Gilbert House Fellowship

GOD IS our protector through the trials of life. That comes through in the psalms we read this week, all part of the group titled Songs of Ascents.

These come from the period of David’s life between the death of Saul and his acceptance as king over all Israel. They are a reminder that while we will endure trials in this life, God offers us His steadfast love, forgiveness, and redemption.

Get our free app! It connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs, SciFriday, Unraveling Revelation, and A View from the Bunker. The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/.

Please subscribe and share our YouTube channel, www.YouTube.com/GilbertHouse!

Check out our new online store! www.GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study.

Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site (https://gilberthouse.uscreen.io/)!

JOIN US IN ISRAEL! The Gilberts will be in the Holy Land March 19-30, 2023. This is a tour like no other! See Joshua’s altar, Gilgal Refaim, the Temple Mount, and more. For information and to reserve your place, log on to www.gilberthouse.org/travel.

NOTE: NEW DATES FOR OUR TOUR OF TURKEY! We’re planning a tour of the churches of Revelation, Göbekli Tepe, Abraham’s home town Harran, the “Gates of Hell,” Mount Nemrut, and more. Due to the political situation in Eastern Europe, we’ve moved the tour to October, 2023. Dates will be finalized by January. More information is available at www.SkyWatchinTurkey.com.

Follow our weekly studies of Bible prophecy at www.UnravelingRevelation.tv, or at www.youtube.com/unravelingrevelation!

SciFriday is back! Every episode is at www.SciFriday.tv and www.youtube.com/scifridaytv!

Click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/new-testament-study-archive/) for the complete archive of our New Testament Bible studies to date, and click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/old-testament-study-archive/) for the Old Testament studies to date. Or go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship for all of the audio.

THE PSALMS OF DAVID give us a window into his heart and mind during the ups and downs of his life. This week, we discuss a psalm written shortly after the death of Saul in battle against the Philistines.

We also look at a pair of psalms described as “songs of ascent,” two of fifteen so titled. Not surprisingly, we discover more supernatural depth and prophetic significance than we noticed our first time through the Old Testament.

Get our free app! It connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs, SciFriday, Unraveling Revelation, and A View from the Bunker. The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/.

Please subscribe and share our YouTube channel, www.YouTube.com/GilbertHouse!

Check out our new online store! www.GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study.

Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site (https://gilberthouse.uscreen.io/)!

JOIN US IN ISRAEL! The Gilberts will be in the Holy Land March 19-30, 2023. This is a tour like no other! See Joshua’s altar, Gilgal Refaim, and more. For information and to reserve your place, log on to www.gilberthouse.org/travel.

NOTE: NEW DATES FOR OUR TOUR OF TURKEY! We’re planning a tour of the churches of Revelation, Göbekli Tepe, Abraham’s home town Harran, the “Gates of Hell,” Mount Nemrut, and more. Due to the political situation in Eastern Europe, we’ve moved the tour to October, 2023. Dates will be finalized by January. More information is available at www.SkyWatchinTurkey.com.

Follow our weekly studies of Bible prophecy at www.UnravelingRevelation.tv, or at www.youtube.com/unravelingrevelation!

SciFriday is back! Every episode is at www.SciFriday.tv and www.youtube.com/scifridaytv!

Click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/new-testament-study-archive/) for the complete archive of our New Testament Bible studies to date, and click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/old-testament-study-archive/) for the Old Testament studies to date. Or go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship for all of the audio.

SAUL’S VISIT to the medium of En-dor is one of the more controversial chapters in the Bible. Does it prove that ghosts are real?

We discuss the recent research that shows why the Hebrew word ôb, usually translated into English as “medium,” more accurately means “owner of a ritual pit.” This is a concept that can be traced back through the archaeological record to the ancient Hurrians (the biblical Horites), who originated on the Ararat Plain—the valley below the mountains where Noah’s ark came to rest.

Here’s the excerpt from Derek’s book The Second Coming of Saturn (https://www.gilberthouse.org/store/The-Second-Coming-of-Saturn-p451641387) that deals with 1 Samuel 28, the ôb, mediums, and necromancers: “Ritual Pits and Rephaim (https://www.derekpgilbert.com/2021/12/22/the-second-coming-of-saturn-part-10-rephaim-and-ritual-pits/).”

