Exodus 16 What is It? QA

What is it?

With Questions and Proposed Answers

Background and printed text: Exodus chapter 16

Exodus 16:1 And they journeyed from Their-Ram. And they came—all the witness of the children of Israel—unto the Thorn Desert that is between Their-Ram and between My-Thorn in the fifteenth day to the second month to their exiting from the land of Double-Adversity [Egypt].

²And they lodged—all the witness of the children of Israel—upon Draw [Moshe] and upon Oy!-Conception! [Aharon] in the desert. ³And the children of Israel said unto them, “Who will give our death? Via the hand of Yehovah? Via the land of Egypt? Via our sitting upon a pot of the flesh? Via our eating bread to the full? For ye exited us unto this desert to kill all this congregation via famine!”

⁴And Yehovah said unto Draw [Moshe], “Behold I am raining bread to you from the heavens! And the people shall exit. And they shall glean a speech of a day in his day so-that I will test him: Will he walk via my Teaching, if not? ⁵And he shall be in the sixth day. And they shall foundation what they shall bring. And he shall be doubled upon what they shall glean: day, day.

⁶And Draw [Moshe] said, and Oy!-Conception! [Aharon], unto all the children of Israel: “Evening! And ye shall know that Yehovah exited you from the land of Egypt! ⁷And morning! And ye shall see the importance of Yehovah via His hearkening-to your lodgings upon Yehovah! And what are we that ye shall be lodged upon us?”

⁸And Draw [Moshe] said, “Via Yehovah’s giving flesh to you in the evening to eat and bread in the morning to satisfaction! Via Yehovah’s hearkening-to your lodgings that ye are lodging them upon us! And what are we? Your lodgings are not upon us; for, upon Yehovah!”

⁹And Draw [Moshe] said unto Oy!-Conception! [Aharon], “Say unto all the witness of the children of Israel, ‘Approach-ye to the faces of Yehovah! For He hearkened-to your lodgings!’” ¹⁰And he was as the speech of Oy!-Conception! [Aharon] is unto all the witness of the children of Israel. And they faced unto the desert. And behold, the importance of Yehovah was seen via a cloud.

¹¹And Yehovah spoke unto Draw [Moshe] to say, ¹² “I hearkened-to the lodgings of the children of Israel. Speak unto them to say, ‘Ye shall eat flesh between the evenings. And ye shall be satisfied of bread in the morning. And ye shall know that I am Yehovah your Gods!’”

¹³And he shall be in the evening. And the quail has ascended. And she covered the camp. And in the morning she was the lying of the dew around to the camp. ¹⁴And the lying of the dew ascended. And behold upon the faces of the desert is the fineness of a fine, vanishing pottery-refuge as a cover upon the land. ¹⁵And the children of Israel saw. And they said a man unto his brother, “What is that?” For they didn’t know what he is. And Draw [Moshe] said unto them, “He is the bread that Yehovah gave her to you to eat. ¹⁶This is the speech that Yehovah commanded: Glean-ye from him, a man to the mouth of his eating, a baler to the skull from a scrolling of your beings. Ye shall take a man to what is in his tent.” ¹⁷And established, the children of Israel did. And they gleaned, the multiplier and the little-causer. ¹⁸And they measured via a baler. And the multiplier didn’t-cause the surplus. And the little-causer didn’t cause-lack. They gleaned a man to the mouth of his eating!

¹⁹And Draw [Moshe] said unto them, “A man shall not ‘excess’ from him unto morning!” ²⁰And they didn’t hearken unto Draw [Moshe]. And men ‘excessed’ from him unto morning. And he elevated worms. And he stank. And Draw [Moshe] angered concerning them. ²¹And they gleaned him in the morning, in the morning, a man as the mouth of his eating. And the sun heated. And he melted.

²²And he was in day sixth. They gleaned double bread: two of the baler to one. And all of the carriers of the congregation came. And they told to Draw [Moshe]. ²³And he said unto them, “He is what Yehovah spoke. A cessation—a ceasing of the Holy-[One] is to Yehovah tomorrow. Bake-ye what ye shall bake and boil-ye what ye shall boil. And ye shall rest to you all the surplus to tomorrow unto the morning.” ²⁴And they rested him unto the morning just-as Draw [Moshe] commanded. And he didn’t stink. And a maggot wasn’t in him.

²⁵And Draw [Moshe] said, “Eat-thou him today. For today is a ceasing to Yehovah. Ye shall not find him today in the field. ²⁶Thou shalt glean him six days. And cease-thou in the seventh day! He will not be in him!”

²⁷And he was in the Day Seventh. They exited from the people to glean. And they didn’t find. ²⁸And Yehovah said unto Draw [Moshe], “Until when are ye refusing to guard my commandments and my teachings? ²⁹See-ye that Yehovah gave the Ceasing to you! Therefore He, He gave bread of two days to you in Day Seventh! Return-ye a man under himself! A man shall not exit from his place in the Day Seventh!” ³⁰And they ceased—the people—in Day the Seventh. ³¹And they—the House of Israel—called his name, ‘What?’ [män]. And he is as the seed of white coriander. And his taste is as a pancake in honey.

³²And Draw [Moshe] said, “This is the speech that Yehovah commanded: ‘Fill the baler from him for a guarding to your generations so-that they shall see the bread that I caused-you-to-eat in the desert during my exiting you from the land of Egypt!’”

³³And Draw [Moshe] said unto Oy!-Conception! [Aharon], “Take one concave-concave. And give a fullness of a baler of ‘What?’. And rest him to the faces of Yehovah for a guarding to your generations ³⁴just-as Yehovah commanded unto Draw [Moshe]. And Oy!-Conception! [Aharon] rested him to the faces of the Witness for a guarding. ³⁵And the children of Israel ate the ‘What?’ forty year[s] unto their coming unto a dwelt land. They ate the ‘What?’ unto their coming unto an edge of the land of Merchant [Canaan]. ³⁶And the baler is a tenth of the baker.

I. The Long Journey (verse 1)

The Israelis journeyed from Their-Ram to Thorn Desert. This desert is between Their-Ram and My-Thorn.

The Israelis together are called the witness of the children of Israel.

They traveled until the fifteenth day of the second month from the time that they exited from Egypt!

Questions

1. Why would a desert be named Thorn Desert? I suspect that it has very thorny plants! Some deserts have many plants with very sharp thorns. Now, cacti are from the continents that have the United States (and Canada), Mexico, Central America, and South America. Cacti are not native to other parts of the world, though they grow very well in many places once they have been introduced. All cacti have thorns, but there weren’t any cacti where the Israelis were. There were thorny plants, however, like thorny bushes and trees.

2. How long have the Israelis been traveling at this time? They have been traveling one month.

3. Did the Israelis know where they were going? No, they didn’t. They will soon show their anxiety over not knowing some things.

II. Anger and Bitterness (verses 2-3)

The witness of the children of Israel became angry, and came into the personal space of Moshe and Aharon. They wanted to know who will give (cause) their death; will it be the hand of Yehovah? Will it be the land of Egypt? Will it be by means of sitting upon a pot of flesh? Will it be by means of having plenty of food? They then accused them both: “Ye exited us unto this desert to kill all this congregation via famine!”

Questions

1. The text states that all the witness of the children of Israel lodged upon Moshe and Aharon. What does this mean? To lodge is to lean or recline in a place, or in this case, upon folks. It is getting into their space, and putting pressure on them. This is one step away from becoming violent. When the Israelis lodge, they are in the process of working themselves up to violence.

2. The text states that the witness of the children of Israel lodged in the desert. What is a witness as it is used here? A witness is either a person or a group acting as one person who is seeing something, experiencing something, and/or hearing something that will later be important to remember and to recall.

3. Why does the text mention that this witness of Israel lodged upon Moshe and Aharon in the desert? Why is that so important? A desert is one of the hardest environments in which to survive. Food is scarce or not present, and water is scarce or not present. Humans easily die in deserts (unless they have been trained to survive there).

4. Are the children of Israel young? The word children is used in the Bible to mean the offspring without regard to age. Thus, 80-year-old folks can be children of their parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc. These children of Israel are of all possible ages.

5. The children of Israel said, “Who will give our death?” What did they mean? They are asking to know who (or what) will be the cause of all of them dying. Will Yehovah cause them to die, or will the land of Egypt (from which Yehovah took them)? They are also asking if they will die next to a pot of the flesh (what we would call a stew)—that is, will they die full, or will they starve to death? Will they die via eating bread (food) to the full? They are furious, claiming that Yehovah has brought them out there to kill them in the desert!

6. Explain their accusation against Moshe and Aharon: The Israelis said, “For ye exited us unto this desert to kill all this congregation via famine!” They are claiming that Moshe and Aharon will cause the entire congregation to starve to death in the desert.

7. Are the Israelis in danger of dying of starvation? If the reader ignores Yehovah, yes! The land is a very stark and harsh land. Why ignore Yehovah, though? He did so many miracles. They aren’t really considering Yehovah, however; they only see Moshe and Aharon, and they think those two are incompetent!

8. Why did Yehovah permit them to become so hungry? He explains in Deuteronomy 8:2 that He caused the Israelis to hunger so that they will learn (in the distant future) that man lives by everything that proceeds from the mouth of Yehovah!

III. The Test (verses 4-5)

Yehovah spoke unto Moshe. He explained what He was about to do: “Behold I am raining bread to you from the heavens.” He then explained how the Israelis were to respond: “And the people shall exit. And they shall glean a speech of a day in his day.” Yehovah’s purpose was to test them in order to demonstrate if they will walk via His Teaching, or not.

Yehovah then gave more instructions: “And he shall be in the sixth day. And they shall foundation what they shall bring. And he shall be doubled upon what they shall glean: day, day.” This is what will occur for the Sabbath.

Questions

1. How will Yehovah rain bread to the Israelis from the heavens? He is about to explain this. It won’t be in the form of loaves of bread. The word bread in the Bible is also used for food (of any kind).

2. The next statement is, “And the people shall exit.” What shall he (the people) exit? He shall exit the tents of Israel. All the Israelis will go outside to do what Yehovah will next explain.

3. What does glean mean and involve? Gleaning is picking up grain and food from the ground. For example, when a wheat field is harvested, some of the harvested wheat berries (that are ground to flour to make breads and pie crusts, etc.) fall to the ground. If a person picks these up from the ground and collects them, that person is gleaning. If the person picks up wheat shafts with the berries still attached, whether the wheat shafts fell to the ground or were just missed, this is also gleaning. If a person picks up apples that fell from the tree once the tree was harvested, that is also gleaning.

4. What will the Israelis glean in this case? What is there to harvest? That will be explained a few verses down.

5. What does “a speech of a day in his day” mean? Every new day starts with a speech: an announcement that it has arrived. Since the day starts in the evening, the evening breezes and the sounds of the evening start the speech. When the sun rises after the night, another speech (often of birds) announces this event. This is the speech that also announces that the gleaning can begin.

6. What is the purpose for causing the Israelis to have to glean for their food, according to the text? It is a test that Yehovah is giving: “Will he walk via my Teaching, if not?”

7. Who is he in, “Will he walk via my Teaching”? He is Israel; He is the people (of Israel). Yehovah’s interest isn’t to find out if individuals will walk via His Teaching, but whether the entire group (without any exceptions) will walk via His Teaching. He will only be satisfied if the entire group does so.

8. Explain if in, “Will he walk via my Teaching, if not”: Speakers of English would say or instead of if. Hebrew uses if because Israel’s walking via Yehovah’s Teaching is uncertain from the view of humans. Yehovah knows which Israel will do; the test is for the sakes of the Israelis, not for the sake of Yehovah.

