1 Samuel 1:1–28 The Birth of Samuel

[Study Aired January 5, 2026]

Today’s study focuses on the two wives of Elkanah – Peninnah and Hannah. The study goes into details about Hannah’s struggle with her barrenness, which was ordained by the Lord, and Peninnah’s endless torment of Hannah to make her miserable. In Hannah’s desperation, she made a vow to the Lord that if the Lord will give her a man-child, then she will give him to the Lord as long as he lives. The Lord answered Hannah’s prayer as she gave birth to a boy called Samuel, who was eventually given to the Lord to work under Eli, the High Priest. 

As we are aware, it is the spirit that gives life, the flesh or the letter, profits nothing. In this study of the Book of Samuel, we shall look at the spiritual significance and not focus on the stories which will not benefit us.

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 

Introducing Hannah

1Sa 1:1  And there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim from the hills of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. 
1Sa 1:2 And he had two wives, the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the second, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 

Elkanah means ‘God has possessed.’ He was an Ephrathite who lived with His two wives, Peninnah and Hannah. As we are aware, a woman represents a church, either positively or negatively.  The fact that Peninnah had many children while Hannah was barren means that Peninnah represents the church system of this world or Babylon or Jerusalem which has many children but is in bondage with her children. In other words, the church system of this world has many members while the church of the firstborn or the Lord’s elect has few people.

Gal 4:22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 
Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 
Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
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. 

The name Peninnah suggests the kind of woman she signifies. Peninnah means ‘coral’ which is a hard stony substance secreted by certain marine creatures in the sea. In simple terms, Peninnah represents the woman dominated by the sea of flesh (hard stony substances from the sea) which cannot submit to the Lord. 

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

On the other hand, Hannah symbolizes the church of the Lord’s elect or Jerusalem which is above. Her barrenness was ordained by the Lord to show us how His church must be barren in this age, until the lake of fire age, when His elect as saviors shall bring salvation to the whole of the human race from Adam to date. 

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.   

The name Hannah means grace, and we know that it is by grace through faith that we are saved. Every elect knows that our salvation is not by our own selves. It is the work of the Lord.

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast. 
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.  

1Sa 1:3  And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.
1Sa 1:4  And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: 
1Sa 1:5  But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb. 

Shiloh means ‘rest’, and therefore the Lord of hosts being at Shiloh signifies that knowing Jesus entails being at rest in Him. 

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. 

However, when we are operating under the law of Moses, we find no rest in the Lord, because being under the law of Moses is about trying to obey the laws by ourselves. This brings about frustration because we end up failing to obey. 

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 
Rom 7:15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

Elkanah’s religious adherence to the yearly worship and sacrifice to the Lord at Shiloh together with his wives, signifies that the church of the Lord’s elect, together with the church system of this world all start their walk with the Lord with the law of Moses, which does not bring us the way of peace or rest. 

Isa 59:8  The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.
Isa 59:9  Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. 
Isa 59:10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men. 

The mention of Hophni and Phinehas as priests of the Lord at that time in Shiloh is to make us aware of the deplorable state of the leaders of the church system of this world into which we were ushered at the beginning of our walk with Christ. This is what the word of the Lord says about Hophni and Phinehas, who were sons of Eli, the high priest:

1Sa 2:12  Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD. 

1Sa 2:17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD. 

According to Strong, the sons of Eli being referred to as sons of Belial is to show us their deplorable state as they epitomize wickedness. One of the principles of the word of the Lord is the ‘is, was, and will be’ nature. If at the time of Hannah, the leaders of the church system of her day were sons of wickedness, then it means that the situation today is the same, that is, evil men are in leadership. 

Rev 1:8  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 

Mic 3:11  Your leaders exchange justice for bribes. Your priests teach for a price. Your prophets tell the future for money. But they rely on the LORD when they say, “After all, the LORD is with us. Nothing bad will happen to us.”
Mic 3:12 Because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a pile of rubble, and the temple mountain will become a worship site covered with trees. (GW)  

Jer 5:30  A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; 
Jer 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof? 

