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1 Samuel 14:1–23 Jonathan Defeats the Philistines

[Study Aired April 6, 2026]

Our study for today looks at the faith and courage of Jonathan in attacking the guard post of the Philistines with his armor-bearer. Through faith in the Lord and courage, they were able to overcome the Philistines. 

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. 

This victory set the stage for Saul and his forces of six hundred men who had remained with him, together with the other Israelites who had fled the impending battle with the Philistines, to join Jonathan to fight and gain the victory over the Philistines.

To be able to understand the spiritual significance of today’s study, we need to look at the previous study to understand the context. As we saw in the previous study, it was only Saul and Jonathan, among the people of Israel, who were equipped to fight the Philistines. At that time, all the people of Israel did not have swords or spears to engage the Philistines in a battle, as they were deprived by the Philistines from possessing such weapons of war. 

1Sa 13:19  Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears:
1Sa 13:20  But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock. 
1Sa 13:21  Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads. 
1Sa 13:22 So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found. 

The smith in these verses above, represents the Lord’s elect or what every joint supplies in the body of Christ. The fact that there was no one in Israel with sword or spear except Saul and Jonathan, implies that the people of Israel at that time signify the church system of this world or Babylon, where we were not given the truth of the Lord’s word, to fight our flesh or the Philistines in our lives. 

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. 

Saul and Jonathan therefore denote our time in the churches of this world or Babylon as the Lord’s elect. It is in Babylon that we cannot sing the Lord’s song in a strange land, which means that we cannot worship the Lord acceptably during our time in Babylon as we do not have the truth of the word to combat our flesh. 

Psa 137:3  For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. 
Psa 137:4  How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?

Our situation in Babylon was such that it was impossible to have the weapons (the truth of the Lord’s word) needed to battle our flesh or the Philistines. This was because we were ruled by our flesh when we were in Babylon, and this dominion shows itself in the love of the world.

Mat 13:22  He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.  

Jonathan’s Courageous Act

1Sa 14:1  Now it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison, that is on the other side. But he told not his father.   

As indicated, Jonathan signifies the Lord’s elect while we were in the churches of this world or Babylon. It is important to note that while we were in Babylon, we did win some victories over the flesh or the Philistines as we see Jonathan ready to engage the Philistines. The armor-bearer denotes all those whom the Lord brings our way to help or encourage us with our walk with Christ. Saul, Jonathan’s father, being the king of Israel, here signifies the leadership of the church system of this world. Remember that Saul in the previous chapter, was rejected by the Lord for not waiting for Samuel as he chose to offer the burnt offering, which was the prerogative of Samuel, a priest of the Lord. 

1Sa 13:13  And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever. 
1Sa 13:14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee. 

Jonathan not telling Saul about his decision to attack the garrison of the Philistines is to let us know that the victories over the flesh that we won in Babylon were not because of the leadership of the church system of this world, but because of the leadings of the Lord, since He had chosen us in Him before the foundation of this world. 

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

1Sa 14:2  And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men; 
1Sa 14:3 And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD’S priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone. 

The six hundred men with Saul in verse 2 represent the Lord’s elect. We must remember that initially, the number of those who assembled to fight the Philistines were three thousand.

1Sa 13:2  Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent. 

However, many left because of the fear of the Philistines, and only six hundred remained. Those who left felt that they could not win the war with our flesh.

Jdg 18:11  And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war. 

1Sa 27:2  And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath. 

It is instructive to note that the six hundred men were with Saul at Gibeah, which means ‘hill.’ As we have indicated in many previous studies, hills or mountains, on a positive note, represent a church. The fact that Saul and the six hundred men tarried at Migron, which means ‘precipice’, which is a steep or overhanging rock such as a high cliff. Migron, therefore, spiritually signifies a dangerous, perilous, or highly unstable situation, which is the description of the church system of this world or Babylon. Therefore, what we are being told is that we, at a certain point of our walk with Christ, were in Babylon. It is here in Babylon that we started engaging the flesh or the Philistines. 

The mention of Ahiab of the descendant of Eli, wearing an ephod as a priest, with the company of Saul and the six hundred men in verse 3, is to emphasize the point that the Lord’s elect, represented by the six hundred men, were in Babylonian captivity where the law of Moses still prevailed. As we are aware, it is when faith comes that we are no longer under the schoolmaster of the law of Moses which is still being practiced in the church system of this world.

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

The fact that the people did not know that Jonathan was gone to confront the Philistines in verse 3, is to let us know that the church system of this world is not aware of the fact that the Lord has a special people or His elect, represented by Jonathan, who are overcoming the flesh in this age. 

Rom 11:4  But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
Rom 11:5  Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

1Sa 14:4  And between the passages, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 
1Sa 14:5 The forefront of the one was situate northward over against Michmash, and the other southward over against Gibeah. 

In order to confront or wage war successfully with our flesh, we need to overcome two things – the sharp rock on one side called Bozez and another sharp rock on the other side called Seneh. Bozez means ‘shining’ or ‘surpassing white.’ In the negative context, the color white means ‘leprous.’ 

2Ki 5:27  The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed forever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow. 

Our flesh cannot inherit the kingdom of the Lord, and therefore when we are under the domain of our flesh, it is like having an incurable disease of leprosy, which makes our skin or flesh as white as snow. The first thing Jonathan did was to overcome this mentality that we cannot win the war against our flesh. 

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?   

The name of the other sharp rock was Seneh which means ‘thorny’, which spiritually signifies false doctrines. Our flesh is empowered by the false doctrines in our hearts and minds. If we are to wage a successful war with our flesh, then the false doctrines in our heavens must be removed. The more the false doctrines in our heavens are removed, the more successful we become in our engagement with the flesh. 

Eze 2:6  And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their the sharp rock at words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

In verse 5, we are told that the sharp rock called Bozez was facing Michmash which means ‘hidden.’ This shows us that the leprous state of our flesh is hidden to many. The other rock, Seneh, facing Gibeah which means ‘hill’ shows us that it is in the church of the Lord’s elect that the false doctrines in our heavens are destroyed through what every joint supplies.

1Sa 14:6  And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few. 
1Sa 14:7  And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart. 

It is instructive in verse 6, to note that Jonathan referred to the Philistines as uncircumcised. This is to show us that when we are under the control of our flesh, then we are spiritually uncircumcised. Jonathan’s statement that there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few is to assure us that no matter the circumstance in which we find ourselves, the Lord is able to do exceedingly beyond what we can think or imagine. 

Eph 3:20  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Eph 3:21  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

As indicated earlier, the armor-bearer represents our brothers and sisters whom the Lord brings our way to help us with our walk with Christ. The armor-bearer’s statement in verse 7 that Jonathan should do all that is in his heart and that he was very supportive of Jonathan’s actions is to let us know how we are to encourage our brothers and sisters to reach for the prize of the Lord’s higher calling. Some of our brothers and sisters are given that gift of encouraging us to strive for mastery. In the Bible, Barnabas, whose name means ‘son of encouragement’, was very instrumental in helping establish Paul’s ministry – he welcomed Paul when other disciples were afraid of him and advocated for him. He encouraged John Mark after he failed in his missionary journey, showing a commitment to picking others up. He was a generous man, selling his field and bringing the money to the church.

Act 4:36  And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, 
Act 4:37  Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 

1Sa 14:8  Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will discover ourselves unto them. 
1Sa 14:9  If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them. 
1Sa 14:10  But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the LORD hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us. 
1Sa 14:11  And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves. 
1Sa 14:12  And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for the LORD hath delivered them into the hand of Israel. 

These verses show us how we are to deal with our flesh denoted here as the Philistines. If we are to wait for our flesh to come to us, that means the flesh gradually is losing its hold on us over time as we continue to worship the Lord, we may never become the overcomers that we dream of. Many in the church system of this world think that by continuing doing good, the flesh just disappears. 

If we are to win the war against our flesh, then we must take the fight to our flesh, just as Jonathan realized that the Lord’s will was for him to engage the flesh (the Philistines) and that it is through this fight that victory is won. This does not mean that we have the strength of our own to win the war against the flesh. It is all the work of the Lord to make us overcomers over the flesh. However, we must constantly weigh our thoughts and motives in the light of the Lord’s word to see if we are falling short as we continue to cry to the Lord to change us. The Lord’s tool of destroying our flesh is through His judgment of our flesh. 

Psa 139:23  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 
Psa 139:24  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

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

1Sa 14:13  And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armourbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armourbearer slew after him. 
1Sa 14:14  And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armourbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were an half acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plow.
1Sa 14:15  And there was trembling in the host, in the field, and among all the people: the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled, and the earth quaked: so it was a very great trembling.  

In verse 13, Jonathan and his armor-bearer climbed up the precipice with their hands and feet to confront the Philistines. Climbing up with our hands and feet means that the word of the Lord becomes a lamp to our feet and a light unto our path. In other words, we begin to order our lives according to the word of the Lord such that it permeates our walk with Christ (our feet) and the works of our hands (our hands).  

Psa 119:105  NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.  

As shown in verse 13, the Philistines fell before Jonathan and his armor bearer’s drawn sword to slay them. This emphasizes the fact that our victory over the flesh is not by our strength. It is the work of the Lord as He judges us, such that our walk with Him and the works of our hands are in line with His word. 

Psa 91:9  Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 
Psa 91:10  There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 
Psa 91:11  For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 
Psa 91:12  They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

It is insightful to note that the first slaughter by Jonathan and his armor bearer against the Philistines consisted of twenty men in verse 14. This brings us to the negative application of the number twenty. In the negative sense, the number twenty means ‘being prepared for judgment.’ Our initial victory over the flesh is the Lord preparing us for His judgment to subdue our flesh as He causes our exit from Babylon. 

Gen 18:31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.

The first strike by Jonathan and his armor bearer was within half an acre of land. In biblical times, an “acre” was not a fixed size but represented the amount of land a yoke of oxen could plow in one day. Half an acre therefore indicates a very small space. Killing twenty-armed men in such a restricted space therefore highlights the miraculous nature of our victory over the flesh. The sight of so many bodies in such a small area caused the rest of the Philistine army to believe they were being attacked by a much larger force, leading to massive panic as shown in verse 15. This implies that our initial victories over certain areas of our walk with Christ, makes it easier for us to win further victories over the flesh. On the other hand, when we are defeated, it empowers our flesh to overcome us. A Bible verse which supports this assertion is as follows:

1Sa 17:37  And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!” 

1Sa 14:16  And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on beating down one another.
1Sa 14:17  Then said Saul unto the people that were with him, Number now, and see who is gone from us. And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armourbearer were not there.

The fact that the camp noticed that Jonathan and His armorbearer were absent and that they may have been responsible for the confusion among the Philistines is to let us know that in the fullness of time, our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world together with the whole of humanity will come to appreciate the victory that the Lord has wrought on our behalf as His elect. It is during this time that they will all come to know that their salvation is dependent upon our victory.

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

1Sa 14:18  And Saul said unto Ahiah, Bring hither the ark of God. For the ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel. 
1Sa 14:19  And it came to pass, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the noise that was in the host of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saul said unto the priest, Withdraw thine hand.

A better translation of verse 19 is as follows:

1Sa 14:19 Saul was talking to Ahijah the priest waiting for advice from God. But the noise and confusion in the Philistine camp was growing and growing. Saul was becoming impatient. Finally, he said to Ahijah the priest, “That’s enough. Put your hand down and stop praying.” (ERV) 

1 Sa 14:19 As Saul was speaking to the priest, the confusion in the Philistine camp kept getting worse, so Saul said to him, “There’s no time to consult the LORD!” (GNB) 

When the church system of this world or Babylon come to see who really are the overcomers or the sons of the Lord, they will abandoned their way of worship as symbolized by Saul telling Ahiah, the priest in verse 19, to stop praying.  

1Sa 14:20  And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture. 
1Sa 14:21  Moreover the Hebrews that were with the Philistines before that time, which went up with them into the camp from the country round about, even they also turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan. 
1Sa 14:22  Likewise all the men of Israel which had hid themselves in mount Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle. 
1Sa 14:23  So the LORD saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over unto Bethaven.

Every man’s sword being against his fellow in the camp of the Philistines is to show us that the battle against our flesh is the work of the Lord who brought confusion among the Philistines to slaughter one another. In this battle against our flesh, we are to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord as He destroys our flesh through the sufferings that we go through.

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 today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. 
Exo 14:14  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

Saul and the six hundred men with him, together with all the men of Israel which had hid themselves from the Philistines, joined the battle as they followed after the Philistines when they realized that the Philistines were fleeing. This is to let us know that in the fullness of time, during the lake of fire age, all humanity will have victory over the flesh, being led to victory by the overcomers in this age, the Lord’s elect, which are symbolized by Jonathan and his armourbearer. The elect are the saviors who will come and judge mount Esau or the people of the world, to bring salvation to all humanity.  

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 battle being passed over to Bethaven is to let us know that the church system of this world or Babylon, will be the last on the line to be saved from their flesh or carnal mind. This is because Bethaven, which means ‘house of vanity’, represents the church system of this world or Babylon. 

Eze 16:55  When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.  

We thank the Lord for this privilege to overcome the flesh in this age. Amen!!

]]> 1 Samuel 4:1–22 The Glory had Departed From Israel https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/1-samuel-41-22-the-glory-had-departed-from-israel/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=1-samuel-41-22-the-glory-had-departed-from-israel Mon, 26 Jan 2026 06:37:45 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=35297 Audio Download

1 Samuel 4:1–22 The Glory had Departed From Israel

[Study Aired January 26, 2026]

Today’s study can be put under three sections. The first one is about the Philistines engaging the Israelites in a battle. The second one deals with the capturing of the ark by the Philistines. The last section has to do with the death of Eli and his two sons. 

The Philistines Engaged the Israelites in a Battle

1Sa 4:1  And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. 
1Sa 4:2  And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. 

Here in verse 1, the word of Samuel is the word of the Lord. The word of Samuel being heard by all Israel implies that we are without excuse of not knowing the word of the Lord regarding what He requires of us. The Lord always seeks for an occasion to come to us with His judgment so that we are without excuse of not knowing His word.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 
Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

For example, when the Lord wanted to judge the Philistines who had dominion over the Israelites, He sought for an occasion through Samson to engage the Philistines in a battle. Israel here represents the Lord’s people who are used to being dominated by the flesh, signified by the Philistines. At a certain stage of our walk with Christ, we have to come to know that we are no match as far as our flesh is concerned. In other words, the Lord wants us to know our spiritual depravity before He comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to deliver us.

Jdg 14:1  And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. 
Jdg 14:2  And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 
Jdg 14:3  Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. 
Jdg 14:4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

Verses 1 and 2 therefore show us how the Lord causes us to be overcome by the flesh (represented by the Philistines) to give Him the occasion that He is seeking to come into our lives to judge the flesh. Israel being smitten by the Philistines in verse 2 is to show us our inability to overcome the flesh before the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to overcome the flesh on our behalf. 

Gal 5:17  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 

It is instructive to note that the number of the Israelites killed by the Philistines was 4,000 (4 x 10 x 10 x 10) men. The number four means the whole of the matter under discussion. The number 10 means the fullness of the flesh. The three tens means that our spiritual maturity through the process of judgment begins with us realizing that our flesh had dominated us to the fullest extent. In other words, the whole of the Lord’s elect must be overcome by the flesh before the Lord comes to us with His judgment to bring us to maturity. For example, Gideon, a symbol of the Lord’s elect, had to be overcome by the flesh (Midianites) before He was given victory over them.

Jdg 6:12  And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 
Jdg 6:13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 

Jdg 8:4  And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing. 

Jdg 8:7 So Gideon said, “Well then, when the LORD has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” (ESV)

1Sa 4:3  And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. 

In our spiritual poverty, we behave just like the elders of the people of Israel, who do not understand that the Lord has occasioned our defeat by the flesh. Our thinking at that time of our walk was that if only we have the tangible presence of the Lord, signified by the ark with us, we shall be saved from our flesh. The elders of Israel here are a symbol of the leaders of the church system of this world or Babylon who have no clue as to what it takes for the Lord to grant us victory over the flesh. This is what it takes to overcome the flesh:

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of 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. 
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 

The spirit here is the word of the Lord and therefore walking in the spirit is living according to the word of the Lord. As we have been shown in the word, we have to understand the word of the Lord in the spirit and not the letter, which kills. 

2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

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.

To be able to walk in the spirit implies that we are able to understand the Lord’s words in the spirit. This is achieved through the Lord’s judgment of our flesh which is the same as hearing the voice of the Lord in the fire.

Deu 5:24  And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. 

Walking in the spirit and not fulfilling the desires of the flesh therefore implies that as we are given to know the mysteries of the kingdom, our flesh is being judged, and it is through this that we learn righteousness or learn not to fulfill the desires of the flesh.

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

1Sa 4:4  So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 
1Sa 4:5  And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. 

Shiloh represents the church system of this world or Babylon. As indicated, the ark symbolizes the presence of the Lord. The people sending to Shiloh to bring the ark means that it is the church system of this world which seeks to validate the presence of the Lord through signs and wonders. It is important to note the mention of Hophni and Phinehas with the ark of the covenant of God. This is what we know about Hophni and Phinehas from previous studies:

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 which we were ushered into 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? 

Our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world, represented by the physical Jews, require a sign, while the people of this world (Greeks) seek after wisdom. 

1Co 1:22  For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 
1Co 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 

The Israelites requesting for the ark means requesting for signs and wonders. What this means is that our brothers and sisters in the church system validate the presence of the Lord through signs and wonders. This is what causes them to be deceived as we shall see in this study.

Mat 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 

2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 

The great shouting that greeted the presence of the ark in the midst of the Israelites is what we see today in the churches of this world as we see great excitement greet the performance of signs and wonders in the midst of the churches of this world.  They think the Lord has come in their midst just as the Israelites thought that the Lord was with them in their battle against the Philistines.

The Capturing of the Ark by the Philistines 

1Sa 4:6  And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp. 
1Sa 4:7  And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. 
1Sa 4:8  Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. 

To understand these verses, we need to know the relationship of the devil with our flesh which is represented by the Philistines. The devil is the one who influences our flesh. Our flesh is the beast which is empowered by the devil. 

Rev 13:2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Rev 13:3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 
Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 

Verses 6 to 8 show us that the Philistines were afraid and were wondering who shall deliver them from the hands of the mighty Gods, when they heard that the ark of the covenant has come in the midst of the Lord’s people. When Christ comes to us to begin our walk with Him, the power of our flesh is initially subdued. This is what it means for the beast (our flesh) to have a deadly wound. Verses 6 to 8 therefore show us the nervousness of our flesh when Christ comes to us to begin our journey. 

1Sa 4:9  Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. 
1Sa 4:10  And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. 
1Sa 4:11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

Over time, however, our flesh’s deadly wound is healed through the false doctrines propagated by false apostles, parading in the corridors of the churches of this world as the Lord’s elect.

2Co 11:13  For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

Therefore, we become worse off and are of no match to our flesh. As shown in verse 10, the great slaughter of the Israelites means that we were overwhelmed by our flesh. This scenario is what Apostle Peter described as follows:

2Pe 2:20  For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 
2Pe 2:21  For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 
2Pe 2:22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” 

It is important to note that the number of Israelites who fell that day amounted to thirty thousand footmen. The number thirty can be broken down as follows:

30,000 = 30x10x10x10. The number thirty on a positive note denotes reigning with Christ as shown in the following verses:

Gen 41:46  Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. 

2Sa 5:4  David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

On a negative note, the number thirty means the spiritual death of the Lord’s elect. 

Jdg 20:39  the men of Israel should turn in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel. They said, “Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.” 

Num 20:29  And when all the congregation saw that Aaron had perished, all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.

Deu 34:8  And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. 

The Philistines’ slaughter of 30,000 men of Israel therefore signifies the fact that as the Lord’ elect, we become spiritually dead in Babylon as our flesh reaches its fullness. 

The ark of the Lord being taken by the Philistines in verse 11 signifies the man of sin or our flesh sitting in our temple or our hearts and minds, claiming himself to be God. 

