Gilbert House Fellowship

WE RETURN to our regularly scheduled reading this week with proverbs that are paternal calls for wisdom—and a warning against communing with spirits of the dead.

Contrary to some who seen in these chapters a female deity named Wisdom, perhaps even the consort of Yahweh, the mundane explanation is simply that the word chokhmah (“wisdom”) is a feminine noun. Grammatical gender has nothing to do with biological gender. So, attempts to see in Proverbs a feminine spirit named Wisdom are misguided—an example of eisegesis, reading a desired, predetermined meaning into the text, rather than exegesis, drawing the intended meaning from the text.

We also dig deep into Proverbs 2:18:

[F]or her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed;

We find in the passage what may be a reference to the cult of the dead that surrounded the Israelites. First, the word translated “departed” is rephaim, the spirits of the Nephilim destroyed in the Flood. This is confirmed by the Greek Septuagint, translated about 200 years before the birth of Jesus, which translates rephaim as “giants.”

Further, the Septuagint uses axonas for the word translated “paths,” where three verses earlier the words triboi and trochiai are rendered “paths.” The Brenton translation of the Septuagint renders Prov. 2:18 this way:

For she has fixed her house near death, and guided her wheels near Hades with the giants.

We explain why this is relevant: On the Golan Heights, ancient Bashan, there are literally hundreds of funerary monuments that feature concentric rings of stone around a central tumulus or cairn. The largest is Gilgal Refaim (“Wheel of Giants”), which we visited last March, but there are three others nearly as large that are practically unknown. Gilgal Refaim appears to have been built as a cult site for ritual circumambulation around a sacred central core in which a priest or shaman would descend to make contact with spirits of the netherworld.

In short, Proverbs 2 appears to be a warning against participating in rites that were clearly still taking place in the time of Saul, David, and Solomon (see 1 Samuel 28, Saul’s visit to the medium of En-dor). In fact, based on the writings of the prophets, communing with spirits of the netherworld continued in Israel for at least another three or four hundred years, down to the time of Jeremiah and the Babylonian captivity.

Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! Our 1,200 square pole barn now has HVAC, a new floor, windows, ceiling fans, upgraded electric service, and insulation. We’re now producing programs out there. Thank you for your support! If you are so led, you can help out at GilbertHouse.org/donate.

Get our free app! It connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs Unraveling Revelation and A View from the Bunker, and the podcast that started this journey in 2005, P.I.D. Radio. Best of all, it bypasses the gatekeepers of Big Tech!

The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/.

Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site!

Check out our online store! www.GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study. Take advantage of our monthly specials!

Coffee! We’ve partnered with Kevlar Joe’s Coffee (KevlarJoe.com) for Gilbert House blends: Amazing Grace, a mild cookies-and-cream flavored coffee; Snarling Dachshund, a medium-roast Sumatran; and Bunker Buster, a dark-roasted Colombian that’s sure to get you moving. Find them at GilbertHouse.org/store/.

SOLIDARITY MISSION TO ISRAEL! This is “last call” for our one-week trip to Israel May 6–13, 2024 to bear witness to what’s happened there since the war with Hamas began. We plan to visit Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, Sderot, an exhibition of the Nova Music Festival, and more. For details, go to www.gilberthouse.org/travel.

NEW DATES FOR OUR NEXT TOUR OF ISRAEL! Our 2025 tour features special guests Timothy Alberino, Dr. Judd Burton, and Doug Van Dorn! We will tour the Holy Land March 25–April 3, 2025, with an optional three-day extension in Jordan. For more information, log on to www.gilberthouse.org/travel.

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BECAUSE DAVID had been a man of war, the task of building the Temple in Jerusalem fell to his son, Solomon.

This week, we read the accounts of the Temple’s construction, and how Hiram, king of Tyre, provided the timber and craftsmen for the work. We also note that account in 1 Kings records that Solomon built the Temple “for the Name of Yahweh.” We briefly discuss the meaning of “the Name,” which does not refer to God’s reputation, but an embodied person—an important part of the Godhead in ancient Israel.

