1 Samuel 5:1–12 The Philistines and the Ark 

[Study Aired February 2, 2026]

Introduction

Today’s study is about the spiritual significance of having the ark of God in the possession of the Philistines. Before we can understand the study for today, let’s take a look at what the ark represents spiritually. 

The first time the word “ark” appeared in the Bible was when the Lord commanded Noah to build an ark. 

Gen 6:13  And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 
Gen 6:14  Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

This ark was a prototype of the ark Moses was required by the Lord to build. There are many similarities between these two arks. The following verses of scriptures bring out what the ark stands for spiritually:

Num 10:33  And they departed from the mount of the LORD three days’ journey: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them. 

Num 10:35  And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.

2Sa 6:2  And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims. 

Jdg 20:27  And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days), 

From these verses, it becomes obvious that the ark of the covenant represents our Lord Jesus Christ, just like the ark the Lord commanded Noah to build is also Christ. When we are in Him, we are delivered from the flood waters of false doctrines, carnality, traditions, human wisdom, etc. 

Gen 6:17  And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die. 
Gen 6:18  But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. 

Noah, his wife and sons, and his son’s wives represent the elect who have fled to take refuge in our Lord Jesus Christ. We need to note that it is through the Lord’s judgment of the flood that Noah and all those saved took refuge in the ark. Our Lord’s judgment of our old man or flesh is what facilitates our being found in Christ. Noah’s ark resting on the seventh month is another way of saying that the Lord rested on the seventh day from all His work. All of these are to confirm to us that the ark represents the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Gen 8:4  And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 

Gen 2:2  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Now let’s take a look inside the ark of the covenant. There are three items – the golden pot holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded and the tables of the covenant. 

Heb 9:3  And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
Heb 9:4  Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
Heb 9:5  And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy seat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. 

On a positive note, the golden pot containing the manna represents the Lord’s words. It is through the word that we know that we are in Him as He is in us. The Lord commanding Noah to bring food into the ark emphasizes the point that it is through the word of the Lord that we find ourselves in Him. 

Joh 14:20  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 

The next item in the ark was Aaron’s rod. As we are aware, a rod signifies discipline or judgement. Thus, Aaron’s rod refers to the judgment we must go through in order to be found in Christ. As we know, the flood was the catalyst that resulted in Noah and his family being found in the ark or in Christ. It is therefore through the Lord’s judgment that we are found in Him. 

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 
1Pe 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

The third item in the ark is the tables of stones on which were written the commandments of the Lord. The tables of stones remind us of our spiritual poverty state as we were not able to obey the Lord’s commandments as our hearts were hardened like the tables of stones. To be in Christ therefore, we must first acknowledge that we are spiritually bankrupt as our hearts are hardened like stones. However, through the grace of God, we now have a heart of flesh.

2Co 3:3  Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

With this as the basis of our study for today, the lesson will be more understandable in its application to our lives. It is important to note that when Jesus revealed Himself to John at the island of Patmos, John turned to see the voice of the Lord. This means that part of the scriptures deal with what has happened to us in the past. 

Rev 1:10  I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 

Rev 1:12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;  

Today’s study is about looking behind us to see how the Lord had dealt with us in the past when we passed through the valley of the shadow of death.    

The Ark is Brought to Ashdod

1Sa 5:1  When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 

The Philistines capturing the ark of God signifies our old man or flesh opposing and exalting himself above God as he sits in the temple of God, showing himself as 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. 

Ebenezer means ‘stone of help’ which is Christ. Ashdod denotes a ravager, who is a person that causes extensive destruction, devastation or ruin. The devil is the ravager. Therefore, the ark of God being moved from Ebenezer to Ashdod implies that when our flesh is sitting in the throne of our hearts and minds, then it means that we have left our first love of Christ and are under the sway of our flesh, powered by the devil. In other words, the devil becomes our father. As a result, we become worse off. This situation is what Paul described as follows:

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: 
Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 
Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 
Rom 1:23  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 
Rom 1:24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Rom 1:32  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. 

When we are ruled by our flesh, we are no longer in Christ. This happened to us during our time in the churches of this world due to the great swelling words of vanity we imbibed which were propagated by the leaders of the church system of this world or Babylon. 

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 
2Pe 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 

As indicated in Romans 1:25, in our worse state we end up serving the creature instead of the creator. That means that our attention is turned to the things of this world instead of Christ. 

We must understand that the ark being captured by the Philistines is therefore the occasion the Lord is seeking to come to us with His judgment when we are full of the flesh so that we will learn righteousness.

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. 

Isa 26:8  In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul. 
Isa 26:9 My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. 

1Sa 5:2  When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. 

As indicated, the Philistines taking the ark of God means that our flesh is the one ruling our hearts and minds, thinking that he is God in the sense that we think that we make our own decisions. 

Isa 14:13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 
Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Isa 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

2Th 2:3  Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 
2Th 2:4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

The name Dagon means ‘a fish’ and was a Philistine deity of fertility represented with the face and hands of a man and the tail of a fish. Dagon therefore represents the devil who empowers our flesh. The ark being brought into the house of Dagon and being set beside Dagon therefore means that we are controlled by the god of this world, the devil, as our minds are blinded by him.  

2Co 4:3  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
2Co 4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 

1Sa 5:3  And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. 
1Sa 5:4  And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. 

As the Lord’s elect, we were overwhelmed by the flesh during our time in the churches of this world, but the Lord did not forget us.

Rom 11:2  God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? (ESV) 

In the fullness of time, He will come to us to start the process of delivering us from ourselves (our flesh). The early morning in verse 3 signifies the rising of the morning star in our hearts as the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. In other words, as we are judged by the Lord through His coming, the flesh is being destroyed. It implies that the influence of the devil over our flesh is reduced. This is what it means for the idol Dagon to fall with its face on the earth before the ark. 

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 

The fact that the people set up Dagon in his place again is to make us aware that the Lord’s judgment is a process as our flesh is gradually incapacitated by the Lord’s judgment of our flesh. The cutting off of the head and palms of Dagon’s hands means that the devil’s influence over our flesh is subdued over time as we learn righteousness. 

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 
1Pe 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

The Inhabitants of Ashdod Smitten with Emerods

1Sa 5:5  Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon’s house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day. 

Verse 5 shows us another area which had kept us in the dark before Christ came to deliver us, that is, the traditions of men. The mention of the priests of Dagon together with the people of Ashdod not treading on the threshold of Dagon to date is to remind us of the idols of the heart which relate to our belief in the false doctrines of traditions. Our flesh is steep in traditions which robbed us of our ability to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of the Lord when we were in Babylon. Our Lord Jesus pointed this out during His ministry here on earth.

Mar 7:7  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 
Mar 7:8  For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 
Mar 7:9  And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 
Mar 7:10  For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: 
Mar 7:11  But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. 
Mar 7:12  And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; 
Mar 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 
Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.  

1Sa 5:6  But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof. 
1Sa 5:7  And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.

When we are ruled by our flesh, we become like the people of Ashdod. However, as the Lord’s elect, the Lord comes to judge us. The hand of the Lord being heavy upon the people of Ashdod in verse 6 refers to the judgment of the Lord overwhelming our flesh. The Lord destroying the people of Ashdod with emerods signifies the Lord destroying our old man or flesh through His judgment.

Deu 28:27  The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. 

As shown here in Deuteronomy 28:27, the flesh cannot be healed. It has to be destroyed. It is insightful to note that when the men of Ashdod saw that the Lord was judging them, they refused to have the ark of the Lord abiding with them. This implies that our flesh will always try to avoid judgment. The hand of the Lord being sore upon the people of Ashdod and upon Dagon their god means the Lord will continue to judge our old man and, in the fullness of time, will judge the devil who empowers the flesh represented by Dagon, the god of Ashdod. 

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

1Sa 5:8  They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither. 

In 1 Samuel 6:4, the number of the Lords of the Philistines is given as five. 

1Sa 6:4  Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords. 

The negative application of the number five means famine of the word of the Lord which brings us to spiritual poverty. These five lords represent the various stages of our domination by our flesh which brings us to spiritual poverty through the famine of the word of the Lord. 

Gen 45:11  And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.

Gath means ‘winepress.’ Therefore, the ark being taken to Gath implies that we face intense, multi-directional pressures as the Lord’s hand of judgment becomes heavy on us. However, through the grace of the Lord, we are sustained by His power to endure without being completely destroyed. The Lord will not relent in dealing with our flesh until He has destroyed it. All of these pressures are to bring us to learn righteousness so that we will be in Him.

2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 
2Co 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;  

1Sa 5:9  And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts. 

The Lord continues judging us until our flesh is destroyed. It is important to note that here in verse 9, both small and great were judged with emerods in their secret parts. That is another way of saying that we never graduate from the Lord’s judgment. The small and the great being judged implies that at every stage of our walk with Christ, we are being judged.

