Ignorance is bliss, or is it? (subtitle What the problem is?}

           

        When one hears the term, "ignorance", the first thing that comes to one's mind is something bad or negative, and when the term is directed towards one's self, especially when one has a BA or an MA, one might say: "Really!? Mwar!" "What is it that I Don't Know?  The problem is, some never keep the term in the context of a given situation or the spirit of the moment!  Case in point.  When a police or judge tells us; "Ignorance of the Law, is no excuse!"  The usage here is very clear!  However, all cases are not so. In some instances, it does not mean that one is not very smart, there is something someone has not learned,   but a snap reaction to a situation.  Temporary insanity as it were.

           This calls to mind a story about King David of the Nation of Isreal, recorded in the bible.  It was when David was running from King Saul, and He and his 600 men happened upon a certain flock and heard of a man named Nable.  David and his men took it upon themselves to protect men from marauder bands, or whatever.  To quote one of Nables men, "Like a wall he was around us!"  Because of this, David thought Nable would be grateful, and appreciative, but his reaction was not what he expected:

 Now there was a man in Maʹon+whose work was in Carʹmel.*

+ The man was very wealthy; he had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, and he was then shearing his sheep at Carʹmel. 3 The man’s name was Naʹbal,+ and his wife’s name was Abʹi·gail.+ The wife was discerning and beautiful, but the husband, a Caʹleb·ite,+ was harsh, and he behaved badly.+ 4 David heard in the wilderness that Naʹbal was shearing his sheep. 5 So David sent ten young men to him, and David told the young men: “Go up to Carʹmel, and when you come to Naʹbal, ask him in my name about his welfare. 6 Then say, ‘May you live long and may you be well* and may your household be well and may all that you have be well. 7 Now I hear that you are doing your shearing. When your shepherds were with us, we did not harm them,+ and they found nothing missing the whole time they were in Carʹmel. 8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. May my young men find favor in your eyes, because we have come at a joyous time.* Please give to your servants and to your son David whatever you can spare.’”+

9 So David’s young men went and told all of this to Naʹbal in David’s name. When they finished, 10 Naʹbal answered David’s servants: “Who is David, and who is the son of Jesʹse? Nowadays many servants are breaking away from their masters.+ 11 Do I have to take my bread and my water and the meat that I butchered for my shearers and give it to men who come from who knows where?”

       Not the response one would expect, right?  Well, not knowing very well, No.  Note David's response?:  

At that David’s young men returned and reported all these words to him. 13 David immediately said to his men: “Everyone straps on your sword!”+ So they all strapped on their swords, and David also strapped on his own sword, and about 400 men went up with David, while 200 men stayed with the baggage.

        Now one might say that David had every right to be about to act a bit ignorant at this point, but notice what happened next: 

Meanwhile, one of the servants reported to Abʹi·gail, Naʹbal’s wife: “Look! David sent messengers from the wilderness to wish our master well, but he screamed insults at them.+ 15 Those men were very good to us. They never harmed us, and we did not miss a single thing the whole time we were together with them in the fields.+ 16 They were like a protective wall around us, both by night and by day, the whole time we were with them shepherding the flock. 17 Now decide what you are going to do, for disaster has been determined against our master and against all his house,+ and he is such a worthless* man+ that no one can speak to him.”

18 So Abʹi·gail+ quickly took 200 loaves of bread, two large jars of wine, five dressed sheep, five seah measures* of roasted grain, 100 cakes of raisins, and 200 cakes of pressed figs and put all of it on the donkeys.+ 19 Then she said to her servants: “Go on ahead of me; I will follow you.” But she said nothing to her husband Naʹbal.

At this point, Abigail is the only one keeping a cool head.  Notice her words to David, as she saves him from becoming blood guilty!

  When Abʹi·gail caught sight of David, she hurried down off the donkey and threw herself facedown before David, bowing to the ground. 24 

She then fell at his feet and said: “My lord, let the blame be on me; let your servant girl speak to you and listen to the words of your servant girl. 25 Please, do not let my lord pay attention to this worthless Naʹbal,+ for he is just like his name. Naʹbal* is his name, and senselessness is with him. But I, your servant girl, did not see my lord’s young men whom you sent. 26 And now, my lord, as surely as Jehovah is living and as you are* living, it is Jehovah who has held you back+ from incurring bloodguilt+ and from taking revenge* with your own hand. May your enemies and those seeking injury to my lord become like Naʹbal. 27 Now let this gift*+ that your servant girl has brought to my lord be given to the young men who are following my lord.+ 28 Pardon, please, the transgression of your servant girl, for Jehovah will without fail to make for my lord a lasting house,+ because my lord is fighting the wars of Jehovah,+ and no evil has been found in you all your days.+ 29 When someone rises up to pursue you and seeks your life,* the life* of my lord will be wrapped securely in the bag of life with Jehovah your God, but the lives* of your enemies he will hurl away like stones from a sling.* 30 And when Jehovah has done for my lord all the good things he has promised and he appoints you as leader over Israel,+ 31 you will have no remorse or regret* in your heart for shedding blood without cause and for letting the hand of my lord take revenge.*+ When Jehovah confers good upon my lord, remember your servant girl.”

