The Book of Joel – Joe 1:13-20 Part 2

“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works” – 2Co 11:14-15.

[Study Aired July 20, 2024]

The Book of Joel is a relatively broad summary primarily for the Bride, although inclusive of all mankind’s transition from the flesh to being recreated as God. In the first part of Joel 1, we learned that locusts symbolise the innumerable lies and inventions of the Christian churches in the wilderness, drinking in their smooth, ear-tickling, more agreeable doctrines, thus creating their own clothing of self-righteousness. Moreover, now, in this second part of Chapter 1, the Bride precedes her brothers and sisters in Babylon for her appeal to repentance. Here, in the verses in John and Thessalonians below, is a reference to the Bride’s calling. The following in Isaiah 4:1 signifies the harlot church, from which the Lord wrested his incipient Bride, similar to the Angel of the Lord forcibly removing (dragging) Lot’s wife and his daughters out of Sodom.

Joh 15:18  If the world hates you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you [The Romans of Christ’s time didn’t hate him; it was the haters of his very household, the Jews who are Christians].
Joh 15:19  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

2Th 2:13  But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 
2Th 2:14  Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Isa 4:1  And in that day [ever since the cross] seven women [seven equals all the churches of Asia and the Christian world, today] shall take hold of one man [Christ], saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

Crucially, concocting our own lying doctrines through our multitude of equally lying counsel of self-appointed elders in Babylon is what we have to repent. It is those inventive doctrines that clothe us in filthy, blood-soaked apparel. It is us, the ‘priests and ministers of the altar’, the embryonic Bride of Christ, at whom Joel 1:13-20 aims its indictments.

Job 9:30  If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean;
Job 9:31  Yet [Christ] shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me.

Pro 6:26  For by means of a whorish woman [Us as a harlot] a man is brought to a piece of bread: 

Being submerged in the ditch for our cleansing by our supposed pure doctrine will result in Jeremiah’s declaration:

Jer 2:19  Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts. 

Pro 6:26  For by means of a whorish woman  [Babylonian Christianity as greater Israel] a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. 
Pro 6:27  Can a man take [God’s fiery word or “strange fire”] fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

Job 15:16  How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water? 

Zec 3:3  Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. 
Zec 3:4  And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

Joshua was a faithful servant of God, masterfully dispatching the enemies of Israel with his bloody sword; his clothes were thus bloodied and filthy. Blood spiritually is Christ’s word, his very body! Blood, the physical essence of life, prefigures death to the Old Man and life to the New Man. If blood is spilt spiritually, it means the death of the truth or lies. Since the Elect metaphorically kill another person with the fiery sword of God’s word, that action results from them having killed us for our rejection of God’s word just as we killed Christ physically and spiritually – it all is figuratively spilling blood.

Isa 59:7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.

Joe 2:30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 
Joe 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman [Babylon the Great] drunken with the blood [Her zealous killing of God’s word] of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

A Call to Repentance

Joe 1:13  Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God. 
Joe 1:14  Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, 
Joe 1:15  Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. 
Joe 1:16  Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God? 
Joe 1:17  The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered. 
Joe 1:18  How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. 
Joe 1:19  O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. 
Joe 1:20  The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Significations:

Joe 1:13  Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God. 

As earlier stated, the Bride of Christ is the priest and minister of Christ the “altar“, under whom we spiritually die daily.

Heb 13:9  Be not carried about with divers and strange [bloody] doctrines. 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. 
Heb 13:10  We have an altar [Christ, our husband that only we can touch], whereof they [Gentile Christianity, the world] have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle [The Bride, the Temple of God]. 
Heb 13:11  For the bodies of those beasts [animal sacrifices symbolising our death], whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp [Equal to the Temple we are being chiselled into shape outside of the construction site]. 
Heb 13:12  Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 
Heb 13:13  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. 

When we were entrenched in Babylon and early in our calling, we often howled prayers all night and every other night for our Lord to release us from severe chastisement when, primarily, all we had to do was acknowledge our sin (Jer 3:13) and get up and walk in His statutes and judgements as the Lord told Joshua following Achan’s sin! An unrepented sin is an “accursed thing” spoken of in Joshuah 7 that we think is a trifling thing and thus our “meat and drink offering”, our prayers are not answered as we think they should.

Jos 7:10  And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 
Jos 7:11  Israel [you and I] hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. 
Jos 7:12  Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. 

The day of the Lord is at hand when we obtain his favour by first acknowledging our sins from our heart, and then our ‘fast’ becomes a sweet savour and joy to him.

Joe 1:14  Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, 
Joe 1:15  Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. 
Joe 1:16  Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God? 

That destruction of our old man within can only be effectively accomplished by the acceptable fast our Lord has chosen that soundly results in forgiveness and brings joy to Christ and eventually to us as we grow in faith and knowledge and learn to walk comfortably in the fire of His word. Our “meat” is either our false doctrinal meal or the spiritual sacrifice Christ desires. Our ‘meat’ offering is our sacrifice of spiritually dying daily to our sins and not pointing our finger at our brother’s sins.

Mat 5:23  Therefore if thou bring thy gift [prayers for ‘gimme this, or gimme that’ of selfish needs while not acknowledging your sins] to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Mat 5:24  Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 

Luk 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 
Luk 18:11  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 
Luk 18:12  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 
Luk 18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 
Luk 18:14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 

Isa 58:6  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? [How? By acknowledging from our ‘publican-like heart our sin] 
Isa 58:7  Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry [soul within!], and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the [yourself] naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? [FIRST inwardly and outwardly]
Isa 58:8  Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. 

