Proverbs 3 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart

We just learned about the Bible book of Proverbs.

One famous Proverb is Proverbs chapter 3.

This chapter says to trust in the Lord and he will help you out.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.


(from: wikipedia - book of proverbs)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Crucifix

Proverbs

We just learned about the Psalm 119 and some other famous Psalms.

Another book that is poetry in the Bible is the book of Proverbs.

This book is full of the wisdom of people from the Bible like King Solomon.
It talks about many of the things you should do and should not do in life, and gives good advice.

The book of Proverbs is split up into 8 sections.
The Bible says that three of the sections were written by Solomon, and the other 6 were written or shared by other people.


(from: wikipedia - book of proverbs)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cross

Psalm 119 - Longest Psalm

We just learned about Psalm 137 - By the waters of Babylon .

Another famous chapter in this book is Psalm 119.

This Psalm is the longest chapter in the whole Bible, and has 176 verses.
These 176 verses are split up into 22 parts, and each of those 22 parts, one for each letter of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Each of those 22 parts has eight verses, and each of those eight verses begins with the Hebrew letter they are listed under.

For example, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet is "אַ", called "Aleph".

The first eight chapters of Psalm 119 in Hebrew are:


אַשְׁרֵ֥י תְמִֽימֵי־דָ֑רֶךְ הַֽ֝הֹלְכִ֗ים בְּתוֹרַ֥ת יְהוָֽה׃
אַ֭שְׁרֵי נֹצְרֵ֥י עֵדֹתָ֗יו בְּכָל־לֵ֥ב יִדְרְשֽׁוּהוּ׃
אַ֭ף לֹֽא־פָעֲל֣וּ עַוְלָ֑ה בִּדְרָכָ֥יו הָלָֽכוּ׃
אַ֭תָּה צִוִּ֥יתָה פִקֻּדֶ֗יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֥ר מְאֹֽד׃
אַ֭חֲלַי יִכֹּ֥נוּ דְרָכָ֗י לִשְׁמֹ֥ר חֻקֶּֽיךָ׃
אָ֥ז לֹא־אֵב֑וֹשׁ בְּ֝הַבִּיטִ֗י אֶל־כָּל־מִצְוֺתֶֽיךָ׃
א֭וֹדְךָ בְּיֹ֣שֶׁר לֵבָ֑ב בְּ֝לָמְדִ֗י מִשְׁפְּטֵ֥י צִדְקֶֽךָ׃

Hebrew is backwards from English, and is read from right to left.
So if you look at the character on the right of each line, you can see it is the "Aleph".

When the Psalm is translated to English, the letters don't match up anymore:

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!
You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.
Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!
Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules.
I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!


(from: wikipedia - psalm 119)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Feast of Christ the King

Psalm 137 - By the waters of Babylon

We just learned about Psalm 103 - Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Another famous chapter from the book of Psalms is Psalm 137.

This Psalm has been made into music and paintings many times, especially the beginning which starts off:

"By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept,"

This Psalm was written about the time when the Israelites were forced to leave their home of Jerusalem, and they were very sad.


(from: wikipedia - psalm 137)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: All Saint's Day

Psalm 103 - Bless the Lord, O my soul

We just learned about Psalm 51 - Miserere.

Another famous chapter in the book of Psalms is Psalm 103.

This song starts with the words:

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!.

It goes on to say how great the Lord is, and sings praises on his blessings.
This song has been used many times for songs and even musicals.


(from: wikipedia - psalm 103)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ordinary Time

Psalm 51 - Miserere

We just learned about Psalm 23 - The Lord is my shepherd.

Another chapter in the book of psalms is Psalm 51.

This chapter is sometimes called "Miserere" which means Have Mercy.
After King David had sinned against God, he wrote this Psalm to beg for mercy and forgiveness.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.


(from: wikipedia - psalm 51)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Trinity Sunday

Psalm 23 - The Lord is my shepherd

We just learned about Psalm 22 - Why have you forsaken me?.

Another very famous chapter in the Book of Psalms is Psalm 23.

This chapter talks about God as a protecting shepherd.
Because this Psalm talks so well about being protected by God in times of need, it is put on a lot of posters, quoted a lot, and has been in a lot of music by famous people including Johann Sebastian Bach.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.


(from: wikipedia - psalm 23)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pentecost

Psalm 22 - Why have you forsaken me?

We just learned about the Bible book of Psalms.

One very famous Psalm from the Bible was Psalm 22.

The Psalm starts out with the words "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?".
In the book of Matthew chapter 27, it says that Jesus cried out the same thing as he was on the cross.

