Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 896 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Creating a Biblical worldview is important to have a proper perspective on today’s current events. To establish a Biblical worldview, it is required that you also have a proper understanding of God’s Word.

Especially in our western cultures, we do not fully understand the Scriptures from the mindset and culture of the authors. In order to help us all have a better understanding of some of the more obscure passages in God’s word, we are investing Wisdom Wednesday reviewing a series of essays from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew Scholars Dr. Micheal S. Heiser. He has compiled these essays into a book titled I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. God is omniscient, which means He knows everything before it takes place. There are several passages in the Bible, though, that describe God consulting with His heavenly court, referred to as His armies in today’s passage, and allowing their input in the means to a predetermined outcome. Today’s essay explores one such incident as we will focus on…

To set the picture for today’s essay, I will read from 1 Kings 22:1-28.

For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. Then during the third year, King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to visit King Ahab of Israel. During the visit, the king of Israel said to his officials, “Do you realize that the town of Ramoth-Gilead belongs to us? And yet we’ve done nothing to recapture it from the king of Aram!”

 Then he turned to Jehoshaphat and asked, “Will you join me in battle to recover Ramoth-Gilead?”

Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “Why, of course! You and I are as one. My troops are your troops, and my horses are your horses.” Then Jehoshaphat added, “But first let’s find out what the Lord says.”

So the king of Israel summoned the prophets, about 400 of them, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-Gilead, or should I hold back?”

They all replied, “Yes, go right ahead! The Lord will give the king victory.”

But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not also a prophet of the Lord here? We should ask him the same question.”

The king of Israel replied to Jehoshaphat, “There is one more man who could consult the Lord for us, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything but trouble for me! His name is Micaiah, son of Imlah.”

Jehoshaphat replied, “That’s not the way a king should talk! Let’s hear what he has to say.”

 So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Quick! Bring Micaiah, son of Imlah.”

King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, dressed in their royal robes, were sitting on thrones at the threshing floor near the gate of Samaria. All of Ahab’s prophets were prophesying there in front of them. One of them, Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, made some iron horns and proclaimed, “This is what the Lord says: With these horns you will gore the Arameans to death!”

All the other prophets agreed. “Yes,” they said, “go up to Ramoth-Gilead and be victorious, for the Lord will give the king victory!”

Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him, “Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success.”

But Micaiah replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what the Lord tells me to say.”

When Micaiah arrived before the king, Ahab asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-Gilead, or should we hold back?”

Micaiah replied sarcastically, “Yes, go up and be victorious, for the Lord will give the king victory!”

 But the king replied sharply, “How many times must I demand that you speak only the truth to me when you speak for the Lord?”

Then Micaiah told him, “In a vision, I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘Their master has been killed. Send them home in peace.’”

“Didn’t I tell you?” the king of Israel exclaimed to Jehoshaphat. “He never prophesies anything but trouble for me.”

Then Micaiah continued, “Listen to what the Lord says! I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the armies of heaven around him, on his right and on his left. And the Lord said, ‘Who can entice Ahab to go into battle against Ramoth-Gilead so he can be killed?’

“There were many suggestions, and finally a spirit approached the Lord and said, ‘I can do it!’

“‘How will you do this?’ the Lord asked.

“And the spirit replied, ‘I will go out and inspire all of Ahab’s prophets to speak lies.’

“‘You will succeed,’ said the Lord. ‘Go ahead and do it.’

“So you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all your prophets. For the Lord has pronounced your doom.”

Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah walked up to Micaiah and slapped him across the face. “Since when did the Spirit of the Lord leave me to speak to you?” he demanded.

And Micaiah replied, “You will find out soon enough when you are trying to hide in some secret room!”

“Arrest him!” the king of Israel ordered. “Take him back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to my son Joash. Give them this order from the king: ‘Put this man in prison, and feed him nothing but bread and water until I return safely from the battle!’”

But Micaiah replied, “If you return safely, it will mean that the Lord has not spoken through me!” Then he added to those standing around, “Everyone mark my words!”

Few characters in the Bible are as maligned for their wickedness as King Ahab of Israel. While Ahab’s predecessors “did evil in the sight of the Lord,” Ahab had an agenda. In 1 Kings 16:33 we are told, “He did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him.”

Ahab’s rule includes Baal worship, forbidden foreign covenants (Syria) and foreign alliances (married Jezebel), and the murder of Naboth. As we read in the l Kings 22, the prophet Micaiah warns Ahab of his impending fate. This isn’t run-of-the-mill prophecy. It’s mixed with a vision of how God came to the final details of His decision: a divine boardroom discussion.

The 12 tribes of Israel had been split into two kingdoms for a century by the time Ahab took the throne (869 BC). Ahab ruled the northern kingdom (called Israel or Ephraim), which often fought with the southern kingdom, Judah. After peace reigned between Israel and Judah for three years, Ahab decided he wanted to capture the city of Ramoth in Gilead from the Arameans. He asked Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, for military assistance.

Jehoshaphat agreed to the battle for political reasons, but he wanted assurance that God was in the endeavor by summoning a known prophet of God.  The 400 prophetic yes-men Ahab consulted endorsed the idea, but Jehoshaphat wanted another opinion. Ahab agreed to summon Micaiah, the prophet of Yahweh, though he openly admitted to hating him. The real prophet of Yahweh never had anything positive to say about the ungodly Ahab and his rule.

At first, Micaiah sarcastically told Ahab that God loved the plan, but Ahab saw through his mockery. Apparently, this was not the first time as is recorded in verse 16, “How many times must I demand that you speak only the truth to me when you speak for the Lord?” Micaiah

proceeded to tell Ahab he was about to meet his Maker, so chances are good he wanted Ahab to go through with the battle, knowing the end result.

Rebuked by Ahab, Micaiah holds nothing back, revealing to Ahab and to us the inner workings of God’s high counsel as we read above.

The vision-prophecy shows God had decreed it was time for Ahab to die, but He allows the members of the divine assembly to weigh in on Ahab’s death. Nothing in the passage compels us to conclude that the omniscient God needed input, but he requested it. Ahab’s death was fixed and determined, but the Lord allowed the divine beings in His presence to decide on his mode of departure. This is consistent with other passages, such as Daniel [4:17]-26, where a decision from heaven is described as both the decree of the Most High and a decree of the His high counsel referred to in Daniel as the “watchers or the holy ones who work for God.”

Despite Micaiah’s warning, Ahab and Jehoshaphat go into battle. Ahab opts to disguise himself as an ordinary soldier, but his ruse fails. 1 Kings 22:34 tells us how Ahab dies, “An Aramean soldier, however, randomly shot an arrow at the Israelite troops and hit the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. ‘Turn the horses and get me out of here!’ Ahab groaned to the driver of his chariot. ‘I’m badly wounded!'”

He dies shortly after that, and in the larger scheme we know it’s not random at all, but part of the decision made by God with the input of His divine counsel.

Next Wisdom Wednesday we will continue with the Old Testament as we look at Dr. Heiser’s next essay titled “Promised Undelivered.” I believe you will find this another interesting topic to consider as we build our Biblical worldview.

Tomorrow we will continue with our 3-minute humor nugget that will provide you with a bit of cheer and help you to lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 895 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 895 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little bit of additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget:

Today’s quote is from Joyce Brothers, and it is,“A strong, positive self-image is the best possible preparation for success.”

To be successful, you must prepare for success.  You must see yourself as successful in your mind before success will ever be achieved in any area of life.  An appropriate and balanced positive self-image, which includes loving yourself, is a requirement before any success can be achieved.  When you realize that you are made to be the bearer of God’s image, then you will realize that God desires you to be successful in all that you do.

One admonition that must be considered is that what the world considers as successful, which is usually an abundance of wealth, is not what God considers as successful. Success in God’s eyes is our obedience to His precepts, which are found in His Word, the Bible.

God shows us His pattern for success when He encourages in servant Joshua prior to entering The Promised Land in Joshua 1:7, “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.”

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 10,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. As you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 894 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Pplay so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 894 of our trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday. Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy. For some, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. Some may utilize structured meditation practices.

In my life, meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s Word and praying. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and make sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body. As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you too will experience a time for reflection and renewing of your mind. 

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. There are many people that are ready to give up because of trials and hardships. You may be one of them. Instead of giving up, let us put our energies into encouraging others. It is then we will have purpose and meaning in our own lives and will have the strength to “Keep Moving Forward.” In our Meditation Monday today, we will learn…

The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.  We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.”

There are times when all of us feel overwhelmed by problems and feel like quitting. I’ve been there, but couldn’t find anything better than my Christian faith to quit to. Today I thank God for the courage to keep going, knowing that God was allowing trials to strengthen my faith and to help me grow.

If you feel like giving up and quitting, perhaps the following poem will encourage you to hang in, hang on, but never hang up when the going gets tough.

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

Life is strange with its twists and turns,

Often the goal is nearer than

Success is failure turned inside out—

It reminds me of the quote, “Tough times never last. Tough people do.”

God never forsook the Apostle Paul who faced incredible trials and opposition. He will never forsake you or me as long as we place our trust in him. We are reminded of His steadfastness in Hebrews 13:5-6.

Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,

“I will never fail you.

 So we can say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper,

Next week we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy, and wise each day. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 893 daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast and Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 893 of our trek, and it is time for our Philosophy Friday series. Each Friday we will ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy.

As we continue on this trek called life, sometimes we have questions about life, so our Friday trek is a time when we can “Ask Gramps.” Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason, are unable to. No matter how old we are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask dad or gramps questions about life in many areas.

We will address areas such as finances, relationships, health/fitness, business/work, home repairs/renovations, seasons of life, spiritual/Biblical questions, and any others areas that come our way. As your fellow sojourner and mentor on this trek that we call life, it is Gramps’ goal to provide you with practical wisdom and advice about any area of life. It is crucial that I receive a constant flow of questions, so please submit your questions to [email protected]. And Gramps will answer your questions on our Friday podcast.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. With the recent high-profile celebrity suicides and the fact that suicide rates are increasing in all cultural and age groups, it seems as if more people are losing hope in our world today. So the question today is:

“Hey Gramps, How is it possible to maintain hope in our lives and accept that we are worthwhile and have a purpose that is greater than ourselves?”

While I do not generally have an issue with depression and have never experienced bouts with feeling worthless, I do have family members and friends that do. There are many causes for depression, such as mental or physical illness, what we eat, and whether we are getting adequate exercise. Even what we allow to enter into our minds through TV, videos, audio, reading, and listening to the advice of others impacts us.

In most western cultures people strive relentlessly to be happy, but no external resources or circumstances will bring us lasting happiness. In fact, I would encourage you to stop striving for happiness because it is, at best, as temporary as the morning fog. Instead, on a daily basis, we need to seek deep and abiding joy.

Joy can only be realized when we realize who we are in God’s eyes. If God loves us and considers us worthwhile and precious, we need to have that same view of ourselves. Here are some Bible passages that will help you to change your thinking about yourself, so that, in all circumstances, you will love and accept yourself for who you are, for who God designed you to be. You can never love others properly and be loved by others until you first love yourself properly. We are truly valuable because we are God’s masterpiece.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

If you want to lessen your depression, you need to change the way you think. No longer can we think and act as other people do. Romans 12:2 reminds, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Before you were ever born, God knew and loved you.

Psalms 1[39:13]-14

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body

Everyone who has ever lived deals with difficult times and situations. It is how we choose to deal with those times and situations that will make the difference between depression and having the strength needed to keep moving forward. Jesus’s half-brother James wrote in James 1:2-4, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

Both in difficulty and in pleasant times we need to take our concerns and praise to God as the Apostle Paul taught us in Philippians 4:6-7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

God has a perfect plan for you, and you are a unique bearer of His image. Even when what you are experiencing is difficult, God is working His will through you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18  reminds, “Always be joyful.  Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

Next week we will have a new question to Ask Gramps. If you have a question you would like answered, please email it to [email protected], and Gramps will answer it on our Friday podcast with the wisdom and philosophy that Gramps has gained over his years of experience and study. I know you will find these insights interesting, practical, and profitable in living a rich and satisfying life.

Our next trek is Mediation Monday where we will help you reflect on what is most important in life. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along on Monday for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 892 daily treks or read the associated journals, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you on Monday!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 892 of our trek, and it is time for our 3-minute mini-trek called Humor Unplugged. Our Thursday podcast will provide a short and clean funny story to help you lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life – something to cheer you and provide a bit a levity in your life.

We are told in  Proverbs 15:30, “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.” We are also encouraged in Proverbs 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” Consider this your vitamin supplement of cheer for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s funny, which is titled…

Today I want to tell you a story about John and Sam. John’s story reminds me a lot about myself and the attitude that I try to have. There are also many similarities to my fall from a ladder last year with a chainsaw in my hand where I ended up with a fractured femur bone right below my hip socket.

For many, John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He always seemed to be in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, “If I were any better, I would be twins!” He was a natural motivator.

If a fellow associate was having a bad day, John was there telling them how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made Sam curious, so one day he went up and asked him, “I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?”

John replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood, or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim, or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life! I choose the positive side of life.”

“Yeah, right! It’s not that easy,” Sam protested.

“Yes, it is,” John said. “Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live your life.”

Sam reflected on what John said. Soon after that, Sam left the company they both worked at to start his own business. They lost touch over the years, but Sam often thought about John when he made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, Sam heard that John was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

Sam happened to run into John about six months after the accident. When Sam asked him how he was, he replied, “If I were any better, I’d be twins. Wanna see my scars?”

Sam declined to see his wounds, but he did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

This was John’s reply,  “The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter,” John replied. “Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live.”

“Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?”  Sam asked.

John continued, “..the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER, and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, ‘He’s a dead man.’ I knew I needed to take action.”

“What did you do?” Sam asked.

“Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,” said John. “She asked if I was allergic to anything. ‘Yes,’ I replied. The doctors and nurses immediately stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Gravity!'”

“Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'”

John did live, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. Let us all learn from John that every day we have the choice to live fully.

As Jesus tells us in John 10:10, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” And also Matthew 6:34, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Make it a day full of cheer.

As we conclude our story, let me leave you with a Thursday Thought. “The easiest way to grow wise and good is to be around people who are wiser and better than you.”

Sourced at: www.mikeysFunnies.com

That’s a wrap for today’s Humor Unplugged. If you enjoy these short stories, let me know so I can continue to bring a bit of cheer to your week.

As you enjoy these nuggets of humor, please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 891 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on Apple Podcast or Google Play so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow for Philosophy Friday!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 891 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday.

Creating a Biblical worldview is important to have a proper perspective on today’s current events. To establish a Biblical worldview, it is required that you also have a proper understanding of God’s word. Especially in our western cultures, we do not fully understand the scriptures from the mindset and culture of the authors.

In order to help us all have a better understanding of some of the more obscure passages in God’s Word, we are investing Wisdom Wednesday reviewing a series of essays from one of today’s most prominent Hebrew scholars Dr. Micheal S. Heiser. He has compiled these essays into a book titled I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. The Bible is full of rich imagery and stories that fill our minds with wonders and questions. Today’s essay explores one such incident as we will focus on…

If they haven’t read it, most people have at least heard the story of David and Goliath of Gath (‘‘the Gittite”). The names of the hero and villain have iconic status. But how many people know anything about the giant Goliath, other than that he lost his head to a boy named David from Israel?