Joe 1:17  The seed is rotten under their clods [shovel; sweep away], the garners [treasure, storehouse] are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered [now shovelled out of the barn is dried up, mouldy and useless]. 

The seed being rotten directly corresponds to us being of our first father, the Devil and thus, his spiritually rotten seed. Wheat seed stored not completely dry in the garner or storehouse goes rotten and utterly stinks. It needs to be shovelled out of the silo by hand and comes out in big, stinking “clods”. Jesus, speaking to those Jews figurative ‘stinking clods’ who believed in him, meaning Christians, says,

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil [his rotten seed], and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 

1Co 15:34  Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame. 
1Co 15:35  But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? 
1Co 15:36  Thou fool, that [seed] which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 
1Co 15:37  And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 
1Co 15:38  But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. 

1Pe 1:21  Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 
1Pe 1:22  Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 
1Pe 1:23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Needless to say, the result of not having good seeds to sow means there won’t be a harvest. As such, the beasts representing the people, groan because their priests have fed the laity Satan’s lies and are “perplexed” at the enigma the entirety of scripture is. Subsequently, the flock is made a desolate woman, even The Great Whore, who rules over the nations.

Joe 1:18  How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

Rev 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues [the entire World]. 
Rev 17:16  And the ten horns [Is the Beast] which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 
Rev 17:17  For God hath put in their hearts [being those Jews/Christians who believe in ‘another Jesus’  (2Co 11:3-4)] to fulfil his [God’s] will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast [Non-Christian world that includes themselves] until the words of God shall be fulfilled. 
Rev 17:18  And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, [The Great Whore of Ephraiam-like Christianity inclusive of all other religions] which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Joe 1:19  O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. 
Joe 1:20  The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness. 

The beasts of the field, representing mankind, are bereft of the truth in Christ since God gave us all over to spiritual deafness and blindness except for the little flock He called out of Babylon, representing Gentile Christianity and the world.

Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles [Babylon, the world] be come in.

Isa 5:24  Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. 

Our former dismissal of our Lord’s ‘light bread’ doctrine emanating from his ‘good seed’, meaning the simplicity in Christ, didn’t sensually bond us to Him as it didn’t Old Israel in the wilderness to her Husband. The seed He planted in our hearts rotted in the earthy beast which we are.

Because of women’s intrinsic nature to be emotionally bonded to a husband that enigmatically enchants him and unwittingly curses us all because of her ‘inventive’ nature to capture men’s hearts (Ecc 7:23-29), she becomes the mother of harlots, the Lord’s former wife, Old Israel and us. Subsequently, ‘the beasts of the field perplexedly today cry also unto Christ: for unwittingly, the rivers of Christ’s commands are dried up, and his fiery word hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness’.

Babylonian Christianity found the Bible impossible to systematically piece together for understanding, as it did John regarding his visions in Revelations. Thus, it was much easier to default to the adage, ”Jesus loves you,” since that maxim soothed their consciences, paradoxically condemning them for the looming death in the equally inscrutable Lake of Fire.

Heb 10:26  For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 
Heb 10:27  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 

On that note, it leads us next week, Lord willing, to Chapter 2, “The Day of the Lord.” ‘A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains’ Joe 2:2.

Jdg 19:1-21 We Will not Turn Aside into the City of a Stranger

[Study Aired August 30, 2021]

Jdg 19:1  And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehemjudah. 
Jdg 19:2  And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Bethlehemjudah, and was there four whole months. 
Jdg 19:3  And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father’s house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. 
Jdg 19:4  And his father in law, the damsel’s father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there. 
Jdg 19:5  And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel’s father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way. 
Jdg 19:6  And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damsel’s father had said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry. 
Jdg 19:7  And when the man rose up to depart, his father in law urged him: therefore he lodged there again. 
Jdg 19:8  And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel’s father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them. 
Jdg 19:9  And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel’s father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home. 
Jdg 19:10  But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him. 
Jdg 19:11  And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. 
Jdg 19:12  And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah. 
Jdg 19:13  And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah. 
Jdg 19:14  And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin. 
Jdg 19:15  And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging. 
Jdg 19:16  And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites. 
Jdg 19:17  And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? 
Jdg 19:18  And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house. 
Jdg 19:19  Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing. 
Jdg 19:20  And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street. 
Jdg 19:21  So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink. 

Today’s study is set on the premise that when our Lord Jesus is not ruling as king in our hearts and mind, all our decisions and actions are controlled by our old man or our flesh which leads us into bondage of sin. In our hearts and minds, we think we are making the right decisions and doing the right things, but our steps are leading us to the ways of death. The Israelites were in a similar situation when they had no king literally, and everyone did according to what pleased them. 

Pro 14:12  There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. 

Jdg 17:6  In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. 

Jdg 19:1  And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehemjudah.

Levi means “associated with him.” So a Levite is one who is associated with the Lord. The scriptures reveal that the Levites do the work of the tabernacle but are not permitted to come near the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar.  

Num 18:2  And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness.
Num 18:3  And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die.
Num 18:4  And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you. 
Num 18:5  And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.

We start our walk with Christ as Levites, and later, if we are blessed to be called and chosen, we become priests and can minister before the Lord. As indicated in verse 1, where there is no king to rule us, we are basically Levites who are not permitted to enter the temple. The fact that this Levite has a concubine attests to his spiritual depravity. We all at a certain time in our walk with Christ were this Levite with a concubine. The concubine represents the church system of this world or Babylon. The character of this concubine is shown in the next verse as follows:

Jdg 19:2  And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Bethlehemjudah, and was there four whole months. 

