Tag Archives: Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 – Suspended in the forest of Ephraim

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

The king, David, ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders concerning Absalom. So the army went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim. The men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the slaughter there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. The battle spread over the face of all the country; and the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword. Absalom happened to meet the servants of David.

Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. His head caught fast in the oak, and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.

And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him, and killed him.

Then the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, “Good tidings for my lord the king! For the Lord has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all who rose up against you.” The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” The Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up to do you harm, be like that young man.”

The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

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This is an optional Old Testament selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Twelfth 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 14. It will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a reader on Sunday August 12, 2018. It is important because it tells that the hardest fights ever fought are against loved ones, but the fights supported by God must be fought.

One should notice this reading selection is missing some verses. In the first verse, where is read, “The king, David, ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai,” these are the allies of David, with Joab and Abishai being brothers that were nephews of David. Ittai was a Gittite (a Philistine from Gath) who remained loyal to David. These men led what can be considered to be the “elite guard” of the king, as military leaders who were committed to following David’s orders into battle.

The verse that states, “And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him, and killed him,” is out of context. This is read, while omitting the previous verses that say Joab found Absalom hanging by his hair in an oak tree limb. Joab was accompanied by ten boys (under the age of twelve). The conjunction “And” says it follows as an additional statement. It says ten young boys killed Absalom after Joab threw three javelins into Absalom’s chest (or his heart area).

Ten boys did not kill a defenseless Absalom by themselves. Rather than have Absalom bleed to death, Joab ordered his armor bearers to finish Absalom off. This is important information omitted, as David had personally told Joab, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.”

When the reader is introduced to “the Cushite,” it should be realized that a Cushite is from the Kingdom of Kush, in Africa, south of Egypt. It is generally known today as Ethiopia, but more accurately called Nubia then. The one who delivered the message of Absalom’s death to David was one selected by Joab, presumably because of his ability to run fast. Still, the presence of a Gittite and a Cushite in the numbers of “servants” that supported David and defended him and Jerusalem, should not be seen as slaves taken by David in foreign wars.

Ittai had been exiled by his people, but he was welcomed by David. David told him to leave him and return to his land, because defending David would be most dangerous. Ittai refused to leave David and this should be recognized as a Gentile who had become accepted as a follower of Yahweh. He is like Uriah (who David had killed in battle so he could take his wife), who was a Hittite, or from the area now known as Turkey-Syria. By Uriah marrying an Israelite woman, he had been cleared for that through conversion.

The same can be said of the Cushite, because he addressed David as “my lord the king” twice. After Saul tried to fall on his sword and die before the Philistines would torture him, an Amalekite (an Arabian) came and helped Saul by killing him. When the Amalekite went to tell David, much in the same way as did the Cushite about Absalom’s death, David ordered the Amalekite killed for having admitted he killed Saul (because Saul begged him to do so). David, still pure as a servant to God, ordered the Amalekite killed for having killed a king anointed by God. The Amalekite was a “Gentile” who was an enemy of those who served Yahweh.

When the Cushite praised the death of Absalom, David did not judge him like he had the Amalekite years earlier. It was not because David had grown old and soft. It was because the Cushite had converted to belief in the One God. He was not an enemy, but a servant to God, one who saw David as anointed by Yahweh. That Cushite can be seen as a precursor of Solomon’s relationship with the Queen of Sheba (southern Arabia) and the presence of Judaism in Ethiopia.

This acceptance of others by David shows the holiness of God in him. When Saul was trying to kill David, David was given refuge in Gath, the town where Goliath was from. The king of Gath gave David wives and the town Ziklag, out of respect for David being without sin and one with his God. While the Philistines respected David as a powerful man of God, their respect did not lead them to convert to David’s God. However, one can assume that every foreign wife taken by David, and every Israelite under David who did likewise, made sure their spouse became a convert to the Laws of Moses and all the ritual demands.

This says Gentiles were not denied acceptance into Israel. Only those who challenged the right of the Israelites to worship Yahweh as the true One God were fiercely rejected as enemies.

The slow decline of faith, following David’s sins, would be due to the acceptance of people of other beliefs, while forcing out the priests of Yahweh. Not warring against those who worshiped lesser gods brought about the destruction of the Northern and Southern kingdoms, with the exile of the Judeans to Babylon. The exilic Jews determined it was this foreign influence that was the cause of all their problems (refusing to admit not being led by a holy king made each Israelite personally responsible), so the return to Jerusalem brought a stronger adherence to separation from those of other religions.

That new dogma meant it was to be forbidden for Jews to have any contact with Gentiles (which included the remnants of the Northern Kingdom – the Samaritans). Further, any Jew who had a physical deformity or illness was branded a sinner to be rejected. None of this was the truth of David’s Israel.

This reading reflects that future, as it was the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s punishment set upon David, which He said through Nathan, “Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’” (2 Samuel 12:11-12) Thus, the problem that befell David’s Israel was not from outsiders, as much as it was from in-fighting.

We read the lament of David as told: “The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” The Israelites would become known for their lamentations. The Jews have continued them over the centuries since, because they are still being punished for David’s sins. They are punished because they cannot see their fault.

Just as the returning Jews thought (a power of a brain reasoning) they could show repentance to the LORD by rejecting the voices of evil, even seeing their sick as being punished by God, the Israel led by Absalom thought it was ridding itself of an admitted sinner in David. None of them (especially Absalom) saw their own sins as a reflection of themselves upon their king, making them responsible too.

David knew his fault and accepted full blame; and the LORD stayed with David. Still, the house that David built would never be the same. The Israelites never realized how rejecting God as their King (each individual as a responsible priest) meant they had failed to show responsibility (individually and collectively) through complete devotion to David (or his heir by natural death, anointed by a prophet of the LORD).

The flaw of Israel can be seen to stand out in the verse that says, “The men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David.” The Hebrew word “am” is used to denote the “men” or “folk, nation, people, or followers.” That word speaks loudly as stating the Israel of Absalom (their elected judge) was made up of ordinary citizens – not priests of Yahweh . However, the word “ebed” is used to denote the “servants” or “slaves, subjects, or attendants” of David, such that David (as the anointed king of God) was defended by those who served God, through David.

The Swiss Guard supposedly protects the pope in the same manner, but one has to wonder how fast they would run when attacked.

It was this devotion by all who called David “my lord the king” that had made the nation of Israel great. A servant of God, who serves Him as his (or her) King, is elevated above the common folk status of follower. The responsibility of a subject is unconditional surrender of oneself to His (or Her) Highness (a statement of God’s presence in one). Submission is then for the best of the whole. The oneness with God rewards all equally. However, to follow a human king who has no favor from the LORD God, as shown in this story’s “slaughter of twenty thousand men,” leads common folk and so-called kings to flee for their lives through the forest that is one’s inner self.

To see Absalom caught in a low branch of a mighty oak tree, his long hair wrapped around limbs and leaves – unable to pull himself free – is a sight that should be seen as if he was being held by the arm of justice (the Law?), suspended before the judgment that was surely pending. Being “between heaven and between earth,” Absalom awaited his fate.

