Leviticus 19:14-18

 Leviticus 19:14-18 MKJV  You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling-block before the blind, but shall fear your God. I am Jehovah.  15  You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment. You shall not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty; but you shall judge your neighbor in righteousness.  16  You shall not go as a slanderer among your people; you shall not stand against the blood of your neighbor. I am Jehovah.  17  You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall always rebuke your neighbor, and not allow sin on him.  18  You shall not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am Jehovah.

Proverbs 18:5 ERV  You must be fair in judging others. It is wrong to favor the guilty and rob the innocent of justice.

James 2:5-9 ERV  Listen, my dear brothers and sisters. God chose the poor people in the world to be rich in faith. He chose them to receive the kingdom God promised to those who love him.  6  But you show no respect to those who are poor. And you know that the rich are the ones who always try to control your lives. And they are the ones who take you to court.  7  And the rich are the ones who insult the wonderful name of Christ, the name by which you are known.  8  One law rules over all other laws. This royal law is found in the Scriptures: "Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself." If you obey this law, you are doing right.  9  But if you are treating one person as more important than another, you are sinning. You are guilty of breaking God's law.

Micah 7:2-4 ERV  By this I mean that all the faithful people are gone. There are no good people left. Everyone is planning to kill someone. Everyone is trying to trap their brother.  3  People are good at doing bad things with both hands. Officials ask for bribes. Judges take money to change their decisions in court. "Important leaders" do whatever they want to do.  4  Even the best of them is as crooked as a tangled thornbush. Your prophets said this day would come, and the day of your watchmen has come. Now you will be punished. Now you will be confused!

Amos 5:10-15 ERV  You hate those prophets, who go to public places and speak against evil, even though they teach good, simple truths.  11  You take unfair taxes from the poor. You take loads of wheat from them. You build fancy houses with cut stone, but you will not live in them. You plant beautiful vineyards, but you will not drink the wine from them.  12  This is because I know about your many sins. You have done some very bad things: You hurt people who do right, you accept money to do wrong, and you keep the poor from receiving justice in court.  13  At that time wise teachers will be quiet, because it is a bad time.  14  You say that God is with you, so you should do good things, not evil. Then you will live, and the LORD God All-Powerful will be with you.  15  Hate evil and love goodness. Bring justice back into the courts. Maybe then the LORD God All-Powerful will be kind to the survivors from Joseph's family.

Deuteronomy 1:12-17 ERV  But I cannot take care of you and solve all your arguments by myself.  13  So choose some men from each tribe, and I will make them leaders over you. Choose wise men with experience who understand people.'  14  "And you said, 'That is a good thing to do.'  15  "So I took the wise, experienced men you chose from your tribes, and I made them your leaders. In this way I gave you leaders over 1000 people, over 100 people, over 50 people, and over 10 people. I also gave you officers for each of your tribes.  16  "At that time I told these judges, 'Listen to the arguments between your people. Be fair when you judge each case. It doesn't matter if the problem is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner. You must judge each case fairly.  17  You must treat everyone the same when you judge. You must listen carefully to everyone—whether they are important or not. Don't be afraid of anyone, because your decision is from God. But if there is a case too hard for you to judge, bring it to me and I will judge it.'

Exodus 23:3 ERV  "In court, don't treat a person in a special way simply because that person is poor.

Exodus 23:6-8 ERV  "In court, don't let anyone take advantage of a person simply because that person is poor.  7  "Be very careful if you say that someone is guilty of something. Don't make false charges against a person. Never allow innocent people to be killed as punishment for something they did not do. Whoever kills an innocent person is evil, and I will not treat a guilty person as innocent.  8  "If someone tries to pay you to agree with them when they are wrong, don't accept that payment. A payment like that can blind judges so that they cannot see the truth. It can make good people tell lies.

"Justice must never be perverted, either, 1. In pity to the poor: Thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, Exodus 23:3. Whatever may be given to a poor man as an alms, yet let nothing be awarded him as his right but what he is legally entitled to, nor let his poverty excuse him from any just punishment for a fault. Or, 2. In veneration or fear of the mighty, in whose favour judges would be most frequently biased. The Jews say, 'Judges were obliged by this law to be so impartial as not to let one of the contending parties sit while the other stood, nor permit one to say what he pleased and bid the other be short'" - Matthew Henry Commentary

This verse instructs us to be very careful about giving justice. We are not to feel sorry for the poor and thus rule in their favor wrongly. Neither are we to  wrongly rule in favor of the rich. Every person and situation must be based on truth and justice, NOT their social or financial status. Judges are NOT to take bribes whether it be of money or goods or fame or social honor. They are to strive to be objective in all cases. They are not to cave into outside pressure of any kind to pervert justice.

"Judges in local, state and federal courts across the country routinely hide their connections to litigants and their lawyers. These links can be social – they may have been law school classmates or share common friends – political, financial or ideological. In some instances the two may have mutual investment interests. They might be in-laws. Occasionally they are literally in bed together. While it’s unavoidable that such relationships will occur, when they do create a perception of bias, a judge is duty-bound to at the very least disclose that information, and if it is creates an actual bias, allow a different judge to take over.

"All too often, however, the conflicted jurist says nothing and proceeds to rule in favor of the connected party, while the loser goes off without realizing an undisclosed bias doomed her case.

“'Everybody should have the right to ensure the judge sitting on their case doesn’t have a conflict,' said Mary McQueen, executive director of the National Council on State Courts. 'It’s absolutely imperative that people have full faith and confidence in the judicial process.'

"But court critics say that one reason judicial violations are common is because they frequently go unpunished. When litigants ask a judge to back away because of a conflict, they risk being told no, then face possible retaliation, so many don’t bother. If a litigant or an attorney files a complaint with an oversight body, there’s only about a 10% chance that state court authorities will properly investigate the allegation" - US justice system, Corrupt justice: what happens when judges' bias taints a case?, By Peter S. Green and John Mazor, 18 Oct 2015, TheGuardian.com

"In Pennsylvania, the state examined the convictions of more than 3,500 teenagers sentenced by two judges. The judges were convicted of taking kickbacks as part of a scheme to fill a private juvenile detention center. In 2009, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court appointed senior judge Arthur Grim to lead a victim review, and the state later expunged criminal records for 2,251 juveniles. Grim told Reuters that every state should adopt a way to compensate victims of judicial misconduct." - Thousands of U.S. judges who broke laws or oaths remained on the bench, By Michael Berens and John Shiffman in Montgomery, Alabama, June 30, 2020, Reuters.com

Leviticus 19:16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer.
"talebearer" - ra^ki^yl - H7400
Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary
From H7402; a scandal monger (as travelling about): - slander, carry tales, talebearer.
H7402 - ra^kal - A primitive root; to travel for trading: - (spice) merchant.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Dictionary
1) to go about (meaning dubious)
1a) (Qal) trafficker, trader (participle) (substantive)
Part of Speech: verb

"The word used signifies a merchant, and particularly one that deals in drugs and spices, and especially a peddler in those things, that goes about from place to place to sell them; and such having an opportunity and making use of it to carry stories of others, and report them to their disadvantage, hence it came to be used for one that carries tales from house to house, in order to curry favour for himself, and to the injury of others; and such a man is a detestable person, and ought not to be encouraged, see 1Timothy 5:13," - John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

1 Timothy 5:13 MKJV  And with it all they also learn to be idle, going around the houses; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things they ought not.

Proverbs 20:19 MKJV  A gossip is a revealer of secrets; so do not mix with him who flatters with his lips.

Proverbs 26:20-28 CEV  Where there is no fuel a fire goes out; where there is no gossip arguments come to an end.  21  Troublemakers start trouble, just as sparks and fuel start a fire.  22  There is nothing so delicious as the taste of gossip! It melts in your mouth.  23  Hiding hateful thoughts behind smooth talk is like coating a clay pot with a cheap glaze.  24  The pleasant talk of an enemy hides more evil plans  25  than can be counted— so don't believe a word!  26  Everyone will see through those evil plans.  27  If you dig a pit, you will fall in; if you start a stone rolling, it will roll back on you.  28  Watch out for anyone who tells lies and flatters— they are out to get you.

James 3:5-10 ERV  It is the same with our tongue. It is a small part of the body, but it can boast about doing great things. A big forest fire can be started with only a little flame.  6  The tongue is like a fire. It is a world of evil among the parts of our body. It spreads its evil through our whole body and starts a fire that influences all of life. It gets this fire from hell.  7  Humans have control over every kind of wild animal, bird, reptile, and fish, and they have controlled all these things.  8  But no one can control the tongue. It is wild and evil, full of deadly poison.  9  We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people who were created in God's likeness.  10  These praises and curses come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, this should not happen.

I have to think of not only our own gossiping which is bad enough. But look at all the gossip shows on TV. Gossip about actors and actresses, gossip about sport figures, gossip about Youtubers, gossip about political figures, gossip about musician/singers, gossip about famous people. There are even those who gossip about religious famous people. It's one thing to warn about heresy and false teaching but another thing when it gets to be personal attacks, namecalling, showing them up for more Youtube "likes". It becomes gossip and troublemaking. Keep strictly to the subject and quit the personal attacks.

Then there are the gossip shows like Jerry Springer who bring on regular people to air their dirty laundry in public before an audience. There are those shows like Dr. Phil who virtually do the same thing, just in a more "helpful" manner but the end result is the same... people's problems are televised for public consumption.

The Bible is telling us to avoid tale bearing and the word is particularly directed at those who traffic and make a profit off of talebearing. Back in the ancient days, the only way to spread gossip and slander and even lies was by going house to house. Today we have social media, Youtube, emails, cell phones and we don't even have to leave our house to do it.