Rev 19:18  That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 

The Ark of God Brought to Ekron

1Sa 5:10  Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people. 
1Sa 5:11  So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. 
1Sa 5:12  And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven. 

The name Ekron, according to Brown-Drivers-Briggs, means to be torn up by the roots. The people of Ekron crying out because the ark of God of Israel has been brought in their midst to slay them is to let us know that the presence of the Lord (the ark) and judgment go together with the purpose of destroying our flesh by the roots. The fact that there were three cities of the Philistines that were judged by the Lord because of the ark – Ashdod, Gath and Ekron, means that our spiritual maturity is through the Lord’s judgment of our old man or flesh (significance of the number three). 

The great destruction that took place in the city of Ekron is to remind us that the Lord as the lion of the tribe of Judah will not relent until He has destroyed our flesh through His judgment. The men of Ekron’s cry going up to heaven means that the Lord was going to take action in Ekron. The same thing happened to the Israelites in Egypt when they cried to the Lord because of their oppression. The Lord took action and came to their aid.

Exo 2:23  And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
Exo 2:24  And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 
Exo 2:25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

In a similar vein, when we cry to the Lord during our fiery trials, the Lord comes to our aid as He provides a way of escape for us to be able to bear the suffering.  

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

We give thanks to the Lord for His unwavering love towards us. Amen!

The Spiritual Meaning of Caves: Divine Refuge, Concealment, and Transformation

[Studies Aired November 11, 2025]

Introduction

Throughout Scripture, caves appear at pivotal moments in redemptive history, serving as places of refuge, encounter, burial, and transformation. These hollowed spaces within the earth carry spiritual significance pointing us toward Christ and revealing truths about God’s protection, His purposes in times of concealment, and the journey from death to resurrection life.

The Hebrew word for cave, me’arah (H4631), signifies a hollow place, den, or cavern—often in rock formations. This word appears in contexts ranging from burial places to sanctuaries of refuge, from testing grounds to locations of sacred revelation. The cave represents both literal and spiritual realities: physically, it offers shelter and concealment; spiritually, it speaks of seasons when God hides His servants for protection, prepares them in obscurity, or brings them through death’s darkness into resurrection light. When we understand that God orchestrates physical circumstances to reveal spiritual truths, we see caves not as random geographical features but as appointed settings for crucial moments in His redemptive plan. David wrote, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). As secret places illustrating this principle, caves throughout biblical history ultimately point to Christ’s burial and victorious resurrection—the pattern for our spiritual journey from death to life.

Caves as Places of Protection and Refuge

One of the most prominent themes associated with caves in Scripture is heavenly protection during persecution and danger. When God’s servants faced mortal threats, caves frequently became their hiding places—not by accident, but by providential care. These accounts reveal how the Lord shelters His people in vulnerable moments and uses seasons of concealment to accomplish His purposes.

During Jezebel’s violent persecution of the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah, governor of Ahab’s household, provided a powerful example: “Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD’S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?” (1 Kings 18:13). The cave represents God’s provision of sanctuary for faithful servants during intense spiritual darkness. While the nation openly worshiped Baal, God preserved a remnant hidden away, sustained through Obadiah’s obedience. This foreshadows how God has always preserved a remnant even during darkest apostasy and persecution. Christ Himself becomes our true hiding place, as David declared: “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5).

David’s life provides the most extensive biblical example of caves as sanctuaries. When fleeing Saul’s murderous jealousy, the cave of Adullam became not merely a hiding place but a gathering point for those who would become his mighty men: “David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men” (1 Samuel 22:1-2).

The cave of Adullam (‘Adullam, H5725, meaning “justice of the people” or “refuge”) represents a place where the rejected king gathered those whom society rejected. This beautifully typifies Christ, who calls to Himself all who are weary and heavy laden (Matthew 11:28), gathering outcasts and transforming them into His army. In the cave, David—anointed but not yet reigning—formed his band of followers who would later rule with him. Similarly, Christ in His humiliation gathers us during this present age, and we who were “in distress,” “in debt” to sin, and “discontented” with the world’s empty offerings find in Him our refuge and are transformed into His royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9).

David wrote Psalm 142 from a cave, revealing the spiritual posture appropriate for seasons of concealment: “Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave. I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: (earthly) refuge (H4268) failed me; no man cared for my soul. I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my (heavenly) refuge (H4268) and my portion in the land of the living” (Psalm 142:1-5). In the cave, stripped of earthly supports, David discovered God Himself as his machaseh (H4268, meaning shelter, hope, or trust). When earthly refuges fail and human support vanishes, we discover that God alone suffices as our true shelter. Christ Himself is our machaseh, and sometimes He causes cave-seasons specifically so we learn to find sufficiency in Him alone. The superscription of Psalm 57 identifies it as “A Psalm of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave,” and there David proclaims: “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast” (Psalm 57:1). The cave becomes the setting where trust in God’s mercy and refuge deepens.

Caves as Places of Sacred Encounter and Revelation

Beyond protection, caves become settings for profound encounters where God reveals Himself and His purposes. The darkness and isolation remove human distractions, allowing sacred revelation to emerge—teaching us that God often draws us into concealment before revealing His truth.

A remarkable cave encounter occurs when Elijah, fleeing Jezebel’s threats, traveled to Mount Horeb: “And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9). Exhausted and despondent after his great victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah needed a heavenly encounter to restore his perspective. God met him in the cave, telling him to stand at the entrance: “And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-12).

God was not in spectacular displays of power but in the gentle whisper. This cave encounter taught Elijah—and teaches us—that God often works in quiet, hidden ways rather than dramatic manifestations. The cave at Horeb served as a place where God recalibrated Elijah’s understanding and renewed his commission. Sometimes our cave-seasons are not primarily about protection but about God recalibrating our perspective and preparing us for the next phase. Elijah entered discouraged and ready to quit; he emerged with renewed purpose and clear direction.

This reflects the broader biblical pattern that before major revelations or ministry phases, God brings His servants into concealment. Moses spent forty years in Midian before the burning bush. Paul went to Arabia after Damascus. Jesus entered the wilderness forty days before beginning public ministry. Even Moses’ encounter with God’s glory involved a cave-like experience: “And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by” (Exodus 33:22). The cleft of the rock functioned as a protective cave where Moses experienced God’s presence in extraordinary measure. Isaiah prophesied of Christ: “And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land” (Isaiah 32:2). The cave represents these seasons of preparation where, away from public view, God shapes His servants and reveals His truth.

The revelation Elijah received also contained prophetic dimension. God told him: “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18). Elijah thought he stood alone, but God revealed a faithful remnant hidden throughout the land. Even when we feel isolated in our cave-experiences, we are part of a larger body whom God preserves. Paul applies this: “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace” (Romans 11:5). Throughout history, God has preserved a faithful remnant, often hidden from public view, sustained by grace. This principle extends to believers throughout all ages, for we read of faithful saints who “wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth” (Hebrews 11:38)—persecuted yet trusting God even while hidden from the world’s sight.

Caves as Places of Fear and Faithlessness

While caves often represent godly protection and purpose, Scripture records instances where they became places of fear, hiding from God, or expressions of unbelief. These negative examples teach that the same physical sanctuary that shelters us when we trust God can become a place of cowering when we operate in fear.

After Israel’s failure to enter the Promised Land, a new generation faced enemies and responded in fear: “And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds” (Judges 6:2). These caves represented Israel’s fear and oppression under Midianite domination—cowering rather than trusting God. This changed only when God raised up Gideon.

The contrast is striking: David used caves as sanctuaries while trusting God and waiting for His timing, but Israel under the Midianites used caves as expressions of fear and defeat. External circumstances alone do not determine whether our cave-season is redemptive or destructive. The crucial factor is our heart posture. Are we in the cave because God has hidden us there, trusting Him in darkness? Or are we hiding in fear, running from our calling, operating in unbelief?

The most sobering picture of caves as futile hiding places appears in Revelation’s description of judgment: “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:15-16). Here, caves become places where unbelievers seek to hide from God’s righteous judgment, revealing the futility of trying to hide from God. Adam and Eve tried to hide after sin (Genesis 3:8), and mankind continues attempting to hide from God’s presence. David declared, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” (Psalm 139:7). No cave can shield anyone from God—we either flee to Him as our refuge or discover there is no refuge from Him in judgment.

Caves as Burial Places: The Patriarchs’ Hope

Beyond protection, encounter, and even fearful hiding, caves in Scripture also serve as burial places—pointing forward to a greater hope. These tomb-caves carry profound typological significance, for they speak of death’s reality yet also of confident expectation in God’s promises.

The first burial cave mentioned is Machpelah, which Abraham purchased from Ephron as Sarah’s burial place: “And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan. And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying place by the sons of Heth” (Genesis 23:19-20). This cave became the family tomb where Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob were also buried (Genesis 25:9-10; 49:29-31; 50:13).

