I wouldn't think 45'd be bad for ya. If the guy's nice and respectful, I'd say go where the Lord leads.

I still check in at JSH. I don't like those other sites, whatever they are called. Didn't like the color scheme and didn't like how they (didn't) work either so this'll be cool till it goes dead or something.

OK, so if you don't want to be good so you won't burn, couldn't you accept the Lord for other reasons? Was it not enough he gave his Son's life for us? Was it not enough that his Son's death set us free from the consequences of our own rotten actions? Is a good reason to turn to God a desire to have the help and counsel of the creator of the universe?

If that ain't enough, you probably aren't ready, but God'll be a'waitin for you when you are. If not, you meet him and answer for your refusal to come to him after you die. Your choice as to what to tell him about your life, eh?

Yah. Put the wine down and check out the book. It was written by men inspired by the Holy Spirit, the agent of God sending his word and intent to men on earth. If someone writes you a letter don't you read it? Better start crackin'!

Suppose it was the bio of cleopatra or a diary for Indiana Jones. Same thing. A lot of history in the book as well as thoughts, poetry and prophecy.

Tell me of another book that has great stories like these in it? And I never saw Jabeh-Gillead in any comic books or Mad magazine, either. Or at the liquor store, for that matter.

I like my cookies better without the styrofoam. You better toss those other ones.

Hey, it was sergeants like me that wrote them lines for Jessup. No. It's not an emotional crutch. It's what the creator of the universe has taught me. He's got an open offer of assistance and forgiveness for anyone willing to turn towards his way (repent), believe he died for us and was ressurrected and ask his forgiveness. Are you game?

He's not a prophet that knows it all, but you are Sam.

Why should God have to mess with Jabesh-Gillead? The Hebrews were on their way to mess with them anyway. He just issued the guidance and they all dealt with the consequences later.

That's how it works. God issues guidance, man acts, then there's follow-up. It's kind of like a cosmic tennis match. Serve & volley, you know?

The last time I called a suicide hotline in the mideast they got all excited and asked if I could drive a truck!

10. Zecchariah was talking about when God was fed up with Judah and Israel. There came a day when he allowed the Babylonians to wipe out Jerusalem and carry away captives. God won't fool with people endlessly. Eventually their rotten deeds catch up with them. You can drink for years before cirrhosis catches up with you. You can live with social diseases for years before the consequences catch up.

When people disregard God's laws and wisdom there are consequences, often drastic ones. My consequences caused me to turn toward God eventually. I guess they're designed to do that.

We're given ample warning about things in God's word and ample guidance in the word. Will you study it and learn about it? Seems you've made a start of surveying the Old Testament here.

The Lord's made provision for us and wants us to turn our hearts and our lives over to him. If you're ready you can ask him in and start life anew this very day. Are you game? Are ya? Go ahead. Make my day.

8/9: These weren't so much rules for sex slavery as rules for slavery, period. Slavery was more or less a common thing in those days and carried on into New Testament times (and into our own country's 1800s). Not that I agree with the concept. But, it went on, and God saw fit to regulate it.

And what's a little slavery between friends, after all? (just joking here, of course).

7. God's not so much condoning forcible rape here as he is laying down some guidance for some situations that might happen. He doesn't condone abuse of women or anyone else, for that matter. Read what's said about marriage in the Gospels, how Moses said people could give a bill of divorcement but I say....

6. In David's punishment, it's again a case of consequences for ones' actions. Granted, the consequences are pretty drastic, but that is what happened. It's a warning to us. I've faced similar consequences (death and disaster) and it ain't pretty. God's way is always best and when we don't walk that way, there are some drastic consequences at times. The Bible outlines this quite graphically. The question is, then, will we listen, or not?

Deut 22 has to be looked at in the spirit of the times.

In God's eyes, a man and woman who sleep together or have relations are married. Thus the pay 50 shekels and carry on thing. These things happened.

You have to read the stoning thing carefully. He's saying if the woman doesn't cry out, she's a willing participant. This was looked down upon (to put it mildly) in those days and thus the stoning thing. But what'd Jesus do when he found a woman about to be stoned? And what'd Jesus tell the adulterous woman at the well (and not the woman ran and told everyone about the Lord's forgiveness afterwards).

It's a biblical thing. You wouldn't understand.

But I'm glad you're looking into things and asking questions. It's a start, at any rate.

The Deuteronomy 20 thing is again, a case of following the Lord. If you don't follow God, you get destroyed. If you're agreeable, you get took over and you get to live. Which path will you chose?

The Midianite thing is another example of God giving commands that had to be followed. Moses was ticked when the commands were thwarted. I don't know why the keep the virgins thing was proclaimed. Probably because those women were more pure than the women living with men that had already introduced them to idol worship. The principle these days is driving evil out of our lives. We should eliminate anything that is not of God. It's the plucking out eyes and chopping off hands thing in the gospels. Dig?

OK. I'll deal with the Jabesh-Gillead thing first. That was the Lord telling the Israelites to clean out a town. There's repeated examples in the Old Testament of the Lord cleaning house: the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, Jabwesh-Gillead, etc. etc. etc.

Your basic OT history'll tell you that the Isralites had bad results when they mixed with the locals. Idol worship and all kinds of bad ju ju resulted so God wasn't real wild about his people mixing with furriners. Hence, Jabesh-Gillead.

The Benjaminites needed to perpetuate their tribe, they went to the powers that be and the powers that be sanctioned the taking of some young women. Rape's mostly defined by the powers that be and in that case, they declared that it wasn't. It perpetuated the Benjaminite tribe and they weren't going by today's standards. There's words to the effect in Acts that certain things were sanctioned by people before they had the law and they knew better and these days those things don't fly.
That's one reason the multiple marriage and concubinage of the OT didn't carry over into NT times, too.

Hey, it's the least I can do. God tells us to share what he's shared with us, ya know?

Roses are red
Violets are blue
I had hayfever today
and sneezes for you.

Wow. A talking dog. (Greyhound) Whaddya know!