Psalm 1

[Ziggy]

STUDY:
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

The counsel of the ungodly.
Exo 18:1
When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt;
And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God:
And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
What's that?
This guy don't know the Lord.
So.. ?
So who is he the Priest of ?
Midian, it says right there..
But who is Midian?
And where does he come from ?

Jethro, the Priest of Midian.
Midian: Midian or Midianite = "strife"
Gen 25:1
Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.

Who is she?
That's Midian's mom.

Keturah = "incense"
incense-altar

And she bare him Zimran, Zimran = "musician"
and Jokshan, Jokshan = "snarer"
and Medan, Medan = "contention"
and Midian, Midian or Midianite = "strife"
and Ishbak, Ishbak = "he releases"
and Shuah. Shuah = "wealth"

Looks like Abraham had his hands full huh?
Sure does.

And Jokshan begat Sheba, Sheba = "seven" or "an oath"
and Dedan. Dedan = "low country"
the son of Raamah and grandson of Cush. A son of Jokshan and grandson of Keturah
a place in south Arabia
Gen 10:6
And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.
Ham = "hot"
in late usage, a collective name for Egyptians

Would ya look at that ..
What?
Jethro the Priest of Midian who is of the lineage of Ham aka Egyptians, applauding Moses
for saving the people from the Egyptians..

let's just keep going..

 

[Ziggy]

Midian:
And the sons of Midian; Ephah, Ephah = "gloomy"
and Epher, Epher = "a calf"
and Hanoch, Enoch = "dedicated"
and Abida, Abida or Abidah = "my father knows"
and Eldaah. Eldaah = "God has known"
All these were the children of Keturah.

And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.
But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.

I wonder if they was jealous because they didn't get any of Abraham's inheritance, he ony gave them gifts and sent them away?
That's a good question.
Did you see that calf? Remind you of anything? huh huh??
You mean like the one Aaron had the people make from gold?
Yeah that one..
Old habits die hard, I think..

What's this got to do with the counsel of the ungodly that David put in his Psalm?
Well, I found this, and it's the very first time counsel is in the Bible. So I wnt to check it out.
And...:

And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.
And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?
And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God:
When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.
And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.
Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:
And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.

Gee, how come God didn't tell Moses to do that? Did God think Moses was too weak or he would have to carry the burden alone??
And this guy Jethro, what's his name? Jethro = "his abundance"
And his daughter is Moses' wife Zipporah Zipporah = "bird"

And isn't she the same one that was mad because Moses wanted to circumcise his son?

And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.
Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.
So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

Hmm, Doesn't sound like she's too fond of that covenant God made with Abraham,
does it?

So let's see.
Moses runs from Egypt. He ends up in Midian taking care of Jethro's sheep..hmm..
And marries his daughter.. little bird, who is mad because Moses wants to keep the covenant of Abraham.
So Moses goes to Egypt and frees the people of the covenant, takes them through the wilderness. Meets God in the mountain, where God gives him HIS law. And then out of the blue, here comes Jethro, roaming through the wilderness with his wife and two kids. And wants to counsel Moses on the best way to do the job God gave him to do...

So if Jethro didn't know God or about the Abrahamic covenant, because surely his daughter would of known.. then who is Jethro a Priest too?

You remember Joseph and when his brother's threw him in a pit?
yeah..
Gen 37:28
Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

We have to follow them, but I'm working on the Psalm for now..
I have a feeling that Jethro encouraged some tares to be planted in the wheat though.
He didn't have to tell Moses what to write, but he encouraged Moses to write the laws for them. And God never said to do any such thing.

Until Moses agreed it was a good idea.

Exo 18:19
Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:
And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.
Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.
If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.
So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said.

You see how sneaky and smooth that was?
Read the first line...I will give thee cousel, AND God SHALL be with thee.
He just about said, don't worry about it, it's cool, me and God we in this together for your own good. Only problem is He don't know God,
He just got finished saying yesterday that NOW he knew him because he let those covenant people GO!!
And then he says, If you agree and God tells you to, even though I just got finished saying, don't worry we got this..then this guy is making you promises about enduring, and it being easy... he sounds like a snake to me..
Just saying...
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

 

[Ziggy]

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Oh oh...:
What's up?
So, I went looking for the next time that word counsel came up and guess what?
What?
You remember Jethro, The Priest of Midian? Well it looks like Israel is going to war with the Midianites.
What for?
I dunno yet.. It has something to go with walking in the councel of the ungodly though.. I'm pretty sure.

