished. 

Created by God--

Col 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 

Eternal--

Luke 20:36—(They are eternal). …nor can they die anymore for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God being sons of the resurrection.

Job 38:1-Have been around from the world’s beginning.

Do Not Marry--

Matt 22:30—For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. 

Luke 1:34-35 The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and their resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage.

Are Wise--

2 Sam 14:17—Angels are wise and intelligent. Your maidservant said, The word of my lord and the king will now be comforting: for as the angel of God, so is my lord the kind in discerning food and evil.

Have knowledge and interest in the affairs of man--

Dan 9:21-22—"…yes while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering.

Can Fly And Travel Great Distances Fast--

Dan 10:14, Luke 15:10-- Dan 9:21,  Rev 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue and people.

Surround the Lord--

Host is the Hebrew word “tsaba“ meaning army, armies, hosts. A military term and carries the idea of warfare--the armies of heaven.

Ps 89:6, 8, O Lord God of Hosts, Who is mighty like You, O Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds you. 

1 Sam 1:11, 17:45. Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled. 

Guardian Angels

Does each and every believer have a guardian angel?  It is commonly believed, but where’s the proof?

We may have more than one guardian angel. Jesus had a multitude of angels surrounding Him.

Luke 22:43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.

Matt. 26:53 Or do you thing that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?

Angels can be visible or invisible and take the form of man:

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it--Luke 13:1-2.

***

Angels are messengers of God, powerful, they protect us, encamp all around us, keep us from falling or getting hurt, even strengthen and minister to mankind.

Heb 1:7 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: Let all the angels of God worship Him. And of the angels he says: Who makes His angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire. 14, Ps 34:7, 91: 10-13, 103:21)

When a believer dies, their own angel(s) brings their spirit to heaven in the presence of God. Matt 18:10

Types of Angels:

Seraphim Is 6:1-7 each with 6 wings. With 2 they covered his face, with two they covered his feet and flew with the other two (Is 6:1-4)

Cherubim Gen 3:24, Ezek 1:5-28

Zoa (living creatures) Rev. 4:6, 5:14

Archangels--Chief angels who rule kingdoms and planets Col 1:15-18, 1 Th 4:16, Jude 9

Michael—One of the chief princes, the prince of Israel Dan 10:13, 21, 11:1

Gabriel—who stands before God Dan 8:16-19, 9:20-23

Lucifer—the original ruler of the planet earth and present pseudo-ruler of man’s dominion on earth Is 14:12-14 Ezek 28:11-17

Some angels created to give continuous praise and worship (Ez 10:9-20)

Angels Are:

Glorious--Immortal--Powerful and mighty in body--Heavenly spirit beings--Need no rest--Can appear visible and invisible--Operate in the material realm--Created by Christ--Not to be worshipped--Are organized into principalities and powers with thrones--Are subject to God--Are interested in earthly affairs--Observe us--Can cook--Wear garments--Appear unawares--Have been tested--Dwell in heaven--Stand before God

Angels for certain churches ant church ages Rev. 1:20

Angels are strong!  (Rev 18:21). Carrying out a death penalty for God on a king (Acts 12:20-25). Peter’s own angel freed him from prison (Acts 12).  

We all go through crisis, where we feel like God has abandoned us—that we are encamped about by evil and bad news and there’s no hope for us at all. I challenge you to remember that scripture, that there are more who are with us than those who are against us. You can’t see what God is doing on your behalf. You can’t see his invisible armies around you and your family. You have no idea that your prayers are carried to heaven and the answers come back by his faithful messengers. But you don’t have to see. . .

In the world, seeing is believing, but to Christians, believing is seeing. We walk by faith, not by sight. Fear not, confess your fears and anxieties silently to the Lord right now. Just take a few minutes to tell confess to the Lord that you haven’t trusted Him. You gave in to your fears or disappointments and discouragements or terror and you had a lapse in faith. And then I want you to confess your faith in the Lord again Tell Him you trust Him to take care of you and your family and everyone you pray for. Don’t wake up in fear or shake with terror. Ask for help and believe that He’s sending it. Whether He sends one angel or a whole legion, your help is on the way and will be more than enough to defeat the plans of the enemy! AMEN.

