I Sam 19 – 21
James 2
Reaching back to the weekend, we have the ‘rock and roll’ story of David and Goliath.
Reaching back to the book of Ruth and her sister, Orpah…
•Returned to Gath
•David and Goliath genealogy ~ Ruth and Orpah
–According to the Babylonian Talmud (Sotah 42b)
–Goliath was a son of Orpah, the sister of Ruth
•The Jewish Rabbis tell us, in the Aggadah₂, that the real name of Orpah was 'Harafu'.
–She found a new husband, the result of a shrewd political alliance between Eglon King of Moab and the Philistine King of Gath. In those days there were still giants living in Moab, but most of them had moved to the Coastal plain₃, and Orpah became the wife of one of these ‘Eminem’, or giants. She bore him four very big boys. Their names were Ishbibenob, Saph₄, Lahmi and Goliath₅.
–When her boys were of full age and mature fighters, Goliath challenged the army of Israel, and was killed by young David. Goliath's great grandmother Princess Harafu, whom we call Orpah, was sister to Ruth.
–Having killed Goliath, David was challenged in subsequent battles by the brothers of Goliath, until all of them were killed by the leaders of David’s army. Orpah was an aged woman, when Abishai, a general in David’s Army, attacked Ishbibenob, her last living son. Jewish tradition relates that she tried to hinder Abishai from killing her son, and died in the effort.
•Goliath and her sons
–Nephilim
–Super-human height and strength
Now we know why David picked up 5 rocks