Num 31:16
Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

I think I know who Jethro was the Priest for...
Who? :
Balak, King of the Midianites. Just sayin..
Oh this isn't good.. seems this Peor matter is where the um working women hang out at.
Peor = "cleft"
a mountain peak in Moab belonging to the Abarim range and near Pisgah
a false god worshipped in Moab; corresponds to Baal
an idol of the Moabites, in whose worship the women prostituted themselves.
So Israel is doing the wandering through the wilderness and there are wars and rumours of wars..oh my!
They have to fight a lot of people because they won't let Israel pass through. So battle after battle and war after war
until they end up in the plains of Moab.
And that's where Baalam and Balak are having a discussion about cursing the Israelites. And Baalam can't do it.
He keeps blessing them and Balak gets mad.
Num 23:28
And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon.
And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.
And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
And Baalam Blessed them a third time.. and Balak was very upset.

Those wicked women..
What happened?
Num 25:1
And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.

You know what I'm thinking?? ;)
I'm afraid to ask..
Israel the sons of God, messing with the daughters of men..
No way!!..
Says so right there, don't ya see it??
That's another thread.. we're looking for ungodly counsel..
I know.. I just figure while we're here to point it out is all.. keep going..

Num 25:4
And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.
And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor.
And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;
And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.

EEEK!
I couldn't have said it better..
So what was the plague? :
Only thing I can figure is running after idols and messing with the women.. It just says, after that the plague was stayed. :
Well, God was mad because they was sinning and they wasn't walking with him, so maybe the plague was God's anger?
And if they kept doing what they was doing then God have to bring another flood. But he already promised not to do that with the Rainbow and Noah, so... he couldn't flood them, he just had to stop it before it spread.... like a plague..

so what happened after that? Where is the counsel of the ungodly?

We're getting there. You can't just drop a verse out of thin air.. you have to have context, context, context..

Num 25:14
Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites.
And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian.
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Vex the Midianites, and smite them:
For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake.

Beguiled huh? Where have I heard that before?
Gen 3:13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

God tells Moses to go to war with the Midianites because of what happened in Peor,

Num 31:1
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.
And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD of Midian.

So The Israelites go to war and they kill all the men and they take all their goods, but they keep the women alive.
And the army comes back with all the stuff and Moses is FURIOUS!
How come?
Well, that's where that counsel of the ungodly comes in. Sure took a while to get here. But it was fun doing it.

Num 31:14
And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.
And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?
Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

Oh, so it was Balaam who told the women to entice Israel to follow after idols and commit fornication.. wait a minute..wait a minute..
isn't that that SCARY LADY JEZEBEL!!!
Job 1:7
And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. ;)

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

 

[amadeus]

Do you suppose that some of that same Midianitish spirit is involved in the existence of the apparently thousands of denominations based on the same Bibles but at times holding firmly to diametrically opposed doctrines? Kind of like we sometimes may see in the debates or arguments or declarations made even on this forum? Which side is God on?

"And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.
But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
For he that is not against us is on our part." John 9:38-40

 

[Nancy]

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Oh oh...:
What's up?
So, I went looking for the next time that word counsel came up and guess what?
What?
You remember Jethro, The Priest of Midian? Well it looks like Israel is going to war with the Midianites.
What for?
I dunno yet.. It has something to go with walking in the councel of the ungodly though.. I'm pretty sure.

Num 31:16
Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

I think I know who Jethro was the Priest for...
Who? :
Balak, King of the Midianites. Just sayin..
Oh this isn't good.. seems this Peor matter is where the um working women hang out at.
Peor = "cleft"
a mountain peak in Moab belonging to the Abarim range and near Pisgah
a false god worshipped in Moab; corresponds to Baal
an idol of the Moabites, in whose worship the women prostituted themselves.
So Israel is doing the wandering through the wilderness and there are wars and rumours of wars..oh my!
They have to fight a lot of people because they won't let Israel pass through. So battle after battle and war after war
until they end up in the plains of Moab.
And that's where Baalam and Balak are having a discussion about cursing the Israelites. And Baalam can't do it.
He keeps blessing them and Balak gets mad.
Num 23:28
And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon.
And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.
And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
And Baalam Blessed them a third time.. and Balak was very upset.