This verse is to affirm to us that we are dealing with the harlot upon whose forehead is written “Mystery Babylon” and is the Lord’s own people.

Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 
Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 
Rev 17:6  And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 

Isa 1:21  How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

We all in our time leave the house of our Lord Jesus Christ and go back to our father, the devil, in Bethlehem of Judah. Bethlehem means house of bread. The negative application of this town is that we go back to the world in search of bread – that is what we eat, drink and wear. As Jesus said, when we are ruled by the flesh, we focus on what we eat, drink and wear.

Mat 6:25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 

Mat 6:32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

The four months that the concubine spent with her father in Bethlehem represent the whole period of time we spent in Babylon under our father, the devil, or the old man.

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Jdg 19:3  And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father’s house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. 

This is to show us that while we were under the rule of the old man or the devil, our Lord knew us and came to our aid to take us back to the hill country of Ephraim. Ephraim means double fruit which translates to the double portion given to the first born sons in Israel as their inheritance. So while we were yet sinners, Christ came to our aid to commence the journey to our inheritance.

Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 
Rom 5:9  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 
Rom 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 
Rom 5:11  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

While we were yet sinners, Christ came to our aid to strengthen us to commence the journey to our inheritance, which is the double portion – the meaning of Ephraim.

Deu 21:15  If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: 
Deu 21:16  Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: 
Deu 21:17  But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his. 

The Lord is always ready to come to our aid even in our rebellious state, but each one in his own order. 

Rom 10:21  But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. 

When the Levite came to take his wife back to the hills of Ephraim, He came with a servant and two donkeys. The servant here and the two donkeys signify the elect whom the Lord has sent into this world to proclaim to us the way of salvation.

Act 16:17  The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

In Exodus 34:20, the firstling of an ass is compared to the firstborn sons of Israel. This indicates that an ass can also represent the elect. Again, Jesus in answering the Pharisees about the healing of a man on a Sabbath day, made the statement that when an ass falls into a pit on a Sabbath day, will the Pharisees not care about it? So this is to confirm that an ass represents the elect. Let’s also remember that it was through an ass that Jesus made His triumphant entry to Jerusalem. This means that it is through the elect that Christ would be made known to Babylon and the world. 

Exo 34:20  But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.

Luk 14:1  And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.
Luk 14:2  And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. 
Luk 14:3  And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? 
Luk 14:4  And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; 
Luk 14:5  And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? 

Zec 9:9  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

As we indicated earlier, the father of the concubine represents our old man. The father being glad to receive the Levite means that the old man will be supplanted by the new man after the image of Christ. This is similar to King Saul recognizing that King David will come and rule in his stead.

1Sa 24:16  And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.
1Sa 24:17  And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. 
1Sa 24:18  And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not. 
1Sa 24:19  For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day. 
1Sa 24:20  And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.

The Levite coming for the concubine is also to let us know that in the fullness of time, God saves Babylon and all humanity.

2Sa 14:14  For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. 

Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 
Rom 11:27  For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

Jdg 19:4  And his father in law, the damsel’s father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there. 
Jdg 19:5  And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel’s father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way. 
Jdg 19:6  And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damsel’s father had said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry. 
Jdg 19:7  And when the man rose up to depart, his father in law urged him: therefore he lodged there again. 

These verses tell us of the resistance we face in our exit from Babylon. Abiding three days with the father-in-law means that what happens to us in Babylon is all part of the process of spiritual completion. The father-in-law’s admonition of the Levite to be content and let his heart be merry is another way of saying that in Babylon, we feel we are rich and have no need of anything.

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: 
Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Here in these verses, it is the father-in-law who is restraining the Levite from setting off to Ephraim. This is another way of saying the following:

2Th 2:6  And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

It is only when he who now restrains is taken away that we see the man of sin or the old man clearly. That is when we set off from Babylon on our spiritual journey to possess our inheritance; symbolized by Ephraim. 

Jdg 19:8  And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel’s father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them. 
Jdg 19:9  And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel’s father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home. 
Jdg 19:10  But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him. 

The Levite finally departed on the fifth day with his concubine. This means that it is the chastening grace through faith that we make our exit from Babylon. This is the same as saying that when he who now restrains is taken away, then we come to see who our old man is and also what Babylon is all about. That is when we make our exit from Babylon in our own order.

Jdg 19:11  And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. 
Jdg 19:12  And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah. 

Jebus here refers to Jerusalem. During the time of this story, Jerusalem was inhabited by foreigners or strangers. That means that we are referring to Jerusalem which is in bondage with her children. The Levite and those with him did not want to sleep in this city because it was inhabited by strangers.  What this means is that as we start our journey out of Babylon, there is no turning back to Babylon.

Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 
Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 

Jdg 19:13  And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah. 
Jdg 19:14  And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin. 

Our lives here on earth constitute a whole night. We therefore need to spend our night in Gibeah or Ramah after leaving Jerusalem or Babylon. Verse 13 is therefore another way of saying the following:

Rom 13:12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Gibeah means hill and Ramah means high place, and so both names are basically the same in meaning. We know that it is on the hill that our help comes. Our help here is the Lord who made heaven and earth. So what we are being told here is that after leaving Babylon, the rest of our lives must be spent looking up to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, to come to our aid and help us with our walk. That is where we find rest which means ceasing from our own strivings.

Psa 121:1  A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 
Psa 121:2  My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

In verse 14, the statement that “they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin” means that this rest is exclusively for the tribe of Benjamin,which represents the elect.

Gen 43:33  And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another. 
Gen 43:34  And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin’s mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

Jdg 19:15  And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging. 

As we come to find rest in Christ after leaving Babylon, signified by lodging in Gibeah, that is when our fiery trials begin. As we know, the aim of our trials, or judgment, is for us to learn righteousness. Not being given a house in which to lodge or staying on the street of the city is the same as saying that we will be hated of the world. This is what Jesus told us while walking on this earth when He said that He has nowhere to lay His head. 

Luk 9:57  And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 
Luk 9:58  And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. 
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. 

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 

Jdg 19:16  And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites. 

This old man represents our Lord Jesus who has received his double portion as the first born (was from the mount of Ephraim) and is giving his people rest in Him. As indicated, the men of the place were Benjamites who represent the elect. So the old man sojourning in Gibeah means that our Lord is among His people. 

Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 
Eph 1:20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 
Eph 1:21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 
Eph 1:22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 
Eph 1:23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. 

Jdg 19:17  And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? 
Jdg 19:18  And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house. 

All those called and chosen must leave Bethlehem, the house of bread (represented here as Babylon), on our way to possess our inheritance on the side of Mount Ephraim. Our journey on this earth is like that of a wayfarer or a stranger. Though we live in this world, we are not of this world, and in the fullness of time, our Lord will come to give us rest in Him or a place to spend the night.

Heb 11:13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 
Heb 11:14  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 
Heb 11:15  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 
Heb 11:16  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Jdg 19:19  Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing. 

We come out of Babylon with the mentality that we have no need of anything. We bring along our own bread and wine which represent our false doctrines that become our idols of the hearts.

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: 
Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Isa 4:1  And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach. 

Jdg 19:20  And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.
Jdg 19:21  So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink. 

What concerns us also concerns our Lord. The statement ”Let all thy want lie upon me” is another way of saying that we should cast all our cares upon Him for He cares for us. 

1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Lodging not in the street means coming to abide in Christ. That is what happens to us as the Old Man in this story (representing Christ) invited the Levite and his concubine, together with His servant, to live with Him.

Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 
Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 
Joh 15:6  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 
Joh 15:7  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

When we abide in Christ, we end up washing our feet, eating and drinking. Washing our feet means removing all the dirt or anything unclean that we have gathered in our walk. Eating and drinking here signify the opening our eyes to see and our ears to hear the word of the Lord.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

May the Lord grant us the grace to abide in Him as our feet are being washed with water and we continue to eat and drink from His table. Amen!!

Isa 3:21-22 The Changeable Suits of Apparel

Isa 3:21  The rings, and nose jewels,
Isa 3:22  The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,

We are blessed to continue to see what the Lord is taking away from us as He is judging us. What we are learning about His judgment upon the kingdom of our old man is called “His wonderful works to the children of men”:

Psa 107:1  O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 107:2  Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
Psa 107:3  And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.
Psa 107:4  They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
Psa 107:5  Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
Psa 107:6  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. 
Psa 107:7  And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
Psa 107:8  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 
Psa 107:9  For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. 
Psa 107:10  Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
Psa 107:11  Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High: 
Psa 107:12  Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
Psa 107:13  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. 
Psa 107:14  He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
Psa 107:15  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

We only “cry unto the Lord ” when we are in the troubles which He sends to us for our good, to cause us to cry out to and acknowledge Him.  Only then does “He save [us] out of [our] distresses”. Here is another more succinct way of saying the same thing:

Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. 

Judgment is always very humbling, but it is followed by the rewards of the glory given to those who have been chastened of the Lord in this age, and it carries with it these rewards:

Psa 149:5  Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.
Psa 149:6  Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand;
Psa 149:7  To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; 
Psa 149:8  To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;
Psa 149:9  To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.

It is “the saints [who will] execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;” with the two-edged sword of the word of God. But we will do so only after we have all of our own possessions, and all of our own righteousnesses, taken from us.

As we saw in last week’s study:

Isa 3:18  In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,

Let’s continue from where we left off  and see what else must be taken from us before we can enter into the temple of God in heaven (Rev 15:8]:

Isa 3:21  The rings, and nose jewels, 

The rings

Here is the Hebrew word translated as “the rings”:

H2885
טַבַּעַת
ṭabba‛ath
tab-bah’-ath
From H2883; properly a seal (as sunk into the wax), that is, signet (for sealing); hence (generically) a ring of any kind: – ring.
Total KJV occurrences: 49

Here are the only two ways this word is translated.

H2885
טבּעת
ṭabba‛ath
Total KJV Occurrences: 49
rings, 40
Exo_25:12 (3), Exo_25:14-15 (2), Exo_25:26-27 (3), Exo_26:29, Exo_27:4, Exo_27:7, Exo_28:23-24 (3), Exo_28:26-28 (4), Exo_30:4, Exo_35:22, Exo_36:34, Exo_37:3 (3), Exo_37:5, Exo_37:13-14 (3), Exo_37:27, Exo_38:5, Exo_38:7, Exo_39:16-17 (3), Exo_39:19-21 (4), Num_31:50, Isa_3:21
ring, 9
Gen_41:42, Exo_26:24, Exo_36:29, Est_3:10, Est_3:12, Est_8:2, Est_8:8 (2), Est_8:10

As we can see, the only variation is the plural and the singular – rings and ring.

Here are two examples of what this word means and what must be taken from us:

Gen 41:41  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.
Gen 41:42  And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;
Gen 41:43  And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Est 3:8  And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the king’s profit to suffer them.
Est 3:9  If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.
Est 3:10  And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy.

After our old man has the ring taken away, it is then given to our new man:

Est 8:1  On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews’ enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was unto her.
Est 8:2  And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

It is very interesting that it was “the king” who ordered both the destruction and the salvation of the Lord’s people.

It is almost as if:

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

The power of the king’s ring is taken from our old man, and it is given by the same king to the new man who is willing to die to the lies and deception of the old man’s kingdom.

The next thing the Lord takes from the kingdom of our old man is:

The nose jewels

This phrase consist of two Hebrew words. The Hebrew word for ‘nose’ is:

H639
אַף
‘aph
af
From H599; properly the nose or nostril; hence the face, and occasionally a person; also (from the rapid breathing in passion) ire: – anger (-gry), + before, countenance, face, + forbearing, forehead, + [long-] suffering, nose, nostril, snout, X worthy, wrath.
Total KJV occurrences: 276

Here is how the various translations of this Hebrew word in the King James break down:

H639
אף
‘aph
Total KJV Occurrences: 278
anger, 172
Gen_27:45, Gen_30:2, Gen_44:18, Gen_49:6-7 (2), Exo_4:14, Exo_11:8, Exo_32:19, Exo_32:22, Num_11:1, Num_11:10, Num_12:9, Num_22:22, Num_22:27, Num_24:10, Num_25:3-4 (2), Num_32:10, Deu_6:13-15 (3), Deu_7:4, Deu_9:19, Deu_13:17, Deu_29:20, Deu_29:23-24 (2), Deu_29:27-28 (2), Deu_31:17, Deu_32:22, Jos_7:1, Jos_7:26, Jos_23:16, Jdg_2:14, Jdg_2:20, Jdg_3:8, Jdg_6:39, Jdg_9:30, Jdg_10:7, Jdg_14:19, 1Sa_11:6, 1Sa_17:28, 1Sa_20:30, 1Sa_20:34, 2Sa_6:7, 2Sa_12:5, 2Sa_24:1, 2Ki_13:3, 2Ki_23:26, 2Ki_24:20, 1Ch_13:10, 2Ch_25:10 (2), 2Ch_25:15, Neh_9:17, Job_9:5, Job_9:13, Job_18:4, Job_21:17, Job_35:15, Psa_6:1, Psa_7:6, Psa_27:9, Psa_30:5, Psa_37:8, Psa_56:7, Psa_69:24, Psa_74:1, Psa_77:9, Psa_78:21, Psa_78:38, Psa_78:49-50 (2), Psa_85:3, Psa_85:5, Psa_90:7, Psa_90:11, Psa_145:8 (2), Pro_15:1, Pro_15:18, Pro_16:32, Pro_19:11, Pro_21:14, Pro_27:4, Isa_5:25 (2), Isa_7:4, Isa_9:12, Isa_9:17, Isa_9:21, Isa_10:4-5 (2), Isa_10:25, Isa_12:1, Isa_13:3, Isa_13:9, Isa_13:13, Isa_14:6, Isa_30:27, Isa_30:30, Isa_42:25, Isa_48:9, Isa_63:3, Isa_63:6, Isa_66:15, Jer_2:35, Jer_4:8, Jer_4:26, Jer_7:20, Jer_10:24, Jer_15:13-14 (2), Jer_17:4, Jer_18:23, Jer_21:5, Jer_23:20, Jer_25:37-38 (2), Jer_30:24, Jer_32:31, Jer_32:37, Jer_33:5, Jer_36:7, Jer_42:18, Jer_44:6, Jer_49:37, Jer_51:45, Jer_52:3, Lam_1:12, Lam_2:1 (2), Lam_2:3, Lam_2:6, Lam_2:21-22 (2), Lam_3:43, Lam_3:66, Lam_4:11, Eze_5:13, Eze_5:15, Eze_7:3, Eze_7:8, Eze_13:13, Eze_20:8, Eze_20:21, Eze_22:20, Eze_25:14, Eze_35:11, Eze_43:8, Dan_9:16, Dan_11:20, Hos_8:5, Hos_11:9, Hos_13:11, Hos_14:4, Joe_2:13, Amo_1:11, Jon_3:9, Jon_4:2, Mic_5:15, Mic_7:18, Nah_1:3, Nah_1:6, Hab_3:8, Hab_3:12, Zep_2:2-3 (3), Zep_3:8, Zec_10:3
wrath, 42
Gen_39:19, Exo_22:24, Exo_32:10-12 (3), Num_11:33, Deu_11:17, 1Sa_28:18, 2Ki_23:26, 2Ch_12:12, 2Ch_28:11, 2Ch_28:13, 2Ch_29:10, 2Ch_30:8, Ezr_8:22, Ezr_10:14, Job_14:13, Job_16:9, Job_19:11, Job_20:23, Job_20:28, Job_32:2-3 (3), Job_32:5, Job_36:13, Job_40:11, Job_42:7, Psa_2:5, Psa_2:12, Psa_21:9, Psa_55:3, Psa_78:31, Psa_95:11, Psa_106:40, Psa_110:5, Psa_124:3, Psa_138:7, Pro_14:29, Pro_24:18, Pro_29:8, Pro_30:33
face, 19
Gen_3:19, Gen_19:1, Gen_24:47, Gen_48:12, Num_22:31, 1Sa_20:41, 1Sa_24:8, 1Sa_25:41, 1Sa_28:14, 2Sa_14:4, 2Sa_14:33, 2Sa_18:28, 2Sa_24:20, 1Ki_1:23, 1Ki_1:31, 1Ch_21:21, 2Ch_20:18, Isa_49:23, Eze_38:18
nostrils, 13
Gen_2:7, Gen_7:22, Exo_15:8, Num_11:20, 2Sa_22:9, 2Sa_22:16, Job_4:9, Job_27:3, Psa_18:8, Psa_18:15, Isa_2:22, Lam_4:20, Amo_4:10
nose, 11
2Ki_19:28, Job_40:24, Job_41:2, Pro_30:33, Son_7:4, Son_7:8, Isa_3:21, Isa_37:29, Isa_65:5, Eze_8:17, Eze_23:25
angry, 4
Psa_76:7, Pro_14:17, Pro_22:24, Pro_29:22
longsuffering, 4
Exo_34:6, Num_14:18, Jer_15:15 (2)
faces, 3
Gen_42:6, 2Ch_7:3, Neh_8:6
before, 2
Deu_33:10, 1Sa_25:23
no, 2
Zec_10:2, Mal_1:10
countenance, 1
Psa_10:4
forbearing, 1
Pro_25:15
forehead, 1
Eze_16:12
noses, 1
Psa_115:6
snout, 1
Pro_11:22
worthy, 1
1Sa_1:5

