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Michael Ben Zehabe Books

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“But, even without kings, a confederation of merchants have always self-assembled. These Gogs have always peacocked, dressed up for special occasions, put on a bit of bling to elicit envy, all within the warm bubble of wealth—albeit outside of Abrahamic-thinking. (Re 21:15) Michael Ben Zehabe, Ruth: a woman’s guide to husband material, pg 5”

“Too many disciples neglect their thorn-like qualities. For instance: Opting for singleness doesn't count if you can't attract a mate. Patience doesn't count if you are too cowardly to defend what is right. Forgiveness doesn't count if the offender never respected you enough to ask for it. Don't label your character flaws as noble sacrifices.”

“Let’s take some extra time to talk about one: Only the number one can create all numbers with this simple equation, 111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321. One, expressed nine times, multiplied by itself, produces all subsequent numbers progressively and then inversely. Zero is not a number.”

“The special knowledge you are about to learn will reveal a “letter theory” that was set into motion from the very first verse in your Bible. It is as though the divine author is telling the reader to expect Hebrew letters and numbers to weave messages, in the sub-text, through the rest of the Bible—starting with verse one.”

“We should expect nothing less from the language that was originally given by God, to His human family. Hebrew was the method that God chose for mankind to speak to Him, and Him to them. Adam spoke Hebrew—and your Bible confirms this. Everyone who got off the ark spoke one language—Hebrew. Even Abraham spoke Hebrew. Where did Abraham learn to speak Hebrew? Abraham was descended from Noah’s son, Shem. (Ge 11:10-26) Shem’s household was not affected by the later confusion of languages, at Babel. (Ge 11:5-9) To the contrary, Shem was blessed while the rest of Babel was cursed. (Ge 9:26) That is how Abraham retained Hebrew, despite residing in Babylon. So, Shem’s language can be traced back to Adam. (Ge 11:1) And, Shem (Noah’s son) was still alive when Jacob and Esau was 30 years of age. Obviously, Hebrew (the original language) was clearly spoken by Jacob’s sons. (Ge 14:13)”

“If this letter system works, it should be reproducible and consistent. If this letter system works, it should be demonstrated in biblical narrative—with consistency. It has. It does. It will. For instance: Daniel interpreted the handwriting on the Babylonian wall. (Da 5:1-31) The question has always been, “What method would produce the same interpretation?” If you will pull out your Strong’s Concordance and translate those same four words, you won’t get the same results that Daniel got. Was Daniel using a different method than modern Christians? Yes, obviously.”

“Many youths who come from loving families miscalculate the dangers of the outside world. Naïveté is condemned in holy text. You will only be naïve once. Use it wisely. Keep your heart far from the romantic snares of foreigners—marital covenants with foreigners. (Eph 5:6; Ps 19:7) pg 18”

“Marriage is nothing to underestimate. Success in marriage is about getting back up, again and again. Ultimately, the Shulamite had to write her own role in Solomon's drama. She made Solomon's problems her problems. For her, that was worth every bruise. pg ii”

“Like your marriage, everything in the universe is trying to find its orbit. In the midst of this constant readjustment, both partners should be able to go to bed knowing that neither one is going to abandon a wounded, or struggling marriage. There is a comforting reassurance being with someone who keeps their promise. pg iv”

“This is going to hurt, but you will have to watch other couples be happier, richer and louder than you. Wait. No obstacle can withstand patience. Wait. You may not think so now, but there will come a time when you will be tempted to run away. Would that be right? Would that be fair? As every matriarch discovers, entire seasons will pass without reward. As your mate's peculiarities add up, what do you do? Wait!”

“I’m sick at heart. (וְלִבִּ֥י דַוָּֽי) literally; “and-my-heart faints.” . . . she says, back-of-hand-glued-to-forehead pose, cutting her eyes toward Jehovah, to see if He will buy into her manipulative drama. Again, it takes the gall of a narcissist to destroy a family and then pretend the real victim is their, poor sick heart. Even at a distance, it must have been a terrible thing for angels to watch—powerless to comfort the Father they loved and admired. But, no angel was capable of feeling God’s depth of anguish. And how well they knew Jehovah’s anguish.”

“Ruth’s adoption wasn’t too far from what today’s natural Jews must do, when they want to join the Messiah’s heavenly family: “but when the completion of the time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law, so that we could receive adoption as sons.” –Gal 4:4-5 Michael Ben Zehabe, Ruth: a woman’s guide to husband material, pg 43”

“The emotions of grief are ageless. Widows often feel they have lost their purpose in life. The worst part of a widow’s day is when her comforters leave. Every part of her daily routine has a kink in it, especially when it’s time to go to sleep. Going to bed without hearing someone say, goodnight, feels like leaving the period off the end of a sentence. Michael Ben Zehabe, Ruth: a woman’s guide to husband material, pg 18”

“Until we are alone in the world, we may not realize the extent of how our community is designed for couples. Ruth was no longer part of that couple-community. Even if invited to gatherings, Ruth would still feel awkward in a setting of mostly couples—and the couples would feel awkward for her . . . and nothing feels worse than that. Michael Ben Zehabe, Ruth: a woman’s guide to husband material, pg 71”

“2 Tears of terror came at night. (תִבְכֶּ֜ה בַּלַּ֗יְלָה) literally; “she-weeps at-night”. The word “terror” was chosen to demonstrate she has no control over her surroundings. In the Hebrew—not in the English—the word “tears” was doubled, literally: “to-weep she-weeps”. Note she is no longer in Israel. She is a slave in Babylon. Her day does not belong to her. She must slave for her new master by day, but the night is when she cries for her ex-Husband. In the night, she has time to tally her terrible losses. Lamentations, pg 5”

“and consider how despised I am! (וְֽהַבִּ֔יטָה כִּ֥י הָיִ֖יתִי זֹולֵלָֽה׃) literally; “and-consider for I-am scorned!” Despised by who? Despised by her new husbandly owner, Babylon. Perhaps Judah should have considered Jeremiah’s warning. (Jer 2:20) Perhaps Judah should have considered her vows to Jehovah, and the natural consequences that come from such flagrant disregard. (Pr 14:18; Ezk 16:1-14) pg 18”

“There must be a million different ways to ask, “Why don’t you love me anymore?” Is there any hope that a narcissistic partner will say: “I’m sorry. I want to do better, and, I will.” Well, this is a story where Jehovah asks that heart-wrenching question to His narcissistic wife, Judah. “Why don’t you love me anymore?” Lamentations is a chronicle of a family gone bad, and all its gory details. Lamentations, Intro pg”

“Lots of “I” and “me” in this chapter. Mother-Judah has a very egocentric manner of speech. Maybe Judah hopes she can out-talk God. Maybe Judah hopes she can convince God that, all things considered, she ain’t as bad as the other nations. (De 18:9-14) Narcissist partners rarely miss an opportunity to point fingers—and that’s how Judah decides to end chapter one.”

“With so many Judges spread throughout Israel, how is it that only 13 were worth mentioning in the book of Judges? Some people are given titles they never live up to. Others display a title’s quality without ever receiving the title. Boaz behaved more like a Judge than Bethlehem’s actual Judges. Titles, alone, have very little impact on justice—which explains why a famine had recently ravaged Israel. Michael Ben Zehabe, Ruth: a woman’s guide to husband material, pg 2”

“Treat them as you’ve treated me (וְעֹולֵ֣ל לָ֔מֹו כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר עֹולַ֛לְתָּ לִ֖י) literally; “and-do to-them to-them-as You-have-done to-me”. An odd request from an unfaithful wife—asking her ex-husband to beat up her new husband. Obviously, her mind is still on the kings of the earth, not King Jehovah.”

“Never has God given waivers to family members, just because they had bad leaders. In Jonah's time, the entire family of Israel had become unacceptable, but never has any Israelite administration been without some injustice, intolerance and alienation from God--much less today's earthly family. Even during the celebrated reign of Solomon, Solomon was multiplying wives and horses--against God's written counsel. It has always been so. Regardless, Israel was one family. They were expected to stick together whether they were in exile, or at home living in abundance. No deserters, or pious arm-folders were allowed. As Jonah discovered, no quitters were allowed.”

“Lovers of luxury have always been among us. They usually self-collate into a confederacy of upper-crust who are lured by exciting distractions that borrow their time, rarely giving it back. Instead of loving people and using money, Gogs love money and use people. (1Joh 2:16) Michael Ben Zehabe, Ruth: a woman’s guide to husband material, pg 6”

“Naomi seems to think “rest” and “husbands” can be found in Moab. “Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as at the time of Massah in the desert, when your ancestors challenged me, put me to the test, and saw what I could do! For forty years that generation sickened me, and I said, ‘Always fickle hearts; they cannot grasp my ways.’ Then in my anger I swore they would never enter my place of rest.” –Ps 95:8-11 Michael Ben Zehabe, Ruth: a woman’s guide to husband material, pg 23”

“Does marriage reward love? Usually. Does marriage reward kindness? Maybe. Does marriage reward loyalty? Sometimes. Does marriage reward sacrifice? Not always. Did marriage reward Jehovah? No. His earthly wives, ancient Israel and ancient Judah, left him with prickly regrets. (Jer 3:8) Lamentations, pg Intro”

“What changes when a woman marries? What does a woman lose and what does she gain? For Abishag, marrying king David gave her instant status. As a wife, impugning Abishag's character meant a swift death. As a wife, she inspired fear. What changes when a woman is widowed? For Abishag, it meant foreign women came to Jerusalem to marry Solomon--and she was relegated to that of a spectator. In Abishag's widowhood, none feared her.”

“To erroneously assert that the unclaimed Shunemite does not treasure the opportunity misses the entire point of this superlative song. She wants to leave with Solomon. This earthly Shunemite would be willing to die to be with Solomon--but until she develops skills of value to his kingdom--she will remain unclaimed.”

“There is so much information in one Hebrew word that translators are hard pressed to decide how much information should be cut. Since the first official translation (the Septuagint), Jewish translators advocated translating Hebrew (for outsiders) at the 'story' level. pg viii”

“Some day you will look back on these days as the happiest of your life. You will forget your financial struggles. You will forget the unfair division of duties. You will forget feeling trapped and smothered, imagining that you are in a loveless marriage. You will only remember the joy of a young family, working together making your way through an unfamiliar world. Appreciate what you have now. pg vi”

“Our matriarchs had an interesting advantage over today's western women. Matriarchs didn't begin their marriage with love. Instead, they were taught how to love. They entered marriage with an earnest determination to grow a love that would sustain their marriage for a life time. pg iv”

“God forces us to quantify our religious tenants by measuring them against the family problems they solve. If your religious beliefs aren't solving family problems then something is broke--and it can be fixed. pg iv”

“This is a simple study. Yet, you can use this book to see deeper into the personality of God. I find it heartwarming that God was like a concerned parent who continuously moved the dialogue forward. Notice that Jonah was like a rebellious and headstrong son committing an idolatry of law over justice.”

“Not only does every Hebrew word have its own definition, but every Hebrew letter, within the word, has its own meaning. God placed before you a great banquet of universal truths. All this in 22 Hebrew letters. Every letter contains a progressive curriculum designed to teach you about this marvelous world that God gave us. These letters will flavor each word’s definition claiming its place in God’s well organized universe.”