🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem🇮🇱 (7/23/26)[Prayer]

The Holy Scriptures (NIV) | 7/23/26 | left that other site

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🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem🇮🇱 (7/23/26)[Prayer]

Personalities



1 Samuel 20:1-42

David and Jonathan

20 Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to kill me?”

2 “Never!” Jonathan replied. “You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn’t do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would he hide this from me? It isn’t so!”

3 But David took an oath and said, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, ‘Jonathan must not know this or he will be grieved.’ Yet as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.”

4 Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for you.”

5 So David said, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon feast, and I am supposed to dine with the king; but let me go and hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow. 6 If your father misses me at all, tell him, ‘David earnestly asked my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because an annual sacrifice is being made there for his whole clan.’ 7 If he says, ‘Very well,’ then your servant is safe. But if he loses his temper, you can be sure that he is determined to harm me. 8 As for you, show kindness to your servant, for you have brought him into a covenant with you before the Lord. If I am guilty, then kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?”

9 “Never!” Jonathan said. “If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn’t I tell you?”

10 David asked, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”

11 “Come,” Jonathan said, “let’s go out into the field.” So they went there together.

12 Then Jonathan said to David, “I swear by the Lord, the God of Israel, that I will surely sound out my father by this time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward you, will I not send you word and let you know? 13 But if my father intends to harm you, may the Lord deal with Jonathan, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. May the Lord be with you as he has been with my father. 14 But show me unfailing kindness like the Lord’s kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, 15 and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family—not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”

16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord call David’s enemies to account.” 17 And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.

18 Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. 21 Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,’ then come, because, as surely as the Lord lives, you are safe; there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, because the Lord has sent you away. 23 And about the matter you and I discussed—remember, the Lord is witness between you and me forever.”

24 So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon feast came, the king sat down to eat. 25 He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan,[a] and Abner sat next to Saul, but David’s place was empty. 26 Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, “Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.” 27 But the next day, the second day of the month, David’s place was empty again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”

28 Jonathan answered, “David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.”

30 Saul’s anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? 31 As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!”

32 “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” Jonathan asked his father. 33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David.

34 Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David.

35 In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him, 36 and he said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the boy came to the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?” 38 Then he shouted, “Hurry! Go quickly! Don’t stop!” The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. 39 (The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.) 40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, “Go, carry them back to town.”

41 After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most.

42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.[b]

Footnotes

a 1 Samuel 20:25 Septuagint; Hebrew wall. Jonathan arose
b 1 Samuel 20:42 In Hebrew texts this sentence (20:42b) is numbered 21:1.

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

________________________

God Bless America.

ML/LTOS

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem


Our Father in Heaven,

How Excellent,

How Holy,

How Majestic is Your Most Wonderful Name!

You Alone Are Worthy of Praise and Worship,

For You Are Our Creator,

and The Creator of All That Is!

Omnipotent,

Omniscient,

and Omnipresent,

You Are The One True God,

The Great I AM,

The Ancient Of Days,

Our All-In-All!


 Let all that has been Concealed
Be Revealed.

Father, We Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem,
According To Your Will and Promise.
We Pray That You Will Forgive The Sins of Our Own Nation,
and Lead us all to Godly Repentance

Create in Us Clean Hearts, Oh LORD,
and Renew a Right Spirit Within Us.
This we Pray Together,
As We Await Your Messiah,
Blessed Be He,
To Set Up His Kingdom,
And Make All Things Right.
God Bless America.
ML/LTOS
__________________________________________________________________

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Personalities



1 Samuel 20:1-42

David and Jonathan

20 Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to kill me?”

2 “Never!” Jonathan replied. “You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn't do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would he hide this from me? It isn't so!”

3 But David took an oath and said, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, ‘Jonathan must not know this or he will be grieved.’ Yet as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.”

4 Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you want me to do, I'll do for you.”

5 So David said, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon feast, and I am supposed to dine with the king; but let me go and hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow. 6 If your father misses me at all, tell him, ‘David earnestly asked my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because an annual sacrifice is being made there for his whole clan.’ 7 If he says, ‘Very well,’ then your servant is safe. But if he loses his temper, you can be sure that he is determined to harm me. 8 As for you, show kindness to your servant, for you have brought him into a covenant with you before the Lord. If I am guilty, then kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?”