The cave of Machpelah (Makpelah, H4375, meaning “double” or “portion”) carries significance beyond its function. Abraham purchased this cave in faith, believing God’s promise that his descendants would possess Canaan. Though he owned only this small plot during his lifetime, the burial cave represented confidence in God’s faithfulness. The patriarchs were buried in hope of resurrection, as Hebrews confirms: “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13).

The tomb-cave points toward the truth that death is not the end for those trusting God’s promises. Just as the patriarchs were laid in the cave awaiting fulfillment, believers throughout ages have been buried in hope. The cave represents death’s temporary hold on God’s people—a holding place until the morning when God’s promises would find their ultimate fulfillment. The patriarchs died looking forward to something they had not yet seen, buried in faith that God would accomplish what He promised. Their burial in Machpelah’s cave was not an ending but an expectant waiting—trusting that the God who made promises would bring them to pass, even if it meant calling them forth from death itself.

The Ultimate Cave: Christ’s Burial and Resurrection

All of Scripture’s caves—places of refuge, encounter, fear, and burial—find their ultimate meaning in one rock-hewn tomb. Every Old Testament cave pointed forward to this moment: the burial place of the Son of God, and the site of history’s greatest victory.

After His crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathaea requested Jesus’ body: “And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed” (Matthew 27:59-60). The tomb (mnemeion, G3419, meaning memorial) was hewn from rock—essentially a cave carved into hillside. Luke adds: “And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid” (Luke 23:53). This fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy: “And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth” (Isaiah 53:9). Christ, though numbered with transgressors in His death, was buried in a rich man’s tomb—the rock-hewn cave of Joseph.

Christ’s burial in a rock-hewn tomb fulfills and transforms the meaning of all previous burial caves. The cave of Machpelah represented faith in God’s promises while the patriarchs waited; Christ’s tomb represents the fulfillment of every promise. The patriarchs were buried awaiting resurrection they trusted but had not seen; Christ was buried and would become “the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20), guaranteeing resurrection for all in Him. What Abraham believed and hoped for, what the patriarchs died trusting, now found its answer in this tomb.

The tomb-cave teaches the necessity of Christ’s burial. Paul emphasizes: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Christ’s burial was not incidental but essential—confirming His death’s reality and magnifying resurrection power. The sealed cave could not hold Him.

The Gospel accounts emphasize Jesus’ burial place details. It was a new tomb where no one had been laid before (Luke 23:53; John 19:41), signifying Christ’s uniqueness—His death and resurrection unlike any other. It was hewn from rock (Matthew 27:60), emphasizing solidity and permanence. It was sealed with a great stone (Matthew 27:60) and guarded by Roman soldiers (Matthew 27:65-66), testifying that when found empty, no human agent could have removed the body.

Then came the morning that changed everything. Mary Magdalene came early on the first day and found the stone rolled away: “Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him” (John 20:2). Peter and John found the linen cloths but Jesus gone (John 20:6-7). The empty tomb became the first evidence of resurrection, transforming the cave from place of death to proclamation of life. The angel’s declaration confirmed this transformation: “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (Matthew 28:6). The tomb that held death now testified to resurrection power.

When Mary saw the risen Christ, He told her: “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God” (John 20:17). The tomb-cave became the transition point between Christ’s earthly ministry and His ascension, between humiliation and glorification. What appeared defeat—His dead body sealed in a cave—became history’s greatest victory.

Baptism symbolizes our spiritual identification with Christ’s tomb-cave: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). We have died with Christ, been buried with Him, and risen to walk in newness of life—not through water ritual but through faith in His finished work. The tomb-cave becomes the spiritual pathway from death to life, a transformation wrought by God’s power.

Christ’s emergence transforms how we understand every cave-experience in our lives. Our seasons of concealment, darkness, limitation, and even death itself are not the end but the pathway to resurrection life. Paul writes: “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 the Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Romans 8:11). The same power that brought Christ from the tomb works in us, giving life now and guaranteeing future resurrection. The empty tomb assures us that God specializes in bringing life from death, light from darkness, and resurrection from burial.

Living in Light of the Empty Tomb

Understanding caves’ spiritual meaning equips us to navigate our own cave-seasons with faith and hope. Throughout our journey, we will experience times of concealment, protection, preparation, testing, and transformation mirroring biblical saints’ cave-experiences.

We recognize that whatever external cave we occupy—literal isolation, seasons of limitation, times of waiting, or intense trial—our spiritual reality is that we are hidden in Christ. Paul declares, “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Our identity is not found in circumstances but in union with Christ, the eternal Rock.

We embrace cave-seasons as opportunities for sacred encounter and transformation. Rather than resisting obscurity or limitation, we ask, ‘Lord, what do You want to teach me here? How are You preparing me?’ Paul’s experience demonstrates this: “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood” (Galatians 1:15-16). God’s revelation often comes during seasons of separation and concealment, preparing us for His purposes.

We exercise faith during cave-seasons, trusting God’s timing and purposes even when we cannot see outcomes. We honor God when we refuse to force our way out prematurely, when we wait for His deliverance rather than manufacturing our own, and when we allow the season to produce the character He desires. Like Jonah in the fish’s belly—a living cave for three days and nights (Jonah 1:17)—our confinement serves eternal purposes. As Jonah’s experience foreshadowed Christ’s three days in the tomb (Matthew 12:40), so our cave-experiences foreshadow resurrection power at work in us: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Philippians 3:10).

We maintain hope through resurrection promise. Just as Christ was buried and rose victorious, we know every death-experience in our lives—death of dreams, burial of hopes, entombment of relationships or ministries—is not the end of God’s story. Our tomb-caves become birthplaces for resurrection power when we trust Him through darkness. Because He has gone into the tomb and come out victorious, we can say with Paul: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). The cave of death has been transformed by Christ’s resurrection into a passageway to eternal life.

Conclusion: From Darkness to Light, From Death to Life

The caves of Scripture—from Machpelah to Adullam, from Horeb to Christ’s tomb—all point toward profound spiritual truths. They teach us that God is our refuge in danger, that He meets us in concealment, that He transforms apparent death into resurrection life, and that no darkness is too deep for His light to penetrate.

The ultimate cave—Christ’s tomb—stands as redemptive history’s centerpiece. What Satan meant for defeat became God’s greatest victory. What appeared the end of hope became the beginning of eternal life for all who believe. The sealed stone could not hold the Son of God, and the tomb’s darkness gave way to resurrection morning’s light.

As we face our own cave-seasons, we do so with confidence grounded in Christ’s victory. He has sanctified every cave-experience by His presence. He has transformed the meaning of concealment, limitation, burial, and death itself. We are hidden in Him, protected by Him, prepared by Him, and destined to share His resurrection life. Let us therefore embrace our cave-seasons with faith, knowing that “he that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). Our refuge is not in caves of stone but in Christ Himself, the Living Rock who was buried in a cave and rose victorious, transforming every dark experience into an opportunity to know Him more fully and reflect His resurrection power.

“A house divided against itself cannot stand” Part III (Pro 14:21-26)

(Aired on June 12, 2025)

Pro 14:21  He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.
Pro 14:22  Do they not err that devise evil? but mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.
Pro 14:23  In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.
Pro 14:24  The crown of the wise is their riches: but the foolishness of fools is folly.
Pro 14:25  A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies.
Pro 14:26  In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.

In this third part of chapter fourteen we will look at how we can protect that which God has given the elect to preserve in this life. The only way we can become a stronger undivided house is by keeping the commandments of God, doing what he tells us to do (Mat 7:22-27).

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? [strong delusion = prophesying in God’s name, casting out devils, casting out false doctrines, and yet still not converted (Heb 6:1-3)]
Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Mat 7:24  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: (Rev 1:3)
Mat 7:25  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. (Mat 16:18)

What is always at the heart of our dying daily struggles is self-righteousness described as “ye that work iniquity” (Eze 33:18, Php 3:9, Eze 18:24) that wants to rule over our heavens and declare to God, “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?”(Rom 3:27, Luk 14:27, Gal 2:20, 1Jn 5:4).

Rom 3:27  Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness “ye that work iniquity”, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Luk 14:27  And whosoever doth not bear his cross (Gal 2:20), and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

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

1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Paul told the body of Christ that he did not consider himself to have obtained (Php 3:12), and cautioned the church to always remember that our dying daily victory must be understood as something that is granted to us by God through Christ, and therefore we must always examine our hearts and not be high-minded thinking we are anything of ourselves, when our sufficiency is solely in Christ whose faith we are given in order to be saved (Php 3:12-15, 2Co 3:5, Joh 3:27, Gal 6:3-5, 1Co 8:2).

Php 3:12  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. [overcoming self-righteousness by looking to the author and finisher of our faith (Heb 12:1-2)]
Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

2Co 3:5  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

1Co 8:2  And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. [“but our sufficiency is of God”]

We are blessed when we are brought into remembrance how poor we are spiritually unless the Lord gives us eyes to see and ears to hear (Rev 3:17-18). It is because of the promises of God’s mercy in our lives that we will be apprehended of the Lord and given great hope by which we will be saved (Rom 8:24-25).