9. What does “And they shall foundation what they shall bring” mean? The word foundation is like the word establish; a foundation must be certain if it will support a building. The Israelis must make certain how much of this gleaned food they will bring to their tents. Whatever they will bring, the amount (he) will be doubled! This will occur every sixth day.

10. At the end of the statement, “And he shall be doubled upon what they shall glean: day, day,” the words day, day are found. What do they mean? They mean that every day that is the sixth day of the week, this event will take place: the doubling of the amount of the gleaned food that they will bring to their tents.

IV. Moshe’s and Aharon’s Response (verses 6-7)

Moshe and Aharon told the Israelis what Yehovah had told them. They explained, “Evening! And ye shall know that Yehovah exited you from the land of Egypt!” Thus, they would know this by evening. They also said, “And morning! And ye shall see the importance of Yehovah via His hearkening-to your lodgings upon Yehovah!” They then added, “And what are we that ye shall be lodged upon us?”

Questions

1. Verse 6 starts out, “And Moshe said, and Aharon, unto all the children of Israel…” Why didn’t it just say, “And Moshe and Aharon said unto all the children of Israel…”? The text is explaining that Moshe did the speaking, and Aharon repeated what Moshe said. Thus, Moshe said (first), and then Aharon said the same thing (second).

2. What did Moshe (and Aharon) mean by saying, “Evening”? That is the succinct (very short, brief, and to-the-point) way of saying, “When the evening arrives…”

3. Didn’t the Israelis already know that Yehovah is the One Who exited them from the land of Egypt? They thought that Moshe and Aharon had done this! They didn’t truly believe in Yehovah Whom they didn’t see; blaming Moshe and Aharon was much more convenient. Thus, the Israelis will learn by evening that Yehovah was the One Who did this.

4. What did Moshe mean by, “ye shall see the importance of Yehovah”? The Israelis still didn’t see Yehovah as all that important. They knew that Moshe and Aharon saw Him as important, but the Israelis continued to see Egypt as important rather than Yehovah. Seeing Him as important is a necessary part of fearing Him; fearing Him is necessary if a person will successfully refuse to sin and will refuse to practice idolatry (believing in false gods).

5. How will the Israelis see Yehovah’s importance? This will occur by means of Yehovah’s hearkening to the lodgings (potentially violent protests) upon Yehovah! They didn’t just lodge upon Moshe and Aharon, but upon Yehovah, since Yehovah sent Moshe and Aharon! Yehovah will hearken to these lodgings, and He will respond with very strong action!

6. Moshe added, “And what are we that ye shall be lodged upon us?” What did he mean by this? Moshe is declaring that Moshe and Aharon are not important. Therefore, lodging upon them is useless. They don’t have any power to do anything; they are sent by Yehovah Who alone has the power to do things.

V. Outrage (verse 8)

The next statement of Moshe seems to be the answer to a question: “Via Yehovah’s giving flesh to you in the evening to eat and bread in the morning to satisfaction, via Yehovah’s hearkening-to your lodgings that ye are lodging them upon us…” Moshe then again stated, “And what are we?” He then accused them: “Your lodgings are not upon us; for, upon Yehovah!”

Questions

1. Moshe gave two incomplete sentences (they have no verb). The first states, “Via Yehovah’s giving flesh to you in the evening to eat and bread in the morning to satisfaction!” What did he mean by this? It is as if Moshe were answering a question of the Israelis, like this: “And how will we see the importance of Yehovah?” with Moshe answering, “Via Yehovah’s giving flesh to you in the evening to eat and bread in the morning to satisfaction!”

2. Explain the second incomplete sentence, “Via Yehovah’s hearkening-to your lodgings that ye are lodging them upon us”: It is again as if Moshe were answering another question of the Israelis, like this: “And how will we know that it is Yehovah who is doing this instead of some trick of magicians?” with Moshe answering, “Via Yehovah’s hearkening-to your lodgings that ye are lodging them upon us!”

3. What did Moshe mean by, “Your lodgings are not upon us; for, upon Yehovah”? English speakers would say, “Your lodgings are not against us, but against Yehovah!” Moshe found this astonishing since He knew the power of Yehovah and the powerlessness of the Israelis! Moshe knew that the Israelis were inviting a great destruction by what they were saying and doing.

VI. The Glory of Yehovah (verses 9-10)

Moshe now spoke to Aharon, giving him instructions to tell the Israelis: “Say unto all the witness of the children of Israel, ‘Approach-ye to the faces of Yehovah! For He hearkened-to your lodgings!’”

When Aharon was just finished relaying this information to all the witness of the children of Israel, they faced toward the desert. And they beheld; they saw the importance of Yehovah by means of a cloud!

Questions

1. Why did Moshe tell Aharon to say things to the witness of the children of Israel instead of saying things himself? Moshe knew that the Israelis wouldn’t listen to him; they would at least listen to Aharon, since he had been a slave with them. Also, Aharon will later be established as a priest between the Israelis and Yehovah.

2. How can the witness of the children of Israel approach to the faces of Yehovah? Where are His faces located? The text later said that they faced unto the desert. The cloud was located there; His faces were in that cloud.

3. The text next stated, “And he was as the speech of Aharon is unto all the witness of the children of Israel.” Who is he? He is the next event that is about to take place. The next event occurred just as Aharon finished the speech.

4. The text says, “And behold, the importance of Yehovah was seen via a cloud.” What did they see? I propose that they saw a cloud of quails coming toward the camp! If this is what they saw, it showed the importance of Yehovah because He easily controlled nature when He desired.

VII. Yehovah Speaks (verses 11-12)

Now Yehovah spoke unto Moshe: “I hearkened-to the lodgings of the children of Israel.” Yehovah gave Moshe a reply for them: “Ye shall eat flesh between the evenings. And ye shall be satisfied of bread in the morning. And ye shall know that I am Yehovah your Gods!”

Questions

1. What does “Ye shall eat flesh between the evenings” mean, and what does between the evenings mean? Between the evenings is between sunset and sunrise; this then represents the time of night. Eating flesh is eating what we call meat (as distinct from vegetables, salads, deserts, etc.). Yehovah sent quails to the camp of Israel; the Israelis can now obtain all the quails they desire.

2. What does “And ye shall be satisfied of bread” mean? This means “ye shall be satisfied with bread,” as in food, “ye shall be satisfied by bread,” and “ye shall be satisfied from bread.” The Israelis will have plenty to eat.

3. The last statement is, “And ye shall know that I am Yehovah your Gods.” Didn’t they already know that Yehovah is their Gods? Yehovah wasn’t saying this for their sakes, but for the sakes of future Israelis who will be able to identify Yehovah as their Gods when He has supplied them with food! The Israelis about which we are reading who lived in Moshe’s day never knew that Yehovah was their Gods; they didn’t believe in Him.

VIII. What is He? (verses 13-18)

When the evening will come, the quail has ascended and has covered the camp! She is still there in the morning as the dew began to set. Then the lying of the dew ascended. In its place is the fineness of a fine vanishing refuge (a little shelter that disappears) that altogether is a cover upon the land! The children of Israel saw this and began questioning each other: “What is that?” They didn’t know what it was. Moshe said unto them, “He is the bread that Yehovah gave her to you to eat. This is the speech that Yehovah commanded.”

Moshe told them what to do: “Glean-ye from him, a man to the mouth of his eating, a baler to the skull from a scrolling of your beings.” (A baler measures grain taken from bales of grain stalks; the skull refers to the head-count.) He continued: “Ye shall take a man to what is in his tent,” referring to collecting the amount needed for all the occupants.

The Israelis did what they were told. They gleaned. Some multiplied the amounts gathered, and some only took a small amount. They then began to measure what they took using a baler (a grain measuring container, like a measuring cup). The person who took much more than he would need didn’t cause a surplus, and the one who took very little didn’t cause any lack! Every person gleaned exactly what he or she needed to eat!

Questions

1. Who is he who shall be in the evening? He is the event about to be described.

2. If the quail ascended (went up), from where did they ascend? They (the quail—the word quail can be singular or plural) ascended from wherever they were, and from great distances from each other to congregate in the camp of the Israelis. Yehovah called them to come together. (He will do something like this in the future!)

3. What does “she covered the camp” mean? There were quail everywhere! Yehovah made certain that the Israelis couldn’t even walk without practically stepping on quail!

4. What does “And in the morning she was the lying of the dew around to the camp” mean? Quail was everywhere in the camp in the early morning hours when dew began to settle. The Israelis could still capture quail to eat, if they desired.

5. What happened when the lying of the dew ascended? I propose that the quail that were left took flight and left the Israeli camp.

6. What does “the fineness of a fine, vanishing pottery-refuge” describe? What was on the land was the color of pottery—a light brown or tan colored small object as if it is ready to vanish, and in which something might take refuge (perhaps looking like a roly-poly when it is closed). The word fine indicates something that has been crushed or beaten into very small parts. I obtained the words “vanishing pottery-refuge” by taking the Hebrew word apart into two parts. This is often the way to solve definition mysteries in the Bible. These items were edible just the way they were, or they could be cooked and used in recipes.

7. Where were these small items found? They were found as a cover upon the land! They were everywhere, like frost is everywhere on a very cold and humid morning.

8. Wouldn’t this item be mixed with soil, with bird droppings, and with other things that would pollute it so that it couldn’t be eaten? Yehovah made certain that the Israelis had excellent health; these objects were not mixed with soil or droppings from animals. They were quite clean and could be gathered that way.

9. Why did Yehovah make certain that it covered the land? This way, no one had to travel far to obtain it; it was just outside of the Israelis’ tents. Besides this, it pictures the Bread of Lives (that gives everlasting life to anyone who eats it); that Bread is available everywhere.

10. What was the reaction of the Israelis to this stuff? They didn’t know what it was (“what he is”). They asked in Hebrew, “Män hu?” from which the word manna will come.

11. Moshe explained, “He is the bread that Yehovah gave her to you to eat.” Who is her? She is the very different ‘bread’ that was over the entire camp. Yehovah gave her to the Israelis to eat.

12. Why did Yehovah force them to glean for this food instead of causing it to appear in their empty bowls each morning? This food is a type: a picture of something far more important. The Israelis had to go get it just like they have to obtain the Bread of the everlasting life in order to live. It is freely available to anyone who desires it, but each person must reach to obtain it. Now, a man or a woman could collect it for his household, but they still had to eat it in order to obtain benefit from it. Thus, one person could also obtain the Bread of everlasting life, and could then present it to others, but each had to eat it to be benefited.

13. How must of this food was each collector told to collect? The amount should be according to how much each person would eat. (Yehovah helped, as a future verse will show.) That is what the text means when it says, “a man to the mouth of his eating.”

14. What does baler mean? I propose that a baler measures grain taken from bales of grain stalks. I am thinking that this is a bowl-shaped container.

15. To what does the skull refer? I propose that the skull refers to the head-count. Thus, the baler (or bowl) of this product is gathered for each skull (each head).

16. What is a scrolling of beings? It is a count and a record of all persons. Using scrolls to keep track meant that pages could not easily be removed, since pages were sewn end on end or side on side to each other. While books are far easier to make and far less bulky, scrolls were used so that tampering was more difficult. Modern computers work on the basis of scrolling instead of book pages.

