8 people Commended by Jesus

• Nathanael: When first meeting him, Jesus called him a "true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false" (John 1:47)
• The Roman Centurion: Jesus marvelled at this Gentile soldier's profound faith and understanding of spiritual authority, stating, "I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" (Matthew 8:5-13)
• John the Baptist: Jesus publicly defended and honoured John, calling him the greatest among those born of women and describing him as a "lamp that burned and gave light" (Matthew 11:7-11)
• The Syrophoenician Woman: When she persistently begged Jesus to heal her daughter, he commended her persistence and faith, telling her, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted" (Matthew 15:21-28)
• The Poor Widow: Jesus praised a widow who placed two tiny copper coins into the temple treasury. He highlighted her sacrifice, noting she gave "out of her poverty... all that she had" (Mark 12:41-44)
• Mary of Bethany: After she anointed Jesus' feet with expensive perfume, he defended her actions from critics and commended her devotion, declaring that she had chosen "what is better, and it will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:38-42)
• The Anointing Woman: In Luke 7:36-50, a woman washes Jesus' feet with her tears and hair. Jesus commended her great love and faith, saying, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace" (Luke 7:50)
• The Scribe: After a teacher of the law correctly summarised that loving God and one's neighbor is more important than burnt offerings, Jesus told him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God" (Mark 12:28-34)

5 and more nations who practiced circumcision, Jeremiah 9:25, 26

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Levant_800.png

Jeremiah 9:25, 26

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh -

Egypt,

Judah,

Edom,

Ammon,

Moab

and all who live in the wilderness in distant places.

For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”

3 things not to boast in from Jeremiah 9:23, 24

Jeremiah 9:23, 24

This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom

or the strong boast of their strength

or the rich boast of their riches,

but let the one who boasts boast about this:

that they have the understanding to know me,

that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,

justice and righteousness on earth,

for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.

3 animals that will harm Israel according to Jeremiah 5:6

Jeremiah 5:6

Therefore

a lion from the forest will attack them,

a wolf from the desert will ravage them,
a leopard will lie in wait near their towns to tear to pieces any who venture out,

for their rebellion is great and their backslidings many.

28 Types of Babylonian cargo listed in Revelation 18

11 The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore-  12 cargoes of

gold,
silver,
precious stones
and pearls;
fine linen,
purple,
silk
and scarlet cloth;
every sort of citron wood,
and articles of every kind made of ivory,
costly wood,
bronze,
iron
and marble;
13 cargoes of cinnamon
and spice,
of incense,
myrrh
and frankincense,
of wine
and olive oil,
of fine flour
and wheat;
cattle
and sheep;
horses
and carriages;
and human beings sold as slaves.

10 Contrasts between Psalms 105 and 106

Philip  De Vere, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Psalms 105 and 106 are twin historical psalms that tell the same story from two different perspectives. While Psalm 105 focuses on God’s perfect faithfulness, Psalm 106 focuses on humanity’s persistent unfaithfulness.

1. Psalm 105 is a hymn of praise. Its tone is joyful, celebratory and filled with gratitude. Psalm 106 is a prayer of repentance. Its tone is sombre, reflective and confession-driven.
2. Psalm 105 builds confidence. It reminds the reader that God always keeps His unconditional promises. Psalm 106 teaches humility. It reminds the reader that mercy is the only reason the nation survived.
3. Psalm 105 is about God's loyalty. It highlights God's initiative, promises and miracles. Psalm 106 is about Israel's rebellion: It highlights human failure, complaints and spiritual amnesia.
4. Psalm 105 omits all sin. It completely skips over the golden calf, the grumbling and the rebellions. Psalm 106 details every failure. It acts as a national confession, listing specific sins from Egypt to the Exile.
5. Psalm 105 starts with Abraham. It traces the covenant from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob before reaching Moses. Psalm 106 starts at the Red Sea: It bypasses the early Patriarchs to jump straight into the Exodus sins.
6. Psalm 105 celebrates the plagues. It portrays the plagues as God's mighty judgments against Egypt. Psalm 106 laments the wilderness:. It portrays the wilderness as a place where Israel constantly tested God's patience.
7. Psalm 105:37–39 says God brought them out laden with silver and gold. He spread a cloud as a covering and a fire to give light at night. Psalm 106:7 says They gave no thought to God's miracles in Egypt. They did not remember His kindness; they rebelled by the Red Sea.
8. Psalm 105:42–44 says God remembered His holy promise to Abraham. He brought His people out with joy. He gave them the lands of the nations. Psalm 106:24, 25 says They despised the pleasant land and did not believe His promise. They grumbled in their tents and refused to obey the Lord.
9. Psalm 105:44, 45 says He gave them the lands of the nations... that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise the Lord! Psalm 106:34–36 says They did not destroy the peoples as the Lord commanded. Instead, they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs, worshipping their idols.
10. Psalm 105 ends with victory. It concludes with the triumphant possession of the Promised Land. Psalm 106 ends in captivity: It concludes with a plea to be gathered and rescued from exile among the nations.

17 Imprecations found in Psalm 108:6-20

1. 6 Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy;
2. let an accuser stand at his right hand.
3. 7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty,
4. and may his prayers condemn him.
5. 8 May his days be few;
6. may another take his place of leadership.
7. 9 May his children be fatherless
8. and his wife a widow.
9. 10 May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes.
10. 11 May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labour.
11. 12 May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children.
12. 13 May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation.
13. 14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
14. 15 May their sins always remain before the LORD, that he may blot out their name from the earth. (16 For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted.)
15. 17 He loved to pronounce a curse - may it come back on him.
16. He found no pleasure in blessing - may it be far from him.
17. 18 He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil. 19 May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him. 20 May this be the LORD's payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me.

