Isaiah 65-66; Proverbs 23:12-28

Thursday's Bible Reading: Isaiah 65-66; Proverbs 23:12-28

Good-bye, Isaiah. Thanks for your hard work. I will miss you.

"This is the one I esteem:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit,
and trembles at my word." —Isaiah 66:2

Apply your heart to instruction
and your ears to words of knowledge. . . .
Do not let your heart envy sinners,
but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD.
—Proverbs 23:12, 17

Here is an interesting and helpful distinction
between Pharisees and Sadducees . . .

In 109 BCE, the Hasmoneans (led by John Hyrcanus, a nephew of Judah the Maccabee) conquered Samaria, the capital city of the Samarian sect. This conquest was significant because it ended some 800 years of Samarian influence in Israel. The Samarians were a schismatic movement, comprised largely of non-Jews who practiced some Jewish traditions. The conquest may have further polarized the Jews into two distinct parties: 1) the Pharisees ("separated ones") because they sought to retain the separation of Jewish culture from the Greek influences of Hellenization, and 2) the Sadducees, Jews who embraced Greek culture. —from Today in Jewish History (25 Cheshvan 5767 / 16 November 2006) at Aish.com