So grateful it spoke to you

Thank you, that's an encouraging word.

That is one of the ways the story can be understood. But as I studied this story more, and especially from the point of view of God, and from the scriptures that would have been available at that time. In the story, Jephthah is the first to call upon the name of God, it is clear he knows his history, and the scriptures, and he does not make his vow until the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him. His daughter asks that she be given time to mourn her virginity, not her life, indicating she will never marry, not that she will lose her life. So there is another very different way to understand this story. Hats why I made this video. Grace and peace, Joanne

I'm grateful for your words of encouragement. Grace and peace to you

Not sure what ypur question is asking

@@GraceandPeaceJoanne a statement

Not sure what your statement is stating.

@@GraceandPeaceJoanne she was a false fake prophet

So glad you gave this a listen, I think it's a really important part of the Gospel.

Thank you! I'll have to go through and see where that is and put a correction in the description. Grace and peace, Joanne

@JeffDbury thank you for your added information about Julia's life. It sounds like you've researched her a bit. I'm away from my desk, but when I return I can list my resources--some of which I listed in the credits of this video.

@@GraceandPeaceJoanne Another thing Julia was not taken toGaul either ,when she was banished ,she was first taken to Pandataria , an island off of Campania, and then she was moved to Rhegium, a town in Calabria, where under the orders of Tiberius , she died of starvation.

So glad you enjoyed it, and that there was something there for you. Grace and peace, Joanne

Amen! To God be the glory💜

Thank you so much for those words of encouragement.

You are absolutely right. In fact, I think those women prophets acted as role models and inspiration for Anna. In my book, that goes with this series, "Broken, Searching, Trusted, Powerful," I offer Bible studies for each of the women featured. In the "Anna" chapter, I ask people to read the narratives of these Hebrew Bible era women prophets and think about what impact their stories might have had on Anna.

Amen!

I'm so glad it was helpful. When I read a story in the Bible, one of the tools I use is called "narrative criticism." It means approaching the story on its own merit, without having a preconceived idea of how the story is to unfold. I also try to understand the language, too. I'm better with Greek than Hebrew, I'm still learning. May God continue to undergird you in your study. Grace and peace, Joanne

Thank you so much for your encouragement!

Amen!

You bring up some great points about Michal mourning her father, and the loss of her previous husband, who loved her. I wish I had included those points in my own presentation, they're important. Yes, she was delivered several really rough blows in her life, all situations she had no control over. My heart goes out to her.

Here are the scriptures to support my statements. ‭1 Samuel 25:44 KJV‬ [44] But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, which was of Gallim. ‭Numbers 30:13 KJV‬ [13] Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void. ☝🏾The verse above applies to the woman's father as the authority only if she is unmarried, which she wasn't. This proves a husband's authority vs a father, backed by God. ‭1 Corinthians 14:34 KJV‬ [34] Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. ‭1 Samuel 22:16-17 KJV‬ [16] And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house. [17] And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD. ‭1 Samuel 14:44-45 KJV‬ [44] And Saul answered, God do so and more also: for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan. [45] And the people said unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? God forbid: as the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not. ‭1 Samuel 25:13-14 KJV‬ [13] And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff. [14] But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them. ☝🏾 Once again "but" is used at verse 14, implying that Abigail was informed BEFORE David and his men marched toward the location. This is the same as the word "but" implying Saul getting Michal married before David wed Abigail. ‭1 Samuel 14:1 KJV‬ [1] Now it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison, that is on the other side. But he told not his father. ‭Leviticus 18:3-4 KJV‬ [3] After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. [4] Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God. ‭1 Samuel 22:3-4 KJV‬ [3] And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me. [4] And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold. ‭Deuteronomy 24:3-4 KJV‬ [3] And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; [4] her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. ‭2 Samuel 9:12-13 KJV‬ [12] And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth. [13] So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet. ‭Ecclesiastes 9:5 KJV‬ [5] For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. His reference☝🏾 to no reward means in this life, we should all know there are rewards waiting in the Kingdom of Heaven. ‭John 11:11-14 KJV‬ [11] These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. [12] Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. [13] Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. [14] Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. ‭Exodus 28:26-27 KJV‬ [26] And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward. [27] And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod. ‭1 Samuel 30:7-8 KJV‬ [7] And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. [8] And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all. ‭1 Samuel 15:28, 30 KJV‬ [28] And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. [30] Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God. ‭2 Samuel 20:3 KJV‬ [3] And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.

Michal, without children, did not have a continuing claim on David’s property, and he being in exile, she effectively became “widowed.” Again, as I taught and cited, according to the custom and regional law of that day, she could not hold onto that estate without a child, but David would have left her there probably hoping she could manage it nonetheless. Doubtless neither of them knew how all this would play out, or whether she was even perhaps early with child. None of the rest of David’s large family appears to have helped her in any way. Agreed, David asked that his aging parents stay in Moab. But are you willing to say that all seven of David’s brothers had died, and there were, in fact, no kinsmen left in David’s extended family? Bringing up the regional law is an excellent point, not a terrible one. The laws of Moses covered many things, but they did not cover this exigency, and the final episode in Michal’s account, of being returned to David, points directly to this regional law and custom. Here are some papers to read on that: White, Ellen. "Michal the Misinterpreted." Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 31, no. 4 (2007): 451-464. Ben-Barak, Zafrira. “The Legal Background to the Restoration of Michal to David,” Telling Queen Michal’s Story: An Experiment in Comparative Interpretation, David J. A. Clines and Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, eds. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1991. I am not sure what your point is about Jonathan. 1 Samuel 19-20 makes it clear Jonathan was keeping his relationship with David a secret, at this point, and using subterfuge to both communicate with and meet with David. Your point about Michal needing to be escorted is duly noted. But David had not left the kingdom at that point. David already had another woman living with him as his wife, and then David summoned a high-profile widow to meet him and marry him where he was holding camp in Judah. David did not join with the Philistines until after these events. I certainly do know the passage in Deuteronomy about divorce, and have read the papers that discuss that law with regard to David’s situation. Now you have a chance to begin your study as well, with the two papers I give above. Your discussion of Saul’s lineage is important. Saul’s line ends with the disabled Mephibosheth and the childless Michal in David’s house. In other words, Saul’s name comes to an end in the house of his successor. There are other factors that point to this being God’s intended fulfillment of Samuel’s prophecy-see 2 Samuel 21:1-14. Your assertion about what happens when we die is one way death is explained. Jesus also tells a story of a rich man who is anything but asleep in the afterlife as he gazes afar at the poor man in Abraham’s bosom whom he had treated poorly when they were both alive, Luke 16:23. A teraphim the size of a man would take a strong and probably tall person to maneuver single-handedly, as the text indicates. Several of the things Michal did in that story strike me as the actions of a strong, tall person. But, I agree, that is conjecture on my part. As to the ephod David was wearing, a plain undergarment without his kingly robes-or any robes at all, as was the custom of his day (to at least have one’s outer garment on) would have been considered indecent certainly for the role of king, and for anyone desiring to appear respectable. You make your own conjecture as to what Michal meant when she said “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ maids, as any vulgar fellow might shamelessly uncover himself!” 2 Samuel 6:20, NRSVUE. There is no indication people in that day wore fitted undergarments, which is surely why Leviticus carries particular instructions to priests concerning that. Wearing a thin shift over an otherwise naked body which is dancing carries suggestive undertones.

Your next statement is also conjecture. The only thing to notice from the text is that no other wife’s concern was recorded. Your final statement is again conjecture. To use your words, the scripture does not state why Michal had no children. Is it possible she was simply barren, having so far not conceived in either of her marriages? Or is it possible David did not share conjugal rights with her? Or is there some third possibility, such as miscarriages and stillborn infants? The narrator only states the end result. The seeds sown in this interchange between David and Michal play themselves out in David’s story down the road until he stepped over a line that God would not countenance. I stand by what I teach, there. “I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in my own eyes; but by the maids of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” 2 Samuel 6:22-23, NRSVUE. You will notice it is the maids’ attention both Michal and David are talking about, not the eyes of all Israel, nor even all Judah. And to be exact, it is not that Saul “did not obey or properly honour the Lord” and David did do so that makes the difference. There were, in fact, plenty of times when David also “did not obey or properly honour the Lord.” The difference between Saul and David is that David repented and returned to the Lord. David did terrible, terrible things, and he knew it. But he repented, and God restored him. Saul just made excuses. Let’s not fall into the trap of idolizing heroes from the Bible. That takes glory from God and provides very unstable ground for good teaching. Instead, let us look for God’s glory and God’s goodness in the lives of those who serve God. Michal has been vilified for far too long in order to make David look good. That’s bad teaching. How David treated Michal is not good. How David treated women in general, for the most part, was not good. David was a rascal, and he had some serious flaws. But David also loved the Lord like few ever have, he humbled himself time and again before the Lord, and was restored every single time. That is good teaching, and provides the kind of hope and fortification of faith that you and I, real people who also love God and serve God, need.

