Come Seek With Me

  Acacia trees have very fragrant blossoms Hello Friends and Readers! I am now on a Journey through The Book of Joel .  Full disclosure, I feel like I am just taking notes for this book.  I hope you will stay, because I have some thoughts to share, but I'm not feeling too "prose-y." First Note: Joel appears to be divided into three sections:  past, present, and future.  The "past" seems to be about the literal Babylonian invasion.  It is evident that "presently" The Holy Spirit has been poured out.  In the "future" I look forward to the spring flowing out from the House of YHVH to water The Valley of Acacias.   Second Note: Joel 4:18 mentions The Valley of Acacias (3:18 in some versions).  In the TLV, however, it references it as The Valley of Shittim.  Shittim is the Hebrew word for "acacias."  It is also the proper name of a location.  A quick search took me to Numbers 25 where Shittim is first mentioned in scripture.  Turns out

Hello Dear Friends and Readers!  The small group that I study the Bible with is diving into the book of Jonah (forgive me!), and I've come to my keyboard to pen a few thoughts in order to keep them from swimming away (okay, I'm finished, I promise 😉).  Care to come along? First and foremost, I am going to assume that you have read the Book of Jonah .  (If you haven't, use the link to read it).  While many of us grew up on "stories" about Jonah and the whale, we need to understand that this is no mere children's story.  Jonah wasn't on some grand and romantic adventure.  He was commanded of YHVH to do something that tap danced on his prejudices, opposed human prudence, extended unmerited favor to his enemies, and tested Jonah's tolerance of YHVH's sovereignty.   And the people Jonah was sent to were...well they were scary!  Nineveh was the most populous city of the Ancient Assyrian empire.  Pick up a history book and read about the military prowe