Crepes Sue Jan

The second book in my When the Fat Ladies Sing mystery series, A Tisket, A Casket is set in a French cooking school in Paris, Texas and features some delicious classic French recipes.

Dessert Crepes are perfectly delicious and easier to make than you think. I like to make a big batch of crepes (thin French pancakes).

With 3/4ths of the crepes I make a crepe casserole with shredded roast chicken and mushrooms. I make desserts with the remaining crepes. Spread each crepe with Nutella (hazelnut spread)  and fill with sliced strawberries and kiwi's and bananas. Fold over. Spritz a dollop of whipped cream and drizzle with chocolate syrup.

Basic Crepe formula: (For 20 crepes 5-1/2 in. across)
1 cup of flour (sifted)
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup water
3 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp of melted butter

Add flour to a 2 quart bowl. Whisk in by dribbles 2/3 cup milk and 2/3 cup of water until smoothly blended. Then whisk in 3 large eggs, 1/4 tsp salt and 3 tbls melted butter.

Use a nonstick pan, preferably a special crepe pan. (You can find them in discount stores for under $10). Heat the pan until drops of water dance and sputter on it, then brush lightly with butter.

Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the center of the hot pan and tilt it in all directions. After 30 seconds or so, bottom of crepe will be browned.

Shake pan to dislodge the crepe, then turn it over with your fingers. Cook briefly on the other side, which won't cook as evenly.

Cool crepes individually on a rack before stacking. Cooked crepes will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge in a sealed plastic bag and they freeze well too.

Bon appétit!

Gate Beautiful--July 19th, 2012, 12:00-2:00 CST 07/19 by Red River Radio | Blog Talk Radio

Gate Beautiful--July 19th, 2012, 12:00-2:00 CST 07/19 by Red River Radio | Blog Talk Radio

Join us for our July 19th Show featuring authors Amy Clipston, Jeanette Sharp, Jeff Gerke and Andrea Boeshaar.

The Real Housewives Of The OT--"Leah" by Linda P. Kozar

Leah

"Daddy deceived, I conceived, Jacob was peeved."

Leah was the daughter of Laban and the older sister of Rachel. Leah is Jacob’s first cousin, the eldest niece of Rebecca. Family ties now established, let's move on to the good stuff!


Her name, "Leah," pronounced (lay-ah) means "cow." How can a name that sounds so pretty mean "cow?" But it does. By the way, her sister Rachel's name means "ewe." Now in Rachel's case, her name sort of fit because Genesis 30:9 states "...Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepardess." But Leah's name means cow, and cows are a symbol of fertility in Mesopotamia. 

Divine Pairing?

You might not be aware of this, but Leah was originally supposed to marry Esau, not Jacob. Laban had two daughters and Rachel had two sons, therefore it was assumed that the eldest would marry the eldest, and the younger, would marry the younger. The two bachelor brothers could not have been more different. Jacob was a smooth-skinned, tent-dwelling, God-fearing scholar, and Esau was a red-headed hunter, wearing a perpetual hair sweater, who loved all manner of fleshly pursuits. 


If you remember from our earlier lesson on Rebekah, Esau plotted to murder his own brother for "stealing" his birthright. He also engaged in idolatry with his pagan wives and comitted spiritual adultery as well.  Esau sold his birthright and that of all his descendants for the immediate sensual (flesh-pleasing) satisfaction of a bowl of soup. Setting the tone for his descendants, this behavior is later evident in the many spiritual adulteries of Israel. His thoughts were not high thoughts. Esau responded to his flesh, not his spirit, which explains why Leah was grossed out by him. That and the fact that his hairy body made him look like a "squatch" (short for Sasquatch).  Some scholars say Leah spent a lot of time weeping and praying to God to change her designated mate. Were her eyes red and puffy and irritated from all the crying? Hmmm.