9 “Never!” Jonathan said. “If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn't I tell you?”

10 David asked, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”

11 “Come,” Jonathan said, “let's go out into the field.” So they went there together.

12 Then Jonathan said to David, “I swear by the Lord, the God of Israel, that I will surely sound out my father by this time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward you, will I not send you word and let you know? 13 But if my father intends to harm you, may the Lord deal with Jonathan, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. May the Lord be with you as he has been with my father. 14 But show me unfailing kindness like the Lord's kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, 15 and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family—not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David's enemies from the face of the earth.”

16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord call David's enemies to account.” 17 And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.

18 Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. 21 Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,’ then come, because, as surely as the Lord lives, you are safe; there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, because the Lord has sent you away. 23 And about the matter you and I discussed—remember, the Lord is witness between you and me forever.”

24 So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon feast came, the king sat down to eat. 25 He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan,[a] and Abner sat next to Saul, but David's place was empty. 26 Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, “Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.” 27 But the next day, the second day of the month, David's place was empty again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why hasn't the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”

28 Jonathan answered, “David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king's table.”

30 Saul's anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? 31 As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!”

32 “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” Jonathan asked his father. 33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David.

34 Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father's shameful treatment of David.

35 In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him, 36 and he said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the boy came to the place where Jonathan's arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, “Isn't the arrow beyond you?” 38 Then he shouted, “Hurry! Go quickly! Don't stop!” The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. 39 (The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.) 40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, “Go, carry them back to town.”

41 After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most.

42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.[b]

Footnotes

a 1 Samuel 20:25 Septuagint; Hebrew wall. Jonathan arose
b 1 Samuel 20:42 In Hebrew texts this sentence (20:42b) is numbered 21:1.

New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
________________________

Today's story is about the friendship between David and Jonathan. Some modern commentators try to make something more than the Bible presents, but I disagree. Over the years I've had some friends whom I've genuinely loved, of both sexes. This comes from modern sensibilities creeping into our enjoyment of Classical Literature. I just saw a review of the latest "Odyssey" movie, and the reviewer found the 20th Century slang and flat American Midwest accents more jarring than other inaccuracies in the movie. (Homer never saw that coming!).

Anyway, I came across something I wrote in 2022, during our Study of Genesis, about that very thing.

While the Star Trek franchise may have overstayed its welcome with modern adaptations, most of us remember the the Original Series with fondness. Maybe it was the cheesy sets, the funky optimism about the future, or perhaps the excellent Sci-Fi writers that were often tapped for the scripts, but we loved it. Often, just like with the Twilight Zone, there were little moral teachings that came up in the surprise endings, and we liked that too.

In a very early episode, there was a search for a modern salt-shaker to use as a prop. The prop-master searched all the avant-guard and designer catalogs for fancy chrome salt-shakers, and bought up a bunch of them to screen-test. None of them looked right. On camera, they weren't identifiable as salt-shakers, and that was crucial to the plot. While sitting in a diner, contemplating his dilemma, the prop-master sprinkled some salt on his eggs...and realized that the typical diner-style salt-shaker was the one he needed for the scene. What then was he to do with all the fancy chrome gadgets that he had spent a good deal of the prop budget on? They were put to good use as the permanent collection of Dr. McCoy's Ultra-Modern 23rd Century Medical Instruments.

Forty years ago, I was in a Christian Rock Band called "SALT". I had to design a Logo for the band, and used the same identifiable Diner-Style Salt-Shaker, pouring out a crystallized Rainbow. The Salt represented God's New Covenant, and the Rainbow, His Old Covenant. They were two instantly recognizable symbols. Although the Logo may look old-fashioned and kind of corny today (Like an old Star Trek episode, LOL), it worked at the time.

But then, like Dr. McCoy's Medical Instruments that were once Salt-Shakers, the two symbols have had their meanings changed. First, Salt became a medical boogie-man, condemned as the cause of High Blood Pressure and who knows what else. While too much of anything can be bad for you, salt is a necessary element in our bodies. A person can get just as sick from not having enough salt as one can from having too much. And so, self-control and moderation come into play.