While it can be assumed his hair was caught in the branch (which would have been long, because Israelite men only cut their hair once a year – due it becoming too heavy when too long), the Hebrew word written says “head” (“rosh”). This means it was the Big Brain of Absalom that put him in this predicament of judgment – for having declared himself to be a judge of Israel, one that was not sent by God to save the Israelites.

The branch also symbolizes that any would-be kings of Israel that would follow David – those not one with God (like David was, repentant sinner that he had become) would mean a dead branch – branch of death – was their prophecy. Israel was meant to reflect “One nation under one king,” where the union of God with all is within IS the oneness a nation under God. The split between Absalom and David, between Israel and her king, is symbolic of the doubt within oneself, as to one’s relationship to God. Splitting Israel into two separate nations was then a magnification of this split.

The over-arching theme seen in this battle between David and his own flesh and blood is it is a perfect example of how Jesus said, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (Mark 3:24-25) Jesus said this in response to the Pharisees who said Jesus was possessed by Beelzebub, making him able to cast out demons. Jesus asked them, “How can Satan drive out Satan?” (Mark 3:23) before telling them about divisions within a nation or house.

Absalom was what Jesus saw in the Pharisees. He, like them, would attack the one human being on earth that was one with God. David’s sin had been made public; but he repented to save his marriage to a nation. Jesus was attacked by the teachers of the Jews, finding fault with a Jew without sin.

As an Old Testament reading option for the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry for the LORD should be underway – not hanging by one’s head awaiting Judgment Day – the message is to unite, rather than divide. An “in-house” rebellion must be quelled, like a cancer must be purged, so one body can become whole again. Thus, the servants of God, who are Jesus Christ reborn, must stand and fight those calling themselves Christians, who are attempting to divide that Sacred Branch unjustly.

The story of David and his son Absalom is one that should be known. I recommend serious Christians research this more for themselves, to find the details of that story. I suggest looking at the parallels to modern life. Still, it is also good to know that the name, “Absalom,” given by David to his third son, means “The Father Of Peace” or “My Father Is Peace.”

11 May 1939, London, England, UK –On the eve of war the contentious objectors protested.

That name represented the internal peace that the nation Israel experienced under David, when David was pure. David intended Israel be at peace with the LORD, as a strong and healthy body of God’s priest on earth. David also named Solomon, such that the word “shalem” and “shalom” are his wish for Israel, reflected in his son. Not only was “peace of the father” the wish (“shalom“) but so too was for Israel to be “unbroken” and “whole” (“shalem”).

Absalom broke that inner peace by revenge; but David did not address the sin that led to the revenge or the sin in response properly. Absalom broke that inner peach that oneness brings by splitting Israel and turning the common people against their holy father and king. David’s desire for peace and the favor of a father to a son spoiled Absalom, causing Absalom to lose respect for David.

It is, thus, a story that says, “Give them an inch and they will take a mile.”

The whole world of Christianity lives surrounded by enemies, just as David’s Israel had enemies on all sides of it. The whole time Saul was king (one who lost the favor of God), the Israelites warred with their neighbors, most notably the Philistines. The same need to do battle with the enemies of Israel lasted through David’s reign, but the victories were plentiful and at little cost. That was because God was with David and Israel saw David as God’s anointed king.

America was once proud of promoting itself as a Christian nation that preferred peace to war. In the twentieth century, America twice entered foreign wars and experienced the glory of being victorious. Americans gave credit to God and Christ. However, since Korea and Vietnam, America has struggled with wars, much like Saul’s struggles, and the peace at home has been derisive.

Those military struggles have gone hand-in-hand with the weakening of Judeo-Christian values that a once victorious nation now feels shame in the population at home. The peace at home has spoiled the child, so the child has grown insolent and disrespectful. America has welcomed foreigners into its land, but it has not expected any conversions to its religious beliefs.

America has given rise to many presidents that have sought peace, even in the face of sinful acts against its values, preferring not to go to war. They have given inch after inch to appease foreigners. The more this fear of facing a necessary battle grows, the enemies are emboldened and the more audacious will be the acts against America and its Christian allies. I point out the increased murders of police officers and the shooting being committed in public places as only two such examples; but the West faces many threats and breakdowns.

The evidence shows that the enemy has entered the lands of Christianity and that enemy is preparing to do the insults that Absalom did against David. It is less a threat from foreigners, than it is a threat from the common folk who feel the urges to accept foreign influences, while rejecting the oneness that was once a devotion to the One God and His Son Jesus Christ. The biggest enemy is the disease that has befallen Christianity. It can no longer lead strongly, just as David became weak from sins. The threat is from Christians that are misled.

The point of this reading is it told of an inner battle then, which means there is another such battle upcoming, as an unavoidable showdown that will settle a feud that has been brewing for some time. It will be another bloodbath in the “forest of Ephraim,” whatever place that may be symbolic of in America and/or the Christian world. It will not involve the overt enemies of Christianity – the wolves that love to feast on sheep – but between the various factions of Christianity, where bad shepherds have set themselves up as judges.

When a family member hurts and refuses to get help, do you let them choose to die slowly and painfully? Or do you go to war to save a family member, knowing pain is unavoidable?

David and his servants of God won that battle fought on this day in the Scripture reading; but the question now has become, “Who does God support; and who is truly a servant to the One God?”

The answer to these questions is that God supports all who have placed His holy throne in their hearts. For God to be the King of a human being – His servant or subject – one has taken on the power of Jesus Christ. This means becoming the equivalent of an army that was David and his servants. Today, that must be a collection of Apostles-Saints, who are the servants of Christ the King, who is One with God. That army is a Church in its truest sense.

Those who follow Absalom are the divisions of organized Christianity that split it in two. The many barren and low-hanging branches of Christianity represent the Twelve Tribes of Israel that united behind David’s son, Absalom. They try to claim the right to judge Christianity-America-Western civilization as if government worship [Socialism or worse] is the path to heaven. The battle that is brewing will determine the future of all religions on earth.

In this reading, the element of Joab, one of David’s “generals,” having actually killed Absalom – casting three darts through his heart – has been skipped over. Instead, we read, “And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him, and killed him.”

It is important now to know that an “armor-bearer” is a “lad’s” job, meaning a young male that is not yet an adult (between the ages of ten and twelve). This makes Joab a teacher of children, just as a lioness has to teach young lions how to kill the prey. This verse is then set apart to show the importance of adults teaching lessons and instilling values in their children. Teaching the values of the adults is so the children will grow to carry those lessons on. Therefore, the children of Christianity must be taught by their adult leaders how to defeat an enemy within, so the children can do the same when they grow up.

The enemy within Christians today is doubt. Those who believe but doubt those beliefs have little faith. It is doubt that reduces one from a subject of God to common folk that follows anyone showing strength as a leader. It was doubt that filled David after Nathan told him God’s punishments for his sins. It is doubt that has leaders today screaming, “I know what Jesus said to do! Don’t you?”