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: [Rom 7:24]
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.

Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? (Heb 11:1)
Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not [hoping that we will be as Christ praying for each other to have the faith of Christ so that we are not sifted by Satan (1Jn 4:17, Luk 22:32)], then do we with patience wait for it.

Despite our marred-in-the hand-of-the Potter condition, despite our wretched state in sinful flesh, despite ourselves, we can become more than conquerors through Jesus Christ who loves us, and hold each other up through the storms of this life, as we commit our lives unto God for each other in prayer and fasting often. We are familiar with these following verses but as a reminder of our need for continual prayer I’ll read them before we begin the main part of our study (2Pe 1:12).

1Ti 2:1  I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

1Ti 5:5  Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day.

2Ti 1:3  I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;

Phm 1:4  I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;(Eph 5:30)

1Pe 3:7  Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

Pro 14:21  He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.

Who is poor? We are all poor spiritually as scripture declares, even Christ was poor in that sense because He was in a marred vessel of clay and told his disciples ‘don’t call any man good, there is one who is good, and that is God’ (Mar 10:18).

Mar 10:18  And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

When we despise the poor we are showing God by those actions that we think we’re better than them. When we show mercy to the poor we will be blessed with the joy that comes to those who give and expect nothing back (Gal 6:10, Joh 12:3-7), demonstrating what it is to be a true neighbour (Luk 10:36, Act 20:35, Luk 6:35, Mat 10:42).

When we see that we are guilty of all, represented by the beam in our own eye, then we can only ever want to have mercy and compassion upon all of mankind as Christ declared from the cross. The cross is most effective when it is seen as the beam in our own eyes, the potential for all the sin of the world within us, which Christ understood was true of His own flesh, and yet never sinned as our spotless saviour (Mat 7:5, Luk 22:34).

Pro 14:22  Do they not err that devise evil? but mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.

If we are not about our Father’s business as Christ who was always devising good (Luk 2:49, 1Jn 4:17), then that void of service will be filled with evil devices. ‘An idle mind is the workshop of the devil’ is not a bad adage.

Luk 2:49  And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. [not idle but about our Father’s business]

It does take a miracle of faith (Rom 3:27) in our lives to remain stedfast in our service toward Him (Joh 6:44). We are striving toward that goal of being stedfast, and if in any way we come short of this, our Lord has promised to cleanse us of our sins and bring us to a point where we can more readily and continually bringing every thought into subjection unto God as we are led by God’s spirit. God’s spirit bears witness that we are His sons and daughters who are in this dragging process (Joh 6:44), which has us apprehended of the Lord (Php 3:14-16, 2Co 10:5, Rom 8:14-16).

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Php 3:16  Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

2Co 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Pro 14:23  In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.

We will find God if we are granted to search for Him with a diligent heart, and so our labour will not be in vain, but profitable “In all labour there is profit” (1Co 15:57-58, Heb 11:6, Pro 8:17).

1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Co 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.[“In all labour there is profit”]

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

Pro 8:17  I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

On the other hand if we are not doers of the word and only hearers, we will deceive our own selves and end up being spiritually poor, lacking and impoverished, “but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penuryH4270” (Jas 1:22-25).

Jas 1:23  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
Jas 1:24  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
Jas 1:25  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

H4270 Penury machsôr  machsôr  makh-sore’, makh-sore’
From H2637; deficiency; hence impoverishment: – lack, need, penury, poor, poverty, want.

Pro 14:24  The crown of the wise is their riches: but the foolishness of fools is folly.

Christ is our wisdom, and He is the one who holds all the “riches”, the words of eternal life. Christ’s righteousness in us is likened unto a crown, and it is the elect who are given a crown of life that is cast back to Christ (Rev 4:10-11) who took the once foolish souls we were in our folly thinking we were rich as the rich young ruler, in our own righteousness (Eph 2:2-3), and makes us wise in Him (1Co 1:27, Psa 19:7).

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

1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

Psa 19:7  The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

Pro 14:25  A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies.

Christ is the true witness, and if His life is in us we will be discerning the words of eternal life and God willing continuing in them so that we can be set free or delivered by them (Joh 8:31-32, 1Ti 4:16).

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

1Ti 4:14  Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
1Ti 4:15  Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
1Ti 4:16  Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them (Joh 8:31-32): for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

It is through that deliverance, that the mercy shown to us in this age will prepare us to be “A true witness [that] delivereth souls” (Rom 11:30-31)

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

The deceitful heart of mankind within and without, “a deceitful witness speaketh lies”, has to be conquered through Christ in order to overcome the lies of the devil, and only Christ can make war with that beast that gets his power from the dragon (Rev 13:4).

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?

Pro 14:26  In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.

When we fear God our prayers are heard (Heb 5:7, 1Jn 4:17), and it is when our prayers our heard that we gain strong confidence in the one in whom we are committing our lives unto through those prayers (1Pe 4:19). Our refuge and strong tower is in the Lord and found in fervent prayer that avails much, and reassures us in our time of need (Pro 18:10).

1Pe 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Pro 18:10  The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

We are to pray always and not lose heart (Luk 18:1), as this is our time of need in these earthen vessels that are in constant need of our Lord’s protection and leading. He is our refuge and stronghold in this life who keeps us from being a house divided (Psa 91:2).

Luk 18:1  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Psa 91:2  I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

Rev 14:1-5- Part 2- Who Is Given To “Sing A New Song”?

[Study Aired February 9, 2025]

Rev 14:1  And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
Rev 14:2  And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
Rev 14:3  And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
Rev 14:5  And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

We ended our last study asking the question… who are those who “sing a new song”?

Rev 14:3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

Who else sings this “new song”? We just read who else sings this “new song”. But just in case we might have missed it, let’s go back to the four beasts and four and twenty elders of Rev 5. That is right, it is the same “four beasts and four and twenty elders” who have the harps of God and they too ‘sing a new song’:

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

Since “no one can learn that [new] song but the hundred and forty and four thousand which were redeemed from the earth”, and since John hears harpers harping with their harps when he sees these hundred and forty and four thousand, and since the four beasts and the four and twenty elders are also redeemed from the earth, having every one of them harps, and are also singing this same “new song”, it is clear to anyone with any spiritual discernment that these two symbols, like Pharaoh’s two dreams, “are one”.

Gen 41:1  And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.
Gen 41:2  And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow.
Gen 41:3  And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river.
Gen 41:4  And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.
Gen 41:5  And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good.
Gen 41:6  And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them.
Gen 41:7  And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.
Gen 41:8  And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

Gen 41:25  And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.

What other symbols are used to show us who these 144,000 symbolize? Here is more symbolism for the same people:

Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

“Following the Lamb whithersoever He goes” means these 144,000 signfy those who are willing to please their Father Christ just as Christ wanted nothing but to please His Father and to do what His Father sent Him to do. “These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins”. Who is signified as a virgin in scriptural symbolism?

2Co 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

A repentant harlot is a spiritually “chaste virgin to Christ”. The same is true of any man or woman who has repented of his or her spiritual or physical adultery, fornication or uncleanness of any kind. The same principle applies to molesters and molested children who have accepted Christ as their savior. All who have Christ living His life of rejection and tribulation and persecution within them are “chaste virgins unto Christ”.

“These follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes” means that these recognize that they follow and live by the doctrine of Christ, and that doctrine is that “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Mat 4:4). It means that these virgins “fill up in their bodies what is behind of the afflictions of the Christ, for His body’s sake which is the church”:

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

“These follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes” means that these “144,000… firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb… follow His steps”:

1Pe 2:21  For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

Wherever the Lamb goes, His virgin bride goes with Him. It is only those Christians, who are espoused unto Christ as a chaste virgin, who are “redeemed from among men, and are the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.”

2Co 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

The whole world reaps the pain and misery their sins produce. That includes the Lord’s firstfruits bride:

Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23  And not only they [the whole creation, verse 22], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves,  waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

We are the adoption, and we are redeemed in earnest only at “this present time” (Rom 8:18), and we are still “waiting for the adoption and the redemption of our bodies.”

Rom 8:24  For we are saved [Aorist tense] by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Ours is a future reward which cannot be realized in this present time except by believing the words of “that holy spirit of promise”. It is “that… promise” which constitutes “the earnest of our inheritance”, which ‘earnest’ is but a downpayment of “the purchased possession” which Christ purchased with His own blood ‘to the praise of His glory’:

Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted [in Christ], 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 [Greek: down payment] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

God’s “firstfruits unto God and the Lamb” are right now “waiting for the adoption… the redemption of our bodies”. That is the honor we have been given if indeed Christ is living His life within us and we are “redeemed from among men”, and as His espoused bride, and if we are going wherever He goes.

Jas 1:18  Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

The last symbol we have not yet considered was the first mentioned in this 4^th verse:

Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women;

“Women” throughout scripture signify the church, the bride of Christ:

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,

Gal 4:21  Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
Gal 4:22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.

The ‘women’ by which we are all ‘defiled’ are all the daughters of the great whore of Revelation 17-18. “Were not defiled” is in the aorist tense, which tells us that we are in the process of being judged as the Father drags us out of Babylon and is through the process of being judged placing us upon the “sea of glass mingled with fire”:

Rev 15:1  And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
Rev 15:2  And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

“Not defiled with women”, does not mean they were never defiled with women. What it means is that these “firstfruits unto God and the Lamb” are well on their way to “coming out of her” the great whore and all of her daughter harlots, and willingly bearing the same hatred and rejection which that very same ‘whore’ dished out to our Lord. In this world ‘we are as  He is’:

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Christ was born into and raised up in the synagogues of the great whore:

Luk 2:51  And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

When His ministry began He ‘came out of her’ because he had no accord with her:

Luk 3:22  And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him [at His baptism by John], and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
Luk 3:23  And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

2Co 6:14  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
2Co 6:15  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

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

Rev 14:5  And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

The Greek word for ‘guile’ is G1388, ‘dolos’, and it means ‘deceit’. ‘Deceit’ is to mislead and to tell lies. No healthy marriage relationship can exist on anything less than the Truth. A marriage based on lies cannot last, and we simply cannot say “Lord, Lord” and at the same time “do not the things [that Christ, our husband, says to do]”:

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

We may deceive ourselves that we are obeying our spiritual husband, but He is not deceived. “There is no guile in the mouths of God’s elect, the espoused bride of Christ”. “The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” [the bride of Christ]:

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

That is why we are told that Christ’s bride has heard the thunder of God and is familiar with the lightning which produces the judgment of that thunder and hail.

Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

It is because “the hail [is sweeping] away the refuge of lies” within us, that there is no guile in our mouth, and we are without fault before the throne of God.

Mat 12:5  Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? [“before the throne of God”].

Rom 8:33  Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

God’s elect, His one hundred and forty and four thousand virgins, His four beasts and four and twenty elders, singing a new song, harping with their harps, are “without fault before the throne of God and of the Lamb”.

Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
Rev 14:5  And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

Summary

Rev 14:1  And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty [and] four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

What we have seen in this study is that this Lamb standing on Mount Sion, and the hundred and forty and four thousand, together are “the Christ”, who one and all think and act as our heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ think and act.

Joh 17:11  And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

Joh 17:21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
Joh 17:22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
Joh 17:23  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

This “that they may be one even as we are one” is true to the extent that Christ says of us: “I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you persecute”.

Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Act 22:8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

We saw that mount Sion is just another symbol of where God has desired to dwell in His people:

Psa 132:13  For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.
Psa 132:14  This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.

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

That being the case, the hundred and forty and four thousand and Mount Sion both signify the Lord’s elect, firstfruit, wife.

Rev 14:2  And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:

We have seen that the voice from heaven as the voice of a great thunder, and the voice of many waters is simply the Word of God, and that the great thunder signifies the judgment that comes with the fiery lightning which produces that thunder and its accompanying hail. We have also seen that the thunder of God signifies the judgment of our sinful flesh, and that the hail which accompanies that thunder signifies the fiery truths of the Words and doctrines of Christ which “shall wipe away the refuge of lies.” We have seen that “the refuge of lies” signifies the lying false doctrines of Babylon in which we thrive before God’s thunderous Word comes to us and judges us.

Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

We saw that the “harpers harping with their harps” signify the the Lord’s elect, and are the same as the four beasts and the four and twenty elders, who also all have harps and sing the same new song just as these 144,000.

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

Rev 15:2  And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

Rev 5:9  And they [the four beast and the four and twenty elders] sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

Rev 14:3  And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

Rev 14:3  And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth

We have seen that the new song sung by the 144,000, can only be sung by the 144,000, and yet the harps which John hears here with the 144,000, and the fact that both the 144,000 and the four beasts and the four and twenty elders, all sing this same “new song”, and both have the same harps and are both “redeemed from the earth”, proves that these two symbols, like Pharaoh’s dreams, both signify the same thing. And that ‘same thing’ is the few chosen and faithful elect of God, who are in both cases “redeemed from the earth… from among men”.

Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

We have seen that those who are “not defiled with women, and are virgins” are not virgins because they have never known women, but rather they are virgins because they have overcome the name, number, mark and image of the beast. We saw that being a virgin is a matter of repentance from our own ways, and obedience and fidelity to the words and ways of our Lord. Being a spiritual ‘virgin’ is a matter of coming out of the lies and sins of Babylon and her harlot daughters, and believing and doing the things Christ tells us to do.

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

2Co 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

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

Rev 14:5  And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

We saw that the world will despise and reject God’s elect but that in the end no one can “lay anything to the charge of God’s elect” because, in God’s eyes they are “without guile, without blame, and without fault before the throne of God.”

Mat 12:5  Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? [“before the throne of God”].

Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

These first five verses of this 14^th chapter of Revelation are repeated here just before the rest of the verses in this 14^th chapter for the purpose of incentivizing us to “endure to the end”, and to give us the ‘respect of the reward’ of being privileged to “follow the Lamb withersoever He goes”, and by having respect for that reward we are now able to endure the judgment that lies before us and which judgment must “first begin… at the house of God”:

Heb 11:26  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

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

Next week, Lord willing, we will continue our study of the next six verses of Revelation 14, and we will see that the preaching of the everlasting gospel is all about the fact that “the hour of His judgment is come”, which judgment will teach the inhabitants of the world righteousness (Isa 26:8-9), and it will also produce the “worship of the maker of heaven, and earth and the sea and the fountains of water”.

Rev 14:6  And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7  Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Rev 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Numbers 35:1-34 Cities for Levites and Cities for Refuge

[Study Aired January 8, 2024]

Introduction

Today’s study of Numbers chapter 35 looks at the Lord’s command for the people of Israel to give the Levites, out of their inheritance, cities to dwell in and also to designate some of the cities as cities of refuge. This was dependent on the people of Israel overcoming the various tribes living in the land of Canaan.

In order to understand the spiritual interpretation of this chapter, we need to look at what cities and cities of refuge represent. Cities represent places where we live and raise our families. In the Bible, we know that we all live in Christ. 

Act 17:28  For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

The Bible therefore uses a city to represent the church of Christ. A good city symbolizes the assembly of the elect, and a bad city represents Babylon or the physical churches of this world who have strayed from the Lord’s ways. Here are examples of a good city and a bad city as used in the Bible:

Isa 1:21  How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. 
Isa 1:22  Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water: 
Isa 1:23  Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. 
Isa 1:24  Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:
Isa 1:25  And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:
Isa 1:26  And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.
Isa 1:27  Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness. 

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 17:18  And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 
Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

The cities of refuge represent our Lord Jesus Christ as it is in Him that we are kept safe from the evil one who seeks to destroy us. 

Psa 46:7  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Psa 9:9  The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. 
Psa 9:10  And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. 

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

Towns for the Levites

Num 35:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, 
Num 35:2  Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and ye shall give also unto the Levites suburbs for the cities round about them.
Num 35:3  And the cities shall they have to dwell in; and the suburbs of them shall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts.

The suburbs in verses 2 and 3 means pasturelands. These verses are to show us the Lord’s provision for His people. The Levites in this case represent the chosen people of God’s house. While we were still in Babylon or the churches of this world, signified by Moses and the people of Israel in the plains of Moab, as the spirit of the Lord was stirring us to leave, the Lord had already provided for us a place to dwell where there are abundant pastures for us to grow in Him. The word “Israel” means He will rule as God. In other words, it is the Lord who does everything through the people of Israel. Therefore, the children of Israel represent our Lord Jesus Christ who, through His victory on the cross, gave to His elect cities to dwell and pasturelands to feed on His words when He gave birth to the church.

Psa 100:1  A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! 
Psa 100:2  Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 
Psa 100:3  Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 

We are not brought into the church of the firstborn to hunger and thirst after the word of the Lord. The Lord has also provided us with pasturelands in the assembly of His elect (cities to dwell), where just like sheep, we feed on the word of the Lord with what every joint supplies. That is where we grow in spiritual stature such that we are no longer tossed to and fro or carried about with every wind of doctrine. 

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

In verse 3, we can see the Lord’s provision of pasturelands for all kinds of beasts. As we are aware, we are beasts before the Lord, thus confirming the Lord’s provision for us to be fed with His words.

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

Psa 73:22  So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. 

Eze 34:14  I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. 
Eze 34:15  I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. 
Eze 34:16  I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment. 
Eze 34:17  And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.

Num 35:4  And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.
Num 35:5  And ye shall measure from without the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits; and the city shall be in the midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities. 

The pasturelands that the Lord has provided in the midst of His children have dimensions of two thousand cubits in every direction. This implies that the provision of the Lord for us to be fed by what every joint supplies is to bring us to grow to become witnesses of Christ, as the number two signifies a witness.