We must try to walk the balance of telling the truth without falling into talebearing or gossiping. If it's none of my business, maybe keep my nose out of it. If I can't say something good, don't say anything at all. But there comes a time when truth must be told or else we are a false witness because we are letting others believe a lie.

We must be sure the truth is known about God's Word, His doctrines and His Commands. We must be sure to present the truth to deflect others on the path to destruction. We must tell the truth to protect the innocent or to bring justice when someone is guilty. It must be done gently and with the right attitude but sometimes it must be done. So some of these Youtubers who are attacking heresy may be doing the right thing but they walk a narrow balance so as not to fall into gossip, slander, talebearing, name calling, and hurting a brother or sister in Christ in a way that turns them away from Jesus instead of turning them to Jesus. It's a hard row to hoe so I don't envy them. Our emotions get involved sometimes and we stray over the lines of balance. Especially when we see things falling apart into apostasy, chaos and it seems the world has won another victory (or I should say, satan). But we must hold tight reigns over our mouths and be even more careful when we feel emotions taking hold of us. (Boy, that's easier said than done and I can be the world's worst at letting emotions take control.)

A false witness example, according to Jewish Law, you had to have 3 witnesses to agree on the evidence of the charge:

Matthew 26:59-65 ERV  The leading priests and the high council tried to find something against Jesus so that they could kill him. They tried to find people to lie and say that Jesus had done wrong.  60  Many people came and told lies about him. But the council could find no real reason to kill him. Then two people came  61  and said, "This man said, 'I can destroy the Temple of God and build it again in three days.'"  62  Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Don't you have anything to say about these charges against you? Are they telling the truth?"  63  But Jesus said nothing. Again the high priest said to Jesus, "You are now under oath. I command you by the power of the living God to tell us the truth. Tell us, are you the Messiah, the Son of God?"  64  Jesus answered, "Yes, that's right. But I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right side of God. And you will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven."  65  When the high priest heard this, he tore his clothes in anger. He said, "This man has said things that insult God! We don't need any more witnesses. You all heard his insulting words."

Jesus was condemned to death on this basis. He was crucified.

This is a good example to remember that our words do have a dangerous effect. We can use our words to harm someone to the point of resulting in their death. If we tell lies or ugly stories about others, someone could get mad enough to kill them just like the Jews killed Jesus. If we gossip, slander and verbally bully someone it could lead to their suicide or even (as we've seen in the news) murder/suicides. We must take control of our tongues and be careful what we say. How? The Holy Spirit within us can help us. Reading the Word, convicts us and helps us learn. Prayer and dialoguing with God about overwhelming problems and emotions we are feeling can help us gain a better, more even perspective. Not only is He a good listener but He is the only One who can actually do anything about whatever problems we are facing. He is a miracle working God!

Leviticus 19:18 You shall not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am Jehovah.

Romans 12:17-21 MKJV  Repay no one evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.  18  If it is possible, as far as is in you, being in peace with all men.  19  not avenging yourselves, beloved, but giving place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord."  20  Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him. If he thirsts, give him drink. For in so doing you shall heap coals of fire on his head.  21  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Boy, this is pretty clear. If someone does you dirty, you want to do them dirty right back don't you? I know I do. If someone tells stories about me, I want to tell stories about them. If someone talks bad about me, I want to jump right in and talk bad about them. If someone sues me, I want to sue them back for even more. If someone is a false witness against me, I want to make something up about them to get them in trouble too. Tit for tat, eye for eye, tooth for tooth.

Except here is God saying we should let it go and let God work it out. I know God doesn't mean we should keep quiet when we know something that is truthful and would bring about real justice. That would be a false witness. We should be truthful and willing to tell the truth even in a courtroom so someone is not wrongfully convicted or wrongfully acquitted. Again, there is balance. There comes a time when we can't do anything about a situation that helps so we have to pray and let God handle it. If we know John Doe killed someone but we don't tell the truth, we are being a false witness. We should be willing to tell the truth and hope it brings about justice and helps the innocent. On the other hand, sometimes everything is done and it still seems like there is no justice. Someone lets you down whether it's the judicial system, the judge, the lawyers, the law, whatever... But God isn't saying this gives you the right to take the law into your own hands and mete out justice your way. It's tempting, but God says, not to repay evil for evil and don't avenge yourself but trust God to do it. There comes a time when you have to release any wrongs and give it to God and trust He will do the right thing. Forgive (for your own mental and spiritual health) and let go and let God.

There is a television called Fear They Neighbor which is about how neighbors come to murderous arguments over things and someone dies! That's how bad it can get. You live in the same neighborhood with people who can be real nut jobs. They are not Christians. They may be experiencing mental illness. They may have been raised to handle conflict very differently from you. They may experience PTSD and lose control over little things. Maybe the marigolds you plant bring back memories of their Mama locking them in the closet because they picked her marigolds. They may be in the gradual decline of dementia and one stage of dementia is paranoia, unreasonable paranoia. I know Parkinson's Disease has a paranoid stage where you hallucinate things that didn't happen. I've seen both in my family and, believe me, you wouldn't wish that on your worst enemy. You just never know what is going on in someone's head, or life, that could come out in outrageous behavior. 

I have not lived next door to people that far out, thank God! We did have a neighbor that had a hissy fit on his front lawn because we had a yard sale. Jumping up and down like a toddler throwing a tantrum and yelling and calling my husband to come over and fight! Now, my husband was raised to physically fight back when challenged and, although he was much shorter than this neighbor, he didn't back down. It was like watching two rams come bouncing off each other's chests! Fortunately, they both backed down. We didn't have another yard sale until we sold our house and my husband and the neighbor made peace eventually. I know there are times when all you do to make peace with a neighbor is wasted because they will not be appeased. Nothing you do is right. Walk carefully and pray often for that neighbor.
 
This scripture tells us not to hate, not to avenge and not to bear a grudge. We should treat our neighbor as ourself (the Golden Rule). So, as much as it lies with you, be peaceable in your neighborhood. Don't be a hard head, a hot head, or butt head. If the rules are no fireworks, don't sneak and do fireworks. If the Homeowner's Assoc has rules follow them as much as you reasonably can. If someone else doesn't follow the rules, don't rush over and accuse, or jump all over them, to make them comply. Work within the system which is supposed to be there to keep everyone's property values high. And learn to let go.

Of course, there will be times when it's ridiculous and you are dealing with people who are, as I said above, off. There is insecurity due to mental illness, PTSD, family troubles, financial troubles, whatever. But, as much as it is within your control, be peaceable and don't carry bitterness, unforgiveness, hatred, anger and malice in your own heart. Try to overlook some things. Try praying for the wacky neighbors. Try being generous and helpful. If the good things aren't working, try ignoring them and overlooking their deliberate attempts to bait you. Don't give them the satisfaction to know it got on your last nerve. Don't engage.

If there is something illegal going on (such as selling drugs or drive by shootings, etc), it's the right thing to do to call the police. If things get out of hand, it may take the police to help mediate the situation. But don't become part of the police's problem by butting in, yelling, getting aggressive while they are trying to help you out. Keep calm, be reasonable, let the police know it isn't you they have to worry about. Answer their questions truthfully and step back and let them try to handle the wacky neighbor.

I know this sounds reasonable in a world that has a lot of unreasonable people. Your best bet is to pray and pray and pray some more. Pray that you can keep the right attitude and not fall into sin and pray for your neighbors. There is a reason for their actions whether it's hallucinatory, drug related, or just plain meanness. And only God can get through to people that far gone. If there is no way for you to get away from them, rely on God to do what you cannot do. You are responsible for your thoughts, actions, words. So take them to Jesus. Then take your neighbors and leave them in the hands of God who is perfectly able to take care of the problems. You might even practice prayer walking or prayer driving. I.e. pray for each neighbor as you come to their house while you are walking or driving. I've done this before.

The Twelve Tribes of Israel - Dan

Dan “God hath judged me”

Dan was the fifth son of Jacob. His mother was Bilhah, Rachel's maid.

The blessing pronounced on him by his father was, “Dan shall judge his people” probably in allusion to the judgeship of Samson, who was descended from the tribe of Dan. Hushim (the plural, implying a family), or Shuham, alone is mentioned as Dan's son (Genesis 46:23); but at the Exodus the tribe stood second of Israel in numbers (Numbers 1:29), (Numbers 1:62), 700; 64,400 at the close of the wilderness sojourn (Numbers 26:42). Oholiab (or “Aholiab”), one of the wise-hearted artisans engaged in the construction of the Tabernacle (Exodus 31:6), was of the tribe of Dan.

It was the last of the tribes to receive a portion in the Land of Promise (Joshua 19:40-48). It was a small territory, but was very fertile. It included the cities of Lydda, Ekron, and Joppa, which formed its northern boundary. But this district was too limited. “Squeezed into the narrow strip between the mountains and the sea, its energies were great beyond its numbers.” They were pressed by the Amorites and the Philistines, whom they were unable to conquer. We are told that the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain (Judges 1:34), so they did not enjoy the richest part of their ideal portion, the fertile plain between the mountain and the sea.

Later we find Dan oppressed by the Philistines, therefore the story of Samson. Samson resides at Mahaneh-Dan (the camp of Dan) in the hills, between Zorah and Eshtaol, behind Kirjath Jearim, and thence "comes down" to the vineyards of Timnath and the valley of Sorek. This was his final resting place (Judges 13-14). We know the Philistines had deprived them of weapons because Samson had to resort to a donkey’s jawbone.