Of the 278 times this word appears in the Old Testament, it is translated as ‘anger’ or ‘wrath’ 214 times. This Hebrew word ‘aph‘ means ‘nose’, but because our nostrils flare when we are angry, it is most commonly translated with a word which demonstrates our wrath against what God is doing with mankind. One thing which will certainly be taken from us all is “the wrath of man”:

Jas 1:20  For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

When we look at the root of this word, it, too, is concerned only with anger.

H599
אָנַף
‘ânaph
aw-naf’
A primitive root; to breathe hard, that is, be enraged: – be angry (displeased).
Total KJV occurrences: 14

Of the 14 times this word appears it is translated in the King James as:

H599
אנף
‘ânaph
Total KJV Occurrences: 14
angry, 13
Deu_1:37, Deu_4:21, Deu_9:8, Deu_9:20, 1Ki_8:46, 1Ki_11:9, 2Ki_17:18, 2Ch_6:36, Ezr_9:14, Psa_2:12, Psa_85:5 (2), Isa_12:1
displeased, 1
Psa_60:1 (2)

It will be through God’s wrath that the wrath of man will be taken from us:

Isa 9:19  Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother. 

Lam 3:1  I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.

We should always take these words first and primarily as applying to the kingdom of the beast within us, but we must never deny that the day is coming when these words will have an outward and dispensational application. We are admonished to always consider that time as our time:

2Pe 3:4  And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 
2Pe 3:5  For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
2Pe 3:6  Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

That is not the mind we are to have. Christ Himself told us to maintain a spirit of vigilance:

Mat 16:2  He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
Mat 16:3  And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

Mat 24:32  Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
Mat 24:33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 

The jewels

These jewels are the next thing to be taken from us.

The Hebrew word translated as ‘jewels’ is:

H5141
נֶזֶם
nezem
neh’-zem
From an unused root of uncertain meaning; a nose ring: – earring, jewel.
Total KJV occurrences: 17

Here are those 17 entries, and we will just note that 14 of the seventeen entries for this word are translated as ‘earring’ in the singular and ‘earrings’ in the plural.

H5141
נזם
nezem
Total KJV Occurrences: 17
earrings, 9
Gen_35:4, Exo_32:2-3 (2), Exo_35:22, Jdg_8:24-26 (4), Hos_2:13
earring, 5
Gen_24:22, Gen_24:30, Gen_24:47, Pro_25:11-12 (2)
jewel, 2
Pro_11:22, Eze_16:12
jewels, 1
Isa_3:21

The only times this word is not translated as ‘earrings’ are:

Pro 11:22  As a jewel [H5141: nezem] of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.

Isa 3:21  The rings, and nose [H639: aph] jewels [H5141: nezem],

Eze 16:12  And I put a jewel [H5141: nezem] on thy forehead [H639: aph – nose], and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.

God is telling us, His ‘Israel’ here in Ezekiel 16:12, that He will put a ring in our nose, not “a jewel on [our] forehead”, as the King James reads.

The point being made is that when God covers us with His jewels, we are His delight, but when we take His jewels to ourselves and  use them to glorify ourselves and to prove our false doctrines, He will take all our jewels away from us and destroy them. That message is to be found right here in the same 16th chapter of Ezekiel:

Eze 16:10  I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.
Eze 16:11  I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.
Eze 16:12  And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.
Eze 16:13  Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.
Eze 16:14  And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 16:15  But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.

Almost all Christians take great pride in “pouring out their fornication with everyone that passes by”. They call it ‘love and inclusiveness’, and anyone who is not ‘tolerant and inclusive’ is to be rejected and despised as a ‘cult’ by all those who are more ‘ecumenical’. This is just what we all first do:

Eze 16:16  And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.
Eze 16:17  Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,
Eze 16:18  And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.
Eze 16:19  My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 16:20  Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, 
Eze 16:21  That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?

When Christ tells us “Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them”, what He is telling us is that He has given us His words, His wonderful truths of what He is doing to save all men, and we have taken His words of Truth, and we have fashioned those words of Truth, His “gold, silver, and precious stones”, into false doctrines which He calls “images of men”, false doctrines of men. He also calls these false doctrines “wood, hay and stubble” in this verse:

1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones [The Truth], wood, hay, stubble [lies and false doctrines];

But God is sovereign, and as such He has ordained that even our whoredoms and sins and our spiritual promiscuity are to be taken from us and burned up in His fiery judgments. It is He who has ordained it all to bring forth a new man in “every man” who has ever lived:

1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try everyman’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 

That “fire” is the trials by which all of our jewels and all of our broidered garments are taken from us, and we are brought to see that we are indeed “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” and in need of everything that only God can do for us:

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: 
Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 

As we just read in Ezekiel 16, it is because of our whoredoms that Christ will also take away:

The changeable suits of apparel

That entire phrase, “the changeable suits of apparel”, is translated from one Hebrew word”:

H4254
מַחֲלָצָה
machălâtsâh
makh-al-aw-tsaw’
From H2502; a mantle (as easily drawn off): – changeable suit of apparel, change of raiment.
Total KJV occurrences: 2

Here are the two entries for this Hebrew word:

H4254
מחלצה
machălâtsâh
Total KJV Occurrences: 2
changeable suits of apparel, 1
Isa_3:22
change of raiment, 1
Zec_3:4

The first entry is our verse (Isa 3:22) we are looking at where we are being told that God will take away our changeable suits of apparel, and the only other entry is:

Zec 3:1  And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 
Zec 3:2  And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? 
Zec 3:3  Now Joshua [you and I] was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
Zec 3:4  And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

Notice that we are told here “Take away the filthy garments from him”. That is exactly what we are being told God is doing to us here in Isa 3:22. Our ‘filthy garments’ and all of our misappropriated jewels are one and the same thing. Joshua’s filthy garments are all the false doctrines we have believed and taught others in our self-righteousness. God is taking it all away.

Isa 3:18  In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,

The next thing taken from us is:

The mantles

This Hebrew word is:

H4595
מַעֲטָפָה
ma‛ăṭâphâh
mah-at-aw-faw’
From H5848; a cloak: – mantle.
Total KJV occurrences: 1

This word appears but once in the Old Testament, right here in Isa 3:22.

But the root of this word is:

H5848
עָטַף
‛âṭaph
aw-taf’
A primitive root; to shroud, that is, clothe (whether transitively or reflexively); hence (from the idea of darkness) to languish: – cover (over), fail, faint, feebler, hide self, be overwhelmed, swoon.
Total KJV occurrences: 16

This word appears 16 times in the Hebrew scriptures, and this is how it is translated in the King James Version:

H5848
עטף
‛âṭaph
Total KJV Occurrences: 16
overwhelmed, 5
Psa_77:2-3 (2), Psa_102:1, Psa_143:3-4 (2)
fainted, 2
Psa_107:4-5 (2), Jon_2:7
covered over, 1
Psa_65:13
covereth, 1
Psa_73:6
fail, 1
Isa_57:16
faint, 1
Lam_2:19
feeble, 1
Gen_30:42
feebler, 1
Gen_30:42 (2)
hideth, 1
Job_23:9
swoon, 1
Lam_2:11
swooned, 1
Lam_2:11-12 (2)

It almost appears as though there is a different translation for every entry of this word, but as we can see, the most common translation is the English word ‘overwhelmed’, which is the preferred translation of 5 of the 16 entries we find in the Old Testament. Looking at the remaining 11 entries we see that the next most common translation is ‘fainted’ and ‘faint’, accounting for three more entries. Of  the remaining 8 entries the words ‘swoon’ and ‘swooned’, which means the same as ‘faint’, can be added to the concept of fainting or being overwhelmed. The remaining six entries are ‘cover over, cover, fail, feeble, feebler’, and ‘hideth’.

The definition of this Hebrew word is to shroud, clothe or cover. Like every word of scripture, it can apply to a covering that is positive, such as it is used in this verse of scripture:

Psa 65:13  The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered [H5848: ataph] over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.

In its negative application it has the meaning of being an overwhelming covering, as in this verse:

Psa 77:2  In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.
Psa 77:3  I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed [H584: ataph]. Selah.

So what does this ‘mantle’ do that it must be taken from us before we can enter into the Lord’s house? Here is why our mantle must be taken from us:

Psa 73:6  Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth [H5848: ataph] them as a garment. 
Psa 73:7  Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
Psa 73:8  They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. 
Psa 73:9  They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

That is the mantle that must be taken from us if we hope to be judged and learn the Lord’s righteousness in this age.

And it is by overwhelming our spirit this will all be accomplished:

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. 
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. 

Here is the next thing that must go:

The wimples

The Hebrew word translated as ‘the wimples’ is:

H4304
מִטְפַּחַת
miṭpachath
mit-pakh’-ath
From H2946; a wide cloak (for a woman): – vail, wimple.
Total KJV occurrences: 2

This word appears in the Old Testament but twice:

H4304
מטפּחת
miṭpachath
Total KJV Occurrences: 2
veil, 1
Rth_3:15
wimples, 1
Isa_3:22

Besides being ‘the wimples’ which must be taken from us here in Isaiah 3:22, it appears again in:

Rth 3:15  Also he [Boaz] said, Bring the vail [H4304: mitpachath] that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.

Six measures is two and a half gallons of barley, so we certainly are not talking of a woman’s face veil.

The Hebrew word ‘mitpachath‘ comes from the Hebrew word:

H2946
טָפַח
ṭâphach
taw-fakh’
A primitive root; to flatten out or extend (as a tent); figuratively to nurse a child (as promotive of growth); or perhaps a denominative from H2947, from dandling on the palms: – span, swaddle.
Total KJV occurrences: 2

Here are the two entries for this root word:

H2946
טפח
ṭâphach
Total KJV Occurrences: 2
spanned, 1
Isa_48:12-13 (2)
swaddled, 1
Lam_2:22

In Isaiah 48, this root word is translated as ‘spanned’:

Isa 48:12  Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.
Isa 48:13  Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned [H2946: taphach] the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.

