About the Author of the Blogsite, Not the Author of the Bible::

About the Author of the Blogsite, Not the Author of the Bible: I was uncertain of how to accomplish this, mindful of Revelation 22:18-19, which says that nobody is to add to, or to take away from what was written in the Bible. After lots of prayerful contemplation, the Lord had it on my heart that I’m not to change the meaning of what is written in the Bible. He has also shown ways to add to people’s understating of that meaning, without altering the meaning, by putting that info within [brackets]. This is primarily accomplished with the KJV Bible and lots of prayers, but at times, BibleGateway.com, Biblehub.com, NIV Bible, Webster Dictionary, and other internet resources, as needed. Debra Seiling

About Understanding the Bible:

Understanding the Bible: After reading Isaiah 28:10 many times over the years and not totally understanding it, it recently became apparent to me that the Lord God has this passage as the means for understanding the Bible. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. Isaiah 28:10 KJV. Being prayerful about this passage, and looking up 'precept' in the Webster's Dictionary, it gave this passage a whole new meaning, once 'commandment' is substituted for 'precept'. Within brackets are additional words the Lord had on my heart to aid in understanding the meaning. For commandment must be [built up] upon commandment; commandment upon commandment; line upon line, line upon line; [developing understanding] here a little, and there a little.

The Table Format:

The Table Format: I was overwhelmed with how to explain the process for determining if someone had leprosy in Leviticus 13, which seemed very complicated. After praying, "Lord, if this is difficult for me to understand after reading it many times, how can this be explained to others?" The thought the Lord God had on my heart was for me to put it into a vertical chart to visually see the process. This made it much easier for me to follow the progression. After doing so, I prayed, "Lord, how can this be conveyed to readers, so that they can understand this process?" The thought the Lord God had on my heart was to put it within the lines of a table. Being a stiff-necked, stubborn person, as it's often called in the Bible, I prayed, asking the Lord God if He's sure that's really what He wanted me to do? I reluctantly put Leviticus 13 into a table format. When I read this difficult leprosy process within a table format, it suddenly became easier for me to understand. That's because it builds line upon line, as explained in the Understanding the Bible section. Shortly after that, the Lord God had it on my heart, to put all of The Books of the Bible in Smaller Chunks within a table format, to aid in understanding, line upon line.

6/22/2023

Judges 8:1-35 Gideon Conquering the Rest of the Midianites

 

Gideon Conquering the Rest of the Midianites

Judges 8:1-35    The Book of Judges [in Smaller Chunks]

The men of Ephraim [asked Gideon, Why have you [treated us like this,] that you [didn’t] call us, when you went to fight with the Midianites? And they [scolded] him sharply. [Gideon] said to them, What have I done now, in comparison to you? Isn’t gleaning the grapes of Ephraim better than the [grape harvest] of Abiezer?

God has delivered into your hands the princes of  the Midian: Oreb & Zeeb. What was I able to do in comparison to [all you’ve done?] Then, their anger [became less intense.] Gideon & the 300 men with him came to [the] Jordan [River] & [crossed] over, [still] pursuing [the Midianites.]

[Gideon asked,] the men of Succoth, I pray [that] you give loaves of bread to the people [who] follow me, [because] they [are] faint, [as they pursue] after Zebah & Zalmunna, Midian kings, [with me.] 

The princes of Succoth said, Are Zebah & Zalmunna in your hand now, that we should give bread to your army? Gideon [replied, After] the Lord has delivered Zebah & Zalmunna into [my] hand, I will then tear your flesh with the thorns & [stickers] of the wilderness. 

[Gideon] went up to Penuel & [asked] them [the same thing] & the men of Penuel answered him [like] the men of Succoth. Gideon also said to them, When I come back in peace, I will break down this tower. 

Now, Zebah & Zalmunna & their [army camp] of 15,000 [remaining] men left of the [army] of the children [people] of the east, were in Karko, because 120,000 men [who] drew the sword [were struck down.]

Gideon went up by [road of those who stayed] in tents on the east of Nobah & Jogbehah & [attacked the army by surprise, because the army felt safe.] When Zebah & Zalmunna fled, [Gideon] pursued after them & [captured] the 2 kings of Midian, [causing] all the [army to flee in panic.]

Gideon, the son of Joash, returned from battle before the sun was up & caught a young man of Succoth & [asked] him & he described [to Gideon, the location of] the princes of Succoth & the 77 elders.

[When Gideon] came to the men of Succoth & said, [Look,] Zebah & Zlmunnah, with whom you [ridiculed] me, saying, We won’t give bread to your [tired] men, [because I didn’t have] Zebah & Zalmunna in [my hands then.]

[Gideon] took the [77] elders of the city & taught the men of Succoth [a lesson] with thorns & [stickers] of the wilderness.

[Gideon] beat down the Tower of Penuel & [killed] the men of the city. [Gideon asked] Zebah & Zalmunna, What [kind] of men did you kill in Tabor? They answered, Like you are. Each one resembled the children of a king.

[Gideon] said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had [kept] them alive, I wouldn’t [kill] you. He [told] Jether, his firstborn, [Get] up & [kill] them. But [Jether didn’t,] because he was [young & afraid.] 

Then, Zebah & Zalmunna said [to Gideon,] You rise & [kill] us & [he did.] [Gideon] took the ornaments that were on their camel’s necks. The men of Israel said to Gideon, You, your son & your [descendants] rule over us, [because] you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.

[But] Gideon said to them, I won’t rule over you & neither shall my son rule over you, [but] the Lord shall rule over you. Gideon [told them, I desire a request [from] you, that every man would give me the earrings of their [plunder, since] they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites) & [they agreed.] 

They spread a garment [out] & every man [threw] on it the earrings [from their plunder.] The weight of the gold earrings he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold [in addition to] the ornaments, collars, the [Midianite king’s] purple [clothing] & chains [around] the necks of their camels.

Gideon made an ephod [of it] & put it in his city, Ophrah. All [of] Israel went [there & unfaithfully lusted] after it & [it] became a snare for Gideon & his [household.] [Judges 17:5 And the man, Michah, had a house of gods & made an ephod & a teraphim & consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.]

[Like this,] Midian was [defeated] before the children [people] of Israel & [could no longer lift] up their heads [before them.] [Israel] had [quiet & peace] for 40 years in the days of Gideon.

Jerubbaal [a.k.a. Gideon,] the son of Joash, went & [lived] in his own house & [fathered] 70 sons, [because] he had many wives. His [mistress] was in Shechem & she also [bore] a son to him & [his name was] Abimelech.

Gideon, son of Joash, died [at] a good old age & was buried in the [tomb] of Joash, his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. As soon as Gideon was dead, the [people] of Israel again turned & [played the unfaithful harlot worshiping] Baalim & made Baal Berith their god.

The children [people] of Israel [didn’t] remember the Lord their God, [Who] had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies on every side. Neither [did they show] kindness to the house of Jerubbaal [a.k.a. Gideon,] according to all the goodness he had shown to Israel.