17. Explain using more modern and simpler words what “Glean-ye from him, a man to the mouth of his eating, a baler to the skull from a scrolling of your beings” means:

Glean: pick up from the ground
Him: the bread—that is, the food
A man to the mouth of his eating: each person (man, woman, child) according to the amount of food that each one eats
A baler: a measuring container: a bowl
The skull: each head, used in a head count
A scrolling of your beings: a record of each person who will eat

Put this together: Pick up the food from the ground according to the amount each eats, a bowl amount for each person in the head-count according to the record of each person who will eat.

18. What does “Ye shall take a man to what is in his tent” mean? Each person (thus, a man, referring to a human) will take the amount of the food for the persons in his tent. Thus, what refers to the record of each person.

19. Why did Yehovah find it necessary to say that the children of Israel did? Many will not try something new—especially something that suddenly appears on the ground. All the Israelis tried this new food!

20. What does “the multiplier and the little-causer” mean? The multiplier is the person who gathered as much as he could, thinking that there might not be enough to solve his hunger. The little-causer is the person who gathered just a bit, perhaps thinking that he or she might not like it.

21. Why did they measure via a baler? What were they trying to see? Yehovah had commanded them to use a baler, which measures amounts; so, they measured! They wanted to see how much they each had.

22. What miracle is described in verse 18, and what does this show? The miracle was the amount for each person. The one who gathered and kept on gathering, perhaps thinking that it wouldn’t be enough, found that the measurement was perfect for him; he had not managed to gather any extra! The person who had gathered just a little in the bowl found that there was the perfect amount in the bowl (as if it multiplied when being carried back)! No matter what amount each gleaned, it was perfect for the appetite of each!

Since this food is a picture of the Bread of the Lives (the food that will give a human everlasting life), this shows that if a person eats of that Bread, the person will always have exactly the right amount to give everlasting life!

IX. No Leftovers (verses 19-21)

Moshe warned the Israelis: “A man shall not ‘excess’ from him unto morning,” indicating that none of the gleaning was to be left until morning. The Israelis didn’t hearken; they set some extra aside for the next morning. It developed worms, and it stank! Moshe became angry at them.

They gleaned this every morning just as a person needed for his mouth (his appetite). When the sun became hot, this item left on the ground melted.

Questions

1. What does “A man shall not ‘excess’ from him unto morning” mean? This means that no one is to keep leftovers of this food for use the next morning.

2. What was wrong with keeping leftovers? First, the amount of the food was already exactly right for each eater; there should not be any leftovers. Secondly, this food pictured the Bread of the Lives. Keeping leftovers for the next morning ruined the type (the picture), since this communicated that one could reserve the Bread of the Lives to the next day, and not eat it all! That would picture a person becoming partly born of God, and that makes no sense!

3. The text states, “And they didn’t hearken unto Moshe. And men ‘excessed’ from him unto morning.” Why did they do this? I am thinking that they were concerned that there wouldn’t be a supply of food the next day; some wanted to reserve food (hoard food) in case they again went hungry.

4. Who elevated worms, and what does this mean? This special appearing bread elevated worms (maggots)! The food rotted overnight, and it stank!

5. Why did Moshe anger? What was the big deal? The Israelis were not obeying Yehovah’s commands. If they didn’t obey with a small and simple command, they wouldn’t obey if given a much harder command. Yehovah’s commands are designed to save lives. Disobeying what seems to be a minor or relatively unimportant command will get folks killed. Yehovah only commands what is absolutely vital and necessary; He never commands anything that is truly unnecessary. Moshe knew this; he therefore became angry.

6. What does “And they gleaned him in the morning, in the morning, a man as the mouth of his eating” mean? This means that they did this according to a routine: they gleaned this food each morning, picking up exactly what was right for each person’s appetite.

7. Who or what melted? What does this mean? After the Israelis (and all their animals) obtained the amount of this food that they needed for the rest of the day, when the sun became hot, this food melted as if it were ice. It went down into the sandy soil.

8. Of what was this food made? It was made of whatever each person and each animal needed for the entire day: the right amount of vitamins, minerals, sugars, fiber, proteins, amino acids, etc. with good flavours for all. Yehovah created it each day that it appeared. The Israelis could either eat it straight or could cook it, fry it, bake using it as flour, eat it with other food items that they might grow, etc. It would still provide exactly what they needed to live. Thus, it was a true picture of the Bread of the Lives (the Bread of Life). Yet, all that remained that wasn’t used melted (if on the ground) or bred maggots (if stored for a later time—with one exception about to be mentioned).

X. Double (verses 22-24)

Day sixth (Friday) came. Whatever they picked up was double compared to the previous days; the baler (measurer) showed this. Those in the congregation who carried information came to tell Moshe. He said unto them, “He is what Yehovah spoke. A cessation—a ceasing of the Holy-[One] is to Yehovah tomorrow.” He then instructed them, “Bake-ye what ye shall bake and boil-ye what ye shall boil.” They could fix this product in any way they chose. “And ye shall rest to you all the surplus to tomorrow unto the morning.” That way, they would have food for the next day. The Israelis did this. This product didn’t stink, and no maggot was found in it.

Questions

1. What was in day sixth? The next event about to be described was in day sixth (that is, in the sixth day of the week).

2. What miracle occurred on day sixth, according to this text? Each person gleaned exactly double the amount of this bread! The measuring bowls showed that it was double!

3. What are the carriers of the congregation? They are the leaders with responsibilities. They therefore carry responsibility as leaders.

All leaders are responsible for what they do. Yehovah holds all leaders responsible. Many desire to be leaders, thinking that this gives them power. Few consider the responsibilities they carry, however. Some do think of the responsibilities, but some of them like to take advantage of those under their leadership in ways that are wrong. Yehovah will judge them with much greater condemnation for doing this, since all leaders have always been promoted by Yehovah to the leadership position. There is no leader in any place at any time who wasn’t put there by Yehovah. Yehovah always puts leaders into the leadership position in order to benefit those whom they lead. Many leaders don’t desire to benefit others except for their own friends, and they become cruel to others who aren’t their friends. Yehovah will judge them with great condemnation for mistreating others without justice. Yehovah even raises up leaders in idolatrous religions in order for them to benefit those whom they rule; Yehovah will hold them responsible for what they do and teach.

4. Why did the carriers consider telling Moshe about the doubling of the measurements as if this were so important? They didn’t want trouble over this, and it was different.

5. What is this cessation? A cessation is a time of stopping something; it is related to the word cease. This cessation is the Hebrew word Shabbat from which the word Sabbath comes. Every Shabbat is a cessation—a cessation of labour. This will be explained later in the text.

6. Why is this called “a ceasing of the Holy One”? Who is this Holy One, and from what will he cease? This Holy One, known more fully as the Holy One of Israel, is the Messiah of Israel. His name is Yeshua, and His name means Salvation. While some call Him Jesus, most don’t know who Yeshua is, what He wants, what He does and will do, what He has done, what His personality is, and what He character is.

Yeshua, the Holy One, will cease from His labour—from His work—for a short time. This is called “a ceasing of the Holy One to Yehovah,” telling me that this belongs to Yehovah and will be a time when Yehovah does the work so that Yeshua will cease. The food—the Bread of the Lives that has already been provided—will be available to those who have already obeyed and acquired it; there will be no bread waiting on the soil the next day.

7. What ways could this strange bread be fixed, according to verse 23? It could be baked and it could be boiled, though it didn’t have to be cooked at all. The Israelis figured out different ways to fix this bread.

8. What does “And ye shall rest to you all the surplus to tomorrow unto the morning” mean? This means that the Israelis must put aside the remainder of the food that will certainly be there. They will keep it unto the next morning; it will be fine.

XI. Ceasing (verses 25-26)

Moshe told Israel (as if Israel were one person), “Eat-thou him today,” referring to the strange ‘bread’ (food) that the Israelis had picked from the ground the previous day. He explained, “For today is a ceasing to Yehovah. Ye shall not find him today in the field.” Moshe continued, “Thou shalt glean him six days. And cease-thou in the seventh day! He will not be in him!”

Questions

1. On what day did Moshe say, “Eat-thou him today”? He said this on Shabbat; he also said, “For today is a ceasing to Yehovah.”

2. Who is him whom they won’t find in the field? This refers to the special Bread that will later be known as manna.

3. Who owns this ceasing, and what does owning it mean? Yehovah owns this ceasing—this Shabbat (Sabbath). If Moshe had said, “For today is a ceasing to you,” that would have shown that the Israelis own it. Since it is a ceasing to Yehovah, however, the Israelis cannot treat the Sabbath as their own property. They must treat it as Yehovah’s property, and they must do what Yehovah says when the Sabbath arrives. The Israelis cannot make their own rules, and they cannot define it; Yehovah must make the rules, and He must define it. (I say this because in forms of Judaism that care about the Sabbaths of Yehovah, the Israelis (Jewish folks) have decided what can and cannot be done on the Sabbaths, and therefore they haven’t understood this text showing that the Sabbaths belong to Yehovah and not to them.)

4. Why won’t the Israelis find ‘him’ in the field on this day? Yehovah won’t send the special food from the heavens on this day. This teaches the Israelis that this special food must be gathered while it is available; there will be times when it isn’t available for gathering, and only those who have already gathered it will have what they need when it isn’t available for gathering. Had Yehovah sent that bread all seven days of the week, that would have taught that it is always available; but it isn’t!

5. Will there be a future event that will include these six days when this Bread can be gathered, after which it won’t be available? I propose that there will be a time of six days during the last part of the Tribulation when Israelis who haven’t yet come to faith will know Truth, and will be able to obtain the Bread of Everlasting Lives. All who truly believe and therefore turn to Yeshua, the Bread of the Lives in person, during those six days, will live. The rest of the Israelis who wait until the seventh day will be destroyed from among the rest of the Israelis; they will not obtain everlasting lives.

XII. Refusal to Guard (verses 27-31)

The next event occurred on Day Seventh—that is, on Saturday in the way we reckon days. Some of the Israelis exited to glean the strange food from the ground. They didn’t find it, of course. Yehovah responded to their actions by stating to Moshe, “Until when are ye refusing to guard my commandments and my teachings? See-ye that Yehovah gave the Ceasing to you! Therefore He, He gave bread of two days to you in Day Seventh!” Yehovah referred to Himself in the third person!

Yehovah continued, “Return-ye a man under himself!” (What did He mean?) He then commanded, “A man shall not exit from his place in the Day Seventh!” This was the most restrictive command Yehovah gave regarding the Sabbath.

The Israelis ceased; the entire people did this in Day the Seventh.

They needed a name for this edible item picked from the desert floor. They called it, “What?” which in Hebrew is män (the ä is pronounced like “ma” in the shortened form for mother).

Its size was the size of white coriander seed—that is, about an eighth of an inch. The taste was like a pancake in honey!

Questions

1. Who was in the Day Seventh? The next event described was in the Day Seventh.

2. What is the difference between “the Day Seventh” and “the seventh Day”? The Hebrew days of the week are like this:

Day First
Day Second
Day Third
Day Revolution (that is, the day of revolving or turning over; the end of the week is now becoming close)
Day Fifth
Day Sixth
Day Seventh/Day Ceasing

While the seventh day can be the seventh in any series of days (for example, he arose on the seventh day from his bed), Day Seventh refers to the day of the week (similar to what we call Saturday, but starting as the sun sets rather than at midnight).

3. Who exited from the people to glean? Israelis who disobeyed the simple and direct command of Yehovah exited from the Israeli people to glean!

4. Did Moshe also go out to glean on Day Seventh? No; Moshe obeyed Yehovah.

5. If the above answer is correct, why did Yehovah say unto Moshe, “Until when are ye refusing to guard my commandments and my teachings,” as if Moshe is one of the violators? If even one of the Israelis does wrong, all Israel has done wrong. Yehovah looks at the group and holds the group responsible for every member of the group. Since Moshe was part of the group, Yehovah spoke to him as part of the ‘ye’ (the ‘you,’ plural). Moshe understood this.

6. Were the Israelis refusing to guard Yehovah’s commandments and His teachings by just looking for the special Bread on the Sabbath? Yes! They were disobeying Yehovah’s commandments, since disobeying just one commandment is breaking them all, and they were not guarding His teachings since the Teaching of the Sabbath included no special Bread on the ground. (They had to consider why this was one of His Teachings; few have thought this through.)

7. To whom did Yehovah give the Ceasing, according to verse 29, and what does this mean? Yehovah gave the Ceasing to the Israelis. Thus, He entrusted them with both the command and the Teaching so that they can consider it, obey it, and live! Yehovah never gave the Ceasing to any other group. Thus, the Israelis are responsible to cease from their labours on this day. (Yehovah will give them exceptions so that they can take care of their cattle, for example; the exceptions do not harm the Teaching that is life-saving.)

8. What does “Return ye a man under himself” mean? The word under in Hebrew is used in this way: “Then he reigned under him” when we in English would understand, “Then he reigned in his stead,” meaning in his place. With this in mind, look at “Return ye a man under himself.” This means, “Return ye a man in his own place,” a Hebrew way of saying, “Every person is to return back to his own place and stay there!” Hebrew has a way of saying things that is much shorter.

9. When Moshe commanded, “A man shall not exit from his place in the Day Seventh,” what did he mean? Moshe was telling the Israelis to remain in their tents and not to exit to go look for the special Bread (the manna). They could go out of their tents to tend their cattle, their children, to urinate, to get water, to visit their neighbours, etc., but they must not go look for manna during the Day Seventh!

10. The text states, “And they ceased—the people—in Day the Seventh.” From what did they cease? They ceased from looking for the manna. They also ceased from doing their daily occupations of work, doing only what was necessary for their children, cattle, etc.

11. What does manna mean, according to verse 31? It means, “What?” Another verse states that it means, “What is he?” The pronunciation, män, is given.

12. In what way is manna like white coriander, and what does that look like? Manna appeared very much like coriander seed (that is, the seed of the cilantro plant—you can obtain it where garden seeds are sold), except that manna was white in color. It looked like this, but white:

(Picture by Sanjay Acharya posted on http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sa-cilantro_seeds.jpg)

13. Like what did manna taste? It tasted like a pancake in honey!

14. Did everyone like the taste of manna? Yehovah made sure that everyone liked the taste of manna, and that all the sheep, goats, cattle, dogs and cats that the Israelis had also liked the taste!

XIII. The Guarding (verse 32)

The measurement, an omer, is a baler—that is, it is a container that was used when baling hay and grains. Yehovah commanded the Israelis to gather a baler of the män to guard it for the generations of Israelis so that they will see this food that Yehovah caused the Israelis to eat in the desert during His exiting them from the land of Egypt.

Questions

1. What did Yehovah command to do with some of the manna in verse 32, and why did He command this? Yehovah commanded Israel (singular) to fill one measuring container of the manna to keep for generations to come in order for them to see this special Bread that He caused Israel to eat in the desert at this time of exiting from Egypt.

2. Did Israel do this? Yes.

3. Where is this manna now, so that we can see it? I have two ideas about this:

One day in the future, the container with the manna inside will be found; or,
Yehovah will again provide manna, and this time a container of it will be preserved for the entire Millennium (thousand years during which time Yeshua, the King of Israel reigns over all kings and lords of the earth)

I don’t know which of these will occur, but I am certain that one of the two will occur. Yehovah desires for the Israelis to be able to see this manna!

XIV. The Basket of Mahn (verses 33-36)

Moshe told Aharon to take one double-concave container, and give a fullness of a baler of ‘What?’ This included filling it with the män. Aharon must rest the container to the faces of Yehovah for a guarding to the generations of the Israelis; that is what Yehovah had commanded Moshe. Aharon did so in front of the Witness—in front of Israel—so that Israel will guard it.

The children of Israel ate the ‘What?’ (män) forty years right up to the time that they came unto a land already being dwelt. They ate this ‘What?’ (män) right up to the point of their coming to the very edge of the land of Canaan.

What volume size is the baler (an omer)? It is a tenth of a baker’s measure (an ephah).

Questions

1. What is a concave-concave? Look at these pictures:

This first picture shows a bowl. It is concave, meaning that it has an area that goes inward. The opposite is convex, meaning that it has an area that goes outward. (If you turn it upside down, the bottom that is then up is convex!)

Now, put two together with the concave parts facing each other:

Next, close them together:

Now, flatten one of the points so that it will stand on one end, and open the opposite side so that it will be a container:

This is a ‘concave-concave’! It is a jar!

2. What does “And give a fullness of a baler of ‘What?’” mean? This means to put into the jar a full measure of the manna from the measuring bowl. This will be kept for later use.

3. Where did Israel put this jar, and for what purpose did Israel put it there? Moshe told Aharon to rest the jar “to the faces of Yehovah”—that is, right in front of where Yehovah’s faces will see it all of the time. This location will later be described; the jar will be placed in a special box inside of a special chamber of a special tent. That chamber is where the faces of Yehovah will be, since Yehovah will place His faces there.

The purpose of placing it there is so that it will be “for a guarding to your [the Israelis’] generations.”

4. Why is faces plural (more than one)? Everyone, including Yehovah, has more than one face! The Hebrew word for face describes turns, and our faces have many turns in two ways: the curves of our cheeks and chins, foreheads and ears, and the various looks that we can give. We can turn from a smile to frowning, for example. The same is true with Yehovah’s faces. He also has one other ability that we don’t have: His faces can be in many different locations around the world at the same time!

5. In what way will this manna be “for a guarding to your generations”? This will occur in two ways:

The Israelis must guard the manna—that is, make certain that they don’t lose it, and make certain that it isn’t changed in any way, but is kept safe
The manna will guard the Israelis and their generations!

This manna pictures the Bread of the lives—that is, the food that gives everlasting lives to the Israelis; it is the only source of this life. It is a picture of Yeshua Himself:

John 6:35 And Yeshua said unto them, “I am the Bread of life! He who comes to me shall never hunger!”

In the meantime, the Israelis have lost the manna; they don’t have Yeshua (because they don’t believe in Yeshua—with a very few individual exceptions), and the rabbis of Israel have changed the manna for teachings that won’t provide everlasting life for anyone.

The manna, in the form of Yehovah, is what (Who) guards Israel! Though Israel has temporarily lost the manna, Yeshua is still the guard of Israel.

6. Where did Aharon place the manna? He rested it (“him”) “to the faces of the Witness for a guarding.” Thus, the Witness of Israel—that is, the entirety Israel as one single witness of events is where Yehovah is located! He is in the camp of the Israelis!

7. How long did the Israelis eat the manna? They ate it for forty years! That means that Yehovah provided it for forty years, six days a week for all those weeks!

8. What land is the dwelt land? It is the land of Canaan (Merchant), a land inhabited by the Canaanites, the Perizites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Jebusites, etc. Since they dwell in that land, it is a dwelt land.

9. What is a baker? It is a measurement used by bakers (since they deal in larger amounts of things). According to this text, a baker measure is ten times the size of a baler measure.

March 11, 2011August 6, 2016

Gossip

Incomplete Paper on

Gossip

Apologia

This paper is an editorial opinion. The Bible doesn’t deal much with gossip except to show Yehovah’s hatred of those who practice this, and how sinful and destructive it truly is. This document is therefore for readers to just consider; I don’t pretend that it falls into the category of Biblical Truth. The document also hasn’t been edited; I expect that you will find errors in it. (If you let me know, I can correct the errors.)

Leviticus 19:16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.

Proverbs 11:13 A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.

Proverbs 18:8 The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

Proverbs 20:19 He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.

Proverbs 26:20 Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.

Proverbs 26:22 The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

Definition

Gossip: Any form of communication in which:

true or false negative, private information is communicated for entertainment
true or false negative, private information is communicated that results in self-aggrandizement (making self look more important)
true, partial or false negative, private information is communicated that lowers the estimation of another person or destroys a person’s reputation
true, partial or false negative, private information is communicated that spreads hurt feelings, one’s own bitternesses, and/or rancor to others
none-of-your-business questions are asked as if the one asking has the right and even responsibility to ask those questions
true, partially true, or false information is communicated or asked that adversely affects relationships, raises suspicions, brings hurt feelings, and/or harms trust

Those who gossip normally painlessly sow discord, while keeping (or seeming to keep) ‘squeaky clean,’ offering no real personal investment in and responsibility for solutions to the problems that have been raised. They sometimes think of themselves as doing a service by informing others. Their words leave damage without benefit and are usually harmful, sometimes even causing death. They are often very successful in killing relationships that have been long-standing and very strong.

The following will examine made-up cases to consider whether each is a case of gossip using a proposed checklist.

“Is a person gossiping if information is passed that another is doing monetarily poorly, and that others have helped?”

Suppose a person, like Paul in Corinthians, is communicating with the Corinthian Saints that the Saints in Jerusalem are monetarily suffering, and they need help. Other congregations have helped, and Paul desires that the folks in Corinth (where they are monetarily doing much better than most other congregations) will help the poor Saints. He therefore communicates that to them, and they respond. Consider the checklist to see if it is gossip:

Checklist	Information
Is it true, partially true, or false information?
Is it negative, private information that is communicated for entertainment?
Is it negative, private information communicated for self-aggrandizement?
Is it true, partial or false negative, private information that lowers the estimation of the other person or destroys the person’s reputation?
Is it true, partial or false negative, private information that spreads bitterness, hurt feelings, rancor (violent anger), and/or other relationship killers?
Is it in the form of ‘none-of-your-business’ questions that are asked as if the one asking has the right and even responsibility to ask those questions?
Is it true, partially true, or false information that is communicated or asked that adversely affects relationships, raises suspicions, brings hurt feelings, and/or harms trust?
Is the communication potentially beneficial without any harm?

The following is an example of a filled-in table:

Checklist	Information
Is it true, partially true, or false information?	It is true information.
Is it negative, private information that is communicated for entertainment?	It isn’t private information, and it isn’t for entertainment. It can be viewed as negative, but not regarding the actions and behaviours of those involved. It shows a lack, not a negative behaviour.
Is it negative, private information communicated for self-aggrandizement?	No; the person telling it is not made to look larger and more important because of it.
Is it true, partial or false negative, private information that lowers the estimation of the other person or destroys the person’s reputation?	It does not do that. Rather, it describes that the person is having a financial difficulty, and raises the reputation of those who are suffering for doing right.
Is it true, partial or false negative, private information that spreads bitterness, hurt feelings, rancor (violent anger), and/or other relationship killers?	No, it is instead useful for helping and for increasing bonds of relationship.
Is it in the form of ‘none-of-your-business’ questions that are asked as if the one asking has the right and even responsibility to ask those questions?	No.
Is it true, partially true, or false information that is communicated or asked that adversely affects relationships, raises suspicions, brings hurt feelings, and/or harms trust?	No.
Is the communication potentially beneficial without any harm?	It is; if the group’s financial fall is too great, others who care can then intervene; also, the declaration that others have intervened is beneficial information.

Thus, we have a principle: Every communication in which a person participates must be for benefit, not for detriment. The above case was for benefit.

“Is a person gossiping if that person warns another that a person not present is participating in some evil practice?”