First, the law of Moses stated plainly that it is FORBIDDEN to follow the ways of the pagans or their customs and laws. Therefore we know that doesn't apply.Every other nation worshipped idols, and therefore is pagan. I will put it again. Second, you posted a book written by a woman to support a point. The Bible is the only authority, the rest is unnecessary at best, and blatant lies at worst. Adding on to the scriptures is FORBIDDEN. It specifically said that Saul lost his position for disobedience, Samuel said so. Samuel tried to intervene for Saul, then God told Samuel that he rejected him SPECIFICALLY because he wasn't following/obeying him. Samuel once again reiterated this later when he was conjured by the witch of Endor, so yes, it was for disobedience. This is the same guy that had almost an entire city slaughtered for his own purposes, a city of priests. Neither did Samuel say his whole bloodline would die, he said his sons would die, which some of them did. If that was the Word of God then Saul would have ZERO descendants left, so you're wrong. I have the scriptures to confirm this. Additionally this was never mentioned by God or Samuel until this last talk, it was only said that David would rule, all Saul had to do was step aside, he forced God's hand. I mentioned the underwear to show that even hidden nudity is forbidden, I posted the verses showing that it is an outer garment in a previous comment. Not putting that again. Double check what I put if you wish. It is worn by those deemed worthy, originally the priests as a part of communion with God, I posted scriptures to prove that. Lastly, as for these papers and your "teachings", women being forbidden to teach. You and this author. It is a COMMANDMENT of Lord Jesus himself through Paul, meaning the making of this video, the book mentioned, and your comments "teaching" me or anyone else are outright rebellion against God. ‭Leviticus 18:3-4 KJV‬ [3] After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. [4] Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God. ‭1 Samuel 15:18-25, 30-31 KJV‬ [18] And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. [19] Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? [20] And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. [21] But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. [22] And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to hearken than the fat of rams. [23] For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, He hath also rejected thee from being king. [24] And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. [25] Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD. [30] Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God. [31] So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD. ‭1 Samuel 28:15-19 KJV‬ [15] And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. [16] Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? [17] And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: [18] because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day. [19] Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines. ‭1 Samuel 31:2-6 KJV‬ [2] And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchi-shua, Saul's sons. [3] And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers. [4] Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. [5] And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him. [6] So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together. ‭Proverbs 30:6 KJV‬ [6] Add thou not unto his words, Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. ‭Deuteronomy 12:32 KJV‬ [32] What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. ‭1 Timothy 2:11-15 KJV‬ [11] Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. [12] But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. [13] For Adam was first formed, then Eve. [14] And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. [15] Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. ‭1 Corinthians 14:34-37 KJV‬ [34] Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. [35] And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. [36] What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? [37] If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. I have posted the scriptures, and NO BEING IN EXISTENCE can deny the scriptures without being proven false. Even Satan knows to stop talking in that circumstance. I'm not idolizing anybody, I already stated how David was wrong about Bathsheba. Now you're falsely accusing me of idol worship. Smh. Neither try to say that this isn't "the church" so it doesn't matter. Christ said where 2 or 3 are gathered in his name, that is the church. The gathering of believers, nothing more, as there weren't always church buildings. ‭Matthew 18:20 KJV‬ [20] For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. I'm not replying to this specific sub thread anymore either. There's no point. I showed you how you have zero authority to teach anything about the Word. Heretic means someone refusing the correct teachings. Lord Jesus and his words reign supreme. ‭2 Timothy 4:3-4 KJV‬ [3] For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; [4] and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. ‭Titus 3:9-11 KJV‬ [9] But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. [10] A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; [11] knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

Amen!

Om. Kayak GuruGembul dan MaiaEstianti ya...ngibul ngalor ngidul mereka..

Yes, based upon the stories that would have been available to Jephthah at the time, the Law of God, also known by the tribes, the evidence points to Jephthah's daughter becoming a living sacrifice, serving the Lord for the rest of her life.

That’s not true tho u are watering it down to make it seem like God wasn’t the bad guy. Stop watering it down. God is kinda a bitch in the OT - he took her as a sacrifice just like he gave Miriam blisters.

Exactly so.

Agreed, a good observation. Hagar seems much closer to the Lord, who came to her in her darkest hour, not once but twice.

