Proverbs 26 “To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge”

Part 2  (Pro 26:3-5)

[Study Aired February 19, 2026]

Pro 26:3  A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.
Pro 26:4  Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
Pro 26:5  Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

The elect have a preeminence before the world in knowing that we are beasts (Ecc 3:19), and with that knowledge we can now look at any story in the bible that references an animal (Pro 26:3) and know that God is telling us something about ourselves or mankind in particular, “For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts” (Ecc 3:21).

What befalls us all is death, and unless the Lord delivers us from these bodies of death, our fate is to be withheld from entering into the kingdom of God (Jer 5:25, Joh 3:3-5). Christ said it was expedient for him to go away (Joh 16:7) so that the church could then, with God’s holy spirit sent on Pentecost, be able to die to sinful flesh (1Co 15:31), and be raised together with Christ in heavenly places (Joh 3:5, Eph 2:6, Rom 6:4-6).

Jer 5:25  Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:4  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
Joh 3:5  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. [cannot see the kingdom and cannot be raised or enter into heavenly places (Eph 2:6)]

Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Gal 2:20, Php 2:12-13)
Rom 6:5  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Rom 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him,(Gal 2:20) that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.(Tit 2:11-12, Heb 12:6, Eph 2:8)

Pro 26:3  A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.

Our theme in these proverbs this week is to remember that we are beasts that God is working within, sanctifying to His glory, by the process [three stages horse, ass, and fool’s back] which we have been called unto (Rom 2:4). We are not to think it strange concerning the fiery trials that are to try us as the body of Christ (1Pe 4:12).

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

A ‘whip’ compels the horse to go in the direction it ought to go, and that horse represents the power of man in his flesh, not having ever done good or evil in his flesh (Rom 9:11-13).

Rom 9:11  (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Rom 9:12  It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
Rom 9:13  As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

Christ is typified by Jacob here, and Esau represents his flesh that God ‘hates’. As Christ did, we need to learn obedience by the things that we suffer, which is what is being shown with “a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back”. God’s elect, like Christ (1Jn 4:17), are filling up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ for his body’s sake, the church (Rom 9:11, Heb 5:8, Col 1:24). Christ identifies with our need to go through temptation and judgment while in the flesh (Heb 4:15). He understands the nature of corruptible flesh that needs a bridle and a rod upon it to be brought into subjection unto God (Tit 2:12-13, Heb 12:6, Heb 5:6-7).

Heb 5:6  As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh (Eph 5:30, to think otherwise is the spirit of anti-Christ 2Jn 1:7), when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

Christ our hope of glory within (Col 1:27) is the author and finisher of our faith who has all power over heaven and earth as the fit man of (Lev 16:21) so that he can cleanse the temple that we are and drive the beasts out of it, “A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back” (Mat 21:12-13). Now we can worship God as true worshippers in spirit and in truth, in His temple that we are (Joh 4:23, 1Co 3:16).

Mat 21:12  And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
Mat 21:13  And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves [ ‘the temple that we are’ ].

Pro 26:4  Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.

The minute we start to engage in pointless arguments about words, “strive not about words to no profit” as scripture says (2Ti 2:14), is the moment that we become “like unto him”. The best action to take with someone who is a fool (Psa 14:1) is to step away, is what we are being told. This scenario could easily play out in situations where someone is coming to us with a false gospel, another Jesus, and God’s word clearly says in those instances that you don’t open your spiritual house to that person and start to try to convince them of the true gospel. Bidding them ‘God speed’ is becoming a partaker of his evil deeds (2Co 11:3-4, 2Jn 1:10-11).

2Jn 1:10  If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
2Jn 1:11  For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

At first glance we may say ‘well, how can someone believe in God and still be a fool who does not believe in God, who we should not invite into our spiritual house,?’ and the answer is that while they think they are serving God they are serving another Jesus, another spirit, and even the devils believe and are not converted (2Co 11:4, Jas 2:19). And even false apostles can come in the name of Jesus appearing as angels of light and are yet deceived and of their father the devil (2Co 11:13-14). They are convinced of the idols of their hearts and it behooves God’s elect to know when, and when not, to engage with people that God brings into our lives with these idols (Eze 14:4). Paul was warning the church of that very thing in these verses, (Act 20:30-32).

Jas 2:19  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

1Co 11:19  For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

Act 20:30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Act 20:31  Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
Act 20:32  And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

Heresies will manifest in our midst to show us who is approved, and we may admonish that person with two admonitions (1Co 11:19, Tit 3:10-11), but when someone comes to us with another gospel, we try that spirit immediately and don’t even begin to open our spiritual house to that person. So there are several different scenarios that can play out in our witness for Christ, and we need God’s spirit and discernment to know how to address each one in a way that will glorify God (Php 2:12-13), hence the proverb that seems to contradict itself at first glance, but actually compliments the “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” approach we’ve been called unto (Pro 26:4-5, Mat 10:16).

Tit 3:10  A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
Tit 3:11  Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

Mat 10:16  Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Pro 26:5  Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

On the other hand, we are told “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit”, which is also speaking of someone who may want to engage with us, or may be just acting like a hypocrite as Peter was, and Paul applied this proverb to his brother in Christ because He loved him  (Gal 2:11-14, Jud 1:22-24, Jas 5:20).

Gal 2:11  But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
Gal 2:12  For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
Gal 2:13  And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
Gal 2:14  But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

Jud 1:22  And of some have compassion, making a difference:
Jud 1:23  And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. (Pro 26:5)
Jud 1:24  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy

Jas 5:19  Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
Jas 5:20  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.(Pro 26:5)

We can see by these examples that this proverb (Pro 26:5) can be used to represent a brother who needs to be restored from sin (Jas 5:20, 1Pe 4:8). If we don’t help our brother in this situation they will continue on in error, thinking because we have not challenged them and shown them with scripture the error of their way (Mat 18:4-20) that they are therefore right in their stance, and become “wise in his own conceit”. Conceit is spoken of in the book of Romans and is connected to a self-righteous spirit that we need to continually be on guard against in our own hearts (Rom 11:25, Php 3:9).

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 be come in.

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness [“wise in his own conceit”], which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: [which righteousness will save us 1Jn 5:4]

God can keep us humble in this life, and through His chastening grace spoken of in (Pro 26:3), we can then go on to be His true witnesses who know how to fulfill the other two verses we’ve looked at tonight (Pro 26:4-5). “To know the love of Christ which passes knowledge” is know our Father and Christ (Joh 17:3). We come to know them by putting of our flesh via His chastening grace, that will make us wise in His service (Eph 2:8).

Pro 26:3  A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.
Pro 26:4  Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
Pro 26:5  Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

Matthew 21:1–22 Jesus’ Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem

[Study Aired September 15, 2025]

Our study for today is based on Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The study also highlights Jesus’ cleansing of the temple. Finally, the study ends with Jesus cursing the fig tree which produced no fruit. 

The Triumphal Entry

Mat 21:1  And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
Mat 21:2  Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 
Mat 21:3  And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.

Two cities are mentioned here in verse 1 – Jerusalem and Bethphage. Jerusalem here represents the church system of this world while Bethphage, which means house of figs, signifies the house of the Lord’s elect. 

Jer 24:1  The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
Jer 24:2  One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
Jer 24:3  Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.

It is from the house or the assembly of the Lord’s elect, that the Lord is sending out His witnesses (the two disciples sent) to untie us (the ass and her colt) from our Babylonian captivity where we were in bondage to the flesh, to lead us to Christ. The ass and her colt represent the Lord’s elect in every generation. The coming of the two disciples is the coming of the Lord to us, His elect, to deliver us from our captivity to Babylon. We were the wild ass used to the wilderness of the church system of this world.

Jer 2:24  A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her.

Hos 8:9  For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.  

The loosing of the ass and his colt by the Lord’s disciples was to bring them to Christ. It is through the message of the elect to us when we were in captivity in Babylon or the churches of this world, that started the process of our being  released from our bondage to the flesh to meet the Lord. The reason we are being untied is because the Lord has need of us. My brothers and sisters, this is what the Lord is telling us today, that is, He has need of you and me!!  Are you weary or discouraged or depressed because of what you are going through? Then this is the message for you – the Lord has need of you in this age!! Let the Lord grant you the grace to avail yourself for Him. 

Mat 21:4  All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 
Mat 21:5  Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

Verse 5 is a quote from Zechariah 9:9. The daughter of Zion signifies the church of the Lord’s elect.  

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. 

It is through the church of the Lord’s elect that the Lord is coming to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. The Lord sitting on an ass and a colt means that the Lord’s coming to us is through His elect (the ass and the colt), who are going about their master’s business in meekness. In the fullness of time, the Lord will come with His elect in a pageantry manner when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.

Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 
Rev 19:12  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 
Rev 19:13  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Rev 19:14  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 
Rev 19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 
Rev 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

What verse 5 implies is that because the Lord is coming to us through His elect in a meek or humble manner, it is very easy to miss out on His coming. Many have missed out on His coming. However, if you are called and chosen as His elect, you will surely hear the voice of the Shepherd through His elect.

Joh 10:25  Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. 
Joh 10:26  But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 
Joh 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  

Mat 21:6  And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 
Mat 21:7  And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 

The Lord’s disciples in this age are those who are doing what He commands. In other words, as our expression of our love toward our Lord, we are given to obey Him in everything. On the other hand, as our Father, His love towards us is expressed through His giving. 

Joh 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments. 
Joh 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; 

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

It is significant to note in verse 7 that the disciples put their clothes on the ass and the colt. The disciples who untied the ass and the colt represent the Lord’s elect. The clothes put on the ass and the colt symbolize the Lord’s righteousness which is given to us through faith in the Lord’s words spoken through His elect. 

Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 
Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 

Mat 21:8  And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 
Mat 21:9  And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. 

The very great multitude represents the people of this world including our brothers and sisters in Babylon. Their joyful celebration in welcoming Jesus and His disciples is a foretaste of the whole of creation who are waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God in the fullness of time. The multitude saying that blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord reflects the expectation of the people of the world that when the sons of God are manifested, they shall be delivered from their bondage to corruption. 

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 

The multitude spreading their garments in the way for Jesus and His disciples was an expression of their submission to Him and His disciples as shown in the story of Jehu’s coronation as king. All the captains with Jehu took their garments and put them under him to show their submission to Him when Jehu told them that the man who came to him told him that the Lord has anointed him as King.  In the fullness of time, when the kingdoms of this world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, the whole world would submit to us until the appointed time of their rebellion. 

2Ki 9:11  Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication. 
2Ki 9:12  And they said, It is false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. 
2Ki 9:13 Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king. 

Some of the multitude cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way, as observed during the feast of tabernacles. During the feast of booths or tabernacles, the people of Israel were to rejoice before the Lord for seven days with branches of palm trees, boughs of goodly trees, etc. The world shall celebrate our victory with the Lord when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. The seven days of celebration represent the complete period of our rulership, until the devil is released to deceive the world.

Lev 23:33  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Lev 23:34  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD. 

Lev 23:40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. 

Mat 21:10  And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? 
Mat 21:11  And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. 

The Lord’s coming to us while we were in the church system of this world or Babylon is depicted by Jesus’ triumphant entry to Jerusalem. It is worth noting that the whole of the city was moved by Christ’s coming. This is to let us know that everything within us which can be moved, shall be moved by Christ’s coming. 

Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 
Heb 12:26  Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 
Heb 12:27  And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 

At that time, we were just like the multitude and could only see our Lord Jesus as a prophet just like the woman at the well who met Jesus. However, during her discussion with Christ, Jesus revealed Himself to her as the Messiah. In a similar vein, as we continue in Him, we shall know Him as He is.

Joh 4:19  The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
Joh 4:21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 

Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 
Joh 4:25  The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 
Joh 4:26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

Mat 21:12  And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
Mat 21:13  And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. 

Our body is the temple of God. Therefore, Jesus coming to us in Babylon with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness is to cleanse our temple, that is, our hearts and minds, so that we can communicate with Him in truth and in spirit. 

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 

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: 

This cleansing of the temple by Jesus is recorded in all the four Gospels. Here in John’s version of the account, we are given more information regarding the cleansing process of our temple.  

Joh 2:13  And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 
Joh 2:14  And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 
Joh 2:15  And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;
Joh 2:16  And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. 
Joh 2:17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. 

Jesus used a scourge of small cords to drive out all that offend in our temple. This scourge of small cords represents the judgment of our old man or flesh, and it is the same as His coming to us with the spirit of His mouth. The coming of Jesus into our lives is to judge us so that our temple shall be cleansed by the destruction of our flesh. This is a process resulting in our bodies being offered as living sacrifice to the Lord.

Mal 3:1  “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 
Mal 3:2  But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 
Mal 3:3  He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. 
Mal 3:4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years. 

One of the deeds of the flesh highlighted by the cleansing is our propensity to peddle the word of the Lord which we see in the church system of this world, which we were part of when the Lord came to us. Indeed, we were a den of thieves as described by the Lord when He came to us to start the cleansing process of our hearts and minds through His judgement.

2Co 2:17  For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. (ESV) 

1Ti 6:3  If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 
1Ti 6:4  he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 
1Ti 6:5  and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 
1Ti 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain, 

Prayer is our communication channel with the Lord. It is a two-way channel where we speak to the Lord, and He also speaks to us through His word. That is why the Lord’s coming is not only with the spirit of His mouth which speaks of His judgment, but His brightness, as He illuminates His word for us to understand. It is therefore important that our hearts and minds are cleansed so that the communication link with the Lord will be established. 

Mat 21:14  And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 

The blind and the lame coming to Jesus in the temple is another of saying that when the Lord came to us, we were blind and lame. That is to say that we were spiritually blind to the things of the Lord and that our walk was not pleasing to Him. The Lord healing the blind and the lame means that it is when the Lord comes to sit in our temple that we are given to see and walk in a way that pleases Him. 

Mat 13:11  And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 
Mat 13:17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. 

Mat 21:15  And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, 
Mat 21:16  And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? 
Mat 21:17  And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there. 

The chief priests and the scribes symbolize our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world. We were part of this church system at a stage of our walk with Christ. The chief priests and the scribes were jealous and envious of the wonderful work that Jesus did and the children crying out hosanna to the son of David. We know that jealousy and envy constitute some of the works of the flesh. This implies that during our walk in the churches of this world, we were ruled by our flesh.

Gal 5:19  Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 
Gal 5:20  idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 
Gal 5:21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

It is important to interrogate Jesus’ statement that out of the mouth of infants and babies, you have perfected praise. This verse was quoted from Psalm 8:2 as follows:

Psa 8:2  Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. 

In previous studies, we realized that the children of whom Jesus said that the kingdom of Heaven belongs to them refer to the Lord’s elect. It is the humility of children which the Lord references when He said we should be like children. One of the key characteristics of the Lord’s elect is that they are humble and therefore represent children. That is why the kingdom of Heaven belongs to them. 

Mat 18:2  And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 
Mat 18:3  And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 
Mat 18:4  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 
Mat 18:5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

Babies and sucklings refer to children and therefore the Lord’s elect. The statement that out of the mouth of babies and sucklings you have perfected praise means that it is the Lord’s elect who have perfected praise. According to Strong’s Dictionary, perfected in verse 16 means to complete. Therefore it is the Lord’s elect who complete praise. In the Bible, there is one thing that we are to complete. As we suffer in this age through the Lord’s judgment, we are completing what remains of Christ’s suffering.  

Col 1:24  And now I am happy about my sufferings for you, for by means of my physical sufferings I am helping to complete what still remains of Christ’s sufferings on behalf of his body, the church. (GNB)

Praise is a form of worship and therefore when we offer our bodies as living sacrifice to the Lord through the judgment of our old man or flesh, we are perfecting our worship of the Lord, and it is this form of worship which silences the adversary.

Psa 8:2  Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. 

In verse 17, Jesus left Jerusalem and lodged in Bethany. According to Thayer’s Dictionary, Bethany means house of dates or house of misery. As He is, so are we. We must leave Babylon (Jerusalem) and suffer with Christ in the assembly of His elect.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

Mat 21:18  Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. 
Mat 21:19  And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward forever. And presently the fig tree withered away. 
Mat 21:20  And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! 

In the Bible, trees represent people, as shown in the following verses:

Jer 7:20  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched. 

Mar 8:24  And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 

There are some specific trees that are used in the Bible to refer to the Lord’s people. Some of these trees are cedars of Lebanon, palm trees, vine trees, fig trees, etc. as shown in the following verses:

Isa 61:3  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. 

Eze 15:6  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 

Joe 1:7  He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white. 

Based on these verses, we can say that the fig tree Jesus saw on His way to Jerusalem, represents the Lord’s people who had gone astray. Specifically, we are talking about the church system of this world or Babylon. Babylon is like the fig tree, having leaves, which to a casual observer may seem to be doing well. However, they are not producing fruit. In other words, it is impossible for our brothers and sisters in Babylon to produce the fruits of the spirit. This fruit of the spirit is produced through the Lord’s judgment of our old man or flesh. At a certain stage of our walk with Christ, we were like this fig tree. We were not able to produce the fruits of the spirit, until Christ came into our lives with His judgment.

Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 
Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.  

The Lord cursing the fig tree that it bears no fruit implies that the church system of this world shall never bear fruits. That means that our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world shall never bear the fruits of the spirit as long as they continue to worship in Babylon. 

Psa 137:1  By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
Psa 137:2  We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. 
Psa 137:3  For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. 
Psa 137:4 How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land? 

It is instructive to note that after Jesus cursed the fig tree, it withered. What this means is that we become worse off in Babylon. As shown in verse 20, it was only the disciples who were able to see that the tree which was cursed had withered. Those within the church system of this world are not able to see their nakedness. It is the Lord’s elect who are given to see our deplorable state in Babylon. 

2Pe 2:17  These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 
2Pe 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.   

Mat 21:21  Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. 
Mat 21:22  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. 

Jesus used the withering of the fig tree to show His disciples how to walk by faith. It is not about how big our faith is. It is about applying the faith that the Lord has given to us. The more we apply our faith, the more our faith grows. In verse 22, we must understand that it is the sum of the Lord’s words that gives us direction. We know from the word of the Lord that whatever we ask must be in accordance with His will. In other words, if we ask believing, according to His will, we shall surely receive. 

1Jn 5:14  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 
1Jn 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 

Psa 119:160  The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. (ESV)

May His name be praised. Amen!!

Numbers 22:1-41  Balak Summons Balaam

[Study Aired October 2, 2023]

Num 22:1  And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho. 
Num 22:2  And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 
Num 22:3  And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. 
Num 22:4  And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. 
Num 22:5  He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: 
Num 22:6  Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. 
Num 22:7  And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.
Num 22:8  And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. 
Num 22:9  And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?
Num 22:10  And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, 
Num 22:11  Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out. 
Num 22:12  And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed. 
Num 22:13  And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you. 
Num 22:14  And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us. 
Num 22:15  And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. 
Num 22:16  And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: 
Num 22:17  For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. 
Num 22:18  And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.
Num 22:19  Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more. 
Num 22:20  And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.
Num 22:21  And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.
Num 22:22  And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. 
Num 22:23  And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. 
Num 22:24  But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. 
Num 22:25  And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again. 
Num 22:26  And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 
Num 22:27  And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. 
Num 22:28  And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? 
Num 22:29  And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. 
Num 22:30  And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. 
Num 22:31  Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. 
Num 22:32  And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: 
Num 22:33  And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. 
Num 22:34  And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.
Num 22:35  And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
Num 22:36  And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which is in the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast. 
Num 22:37  And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour? 
Num 22:38  And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say anything? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak. 
Num 22:39  And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjathhuzoth. 
Num 22:40  And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him. 
Num 22:41  And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people. 

Introduction

This chapter is about the famous story of Balak and Balaam. It focuses on Balak’s attempt to get Balaam to curse the Israelites with the belief that whosoever Balaam blessed is blessed and anyone he cursed is cursed. 

Num 22:6  Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.” (ESV)

At this point in Israel’s journey, they had finished their wanderings in the wilderness and were now encamped in the plains of Moab near Jordan. Almost all the people of Israel who left Egypt had died except very few, so the people of Israel consisted of a new generation with the maximum age between 38-40. From a spiritual perspective, we can say at this stage of our walk with Christ that our old man, signified by the death of those who left Egypt, has begun its journey of death, giving way to the new man who is after the image of Christ (the new generation of Israel). We were at this point where Christ came into our lives to deal with our flesh or the old man and were just about to leave Babylon.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 
2Th 2:8  And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

This chapter therefore shows us Balak’s fear of Israel, and his plot to get the Israelites cursed, the sending of messengers to bring Balaam, the opposition Balaam encountered when he was on his way and the meeting between Balak and Balaam. This story of Balak and Balaam is so important to us, His elect that the Lord reminded the people of Israel regarding it through the prophet Micah. This is because this story teaches us how we can know the righteous acts of the Lord in our lives which are unseen to the world but given to His elect to see.

Mic 6:5  O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.”

Incidentally, the name Balak means ‘waster.’ In the Bible, the waster is the devil as shown in the following verse:

Isa 54:16  Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

What this means is that, through this study of Balak and Balaam, we shall also know the devices of the adversary, the devil. Paul said that we should not be ignorant of the devices of the devil.

2Co 2:11  Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Balak sent Messengers to Fetch Balaam

Num 22:1  And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho. 
Num 22:2  And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 
Num 22:3  And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. 
Num 22:4  And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. 

Moab and its king, Balak, represent our flesh or our old man who comes to realize that its days are numbered as a result of initial victories we have had over him and the fact that it considered our new man (the people of Israel) as being too many. Considering the people of Israel as being too many signifies seeing the Israelites as being stronger. The gradual defeat of our old man by the new man makes the old man realize that the new man is stronger and that its days are numbered. That is the same as Saul, a type of our old man, seeing that David, a type of our new man, will surely ascend the throne of Israel. 

1Sa 23:17 “Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him (David). “My father (Saul) will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.” (NLT)
1Sa 24:17  And he (Saul) 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. 
1Sa 24:21  Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father’s house.

In verse 1 Moab also represents Babylon as these Moabites were religious people with Chemosh as their supreme deity. The people of Israel pitching in the plains of the Moab means that although our eyes were being opened, we were still under the clutches of Babylon. Balak also can symbolize the religious leaders in Babylon who try to stop the zeal of the young believers (the new generation of the Israelites) whom the Lord is preparing to leave Babylon. They therefore try to put impediments in the way of these young believers to prevent them from leaving. In the final analysis, the Lord’s elect will be blessed as they leave Babylon.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

In verse 4, the fact that the Moabites considered the Israelites as licking up all that is round about them and as ox licking grass on the field is all to show us that when Christ comes to our lives, we should be assured that victory will ultimately be ours. In Revelation chapter 4, we are told that as Christ comes into our lives, we are assured of Him giving us victory over our flesh as He comes conquering and to conquer. Are you being weighed down by sin and guilt and seeing no victory in sight? Have confidence in His words that He has come conquering and to conquer so that at the end of the day, He shall present you faultless before the Father. Whatever the Lord starts, He is able to bring it to completion.

Rev 6:1  And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
Rev 6:2  And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

Num 22:5  He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: 
Num 22:6  Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. 

Balaam lived a great way off from the land of Moab, in Mesopotamia, which was the country Abraham left to come to the land of Canaan. The place was also where Laban lived. It appears that Balaam had a great reputation as a prophet of God. However, the fact that He lived in Mesopotamia attested to his inability to leave Babylon as the Lord has enjoined us to do. This means he was just like our brothers and sisters in Babylon who have a reputation of being the chosen children of God in the eyes of the Babylonians and people of the world. Balaam can therefore be compared to the old prophet who was living in Bethel who lied to the man of God sent by the Lord from Judah to tell them of their sins. Both Balaam and the old prophet were all living in Babylon which shows their depraved spiritual state.

1Ki 13:11  Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.

Balak attributed great power to the words of Balaam, and therefore believed that whosoever Balaam blessed is blessed and whosoever he curses is cursed. Balak wanted Balaam to curse the people of Israel such that the Moabites could easily overcome them. From the word of the Lord, we know that cursing the Lord’s chosen one or the elect is like a causeless curse which has no effect. For example, Goliath cursed David by his gods, and in the end, David was blessed. Thus, right from the very onset, this plot to curse the young generations of Israel, who represent the elect, was doomed to fail.

Pro 26:2  As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.

1Sa 17:43  And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

We are told that no weapon formed or fashioned against us shall prosper. This plot by Balak therefore shows us the Lord’s hand, which is unseen but yet extremely effective in protecting His elect in this wilderness of life, to accomplish His purpose.

Num 22:7  And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.
Num 22:8  And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. 
Num 22:9  And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?
Num 22:10  And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, 
Num 22:11  Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out. 
Num 22:12  And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed. 
Num 22:13  And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you. 

As indicated earlier, Moab represents Babylon. One of the significant characteristics of the Babylonians is the desire to be rewarded for the service rendered to the Lord in this life. No wonder in requesting the service of Balaam, who was living in Babylon, they sent messengers with the rewards of divination in hand. These elders of Moab who were sent represent false apostles in Babylon who only focus on the physical blessings of the Lord, which is symbolized here by the rewards for divination. The Apostle Paul told us that if it is in this life that we have hope, then we are the most miserable people on earth.

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15  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.

1Co 15:19  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

The Lord telling Balaam that he should not go with the messengers, and that the people of Israel are blessed and cannot be cursed, should have settled the matter once and for all for Balaam. However, his desire to receive the wages of iniquity overwhelmed him, and therefore, he was not truthful to the messengers. He only told them that the Lord did not allow him to go with them but never mentioned to the people that it is impossible to curse the people of Israel as they were blessed by the Lord whom he served. That would have ended the enticement. This is what Apostle Jude has to say about this:

Jud 1:10  But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.
Jud 1:11  Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion.

Num 22:14  And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us. 
Num 22:15  And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. 
Num 22:16  And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: 
Num 22:17  For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. 
Num 22:18  And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.
Num 22:19  Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more.
Num 22:20  And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.

A second delegation was sent to convince Balaam to come with them to king Balak of the Moabites to curse the Israelites. This second visit to Balaam was more enticing in the eyes of Balaam. Balak sent more honorable men than the first encounter; he specifically told Balaam not to be hindered by anything and lastly, that he would promote Balaam to very great honor and will do whatever Balaam says. These enticements by Balak show us the devices of the devil in trapping us in sin. As indicated in the introductory section, Balak means waster and therefore represents the devil. 

Jas 1:13  Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.
Jas 1:14  But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 
Jas 1:15  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. 

As shown above, committing sin is a process. First, we are enticed by sin. Like Balaam, we know exactly what the Lord says regarding the issue before us. There is nothing wrong in being enticed by sin since our flesh loves to sin. However, if we are not decisive in turning away but begin to ponder on the issue, that’s when sin is conceived and will finally give birth to death. Giving birth to death means we end up being partakers of sin. As we are aware, we know spiritual things by the things that are made. For example, if you take a frog and put it in hot water, it will quickly jump out of the water. However, if you put a frog in cold water and start to warm it up gradually, the frog will start to enjoy it and before long, the frog will end up dead. 

That is what happens to us when we are enticed by sin. Balaam suffered the same fate. Instead of telling the messengers that the people of Israel were blessed and cannot be cursed, to end the matter, he told the messengers to stay for the night so that he can hear from the Lord, when the Lord has spoken already concerning the matter. This story shows us Balaam’s struggle with his old man. Although in his mind, he wanted to adhere to the commandment of the Lord when he told the messengers that even if they gave him Balak’s house full of silver and gold, he could not go beyond the word of the Lord, his corrupt nature, the old man, strongly inclined him to go with the messengers.

Rom 7:15  For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 
Rom 7:16  Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 
Rom 7:17  So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

The fact that the Lord came to Balaam in the night to tell him to go with the messengers when they come calling is another way of saying that the Lord gives us over to the desires of our hearts when we become fixated on sin. It is a fearful thing to be given over to the desires of our hearts!!

Rom 1:21  For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 
Rom 1:22  Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 
Rom 1:23  and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 
Rom 1:24  Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 
Rom 1:25  because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Once sin has been conceived, it will give birth to death. That was what happened to Balaam. Balaam was killed by the Israelites later, which shows us the spiritual state of Balaam – that is, he became spiritually dead.

Jos 13:22  Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them.

The Journey to Balak

Num 22:21  And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. 
Num 22:22  And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. 
Num 22:23  And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. 
Num 22:24  But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. 
Num 22:25  And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again. 
Num 22:26  And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 
Num 22:27  And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. 

In verse 22, we see that the Lord was angry that Balaam went with the messengers. When we are persistent in sin, we become blinded by the Lord and cannot perceive the way of the Lord. We become hostile to the Lord’s angels or messengers who come to direct us to the way of the Lord as we see Balaam smiting his ass. The fact that the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way shows us that the Lord can use any beast, that is, people of the world to bring us to the right path of the Lord. This was what happened to Abraham when he lied that Sarah was his sister. The Lord appeared to Abimelech to tell him the truth about Abraham’s relationship with Sarah instead of appearing directly to Abraham to tell him his fault.

Gen 20:3  But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”

We can see that all the impediments that were put in the path of Balaam were for the sake of the Lord’s elect, who in this case are represented by the people of Israel. That is the righteous acts of the Lord that the prophet Micah was reminding the people of Israel about.

Mic 6:5  O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.”

We, His elect, are blessed to be the apple of the Lord’s eyes.

Isa 43:1  But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
Isa 43:2  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 
Isa 43:3  For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. 
Isa 43:4  Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.

In verse 26, we are told that the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow place where one cannot turn to the left or right. This reminds me of the narrow path the Lord has chosen for us. We cannot turn left or right. All we have to do is to move forward as the Lord drags us along.

Mat 7:13  “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
Mat 7:14  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

In verse 27, we can see that Balaam’s anger was kindled against the ass, the beast which had seen the angel of the Lord. As we have discussed earlier, Balaam lived in Babylon and therefore represents our brothers and sisters in Babylon. The angel of the Lord here is Christ and His words, the ass or the beast seeing the angel of the Lord means this beast also represents the elect whose eyes have been opened to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Balaam’s anger against the ass or the beast therefore shows us the hatred of the Lord’s elect by our brothers and sisters in Babylon when we try to show them the truth of the word of the Lord.

Rev 11:7  And when they (the two witnesses who represent the elect) have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 
Rev 11:8  and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.
Rev 11:9  For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb,
Rev 11:10  and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 
Rev 11:11  But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.

The people who dwell on the earth in Revelation 11:10 symbolize our brothers and sisters in Babylon who think we are tormenting them with the truth of the word of the Lord and therefore hate us.  

Num 22:28  And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? 
Num 22:29  And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. 
Num 22:30  And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? Was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. 
Num 22:31  Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. 
Num 22:32  And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? Behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: 
Num 22:33  And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. 
Num 22:34  And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.

As indicated, the ass represents the elect. The statement in verse 28 by the ass that Balaam had smitten him three times is to let us know that the hatred from our brothers and sisters in Babylon is all part of the process of our spiritual maturity through judgment. In verse 29, we get to know the reason for hating us. They think we are mocking them when we tell them the truth of the word of the Lord. The verse also shows us the deep hatred of our brothers and sisters in Babylon to the point of even killing us in the name of the Lord. We were also at a certain point in our lives very offensive to the Lord’s elect. As He is, so are we in this life. As Christ was hated by the church during His days on earth, we shall also suffer the same fate in this life. The scenario here is just like that of Joseph who was hated by his brothers, because their father loved him more. 

Gen 37:3  Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.
Gen 37:4  But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.

Just as the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam to see the angel of the Lord in verse 31, in the fullness of time (the lake of fire age), our brothers and sisters in Babylon will have their eyes opened by the Lord to see us as saviors. That is when they will see their hatred and evil deeds toward the Lord’s elect and also come to realize that their ways were perverse and will know that they have sinned against the Lord and His elect as shown in verse 34.

Balaam Finally Met Balak

Num 22:35  And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
Num 22:36  And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which is in the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast. 
Num 22:37  And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour? 
Num 22:38  And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say anything? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak. 
Num 22:39  And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjathhuzoth. 
Num 22:40  And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him.
Num 22:41  And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.

Finally, Balaam met Balak in the city of Moab, near the border of Arnon. Balaam and Barak then came to Kirjath-huzoth which means ‘city of streets.’ The street is where we walk. Balaam and Barak coming to Kirjath-huzoth shows us plainly their walk before the Lord. At Kirjath-huzoth, Balak offered oxen and sheep to the god of Moab. Offering sheep and oxen to the god of Moab means that in Babylon, we serve another Jesus. 

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

Later, Balak and Balaam went to the high places of Baal to see a fraction of the people of Israel. Seeing the Lord’s elect from the perspective of the idols of our hearts (high places of Baal) as Balaam and Balak did means that there is no way we can appreciate the Lord’s elect while in Babylon. Our natural tendency is to hate them.

In summary, this whole episode of Balak and Balaam shows us the plot against the Lord’s elect, which ultimately will come to nought.

Psa 2:1  Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 
Psa 2:2  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
Psa 2:3  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
Psa 2:4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 
Psa 2:5  Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 
Psa 2:6  Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

We thank our heavenly Father for His divine love and protection toward His elect as we see the day approaching.  Amen!!

1Ki 13:1-34 “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Gal 1:8)

[Study Aired April 7, 2022]

1Ki 13:1  And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 
1Ki 13:2  And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee. 
1Ki 13:3  And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. 
1Ki 13:4  And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. 
1Ki 13:5  The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. 
1Ki 13:6  And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before. 
1Ki 13:7  And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. 
1Ki 13:8  And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: 
1Ki 13:9  For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest. 
1Ki 13:10  So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel. 
1Ki 13:11  Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father. 
1Ki 13:12  And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah. 
1Ki 13:13  And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon, 
1Ki 13:14  And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am. 
1Ki 13:15  Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread. 
1Ki 13:16  And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: 
1Ki 13:17  For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest. 
1Ki 13:18  He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. 
1Ki 13:19  So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water. 
1Ki 13:20  And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back: 
1Ki 13:21  And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee, 
1Ki 13:22  But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers. 
1Ki 13:23  And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back. 
1Ki 13:24  And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase. 
1Ki 13:25  And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. 
1Ki 13:26  And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him. 
1Ki 13:27  And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him. 
1Ki 13:28  And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass. 
1Ki 13:29  And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him. 
1Ki 13:30  And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother! 
1Ki 13:31  And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones: 
1Ki 13:32  For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass. 
1Ki 13:33  After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. 
1Ki 13:34  And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth. 

This section of Kings is an example of how we must be steadfastly about our Father’s business (Luk 2:49, 1Jn 4:17) which requires that we try every spirit whether it is of God or not, unlike the prophet in this story who fell away from his own steadfast spirit that was initially intent on obeying God’s command and was later deceived by a lying spirit (Psa 51:10, Col 2:5, 2Pe 3:17, 1Jn 4:1). Clearly it is God who has to create this steadfast spirit within us, otherwise we would not be about our Father’s business and moving with fear as Noah did to build the ark, which symbolizes the building of the body of Christ that is being “fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Heb 11:7, Eph 4:16).

Psa 51:10  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right^H3559 spirit within me. 

Col 2:5  For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.

2Pe 3:17  Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Heb 11:7  By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

H3559 – [‘right’]  kûn  Total KJV Occurrences: 234

prepared, 53  Exo_23:20, Num_21:27, Jos_4:4, 1Ki_6:18-19 (2), 1Ch_12:39, 1Ch_15:1, 1Ch_15:3, 1Ch_15:12, 1Ch_22:3, 1Ch_22:5, 1Ch_22:14 (2), 1Ch_29:2-3 (2), 1Ch_29:16, 2Ch_1:4, 2Ch_3:1, 2Ch_8:16, 2Ch_12:14, 2Ch_19:3, 2Ch_20:33, 2Ch_26:14, 2Ch_27:6, 2Ch_29:19, 2Ch_29:36, 2Ch_31:11, 2Ch_35:10, 2Ch_35:14-16 (3), 2Ch_35:20, Neh_8:10 (2), Est_6:4, Est_7:10, Job_28:27, Job_29:7, Psa_7:13, Psa_9:7, Psa_57:6, Psa_68:10, Psa_74:16, Psa_103:19, Pro_8:27, Pro_19:29, Pro_21:31, Isa_30:33, Eze_28:13, Eze_38:7, Hos_6:3, Nah_2:5, Zep_1:7

established, 44  Gen_41:32, Exo_15:17, Deu_32:6, 1Sa_13:13, 1Sa_20:31, 2Sa_5:12, 2Sa_7:16, 2Sa_7:26, 1Ki_2:12, 1Ki_2:24, 1Ki_2:45-46 (2), 1Ch_17:14, 1Ch_17:24, 2Ch_12:1, Job_21:8, Psa_40:2 (2), Psa_89:21, Psa_89:37, Psa_93:2, Psa_96:10, Psa_102:28, Psa_119:90, Psa_140:11, Pro_3:19, Pro_4:26, Pro_12:3, Pro_12:19, Pro_16:3, Pro_16:12, Pro_20:18, Pro_24:3, Pro_25:5, Pro_29:14, Isa_2:2, Isa_16:5, Isa_45:18, Isa_54:14, Jer_10:12, Jer_30:20, Jer_51:15, Mic_4:1, Zec_5:11

prepare, 41  Exo_16:5, Num_23:1, Num_23:29, Deu_19:3, Jos_1:11, 1Sa_7:3, 1Sa_23:22, 1Ch_9:32, 1Ch_29:18, 2Ch_2:9, 2Ch_31:11, 2Ch_35:4, 2Ch_35:6, Job_8:8, Job_11:13, Psa_10:16-17 (3), Psa_59:4, Psa_107:36, Pro_24:27, Pro_30:25, Isa_14:21, Isa_40:20, Jer_46:14, Jer_51:12, Eze_38:7, Eze_43:25, Eze_45:17, Eze_45:22-24 (3), Eze_46:2, Eze_46:7, Eze_46:12-15 (6), Amo_4:12

ready, 17  Gen_43:16, Gen_43:25, Exo_19:11, Exo_19:15, Exo_34:2, Jos_8:4, 1Ch_28:2, 2Ch_35:14, Job_12:5, Job_15:23, Psa_7:12 (2), Psa_11:2, Psa_21:12, Psa_38:17, Eze_7:13-14 (2)

establish, 14  2Sa_7:12, 1Ch_17:11, 1Ch_22:10, 1Ch_28:7, Psa_7:9, Psa_48:8, Psa_87:5, Psa_89:2, Psa_89:4, Psa_90:17 (2), Psa_99:4, Isa_62:7, Jer_33:2

set, 6  2Ch_29:35, Ezr_3:3, Psa_78:8, Eze_4:2-3 (2), Eze_4:7

fixed, 4  Psa_57:7 (3), Psa_108:1, Psa_112:7

right, 4  Job_42:7-8 (3), Psa_51:10, Psa_78:37

order, 3  2Ch_29:35, Psa_119:133, Isa_9:7

prepareth, 3  2Ch_30:19, Job_15:35, Psa_147:8

certain, 2  Deu_13:14, Deu_17:4

confirmed, 2  2Sa_7:24, 1Ch_14:2

directeth, 2  Pro_16:9, Pro_21:29

fashioned, 2  Psa_119:73, Eze_16:7

firm, 2  Jos_3:17, Jos_4:3

preparation, 2  1Ch_22:5, Nah_2:3

provide, 2  2Ch_2:7, Psa_78:20

provideth, 2  Job_38:41, Pro_6:8

stablish, 2  2Sa_7:13, 1Ch_17:12

stablished, 2  2Ch_17:5, Psa_93:1

aright, 1  Psa_78:8

certainty, 1  1Sa_23:23

confirm, 1  Psa_68:9

deed, 1  1Sa_26:4

direct, 1  Jer_10:23

directed, 1  Psa_119:5

faithfulness, 1  Psa_5:9

fashion, 1  Job_31:15

fastened, 1  Eze_40:43

fitted, 1  Pro_22:18

frame, 1  Jdg_12:6

meet, 1  Exo_8:26

ordained, 1  Psa_8:3

ordered, 1  Psa_37:23

perfect, Pro_4:18

preparest, Psa_65:9

provided, 1  Psa_65:9 (2)

provision, 1  1Ch_29:19

setteth, 1  Psa_65:6

stable, 1  1Ch_16:30

stablisheth, 1  Hab_2:12

standeth, 1  Jdg_16:26

stood, 1  Jdg_16:29

tarry, 1  Psa_101:7

very, 1  1Sa_26:4

We must examine ourselves, judge ourselves (1Co 11:31) and be given to grow in our ability to bring every thought into subjection to Christ if we are going to properly try the spirits outside ourselves, and this is the dying daily process God’s elect have been called to mature into (1Co 11:31, 1Co 15:31). Neither the young nor the old prophet in this story has his name mentioned as a symbol to us that God is doing away with our first adamic name and nature through judgment via the word of God that comes from the prophet, and then he gives us a new name in Christ (Rev 2:17).

1Co 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 

Rev 2:17  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

The fiery experience of being brought to repentance is not something we are to despise in our spirits and grow weary. Although our flesh does not enjoy the process (Joh 21:18), God has promised to shepherd us unto salvation via the good shepherd (Joh 10:11) who is “able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him” and knows how to “confirm you unto the end” through the precious trial of our faith (1Co 1:8, Act 14:22, 1Pe 1:7) so that we may receive the reward of eternal life through Christ, the blessing to which we have been called (Rom 2:4, Heb 12:11, Heb 7:25, 1Pe 3:9).

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 

Heb 12:11  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby [The elect are exercised through chastening, which is how we are received by the Lord (Heb 12:6)].

Heb 7:25  Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them [Rom 5:10].

1Pe 3:9  Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

If not for that judgment upon the body of Christ today, which is consistent from a loving Father who does not change (1Pe 4:12, 1Pe 4:17, Mal 3:6), we could not have our senses exercised to discern good and evil as we are dragged to Christ (Heb 5:14, Joh 6:44). Neither could we receive the strong meat which is the result of God’s forbearance and goodness which has been extended to those who are being received by Him today as His children. We are having both the beast and the false prophet burned out of us first in this life and not in the lake of fire as the rest of humanity will experience (Heb 12:6, Rev 20:10).

Mal 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 

Twice we are told in Galatians 1:8-9 “let him be accursed”^G331 regarding those who “would pervert the gospel of Christ”. The prophet in this story, in type and shadow, is the one who perverts the gospel of Christ by ultimately disobeying God’s command, being deceived and turned away by a lying spirit from the older prophet, which was all according to the counsel of God’s own will and written for our admonition upon whom the end of the ages is come (Eze 14:9, Eph 1:11, 1Co 10:11).

G33
α
νάθεμα
anathema
Total KJV Occurrences: 5

accursed, 4    Rom_9:3, 1Co_12:3, Gal_1:8-9 (2)

anathema, 1  1Co 16:22

Gal 1:8  But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Gal 1:9  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Eze 14:9  And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

It’s not another gospel being preached (Gal 1:7) that is being perverted but rather a gospel message that is not being spoken in love which is obedience to God’s commands. What naturally precedes from our hearts is a self-righteous spirit that naturally procures the wisdom of men and not the power of God about which we are the first in this life to come to learn as we grow in our ability to trust Christ through our fiery trials. These trials we are able to endure through God’s love that is shed abroad in our hearts as we preach the gospel to all men in this sinful world (Isa 3:1, 1Co 2:5-6, Eph 1:12, Rom 1:16, Rom 5:5, 1Jn 5:19).

1Co 2:5  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
1Co 2:6  Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek [1Co 2:6].

Rom 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed [Col 1:27]; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

1Jn 5:19  And we know that we are of God, and the whole world [1Jn 2:16] lieth in wickedness [Both within and without – there is none good but the Father and so knowing this, our hope has to be in Christ alone! (Mar 10:18, Col 1:27)].

It is “My people” in (Isa 1:3) who “do not consider” telling us that it is the body of Christ who doesn’t consider (until we do). However, if God is working with us in this age, we are going to learn to discern spirits (1Jn 4:1-2) whether they are of the Lord or not, as we learn obedience through the things that we suffer (2Ti 2:12, Heb 5:8). That exercise of discerning spirits is of the utmost importance in order to become mature kings and priests. It will come at the expense of our life being lost and being hated by all men (Luk 21:17), which is how we will find the life of Christ and the peace of Christ which can give us the ability to endure unto the end to be saved (Mat 10:39, Mat 24:13).

Isa 1:3  The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.

The verses we are looking at in this study apply to the elect today as we near the end of our age and overcome the spirit of antichrist through Christ “whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world”. That spirit which wants to rule over our hearts and minds is being destroyed by the brightness of Christ’s coming (2Th 2:3-4). “Let no man deceive you by any means” is a lifelong battle we are called to fight against together as the body of Christ. Through Him and through the wise counsel within Christ’s body, the manifold wisdom of God (Eph 3:10), we will be more than conquerors in this age as we continue in the truth that will set us free through patient continuance in well doing (Rom 8:36-39, Joh 8:32).

1Ki 13:1  And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 
1Ki 13:2  And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee. 
1Ki 13:3  And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. 
1Ki 13:4  And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. 

At the end of the story, we read a statement from the old prophet who deceived the younger prophet which reads: “And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones: For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.” (1Ki 13:31-32)

The positive meaning of this statement for God’s elect from the older prophet regarding the death and burial of the younger prophet symbolizes the initial death of our old man. So the desire to be buried with our bones beside the younger prophet while we are alive symbolizes our understanding that we must lay down our life and die daily, and endure until the end to see the prophecies fulfilled in our lives which prophecies forecast that God is “against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria,“ within us. His judgment in time “shall surely come to pass” in destroying all these idols.

Without getting too ahead of ourselves, let’s notice that after all these signs and wonders were performed for the unbelieving (Joh 4:48, Joh 20:29) that we will read of throughout this story, in the end “Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth“, showing us that no matter what miraculous signs happen in the earth, the greatest miracle remains the conversion of our hearts and minds which enables us to try the spirits whether they are of the Lord. The inability of the young prophet and Jeroboam to not be affected by those outward signs inwardly was a testimony of the unbelieving hearts that they and all of mankind have until we’re granted the grace through faith experience God’s elect have in this life which makes it possible for us to believe and do the work of God (Eph 2:8, Joh 6:28, Mat 13:16).

With this background in mind, it becomes more obvious why Jeroboam was reluctant to hear the prophecy which the young prophet brought, as it meant that he was going to be destroyed because of the idolatrous way he was conducting himself. Jeroboam was holding fast to his own righteousness, and this is symbolized by this verse: “And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him“. He could not lay hold on the things of God via the withered and cursed hand; the weapon formed that was against the prophet of God “he put forth his hand” was not going to prosper (Isa 54:17). The hand drying up is symbolic of the fruitless attempt of Jeroboam who was trying to control the nation of Israel through the idolatrous actions that were taking place at “the altar in Bethel“.

Jeroboam’s rejection of “a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel” was conclusive at the end of the story, just as Israel’s earlier rejection and rebellion against Moses, whose rebellious hearts were confirmed via their rejection of the signs and wonders God used Moses to bring to the people (Exo 4:6-9).

Exo 4:6  And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. 
Exo 4:7  And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. 
Exo 4:8  And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 
Exo 4:9  And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

The young prophet “cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee“. Josiah was a good king of Israel who typified Christ who would come and outwardly destroy the false prophets and idol worship as Christ does within the temple which we are today (Joh 2:14-15, 1Co 3:16). Josiah’s sign, which was of the LORD, was a dire prophecy that called for the altar to be rent, and the ashes upon it to be poured out, symbolizing the false worship within us that worships God at first at an altar made with men’s hands, men’s efforts and not by the power of God. His power can only manifest after Christ – symbolized by Josiah – offers “the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee.“

1Ki 13:5  The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.

As we noted, “the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD” represents our old way of thinking, our former conversation or way of life, at an altar that represents the self-righteous works of our flesh which must be destroyed. Even the ashes are an abomination to God telling us that no part of our past is accepted by Him. Only that which we give back to God through Christ is accepted (Jud 1:23-25, Eph 1:6, 1Ch 29:14).

Jud 1:23  And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. 
Jud 1:24  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 
Jud 1:25  To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. 

Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 

1Ch 29:14  But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. 

1Ki 13:6  And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before. 
1Ki 13:7  And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. 

The restoring of Jeroboam’s hand is like the beast with the deadly wound that is healed in (Rev 13:3, Rev 13:12), and the first thing Jeroboam requests of the man of God after his wound is healed is to “Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.” Jeroboam represents our yet carnal old man who does not savor the things of God (Mat 16:23) but is like Satan offering creature comforts to “refresh thyself” and wanting to “give you a reward” in the earth (Mat 4:3, Mat 4:8), which in this case if followed through, with would be an act of disobedience to God on the part of the prophet.

Rev 13:3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 

Rev 13:12  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 

Mat 16:23  But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. 

Mat 4:3  And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 

Mat 4:8  Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 

1Ki 13:8  And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: 
1Ki 13:9  For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest. 
1Ki 13:10  So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.

The now obedient prophet explains to Jeroboam that even up to “half thine house“, half your creature comforts, is not going to entice me to go into your house and partake of your bread and drink. So far so good, this prophet sees in type and shadow there really is no stay of bread and water in this place (Isa 3:1), and whether it is a half or a whole amount that he receives, he recognizes the blessing he is after can only come through complete obedience to God’s word which commanded him to neither “eat bread nor drink water in this place.“

It was “charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest” is a reminder that God’s word is a book of addition, and that the sum of His word is truth and not the half (Psa 119:160), therefore we don’t backtrack once we have proven something via the council of elders (1Th 5:21). This is the positive symbolic meaning behind these words “he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.“

1Ki 13:11  Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.

God is the father of spirits to whom we are subject (Eze 14:9, Job 1:7), and He causes us to be subject to our old man in a positive sense at an appointed time as typified in Hebrews 12:9, although most of our life we are subject to our old man in a negative sense within, being in bondage to sin (Joh 8:34).

Eze 14:9  And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. 

Job 1:7  And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 

Heb 12:9  Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? [Joh 19:11]

In this section of kings the prophet’s “sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel.” It is reminiscent of Satan coming to God to give a report of what was going on in the earth, just as these sons of the “old prophet in Bethel” are going to the prophet seeing they have been “going to and fro in the earth” and have been “walking up and down in it”.

1Ki 13:12  And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah. 
1Ki 13:13  And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon, 
1Ki 13:14  And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.

This section of scripture is a negative and reverse example of what Christ did when he came into Jerusalem on the “foal of an ass” (Zec 9:9). First of all, the father inquires where the prophet is, showing that he did not know where he was going unlike Christ who knew where He was going (Joh 8:14). He is leaving Judah on an ass going where his sons are telling him to go, taking his direction, in other words, from false doctrines represented by his sons. His sons are subject to him and provide the saddled beast needed, unlike the foal that was obtained for Christ and was loosed by two disciples who witness to us that this particular beast represents God’s elect who are going to be directed and freed by Christ. Putting our clothes upon the colt symbolizes our subjection to Christ and understanding our need to have Him wash our clothes from our own self-righteousness through His strength which guides us and leads us to repentance (Mat 21:1-7, Rev 7:14, Rom 2:4).

Joh 8:14  Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.

Mat 21:1  And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 
Mat 21:2  Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 
Mat 21:3  And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 
Mat 21:4  All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 
Mat 21:5  Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 
Mat 21:6  And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 
Mat 21:7  And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 

Rev 7:14  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

1Ki 13:15  Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread. 
1Ki 13:16  And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: 
1Ki 13:17  For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest. 
1Ki 13:18  He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. 

It’s hard to miss the symbolism here, as the young prophet is asked by the older prophet to “Come home with me, and eat bread” and it is the younger prophet being the one who is being enticed to yield himself to this older servant to obey him, specifically in matters of doctrine, which is what eating bread symbolizes (Rom 6:16). This is twice now he has told the older prophet “I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place,” but the spirit of a harlot is persistent and contrary to his witnessing twice that he must obey God, it is revealed that his yet carnal spirit is not able to discern the test which is before him (Pro 7:21), It is being illustrated for us here as the older prophet goes on to lie with these words that persuaded the younger prophet to go and eat with him against God’s commandment: “He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him” (Gal 1:8, 2Co 11:4, 2Jn 1:10). All of this is instructive for us as it shows us how God knows what is in our hearts, and it takes a miracle to be obedient as well as it takes a miracle to be deceived, both of which God is able to manifest according to the counsel of His own will. We are admonished to be obedient, but in the end it is God who gives us that power through Christ to discern and obey our Father through Christ, our hope of glory (Col 1:27).

1Ki 13:19  So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.

What it took for these actions of the younger prophet to transpire was a series of events which is explained for us in this proverb (Pro 7:21-23), that demonstrates how God’s sword can be wielded through the seductive lies of the devil via the prophet of God whom He can use to deceive another prophet (Eze 14:9-11, Psa 17:13).

Pro 7:21  With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. 
Pro 7:22  He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; 
Pro 7:23  Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. 

Eze 14:9  And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. 
Eze 14:10  And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him; 
Eze 14:11  That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD.

Psa 17:12  Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places. 
Psa 17:13  Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword  [The young prophet was not delivered from the lion who represents Satan who already had devoured the young prophet via the lie of the old prophet, and so we cry out to God through our Lord the stronger Lion of the tribe of Judah (Heb 5:7) “deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword“, in this case the old prophet was God’s sword that did His bidding]

1Ki 13:20  And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back: 
1Ki 13:21  And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee, 
1Ki 13:22  But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers. 

It’s important to notice that “the prophet that brought him back” was not the one who was seeking the occasion against the flesh of the young prophet. Rather “it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet” and then “he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD“. This section of the word of God declares it was the Lord who was coming to the prophet, and the same is true of the first part of the process where the Lord came unto the prophet by way of sending a lying spirit: “He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him” (Eze 14:9). In both instances it was of the Lord and all according to the counsel of His own will (Eph 1:11). Because of these actions of the prophet who “camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water“, his punishment would be that “thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers“, meaning our old man of sin – symbolized by this prophet – cannot be buried in “the sepulchre of thy fathers” which represents our baptism into Christ lineage. Eating the true bread of life, Jesus Christ, and drinking the true living waters of God’s truth is what is required to be baptized into Christ’s death (Rom 6:1-3).

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 
Rom 6:2  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 
Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

1Ki 13:23  And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back. 
1Ki 13:24  And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase. 

Our own iniquity, which is self-righteousness (Eze 33:13), brings us to eat at an altar that is not the one where God’s elect will ultimately be dragged (Heb 13:10, Joh 6:44, Joh 21:18). In this story, it is another man, the older prophet, who saddled the ass for the younger prophet who he brought back, showing us that the younger prophet is not working out his own salvation, in type and shadow, but is being directed by the old prophet who represents the lying spirits of Babylon out of which we come. This path that the Nicolaitan spirit ruling over the laity within us has is “a lion in the way” who represents Satan who is going to keep us in the bondage of sin until Christ sets us free.

The lion slaying the young prophet on the way is a shadow of the period of time in our lives when the deadly wound is not yet healed (Rev 13:12). Then “the ass stood by it” and “the lion also stood by the carcase” as a witness that this event represents the first deadly wound. If the prophet would have been eaten by the lion, his destruction would have been like Goliath being beheaded with the sword after he was initially killed by the stone that David slew him with (1Sa 17:49-51). The ass is just standing there, meaning there is no more direction to be given by this beast, unlike the beast that took Christ into Jerusalem triumphantly. It was there Christ would die for the sins of the world, so that God’s elect can now go without the camp “bearing his reproach” through Christ who gives us the strength to take this path (Heb 13:13, Php 4:13).

1Ki 13:25  And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. 
1Ki 13:26  And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him. 
1Ki 13:27  And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him. 
1Ki 13:28  And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass. 
1Ki 13:29  And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him. 
1Ki 13:30  And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother! 

Except by the grace of God go we (1Co 15:10), otherwise Babylon will have control of us from birth to death as typified for us in this section of scripture we’re studying. At first, after we were illuminated, we endured a great fight of afflictions (Heb 10:32) and “were made a gazing stock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used” (Heb 10:33), which is what this typical statement is telling us: “And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt“. The young prophet is typical of our initial lying dead in the streets of Jerusalem, but when the old prophet gets word of this, “And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard“, he reiterates his sins and reminds everyone as a type of the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10) who this man was: “It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him.“

He then reveals his desire to continue to take control of this dead man’s body as explained with these words: “And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass. And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him.” Symbolically the young prophet had started to die daily but was taken back by the old prophet to be buried the way he wanted, under his terms and conditions, showing us that both men were ‘the dead burying the dead’ (Luk 9:60).

Luk 9:60  Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

It wasn’t enough to just bury him anywhere: “he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!” He was his brother in spirit, being prophets who were subject to one another in the negative sense of prophets being subject to one another, and he mourned over him. However, he mourned as others and not as we do for the dying daily process we are blessed to endure together in Christ (1Co 14:32, 1Th 4:13).

1Co 14:32  And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 

1Th 4:13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

1Ki 13:31  And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones: 
1Ki 13:32  For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass. 

What a strange homage coming from the mouth of the old false prophet who wants to be just like his deceived brother and asks his sons, who represent his false doctrine, “When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones.” The old prophet is still discerning that the words the young prophet spoke were of the Lord, but does not see how they apply to his own life. We can have all knowledge of God’s word and plenty of wisdom but no love, which is obedience to the commandments of the Lord (1Co 13:1-10). He is inspired to say that these prophecies are true and right and will come to pass and marvels at that and wants his body to be buried next to the young prophet for this reason alone. He is not considering that the man was devoured by a lion which represents Satan and ultimately was deceived by the devil just as this old prophet is and is witnessing to that fact by wanting to be buried alongside his kindred-spirited younger prophet.

1Co 13:1  Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 
1Co 13:2  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

1Ki 13:33  After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. 
1Ki 13:34  And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.

All things are ours and are written for us (1Co 3:21-23, 1Co 10:11), and so when we read of how the old prophet acted toward the young prophet and how the younger prophet responded to the old prophet, we are looking at a progression in their lives that mirrors the progression of the false prophet within ourselves who is deceived and used by God to accomplish this deception that reveals what is in our hearts. What is there is rebellion and stubbornness and sin witnessing to us that we cannot turn from our evil ways, as we let our base nature rule over us, typified by consecrating “the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him“ and with all that evil communication around him, “he became one of the priests of the high places” (1Co 15:33-34).

1Co 15:33  Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. 
1Co 15:34  Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

When Christ is not ruling and reigning on the throne of our hearts, we will remain in bondage to sin, the powers and principalities that are ruling over our heavens stated this way: “After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.” It is through that inability to try spirits by someone who is deceived  that God seeks an occasion against our flesh. These things that happened with Jeroboam and the two prophets were written for our sakes upon whom the end of the ages are come (1Co 10:11), and admonishes us to do this going forward, with the mind of Christ that keeps us unified in Him: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” These words cannot be fulfilled in our life unless God gives us to operate as a healthy body that continually tries the spirits within us whether they are of the Lord as we look well to the flock of God by looking well to ourselves first (Act 20:28-31).

Act 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 
Act 20:29  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 
Act 20:30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 
Act 20:31  Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. 

The end result of Jeroboam not being given to discern spirits correctly was “And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam“, and what those events we’ve read about demonstrate to us is how our old man is deceived by God, “even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth”, as was literally going to happen to “the house of Jeroboam” as a type of our old man that cannot inherit eternal life.

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!!

Gospels In Harmony – Mat 21:1-11, Mar 11:1-11, Luk 19:28-44, John 11:54–12:11 – Jesus Weeps

[Study Aired April 20, 2021]

Mar 11:1 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,
Mar 11:2a And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, Mat 21:2 and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me, Mar 11:2b whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.
Mar 11:3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.
Mar 11:4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.

Luk 19:33 And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt?
Luk 19:34 And they said, The Lord hath need of him.

Mar 11:6b even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.

Mat 21:4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
Mat 21:5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
Mat 21:6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,

Luk 19:35 And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.

Joh 12:16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.

Joh 12:12 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
Joh 12:13a Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him,

Mat 21:8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

Luk 19:37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;

Mat 21:9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

Mar 11:10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

Mat 21:10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
Mat 21:11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

Joh 12:17 The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record.
Joh 12:18 For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle.
Joh 12:19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.

Luk 19:39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
Luk 19:40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
Luk 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
Luk 19:42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
Luk 19:43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
Luk 19:44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

Mar 11:11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

Last week’s study focused on the first part of this story of Christ sending His disciples to fetch the ass and her colt. This was all a symbol of the burden of the elect of God.

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.

Mat 11:27-30 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

By carrying Christ into Jerusalem we take part of the process of salvation. Christ is traveling toward death in order to give life. His disciples do not understand this at this time but will soon understand it all. Now continuing this story we will gain more understanding of the process of salvation.

Joh 12:12 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
Joh 12:13a Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him,

Mat 21:8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

The laying down of the garments and palm branches represent us recognizing Christ as our Lord and King. These last few stories in the gospels we have been reviewing are pronouncing Christ as King shown by the anointing by Mary and now the laying down of garments. Here is an old testament example.

2Ki 9:1-3 And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramothgilead: And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber; Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not.

2Ki 9:13 Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king.

Our garments, as you know, represent our righteousnesses and we lay them down for the Lord to reign over them.

Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Luk 19:37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;

Mat 21:9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

Mar 11:10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

The crowd is giving praise announcing the King’s arrival, asking for him to be blessed by God. We all do this when we recognize Christ as our King. It is a joyous occasion.

Mat 21:10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
Mat 21:11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

Joh 12:17 The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record.
Joh 12:18 For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle.

As you can imagine, the city was in an uproar celebrating Jesus’ entrance into the city.

Joh 12:19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him. (KJV)

Joh 12:19 Then the Pharisees said one to another, You see, you are unable to do anything: the world has gone after him. (BBE)

Luk 19:39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
Luk 19:40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

Some of the Pharisees had an issue with the praises Christ is receiving, but Jesus tells them what they demand is impossible. These Pharisees represent our old man trying to silence the “stones”. The following scriptures are the prophecy of this event.

Isa 55:12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Hab 2:2-11 And the Lord gave me an answer, and said, Put the vision in writing and make it clear on stones, so that the reader may go quickly. For the vision is still for the fixed time, and it is moving quickly to the end, and it will not be false: even if it is slow in coming, go on waiting for it; because it will certainly come, it will not be kept back. As for the man of pride, my soul has no pleasure in him; but the upright man will have life through his good faith. A curse on the cruel and false one! the man full of pride, who never has enough; who makes his desires wide as the underworld! he is like death; he is never full, but he makes all nations come to him, getting all peoples together to himself. Will not all these take up a word of shame against him and a bitter saying against him, and say, A curse on him who goes on taking what is not his and is weighted down with the property of debtors! Will not your creditors suddenly be moved against you, and your troublers get up from their sleep, and you will be to them like goods taken in war? Because you have taken their goods from great nations, all the rest of the peoples will take your goods from you; because of men’s blood and violent acts against the land and the town and all who are living in it. A curse on him who gets evil profits for his family, so that he may put his resting-place on high and be safe from the hand of the wrongdoer! You have been a cause of shame to your house by cutting off a number of peoples, and sinning against your soul. For the stone will give a cry out of the wall, and it will be answered by the board out of the woodwork.

Jesus is accusing the Pharisees of being the cause of shame to their house. Our old man is our shame and the accuser of our new man.

Luk 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
Luk 19:42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
Luk 19:43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
Luk 19:44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

Mar 11:11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

This is why Jesus is weeping.

Psa 119:136 Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.

Jer 8:18-9:26 When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me. Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the LORD in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities? The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me. Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD. Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders. And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity. Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people? Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait. Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone. And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant. Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through? And the LORD saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein; But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them: Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink. I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come: And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters. For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast us out. Yet hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation. For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets. Speak, Thus saith the LORD, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them. Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised; Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.

Gospels In Harmony  – The Burden of the Elect

Mat 21:1-11, Mar 11:1-11, Luk 19:28-44, Joh 11:54–12:11

[Study Aired April 13, 2021]

Mar 11:1 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,
Mar 11:2a And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, Mat 21:2 and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me, Mar 11:2b whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.

Mar 11:3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.
Mar 11:4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.

Luk 19:33 And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt?
Luk 19:34 And they said, The Lord hath need of him.

Mar 11:6b even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.

Mat 21:4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
Mat 21:5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
Mat 21:6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,

Luk 19:35 And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.

Joh 12:12 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
Joh 12:13a Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him,

Mat 21:8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.

Luk 19:37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;

Mat 21:9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

Mar 11:10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

Mat 21:10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
Mat 21:11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

Joh 12:16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.
Joh 12:17 The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record.
Joh 12:18 For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle.
Joh 12:19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.

Luk 19:39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
Luk 19:40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
Luk 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
Luk 19:42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
Luk 19:43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
Luk 19:44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

Mar 11:11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

This week’s study will focus on the first part of this story of Christ sending his disciples to fetch the ass and her colt. As it says in Matthew 21:4, all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. We will look at that prophecy and Lord willing determine the spiritual significance of this prophecy. Here is the prophecy.

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.

The first things we will review are “ass” and “colt”. Here are the definitions.

H2543
חמר חמור-:Original
– Transliteration: Chamowr
– Phonetic: kham-ore’
– Definition:

(he) ass

– Origin: from H2560
– TWOT entry: 685a
– Part(s) of speech: Noun Masculine
– Strong’s: From H2560; a male ass (from its dun red): – (he) ass.
Total KJV Occurrences: 96

H5895
Original: עיר
– Transliteration: `ayir
– Phonetic: ah’-yeer
– Definition:

he-ass, male ass

– Origin: from H5782 in the sense of raising (ie bearing a burden)
– TWOT entry: 1616a
– Part(s) of speech: Noun Masculine
– Strong’s: From H5782 in the sense of raising (that is bearing a burden); properly a young ass (as just broken to a load); hence an ass colt: – (ass) colt foal young ass.
Total KJV Occurrences: 8

From the definition we see that Christ is riding on a burden-carrying male animal just broken to a load. Also we see “ass” has something to do with “red”. Who is this “ass” representing?

Gen 49:8-15 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon. Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.

Here is an excerpt from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia about Issachar.

Issachar is´a-kar (ישׂשׂכר, yissā‛se’khār; Septuagint, Swete Ἰσσαχάρ, Issachár; Tischendorf, Issáchar, so also in the New Testament, Tregelles, and Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in Greek):

(1) The 9th son of Jacob, the 5th borne to him by Leah (Gen 30:17 f).

The Name

His birth is in this passage connected with the strange story of Reuben and his mandrakes, and the name given him is apparently conceived as derived from ‘ı̄sh sākhār, “a hired workman.” There is a play upon the name in this sense in Gen 49:15, “He bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant under taskwork.”

Several things caught my attention. Issachar is the 9th son of Jacob, representing judgment, and the 5th son of Leah, representing grace through faith. Also, being the son of Leah, he was born of the first wife of Jacob, representing the church of Babylon.

The red symbol comes into play confirming the “ass” represents men. Being made from the dust of the earth we are referred to as Adam, which means earthy – red according to Hitchcock.

If we put this all together, we can see the ass represents the elect of God coming out of Babylon carrying the burden of Christ. Here is the prophecy once again.

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.

Christ is riding into Jerusalem, which represents the whole world. The elect represented by the ass is carrying Christ into the world. The elect have a burden, but we are capable of carrying the burden of Christ because we are a beast of burden – the ass. Christ’s burden is great, but it is light as compared to the burdens of this world.

Mat 11:27-30 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

As the elect, we are given the duty of carrying Christ into the world for the purpose of salvation of the world. In this age only the elect are able to see these prophecies come to life. In the ages to come all will see them come to pass.

Zec 12:1-9 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God. In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

By carrying Christ into Jerusalem, we take part in the process of salvation. Christ is traveling toward death in order to give life. His disciples do not understand this at this time but will soon understand it all. As we continue this story in our following studies, we will gain understanding of the process of salvation.

The final thing we will look at in this study is the following verse:

Luk 19:35 And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.

“They cast their garments upon the colt”. Christ is now sitting above our garments, which represent our righteousness. As we all know our righteousness is as “filthy rags”.

Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Our righteousness is changing because we are carrying Christ. The righteousness of Christ is now our burden, and we are to show this righteousness to the world. The world cannot understand at this time, but there are those who are coming out of the world that will see Christ’s righteousness in us and take on the burden of Christ. The body is continuing to grow day by day and becoming stronger because of the burden of Christ. I will end our study with this Proverb.

Pro 2:1-22 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life. That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

In the modern English language the lowly ass carries with it a very negative connotation.

Here is how Webster defines the ass:

Noun

• a long-eared, slow, patient, sure-footed domesticated mammal, Equus asinus, related to the horse, used chiefly as a beast of burden.
• any wild species of the genus Equus, as the onager.
• a stupid, foolish, or stubborn person.

RELATED WORDS

idiot, fool, donkey, dunce, jerk, twit, blockhead, dope, imbecile, nitwit, simpleton, jackass, dolt, numbskull

The first two definitions are Biblically quite accurate inasmuch as they give us both the Biblically positive and Biblically negative applications of this particular beast.

The Negative Spiritual Significance of the Ass

In its negative application, the ass is called “a wild ass”, as we see in these verses:

Jer 2:24  A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her.

Hos 8:9  For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.

We really are a wild ass by nature and despise the restraints of “the law of the spirit” upon our rebellious, stubborn and foolish old man:

Job 11:11  For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?
Job 11:12  For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt.

Wild or not wild, and ass is an unclean beast and symbolizes our uncleanness as we die in and to our sins:

Jer 22:17  But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.
Jer 22:18  Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!
Jer 22:19  He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

This is what is “without the city”:

Rev 22:14  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Rev 22:15  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

In its negative use, the generally accepted secular definition of this word is not at all inaccurate being:

a stupid, foolish, or stubborn person.

And all the related words are a fair description of who we really are by nature:

idiot, fool, donkey, dunce, jerk, twit, blockhead, dope, imbecile nitwit, simpleton, jackass, dolt, numbskull

We are no better than an ass when it comes to the Lord’s value for our redemption. You might think that the redemption of a man would require an ox, but the fact is that an ass is redeemed with a lamb just as we are:

Exo 13:13  And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.

So the ‘ass’ in its Biblically negative application is a type of all the stubbornness, the stupidity and the foolish nature of our own beast:

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

Rev 13:1  AND I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Rev 13:2  And  the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

The Positive Spiritual Significance of the Ass

We have saved the best for last, and will now look at the ass in its positive application in scripture. Again the dictionary definitions serve us well in pointing out what is positive about the lowly ass:

a long-eared, slow, patient, sure-footed domesticated mammal, Equus asinus, related to the horse, used chiefly as a beast of burden.

Long ears are used by the ass to help make it a very good ‘hearer’, making the ass a type of those who are given “ears that hear”:

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

The Lord rides upon an ass as He enters into His city, ‘New Jerusalem’, because an ass is sure-footed and is domesticated under His rule.

Isa 32:20  Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.

Indeed the Lord chose to enter into His city, a type of His people (Rev 3:12 and Rev 21:2), on an ass:

Joh 12:14  And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,
Joh 12:15  Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.

Rev 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

In Isaiah 1 the ass typifies us as the Lord’s sheep who know His voice, and appreciate the giver more than the gift. As His ass, we do this even as the church world ignores, rejects and hates His doctrines:

Isa 1:3  The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
Isa 1:4  Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

Joh 10:4  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
Joh 10:5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

Abigail’s haste to go meet David “upon an ass” and become his wife after being delivered from her husband, whose name Nabal means ‘fool’, typifies us as we come out of Babylon riding upon the Lord’s servants and hastening to become the bride of Christ:

1Sa 25:42  And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

As Webster points out, the ass is chiefly a beast of burden, and in that capacity it carries our Lord, and at the same time it typifies our Lord who admonishes us and says this of Himself:

Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 
Mat 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

So it is really Christ within us who is carrying our burden, and is to us as the blessing of Issachar:

Gen 49:14  Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: 
Gen 49:15  And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.

It is a true blessing to be strengthened to bear the Lord and His Christ, knowing that such labor leads to His rest:

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.

The ass was used by the Lord to bear the wood to be burned up to offer up the Lord’s sacrifice of His only Son:

Gen 22:1  AND it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
Gen 22:2  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
Gen 22:3  And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

We are both Balaam and his ass in the story of how Balaam’s desire for wealth and fame destroyed him with the Moabites and the Midianites, who had agreed with Balak, the king of Moab, to hire Balaam to curse Israel, the Lord’s people.

Here is a story of who we are in the Lord’s hands:

Num 22:17  For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.
Num 22:18  And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.
Num 22:19  Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more.
Num 22:20  And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.
Num 22:21  And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.

Balaam’s Donkey and the Angel

Num 22:22  And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.
Num 22:23  And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
Num 22:24  But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.
Num 22:25  And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
Num 22:26  And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
Num 22:27  And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.
Num 22:28  And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
Num 22:29  And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.
Num 22:30  And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.
Num 22:31  Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
Num 22:32  And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:
Num 22:33  And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.
Num 22:34  And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD , I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.
Num 22:35  And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

If we are granted as the Lord’s lowly, sure-footed, ass, with ears to hear His voice and be used to bear His burdens with Him and to remain faithful to the end, then we will enter into His rest:

Deu 5:14  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.

If we are so blessed as to be used by the Lord to carry Him into His Jerusalem, as we are told He comes to us…

Joh 12:15   Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.

…Then we will be granted to rule with and fight with Him as great and glorious white horses, ruling the kingdom of this world and the kingdoms of all time in the thousand years and in the lake of fire:

Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Rev 19:12  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Rev 19:13  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Rev 19:14  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
Rev 19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Audio Links