10 expressions of faith found in the Psalms

Gerard van Honthorst, Public domain,
via Wikimedia Commons

1. 13:5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
2. 25:1, 2 Of David. In you, LORD my God, I put my trust. I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3. 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
4. 31:6 and 14 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for me, I trust in the LORD. 14 But I trust in you, LORD; I say, "You are my God."
5. 33:21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
6. 52:8 But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever.
7. 55:23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of decay; the bloodthirsty and deceitful will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you.
8. 56:3, 4 and 11 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise - in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? 11 in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?
9. 86:4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you.
10. 91:2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

(Also 143:8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.)

20 Women Whose Names Are Not Given

Here are twenty women who appear in the Bible but whose names are not given and the names given them by tradition if there is one.

1. Enoch's wife (Edna)
2. Noah's wife (Naamah)
3. Lot's wife (Ado or Edith)
4. Job's wife (Sitis or Dinah; some traditions posit a second wife, Rahma)
5. Potiphar's wife (Zuleikha)
6. Pharaoh's daughter (Thermutis or Bithia)
7. Moses' Cushite wife (Tharbis)
8. Jephthah's daughter (Seila or Adah)
9. Manoah's wife (Tzelelponit)
10. The wise woman of Abel (Serah)
11. The widow of Zarephath
12. The wealthy Shunammite woman
13. Naaman's wife
14. And her servant girl
15. Peter's mother-in-law
16. The widow of Nain
17. The woman with the issue of blood
18. The woman at the well
19. The widow who put two coins in the treasury
20. The mother of Rufus

(There are as many as 600 of these)

10 Men whose Names Are Not Given

Leonardo Campitelli Filho, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>,
via Wikimedia Commons

Here are ten men who appear in the Bible but whose names are not given and the names given them by tradition.

1. The blasphemer of Leviticus 24
2. The prophet of Judges 6 (Phinehas)
3. The man of God in 1 Kings 13 (Iddo or Jadon)
4. The Magi or wisemen (Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar)
5. The rich young ruler
6. The man born blind in John 9 (Celidonius)
7. The thief on the cross who repented (Dismas)
8. The thief on the cross who didn't repent(Titus or Gestaas)
9. The soldier who pierced Jesus's side (Longinus)
10. The Ethiopian eunuch (Simeon Bachos or Djan Darada)

6 boasts of Haman in Esther 5

Rembrandt or workshop, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Esther 5:10b-13

Calling together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, Haman boasted to them about

his vast wealth,

his many sons,

and all the ways the king had honoured him

and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials.

“And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave.

And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow.

But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.”

13 Levites in Nehemiah 8:7

Nehemiah 8:7

The Levites - 

Jeshua,

Bani,

Sherebiah,

Jamin,

Akkub,

Shabbethai,

Hodiah,

Maaseiah,

Kelita,

Azariah,

Jozabad,

Hanan

and Pelaiah

- instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there.

6 and 7 supporters of Ezra, Nehemiah 8:4

Ezra 8:4

Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood

Mattithiah,

Shema,

Anaiah,

Uriah,

Hilkiah

and Maaseiah;

and on his left were

Pedaiah,

Mishael,

Malkijah,

Hashum,

Hashbaddanah,

Zechariah

and Meshullam.

6 Questions about John the Baptist in Matthew 11

Matthew 11:7-11

As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John:

“What did you go out into the wilderness to see?

A reed swayed by the wind?

If not, what did you go out to see?

A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces.

Then what did you go out to see?

A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.

This is the one about whom it is written:

“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’

Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

6 SIgns of Messiah having come Matthew 11:5

Matthew 11:5

The blind receive sight,

the lame walk,

those who have leprosy are cleansed,

the deaf hear,

the dead are raised,

and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.

4 ways in which the gospel came, 1 Thessalonians 1:4, 5

1 Thessalonians 1:4, 5

For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you

not simply with words

but also with power,

with the Holy Spirit

and deep conviction.

You know how we lived among you for your sake.

5 things in which the Corinthians excelled and another to add, 2 Corinthians 8:7

Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>,
via Wikimedia Commons

But since you excel in everything - 

in faith,

in speech,

in knowledge,

in complete earnestness

and in the love we have kindled in you 

- see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

6 musical instruments mentioned in 2 Samuel 6:5

2 Samuel 6:5 David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD,

with castanets,

harps,

lyres,

timbrels, 

sistrums

and cymbals.

11 sorts of people God will take from Jerusalem according to Isaiah 3

Isaiah 3:1-3

See now, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support:
all supplies of food and all supplies of water,

the hero

and the warrior,
the judge

and the prophet,
the diviner

and the elder,
the captain of fifty

and the man of rank,
the counsellor,

skilled craftsman

and clever enchanter.

7 or more tasks for the spies in Numbers 13

Fir0002/Flagstaffotos, GFDL 1.2 <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html>,
via Wikimedia Commons

Numbers 13:17-20

When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, “Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country.

See what the land is like

and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many.

What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad?

What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified?

How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor?

Are there trees in it or not?

Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)