Many people believe that Jesus crying out this Psalm shows that it was a prophecy, because it also says:
"a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet"
and
"they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots."

The Psalm goes on to give praises to God and say that he will rule over the world some day.

"All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.
For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations."


(from: wikipedia - psalm 22)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Easter Sunday

Psalms

We just learned about the book of the Bible named Esther.

We've learned before that the Bible has Books of Poetry and Wisdom.

The longest book in the whole Bible is the book of Psalms, with 150 chapters.

In the book of Psalms there are 5 different sections:
Book 1 (Psalms 1–41)
Book 2 (Psalms 42–72)
Book 3 (Psalms 73–89)
Book 4 (Psalms 90–106)
Book 5 (Psalms 107–150)

Many of the Psalms have been made into songs like hymns, or put into poetry.


(from: wikipedia - psalms)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Holy Saturday

Esther

We just learned about the person from the Bible Josiah.

Another person from the Bible was Esther.

Esther was a young Jewish girl who was chosen as the Queen in a time when God's people the Hebrews were being ruled by other countries.

While she was Queen, there were some people who made plans to try and get rid of all the Hebrew people, but Esther's cousin Mordecai found out about it and warned Esther.

Esther talked to her husband the King, and he stopped the bad people who were making those plans, and he helped the Hebrew people be protected while he was king.


(from: wikipedia - esther)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Good Friday

Josiah

We just learned about the person from the Bible named Elisha.

Another person from the Bible was Josiah.

Josiah was one of the many Kings of God's people of Judah.
When he was king, the people of Judah had not been very good about following God's laws for a long time.
Many people had even forgotten what the laws were, because the books where the laws were written had been lost.
When Josiah told people to start cleaning up God's temple, the high priest named Hilkiah found the Book of Law, and brought it to Josiah.

Josiah heard what the book said and was very upset when he found out that they were breaking many of God's laws and not living the way they were supposed to be.
He ordered that all the people had to stop doing all the bad things they were doing, like worshipping false idols, and go back to worshipping God the way they were supposed to.



(from: wikipedia - josiah)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Maundy Thursday

Elisha

We just learned about the Elijah.

Another person from the Bible is Elisha.
When the prophet Elijah was getting older, he chose Elisha to take over when he was gone.

Elisha did many miracles for God, like bringing a young child back to life, curing leprosy, causing enemy soldiers to go blind and helping hungry people turn a little food into a lot of food.

He was also a prophet who talked to God's followers and told them what God wanted them to do.


(from: wikipedia - elisha)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Palm Sunday

Elijah

We just learned about the Solomon.

Another person from the Bible was Elijah.

Elijah was a prophet of God during a time when the Kings of Israel were not doing what they were supposed to.
God told Elijah to tell everyone there would not be any rain for a long time.
During this time God sent Elijah to meet a woman and ask her for food.
She said she had only enough food for her to eat for one more day, and then she would starve.
Elijah told her to go make him some bread and that she would not run out, and the flour and oil she had lasted for 40 days.

One of the bad kings was named Ahab, and he had his people worship a false God named Baal.
God told Elijah to go challenge the prophets that worked for Baal, to see if they could start a fire to burn up a sacrifice.
No matter what the Baal prophets did, they could not get the fire to light.
When it was Elijah's turn, he told them to soak everything with water to prove how strong God was.
Elijah asked God to light the fire, and it burned up the offering and the wood and the stones.
Everyone who saw this was amazed and believed in God again.
Because they came back to God, there was rain again and people could grow crops again.


(from: wikipedia - elijah)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Holy Week

Solomon

We just learned about the person from the Bible named Nathan.

Another person from the Bible is Solomon.

Solomon was the son of David, and Solomon became king.
When Solomon was young, God talked to him and asked him what he wanted.
He asked God to give him wisdom to rule over God's people.
This made God very happy, and he gave him riches and honor to go with his wisdom.

Solomon wrote many wise sayings that are in the Bible called Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, and a poem that he wrote for his wife in the book Song of Solomon.


(from: wikipedia - solomon)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Ash Wednesday

Nathan

We just learned about the person from the Bible named David.

Another person from the Bible is Nathan.

During the time of King David, there was a woman that King David took away named Bathsheeba.
Bathsheeba was married to someone else, and so it was very bad that David took her away, but he was the king so no one could tell him no.
God sent the prophet Nathan in to tell David a story about a rich man who had lots of sheep, but he stole his poor neighbor's only sheep.
He used this to explain to David that when he stole Bathsheeba, he did the same thing to her husband.
David felt very bad and asked God for forgiveness.

