Tag Archives: Proper 15 Year B

1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 – The Wisdom of Solomon

January 17, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

David slept with his ancestors, and was buried in the city of David. The time that David reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom was firmly established.

Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David; only, he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places. The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?”

It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.”

———————————————————————————————————-

This is an optional Old Testament selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 15. If chosen, it will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a reader on Sunday August 19, 2018. It is important because it tells of Solomon’s choice of wisdom as the best asset a child can have.

When David slew Goliath, he was not yet twelve years old. He was still a young boy when he led the troops out of Gilbeah and back in, after battle. He might have only been sixteen when Saul put David in command of a thousand soldiers. This youthful age of David did not make his son Solomon his equal in courage, when also just a young boy.

The story of David and Bathsheba took place when David was in the twilight of his life, probably occurring when he was around fifty-eight years of age, or twelve years before the end of his life. That means Solomon was conceived when David was around fifty-nine and born when David was close to sixty. When “David slept with his ancestors, and was buried in the city of David,” Solomon was then around ten years old. This means that when “Solomon sat on the throne of his father David,” at a time when David’s “kingdom was firmly established,” Solomon had done nothing to establish Israel. As a child king, Solomon became a “turn-key” ruler, with no threats to the Israelites because of the inexperience of their new king.

In the verses skipped over, one has to be aware that Solomon oversaw the executions of those who took advantage of David in his last years. David’s fourth son, Adoijah, tried to claim the throne, with the aid of Joab (a military general of David’s) and Shimei (who cursed David as disposed by Absalom). Solomon was advised by the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan in these acts of retribution. Solomon did not shy away from those he would order killed at his young age.

Assuming those executions took a couple of years to administer; Solomon was still “only a little child” when “the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night.” He was probably twelve years of age, before his bar matzah of thirteen. This young age can be overlooked when one reads how Solomon “sacrificed and offered incense at the high places. The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.”

It becomes important to see these sacrifices and burnt offerings to God were because Solomon was following the “statutes of his father David.” This means Solomon did what was required of him, led by wise men of God; but as a young boy he was still learning what was required of a king.

It makes sense to me that Solomon’s youth and his having experienced so much of the adult world so fast, led him to pray for God’s help. In response, this would have been when God appeared to him in sleep and said, “Ask what I should give you,”

Solomon wanted the wisdom he had come to know in the adult servants to God, Zadok and Nathan. By telling God, “I do not know how to go out or come in,” young Solomon was saying that he was being told where to stand, what to say, and how to act kingly. Because Solomon knew so many people depended on an intelligent leader, he asked God, “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil.”

The Hebrew word translated as “mind” is “lêḇ,” which also means “heart.” It can likewise mean the “inner man” or “will.” This word shows the link between the heart and the mind, where emotions of the heart stimulate the thought processes. By asking for an “understanding heart to judge” Israel, Solomon was asking for control of his emotions, so his judgments would not be rashly done. One can imagine that ordering the executions of his father’s enemies was a learning experience, one which he might have been advised by a priest or prophet not to let fears cloud his judgment.

This element of “heart” is also relative to the statement that says, “Solomon loved the Lord.” The first step towards being filled with the Holy Spirit is to fall in love with God. One needs to sacrifice oneself to be the bride of God, where one’s heart opened for the LORD to enter and sit upon His throne, commanding over the kingdom that is His earthly servant.

David had loved the Lord in this manner and never once questioned if God would lead him astray. David gave up his mind so God could rule his actions from David’s heart. David made all his greatest decisions by saying, “As surely as God lives,” because God lived within David and David’s decisions were made by God. Solomon, however, did not love the Lord in that same way as his father had.

When we read how Solomon was “walking in the statutes of his father David,” David was not said to have been walking in the statutes of Jesse, his father. David was walking in the statutes of the Lord, because David loved the Lord. Solomon loved God because he had been told to love God, not because Solomon knew God as his husband. By following the rituals of David, Solomon was “showing his love of God,” a viable translation of “aheb.” Solomon acted logically as how he understood “love” to be shown, by following the steps of the leader before him (his father). Therefore, Solomon loved God as an external presence worthy of praise as the God of Israel, but not as the God of Solomon.

When Solomon asked God for understanding of mind, rather than ask God to be his understanding of heart, we read, “It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.” This leads one to recall how God told David, “Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you.” (2 Samuel 12:11) Solomon was of David’s household, and was therefore not immune from playing a role in the distress that will befall the House of Israel. Solomon would cause a split in that house, based on how he would run his kingdom. Therefore, the pleasure God took from Solomon’s request is misleading, as the Hebrew word “way·yî·ṭaḇ” (from “yatab“) can easily mean God “pleased” Solomon by granting him his request.

God then told Solomon, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.”

Pay a coin, ask one question, receive the truth … but it might not be what you want to hear.

This might sound good at first, but this falls under the old Chinese proverb that says, “Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it.” Because Solomon asked for (in essence) a Big Brain to judge the world with, God (in essences) said, “Since I cannot give you my Christ Mind [because you didn’t ask to marry me], I’ll give you more natural insight than anyone in the world has ever had and will ever have. There will never be a Bigger Brain that the one I will let you have.”

Then, with the wisdom of Solomon as the gift God gave, God added, “If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.” Here the reading ends, but it is worthwhile to note that Solomon would die around age fifty-three, of natural causes, the wealthiest king Israel would ever know, failing to follow in the holy footsteps of his father. For all the wisdom Solomon had, it brought him only material rewards. When Solomon died, so too did Israel as one nation under God.

As an optional Old Testament reading selection for the thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry should be underway – asking not what God can do for one, but what one can do for God – the message here is to put more value in the heart center than the head. The head is where the ego lives. The heart is where one’s love of God resides.

Some people will read this set of verses in 1 Kings and think how wonderful God was to Solomon. The brand of Christianity that has spread across the Western World, in particular in the United States, sees how God blesses his people with riches and honor. It seems that the more bling one has, the more one can proclaim loudly, “Thank you Jesus! Thank you God!”

But, is that really the case?

When one sees the immaturity of young Solomon wanting to be as smart as an adult, rather than learn life’s lessons the hard way – the way the masses are forced to learn – he was asking for an easy way out. Solomon wanted to be his own man, rather than have to rely on advisors to tell him what to do.

Solomon did not once pause to think that God was his wisdom, as all he had to do was ask God, “What do I do, Lord?” God went to Solomon and prompted him to ask for help, saying, “Ask what I should give you.” When Solomon did not ask for God to give him His love, Solomon rejected God as his King, just as the elders of Israel had, when they first asked Samuel for a king, to be like other nations. Solomon, only a little child, wanted to be a king like those of other nations.

Because Solomon rejected God as his lover and husband, God gave Solomon what he did not ask for: wealth and honor. That reputation lasts till this day; but what good did wealth and honor do for Solomon? Wasn’t Israel worse off when Solomon died, than it was when David died?

The same mirage is all around us today. We see wealth as a blessing. We are given honor by credit agencies, banks, and fraternal orders of secrecy. The richer and more powerful one gets, the more praises to God are little more than lip service.

All the wisdom of Solomon would have rejected Jesus, had Solomon asked Jesus to tell how he was assured of eternal life in heaven. Jesus would have told Solomon the same sacrifices that needed to be made he told the young rich Pharisee, and Solomon would have rejected Jesus as did the young rich Pharisee. The only difference might be Solomon offering some smart retort for Jesus (words of wisdom?), but he still would have walked away from any form of self-sacrifice.

A minister to the LORD knows the lures of money and power and has walked away from them. God provides in mysterious ways, as long as one is committed to serving the LORD. One does not need more than enough to feed oneself and one’s family – the same principle of the manna that fell from heaven and God’s orders given through Moses. Being given exceeding wealth and honor means having the problem to figure out how to sell everything and give the profits to the poor … doesn’t it?

That problem is best solved by being poor in material things, but rich in spiritual things. Then giving from the heart and teaching from the Christ Mind is more valuable than all the precious metals and gemstones the world has to offer.

Language, Proverbs, Teaching

Proverbs 9:1-6 – The temple of wisdom

January 17, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

Wisdom has built her house,

she has hewn her seven pillars.

She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her wine,

she has also set her table.

She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls

from the highest places in the town,

“You that are simple, turn in here!”

To those without sense she says,

“Come, eat of my bread

and drink of the wine I have mixed.

Lay aside immaturity, and live,

and walk in the way of insight.”

———————————————————————————————————-

This is an optional Old Testament selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 15. If chosen, it will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a reader on Sunday August 19, 2018. It is important because Solomon wrote of the wisdom he possessed and did not attribute it to the Father, but to a goddess.

In Greek mythology, the goddess Athena was recognized as the deity who reigned over wisdom. Her Roman equivalent was called Minerva, also a goddess. In ancient Egyptian mythology, perhaps the religion most known by the philosophical minds of the Israelites, Seshat (the counterpart of the god Thoth and his wife Ma’at) was the goddess of wisdom, knowledge and writing.

Because all of these mythological deities are feminine (except Thoth), wisdom should be grasped as a talent that comes from the Earth mother, such that it is a talent of the brain and the powers of physical observation.

In this proverb that is attributed to the writings of Solomon, based on his wisdom possessed, he gives strong support towards that conclusion of wisdom being a feminine characteristic. Solomon wrote of “her house,” “her pillars,” “her animals,” “her wine,” “her table” and “her servant-girls.” That proliferation of feminine pronoun use (in addition to “she” used four other times) says Solomon had discerned (a talent of wisdom) that Yahweh was not the voice of reason he heard in his head.

Solomon’s references to a “house” “hewn” with “seven pillars,” where sacrificed animals spilled their blood upon a “table,” is clearly a statement of a goddess, whose temple was worldly.

The “servant-girls” were then priestesses of that temple. To read that they would “call out from the highest places” means they served the deity of wisdom, who is available to those who submit to that divine power. The “highest places” were religious temples to gods foreign to Israel.

“You that are simple, turn in here,” says ordinary people do not possess wisdom. Solomon then proposed that the masses should follow the lead of those who serve the goddess of wisdom, as the judges blessed by the temple priests. The line that is translated to say, “To those without sense,” the Hebrew word “lêḇ” is used, which means “heart, mind, inner man, will, and understanding.” This is the word Solomon used when he asked God for a Big Brain, rather than prefer God’s presence within him.

Knowing that Solomon wrote his proverbs for the Israelites, who were sworn to serve God and remember the Passover via the ritual consumption of unleavened bread and cups of wine, it is not coincidence that Solomon wrote of “my bread” and “the wine I have mixed.” That physical food and drink would be filled with yeast, rising hot and fluffy and fermented to a highly intoxicating alcohol level. Solomon was telling his people to let him do all the work of rule, so they could turn their backs to God and enjoy the wealth and honor of Solomon’s realm. In that scenario, the people were no longer subjected to finding God individually, so their unleavened bodies could become elevated (raised up) to righteousness and their plain blood be infused with the Holy Spirit.

For Solomon to say, “Lay aside immaturity and live,” proposing that the ignorant should “walk in the way of insight,” he was telling the children of Israel to follow him, his ways, and his knowledge.

Rather than asking the Israelites to put their faith in God, he was promoting himself as God’s chosen king, with the insight of a god. Solomon (whether he figured it out or not) was returning Israel to the royal deity worship of Egypt. No longer were the people of Yahweh asked to be priests in individual relationships with the Lord and walk in the ways of righteousness. They were told to let wisdom light their paths.

As an alternative Old Testament selection for the thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry to the LORD should be underway – as a different angle on Solomon’s wisdom – the message here is the danger of worshiping individuals as gods. When one sees another human being as holier than oneself, one ceases trying to be holy, submitting oneself to that other human. Israelites did it for Solomon, saying, “No one can be wiser.” Likewise, Christians do it for Jesus, saying, “There can only be one Son of God.”

This is the trap of Satan, which was set before Jesus, offering him the world if he would submit to the will of evil. God set the world that Solomon had at his feet, to test his devotion to Him.

Power and wealth are intoxicating, as were the bread and wine of which Solomon wrote. The world is filled with simple folk, who have no sense for taking advantage of others. The mixed drink that comes from the slaughter of animals is the blood of the innocent spilled so that the elite can laugh at how easy it is to become rich off the ignorance of others. Those sacrificed are the people who bow down before those possessing Big Brains.

The aspect of “immaturity” is that of “foolishness,” where the Hebrew word “p̄ə·ṯā·yim” means “naivety.” It bears the same intent as does “foolish”: “Lacking or exhibiting a lack of good sense or judgment; silly.” (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language)

This is the excuse of childhood ignorance, where simplicity is a natural state of learning from one’s mistakes. Those life lessons develop one’s maturity, and from life experience comes true wisdom. Solomon did not suffer the growth pains of normal people, as he laid aside his immaturity for a life led by reason, unclouded by childish emotions. Thus, his view of living was void of any possibility of eternal life.

A minister of the LORD has known the errors of thought and the failures that come from not having true insight. The only true source of wisdom comes from the Christ Mind, which demands a soul be blissfully ignorant to possess it. It is why prophets like Ezekiel answered questions from God by saying, “You know Lord.” A prophet never speaks for self as the Big Brain is never large enough to see all possibilities and answers at once … like God can.

Ephesians, Language, Teaching

Ephesians 5:15-20 – Being wise and singing songs of praise

January 17, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

———————————————————————————————————-

This is the Epistle selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 15. It will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a reader on Sunday August 19, 2018. It is important because it tells of the need for divine wisdom to avoid the pitfalls of evil ways.

Keeping in line with the way I have been presenting Paul’s Epistles, in the literal translations from the Bible Hub interlinear page (Ephesians 5), following this lead-in is that translation. The translation above is fairly representative of the message this selection presents, but (as usual) it misses the point that makes it clear each Christian must be reborn as Jesus Christ. Without that occurrence happening to each individual first, Paul’s words here are much easier said than done. [Notice, again, the presence of capitalization as being meaningful, not simply because a new series of statements [sentences] have begun.]

15 “Take heed therefore carefully how you walk ,” The word “peripateite” translates as “you walk,” but is used ethically to infer “you conduct your life.”

“not as unwise ,” The word “asophoi” translates as “unwise,” but also means “foolish or unskilled.” It is used to imply rejecting God’s guidance (His Will).

“but as wise ,” The word “sophos” means, “wise, learned, cultivated, skilled, clever.” This means to be “wise men,” where those who visited Jesus as a newborn were not smart enough to figure out where to go, what to find, and what to do on their own. They were led to Jesus by God’s guidance.

16 “redeeming the time ,” The words “exagorazomenoiton kairon” are best translated as “use the opportunity” that comes from God’s guidance.

“because the days evil are .” The word “ponērai” means “evil, bad, malicious, wicked, slothful.” The meaning of “days” (“hēmerai” as “one’s time”) is more about the “years” or the “times,” being generally “always.” In another view, the light of truth (“days” versus nights) will attract those who are “evil” to one, because of the “lust of the times.” This requires one be able to shine light on that darkness.

17 “because of this ,” The word “touto” (“this”) refers back to the state of evil that is always present, seen from the light of day. There is a cause (“because”) and effect challenge created that must be expected.

“not be foolish ,” One must not be “senseless” (from “aphrones”) to this evil presence, as one will be played the fool by the influences of Satan if not in possession of perspective and insight.

“but understand what the will of the Lord [is] .” The exception to foolishness comes from “perceiving” (from “syniete”) evil when it approaches, which is the will of the Lord for all His Apostles-Saints. This insight of “understanding” comes from the Christ Mind.

18 “and not to be drunk with wine ,” The word “methyskesthe” means “become intoxicated,” where “intoxication” means, “overpowering exhilaration or excitement of the mind or emotions.” This is then a warning against the “poisoning” of evil, which possession of God’s Holy Spirit will protect one from.

“in which is debauchery .” The word “asōtia” means not to fall for “wantonness, profligacy, or wastefulness,” where “debauchery” means falling into a state that one cannot be saved from. It means, “spiritual wastefulness due to excessive behavior and the dire consequences it brings.” [HELPS Word-studies]

“instead be filled with [the] Spirit ,” The capitalization of “Pneumati” means the Holy Spirit, which is elevated above the spirit of a soul. This “Spirit” is the protection of God and the true source of wisdom and insight.

19 “speaking to each other [in] psalms ,” As this follows a statement to be filled with God’s Holy Spirit, the least impact is “speaking to each other,” as the primary importance is God’s Holy Spirit speaking to them, those who are “themselves” (from “heautois” meaning “themselves” ) in touch with God’s Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that causes all Apostles and Saints to praise God in songs (“psalms”). Certainly all Apostles and Saints will join in with each other by singing the same songs of praise.

“and hymns ,” The word “hymnois” is much like “psalmois,” as both mean “songs of praise.” A “hymn,” however, is more specifically a “sacred son of praise,” one that “gives honor, praise, or thanksgiving.” In antiquity, a “hymn” was sung in celebration of a pagan god, hero, or conqueror. [HELPS Word-studies] The hero of all Apostles and Saints is Jesus Christ, whose entrance into a sinner means the defeat of Satan and his influences of evil.

“and songs spiritual ;” The word “ōdais” means “odes,” which are defined as: “A lyric poem of some length, usually of a serious or meditative nature and having an elevated style and formal stanzaic structure.” [American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language] This word is used in the New Testament to denote: “spontaneous, impromptu (unrehearsed) melodies of praise – not merely sung about (for) God but to God from a Spirit-filled heart.” [HELPS Word-studies] These songs are thus “spiritual,” stimulated automatically by the intense joy and happiness one feels from the Holy Spirit.

“singing and making melody in the heart of you to the Lord ;” This repeats the intent and purpose of “odes spiritual” and the source of one’s need to sing praises to the LORD. It is most important to see the use of the word “kardia” as the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew “leb,” meaning “the heart; mind, character, inner self, will, intention, center.” Because “singing and making melody” (“adontes kai psallontes“) are more acts of the emotional center leading the brain, for the the emotions of music to be heartfelt, this is a statement about God’s presence in one’s heart moving one to sing.

20 “giving thanks at all times ,” The praises one sings are of thanks for having been saved by God. This is not simply a time rescued here and there, as being filled with the Holy Spirit means eternal salvation, where the word “pantote” means “ever.”

“for all things ,” There is nothing that comes into the lives of Apostles-Saints that is not to be praised as a benefit of God’s presence.

“All things come of thee of Lord, and of our own have we given thee.” This should not be associated with an offering to an institution. If one truly believes that all things come from God, then all things received are to be used for God.

“in [the] name the Lord of us ,” God’s presence within an Apostle-Saint comes with a name that one must identify as.

“Jesus Christ .” That name is Jesus Christ. One takes on that name as all Apostles-Saints must be reborn with the Holy Spirit of God’s presence in His Son, bringing with it the Christ Mind.

As an Epistle selection for the thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry to the LORD should be underway – one should be singing praises to the LORD – the message here follows the theme of the Old Testament selections that apply to wisdom. The wisdom and understanding of which Paul wrote is different than that requested by Solomon, as it requires one sacrifice self-ego for the Christ Mind.

Paul began this series of segments by saying, “Take heed.” Before one can walk in the ways of Jesus Christ, as a true Christian, one must be led by God, via His Christ Mind. One must become a “wise man” (regardless of human gender) by being reborn as the Son of God, allowing one’s flesh to become the body of the resurrected Jesus Christ. Anything short of that total commitment to serve the LORD will leave one foolish, overcome by the evil influences of the days.

The only way one can understand the will of the Lord is to stop giving credit to one’s Big Brain. The Big Brain represents the drunken state of self-glorification. Through ego, one wastes the advantages of spirituality. One sings praises to God for what one has achieved, acting as if God rewards the selfish with wealth and power. Wealth and power are payments that cease when one’s life on earth ends; and human beings are mortals that are born to die. Material rewards leave nothing in the spiritual realm to reap.

A minister of the LORD knows the voice within which is a thrill to behold. One sings constant songs of praise to God, when little can be detected of material gain surrounding oneself. One’s life song, where an evil end was averted by sacrifice of self for the love of God is sung to others, like a recovering alcoholic sings praises to God for salvation. One’s salvation came by submitting oneself to God and facing all the trials of commitment, so one can be reborn as Jesus Christ. One cannot claim to be Jesus Christ, but the glory of that presence is known and it leads one to testify to God’s greatness, so others can come to find the same reward.

John, Language, Teaching

John 6:51-58 – Eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus

January 17, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

———————————————————————————————————-

This is the Gospel selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 15. It will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a priest on Sunday August 19, 2018. It is important because one sees Jesus speaking metaphorically about his flesh and blood, which makes it impossible to associate this reading to the physical wafers and wine served at Communion. The body and blood of Jesus are wholly spiritual and in no way intended to be construed as material.

This reading is a continuation of the Proper 14 Gospel reading selection, with verse 51 appearing in both readings – ending last Sunday’s and beginning this Sunday’s. In my interpretation for August 12, 2018, I touched on Jesus being the yeast that gives rise to bread. That living body has to be consumed into the mixture that forms the dough, or one can only produce unleavened bread. This concept needs to be expanded here.

When Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you,” he spoke the truth symbolically. The Jews speaking to Jesus (and the majority of Jews returned to Judea and Galilee) were unleavened bread. They had no spiritual rise in them, which separated them from any other peoples on earth. God had Moses instruct the Israelites to make unleavened bread the night of the Passover, and then remember that hurried escape from death each year for eternity, because they were to become priests of the LORD, spiritually elevated above all others. The Passover Seder ritual symbolized that they were chosen as souls without life, which God would add to them later. The Jews were totally without the rise of righteousness, by the time God sent His Son as the example of bread (body with yeast) that was risen and full. To eat of Jesus’ body was to add the rise that meant eternal life in them.

This metaphor continues to work when Jesus said, “drink [the Son of Man’s] blood.” Wine is fermented grape juice, where wild yeast on a grape’s skin has to be crushed so it can react with natural sugars, converting that into alcohol.

Jesus would raise the third ceremonial cup of wine at his final Seder meal and say, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:28) So, “drink my blood” is no different than “drink my wine.”

The ceremonial cups of wine at a Seder meal (4) represent a progression of spirits being added into the bloodstream, adding to the individuality of the Israelite history lessons that are symbolized by the matzo. All is a symbolic way to give thanks to God for saving them, through forgiveness and instilling them with holy blood (spiritual, not physical).

Still, one has to understand that “blood” is the fluid of life, which if lost means the threat of death. To put the blood of Jesus Christ within one’s body (only as a spiritual presence) means there is no danger of the soul perishing. That presence that is within – consumed through devotion to God – is what brings eternal life to the soul-body, as Jesus Christ reborn.

When Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day,” the confusion comes from “anastēsō auton tē eschatē hēmera” being translated to say “I will raise them up on the last day.” First of all, “Those” and “them” [the third person plural number] was not stated. Instead, Jesus said, “the [one]” (“ho”) and “him” (“auton”), which is a clearer indication of an individual’s actions towards “eating” and “drinking” Jesus. While the collective is a multiplication of the total number times “one,” without the “one” [as zero] there is no “them.”

Second, when one notices the important aspect of the individual’s responsibility, then one can see how “eschatēhēmera” (“last day”) can only be applied to a grand “end times” when the collective is read. This nebulosity then allows one to project a coming of Christ into a distant future, which may or may not be relevant to the individual’s commitment to God and Christ. However, when one sees the focus on “the [one]” and “him,” then “last day” is reflective of one’s own “end time,” which is assured, from being mortal. The “last day” is always relevant to one’s assured “end time.”

The word “eschatē” actually can translate as, “last, at the last, finally, till the end.” The word “hēmera” can bear the meanings, “day, always, daily, time, year, or daybreak.” When those translation options show the statement as, “I will raise them up till the end daily,” or as “I will raise them up finally daybreak,” the focus turns away from some distant time in the future and points to when one actually “eats the flesh and drinks the blood of Christ.” At that point in one’s life, one is then “raised up” spiritually forever more. The “end” of one’s darkness [sin] comes from the “daybreak” God brings to one, through His Son being resurrected again in flesh and blood, shining light where there was the absence of light.

When Jesus said, “for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink,” the word “alēthēs” is repeated, meaning “true.” The Bible Hub Interlinear translation shows the word translated in all-caps, as “TRUE.” The basic word can mean, “unconcealed, true, true in fact, worthy of credit, or truthful.”

As a Christian, one knows that Jesus frequently began his statements with the words, “Verily,” or “Truly I say.” By saying his flesh and blood was the truth he meant the TRUTH of God was all that was capable of being said by one who has sacrificed self-ego in service to God. Therefore, all who (individually) eat his flesh and drink his blood will become the resurrection of that TRUTH – a voice of God incarnate. Not only would those “partaking” of Jesus speak the TRUTH, but they could hear it as well [understanding].

As such, Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” This says, “The one who eats and drinks lives in me (the reborn Jesus Christ) and I in him” (“autō” as singular, the one), such that two spirits are in the same body of flesh and blood. One spirit is the one’s soul (cleansed by a Holy Baptism) and one is the Spirit of Jesus Christ, resurrected through the Holy Spirit of God. This says eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of Man makes one unified with the Trinity, as one in three, the same as was Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus then said, “Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.” The repeated word here is “zōn,” meaning “living, live, alive, or life.”

It is important to see the similarity in Jesus saying, “Just as the living Father” and David (and other prophets of God) regularly having said, “As God lives.” Those are statements of TRUTH spoken by souls that had been purified by God, so God could be one with them, residing in their hearts and leading their minds. Jesus then can be heard saying, “As surely as God sent me and because God is within me, then whoever consumes me also becomes one with God, forever saved.”

By returning to simply referencing the act of eating the flesh of Jesus, where that flesh is again the bread of life from heaven, Jesus differentiated the holy manna from what he represented. Jesus said, “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died.”

As I wrote in the interpretation for Proper 14, the “ancestors” of the Jews (the Israelites led into the wilderness by Moses) did not “die” because the manna did not “raise them up” spiritually. They did not “die” because they were mortal human beings of antiquity, such that all human beings face death.

The death experienced by those “ancestors” means Israel fell and collapsed in ruin because they stopped being raised spiritually. They needed to incorporate that holy bread into a race of priests that were the fruit of a holy vine, whose skins were emoting the natural yeast of God’s love. Physical deaths would have caused the breakdown of the natural sugars of their faith, fermenting their blood (lineage) with the elevation of eternal life for their souls. Because that did not happen due to the manna alone, and only served while in the wilderness of the Sinai, could not make the Israelites a multitude of Jesus Christs.

The manna fell before there was the blood of faith [the Son of God] to guide each individual Israelite. Without the blood of faith sustaining each and every one of those who were delivered into the Promised Land they continually stopped worshiping the One God, Yahweh, backsliding into a near-death state. Was it not for judges leading them (externally) to return to the right ways of God, they would have perished completely, before becoming a nation of people. Still, it was the lack of individual faith that led them to desire a king. When David led them towards individual responsibility to God, his sins released all the Israelites to do as they wished (not as God commanded). By the time the Jews stood before Jesus in Capernaum, all the glory of a state of Israel was dead.

It must be understood that without Jesus Christ having been sent into the world by the living God, there was no blood to add to the manna. The bread of the Torah, the Psalms, and the Prophets was all destined to point to the coming of that blood of life, which would be fulfilled by the Messiah of the Jews. It had been the manna that kept the embers of faith still alive at that time. However, Jesus was the bread of life that put new meaning into the words that had been memorized, but never fully understood; and, that flesh being eaten would give rise to a fresh desire to know more, which was the wine of God’s love filling one with desire to serve Him.

As this reading selection ends by Jesus stating the exception to mortal death, he said, “But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” It has to be understood that a body of flesh and physical blood cannot live forever. The body breaks down.

Jesus said to his sleeping disciples at Gethsemane, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) In that same vein of thought, one can see how the spirit is eternal, but the physical body is not designed for everlasting life.

This is evidence for reincarnation, where the eternal soul passes from one temporal body of flesh to another, one life continued multiple times. Each new body of flesh brings about a blank slate of life, which has a soul start over, again and again, with the ultimate purpose being twofold: 1. Do not lose your God-given soul to Satan; and, 2. Gain eternal life with God, finally seeing the end of worldly incarnations and forever experiencing God’s presence as the eternal light of day (“eschatē hēmera”). To reach that gradation day, when one has been raised up to heaven, means all the work of righteousness has been done; and, that means one has eaten the flesh and drank the blood of Jesus Christ, reborn as him.

As the Gospel selection for the thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s ministry for the LORD should be underway – one has eaten the flesh and drank the blood of Jesus – the message is to be transformed. One has to stop seeing the world through the eyes of a selfish sinner and see the light of truth.

Because this Gospel reading is scheduled with two other readings that address wisdom as a double-edged sword that can be all brain and little heart or all heart with the Christ Mind, one needs to see the Jews who followed Jesus to Capernaum as those who always represent mankind that is led by Big Brains and not in love with God. The majority of those who had been fed the spiritual food on the plain of Bethsaida (eating the bread and the fish and drinking in the faith of Jesus) – the miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand (plus) – they had gone out into the world as Apostles. In Capernaum, Jesus was confronted by the twelve percent that followed Jesus there (those served by Judas Iscariot), as those who missed the opportunity others had received.

Those Jews were only looking for a material advantage, not a spiritually uplifting epiphany. Their hearts were closed to God, so this language spoken by Jesus (eat my flesh and drink my blood) could not sink into their Big Brains as metaphor. They were puzzled by the thought of “eating his flesh and drinking his blood.” Their intellectual dependency meant they were those of little faith, full of doubt and denial, never able to understand the Word of God in that ego-driven state of being.

All Scripture read today, two thousand years after the fact and nearly that long since the first writings about Jesus surfaced, is easy to discern, simply because so many have put both Big Brains and heartfelt wisdom into interpreting Scripture. Christians always need to be wary of thinking, “I know where Jesus is going with this, because I have heard it read before.” The trap is to start thinking that you are one of Jesus’ disciples standing behind Jesus as he says “eat my flesh and drink my blood,” saying under your breath, “How stupid can these guys be?”

The trap is to not see oneself as just as dumbfounded at these words of Jesus as were those Jews to whom Jesus spoke. Many Christians fear discussing any Scripture outside of a Sunday school classroom. Few have any depth of knowledge, much less spiritual insight that comes from God, which is based on a continual thirst for the meaning of Scripture. A typical Christian today puts up with religious education, in the right environment, having learned religion and politics are topics not discussed in mixed company. In reality, their lack of consuming Jesus on a daily basis means they have become like the Israelites after they entered the Promised Land … “Oh, manna? No thanks, I used to eat that when I was little, but now I’m all grown up, so I don’t need that anymore.”

Christians who “eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ” daily are called Apostles and Saints; and they love doing that because of the emotional reward it gives them. They are given spiritual insights, one after another, each of which acts as yet another epiphany experience for them. It is the living bread come to life and the living waters gushing forth within. It is a feeling that makes one want to share it with others.

No one teaches epiphany experiences in seminaries or theological institutions, and few pastors lead small groups of devotees to spiritual awakenings in Sunday schools. The brief sermons that many men and women of the cloth offer up have little to do with the inspirational message of the readings, instead seeming to be lectures that boast of one’s educational acumen or pander as political advocacy. This means Christians today are just as dazed and confused by Scripture as were the Jews in Capernaum. Atheists who read Jesus’ words cry out like them, saying, “Jesus advocated cannibalism!”

What Christians can ably defend Jesus’ words?

A minister of the LORD has no answers prepared for anyone who questions the meaning of Scripture. Most likely, Jesus was not putting the finishing touches on a sermon about eating his flesh and drinking his blood when the Jews came up to Jesus, asking, “Where did you go?” Jesus simply opened his mouth and the words of God flowed out. Words from God are often so difficult to catch hold of the whole meaning the first time heard that they have to be repeated (as Jesus did). This challenges the one who hears the words to find the TRUTH, rather than reject it without reflection.

The whole time Jesus was speaking the TRUTH that came through him from God, Jesus delighted in knowing full-well what all those words meant. It tickled his heart to say them, especially knowing how they were like water on a duck’s back to the Jews listening. This is how God sends His Apostles out into the world – unprepared to speak the TRUTH, but speak the TRUTH they do. That is the difference between believing (the flesh of Jesus) and faith (the blood of Jesus).

1 Kings, Language, Teaching

1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 – The big brain of a little man breaking the rules

January 4, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

Solomon loved Yahweh, walking in the statutes of his father David; except that he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places. The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and said elohim, “Ask what I should give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, Yahweh elohay, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?”

It pleased adonay that Solomon had asked this. elohim said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.”

——————–

This is the Track 1 optional Old Testament reading for the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 15], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. If chosen, it is paired with Psalm 111, which sings, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; those who act accordingly have a good understanding; his praise endures forever.” They will precede the Epistle reading from Ephesians, where Paul wrote, “Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.” All will accompany the Gospel selection from John, where Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”

In 2018, the last time this reading came up in the lectionary cycle, I wrote a commentary and published it on my website I maintained at that time. The article is available on this website, which can be found by a search of the reading name and number. I welcome all to read the views I posted then, as I still stand behind them. It is a view that still applies today. However, at this time I will take a new direction with this reading.

In the first nine verses of 2 Kings 2, David has chosen Solomon to follow him to the throne. Before David’s death, he counseled Solomon to be a king that obeyed all the laws and ordinances of Yahweh. David had been so led, so he told his youngest son to be likewise. Twice, David told Solomon to be wise in his decisions, which were David’s way of influencing his young son to exact revenge against those who were secretly and openly David’s enemies, who had been past allies. Young Solomon acted on his father’s guidance, ordering a series of executions that ceased any possible subversion that would take advantage of a young king; and, it was David’s sage advice that ensured “his kingdom [passed to Solomon] was firmly established.”