2Co 13:1  This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

When the Lord was departing from His disciples physically, He gave them the promise to wait for the Holy Spirit which would come and make them witnesses of Christ.

Act 1:4  And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
Act 1:5  For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Act 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Cities of Refuge

Num 35:6  And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities. 
Num 35:7  So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs. 
Num 35:8  And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many; but from them that have few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth.

About six of the cities which were to be given to the Levites were to be designated as cities for refuge. This was for the purpose of protecting those who flee to these cities because they had mistakenly murdered someone. As indicated in the word of the Lord, we see that our refuge is in Christ. The number six refers to man. On a negative note, therefore, these six cities of refuge represent the church of Christ dominated by man’s wisdom instead of Christ. These six cities of refuge therefore represent Babylon. After we left the world or Egypt, we came to Babylon where we had taken refuge in Christ as we had a murder charge on our heads as we unknowingly assisted in the death of Christ and His elect. These verses below show how we were all guilty of murder when we came to Babylon.

Luk 11:49  Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: 
Luk 11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; 
Luk 11:51  From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

In verse 6, the number of cities to be given to the Levites was 48. The number forty-eight signifies the whole of the elect of every generation who are given a new beginning in Christ. In verse 8, the Lord establishes a principle that those who have many shall give many and those who have few shall give few. This principle is in line with the parable of the talents where the person with five talents was able to get or produce five more talents. The same goes for the one with two talents. However, the one with a talent was not able to give back a talent.

Mat 25:14  For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 
Mat 25:15  And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. 
Mat 25:16  Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. 
Mat 25:17  And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. 
Mat 25:18  But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.

This principle also implies that the little truth that is given to our brothers and sisters in Babylon shall be taken away and given to the Lord’s elect.

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.

Num 35:9  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 35:10  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan; 
Num 35:11  Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares.
Num 35:12  And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment.
Num 35:13  And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge.
Num 35:14  Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge.
Num 35:15  These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.

As indicated, these cities of refuge represent our Lord Jesus Christ in whom we have taken refuge. These cities of refuge were safe places for those who had unintentionally committed murder and were being pursued by an avenger to put them to death. As we said earlier, we are the murderers. How did we become unintentional murderers of the Lord’s elect?  When we hate them because of what they say we are murderers. In the new covenant, hating our brother or sister is regarded as murder. We are therefore murderers who need to take refuge in Christ (cities of refuge) to escape from the devil (the avenger) who seeks to put us to death spiritually. 

1Jn 3:15  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 

Act 4:27  For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, 
Act 4:28  For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

As our Lord Jesus said, in this world we shall have tribulations, which makes it imperative to have a refuge apart from our sin of being murderers of our Lord Jesus Christ and His prophets. The things we go through in this life are very stressful, and unless we take refuge in Christ, we shall be meat for the devil. For example, David went through heart-breaking and stressful circumstances in his life but was sustained because he took refuge in Christ. His example is for our admonition that we must run to take hold of Christ, who is our city of refuge (positive application)!!

1Sa 30:4  Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
1Sa 30:5  And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
1Sa 30:6  And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

Num 35:16  And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. 
Num 35:17  And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. 
Num 35:18  Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. 
Num 35:19  The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him. 
Num 35:20  But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die; 
Num 35:21  Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him. 

As we are aware, the Law of the Spirit of life which sets us free from the Law of Sin and Death (the Law of Moses) is of higher standards in every aspect. We do not need to physically commit physical adultery or fornication before we become guilty of adultery. Just looking lustfully at a woman makes one guilty of fornication or adultery under the Law of the Spirit of Life.  In a similar vein, just being angry with a brother or sister can make one liable of murder as shown in these verses below.

Mat 5:21  “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’
Mat 5:22  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 
Mat 5:23  So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 
Mat 5:24  leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 

With this in mind, verses 16–21 above, which show us the list of cases where the murder charge was appropriate, as all the culprits here deserve death sentences, are all indications of the guilty verdict of our old man or the flesh which must of necessity die.  The slayer or the revenger of blood in these verses represents the devil who aids in the death of our old man. The devil therefore plays a role in our salvation. That is why Apostle Jude said that those who do not know Christ well tend to blaspheme everything that they do not understand about its spiritual significance including insulting the devil.

Jud 1:8  Yet in like manner these people also (those who do not Christ), relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones.
Jud 1:9  But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.”
Jud 1:10  But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. (ESV)

The Lord has shown us in His word the role the devil has as follows:

Isa 54:16  Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the ravager (the devil) to destroy (our old man); 
Isa 54:17  no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD.”

As stated, the Law of the Spirit of Life has far higher standards than the Law of Sin and Death, that is, the Law of Moses.  You may wonder then; how would we be saved then with such high standards which we cannot attain? We must realize that it is the Lord’s work to start with us and to complete what He started. Of ourselves, we can do nothing.

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Secondly, we must realize that salvation is a process. While we live here on earth in this tent of flesh, we cannot be perfected. We may make mistakes but as we grow in the things of God, such mistakes become more rare. It is after death that we are perfected, just as the Lord Jesus was perfected when He rose from death. 

Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

One will say that since we cannot be perfected, then we can continue to make mistakes. As shown in the last study concerning the boundaries of the kingdom of God within us, the kingdom of God is confined within the boundaries of the flesh. This implies that if we do not take care, we can easily drift toward being dominated by the flesh and as a result, lose all that we have achieved spiritually.  This is the Lord’s warning for our admonition:

Heb 6:4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 
Heb 6:5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 
Heb 6:6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Heb 6:7  For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 
Heb 6:8  But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
Heb 6:9  But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

Num 35:22  But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him anything without laying of wait, 
Num 35:23  Or with any stone, wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm: 
Num 35:24  Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments: 

These verses show us that it is the intent of the heart which matters and not the action which results. In these verses, although the person has committed murder, the fact that it was not intentional means that the person does not face a death sentence immediately and that there must be a congregation to judge on the matter. These provisions show us that even within the Law of Moses, there were provisions that point to the intent of the heart which directs us to the Law of the Spirit of Life. Jesus’ coming was to bring in this Law of the Spirit of Life.

Heb 9:8  The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle (with its law of Moses) was yet standing: 
Heb 9:9  Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 
Heb 9:10  Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

Num 35:25  And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil.

To understand this verse, we need to see the city of refuge in a negative sense. It is stated that the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood and restore him to the city of his refuge. This shows us the role that the church (Babylon) plays in our walk with the Lord. Through the churches of this world, we are delivered from the devil (the revenger of blood) when we flee from the world to be given hope in the Lord as our refuge. During our time in Babylon, we end up crucifying the Lord again and putting Him to open shame, that is, putting Christ our High Priest to death. However, it is when we see Christ within us being put to death signified by the death of the High Priest, that we get out of our city of refuge (Babylon) and become free to worship the Lord. 

Heb 6:5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 
Heb 6:6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Num 35:26  But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled; 
Num 35:27  And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood: 
Num 35:28  Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession. 
Num 35:29  So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

On a positive note, coming into the city of refuge represents coming to hide in Christ our King as our stronghold or tower. It is in Him that we lay hold of the hope that is set before us.

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

In verses 26-27, we are warned that if we leave our city of refuge or Christ, we become mincemeat for the devil. This means that we shall end up becoming spiritually dead. It is when Christ within us is put to death through the doctrines that we imbibe in Babylon that we have to leave to become spiritually free to worship the Lord in truth and in spirit. 

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Num 35:30  Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. 

In verse 30, we are being taught the principle of having two or more witnesses before a thing is established. One witness is not sufficient testimony to establish the matter. What this implies is that no Bible verse has its own interpretation. We need other witnesses in the Bible to establish what the Spirit is saying to us.

2Pe 1:20  knowing this first, that every prophecy of Scripture did not come into being of its own interpretation; 

2Co 13:1  This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. 

Num 35:31  Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death. 
Num 35:32  And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest. 
Num 35:33  So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. 
Num 35:34  Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel. 

The King James version of verse 31 which we just read did not bring out clearly what the verse means. In other versions of the Bible, we are told the following:

Num 35:31  Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death. 
Num 35:32  And you shall accept no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest. (ESV)

Our old man or our flesh who belongs to the devil, the murderer, must surely be put to death. There is no ransom for the flesh. It was made of dust, and to dust it must return.  In verse 32, there is no ransom for those who have fled to a city of refuge. If we come to Christ as our refuge, and we continue to sin, there is no ransom since Christ has already been sacrificed. 

Heb 6:4  For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 
Heb 6:5  and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 
Heb 6:6  and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

In verse 33 and 34, we are told not to pollute the land that we dwell in by committing murder since blood pollutes the land. The land refers to our bodies. We are therefore not to fill our hearts with hatred for our brothers and sisters as hatred is regarded as murder according to the Law of the Spirit of Life. We are to love our brothers and sisters, even as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for us. In relation to Christ, love to us means obedience. In our relationship with one another as brothers and sisters, love means that we serve one another. 

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.
1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

Gal 5:13  For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

May the Lord help us as we take refuge in Him to lay hold of the hope set before us. Amen!!

Exo 21:1-19  Laws Governing Hebrew Servants and Personal Injuries

[Study Aired August 15, 2022]

Exo 21:1  Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.
Exo 21:2  If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
Exo 21:3  If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.
Exo 21:4  If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself.
Exo 21:5  And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:
Exo 21:6  Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.
Exo 21:7  And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.
Exo 21:8  If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.
Exo 21:9  And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters. 
Exo 21:10  If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.
Exo 21:11  And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.
Exo 21:12  He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death. 
Exo 21:13  And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.
Exo 21:14  But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.
Exo 21:15  And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
Exo 21:16  And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
Exo 21:17  And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
Exo 21:18  And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed:
Exo 21:19  If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.

Apart from the Ten Commandments, the Lord also gave the people of Israel several laws regarding how they were to live their lives. This chapter deals with laws concerning how the people of Israel were to deal with their Hebrew servants and personal injuries. These laws were not different from the laws pertaining in other countries that do not know the Lord. That is why Paul said:

Rom 2:14  For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 
Rom 2:15  They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them.

Obeying these carnal ordinances could not make the people of Israel holy. It was during this time of the reformation that Jesus brought about the law of Christ, which is the same as the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus which sets us free from these carnal ordinances which refer to the law of sin and death.

Heb 9:8  The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: 
Heb 9:9  Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 
Heb 9:10  Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

Gal 6:2  Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 
Rom 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 
Rom 8:4  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

What this means is that these carnal laws have been raised to a higher spiritual level. Our study today will therefore look at the spiritual implication of these carnal ordinances.

Exo 21:1  Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.
Exo 21:2  If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.

The judgments here in verse 1 refer to these carnal laws set before the people of Israel. To understand verse 2 and the next few verses, we need to know what the word “Hebrew” means. The root letters of the word “Hebrew” means to cross over or pass through. In the Bible, it seems to have primarily referred to those who traversed or crossed over rivers. Abram was called “Abraham the Hebrew” in Genesis 14:13 which is the first time the word “Hebrew” is used in the Bible. The reference to Abraham as a Hebrew refers to the fact that he came from the other side of the river. The Hebrew servant here in verse 2 refers to us, the elect, who have crossed or are crossing the river of Babylon. As Paul indicated, we were bought by the Lord Jesus with His own blood and therefore are the Hebrew servants of Christ.

Gal 3:13 Christ bought us with His blood and made us free from the Law. In that way, the Law could not punish us. Christ did this by carrying the load and by being punished instead of us. It is written, “Anyone who hangs on a cross is hated and punished.” 
Gal 3:14 Because of the price Christ Jesus paid, the good things that came to Abraham might come to the people who are not Jews. And by putting our trust in Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit He has promised. (NLV)

Rom 1:1  Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

The six years of labor is the period of our walk with Christ where we use our strength (flesh) to serve the Lord. The seventh year is when we are set free in the liberty of the spirit to find rest in the Lord as He does the work. These six days of labor in the flesh therefore refer to our servitude under the devil. Unfortunately, during this period we think we are serving Christ and are therefore free. The seventh day is when we are set free from the evil one to serve the living God.

Joh 8:33  They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
Joh 8:34  Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 
Joh 8:35  And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 
Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Externally, our labor here on earth is signified by the six years. The seventh year is the next age where the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. It is during this period that we shall be free of this flesh as we take hold of the purchased possession to rest in the Lord.

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

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

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.

Exo 21:3  If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. 

We know from the word of Christ that none of us become slaves of the Lord by ourselves. We are dragged by the Lord to come and serve Him.

Joh 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw (G1670: drag) him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

However, when we were in Babylon, we thought we came to serve the Lord by our own choices. If we think we came to be the Lord’s servant by our own choice, then our supposed “liberty” is our own making as Christ does not come in to give us the rest that we seek. In that case, we are in bondage, but we think we are free. The wife here on a negative note refers to Babylon which is in bondage with her children. Being in bondage, we shall not abide in the house of the Lord forever.  This is what the Lord has to say about this:

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

Exo 21:4  If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. 

It is the Lord that gives us the church (wife), and through the union of Christ with the church, several sons and daughters are born who belong to Christ. The servant going out by himself here is another way of saying that we should work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Although the church nurtures us to grow in Christ since it is the pillar of truth, it is not because we belong to the church that we shall be part of the first resurrection. We must work out our salvation individually through the Lord’s enabling.

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.

Exo 21:5  And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: 

Although we are servants of the Lord, the Lord’s goodness and mercies toward us cause us to love Him such that we come to see our obedience as not the result of compulsion, but our willingness to submit to Him. His love toward us first is the basis of our love (obedience) toward Him.  That is when we come to serve Him freely by resting in Him. Our love for Christ also makes us love the church which is His wife and the children. We cannot love the Lord and hate His wife, the church.

Psa 145:7  They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. 
Psa 145:8  The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
Psa 145:9  The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

1Jn 5:1  Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 
1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Exo 21:6  Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever. 

When we come to obey (love) the Lord, we are given to know more of the mysteries of the kingdom of God as our ears are opened to hear clearly what the spirit of God is saying. This is symbolized by the master boring the ears of the servant with an aul. As stated in verse 6, our eyes being opened and our ears hearing is what makes us able to serve the Lord forever!! Our master bringing us to the judges means that we are before the cloud of witnesses (His elect) as we labor here in this tent of flesh.

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

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

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,

Exo 21:7  And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.

A daughter or maidservant represents either the church of the firstborn (Jerusalem which is above) or Babylon (Jerusalem which is in bondage with her sons). This verse is another way of saying that it is an individual that is saved (in other words, set free) and not the church.

Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Exo 21:8  If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.

A better rendition of verse 8 is as follows:

Exo 21:8  If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her. (ESV)

As indicated, the maidservant represents either the church of the firstborn or Babylon depending on the context. In verse 8, the maidservant does not please the master, and so she represents Babylon which needs to be redeemed in the fullness of time. The master in this case has no right to sell the maidservant to strange nations or foreigners. The strange nations or foreigners here represent the people of the world who are symbolized by the nation of Egypt. It is instructive to note that even though when we were in Babylon, we did not please our master Jesus Christ, we were not sold to Egypt by the Lord. In other words, the Lord did not allow us to go back to Egypt even though He has broken faith with us as a result of our rebellious ways.

Jer 42:19  The LORD has said to you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Know for a certainty that I have warned you this day.

Exo 21:9  And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters. 

God has selected us, the elect, to become the bride of His son Jesus. Thus, the Lord has granted us the rights of a daughter. That is what it means to deal after the manner of daughters in verse 9. Remembering that Israel or the church is signified by a woman or daughter, all that the Lord said concerning how He will deal with Israel reflects the rights of a daughter which we are. The following is an example:

Jer 31:3  the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. 
Jer 31:4  Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. 
Jer 31:5  Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant and shall enjoy the fruit. 
Jer 31:6  For there shall be a day when watchmen will call in the hill country of Ephraim: ‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God.’
Jer 31:7  For thus says the LORD: “Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘O LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel.’

Exo 21:10  If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish. 

Our Lord has “two wives” – Jerusalem, which is above which is the mother of us all, and Jerusalem which is, which is in bondage with her sons. Jerusalem which is, came first before Jerusalem which is above as shown in the verses below:

1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

This means that the statement that if our Master takes another wife refers to us, the elect – the church of the firstborn. In taking us as another wife, the Lord has not neglected His responsibilities towards His “first wife” (Jerusalem which is – the physical churches of this world) in terms of providing her food, raiment and her duty of marriage as stated in verse 10. The Lord’s duty of care for His “first wife” is made clear in the following scriptures:

Rev 12:5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Rev 12:6  And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. 

Rev 12:13  And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
Rev 12:14  And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Rev 12:15  And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 
Rev 12:16  And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 
Rev 12:17  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Exo 21:11  And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money. 

Since the Lord has not neglected His responsibilities towards His “first wife”, she cannot go out free without money. In other words, for the “first wife” to be free, she has to be redeemed at a cost. This cost is the blood of Jesus which has redeemed us all including those in Babylon and people of the world. What this means is that in the fullness of time, people in Babylon and the rest of the world shall also be saved through the sacrificial offering made by Jesus.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

Exo 21:12  He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death. 
Exo 21:13  And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee. 

According to this law, he that commits murder must be put to death. As we have indicated earlier, to hate a brother or sister means to murder. This means that we are all guilty of murder and deserve to die.  Since we are talking about the spiritual implication of this law, the punishment for committing murder is also spiritual. In other words, the death that we must face is also spiritual. That is, we must die to the old man or the flesh.

1Jn 3:14  We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
1Jn 3:15  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

A simpler translation of verse 13 is as follows:

Exo 21:13  But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee.

Verse 13 is saying that if the death of the person smitten was by accident, then the culprit must flee into a place of refuge designated by the Lord. This place of refuge is Christ.