This word is translated as ‘swaddled’ in Lamentations:

Lam 2:21  The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets: my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword; thou hast slain them in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed, and not pitied. 
Lam 2:22  Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that in the day of the LORD’S anger none escaped nor remained: those that I have swaddled [H2946: taphach] and brought up hath mine enemy consumed. 

The wide cloak for a woman is a raiment with which we cover ourselves or swaddle our children. It is the same as the embroidered clothes we read of earlier in:

Eze 16:10  I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.

Eze 16:13  Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.

Eze 16:17  Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,
Eze 16:18  And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.

It is because we have taken everything God has given us and perverted it into our own false doctrines, described here as jewels and clothing, that Christ takes it all away from us, for the purpose of dragging us to Himself. We have taken the “broidered garments” He gave us, and we have covered our own false doctrines in those broidered garments, just as we have covered our idols with His silver and His gold, His words and His doctrines, and in doing so, we are saying “The Lord has spoken” when the Lord has not spoken:

Jer 23:21  I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. 

Eze 13:7  Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken?

Beware when you hear the words, “The Lord told me such and such”. Try that spirit to see whether it is of the Lord (1Jo 4:1). It could be that someone is covering what is coming from their own heart with God’s Word, instead of dying to their own deceitful heart:

Jer 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Jer 17:10  I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

The next thing that must be taken from us is:

The crisping pins

H2754
חָרִט    חָרִיט
chârı̂yṭ    châriṭ
khaw-reet’, khaw-reet’
From the same as H2747; properly cut out (or hollow), that is, (by implication) a pocket: – bag, crisping pin.
Total KJV occurrences: 2

H2754
חרט  /  חריט
chârı̂yṭ  /  châriṭ
Total KJV Occurrences: 2
bags, 1
2Ki_5:23
crisping, 1
Isa_3:22

A ‘crisping pin’ does not sound like it would have anything in common with a ‘bag’. Nevertheless that is how this word ‘chariyt‘ is translated in this verse:

2Ki 5:22  And he [Gehazi, Elisha’s servant] said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.
2Ki 5:23  And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags [H2754: chariyt], with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him.

This Hebrew word ‘chariyt‘ means “to hollow out”, but it also came to mean a hollow bag.

Here is the root of this Hebrew word ‘chariyt‘:

H2747
חֶרֶט
chereṭ
kheh’-ret
From a primitive root meaning to engrave; a chisel or graver; also a style for writing: – graving tool, pen.
Total KJV occurrences: 2

Here are the two verses of scripture where this word appears:

H2747
חרט
chereṭ
Total KJV Occurrences: 2
graving tool, 1
Exo_32:4
pen, 1
Isa_8:1

Exo 32:4  And he received them [their golden earrings] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool [H2747: cheret] after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Isa 8:1  Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man’s pen [H2747: cheret] concerning Mahershalalhashbaz.

That is what Isaiah was told to write with a man’s pen, a ‘cheret‘. 

“Mahershalalhashbaz” means:

H4122
מַהֵר שָׁלָל חָשׁ בַּז
mahêr shâlâl châsh baz
mah-hare’ shaw-lawl’ khawsh baz
From H4118 and H7998 and H2363 and H957; hasting (as he (the enemy) to the) booty, swift (to the) prey; Maher-Shalal Chash-Baz; the symbolical name of the son of Isaiah: – Maher-shalal-hash-baz.

This is a new-born son of Isaiah whose name means ‘hastening the enemy to the booty, swift to the prey’. That is what Isaiah is told to write with a pen, a ‘cheret’. And it is with our ‘pen’, given to us by our Lord, that we want to “fashion… a golden calf” and call it our God. It is with our ‘pen’, our ‘cheret‘, that we write the exact opposite of what God has written. Our old man does not want to hear that God is “hasting the enemy to the booty, swift to the pray”. The enemy of our old man is our new man. Our rebellious old man wants to keep living his life in direct rebellion against the commandments of God and be “hasting God’s rebellious people to the booty and the prey of their enemies”, our new man. We simply do not believe we will ever face the judgment of a just God. But what we believe does not change what has already been written in God’s book, which is what will be done (Psa 139:16 ASV). We all know this is so because we have all learned that our old man was “made to be taken and destroyed” (2Pe 2:12), not made to be blessed while openly rebelling against his Creator and God. We actually think we can continue to deny that God even exists, continue to live permissive, promiscuous, destructive lives, both physically in our society and spiritually in our churches and in our hearts, and we still think we will not reap what we are sowing.  But it will not be so. We will reap what we have sown spiritually and physically. We actually believe we can continue to declare that we have a will that is free from what God has planned for us, and that God will just have to learn to cope with our decisions.

This is who we are at that time in our walk:

Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

But it is not so, and we will be brought down to the grave:

Isa 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell [Hebrew: sheol – grave], to the sides of the pit.

We will close with the reminder that all of this is being worked by God after the counsel of His own will for our good:

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

“The firstborn” are but the first “among many brethren”. The first resurrection is the harvest of those firstborn among many brothers, and a much greater harvest will be reaped after the thousand years and after the “little season” and during the great white throne judgment which is the lake of fire.

1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Eph 1:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Lord willing, we will finish chapter three in our next study.