This reading of Absalom’s death shows the abject sorrow David felt for losing his own flesh and blood. David, as the King of Israel, anointed by God, should have taught his son the ways of righteousness, so such sorrow would have been avoided. David, instead, had been reduced to the same fate as Eli and as Samuel, such that as holy as those prophets were, the failures of their children to follow in their footsteps shows that holiness does not easily pass down to one’s children. Young lions raised in captivity never know how to kill prey, so they starve if someone does not feed them. This is then the deepest meaning of “spare the rod, spoil the child.”

The actual source of that lesson says, “He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.” (Proverbs 13:24, NASB) The word translated as “rod” is “shebet,” more aptly means “staff,” such as the prod a shepherd uses to keep his flock in line. This means a “rod” is not used primarily as a device for corporal punishment, but as a sign or signal that must be followed. Rather than an implement for punishment, it is a necessary tool that is used often, to keep the sheep from getting lost. The absence of such direction (where an occasional slap on the butt is required to get one’s attention) translates as “hate.” Use of direction is a sign of “love.” It is what determines if one a good shepherd or one leading lambs to the slaughter.

This is how a battle should be waged to save Christianity from internal division and eventual collapse. True Christians must stand up against those who are like Absalom was to David. The fight is not for the pleasure of defeating evil, but as a sign for the future direction that Christianity will take. Until that fight is fought, Christianity hangs suspended between heaven and between earth.

1 Kings, Language, Teaching

1 Kings 19:4-8 – Asleep under a broom tree

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

Elijah went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.

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This is an optional Old Testament selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Twelfth 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 14. If chosen, it will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a reader on Sunday August 12, 2018. It is important because it tells of the power of spiritual food that comes from sacrifice for God.

This selection seems odd, when viewed in the context of the chapters surrounding it. It reminds me of the vision Abraham had of Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah, where angels visited Lot’s family and the native people there were so evil that God had the cities destroyed. I say that because both that story from Genesis does not match the mundane story told of Abraham rescuing Lot from the kings of the five cities on the plain. This story in 1 Kings 19 also seems to be dream sequence, rather than actual events, simply because the before and after do not match.

I say this because 1 King 18 tells of Elijah’s ‘sacrificial calf cook off’ against 450 priests of Ba’al. Jezebel’s prophets lost both the challenge to have their god light their altar wood and their lives. Even after letting the Baal priests have a head-start, while dousing his wood and sacrificial animal with water, Elijah won. Yahweh lit his altar’s fire.

After the contest was over, Elijah had all 450 prophets of Ba’al killed in the Kishon Valley (1 Kings 18:40). Ahab witnessed this and the people of Israel’s response , who saw Elijah’s fire be lit by God. We read, “they fell prostrate and cried, “Yahweh—he elohim! Yahweh—he elohim!” (1 Kings 18:39)

They said, “Yahweh hū elohim,” not “Ba’al.” The people, including Ahab, recognized the God of Israel was the only supreme deity. They recognized Elijah as a prophet of that Almighty God. Thus, they would be fools to go against that God and His prophet.

Additionally, prior to that contest, Elijah had met with Obadiah, who had hidden one hundred prophets of Israel in two caves (fifty prophets in each cave), and there was nothing that says either Ahab or Jezebel knew where those prophets were. In 1 Kings 19, prior to these verses read above, Ahab told Jezebel that her prophets had been killed and she threatened to have Elijah killed that day. While nothing said she planned to kill or had killed in response all the prophets of Israel, in 19:10, Elijah told God he was the only prophet left, which could only be true if he was seeing the future in a dream.

It is also important to see the symbolism of sleep and death, which coincides with Elijah’s statement to God, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.”

Thanatos
The Greek poet Hesiod established in his Theogony that Thánatos is a son of Nyx (Night) and Erebos (Darkness) and twin of Hypnos (Sleep).

Following that surrender of his self, Elijah then went to sleep. The angel’s presence, twice, can then be seen as similar to the angels that were present in the tomb of Jesus. This possibility of a death dream sequence makes Elijah’s seeming ascension without death become more like the ascension of Jesus, following his death and resurrection, aided by angels.

The bread and water provided by the angel is like Jesus being attended by angels while he was in the wilderness, after he encountered Satan. The angels also fed Jesus the spiritual food that allowed him to last forty days and nights in the wilderness. This is then the same as the manna and water from the rock that nourished the Israelites spiritually during forty years of wandering

This means this chapter is Elijah’s talk with God after his symbolic death, but before his taking Elisha to be his replacement. He could have actually died and been reborn by the angel’s touch, replenished by the food and water from heaven. This transformation also acts to explain the unnamed prophet of 1 Kings 20, who asked other prophets to strike him with a sword, as a resurrected Elijah would be appearing as someone other than himself, just as Jesus did when he resurrected.

The forty days and forty nights spent in the wilderness without food or drink is then a parallel to Moses on Mount Horeb, as well as Jesus in the wilderness prior to beginning his ministry. It then is parallel to the Transfiguration of Jesus on the high mountain, when Peter, James and John (of Zebedee) saw Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah. These comparisons make Moses, Elijah and Jesus like souls as they all submitted fully to the will of God. They are then the models of whom all followers should become, where sleep and death are symbolic of one’s sacrifice of self-ego.

When we read that Elijah ended one day in the wilderness by sitting “under a solitary broom tree,” we need to realize the timing of night, when sleep normally takes place. If the temperatures turned cooler at night, it is possible that this tree supplied wood to burn for warmth. If so, it is good to know that a broom tree is also a juniper tree, as the Hebrew word “rō·ṯem” implies.

According to the symbolic nature of a juniper tree is its wood is not good for fast burning, but for slow burning and the release of aromatic scents. According to one site, the smoke of juniper wood, “was used for the ritual purification of temples. The smoke was said to aid clairvoyance, and continued to be burned for purification and to stimulate contact with the Otherworld.” This aspect can then be seen as why Elijah “asked that he might die.”

As a dream sequence, more than an actual event, the wilderness represents Elijah embarking on a journey where he has had all the prophets of Jezebel killed and is aware of her threat to have him killed in response. Rather than risk death at the hands of an evil queen, the symbolism is Elijah praying for the LORD to take his soul, regardless of what physical punishment Jezebel can cause. The response of that prayer is the presence of a guardian angel sent by God to nourish one with spiritual food and living water, thus enabling one to withstand any persecution that may arise.

As an alternate reading selection for the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry for the LORD should be underway – one is on a journey into uncharted waters, no longer following the desires of personal ego – the message of Elijah is willing sacrifice. It is up to each individual to ask God that he or she might die of self-importance, so an angel of the LORD can be sent to assist one on one’s journey. That angel can be understood as being God’s Holy Spirit.

Again, it is most important when reading Scripture not to get caught up in the antiquity and seeing no comparison in a modern world. While our mind’s eye might see a desertscape in southern Judah, in a place so barren that only one prickly shrub is around, this wilderness is no different than a life in the world today that is void of true commitment to Yahweh – the LORD elohim (God of gods). One has to be willing to place oneself in the sandals of Elijah and feel the fear of living in a place that scorns prophets of the One God. One has to be able to see the solitary broom tree as one’s own soul amid a barren setting, where survival is impossible alone. One needs God’s help; and the first step towards that grace is realizing a big brain cannot lead a soul to eternal happiness.