This story can be found in, 2 Samuel [21:15]-22 and 1 Chronicles 20:4-8. The story tells us that there were other unusually tall warriors among the Philistines. The lists are not identical, but putting them together we read that there were four: Saph (also called Sippai), Lahmi, Ishbibenob, and an unnamed warrior. The descriptions are similar to that given Goliath, noting “great stature” and the dimensions of their weaponry. Unlike Goliath or any of the other named warriors, the unnamed giant is said to have six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. This malformation, known as polydactylism, is only mentioned in the description of this giant. The Bible does not mention it when it discusses other giant clans.

There are several people groups described as giants or among whom giants lived in the Old Testament:

Goliath was Rephaim. He and the four giant warriors listed alongside him are descended from rapha in Gath, which is found in 2 Samuel [21:22] and 1 Chronicles 20:8.

If rapha is interpreted as a proper name, Rapha, then the four warriors were all brothers of Goliath. The biblical text does not actually say this. Only one of these men, Lahmi, is specifically said to be the brother of Goliath. Therefore, it is best to translate the term as “giants” or “Rephaim” as many English translations do.

Some of the Rephaim giants survived the wars of Moses and Joshua, and their descendants settled in the Philistine city of Gath. The other warriors who accompanied Goliath may not have been brothers, but they were all part of an enduring and unusual lineage that challenged Israel for their land and opposed their God.  There is no indication in the Bible that there were giants clans after the time of King David.

Next Wisdom Wednesday we will continue with the Old Testament as we look at Dr. Heiser’s next essay titled “The Divine Arrow.” I believe you will find this another interesting topic to consider as we build our Biblical Worldview.

Tomorrow we will continue with our 3-minute humor nugget that will provide you with a bit of cheer and will help you lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 890 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 890 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged.  This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little bit of additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom for today.  So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget:

Today’s quote is from Elbert Hubbard, and it is, “A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.”

True and lasting success is never gained quickly nor through shortcuts. Success cannot be determined during the process while you are in the midst of the trials and tribulations of everyday life.  Sometimes success is not fully realized until long after a project or situation has ended.  In fact, there have been many times where a person has not been recognized as a success until long after they have died.

Success cannot and should not be measured by monetary accumulation, but for the impact of transforming the lives of others positively. All of the truly great persons of history were willing to put in the time and the sacrifice to further God’s kingdom without the consideration of whether they were going to be successful. We should be willing to do the same.

As we conclude, today we are reminded in Proverbs 13:11, “Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.”

Also, success comes from wisdom gained through understanding and following God’s precepts as found in Proverbs 1:3, “Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair.”

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like free access to my database of over 10,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com.  As you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 889 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 889 of our trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday. Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy. For some, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. Some may utilize structured meditation practices.

In my life meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s Word and praying. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and make sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body. As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you too will experience a time for reflecting and renewing your mind. 

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. There are many foolish people and situations in our world today which we should not follow or become involved with. There is an exception to this, and in our Meditation Monday today we will learn about…

When Dietrich Bonhoeffer reflected on the meaning of the cross, he concluded, “A king who dies on the cross must be the king of a rather strange kingdom.” After all, everything about Jesus’ life was counter to the kingdom that his contemporaries were expecting and the empire that Rome had established. Perhaps, therefore, it is not so unusual that the nature of his kingdom would be “strange” to modern-day sensibilities? Even easier to reject. Especially a kingdom where the king suffers in apparent foolish weakness.

Brennan Manning said, “Jesus entered our world as the music man, but the world was disturbed by his song…” But did the nails silence the music? Could it be that, in those nails, God succeeded in putting into operation his new creation and plan for the world? Could it be that, in those nails, a new kind of music could be heard?

Anyone who looks at the cross as a single screenshot on the monitor of their mind will think God is not loving or powerful but cruel and unfeeling. But when we see the cross as a part of the whole story, we will see it as a shining tile in the divine mosaic that is the story of God.