For more, we recommend Dr. Michael Heiser’s article at the Faithlife Study Bible, “The Name Theology in the Old Testament”: www.bit.ly/name-ot

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JOIN US IN ISRAEL! Our 2025 Israel tour features special guests Timothy Alberino, Dr. Judd Burton, and Doug Van Dorn! We will tour the Holy Land March 25–April 3, 2025, with an optional three-day extension in Jordan. For more information, log on to www.gilberthouse.org/travel.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to security concerns, our Solidarity Mission to Israel planned for November 6–13, 2024 has been canceled.

Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! Our 1,200 square pole barn now has HVAC, a new floor, windows, ceiling fans, upgraded electric service, and insulation. We’re now producing programs out there. Thank you for your support! If you are so led, you can help out at GilbertHouse.org/donate.

Get our free app! It connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs Unraveling Revelation and A View from the Bunker, and the podcast that started this journey in 2005, P.I.D. Radio. Best of all, it bypasses the gatekeepers of Big Tech!

The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/.

Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site!

Check out our online store! www.GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study. Take advantage of our monthly specials!

Gilbert House T-shirts and mugs! New to our store is a line of GHTV and Redwing Saga merch! Check it out at GilbertHouse.org/store!

Think better, feel better! Our partners at Simply Clean Foods offer freeze-dried, 100% GMO-free food and delicious, vacuum-packed fair trade coffee from Honduras. Find out more at GilbertHouse.org/store.

Our favorite Bible study tools! Check the links in the right-hand column at www.GilbertHouse.org.

IMAGINE AN ORCHESTRA of 4,000 musicians playing hymns of thanksgiving and praise! That’s what David envisioned when he organized service for the temple that would be built.

This week, we read through the detailed description of the plans made by David for temple service. It may seem like a boring section of scripture, but it illustrates the central role of God in the lives of His people—at least for a while. As with people throughout history, and we include ourselves here, distractions, ambition, and the things of this world occupy our attention and take His place at the center of our lives.

Our Build Barn Better project is nearly complete! Our 1,200 square pole barn now has HVAC, along with a new floor, windows, ceiling fans, upgraded electric service, and insulation. Wall paneling is going up and we’re beginning to produce programs out there. Thank you for your support! If you are so led, you can help out at GilbertHouse.org/donate.

Get our free app! It connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs Unraveling Revelation and A View from the Bunker, and the podcast that started this journey in 2005, P.I.D. Radio. Best of all, it bypasses the gatekeepers of Big Tech!

The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/.

Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site!

Check out our online store! www.GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study. Take advantage of our monthly specials!
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NOTE: New dates for our 2024 tour of Israel! Our tour features special guest Timothy Alberino! We will tour the Holy Land November 1–10, 2024 (dates pending confirmation with Lipkin Tours), with an optional three-day extension in Jordan. For more information, log on to www.GilbertsInIsrael.com.
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Subscribe to our new YouTube channels!

• Unraveling Revelation: www.YouTube.com/UnravelingRevelation
• These weekly studies and Derek’s podcast: www.YouTube.com/GilbertHouse

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Our favorite Bible study tools! Check the links in the right-hand column at www.GilbertHouse.org. For the complete Gilbert House Fellowship archive, go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship.

DAVID WAS not perfect, but he recognized his failures. More importantly, he acknowledged that God was the source of his salvation—his yeshua.

This week, we study four psalms dated to the last part of David’s life. This followed the rebellion and death of his son, Absalom, his near-death at the hands of one of the Philistine “sons of the Rapha,” and his decision to eliminate the male heirs of the House of Saul (except for Mephibosheth) to repay the blood-guilt due the people of Gideon.

We take a long look at Psalm 42, which is well known for its beautiful, poetic language:

Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me. (Psalm 42:7, ESV)

That verse is more supernatural than is obvious on the surface. In context, it’s a cry from behind enemy lines—the Upper Galilee, near Mount Hermon, or the area that we believe was the literal Valley of the Shadow of Death.