Jacob gained the birthright blessing from his father through deception and had to leave or be killed by his brother Esau. Rachel sent him to her brother Laban and, as fate would have it, just as Rebecca was discovered by the well, Jacob meets Rachel by the well. Rachel was described as "beautiful of form and appearance" (Genesis 29:17).

She's Got Betty Davis Eyes. . .

But according to the Torah, Leah "had tender eyes.” Genesis 29:17. By "tender," does the Torah mean delicate and soft, or weary? Some commentators suggest she had blue or light-colored eyes. But the Hebrew word, rakkoth means sickly, bleary, or delicate. Perhaps her eyes were mentioned because they were her only good feature, or perhaps her worst! But there was a definite weakness when it came to the look of Leah’s eyes.  Rachel, is described as looking beautiful--the super model of the family. Sometimes people have a lazy or crossed eye, or sometimes eyes that are big and bulging, etc.  Which kind of makes you wonder if Leah looked like a female version of Marty Feldman. In any case, her eyes were not attractive, and are mentioned as a detriment to her looks. 

Deception follows us. Jacob and his mother Rebekah sought to claim the blessing of the firstborn by deception instead of trusting God to achieve the end result His way. We often do the same. A little lie here, a tiny exaggeration there. But unrepented lies come back to bite us and to Jacob as well. His father-in-law deceived him in much the same way Jacob had deceived his own father. Jacob covered his arms with fur to mimic his brother's arms. Laban employs a veil to cover Leah's face.


Laban agrees to Jacob marrying his youngest daughter Rachel if he agrees to work for him for seven years. On the wedding night however, he deceives Jacob and sends a veiled Leah instead. Laban tries to defend his deception by stating it is uncustomary to give the younger daughter away before the older. Laban offers to give Rachel to Jacob in return for another seven years of work. He marries Rachel after the week-long celebration of his marriage to Leah.


His father-in-law covered the head of his eldest daughter Leah with a veil. Lies, untruths and deceptions are veils covering the truth. Jacob deceived his father to achieve the birthright of the firstborn, but he too is deceived and marries the firstborn, who according to custom, must be wedded before the younger.


But even though Leah might not have been considered attractive physically, "When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren." (Genesis 29:31). God chose Leah, blessed her and answered her prayers.  So, although Leah’s was not considered to be attractive, and was not loved by Jacob in the way he loved Rachel, she was indeed the most blessed in the end.  “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised” (Proverbs 31:30).

Sister Wives

Leah had six of Jacob’s sons—Rueben, Simeon, Levi, Judah (first four), then Issachar and Zebulon and a daughter Dinah. Perhaps in the naming of her sons, she hopes to gain favor. 

Rachel, on the other hand, could not conceive so gives her handmaid Bildah to Jacob. She has Dan and Naphtali. Leah, not to be outdone, offers her handmaid Zilpah to Jacob and she has two sons, Gad and Asher. Some commentaries say that Bildad and Zilpah were half-sisters to Rachel and Leah.

One day Reuben returned from the field with mandrakes for his mother. Leah had not conceived for a while and this plant which resembles the human body was thought in ancient times, to be an aid to fertility. Rachel offered to trade her night with Jacob for the mandrakes. Leah announced to Jacob that she has “hired” him with the mandrakes she traded to Rachel, and Jacob spent the night with her, Gen 30:14–17 "And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son." 


In fact, Leah gave birth to two more sons—Issachar (“God has given me my hire”) and Zebulon (“now my husband will honor me”)—as well as a daughter, Dinah (Gen 30:17–21). After that, God remembered Rachel and she gave birth to Joseph and Benjamin. Jacob showed clear favoritism to his two sons by Rachel--just as he had seen his own parents show favoritism, his mother Rebekah to him and his father Isaac to Esau.

Leah went through life, knowing her husband loved her sister, Rachel first and foremost. How she must have longed to live one day in her sister's sandals, to see the adoring look in Jacob's eyes, to feel the glow in her heart, the secure feeling of being in love. But Leah lived her entire life in a loveless marriage. 

Always conscious of the fact that though she was first wife, Leah was his second choice. Jacob loved Rachel.  Genesis 29:30 says that "Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, but he must not have disliked her too much based on the number of children they had together. God had promised Jacob many sons Genesis 28:14, but Jacob fell in love with Rachel. The plan would never have been carried out with just her. God had His plans! He answered Leah’s prayers for a different husband, and gave her many sons, though she never received the love she so desperately wanted. Instead of the love of her husband, she gained his respect, the respect of the nation of Israel, and a place in God's Word.


She named her first son Reuben, her next son Simeon (“God heard that I am unloved”), the third one Levi (“now my husband will become attached to me for I have borne him three son”), and the fourth one Judah (“Now I will praise the Lord”). At this point Rachel is jealous, and has her maid Bilhah give birth to two sons; Leah, no longer fertile, responds by having her own maid Zilpah bear two sons (Gen 30:9–13; 35:26; 46:18).

Did Jacob Hate Leah?

Some commentaries claim that Jacob hated Leah. Once Jacob is married to both wives, the Torah says that he, "loved Rachel even more than Leah" (Genesis 29:30). The first verse does not imply Jacob hated Leah, but that he had a deeper, natural connection to Rachel because, as explained above, their match was divinely ordained from the start. 

Jacob's continued second-rate regard for Leah apparently never ended however. Years later, when he was about to meet his brother Esau for the first time since their bitter parting Jacob considered that Esau would attack with his 400 men (Genesis 32:6), so he put Leah and her children near the front of the line, and kept Rachel and her children safely in the rear (Genesis 33:2).

Leah gave Jacob six sons and a daughter. Half of the twelve tribes of Israel came from her body alone! And two more from her maidservant!


Although she had not been part of Jacob's plans, Leah was a most important component in God's plan, for from her body leapt the royal and priestly bloodlines of the realm. Leah's third son, Levi, became the first of Israel's priests and in the line--Moses, Aaron, Zachary, and John the Baptist. Her fourth son, Judah, was the ancestor of the house of David, the kingly family, including ‘Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ’ (Matthew 1:16). God by no means sanctions deception, but He salvages the results of sin as an instrument of His providence.

Leah did not play the kind of role in determining the fate of her sons that Rebekah and Sarah did. Was it due to her insecure position? She and Rachel though co-wives, were not united in purpose. The absence of a clear matriarchal hand shows itself in the uncontrolled friction between the children (especially later in the hostility toward Joseph), but all the children of Jacob were to inherit the blessing. 

In Israelite tradition, the maid-mothers were forgotten, but Rachel and Leah were remembered. The prophet Hosea relates how Jacob went to Aram to search for a wife (Hos 12:13), and the wedding blessing for Ruth remembers Rachel and Leah as the ancestresses “who built up the house of Israel” (Ruth 4:11).

Leah had a child in the direct line of Christ, not Rachel. (Genesis 29:35) “And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now I will praise the Lord, therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.” The Lord Jesus Christ came from the tribe of Judah.

Rachel died after a hard labor, giving birth to Benjamin and was buried after she died in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

Nothing more is heard of Leah other than Jacob’s statement that he buried her in the Cave of Machpelah with Jacob, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah (Gen 49:31).


There are many women who feel unloved, whether by a husband infidelity or rejection by family or friends. Women who have shed so many tears, their eyes are red and tender like Leah, their hearts sad. But know this, God see's everything. He knows the pain of your heart, the sadness like an ache inside, the longing for something more, and He will help you as he helped Leah. Trust in Him. Pray and call out to Him as Leah did, and He will be sure to answer you!

Gate Beautiful Radio Show--Thursday March 15th 03/15 by Red River Radio | Blog Talk Radio

Thursday, APRIL 19th from 12:00-2:00, Central Standard Time. This month featuring:

Don't miss our upcoming show! We have some fabulous guests.