Suppose that Johnny calls Sammy to tell him that Billy is lying about Sally. Sammy knows Billy and Sally. Sammy wonders why Johnny is saying these things to him about Billy. Sammy knows that Johnny and Billy were good friends only a week ago, and Sammy has not heard anything from Sally. Sammy asks Johnny how he knows that Billy is saying these things, and Johnny says that his sources are good, and that he heard how hurt Sally is. Is this gossip?

Consider the checklist that Sammy can use:

Checklist	Information
Is it true, partially true, or false information?	Sammy has no clue. (That is a bad sign.)
Is it negative, private information that is communicated for entertainment?	Sammy has no clue. (That is a bad sign.)
Is it negative, private information communicated for self-aggrandizement?	Sammy doesn’t feel right about this; it does make Johnny look bigger; Sammy did not find any comment from Johnny indicating that Johnny had done or said anything to help mollify the situation; Johnny is talking, not benefiting.
Is it true, partial or false negative, private information that lowers the estimation of the other person or destroys the person’s reputation?	This communication, if believed, will greatly ruin the reputation of Billy, and could do great harm to Sally.
Is it true, partial or false negative, private information that spreads bitterness, hurt feelings, rancor (violent anger), and/or other relationship killers?	It absolutely does this.
Is it in the form of ‘none-of-your-business’ questions that are asked as if the one asking has the right and even responsibility to ask those questions?	No.
Is it true, partially true, or false information that is communicated or asked that adversely affects relationships, raises suspicions, brings hurt feelings, and/or harms trust?	Yes.
Is the communication potentially beneficial without any harm?	It is not of any benefit, since Sammy can do nothing about it that is good; it will do harm, and the harm will be great.

This, therefore, rates as gossip.

“Is a person gossiping if that person warns another person that a third person is a gossip?”

Suppose that Johnny emails Sammy warning Sammy that Billy is gossiping about Sammy. Is this friendly warning gossip? Use the checklist:

Checklist	Information
Is it true or false information?	Sammy doesn’t know. Even if Sammy knew, that still wouldn’t help.
Is it communicated for the purpose of entertainment?	Sammy doesn’t know. Sammy has no clue regarding Johnny’s motives.
Is it communicated for self-aggrandizement?	Sammy doesn’t know why Johnny is communicating this. It appears to be a friendly warning, but Sammy is bothered, because he has a working conscience.
Does its communication lower the estimation of the other person or destroy the person’s reputation?	It will destroy the reputation of Billy if Sammy believes it. If Sammy believes it, Sammy will become very angry at Billy.
Does it spread bitterness, ranker (violent anger), and other relationship killers?	Absolutely, yes.
Is the communication potentially beneficial without any harm?	It absolutely is not; this type of communication always causes harm.

Thus, it is gossip.

How could Sammy have responded to Johnny in this email communication? One good way to respond is to ask questions of the following variety shown in the email:

Johnny, I received your email about Billy. How did you hear that Billy said what he said? Who told you? Secondly, what did you say to the person who told you, unless you were the witness? If you were the witness, what did you say to Billy? What am I supposed to do with this information? I do not know it firsthand, and I am not permitted to react to the testimony of one even if you are an eyewitness. What would you like me to do with this information? Finally, what are your plans to deal with your source?

If you know that the person will respond with belligerence (that is, will become angry, and will throw back words and actions of anger) and feel insulted by you, you do not have to respond in the way shown above; silence is much wiser. Yet, if you realize that it is worth the risk, including blowing what there is in the relationship to pieces, and you do not desire to relate to that person under that circumstance, ‘have at it.’

When Does Gossip Most Often Occur?

It normally happens in long-term relationships, where the parties involved feel the most relaxed and free to express whatever is on their hearts. The parties then begin to express much more than beneficial facts; they express fears, suspicions, frustrations, slants, and every other form of insecurities leading to ‘flushing mouth disease.’

Gossip is terribly infectious. It leads to folks re-quoting others with embellishments that are often total changes in what occurred.

A violent part of gossip is the setting of motives. Whenever anyone determines the motives of another, that person is God! (Glory!) Only God can know the real motive and intent of any person. He alone can read minds, and He even knows what a person doesn’t know about that person. Thus, be sure to bow down to anyone who tells you the motives of another, and worship him.

How Should One Handle a Person Who is Inquisitive?

Some folks ask, observe, and pry their way into others. They keep questions rolling, observing body language, and drilling until they hit pay dirt. How should they be diplomatically handled?

One way is to say to the person, “That is a good question! You can ask so and so next time you see the person!” If the person is insistent, you can then ask, “Why do you want to know?” That is a cut-off question, because now, you are inspecting that person and that person’s motive straight from the admission of the person.

Folks will gossip in questions. “Did you know about this? I just learned such and such!” If this is in an email, a good way is to delete it, and behave as if it went into limboland, cyberspace.

Another good response is to say, “That really bothers you, doesn’t it! I can tell that it really concerns you!” That will force the person to explain why it is so important. During that time, no gossip is occurring, and the other person is in a sweat.

Another way is to respond, “I think we had better keep our noses out of it.”

The idea is to refuse to be dragged into the gossip chain.

When folks are speaking together in person, diplomacy is far more difficult, and requires practice. It is excellent when properly done. Sometimes, changing the conversation on a fluke is wise. For example, suppose a person is at a party, and is in conversation with the national gossip. The person starts to ask questions. If you see an opportunity at the party, you can deftly say, “Oh, excuse me! I need to help with that table….” And take off.

“Did you know that Billy is saying such and such about you?”

A good response is, “As long as he is picking on me, he is leaving some poor soul alone!” A person who has any strength and sense won’t mind being the topic of gossip if that will relieve another who doesn’t have strength and gossip fortitude from being tormented. Another response is this: “Well, darn, I didn’t know I was that important!”

Thinking before filtering is a great error. Those who are wise and who hear another beginning to do this will smoothly change the topic in order to ‘cover the nakedness of’ the other person. If the person is a thinker, the person will later realize what was done, and will appreciate the move.

The following is a Tribulation text (as all the Proverbs are), warning how to keep from stupidly being killed:

Proverbs 17:9 He who covers a transgression seeks love. And he who repeats a matter separates very friends.

To show just how evil this is, consider this End Times Proverbs text:

Proverbs 6:16 Yehovah hates these six things. Indeed, seven are an abomination unto Him:

A proud look
A lying tongue
Hands that shed innocent blood
A heart that devises wicked imaginations
Feet that are swift in running to mischief [violence]
A false witness that speaking lies
He who sows discord among brethren.

Several of these are persons, not acts. Yehovah hates every person who sows discord among brethren. There is no exception. No person in that category can possibly be born of God doing that. Sowing discord is necessarily always in the form of gossip, and it is combined with bitterness. Pride is always participant in gossip and bitterness. No person can possibly have bitterness of the evil type without pride; every gossip shows pride. Being hated by Yehovah doesn’t sound too good.

Some folks gossip with the idea of benefiting. They really think in their perverted little minds that they are doing good. If they were, they would be part of the solution, and not diagnosticians.

If a person gives his opinion or comment on a situation, is that gossip?

Suppose that Johnny gives his opinion to Sammy that a particular doctor isn’t a good doctor, because Johnny didn’t like him. Johnny says to Sammy, “The doctor didn’t spend any time with me, and I don’t think that he really knows what he is doing.” Is this gossip? Consider the checklist:

Checklist	Information
Is it true or false information?	Sammy doesn’t know.
Is it communicated for the purpose of entertainment?	There is no evidence that this is for entertainment.
Is it communicated for self-aggrandizement?	Sammy doesn’t know; Johnny may give the impression that he is expert on many things; it would be, in that case. Otherwise, it may or may not be.
Does its communication lower the estimation of the other person or destroy the person’s reputation?	Yes. (That doesn’t mean that it is false.)
Does it spread bitterness, ranker (violent anger), and other relationship killers?	It doesn’t, in this case; it isn’t a personal relationship.
Is the communication potentially beneficial without any harm?	It is potentially beneficial, but then, it may be false, and even harmful. That doctor may have done well with others.

This may not fit the idea of gossip, but it still should be taken as one person’s opinion, and not as fact. If several (who do not know Johnny) testify that the doctor isn’t the best, that may be wise to consider.

The Case of the Bad Doctor

Suppose that Johnny needs surgery. He asks Sammy about Doctor Gutt. Sammy tells Johnny that he has heard other folks that have used this doctor speak of him in a negative way. In Sammy’s mind, his intent is to benefit Johnny. Is this gossip?

Checklist	Information
Is it true or false information?	Sammy doesn’t know.
Is it communicated for the purpose of entertainment?	No.
Is it communicated for self-aggrandizement?	That is unlikely.
Does its communication lower the estimation of the other person or destroy the person’s reputation?	It certainly lowers the estimation of Doctor Gutt, and it could destroy his reputation if it were spread widely. On the other hand, Doctor Gutt may be destroying his own reputation.
Does it spread bitterness, ranker (violent anger), and other relationship killers?	There is no indication that these folks have a relationship with Doctor Gutt. This might prevent it.
Is the communication potentially beneficial without any harm?	It is potentially beneficial, and it doesn’t have to have harm if it is true. It could greatly lower the confidence that Sammy has in the doctor when surgery requires confidence. That would be harmful.

There is nothing wrong with obtaining recommendations for a profession and a person in that profession. Some web sites are dedicated to gathering testimonies from various sources regarding professions including medicine. So often, one person can receive excellent treatment, and another what the person considers terrible treatment from the same professional. Still, obtaining recommendations is not wrong. It is right, however, to go straight to the sources (the previous patients). Listening to a third party describe these recommendations isn’t the right way to go about this.

Is Discussing a Relationship Gossip?

Suppose Johnny and Sammy are emailing each other. Johnny has a problem with Billy, and tells Sammy about the problem. Sammy writes back, and gives Johnny ideas of how to be wise, how to benefit, and how to handle communications with Billy that if taken, may truly lead to a better relationship and solution to the problem between Johnny and Billy. Is this gossip?

Checklist	Information
Is it true or false information?	Sammy won’t know, but if he is wise, he will temporarily consider that Johnny’s testimony is true for the sake of the email conversation.
Is it communicated for the purpose of entertainment?	No. Johnny has expressed frustration. He is concerned.
Is it communicated for self-aggrandizement?	No.
Does its communication lower the estimation of the other person or destroy the person’s reputation?	Sammy easily can refuse to believe what Johnny said about Billy while advising Johnny; that is being disinterested.
Does it spread bitterness, ranker (violent anger), and other relationship killers?	No; it does the opposite. The idea is to help Johnny do right in his relationship with Billy.
Is the communication potentially beneficial without any harm?	It is as long as Johnny doesn’t later use it as a weapon. (That is a risk that is usually worth taking.)

It is not gossip. It is actually a good way to hone each other in relationship propriety.

Is forwarding an email to a third party gossip if the email contains anything pertaining to the third party without the third party knowing that the email was communicated?

Suppose Johnny sends the following email to Sammy:

From Billy to Johnny

Johnny, I received your note. I really resent what Sammy said at the event. It wasn’t true, and he had no right to say it. I find Sammy to always be saying things like that; he has hurt many folks.

This is indeed gossip.

Is Prayer a Potential Form of Gossip?

Johnny sees Sammy, and describes that Billy is having a difficulty. Johnny then prays, and gives information about Billy that Billy would not want known. The information he gives isn’t pertinent to the solution, but is used so that Sammy will fully understand everything that Johnny knows (or thinks he knows) about Billy and situation. Is this gossip?

Checklist	Information
Is it true or false information?	Sammy doesn’t know if it is true, partially true, or completely false. It probably won’t be completely false.
Is it communicated for the purpose of entertainment?	Most public prayers are. No matter what folks think about public prayers, most are for entertainment, and not for the real situation. One can tell; think of how little affected the one praying and those hearing are by the prayer. A prayer that is not for entertainment will be heartfelt by all concerned.
Is it communicated for self-aggrandizement?	Yes, it is. No matter what Johnny thinks he is doing, he is still bragging about how much he knows of the situation. That is self-aggrandizement.
Does its communication lower the estimation of the other person or destroy the person’s reputation?	It certainly does.
Does it spread bitterness, ranker (violent anger), and other relationship killers?	Yes. It depends on the hearer and the wisdom of the hearer, but in normal hands, yes.
Is the communication potentially beneficial without any harm?	No. It can be very harmful.

Prayer is often used as a vehicle for gossip. Missionary letters home can be used the same way.

There are valid and good reasons for group prayer:

If the prayer is for the group so that the group itself can be beneficial and/or withstand persecution
If the prayer involves all in the group regarding another for whom the prayer is being given, all in the group desiring to benefit that person
If the person praying desires witnesses of the contents of the prayer so that the details will be recognized if Yehovah grants the prayer, the witnesses being or not being in faith

Is a Request for Prayer by the Person Present a Potential Outlet for Gossip?

Johnny asks Sammy for prayer, because Johnny is struggling. Johnny says, “Sammy, pray for me; I am struggling and frustrated. Billy is spreading rumours, Sally now hates me, and every time I get together with them, I am miserable. They make me feel so uncomfortable. I don’t like the way they talk about others, and they are mean to me and to others.” Is this gossip? What Johnny is doing can easily be a means of gossip. The issue now lies with Sammy. What he does with it makes the difference. Does he give wise counsel to Johnny? Does he believe Johnny? Prayer and gossip can easily be the same thing.

When folks are quick to place blame on others for many things, they, themselves are bitter, and they are gossips, especially when they are Teflon. No accusation of wrongdoing on their parts ever sticks to them; they are always innocent.

When folks are quick to call others liars (even if they are), they themselves are confessing being a liar. Self-deceit is the first step toward bitterness, and it is what makes folks unable to see truth. Even when confronted with the truth, they accuse others as if they are looking in a mirror, because all they see are themselves. If they were to see the very image of God on others, they might see Truth. Instead, they only see themselves, and that in the best light, while they see others as what they themselves are.

Can an Accusation be a Way of Pumping a Person for Gossip?

Johnny is conversing with Sammy. Johnny says, “Well, you were rude to Billy, and he is still hurt over it.” Sammy answers, “I was not! Billy deserved everything I said because he did this, this and this!” Johnny then tells Sally and Billy what Sammy said.

A common practice with news folks is to start with a false premise so that the responder will feel obligated to expound, defend, and give information that he or she otherwise would not have given. It is brilliant. A good answer would be, “Where did you learn that? Next question, please.”

A Person Asks for an Opinion

Johnny and Sammy and emailing. Johnny asks Sammy for his opinion on a situation that involves Billy and Sally. Johnny says, “Billy and Sally are trying to get the fellowship hall painted green, and they are saying that any other color is just not intelligent. What do you think?” Is this gossip, or can this introduce gossip?

Checklist	Information
Is it true or false information?	Sammy doesn’t know.
Is it communicated for the purpose of entertainment?	Not in this case.
Is it communicated for self-aggrandizement?	It could; Sammy doesn’t know.
Does its communication lower the estimation of the other person or destroy the person’s reputation?	Yes, it does, and it certainly could, because Johnny worded it in such a way that it makes Billy and Sally seem narrow-minded and even potentially belligerent.
Does it spread bitterness, ranker (violent anger), and other relationship killers?	Yes; if Sammy believes this, and likes blue, it could make for hard feelings and kill relationships.
Is the communication potentially beneficial without any harm?	Because we had to think so long on this, the answer is that it can produce harm. The benefit of the communication is uncertain.

Thus, it is gossip. This has to do with the way Johnny worded it. Consider the following communication to see the difference:

“I heard several others describe their desire that the fellowship hall be painted green. They do not seem to consider other colors as potentially beneficial. Do you have a color in mind, and if so, can you describe good reasons for considering other colors?” In this conversation, it may be that the undescribed person used to be an interior decorator, and has good reasons for a particular color choice. The point, then, is often how a communication is worded. If the topic is the color of the paint, and not the individuals involved, that isn’t gossip. It is totally impossible to gossip about a paint color.

When Johnny tells Sammy his opinions of what occurred, Sammy will be wise if he starts by telling Johnny that he (Sammy) wasn’t there, and doesn’t know what transpired from God’s perspective. Sammy, then, will not assume that everything that Johnny said is “God’s truth.” Then, Sammy should concentrate on Johhny’s behaviour and responses, not on the behaviour and responses of the third part. That way, Sammy is being a good friend to Johnny. (Johnny won’t like it.)

Matthew 12:36 But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

Defensiveness in conversations is the worst way to proper gossip and to kill relationships. The classic novels portray this so well. Being defensive is only beneficial under the rarest of circumstances. Those who are wise will not defend, but will consider the other persons (I am speak of the accusers), and will seek to be of benefit to their mitigation of bitterness if at all possible. (In far too many cases, it isn’t possible, because persons with bitterness feel gravely insulted if anyone seeks to try to alleviate the bitterness; it is their baby! It is their child! It is the very foundation of the justice upon which they have stood! Speaking against the bitterness in any way is as if you are slapping the person across the face and making the very reasons for the bitterness seem minor.

Do not defend yourself in these conversations, and do not defend those whom you love or those whom you don’t love. Defending those whom you love will act as a perverted proof that you know the badness of their character; their character should stand on its own. Those who defend the ones they love the most are doing what appears to be a cover up. Defenses always feed gossip chains! Gossip cannot survive silence; it must always be communicating. Defending is a form of communication; it is gossip food.

One accusation of a very bitter person who is gossiping is this: “You are on so-and-so’s side! You have taken that person’s position!” Then, that person communicates this to others who are gullible. A gullible person is one who takes information as if it is truth and doesn’t even look to see if it is truth. No person can be both wise and gullible at the same time:

Psalms 19:7 The Teaching of Yehovah is perfect, restoring the being. The testimony of Yehovah is certain, making the gullible wise.

A gullible person is a sucker.

There are some who are mentally retarded; their learning curve is very low compared to the general population. They are gullible; they believe what folks say because they respect them. If they are taught the Teaching of Yehovah, however, they can exceed in wisdom far above geniuses.

Bitterness is a baby that a person loves. Don’t touch that baby if the person is showing this symptom. Don’t! You will get burned.

There are times when ignoring (that is, not responding to) a person’s bitterness is very wise. There are times when it is not wise. Experience will teach the difference.

The Pajama Case

Sally’s daughter Judi just had a baby: her second one. Sally’s best friend is Susie. Susie and Sally are talking. Lilly knows both Sally and Susie from school days, though Lilly isn’t in regular contact with Judi or Sally. Lilly asks Susie if it was necessary for Lilly to purchase a gift for the new grandbaby. (The answer was not specific.) This conversation was later repeated to Sally. Sally became upset. She showed that she was upset with Lilly. This gave Lilly the impression that she did need to give a gift to Judi for her baby to avoid hurt. Lilly obtained a gift, and took it to Judi, being accompanied by Susie. Judi took the gift, but gave no response of thankfulness; she was very cold. Had gossip taken place?

There is no true proof that gossip occurred, but there was also no reason that Judi should respond the way she did unless something had been said. Gossip itself is not the real problem; the recipient of gossip is the real problem in cases like this. Anyone who receives gossip, then behaves differently on the basis of gossip is the wrongdoer that does damage as great as the gossip and gossiper themselves.

The best way to react to gossip is one of the following (and there can be other ways):

Ignore it
Place it back into the craw of the one speaking it: that is, cause the gossiper to be responsible for doing benefit, since that person is the reporter. A reporter who only reports and doesn’t help (if help is possible) is an evil person even if the person works for a newspaper.

Man and Wife Gossip

Johnny and Sally are married. Johnny tells Sally information that is gossip if it goes beyond their conversation to the ears of others. Do husbands and wives have the right to tell each other whatever they want about others? Husbands and wives have responsibilities. Folks who focus on rights never focus on responsibilities. Folks who focus on responsibilities rarely mention rights. Those who focus on responsibilities have sense; those who focus on rights are set for bitterness. Husbands and wives should theoretically be able to speak with each other without boundaries; this isn’t real life, unfortunately. They must be diplomatic with each other in most cases. If a husband knows that saying something about another will affect his wife in such a way that she will have a hard time being normal with that person, he doesn’t need to say anything unless his wife will be in danger.

The Obvious

Some forms of gossip are just obvious. Some gossipers are just obvious. They speak in a different way, they physically position themselves in a different way, and they move their eyes in a particular way that advertises that they are gossiping. Since this document is for the purpose of communication forms that might be far more difficult to spot, I will not try to cover the many obvious gossip scenarios.

Men Versus Women

Many are convinced that women are more gossipy than men. If this were true, it would be based on an obvious observation: women communicate more than men in many cultures. The worst gossipers are not necessarily women. Men early learn to gossip in school. Their type of gossip is more deadly. Entire wars are run on campaigns of gossip: spreading fear, rumours and lies about enemies. If truth were spoken during wars, some wars would fall apart.

The Attack of Cowards

Gossip is a form of attack. It is used by cowards, persons with low or non-existent morality, and the worst scum of society. Gutter-bound incurable drunks who beg for money for alcohol are far higher on the morality level than gossips. Yet, gossips are found among the highest-ranking persons in society. High-society gossip is deadly entertainment; entire magazines are dedicated and devoted to it. It is Biblically worse than blood sports done in the Roman arenas. Yet, it is considered an acceptable practice by a large majority of the population, including many who are fervent and dedicated churchgoers. How many sermons per year are dedicated to defining and decrying gossip?

It is masked and morphed into many forms. One form is anger. The following is an example.

Fury Expressed

Johnny is communicating with Sammy by email. Johnny writes the following email:

Sammy,

How could you listen to Billy? You know that Billy is a liar. Billy has always been a liar! You don’t know what Billy did to Sally, and I can’t tell you that because I was told in confidence. I assure you, Billy is a liar, and you are siding with Billy! Can’t you see who your real friends are? How can you take sides with Billy? Billy did terrible things to Sally! You need to wake up!

Several things should be evident about this email. First, Johnny is furious with Billy, and Johnny is now becoming furious with Sammy just because Sammy won’t take Johnny’s word about Billy. Sammy doesn’t have Johnny’s information; yet Johnny expects Sammy to take Johnny’s word that Billy is a terrible person and a liar. Johnny is a violent gossip, and a very bitter person. Yet, Johnny has no clue that he is both of these. Johnny feels more like a victim—a victim of Sammy (for not believing him without evidence).

Johnny is outraged that Sammy could even listen to Billy. As far as Johnny is concerned, even listening to Billy is a great moral evil on Sammy’s part! Johnny’s bitterness is so great, that it will destroy Johnny. He will physically be ruined!

Johnny’s accusation that Billy is a liar is pure and open gossip. (Even if Billy is the world’s worst liar, Sammy doesn’t know this or have evidence of this; thus, Johnny is gossiping. Gossip is worse than lying, in the Bible; gossip always involves lies or unproven half-truths.

The statement, “You don’t know what Billy did to Sally, and I can’t tell you that because I was told in confidence” is another form of gossip. It is very self-aggrandizing (showing a pride level on the part of the speaker that is far above normal evil pride). It is also what I call, “junior high,” meaning that it is the type of communication that mean-spirited and evil junior high students (grades seven through nine) would say and use. Many adults never advance in their sense, justice, or social skills beyond junior high.

Next comes the statement, “I assure you, Billy is a liar, and you are siding with Billy!” Sammy will be very wise to soon have nothing to do with Johnny. Johnny is using a friendship to twist the arm of a friend into violating every principle of proper justice. The whole concept of, “Take my word for it!” is a violation of justice.

Here is the twisting and perverting of propriety: “Billy is a liar, and you are siding with Billy!” This accusation is akin to stating, “If you don’t believe me over and above any information from any other source that you might use, you are siding with Billy against all justice!” Thus, a person who desires to judge in the Biblical manner is taking sides by refusing to be biased. Now, that is a lie! It is also gossip, though it is said straight to the other person. (Such an accuser won’t just communicate this to the person involved; that person will tell it to others, and will spread rumours and gossip about the person, about Sammy, in this case.)

The plea comes: “Can’t you see who your real friends are?” This is a plea that is akin to a lawyer and a judge deciding a case while sitting in Joe’s Bar, with the lawyer telling the judge, “Remember who are your friends in the upcoming election!” It is a plea for corruption. It shows the most vile and villainous type of character.

The question, “How can you take sides with Billy?” Is akin to the question, “Have you stopped beating your wife yet?” Sammy hasn’t taken any sides, but Johnny is fully convinced that he has!

Next comes another juicy piece of gossip: “Billy did terrible things to Sally!” Johnny really thinks in his perverted mind that he just kept a confidence and didn’t gossip! After all, he didn’t give details. In truth, he just acted out the worst form of gossip; it is based on accusations without proof or evidence.

The final statement, “You need to wake up!” is true. Sammy does need to wake up. He needs to quit communicating with a bitter and vicious gossip who has degraded himself to the lowest forms of ungodly violence and hatred, and who desires to spread his bitterness to as many as will listen. Yet, Johnny feels very justified in his stands. Many gossips don’t know they are gossips, and would openly state that gossip is a terrible sin!

Another Root Cause of Gossip

Where does gossip like this arise, especially in a person (like Johnny) who would condemn gossipers? It arises from bitterness. While I have mentioned bitterness several times in this document, I have a separate document on bitterness that is designed for children. Some gossip for the entertainment value; others use gossip as a spy would spread lies in order to undermine rivals.

Gossip Paranoia

Gossipers usually fear gossip! They know the power of it; they don’t desire to be targeted. This produces a form of paranoia to which gossipers are very susceptible.

Let folks compare notes on gossipers in such a way that the gossipers know they are being closely viewed and their actions are being weighed, and they will demonstrate this paranoia. It can show itself in the form of strong belligerence and threats, and it can show itself in the form of very strong defensiveness (to try to ‘prove’ that the communications were not gossip, but were truth). Gossipers feel violated when they are topics of conversation in which they are not present.

They can dish it out; they cannot take it.

Can a Gossiper be Born of God?

Some Saints have gossiped. It is quite possible for a person to gossip without realizing that he has done this. That doesn’t make it innocent; it shows that the person was involved in self-deception. The gossiper who didn’t realize that something was gossip hasn’t understood propriety in communications. If the person is indeed born of God, the person will be easily correctable. Every fearer of God has received the love ofthe truth, besides the truth. One who loves the truth will always be correctable. One who defends and fights off correction with something akin to, “I know I am right, and I know I did right in this case” has not received the love of the truth. Find anyone who isn’t correctable, and that person isn’t born of God.

Team Gossips

Gossips love gossips. Folks tend to team up with gossips. They fear each other, because any team member can then gossip about another who is part of the team, and can ruin that person’s reputation. Thus, gossips will do what is necessary to please other members of the gossip team. There is usually one leader; the rest bow to the gossip leader. If even a slight suspicion of disloyalty arises, the gossip leader will quickly spread a rumour about the disloyal person, and that person’s reputation will be destroyed within the group. This is also ‘junior high.’

Because the fear of being badly viewed is so high, any supposed fear of God will quickly be of no consequence compared to the fear of being smeared. The following is an example:

Johnny, Billy and Sally are team gossips. Billy is very bitter against his father, and Sally is bitter against her aunt. Johnny is just bitter against almost everyone, but supposes that he fears God. Johnny is speaking to Sammy; Sammy has nothing to do with gossip, and he also hates bad bitterness. Johnny and Sammy previously got along very well; they both enjoyed looking at the Bible together. Now, in Johnny’s and Sammy’s conversation, Sammy speaks well of Billy’s father. Johnny tells Sammy that Billy’s father is no good. This makes no sense to Sammy; he wonders where Johnny gets this. As their conversation progresses, Johnny becomes more and more angry that Sammy just doesn’t see how bad Billy’s father is. One problem is that Johnny fears Billy gaining a bad view of Johnny. That fear is so strong, that soon Johnny’s and Sammy’s relationship is destroyed. Sammy doesn’t know what happened, or why. Sammy wasn’t defending anyone; he just wouldn’t go along with Johnny’s assessment. Sammy didn’t know that Johnny, Billy and Sally were team gossips. Had he known this, he might have been wiser, and avoided Johnny in the first place.

Work Gossip

Johnny and Sammy are working together in one area of an office, and Billy and Sally work in another. Billy and Sally must code information so that Johnny and Sammy can then process it; this is a normal daily function. Billy and Sally become angry for some reason, and refuse to code up to speed. Johnny and Sammy wait for the coded material to come so that they can do their work. This work slow-down becomes obvious to Johnny and Sammy who may have to work overtime to catch up because of the intentional slow-down of Billy and Sally. Johnny and Sammy discuss what Billy and Sally are doing. Does this constitute gossip? Consider the checklist:

Checklist	Information
Is it true or false information?	It is true information.
Is it communicated for the purpose of entertainment?	It is not for entertainment; it is part of a work function.
Is it communicated for self-aggrandizement?	It is not communicated for this purpose.
Does its communication lower the estimation of the other person or destroy the person’s reputation?	The communication itself has no effect on the reputation of Billy or Sally; the communication has to do with proper functioning of the office.
Does it spread bitterness, ranker (violent anger), and other relationship killers?	It does not do that as long as Sammy and Johnny keep the communication professional without personal comments about Billy and Sally.
Is the communication potentially beneficial without any harm?	It is potentially beneficial; it can be used to participate in solving the disgruntled work slow-down frustration of Billy and Sally.

If in Sammy’s and Johnny’s communication expressions are of disappointment in Billy and Sally and of their manipulation to the system, to others, and to get what they desire, this falls either one way or the other. It is gossip if Sammy and Johnny flame up the anger toward Billy and Sally, and do no benefit. If, on the other hand, Sammy and Johnny carefully consider how they can benefit both the office and Billy and Sally by assuaging (lessening the potency of) Billy’s and Sally’s anger and frustration at being overworked, according to them, this is not gossip. Sammy and Johnny may not be in a position to do anything beneficial, but if they at least do not use words and actions to do harm, and if they desire to be beneficial if they can, they are not gossiping; they are demonstrating proper character.

Overhearing or Witnessing a Personal Attack Conversation

Johnny, Sammy, Billy and Sally are in a crowded room. Billy is expressing very strong words to Sally, describing that she has done wrong and has hurt others. Sammy overhears or witnesses this conversation, and is aware of much more than what he is hearing. He knows that Sally’s behaviour and deportment (how one conducts oneself and carries oneself before others) have been excellent; not merely good, but in every way beyond all reproach. Sammy sees that Sally is not defending herself, and that she is devastated by the strong and accusatory words of Billy. Sally begins to move toward the exit of the gathering. Sammy moves in her direction, and catches up to her. He starts by saying to her that he did overhear the conversation, and that Billy is wrong in his observations about Sally and about the situation. Is this gossip?

As long as Sammy is very careful not to say things that he shouldn’t about Billy, but instead keeps the conversation about Sally and her good conduct, he may freely state that Billy does not properly understand the issues that he spoke with her. That is not gossip. Sammy can be of use to Sally to console her to a little degree in this issue.

Suppose that Sammy tells Sally that Billy is a bitter person who states things and accuses folks without knowing the facts. Is this gossip?

This paper is opinion without Biblical text!

March 3, 2011July 5, 2017

Was Lot Righteous?

Was Lot a Righteous Man?

Introduction

Lot offered his two daughters to a vile crowd. Many have found this unconscionable. Could this man be considered righteous in light of this offer?

The Text Literally Rendered and in Its Entirety

I have given the entire chapter in a literal rendering next so that readers can see what the Hebrew language truly communicates. (The Hebrew word na is a softener, a word that softens a harsh-sounding communication so that it is gentle.) The pertinent verses are 4-9, but the surrounding texts will clarify the situation.

Genesis 19:1 And two of the angels came to Sodom in the evening. And Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. And Lot saw. And he rose up to meet them. And he worshiped faces toward the land. ²And he said, “Behold na, my lords, turn away, na, unto your servant’s house. And lodge. And wash your feet. And ye shall early-rise, and ye shall walk to your way.” And they said, “No! For we will lodge in the boulevard.” ³And he very-much pressed into them. And they turned away unto him. And they came unto his house.

And he made for them a drinking-feast. And he baked matzahs. And they did eat.

⁴Before they will lay down… And the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded upon the house from young and unto old─all the people from the edge. ⁵And they called unto Lot. And they said to him, “Where are the men who came unto thee tonight? Send them out unto us. And we have known them!” ⁶And Lot went out unto them to the opening. And he shut the door after him. ⁷And he said, “Do not, na, my brethren, do bad. ⁸Behold, na, two daughters are to me who have not known a man. I will send out, na, them unto you. And do ye to them as is good in your eyes. Only unto these men do not do a thing. For therefore they came into the shadow of my roof!” ⁹And they said, “Approach yonder!”

And they said, “The one came to sojourn. And he has judged, judging! Now will we do-worse to thee than them!” And they very much pressed into the man─into Lot. And they approached to break the door.

¹⁰And the men sent their hand. And they brought Lot unto them to the house. And they shut the door. ¹¹And they smote the men who are the opening of the house with blindness─from small and big. And they wearied to find the opening!

¹²And the men said unto Lot, “Who else is to thee here?─son in law and thy sons and thy daughters and all who are to thee in the city─send out from the place! ¹³For we are destroying this place! For their scream is big with the faces of Yehovah, and Yehovah hath sent us to destroy her!”

¹⁴And Lot went out. And he spake unto his sons-in-law, takers of his daughters. And he said, “Arise! Go out from this place! For Yehovah is destroying the city!” And he seemed as a joker unto his sons-in-law.

¹⁵And as the sunrise ascended, and the angels hastened into Lot saying, “Arise! Take thy wife and two of thy daughters who are found lest thou wilt be consumed in the iniquity of the city!” ¹⁶And he what-whated himself. And the men grasped into his hand and into the hand of his wife and into the hand of two of his daughters in the compassion of Yehovah upon him. And they exited him. And they rested him from outside to the city.

¹⁷And he was as they exited them outside. And he said, “Escape upon thy being! Peer not behind thee! And stand thou not in all the plain! Escape to the mountain, lest thou wilt be consumed!” ¹⁸And Lot said unto them, “Not, na, my lords! ¹⁹Behold, na, thy servant found favour in thine eyes. And thou hast magnified thy grace that thou didst with me to keep alive my being. And I, I will not be able to escape to the mountain lest the bad will cling to me, and I will die. ²⁰Behold, na, this city is near to flee there. And he is little. And I will escape, na, there. Is he not little? And my being shall live!” ²¹And he said unto him, “Behold, I carried thy faces also to speak this to my not overthrowing this city that thou hast spoken. ²²Hurry! Escape there! For I will not be able to do a thing until thy coming there!” Therefore he called the name of the city ‘Little’ (Zoar).

²³The sun went out upon the land. And Lot came to Zoar. ²⁴And Yehovah rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah sulfur and fire from with Yehovah from the heavens. ²⁵And He overthrew those cities and all the plain and all the inhabitants of the cities and the sprout of the soil.

²⁶And his wife peered from after him. And she became a pillar of salt. ²⁷And Avraham early rose in the morning unto the place where he stood with the faces of Yehovah. ²⁸And he distantly-looked upon the faces of Sodom and Gomorrah and upon all the faces of the land of the plain. And he saw. And behold, the smoke of the country ascended as the smoke of a furnace.

²⁹And he was when God destroyed the cities of the plain. And God remembered Abraham. And He sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when He overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt.

³⁰And Lot ascended from Little. And he dwelt in the mountain. And two of his daughters are with him. For he feared to dwell in Zoar. And He dwelt in a cave─he and two of his daughters.

³¹And the firstborn said unto the little, “Our father is old. And a man is not in the land to come unto us according to the way of all the land. ³²Go. We will make our father drink wine. And we have lain with him. And we have kept alive seed from our father.”

³³And they made their father drink wine in that night. And the firstborn came. And she lay with her father. And he did not know when she lay and when she arose.

³⁴And it was tomorrow. And the firstborn said unto the little, “Behold, I lay last night with my father. We will make him drink wine also tonight. And come. Lie with him. And we have kept alive seed from our father.” ³⁵And they made their father drink wine also in that night. And the little arose. And she lay with him. And he did not know when she lay and when she arose.

³⁶And the two daughters of Lot conceived from their father. ³⁷And the firstborn bare a son. And she called his name From-Father. He is the father of Moab unto today. ³⁸And the little [feminine], also he, bare a son. And she called his name Son-of-my-People. He is the father of the sons of Amon unto today.

Observations about Yehovah

Any reader of the Bible must come to understand certain character traits of the God of the Bible in order to understand what took place. I will next give a brief listing of these traits and of some other background details.

Yehovah has a very strong passion for a sojourner (pagan or otherwise).

Exodus 22:21 Thou shalt neither vex a sojourner nor oppress him. For ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

Exodus 23:9 Also thou shalt not oppress a sojourner. For ye know the heart of a sojourner, seeing ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

A sojourner has no army and no opportunity to be provided justice if that sojourner is mistreated in a foreign land.
Yehovah sees if a sojourner is protected or if the sojourner is mistreated by any people.
Any people that normally mistreats a sojourner is in Yehovah’s sites for annihilation.
When a sojourner comes into a foreign land, anyone who aids that sojourner (who cannot obtain justice if a wrong is done) is proving to be a friend of Yehovah in that matter.
When a city mistreats or ignores a sojourner (even if only one resident is doing that), Yehovah holds the entire city responsible.

Observations about Lot and His Family

Lot feared Yehovah.
He had two daughters at home, and he had at least two other daughters who were married in that city and participant in the culture.
When Lot gave shelter to those two sojourners, he knew that he would have to defend them with the lives of all his family members should violence arise. The home of a person is a state before Yehovah. It is a fort and a fortress.
When the violence came, Lot knew that he could not offer himself; that would guarantee the destruction of the sojourners, of his daughters and of his wife. He therefore did what any soldier must do: he attempted to minimize casualties.
He wasn’t offering his daughters to be killed, but to pacify their vile lusts in order to keep alive as many as possible.
He would be the last one to defend them, if the attack continued.
The same events will occur during the Tribulation (the period of seven years that will be the worst times the earth has ever seen). A form of the Jewish Holocaust will take place, but it will be much worse than the Holocaust commenced by Hitler. Non-Jewish families will offer and sometimes give their lives to save the lives of Jews. When any family member gives shelter to a Jewish person under such circumstances, all members of that family are in jeopardy of being killed.

The Bible’s Observations about Lot

2 Peter 2:4 For if God didn’t spare the angels that sinned, but cast them down to Hades and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved unto judgment, ⁵and He didn’t spare the old world, but saved Noah (the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness) bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly, ⁶and, turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly, ⁷and delivered righteous Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked… ⁸For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.

This text affirms that Lot was a righteous man. No text challenges his righteousness. Even his daughters gave no protest to his offer to the vile attackers. Instead, they determined to keep seed alive to their father.

Plugging One’s Own Culture into the Bible; Jephthah

A common and normal practice for readers of the Bible is to view the events in the Bible in light of their own cultures. This has led to many traditions and icons that reflect those cultures while claiming to portray events and persons in the Bible. While this practice is accepted, it is no way to handle Biblical considerations.

Fathers in most or perhaps all of the kinder and moral cultures of the United States would never consider offering their daughters to be raped and sexually molested by violent and sexually eager men. U.S. Readers thus look at Lot with incredulity: how could a man even think of doing this? Wouldn’t a father instead offer himself in order to save his daughters? In a like manner, they read the events of Jephthah, and dismiss the notion that he followed through:

Judges 11:30 And Jephthah vowed a vow to Yehovah. And he said, “If, giving, Thou wilt give the sons of Ammon into my hand, ³¹and the exiter that will exit from my door of my house to meet me in my return in peace from the sons of Ammon will be—and he will be to Yehovah. And I will ascend him an ascension.”

³²And Jephthah crossed-over unto the children of Amon to war via them. And Yehovah gave them into his hand. ³³And he smote them from Aroer and unto thy coming Minnit, twenty city [cities] and unto the Mourning of Vineyards, a very big smiting. And the children of Ammon subjected from the faces of the children of Israel.

³⁴And Jephthah came Mitzpah-ward unto his house. And behold, his daughter exited to meet him via tambourines and via whirlings! And only she is alone [an only child]. There is not to him, from him, a son or a daughter. ³⁵And he was as his seeing her. And he tore his garments. And he said, “Ahah, my daughter! Bending, thou bent me! And thou, thou was via my disturbances! And I, I parted my mouth unto Yehovah. And I will not be able to return! ³⁶And she said unto him, “My papa, thou parted thy mouth unto Yehovah. Do to me just-as he exited after from thy mouth; that [because] Yehovah did to thee vengeances from thy enemies, from the sons of Ammon!”

³⁷And she said unto her papa, “He will do to me this speech. Refrain from me two months. And I have walked. And I will descend upon the mountains. And I will weep concerning my ripenesses, I and my neighbours.” ³⁸And he said, “Walk.” And he sent her two months.

And she walked, she and her neighbours. And she wept concerning her ripenesses upon the mountains.

³⁹And he was from the edge of two months. And she returned unto her papa. And he did his vow that he vowed to her. And she, she didn’t know a man. And she was a statute in Israel. ⁴⁰From days days-ward, daughters of Israel will walk to rehearse to the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadi four days in a year.

Readers of this text usually don’t consider that she was the one casualty of the war with Ammon. Her father understood this, and she understood this.

Compromising to Avoid Responsibilities

When lives are at stake and when war is very personal, valiant ones do what they must in order to refuse to compromise in their responsibilities. The fear of Yehovah will produce this type of reaction. Members of cultures in the United States usually cannot deal with a fear of Yehovah that is that great. Most would compromise on anything and everything in order to avoid responsibilities that require considering others before members of their own immediate families. They will never be able to tolerate the following:

Luke 17:33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. ²⁴For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. ²⁵For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? ²⁶For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of man shall be ashamed of him when He shall come in His own glory and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.

This text refers to the following event:

Matthew 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels are with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory. ³²And all races shall be gathered before Him. And He shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divides sheep from goats. ³³And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on the left. ³⁴Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, “Come, ye blessed of my Father! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world! ³⁵For I was hungry, and ye gave me food! I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink! I was a stranger, and ye took me in; ³⁶naked, and ye clothed me. I was sick, and ye visited me. I was in prison, and ye came unto me!” ³⁷Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, “Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed, or thirsty, and gave drink? ^³⁸When did we see thee a stranger, and took in, or naked, and clothed? ³⁹Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came unto thee?” ⁴⁰And the King shall answer and say unto them, “Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me!”

⁴¹Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels! ⁴²For I was hungry, and ye gave me no food. I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink. ⁴³I was a stranger, and ye didn’t take me in; naked, and ye didn’t cloth me; sick and in prison, and ye didn’t visit me.” ⁴⁴Then shall they also answer him, saying, “Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and didn’t minister unto thee?” ⁴⁵Then shall He answer them saying, “Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye didn’t do it to one of the least of these, ye didn’t do it to me!” ⁴⁶And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, and the righteous into everlasting life.

This text guarantees the damnation of folks who didn’t do certain very risky things, and the salvation of folks who did! All the persons of the races being judged in this text are non-Jewish, and they don’t have a faith that is in the God of the Bible. What they do during the Tribulation will determine whether they will live and be granted Salvation (at a later time) or whether they will be sent into everlasting punishment. If they did right, they did the riskiest actions, like visiting Jewish sick prisoners (held by enemies of Israel). Doing that activity will be akin to what Lot did when he took sojourners into his house.

Conclusion

Modern Christianity has no room for these ethics and for this type of morality. Strangely, the non-Biblical religion of Islam does. This has been a curiosity of history: participants in faiths that are opposed to the Bible often demonstrate parts of the Biblical ethic to a far greater degree than participants of faiths that are foreign to the Bible. Thus, a fervent Islamic household knows that protecting a sojourner with the lives of all family members is just what must be done.

Those who fear Yehovah the God of the Bible and who are put in these same terrible predicaments will also do the same.

What is it?

With Questions and Proposed Answers

Incomplete Paper on

Gossip

Apologia

Definition

“Is a person gossiping if information is passed that another is doing monetarily poorly, and that others have helped?”

Checklist

Information

Checklist

Information

“Is a person gossiping if that person warns another that a person not present is participating in some evil practice?”

Checklist

Information

“Is a person gossiping if that person warns another person that a third person is a gossip?”

Checklist

Information

When Does Gossip Most Often Occur?

How Should One Handle a Person Who is Inquisitive?

“Did you know that Billy is saying such and such about you?”

If a person gives his opinion or comment on a situation, is that gossip?

Checklist

Information

The Case of the Bad Doctor

Checklist

Information

Is Discussing a Relationship Gossip?

Checklist

Information

Is forwarding an email to a third party gossip if the email contains anything pertaining to the third party without the third party knowing that the email was communicated?

Is Prayer a Potential Form of Gossip?

Checklist

Information

Is a Request for Prayer by the Person Present a Potential Outlet for Gossip?

Can an Accusation be a Way of Pumping a Person for Gossip?

A Person Asks for an Opinion

Checklist

Information

The Pajama Case

Man and Wife Gossip

The Obvious

Men Versus Women

The Attack of Cowards

Fury Expressed

Another Root Cause of Gossip

Gossip Paranoia

Can a Gossiper be Born of God?

Team Gossips

Work Gossip

Checklist

Information

Overhearing or Witnessing a Personal Attack Conversation

Was Lot a Righteous Man?

Introduction

The Text Literally Rendered and in Its Entirety

Observations about Yehovah

Observations about Lot and His Family

The Bible’s Observations about Lot

Plugging One’s Own Culture into the Bible; Jephthah

Compromising to Avoid Responsibilities

Conclusion