Here’s a link to the article about the significance of the sacrifice of seventy bulls during the Feast of Tabernacles, “The Seventy Bulls Sacrificed at Sukkot (Num 29:12-34) in Light of a Ritual Text from Emar (https://www.academia.edu/44462697/The_Seventy_Bulls_Sacrificed_at_Sukkot_Num_29_12_34_in_Light_of_a_Ritual_Text_from_Emar_Emar_6_373_VT_65_2015_1_11).”

Get our new app! It’s free and connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs, SciFriday , Unraveling Revelation , and A View from the Bunker . The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/.

Please subscribe and share our YouTube channel, www.YouTube.com/GilbertHouse!

Check out our new online store! www.GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study.

Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site (https://gilberthouse.uscreen.io/)!

JOIN US IN ISRAEL! The Gilberts will be in the Holy Land March 19-30, 2023. This is a tour like no other! See Joshua’s altar, Gilgal Refaim, and more. For information and to reserve your place, log on to www.gilberthouse.org/travel.

NOTE: NEW DATES FOR OUR TOUR OF TURKEY! We’re planning a tour of the churches of Revelation, Göbekli Tepe, Abraham’s home town Harran, the “Gates of Hell,” Mount Nemrut, and more. Due to the political situation in Eastern Europe, we’ve moved the tour to October, 2023. Dates will be finalized by January. More information is available at www.SkyWatchinTurkey.com.

Follow our weekly studies of Bible prophecy at www.UnravelingRevelation.tv, or at www.youtube.com/unravelingrevelation!

SciFriday is back! Every episode is at www.SciFriday.tv and www.youtube.com/scifridaytv!

Click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/new-testament-study-archive/) for the complete archive of our New Testament Bible studies to date, and click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/old-testament-study-archive/) for the Old Testament studies to date. Or go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship for all of the audio.

DAVID’S PSALMS are a window into his heart and mind, and those written while he was on the run from Saul are instructive, teaching us that even in our darkest hours, God has not forsaken us.

We discuss these psalms, composed while hiding in the dry, dusty wilderness of Judah—possibly the site of the later fortress of Masada, or even further southeast, in the desert of Edom near modern-day Petra. Even then, driven from his home and family by an unjust king, David trusted in God for his ultimate salvation.

We note the verse where David asks God:

Say to my soul, “I am your yeshua!” (Psalm 35:3)

And we speculate that Psalm 17 may have a hidden reference to the practice of child sacrifice and the spirits that demand it.

Here’s the link to the online text of The Star of Bethlehem: The Star That Astonished the World (https://www.askelm.com/star/index.asp) by Dr. E. L. Martin, who used historical and astronomical data to pin down the date of Jesus’ birth to September 11, 3 B.C. The relevant information is summarized in chapter 5 (https://www.askelm.com/star/star006.htm).

The Wikipedia entry on the mausoleum of Pozo Moro (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleum_of_Pozo_Moro) has pictures of the Phoenician inscription we described that depicts reptilian entities eating what looks like human infants.

Get our new app! It’s free and connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs, SciFriday , Unraveling Revelation , and A View from the Bunker . The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/.

Please subscribe and share our YouTube channel, www.YouTube.com/GilbertHouse!

Check out our new online store! www.GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study.

Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site (https://gilberthouse.uscreen.io/)!

JOIN US IN ISRAEL! The Gilberts will be in the Holy Land March 19-30, 2023. This is a tour like no other! See Joshua’s altar, Gilgal Refaim, and more. For information and to reserve your place, log on to www.SkyWatchInIsrael.com.

NOTE: NEW DATES FOR OUR TOUR OF TURKEY! We’re planning a tour of the churches of Revelation, Göbekli Tepe, Abraham’s home town Harran, the “Gates of Hell,” Mount Nemrut, and more. Due to the political situation in Eastern Europe, we’ve moved the tour to October, 2023. Dates will be finalized by January. More information is available at www.SkyWatchinTurkey.com.

Follow our weekly studies of Bible prophecy at www.UnravelingRevelation.tv, or at www.youtube.com/unravelingrevelation!

SciFriday is back! Every episode is at www.SciFriday.tv and www.youtube.com/scifridaytv!

Click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/new-testament-study-archive/) for the complete archive of our New Testament Bible studies to date, and click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/old-testament-study-archive/) for the Old Testament studies to date. Or go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship for all of the audio.

ABIGAIL IS a wonderful example of wisdom and diplomacy, who acted contrary to her husband’s wishes—but in his best interests.

Nabal—certainly not his name, since it means “fool”—insulted the messengers sent by David to ask for some supplies after protecting Nabal’s flocks and shepherds in the wilderness. Abigail wisely put together a caravan of gifts for David and his men, which stopped David from slaughtering everyone in Nabal’s household.

When Abigail told her husband what had happened, Nabal suffered a heart attack (or a stroke) and died ten days later. David sent to Abigail and made her his third wife (after Saul’s daughter Michal and Ahinoam of Jezreel).

Meanwhile, Saul continued to hunt for David, who spares the king’s life a second time. Not being stupid, David decided to take his followers and his new wives to the Philistines. This time, Achish, the king of Gath, took David in. This put David in an awkward position: On the one hand, Saul wouldn’t chase him into Philistine territory. On the other, David had to show loyalty to Achish without raiding and killing his fellow Israelites.

Get our new app! It’s free and connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs, SciFriday , Unraveling Revelation , and A View from the Bunker . The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/.

Please subscribe and share our YouTube channel, www.YouTube.com/GilbertHouse!

Check out our new online store! www.GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study.

Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site (https://gilberthouse.uscreen.io/)!

JOIN US IN ISRAEL! The Gilberts will be in the Holy Land March 19-30, 2023. This is a tour like no other! See Joshua’s altar, Gilgal Refaim, and more. For information and to reserve your place, log on to www.SkyWatchInIsrael.com.

NOTE: NEW DATES FOR OUR TOUR OF TURKEY! We’re planning a tour of the churches of Revelation, Göbekli Tepe, Abraham’s home town Harran, the “Gates of Hell,” Mount Nemrut, and more. Due to the political situation in Eastern Europe, we’ve moved the tour to October, 2023. Dates will be finalized by January. More information is available at www.SkyWatchinTurkey.com.

Follow our weekly studies of Bible prophecy at www.UnravelingRevelation.tv, or at www.youtube.com/unravelingrevelation!

SciFriday is back! Every episode is at www.SciFriday.tv and www.youtube.com/scifridaytv!

Click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/new-testament-study-archive/) for the complete archive of our New Testament Bible studies to date, and click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/old-testament-study-archive/) for the Old Testament studies to date. Or go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship for all of the audio.

WE GET insight into the mind of David this week as we read a collection of psalms probably written while he was hiding from Saul.

We discuss similarities in the words of David and Job. Although their circumstances were different—David being persecuted by a man while Job was being tested by “the satan”—their hope in God in the midst of their trials is very much alike.

Get our new app! It’s free and connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs, SciFriday , Unraveling Revelation , and A View from the Bunker . The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/.

Please subscribe and share our YouTube channel, www.YouTube.com/GilbertHouse!

Check out our new online store! www.GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study.

Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site (https://gilberthouse.uscreen.io/)!

JOIN US IN ISRAEL! The Gilberts will be in the Holy Land March 19-30, 2023. This is a tour like no other! See Joshua’s altar, Gilgal Refaim, and more. For information and to reserve your place, log on to www.SkyWatchInIsrael.com.

NOTE: NEW DATES FOR OUR TOUR OF TURKEY! We’re planning a tour of the churches of Revelation, Göbekli Tepe, Abraham’s home town Harran, the “Gates of Hell,” Mount Nemrut, and more. Due to the political situation in Eastern Europe, we’ve moved the tour to October, 2023. Dates will be finalized by January. More information is available at www.SkyWatchinTurkey.com.

Follow our weekly studies of Bible prophecy at www.UnravelingRevelation.tv, or at www.youtube.com/unravelingrevelation!

SciFriday is back! Every episode is at www.SciFriday.tv and www.youtube.com/scifridaytv!

Click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/new-testament-study-archive/) for the complete archive of our New Testament Bible studies to date, and click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/old-testament-study-archive/) for the Old Testament studies to date. Or go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship for all of the audio.

DAVID’S FLIGHT from Saul led both men to take desperate action: David sought refuge among Israel’s mortal enemies, first the Philistines and then the Moabites, while Saul ordered the slaughter of the priests of the tabernacle because they unknowingly helped David escape.