As we can see from verse 3 and 5 of I Samuel chapter 1 above, the Lord, represented here by Elkanah, in His wisdom has given to both the church system of this world represented by Peninnah and the church of the Lord’s elect something to offer to Him. 

Psa 116:12  What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? 
Psa 116:13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. 

However, as we can see in verse 5, the Lord always gives His elect a worthy portion to offer because He loves His elect.  

Jer 31:3  The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. 
Jer 31:4 Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.

In spite of the Lord’s love for the church of the firstborn or of His elect, He has shut her womb. This is signified by Hannah not able to give birth despite the love that the husband Elkanah had for her.

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. 

1Sa 1:6  And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. 
1Sa 1:7  And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. 
1Sa 1:8  Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons? 

What happened to Hannah is the same that is happening to the church of the elect in every generation. To our brothers and sisters in the churches of this world, we are barren, and therefore, the established church system of this world or Babylon is always provoking us sorely. They do not know that the Lord’s plan entails having few people as His elect in this age as saviors for the whole of humanity. 

Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen.    

This brings to mind the three hundred men who were chosen by Gideon to engage the Midianites in a battle. To a carnal man, they are too few or barren compared with the total army strength of thirty-two thousand men who initially assembled to take on the Midianites. 

Jdg 7:2  And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
Jdg 7:3  Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. 
Jdg 7:4  And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. 
Jdg 7:5  So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. 
Jdg 7:6  And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. 
Jdg 7:7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. 

It is insightful to note in verse 8 that Elkanah was doing everything possible to comfort Hannah and letting her know that having him as a husband is better than ten sons. The Lord is always with us, comforting and urging us on and letting us know that when we have Him, He is more than ten sons. In other words, when we have Him as our husband, He is more than having all fleshly men (the significance of ten men) on our side. Do you feel that you are alone in all your struggles? No, you are not alone! You have Jesus and an innumerable company of angels on your side. Here is what the word of the Lord says about this:

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 

The Birth of Samuel

1Sa 1:9  So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD
1Sa 1:10  And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.
1Sa 1:11  And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. 

When we are under the judgment of the Lord, we are in bitterness of soul, and our recourse is to pray to the Lord who is able to make a way of escape with the purpose of making us able to bear it. 

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

There is nothing wrong in weeping when we are under the Lord’s judgment of our old man or flesh. However, the Lord has assured us that after weeping comes joy in the morning. 

Psa 30:2  O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. 
Psa 30:3  O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. 
Psa 30:4  Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
Psa 30:5  For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Psa 30:11  Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; 
Psa 30:12  To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever.  

In verse 11, we see the purpose of the church of the Lord’s elect, represented here by Hannah’s promise that if she gives birth to a man child, she will wholly dedicate him to the Lord. The church’s purpose is to bring forth a man-child dedicated wholly to the Lord. We can say in a negative sense that since Hannah was under the law of Moses, she can signify the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, who travailed in birth and brought forth a man child who was caught up to God.

Rev 12:1  And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
Rev 12:2  And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
Rev 12:3  And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 
Rev 12:4  And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. 
Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

1Sa 1:12  And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth. 
1Sa 1:13  Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. 
1Sa 1:14  And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. 
1Sa 1:15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.
1Sa 1:16  Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.

As Hannah continued to groan before the Lord, Eli, who represents the leadership of the church system of this world, thought she was drunk. Indeed, our brothers and sisters think that there is something wrong with us, just as on the day of Pentecost, the church system of the disciples’ days thought that the disciples were drunk. 

Psa 38:9  Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.

Psa 102:20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;

Act 2:1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 
Act 2:2  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 
Act 2:3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 
Act 2:4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 

Act 2:12  And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? 
Act 2:13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. 

1Sa 1:17  Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. 
1Sa 1:18  And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. 