The setting in which one finds Elijah is void of any external source of support. This says that no matter how many people, institutions, or holy places one puts trust and value in, when death comes and one’s soul is separated from one’s flesh, there will be only God and His reckoning of one’s soul. One will become accountable for all of one’s misgivings in a life. However, if one seeks this redemption prior to one’s physical death, one can die of self and then be resurrected to serve God’s needs in the world of flesh.

A minister of the LORD has made this sacrifice and knows the value that the presence of God within brings. One becomes a presence among those who have yet to show their trust in God, much less give up their self-importance for the unseen and intangible. Much of this can be a ministry of spreading the truth of Scripture in a way that makes it both profoundly believable and personally enlightening. Anyone who teaches, ministers, preaches, and prophesies can only make a doorway become available for a seeker to open and enter. That threshold is the wilderness and entering into service of the LORD requires one sit under that broom tree and request God to accept one’s soul as His servant.

Ephesians, Language, Teaching

Ephesians 4:25-5:2 – Angry for the love of God

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

Putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

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This is the Epistle selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Twelfth 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 14. It will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a reader on Sunday August 12, 2018. It is important because Paul talks of the works of Sainthood, which can only be produced by sacrificing self, in servitude to God.

Once again, reading an English translation of a letter written by Paul leads to some superfluous platitudes that are easier said than lived up to. Of course, Paul did not write such banal statements. Reading Paul and understanding what he wrote requires one be led by the Holy Spirit’s wisdom. This is because the Holy Spirit’s wisdom led Paul to write his words. Therefore, one must learn to read Scripture (based on the writing of the Apostles) word by word, segment by segment, verse by verse, and chapter by chapter – starting small, before gobbling everything up at once.

Certainly good can be obtained by the translation into English above, which will be read aloud in Episcopalian churches. Not lying and telling the truth is a good way to live. Living a life where one is kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving is an ideal the world should strive towards. The problem comes when one addresses the issue of anger, which is a natural emotion that humans must encounter, because (like a volcano) trying to hold in built-up pressures will lead to explosive flows.

By seeing this reading as Paul saying such eruptions are forbidden is wrong; and this is because we must always be angry at the works of Satan. This reading addresses that and it is more clearly seen when one examines the literal Greek text, following the rules of slow digestion of the Word.

Below I offer a valid literal translation of the Greek written by Paul, verse by verse, segmented by the punctuation marks (real or inferred), based on the Interlinear translation of Ephesians 4 and 5, published by Bible Hub. It is best to practice reading these words slowly, looking at the broad scope of translations available. From that breadth, deeper meaning is found, aided by reflection, contemplation, and prayer. Practicing this until it becomes second nature shows God one is sincere about one’s faith.

Doing this for oneself can open up more meaning than can be told by someone else. Most Christians have a relationship with a pastor, minister, or priest, who is an external crutch that allows one to lean on the teachings of another (or others), without feeling a need to know more than the teacher. Self study of Scripture is how a personal relationship with God gets established, by demonstrating a desire to know the truth, more than simply being told what to believe … in the blind.

Before one begins to digest Paul’s reading selection that follows, it is important to know that twenty-four verses of chapter four are skipped over. Those verses establish the context of the whole chapter. This reading selection then sets one into the middle of a conversation (between God and you, as much as between Paul and the Christians of Ephesus), where the prior context is absent. This can be done with Scripture, for narrow focus intent. Still, this reading then bleeds over into the first two verses of chapter five, which is the lead-in to another thought set. It can be applied in this way (two chapter’s verses as one) because the truth told can apply at all times.

The purpose is to see why that is done in this reading selection now. To find this purpose, one needs to be cognizant of what Paul wrote. Then, just as the Holy Spirit led Church leaders to choose readings that link in theme, one is enabled to grasp a deeper understanding of the lessons of the prophets.

[Note how the new “sentences” chosen do not start with capitalized Greek letters, other than the first verse (4:25), yet important words are capitalized. Capitalization has been added to the translation above as a paraphrase, to fit one’s language customs.]

Chapter 4

25 Therefore having put off the [one] falsehood ,

let speak truth each one with the neighbor of him ,

because we are one another members .

Notes: Leading into this first segment, Paul had written about turning away from one’s old ways of living and being corrupted. That was the “old man” of self that was replaced by one following a way of “righteousness and the holiness of truth, … according to God.” Since God is the one of truth, Satan is then the one of falsehood, such that an Apostle repeats as Jesus did, telling Satan, “Away from me, Satan!” (Matthew 4:10) To “put off the [one] of falsehood,” one has ordered evil influences to get out of that way of “righteousness and the holiness of truth.”

With the influence of corruption out of the way, one can then hear the voice of God speaking the truth. This truth comes from Scripture, more than simple truths that are less helpful to neighbors. A “neighbor” can be a friend, but the use of “plēsion” is more to denote anyone who has yet to come and believe in Jesus as the Christ. For Jews, they would live among other Jews, but many would deny Jesus as their promised Messiah. The truth would help their eyes be opened to that realization. For Gentiles, their neighbors could be a mixture of Jews, Gentiles, and Christians, with Christians falling into the “friend” category and the others being their “neighbors” who seek the truth, but have not yet found it.

When Paul then stated “we are one another members,” the Greek word “melē” is referencing only Christians. Christians are the ones who have found the truth, for the purpose of spreading it around. Spreading it to one’s neighbors makes one come to live in a place where the neighbors are friends of the same religious values. Christians are members in the body of Christ, which means they are the limbs (branches) of the living vine, as extensions of Jesus Christ (reborn). As a vine for Christ, the fruit is the neighbor that buds into a new limb, as the fruit of that vine. This makes the truth become the common blood that flows within those branches.

26 be angry ,

also not sin ;

the sun not let set on the basis of the [one] anger of you ,

Notes: Following a series of words that ended by placing focus on Christians being the “members” (“limbs, organs”), those forming the body of the living vine, where ALL are rooted in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Paul wrote the one-word statement “orgizesthe.” That says, “be angry” or “be provoking” and “be irritating.” This is a direct statement that Christians have an obligation to “be angry.”

HELP Word-studies says of the root word (“orgízō”): “be angry, as expressing a “fixed anger” (settled opposition)” and “to show settled-opposition,” which “is positive when inspired by God – and always negative when arising from the flesh.” “Sinful (unnecessary) anger” focuses on punishing the offender rather than the moral content of the offense.”

This is how one can read of Jesus commanding Satan to get behind him, his turning over the vendors tables, his calling Peter Satan, and his commanding a fruitless fig tree to wither and die. A true Christian must not compromise to evil, as one’s natural emotional outlet for anger is in opposition to that which opposes God. The Old Testament is a series of stories that tell of anger of the prophets against the opposition to God’s people. When those stories began telling of kings of Israel and Judah accepting prophets of lesser gods, they lost their lands and their Covenant.