The difference between the two men is highlighted by the incident in a cave at Ein Gedi, a site on the west side of the Dead Sea. David had the opportunity to kill Saul while the king relieved himself, unaware that David and his men were hiding at the back of the cave. Instead of taking the king by surprise, David cut off a corner of the king’s robe as proof that Saul had been in David’s power, but he had forbidden his men from lifting a hand against the Lord’s anointed.

As we’ll see in the weeks ahead, Saul’s gratitude to David for sparing his life didn’t last very long.

Get our new app! It’s free and connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs, SciFriday , Unraveling Revelation , and A View from the Bunker . The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/.

Please subscribe and share our YouTube channel, www.YouTube.com/GilbertHouse!

Check out our new online store! www.GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study.

Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site (https://gilberthouse.uscreen.io/)!

JOIN US IN ISRAEL! The Gilberts will be in the Holy Land March 19-30, 2023. This is a tour like no other! See Joshua’s altar, Gilgal Refaim, and more. For information and to reserve your place, log on to www.SkyWatchInIsrael.com.

NOTE: NEW DATES FOR OUR TOUR OF TURKEY! We’re planning a tour of the churches of Revelation, Göbekli Tepe, Abraham’s home town Harran, the “Gates of Hell,” Mount Nemrut, and more. Due to the political situation in Eastern Europe, we’ve moved the tour to October, 2023. Dates will be finalized by January. More information is available at www.SkyWatchinTurkey.com.

Follow our weekly studies of Bible prophecy at www.UnravelingRevelation.tv, or at www.youtube.com/unravelingrevelation!

SciFriday is back! Every episode is at www.SciFriday.tv and www.youtube.com/scifridaytv!

Click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/new-testament-study-archive/) for the complete archive of our New Testament Bible studies to date, and click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/old-testament-study-archive/) for the Old Testament studies to date. Or go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship for all of the audio.

SAUL’S INSECURITIES were his downfall, the hole in his spiritual armor that led him to try to murder David rather than accept God’s will.

We discuss the plot to assassinate David and his first wife Michal’s scheme to buy time for David to escape, and how the account of 1 Samuel 19 shows the influence of the pagan Amorite culture, with its veneration of the ancestral dead, on ancient Israel.

Our schedule this week also takes us into the Psalms, as our chronological reading order begins interspersing the psalms of David into the account of his life. This approach will help us gain a deeper insight into the heart and mind of the man God called the apple of His eye.

Get our new app! It’s free and connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs, SciFriday , Unraveling Revelation , and A View from the Bunker . The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/.

Please subscribe and share our YouTube channel, www.YouTube.com/GilbertHouse!

Check out our new online store! www.GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study.

JOIN US IN ISRAEL! The Gilberts will be in the Holy Land March 19-30, 2023. This is a tour like no other! See Joshua’s altar, Gilgal Refaim, and more. For information and to reserve your place, log on to www.SkyWatchInIsrael.com.

NOTE: NEW DATES FOR OUR TOUR OF TURKEY! We’re planning a tour of the churches of Revelation, Göbekli Tepe, Abraham’s home town Harran, the “Gates of Hell,” Mount Nemrut, and more. Due to the political situation in Eastern Europe, we’ve moved the tour to October, 2023. Dates will be finalized by January. More information is available at www.SkyWatchinTurkey.com.

Follow our weekly studies of Bible prophecy at www.UnravelingRevelation.tv, or at www.youtube.com/unravelingrevelation!

SciFriday is back! Every episode is at www.SciFriday.tv and www.youtube.com/scifridaytv!

Click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/new-testament-study-archive/) for the complete archive of our New Testament Bible studies to date, and click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/old-testament-study-archive/) for the Old Testament studies to date. Or go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship for all of the audio.

The story of David and Goliath is one of the best-known in the Bible. The contrast between the faith of David (in God), Saul (in his armor), and Goliath (in himself) is just one of the lessons to draw from the account.

One of the interesting aspects of David’s battle with Goliath is the way the Masoretic Hebrew text, on which our English Old Testament translations are based, includes a big chunk of 1 Samuel 17 that is not in the older Hebrew texts translated into the Greek Septuagint 200-300 years before the birth of Jesus. 1 Samuel 17:12–31 and 55–58 are not in the Septuagint. It doesn’t change the meaning of the text, but the verses were apparently added by the Masoretes to enhance the stature of David as the founder of the bloodline that would produce the promised Messiah.