The Real Housewives Of The OT (Old Testament) Series--This Week "Rebekah"--by Linda P. Kozar

Rebecca and Eliezer by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 17th century.

Rebekah

"Since I married Isaac, life is two-riffic!"

We know that Abraham was pretty old when his son Isaac was born, 100 years old--a true centenarian (Genesis 21:5). So it's no surprise to find out in Geneis 24:1 that "...Abraham was old, well advanced in age..." when he called his chief servant, and made him swear that he would travel to their kindred and find a wife for his son, Isaac. And of course, his loyal servant obeyed. He loaded up the camels and some men and traveled to the land of their countrymen. The first person he saw was Rebekah, (Genesis 24:15) "...who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder." 


As a test, the servant asked for some water and the young woman offered him a drink right away. The girl was beautiful, and hospitable! She also went the extra mile and offered to water his camels. The servant responded by giving her a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold. Don't those bracelets sound pretty fine? A nice Wonder Woman look for sure, but would you want your nose rocking that heavy nose ring and drooping down to your mouth? But Rebekah must have found a way to work it.

Her family would have been agreeable to such a match from the start, given that they knew the family:) Rebekah was the granddaughter of Abraham's brother and therefore Isaac's second cousin. She was a virgin, most likely in her late teens or early twenties. Though her family was amenable to the match, once they saw those first three gifts for Rebekah, and accepted the gifts the servant brought for them from Abraham, they were more than enthusiastic. However, they wanted to have their daughter stay another ten days before sending her  on her way. In those days, when you left home, chances were pretty good, you left home forever. You would likely never see your loved ones again. But when they asked Rebekah what she wanted to do,  here's what she said:


Genesis 24:58 "Then they called Rebekah and said to her, 'Will you go with this man?' And she said, 'I will go.' So they sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and Abraham's servant and his men. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her:

'Our sister, may you become
the mother of thousands of ten

thousands;

and may your descendants possess

the gates of those who hate them."

The woman was ready to get hitched. Rebekah had her pumps dyed and ready! So she left with the servant and the men and the camels. On the way, she probably wondered about her husband-to-be, a man she'd never laid eyes on.

This next part seems like it was taken from the pages of a romance novel. Isaac was morning the death of his mother Sarah, whom he was close to. "And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming. Then Rebekah lifted her eyes and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from her camel; for she had said to the servant, 'Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?' Amd the servamt said. 'It is my master,' So she took a veil and covered herself...Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death (Genesis 24: 63-67). Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as his wife, but given the longevity of his father, Abraham, he was still a young whippersnapper.

At one point, there was a famine in Canaan and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar to find food. Rebekah was beautiful and Isaac was scared to tell the people there she was his wife. Instead, like his father before him, he claimed his wife was his sister. But one day, Abimelech looked through a window and saw the two “sporting” (a euphemism for sexual play, but also translates to “showing endearment—caressing) together, and confronted Isaac who admitted that he had been scared to tell anyone that Rebekah was his wife. Abimelech then proclaimed to the people that anyone who hurt Isaac or Rebekah would be put to death (Genesis 26).

In another parallel, just as with Sarah, Rebekah was barren. Isaac prayed, but didn't just pray, he pleaded with the Lord for his wife. And Rebekah conceived. However, Rebekah came up against another glitch. "But the children struggled within her; and she said, 'If all is well, why am I this way?'" She probably worried that something was terribly wrong. Many women died in childbirth in those days. But what did she do?  "So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her:

Two nations are in your womb,

Two peoples shall be separated from 

your body;

One people shall be stronger than the other,

And the older shall serve the younger

Rebekah gave birth to sons--fraternal twins. The first one to come out was red and covered with what they described as a hairy garment all over, so they called his name "Esau," which means hairy. So as the little sasquatch was being born, the second baby grabbed hold of Esau's heel, so they named him Jacob, which means "supplanter or deceitful." Isaac was sixty years old when he became a father.

