A Little Honey and Artemis

On Biblical note...from different things I've read recently (many things), I had one surprise reading of scripture not last night but night before (I think), or it was 2 nights ago, and then today.

Today I turned to this section about Paul offending citizens of Ephesus, which was a city that worshipped Artemis.  Artemis was a goddess and they felt he was ruining their tradition by preaching there.  I'm sure I've read it before but I tried to imagine more this time, because it says some told him to leave.  There were people planning to imprison him for "blasphemy of Artemis" and then others said, no he hasn't.  It got so heated, people were screaming at him for 2 full hours. 

And then the other day, it was a coincidence because I walked to get something for a science experiment and I was thanking God in my heart and put the back of my hand to my mouth for a moment, and then I couldn't stop smiling.  It sounds weird, but it was sort of my own expression to God, when I felt a moment of wanting to make a physical ...form of praise? to God. ?  I have no idea.  And then I couldn't stop smiling.  That night I picked up my Bible while in bed and turned to, "and they cast lots between Jonathan and Saul" and it was about how someone had done something wrong and they were trying to find out who it was.  The lot fell to Jonathan and he was asked what did he do? and he said, "I merely tasted a little honey."  It was a violation because the order went out that no man was to eat until the battle was over.  His own father was going to kill him because he made an oath to punish anyone who violated the order.  The others protected him saying, "You are not going to kill him! perhaps it is because of him that God has given us this great victory today!"  So then I read back, having started at the end, at the part about the lots.  I read, after the order was given, Jonathan didn't hear this order.  So all the men were told to march on without food and as they did, they passed this huge amount of honey.  No one touched it, but Jonathan took his staff and dipped the end into the honey and put his hand to his mouth and tasted it (ate it) and then it says he put his hand to his mouth and his eyes were brightened. 

So this was a strange coincidental passage where I read about something about putting a hand to a mouth and feeling happy afterwards and not knowing why.  The scriptural context doesn't have to do with me or my family at all, but I thought it was interesting and it made the verses come alive more.

My own reason for doing what I did that day was only a spontaneous gesture to God, of thanks for God being God and nothing more.

It's sort of nice when something stands out in a new way though, to catch your attention.  I've read some other things too, I mean, psalms and old and new testament but anyway.  I don't feel what I did has relation to the scripture, except that it made a passage come out more.

And like the Artemis one, suddenly thinking of it, imaginging the scene instead of just reading it, makes it more interesting.  I'm finding this to be true with even reading a little bit about science and math, when I do, to conceptualize helps a lot with the impression and for me at least, understanding.

I think I've kissed my own palm before, in a feeling for a gesture to God, or raised my hands in praise or knelt or danced, or whatever.  That day I pressed the back of my hand to my lips, left it there a moment, with my palm facing outward, and then I just felt this rush of happiness.

That part really sounds sort of 'psycho' but anyway, it was spiritual.  I didn't expect to find myself feeling uplifted but I felt uplifted.
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UPDATE 8:23

I decided to very quickly look up whether pressing the back of hand to one's lips signifies anything in any culture.  I don't think it matters, it had my own meaning, but then I saw this one thing which made me laugh.  it said in an ancient part of Italy, to kiss the back of one's left hand meant, "tizio (whoever) will not be forgiven if he does not come kiss my hand." that made me laugh.  Not sure how true that is.  Then in some site for sacrament it said kissing ones own hand is a sacrament.  ? but probably other people do different things for different reasons. I kissed the back of my right hand when I did it, but it was a gesture that was spiritual in a sense.  anyway.