Those wicked women..
What happened?
Num 25:1
And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.

You know what I'm thinking?? ;)
I'm afraid to ask..
Israel the sons of God, messing with the daughters of men..
No way!!..
Says so right there, don't ya see it??
That's another thread.. we're looking for ungodly counsel..
I know.. I just figure while we're here to point it out is all.. keep going..

Num 25:4
And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.
And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor.
And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;
And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.

EEEK!
I couldn't have said it better..
So what was the plague? :
Only thing I can figure is running after idols and messing with the women.. It just says, after that the plague was stayed. :
Well, God was mad because they was sinning and they wasn't walking with him, so maybe the plague was God's anger?
And if they kept doing what they was doing then God have to bring another flood. But he already promised not to do that with the Rainbow and Noah, so... he couldn't flood them, he just had to stop it before it spread.... like a plague..

so what happened after that? Where is the counsel of the ungodly?

We're getting there. You can't just drop a verse out of thin air.. you have to have context, context, context..

Num 25:14
Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites.
And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian.
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Vex the Midianites, and smite them:
For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake.

Beguiled huh? Where have I heard that before?
Gen 3:13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

God tells Moses to go to war with the Midianites because of what happened in Peor,

Num 31:1
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.
And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the LORD of Midian.

So The Israelites go to war and they kill all the men and they take all their goods, but they keep the women alive.
And the army comes back with all the stuff and Moses is FURIOUS!
How come?
Well, that's where that counsel of the ungodly comes in. Sure took a while to get here. But it was fun doing it.

Num 31:14
And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.
And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?
Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

Oh, so it was Balaam who told the women to entice Israel to follow after idols and commit fornication.. wait a minute..wait a minute..
isn't that that SCARY LADY JEZEBEL!!!
Job 1:7
And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. ;)

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

I must say Ziggy,
You have a very colorful and entertaining way of expressing your scripture I would love to comment more but then, How'd I ever get to the other posts?
Haha.
Very good study on the "council of the ungodly"
:)

 

[Ziggy]

Do you suppose that some of that same Midianitish spirit is involved in the existence of the apparently thousands of denominations based on the same Bibles but at times holding firmly to diametrically opposed doctrines? Kind of like we sometimes may see in the debates or arguments or declarations made even on this forum? Which side is God on?

"And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.
But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
For he that is not against us is on our part." John 9:38-40

Thank You Amadeus!
I belive that it's that same spirit of Jezebel in the church of Thyatira in Revelation, that still plagues the church today.
Today most churches are a business. I don't know much about owning one, but it sure seems like easy money.
If I can stand on stage (which I can't because I got stage fright) and tell stories and make people feel good, AND get paid for it,
maybe there are a lot of people that like that recognition, that fame. I think Jesus called them hypocrites.
And maybe it's not just the money, maybe it's being the center of importance, like a god, to all the people.
I'm not saying all are bad, I'm sure there are good ones that let God run the church instead of themselves. But I don't see too many on tv. And I been to a few different denominations and some were real cold and others were too noisy. I stopped going a long time ago because Paul said God's spirit would teach us and we didn't need man to teach us, Even though God set some in the church to be teachers, I don't believe they all are.
And I'm not preaching or teaching, I'm just studying. And I'm not trying to persuade any one's opinions one way or the other. But if, someone reads my notes maybe they will see something I missed. Or show me where I might have misunderstood a meaning. And that's great because we're all learning. And the way I see it is, there are a lot of lessons to learn in this life. And God gave us a road map and put up all kinds of signs to watch for. You got stop and go, beware and hazard zones. Rest areas and places to stop and eat. Kind of like travelling down a highway.
And sometimes you miss an exit and someone come along and give you better directions. Or sometimes you have ones that try to get you off course. And then there's the weather. Some days is sunny and you can see clearly, other days the fog is so thick, nothing makes sense.
You can get a flat tire or run out of gas.
I know someday I will reach the destination, but right now it's all about the journey. And the adventures. AND the TREASURES!!
Right now I'm studying road blocks and caution signs. Things you should watch out for when you get tired. And instead of pulling over and letting God, you just keep on driving headlong into a ditch, and find yourself eating at Jezebel's table.
The only time, in my opinion, when you find yourself at that table, is when you stop looking for God's buffet that he provides.
And I think we are all driving on the same highway. Some got better vehicles than others. Some know different languages. Some have better education. Some are fancy and some are just junkyard junkies lol. Mines not perfect but it needs fixing now and then. And so I take it to God. Did you know he is great mechanic :)
And which side is God on? I believe he is always on the side of the students in his class. At the end when we graduate I think he would like to give us all a diploma :)