Tradition says that as long as they were young, people did not notice much difference between the boys. But when they reached the age of 13, Jacob busied himself in the house of study, while Esau busied himself with idolatry. The descriptions of the two young men hint at their opposing spiritual natures: "The lads grew up and Esau became one who knows hunting, a man of the field; but Jacob was a wholesome man, abiding in tents." The boys were very different in appearance, as demonstrated in Genesis. 27:11 "And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother 'Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man.'" (The Dunaways recorded a very amusing song based on this title: "Esau was a Hairy, Hairy Man".)


 Just as with Isaac and Ishmael, the conflict and competition lasted their whole lives. But this competiton was probably fueled by blatant favortism. Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob Genesis 25:28 "And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob."


Esau married at the age of forty as well, but instead of finding an appropriate woman, someone in their kindred, he took two Hittite wives, Judith the daughter of Beeri and Basemath the daughter of Elon, who vexed Isaac and Rebecca to no end, as these women were also idol-worshippers, offering the smoke of incense that to their idols daily.

According to the Talmud, after the death of Abraham, Jacob prepared red lentil stew as a traditional mourner's meal for his father, Isaac. Esau begged him for some of it after he came home famished from hunting all day. The price of that meal was high. Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of beans. He probably walked away without giving what he had done another thought, but his actions that day changed everything.

When the time came for Isaac to die and to pass on his blessing to his oldest son, Rebekah devised a plan to have Jacob get the blessing instead. But then again, Rebekah remembered what God had told her when she inquired of him before the boys were born--that the older would serve the younger.

Rebekah overheard Isaac tell Esau to go hunting and bring some some savory game to cook for him so he could eat it and bless him before he died. 

Rebekah came up with a plan to have Jacob disguise himself to get the blessing from his nearly-blind father. (Gen 27:1-29) Jacob was afraid this deception would bring a curse on him but Rebekah said, Let your curse be on me (Genesis 27:13). 

Even though obtained by deception, the blessing could not be given twice (Gen 27:30-40). Esau was furious and made plans to murder his brother in an attempt to regain the blessing, but planned to do so after his father died. However, Rebekah found out about his murmurings, so she convinced Isaac to send Jacob away by telling him that she despaired of him marrying a local girl from the idol-worshipping families of Canaan (as Esau had done). Isaac agreed and and she sent him away to live with her brother Laban in Harran.

Interesting note: After Isaac sent Jacob away to find a wife, Esau realized that his own Canaanite wives were evil in his father's eyes, and he took a daughter of Isaac's half-brother Ishmael as another wife.

Rebekah's deception cost her dearly. Although she hoped Esau's anger would blow over and Jacob would soon return, perhaps with a wife and the later promise of grandchildren to bounce upon her knees, this would be the last she ever saw of her favorite son. She died before he was able to return many years later. Rebakah was buried in Hebron in the family tomb with Abraham, Sarah, Jacob and Leah. The is known as the Tomb of The Patriarchs.

There is an element of vindication for Rebekah after all. While on his journey to their kindred, Jacob has the Stairway to Heaven dream and God blesses him. It's one thing to have the blessing of your father on earth, but to have the blessing of your heavely father, is quite another. Jacob must have realized that God had a plan all along and though the methods he and his mother undertook to assure his blessing were deceptive, the end result was in line with God's will. However, if Jacob and Rebekah had done nothing except pray--if they had taken no physical action whatsoever to attain the blessing on their own, God would have seen to it that Jacob had the blessing anyway. 


Blessings do not come from our manueverings to acquire them--they come from God. It is up to us to trust that He will be true to His Word.

The Real Housewives Of The OT (Old Testament)--This Week featuring "Lot's Wife"--by Linda P. Kozar

Lot's Wife

"Looking back, I think I could have done things differently."

Even people who don't know much about the bible have heard of Lot's wife, the woman who turned into a condiment. Or is it a spice? If so, you might want to think of her as the original “Spice Girl.”