Later when David's son Solomon was ready to be King, Nathan was the prophet that announced he would be king.


(from: wikipedia - nathan (prophet))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Fat Tuesday

David

We just learned about the person from the Bible named Saul.

Another person from the Bible was David.

After Saul had made God angry, Samuel went out to pick a new King for Israel.
Samuel went to the farm of a man named Jesse, and God picked the youngest of his eight sons, a boy named David to be the new king.

David went to work for King Saul, and went Saul was not feeling well he would play his harp, also called a lyre, to help him feel better.

One day the people of Israel were in a battle with the Philistine people, who had a giant warrior named Goliath.
Everyone was afraid to fight Goliath, except David, because David had faith that God would help him beat Goliath.
They tried to give him armor, but he said that God would protect him.
David took a rock and used his slingshot to throw it at Goliath and killed him, and won the battle for God.

Later on David was the king, and he won many battles for God's people.
He also wrote many songs which are in the book of Psalms.

One day David was up on the roof of his palace, and he looked over and saw a woman bathing.
He knew that he should not be looking at her, but instead of looking away he told his servants to go get the woman and bring her to him.
She was married to someone else, so this was a very bad thing that David did.
God was very angry with David for taking someone else's wife, since he was king and had so many wonderful things already.

David ran away and begged God for forgiveness, and that made God happy, so he let David's son Solomon become king after David died.


(from: wikipedia - david)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lent

Saul

We just learned about the person from the Bible named Samuel.

Another person from the Bible was Saul.

After God's prophet Samuel told the people that God would choose a king for them, God told him that Saul would be that king.

Saul was the most handsome and tallest man in all of Israel.
Samuel told everyone that Saul was the king, and with God's help Saul won many great battles.

Later on Saul didn't listen to God's instructions very well, so God was angry with him, and decided to replace him some day with David.
Saul met David, and when Saul was not feeling well David would play music for him on a harp.

Eventually David grew up and was a warrior for Saul's army, but Saul was jealous because people talked more about Saul than about him so he tried to get rid of David.
Saul got killed in a battle, and David became king after him.


(from: wikipedia - saul)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Epiphany - Transfiguration

Samuel

We just learned about the person from the Bible named Ruth.

Another person from the Bible was Samuel.

When Samuel was young, he was sleeping and heard a voice calling him.
The voice was God talking to him, and so people learned that Samuel was a prophet that God would talk to.

The people of Israel wanted a king on earth to rule over them, and so God told Samuel to make Saul the king.
Later on when Saul was doing bad things, God sent Samuel to make David the king instead.

As a prophet, Samuel talked to God's people a lot, giving them the instructions that God gave him.


(from: wikipedia - samuel)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Epiphany - Baptism of Our Lord

Ruth

We just learned about the person from the Bible Samson.

Another person from the Bible was Ruth.

There once was a woman named Naomi, who had two sons.
Her sons married girls named Ruth and Orpah.
One day her husband and sons all died, and she was left with no family except Ruth and Orpah.
She told the two girls to go back to their homelands, but Ruth refused.
She stayed with Naomi to take care of her.

They moved to another land where a rich man named Boaz lived.
Ruth asked if she could work in the fields and pick up just the last little bits of crops that were left behind after everyone was done.
She did that over and over, and everyone saw how hard she worked to help gather small bits of crops so she could take care of her mother in law Naomi.
One day Boaz saw how hard Ruth worked, and he married her.
Boaz and Ruth had children, and Ruth was the Great Grandmother of David who would be King of Israel.


(from: wikipedia - book of ruth)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Epiphany

Samson

We just learned about Gideon.

Another person from the Bible was Samson.

When Samson was growing up, he was told never to cut his hair and he would be strong.

He grew up to be so strong that he killed a lion with his bare hands, and he killed many people in a battle using just a jawbone of a donkey.

One day he got married to a woman named Delilah.
Her family did not like Samson, so they told her to find out how to beat him.

He tricked her and told her fake reasons, like that they could tie him down with seven fresh bowstrings, or new ropes, or to weave his hair and tie it with a pin.

Delilah got upset and so he finally told her that if his hair was cut he would be weak.
People came and cut his hair and then captured him and poked his eyes out.

The people that didn't like him brought him to a big palace to make fun of him.
They tied him to large pillars to watch him, and he prayed to God for strength.
God granted his wish, and he pulled on the pillars and the whole palace came crashing down on everyone.
Samson died but so did his enemies in the end.

(from: wikipedia - samson)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Christmas Season