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 

As a result, we profane the name of the Lord among the people of this world during our time in the churches of this world.

Eze 36:20  And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land. 
Eze 36:21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. 

The death of the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, who represent the leaders of the church system of this world, is to let us know the spiritual bankruptcy or death of the leaders of the church system of the world or Babylon who are overcome by the flesh. 

Isa 56:9  All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest. 
Isa 56:10  His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. 
Isa 56:11  Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. 
Isa 56:12 Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.

As shown in Isaiah 56:9, the leaders or the watchmen of the church system of this world are all devoured by the beasts of the field. That is to say that they are all dominated by the flesh which, in our study, is represented by the Philistines’ slaughter of the sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas. 

The Death of Eli

1Sa 4:12  And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. 
1Sa 4:13  And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. 
1Sa 4:14  And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. 
1Sa 4:15  Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. 

The man of Benjamin of the army of Israel, who escaped from the battle, rent his clothes and put earth upon his head is a symbol of the Lord’s elect. Rending one’s clothes and putting earth upon one’s head is a symbol of deep mourning and grief. It was a traditional Hebrew custom to express overwhelming sorrow, particularly upon hearing news of death, tragic loss, or national catastrophe.

Gen 37:34  And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 

As shown in the Book of Revelation, the Lord’s elect in this age, denoted by the two witnesses, are in a mourning mode as we carry the message of death of our old man or flesh through the Lord’s judgment.

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.

The man of Benjamin informing the people of the city about what has happened shows us that in the fullness of time, the Lord’s elect will be given the opportunity to preach to our brothers and sisters in Babylon. As we know, a city in the Bible can represent Babylon or the church of the living God. In verse 13, we are shown that all the city was crying out after the message from the man of Benjamin. This means that as we preach to our brothers and sisters in Babylon in the fullness of time, they will also mourn just as we are mourning in this age.

In verse 15, we are shown that Eli could not see as his eyes were dim because of his age (ninety eight). Eli signifies the fading glory of the law of Moses which operates in the churches and in the world. When we are under the law of Moses, we cannot see the sons of God and their glorious liberty. 

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

1Sa 4:16  And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? 
1Sa 4:17  And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. 
1Sa 4:18  And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. 

What the man from Benjamin told Eli is that he fled from the Philistines and that Eli’s two sons have been killed. He also mentioned that the ark had been captured by the Philistines. As the Lord’s elect, we are overcome by our flesh (the Philistines) before we are given to win the victory over our flesh. As indicated earlier, the ark of God is the presence of the Lord and this presence is in our hearts and minds. The capturing of the ark therefore means that our old man or flesh is the one sitting on the throne of God in our hearts and minds, thinking that he is God. 

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 

Immediately he mentioned that the ark had been captured, Eli fell from his seat and in the process, broke his neck and died. As indicated, Eli signifies the fading glory of the law of Moses. The death of Eli means that Samuel is the one to take over the mantle. The death of Eli therefore means that faith has come to us, His elect, and therefore, we are no longer under the law of sin and death, as the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. 

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 

1Sa 4:19  And his daughter in law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. 
1Sa 4:20  And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. 
1Sa 4:21  And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. 
1Sa 4:22  And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken. 

Phinehas’ wife denotes the church system of this world or Babylon which is in bondage with her children. Her death shows us that the church system of this world is spiritually bankrupt. 

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 

To understand the meaning of the glory departed from Israel, we need to know what the glory of the Lord represents. The first time the word “glory” was used in the Bible, it referred to the wealth of Laban as follows:

Gen 31:1  And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory.

The second time glory was used in the Bible, it shows the wealth, the power and authority of Joseph in Egypt.

Gen 45:13  And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.

These examples of the use of glory show us that the glory of the Lord has to do with His spiritual wealth, power and authority. Therefore, Phinehas’ wife naming her son Ichabod, which means that the glory is departed from Israel, implies that the children of the harlot woman (the church system of this world or Babylon) shall not be given to know the spiritual riches, power and authority of Christ. In other words, they have not been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. 

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 

We thank the Lord for this opportunity to know Him in this age. Amen.

]]> Book of Jeremiah – Jer 47:1-7 The Day… Cometh to Spoil all the Philistines https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/book-of-jeremiah-jer-471-7-the-day-cometh-to-spoil-all-the-philistines/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=book-of-jeremiah-jer-471-7-the-day-cometh-to-spoil-all-the-philistines Sat, 30 Jul 2022 18:08:49 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=26030 Jer 47:1-7 The Day… Cometh to Spoil all the Philistines
[Study Aired July 31, 2022]

Jer 47:1  The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines, before that Pharaoh smote Gaza.
Jer 47:2  Thus saith the LORD; Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.
Jer 47:3  At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses, at the rushing of his chariots, and at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of hands;
Jer 47:4  Because of the day that cometh to spoil all the Philistines, and to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth: for the LORD will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor.
Jer 47:5  Baldness is come upon Gaza; Ashkelon is cut off with the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself?
Jer 47:6  O thou sword of the LORD, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still.
Jer 47:7  How can it be quiet, seeing the LORD hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the sea shore? there hath he appointed it.

The Philistines are first mentioned in the time of Abraham when he ‘made a covenant with Abimelech’ the king of the Philistine city of Gerar (Gen 20:2):

Gen 21:32  Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

The Philistines were already in the promised land when Israel came up out of Egypt. They were in the promised land, but they were there without the benefit of being circumcised. The promised land itself signifies the promise Christ has given to live His life within us. ‘The promised land’ signifies our physical bodies as “the temple of God… [in] vessels of clay… [and] earthen vessels”:

Rom 9:21  Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye [Our physical bodies (Rom 12:1)] are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

2Co 4:6  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
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.

It is in that sense the Philistines typify the very beginning of our relationship with Christ as ‘carnal babes in Christ’. The false doctrine of a ten-second sinner’s prayer has blinded the eyes of most Christians from even being aware that in the beginning of our relationship with Christ we are all ‘carnal… babes in Christ’:

1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
1Co 3:4  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

The Philistines typify our own flesh while we are ‘carnal babes in Christ’. We can see clearly that a ‘carnal babe in Christ’ is not yet circumcised in spirit, and is therefore “yet carnal” even though he is in the promised land, signifying that he is in a carnal relationship with Jesus Christ.

We all begin our relationship with Christ the same as these carnal Corinthians proclaiming that we are Catholic or Protestant. We are in the land of promise, but we are still spiritually uncircumcised of heart in spirit.

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Like a “carnal babe in Christ” the Philistines are in ‘the promised land’ but without the benefit of circumcision. As such “at that time the Philistines [have] dominion over [us]”, as the story of Samson graphically demonstrates:

Jdg 14:1  And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
Jdg 14:2  And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.
Jdg 14:3  Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.
Jdg 14:4  But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

There are many spiritual lessons for us to unwrap in these four verses of Judges 14, and the first spiritual message is to see what a spiritual ‘Philistine’ means. Until we understand the spiritual significance of these people being ‘in the land’ in an uncircumcised state of being, this prophecy against “the Philistines” will be nothing more than a historical account of how the Lord used a physical man named Samson to deliver His physical people from their physical enemies. Once we come to see that Christ in us is the promised land, and once we are finally given to understand that as “carnal babes in Christ” we have these uncircumcised Philistines within us, and that these uncircumcised Philistines and the uncircumcised giants among them, dwell within us, then we can at last begin to slay them with the five smooth stones of grace through faith and begin to cleanse and purify the temple of God which temple we are.

Jer 47:1  The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines, before that Pharaoh smote Gaza.

Samson’s attraction to a Philistine woman betrays the immaturity which his Nazarite vow portrays:

Jdg 13:1  And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
Jdg 13:2  And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.
Jdg 13:3  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.
Jdg 13:4  Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:
Jdg 13:5  For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

We may have been led to believe that taking on a Nazarite vow indicates some degree of spiritual maturity, but the truth is quite the opposite. While a Nazarite vow does indeed signify a very special calling, a call to dedicate one’s life to the Lord’s service, it also signifies the most immature stage of that service. The Nazarite vow, as demonstrated by the examples of both Samson and John the Baptist, signifies each of us as ‘carnal babes in Christ’. Samson was “a Nazarite unto God from the womb” and so was John the Baptist:

Luk 1:13  But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Luk 1:14  And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
Luk 1:15  For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.

John the Baptist being ‘filled with the holy spirit’ is not an early version of the filling of the holy spirit which occurred on the day of Pentecost. It is rather in the same sense that Samson was filled. It was a filling which gave him the strength to remain faithful to his immature outward Nazarite calling. Likewise, John the Baptist being ‘filled with the holy spirit’ had no more in common with spiritual maturity than the “first Adam” has with “the last Adam”. Both ‘Adams’ are in “the same [clay] vessel” but the first is destined to “dishonor [and] destruction” and “the last… Adam” is destined to “honor” and to becoming a king and priest with Christ for a thousand years, to be followed with the judgment of angels in the lake of fire.

1Co 6:3  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Both Samson and John typify Christ, who through their deaths bring light and life to the Lord’s people. Neither Samson nor John will be in the kingdom of God as Christ revealed with these words concerning John’s function in His plan:

Mat 11:11  Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Luk 7:28  For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

Christ also told His apostles:

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

Lest there be any doubt that the great men of God of the Old Testament are less than the least in the kingdom of God, Peter makes it very clear with these words:

1Pe 1:9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10  Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11  Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

Just as Mother Eve’s spiritually nude condition caused her to want to eat of the forbidden fruit, it was also Samson’s immature, Nazarite condition which caused him to be attracted to a Philistine woman instead of the daughters of his own people. Here is the URL to the first of a two-part study on the spiritual significance of the Nazarite vow:

The Spiritual Significance of the Nazarite Vow

Neither ‘strong drink’ nor ‘strong meat’ can be accepted and processed and digested by a carnal babe in Christ.

Samson’s blatant disregard of his father’s admonition speaks for itself concerning his immature position in the promised land. This lack of any fear of the Lord must be burned out of us before we will be granted to ‘go on unto perfection and maturity’. That is what the judgment of the Philistines accomplishes within us:

Jer 47:2  Thus saith the LORD; Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land [of the Philistines, the promised land], and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.
Jer 47:3  At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses, at the rushing of his chariots, and at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of hands;

The death of Goliath and the routing of the entire army of the Philistines serve to support these words in the New Testament:

Jud 1:12  These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

When Samson married the woman of Timnath, “of the daughters of the Philistines” he willingly prepared a feast with the family and friends of his new wife:

Jdg 14:10  So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do.
Jdg 14:11  And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.

This feast with ‘thirty companions’ of the uncircumcised Philistine family into which Samson was marrying tells those who are given spiritual vision and spiritual hearing that Samson is about to begin the process of being judged. Here is the URL on the spiritual significance of the number three:

Numbers in Scripture – Three, the Process of Spiritual Completion Through Judgment

We are told that David slew Goliath with a stone from his sling:

1Sa 17:50  So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.

Because the Philistines within us must be ‘twice dead’ by the ‘sword of the word’ this is what the holy spirit inspired to be written in the very next verse:

1Sa 17:51  Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

Jer 47:4  Because of the day that cometh to spoil all the Philistines, and to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth: for the LORD will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor.

It is very instructive to know that the Philistines and the Caphtorim are both the descendants of Mizraim, which is Egypt:

Gen 10:13  And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,
Gen 10:14  And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.

The Philistines and the Caphtorim are both the children of Mizraim and the name ‘Mizraim’, which appears only four times in the King James Version, actually appears in the Hebrew 681 times and it is always translated as ‘Egypt’ or ‘Egyptian’ or the plural ‘Egyptians’:

Knowing this very close relationship between Egypt and the Philistines makes it very clear that the only difference between the spiritual significance of these two enemies of the people of the Lord is that the one is in Egypt, persecuting the Lord’s people, signifying the bondage of the Lord’s people to the carnal rebellious world. The other is an uncircumcised Philistine ‘carnal babe in Christ’ which is also just an uncircumcised Egyptian who is in the land of promise, having a relationship with the Lord’s people but, as a presumptuous and unruly child, always attempting to dominate the Lord’s household. The Lord will not yield to His rebellious “carnal… babes in Christ”. Instead, He will punish them and destroy the kingdom of the first man Adam within His house… His temple.

Jer 47:5  Baldness is come upon Gaza; Ashkelon is cut off with the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself?

Baldness has both a positive and a negative application. In its positive application it was simply a self-imposed part of the mourning process:

Job 1:20  Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,

Jer 16:6  Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves nor make themselves bald for them:

In its negative application, baldness was inflicted upon an enemy to humiliate him:

1Ch 19:4  Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the midst hard by their buttocks, and sent them away.

Isa 3:17  Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.

Isa 3:24  And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair, baldness; and instead of a stomacher, a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.

Cutting oneself was forbidden by the Lord while being common among the Gentiles.

Deu 14:1  Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

The Lord is our Father, and it is His will, and His alone, to chasten and scourge those He loves. We are not given to take that scourging upon ourselves. Nevertheless, the Lord’s people followed the customs of the nations around them and also cut themselves, as Jeremiah reveals when speaking of Judah’s impending judgments:

Jer 16:1  The word of the LORD came also unto me, saying,
Jer 16:2  Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.
Jer 16:3  For thus saith the LORD concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land;
Jer 16:4  They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.
Jer 16:5  For thus saith the LORD, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the LORD, even lovingkindness and mercies.
Jer 16:6  Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them:
Jer 16:7  Neither shall men tear themselves for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.

The prophets of Baal cut themselves in their efforts to get Baal’s attention, but the Lord has not given the spirit world to communicate with this realm to that degree, and Baal did not hear them:

1Ki 18:25  And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.
1Ki 18:26  And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.
1Ki 18:27  And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey,  or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
1Ki 18:28  And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
1Ki 18:29  And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

The spirit realm can, and does, tempt us to disobey the words of the Lord, but the Lord’s people are always forbidden communications with that realm:

Lev 19:31  Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

Lev 20:6  And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

1Sa 28:3  Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

However, the sword of ‘the Lord’s servant’, Nebuchadnezzar, is not at all restrained and is given to destroy the symbol of our old  man and his kingdom, signified by the Philistines within our land:

Jer 47:6  O thou sword of the LORD, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still.
Jer 47:7  How can it be quiet, seeing the LORD hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the sea shore? there hath he appointed it.

It is by the Lord’s words we are purged of the giants like Goliath and the armies of the Philistines within us. The Lord’s words are signified abundantly by both fire and water, an apparent contradiction which serves to keep the mysteries of the kingdom of God hidden from those who have not been given eyes to see nor ears to hear the mysteries of the kingdom of God and the things of the spirit (Mat 13:10-15, 1Co 2:13-14).

As ‘fire’ the Words of the Lord burn up all the ‘wood, hay, and stubble’ within us:

Jer 5:14  Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

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

As ‘water’ the Lord’s words are “rivers of living waters” springing out of the bellies of the Lord’s elect, washing us clean:

Joh 7:37  In the last day, that great  day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

]]> Study of the Book of Judges – Jdg 16:17-31 So Samson Killed More People in his Death Than in his Life https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/study-of-the-book-of-judges-jdg-1617-31-so-samson-killed-more-people-in-his-death-than-in-his-life/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=study-of-the-book-of-judges-jdg-1617-31-so-samson-killed-more-people-in-his-death-than-in-his-life Mon, 02 Aug 2021 19:16:51 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=24049

Jdg 16:17-31 So Samson Killed More People in his Death Than in his Life

[Study Airs August 2, 2021]

Jdg 16:17  That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.
Jdg 16:18  And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand. 
Jdg 16:19  And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. 
Jdg 16:20  And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him. 
Jdg 16:21  But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house. 
Jdg 16:22  Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven. 
Jdg 16:23  Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. 
Jdg 16:24  And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us. 
Jdg 16:25  And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.
Jdg 16:26  And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them. 
Jdg 16:27  Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport. 
Jdg 16:28  And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. 
Jdg 16:29  And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. 
Jdg 16:30  And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life. 
Jdg 16:31  Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years. 

Today’s study is about Samson yielding to the incessant pressure of words from Delilah and the consequence of his actions. This is to affirm to us that whatever we sow, we reap. To the natural mind or our self-righteous nature, we may think that we may have done better than what Samson did as he was not faithful to his Nazarite vows and did not regard his election as a prize possession. However, we are not different from Samson. We, too, in our time in Babylon, were unfaithful, and we disregarded our calling in favor of pleasing the church instead of Christ. As the word of God says, what happened to the Old Testament people is typical of us and is written for our admonition.

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

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

Jdg 16:17  That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.

As indicated in the previous review, the hair of a Nazarite is what separates him from other Israelites as far as God is concerned, and therefore cannot be cut. It is a sign of his separation or election which is the source of his strength. Samson revealing this source of strength to Delilah is the same as what Hezekiah did when he showed the treasures of his house to the Babylonians (Delilah).

2Ki 20:12  At that time Berodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah. For he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
2Ki 20:13  And Hezekiah listened to them, and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures. There was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion which Hezekiah did not show them.
2Ki 20:14  And Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, What did these men say? And from where did they come to you? And Hezekiah said, They have come from a far country, from Babylon.
2Ki 20:15  And he said, What have they seen in your house? And Hezekiah answered, They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing among my treasures which I have not shown to them.
2Ki 20:16  And Isaiah said to Hezekiah, Hear the Word of Jehovah.
2Ki 20:17  Behold, the days come when all that is in your house, and which your fathers have laid up in store until today, shall be carried into Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says Jehovah.
2Ki 20:18  And of your sons which shall issue from you, which you shall father, they shall take away. And they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
2Ki 20:19  And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, Good is the Word of Jehovah which you have spoken. And he said, Is it not good if peace and truth are in my days?

Verse 18 of 2 Kings chapter 18 says that we become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. This means our walk in Babylon is/was characterized as unproductive. Whatever we do in the churches of this world (Babylon) does not work since we think we are doing them by our own strength.

We all love to show our spiritual treasures or insight to our brothers and sisters in Babylon when we started to see and hear. However, Jesus warned us that we should not cast our pearls before swine for they end up tearing us apart. That was what happened to Samson.

Mat 7:6  Do not give that which is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn again and tear you.

Jdg 16:18  And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand. 

Our desire to please the church instead of Christ is taken advantage of by the church to enslave us to their delicacies. Our flesh, represented here by the Lords of the Philistines, therefore enslaves us to the pursuit of money, making us believe that gain is godliness. We therefore pierce ourselves with many sorrows through the pursuit of worldly mammon.

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.

1Ti 6:5  Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness:  from such withdraw thyself.
1Ti 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1Ti 6:7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1Ti 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
1Ti 6:9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
1Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Jdg 16:19  And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. 

It is through the church or Babylon that we are put to sleep, and as a result, we become spiritually dead!! Samson’s hair symbolizes his separation or election, and therefore the shaving off of the seven locks of his head means that his relationship with Christ was completely destroyed. Since our relationship with the Lord is our strength, the destruction of this relationship means that our strength had gone out from us while we were in Babylon.  Our miserable state in Babylon is described by several Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah. Most of their writings describe our state in Babylon after our strength is taken away from us, just as Samson’s strength was gone after the seven locks of his hair were shaved. Let’s look at what these prophets tell us about our state in Babylon:

Jer 4:22  For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
Jer 4:23  I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
Jer 4:24  I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
Jer 4:25  I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
Jer 4:26  I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.
Jer 4:27  For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
Jer 4:28  For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.

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.
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.

Isa 3:12  As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

Jdg 16:20  And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him. 

In Babylon, we think we have the strength to obey the Lord and do whatever we want, but we have no inkling that our Lord has departed from us.

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Jdg 16:21  But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.

Samson’s inability to see his miserable state when he was overcome by the flesh (Philistines) in Babylon is shown by the fact that Samson’s eyes were removed, and he was bound with fetters of brass. Samson’s situation was not unique to him alone. We all go through periods where our eyes are removed and we are bound with fetters of brass, which talks of our bondage to sin. Throughout this period, we are tried or judged by the word of God. However, in the fullness of time, our Lord Jesus Christ sent and loosed us. This is clearly demonstrated by the life of Joseph.

Psa 105:17  He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant [sold to sin]:
Psa 105:18  Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron [Our walk was controlled by the flesh]:
Psa 105:19  Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him [Joseph was judged].
Psa 105:20  The king [our Lord Jesus] sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free.
Psa 105:21  He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:

This period of Samson’s incarceration is the period of his judgment by the Lord with the view of conforming him to the image of Christ.

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

As we are aware, our forefathers in the Old Testament were typical of us, and so whatever happened to them is written for our admonition. We also are being judged in this life, just as Samson was judged in prison, so that we would learn righteousness.

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

Jdg 16:22  Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.

If we are marked out as God’s elect, then in spite of whatever desperate situation we go through, our hair will start to grow again.  This means that we would begin to do things that conform to our election or separation as the judgment we go through would bring us to righteousness.

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

Inwardly, we would start seeing and hearing the word of God and would be given the power to obey, which would gradually bring us to conform to the image of His son Jesus.

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

Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

The experience that Samson went through is to tell us that we are marred in the hand of the potter before we are made into another vessel fit for the purpose of our Lord.

Jer 18:1  The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jer 18:2  Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
Jer 18:3  Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

The vessel being marred in the hand of the potter means that all that happens to us is of the Lord. It is not in the hands of the devil that we are marred!! This should assure us that all we are going through is the process of making us into another vessel.

Jdg 16:23  Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
Jdg 16:24  And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.

Inwardly, the Philistines represent our flesh, and outwardly they represent Babylon as they worship Dagon, their god, which is another Jesus. When we are under the influence of the flesh, we worship another Jesus, and we invest a lot in praise and worship of our Lord but do not submit to Him. It is good to praise the Lord as fruit of the lips as we appreciate what the Lord has done for us, but there is a higher form of worship which is offering our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to Him.

Our spiritual form of worship is not conforming to the standards of this world but being transformed by the renewing of our minds. In Babylon, our worship only pertains to the fruit of the lips in which we invest all our energies but disregard the spiritual form of worship, which involves not conforming to the world and being transformed by our renewed minds which comes as our eyes begin to see and our ears hear!!

Heb 13:15  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The way the Philistines were rejoicing over what their god Dagon had done in delivering Samson to them reminds me of when the Israelites rejoiced when the ark of the covenant was brought in their midst when defeat was staring them in their faces as they engaged in battle with the Philistines.

1Sa 4:2  And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.
1Sa 4:3  And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.
1Sa 4:4  So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
1Sa 4:5  And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.

In Babylon, we do not have the presence of mind to think that our Lord has departed and that the God we are worshiping, which is represented by the ark carried by Hophni and Phinehas, is another Jesus. As we are aware, Hophni and Phinehas were very evil priests (1Sa 2:12-17). This means that those who led us (the priests) in Babylon were carrying another Jesus to us. We praise and worship this other Jesus (ark) thinking that it would save us. To the carnal mind or our fleshly mind, the sound of our praise and worship assures us that God is indeed with us. This was what happened to the Philistines (our flesh) when they heard the noise of their worship:

1Sa 4:6  And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp.
1Sa 4:7  And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.
1Sa 4:8  Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.

Jdg 16:25  And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars. 
Jdg 16:26  And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them. 
Jdg 16:27  Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport. 

Our flesh likes to do or watch sports as a way of venting the pressures of everyday life. This is not to say that sports are carnal or bad. No! I enjoy watching sports as I’m currently watching the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. I do play tennis also to keep fit. As Paul said, sport is good, but is only a very temporal relief, but our focus must be on the goal of godliness.

1Ti 4:8  For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

Our feasts in Babylon are all characterized by the old leaven of malice and wickedness. As indicated by Peter and Jude, we counted it pleasure to riot in the day time as we feast in Babylon.

1Co 5:8  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

2Pe 2:13  And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;

Jud 1:12  These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

The pillars that held the house in which Samson was set represent the weak and beggarly elements which are the principles of the world that govern Babylon. These weak and beggarly elements include free will; observance of days, months, times and years; the trinity of God; everlasting punishment in hell, etc.  These pillars or foundations are only brought down in our lives as we die to the old man and his doctrines.

Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

The three thousand men and women of the Philistines mentioned as the number of those feasting signify the fact that it is through judgment that the pillars holding Babylonian doctrines together in our lives are brought down. That is when the power of death is destroyed in our lives, and we can be presented to God as holy and blameless.

Col 1:22  In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Samson being led by a lad means that when we were/are in Babylon, we are led or ruled by children who do not know what they are about. The children here are those who have just started their walk with the Lord but are carnal. These children lead us to err. The positive aspect of being led by a lad is that this evil experience will finally lead us to the identification and destruction of these pillars that hold Babylon together in our lives.

Isa 3:4  And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

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.

Isa 3:12  As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. 

Ecc 10:16  Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! 
Ecc 10:17  Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

Jdg 16:28  And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

Samson’s prayer suggests that our blindness is due to our flesh (Philistines) or our carnal nature. Samson praying for strength to defeat the Philistines means that he had come to the realization that he had no strength anymore and must depend on God for victory over the flesh.  Our evil experiences in Babylon are all designed by the Lord to humble us.  This humbling is to bring us to the realization that of ourselves, we can do nothing and that we must depend on God totally for everything. Being unable to do anything even includes the evil that we do. We have to be strengthened to even do evil. It is when we come to this realization that we become strengthened to win the war against the flesh!!

Ecc 1:13  And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail [evil experience] hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith [humble us].

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.

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

Jdg 16:29  And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. 

Jdg 16:30  And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.

Samson saying that he wants to die with the Philistines means that we must die to the flesh or the old man with all its doctrines. That is what being an overcomer is about. In the eyes of the Lord, it is not what we do but what we are becoming that is most significant.  If we lose sight of this, we would be like those who would ask the Lord, “Have we not prophesied in thy name and done many wonderful works?” That is when we shall be told that we are not known by the Lord.

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

This is not a one-time death of the flesh as the story suggests. We must know that the sum of God’s words says that dying to the flesh, or the old man, is a process that lasts a lifetime.

Rev 16:19  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

The great city being divided into three parts means that our judgment which brings about the death of our flesh is a process. It is when we die to the flesh that we become productive in the service of our Lord as shown by the statement that the death of Samson resulted in more Philistine deaths than when he was alive. It is during this process of dying to the flesh that our Lord calls us to arise and shine as our light has come. Our light coming is when we are given to see and to hear.

Isa 60:1  Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
Isa 60:2  For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
Isa 60:3  And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Isa 60:4  Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

Jdg 16:31  Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.

The burial of Samson by his brethren and all the house of his father is to let us know that our brothers and sisters have a role to play in the death of our old man or the flesh. It is through what every joint supplies that precipitates the death of our old man.

Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Burying Samson between Zorah and Eshtaol is significant. According to Strong, Zorah means a type of wasp called a hornet. In the scriptures, there are only two places that the word “hornet” are used, and it was in relation to the defeat of the enemies of Israel as follows:

Deu 7:20   Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.

Jos 24:12  And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.

The name “Eshtaol” means to enquire, pray or request, and the name Manoah means rest. So what we are being told is that as we find rest in our Lord, our request to defeat our enemies or the old man is accomplished.

In our previous review, we have explained what the twenty-year rule by Samson entails. For easy reference, it is reproduced as follows:

In the scriptures, the number twenty signifies the beginning of maturity, as we are now ready to become enlisted in the Lord’s army to war against the enemies of our land.

Num 1:20  And the children of Reuben, Israel’s eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

Num 1:22  Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

Based on these scriptures, we can say that the twenty-year rule of the Israelites under Samson is a period in our lives that we are dominated by the flesh (Philistines), but we are gradually becoming mature in the things of God as a result of the sunlight (Samson) or the light of the glorious gospel we are receiving from the Lord. This beginning of maturity pertains to recognizing our appalling situation and beginning to rely on the Lord, through His words, to begin the cleansing process in our heavens which results in the gradual death of our flesh or the old man.

2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

]]> Study of the Book of Judges – Jdg 15:1-20 With the Jawbone of an Ass, Have I Slain a Thousand Men https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/study-of-the-book-of-judges-jdg-151-20-with-the-jawbone-of-an-ass-have-i-slain-a-thousand-men/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=study-of-the-book-of-judges-jdg-151-20-with-the-jawbone-of-an-ass-have-i-slain-a-thousand-men Mon, 19 Jul 2021 17:33:19 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=23967 https://www.dropbox.com/s/oyoawcdgkbc0eti/20210720-Study_AtoB-JawboneAss.m4a?raw=1

Jdg 15:1-20 With the Jawbone of an Ass, Have I Slain a Thousand Men

[Study Aired July 19, 2021]

Jdg 15:1  But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in.
Jdg 15:2  And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.
Jdg 15:3  And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure. 
Jdg 15:4  And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails. 
Jdg 15:5  And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives. 
Jdg 15:6  Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire. 
Jdg 15:7  And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease. 
Jdg 15:8  And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam. 
Jdg 15:9  Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi. 
Jdg 15:10  And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us. 
Jdg 15:11  Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them. 
Jdg 15:12  And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves. 
Jdg 15:13  And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock. 
Jdg 15:14  And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.
Jdg 15:15  And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith. 
Jdg 15:16  And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.
Jdg 15:17  And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramathlehi.
Jdg 15:18  And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?
Jdg 15:19  But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.
Jdg 15:20  And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

This chapter deals with our realization of what Babylon really is and also the struggle we go through with our flesh as we see Samson engage the Philistines in a fight of his life.

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

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Jdg 15:1  But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in.

Samson’s return visit to claim his Philistine wife occurred during the time of the wheat harvest. Spiritually, the wheat harvest is when we come to know the difference between the tares and the wheat, or good from evil. It is also the time period that we come to see ourselves as the greatest sinner and therefore cannot help ourselves unless God intervenes.

Mat 13:30  Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

1Sa 12:17  Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.

Here in 1 Samuel 12:17, we are made aware that it is through the word of God (rain) and judgment (thunder) that we come to see who we really are. It is during this period of wheat harvest that we come to see who the Philistine woman really is – that is, she is married to another Jesus. The statement that her father “would not suffer him to go in” means that all that is happening is according to the counsel of God. God, in His mercy and wisdom, delivers us from continuing our fellowship with Babylon if we are marked as His elect.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Jdg 15:2  And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.

It is the Lord who takes the initiative to disengage us from Babylon. Our flesh would want to continue having dominion over us by suggesting that even though the churches we attended were not up to the standard of God, there may be other churches (younger sister) who may be doing well with which we can have fellowship. The truth about the younger sister, who is called Aholibah in the scriptures, is that she is worse than her elder sister.

Eze 23:2  Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:
Eze 23:3  And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.
Eze 23:4  And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.
Eze 23:5  And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,

Eze 23:11  And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms.

Jdg 15:3  And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.

This verse is confirming to us that our Lord (represented here by Samson) looks for an occasion or a reason to come into our lives to judge us just like a father punishes a son or daughter when they do something wrong. This is the way our Lord treats us so that at the end of the day, we will know that He is more blameless than us – as spoken by Samson!! Like Job, we want to bask in our own self-righteousness, and in doing so condemn our Lord as being unjust for all the suffering we are going through.

Job 40:6  Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
Job 40:7  “Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.
Job 40:8  Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right? (ESV)

Jdg 15:4  And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails. 
Jdg 15:5  And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives.

The foxes here stand for our leaders or prophets in Babylon during our time there. The tails of these foxes also signify prophets that teach lies. What these “men of God” teach is like fire that burns down or destroys the standing corn with the vineyards and olives, which represent the truth of the word of God we had while we were in Babylon. Thus, we become worse off in Babylon than when we started.

Eze 13:4  O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.

Isa 9:15  The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

Jud 1:4  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jud 1:8  Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

Jud 1:10  But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
Jud 1:11  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

What this means is that in Babylon, even the little truth that we had received from the word of God is taken away from us. We therefore become impoverished in Babylon. Our time in Babylon was just like the time when Samuel was ministering in the presence of Eli.

1Sa 3:1  Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.

Jdg 15:6  Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.
Jdg 15:7  And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease. 

As stated earlier, the time of the wheat harvest is when we come to realize that instead of Christ, we have been given another Jesus during our time in Babylon. Therefore, like the Philistines, we come to loathe all we have acquired in Babylon. It is when we have come to this realization that Christ comes in with the word of His mouth, which is like fire, to start the burning down of Babylon (Samson’s wife) and the flesh (Her father and the Philistines) within us.

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Jdg 15:8  And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.

Samson went and dwelt at the top of the rock called Etam.  According to Strong, Etam means a Hawk. We know from the scriptures that the rock is Christ, and here Christ is described as a Hawk. Hawks have hunting techniques which makes them capture their prey easily. In a similar vein, Christ is like a hawk who flies to and fro over the earth to capture His prey, which is His elect for the kingdom.

2Ch 16:9  For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

As we abide in Christ, who is the rock, we are given victory over the flesh, which is the great slaughter. The smiting of the hip and thigh is another way of saying that anything that affects our walk with Christ initially is dealt with by the Lord.

Psa 31:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.
Psa 31:2  Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.
Psa 31:3  For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.

Jdg 15:9  Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi. 
Jdg 15:10  And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.

The Philistines pitching in Judah is to let us know that the enemies are within us – that is our flesh. Lehi, according to Strong’s dictionary, means soft as in the softness of the flesh covering our cheek bone. Spreading themselves in Lehi implies that the enemies focus on the vulnerable areas of our lives to defeat us. These areas of least resistance in our lives are the sins that easily beset us, which are the focus of the devil’s attacks. In other words, a little leaven (propensity towards error), leavens the whole lump.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Gal 5:9  A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

Verse 10 indicates that the purpose of the flesh within is to bind us and ultimately destroy us; that means destroying our relationship with Christ. That is the same as being unable to do the things that we would in Galatians 5:17.

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Jdg 15:11  Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.

The three thousand men of Judah is symbolic to let us know that all which is happening to us in terms of our struggle with the flesh is part of the process of becoming spiritually complete (3000 = 3x10x10x10). Within us sometimes, we hear voices of the flesh telling us, like the men of Judah, that this war with the flesh can never be won since we are flesh and therefore dominated by the flesh. This is the same as saying, “Who can make war with the beast?”

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

Jdg 15:12  And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.
Jdg 15:13  And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.

Verse 12 shows us the intent of the flesh within us – that is to bind us to deliver us to the devil to sift us like wheat and destroy us. However, the good news is that our High priest Jesus is praying for us that our faith will not fail!!

Luk 22:31  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Luk 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Like Samson, we become apprehensive about being overcome by the flesh and therefore being put to death spiritually. That is what Samson meant when he told the men of Judah, his own flesh, that they should swear that he would not be killed by them. We all struggle like Esther and wonder whether the King will extend his sceptre to us in our time of need or if we will be put to death. This is contrary to the teaching we had in Babylon that claims we are already saved, and we quote some scriptural verses to support our assurance of salvation.

Est 4:16  Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

In Philippians 2:12, we are admonished to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. The fear and trembling means that we may wonder at times whether we are going to make it to the first resurrection. As we indicated in the previous review, one of the things that assures us that we are on the right track to our destination is that our eyes are seeing and our ears are hearing!

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

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

Outwardly, the men of Judah represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon. As indicated in verse 12, the whole period of our engagement with Babylon is that we end up being bound in chains or groping in the dark and needing deliverance from the Lord just like Samson as he was brought to the Philistines in bondage. It is significant to note that the men of Judah removed Samson from the rock in verse 13. As indicated earlier, the rock is Christ and so at the end of our journey in Babylon, we are removed from abiding in Christ.

2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Samson was bound by the men of Judah with the purpose of delivering him to the enemy, the Philistines. Like Samson, we become entangled in sin again and again even after the victories we have won over the flesh. In our battle with sin, we may lose some fights but not the war. If we have been penciled to be part of the elect, then whatever the devil throws at us, we shall overcome. Jesus admonished us that in our struggle against sin, we do not have to resist to the point of shedding blood. In other words, we would not be cut short through death (shedding of blood) in our journey of overcoming the flesh if we are called and chosen.

Heb 12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Heb 12:4  Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

Psa 124:6  Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.
Psa 124:7  Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.
Psa 124:8  Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Jdg 15:14  And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.

As indicated earlier, Lehi means soft as it relates to the softness of our flesh covering our jaw bones in our face. So what we are being told here is that, as we get to know our Lord Jesus more through the word of God (the Spirit of the Lord), the chains binding us from our Babylonian captivity are broken. This comes at a time that we realize our weakness (Meaning of Lehi) that we can of ourselves do nothing. That is when our Lord raises a standard against the enemy within (the Philistines) when he comes at us like a flood!!

Isa 59:19  So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.
Isa 59:20  And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.

Paul puts it this way: “when I am weak, then I am strong!!”

2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2Co 12:10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

My brothers and sisters, the only way we can win this fight to overcome the flesh or the old man is that we look to Jesus. If we look within, we will see all our weaknesses, and the devil will use these weaknesses to discourage us from running the race. The devil comes to us to tell us that we are not up to the standard God requires with all these weaknesses in us. We might as well give up the fight because there is no way we can overcome. however, in our weakness, like Samson at Lehi, we are made strong!! All the disciples before us had weaknesses but through Christ they were made strong.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The weaknesses we are talking about here is explained by Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:10. It relates to infirmities, persecutions, the distress we go through, our anxieties, worries, challenges, etc.; in other words, our inadequacies to do anything. It is when we realize our inadequacies that we rely on Christ alone to deliver us. That is what makes us strong – depending on Him alone!! That was what happened to Samson.

Jdg 15:15  And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.
Jdg 15:16  And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.

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

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

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

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

What we are being told here in verse 15 is that out of our weaknesses (the jawbone of an ass), comes strength from the Lord to defeat the enemies on our behalf. The thousand men being slain signify the dying of our flesh or our old man as we look up to the Lord in our weaknesses.

2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 
2Co 12:10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Jdg 15:17  And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramathlehi.

At the end of Samson’s speaking, he put away the jawbone out of his hands. Our end of speaking is when the tent of our body is destroyed – when we physically die. That is when we shall cast away our weaknesses or the jawbone out of our hands. This means that in this life, we shall have weaknesses, but God will carry us through to the end if we are destined to reign with Him.

2Co 5:1  For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2Co 5:2  For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,
2Co 5:3  if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.
2Co 5:4  For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
2Co 5:5  He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
2Co 5:6  So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,
2Co 5:7  for we walk by faith, not by sight.
2Co 5:8  Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
2Co 5:9  So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. (ESV)

Jdg 15:18  And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?

In the midst of victory, Samson became apprehensive and wondered whether he may end up falling into the hands of the uncircumcised Philistines. In the same way, we sometimes become vulnerable as a result of all that we are going through even in the face of victories. Except the Lord comes to our aid through our brothers and sisters, we would not be able to finish this race which is marked out for us. What will sustain us in our vulnerability is the word of God which every joint supplies as we gather together. That is why we are cautioned to get together as we see the day of the Lord approaching. The day of the Lord is our judgment day.

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

When we read the letters of Paul, we can see that sometimes he needed encouragement from other brethren. This is exemplified in the following:

2Ti 1:15  This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
2Ti 1:16  The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: 
2Ti 1:17  But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me.
2Ti 1:18  The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.
2Ti 4:9  Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me:
2Ti 4:10  For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.
2Ti 4:11  Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.

This race we are running is not for the strong but for the weak who put their trust in the Lord.

Ecc 9:11  I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

Jdg 15:19  But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.

In our weakness, God comes to us to revive us through the word of God given to us by our brothers and sisters who also have weaknesses. This water that comes from the hollow place in our jaw to nourish us is the word of God which comes to us in season at our weakest points in life. If we pay attention to these words from our brethren (that is, if we drink this water), we become strengthened to face the challenges of the day.

There are times, too, that God open our eyes to see a well of water which we haven’t seen before to strengthen us in our desert situation as we walk with Him. This was what happened to Hagar when she was with her son Ishmael, and she ran out of water in the desert and didn’t know what to do. God intervened by helping her see what she had not seen before – water in the desert, which is the word of God. May the Lord help us to see what we have not seen before as we go through His words.

Gen 21:15  And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
Gen 21:16  And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
Gen 21:17  And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.
Gen 21:18  Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.
Gen 21:19  And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

Jdg 15:20  And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years. 

As we have learned earlier, the name Samson means sunlight. Now, let’s look at the significance of the twenty years in the days of the Philistines under Samson. In the scriptures the number twenty signifies the beginning of maturity as we are now ready to become enlisted in the Lord’s army to war against the enemies of our land.

Num 1:20  And the children of Reuben, Israel’s eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

Num 1:22  Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

Based on this, we can say that the twenty-year rule of the Israelites under Samson is a period in our lives that we are dominated by the flesh (Philistines), but we are gradually becoming mature in the things of God as a result of the sunlight (Samson) or the light of the glorious gospel we are receiving from the Lord. This beginning of maturity pertains to recognizing our appalling situation and beginning to rely on the Lord through His words to begin the cleansing process in our heavens, which results in the gradual death of our flesh or the old man.

2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

That period is when we recognize we have been deceived in Babylon, and we begin to see that the time has come for our temple to be cleansed. This was what our Lord Jesus was alluding to when He told His disciples about the destruction of their temple.

Mat 24:1  And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
Mat 24:2  And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Mat 24:3  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Mat 24:4  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

We all, like the disciples, are enchanted by the outward appearance of our temple, which is our bodies.  This is because we were taught to focus on the outside rather than on the inside by our leaders (the scribes and Pharisees) in Babylon.

1Co 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Mat 23:25  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Mat 23:26  Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

It is when we recognize that we have been deceived in Babylon (Mat 24:4-5) that we know the time has come for our temple to be cleansed. That is the beginning of our maturity, which is symbolized by the twenty years. That is the message of this whole chapter of Judges 15 – that is, the beginning of the cleansing process of our temple!!!

]]> Prophecy of Isaiah – Isa 64:7-12 Thou art Our Potter; and We all are the Work of Your Hand https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/prophecy-of-isaiah-isa-647-12-thou-art-our-potter-and-we-all-are-the-work-of-your-hand/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=prophecy-of-isaiah-isa-647-12-thou-art-our-potter-and-we-all-are-the-work-of-your-hand Sun, 23 Aug 2020 02:14:35 +0000 http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=21336 Isa 64:7-12 Thou art Our Potter; and We all are the Work of Your Hand
[Study Aired August 23, 2020]

Isa 64:7  And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.
Isa 64:8  But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
Isa 64:9  Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.
Isa 64:10  Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
Isa 64:11  Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.
Isa 64:12  Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?

The Lord here tells us the reason He “has hid His face from us”:

Isa 64:7  And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.

The Lord here tells us that He hides His face from us “because of our iniquities.” Throughout scripture we read that it is our sins that cause the Lord to “hide His face from us.” The reason the Lord gives us for destroying all life in the flood of Noah’s time is:

Gen 6:5  And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Gen 6:6  And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Gen 6:7  And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

The reason we are given us for the destruction of Sodom is:

Gen 18:20  And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
Gen 18:21  I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

The reason given for the Lord rejecting King Saul is:

1Sa 15:10  Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,
1Sa 15:11  It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.

1Sa 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

The reason we are given for the sword not leaving King David’s house is:

2Sa 12:10  Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

Was it true that “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” and this led the Lord to repent of placing mankind on this earth? Of course, that is true! Every imagination of mankind’s heart really was only evil continually.

Was it true that because “[the] sin [of Sodom] was very grievous” that the Lord destroyed Sodom? Yes, that was true! Sodom’s sin was very grievous.

Was King Saul rejected by God because He had rejected the words of the Lord? Yes, of course that was true. King Saul had indeed rejected the Lord’s words.

Had King David really despised the Lord when he took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be his wife? Obviously, King David had despised and disobeyed the word of the Lord.

We could go chronologically through every evil king of both Israel and Judah and show that the reason the Lord was displeased with every one of them was:

1Ki 15:30  Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger.

No one can or should deny that our sins separate us from our God:

Isa 59:2  But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Isa 59:3  For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

Look at how similar the words of this 64th chapter are to these words from the 59th chapter:

Here is our next verse in this 64th chapter:

Isa 64:7  And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.

These are the very next verses in chapter 59:

Isa 59:4  None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
Isa 59:5  They hatch cockatrice’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.

There is no denying that the Lord punishes us for our sins. Here are a few of the verses which drive this Truth home:

Isa 10:12  Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish [H6485: paqad] the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.

Isa 13:11  And I will punish [H6485: paqad] the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

Isa 24:21  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish [H6485: paqad] the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.

Isa 26:21  For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish [H6485: paqad] the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

Isa 27:1  In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish [H6485: paqad] leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.

There is no denying that the Lord punishes us for our sins, but there are also two other Biblical doctrines which are little understood, and those two Biblical doctrines are: 1) the “Lord… makes us to err from His ways, and He hardens our hearts from His fear, and 2) He does so for the very purpose of giving Himself the occasion He is seeking to destroy the kingdom our old man.

The book of Judges and the story of Samson state this Truth very clearly. Contrary as it was to the Lord’s own instructions for the men of Israel never to seek a wife from among the heathen with whom they lived, this is what we are told of why Samson wanted to take a wife of the Philistines:

Jdg 14:1  And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
Jdg 14:2  And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.
Jdg 14:3  Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.
Jdg 14:4  But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

This is not a story which is out of character for God. To the contrary, this is a story which reveals the character of our God. So what is it in this story “that… was of the Lord”? Well, what did we just read?

Jdg 14:1  And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
Jdg 14:2  And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.
Jdg 14:3  Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.

Didn’t the Lord command Israel not to take wives of the nations around them? Well, yes, He certainly did:

Gen 24:3  And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:

Gen 28:1  And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

Exo 34:14  For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
Exo 34:15  Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;
Exo 34:16  And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.

Ezr 9:10  And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments,
Ezr 9:11  Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.
Ezr 9:12  Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.

Neh 13:25  And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves.

Samson’s parents knew what Abraham and Isaac had said about marrying the daughters of the land in which they sojourned as strangers. It was strictly forbidden, and yet we are being told of Samson’s desire to marry a Philistine woman… “it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.”

In other words, what Judges 14 tells us about Samson’s sins is the same message King Solomon was inspired of the holy spirit to give us long before Isaiah:

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

‘Evil’ and ‘corruption’ are very similar, and we are all “corruption” by virtue of being “shapen in iniquity and… conceived… in sin”:

Psa 51:5  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

So, when we read:

Isa 64:7  And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.

We now must acknowledge that the sum of the Lord’s word reveals that the ultimate cause for the fact that “none calls upon [the Lord’s] name, [nor] stirs up himself to take hold of [the Lord]” we really do so “because you have hid your face from us and have consumed us, because of our iniquities, [which like Samson’s lust for a Philistine wife were] of the Lord [who] is seeking an occasion against [our own carnal-minded old man] for at that time [by the Lord’s design, our rebellious, carnal-minded old man] had dominion over [us]”.

Jdg 14:4  But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

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

Isa 45:7  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Isa 30:27  Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
Isa 30:28  And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.

Isa 63:17  O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

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.
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Rom 9:17  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Rom 9:18  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

Only if we are given to acknowledge that the Lord “creates evil… yes, even the wicked for the day of evil” in our own lives, and that it is He who puts a bridle in our mouths with which He “makes us to err from [His] ways and hardens our hearts from His fear [in] this present time”, that His mercy upon us “is not of him [us] who wills”; only if we acknowledge all of this in this time will we be given to pray this next verse with any degree of conviction:

Isa 64:8  But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

Being a ‘puppet’ is too far from “the Potter’s hand” to be the symbol of how the Lord works His work in the affairs of mankind. Being a puppet is not a Biblical type or shadow of the extent of the Lord’s sovereign work with mankind. The type and shadow of the extent of the Lord’s sovereign hand in our lives is “clay in the hand of The Potter”:

Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Jer 18:5  Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Jer 18:6  O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

This is confirmed in the New Covenant:

Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Rom 9:17  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Rom 9:18  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Rom 9:19  Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Rom 9:20  Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Rom 9:21  Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
Rom 9:22  What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Rom 9:23  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Rom 9:24  Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

If any of this is true, then our election has nothing to do with our own power or our own will. The fact is that our election was known to the Lord before the world began, and the scriptures twice plainly state:

2Ti 1:9  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Tit 1:2  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

If we are blessed to be made aware that our God is actually a loving heavenly Father who, like any father who loves His children, will correct and chasten them when it is needed, then we will cry out to our Father:

Isa 64:9  Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.

Knowing that it is the Lord who is working all things after the counsel of His own will (Eph 1:11) gives us hope and helps us endure because we know that our trials are all for a good purpose; the purpose of chastening us to forsake ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live godly lives in this present age.

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12  Teaching [G3811: paideuo, chastening] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world [G165, aion, age];
Tit 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Tit 2:15  These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Knowing all of that does not make the pain of dying to our old man any the less painful, neither does it make it any less essential that we must endure to the end the pain of losing our life if we really want to find it.

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Joh 12:25  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world [G2889: kosmos] shall keep it unto life eternal.

As we endure the loss of our lives, we cry out to our heavenly Father:

Isa 64:10  Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
Isa 64:11  Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.
Isa 64:12  Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O LORD? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?

“Our holy and beautiful house where our fathers praised you is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste…” This essentially was King David’s refrain also when his own son, his closest counselor, and most of the entire nation, turned on him and sought to kill him:

Psa 22:1  To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
Psa 22:2  O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
Psa 22:3  But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Psa 22:4  Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
Psa 22:5  They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
Psa 22:6  But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
Psa 22:7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
Psa 22:8  He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

From the time we also are “carnal babes in Christ” (1Co 3:1-4), we are “in Christ” who is our “beautiful house”:

Joh 14:20  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Joh 14:21  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

All those words of Isaiah 64: 10-12 are the essence of Christ’s own words while He, too, felt forsaken of His own Father when He was offered up for our sins upon the cross. Notice the parallel here in Matthew 27 with King David’s words in Psalms 22:

Mat 27:39  And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
Mat 27:40  And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
Mat 27:41  Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
Mat 27:42  He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

Mat 27:43  He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

Compare these words to King David’s words:

Psa 22:7  All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
Psa 22:8  He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

This is what Christ told us the night of His apprehension by the Jews:

Joh 13:16  Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
Joh 13:17  If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
Joh 13:18  I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.
Joh 13:19  Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.
Joh 13:20  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

The way we “receive whomsoever [Christ has sent] is by knowing His ‘voice’, meaning His doctrine:

Joh 10:2  But he that entereth in by the door [Christ, verse 7] is the shepherd of the sheep.
Joh 10:3  To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
Joh 10:4  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
Joh 10:5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
Joh 10:6  This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
Joh 10:7  Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

The ‘voice’ of Christ has informed us in advance that if we ‘trusted in Him’ then we, too, as He was, will be hated of all men:

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.

Joh 15:18  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
Joh 15:19  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Joh 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

Christ knew that obedience to His Father’s words would be much better in the end than giving in to the temptation to avoid the death of the cross.

Joh 15:21  But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.

Christ knew who it was who had sent Him, and we, too, must know who has sent us. He knew full well the sufferings of this present time were not worthy to be compared to the glory which would be revealed in Himself and in His Christ:

Mat 4:8  Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Mat 4:9  And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Mat 4:10  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

We read and believe this chapter of Isaiah because we know:

Joh 15:20  Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

However, just as Christ told Satan to get behind Him when Satan offered Him the kingdoms of this world in exchange for His worship of Satan, we, with Christ within us will follow in His steps because we also:

Rom 8:18  [… ] 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.
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

That is our study for today, and we will begin chapter 65 next week, Lord willing:

Isa 65:1  I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.
Isa 65:2  I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;
Isa 65:3  A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;
Isa 65:4  Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
Isa 65:5  Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.
Isa 65:6  Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,

]]> Prophecy of Isaiah – Isa 14:28-32 None Shall Be Alone In His Appointed Times https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/prophecy-of-isaiah-isa-1428-32-none-shall-be-alone-in-his-appointed-times/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=prophecy-of-isaiah-isa-1428-32-none-shall-be-alone-in-his-appointed-times Sun, 01 Oct 2017 01:08:50 +0000 http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=14688
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The Prophecy of Isaiah - Part 63 Discussion

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Isa 14:28-32 None Shall Be Alone In His Appointed Times

Isa 14:28  In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.
Isa 14:29  Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.
Isa 14:30  And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.
Isa 14:31  Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.
Isa 14:32  What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.

So far in this 14th chapter of Isaiah we have learned of the Lord's judgment against Babylon and Assyria, and in this study, which will finish this 14th chapter, we will learn how the Lord is judging "Palestina". Palestina is a nation which lived among Israel and was in the promised land with Israel, just as the Canaanites were. Israel fought against and conquered most of the Canaanite nations, but the Lord used Palestina as a special thorn in Israel's side. 'Palestina' is just another way of saying the Philistines. The first two nations mentioned in this chapter are the northern nations of Assyria and Babylon, both of whom were used by the Lord to carry away and enslave His people who had turned their backs upon Him and His laws, preferring to serve the laws and gods of their neighbors.

The Lord Himself had brought the Philistines into the promised land some time before he brought Israel up out of Egypt and into the promised land under the leadership of Joshua.

Amo 9:7  Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the LORD. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?

The point being made here in Amos 9:7 is that God had put Israel's enemies in place before He brought them up out of Egypt. Even the Amorites had been placed in the promised land by the Lord for an appointed time:

Gen 15:16  But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

Psa 105:23 Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. [Until "the fourth generation"]

All through the period of the judges, the various Canaanite tribes and the Philistines fought against Israel. Samson married a Philistine woman and was later seduced by Delilah, a Philistine prostitute. Many years later David killed the giant, Goliath, a Philistine.

The Canaanites had occupied the promised land before the Philistines came to the promised land from Caphtor, which is believed by some commentaries to be the island of Crete and by others to be the delta area of Egypt. One thing is Biblically indisputable, the Philistines are the descendants of Ham through Mizraim, who all the commentaries agree is Egypt.

Gen 10:6  And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. 1Ch 1:11  AndMizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,

1Ch 1:11  And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,
1Ch 1:12  And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (of whom came the Philistines,) and Caphthorim.

Again, the spiritual point being made in letting us know that the Lord had placed all these nations in place until their iniquities were fulfilled, is:

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

Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

The promised land is not the land of the "the redemption of the purchased possession". Rather, it is our lives this side of the grave where we live in marred vessels of clay and "are sealed with the holy spirit of promise, until the redemption of the purchased possession".

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

The promised land is filled with all kinds of fiery trials and wars in our heavens, with names like: Zidonians, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites, and the ever-present Philistines, who gave their name 'Palestina' to the land of promise.

We have nothing to fear because the Lord has already overcome all of Palestina, and all we have to do is work out our own salvation because it is He who is working in us both to will, to fight and to do the fighting for us:

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
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:

Here are the eleven sons of Canaan who, along with the Philistines, add up to twelve nations which occupied the land of promise when Israel arrived from Egypt.

1Ch 1:13  And Canaan begat Zidon his firstborn, and Heth,
1Ch 1:14  The Jebusite also, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite,
1Ch 1:15  And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,
1Ch 1:16  And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.

Their fate was revealed to Isaiah...

Isa 14:28  In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.

The death of a king appears to be the occasion the Lord uses for increased revelation of what the Lord is working in His people. The last time we saw this phrase was in Isaiah.

Isa 6:1  In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

These words mean so much more to us than they did to Isaiah and the nation of Israel of his day because we now know that it is we who must be dying daily to be growing in Christ, and we now know where Christ's throne and His temple are now located:

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

1Co 15:31  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

We have even been given to know where all these battles in the land of Israel take place, because we have been made to know who God's Israel is and where His kingdom is:

Who is "the Israel of God"? Here are those who make up the Lord's Israel:

Gal 6:15  Certainly, it doesn't matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
Gal 6:16  Peace and mercy will come to rest on all those who conform to this principle. They are the Israel of God. (ISV)

Where is this kingdom which is comprised of those who "conform to this rule"? There is but one "kingdom of God", and there is but one "Israel of God", and this is where that kingdom is now located:

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

There are many battles for the promised land and the kingdom of God, and all those battles against all the giants and Canaanites and Philestines within that kingdom are still being fought, and the outcome of those battles has already been determined, as the prophet Isaiah informs us:

Isa 14:29  Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.

Palestina is our inward enemies within "the kingdom of God... within" each of us. When the Lord told Ahab of the penalty his house must pay for the death of Naboth and the seizure of Naboth's vineyard, Ahab humbled himself and fasted before the Lord. There was no real repentance at all, and Jezebel was still the queen. Ahab's house included this Philistine queen, Jezebel. So his house, along with the Philistines and the Assyrians, was one and all "the serpent's root", and could bring forth nothing but the fruit of the serpent's ways.

Nevertheless, the Lord was merciful toward Ahab and decreed that because Ahab had humbled himself, the loss of his throne would not be in his day, but in the days of Ahab's son, Jehoram.

1Ki 21:29  Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.

2Ki 3:1  Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.

1Ki 19:15  And the LORD said unto him [Elijah], Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:
1Ki 19:16  And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.
1Ki 19:17  And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.

The Lord has stretched out His arm in judgment, and His judgment will not be restrained. Even when He does show mercy, His judgment is still coming upon us and upon all of our enemies.

Those inward enemies do not willingly relinquish their dominion over us. When we are being judged, there are times of reprieve, as when the Lord caused Babylon to go to war with and absorb the kingdom of Assyria. At that time the conflict between Nineveh and Babylon gave King Ahaz a slight reprieve along with all the inhabitants of Palestina who had not yet been carried away into the bondage of Assyria or Babylon. This reprieve is really nothing but our journey through the churches of Babylon to which both Ahab and Ahaziah were already seeking and whose gods they were already serving. The first son of Ahab to inherit the throne was 'Ahaziah', and his was a very short reign, and he was succeeded by his brother, Jehoram. But just as Ahab's kingdom was to be destroyed by Jehu, and just as the house of Ahaz, king of Judah, was subjected by the king of Assyria and later completely destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar, we, too, will die daily along with all the children of Palestina who are yet in our kingdom. "None will be alone in his appointed time":

Isa 14:30  And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.
Isa 14:31  Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.

"Thy root" refers to "the serpent's root", of verse 29:

Isa 14:29  Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.

It is "the firstborn of the poor" who will inherit the kingdom instead of either God's adulterous apostate wife or "whole Palestina". Both are to be judged and completely destroyed. The "poor" of verse 31 are the firstborn of the "poor in spirit" whom Christ has decreed will inherit the kingdom of God's Israel:

Mat 5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Isaiah himself tells us the same thing as Christ says. It is "the poor" who will become the house and the place of rest for our Lord:

Isa 66:1  Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
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.

Isaiah 66:1-2 is the answer to the rhetorical question in our last verse for this study:

Isa 14:32  What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.

There it is again: "...the poor of His people shall trust in it." What the poor of His people trust in is the product of His judgments of which they are privileged to partake on this side of the grave.

This is that product:

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

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Rev 2:28  And I will give him the morning star.

Next week, if the Lord wills, we will begin to learn who the symbols of our fiercest enemies are and what will become of those enemies:

Isa 15:1  The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence;
Isa 15:2  He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off.
Isa 15:3  In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly.
Isa 15:4  And Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh: their voice shall be heard even unto Jahaz: therefore the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out; his life shall be grievous unto him.
Isa 15:5  My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, an heifer of three years old: for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go it up; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction.
Isa 15:6  For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing.
Isa 15:7  Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have laid up, shall they carry away to the brook of the willows.
Isa 15:8  For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab; the howling thereof unto Eglaim, and the howling thereof unto Beerelim.
Isa 15:9  For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood: for I will bring more upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land.

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