HUGS Amadeus!
Thank you

 

[Ziggy]

I must say Ziggy,
You have a very colorful and entertaining way of expressing your scripture I would love to comment more but then, How'd I ever get to the other posts?
Haha.
Very good study on the "council of the ungodly"
:)

Thank You Nancy!
I have a feeling that sometimes not everyone that visits a forum is a grownup. Maybe it's the first time they ever thought to check one out.
I just try to make it fun and easy. Like I'm reading storytime in a library. I remember mom taking me on weekends and we would get to pick a book and a nice lady would sit and read them. And she would make faces and make her voice all different pitches.
I really enjoyed going and it made it fun to listening.
Thank You for you comment!

And that's just the first sentence in Psalm 1.. I got a looooong way to go.. hahaha
HUGS

 

[Ziggy]

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

All this walking and standing and sitting.. sure does give you a lot of exercise..:)
Well we looked at what kinds of counsel the ungoly can give. And sometimes it can sound like good advice. But if it don't come from God, it's better we just wait and make sure it's what He wants and not what's the easy or less burdensome to do.
Jesus din't say this was gonna be an easy journey. He said we would have to carry our cross with us, but that he would walk and talk and help us all along the way. And sometimes when it's too heavy he will hold up our arms and our spirits so we don't give up. :)

Standing in the way of sinners. I looked up a different translation to see if it would make it easier to know the meaning.
The NLT puts it this way:
Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.

Standing around with sinners. What does a sinner look like?
A person that sins.
What's sin and how do you know what it looks like?
Well, there's only one way to find out. Get your road map.. :)

Sin: chatta'ath
sin, sinful
condition of sin, guilt of sin
punishment for sin

The first time I find sin in the Bible is when God is talking to Cain about not being happy with his offering, But this description doesn't really say what sin is. So we'll keep going.
I had to go all the way to 1 John to find out what sin is. But there are lots and lots of things about sin. Just was hard to find what the beginning of it is.
1Jo 3:4
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
What is a transgression?
Well in the Greek it says this: anomia
Did you say ammonia?
No silly.. anomia. and this is how it is decribed:

the condition of without law
because ignorant of it
because of violating it
contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness

That sounds like ammonia to me..like it stinks. :
I'm sure the more we learn the stinkier it will be. So Sin is being without, ignorant of, or violating the law.
It is iniquity and wickedness.

And we're not to stand in the paths with people who stink right?
Let's just call it what God says.. sinners ok, be nice..
Alright..:)
Because we all stink sometimes. ;)
But we aught to try to avoid being friends and hanging out with people that do it all the time.
Some people don't know (ignorant) they are doing it, and others sometimes do it (violate) on purpose.
Well, where did it come from?
From the devil himself..
1Jo 3:8
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
All the way back in the beginning? Back with Cain or before that?
I believe it started in the Garden of Eden when God told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of knowledge. But the devil was there
deceiving Eve, and promised her all kinds of things. And she didn't listen to her husband Adam, and she didn't listen to God. She listened to that serpent.
That sounds just like the counsel of the ungodly! :cool:
They sure do seem to go hand in hand.
I wonder if that serpent was that same SCARY LADY JEZEBEL!!

 

[Ziggy]

That's an interesting thought. The serpent brought Eve over to his table and had her eat the fruit from the tree she was told not to.
And the devil told her that she would be just like God and would know how to do everything he does. And the devil told Eve that she was her own Idol and she could worship herself.
And it gets even worse. Then she.. she.. told Adam to eat of the fruit too! She did the same thing the serpent did.
That's what you get for talking to strangers..

So once they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they realized they had broken God's law.
And remember the the meanings of the word sin?
Sin: chatta'ath
sin, sinful
condition of sin, guilt of sin
punishment for sin
And they knew they was naked (condition) , and they covered themselves with leaves and hid themselves (guilt) .
And God was walking in the Garden looking for them, and when he knew what they done he was mad.
Why was he so mad??
Because God knew that the wages (punishment) they would receive for the evil work they done would cost them their life.
And instead of receiving a reward as good and faithful servants, they had to pay the price for what they did.
Isn't that one of those Parables Jesus said, about the one with the talents?
I believe you may be right.. but we'll work on parables another time.

So what was the law they broke?

The first one and the biggest one of all, that is the first one.
Thou shalt Love the Lord thy God with all your heart and mind and might.
and the second..
And not to have any other gods before him.

When Eve decided to eat at Jezebel's.. I mean the serpents tree and eat the fruit, She wan't trusting God to provide for her. Even though they had the whole gardent to eat from, She believed the serpent when he said God was trying to hide things from her. And she didn't want to wait for him to teach her. She didn't even want to wait for her husband to teach her. So She fell out of Love for God and put herself first instead. She thought that she could be a god.

The third thing she did was put words in God's mouth saying he said things he never said. She didn't have respect for the words he spoke.
That would be the third. Taking the Lord God's name in vain.

Remember God was not in the garden when Eve went to find the tree? God was in his resting place, because it was the Sabbath day,
And if they was there resting with him, probably none of this would of happened but it did.
Instead they was doing their own work plucking fruit off the tree.
So they broke the fourth. Remember to keep the Sabbath.

And the fifth one says to honour your father and your mother. And God is our Father. And because they disobeyed, they weren't honouring him at all.

The sixth one is thou shalt not murder. And I believe that when Eve gave Adam the fruit she basically stabbed him in the heart.
And maybe she did it ignorantly by making him eat the poison too, nevertheless it happened.

The seventh one is Thou shalt not commit adultery. This one is a little hard to explain but I'll try.
When there is a relationship or a bond between God and man, or man and woman, it is a promise to only be with that one only.
It's the marriage between a husband and a wife. Or a relationship with God and his people.
And when that bond gets broken and one of them go and have a relationship with another, that's called adultery.
And because Eve by listening to the serpent rather than God or her husband, she commited adultert in her heart.

The eighth one is Thou shalt not steal. And the fruit that she ate and the tree it was on wasn't hers. God told them not to touch it, and they stole the fruit. And with the fruit, they also stole the knowledge of good and evil. She tried to steal God's glory and make it her own.
Whole lots of stealing going on there.

The Ninth one is Thou shalt not bear false witness. And this one is kind of sneaky. Bearing false witness is accusing someone of doing something they didn't do. And I'm going to go out on a limb here and say Eve bear false witness on that serpent.
She put herself in the wrong place (at the tree) at the wrong time (on the sabbath) and wanted something that didn't belong to her. She wasn't honouring God she commited adultery (in her heart) on Adam, She stole the fruit and gave poison to Adam and then said..
The devil made me do it..

The tenth one is Thou shalt not covet, the one I just mentioned about her wanting something that didn't belong to her, Not the Tree, not the fruit, not the knowledge, and neither a relationship with the devil, and she coveted being a god herself.

So with one tiny bite Adam and Eve broke every law and that's how sin entered into the world. And that's why we are punished with death. Because if man never died, then sin would overule and everything God had created would of been in vain.

And these are the kinds of people we're not to be keeping company with. The ones who do these things and mostly the ones who know better and still do it. There's all kinds of sins in the bible. But they all seem to have all their roots in all of these.
But Jesus told us the easiest way to remember all of the is to just remember two. Because between the two of these all the others will fall in place.

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Just two? That don't seem so hard..
Sometimes it's really hard, and we have to keep them in our hearts and minds and with all our might. :)

That's not the end of the story is it!
Oh no, that's just the falling down part.. wait till we get to the being lifted up part!
But right now we're wroking on Psalm 1 and we have ro finish that first. :)

 

[VictoryinJesus]

And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.
But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.

A few thoughts on ‘gave all that he had to Isaac’ his son. Yet to the sons of the concubines gave he gifts.
Matthew 21:33-34 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: [34] And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
...but in the parable they killed the servants sent. (Imo) by killing those servants sent to the husbandmen, there was no fruit when opportunity was given by the husbandmen towards the servants who came with gifts: ‘to bear fruit’ ‘when the time of the fruit drew near’.

I wonder if they was jealous because they didn't get any of Abraham's inheritance, he ony gave them gifts and sent them away?

Psalm 68:18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.

Acts 11:15-18 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, as on us at the beginning. [16] Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. [17] Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? [18] When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

Romans 10:19-20 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. [20] But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.

 

[amadeus]

Thank You Amadeus!
I belive that it's that same spirit of Jezebel in the church of Thyatira in Revelation, that still plagues the church today.
Today most churches are a business. I don't know much about owning one, but it sure seems like easy money.
If I can stand on stage (which I can't because I got stage fright) and tell stories and make people feel good, AND get paid for it,
maybe there are a lot of people that like that recognition, that fame. I think Jesus called them hypocrites.
And maybe it's not just the money, maybe it's being the center of importance, like a god, to all the people.
I'm not saying all are bad, I'm sure there are good ones that let God run the church instead of themselves. But I don't see too many on tv. And I been to a few different denominations and some were real cold and others were too noisy. I stopped going a long time ago because Paul said God's spirit would teach us and we didn't need man to teach us, Even though God set some in the church to be teachers, I don't believe they all are.

Although earlier in my life I certainly did not even consider the possibility, but now looking back... my own Catholic experience [ended in about 1961] was perhaps the best when it comes to the "church" not being run as a business for the benefit of the top dog or the few top dogs at the top of the local hierarchy. I am able to say this because my very good own experience with the two priests and the 4 nuns in that parish. In them I never saw any attempt for their own glory or fame or monetary increase. In all of the rest of the churches to follow, which were all what men now name Protestant, I was always able to see some of those things in the leadership. To be honest, when I was Catholic, I was a very naive young man, so I am sure I was unaware of many things.

God has provided us with ministers as per:

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:" Eph 4:11-13

Many have truly been called and sent/given by God, but too many have not; or worse they have been called and sent but let their own selfish interests become more important than the first things of God.

 

[amadeus]

And I'm not preaching or teaching, I'm just studying. And I'm not trying to persuade any one's opinions one way or the other. But if, someone reads my notes maybe they will see something I missed. Or show me where I might have misunderstood a meaning. And that's great because we're all learning. And the way I see it is, there are a lot of lessons to learn in this life. And God gave us a road map and put up all kinds of signs to watch for. You got stop and go, beware and hazard zones. Rest areas and places to stop and eat. Kind of like travelling down a highway.
And sometimes you miss an exit and someone come along and give you better directions. Or sometimes you have ones that try to get you off course. And then there's the weather. Some days is sunny and you can see clearly, other days the fog is so thick, nothing makes sense.
You can get a flat tire or run out of gas.
I know someday I will reach the destination, but right now it's all about the journey. And the adventures. AND the TREASURES!!
Right now I'm studying road blocks and caution signs. Things you should watch out for when you get tired. And instead of pulling over and letting God, you just keep on driving headlong into a ditch, and find yourself eating at Jezebel's table.
The only time, in my opinion, when you find yourself at that table, is when you stop looking for God's buffet that he provides.
And I think we are all driving on the same highway. Some got better vehicles than others. Some know different languages. Some have better education. Some are fancy and some are just junkyard junkies lol. Mines not perfect but it needs fixing now and then. And so I take it to God. Did you know he is great mechanic :)
And which side is God on? I believe he is always on the side of the students in his class. At the end when we graduate I think he would like to give us all a diploma :)

HUGS Amadeus!
Thank you

In response to this part of your post, a memory returned to me, a testimony of my old pastor. I have posted it on this on this forum before... but long before you were a member:

Many years ago, a great many years before I had met them, my old pastor and his wife were traveling by automobile returning from a church fellowship meeting in Kansas City to their home in Seattle, WA. Somewhere along the highway in Wyoming my pastor missed his turn ending up on the wrong highway. When he took the wrong turn, his wife was sure it was wrong and told her husband. He effectively told her she was the one in error for he knew these roads like the back of his hand and she should to tend to her knitting. She held her peace and they drove mile after mile through the barren wide open country with no towns, no houses, no people... and very few other vehicles. He finally opened his mouth to admit that he may have missed his turn as things were not looking right. They saw a sign for a gas station up ahead and they needed fuel. He filled the tank and asked the attendant for directions to continue their trip to Seattle. The attendant told him that he had missed the best way about 50 miles back. My pastor asked him if there wasn't a shortcut they could take to get back on the right highway. The answer was that there was no short cut. The shortest way to get back on the right highway was to go back those 50 miles. He turned the car around and retraced his way to the missed turnoff to home. His wife was a woman of God and never gave him any kind of an 'I told you so' lecture or remark. He, on the other hand, apologized to her. He had learned something about himself and about his wife. God was working on him even then...