That this tile reveals to us that God is not waiting for us on the other side of suffering. He understands its significance and meets us in the midst of our suffering. We may never know why God allows suffering, but we know that God allows his heart to break as we suffer. To those who do believe, to those who embrace the foolishness, Jesus opens up a new reality that transforms the poverty of our nature by the riches of his grace. It is in this strange kingdom that we find grace that lays its arm down a wooden beam and never stops reaching out to bring us eternal life.

Our faith and our calling do not rest in human wisdom, but in the power of God. This means we must pray daily for this kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. It is an invitation for us to take up our cross, the apparent foolishness of it and the scorn that may come because of it, and confront the world’s foolish power with the fact there is a different way of wielding power. Defined and characterized by love.

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 tells us, “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say,

‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise

So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish.  Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.”

Next week we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy. On tomorrow’s trek, we will explore another wisdom quote. This 3-minute wisdom supplement will assist you in becoming healthy, wealthy and wise each day.

Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 888 daily treks or read the daily journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast and Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 888 of our trek, and it is time for our Philosophy Friday series. Each Friday we will ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy.

As we continue on this trek called life, sometimes we have questions about life, so our Friday trek is a time when we can “Ask Gramps.” Gramps will answer questions that you would like to ask your dad or granddad, but for whatever reason are unable to. No matter how old we are, I know that all of us would like the opportunity to ask dad or gramps questions about life in many areas.

We will address areas such as finances, relationships, health/fitness, business/work, home repairs/renovations, seasons of life, spiritual/Biblical questions, and any others areas that come our way.  As your fellow sojourner and mentor on this trek that we call life, it is Gramps’s goal to provide you with practical wisdom and advice about any area of life. It is crucial that I receive a constant flow of questions, so please submit your questions to [email protected]. And Gramps will answer your questions on our Friday podcast.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This week we will continue with part 3 of 3 for our question from last week which was…

“Hey Gramps, listening to most news sources and even many preachers, it seems like the world is getting worse each year, but is that really the case?”

Nearly everyone in the western world, and even in many developing nations own a smartphone or at least a mobile phone.  One of the most prevalent areas where we have seen great advancements and improvements in our world is in the area of communication.

Many of us take it for granted now, but in 2017, we had 3.8 billion people connected on Earth. That is ½ of the entire world’s population, including all children. In the next five years, we’ll see the deployment of the 5G global network that Qualcomm has been developing, which will enable many more types of connected devices.

We’re about to see Facebook and Google launch large amounts of balloons, drones, and satellites. The company, OneWeb has plans to deploy 900 satellites leveraging a $1.2 billion Softbank investment. In addition to that 4,425 satellites are being launched by SpaceX. Within the next 5-10 years, it will provide connection capability to every single human on the planet with a gigabit connection speed. This will be a gigabit connection for everyone, effectively for free.

That connection represents a lifeline for health sciences. It’s an ability to upload data or enable AI support. Imagine doctors in the US or other countries being able to perform advanced surgeries remotely to areas where health care is limited or unavailable. Think of all the good that can be brought about by these advancements in communications and connectivity.  Imagine how much easier it will be to reach the world to build God’s kingdom through the proliferation of His Good News to every tribe and nation. This is truly great news.

And it doesn’t slow down. With the “Internet of Things” and a proliferation of sensors, by 2020 we’ll have 50 billion connected devices with a trillion sensors in the world. By 2030, we’ll see 500 billion connected devices with 100 trillion sensors.

Regarding health, every single person will have the ability for real-time monitoring. Every single element of their lives – their glucose, their blood pressure, their microRNAs, their vitamin D levels – will be able to be uploaded to an AI that can convey their exact health status.

We’ll all have a version of JARVIS from “Iron Man.” These personal AIs can collect our data and enable us to be the CEO of our own health. The longer we live, the more impact we can have on the world.

The acceleration continues with genome sequencing. Back in 2000, the price of sequencing a human genome – all 3.2 billion letters of your life – was $100 million and took 9 months’ time. Today, it’s $1,000 per genome, and within two years, with Illumina’s newest machines, it will cost about $100 and be completed in 1 hour. This will provide the gateway to proactive healthcare and health maintenance by preventing major diseases from starting. This is equivalent to a trillion-fold increase in price-performance capability, which is, in turn, driving a revolution in cellular medicine, stem cells, natural killer cells, and all types of cancer cells.

While some people may be fearful because of the potential abuses in these technological advancements, as with most fears, they are in our minds and really not grounded in reality. To most of us, a sneeze isn’t too scary, but in centuries past, it was full of deadly possibilities. In the Middle Ages, besides being a possible harbinger of the Black Death, a sneeze was thought to put you at risk for accidentally expelling your spirit. Hence, it became custom to say “God bless you” to keep the spirit within.

We have the ability, with access to these technologies, to say, “This is the problem I want to solve.” We often talk about our desires and our abilities. We are currently living in a time a day and age that within our lifetimes, we will truly have the ability to meet the physical and spiritual needs of every man, woman, and child on this planet.

At no other time in history did we as individuals and as the Church of Jesus Christ have the opportunity to reach everyone in the world for building God’s kingdom.  Even this podcast reaches thousands of people in dozens of countries throughout the world.  This would not have been remotely possible just a few years ago. Within a few years, communication and connectivity will be available to every person in the world. Instead of being fearful of the real or potential problems in the world, let us move boldly forward to impact the world for good and for God.

Even if we face opposition and difficult times, let us take advantage of the truly good opportunities that we have in our world today. Let us move forward as the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesian believers in Ephesians 6:18-20, “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.   And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.  I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.”

Next week we will have a new question to Ask Gramps. If you have a question you would like answered, please email it to [email protected], and Gramps will answer it on our Friday podcast with the wisdom and philosophy that Gramps has gained over his years of experience and study. I know you will find these insights interesting, practical, and profitable in living a rich and satisfying life.

Our next trek is Mediation Monday where we will help you reflect on what is most important in life. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along on Monday for another day of Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of the past 887 daily treks or read the associated journals, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Apple Podcast or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you on Monday!

Thank you for joining us for our five days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 887 of our trek, and it is time for a 3-minute mini-trek called Humor Unplugged.

Our Thursday podcast provides a short and clean funny story to help you lighten up and live a rich and satisfying life.  It is something to cheer you and provide a bit a levity in your life.

We are told in  Proverbs 15:30, “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.”We are also encouraged in Proverbs 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” Consider this your vitamin supplement of cheer for today. So let’s jump right in with today’s funny which is titled…

Gramps and his grandkids had been up in the attic together doing some cleaning and organizing. The kids uncovered an old manual typewriter and asked, “Hey Gramps…what’s this?”

“Oh…that’s an old typewriter,” he answered, thinking that would satisfy their curiosity.

“Well, what does it do?” they asked.

“I’ll show you,” Gramps left the attic and returned with a blank piece of paper. He rolled the paper into the typewriter and began striking the keys, leaving black letters of print on the page.

“WOW!” they exclaimed, “That’s really cool…but how does it work like that? Where do you plug it in?”

“There is no plug,” Gramps answered. “It doesn’t need a plug.”

“Then where do you put the batteries?” they persisted.

“It doesn’t need batteries either,” he continued.

“Wow! This is so cool!” they exclaimed. “Someone should have invented this a long time ago!”

Make it a day full of cheer.

As we conclude our story, let me leave you with a Thursday Thought from Ecclesiastes 1:9-10, “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, ‘Here is something new!’ But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new.”

Sourced at: www.mikeysFunnies.com

That’s a wrap for today’s Humor Unplugged. If you enjoy these short stories, let me know so I can continue to bring a bit of cheer to your week.

Just as you enjoy these nuggets of humor, please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

If you would like to listen to any of our past 886 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on Apple Podcast or Google Play so each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow for Philosophy Friday!