That's right, she turned into a pillar of salt. The manner of her demise--disobedience and death by salt is bad enough, but how would you like to be known through time immemorable, not by your own name, but only as somebody's wife?

Some commentaries claim her name was Aidith or Irith. A native of Sodom (or is is Sodium), it is likely she grew up there. Perhaps her exended family resided in that infamous city. She was mother to two daughters, although some speculate that she may have had four, two married daughters and two bethrothed. Since this cannot be proven otherwise,  we will assume she had two. The two daughters are mentioned in Genesis 19:8) as "virgins," and in (Genesis 19:14) 'Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were to marry his daughters. . ."

It is interesting to note that there are two sisters both in human form and allegorically in the two main cities destroyed by God. All the towns in the valley of Siddim were destroyed as well, with the exception of Zoar (I will explain why later). But what was the sin of Sodom and her sister city Gomorrah?

God Himself answers the question through Ezekiel in chapter 16:49-50 (The Message Bible), "'The sin of your sister Sodom was this: She lived with her daughters in the lap of luxury—proud, gluttonous, and lazy. They ignored the oppressed and the poor. They put on airs and lived obscene lives. And you know what happened: I did away with them."

Do a little research and it is easy to find people who claim God destroyed the cities and their inhabitants for merely being "inhospitable" to the poor. But there is no precedence for such a thing in the bible. The only scripture that even comes close (Matthew 10-14-15) references Jesus advising His disciples whom He sent to share the good news, "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town." For the best possible answer to our questions, we must turn to the best possible source--scripture.

Let's begin with Abraham in Genesis 18. At rest under the shade of a Terebinth tree, Abraham looks up and see's three "men" approach. He offered them hospitality, entreating them to rest a while with him under the shade. But later, when these men (angels) rose up to go, one of the "men," the Lord Himself, spoke to Abraham, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am going to do?" God had already pronounced judgment on the the city. He was going in person, to check it one last time. The Lord goes on to say:

"...Because the shriek [of the sins] of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is exceedingly grievous, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether [as vilely and wickedly] as is the cry of it which has come to Me; and if not, I will know." AMP

Abraham inquires of God if He would spare the city if only 50 righteous men were to be found there, and then to progressively lower numbers, to which God agrees each time. So God relents somewhat in His plan to destroy the city. The righteous, if any be found, will not be destroyed with the wicked.

"It was evening when the two angels came to Sodom. Lot was sitting at the city gate. Seeing them, Lot rose up to meet them and bowed to the ground. And he said, My Lords, turn aside, I beg of you, in your servant's house and spend the night and bathe your feet. Then you can arise early and go on your way. But they said, No, we will spend the night in the square" Genesis 19:1-2. AMP

Lot was afraid for the men. He didn't want them to stay in the square overnight. The city of Sodom had a bad reputation for its treatment of strangers. . .make that a bad reputation. . .period.

"Lot entreated and urged them greatly until they yielded and [with him] entered the house. And he made them a dinner [with drinking] and had unleavened bread which he baked and they ate. But before they lay down, the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, all the men from every quarter, surrounded the house" Genesis 19:2-3. AMP

And why did all the men from every part of the city crowd around the house?

"And they called to Lot and said, Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we my know (be intimate) with them. (from the Hebrew ya'da')" AMP

Lot stepped out the door and shut it behind him. He begged the men to stop behaving so wickedly, which only got them angry. They 'rushed at and pressed violently against Lot,' but before they could break down the door, the angels pulled Lot into the house and shut the door. Then the angels struck the men with blindness [which dazzled them], from the young to the very old, but they (still) kept groping for the door in vain.

The two angels asked Lot if he had sons, daughters, sons-in-law and that if so, he needed to get them out of the city right away. His sons-in-law did not take what he said seriously. So in the morning, the angels urged Lot to hurry. ". . .Arise, take your wife and two daughters who are here [and be off, lest you [too] be consumed and swept away in the iniquity and punishment of the city." But Lot and his family lingered, so the angels took him and his wife and daughters by the hand and led them out of the city, telling them to go to the mountains [of Moab] for safety. However, Lot begs them instead to allow him and his family to go to the city of Zoar (which means little). The angel agrees to let this particular city escape destruction for the sake of Lot and his family, which is the only reason Zoar survived. The angels would delay the destruction until the family arrived safely in the little city, and this was after the sun had 'risen high on the earth.'

This is where Lot's wife comes in. As they were traveling from Sodom to Zoar, she was behind Lot. His back to her—he could not see her. She must have been really bummed out to leave her life in Sodom to live in a small town. Leaving her comfy/cushy life in the city of Sodom behind to settle in Zoar would have been about as appealing as moving from New York City to a podunk town in the middle of nowhere. The temptation to look back must have been powerful since her husband could not see her do it. Her father’s house, family and friends were there. Everything she cared about was there. Surely one look back wouldn't hurt, right?


As the wife of Lot, she would have lived a wealthy, privileged lifestyle. Their home and possessions would have been luxurious. Aidith would have been attended by many servants. She would have been admired and looked up to in her society. If what the angels said was true, she was leaving behind everything she prided herself in, home, possessions, position. Would she have been totally immersed in the indulgence and morally decadent lifestyle of her countrymen as well? Though she was married to a righteous man, was there a part of her that dreaded leaving that part of her life behind? Sin has a way of seeping and creeping in--especially when we are surrounded by those engaging in it without reget, apology or repentence. In any case. she chose to disobey and was struck dead by the hand of God.


Lot's wife looked back to where her interests and substance were and she lingered behind--most likely overtaken by the fire and brimstone. What did she see? The power of God, the total destruction of the life she'd left behind. Her dead body became encrusted with salt which, grew larger over time. At the southern end of the Dead Sea, there is a mountain of salt called Jebel Usdum, the "Mount of Sodom"(about six miles long, three miles wide, and 1,000 feet high). Though it is covered with a crust of earth several feet thick, the rest of the mountain is said to be solid salt.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"--Matthew 6:21. Lot's wife looked back at the paltry treasures of the flesh, instead of looking forward to the eternal treasures of God. The Israelites had the same kind of problem. They were always looking back to Egypt, the place of oppression and captivity, thinking what was behind was better than what God had in store for them--because they were tired of the journey.

Mt. Sodom, Israel

Jude 1:5-7 "I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." AMP

God's word admonished us in Luke 17:32 to "Remember Lot's wife." Though salt is a presevative, symbolic of God's promise of eternal life to us (because salt preserves meat, hence flesh), the incrustation of salt which surrounded the body of Lot's wife, did little to preserve her from eternal damnation. Our lives can either serve as inspiration to others or serve as a warning. Sadly, the wife of Lot will forever serve as a warning to others to look forward, not behind, to obey, not disobey.

It would do us all good to revisit the following scripture, to remember that God both delivers and destroys. The wonder, the miracle is that He has given us the choice.

2 Peter 2:4-10 "For God did not [even] spare angels that sinned, but cast them into hell, delivering them to be kept there in pits of gloom till the judgment and their doom.    And He spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven other persons, when He brought a flood upon the world of ungodly [people].    And He condemned to ruin and extinction the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, reducing them to ashes [and thus] set them forth as an example to those who would be ungodly;    And He rescued righteous Lot, greatly worn out and distressed by the wanton ways of the ungodly and lawless--For that just man, living [there] among them, tortured his righteous soul every day with what he saw and heard of [their] unlawful and wicked deeds--Now if [all these things are true, then be sure] the Lord knows how to rescue the godly out of temptations and trials, and how to keep the ungodly under chastisement until the day of judgment and doom, And particularly those who walk after the flesh and indulge in the lust of polluting passion and scorn and despise authority. Presumptuous [and] daring [self-willed and self-loving creatures]! They scoff at and revile dignitaries (glorious ones) without trembling." AMP

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