Category Archives: Biblical Creatures

Sunday Brunch – Samson – Judges Chapter 13

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Welcome to this episode of Sunday Brunch. The Sunday Brunch blog posts are warm and inviting, encouraging discussion about the Bible.  

This blog post was sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like stories about faith and Christianity then you must read Loving Luke by Cecelia Dowdy. Loving Luke is about a reunion between Luke and Kim, two childhood sweethearts. It’s a Christmas novel full of love, regrets, and second chances. There’s also a bakery and plenty of delicious desserts wrapped within this amazing story. Can Luke and Kim find the courage to overcome their hang-ups and learn to love again? Loving Luke has been an Amazon bestselling novel with several 5-star reviews! Purchase today and tell your friends by sharing this blog post!

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Judges Chapter 13

Do you remember learning about Samson in Sunday School? What do you remember about him?

Let’s read and discuss Samson’s life as told in the Old Testament. We will start with Chapter 13 – moving forward with other chapters in later podcasts. When I share Chapter 13, I will read each verse, sharing my thoughts in between the verses. If you are reading this, my thoughts are bolded in brackets.

The Birth of Samson

Chapter 13

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years. [I find it interesting as to how stubborn the Israelites were. They breaking God’s law and the Lord would punish them many times in the Old Testament.]

2 A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth. [Reading about Manoah’s childless wife reminds me of Sarah and Rachel in the Old Testament. Both of these women had fertility issues. Rachel even bargained for her sister, Leah’s, mandrakes. Mandrakes were a fertility stimulant and it’s hinted that Rachel was hoping that eating these would assist in her getting pregnant by her husband Jacob.] 3 The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. [Verse #4 reminds me about the advice that is given to pregnant women nowadays. Pregnant women are told not to drink alcohol and not to smoke.] 5 You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” [From my research, the Nazarite vow is usually taken voluntarily by an individual. In Samson’s case, he’s taking the vow via a command made to his parents. Those taking the Nazarite vow one was to abstain from alcohol, as well as grapes! The vowers were not even allowed to eat grape seeds or skins! I wonder why? What would be wrong with eating unfermented grapes, or, grape juice? Read Numbers 6:3-7 to find out more about this.]

6 Then the woman went to her husband and told him, “A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. [I’ve always wondered what it would be like to see an angel while still on this earth. I’ve read of those who’ve claimed to see angels, and it sounds like a mesmerizing, awesome experience! I’ve also noticed in the Bible that when angels are mentioned, they are usually male.] I didn’t ask him where he came from, and he didn’t tell me his name. 7 But he said to me, ‘You will become pregnant and have a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from the womb until the day of his death.’”

8 Then Manoah prayed to the Lord: “Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.”

9 God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. 10 The woman hurried to tell her husband, “He’s here! The man who appeared to me the other day!”

11 Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, “Are you the man who talked to my wife?”

“I am,” he said.

12 So Manoah asked him, “When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy’s life and work?”

13 The angel of the Lord answered, “Your wife must do all that I have told her. 14 She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her.”

15 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “We would like you to stay until we prepare a young goat for you.”

16 The angel of the Lord replied, “Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the Lord.” (Manoah did not realize that it was the angel of the Lord.) [It’s interesting that the angel did not eat Manoah’s food – since he said he was being detained, that might be why he refused their hospitality. I only remember one reference in the Bible where angels eat food. Read Genesis 19:1-3. Two angels visit Lot and he prepares a meal for them and the angels eat the food. Lot had to convince the angels to stay at his house – they initially refused.]

17 Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?”

18 He replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.” 19 Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the Lord. And the Lord did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: 20 As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground. 21 When the angel of the Lord did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the Lord. [Wow, just reading about this gives me shivers! It must have been so cool and amazing to see the angel ascend toward heaven in the flame from the fire!]

22 “We are doomed to die!” he said to his wife. “We have seen God!” [I’m unclear as to why Manoah says this? They had seen an angel, not God!]

23 But his wife answered, “If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this.”

24 The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him, 25 and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

[I think it’s interesting that Samson’s mother is not given a name. She is just referred to as the woman, or, Manoah’s wife.]

So, do you remember learning about Samson in Sunday School? What do you remember about him?

This blog post was sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you like stories about faith and Christianity then you must read Loving Luke by Cecelia Dowdy. Loving Luke is about a reunion between Luke and Kim, two childhood sweethearts. It’s a Christmas novel full of love, regrets, and second chances. There’s also a bakery and plenty of delicious desserts wrapped within this amazing story. Can Luke and Kim find the courage to overcome their hang-ups and learn to love again? Loving Luke has been an Amazon bestselling novel with several 5-star reviews! Purchase today and tell your friends by sharing this blog post!