To “be angry” but then “also not sin” is accomplished by the angels sent by God’s Holy Spirit to control one’s actions based on anger. The Greek word that translates as “sin” is “hamartanete,” which means “having no share in.” This equates to oneself being apart from all acts that are motivated by the influences of evil. One’s acts out of anger, like those of Jesus, are justified by God. God-led acts are not something to confess as human frailty, as if one is unable to control one’s actions caused by strong emotions. When one has totally sacrificed self so one can serve God, one’s actions are not based on the sins that arise from the flesh.

This is then confirmed by the use of “hēlios,” where “the sun” also represents “sunlight.” Jesus said, “”I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) This means that Jesus is like the Sun, which always shines and never sets. It is the actions of the Earth that make it appear as if there is day and night, light and darkness. However, when one is reborn as Jesus Christ, a part of the living vine, with truth flowing through one’s being, no acts of anger can be deemed sins, because the light of Christ is always lit within, causing an act of anger to have a positive effect on those who see that light from their perspective in darkness.

[Note: The Greek god Helios is related to Apollos. It was Apollo’s chariot that pulled the sun around the earth, giving light to the world. Apollo was also the god of truth, whose oracle at Delphi could only tell the truth to questions posed. This mythological symbolism was embodied in Jesus Christ.]

27 not give opportunity to the devil .

Notes: Here we find confirmation that “the [one] falsehood” is Satan, who acts as “diabolō” – “the devil” – when given the opportunity to cast darkness around a mortal soul. The Greek word “diabolō” properly means, “a slanderer; a false accuser; unjustly criticizing to hurt (malign) and condemn to sever a relationship.” When this is realized in the context of speaking the truth to one’s neighbors, being in the light of Christ prevents words from flowing that will turn a neighbor away from the truth and towards the falsehoods of Satan.

28 the [one] stealing no longer let him steal ;

rather now let him toil ,

working with one’s own hands things good ,

that he might have to share whoever need having .

Notes: By seeing the element of Satan being opportunistic when one is not protected by God’s Holy Spirit and reborn to speak the truth of Jesus Christ, the act of stealing is less important as a condemnation of a human in need stealing things that assuage personal wants, desires, and needs. The most severe act of theft is Satan stealing one’s soul through the influences that bedevil the unprotected.

This first segment of verse twenty-eight ends with a semi-colon, which separates this statement against stealing from the one that encourages working for one’s gains. While the two are in the same vein of thought, the anger of a Christian expressed to a neighbor, one who has been caught stealing, becomes a valuable lesson that the neighbor needed to hear. More than a simple statement that payment for crimes will always come due, it places focus on the awakening of one’s soul spirit to the lures of Satan. It is instilling valuable lessons that plant the seeds of moral thoughts that are necessary to control evil urges.

Once moral standards are planted, not only must Satan work harder to steal a soul, but one must work harder to save a soul. In that regard, the Greek word “kopiatō” (“let him toil”) is used, which implies “exhausting labor” and “weariness.” Such hard work leads an unprotected soul to see self as not strong enough to keep Satan at bay, such that one is led through hard labors to cry out for God’s help.

The Greek word “ergazomenos” means “working,” but becomes a continuation of the “exhausting labor” mentioned prior, by now expressing an “acquisition by labor.” This is then a statement about how God watches to see how one will react to the influences of evil and the punishments meted when caught. One’s works of faith earn more rewards of protection by God, whereas one’s lack of good works brings eventual punishments.

This is how anger can be applied according to the sins of the flesh, where punishments received influence sinful acts of revenge and malice. However, through exhausting works by one’s own hands towards things done that are good, then one can find a doorway open in one’s heart for God’s love to enter.

The segment of words that says, “that he might have to share whoever need having,” is then less about two or more people sharing things with those in need, as it is more a statement of God presence in a new Apostle. This goes back to a true Christian expressing anger towards a neighbor that came as words of truth that shared the blessings of the Father to the Son, to one in need of hearing that message. Giving a thief what a thief wants will do nothing towards getting a thief to toil to do good things on his or her own, with his or her own hands. However, a slap of reason given by an Apostle, on the cheek of a misguided neighbor, is sharing one’s desire to save the wayward and to motivate the wayward to seek God for having one’s true needs met.

29 every kind of word unwholesome [corrupt] out of the mouth of you ,

not let go forth ,

except ,

if any good ,

for edification of the need that it might give grace to those hearing .

Notes: The Greek word “sapros” is translated as “unwholesome,” but also means “corrupt, rotten, useless, and depraved.” The first segment is a statement that mortal human beings do utter such words, often in anger. It is important to realize that such words do less towards harming anyone to whom such words are aimed, as the deeper harm is to oneself. Those who then utter such language are those who are in need of God’s help; and they are whom the anger of Apostles should be directed, in attempts to share the benefit of God through good works.

The Greek word written by Paul, “ekporeuesthō,” means “let go forth,” or properly, “go out from, emphasizing the outcome (end-impact) of going through a particular process or passage – i.e. the influence on the person (or thing) which comes forth.” [HELPS Word-studies] When the negative “mé” (“not, lest”) is added, the segment says one cannot “cast out, speak, flow out, burst forth, or spread abroad” anything that will prove oneself unwholesome and drive one who is unwholesome away from the light of truth. One must not speak in corrupt terms to be good, and one cannot lead the wayward to the truth with words that deprave. This is then a statement about the presence or absence of the Holy Spirit, as to what words flow from the mouths of people.

This then leads to a one-word statement, written as “alla.” This conjunction means “but,” but it bears more meaning and insight when translated as “except, nevertheless, on the contrary, on the other hand, and/or otherwise.” As one word of importance, Paul was stating that an Apostle cannot be typical of mortal human beings. One must set the example as an exception, one who is contrary to the ordinary, and one acts otherwise than the usual. One must let wholesome words go forth.

This exception must be so any good influence possible is shared with the one in need. The words spoken sternly to neighbors are for the purpose of building character in others, with one’s own character the goodness that supports the words spoken. This is how one passes on the Holy Spirit to those seeking the way to God, as a seeker will hear the truth and realize that; but any lies will lead a seeker to look elsewhere. This is the conditional “that it might give grace,” such that one builds with the materials supplied, as exemplified by houses built on sand foundations, versus houses built on rock foundations. (Matthew 7:24-27)

This is a stone the builder love. The ones rejected are round, meaning they can be removed so a soul can escape the tomb. Yahweh’s temple is mobile, not fixed.

30 and not grieve the [one] Spirit the [one] Holy the [one] of God ,

by whom you were sealed for [the] day of redemption .