If you can send a get-well card to young Finn Walden, who suffered a serious fall out of a tree a few days ago, the address is:

Finn Walden
14065 Road 37
Mancos, CO 81328

If you are able to help Jamie and Virginia Walden defray Finn's medical expenses, you can do that here: www.calicobuffalobasecamp.com/support.

Our Build Barn Better project is making progress! Our 1,200 square pole barn has a new floor, windows, upgraded electric service, and insulation. Ceiling fans went up this week, and HVAC will be installed this coming week. After that, we’ll move our studios, book/DVD warehouse, and shipping office out of our home. If you are so led, you can help out at GilbertHouse.org/donate.

Get our free app! It connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs Unraveling Revelation and A View from the Bunker, and the podcast that started this journey in 2005, P.I.D. Radio. Best of all, it bypasses the gatekeepers of Big Tech!

The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/.

Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site!

Check out our online store! www.GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study. Take advantage of our monthly specials!
——————
Join us in Israel! Our 2024 tour of Israel features special guest Timothy Alberino! We will tour the Holy Land March 31–April 9, 2024, with an optional three-day extension in Jordan. For more information, log on to www.GilbertsInIsrael.com.
——————
Subscribe to our new YouTube channels!
Unraveling Revelation: www.YouTube.com/UnravelingRevelation
These weekly studies and Derek’s podcast: www.YouTube.com/GilbertHouse
——————
Our favorite Bible study tools! Check the links in the right-hand column at www.GilbertHouse.org. For the complete Gilbert House Fellowship archive, go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship.

ONE OF THE JOYS of Bible study is discovering layers of meaning that you’d missed on your first reading.

This week, we run into another instance of the English phrase “worthless idols” (Ps. 97:7b). We think the context indicates that the Hebrew word elîlîm refers to supernatural beings (angels, if you like), not carvings of wood and stone. This is emphasized by the exhortation to the unseen realm in the sentence that follows: “Worship Him, all you gods!”

We submit that David, who wrote Psalm 97, knew full well that lifeless sculptures are not capable of worship. Those small-G gods are real. David’s point, which we read in Psalm 97:9, is that YHWH is “exalted far above all gods.”

As we mentioned in our study of 1 Chronicles 16 (GHF #369), elîlîm is derived from the name of the Mesopotamian father-god, Enlil, which was rendered “Ellil” in Akkadian. The elîlîm, then, were not the “imaginary friends” of Israel’s pagan neighbors, but small-E elohim who had followed Enlil (AKA El, Dagon, Molech, Kronos, Saturn, and Shemihazah, among other names) into rebellion against their Creator.

Our Build Barn Better project is making progress! Our 1,200 square pole barn now has HVAC, along with a new floor, windows, ceiling fans, upgraded electric service, and insulation. Next, we’ll put up wall paneling and install an insulated door, and then we’ll move our studios, book/DVD warehouse, and shipping office out of our home. If you are so led, you can help out at GilbertHouse.org/donate.

Get our free app! It connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs Unraveling Revelation and A View from the Bunker, and the podcast that started this journey in 2005, P.I.D. Radio. Best of all, it bypasses the gatekeepers of Big Tech!

The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/.

Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site!

Check out our online store! www.GilbertHouse.org/store is a virtual book table with books and DVDs related to our weekly Bible study. Take advantage of our monthly specials!
——————
Join us in Israel! Our 2024 tour of Israel features special guest Timothy Alberino! We will tour the Holy Land March 31–April 9, 2024, with an optional three-day extension in Jordan. For more information, log on to www.GilbertsInIsrael.com.
——————
Subscribe to our new YouTube channels!

• Unraveling Revelation: www.YouTube.com/UnravelingRevelation
• These weekly studies and Derek’s podcast: www.YouTube.com/GilbertHouse

——————
Our favorite Bible study tools! Check the links in the right-hand column at www.GilbertHouse.org. For the complete Gilbert House Fellowship archive, go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship.