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Oba 1:16  For—as ye have drunk on My holy mountain, Drink do all the nations daily, And they have drunk and have swallowed, And they have been as they have not been.

[Study Aired September 4, 2024]

Oba 1:16  ForH3588 asH834 ye have drunkH8354 (H8804 Qal) uponH5921 my holyH6944 mountain,H2022 so shall allH3605 the heathenH1471 drinkH8354 (H8799 Qal) continually,H8548 yea, they shall drink,H8354 (H8804Qal) and they shall swallow down,H3886 (H8804 Qal) and they shall beH1961 as though they had notH3808 been.H1961

H3588 – Kee, that, for, because, when, as/for though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since, yea, indeed, if, though, that if, for if, indeed if, but if/rather, except that, only, nevertheless, that is, for though, forasmuch as, for therefore, a primitive particle

H834 – Asher, which, who, that which, that, when, since, as, conditional if, a primitive relative pronoun

H8354 – Shathah, (Qal) to drink, to feast, a primitive root

H5921 – Al, upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against, on the ground of, on the basis of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, in the matter of, as regards, to, over to, unto, in addition to, with, adjoining, next, at, around, down upon, on, from, up upon, up to, towards, over towards, against, because, although, properly, the same as H5920, Al, height, above, upwards, on high, from a primitive root H5927, Alah, to go up, ascend, climb, meet, visit, follow, depart, withdraw, retreat, come up, to spring up, grow, shoot forth, go up over, rise, extend, excel, be superior to, be taken up/away, be brought up, take oneself away, be exalted, bring up, cause to ascend, cause to go up/ascend, bring against, take away, draw up, train, rouse, stir up, offer, exalt, be carried away, be led up, be taken up into, be inserted in, be offered, lift oneself

H6944 – Kodesh, apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness, set-apartness, separateness, from a primitive root H6942, Kahdash, to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate, be set apart, be consecrated, be hallowed, tabooed, show oneself sacred or majestic, be honoured, be treated as sacred, be holy, set apart as sacred, consecrate, dedicate, observe as holy, keep sacred, honour as sacred, hallow, dedicated, set apart, devote, treat as sacred or hallow, keep oneself apart or separate, to cause himself to be hallowed (of God), be observed as holy, consecrate oneself

H2022 – Har, hill, mountain, hill country, mount, a shortened form of H2042, Harar, mountain, hill, hill country, mount, from an unused root meaning to loom up

H3605 – Kol, all, the whole, the whole of, any, each, every, anything, totality, everything, from a primitive root H3634, Kalal, to complete, perfect, make complete, make perfect

H1471 – Goy, nation, people, swarm of locusts, other animals, from the same root as H1465, Gevah, the back, behind, from H1460, Gev, the back, back, midst, from a primitive root H1342, Ga’ah, to rise up, grow up, be exalted in triumph, be lifted up, be raised up, be exalted

H8354 – See above

H8548 – Tameed, continuity, perpetuity, to stretch, continually, continuously, from an unused root meaning to stretch

H8354 – See above

H3886 – Luwa, (Qal) to swallow, swallow down, a primitive root

H1961 – Hayah, to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out, to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come into being, to arise, appear, come, become like, to be instituted, be established, be in existence, abide, remain, continue, to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated, to accompany, be with, be done, be brought about, be finished, be gone, a primitive root

H3808 – Lo, not, no, nothing, without, before (of time), a primitive particle

H1961 – See above

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In this study we focus on the principle of knowing there is a spiritual application for the words used in the Bible. We will look at the spiritual meaning of:

• Drinking from a Holy Mountain

• What it means, spiritually, to drink the blood of Christ and eat his flesh

• Paul’s process of reformation, the work of grace in our lives

• The difference between a “spiritual harlot” and a “chaste virgin”

In Obadiah we read about drinking from the Holy Mountain. 

Oba 1:16  For—as ye have drunk on My holy mountain, Drink do all the nations daily, And they have drunk and have swallowed, And they have been as they have not been.

This does not mean physically drinking from a physical mountain, because in understanding scripture correctly, we can only “rightly divide the word of truth” when we apply an important principle:

There is a spiritual application for every word used in the Bible.

Here is how Christ explains this principle:

Jhn 6:24  When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
Jhn 6:25  And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
Jhn 6:26  Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
Jhn 6:27  Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

How can physical “meat” endureth unto everlasting life? Christ even goes on to boldly command his followers to drink his blood. He does not mean this literally of course, because for those who have eyes to see, they see his words are spirit.

Spiritually, eating Christ’s flesh and drinking his blood means “dwelling in him” as stated in verse 56

Jhn 6:53  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Jhn 6:54  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Jhn 6:55  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
Jhn 6:56  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

When we dwell in the words of Christ (search the scriptures daily, forsaking not the gathering of the saints, etc) we are dwelling in him and spiritually “drinking continually”.

As it states in Obadiah “and they have drunk and have swallowed, And they have been as they have not been”, it is this process of change that is our transformation from the old man to the new man. This is not something we can do on our own steam, but only if we are being dragged to Christ. This work is the judgement of our old man and it needs to be carried out by the only one truly capable of completing this work: our one true Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Isa 43:11  I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

Joh 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw [G1670, ‘helkuo’, drag] him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Without this “reformation” we remain a Saul of Tarsus type, thinking he is doing everything perfectly. Without this “reformation” we remain a spiritual harlot (Queen Vashti type, Jezebel, Aholah, Aholibah etc) thinking we are rich and in need of nothing

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked

It is when we begin to see that we are that “wretched man” staring back at us in the mirror that grace begins its work in us, enabling us to begin to repent, just as Paul looked back on his time as “Saul of Tarsus”.

Here are the words of Paul reflecting on his time as “Saul of Tarsus”

1Ti 1:12  And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
1Ti 1:13  Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
1Ti 1:14  And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus

But the road to Damascus was not the end of Paul’s transformation, it was just the beginning. It was when grace began its work. And the work of grace is to establish the new heart (the new man). The starting point for this work however is giving us eyes to see we were sinners when we thought we weren’t.

1Co 15:9  For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
1Co 15:10  But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

It is only by the grace of God was Paul able to be “reformed”

Heb 13:9  For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein

It is the work of the grace of God which “transforms” us from a spiritual non-repentant harlot (Saul) into a spiritual chaste virgin (Paul).

Isa 1:21  How is the faithful city become an harlot!

2Co 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

A “repentant harlot” is not the same thing as a “harlot”.

A “repentant harlot” is the opposite of a “harlot”, it is a spiritually “chaste virgin to Christ”.

An unrepentant harlot is spiritually still an “unrepentant harlot”.

The faithful city acts as a harlot, committing spiritual fornication, when they use their husband as a “placeholder husband”

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

We simply cannot say “Lord, Lord” and “Yes, Yes, But…”. We cannot speak with a silver tongue saying “Lord, Lord” and at the same time not do the things that Christ, our husband, says to do.

Without the work of Grace in our lives we remain in our iniquity and self-righteousness, turning grace into lasciviousness (Jude 1:4) and it is only because of Jesus Christ’s workmanship can we be transformed into the new man.

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith

But the work is not complete. We are not perfect while still in the flesh. For to say we are perfect now is to say the resurrection is already passed

2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18  Who have deviated from the truth, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some

This was the mistake the King of Tyrus made. Like Job, he considered himself perfect and trusted in his own beauty

Ezk 28:14  Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Ezk 28:15  Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Ezk 28:17 a Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness…
Job 2:3  And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

And what was the end of the King of Tyrus (in type, our old man)

Ezk 28:17b  … I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Ezk 28:18  … therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, 
Ezk 28:19  … and never shalt thou be any more.

If we say we are perfect now, we would not need to continually (daily) be made a living sacrifice. Out transformation would be complete and we wouldn’t need Christ any more.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

The root word for Holy (used in the phrase “Holy Mountain”) is sanctified [H6942 kaw-dash]. And in the new testament the word for sanctified is [G37 hagiazo]. We must be sanctified (cleaned/purged), and this is a continual, daily process:

2Ti 2:21  If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

And what is being cleaned? What needs to be purged? The verse prior gives the answer

2Ti 2:20  But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.

To be considered a vessel of honour, we must have the wood, hay, and stubble of the earth (the old man) removed. 

And how is this achieved, the verse prior reveals the answer

2Ti 2:19  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

We start to depart from iniquity when we begin to rightly divide the word of truth

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Rightly dividing the truth within our own lives is the work of grace because the function of grace is to teach us:

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts (physical and spiritual harlotry), we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world (as a chaste virgin)

While it is impossible for the old man to depart from iniquity in his own strength, because he was born in iniquity, it is only the true bread of life that can give us the life and light of Christ.

Eph 5:14  Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light

Jhn 6:47  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
Jhn 6:48  I am that bread of life.