 

 

 

Samson was the one great man produced by Dan, and he seems to have embodied the leading characteristics of the tribe: unsteady, unscrupulous, violent, possessed of a certain grim humor; stealthy in tactics - “a serpent in the way, an adder in the path” (Genesis 49:17) - but swift and strong in striking - “a lion's whelp, that leapeth forth from Bashan” (Deuteronomy 33:22). 

Being sorely pressed by enemies and without weapons, they did not join Deborah and Barak.

 

Judges 5:17 Gilead stayed beyond Jordan. And why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the seashore and remained in his havens.

 

Deborah observes who stayed home, and did not help Israel fight. Many are kept from doing their duty by fear, love of ease, inordinate attachment to selfish pursuits, and their desire to participate only in things that advance their own cause. Narrow, selfish people don't care what becomes of God's church, as long as they can get, keep, and save money. All seek their own good and their own ambition, Philippians 2:21.

They accordingly sent out five spies from two of their towns, who went north to the sources of the Jordan, and brought back a favorable report regarding that region (Judges 18:10). About 600 Danites girded on their weapons of war (the only ones who had weapons), and marched to the foot of Hermon, and fought against Leshem, and took it from the Sidonians, and dwelt therein, and changed the name of the conquered town to Dan (Joshua 19:47).

In Judges 17:

Micah belonged to the Ephraim tribe and lived in the hill country. One day he told his mother, "Do you remember those eleven hundred pieces of silver that were stolen from you? I was there when you put a curse on whoever stole them. Well, I'm the one who did it." His mother answered, "I pray that the LORD will bless you, my son." Micah returned the silver to his mother, and she said, "I give this silver to the LORD, so my son can use it to make an idol." Turning to her son, she said, "Micah, now the silver belongs to you." But Micah handed it back to his mother. She took two hundred pieces of the silver and gave them to a silver worker, who made them into an idol. They kept the idol in Micah's house. He had a shrine for worshiping God there at his home, and he had made some idols and a sacred priestly vest. Micah chose one of his own sons to be the priest for his shrine. This was before kings ruled Israel, so all the Israelites did whatever they thought was right. One day a young Levite came to Micah's house in the hill country of Ephraim. He had been staying with one of the clans of Judah in Bethlehem, but he had left Bethlehem to find a new place to live where he could be a priest. "Where are you from?" Micah asked. "I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah," the man answered, "and I'm on my way to find a new place to live." Micah said, "Why don't you stay here with me? You can be my priest and tell me what God wants me to do. Every year I'll give you ten pieces of silver and one complete set of clothes, and I'll provide all your food." The young man went for a walk, then he agreed to stay with Micah and be his priest. He lived in Micah's house, and Micah treated him like one of his own sons. Micah said, "I have a Levite as my own priest. Now I know that the LORD will be kind to me."

Judges 18:1-31 These things happened before kings ruled Israel. About this time, the tribe of Dan was looking for a place to live. The other tribes had land, but the people of Dan did not really have any to call their own. The tribe chose five warriors to represent their clans and told them, "Go and find some land where we can live." The warriors left the area of Zorah and Eshtaol and went into the hill country of Ephraim. One night they stayed at Micah's house, because they heard the young Levite talking, and they knew from his accent that he was from the south. They asked him, "What are you doing here? Who brought you here?" The Levite replied, "Micah hired me as his priest." Then he told them how well Micah had treated him. "Please talk to God for us," the men said. "Ask God if we will be successful in what we are trying to do." "Don't worry," answered the priest. "The LORD is pleased with what you are doing." The five men left and went to the town of Laish, whose people were from Sidon, but Sidon was too far away to protect them. Even though their town had no walls, the people thought they were safe from attack. So they had not asked anyone else for protection, which meant that the tribe of Dan could easily take over Laish. The five men went back to Zorah and Eshtaol, where their relatives asked, "Did you find any land?" "Let's go!" the five men said. "We saw some very good land with enough room for all of us, and it has everything we will ever need. What are you waiting for? Let's attack and take it. You'll find that the people think they're safe, but God is giving the land to us." Six hundred men from the tribe of Dan strapped on their weapons and left Zorah and Eshtaol with their families. One night they camped near Kiriath-Jearim in the territory of Judah, and that's why the place just west of Kiriath-Jearim is still known as Dan's Camp. Then they went into the hill country of Ephraim. When they came close to Micah's house, the five men who had been spies asked the other warriors, "Did you know that someone in this village has several idols and a sacred priestly vest? What do you think we should do about it?" The six hundred warriors left the road and went to the house on Micah's property where the young Levite priest lived. They stood at the gate and greeted the priest. Meanwhile, the five men who had been there before went into Micah's house and took the sacred priestly vest and the idols. "Hey!" the priest shouted. "What do you think you're doing?" "Quiet!" the men said. "Keep your mouth shut and listen. Why don't you come with us and be our priest, so you can tell us what God wants us to do? You could stay here and be a priest for one man's family, but wouldn't you rather be the priest for a clan or even a whole tribe of Israel?" The priest really liked that idea. So he took the vest and the idols and joined the others from the tribe of Dan. Then they turned and left, after putting their children, their cattle, and the rest of their other possessions in front. They had traveled for some time, before Micah asked his neighbors to help him get his things back. He and his men caught up with the people of Dan and shouted for them to stop. They turned to face him and asked, "What's wrong? Why did you bring all these men?" Micah answered, "You know what's wrong. You stole the gods I made, and you took my priest. I don't have anything left." "We don't want to hear any more about it," the people of Dan said. "And if you make us angry, you'll only get yourself and your family killed." After saying this, they turned and left. Micah realized there was no way he could win a fight with them, and so he went back home. The tribe of Dan took Micah's priest and the things Micah had made, and headed for Laish, which was located in a valley controlled by the town of Beth-Rehob. Laish was defenseless, because it had no walls and was too far from Sidon for the Sidonians to help defend it. The leaders of Laish had not even asked nearby towns to help them in case of an attack. The warriors from Dan made a surprise attack on Laish, killing everyone and burning it down. Then they rebuilt the town and settled there themselves. But they named it Dan, after one of Israel's sons, who was the ancestor of their tribe. Even though the place of worship was in Shiloh, the people of Dan set up the idol Micah had made. They worshiped the idol, and the Levite was their priest. His name was Jonathan, and he was a descendant of Gershom the son of Moses. His descendants served as priests for the tribe of Dan, until the people of Israel were taken away as prisoners by their enemies.

The love of money made Micah steal from his mother, and made her curse the thief. Loss will drive good people to prayers, but bad people to curse. This silver was their god, before it was even made into a idol. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes, which was evil in the sight of God. These idols were made by Micah with the silver his mother had given him. Why would he think that they are now real gods? God makes us and we worship Him as the Creator God. We don’t make a god and worship him because we created him. Micah thought it was a sign of God's favor to him and his idols for a Levite to come to his door. Micah deludes himself by believing God is prospering and blessing him because things go so well. He hired him.

When the Danites came to Micah’s home, they recognized a Jewish man there and asked him why he was there. The Levite told them he was hired as the priest for the family. The Danites expressed no surprise or indignation that a Levite would hire himself out as a priest to an idol or that a Jewish family would descend into idolatry.

When the Danites came to Micah’s neighborhood, they wanted to steal Micah's gods. How could they imagine those gods would protect them when they couldn’t protect themselves from being stolen by the Danites? The Danites neither feared God nor man at this point. The five spies broke into the idol sanctuary and stole the images, teraphim, and priestly garments. When the Levite caught them, they bribed him with a tempting offer to transfer his services to their new colony. The Levite quickly saw his advantage and promotion. He changed his alliance to suit his own benefit. Taking charge of the ephod, the teraphim, and the graven image, he “went in the midst of the people” - a central position assigned him in the march, where he was most protected and had the place of honor.

The Danites continued on to Laish, destroyed it and built a new town called Dan. After, the Danites set up the idol, which they had taken with them out of Micah's house. “And Jehonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites till the day of the captivity of the land.” 

Jehonathan can hardly be any other than the Levite who had been hired by Micah and persuaded to support the Danites. He could not be Manasseh the son of Joseph, for he had no son called Gershom nor could it be Manasseh king of Israel, for he lived eight hundred years afterwards. Moses had a son named Gershom and it’s possible that “Manasseh” should be “Mosheth”. By his mother's side this man was of the family of Judah, and lived at Bethlehem among his mother's relations until he wandered to seek his fortune.

It’s possible he was a con man (much like an Elmer Gantry) who heard about Micah and went to offer his “services” for money. Those who can make anything serve for a god can also make anything serve for a priest. This Levite could have been a very descendent of Moses and was of the Levite tribe. Then he would sell himself, his heritage and his office for money! He thought himself happy that he had found such good a situation. He was a sell out for the highest bid. And Micah had thought he deserved God’s blessings and protection because he had set up idols, a sanctuary and a priest.

The Danites took the Levite, whom Micah had engaged for his private worship, with them to the new town of Dan, and promised him the priesthood. This Levite’s descendants may have continued as the town’s priests for generations. When Jeroboam established the kingdom of the ten tribes, he had two golden calves made as images of Jehovah for the subjects of his kingdom, and set one of them up at Dan, and appointed priests out of the whole nation who were not of the sons of Levi. Jeroboam had an eye to Dan and their generations of idol worship when he set up one of his calves there, and it’s probable that this family officiated as the priests there. (I Kings 12:28) The Danites and this Levite would have known better. The Mosaic Tabernacle, which the congregation had erected at Shiloh in the days of Joshua, was still standing there in the time of Eli and Samuel but in the time of Saul it was at Nob and during the reign of David it was at Gibeon. It was not far away or forgotten. They may have justified this image worship as worshipping Jehovah, but they would have known the Ten Commandments and the one which says, Exodus 20:2-12.

Exodus 20:2-12 "I am the LORD your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves. Do not worship any god except me. Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. Don't bow down and worship idols. I am the LORD your God, and I demand all your love. If you reject me, I will punish your families for three or four generations. But if you love me and obey my laws, I will be kind to your families for thousands of generations. Do not misuse my name. I am the LORD your God, and I will punish anyone who misuses my name. Remember that the Sabbath Day belongs to me. You have six days when you can do your work, but the seventh day of each week belongs to me, your God. No one is to work on that day--not you, your children, your slaves, your animals, or the foreigners who live in your towns. In six days I made the sky, the earth, the oceans, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That's why I made the Sabbath a special day that belongs to me. Respect your father and your mother, and you will live a long time in the land I am giving you. Do not murder. Be faithful in marriage. Do not steal. Do not tell lies about others. Do not want anything that belongs to someone else. Don't want anyone's house, wife or husband, slaves, oxen, donkeys or anything else."

Deuteronomy 4:12-20 And Jehovah spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the voice of the words, but saw no likeness, only a voice. And He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, ten commandments. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone. And Jehovah commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments so that you might do them in the land where you go over to possess it. Therefore take good heed to yourselves, for you saw no kind of likeness on the day Jehovah spoke to you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you act corruptly and make yourselves a graven image, the likeness of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any beast on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish in the waters beneath the earth; and lest you lift up your eyes to the heavens, and when you see the sun, and the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, lest you should be driven to worship them and serve them, which Jehovah your God has allotted to all nations under all the heavens. But Jehovah has taken you and brought you out from the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be to Him a people of inheritance, as you are today.

And, yet, idolatry is immediately set up there. God had graciously performed his promise, in giving them possession of their land. This should have made them all the more faithful to Him who had blessed them. They inherited what others had worked for.

Psalm 105:44-45 The Lord gave them the land and everything else the nations had worked for. He did this so that his people would obey all of his laws. Shout praises to the LORD!

They perversely attributed their success to that idol instead of to Jehovah! Their idolatry is mentioned by the minor prophet, Amos, in Amos 8:14.

Amos 8:14 You made promises in the name of Ashimah, the goddess of Samaria. And you made vows in my name at the shrines of Dan and Beersheba. But you will fall and never get up.

Dan's genealogy is not given in 1 Chronicles 2-12. Its unsettled state and the headquarters of idolatry, may have caused the loss of the genealogy. Dan is omitted among the sealed in Revelation 7 as having been the first to lapse into idolatry, for which cause Ephraim also is omitted (Judges 17; Hosea 4:17) and Joseph substituted. Mainly, by the Spirit, Jacob had in view the serpent which was to "bruise the heel" of the promised Savior (a non-mortal wound) (Genesis 3:15), but ultimately to have its head bruised by Him (a mortal and destroying blow).

Giants In The Bible

 Did you know there are giants mentioned in the Bible? Surely that would make thinking people pause and say, "I guess the Bible is a bunch of myths, legends and fables." But you would be wrong! I believe the Bible is true even to it's least word. We call it the "inerrant Word of God", i.e. it is without error. I believe this with my whole heart and the more I study the Bible the more I find it true! Of course, as a believer in Jesus Christ, I started with the faith that the Bible is inerrant. Without having studied the Bible yet, I still believed it was true, which is "faith". But once I became a believer I wanted to know more about God and there was no better source than His Word. It was written to His People and reveals Him in His Splendor and His Mercy, His Majesty and His Grace. If you don't want to expend the energy and time to study the Word of God, then stop reading NOW! But don't utter re-used phrases like, "The Bible is just a bunch of fairy tales." You haven't read it, you haven't studied it, you haven't attempted to find out why each scripture is in the Bible... i.e. you don't know it!

I was raised in a Christian family and so was taken to church where I learned the Bible stories of Adam and Eve, David and Goliath, Mary and Joseph, etc. I was saved at 8 yrs old. I've always been a prolific reader and many times I would try to sit down and read the Holy Bible just as I would any book. I turned to page 1 (which is Genesis 1:1) and by the time I got to chapter 3 it was so over my childish head that I stopped. I couldn't understand why I couldn't understand it. I could read Nancy Drew couldn't I? But, as a young cousin once told me, "it's just a bunch of little scriptures". He was as confused as I was. But we have to remember that a child's mind cannot fathom the complex, deep things. For instance, a 2 year old can ask you a hundred times how much further it is. You can answer, "about 2 more hours" and that has no meaning to them. They cannot conceive time. You can explain how rain is formed via evaporation to a 4 year old but they would only stare at you because they don't have the mental capacity yet to understand simple scientific explanations. And a teenager cannot mentally understand future consequences because their mind simply has not grown enough and experienced enough to understand the consequences to their actions (which means, no matter how snooty they are, they still need their parent's guidance because they truly are not adults yet).

I re-dedicated my life at 17 years old and about the same time, my Aunt Judy got each of us a new Bible called The Living Bible. It is a paraphrase in modern English. A paraphrase is different from a translation. A translation actually takes the original language that the Bible was written in and translates it word for word. Each word has many shadings which is why we have many translations. For instance, the word "abode" means "home", "house", "dwelling", "place where you live", etc. But a paraphrase is when you take the gist of the meaning and tell it in modern English. For instance, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures..." becomes "You, LORD, are my shepherd. I will never be in need. You let me rest in fields of green grass." We must remember that the King James Version was written for the English peaople at that time and it was written in the way they talked. It was modern to them and was something they could understand. The Bible was originally written in Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament). It had been translated into Latin which was a common language during the Roman times. But by the Middle ages, only highly educated people were educated in the classical languages of Greek and Latin which meant the common man couldn't read the Bible. It had to be read to him by his Priest until King James decided to sponsor scholars to translate the Bible into the King's English. So, today, we need new translations so that we can understand the Bible in our own language. We no longer use "thees" and "thous". The Living Bible was perfect for a young reader's first time to read through the Bible and I can never thank my Aunt Judy enough for giving me that experience!!! I have tried to give my teenage nieces and nephews Bibles appropriate to their age so, hopefully, they could have the experience I had.



I read the Bible all the way through when I was 17 years old. Then I got another Bible. This time I got a translation rather than a paraphrase and I read through the Bible again. It was the American Standard Version (ASV). Then I went to a little harder translation called the Modern King James Version (MKJV), etc. So I'd read straight through the Bible several times before I really began any Bible studies. And, let me tell you, I still didn't understand half of what I was reading. It was interesting! It was enthralling! It was beautiful! But I didn't understand why this story didn't have a happy ending or why that person was blessed by God even when he did a bad thing or why there were GIANTS IN THE BIBLE! So we've come back around to my Bible study today.

You see, it takes time and effort to dig and study, read and contemplate, listen to teaching tapes or videos, take Bible study lessons, etc. That's what is so fascinating about God's Word. You can read it and re-read it, study it and learn from it and it never gets old!! You can become an expert in the Bible and think you know all there is to know and God will reveal something else! But that is if you are a Christian! An unbeliever can make themselves read the Bible and even become a scholar of the Bible and still not be a believer. Just like someone can become an expert on Shakespeare or Jane Austin. But as a believer, you have the Holy Spirit living within you and He teaches you throughout your life using the Word of God as His textbook. And you cannot exhaust the depths of God!!!

So let's look at the giants in the Holy Bible. First, we need to know a little bit about the origin of Satan. I've talked about this in other postings so you could skip this part if you've read my other posts about Satan and his fall.

Satan was a created being, created by God. He was a musician, some even say his body was a musical instrument much like a singer uses her voice or a musician uses his hands. He may have even led the worship of God. How do I know this? Let's look at

Ezekiel 28:11-19 (King James Version - KJV) Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me (Ezekiel), saying, (12) Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. (13) Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. (14) Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. (15) ;Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. (16) By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. (17) Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. (18) Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. (19) All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

Ezekiel 28 (Literal Translation Of The Bible - LITV) (13) You have been in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering; the ruby, the topaz, and the jasper, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the turquoise, and the carbuncle, and gold; the workmanship of your tambourines and of your flutes in you. In the day you were created, they were prepared. (14) You were the anointed cherub that covers, and I had put you in the holy heights of God, where you were. You walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. (15) You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, until iniquity was found in you. (16) By the multitude of your trade, they filled your midst with violence, and you sinned. So I cast you defiled from the height of God, and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from among the stones of fire. (17) Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. I have cast you to the ground. I will put you before kings, that they may see you. (18) By the host of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trade, you have defiled your holy places. So I brought a fire from your midst and it shall devour you, and I will give you for ashes on the earth in the sight of all who see you. (19) All who know you among the peoples shall be appalled at you. You shall be terrors, and you will not be forever.

and, finally,

Ezekiel 28:13-19 (Easy To Read Version) You were in Eden, the garden of God. You had every precious stone-- rubies, topaz, and diamonds, beryls, onyx, and jasper, sapphires, turquoise, and emeralds. And each of these stones was set in gold. You were given this beauty on the day you were created. God made you strong. (14) You were one of the chosen Cherubs who spread your wings over my throne. I put you on the holy mountain of God. You walked among the jewels that sparkled like fire. (15) You were good and honest when I created you, but then you became evil. (16) Your business brought you many riches. But they also put cruelty inside you, and you sinned. So I treated you like something unclean and threw you off the mountain of God. You were one of the chosen Cherubs who spread your wings over my throne. But I forced you to leave the jewels that sparkled like fire. (17) Your beauty made you proud. Your glory ruined your wisdom. So I threw you down to the ground, and now other kings stare at you. (18) You did many wrong things. You were a very crooked merchant. In this way you made the holy places unclean. So I brought fire from inside you. It burned you! You burned to ashes on the ground. Now everyone can see your shame. (19) "'All the people in other nations were shocked about what happened to you. What happened to you will make people very afraid. You are finished!'"

Who was this King of Tyre? Well, there literally was a King or Prince of Tyre named Ethbaal, or Ithobal. God is giving a literal description of an event. But there is also the description of Adam's fall from the Garden of Eden and the description of Satan's fall from Heaven. So God is using a real story to also tell us of what happened to Adam and to Satan.

Mathew Henry's Commentary - This is commonly understood of the prince who then reigned over Tyre, spoken to, Ezekiel 28:2. His name was Ethbaal, or Ithobalus, as Diodorus Siculus calls him that was king of Tyre when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it. He was, it seems, upon all external accounts an accomplished man, very great and famous; but his iniquity was his ruin. Many expositors have suggested that besides the literal sense of this lamentation there is an allegory in it, and that it is an allusion to the fall of the angels that sinned, who undid themselves by their pride.

Ezekiel 28:1-9 (Easy To Read Version - ERV) The word of the LORD came to me (Ezekiel). He said, (2) "Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: "'You are very proud! And you say, "I am a god! I sit on the seat of gods in the middle of the seas." "'But you are a man and not God! You only think you are a god. (3) You think you are wiser than Daniel and no secret is hidden from you. (4) Through your wisdom and understanding you have gotten riches for yourself. And you put gold and silver in your treasuries. (5) Through your great wisdom and trade, you have made your riches grow. And now you are proud because of those riches. (6) 'So this is what the Lord GOD says: Tyre, you thought you were like a god. (7) I will bring strangers to fight against you. They are most terrible among the nations! They will pull out their swords and use them against the beautiful things your wisdom brought you. They will ruin your glory. (8) They will bring you down to the grave. You will be like a sailor who died at sea. (9) That person will kill you. Will you still say, "I am a god"? No, he will have you in his power! You will see that you are a man, not God!

Here is another description of what happened to Babylon but also refers to what happened to Satan.

Isaiah 14:4-17 (KJV) That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! (5) The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. (6) He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.(7) The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. (8) Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us. (9) Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. (10) All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? (11) Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. (12) How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! (13) ;For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: (14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (15) Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. (16) They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; (17) That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?

Isaiah 14:4-17 (Contemporary English Version - CEV) Then you will make fun of the King of Babylonia by singing this song: That cruel monster is done for! He won't attack us again. (5) The LORD has crushed the power of those evil kings, (6) who were furious and never stopped abusing the people of other nations. (7) Now all the world is at peace; its people are celebrating with joyful songs. (8) King of Babylonia, even the cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon celebrate and say, "Since you were put down, no one comes along to chop us down." (9) The world of the dead eagerly waits for you. With great excitement, the spirits of ancient rulers hear about your coming. (10) Each one of them will say, "Now you are just as weak as any of us! (11) Your pride and your music have ended here in the world of the dead. Worms are your blanket, maggots are your bed." 12) You, the bright morning star, have fallen from the sky! You brought down other nations; now you are brought down. (13) You said to yourself, "I'll climb to heaven and place my throne above the highest stars. I'll sit there with the gods far away in the north. (14) I'll be above the clouds, just like God Most High." (15) But now you are deep in the world of the dead. (16) Those who see you will stare and wonder, "Is this the man who made the world tremble and shook up kingdoms? (17) Did he capture every city and make earth a desert? Is he the one who refused to let prisoners go home?"

So Satan began as a created Angel, a son of God, but he had pride and thought he could be God. Same thing happened to Adam and Eve. They were created by God to be His companions and Satan deceived Eve and they thought they could be like God.

Genesis 3:4-6 (LITV) And the serpent said to the woman, Dying! you shall not die, (5) for God knows that in the day you eat of it, even your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as God, knowing good and evil. (6) And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and the tree was desirable to make one wise. And she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18) Is a wise saying based on what happened to Satan and his demons and Adam and Eve. When we begin to think that we know better than God, that we could do a much better job of running everything, then we are developing the same pride that was the downfall of Satan and of humanity.

In Job we find Satan listed as an angel, or "son of God".
Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

When Satan was cast out of Heaven, he had managed to convince 1/3 of the angels to follow him so they were also cast out of Heaven. These "sons of God" here are clearly Angelic beings who are presenting themselves before The Lord (in Heaven). And Satan is among them. These fallen angels are what we call "demons" now. The Devil and most of his fallen angels are on Earth doing spiritual warfare and will not be sent to Hell until their time of Judgment. But there were obviously some angels who had relations with “the daughters of men” (human women) and they are now chained so it can't happen again.

Jude 1:6 (CEV) You also know about the angels who didn't do their work and left their proper places. God chained them with everlasting chains and is now keeping them in dark pits until the great day of judgment.

Smith's Bible Dictionary - We conclude, therefore, that (Satan) was of angelic nature, a rational and spiritual creature, superhuman in power, wisdom and energy; and not only so, but an archangel, one of the "princes" of heaven. We cannot, of course, conceive that anything essentially and originally evil was created by God. We can only conjecture, therefore, that Satan is a fallen angel, who once had a time of probation, but whose condemnation is now irrevocably fixed.

2 Peter 2:4-5 (CEV) God did not have pity on the angels that sinned. He had them tied up and thrown into the dark pits of hell until the time of judgment. (5) And during Noah's time, God did not have pity on the ungodly people of the world. He destroyed them with a flood, though he did save eight people, including Noah, who preached the truth.

Satan is not only the Prince of Demons but the Prince of This World. Parenthesis are mine.

Luke 4:2-13 (CEV) For forty days Jesus was tested by the devil, and during that time he went without eating. When it was all over, he was hungry. (3) The devil said to Jesus, "If you are God's Son, tell this stone to turn into bread." (4) Jesus answered, "The Scriptures say, 'No one can live only on food.' "(5) Then the devil led Jesus up to a high place and quickly showed him all the nations on earth. (6) The devil said, "I will give all this power and glory to you. It has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. (7) Just worship me, and you can have it all." (8) Jesus answered, "The Scriptures say: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!' " (9) Finally, the devil took Jesus to Jerusalem and had him stand on top of the temple. The devil said, "If you are God's Son, jump off. (10) The Scriptures say: 'God will tell his angels to take care of you. They will catch you in their arms, and you will not hurt your feet on the stones.' " (11) (12) Jesus answered, "The Scriptures also say, 'Don't try to test the Lord your God!' " (13) After the devil had finished testing Jesus in every way possible, he left him for a while.

John 12:31-32 (CEV) This world's people are now being judged, and the ruler of this world is already being thrown out! (32) If I am lifted up above the earth (on the cross), I will make everyone want to come to me."

John 16:11 (CEV) And they are wrong about the judgment, because God has already judged the ruler of this world.

John 14:29-31 (CEV) I am telling you this before I leave, so that when it does happen, you will have faith in me. (30) I cannot speak with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming (to try to kill Him). But he has no power over me. (31) I obey my Father, so that everyone in the world might know that I love him. It is time for us to go now.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (CEV) If there is anything hidden about our message, it is hidden only to someone who is lost. (4) The god who rules this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers. They cannot see the light, which is the good news about our glorious Christ, who shows what God is like.

Ephesians 6:11-13 (CEV) Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil's tricks. (12) We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world. (13) So put on all the armor that God gives. Then when that evil day comes, you will be able to defend yourself. And when the battle is over, you will still be standing firm.

Smith's Bible Dictionary - (Satan's) general object is to break the bonds of communion between God and man, and the bonds of truth and love, which bind men to each other.

His methods are temptation, deception, possession, flattery, appealing to our pride. He will even use scripture to twist it to mean something it doesn't as he did when he tempted Jesus. He will try to appeal to our pride, flattering us, deceiving us so that what is rotten looks beautiful. He completely turns our heads upside down, suddenly we see darkness as light or light as darkness. He is our adversary, our accuser, just as in the book of Job where he stands by God and whispers accusations against us. He hates both God and man. Why does he hate man? Because God created mankind to be His companions, His Children, His People. We have the very breath of God in us and we are made in His Image. God saw us as so valuable to Himself that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross so we could be saved from our sins. Satan hates God, therefore he hates us. There are people whom Satan uses to try and thwart God's Plans or hurt God's People. These people are victims of Satan. He has deceived them although they have allowed themselves to be deceived. Satan's power consists principally in his ability to deceive. Satan is fundamentally a liar and his kingdom is a kingdom founded upon lies and deceit.

Matthew 12:22-24 (ERV) Then some people brought a man to Jesus. This man was blind and could not talk, because he had a demon inside him. Jesus healed the man, and he could talk and see. (23) All the people were amazed at what Jesus did. They said, "Maybe he is the promised Son of David!" (24) When the Pharisees heard this, they said, "This man uses the power of Satan to force demons out of people. Satan is the ruler of demons."

1 Peter 5:8-9a (ERV) Control yourselves and be careful! The devil is your enemy, and he goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to attack and eat. (9) Refuse to follow the devil. Stand strong in your faith.

2 Timothy 2:25-26 (ERV) You must gently teach those who don't agree with you. Maybe God will let them change their hearts so that they can accept the truth. (26) The devil has trapped them and now makes them do what he wants. But maybe they can wake up to see what is happening and free themselves from the devil's trap.

Those who are given over to evil and who persuade others to evil are children and servants of Satan.

In replying to the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, Jesus says,
John 8:42-45 (ERV) Jesus said to them, "If God were really your Father, you would love me. I came from God, and now I am here. I did not come by my own authority. God sent me. (43) You don't understand the things I say, because you cannot accept my teaching. (44) Your father is the devil. You belong to him. You want to do what he wants. He was a murderer from the beginning. He was always against the truth. There is no truth in him. He is like the lies he tells. Yes, the devil is a liar. He is the father of lies. (45) "I am telling you the truth, and that's why you don't believe me.

2 Corinthians 4:4 (ERV) The ruler of this world has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They cannot see the light of the Good News--the message about the divine greatness of Christ. Christ is the one who is exactly like God.

So what happened to Satan and his demons?
2 Peter 2:4-5 (MKJV) For if God did not spare sinning angels, but thrust them down into Tartarus, and delivered them into chains of darkness, being reserved to judgment. (5) And He did not spare the old world, but saved Noah the eighth one, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.

2 Peter 2:4-5 (ERV) When angels sinned, God did not let them go free without punishment. He sent them to hell. He put those angels in caves of darkness, where they are being held until the time when God will judge them. (5) And God punished the evil people who lived long ago. He brought a flood to the world that was full of people who were against God. But he saved Noah and seven other people with him. Noah was a man who told people about living right.

Jude 1:6 (MKJV) And those angels not having kept their first place, but having deserted their dwelling-place, He has kept in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of a great Day;

Hebrew 2:14-15 (MKJV) Since then the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise partook of the same; that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death (that is, the Devil), (15) and deliver those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Hebrews 2:14-15 (Bible in Basic English - BBE) And because the children are flesh and blood, he took a body himself and became like them; so that by his death he might put an end to him who had the power of death, that is to say, the Evil One; (15) And let those who all their lives were in chains because of their fear of death, go free.

Those of us who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are saved and the Devil has been defeated!!! We don't have to be afraid of him! As lost, we do not have the power to save ourselves or protect ourselves from Satan. This is why Jesus came and saved us. But we have to accept Him and trust that He saves us. We must have faith in something that we can't see - the belief that Jesus is the Son of God (not son of God as in the angels, but the real Son of God) and his work on the cross saved us. We no longer have to fear Hell in punishment of our sins. But we have to believe and accept and trust.

1 John 3:8 (LITV) The one practicing sin is of the devil, because the devil sins from the beginning. For this the Son of God was revealed, that He might undo the works of the devil.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - The outcome is certain though the process may be tedious and slow. The victory of Christ is the defeat of Satan; first, for Himself as Leader and Saviour of men (John 14:30); then, for believers (Luke 22:31; Acts 26:18; Romans 16:20; James 4:7; 1 John 2:13; 1 John 5:4, 1 John 5:18); and, finally, for the whole world (Revelation 20:10). The work of Christ has already destroyed the empire of Satan.

Revelation 20:1-15 (CEV) I saw an angel come down from heaven, carrying the key to the deep pit and a big chain. (2) He chained the dragon for a thousand years. It is that old snake, who is also known as the devil and Satan. (3) Then the angel threw the dragon into the pit. He locked and sealed it, so that a thousand years would go by before the dragon could fool the nations again. But after that, it would have to be set free for a little while. (4) I saw thrones, and sitting on those thrones were the ones who had been given the right to judge. I also saw the souls of the people who had their heads cut off because they had told about Jesus and preached God's message. They were the same ones who had not worshiped the beast or the idol, and they had refused to let its mark be put on their hands or foreheads. They will come to life and rule with Christ for a thousand years. (5) These people are the first to be raised to life, and they are especially blessed and holy. The second death has no power over them. They will be priests for God and Christ and will rule with them for a thousand years. No other dead people were raised to life until a thousand years later. (6) (SEE 20:5) (7)At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be set free. (8) He will fool the countries of Gog and Magog, which are at the far ends of the earth, and their people will follow him into battle. They will have as many followers as there are grains of sand along the beach, (9) and they will march all the way across the earth. They will surround the camp of God's people and the city that his people love. But fire will come down from heaven and destroy the whole army. (10) Then the devil who fooled them will be thrown into the lake of fire and burning sulfur. He will be there with the beast and the false prophet, and they will be in pain day and night forever and ever. (11) I saw a great white throne with someone sitting on it. Earth and heaven tried to run away, but there was no place for them to go. (12) I also saw all the dead people standing in front of that throne. Every one of them was there, no matter who they had once been. Several books were opened, and then the book of life was opened. The dead were judged by what those books said they had done. (13) The sea gave up the dead people who were in it, and death and its kingdom also gave up their dead. Then everyone was judged by what they had done. (14) Afterwards, death and its kingdom were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death.  (15) Anyone whose name wasn't written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.


Now that we have the basics of Lucifer, Satan, Beelzebub, Belial, the Accuser, the Tempter, lets see how he comes into the giants. Yes, it's time to talk about the Giants. We needed the background of Satan to see how giants once walked the earth.

Nephilim is translated "giants".

Genesis 6:1-5 (MKJV)(Parenthesis are mine) And it happened, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and when daughters were born to them, (2) the sons of God(fallen angels) saw the daughters of men, that they were good. And they took wives for themselves from all whom they chose. (3) And Jehovah said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, in his erring; he is flesh. Yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years. (4) There were giants in the earth in those days. And also after that, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore to them, they were mighty men who existed of old, men of renown. (5) And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

So the fallen angels, the demons, mated with human women to create halflings, hybrids, half demon and half human.

Jude 1:5-6 (LITV) But I intend to remind you, you once knowing these things, that the Lord having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, in the second place destroyed the ones not believing. (6) And those angels not having kept their first place, but having deserted their dwelling-place, He has kept in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of a great Day;

Jude 1:5-6 (CEV) Don't forget what happened to those people that the Lord rescued from Egypt. Some of them did not have faith, and he later destroyed them. (6) You also know about the angels who didn't do their work and left their proper places. God chained them with everlasting chains and is now keeping them in dark pits until the great day of judgment.

These halflings were the giants. The old myths and fables of mythology, godlike beings, may have kernels of truth. For instance, there may have been giants named Zeus, Mercury, Jupiter, etc. Or at least the idea of superhumans doing things on the earth. These halflings began to take over the world so that there were fewer and fewer real human beings. And they did evil all the time. The world must have been a pretty horrible place during this time! Noah was born to Lamech. The times in which Noah was born were degenerate, depraved, and this finds pathetic expression in Lamech's saying at the birth of Noah, “This same shall comfort us in our work and in the toil of our hands, which cometh because of the ground which Yahweh hath cursed.”

Genesis 5:26-32 (MKJV) And after he fathered Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years. And he fathered sons and daughters. (27) And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years. And he died. (28) And Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years and fathered a son. (29) And he called his name Noah, saying, This one shall comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which Jehovah has cursed. (30) And after he fathered Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years. And he fathered sons and daughters. (31) And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years. And he died. (32) And Noah was five hundred years old. And Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 6:6-10 (MKJV) And Jehovah repented that He had made man on the earth, and He was angry to His heart. (7) And Jehovah said, I will destroy man whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air. For I repent that I have made them. (8) But Noah found grace in the eyes of Jehovah. (9) These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. (10) ;And Noah fathered three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 6:8-9 LIT) And Noah found grace in the eyes of Jehovah. (9) These are the generations of Noah. Noah, a righteous man, had been perfected among his family. Noah walked with God.

Genesis 6:8-9 (RV) But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (9) These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generations: Noah walked with God.

Genesis 6:8-9 (Young's Literal Translation - YLT) And Noah found grace in the eyes of Jehovah. (9) These are births of Noah: Noah is a righteous man; perfect he hath been among his generations; with God hath Noah walked habitually.

Genesis 6:9-10 (English Standard Version - ESV) These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.  (10)  And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

The genealogy of Noah was perfect and blameless, i.e. he was not a halfling or giant! By the time of Noah, it seems that there were only a few people who were NOT halflings or giants... Noah, his wife, his 3 sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth and possibly their wives. So God didn't send a flood to destroy mankind but to save mankind! God had to rescue the pure human strain so that we could be saved through Jesus Christ.

When Adam and Even fell, God gave a prophecy that, although Satan would deal a blow, her SEED (Jesus) would crush Satan. A heel bruise is not a mortal wound, but a head blow is mortal.

Genesis 3:14-15 (ESV) The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. (15) I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

Genesis 3:15 (MKJV) And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He will bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.

Satan had this prophecy going through his head and he kept trying to thwart God's plan. By corrupting the seed of the woman, Satan could prevent the birth of the Messiah. When Adam and Eve had their two sons, Cain and Able, Satan worked on Cain who murdered his brother, Able. He was trying to kill the SEED. When he sent his demons to mate with the human race, he was trying to keep the SEED from being born. When Jesus was born, Pharaoh tried to kill all the male babies 2 yrs old and younger. It was Satan trying to kill the SEED. But it didn't work!!!

BeginningAndEnd.com - But the one seed spoken of from a woman is Jesus Christ (“Behold a virgin shall conceive a son and His Name shall be Emmanuel.”). The only way we could be saved was through a virgin birth with The Lord providing the baby to a virgin woman. Jesus being both 100% man and 100% God allowed him to take all sins of humanity and save us all.

God made the plan to save Noah, his wife and sons and their wives and wipe out all the halflings and giants. It was a way to people the earth again with human beings.

BeginningAndEnd.com - The flood served 3 chief purposes: 1) To destroy the Nephilim giants. 2) To punish the angels who committed the illicit relations with women and make an example of them so that no other angels would ever attempt this again and 3) to save humanity from certain destruction.

Unfortunately, after the Flood, there were still some Nephilim - giants - found in the world possibly due to genes in Noah's daughter-in-laws.

The Bible provides a specific geneaology and bloodline of the Nephilim giants after the flood.

Genesis 9:18-19 (CEV) Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, came out of the boat. Ham later had a son named Canaan. (19) All people on earth are descendants of Noah's three sons.

Ham - Ham was the son of Noah and the father of Canaan. Ham means hot; heat; brown.

Genesis 9:20-26 (CEV) Noah farmed the land and was the first to plant a vineyard. (21) One day he got drunk and was lying naked in his tent. (22) Ham entered the tent and saw him naked, then went back outside and told his brothers. (23) Shem and Japheth put a robe over their shoulders and walked backwards into the tent. Without looking at their father, they placed it over his body. (24) When Noah woke up and learned what his youngest son had done, (25) he said, "I now put a curse on Canaan! He will be the lowest slave of his brothers. (26) I ask the LORD my God to bless Shem and make Canaan his slave.

Descendants of Ham formed four main races; Cush (Ethiopia), Mizraim (Egypt), Phut (Nubia), and Canaan, comprising six chief tribes, the Hittites, Hivites, Amorites, Jebusites, Perizzites, and Girgashites. The four Hamitic races occupied a continuous tract comprising the Nile valley, Palestine, S. Arabia, Babylonia, and Kissia. Ham and his brothers were pure human and raised by their father, Noah, who was a preacher of righteousness. But he also grew up in a horrible, weird, pagan, sinful, violent world and could have been influenced in the wrong way which showed up after the flood when he saw his father in his tent.

BeginningAndEnd.com - We can never forget that when looking at any Biblical account. God could have certainly killed Ham’s wife or told Ham “she’s corrupted” but it is this author’s thinking that Ham did not care about what God had to say because Ham was not a follower of God. Ham had a choice. And he chose to reject God.

Canaan - Canaan means merchant; trader; or that humbles and subdues. He was the son of Ham. Only one of Ham's sons, Canaan, was cursed. Why? We are not told but it may have something to do with Canaan already showing signs of the Nephilim or of his father's sinfulness? Canaan had a son named Nimrod.

Genesis 10:6 (CEV) Ham's descendants had their own languages, tribes, and land. They were Ethiopia, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. Cush was the ancestor of Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. Raamah was the ancestor of Sheba and Dedan. Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, a mighty warrior whose strength came from the LORD. Nimrod is the reason for the saying, "You hunt like Nimrod with the strength of the LORD!" Nimrod first ruled in Babylon, Erech, and Accad, all of which were in Babylonia. From there Nimrod went to Assyria and built the great city of Nineveh. He also built Rehoboth-Ir and Calah, as well as Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah. Egypt was the ancestor of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim, and Caphtorim, the ancestor of the Philistines. Canaan's sons were Sidon and Heth. He was also the ancestor of the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Later the Canaanites spread from the territory of Sidon and went as far as Gaza in the direction of Gerar. They also went as far as Lasha in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim.

BeginningAndEnd.com - Ham’s son Mizaraim also contributed to the Nephilim lineage. In verse 14 we have the first mention of the Philistines (whose forefather was Phillistim), the nation of the giant Goliath. Calshuhim was the father of Phillistim and his family later resided in Capthor in the Promised Land. So we see the direct origins of the Philistines, one of the most heated enemies of the Israelites, who also carried the Nephilim gene.

Mizaraim also contributed to the Nephilim lineage. How do we know? Well, remember the story of David and Goliath? Goliath was a Philistine and he was a giant.

Genesis 10:13-19 (LITV) And Mizraim fathered Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, (14) and Pathrusim, and Casluhim, from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim. (15) And Canaan fathered his first-born Sidon, and Heth, (16) and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite, (17) and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, (18) and the Arvadite and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. And afterward the families of the Canaanites were dispersed. (19) And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as you come to Gerar, as far as Gaza, as you go in towards Sodom and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even to Lasha.


Nimrod - Nimrod means rebellion. He was rebellious against God.

BeginningAndEnd.com - Nimrod was the first murderer and conqueror in the post-flood world. He was the founder of the city of Babylon which became a center of pagan, satanic idolatry, much of it with various versions of Nimrod himself being worshiped as a god. Nimrod was the founder of Babylon and may have spearheaded the building of the Tower of Babel. This Tower of Babel was a huge tower raised to try to reach Heaven.

Genesis 11:4 (LITV) And they said, Come, let us build a city and a tower with its head in the heavens, and make a name for ourselves, that we not be scattered on the face of all the earth.

It was the people's attempt to reach the spiritual realm without God. Once again trying to BE God. To do it their way. The same pride that brought down Satan and his angels and what had brought down Adam and Eve. God saw their attempts and confused their language so that they could no longer cooperate to build the tower. It was abandoned.

Genesis 11:8-9 (LITV) And Jehovah scattered them from there, over the face of all the earth. And they stopped building the city. (9) On account of this its name is called Babel, because Jehovah confused the language of all the earth there. And Jehovah scattered them abroad from there on the face of all the earth.

More sons of Canaan became the Jebusites, the Amorites and Gegusites, and are mentioned a lot when the Israelites went to capture the Promised Land. These families were usurpers in the Promised Land and carried the Nephilim gene.

Amos 2:9 (MKJV) Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above and his roots from below.

When the Israelites got to the Promised Land, they were instructed by God:
Deuteronomy 7 (MKJV) When Jehovah your God shall bring you into the land where you go to possess it, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, (2) and Jehovah your God shall deliver them before you, you shall crush them, completely destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. (3) Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to his son, nor shall you take his daughter to your son. (4) For they will turn away your son from following Me, so that they may serve other gods. So the anger of Jehovah will be kindled against you and will destroy you suddenly. (5) But you shall deal with them in this way: you shall destroy their altars and break down their images, and cut down their groves and burn their graven images with fire. (6) For you are a holy people to Jehovah your God. Jehovah your God has chosen you to be a special people to Himself above all people that are upon the face of the earth. (7) Jehovah did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people, for you were the fewest of all people. (8) But because Jehovah loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He had sworn to your fathers, Jehovah has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house of slaves, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (9) Therefore, know that Jehovah your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations. (10) And He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slow to repay him who hates Him. He will repay him to his face. (11) And you shall keep the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which I command you today, to do them. (12) And it shall be, because you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, Jehovah your God shall keep to you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. (13) And He will love you and bless you and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb, and the fruit of your land, your grain, and your wine, and your oil, the increase of your cattle, and the flocks of your sheep, in the land which He swore to your fathers to give you. (14) You shall be blessed above all people. There shall not be male or female barren among you or among your cattle. (15) And Jehovah will take away from you all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt which you know upon you. But He will lay them upon all who hate you. (16) And you shall destroy all the people which Jehovah your God shall deliver you. Your eye shall have no pity upon them, neither shall you serve their gods, for they will be a snare to you. (17) If you shall say in your heart, These nations are more than I; how can I throw them out? (18) You shall not be afraid of them, but shall well remember what Jehovah your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. (19) Remember the great temptations which your eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched-out arm by which the Lord your God brought you out. So shall Jehovah your God do to all the people of whom you are afraid. (20) And Jehovah your God will send the hornet among them, until the ones who are left, and who hide themselves from you, are destroyed. (21) You shall not be afraid of them, for Jehovah your God is among you, a mighty and terrible God. (22) And Jehovah your God will put out those nations before you by little and little. You may not destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon you. (23) And Jehovah your God shall deliver them to you, and shall destroy them with a mighty ruin until they are destroyed. (24) And He shall deliver their kings into your hand, and you shall destroy their name from under the heavens. No man shall be able to stand before you until you have destroyed them. (25) You shall burn the graven images of their gods with fire. You shall not desire the silver or gold on them, nor take it for yourself, so that you may not be snared in it. For it is an abomination to Jehovah your God. (26) And you shall not bring an abomination into your house, lest you be a cursed thing like it. You shall utterly hate it, and you shall utterly despise it. For it is a cursed thing.

God instructs them to destroy them all. He says, "You shall not be afraid of them, for Jehovah your God is among you, a mighty and terrible God." It sounded so cruel to just go into this land and kill everyone and take over. It was genocide. But there was a reason! They had the Nephilim gene. They were the descendants of Ham and Canaan. God sought to destroy these superhuman hybrids, these halflings, these giants! He wanted to insure a pure human race from which Jesus, the Messiah, could be born.

Anakim
Anakim means long necked ones.

The first war in scripture involved giants:
Scofield Reference Notes - The occasion of this war was the revolt of the five kings from under the government of Chedorlaomer. Twelve years they served him...In the thirteenth year, beginning to be weary of their subjection, they rebelled, denied their tribute, and attempted to shake off the yoke and retrieve their ancient liberties. In the fourteenth year, after some pause and preparation, Chedorlaomer, in conjunction with his allies, set himself to chastise and reduce the rebels, and, since he could not have it otherwise, to fetch his tribute from them on the point of his sword. Note, Pride, covetousness, and ambition, are the lusts from which wars and fightings come. To these insatiable idols the blood of thousands has been sacrificed. The four kings laid the neighbouring countries waste and enriched themselves with the spoil of them.

Genesis 14:5-6 (MKJV) And in the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and struck the giants in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, (6) and the Horites in their Mount Seir, as far as the oak of Paran, which is by the wilderness.

The 4 kings then came against Sodom and Gomorrha. They captured Lot and his family. His uncle, Abraham, went after them to rescue Lot. And eventually Sodom and Gomorrha were destroyed by fire and brimstone. That's another story.

Anakim are the descendants of Anak who was the son of Arba. They dwelt in the south of Palestine, in the neighbourhood of Hebron, Kirjath Arba, i.e. city of Arba. In the days of Abraham they inhabited the region afterwards known as Edom and Moab, east of the Jordan. They were probably a remnant of the original inhabitants of Palestine before the Canaanites, a Cushite tribe from Babel, and of the same race as the Phoenicians and the Egyptian shepherd kings. There were various tribes of Anakim.

Joshua 15:14 (MKJV) And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the sons of Anak.

Rephaim
The Rephaim means the dead ones.

They were a people defeated by Chedorlaomer at Ashteroth Karnaim (Genesis 14:5), occupying the N.E. of the Jordan valley (Peraea) before the Canaanites came. Og, the giant king of Bashan, was the last of them. Sihon and Og had ruled Amorite kingdoms east of the Jordan River. Their land stretched from the Arnon River gorge in the south to Mount Hermon in the north.

Deuteronomy 3:8-12 (CEV)(Parenthesis mine) Sihon and Og had ruled Amorite kingdoms east of the Jordan River. Their land stretched from the Arnon River gorge in the south to Mount Hermon in the north, and we captured it all. (9) Mount Hermon is called Mount Sirion by the people of Sidon, and it is called Mount Senir by the Amorites. (10) We captured all the towns in the highlands, all of Gilead, and all of Bashan as far as Salecah and Edrei, two of the towns that Og had ruled. (11) King Og was the last of the Rephaim, and his coffin (or sarcophagus or bedstead) is in the town of Rabbah in Ammon. It is made of hard black rock and is thirteen and a half feet long and six feet wide. (12) I gave some of the land and towns we captured to the tribes of Reuben and Gad. Their share started at the Arnon River gorge in the south, took in the town of Aroer on the edge of the gorge, and went far enough north to include the southern half of the Gilead region. The northern part of their land went as far east as the upper Jabbok River gorge, which formed their border with the Ammonites. I also gave them the eastern side of the Jordan River valley, from Lake Galilee south to the Dead Sea below the slopes of Mount Pisgah. I gave the northern half of Gilead and all of the Bashan region to half the tribe of Manasseh. Bashan had belonged to King Og, and the Argob region in Bashan used to be called the Land of the Rephaim. Jair from the Manasseh tribe conquered the Argob region as far west as the kingdoms of Geshur and Maacah. The Israelites even started calling Bashan by the name "Villages of Jair," and that is still its name. I gave the northern half of Gilead to the Machir clan.

Og would have been approximately 13' 5" tall.


They once extended to the S.W., for the valley of "Rephaim" was near the valley of Hinnom and Bethlehem, S. of Jerusalem, "the valley of the giants" (Joshua 15:8; Joshua 18:16; 2 Samuel 5:18-22; 2 Samuel 23:13). Rephaim was used for "the dead," or their "ghosts" (Job 26:5, translated "the souls of the dead tremble; (the places) under the waters, and their inhabitants (tremble)"; Psalm 88:11; Proverbs 2:18; Proverbs 21:16; Isaiah 14:9; Isaiah 26:14-19) perhaps because scheol (Sheol) or hades (Hades) was thought the abode of the buried giants.

Emim "terrors".
Deuteronomy 2:10-11 (CEV) Before the LORD gave the Moabites their land, a large and powerful tribe lived there. They were the Emim, and they were as tall as the Anakim. (11) The Moabites called them Emim, though others sometimes used the name Rephaim for both the Anakim and the Emim.

The Zuzim of Ham were a northern tribe of Rephaim between the Arnon and Jabbok, smitten by Chedorlaomer. The Ammonites who supplanted them called them Zamzummim. Zuz "to wander."

************************************************************************
When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and they finally got to the Promised Land, he sent spies to see what the land was like and what they were up against. Out of the 12 spies, 10 came back scared to death. But, two, Caleb and Joshua, gave a good report saying it was a wonderful land and they could take it with God's help. Unfortunately, the people listened to the 10 spies who were afraid and they didn't trust in God.

Numbers 13:1-2 (YLT) And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, (2) `Send for thee men, and they spy the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel; one man, one man for the tribe of his fathers ye do send, every one a prince among them.'

Numbers 13:31-33 (MKJV) But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we. (32) And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched to the sons of Israel, saying, The land through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eats up those who live in it. And all the people whom we saw in it were men of stature. (33) And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, of the giants. And we were in our own sight like grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Numbers 13:31-33 (CEV) But the other men replied, "Those people are much too strong for us." (32) Then they started spreading rumors and saying, "We won't be able to grow anything in that soil.And the people are like giants.(33) In fact, we saw the Nephilim who are the ancestors of the Anakim. They were so big that we felt as small as grasshoppers."

They were destroyed by Joshua, except a remnant who escaped to the Philistine cities, Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod (Joshua 11:21-22). Caleb, who brought tidings as a spy concerning them, was eventually their destroyer (Joshua 15:14).
Joshua 11:21-23 (CEV) During this same time, Joshua and his army killed the Anakim from the northern and southern hill country. They also destroyed the towns where the Anakim had lived, including Hebron, Debir, and Anab. (22) There were not any Anakim left in the regions where the Israelites lived, although there were still some in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. (23) That's how Joshua captured the land, just as the LORD had commanded Moses, and Joshua divided it up among the tribes. Finally, there was peace in the land.

When Joshua, was sent to conquer the Promised Land, God commands him to kill all of the men, women and children of these giant races. They were to be wiped out because any remnant of their kind would pose a great danger. So when you read that God told the Israelites to commit genocide by killing every man, woman and child of a race, He was saving mankind rather than destroying mankind. God always has a reason whether it was to preserve a pure human race for the SEED (Jesus) or to preserve their spiritual purity by destroying those peoples who worshiped idols. God knows each and every human being and knows those whose hearts would turn to the Lord and those whose hearts never will.

*******************************************************************************

In King David's youth, we find a giant race among the Philistines, and in Gath. You may remember the story of David and Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:1-7 (MKJV) And the Philistines gathered their armies for battle, and gathered at Socoh of Judah, and pitched between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. (2) And Saul and the men of Israel had gathered and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in order against the Philistines. (3)And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side. And there was a valley between them. (4) And a champion named Goliath came out of the Philistines camp; he was from Gath. His height was six cubits and a span. (5) And a bronze helmet was on his head, and he was armed with scaled armor. And the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.(one hundred twenty-five pounds.) (6) And greaves of bronze were on his legs, and a bronze javelin was between his shoulders. (7) And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam. And his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron.(more than 15 lbs) And the shield bearer went in front of him.

1 Samuel 17:23-26 (MKJV) And he was speaking with them. And, behold, the champion man, named Goliath, the Philistine of Gath, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke according to these words. And David heard. (24) And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, they ran from him and were very much afraid. (25)And the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man that has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And it shall be, the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel. (26)And David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man who kills this Philistine and takes away this shame from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?

1 Samuel 17:40-51 (MKJV) And he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones out of the brook for himself, and put them in a shepherd's vessel which he had, even in a bag. And his sling was in his hand. And he drew near the Philistine. (41) And the Philistine came on and drew near David. And the man who bore the shield was before him. (42) And the Philistine looked and saw David, and disdained him. For he was only a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance. (43) And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.(44) And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field. (45) And David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of Jehovah of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. (46) Jehovah will deliver you into my hand today, and I will strike you and take your head from you and give the bodies of the army of the Philistines to the birds of the air today, and to the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. (47) And all this multitude shall know that Jehovah does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is Jehovah's, and He will give you into our hands.(48) And it happened when the Philistine rose and went and drew near to meet David, David hurried and ran toward the ranks to meet the Philistine.(49) And David put his hand into his bag and took a stone from there, and slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead. And he fell on his face to the earth. 50) And David was stronger than the Philistine with a sling and with a stone. And he struck the Philistine, and killed him. But no sword was in the hand of David. (51) And David ran and stood on the Philistine, and took out his sword and drew it out of its sheath, and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, and fled.

Goliath was 9' 6" tall according to the Bible.

Just as I believed in Jesus as the Son of God and salvation through what He did on the cross... Just as I believe in the inerrant Word of God... I believe that there were giants roaming the earth who were hybrids, being born of demonic fallen angels and human women. I believe it because the Bible says it, as I've proven. Have we ever found skeletons or archaeological evidence of such giants? I don't know. If there never is a giant skeleton found, I still believe what the Bible teaches. But some believe that there have been remains found but they are hidden away by museums much like the "alien" bodies of Area 51 are being kept hidden from the public. Whether these kinds of conspiracies are true or false, I know what I believe. There has been one skeleton found that seems to be real - the Giant of Castelnau - whose bones were discovered by the anthropologist Georges Vacher de Lapouge at the Bronze Age cemetery of Castelnau-le-Lez, France in the winter of 1890. He was 11' 6". The tallest known modern man was Robert Wadlow who was 8' 11". He was born in 1918 and died in 1940 at 22 years old. There have been many hoaxes whether it was doctored photographs or fake bodies. It seems when someone is abnormally tall, they tend to die at a younger age. Then there is gigantism but that is very rare. It's where your body doesn't stop growing. These things show that it can happen. I believe it did.