Notes: The Greek word “lypeite” translates as “grieve,” but the meaning is best understood as “find pain.” HELPS Word-studies states its usage to mean: “to experience deep, emotional pain (sadness), i.e. severe sorrow (grief),” while also representative of a state that “very intense and hence even used of the pain of childbirth.” This last usage allows one to see how pain and grief from the Holy Spirit of God is the birthing pains that come from the change from worldly (in the womb of the earth) to a soul Spirit that has been washed clean of sin. This is the yielding of the old ways to the new ones that are Holy and righteous. It is the necessary pangs of being reborn as the Son of God, Jesus Christ, regardless of one’s human gender.

In our modern society, we celebrate the physical birth of our children with parties and cakes with candles alit on top, asking for the fire to be blown out to get a wish fulfilled. Those parties turn to recognitions of age and the eventual breakdown of the physical body. The years pass by and turn from happiness to grief. Few mark the days when one’s soul was redeemed, largely because one day cannot express fully the joy of being filled with the Holy Spirit. It is almost like what Nicodemus asked Jesus – “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” (John 3:4) – as the womb of the world has been replaced by the womb of God, when a soul is “sealed for redemption.” Being reborn as Jesus Christ means being in that womb until one dies, when the soul is released (born again) into the heavenly kingdom. That is truly a happy birthday to you.

31 every kind of bitterness ,

and anger ,

and wrath ,

and clamor ,

and slander ,

let be removed from you ,

along with all malice .

Notes: These segments can be read as the elements of self that must be released for redemption to be sealed. In a reverse view, these can be seen as the pains used against one by Satan, where neighbors who are not seekers begin to see one who is changing with eyes of persecution. One must let go of the devil’s urges to act from bitterness, anger, wrath, clamor, slander, and malice. Likewise, one must forgive those who use those sins against one. When the acts that accompany these mental and emotional states of being have been released from oneself, so one’s ego is no longer calling the shots, God’s Holy Spirit may use one in any and all ways to oppose Satan and those who serve him. An Apostle cannot read this instruction from Paul and assume it is good to capitulate to evil, as enemies give rise to these human reactions and the enemy of the righteous is the sinful. Therefore, when the sinful threaten the members of the body of the living vine, coming to use force against the innocent, it may be God’s Will that leads one to Holy War in response.

32 be moreover to one another kind ,

tender-hearted ,

forgiving each other ,

as also the [one] God in Christ forgave you .

Notes: This series of segments addresses how Apostles should deal with one another, as opposed to those who are neighbors and enemies. These are who Jesus said to love one another, just as he loved his disciples. The element of forgiveness should not be seen as a proclamation that it is okay to continue to sin, after one has had his or her soul cleansed of sins by the Holy Spirit of God, making one pure enough to be reborn as Jesus Christ. Forgiveness is for past sins (the same ones forgiven by God), prior to becoming an Apostle, who then never sins again – due to the sacrifice of self ego and that brain being replaced by the Christ Mind. That means prior enemies, neighbors, and friends can have past histories of conflict that become forgiven once all are born of the same Spirit.

Chapter 5

1 be therefore imitators those of God ,

as children beloved ,

Notes: The transition to a new chapter means a likewise transition to a new line of thought. One must be careful when reading backwards and not paying attention to the road signs, such as a new chapter, book, testament, where all changes have intent and purpose. Still, from the talk of members of the living vine sharing the fluid of truth that is Jesus Christ, it is that truth that one imitates.

The Greek word “mimētai” means both imitator and follower, such that it is the root word for the English “mimic.” Still, this is the truth of Jesus saying, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) Jesus never intended anyone to pretend to be him, as his statement says all of his disciples are expected to become Jesus in a lineage that will follow his time on earth. In order to achieve that rebirth-resurrection, one’s stake that supports the living vine must be raised, so the fruit does not attract vermin and weeds. An “imitator of God” is one who is exactly like Jesus of Nazareth was – completely subservient to the Father – such that Jesus Christ reborn into Apostles multiplies the presence of God that is incarnated without limits on earth.

2 and walk in love ,

even as also the [one] Christ loved us ,

and gave up himself for us ,

an offering and sacrifice the [one] to God ,

into an aroma of a sweet smell .

Notes: The first step towards being filled with the Holy Spirit (when one’s soul is cleansed of sins) is to give one’s heart to God. One has to desire being married to God, such that the union of one’s soul with God means willingly seeking total subservience, as a wife to a husband. This brings the love of God about one’s being, so one “walks in love.” To “walk in love” is to be completely thrilled at the awareness God gives to his wives.

This union in relationship with God then brings about the birth of the Christ Mind in one. As the resurrection of Jesus Christ, one becomes in touch with the love between the Father and the Son, such that Christ loves all who follow in his steps, sacrificing so his Spirit can be resurrected on the material plane. That sacrifice in an Apostle is no different than the sacrifice of Jesus of Nazareth, who had to die so his Spirit could be resurrected countless times in his devotees. All have sacrificed so God’s Will can be done on earth.

The last segment uses the Greek word “euōdias,” which translates as “of a sweet smell.” According to HELPS Word-studies, the figurative meaning is: “our efficiency in which the power of Christ himself is at work is well-pleasing to God.” It means that one does what is pleasing to God; and this is a comparison to the beauty and fragrance of a rose.

As the Epistle selection for the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost – when one’s ministry for the LORD should be underway – the message is to be emotional for God. This is like the letter sent by Jesus, through John of Patmos, to the church of Laodicea, which said, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16) Love for God means anger for those who fail to honor God.

Certainly, when protected by God and given the Great Commission of being Jesus Christ reborn, one wants to please God in any and all ways. A minister of the LORD delights in being shown the truth and seeks those who desire to learn the truth.

John, Language, Teaching

John 6:35, 41-51 – The bread of life

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

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 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 from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Twelfth 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 14. It will next be read aloud in an Episcopal church by a priest on Sunday August 12, 2018. It is important because Jesus speaks of “living bread,” adding to the living water that means one “will never be thirsty.” It is vital to understand the “bread” meaning in this selection.

I posted an article that explained how to understand John’s chapter six (March 6, 2015). An atheist can read the exchanges between the pilgrims in Capernaum, who were part of the five thousand fed miraculously by Jesus and his disciples, and claim Jesus preached cannibalism. That was not the case at all; and, I stand by those opinions of three years ago.
But now the cycle again turns to Jesus saying, “I am the bread of life” and “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.”

The frightening part that some people shudder to even think about is the meaning that comes from Jesus having said, “Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Rather than becoming confident in what this means, well enough to explain it to others and alleviate their fears and uncertainties, many Christians choose to walk away from the difficult passages and return their heads to the warm sands of ignorance.

Hopefully, everyone who reads John’s chapter six in his Gospel realizes that Jesus stood before the Jews as a human being, made of flesh, bones, organs, and blood. Since he was not a loaf of bread and knowing that he was not a glass of water either, one has to realize that Jesus spoke metaphorically.

In the Gospel reading selection for the eleventh Sunday after Pentecost (the past Sunday), Jesus encountered those Jews who were not filled with the Holy Spirit in the gathering on the flood plain of Bethsaida. Jesus told them they sought food that perishes, when they should be seeking “food that endures for eternal life,” which Jesus offered. For many of the five thousand (with women and children adding to that figure), they were fed the Holy Spirit by Jesus. Those did not follow Jesus to Capernaum, seeking more “signs” involving physical bread and dried fish.

When Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” the Jews imagined manna falling like rain from the sky. The Greek word written by John, “ouranos,” can be interpreted as “the visible heavens: the atmosphere, the sky,” and even “the starry heavens,” but Jesus meant “the spiritual heavens.” A “spiritual” anything is invisible and not of the “physical” world. Thus, while manna was a physical manifestation of tiny flakes of “what is it?” (the meaning of the Hebrew word “manna”), which formed somehow in the atmosphere in the wilderness of the Sinai, Jesus was not that kind of bread.

God had “been there, done that” and was not repeating the bread falling from the sky. Instead of “manna” what God sent was “umee-zoh” – “who is this?” The Jews confronting Jesus in Capernaum were asking that under their breath.

The English word “bread” has these acceptable definitions (among others) listed for it: “Food in general, regarded as necessary for sustaining life; and, something that nourishes; sustenance.” (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language) This means the metaphor has to be applied in these ways, such that Jesus is necessary for sustaining life, as one who nourishes. “Nourish” means Jesus is necessary for life and growth, as one who fosters the development of those who “eat of this bread” he represents.

When Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” this supported his having said, “Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” The word “never” (Greek “ou”) means that hunger and thirst will not be a problem for anyone nourished by the bread Jesus represents. A physical body demands food and water for life to be sustained. However, a soul, which is eternal, never requires anything physical to continue its immortal designation.

Neither government officials nor minister can hand out the bread of life freely. It is God’s to give through Jesus.

The middle of this selection has Jesus making reference to the Father. This clarified that he had come down from the spiritual heaven of God, not the physical atmosphere: like rain, a meteorite, or manna. It is worthwhile to note that the Jews asked, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?” That is opposed to the insult of Jesus preaching in Nazareth, where he was referred to as “the son of Mary,” his mother (in Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3), not dignifying him as the son of Joseph (although Luke 4:22 referred to him in that manner). That reference in Capernaum led Jesus to explain his having been sent by God, while stating indirectly that Joseph was not his biological father. His reference to “the Father” was heard in human terms, not heavenly ones.

Jesus referred to “the Father” four times, saying “by God” one other time, as he told the Jews: “No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.”

This is important to follow.

First, the translation, “No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father,” is not quite that simple. It is a series of segments that say: “No one is able to come to me,” followed by “if not the Father,” followed by “the [one] having sent me,” followed by “draws him.” The use of the Greek word “helkysē,” which translates as “draws,” means, “to draw by inward power, lead, impel.” [HELPS Word-studies] Rather than “to come to me,” the Greek can translate to say “to enter with me.”

This means “if not the Father” says only those who can call God “the Father,” like Jesus, are those who will also be Jesus, in union “with” him. The Greek word “pempsas,” which is translated as “having sent,” can also say “permitting to go,” where “the Father” determines who will be “with” Jesus, as His Son reborn (able to call God “the Father” too). All of this combines to state that the only ones who can become Jesus are those whose inner spirit leads them to be like Jesus.

By being able to see how Jesus meant that with his statement, look how the conclusion makes more sense. Jesus added, “I will raise that person up on the last day.” By stating the first person future conditional form of the verb “anistémi,” “I will raise up” says Jesus will elevate another, by “standing with” that one. This is a spiritual elevation that is allowed by “the Father” in heaven. At that time, one will experience their “last day” as an ego driven, selfish soul, where darkness abounds, as the light of “day” will forever shine for those servants of the LORD, who are then “in the name of Jesus Christ.”

Jesus then said, “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’” This is quoting from Isaiah 54, where the prophet wrote:

“All your children will be taught by Yahweh, and great will be their peace.”

“In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you.”

“If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing; whoever attacks you will surrender to you.” [Isaiah 54:13-15]

Isaiah told of the future glory of Zion, which has to be seen as heaven. When Jesus said “they shall be taught by God,” this is the Christ Mind that comes to all who are reborn as Jesus Christ. When one is “entered with” Jesus, and “raised up” spiritually by a soul cleansed of sin, one is then “taught” the will of Yahweh. Everything known by God is available to His servants, just as it was available to Jesus of Nazareth, coming at the time of need. This is the spiritual depth of meaning [the wine] that must accompany the bread of Scripture.

Realizing that source of teaching is the Christ Mind, one can then see how Jesus saying, “Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me,” means one has become one “with” Jesus. One hears the insight of holy wisdom. One learns the meaning of the Word, from God’s whispers of thought. It is repeating the previous statement, confirming this state of hearing and knowing means one has “entered with” Jesus.

This segment of statements about “the Father,” said by Jesus to the Jews, concludes with his saying: “Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.” This is a statement that is again segmented, with the first segment stating, “Not that the Father has seen anyone,” which means “no one has seen the Father,” but also broadens to say “the Father” only has one Son [Adam], which is “the one who is from God.” As such, the Greek word “heōraken” [“has seen”] actually refers to a spiritual “knowing,” and God has only “known” one that has “seen the Father,” again in the “knowing” sense.

When Jesus then seemingly changed course abruptly, saying, “Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life,” this is relative to seeing God. The saying goes, “Seeing is believing,” but another saying is “The hand is quicker than the eye.” The Greek word “pisteuōn” translates as “believing,” but is best read as “having faith in.” There is a significant difference between belief and faith, such that Jesus regularly asked his disciples, “Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Doubts come from “seeing,” but faith-based belief comes from “knowing,” which is the depth of commitment that comes from personal experience, not second-hand rumor. Therefore, “faith” leads to becoming Jesus reborn, which is the promise of eternal life.

When Jesus repeated, “I am the bread of life,” and then said to the Jews, “Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die,” this demands one understand the manna from heaven.

Manna had physical qualities that were like Jesus in the flesh; but once the physical was gone (when the manna stopped falling, when the Israelites entered the Promised Land; and, when Jesus was executed by crucifixion) the spiritual qualities must take over. Manna had no lasting effect, in eternal terms. Jesus offered everlasting life, avoiding the shortfall of death.

I have written in these posting from time to time about the symbolism of Jesus at his last Seder meal (the Last Supper). The unleavened bread and the four cups of wine are ritual symbols for all Israelite descendants: of freedom from bondage [bound to a temporal world] and the spiritual uplifting that transforms a normal human being into a priest of Yahweh [intoxicated by the Holy Spirit – the reason alcoholic drinks are called “spirits”]. The Jews to whom Jesus spoke [including the disciples who would later partake of Jesus’ last Seder meal] could not see beyond the memorization of ritual that thanked God for making them a separate people – special people in God’s eye, as a race linked by blood that He created.

Christians today have reverted to this same repetition of symbolism, using Jesus as their gift of specialty and favor. Unfortunately, most Christians do not feel the first Covenant, which demanded three periods of recognition each year, for eternity, which the Israelites (Jews) honor, is required of Gentile converts. Without knowing the presentation of matzo and wine are a fixed part of the ritual Jesus followed (as a devout Jew), the Christian substitutions of wafers and wine [or grape juice] are being offered metaphorically as Jesus’ body and blood, without realizing the deeper meaning. One purposefully comes before the other, as a natural progression towards eternal salvation; but Christians believe Jesus has been called down from heaven to become one with the wafer that goes on their tongue, washed down by a sip of wine [fermented or not].