@@GraceandPeaceJoanne that's what I was thinking. When you really think about the cold hard facts about this story, it's kind of a case of 'calling good evil and evil good'. It was a very dysfunctional self involved choice for Sarah to bring another woman into the situation to get what she wanted. Then blame Abraham when it went sour. Then put hagar and the child out..even with a possibility of death in the wilderness. Plus we know her and Abraham lie. Those choices speak of a terrible heart. Knowing what we know about the promises now, it seems off that Sarah would have the child of promise. Especially when we see Hagar having a deeper relationship with God. I think I need to do even more study on this! I love your channel!

This is one of the many things I love about the Bible--the narrators and writers pull no punches. These are all real people who did good things and bad things. The self-aware and God-aware ones who humbly acknowledged when they'd done bad things and asked for forgiveness from God (and many tried to make reparations to others too, when possible, if the other was willing to receive it) always were restored. It gives me a lot of hope. God's immeasurable patience, willingness to work with us, meet us where we really are, and restore us is such a better message than "Hey, look at these impossibly amazing heroes. Be like them!"

A couple of people asked me, a while ago, to do Tamar's story, and I promised I would. I even researched her, but the ache and pain of her story got me in a wrench. But I think I'm finally ready. Stay tuned. Grace and peace, Joanne

You are absolutely right! In the book that goes with these videos, the study I have for Anna asks what encouragement she must have gotten from the stories of women who had been prophets before her. There are three women prophets whose stories, in particular, must have been great models to follow and sources of strength. You named one of them, Deborah, whose story I tell in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIataYWPqLagmck The one who comes before Deborah is Miriam, and her story is in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5mvmGdupJyqb6M Huldah's story is less well-known to Christians, but famous among those of Jewish faith: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmHTeoqjo7ajj8U Thanks for mentioning Deborah, she is a favorite person in the Bible. Grace and peace, Joanne

Me too! And what a lovely story to share with your daughters. May they grow into the full blessing of being loved by God💜 Grace and peace, Joanne

pro life?

The one where the father does a late term abortion on his daughter? 😂

Thank you for those encouraging words! I'm committed to going through these videos, and ones that need to be low music I'll upload as that. I already have a special request in for another video to alter, so I'll hopefully be able to take care of that by next week. Grace and peace, Joanne

You are right, God formally changed the character and presentation of Abram's and Sarai's names in a ceremony that acknowledged the profound change happening in their lives, the establishment of the patriarchal and matriarchal dynasty that would become Israel.

I'm not sure! Thanks for asking, it's a great question.

Thank you for taking the time to write your thought. I'm not quite sure what you mean, though from the context it sounds like your impression of God is not good. It can be hard work to remain self-aware about personal biases, owning the ones we have, and choosing the ones we're willing to let go of, however temporarily, in order the learn something new. One of our kids decided to major in materials science engineering in college, and her freshman class in physics began with the alarming announcement that everything she'd learned in high school was just plain wrong. That physics, applied as well as theoretical, was far too difficult for high schoolers to understand, so a simplified (and wrong) version is taught just to get across basic ideas. She was floored, realizing she was going to have to unlearn everything she knew in order to learn what her class had for her. But that's how I've approached reading the stories about women in the Bible. I've had to let go of what I'd been taught and told in order to see what's really there. And what's there is a very good God who is willing to love and work with really flawed people.

@GraceandPeaceJoanne hey thank you for the reply. Points for audience engagement. I haven't gone to school for theology or history. But I can read. My criticism is that much of what you glean when reading the biblical text, you supplement with other sources about those times and cultures, rather than simply reading what the text actually says. I haven't looked into the meaning behind the hebrew word you cited for a burnt offering and its alternative use. And i will later after work. I think the text clearly implies that he performed a physical sacrifice to God, but even if Jeptha didn't follow through with a burnt offering of his daughter, there are still 40 thousand reasons why Jeptha was a terrible evil warlord that should have been condemned if there is a good and just God.

I see what you mean. Yes, "reading what the text actually says" is harder than one might think. The oldest texts are in Hebrew, and Greek (the Septuagint). The English text is a heroic effort of scholars trying to get across a readable translation that is as faithful as possible to the actual words, and meaning. But consider how hard that is, with thousands of years in between us and the writer (and audience) and the wildly different cultures between us and them. Culture shapes us, including our language. Even today, international diplomacy is a very careful, mindful discipline because of the sometimes terrible gaffes that cause real problems that can happen one one is ignorant of the other's culture and language. Even in English, we can unwittingly offend between American English and British English. So that's why I try to give context, and look at the actual words of the text, not just the English words, and hope to bring across a better idea of what the text actually says, and actually means. I appreciate you giving me a chance to say all that. I'd have wanted to know all those things before I went to seminary. And I, too, value reading what the text really says.