When we read, “David slept with his ancestors,” the better translation says, “so laid down David with his fathers.” The image of death being taking a nap, resting, or laying down to sleep is metaphor for reincarnation. While the body of David ceased to support life on the physical plane, the soul did not die. Because the soul is eternal and cannot die, death is then symbolic of sleep; and, just like sleep brings a new day when one rises and gets out of bed, so too does a soul come back into a new body of flesh. When we see that David’s soul followed suit of his father – those elders of Israel – this becomes a statement that David’s soul had not gained eternal life with Yahweh. Yahweh was not the Father of David; and, that is why David could sin and be punished with reincarnation, not rising with the Father into His kingdom. It is in this statement that one can return to the relationship David had with Jonathan, where both their souls had lived past lives together, in service to Yahweh; so, for David’s soul to be reincarnated, this was arranged by Yahweh, with David’s soul in full agreement.

When we read, “Solomon loved Yahweh, walking in the statutes of his father David,” this gives the impression of a one-way love: Solomon’s love of Yahweh. The same words can also be read that Yahweh loved Solomon, whenever Solomon walked in the statutes of his father David. What is easy to overlook is the NRSV translation of “only,” which I have adjusted [in bold type] to say, “except that.” The Hebrew written is “raq,” which means “but, even, except, howbeit howsoever, at the least, nevertheless.” This small word states what Yahweh did not love that Solomon did. When that exception is said to be, “he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places,” it must be understood that “high places” were in the presence of the Ark of the Covenant, which was kept hidden behind a curtain, where only a high priest could enter and make burnt offering of incense.

In the history of the nation of Judah, which would come after Solomon’s reign ended and the two regions split into two separate nations, King Uzziah was said to be the second greatest of the kings of Judah, who reigned for fifty-two years. After forty-one years of excellent rule, Uzziah tried to burn incense at the altar in the temple and was stricken with leprosy. That physical curse came from Yahweh, because Uzziah had broken the rules. Of this, the Wikipedia article on Uzziah states this:

“[Uzziah] entered the Temple of Yahweh to burn incense on the altar of incense. Azariah the High Priest saw this as an attempt to usurp the prerogatives of the priests and confronted him with a band of eighty priests, saying, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense.” (2 Chronicles 26:18). In the meantime a great earthquake shook the ground and a rent was made in the temple, and the bright rays of the sun shone through it, and fell upon the king’s face, insomuch that the leprosy seized upon him immediately (Josephus Flavius, Antiquities IX 10:4). Uzziah was suddenly struck with tzaraat before he had offered the incense (2 Chronicles 26:19), and he was driven from the Temple and compelled to reside in “a separate house” until his death (2 Kings 15:5, 27; 2 Chronicles 26:3). The government was turned over to his son Jotham (2 Kings 15:5), a coregency that lasted for the last 11 years of Uzziah’s life (751/750 to 740/739 BC).”

It must be realized that Solomon broke the rules of Moses and he did not follow the advice of his father David, who said: “observe what Yahweh eloheka requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses.” In that use of “Yahweh eloheka” the meaning says David expected Solomon’s soul to be merged with Yahweh’s Spirit, so Yahweh was not only Solomon’s divine Husband, but Solomon (like David) would be one of Yahweh’s elohim – the extensions of Yahweh on earth in the flesh. To be one of Yahweh’s elohim, Solomon would have to fully submit his self-will and self-ego to Yahweh, as Yahweh’s wifely king.

When we read, “The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar,” that is a statement of ‘field trips’ Solomon would make, north of Jerusalem, while the Temple of Solomon was being built. It was in Gibeon that Solomon’s dream occurred, where he spoke with God. Following the promise, “If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life,” Solomon went to Jerusalem and offered burnt offering. Not read aloud, but stated in verse fifteen is this: “Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.”

In the history of Solomon, it is said he lived to be sixty. David lived to be seventy. The fact that Solomon did not have a live that exceeded the length of his father says Solomon did not walk in the ways of Yahweh and he did not keep Yahweh’s statutes and commandments. With this known, one needs to take a closer look at what occurred in this dream that Solomon had.

We read, “At Gibeon Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and said elohim, “Ask what I should give you.” This appearance comes after we are told, “The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.” This boy king had prior [not read aloud] married an Egyptian princess, to bring a Gentile [maybe] alliance, which subverted total faith that Yahweh would protect the people of Israel. Solomon then had a temple built to replace the tabernacle that David had established in the City of David [formerly Jebus]. Nathan was still alive and advising Solomon, so either Nathan no longer talked with Yahweh (after David’s death) or Solomon rejected the advice of a prophet, which said Yahweh does not want a house built for him. It was while that temple was being built [along with other palaces and walls of defense] that Solomon took the time to go break a law of Moses, with one thousand slaughtered animals burnt as an offering [not to Yahweh] but to Solomon’s new reign. Therefore, when Solomon heard a voice ask, “What should I give you,” he was too stupid or ignorant to understand the question was about punishment, not reward.

The failure of Solomon to realize this was Yahweh speaking to him through divine possession, which was the Spirit merged with Solomon’s soul – an elohim – it was not Yahweh speaking to Solomon, but his ego. When Solomon responded to the question by saying, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart,” this translation misses an important aspect. Where the translation says, “he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart,” the Hebrew is “hā·laḵ lə·p̄ā·ne·ḵā be·’ĕ·meṯ ū·ḇiṣ·ḏā·qāh ū·ḇə·yiš·raṯ lê·ḇāḇ ‘im·māḵ.” That literally translates to say, “he walked with the face of truth with righteous and uprightness of soul with you.” That says David was blessed by Yahweh when he wore His face of truth and led a life directed by Yahweh’s marriage with David’s soul. This was not Solomon knowing this, but the elohim that possessed his soul.

Solomon’s ego then assumed it was that marriage to Yahweh that brought about little baby Solomon to rule after daddy was dead. That ignorance does not know that when David stole another man’s wife, forced her to have sex with him (because he was king and had that power), which brought about her pregnancy with Solomon, causing David to lie to keep Solomon from being his responsibility and then murder when he could not get out of that, then David had stopped that relationship with Yahweh that brought David’s soul such great kindness. Solomon’s ego assumed he deserved to rule. Thus, his ego heard the question, “What should I give you?” as an opportunity to enhance himself further.

To read Solomon say, “I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties,” that must be understood as an admission of fear. Everything Solomon had done, up to this point in his reign, he had done because David gave him advice. Now that there was no external guide supplying him with suggestions for action, little boy Solomon wanted to forego any need for a prophet to tell him what to do. Solomon did not want to rely on Yahweh to tell him directly what to do either. Therefore, Solomon asked for himself to be like a god on earth.

In this aspect of Solomon admitting his fears about being too stupid to rule as a child, knowing others would readily take advantage of his lack of knowledge and mature wisdom, he spoke much unlike David. David had the experience of a shepherd, one who was led by the Spirit of Yahweh to know no fear. Had Goliath faced an Israel led by Solomon, it would have fared no better than the fear that shook Saul. Most likely, a Solomon-led Israel would have surrendered, because he admitted he did not know how to lead out or lead in. There was no fight in Solomon, other than for self-preservation.

Solomon then said, “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” In the words that have been translated to state, “give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people,” the word translated as “heart” [“lêḇ”] must be seen as a soul. A soul equates to a self, which is a request to be a god – an elohim – that is capable of “understanding how to judge Yahweh’s people.” David had been a true “judge” of the Israelites, because Yahweh controlled his soul. Now, Solomon wanted to have full control to himself.

When Solomon then continued, stating “to distinguish between right and wrong,” or “between good and evil,” this is a request that says the soul of Solomon was led by the serpent that tricked Eve to eat the fruit of the tree that leads a soul to be banished from heaven. This must be read as Solomon’s soul seeking banishment from Yahweh’s advice. Rather than submit his soul to Yahweh, so Yahweh would lead him in response to his prayers, which included Yahweh speaking to a true prophet to guide Solomon with faith, Solomon asked to be free of Yahweh’s involvement in his rule over God’s people. The people would then be left to follow Solomon’s lead, not Yahweh’s.

This is where having been written about Yahweh telling Samuel to anoint David, when Yahweh then poured out His Spirit into David’s soul, which remained with him forever, nothing like that being written about Solomon speaks a lot about how Solomon was nothing like his human father. Like the sons of Eli, the sons of Samuel, and the sons of David – all three true judges of the Israelite people – Solomon was as corrupted as are all sons of human fathers. Therefore, the people of Israel would be led by having true judges sent by Yahweh, so their marriage to Yahweh’s Spirit would flow from them to the people, leading the people to follow the lead of Yahweh, through a judge. Solomon’s soul was so devoid of Yahweh’s presence that the people of Israel would refuse to follow his son, after Solomon’s death.

This is where it is vital to realize that “Yahweh,” “elohim,” and “adonay” are not references to one and the same. Both “elohim” and “adonay” are plural forms of “gods” [from “el”] and “lords” [from “adon”], neither of which is a fixed statement of Yahweh’s presence. Certainly, a soul married to Yahweh is divinely possessed, so a soul in union with Yahweh’s Spirit becomes a divinely led “elohim,” a soul can equally be possessed by evil spirits, which enslave a soul to serve its flesh and not Yahweh. These evil spirits gaining possession of one’s soul-body then become that soul-flesh’s “lords.” Thus, I have adjusted verses ten and eleven in the above text, where the proper translation should say, “It pleased adonay that Solomon had asked this” and “elohim said to him”. This says the dream experienced by Solomon was not truly Yahweh in possession of bad boy King Solomon, when asked what punishment he deserved; although Yahweh was well aware of this conversation.

For verse ten to say, “It pleased adonay that Solomon had asked for self-control,” that says the “lords” of Solomon were all of the flesh, not of a soul divinely led. For verse eleven to then say, “elohim said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word,” this is nothing short of a pact being made with Satan. Solomon’s elohim was not Yahweh’s Spirit making promises to his flesh, but Satan promising worldly powers, in exchange for Solomon’s soul.

The reward for breaking the rules of a non-priest of the tabernacle burning sacrifices and incense being to grant Solomon a bigger brain that anyone ever possessed before was not given by Yahweh. Instead, it was allowed by Yahweh, as Yahweh knew the soul of Solomon when He placed it into his body of flesh at birth. Solomon was the child of sin; and, he would be the perfect new king to lead a nation of people to ruin, becoming the model of how wrong minds can be, when they are led by Satan. Therefore, the truth of Yahweh’s promise came through as the hypothetical, “If you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life,” knowing Solomon could only break the rules and walk according to his own path of self-righteousness.

When verse fifteen [not read aloud] says, “Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream,” this says Solomon was living a dream. The soul state of being is according to the ways of the flesh, such that to dream is to enter the everlasting realm of eternity, where true life never ends. For Solomon to “awaken” says he returned to the realm of death that is the material world. The think one has “dreamed” of promises from God, that says Solomon no longer believed in Yahweh. He saw Yahweh as a dream, and his new wisdom said dreams are not real. Therefore [also not read aloud], Solomon went to his new Temple and offered himself some fresh kill sacrifices, knowing there was no God who could ever punish a god on earth.

This reading option to be read on the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry to Yahweh should already be well underway, is a lesson in selfishness. Anyone who believes he or she can break the laws of Moses and make up new rules [said to be what Jesus meant, as if one’s brain can figure out what Jesus meant] means one is playing a role like that of young King Solomon. One sees Solomon as being given the gift of great wisdom, when such a gift is actually a curse. It is the brains of the world that lead the people away from a commitment to Yahweh. The seminaries of Christianity have long since given up belief in Yahweh [they now call him a generic “Lord”], as if being Jesus resurrected is only a dream, one which can never come true.

Ministry to Yahweh means submitting one’s heart, mind and soul to Yahweh, out of the love of marriage. One does not think what is best or what is worst, as one only acts according to the divine possession of Yahweh’s Spirit. One’s personal “Lord” is Jesus, the Son of man reborn as one with one’s submissive soul. One becomes like young David, not like young Solomon. One does not point to the diplomas and plaques of achievement in a church that serves an organization, not Yahweh and certainly not the people who choose to believe in a God. A true priest of Yahweh does not teach dreams that are beyond materialization. They teach the reality of dreams come true.

Language, Proverbs, Teaching

Proverbs 9:1-6 – Selling a soul for a big brain

January 4, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

Wisdom has built her house,

she has hewn her seven pillars.

She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her wine,

she has also set her table.

She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls

from the highest places in the town,

“You that are simple, turn in here!”

To those without sense she says,

“Come, eat of my bread

and drink of the wine I have mixed.

Lay aside immaturity, and live,

——————–

This is the optional Track 2 Old Testament reading that might be read aloud on the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 15], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. If chosen, it will be paired with a reading from Psalm 34, which sings, “Keep your tongue from evil-speaking and your lips from lying words. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” These will then precede a reading from Ephesians, where Paul wrote, “Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.” All will accompany the Gospel reading from John, where Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.”

In 2018, the last time this reading came up in the lectionary cycle, I wrote my opinion and published them on my website. That article can be viewed by searching this site. I stand behind those views now, as nothing has changed in the Scripture presented; and, I welcome all to read what I wrote then, as it applies to what I will add now.

It is clear from these six verses that the Hebrew was written in the feminine, such that seven words say “she” and six words say “her.” This obvious direction to the feminine gender must be seen as Solomon (a male) writing about the power of “wisdom,” which does not come from Yahweh (the supreme masculine Father). In this, the Hebrew word translated as “wisdom” – “ḥā·ḵə·mō·wṯ,” from “chokmoth” – means “wisdom, every wise woman,” where the word implies the feminine. This must be understood metaphorically.

Anyone who has regularly read my observations on Scripture will recall how I have regularly written about a soul’s marriage to Yahweh. I have come to the conclusion that all references to the feminine in Scripture are references to the soul trapped in the flesh, where the material world – the physical – is a reflection of the feminine state of being (or negative). Conversely, the spiritual realm, including all angels and immortals related to Yahweh are the masculine (or positive). It is in this way of seeing the material universe, as opposed to the ethereal, spiritual universe, where all matter is feminine and all spirit is masculine, that all humanity led to religion are feminine [regardless of human gender role], therefore potential bridesmaids of Yahweh. Thus, with that said (again), this song about “wisdom” has nothing to do with Yahweh and all to do with a marriage between a soul in human flesh and the goddess that is Mother Earth, which brings a feminine spirit into one’s being.

Another thing that I commonly point out, whenever Old Testament writings have been wrongly translated into English, is the Hebrew word “elohim” does not translate as “God” [the common error found]. It is the plural form of “el” [the singular, lower case “god”], this “gods.” An “elohim” is created by the marriage of a divine spirit, such that a soul placed in a body of flesh has a neuter essence [as do children], with the body of flesh having a feminine essence, simply from being a body of matter [clay, dust, elements of the earth]. Still, a soul-body that is feminine is not an “elohim,” as an “elohim” is created by the possession of that neuter gender soul by the masculine essence of Yahweh’s Spirit, such that a positive added to a neutral makes a positive. On the other hand, an “elohim” can likewise be possessed by an earthly spirit [including Mother Earth and Satan, an angel or elohim cast into the earth], where the neutral soul takes on the feminine spiritually. The presence of “wisdom” in this song sings about that possession of the feminine, of which Solomon was one.

In verse one, the Hebrew literally states, “the wise woman [Mother Earth] has built her house , she has hewn out her pillars seven .” The “house” [“bayith”] is the equivalent of Solomon stating an “elohim” having found a home in a living body of flesh – in this case Solomon. A spirit can only possess a soul, which is eternal life, as flesh without a soul is dead matter and cannot be animated by possession. The seven pillars hewn out can be seen as the chakras of Hinduism.

It should be noted that the practices of Hinduism are meditative, designed to bring spiritual powers of the physical universe [the feminine elohim] into oneself [a “self” always equates to a “soul”]. This means Hinduism is not a religion that worships gods [“elohim”], but a philosophy that the self [soul] can control or master these dead ‘energies,’ for selfish purposes. The mistake of thinking Hinduism is a religion that believes in gods comes from not realizing the only “gods” that are alive and conscious are those of the self [soul], which is then trained how to utilize unseen powers within one’s physical body. This is a philosophy that is common in other pseudo-religions, such as call their teachings some mastery of life. All believe in self as a god that can control natural powers of the universe, with all relegating Yahweh to a dead power of the material realm.

In the little known history of Jesus, during his teens and early twenties, he ventured into India and spent considerable time learning the practices of Hinduism. Jesus did not go to learn to master unseen, dead natural powers of the universe for personal benefit. Jesus was born with all of these powers available to him, because Jesus was divinely born of Yahweh. Jesus did not have to practice meditation for the purpose of learning how to reduce his state of being to become that akin to an antennae that received natural vibratory powers. Jesus prayed regularly and was in communication with Yahweh routinely; but Jesus never sought any powers for selfish reasons. While in India, Jesus displayed an easiness in possessing abilities that the Indians struggled mightily to master. The Hindus saw Jesus as a god, when he was a divinely possessed elohim of Yahweh – masculine and positive – the Son of Yahweh. When Jesus told the Hindu masters how much folly their practices were, Jesus was threatened with death, to the point that he had to leave.

Jesus understood that the story of Genesis, where Yahweh created His Son [we call him Adam], the realm where the spiritual joined with the physical was called Eden. Those two realms were joined by the presence of two trees: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The reason Adam was told never to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil was [as learned from breaking that rule] learning how to master life [the way Hindu try] means being banished from Eden (or Heaven). To submit one’s soul to the worship of the earthly powers, which are dead and are freely available to all souls trapped within bodies of dead flesh, means one’s soul cannot remain in a place where all dependency of life comes from sole worship of the tree of life. When one’s soul is fed only from that tree, then the natural powers that come from the tree of knowledge of good and evil are supplied by Yahweh, where the tree of life is His Spirit married with one’s soul. When married to Yahweh’s Spirit, one naturally benefits from the powers of the universe, without any need to eat that fruit of meditative practice.

After Adam and Eve were banished from Eden because they broke the one rule and had their chakra become sources of receptivity, those receptive centers also freely welcomed the influences of the serpent. The serpent was the wisest of the creatures created by Yahweh; so, when the serpent was cast into the earth to crawl, Satan took wisdom from the tree of knowledge of good and evil with him. When young Solomon wished to be able to discern good from evil, it was his openness to receive the influences of Satan (the serpent), rather than submit his soul to Yahweh and do penitence for sins [aka Adam and Eve], so their souls could again marry Yahweh and be returned to Eden after death in bodies of flesh.

By grasping all this insight from Scripture and apocryphal history, one can then read how verse two in this song of Satanic worship literally begins by saying, “she has slaughtered her meat and she has mixed her wine , also , she has furnished her table .” That “slaughtered and butchered” is one’s soul submitting its body of flesh as a sacrifice to the serpent, such that the feminine spirit of worldly desires has become mixed with one’s soul. This says one has become an “elohim” in possession of earthly powers, not heavenly ones. That makes “her table” be the material plane.

When verse three is shown to sing, “She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls from the highest places in the town,” the “servant-girls” [or “maidens”] are the natural powers of the material universe, which have become the fleshy parts of a body enhanced by Satan. The most prominent of these are the brain, the eyes, the hands, the tongue, and certainly the reproductive organs, all of which become the temporary objects that a soul has become enslaved by, from receiving them willingly. The Hebrew word translated as “places” is “gap·pê” [from “gaph”], which means “body, self, height, elevation.” (Strong’s) Thus, the self that has the highest abilities from these new slave girls will control more of one’s surroundings. Certainly, Solomon took great delight in possessing these powers as king.

Verse four then taunts anyone who does not sell his or her soul for the delights of self-power, singing “You that are simple, turn in here!” This calls all who do not deny Yahweh for the rewards of immediate gratifications an “those without sense.” The words that have been translated as “without sense” actually say, “lacking a soul,” from “ḥă·sar-lêḇ.” The word “leb” means “inner man, mind, will, heart,” where “chaser” means “needy, lacking, in want of.” This says young Solomon was in such need that he readily sold his soul to gain a big brain.

In verse four the shift in pronoun use turned to “him,” where the “simple” can also mean “open-minded” [from “pthiy”] are referred to in the masculine gender. Because a soul is a spirit, therefore eternal and from Yahweh, it is born of the masculine, but like children born of gender, that gender is not realized until puberty. Thus, the lure of Satan, parading as a “wise woman,” is selling souls that are “open-minded” (as was Eve), so “him turning,” because of “him lacking” the pretense of wisdom, will be tricked into “him hearing” what she whispers.

Verse five sounds so much like the serpent’s suggestion to Eve in the garden, as Solomon sang, ““Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.” This reading is an optional view of Solomon’s wisdom; but both choices will be read as a companion to Jesus saying to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Those instructions must be seen as relevant in this song of Satanic worship. This verse is enticing ignorant Eve to take a bite of the apple and become a god. It is suggesting a soul walk in the ways of wickedness, while shown the illusion of piety.

Verse six literally translates to sing, “forsake foolishness and live , and advance , in the way of understanding .” The same word translated as “simple” is now called “foolishness.” The meaning is akin to Ezekiel’s vision of a valley of dry bones, when Yahweh asked his soul, “Mortal can these dry bones live.” Ezekiel responded as a “simpleton,” saying, “you know,” which says, “I know nothing.” The lie is the false presentation of “life” [as “wiḥ·yū,” from “chayah”] is only possible in the flesh, which is always bound to die. The solitary influence “to advance” [from “ashar” meaning “to go straight, go on, advance”], is more on a human level of existence, because advancement into heaven will certainly be denied. All of this comes from growing a big brain, which is an organ of impediment towards spiritual goals.

In First Kings, chapter three, verse nine, young Solomon asked the voice he heard in his dream to give him “lêḇ šō·mê·a” [from “leb shama”], which was requesting an ability “to hear” on a “mind” level. For asking that talent, Solomon was told he would receive “lêḇ ḥā·ḵām wə·nā·ḇō·wn” [from “leb chakam bin”], which is the promise of a “mind wise to discern.” The same use of “bî·nāh” or “bin” is the promise of verse six, such that “the way of understanding” is not a lesson of Yahweh, but the mind’s ability to do without that divine guide.

As an optional Old Testament reading for the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway, the lesson here is not to fall for the lure of intelligence as the means to understanding. In my ministry over the past decade, I have used the examples of simpletons as how one submits one’s soul to Yahweh. Fictional characters, such as Forrest Gump, Chance the gardener, and Navin R. Johnson show the way to truly reap the benefits of divine marriage to Yahweh. Intelligence is all about self-aggrandizement, so one rises above others and leads them as would a king. Solomon was such a king; and the lesson of Israel’s kings is they were all total failures in the eyes of Yahweh.

Ephesians, Language, Teaching

Ephesians 5:15-20 – Elevated into the name of God

January 4, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

——————–

This is the Epistle reading selection for the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 15], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It will follow one of two possible Old Testament and Psalm pairings, where the Track 1 option places focus on Solomon’s rise to power after David’s death, asking for the gift of wisdom. The Track 2 option is a Proverb of Solomon, which sings about the love of wisdom gained. The Psalms are songs of praise, with warnings for the necessity of repentance. All will accompany the Gospel reading from John, where Jesus said, “I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.”

I wrote deeply about this reading selection when it last came up in the lectionary cycle, in 2018. I published it on my website then, which can be accessed by searching this site. While I today use the same techniques for analyzing the words of Paul, new insights have come to me over the past three years, which I now add to another deep commentary of the meaning of Paul’s words. I stand behind my analysis of 2018, as those opinions are still valid today; and, I welcome all readers to read that and this and see where my new insights are stated. I welcome feedback on everything I write and post, as everything is for the benefit of other souls.

The first word of verse fifteen is capitalized, meaning “Blepete” takes on a divine level of meaning. The lower case spelling means the word ordinarily would be the second person plural form of “blepó,” meaning “you look, see, perceive, discern” (Strong’s Usage), while also being an important statement to “beware of.” The capitalization takes this to a heavenly [spiritual] meaning, such that HELPS Word-studies explains, “blepó suggests ‘to see something physical, with spiritual results (perception).’ That is, it carries what is seen into the non-physical (immaterial) realm so a person can take the needed action (respond, beware, be alert).” Thus, the meaning Paul intended is to remind the Ephesians [true Christians] to rely on their divine insight, more than what the accepted ways of the world allow, as far as how to live righteous lives.

Rather than being “careful” for their own safety and wellbeing, Paul meant for them to live according to conducting their loves so others are cared for. Such care cannot be based on foolishness, which is either fear-related reluctance to act or fear-driven rushes of action. When Paul wrote the word “sophoi,” the intent was to be one governed by piety and integrity. This cannot be determined through intellectual decision making, as that is too slow. It becomes a statement about one’s soul being married to Yahweh’s Spirit, so one’s actions are immediately taken through divine guidance.

Where the translation says, “making the most of the time, because the days are evil,” the operative word mistranslated is “exagorazomenoi,” which better translates as “ransoming” or “redeeming.” This says a life led before a soul is led to marry Yahweh is filled with plenty of sins that were brought on by both intellect and stupidity. Being led by a big brain leaves one with a life of past sins to repay. Marriage to Yahweh’s Spirit makes up for wasted time, where the continued presence of evil needs good shepherds placed into ministry to protect the flocks and lead more to also marry their souls to Yahweh. The element of “days” reflects how one must represent the light of truth, which lights the path that others must take, to cleanse their souls of past sins.

When Paul then wrote, “So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is,” this series of words [in three segments, not two] says being “foolish” is not having married one’s soul to Yahweh, because it is impossible to fully have “understanding” [“syniete”] when one’s “will” [“thelēma”] is self-motivated. A self-motivated will makes one’s soul be the “lord” of one’s flesh [or worse, if demonically possessed by an evil spirit], where “kyriou” would need to be written in the lower case. Because of the capitalization taking this word to a divine level of meaning, where it is the “Lord” that controls one’s body of flesh, because “of the Lord” [“Kyriou”] means the resurrection of Jesus’ soul within one’s own soul [divinely possessed]. The only way to have that “perception” is to know Jesus personally and think what he is thinking [both using the same fleshy brain], which comes from the Father.

When Paul is then shown to write, “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery,” it must be understood that the ritual of the Passover Seder meal is to finish the evening getting drunk on wine, staying up as long as one cane, before passing out drunk. Paul was not saying that; and, to imply that in a letter means he wrote to both Jews and Gentiles.

The meaning must be seen as metaphor for using physical aids for artificially accessing what seems to be a higher realm of thought. Artists and musical talents in modern time [since Christianity became mainstream] have seen drugs and alcohol as a way to get in touch with the ‘gods of creativity.’ On the famous Pentecost, when the Spirit of Yahweh poured out upon the Apostles, their divine insight [things they said that impressed, as new and fresh takes on Scripture] was seen as the effects of drunkenness. While wine was a common drink that could lead to this seemingly elevated state of being, it was known to be temporary and leave a trail of forgotten sins in one’s wake. Thus, the advice given by Paul was to stay away from artificial means for attaining creative goals.

This is why Paul then followed that warning with the alternative, which said “be filled with the Spirit,” where the word “Pneumati” is capitalized. That capitalization elevates the meaning [which Christians readily recognize] to a divine state of meaning, which is beyond the lower case meanings of “life, breath, or wind.” Because the alcohol of fermented wine enters the bloodstream and yields the effects of drunkenness [such that hard liquors are called ‘spirits’], the capitalized “Spirit” is divinely entered into the soul, which thereby affects the body of flesh in ways that were how Peter and the eleven spoke divinely. In the same way that wine can allow one’s brain to access knowledge from a relaxed brain when under the influence of alcohol, the Spirit of Yahweh makes such access automatic and not temporary. The result of the “Spirit” is righteousness, never “debauchery.”

When Paul then wrote [NRSV], “as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves,” this is a further example of the excessive wine drinking after a Seder meal. The fourth ritual cup of wine is poured at the table, but then taken into a family gathering room, when the singing of songs and the reciting of psalms goes along with the drinking until one passes out drunk. For many people, especially those who do not have beautiful voices and singing is not a strong suit for them, drinking alcoholic beverages [beer or wine] will have the effect of loosening them up to singing, without worry. When attending a Seder meal, most attendees are usually family, with some close friends invited; so, the “among yourselves” element says those singing are all Jewish. All Gentiles would have then been taught what the Jews memorized, with all being elevated by the Spirit to understanding what the words of the songs meant.

To then be “singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts” [which literally states, “singing kai making melody in the inner self of you to the Lord”] says “singing” is a way of praising Yahweh. More than reciting memorized words or reading lyrics from a hymnal, the “making melody” becomes a statement of a vibratory elevation within one’s soul, which singing enhances. Singing becomes the ‘wine’ of music, which opens one’s soul to being led willingly [and happily] by the divine possession that is the presence of Jesus’ soul with one’s own soul [submissive to that of Jesus], so the vibrations of music open one up to speaking without forethought. One then channels the Will of Yahweh, coming through the Son’s presence.

It is then in this way of celebration of marriage – the true symbolism of the Passover Seder, as a wedding feast – that Paul wrote, “giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In this verse, the capitalized words “Kyriou,” “Iēsou,” “Christou,” “Theō,” and “Patri” are written [in that order of presentation], such that all have divinely elevated meanings that must be fully grasped.

The literal translation of the Greek says: “giving thanks always on behalf of all with name of this our Lord ourselves of Jesus of the Christ to God kai Father .” In this, the genitive case states possession, which is found in “our Lord” [not simply “Lord”], “of Jesus” [not simply “Jesus”], and “of the Christ” or “of the Anointed one” [not using “Christ” like a last name]. The presence of the word “kai” between “God” and “Father” makes a profound statement that one’s soul has married Yahweh, thereby “to God” betrothed, with the “kai” making an important additional statement that the Holy Husband is also the “Father,” which means holy matrimony has brought the Son of God into one’s soul-flesh being. The marriage is what makes one “in the name of Yahweh,” with His name [“Jesus” means “Yahweh Saves”] being one’s “Lord,” so one is possessed by the same Lord,” as “our Lord” commonly. Each is then the Son reborn, such that with that possession comes each the identification of being “of the Christ,” which means the presence of Jesus’ soul is what makes one “Anointed” by Yahweh. Jesus’ soul is the pouring out of Yahweh’s name into one’s soul.

As an Epistle reading for the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry to Yahweh should already be well underway, the lesson here is to run away from physical and material means to artificially ‘get high.’ So many times I have heard Episcopalians pretend to be moved by eating a wafer and sipping wine at a church rail. That is pretense and a temporary elevation of spirit, no different than drinking a shot of whisky. Paul is saying one must get the permanent “Spirit” and become Jesus reborn, so Yahweh is not only one’s God, he is also the Father of one’s ministry in His Son’s name.

John, Language, Teaching

John 6:51-58 – Feasting on Jesus

January 4, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

——————–

This is the Gospel selection to be read aloud on the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 15], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It will follow one of two possible sets of Old Testament and Psalm readings, with Track 1 placing focus on the death of David and the ascension to the throne by Solomon and his gaining of wisdom. The Track 2 option places focus on a Proverb of Solomon, which sings praises to wisdom. All will be read along with the Epistle from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, where he wrote, “Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.”

I wrote my opinions on this reading and published them on my website in 2018, the last time this reading came up in the lectionary cycle. I welcome all to read that commentary by searching this site. My views at that time are basically the same as they are now, so the opinions I expressed then are still valid today. However, I have been led to deeper insights from Scripture since then, which means I can offer some new views that are worthwhile, which I will post now.

I want to first state that the vast majority of readers of this Scripture – the overwhelming percentage of those who call themselves ‘Christians” today – will be exactly like the crowd gathered around Jesus were then. This continuing series that places focus on the aftermath of the feeding of five thousand, where those who looked for and found Jesus came to him for all the wrong reasons. They were shortchanged by having been served a sermon and some tidbits of food by Judas Iscariot. They people were mostly pilgrim travelers, who had ample supplies of bread and drink with them, which they freely gave so their section of the five thousand [one-twelfth] could be fully fed, with leftover scraps of bread. While the majority went away fulfilled by the Spirit, passed onto them by the other eleven apostles, it was this group which was disgruntled and wanted Jesus to give them what they deserved. They then become the model for all the riff-raff denominations of the corruption of Christianity into an organized religion, led by wolves and administered by worthless hired hands who preach like did Judas. The people are always lacking and seeking more for the money they give. Therefore, it is vital for everyone to see himself or herself as those who ridicule Jesus in this reading; because that is you.

When Jesus said [NRSV], “the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh,” the Jews then and Christians today read or hear those words spoken and think of Jesus as a separate, external being. They see Jesus as a body of flesh, which is not what was meant by what he said. The Greek written by John divides his words into two segments, which become one statement followed by another. The NRSV makes it all one paraphrased statement. The Greek is literally translated as follows:

“kai this bread next which I will give , this flesh of me being on behalf of this of the world life .”

In that, the first segment is introduced by the word “kai,” which is a marker word that denotes importance needing to be seen in the words that follow [up to the comma mark]. When that importance directly points to “this bread,” that relates back to what Jesus said: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.” This means forget all about the concept of physical bread and see the importance of Jesus saying, “kai this life from heaven which I will give.” That is the importance of a life that does not already exist within those who will receive this gift of life.

Keep in mind here how the majority of those fed by the sea did not follow Jesus. It was only those fed crap by Judas. The others had received this life which Jesus gave through his apostles; and, they went out into the world filled with the gift of eternal life for their souls. That gift received meant they went into ministry AS JESUS REBORN. Receiving this life gift is not because one is the prettiest or the smartest. It is because a soul has married Yahweh and become his committed servant. Committed servants do not show up some place Sunday after Sunday looking for physical food and drink, only to go home and do nothing for anyone other than themselves. The people who followed Jesus are exactly like those who never were given life from heaven.

Following the comma mark, Jesus then added, “this flesh of me,” where the genitive case applied to “egó” says “of me.” That is misinterpreted as if Jesus was talking about “his flesh,” when in reality “his flesh” is whoever’s flesh becomes “of Jesus” [“of me”]. That makes his “flesh” be the one receiving the gift of life from heaven, because that flesh has become “of Jesus,” as his place of possession. That is then one who enters into holy ministry, as Jesus reborn; and, those were the ones who did not follow Jesus to Capernaum and hound him because a bad priest had fed them crap.

The problem so-called Christianity has today, is the vast majority of Christians see Jesus as some external deity, who sits on a throne in heaven [“wherever that is … surely not within me” – they say] and there can only be the one Jesus. Even when the Gospels tell of Jesus appearing in different bodies of flesh and the Apostles suddenly becoming filled with the Spirit and speaking in tongues, nobody seems to realize the Apostles all became reborn as Jesus. Nobody realizes Paul and all the first true Christian [who began a life-transforming movement, not a religion] were all exactly as Jesus says in this reading: They ate the flesh and drank the blood of the bread of life. Their flesh became Jesus resurrected.

Christians today, those who regularly go to a church each week [the number is getting less each week, especially now that COVID19 has become the excuse du jour], do little-to-nothing to help others. They think they are the poor lost sheep that Jesus will come find, no matter how filthy with the sins of the world’s ‘mud holes’ as they are. As long as they go to church [little more], Jesus will take them to heaven, because somebody told them to believe, “Jesus died so you can sin.” They firmly believe Jesus will come down and drive them in a holy Uber car to heaven, then open the door and escort them to their fancy suite in the Father’s house. They think they are owed that service, because they believe without ever being shown any proof, nor demanding the proof be shown to them.

In the use of “egó” [“I”], which is restated in “mou” [“of me”] and with “autou” [“of him”], all are reflections of “being” [along with three uses of “estin,” or “is”]. Jesus was not stating his “ego” when he said “I” or variations on that theme of “self.” They have to be read as one’s own “self-ego,” which must die in submission to a divine marriage to Yahweh, so that one’s own “ego” is replaced by that of Jesus. The Jesus “egó” occurs when one hs been reborn as Jesus, whose “ego” then controls one’s brain, as one’s flesh and blood is the body of Jesus resurrected.

In the Greek of John is written, “ean mē phagēte tēn sarka tou Huiou tou anthrōpou , kai piēte autou to haima , ouk echete zōēn en heautois .” This literally translates to state, “if not you shall have consumed it body of which of Son of this of man , kai shall have drunk of self this blood , not you possess life in your souls .” The placement of “kai” must be seen as marking the important segment here, which says, “shall have drunk of self this blood.” Rather than seeing “blood” as metaphor for wine, as some physical liquid poured into a cup and swallowed by mouth, one needs to read “blood” metaphorically as a statement of relationship or lineage. The element of drinking should then be seen as metaphor for baptism, where there is no physical water involved, but the pouring out of Yahweh’s Spirit into one’s soul. It must be seen as Jesus saying one’s relationship with Yahweh must have taken place, so one’s soul [“autou” as the genitive case of “self” – “of self”] has submitted to Yahweh in marriage. That makes one’s “blood” related to a most holy line of saints.

In this Sunday’s readings – the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost – one must recall last Sunday’s bread and water that an angel of Yahweh placed by the head of Elijah. That was not physical bread and water. It was symbolic of the life brought down from heaven, which was Jesus. Elijah died of self, with his soul leaving his body of flesh. Once dead, he was touched by Jesus’ soul, where Elijah was told to eat. His soul consumed the body of Jesus, so the two were one. The jar of water was the relationship where the blood of Elijah’s body of flesh mingled as that of two souls in relationship. When Elijah lay back down, his newly joined soul reentered his body of flesh, and the second touch was Jesus telling Elijah to continue to consume the body of the Son of man, so he would gain eternal life [symbolic of forty days].

As a Gospel selection for the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry for Yahweh should already be well underway, the lesson here is to be Jesus reborn. There can be no life offered to anyone by a false shepherd or hired hand, because one has not consumed the body of Jesus and become another that is the Son of man [regardless of human gender]. When there is no life to offer the world, one has denied marriage to Yahweh and forbidden divine intercourse make one give birth to the Son of Yahweh in one’s flesh. The only way others can be served by one’s ministry is for oneself [a self always means a soul] dying, so the angel of Yahweh can bring the bread from heaven [Jesus] and set it by one’s “ego” [a “head”] and tell one’s soul to “eat.” When one “eats” Jesus [the spiritual bread] then one’s flesh becomes where Jesus resurrects. If one cannot grasp that truth, then one is just following Jesus around, making things worse for one’s soul.

Language, Psalms, Teaching

Psalm 111 – Being putty in Yahweh’s hands

January 4, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

1 Hallelujah!

I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart, *

in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation.

2 Great are the deeds of Yahweh! *

they are studied by all who delight in them.

3 His work is full of majesty and splendor, *

and his righteousness endures forever.

4 He makes his marvelous works to be remembered; *

Yahweh is gracious and full of compassion.

5 He gives food to those who fear him; *

he is ever mindful of his covenant.

6 He has shown his people the power of his works *

in giving them the lands of the nations.

7 The works of his hands are faithfulness and justice; *

all his commandments are sure.

8 They stand fast for ever and ever, *

because they are done in truth and equity.

9 He sent redemption to his people;

he commanded his covenant forever; *

holy and awesome is his Name.

10 The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom; *

those who act accordingly have a good understanding;

his praise endures forever.

——————–

This is the accompanying Psalm for the Track 1 Old Testament reading from First Kings, which will be read aloud in unison or sung by a cantor on the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 15], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. The First Kings focus is on David’s death and Solomon rising to power, asking for and receiving the gift of wisdom. This will precede a selection from Ephesians, where Paul wrote, “do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” All will accompany the Gospel reading from John, where Jesus said, “the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

In the translation presented above, one will note where I restored mistranslations that say “Lord” with the proper “Yahweh” [ in bold type]. It is vital that each and every child of God learn His proper name and become comfortable speaking that name, rather than be trained to always think of God as some distant and separate entity that one recognizes as a great power, albeit one to great to ever come to know personally. By calling Yahweh a “Lord” one subjects oneself to an unknown power. The call for God’s chosen people is to marry their souls to their God and take on His name after that marriage. As one’s Holy Husband, a wife [regardless of human gender] calls her Husband by His proper name, such that speaking the name Yahweh says one is in a personal relationship with a known God – Yahweh.

To see just how hidden is the name of Yahweh in these English translations that are commonly read aloud in churches of Christianity, the first word in this translation is a word as recognizable as is “Lord” – “Hallelujah.” In reality, the Hebrew written is two words: “hal·lū yāh,” which have the roots “halal” and “yah,” saying “to shine Yah” – with “Yah” the “proper name of the God of Israel.” That says, “praise Yah,” where “Yah” is the short version of Yahweh. Thus, the word “Hallelujah” is praising a specific God, the one named Yahweh; but few Christians understand that.

When “Hallelujah” is understood to mean “give praise to Yahweh,” the following statement says “Hallelujah” is more than some fluff added without cause. To follow a specific statement of giving praise to Yahweh, David then wrote, “I give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart.” This clearly has David telling all the children of Yahweh to give praise to their Holy Husband, just as David thanked Yahweh by surrendering his “whole soul” [“leb” means “inner man”] in marriage to Yahweh. It says David not only praised Yahweh, he thanked Yahweh for overwhelming his soul.

When verse one then adds, “in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation,” this says all who do the same as David are the true children of Yahweh, as all will be alike in their souls being married to Yahweh’s Spirit, so all live righteous lives [“the upright”] and all gather together as the “congregation” of Yahweh’s wives – Saints.

Here, it is important to realize how Jesus said the first most important commandment was “to love God with all one’s heart, all one’s mind, and with all one’s soul.” That confirms what David knew, as he also followed the Laws of Moses. All of Israel [a name that means “He Retains God”] must be married to Yahweh and all who retain Yahweh within their souls will praise and give thanks to that most holy union. The “assembly” [ not a “synagogue” but a “counsel” – from “sod”] is not Jewish and is not Christian. It is all whose souls have married Yahweh and submitted their souls to His Will. The proof of that marriage says one’s soul has become joined with the soul of Jesus, so that pair within one body of flesh [countless times over] means that flesh has been Anointed by Yahweh, thus is the rebirth of a Christ, as in the name of Jesus – which means “Yah Will Save.”

Verse two then states, “Great are the deeds of Yahweh!” This says the “works” of Yahweh are done by His wives, who are true Israelites, in whom Yahweh raises all to be “upright” and “righteous.” That is not simply some glow that one receives from marrying Yahweh, as if being the prettiest and the smartest is why Yahweh picked out some arm candy to show off to the world, like a lap dog that can do nothing but make a mess that needs to be cleaned daily. Righteousness means acting, which are the “works and deeds” of true faith.

When David then added, “they are studied by all who delight in them,” this says it is the acts of the righteous – those souls married to Yahweh’s Spirit – that brings in those lost sheep who want to also be able to act righteously. Those, of course, are the sinners who want to know “the Lord,” but never thought it was possible for lowlifes like themselves. Those need to be brought to desire marriage to Yahweh; and, they can only find the light shining on that path to redemption by those who possess the light of Christ in their souls. Their acts in the name of Yahweh is what brings others to “seek” [translated as “studied”] what their souls are missing.

Verse three then expands this concept of “deeds” and “works.” David sang, “His work is full of majesty and splendor, and his righteousness endures forever.” This says Yahweh is the one doing all the greatness of a soul’s actions. The four Gospels tell of the “works” and “deeds” of Jesus. Jesus performed miracles, which no one else could do. Jesus has been worshiped as a god, when Jesus routinely said he did the work of the Father, because he was in the Father and the Father was in him. Everything Jesus did was “Yahweh’s work,” done “full of majesty and splendor.” The promise of Jesus is, “You too can be redeemed and do greater works than I have done.” The meaning of the name “Jesus” is “Salvation,” which does not come by believing in Jesus, but by marrying “Yahweh.” Doing the “works” of Yahweh will bring one eternal life in the spiritual realm.

Verse four says “to be remembered” [from “zê·ḵer”], which the NRSV does not translate as such. This says it is most important to keep in mind that no human being is capable of doing any of the “works” or “deeds” of true “righteousness” – no miracles performed – without all honor and glory being given to Yahweh. Those are “his marvelous works” [“lə·nip̄·lə·’ō·ṯāw”] and all “gracious and compassionate” acts [as the miracles of curing are] are the acts of Yahweh alone. This is the truth behind the translation that says, “He makes his marvelous works to be remembered; Yahweh is gracious and full of compassion.”

Verse five then sings, “He gives food to those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant.” In this, the Hebrew word “tereph” [from “ṭe·rep̄”] has been translated as “food,” when the full scope of meaning includes “prey” and “a leaf.” This should be seen as the treatment given to the sick and frail, who have become the “food” of predators, such that many illnesses [seen as from sins] are treated by medicinal concoctions based on the leaves of plants. The healings of Yahweh, through a saint, become the bread of life passed on by a medium, which are given to those who seek Yahweh through fear of having not pleased Him. These healings become transformative.

When one has been touched by Yahweh, through one who serves His Will as His ministers, the one who has then been fed spiritual food – the result of healing, as being “touched by an angel of Yahweh” – those will be “ever mindful” of the power of Yahweh [not the servant]. In that, the use of “ever mindful” [“yiz·kōrlə·‘ō·w·lām”] means the same as having become “upright.” The soul has become promised “everlasting life,” such as that promise takes over one’s body of flesh, leading it to always be lawful in one’s actions. Still, the “covenant” is less about remembering the laws of Moses, but understanding those laws are one’s marriage vows that join a soul to His Spirit. Being fed healing not only cleanses one’s soul of sins, but also writes the laws of the Covenant on the walls of one’s inner man [i.e.: soul].

Verse six then sings, “He has shown his people the power of his works in giving them the lands of the nations.” This says Yahweh’s proof is known through those whom He possesses divinely. This is not a nation of people, as the Jews mistakenly believe, because all the nations who thought that way failed miserably and turned to ruin. Yahweh shows His power through those whose souls have married His Spirit, giving birth to the power that is a Christ in human flesh. They are all Sons of man [regardless of human gender], who go in search of seekers of the truth. The element of “giving them the lands of the nations” means ministry throughout the world, in all nations. However, this is not an organizational pursuit, but individual [sent in pairs of pairs – individuals both married to Yahweh], as no religious industry can ever display the power of Yahweh.

Verse seven then sings, “The works of his hands are faithfulness and justice; all his commandments are sure.” Here, the key words of importance are “verity” [“emeth”] and “judgment” [“mishpat”], meaning “truth” is the power of all works and “judgment” is one’s own, based on the “faith” produced by the truth. Faith can never be the result of reading or hearing of good things, as that is only the first step towards belief. One’s soul judges what is true, based on personal experience. By testing the truth and finding “all his commandments are sure,” then one knows from having walked the walk that the truth is indeed true. It has been proved by “the works of His hands” in the hands of sinners redeemed.

Verse eight then sings, “They stand fast for ever and ever, because they are done in truth and equity,” which echoes how faith is found through personal experience. Words of promise are spoken by ministers sent into the world; all souls married to Yahweh [Saints]. The presence of Yahweh’s Spirit in their being, the uprightness in their acts, touches a seeker and this touch drives them to test the truth as such. The result of those acts of testing is the truth is found just and one seeking has found righteousness, through soul’s marriage to Yahweh. That divine spiritual marriage is what becomes eternal life.

Verse nine then sings, “He sent redemption to his people; he commanded his covenant forever; holy and awesome is his Name.” Whenever one hears David singing about “his name” [“šə·mōw”], this is a statement of marriage. A wife takes on the name of her husband. Likewise, a soul takes on the name of its Husband, Yahweh. The element of “redemption” [“pə·ḏūṯ”], where the true root word “peduth” means “ransom,” says a life of sin was headed towards utter failure, but then was saved. The use of “his name” means “Jesus” become appropriate upon redemption, as it means “Yah[weh] Will Save.” The marriage vows [“his covenant”] are forever, as the truth of “until death do we part” means death has been erased by the gift of eternal life. There will never be a parting, once a soul has united with Yahweh’s Spirit.

Verse ten then sings, “The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom; those who act accordingly have a good understanding; his praise endures forever.” It is in this verse that one can see a connection to the First Kings companionship that tells of Solomon being granted wisdom. Solomon broke the covenants by burning incense in the tabernacle, which says he did not fear the punishment of Yahweh. It was not a marriage of his soul to Yahweh that granted him wisdom. Solomon married a demonic spirit of the world, which granted him the powers of the tree of knowledge of good and evil – the spirit of the serpent. Where David’s words are translated as “good understanding” [from “sekel twob”], this is the fruit of the tree of life, where no knowledge of evil needs to cloud one’s mind. Only good comes from the fruit of the tree of life – the fruit that is Jesus – the bread of life. The food from the tree of life last forever, whereas the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil banishes one from the eternal realm, condemning one to death and reincarnation.

As a companion song to that story of young Solomon falling prey to the lures of Satan, the lesson must be seen as Solomon was not a soul married to Yahweh, as his father David was. When the saying goes, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Solomon was the fruit of a fallen David. Young David and young Solomon are night and day opposites. The lust for knowledge, where multiple college degrees allows one to earn higher salaries and become empowered over more and more people is the sin of selfishness. Solomon would belittle those who did not seek wisdom as their goddess. David sang out, “Praise Yahweh! I give thanks to Yahweh for His marrying my soul completely.”

Language, Psalms, Teaching

Psalm 34:9-14 – Turning aside evil and only seeking good

January 4, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

9 Fear Yahweh, you that are his saints, *

for those who fear him lack nothing.

10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger, *

but those who seek Yahweh lack nothing that is good.

11 Come, children, and listen to me; *

I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.

12 Who among you loves life *

and desires long life to enjoy prosperity?

13 Keep your tongue from evil-speaking *

and your lips from lying words.

14 Turn from evil and do good; *

seek peace and pursue it.

——————–

This is the companion Psalm to the Track 2 Old Testament option from Proverbs, which is a song of praise to the goddess wisdom. If chosen, this will be read aloud in unison or sung by a cantor on the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 15], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. They will be partnered with the Ephesians reading that has Paul writing, “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit.” All will accompany the Gospel reading from John, where Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.”

Last Sunday the first eight verses of this song were read. Today the next six verses are sung. With these verses now being attached to Proverb 9, where Solomon had the audacity to praise the “woman of wisdom,” with the feminine stated repeatedly as “she” and “her,” it is most important to see how David expressly sang of Yahweh [not some generic Lord]. To make that point clear, I have reinstated the three uses of “Yahweh,” striping this song bare of “Lord.” Hopefully, one can see how Solomon’s lust for some goddess of wisdom [called by different specific names in different mythologies] would equate to such a generality, as generalities are all dead gods.

In verse nine is the Hebrew word “qə·ḏō·šāw,” from “qadosh,” which has been translated as “saints.” The word means “sacred, holy, or consecrated,” which is not a distinction of anyone who has not married their souls to Yahweh. Thus, David was saying that a “fear” of not having Yahweh in one’s life leads one’s soul to that marriage, thereby transforming one into a “saint,” or one who acts “holy.”

In the second half of verse nine, David sings that all souls who do marry Yahweh and become His saints will “lack nothing.” Here, the Hebrew word “maḥ·sō·wr” is written, rooted in “machzor,” where the translation of “lack nothing” is better stated as “need” or “poverty.” The intent says all needs will be met; and, one will never feel impoverished by the world temptations of things, which force human souls to fear death more than Yahweh. David meant the presence of Yahweh through marriage is a greater reward than all the unnecessary things the world offers, and Yahweh will provide a means for all needs.

When verse ten sings, “The young lions lack and suffer hunger,” this is metaphor for the drive to succeed that younger humans sell their souls for. The lusts for worldly goods has then overextending to the point of never having enough to suit their wants and desires. The use of “hunger” is metaphor for these lusts that lead to sin; and, this is not relative to physical needs for food. The deeper meaning of “hunger” is their souls “lack” spiritual food, because they are so involved in placing themselves above others, making self all-important.

The second half of verse ten then sings that those who “seek Yahweh” will find nothing lacking in their souls. When Yahweh is merges with one’s soul, within one’s flesh, then that presence brings joy and peace, which makes whatever one has be “good.”

Verse eleven then turns the focus on “children,” where the Hebrew written actually says “sons” [from “ḇā·nîm,” plural of “ben”]. For Israelites, education of one’s laws was home taught, with local rabbis or teachers assigned for basic intellectual development of children [sons more than daughters]. In that system of schooling, the Psalms of David were taught and learned. Thus, David is speaking to the “sons” of Israel, as their king, teaching them in son to fear Yahweh. To be taught to fear Yahweh was to be taught to sacrifice one’s soul for spiritual gains, so one does not act like a wild animal that preys on the weak.

Verse twelve then sings a question, asking “Who among you loves life and desires long life to enjoy prosperity?” In that, the first part makes a statement that focuses on “mankind” [“hā·’îš,” from “ish”] that asserts that being “alive” [“ḥay·yîm,” from “chay”] brings the flesh all the “pleasures” [“he·ḥā·p̄êṣ,” from “chaphets”] of the world. It is this “love of life” that makes one fear death. The question is then turned to the “days” [“yā·mîm,” the plural of “yom”], where the NRSV evades the question of life being most desirable in the light, when one feels more alive. The question then posed by David is: Why would one not desire the light of day to always surround one’s being, because the light of day makes all the good be easily seen?”

Verse thirteen then sings of the benefits of the light of truth, which is the eternal “day” that comes when one’s soul has married Yahweh and been promised eternal life after death. The translation that says, “Keep your tongue from evil-speaking and your lips from lying words,” those are the actions of darkness. Such words would rarely be spoken in the light of day, face-to-face with another. The light of day exposes the truth; so, the presence of Yahweh makes telling the truth a standard, based on a fear of losing the promise of eternal life in heaven, for one’s soul.

The last verse in this selection then sings, “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

It is in this verse that the concepts of “good and evil” are presented. This is relative to what young Solomon asked the voice in his dream to receive: the ability to determine good from evil. This becomes the paradox of two trees in the center of the garden that Yahweh told His children they could only eat the fruit of one. The tree of life is then the source of “completeness, soundness, welfare, and peace” [“shalom”]; and, that fruit is what one must “seek.” To “turn aside evil” means to receive the Spirit of Yahweh within one’s soul [the truth of the tree of life], so one will always only do good, with there being no need to know what “evil” is. To seek to know evil is to become evil, and thereby be cast out of the promise for eternal life.

As a Psalm chosen to partner with the Proverb that sings praises to the goddess of wisdom, where simple folk are mocked for not desiring to be wise [on a human level of being], the lesson to learn here is David taught the sons of Israel not to fear death, which is rooted in the young lions always being starved of spiritual food. This lesson then aptly applies to the Gospel reading in John, where Jesus said he was the bread of life. To eat that spiritual food – and become Jesus resurrected – means to fear Yahweh and turn aside evil ways. When ministry is the work that must be done to gain eternal life, one needs no big brain to figure out the best way to reach that goal. The smarter one thinks one is, the further away from the light of truth one strays.

Explaining the Readings

Tag Archives: Proper 15 Year B

1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 – The Wisdom of Solomon

Proverbs 9:1-6 – The temple of wisdom

Ephesians 5:15-20 – Being wise and singing songs of praise

John 6:51-58 – Eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus

1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 – The big brain of a little man breaking the rules

Proverbs 9:1-6 – Selling a soul for a big brain

Ephesians 5:15-20 – Elevated into the name of God

John 6:51-58 – Feasting on Jesus

Psalm 111 – Being putty in Yahweh’s hands

Psalm 34:9-14 – Turning aside evil and only seeking good

The Episcopal Lectionary Discerned