Gilbert House Fellowship

WE CONCLUDE a section of the sayings of Solomon and move into a section of Proverbs attributed to wise men in general. This week, the focus is on the blessings that come from listening to instruction, raising our children to love one another and fear God, avoid gluttony, drunkenness and sloth, and not envying the possessions (or spouses) of others. Sharon’s niece, Sarah Sachleben, was recently dia...

THE SPIRITS of the giants destroyed by the Flood were venerated by the Amorites who dominated the culture around ancient Israel. The Hebrew prophets and psalmists condemned the cult of the dead, but you have to know what you’re looking for to find those scriptures. We find one of them in Proverbs 21: The man that wandereth out of the way of wisdom shall abide in the congregation of the dead. (KJV)...

THE FIRST VERSE of Proverbs 20 expresses a truth we’ve all seen at least once: Drunkenness leads to bad behavior. But there’s more to it. In the Semitic world around ancient Israel, pagans practiced a ritual called marzeah , referenced in Amos 6:7, that was apparently intended to induce an altered state of consciousness to allow participants to communicate with the spirits of the dead—which were a...

THE DANGER OF acting without thinking is a theme that runs through this week's study in the Book of Proverbs. The value of wisdom and prudence is emphasized throughout Proverbs, and the foolishness of pride or trusting in one’s wealth instead of God are repeated throughout these chapters. It may seem repetitious to hear the same concepts again and again, but given that so many of us have failed to...

WE WOULD save ourselves a lot of trouble if we were slower to anger, slower to speak, and a more worried about pleasing God than others. The theme of this week’s study, which echoes those since we began our dive into the Book of Proverbs, is that wisdom, patience, forgiveness, and willingness to accept advice and correction will go a long way towards making life happier and more fulfilling. And, o...

THE WISDOM of a gentle reply seems especially appropriate in this day of flame wars on social media. If there is a theme to Proverbs 15, it is that we do well to think before we speak (or post) and be open to correction. We also discuss a verse that, taken in context with other verses in the Old Testament, suggests a link between Abaddon and Tartarus: Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD;  ...

LEANING ON OUR OWN understanding is a recipe for disaster. We continue with the theme of the importance of wisdom and willingness to receive correction, summarized in this verse: There is a way that seems right to a man,   but its end is the way to death. (Prov. 14:12, ESV) We also discuss grief and its place in the human experience. Until Christ returns, pain will be a part of our journey. It’s a...

THE WISDOM of receiving instruction and correction is the theme of the proverbs in this week’s study. Warnings of the dire consequences of ignoring discipline, advice, and direction are repeated throughout these two chapters, with an emphasis on the need for parents to instruct their children—and for children to listen and follow the guidance of their fathers and mothers. —————— Follow us! • X: @g...

THE PROVERBS OF SOLOMON are a collection of short sayings organized to deal with specific topics. This week, we read through proverbs dealing with wealth and poverty, guarding one’s speech, hard work and laziness, and pride and humility. —————— Follow us! • X: @gilberthouse_tv | @sharonkgilbert | @derekgilbert • Telegram: t.me/gilberthouse • YouTube: @GilbertHouse | @UnravelingRevelation • Faceboo...

WISDOM IS NOT a female deity who’s been written out of Jewish and Christian theology over the last 3,000 years.  This week, we study three more proverbs dealing with the value of wisdom and explain why “wisdom” has female pronouns in scripture. In short, it’s because all nouns are gendered in Hebrew and “wisdom” happens to be a feminine noun. That does not make personified Wisdom a female entity,...

ANOTHER LONG WARNING against adultery is the theme of this week’s study. As we noted last week, there are two layers to this fatherly warning against dallying with prostitutes or the wives of other men: On the one hand, it’s a path to disgrace, ruin, and death; and on the other, ritual sex was common among the pagans around ancient Israel, and it was forbidden. So, the path to Sheol was not simply...

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 wit...

IRAN ATTACKED ISRAEL late last night, the first time the Islamic Republic has struck at Israel directly. The sight of missiles over the Temple Mount is startling, evoking images of the end times. We discuss the events of the last 24 hours and what may come in the days ahead, and we look at prophecies from Jeremiah and Zechariah about the role of Jerusalem and the Jewish people—no, God is not done...

IT’S APPARENT why the Song of Solomon is not often preached in church.  It is a beautiful and poetic description of the love and desire felt by a husband and wife, but the euphemisms that describe physical intimacy between Solomon can raise awkward questions from children in the congregation! But if you have been blessed with a loving marital relationship, you know. We also begin the proverbs of S...

THE SONG OF SOLOMON has layers of meaning. On the surface, it’s a beautiful depiction of the intimate relationship between a husband and wife. At a deeper level, it’s a picture of the mutual love between Christ and his church. We discuss the first five chapters and note the bride’s description of herself as “very dark, but lovely,” which is not based on racial characteristics but implies one whose...

SOLOMON’S PRAYER for wisdom pleased God, who honored Solomon’s wish and granted him more besides. 2 Chronicles picks up the story of Solomon from the beginning of his reign around 971 BC. At this time, the tabernacle of Moses was still at Gibeon, a city in the territory of Benjamin just north of Jerusalem, although the ark of the covenant was in Jerusalem. The wealth of Solomon is legendary. It’s...

SOLOMON BEGAN his reign with a prayer for wisdom, a prayer that was answered by God in a dream. We discuss some of the interesting differences in the Septuagint and the Masoretic Hebrew text, which is the basis for our English language Old Testament translations. It appears the Masoretes made minor changes to make David and Solomon appear even more powerful and wise than in the older Hebrew text t...

WE OFTEN WISH that God would show us the road we’ll travel for the rest of our lives. That’s not the sense of His promise in Psalm 119:105. The Hebrew word translated “lamp,” ner , is a small clay lamp with a single wick. In other words, it illuminates enough of the path to see that our next step or two is safe, but after that we have to trust that He’s leading us where we need to go. The overall...

PSALM 119 is sometimes called the Mount Everest of psalms. Not only is it long, its length is due to its unique construction: It’s an extended alphabet acrostic divided into 22 stanzas, one for each of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Further, each of the eight verses in every stanza begins with that Hebrew letter. For example, the eight verses of the first stanza all begin with alef , the vers...

It’s tempting, when looking at the state of the world, to conclude that God has abandoned us to the wolves—evildoers who think nothing of enriching themselves at the expense of everyone else. The psalms in this week’s study are a reminder that God has not forsaken us, and that those who trust in Him will ultimately be rewarded while for those who do not things will not end well. —————— Our Build B...

The succession of Solomon to the throne of David wasn’t secure even through the final days of the old king’s life. Like his brother Absalom before him, Adonijah declared himself king over Israel before the death of David. The difference is that Adonijah’s insurrection took place after David publicly named Solomon his heir and successor. We discuss the political machinations of Adonijah and why Sol...

PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING is at the heart of this week’s collection of psalms. From the awesome power of God and His mastery over the sea to His protection during times of distress, our God’s chesed , translated “steadfast love,” “loyal love,” “lovingkindness,” “mercy,” and other English words that don’t fully convey the concept, will never end. —————— Our Build Barn Better project is nearly done! O...

THE AMOUNT of precious metal used in the construction of the Temple is astonishing. The gold and silver donated by King David and the leading men of Israel would be valued today at roughly $20 billion! David alone contributed about $7.5 billion worth of gold and silver. The point of this week’s study, however, is not that one can buy God’s favor, but that whatever we have is His, to be used at His...

DAVID PREPARED the way for his son, Solomon, to take the throne and build the Temple. As we’ll see in the months ahead, our best laid plans don’t guarantee a smooth, trouble-free life. This week, we read through the divisions of priests, the organization of the military, and David’s farewell address to Israel. It may surprise some, like us, who thought that Solomon designed the Temple. The reading...

DAVID EXPERIENCED more during his life than a Hollywood action movie character. It’s remarkable that despite his accomplishments, David recognized that his success was entirely due to God. This week, we study a half-dozen psalms written toward the end of David’s life that explore the king’s relationship to his Creator from birth to “the eternity of the eternity.” —————— Our Build Barn Better proje...