They were married for 66 years. She passed away in 2012 of pancreatic cancer. He lives on at age 95. He was removed as pastor of his church by some of those glory seekers you mentioned in 2018 and lives alone in a little trailer behind the church building that he built. My pastor and his wife never had any natural children so he has outlived all natural family on both sides. I still visit him once a week and he stills speaks kindly even of the worst instigators of his removal. He does not visit his old church even though it is only a few steps away from his little home. But he still drives to church fellowship meetings elsewhere regularly when they have them. With this Covid 19 lockdown the number of meetings held has diminished considerably, but he still drives many more miles than I do... His ministry continues to be what he does. As you can imagine it was a very hard road when he lost his wife...

 

[VictoryinJesus]

STUDY:
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

The counsel of the ungodly.
Exo 18:1
When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt;
And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God:
And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
What's that?
This guy don't know the Lord.
So.. ?
So who is he the Priest of ?
Midian, it says right there..
But who is Midian?
And where does he come from ?

Jethro, the Priest of Midian.
Midian: Midian or Midianite = "strife"
Gen 25:1
Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.

Who is she?
That's Midian's mom.

Keturah = "incense"
incense-altar

And she bare him Zimran, Zimran = "musician"
and Jokshan, Jokshan = "snarer"
and Medan, Medan = "contention"
and Midian, Midian or Midianite = "strife"
and Ishbak, Ishbak = "he releases"
and Shuah. Shuah = "wealth"

Looks like Abraham had his hands full huh?
Sure does.

And Jokshan begat Sheba, Sheba = "seven" or "an oath"
and Dedan. Dedan = "low country"
the son of Raamah and grandson of Cush. A son of Jokshan and grandson of Keturah
a place in south Arabia
Gen 10:6
And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.
Ham = "hot"
in late usage, a collective name for Egyptians

Would ya look at that ..
What?
Jethro the Priest of Midian who is of the lineage of Ham aka Egyptians, applauding Moses
for saving the people from the Egyptians..

let's just keep going..

not sure if you have already posted on this passage but I was reading this morning and thought of your post when coming to: Judges 7:13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.

 

[Ziggy]

2Ki 4:42 And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.
2Ki 4:43 And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.
2Ki 4:44 So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.

 

[VictoryinJesus]

2Ki 4:42 And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.
2Ki 4:43 And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.
2Ki 4:44 So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.

I’m not stalking you. With so much debates going ‘round’ and ‘round’ the same topics (starting to feel like a dog chasing its tail in endless circles) ....your threads and post are a refreshing change.

 

[amadeus]

I’m not stalking you. With so much debates going ‘round’ and ‘round’ the same topics (starting to feel like a dog chasing its tail in endless circles) ....your threads and post are a refreshing change.

Even so...! Give God the glory!

 

[Ziggy]

It started with the counsel of the ungodly, and how through subtilty it can turn you away from what God says.
Baalim is told to go and talk with Balak (using memory here bear with me) and he gets up to go after kind of protesting to God, like..you sure?
Along the way his donkey encounters and angel and won't let her pass. Well you know the story, Baalim gets mad, beats the donkey, and then opens Baalims eyes so he can see the angel.
I wondered, after God told him to go and he went, why was the angel standing in the way preventing him?
God told Baalim before he left to speak only God's words. And I think Baalim was going to use his own words, so God had to show him, He wasn't messing around.
What does this have to do with the counsel of the ungodly?
It's doesn't, it's rather the opposite and God's counsel.
When He tells you what to do or what to say, He doesn't mean do it your way.
And if you do it His way it will always work out best.

VictoryInJesus, I am so thankful for your company.
Let's follow Him together :)

HUGS

 

[Grailhunter]

So if Jethro didn't know God or about the Abrahamic covenant, because surely his daughter would of known.. then who is Jethro a Priest too?

Jethro was Pagan. This is how Miriam got in trouble because she was scolding Moses for marrying a Pagan woman. Miriam was the sister of Moses and Aaron.