Thursday Thirteen - Fun Facts

1. In ancient Israel, men closed a deal by exchanging sandals. Ruth 4:7

2. The term "scapegoat" comes from theuse of a goat that was to recieve the sins of the people and be released into the wilderness. Lev. 16:10

3. You may have heard people exclaim, "Jehoshaphat!" Well, Jehoshaphat is the valley where God will judge the nations according to Joel 3:2. It's also the name of the fourth king of Judah.

4. While Deborah judged Israel, the people lived in peace for 40 years. Behind every peaceful country, there is a good woman. Judges. 5:31

5. "Apple of your eye" is hardly a new expression. Solomon said it in Proverbs 7:2

6. "An eye for an eye" was an Old Testament rule of thumb. Jesus' rule for responding to an offense was "Turn the other cheek" Matt 5:38-39

7. Here's a pharse that stood the test of time - Job was the first recorded person to say "the skin of my teeth." Job 19:20

8. Do not charge interest to a fellow camper. Only charge interest to foreigners. Deuteronomy 23:20

9. No tripping blind people. Leviticus 19:14

10. Have you seen the writing on the wall? King belshazzar did. When he was drinking out of a goblet from Jerusalem's temple, a hand wrote a message on his wall. Daniel 5:5

11. Jesus was trying to be alone to mourn the death of John the Baptist when the crowd of 5000-plus found him. Surprise! Matt. 14:13

12. Under David's rule, there were more then one million men who could handle a sword in Israel. 1 Chronicles 21:5

13. In order to feed the large crowd of more than 5,000, Jesus organized the people into groups of 100's and 50's Mark 6: 39-40