The bread symbolizing the body of Christ is the same as the manna that fell from the sky was that fed the Israelites spiritually. The wine symbolizing the blood of Christ is the same as the living water from the rock that kept the Israelite alive, as they interbred into a race of holy priests. The bread (the body of Christ) is then the holy writings (the Law, the psalms, and the prophets) that foretold of the coming Christ. The wine (the blood of Christ) is then the continuation of the Christ (the legacy of lineage), as those who are the fruits of the living vine.

In a recent posting about the manna falling to the Israelites, I mentioned that this spiritual bread (in physical form) was not to keep the bodies of flesh alive. The Israelites took with them livestock and probably grew crops from the water Moses struck from the rock with his staff. The manna fed their will to serve God for forty years – three generations of the children of Israel’s growth as priests serving the One God.

Think about those forty years spent in the wilderness. Those words of timing slide right over one’s head without the slightest realization of how long that time is. What was one to do in a wilderness environment, beyond gathering manna, caring for the children born, caring for the beasts of burden, the preparation of food to eat, the washing and mending clothes, the milking goats and cattle, and all the mundane things of a normal life? There were no I-phones; there was no Internet, no television, no sports, no concerts, no movie theaters, and no places to go and spend one’s idle time. What does one do over forty years to pass the time and make wilderness living gratifying and rewarding?

There were no radios to tap out with when the Israelites were in the wilderness.

The Sabbath was a day of rest – ALL DAY LONG – but that did not mean walking to a synagogue for a couple of hours of dutiful attendance, with others of the same religious practices. There was time spent praying to Yahweh. In their spare time the Israelites learned the Laws passed down to them by Moses. They memorized the history of the world, up to that point (Genesis). That activity was their entertainment, as they looked forward to living up to their commitment to God. The manna from heaven nourished their desire to do that. Likewise, Jesus, as the bread of life, has to have the same effect on Christians.

When Jesus said, “Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died,” this is another use of symbolism, where “they died” is not meant in physical terms. All mortals die. Mortals do not live for a thousand years; so, it was natural for ancient ancestors to have died in the flesh. Therefore, their only having eaten manna in the wilderness, but not in the Promised Land, says the land of Canaan, which became Israel (and its split into Israel and Judah), could not guarantee eternal life.

Once in the land that had been given to them, and because they stopped being spiritually motivated to keep alive the traditional Word, the Israelites died of commitment to the Father. The Israelites broke their covenant with God by finding sustenance only from the land. The Law as their bread from heaven became only a physical document (scrolls) and not their motivation to find union with God, so the Law never could pump through their bodies spiritually. The land became the bread of Israel, of which they ate under kings that were not Yahweh. That bread was unable to sustain an inner desire to serve Yahweh, so the land, the Israelites, and their covenant with the One God died.

The same error is found in every place on earth where country or nation is seen as of the utmost importance. The laws of all nations, regardless of what holy documents they may or may not be based upon, are nothing more than the bread that leads to mortal death. The leaders of all nations are merely human beings, incapable of offering eternal life, simply because humans are mortal and all things coming from humans are short-lived. Just as human beings are born to die, so too are nations, as neither the lands nor its kings can lead human beings to serve God. That can only be done individually, spiritually, between a soul and the Father.

When Jesus then said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever,” he restated “I am the bread of life” a third time. This means Jesus is the incarnation of God on earth. “Whoever eats of this bread” actually states the conditional, in a segment that reads: “if anyone shall have eaten of this the [one] bread.”

This means Jesus is only for those who “consume the divine provisions” that Jesus brings from God. Those divine provisions have been recorded in the Gospels and the Epistles of the Saints. Those divine provisions point out how the Torah, the Psalms, and the Prophets spoke the Word of God prophesying Jesus, who came as the truth answered. To have faith in the truth that is Jesus Christ, one has to eat those holy words and digest them into one’s spiritual being.

The promise of eternal life is then assured by Jesus stating, “The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The physical being that was Jesus was the fulfillment of Scripture; but that fulfillment did not end when Jesus died, was buried, resurrected, and/or ascended. The promise means that once Jesus was sent as the bread of life, Jesus would forever more be resurrected in the flesh of his followers. They would be followers because they would be reborn as Jesus returning into the world, as a Holy Soul united with a cleansed soul in human flesh.

To see “the bread” in light of “my flesh” one has to see these as surface elements. A body without life is a corpse; but a body freshly dead will give the appearance of flesh that is only sleeping.

That look can make one think life still inhabits the body, when it in fact does not. This is symbolic of unleavened bread. There are only the basic ingredients used, which makes bread that is flat. Without the life of yeast within bread’s crust, giving rise to much more desirable bread, unleavened bread simply keeps one alive from day to day. This is the difference between the manna and the bread of life.

Jesus must be mixed within the ingredients of one’s being, so his Spirit gives rise to a human being that is more than a mortal born to die. Jesus must be consumed within one’s being, so his presence can elevate one to eternal life. Just as one cannot tear apart a loaf of fresh hot bread and point to the yeast that gave it rise, one cannot tear apart a Saint and point to Jesus within. Still, Jesus is present in all Saints because they have become one with Jesus Christ in the flesh.

As a Gospel selection for the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry for Yahweh should be underway, the message is to reproduce the bread of heaven so Christ can feed the seekers called by God today. One needs to be filled with the “yeast” that is the Holy Spirit, being reborn as the Son of God.

The “bread of heaven” is the insight found in Scripture. Feeding the truth of Scripture to the hungry nourishes them in a spiritual manner. The “bread comes down from heaven” because the deep meaning to the Word comes from the whispers of God. The “bread of life” is the elevated way an Apostle follows in the holy footsteps of Jesus, led by the Mind of Christ. Those who consume the meaning then spread that way of living to those seeking to know God and Christ, giving them the opportunity to be blessed with eternal life.

A minister of Yahweh knows the difference in the symbolism of bread in ritual practices, designed to remind one of God’s sending of priests into the world. Whereas the Israelites died when the manna ceased, God sent His Son as the spiritual food that gives rise to the matzo of the Seder meal. Christians, Jews, and Gentiles are all unleavened until they receive the Holy Spirit and are reborn as Jesus Christ. Once they become the flesh of the Son of man, the blood of Christ fills their bodies. Thus, a minister of the LORD teaches we remember Jesus as the bread of life by finding delight in the breaking of the afikoman and we remember his Holy Spirit – as the Christ – when his blood has become one with ours.

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

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 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

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 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.”

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.”

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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: Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 – Suspended in the forest of Ephraim

1 Kings 19:4-8 – Asleep under a broom tree

Ephesians 4:25-5:2 – Angry for the love of God

John 6:35, 41-51 – The bread of life

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