A way to remember

You know how they always say to tie a string on your finger to help you remember something? This idea is actually very similar to something mentioned in the bible. God actually gave us a cool way to remember his commandments! What is it? To wear a set of tassels on your clothes.

God spoke to Moses: "Speak to the People of Israel. Tell them that from now on they are to make tassels on the corners of their garments and to mark each corner tassel with a blue thread. When you look at these tassels you'll remember and keep all the commandments of God, and not get distracted by everything you feel or see that seduces you into infidelities. The tassels will signal remembrance and observance of all my commandments, to live a holy life to God. I am your God who rescued you from the land of Egypt to be your personal God. Yes, I am God, your God." - Numbers 15:37-41, The Message

By the time the Israelites left Egypt, you can imagine they were pretty influenced by the laws and gods of the Egyptians. Even when God gave them commandments, they completely forgot them. So God gave them a gift; tzitzit. This word is Hebrew, and is a bit hard to pronounce (tzee-tzeet), so I call them fringes. Think about it, the Israelites forgot the commandments God gave them. Is that a whole lot different than what we all do? When's the last time you disrespected your parents, lied, or lusted? We still need to remember God's commandments, and this is a way to do just that. The initial idea may seem a bit weird, but they are actually pretty cool, and they can come in all different colors (the bible says that at least 1 string has to be blue, which represents the word of God). I found out about them nearly 3 years ago, and I have just started my own business selling them (see my website here).

Show your faith! Look at them, remember his commandments, and do his will!

Daniel

Nephilim - Genesis 6:1-4

Many theories have been tossed around as to what exactly the Nephilim were. The word "Nephilim" comes from the hebrew "npl" (נָפַל) which means "to fall", leading some to speculate that they were offspring of fallen angels who took women as wives some time before Noah's flood (Genesis 6:1-4), while others disagree, saying that angels and humans are incompatible. Giants are later mentioned when the Israelites were taking over Canaan and spies were sent out to observe the land. They came back with reports of seeing the Anakim (literally meaning the Long Necked) who made the Israelite spies appear as "grasshoppers by comparison" (Numbers 13:33). And of course, there is Goliath, who, for some reason, is the stereotypical image we see when the term "biblical giant" is mentioned. Scripture records Goliath's height to be "six cubits and a span (1 Samuel 17:4)" which, when translated into modern measurement, equals about nine feet and nine inches. Unfortunately, this is the only instance in which the exact height of a giant is recorded, although the book of Deuteronomy mentions the dimensions of a massive bed that was on display in the royal city of Rabbah (Deuteronomy 3:11), belonging to the Rephaite giant King Og.

Four other giants are mentioned during Israel's dispute with Philistia. Some have claimed that this is why David gathered five stones before battling with Goliath. It is possible they were related to Goliath, especially when Ishbi-Benob, one of the giants, was so bent on killing the King that David himself had to be saved by one of his own men (2 Samuel 21:15-17).

Another giant is mentioned later having "Six-fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot" (2 Samuel 21:20-22). One of David's men, Jonathan (not to be confused with Prince Jonathan), killed him and thus ended the giant's legacy. There have been countless tall people since then, but none have reached the heights of the Nephilim.

Thanks for reading,
Daniel