Our petition before the Lord shall not go unanswered. These are some of the assuring words that the Lord has given to us to wait in expectation:

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.

Isa 65:23  They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. 
Isa 65:24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

Verse 18 shows us that after Hannah had prayed to the Lord, she went her way and did eat, after which her countenance was no more sad. This is another way of saying the following:

Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

1Sa 1:19  And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her. 
1Sa 1:20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.

It takes the Lord’s remembrance for things to happen. Our efforts are in vain without the Lord’s remembrance. This does not mean that the Lord forgets. It is a biblical expression to show us that when the set time comes according to the Lord’s agenda, He performs it.

Psa 98:3  He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Psa 105:8  He hath remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.

Psa 105:42  For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.

Hannah’s pregnancy and everything that pertains to the birth of Samuel are all written in the Lord’s Books. In other words, the Lord has written everything we will do in this life before we were born.

Psa 139:15  Nothing about me is hidden from you! I was secretly woven together deep in the earth below, 
Psa 139:16 but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do. (CEV)

Therefore, when we find ourselves in difficult situations with no way of escape, we must remember that what we are going through is all written in His book, and therefore, at the right time, the Lord will intervene in our circumstance and bring us to an expected end. He will never leave us alone!

Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 
Jer 29:12  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 
Jer 29:13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Jer 29:14  And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

There are times that I go through certain situations when I wonder whether all of these were written in His books concerning me. Then it will dawn on me that all these are written and therefore the solutions to all these challenges are also written concerning me. That is when I come to realize that whatever situation I find myself in, it shall not hold me back from the love of the Lord.  

Samuel Given to the Lord

1Sa 1:21  And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. 
1Sa 1:22 But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide forever. 

Hannah did not go to offer the yearly sacrifice and her vows because she wanted the child to be weaned and presented to the Lord as a mature young boy so that he would abide in the Lord’s presence forever. The focus of the church of the Lord’s elect is therefore to prepare God’s people to mature so that we shall abide permanently in the house of the Lord. This preparation involves helping the Lord’s people to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, fearing no evil and knowing that His rod and staff are comforting us. Being mature also entails seeing the goodness and mercy of the Lord which will make us dwell in the house of the Lord forever!!

Psa 23:4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Psa 23:5  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Psa 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. 

1Sa 1:23  And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.

The Lord has already shown what is good to us, that is, the church must focus on the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry and edifying of the body of Christ so that we all come in the unity of the faith. In other words, the church must wean the babies in Christ. That is what the Lord, through Elkanah, was telling the church, represented by Hannah. 

Mic 6:8  He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? 

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 
Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 
Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 

1Sa 1:24  And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young. 
1Sa 1:25  And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli. 
1Sa 1:26  And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. 
1Sa 1:27  For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: 
1Sa 1:28  Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.

In the Old Testament time, those who offered a bullock or ox as sacrifice to the Lord were regarded as very rich. 

Pro 14:4  Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox. 

Hannah offering three bullocks therefore implies that it is through the process of spiritual maturity through the Lord’s judgment that the church of the Lord’s elect becomes spiritually rich. Offering three bullocks, an ephah of flour and a bottle of wine implies that the church of the firstborn is spiritually rich in the knowledge of the truth of the word of the Lord, as flour and wine are all symbols of the word of the Lord. 

1Ti 3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

In these verses, Eli represents the Lord. Leaving Samuel under the care of Eli as long as he lives is the same as having lent Samuel to the Lord. According to Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB), lent can mean to borrow. This shows that Samuel being lent to the Lord means borrowing from the Lord. Samuel here signifies the elect, and therefore Samuel being lent to the Lord means that we, His elect, are debtors to the Lord. As the parable of the unforgiving servant suggests, we are all debtors to Christ because of sins. By the death of Christ, we are set free from being debtors because of sin. However, as the word of the Lord shows us, we are still debtors, but in this case, it is in regard to putting to death the evil deeds of the flesh.

Rom 8:12  Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 
Rom 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 

May the Lord help us to walk in the spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Amen!

Jer 52:18-34  Everything in the Lord’s Temple is Now Also in Babylon

[Study Aired November 13, 2022]

Jer 52:18  The caldrons also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.
Jer 52:19  And the basons, and the firepans, and the bowls, and the caldrons, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the cups; that which was of gold in gold, and that which was of silver in silver, took the captain of the guard away.
Jer 52:20  The two pillars, one sea, and twelve brasen bulls that were under the bases, which king Solomon had made in the house of the LORD: the brass of all these vessels was without weight.
Jer 52:21  And concerning the pillars, the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits; and a fillet of twelve cubits did compass it; and the thickness thereof was four fingers: it was hollow.
Jer 52:22  And a chapiter of brass was upon it; and the height of one chapiter was five cubits, with network and pomegranates upon the chapiters round about, all of brass. The second pillar also and the pomegranates were like unto these.
Jer 52:23  And there were ninety and six pomegranates on a side; and all the pomegranates upon the network were an hundred round about.
Jer 52:24  And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door:
Jer 52:25  He took also out of the city an eunuch, which had the charge of the men of war; and seven men of them that were near the king’s person, which were found in the city; and the principal scribe of the host, who mustered the people of the land; and threescore men of the people of the land, that were found in the midst of the city.
Jer 52:26  So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.
Jer 52:27  And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive out of his own land.
Jer 52:28  This is the people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year three thousand Jews and three and twenty:
Jer 52:29  In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two persons:
Jer 52:30  In the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons: all the persons were four thousand and six hundred.

These Last Four Verses Concern Jehoiachin’s Release from Prison

Jer 52:31  And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison,
Jer 52:32  And spake kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon,
Jer 52:33  And changed his prison garments: and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life.
Jer 52:34  And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.

In our last study we closed with these verses:

Jer 52:16  But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen.
Jer 52:17  Also the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon.

Brass is the very best of the base metals. Its spiritual significance therefore is the best of our carnal flesh. Here is the study on the spiritual significance of ‘brass’, which should be translated as copper:

Metals – Copper, Part 1

It is through these two ‘pillars of brass’ that everyone entered the temple of God. The only place brass was found in the tabernacle of Moses was in the sockets which supported the five pillars at the door of the tabernacle. All the priests entered the tabernacle over these sockets of brass. These two brass pillars have the same spiritual significance which the sockets of the tabernacle carried. That spiritual significance is that “we have this treasure [Christ] in earthen vessels”, through which we enter into the Lord’s presence.

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

The temple of Solomon is a more mature type of the Lord’s habitation, and in the temple, we see that the pillars are but two, which signifies the witness of Christ and the witness of His Christ.

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.
Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

Zec 4:1  And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,
Zec 4:2  And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:
Zec 4:3  And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
Zec 4:4  So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
Zec 4:5  Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Here is the study on the spiritual significance of the number two:

Numbers – Two

The following is the description of the size and shape of those two copper pillars at the entrance of the temple of Solomon:

1Ki 7:15  For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about.
1Ki 7:16  And he made two chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one chapiter was five cubits, and the height of the other chapiter was five cubits:
1Ki 7:21  And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin [H3199: ‘He will establish]: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz [H1162: ‘Fleetness’].

A cubit is a foot and a half, or 45.72 centimeters. With a five cubit cap (2.286 meters) these copper pillars were 34.5 feet tall with a 18 foot circumference. That is 10.5156 meters tall with a 5.4864 meter circumference. They were not intended to be portable, yet Nebuchadnezzar had them broken up and carried to Babylon, along with all the implements with which the priests serviced the temple of the Lord. All those implements which were intended to worship the true God were now in Babylon, typical of ‘Mystery Babylon’ now being used in the service of another god.

Rev 18:1  And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Rev 18:2  And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Rev 18:3  For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

All these physical things have spiritual counterparts which are all found in Mystery Babylon and which are all given to Babylon by the Lord’s apostate people. There is no doubt that physical Babylon had plenty of gold, silver, and precious stones before the Jerusalem campaign, but now the Old Testament type of Mystery Babylon the Great also has within it the gold, silver, and precious stones of the temple of God in Jerusalem.

Eze 16:17  Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

The building materials of “gold, silver, and precious stones” signify the doctrines of Christ and His gospel, which is likened unto “a treasure hidden in a field [and] a pearl of great price” (Mat 13:44-45). Ezekiel condemns the Lord’s people for using His gold and His silver to “make to [themselves] images of men” which we are told signify “falsehoods”:

Jer 10:14  Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

Jer 51:17  Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

The ‘gold, silver, and precious stones’ of Babylon signify all the false doctrines which the Lord’s own words have been twisted into as “idols of the heart” of the ‘merchants and shipmasters of Babylon’, who signify all the great prominent ministers of the religions of this world.

Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;
Eze 14:5  That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.
Eze 14:6  Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
Eze 14:7  For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself:
Eze 14:8  And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
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;

Rev 18:12  The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
Rev 18:13  And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

That is what happened to Jerusalem. All the implements that were used by the priests in ministering to the people before the Lord are now in Babylon and being used there.

Jer 52:18  The caldrons also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.
Jer 52:19  And the basons, and the firepans, and the bowls, and the caldrons, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the cups; that which was of gold in gold, and that which was of silver in silver, took the captain of the guard away.
Jer 52:20  The two pillars, one sea, and twelve brasen bulls that were under the bases, which king Solomon had made in the house of the LORD: the brass of all these vessels was without weight.

All these implements are now in Babylon signifying that which was already true before the Lord’s people were carried away captives into Babylon. This is what it all signifies:

Isa 3:1  For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,

The bread and the water here signify the same things which the bread and the blood signify in these words of our Lord:

Joh 6:48  I am that bread of life.
Joh 6:49  Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
Joh 6:50  This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
Joh 6:51  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Joh 6:52  The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
Joh 6:53  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Joh 6:54  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:55  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
Joh 6:56  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

Jer 52:21  And concerning the pillars, the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits; and a fillet of twelve cubits did compass it; and the thickness thereof was four fingers: it was hollow.
Jer 52:22  And a chapiter of brass was upon it; and the height of one chapiter was five cubits, with network and pomegranates upon the chapiters round about, all of brass. The second pillar also and the pomegranates were like unto these.
Jer 52:23  And there were ninety and six pomegranates on a side; and all the pomegranates upon the network were an hundred round about.

These pillars signify the great men who are the pillars of the Lord’s apostate house just as the Lord’s elect are called “pillars” in His house:

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.

These pillars were designed to “go no more out”, but the apostasy of the Lord’s people caused them to be broken down and carried away to Babylon.

Jer 52:24  And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door:
Jer 52:25  He took also out of the city an eunuch, which had the charge of the men of war; and seven men of them that were near the king’s person, which were found in the city; and the principal scribe of the host, who mustered the people of the land; and threescore men of the people of the land, that were found in the midst of the city.
Jer 52:26  So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.
Jer 52:27  And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive out of his own land.

These are the spiritual leaders of the Lord’s people spoken of by the next verses in Isaiah 3, telling us of the extent of the apostasy of the Lord’s own people. I repeat verse one to give the context of the state of all these great men of God:

Isa 3:1  For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,
Isa 3:2  The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
Isa 3:3  The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
Isa 3:4  And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
Isa 3:5  And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

Isa 3:8  For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory. [The ‘harlot’ of Isaiah 1:21 is fallen, is fallen]
Isa 3:9  The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

Speaking to His own apostate people this is how the Lord addresses them:

Isa 1:10  Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.

Sodom is also another name for the “great city” of Mystery Babylon the Great:

Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

Lest anyone miss the fact that Mystery Babylon is the Lord’s own people we are told that this is “where also our Lord was crucified”.

Jer 52:28  This is the people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year three thousand Jews and three and twenty:
Jer 52:29  In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two persons:
Jer 52:30  In the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons: all the persons were four thousand and six hundred.

This three-step process of fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah telling the Lord’s people that they would be carried away to Babylon signifies the process of being judged which they are now enduring.

Lest we think this has no personal application we need to remember that it is our own old man who is at this very moment enduring the judgments of God upon his own rebellious kingdom within us:

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
1Pe 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

All of these events which Judah and Jerusalem endured because of their own wickedness and backsliding happened to them and they are written to let us know that the Lord is at this very moment judging us in this present time, and He is keeping our souls in His service as a faithful Creator, and as a loving husband who simply wants us to repent of our unfaithful ways and return humbly to Him:

Jer 3:13  Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.
Jer 3:14  Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
Jer 3:15  And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Look at how this prophecy of Jeremiah ends. It ends with the hope of being fed with knowledge and understanding from the Lord:

Jer 52:31  And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison,
Jer 52:32  And spake kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon,
Jer 52:33  And changed his prison garments: and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life.
Jer 52:34  And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.

Jehoiachin was the youngest of the four kings who followed King Josiah. He is the youngest king to whom Jeremiah prophesied, and he is the only king who followed Jeremiah’s words from the Lord to “go out unto the king of Babylon’s princes”, and accept the judgment which the Lord has prophesied to come upon Judah and Jerusalem:

Jer 38:17  Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:
Jer 38:18  But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.

2Ki 24:12  And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.

Because Jehoiachin obeyed the Lord he is now being treated as Joseph who was brought out of prison and placed over the house of Pharaoh. He is being set over the kings in Babylon just as Daniel and his fellows were placed over all the wise men in all the province of Babylon just a few years prior to Jehoiachin’s release from prison. All these men, Joseph, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and here in the last part of the last chapter of Jeremiah, we have Jehoiachin, all who obeyed the words of the Lord in their generation are types of the Lord’s elect who are also being taken out of prison and being made kings and priests who will reign with Christ in His soon coming kingdom:

Rev 1:4  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
Rev 1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Rev 1:6  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Rev 1:7  Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

May the Lord give us all the faith to value and to choose to suffer affliction with the people of God in this present time than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, and may the Lord grant each of us to have respect unto the recompense of the reward we are promised:

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 greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

Audio Links

Awesome Hands – part 104

Bullocks

September 14, 2016

In our previous study we learned that the priests were given the role of priests to serve God by serving the tabernacle. The Lord is very particular in this role and gave Moses and Aaron very specific instructions on how to sanctify Aaron and his sons for this service.

In our study today, we are going to continue to examine the spiritual applications of the physical types given to us as it pertains to being priests in the tabernacle of the Lord.

Bullocks as sin offerings

The verses we will cover for our study today are found in Exodus 29:10-14.

As always, the disclaimer for this series of studies is that the focus is on the aspect of the Lord working His awesome hands into our lives. Even though we are studying the Old Testament, the fact we are READING the old testament right now is a testament that it applies to us right now.

In other words, the Lord is working His will in our lives for the current moment so that we will be influenced and directed by the verses we are studying. So, how does the mentioning of hands apply in our study today?

Exo 29:10  And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.
Exo 29:11  And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Placing the hands on the head of the animal you are about to kill is applicable to us today, as Christians, in many ways.

This bullock was about to become an offering to the Lord. For this consecration ceremony, Aaron and his sons were identifying with the animal they were sacrificing. How then does that apply to us today?

Exo 29:12  And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.
Exo 29:13  And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar.
Exo 29:14  But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.

At first glance, these verses seem very simply. Yet they hold a lot of applications when we know what to look for. Let’s look for the spirit behind the Word.

What then are aspects of a living bull that would be important to the Lord? The particular attributes of the bullock mentioned here is one in its full strength, one that is in its youth.

H6499
par/pâr
BDB Definition:
1) young bull, steer, bullock
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H6565
Same Word by TWOT Number: 1831a

H6565

pârar
BDB Definition:
1) to break, frustrate
1a) (Hiphil)
1a1) to break, violate
1a2) to frustrate, make ineffectual
1b) (Hophal)
1b1) to be frustrated
1b2) to be broken
1b3) to break
1c) (Pilpel) to break to bits, shatter
2) to split, divide
2a) (Qal) to split, crack through
2b) (Poel) to break apart
2c) (Hithpoel) to be split, be cracked through
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number: 1829, 1830, 1831

Strong’s defines this bullock as:
H6499
par  pâr
par, pawr
From H6565; a bullock (apparently as breaking forth in wild strength, or perhaps as dividing the hoof): –    (+ young) bull (-ock), calf, ox.
Total KJV occurrences: 133

H6565
pârar
paw-rar’
A primitive root; to break up (usually figuratively, that is, to violate, frustrate): – X any ways, break (asunder), cast off, cause to cease, X clean, defeat, disannul, disappoint, dissolve, divide, make of none effect, fail, frustrate, bring (come) to nought, X utterly, make void.
Total KJV occurrences: 51

If you ever want to get to the root of a matter with the Lord, all you have to do is look at the rest of His Word to know what He wants you to know. Of course, He also will give the Holy Spirit the ability to reveal His hidden secrets to those whom He has chosen to understand His mysteries.

In the case of the bullock, it is the root of what it means to be a bullock that really brings home what the bullock represents to us.

H6499
par/pâr
Total KJV Occurrences: 134
bullock, 89
Exo_29:1, Exo_29:3, Exo_29:10-12 (4), Exo_29:14, Exo_29:36, Lev_4:3-4 (3), Lev_4:7-8 (2), Lev_4:11-12 (2), Lev_4:14-15 (3), Lev_4:20-21 (4), Lev_8:2, Lev_8:14 (2), Lev_8:17, Lev_16:3, Lev_16:6, Lev_16:11 (2), Lev_16:14-15 (2), Lev_16:18, Lev_16:27, Lev_23:18, Num_7:15, Num_7:21, Num_7:27, Num_7:33, Num_7:39, Num_7:45, Num_7:51, Num_7:57, Num_7:63, Num_7:69, Num_7:75, Num_7:81, Num_8:8 (2), Num_15:24, Num_23:2, Num_23:4, Num_23:14, Num_23:30, Num_28:12, Num_28:14, Num_28:20, Num_28:28, Num_29:2-3 (2), Num_29:8-9 (2), Num_29:14, Num_29:36-37 (2), Jdg_6:25-26 (3), Jdg_6:28, 1Sa_1:25, 1Ki_18:23 (2), 1Ki_18:25-26 (2), 1Ki_18:33, 2Ch_13:9, Psa_50:9, Psa_69:31, Eze_43:19, Eze_43:21-23 (3), Eze_43:25, Eze_45:18, Eze_45:22, Eze_45:24, Eze_46:6-7 (2), Eze_46:11

Eighty-nine of the 134 times “bullock” is used in the old testament, but it is the ROOT that really reveals to us the mind of God.

What then is the root of bullock?

H6565
pârar
Total KJV Occurrences: 50
break, 14
Lev_26:15, Lev_26:44, Deu_31:16, Deu_31:20, Jdg_2:1, 1Ki_15:19, 2Ch_16:3, Ezr_9:14, Neh_4:3, Jer_14:21, Jer_33:20, Eze_17:15, Zec_11:10, Zec_11:14
broken, 9
Gen_17:14 (2), Num_15:31, Job_16:12, Isa_24:5, Isa_33:8, Jer_11:10, Jer_33:21, Eze_44:7, Zec_11:11
void, 5
Num_30:11-13 (4), Num_30:15, Psa_119:126
brake, 2
Jer_31:32, Eze_17:16
breaking, 2
Eze_16:59, Eze_17:18
defeat, 2
2Sa_15:34, 2Sa_17:14
disannul, 2
Job_40:8, Isa_14:27
nought, 2
Neh_4:15, Isa_8:10
brought, 1
Neh_4:15
castest, 1
Job_15:4
cease, 1
Psa_85:4 (2)
clean, 1
Isa_24:19
disappointed, 1
Pro_15:22
disappointeth, 1
Job_5:12
dissolved, 1
Isa_24:19
divide, 1
Psa_74:13
effect, 1
Num_30:8
fail, 1
Ecc_12:5
frustrateth, 1
Isa_44:25
none, 1
Num_30:8

I am going to read just a few of these verses to give us some context on the root of bullock.

Lev 26:15  And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
Lev 26:16  I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

Well, that sounds a bit bleak doesn’t it?

Ezr 9:13  And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this;
Ezr 9:14  Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?

That doesn’t seem too promising either. How about another example?

Job 40:8  Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?

Isa 14:27  For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?

Isa 8:10  Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.

All of these words seem very negative, and indeed they are for the old man in us all. I am going to read one more example of the root of bullock, but I am going to read it in context.

Ecc 12:1  Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
Ecc 12:2  While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
Ecc 12:3  In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
Ecc 12:4  And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;
Ecc 12:5  Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
Ecc 12:6  Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
Ecc 12:7  Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Ecc 12:8  Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

Wow, that all seems so bleak and it is! Yet, if we listen diligently to the Words that we just read we will notice that there is a hidden message to those who are “young”.

“Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh,” because if we do them we will know how it is we can keep ourselves from SINNING against the Lord “in our youth”. Yep, I said we sin against our Lord.

We just read several verses that associate the bullock with “breaking the covenant or commandments” of the Lord.

Getting back to our verses today, it is the priest who sacrifice the young bullock and are associated with being directly involved because they place their hands on the head as they slay the beast.

That sounds to me like there is a spiritual message there in what role priests play in the tabernacle for those who are brought before the priests.

The ministry duty of the priests is to kill the beast with the commandments of God. If you think that is a stretch, then consider that very specific directions are given on what to do during the process of making this sacrifice.

Exo 29:12  And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.
Exo 29:13  And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar.
Exo 29:14  But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.

The life that is in the bullock, that which is in the blood, is specifically placed on the altar or beside it. This is not to be confused with the blood that is going to come from the ram.

With the bullock, the blood is place on the horns to signify that the power of the bullock is being sacrificed. The power of the bullock is that this beast is VIOLENTLY DISOBEDIENT. This disobedience is “walked out” in the life of the bullock, so the blood from the bullock is place at the base of the altar at its foundation.

The best parts of the inner beast are sacrificed on the altar. Anything that is given INCREASE inside the bullock is sacrificed upon the altar. I say increase because fat is that which is an increase to the animal.

Those things which are on the outside, the covering of the animal and the toxins from within it, the dung, are all taken and burned outside the camp, because it is a sin offering.

That should sound familiar because that is exactly how Christ is and was our sin offering.

Heb 13:10  We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
Heb 13:11  For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.
Heb 13:12  Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Heb 13:13  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.

It should be clear that the bullock represents the sin that so easily besets us all in our hearts and minds. This disobedience is what gives us our supposed and superficial power to think we are something in and of ourselves.

It is especially when we are in our strength, in our youth, that we exhibit such a mindset. However, being “young” is not simply about age in the spirit. Rather, it is much more about being immature and a BABE in CHRIST.

Without even knowing it, babes in Christ and their carnal minds and disobedience sacrifice Christ without the camp and we ARE ALL FOUND GUILTY of BEING this by NATURE.

In our next study, we are going to cover the rams which represent other spiritual aspects of who we are in the Lord and how we are, at our appointed times, the rams being sacrificed or those sacrificing the rams as the priests of God.