Subscribe to this blog by leaving a reply and selecting “Notify me of new posts by email.”

Have You Ever Seen An Angel?

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Waterfall

Have you ever seen an angel?

I’ve always been fascinated by angels. I honestly don’t believe I’ve ever seen one, though.

Hebrews 13:2

New International Version (NIV)

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

When I read that scripture, I think about the old TV series, Touched By An Angel. Remember that show? The angels were on earth, helping people with their problems. Near the end of each show, the angel announced to their assigned charge(s), “I’m an angel, sent by God.”

So, have you ever encountered an angel? Please share your angelic experience with me!

 

Sunday Brunch – Three Visitors

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Have you ever heard about breaking bread with angels? Are the three visitors in Genesis 18 angels or human beings? 

In Genesis, chapter 18, Abraham receives three visitors. From his reaction, it appears that these three visitors are holy.

He tells his wife Sarah to fix these visitors a nice meal and afterwards, they tell Abraham that his wife Sarah will be with child within the next year. They also warn about the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah.

I keep thinking about these visitors, eating a meal with Abraham. Just makes me think that angels may be among us, sharing a meal, and we might not even know it. I often think of eating as a human trait, not an angelic one. I just find it strange and surreal to imagine angels sharing meals with us, right here on earth.

So, when you discussed this Biblical passage in the past, did you ever dwell on the fact that these angels were sitting down among us, eating as humans? In the passage in chapter 18, these visitors were referred to as men. In Chapter 19, two angels are mentioned. Are the two angels mentioned in chapter 19 inclusive of the three visitors mentioned in Chapter 18? If so, why did only two of the three visitors go on to Sodom and Gomorrah? I suppose the Lord had other duties assigned to the third visitor? Abraham rushed to these visitors, and it appears that he knows that these visitors come straight from the Lord!

Please comment!

………………

Genesis 18New International Version (NIV)

The Three Visitors

18 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.

3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”

“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”

6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.”

7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.

“There, in the tent,” he said.

10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”

But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

Abraham Pleads for Sodom

16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”

22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare[e] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

27 Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”

“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

29 Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

30 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”

He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

31 Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”

33 When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

Genesis 19New International Version (NIV)

Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed

1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.”

3 But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house.He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate.

 

 

Sunday Brunch – Angels!

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Have you ever seen an angel?

I’ve always been fascinated by angels. I honestly don’t believe I’ve ever seen one, though. One of my Goodreads friends recommended that I watch this sermon about angels that was recorded at her church last Christmas! Wow, I loved it! This sermon gives a great overview about angels!

Hebrews 13:2

New International Version (NIV)

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

When I read that scripture, I think about the old TV series, Touched By An Angel. Remember that show? The angels were on earth, helping people with their problems. Near the end of each show, the angel announced to their assigned charge(s), “I’m an angel, sent by God.”

– See more at: http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/2014/02/sunday-brunch-have-you-ever-seen-an-angel-2.html#sthash.BKZjKh2O.dpuf

So, have you ever encountered an angel? Please share your angelic experience with me!

 

Sunday Brunch! Sea Cows!

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Have you ever discussed Sea Cows in science or biology class? 

 

They’re mentioned in the Bible. Apparently, a sea cow is part of a larger group of marine mammals Sirenia. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the sea cow has been extinct since the 18th century, 30 years after being discovered in 1741. I’m thinking that since sea cows are mentioned in the Bible, that the ones that were discovered in the 1700’s may not have been the same animal, but, a close relative. It’s possible that the sea cows mentioned in the Bible were any of the four animals in the Sirenia group of mammals.

I just think it’s kinda cool to read about these creatures mentioned in the Bible.
sea cowExodus 25:1-7:

The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give. 3 These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; 4 blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; 5 ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows (or dugongs)[a]; acacia wood; 6 olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 7 and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.

Dugongs are in danger of extinction and are hunted for their meat, hides and oil. They live for about 73 years and it takes them up to ten years to reach sexual maturity. A pregnancy can last for en entire year.

What’s the point of this blog post? I’m not really sure! If you have any insight or knowledge to provide about sea cows and dugongs, feel free to share!

Sunday Brunch – Evicted From The Garden of Eden!

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Remember the scripture where Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden of Eden? The Lord placed cherubim with swords, guarding the garden so that Adam and Eve could not re-enter. I wonder, how long do you think those cherubim guarded the garden? After their eviction, Adam and Eve had to toil in the soil, work to make a living, and Eve gave birth to Cain and Abel. I wonder if those cherubim continued guarding the garden after Adam and Eve populated the earth? Do you think Adam and Eve told their kids about the garden, taking them over there, showing them where they sinned and, perhaps, their children saw the cherubim guarding the garden?

If you had to guess, how long do you think those cherubim stayed there? How long did the Garden of Eden exist before the Lord took it away? When I say ‘take it away’ I’m implying that the Garden of Eden no longer existed and the ground became like the rest of the earth.

Genesis 3:23-24

New King James Version (NKJV)

23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Sunday Brunch! Giants On The Earth – Part Two

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Did you know that giants lived on this earth during Biblical times?

I blogged about the Nephilim awhile back. I wanted to add to that blog post by mentioning some other giants mentioned in the Old Testament.

I was having a conversation with somebody at my church about the Nephilim, and he told me to read:

2 Samuel 21:20-22

NIV

20 In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. 21 When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David’s brother, killed him.

22 These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.

This huge, giant man had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each hand. A descendent of Rapha – the Rephaites were a race of giants in the old testament. I’m not sure if all of them had extra digits on their fingers and toes. When I read this scripture, I wondered about these people. Was this whole race of giants doomed? Were they even considered human?

When I asked about the Nephilim on Facebook, somebody pointed out that some churches don’t talk about them because they can’t agree on what they were. Although they’re not mentioned much in church – I want to talk about them.

What are your thoughts concerning this race of people during Old Testament times? I feel weird and confused when I think about them. Why? Because, they seem so other-worldly, non-human, that I almost feel like I’m reading a science fiction novel – only, I’m not – I’m reading the Bible.

In Deuteronomy, Og, a king, was the last of the Rephaites and he slept in a bed that was nine cubits long – which equals about fourteen feet!

Does that mean these giants were about fourteen feet tall and had extra digits on their fingers and toes?  Was this entire race of people doomed since they were born of sin? Please comment about these huge, thought-provoking people! 🙂

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Deuteronomy 2:11

New International Version (NIV)

11 Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emites.

Deuteronomy 3:11

New International Version (NIV)

11 (Og king of Bashan was the last of the Rephaites. His bed was decorated with iron and was more than nine cubits long and four cubits wide.[a] It is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)

 

Sunday Brunch – Have You Ever Seen An Angel?

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Have you ever seen an angel?

Hebrews 13:2

New International Version (NIV)

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

When I read that scripture, I think about the old TV series, Touched By An Angel. Remember that show? The angels were on earth, helping people with their problems. Near the end of each show, the angel announced to their assigned charge(s), “I’m an angel, sent by God.”

Have you ever had an experience where you saw an angel? Perhaps you were going through a tough time, or you received a mysterious warning from a person and before you could thank this person, they’d miraculously disappeared? Have you encountered people or a person in your everyday life whom you thought may have been an angel?

I haven’t, but, I’d be interested in hearing about your experience. So, have you ever encountered an angel?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Sunday Brunch – Giants On The Earth – Who Were The Nephilim?

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http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_l0Jv-SLk81k/TL-fYNTpCdI/AAAAAAAAD1M/42f6PY69cnA/s1600/BIBLE.jpg

From the blog archives:

Did you know the Bible tells of Giants on the earth? Giants – like in the fable Jack And The Beanstalk…

Genesis 6:1-4
1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
3 And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Numbers 13:31-33 – 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

Some translations use the word Nephilim instead of giant. Who were these gigantic people? Some teach that they were the offspring of fallen angels – these angels lusted after human women and they had intercourse with them and the women bore these huge, wicked children. Who knows? From the little bit of research that I was able to do, it appears that the term Sons of God is interpreted a couple of ways and that makes it debatable about the paternity of these huge creatures.

I’ve always thought the Nephilim were the offspring from fallen angels. Why? I guess because they were so huge, much larger than regular humans, coupled with the fact that it appears they were wicked, too. I also read that the Nephilim pop up again in the book of Numbers, so I’ve provided that scripture, too. So, it’s possible that the Sons of God appeared again and did the same thing again with human women? The Nephilim mentioned in Genesis were killed during the flood, so the scriptures can’t be talking about the same group of giants?

I just try to imagine how large these people were…were they twice the size of regular humans, maybe three times larger than the average human? The ones in Numbers state that the regular people were like grasshoppers compared to these giant people! Grasshoppers?? Reminds me of Gulliver’s Travels or Jack And The Beanstalk!

I’m just sitting here, trying to imagine what they would have looked like, giants stomping upon the earth, doing all sorts of wicked things to people. Frightening thoughts I’m having, but, just makes me stop and wonder, makes me wish I had a vivid snapshot of the way the world was back then…

Did you know about the giants in the Bible? Do you think the Nephilim/Giants were the offspring of fallen angels? Please comment!

– See more at: http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/2010/10/giants-on-earth-who-were-nephilim.html#sthash.fBgaBok3.dpuf