           Up to this point, David had told his men: "May God do the same and more to the enemies of David* if I allow a single male. However, notice David's response: 

At this David said to Abʹi·gail: “Praise Jehovah the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! 33 And blessed be your good sense! May you be blessed for restraining me this day from incurring bloodguilt+ and from taking revenge* with my own hands. 34 Otherwise, as surely as Jehovah the God of Israel who held me back from harming you+ is living, if you had not come quickly to meet me,+ by morning there would not have remained a single male* belonging to Naʹbal.”+ 35 With that David accepted from her what she had brought him and said to her: “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have listened to you, and I will grant your request.”    Clearly, David was not an unlearned individual, but like us all, people can catch us off guard sometimes and we might not respond properly and seek vengeance for ourselves.  Case in point: "Abʹi·gail later went back to Naʹbal, who was feasting like a king in his house, and Naʹbal*

 was in a good mood and was as drunk as could be. She did not tell him a single thing until the morning light. 37 In the morning, when Naʹbal was sober, his wife told him these things. And his heart became like a dead man’s, and he lay paralyzed like a stone. 38 

About ten days later, Jehovah struck Naʹbal, and he died."

(1 Samual 25:1-38)

      So never seek to be too quick put people back into their pace as we might want to sometimes. Leave them in god's hands:  "“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but yield place to the wrath; for it is written: ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says Jehovah.’” (Romans 12:19)"

Word!

Von Bro'

of his to survive until the morning.”"

"Resist the Spirit of Jezebel"

“‘Nevertheless, I do hold this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezʹe·bel,+ 

 who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and misleads my slaves to commit sexual immorality*+ and to eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 And I gave her time to repent, but she is not willing to repent of her sexual immorality.* 22 Look! I am about to throw her into a sickbed, and those committing adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. 23 And I will kill her children with deadly plague so that all the congregations will know that I am the one who searches the innermost thoughts* and hearts, and I will give to you individually according to your deeds.+ 

24 “‘However, I say to the rest of you who are in Thy·a·tiʹra, all those who do not follow this teaching, those who did not get to know the so-called “deep things of Satan”:+ I am not putting any other burden on you. 25 Just the same, hold fast to what you have until I come.+ 26 And to the one who conquers and observes my deeds down to the end, I will give authority over the nations,+ 27 and he will shepherd the people with an iron rod+ so that they will be broken to pieces like clay vessels, just as I have received from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star.+ 29 Let the one who has an ear hear what the Spirit says to the congregations.’(Revelation 2:20-29) 

 
 

The book of Revelation is written in symbolic terms. Likewise, the judgment she received is symbolic as well.  Do you recall how her life ended?  Let me first give you some background on the situation. The people of the time were confused about who to worship Jehovah or Baal. So Elijah said to them: 

 
 

21  
....“How long will you be limping between two different opinions?*+ If Jehovah is the true God, follow him;+ but if Baʹal is, follow him!” But the people did not say a word in answer to him. (1 Kings 18:21) 

 
 

Elijah posed a challenge to prove unanimously who the true God was so that there would be no doubt about who the true God is.  Then he said:   E·liʹjah then said to the people: “I am the only prophet of Jehovah left, while the prophets of Baʹal are 450 men. 23  

Let them give us two young bulls and let them choose one young bull and cut it into pieces and put it on the wood, but they should not put fire to it. I will prepare the other young bull, and I will place it on the wood, but I will not put fire to it. 24 Then you must call on the name of your god,+ and I will call on the name of Jehovah. The God who answers by fire will show that he is the true God.”+ To this all the people answered: “What you say is good.”(1 Kings 18:23, 24 ) 

So the prophets of Baal made a spectacle of themselves in vain trying to get their lifeless God to answer them with fire to accept their burnt offering, but no one was paying attention. Even when screaming loudly and cutting themselves.  Elijah made fun of them saying: Call out at the top of your voice! After all, he is a god!+ 

 Perhaps he is deep in thought, or he has gone to relieve himself.* Or maybe he is asleep, and someone needs to wake him up!”(1 Kings 18:27 It was to no avail.  Then it was Elijah's turn to offer his sacrifice to the true God Jehovah. built an altar with a trench around, deep enough to plant 2 Seah measures of seed.  He not only did not put fire on it but had it drenched with water three times so that the trench was filled with water. 

One might ask, "What does all this have to do with the spirit of Jezebel?"  We'll just keep watching! 

Then Elijah called out to the true God:  “O Jehovah, the God of Abraham,+ 

 Isaac,+ and Israel, today let it be known that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and that it is by your word that I have done all these things.+ 37 Answer me, O Jehovah! Answer me so that these people may know that you, Jehovah, are the true God and that you are turning their hearts back to you.”+ 

38 At that the fire of Jehovah fell from above and consumed the burnt offering,+ the pieces of wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water from the trench.+ 39 When all the people saw it, they immediately fell facedown and said: “Jehovah is the true God! Jehovah is the true God!” (1 Kings 18:36b-39)

Then Elijah called out to have all the profits of Baal to be seized and put to death. Now When Queen Jezebel heard about what Elijah had done, she was screaming threats and murder towards Jehovah's prophet so that he had to take to flight, running for his life.  Why do you suppose she would be so bold after such a showdown.  Elijah proved Jehovah is the true God, it's quite possible somebody told her what happened, or perhaps she didn't care, like most people today.  They don't care, and they think the way they want to, and they do with their hands every bad thing they can think of, and feet in a hurry to run to badness, in opposition to Jehovah.  It's not just women, but men who are affected by her spirit.  What was her end? 

Finally, someone threw her down from a window, but what happened next was very significant.  Before she could be buried, the dogs had eaten her up, and all that was left was her skull, feet, and the palms of her hands.  No doubt symbolic of the way she lived. Mind on the wrong things, doing things with her hands in defiance of Jehovah.  Wanting to Murder his prophets for carrying out his will. How foolish, and how arrogant.  Please! Resist the spirit of Jezebel! (2 Kings 9:30-37) 

Von Bro'