We also discuss Saul’s fall from favor as he disobeys God’s command to devote the Amalekites to destruction and then blames his failure on his fear of the people.

Get our new app! It’s free and connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs, SciFriday , Unraveling Revelation , and A View from the Bunker . The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/.

Please subscribe and share our YouTube channel, www.YouTube.com/GilbertHouse!

Check out our new online store! www.GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study.

JOIN US IN ISRAEL! The Gilberts will be in the Holy Land March 19-30, 2023. This is a tour like no other! See Joshua’s altar, Gilgal Refaim, and more. For information and to reserve your place, log on to www.SkyWatchInIsrael.com.

NOTE: NEW DATES FOR OUR TOUR OF TURKEY! We’re planning a tour of the churches of Revelation, Göbekli Tepe, Abraham’s home town Harran, the “Gates of Hell,” Mount Nemrut, and more. Due to the political situation in Eastern Europe, we’ve moved the tour to October, 2023. Dates will be finalized by January. More information is available at www.SkyWatchinTurkey.com.

Follow our weekly studies of Bible prophecy at www.UnravelingRevelation.tv, or at www.youtube.com/unravelingrevelation!

SciFriday is back! Every episode is at www.SciFriday.tv and www.youtube.com/scifridaytv!

Click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/new-testament-study-archive/) for the complete archive of our New Testament Bible studies to date, and click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/old-testament-study-archive/) for the Old Testament studies to date. Or go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship for all of the audio.

SAUL WAS a flawed man—indecisive, rash, and lacking in faith.

Although Saul led Israel to victory over its enemies, mainly the Philistines and the trans-Jordanian kingdoms of Edom, Moab, and Ammon, his insecurity and poor judgment led to God’s decree that the kingship would be stripped from his family and given to another.

We discuss Saul’s foolish decision to offer sacrifices rather than waiting for the prophet Samuel, placing himself above God’s priest and showing that he was unfit to lead God’s people.

Then we discuss a key battle in which Saul’s son Jonathan led a covert raid that God used to instill panic in the Philistines. Saul foolishly laid an oath on his soldiers: “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.”

Fighting is hard work, and because of his vow the Israelite forces were too weak to press their victory over the Philistines. This is another example that the characteristics we humans too often use to choose our leaders—he was tall and handsome!—are not the ones God values.

Get our new app! It’s free and connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs, SciFriday , Unraveling Revelation , and A View from the Bunker . The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/.

Please subscribe and share our YouTube channel, www.YouTube.com/GilbertHouse!

Check out our new online store! www.GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study.

JOIN US IN ISRAEL! The Gilberts will be in the Holy Land March 19-30, 2023. This is a tour like no other! See Joshua’s altar, Gilgal Refaim, and more. For information and to reserve your place, log on to www.SkyWatchInIsrael.com.

NOTE: NEW DATES FOR OUR TOUR OF TURKEY! We’re planning a tour of the churches of Revelation, Göbekli Tepe, Abraham’s home town Harran, the “Gates of Hell,” Mount Nemrut, and more. Due to the political situation in Eastern Europe, we’ve moved the tour to October, 2023. Dates will be finalized by January. More information is available at www.SkyWatchinTurkey.com.

Follow our weekly studies of Bible prophecy at www.UnravelingRevelation.tv, or at www.youtube.com/unravelingrevelation!

SciFriday is back! Every episode is at www.SciFriday.tv and www.youtube.com/scifridaytv!

Derek’s new book! The Second Coming of Saturn is available in paperback and Kindle. You can buy it at the SkyWatchTV store (https://www.skywatchtvstore.com/products/the-second-coming-of-saturn-the-great-conjunction-america-s-temple-and-the-return-of-the-watchers), Amazon (https://amzn.to/3rHgGRl), or any major bookstore.

Click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/new-testament-study-archive/) for the complete archive of our New Testament Bible studies to date, and click here (www.gilberthouse.org/bible-study-archive/old-testament-study-archive/) for the Old Testament studies to date. Or go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship for all of the audio.