In the 70s, the New Age Movement co-opted the Rainbow as a symbol. It went along with Crystals, Unicorns, and other magical symbols to popularize the occult, which had always used symbols with a darker theme. People who were repulsed by "Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog" had no problem with Unicorns, Crystals, and Rainbows. In 1984, Jesse Jackson founded an organization called the "Rainbow/PUSH Coalition", which attempted to unite all different colors of people into one political unit. In 1978, a six-color rainbow flag was adopted to symbolize the LGBT movement. A Greenpeace vessel called the Rainbow Warrior attempted to "save the whales" and in 1996, The "Green/Rainbow Party" was formed in Massachusetts as an alternative even to the left of that already left-wing state.

The funny thing is, that, probably due to Graphic Design preferences, all the aforementioned iterations of the Rainbow have left out one of the colors, which is Indigo. It could be that Indigo is too hard to distinguish between blue and violet, or perhaps seven colors would upset the symmetry of the design, but Indigo isn't there, thus reducing the number of colors from 7 to 6. In Scripture, 7 is the number of Completion, and 6 is "the Number of Man". Could it be that, in man's attempt to replace God's Covenant Symbol, he comes up short? Or as the fictional character (whose name happened to be "In(d)igo") from The Princess Bride would say:

"You keep using that symbol. I don't think you know what it really means."

When it comes to adapting the Bible or other Classics to the Silver Screen, it's best to stick to the text as close as possible. If it is to be a total fantasy, at least say so. The Book and Movie "Ben Hur", for example, bore the subtitle "A Tale of the Christ". It was a STORY. The series "House of David" also bears a disclaimer. Nolan's "The Odyssey", as far as I know, doesn't. Even my beloved "The Ten Commandments" lists several sources as well as the Bible, although they don't tell us which is which.

You have to READ the Bible to figure it out!

This brings up an interesting question about Friendship:

"What Would YOU Do, If Your Own Father Threatened To Murder Your Best Friend, and You KNEW He Wasn't Kidding?"

That's what Jonathan was facing.

Come and Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

Blessed Is The Nation Whose God Is The LORD (Psalm 33)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[norsky]

Amen to your word and prayer.

I also thought of this re type of music.

In a more abstract sense, "indigo" is sometimes used to describe music that evokes the color—deep, dark, introspective, and moody. It often blends elements of neo-soul, ambient, and lo-fi. The term also pops up in "New Age" or spiritual music circles connected to the concept of "indigo children," referring to music meant to raise consciousness or promote relaxation.

Can't get no higher consciousness than Jesus, jus sayn

[Big Red Badger]

Look Up !
The Prince of Peace comes on a
Donkey...
Meek and Lowly.

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Good observation!

There’s also a Duke Ellington Jazz Classic called “Mood Indigo”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFUSD23ZXEw

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, norsky, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

Blessed Is The Nation Whose God Is The LORD (Psalm 33)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Big Red Badger, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

Blessed Is The Nation Whose God Is The LORD (Psalm 33)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[NEWwoman]

Amen, left that other site

Joining in prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem and for our beloved America-250.

Do you remember the 1960s British series, “The Prisoner”?

The Prisoner was Number 6. Many fans had theories about this Number. But I think Number 6 was the Number of Man. Didn’t see anyone else thought that.

[etabeta]

Joining in prayer. God bless.

[left that other site]

I LOVED that Series!

The last episode repeated “Dry Bones” which is, of course, from Ezekiel 37, which I just finished reading in my daily devotions.

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Etabeta, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

Blessed Is The Nation Whose God Is The LORD (Psalm 33)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, NEWwoman, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

Blessed Is The Nation Whose God Is The LORD (Psalm 33)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[Hiskid]

Amen

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Hiskid, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

Blessed Is The Nation Whose God Is The LORD (Psalm 33)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[Jeanbl]

AMEN, thank you. Joining with all in prayer.

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Jeanbl, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

Blessed Is The Nation Whose God Is The LORD (Psalm 33)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[DarthVader]

Psalm 91

1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,*
2 will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.’
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence;
4 he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
or the arrow that flies by day,
6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
or the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge,*
the Most High your dwelling-place,
10 no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

14 Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honour them.
16 With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation.

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Darth Vader, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

Blessed Is The Nation Whose God Is The LORD (Psalm 33)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS