Acts 4:1-22 We Cannot but Speak the Things Which we Have Seen and Heard

[Study Aired December 25, 2022]

Act 4:1  And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,
Act 4:2  Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
Act 4:3  And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.
Act 4:4  Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.
Act 4:5  And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,
Act 4:6  And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.
Act 4:7  And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?
Act 4:8  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
Act 4:9  If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;
Act 4:10  Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
Act 4:11  This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Act 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Act 4:13  Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
Act 4:14  And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
Act 4:15  But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,
Act 4:16  Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.
Act 4:17  But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.
Act 4:18  And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
Act 4:19  But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
Act 4:20  For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
Act 4:21  So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.
Act 4:22  For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed.

The mysteries of the kingdom of God (Mat 13:10-11) are in the process of being revealed and the events of the day of Pentecost and the healing of the 40-year-old man who was lame from birth are the events the holy spirit chose to establish beyond any doubt that the crucified Christ is indeed the Son of God and the Messiah Israel has been waiting for ever since this prophecy was given by Moses:

Deu 18:15  The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

“A prophet from the midst of thee, of your brethren, like unto me” means that this prophet will be a reformer like Moses was.

Before Moses, mankind could offer a burnt offering to the Lord upon any altar at any time and any place. When Moses was given the law, that all changed, and from that moment on every offering to God  had to be offered only at the tabernacle of the congregation and later at the temple in Jerusalem. Israel was prohibited from offering sacrifices anywhere but at the temple in Jerusalem:

Deu 12:5  But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:
Deu 12:6  And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:

This commandment was given by the Lord Himself, and the Lord Himself is the only being in the world who could possibly change it because He has come in “the time of reformation”, and He alone is “greater than the temple” and “Lord also of the sabbath”:

Mat 12:1  At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
Mat 12:2  But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
Mat 12:3  But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
Mat 12:4  How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
Mat 12:5  Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
Mat 12:6  But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
Mat 12:7  But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
Mat 12:8  For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

Being required to come to the tabernacle to offer an offering was just one of the six hundred and thirteen laws this great reformer, Moses, instituted. The ‘prophet like Moses’ had arrived in Israel and everyone in Jerusalem had witnessed Jesus performing miracles of healing on the sabbath day, and all knew their leaders had condemned Him for breaking the sabbath and claiming that He was God’s Son:

Joh 5:12  Then asked they him [the lame man Christ had healed], What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? [on the sabbath day]
Joh 5:13  And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.
Joh 5:14  Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
Joh 5:15  The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.
Joh 5:16  And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
Joh 5:17  But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
Joh 5:18  Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

The gift of languages on the day of Pentecost was witnessed by the many thousands of devout Jews who had come to Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost, and all who were native to the city of Jerusalem knew that the 120 people who had been given the gift of languages were all Galileans who were disciples of Christ.

Act 2:7  And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
Act 2:8  And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
Act 2:9  Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
Act 2:10  Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
Act 2:11  Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
Act 2:12  And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

What this means is that “the time of reformation, spoken of by Moses, was being introduced in a way that caused it to be spread throughout the entire Roman Empire by those who had been there on that day and witnessed what had happened and who heard “the wonderful works of God”.

Heb 9:10  Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

This is what Christ had to say about this “time of reformation”:

Joh 16:12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

We all live our own “time of reformation”, as the Lord replaces the law of Moses within us with His “law of love”, and His fear which will cause us to “tremble at his word”:

Isa 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
Isa 66:3  He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.
Isa 66:4  I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not [Sacrifices rather than obedience to the Reformer].
Isa 66:5  Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

The healing of the forty-year-old man who was lame from birth and was “laid daily at the gate of the temple” was another undeniable proof that Jesus was indeed the reformer Messiah. This man had been there begging for decades and everyone who went up to the temple was familiar with this man.

In our last study, we read what the holy spirit had inspired Peter to say to that forty-year-old man who was born lame:

Act 3:1  Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour [3 P.M.].
Act 3:2  And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
Act 3:3  Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
Act 3:4  And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
Act 3:5  And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
Act 3:6  Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
Act 3:7  And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
Act 3:8  And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
Act 3:9  And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
Act 3:10  And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.

Act 4:1  And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,

Notice that we are told “they spake unto the people”. Therefore, John was also preaching the gospel and saying the same things “unto the people” that Peter was preaching and teaching, which was confirming that Christ was the prophesied ‘prophet like Moses’ who would be a reformer to be rejected and crucified as the prophets foretold:

Act 2:22  Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Act 2:23  Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Act 2:24  Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

Act 4:2  Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
Act 4:3  And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.

The priests were all Sadducees (Act 5:17), and they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Neither did they appreciate being accused of “by wicked hands having crucified and slain” their own Messiah.

Act 23:8  For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.

The Sadducees were little better, if any, than atheists. They taught that this life was all there is. They did not believe in being raised “as the angels in heaven”, so they denied there was a resurrection. Christ saw right through their hypocritical questioning when they just knew they could make Him look foolish:

Mat 22:23  The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
Mat 22:24  Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
Mat 22:25  Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:
Mat 22:26  Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
Mat 22:27  And last of all the woman died also.
Mat 22:28  Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
Mat 22:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
Mat 22:30  For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.

These are the same hypocritical people who covenanted with Judas to betray the Lord:

Luk 22:3  Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.
Luk 22:4  And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.
Luk 22:5  And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money.
Luk 22:6  And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.

Luk 22:52  Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves?

The only difference in the description of those who arrested Christ and those who arrested Peter and John is not really a difference at all because that difference is merely the name of the sect of the Sadducees to which the priests belonged.

Act 5:17  Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,

These are the same people who insisted on the crucifixion of Christ, and there is no doubt they would have loved to crucify Peter and John also. However, the healing of a man who had been born lame, and who was “laid daily at the gate of the temple”, was so powerful a witness to the resurrection of Christ that five thousand were added to the church that day via the preaching of Peter and John. The fact that this beggar was “above forty years old” (Act 4:22) means he had been begging there at the temple for decades and was known of by everyone who came to the temple, especially to “the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders” who went up to the temple for all those decades.

Act 4:4  Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.

That is two thousand more than were added on the day of Pentecost.

Act 2:41  Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

Act 4:5  And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,
Act 4:6  And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.
Act 4:7  And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?
Act 4:8  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
Act 4:9  If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;
Act 4:10  Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
Act 4:11  This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
Act 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Act 4:13  Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

As we familiarize ourselves with the Word of God, we, too, ‘have been with Jesus’, and it cannot be hidden from this world because we will be like Him “the light of the world”:

Joh 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Joh 9:5  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

If we are given to desire to know Him, then He will live His life in us, and we, too, will be “the light of the world”:

Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Being the light of the world will not make us popular with the world. To the contrary we will be “hated of all men” because the world lies in darkness, and it hates the light:

Joh 3:19  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Joh 3:20  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Joh 3:21  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

Mat 10:21  And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
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.

Act 4:14  And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

Hypocrisy is inherent in our flesh. If we are indeed guilty of having a man who was prophesied to be a reformer crucified for breaking the sabbath and claiming to be the son of God, and then that same man is raised from the dead and is seen by over 500 people at once, and then that same man is credited with giving the gift of speaking in languages to 120  people, and then just a few days later that man we had crucified heals a man who was born  lame and is over forty years old and is known by the entire city, and His disciples are telling the people that they and their leaders are guilty of crucifying their own Messiah, we just naturally defend ourselves as opposed to repenting of the obvious humiliating, murderers we are proven to be.

What to do???

Act 4:15  But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,
Act 4:16  Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it [‘Nothing to see here’].
Act 4:17  But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.

Here we are brought face to face with the one condition under which we are not to “be subject unto the higher powers”, as “the sum of Thy Word” demonstrates. Do not the scriptures command us to submit to the higher powers? Yes, they do:

Rom 13:1  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Rom 13:2  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Rom 13:3  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
Rom 13:4  For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Rom 13:5  Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
Rom 13:6  For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
Rom 13:7  Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

In Christ’s day the priests and captains of the temple were “the higher power” to whom Christ and His disciples were subject, and Christ taught that as His doctrine:

Mat 23:1  Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
Mat 23:2  Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:
Mat 23:3  All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

When Christ healed a leper, He commanded the leper to ‘show himself to the priests and to offer an offering for his cleansing, according as Moses commanded for a testimony unto them’:

Luk 5:12  And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
Luk 5:13  And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.
Luk 5:14  And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

Act 4:18  And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
Act 4:19  But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
Act 4:20  For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

This is where every future priest and king finds himself in time. We will all have our faith tried to show us whether we are worthy to be Christ’s disciples:

Mat 10:37  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:38  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Mat 22:8  Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

Luk 14:25  And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
Luk 14:26  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Luk 14:27  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Luk 14:28  For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
Luk 14:29  Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
Luk 14:30  Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
Luk 14:31  Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
Luk 14:32  Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
Luk 14:33  So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Peter and John are types of us when the Lord gives us the resolve to forsake all that we have, to be a witness of His resurrection power as His disciples.

Act 4:21  So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.
Act 4:22  For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed.

Just a few weeks earlier both Peter and John had fled from the very people they are now boldly confronting with their witness that the healing of this lame man who is known by the whole city is the work of the resurrected Messiah, whom these men had murdered.

Peter and John and the whole church, which now numbered well over eight thousand men, “all of one mind and one accord” in believing that Christ is the resurrected Messiah who will establish the kingdom of God on this earth. The apostles did not go to the higher power looking for a fight, but when the higher power came to them demanding that they ignore the power that was higher than they, then the apostles, as types of us, had to be willing to lay down their lives rather than disobey Christ and His Father who are the highest power of all.

It is true that at this point the thought of the Gentiles becoming part of that kingdom has not entered their minds, but they are remaining true and faithful to what they are given to understand.

It will be another thirty or forty years before all the apostles, James and John, along with Peter and Paul and Barnabas, will all acknowledge that “if ye be in Christ, then ye are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”:

Gal 3:26  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29  And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

This simply is not yet understood because the holy spirit has not yet revealed this to any of the apostles. It wasn’t yet revealed because the holy spirit knew that no one was yet capable of receiving that message. If Peter and John here at the beginning of their ministry had told the multitudes on the day of Pentecost that…

Gal 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

They would have had the same reception Christ had when He began His ministry with just that message:

Luk 4:16  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
Luk 4:17  And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Luk 4:20  And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
Luk 4:21  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Luk 4:22  And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?
Luk 4:23  And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.
Luk 4:24  And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
Luk 4:25  But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
Luk 4:26  But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a [Gentile] woman that was a widow.
Luk 4:27  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the [Gentile] Syrian.
Luk 4:28  And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
Luk 4:29  And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.
Luk 4:30  But he passing through the midst of them went his way,

Christ made this point at the very beginning of His reforming ministry for our benefit. We have no record of Him regularly making this point during His ministry. He was very clear to the Samaritan woman at the well that the day would come when physical Jerusalem would no longer be prominent in the worship of God, but this was not a prominent part of His gospel of the kingdom of God to the Jews to whom He came first:

Joh 1:11  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Joh 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

These words at the beginning of the gospel of John demonstrate that this apostle had come to see that:

Gal 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29  And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

John’s is also the only gospel which refers to the holy days of Moses as “feasts of the Jews”, distancing Himself from those who had rejected their own Messiah.

Joh 6:4  And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

Joh 7:2  Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand.

If the apostles had brought this message to the multitudes of “devout Jews from every nation under heaven” on the day of Pentecost, they would have been stoned on the spot. It simply was not yet time for this to be known among the devout Jewish disciples of Christ, and Christ Himself was aware of the ‘frame’ of His own creatures:

Joh 16:12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

The calling of the Gentiles was part of the “things to come” which neither the apostles nor the people could bear at the time surrounding the day of Pentecost. It would have been too much for them to bear:

Psa 103:13  Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
Psa 103:14  For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

It was more than “the priest and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees” could bear just to hear that they had crucified their own Messiah. However, it was given to many to accept that revelation and to repent so that:

Act 4:4  Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.

Peter and John were faithful to what they were given to believe and now, through the holy spirit which was given to them on the day of Pentecost, they both “had respect unto the recompense of the reward” for being faithful to the end, and they did not value their life in this world above “the recompence of the reward” of life eternal in the age to come.

Heb 11:24  By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
Heb 11:25  Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Heb 11:26  Esteeming the reproach of Christ [in type] greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

Peter and John were now willing to die with Christ and not just for Christ.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

“The recompense of the reward” is to become “the manifestation of the sons of God” and the saviors of all mankind:

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God [“The recompense of the reward”].

[Study Aired December 30, 2021]

1Ki 8:14  And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation of Israel stood;) 
1Ki 8:15  And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying,
1Ki 8:16  Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel. 
1Ki 8:17  And it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 
1Ki 8:18  And the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart. 
1Ki 8:19  Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name. 
1Ki 8:20  And the LORD hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 
1Ki 8:21  And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 
1Ki 8:22  And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven: 
1Ki 8:23  And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart: 
1Ki 8:24  Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day. 
1Ki 8:25  Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me.
1Ki 8:26  And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father.
1Ki 8:27  But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
1Ki 8:28  Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:
1Ki 8:29  That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place.

The title of our study is taken from John 14:12 which reads “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” It is with this statement of Christ that we are being reminded of the certainty of the fruit in our lives that has been prophesied to come forth (Joh 15:16) as a result of the life of Christ within us (Col 1:27). It is “because I go unto my Father” which was expedient for Christ to do (Joh 16:7) we can be assured that what God has predestined to be fulfilled in our lives will be accomplished through Him who is the vine. As we abide in Him, we will bring “forth much fruit” (Joh 15:5).

Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 

[Who brings forth much fruit within the gentile flesh that I abide in through spiritual circumcision (Rom 2:28-29) “that ye should go and bring forth fruit“]

Joh 16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

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.

The temple of Solomon is now complete, and Solomon, who is a type of the elect, typifies those who have Christ’s spirit within them. Solomon is now proclaiming, in type and shadow, the blessing that is ours unto which we have been called (1Pe 3:9) and that is to be God’s workmanship who will be a blessing for the rest of the world, given as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1, Joh 3:16).  We are ordained to bring forth much fruit through the faith of Christ (Joh 15:16, Rom 7:4, Rom 7:24-25, Luk 22:32), having become the apple of God’s eye through Christ, and a light unto the Gentiles (Act 13:47) as a result of His life in us (Rom 8:9).

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.

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son (1Jn 4:17), that whosoever believeth (Joh 6:28-29) in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

It is those who believe and abide, or continue, in the truth (Joh 8:31-36), who have been given eyes to see and ears to hear where our hope resides (Mar 4:11, Col 1:27). Then, with these things in mind, we will look at this section of Kings which points to that hope of glory within, via the typical language of king Solomon. Solomon is now able to bless the nation of Israel from the completed temple that represents the mature life of Christ in us which will be used to bless all the nations of the world in time.

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33  They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? [Mat 24:13]
Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. [“If ye continue^G3306 in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” (Joh 6:44)]

1Ki 8:14  And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation of Israel stood; ) 

The whole or “all the congregation of Israel stood” is typical of all the world beholding the salvation of God as they stand (Act 1:10-11, Exo 14:13, Deu 18:6-7).

Act 1:10  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 
Act 1:11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven [in time into the hearts and minds of all of God’s creation].

Exo 14:13  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 

Deu 18:6  And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the LORD shall choose; 
Deu 18:7  Then he shall minister in the name of the LORD his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, which stand there before the LORD.

It is when “the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel” that they were told of the blessing that God was bringing to them that came about by His choosing, “David to be over my people Israel“. David represents Christ, and Solomon represents those who have been granted to turn their faces about and see what God is doing within our lives which is represented by the temple (Rev 1:10-12).

Rev 1:10  I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
Rev 1:11  Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. 
Rev 1:12  And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

1Ki 8:15  And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying, 
1Ki 8:16  Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel. 
1Ki 8:17  And it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.

Solomon’s blessing, given before the congregation of Israel, is a shadow of these words in Revelation 4:10-11 and 1 Chronicles 29:14 that God’s elect will profess before all the world and that we declare to each other as we witness His power working in our lives (Rev 11:3).

Rev 4:10  The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 
Rev 4:11  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

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. 

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

It is David, who is a type of Christ, through whom the Father spoke (Joh 1:1-4), and so when we read of this event, it is typical of our heavenly Father speaking through Christ, the YAHWEH of the Old Covenant. “The LORD God of Israel” who “spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it.” Christ came to reveal the Father and was speaking only what the Father had predestined Him to say (Joh 12:49-50).

Joh 12:49  For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
Joh 12:50  And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

What David spoke was a declaration of what Christ would declare while He was on earth, and that is, “Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.” This statement is symbolic language telling us that many are called and few are chosen. God “brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein” represents the many called but not chosen to have the life of Christ within them, and “but I chose David to be over my people Israel” represents Christ and His body who are chosen^G1588 out of the called^G2822 (Mat 20:16).

Mat 20:16  So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called^G2822, but few chosen^G1588.

G2822klētos klay-tos’

From the same as G2821; invited, that is, appointed, or (specifically) a saint: – called.

Total KJV occurrences: 11

G1588 eklektos ek-lek-tos’

From G1586; select; by implication favorite: – chosen, elect.

Total KJV occurrences: 23

Then we’re told in 1 Kings 8:17 that “it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel” which further confirms that David is a type of Christ whose desire was to drink of the fruit of the vine with the body of Christ but plainly said “For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.” It is when the kingdom of God comes within us (Luk 17:21) that a “house for the name of the LORD God of Israel” is built by Christ (Psa 127:1). However, it is Solomon who typifies the elect through whom God builds this new creation, doing greater works than Christ as Solomon did greater works than David, typified by the building of the temple which we are (Joh 14:12, 1Co 3:16). The words  “greater works than these shall he do” means God’s elect are blessed to be able to be instrumental in the conversion of someone which Christ, while he was in the flesh, never did (1Ti 4:16).

Joh 14:12  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

1Ti 4:16  Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue^G1961 in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

1Ki 8:18  And the LORD said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart. 
1Ki 8:19  Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name.

These two verses (1Ki 8:18-19) are saying the same thing as 1Kings 8:16-17, that it was in Christ’s “heart to build an house unto my name” (Luk 22:15) as it was in David’s. That desire would be accomplished in time but was not going to be accomplished while Christ was in His flesh (Joh 16:7). The true spiritual communion we have in Christ was not going to be realized until the holy spirit was given on Pentecost, making it then (and only then) possible for Christ’s disciples to be as Him (1Jn 4:17) having the same desire “to eat this passover with you before I suffer” which is how the spiritual house is built (Luk 18:34, 1Co 10:16). Breaking bread and drinking wine at the Passover were symbols that revealed how the word of God nourishes the body and prepares our hearts to endure the suffering required in this life if we are going to mature in Christ and rule with Him in the next (2Ti 2:12-13). It sounds like the scriptures are saying that David of himself did well to have this desire in his heart to build the temple, but the sum of God’s word tells us otherwise: “thou didst well that it was in thine heart” (Pro 16:1).

Luk 22:15  And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

Luk 18:34  And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. 

1Co 10:16  The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 

2Ti 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 
2Ti 2:13  If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself [Joh 10:28-29, Mat 16:18].

Pro 16:1  The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. 

“Nevertheless” is a word that means ‘never what we want in our fleshly desires, but God’s will be done’, which Christ always submitted to while He was on the earth, and this is what God’s elect pray is being accomplished in our lives now as it was in His (Luk 22:42, 1Jn 4:17). So Christ himself would “not build the house” which was not God’s will for him, but His sons “thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name” (Joh 16:7). Abraham, who is a type of Christ, reminds us of this point (Gen 15:2-6). We are so few now who are being used to build that house with God’s spirit within us, but we know that in time Christ’s other fold will be saved, and God will ultimately be all in all (Joh 10:16, Gal 4:27, Rev 19:7, 1Co 15:28).

Gen 15:2  And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 
Gen 15:3  And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 
Gen 15:4  And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. [“thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins” (Gal 3:16)]
Gen 15:5  And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be [Gal 4:27].
Gen 15:6  And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Joh 10:16  And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd [1Co 15:28].

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

1Ki 8:20  And the LORD hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 
1Ki 8:21  And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 
1Ki 8:22  And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:

The first section of this verse reminds us that we are raised in heavenly places with Christ: “I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel” (Eph 2:4-7), Solomon, being a type of the elect, “risen up in the room of David my father” and David being a type of Christ our Olam^H5769 Father. (Deu 32:39-40, Eph 2:6)

With Christ as our high priest (Heb 4:15-16), we are promised we can be more than conquerors through Him, just as the covenant of the Lord being within the ark is symbolic language telling us we will overcome through the exceedingly great and precious promises of God (2Pe 1:4). We will overcome the powers and principalities we wrestle against through Christ, which overcoming is typified by the covenant (‘promise’ Exo 19:5, Luk 24:49) that the LORD “made with our fathers” when “he brought them out of the land of Egypt“.

2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust [Tit 2:11-12].

“Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven” is a shadow of God’s elect that tells us when we are before the altar of God which is symbolic of the cross, we can then spread forth our hands toward heaven to bless others as a wave sheaf offering (Lev 23:17), or like the cherubim that sat on the ark with wings that were “spread forth” symbolizing the mercy that God will extend to all the world one day as a mother hen does her chicks (Mat 23:37).

Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

1Ki 8:23  And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart: 
1Ki 8:24  Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand^H3027, as it is this day.

We serve a merciful God who “keepest covenant” meaning what God has promised to do, He will do (Heb 6:18-19), and what He has promised to God’s elect in this age is that He is going to show “mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart“. That mercy is expressed through “the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering” that leads us to repentance in this age, which we are not to despise (Rom 2:4) as we seek the Lord with all our hearts (Heb 11:6-7, Jer 29:13-14). The corruption of this world is escaped by giving all diligence and following these steps outlined in 2 Peter 1:4-12.) Do we rip the veil with Christ in us (Rom 5:10)? The answer is yes, and we are called to believe that the One who we are committing our ways unto is faithful, and promises we will be more than conquerors through Him (1Pe 4:19).

Heb 6:18  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: [Rom 8:25]
Heb 6:19  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

[God turns away our captivity by blessing us to move with fear as we build the ark which is represented by the church, Christ’s body (Col 1:24), that is being led by God’s holy spirit (Rom 8:14)]

Heb 11:7  By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet [Rom 8:25], 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.

Jer 29:13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

David is again mentioned, in context with this covenant of mercy, as a type of Christ who brings to the body of Christ the understanding that we have been given promises which are exceedingly great and precious (2Pe 1:4). “Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand^H3027, as it is this day” tells us that all of God’s desire is going to be fulfilled in each of the elect’s lives by God’s power (Heb 10:7, 1Jn 4:17, Php 2:12-13). As God accomplishes His will through the body of Christ, we are told not to murmur which is the bad fruit of despising “the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering” that leads us to repentance.

Heb 10:7  Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 

Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 
Php 2:14  Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

1Ki 8:25  Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me. 
1Ki 8:26  And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father. 

If the LORD God of Israel will keep “with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him“, the gates of hell will not prevail against the church (Mat 16:18), which is what this symbolic statement means: “There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel.” Why this must happen is “so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me“, meaning because of God’s purpose being fulfilled in the body of Christ through God’s power, the world will in time “take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me.

Solomon, who is a type of the elect, goes on to say “And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified^H539, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father“, demonstrating the right desire to want to see God’s plan move forward through the judgment of the rest of His creation brought about by God’s word being spoken, which words are the fiery words of eternal life (Rom 10:1, Num 11:29, Rev 6:10, Jer 5:14).

verified  H539  ‘âman  aw-man’

A primitive root; properly to build up or support; to foster as a parent or nurse; figuratively to render (or be) firm or faithful, to trust or believe, to be permanent or quiet; morally to be true or certain; once (in Isa 30:21; by interchange for H541) to go to the right hand: – hence assurance, believe, bring up, establish, + fail, be faithful (of long continuance, stedfast, sure, surely, trusty, verified), nurse, (-ing father), (put), trust, turn to the right.

Total KJV occurrences: 108

Rom 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

Num 11:29  And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them! 

Rev 6:10  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? [Our blood is avenged by fulfilling its purpose of washing the sins of the world, seeing our blood has now become the blood of Christ, his bones and flesh that will devour all carnality in time (Eph 5:30, Oba 1:21, Jer 5:14)]

1Ki 8:27  But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded? 

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth?” was answered to Philip with this verse (Joh 14:9), written for our sakes to help us understand our relationship with our heavenly Father and Christ “at that day” (Joh 5:30, 2Co 3:5, Joh 14:20). We work out our own salvation with fear and trembling knowing that it is God who is working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Php 2:12-13).

If ever there was a verse that witnesses to the fact that we have God’s spirit in earnest (Eph 1 :14) this would be the one: “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?”. We are those marred vessels that must be made new again (Jer 18:4), weak and “not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof” (Luk 7:6). Yet “he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust” (Psa 103:14). “The mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; to such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. The LORD hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all” (Psa 103:17-19, Heb 12:2, Php 1:6).

It is only by the power of God that we, as His body, can be partakers with Christ and strengthened “in the inner man that Christ may dwell in [our] hearts by faith” (2Co 13:4, Eph 3:16-19, Joh 15:5, Col 1:24, 1Pe 1:3-5).

2Co 13:4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.

Eph 3:16  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 
Eph 3:17  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 
Eph 3:18  May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 
Eph 3:19  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 

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.

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church: 

1Pe 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pe 1:4  To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 
1Pe 1:5  Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1Ki 8:28  Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:

The verses that show us God would have “respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication” can be found in 1 John 5:14 and John 16:23-24, to name a few. David is typified as Christ through whom our prayers are accepted, which is what “respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication” is a shadow of (Eph 1:6).

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: 

Joh 16:23  And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
Joh 16:24  Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

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

1Ki 8:29  That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place. 

This last verse of our study reminds us again that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church if we are the apple of His eye (Zec 2:8). He is wakeful over His word so “that thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place“, symbolized also by the sparrows that over which He watches, and whether they live or die, it is unto the Lord because of our belief (Jer 1:12, Mat 10:29, Rom 14:8). This concept ties in with our title for this study taken from John 14:12,  which reads, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Jer 1:12  Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

Mat 10:29  Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father [“The works that I do shall he do also” (Lev 14:5-7)].

Rom 14:8  For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.

God is the one who is making a holy people unto Himself which is what “my name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place” symbolizes, and this is being done for the purpose of perfecting praise within us as we worship Him in spirit and in truth for the wonderful works (Rom 2:4, Pro 3:11, Gal 6:9) He is doing unto the children of men (Joh 4:23-24, Psa 107:8, Psa 107:15, Psa 107:21, Psa 107:31), which we will look at more closely next week, Lord willing.

Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh [1Pe 4:17], and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Psa 107:8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 

Psa 107:15 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 

Psa 107:21 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 

Psa 107:31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 

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Awesome Hands - part 160: “Be strong and of a good courage” - Discussion

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Awesome Hands – part 160

“Be strong and of a good courage”

November 30, 2019

This awesome hands study marks the end of one journey and the beginning of a new one for the people of Israel.

With this mentioning of the word hand, we find ourselves reading about the death of Moses and the birth of Joshua of Nun leading the people of Israel into the promised land.

Being that we will be primarily reading out of Joshua today, I wanted to make sure we read the two times that hands are mentioned here at the end of Deuteronomy 34.

Deu 34:5  So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.
Deu 34:6  And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.
Deu 34:7  And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.
Deu 34:8  And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.
Deu 34:9  And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.
Deu 34:10  And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,
Deu 34:11  In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land,
Deu 34:12  And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel.

Moses was mourned for 30 days which tells us there is always a price for the flesh to be mourned. It isn’t something that we just suddenly get over when we discover that our old man is dying.

Obviously, Moses was physically dead, but in type and shadow we all do the same for the old lives we once lived when we finally come to realize what our calling truly entails - life coming forth from death.

The children of Israel could not go forth toward a land that flows with milk and honey until the old man died.

Before Moses died, there was the very important act of Moses making sure the children of Israel knew whom they should follow. Moses laid his hands on Joshua and the children of Israel hearkened unto him.

Notice though that this act was directed by the Lord because we are told that Joshua “did as the Lord commanded Moses.

This is nothing different than what we are told by Paul since he shows us the same pattern.

1Co 11:1  Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Our next mentions of the word “hand” is found in Joshua 2. However, we must properly set the scene for what Israel is doing leading up to chapter 2.

Jos 1:2  Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
Jos 1:3  Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
Jos 1:4  From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
Jos 1:5  There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Jos 1:6  Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
Jos 1:10  Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,
Jos 1:11  Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it.

I think it is important to read chapter one because it shows us that the Lord prepares our steps way before we are ready to walk them.

We see the death of Moses, which was a heavy thing to endure for Israel, and now the Lord is sending the Israelites to the promised land.

In type, this is very telling for how it is the Lord deals with us. The “old man” Moses is mourned for 30 days. Jesus was “about 30” when His ministry started which started after He was baptized and went into the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted of the devil.

Baptism is representative of the old man dying in this type and shadow.

Luk 3:21  Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
Luk 3:22  And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
Luk 3:23  And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

Likewise, the Israelites are about to cross the river Jordan and be “baptized” in type and shadow.

Before they go into the land, Joshua sends two men to spy out the land.

A harlot named Rahab helps them by concocting a plan to help them survive this spy mission they are involved in. This story is better than any James Bond 007 movie you can watch today

The next mentioning of the Hebrew word “yad” is not mentioned until verses 19 and 24, but this whole chapter is a really good read. So, we are going to read most of it and talk about the finer details throughout the rest of this study.

Jos 2:1  And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.
Jos 2:2  And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country.
Jos 2:3  And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.
Jos 2:4  And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:
Jos 2:5  And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.

Now, we have the king of Jericho sending for Rahab to find out where these spies are. It would be kind of hard to miss this huge gathering of people just across the river which could be on the march at any time.

Therefore, it is not a stretch to imagine that this king was having the Israelites watched to see what their next move was.

Notice that Rahab lies to the king and tells Jericho that she doesn’t know where these men are. Her life and her entire house are now in peril due to what is happening, and I am sure we can all imagine what it must have felt like to be in such distress.

On one side, you have the nation you live in demanding you tell them where the spies are that just lodged in your house, and on the other, you have two men representing what is about to be an invading army come to take over the land.

Indeed, Lord deliver me in my distresses is a relatable mindset here for Rahab!

Jos 2:6  But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.
Jos 2:7  And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.
Jos 2:8  And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;

I can’t help but think of Matthew 10 when Jesus tells us to “fear not therefore”.  In Matthew 10, Jesus is telling His disciples that they will face persecution because He faced persecution among other things.

He tells them this so that they can understand, that as the master is, so are the followers.

Mat 10:23  But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
Mat 10:24  The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
Mat 10:25  It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

What Jesus is telling them is meant to comfort them because “the unknown” really bothers us mere mortals. We really struggle with the unknown in anything we are dealing with. We, as humans, struggle with the “what if’s” of life.

Jesus, knowing this about His disciples, tells them in Matthew 10 what will happen when you follow Him indeed. He also tells us what mindset to have.

You might be asking yourself how this relates to Rahab and the two spies? Well, the spies go into a strange land at the command of Joshua and they suddenly find themselves being very close to being caught very close to when they started spying out the land. Then, you have Rahab on the other side of the equation who is stuck behind a rock and hard place. I’d say they all had reason to be in distress. Their lives were all in immediate danger.

Yet, we are told by Jesus:

Mat 10:26  Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
Mat 10:27  What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
Mat 10:28  And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Mat 10:29  Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
Mat 10:30  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Mat 10:31  Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Now we find our harlot Rahab on a rooftop with the spies of the Lord, and we are about to hear her preach a little bit. We are going to hear her speak about what she knows to be truth starring her in the face.

Jos 2:9  And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.
Jos 2:10  For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.
Jos 2:11  And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

Preach it sister, preach it. “For the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath” is saying something coming from this harlot woman who is NOT an Israelite in the flesh.

Yet, she still knows what is happening and she is preparing for the inevitable day of the visitation of the Lord with His armies. What then is left to do? She prays.

Jos 2:12  Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token:
Jos 2:13  And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.

Yes, she doesn’t pray to the Lord, I know. Yet, she prays to the spies right in front of her because this is what she is able to do. I’d say she is showing a lot of faith here. She is asking for a deal.

She is doing whatever it is that is needed to preserve her house in the face of what is sitting on her proverbial doorstep.

So yes, she prays to these two ambassadors for Israel. It is much like the centurion solder speaking with Jesus. Let us enter into the “village of comfort”, Capernaum.

Luk 7:1  Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum.
Luk 7:2  And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.
Luk 7:3  And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.
Luk 7:4  And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:
Luk 7:5  For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.
Luk 7:6  Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:
Luk 7:7  Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.
Luk 7:8  For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
Luk 7:9  When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

See, harlot Rahab knows she is not anything special and she certainly knows that she is a part of the country that is being visited by the people of God.

She is about to be besieged, unlike the centurion soldier, but both scenarios find these people in one of the hardest to deal with distresses – imminent death.

One is on the rooftop, and one sends outside of his house to find the people of God. In both cases, these people go outside to find what they need to help those inside.

This is simply just an acknowledgment that what is needed is found outside their current households, countries and comfort zones. In other words, they need the Lord.

They acknowledge the current truth of the reality they are in and then they search out a way to remedy it with the help of the Lord.

Jos 2:14  And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.
Jos 2:15  Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.
Jos 2:16  And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.

Again, we see a process being worked by the Lord. When we are looking for a prayer to be answered by the Lord, and we pray for it “according to thy will”, accepting whatever the will of the Lord is in the matter, then it will be answered accordingly. This should give us rest enough to be still and know God because He is in control.

The spies continue to prepare for what this “deal” entails.

Jos 2:17  And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.
Jos 2:18  Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee.
Jos 2:19  And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.
Jos 2:20  And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.
Jos 2:21  And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

We have to use a little imagination at this point and know that Rahab was then on a mission to inform all of her household what was about to transpire.

We don’t know if she went and told her family about what happened or if she simply cooked everyone a gigantic meal so that they were all under her roof that night.

However, she knew what the conditions of the deal were and when Israel goes about conquering this area, those people had to know to stay in the house or else they would be slain.

Above and beyond that, we do not know what she did in order for her house to be saved, but we know it was.

Jos 2:22  And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not.
Jos 2:23  So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them:
Jos 2:24  And they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.

We don’t find out later what happened to Rahab until chapter 6, but I will quote the verse here to let us know the result.

Jos 6:25  And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

The Lord alone is faithful. Thankfully, He imparts to us His faith so that we can joy in being faithful to the Lord also. Without faith we can not please Him; yet, He gives us that very faith to please Him.

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Heb 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised

Heb 11:31  By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

Indeed, what more can I say than what the author of Hebrews says about faith?

Heb 11:32  And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
Heb 11:33  Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

And a few verses later:

Heb 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

Yet, in all this Faith alone is dead. Isn’t that something? Does that sound blasphemous? Well, it isn’t blasphemous, and we just read a whole story with it in this example of Rahab.

Jas 2:20  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Jas 2:21  Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Jas 2:22  Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
Jas 2:23  And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Jas 2:24  Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Jas 2:25  Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
Jas 2:26  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

What then are the works that must accompany Faith? The “works” are many, but they are all the works of the “hands” of the Lord which has been talked about at length in the past so many studies in the awesome hands series.

2Th 1:10  When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
2Th 1:11  Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:
2Th 1:12  That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Pe 1:17  And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

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

It is easier said than done, as is with most things in this life, but loving God with all our heart, soul strength and mind, and loving out neighbor as ourselves goes hand and hand with unfeigned love of the brethren with a pure heart.

That is all that is needed to possess the work of faith with power, “That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you”.