Psa 46:1  To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psa 46:2  Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 
Psa 46:3  though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

We know that nothing happens by accident and that everything is according to the counsel of His will. This implies that a prerequisite to taking refuge in the Lord is to come to realize that we are murderers just like our father the devil. That was what Jesus wanted to point out when He said the following to those who believed in Him:

Joh 8:44  You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 

Eph 1:11  In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

Exo 21:14  But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die. 

What we need to know is that whether we killed a man by accident or by intent, the Lord wants us to come to know that we are the greatest sinners just like Apostle Paul came to this realization. We have all killed our brothers and sisters in the name of the Lord thinking we are doing God a service just like Paul. Resisting the words of those the Lord has sent to us all amounts to killing them spiritually. This is all to bring us to that point of accepting that we are murderers just like our father the devil – that is, we are spiritually poor. It is when we come to this realization that Christ comes to us with the spirit of His mouth to put to death the old man or the flesh within us to make us His sons. Taking the guilty person from the Lord’s altar in verse 14 is to make us aware that the person is a worshiper of God. This means that it refers to us at a certain point of our walk with Christ.

1Ti 1:12  And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 
1Ti 1:13  Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 
1Ti 1:14  And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 
1Ti 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
1Ti 1:16  Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

Joh 16:1  These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. 
Joh 16:2  They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 

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:

Exo 21:15  And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death. 

We are all guilty of smiting our father and mother, and therefore we deserve to die. In other words, our old man or the flesh must die. Our father here is Christ, and our mother is the church of the firstborn. We hurt Christ by hurting our brothers and sisters in Christ. This means that hurting our mother is the same as hurting our father and vice versa.

Act 9:3  And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 
Act 9:4  And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 9:5  And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

We are all guilty of killing the prophets the Lord sent and therefore are going through our death sentences through His judgment.

Luk 11:49  Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
Luk 11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; 
Luk 11:51  From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

Exo 21:16  And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

The word of the Lord summarizes our sins here on earth as lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life. It is the lust of the flesh and eyes which drives us to steal. As we have stated, Jesus raised the bar in terms of the law of Moses to that of spiritual laws called the law of Christ. According to this law, desiring to possess what belongs to others is equivalent to stealing, for which we are punished by a death sentence. We are all guilty before the Lord according to verse 16 and therefore deserve to die. Our death sentence has already been passed as we die daily.

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

Exo 21:17  And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.

We have already stated that cursing our mother, which is the church of the firstborn or the elect, is the same as cursing the Lord who is our father. We have all cursed the church of the elect and therefore cursed our father, Lord Jesus. We are therefore guilty and therefore must be put to death. Again, putting to death pertains to the dying of the old man or the flesh or the beast within us.

Exo 21:18  And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed:
Exo 21:19  If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.

We have all striven with the Lord at a certain period of our walk in Christ. Jacob’s experience of striving with the Lord is also our experience. Let’s look at what happened when Jacob strove with the Lord.

Gen 32:24  And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
Gen 32:25  And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 
Gen 32:26  And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 
Gen 32:27  And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 
Gen 32:28  And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. 
Gen 32:29  And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. 
Gen 32:30  And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Just like Jacob, our Lord will prevail over us when we strive with Him as He touches the hollow of our thighs, and in the process, the hollow of our thighs becomes out of joint and therefore, we become incapacitated. It is only in our incapacitated state or the state of weakness that the Lord comes in to take care of us. This is what verse 19 is inferring. The staff that we walk with after being incapacitated is Christ. In verse 19, the loss of our time that we have to be compensated for by the one (Christ) who wounded us is the life we gain after we have lost it in this life.

Mat 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 
Mat 16:25  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Again, in verse 19, the one that caused the wound is expected by this law in verse 19, to cause us who are wounded to be completely healed. We know that it is our Lord Jesus that heals us after wounding us. It is in our wounded (weakened) state that Christ does His work best!!  We should therefore glory in our wounds for when we are weak, then we are strong in Christ!! Are you feeling weak, powerless, etc? Then you are the best candidate to receive the strength of the Lord!! He will surely come around to heal us spiritually and physically!!

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.

May the Lord grant us the grace to be healed both spiritually and physically of all our wounds or diseases!!!! Amen!!

[Study Aired October 8, 2020]

Heb 6:15  And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 
Heb 6:16  For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. 
Heb 6:17  Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 
Heb 6:18  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 
Heb 6:19  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 
Heb 6:20  Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

In this week’s study we will start off by reminding ourselves how last week’s study which discussed the “two immutable things” spoken of in Hebrews 6:13-14 is the “strong consolation” God gives to those “who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us” (Heb 6:18).

Heb 6:13  For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
Heb 6:14  Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

Heb 6:18  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

That hope set before us is being able to endure until the end through Christ as we go from glory to glory looking to the joy set before us that is manifest through the author and finisher our faith Jesus Christ who is our hope of glory (Heb 12:1-2, 2Co 3:18, Col 1:27).

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.

2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

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

These promises found in Hebrews 6:13-14, as we recently discussed, were declared of our Father who cannot lie so that we could lay hold of this promise (Heb 6:17) that has been made to those whose inheritance is in the Lord (Col 1:12, Luk 17:21, Pro 13:22). “Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath” is just another way of saying “fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom”, which is where that inheritance is found (Luk 12:32).

Col 1:12  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Col 1:13  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.

Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you [Col 1:27].

Pro 13:22  A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

Proverbs 13:22 demonstrates for us what “Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew” of Hebrews 6:17 is talking about, and is no small inheritance. The “wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just” of Proverbs 13:22 represents those whom God’s elect will judge in the lake of fire, and they in turn will be our inheritance in Christ. So we are Christ’s inheritance, and the world is our inheritance as was typified with Abraham’s promise of “multiplying I will multiply thee” in Hebrews 6:14, and all of these blessings and inheritances are governed by God (Eph 1:11) who will ultimately be “all in all” (1Co 15:28).

God’s elect are indeed the “heirs of promise” being spoken of in Hebrews 6:17, typified by Abraham who was promised “Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.” An heir in Christ is someone who is going to receive an inheritance, and a place of honour given to them for having suffered in this life (Php 1:29, 2Ti 2:12). We are being judged and being made ready and going through much tribulation for the express purpose of being made ready (Rev 19:7) to receive the fullness of that inheritance which will occur in the first resurrection (1Pe 4:17, Act 14:22, Rev 20:6).

Php 1:29  For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

2Ti 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

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

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

As God’s elect, we are called to endure until the end, losing our life so we might be found with the righteousness of Christ in us (Mat 10:39, Php 3:8-9). God has promised us, His children, that we’ll be able to overcome through a narrow but certain escape by giving us the power to put off our flesh through all the things we can endure through Christ (Php 4:13). He makes it possible for us to be the first to truly trust in God (Eph 1:12) and no longer have confidence in our own flesh (1Pe 4:18-19, Mat 24:24, Mat 7:14, Php 3:3).

1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
1Pe 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Php 3:3  For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

In this study we’ll look at how we can, through the grace and faith of Christ, patiently endure until the end and in so doing obtain the promises in full (Heb 6:15). We are coming together often to remind each other of the faithfulness of God who continues to show us how He can deliver and will continue to deliver us (2Co 1:10) as He provides the vision we will all need in order to endure until the end of this age (Pro 29:18).

Heb 6:15  And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

2Co 1:10  Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

Pro 29:18  Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Heb 6:15  And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

When we have the overview of God’s plan in our heavens, it is easier to be less anxious and to patiently endure, with the vision that comes from knowing our Father and Jesus Christ (Pro 29:18, Joh 17:3).

Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

It is through hearing the word in “an honest and good heart” and then keeping it (Luk 8:15), as we go through the afflictions (2Co 12:9), persecutions (2Ti 3:12) and much tribulation (Act 14:22) of this life, that we learn to endure as the body of Christ as the veil of our heavens is ripped so we can enter into the “hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil“. It is through those trials that God prepares our hearts to endure so we can be among those who have “patiently endured” and “obtained the promise” as His power rests upon us so we can go to the Father through “the forerunner” who “is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec” (Eph 1:6, Joh 14:6).

Luk 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

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

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

As we just read, it is “after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise” referring to Abraham who is a type of Christ who is our hope of glory within who is making it possible for us to obtain “the promise”. The promise is to receive eternal life, age-abiding life, as a kind of first fruits of God (Psa 133:2-3, Zec 4:6, Joh 6:29, Mat 13:11, Php 1:29, Joh 11:25-26, Joh 6:40).

Psa 133:2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
Psa 133:3  As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Joh 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Joh 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Joh 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Heb 6:16  For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. 
Heb 6:17  Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 

God has to show us that we are beasts (Ecc 3:18), and part of that beastly nature is our inability to keep the promises we make both to God and to man. Presently all these scriptures (2Ti 3:4-7, Rom 11:18-20, Rev 20:8-9, Act 4:27-28) have their present inward application to our daily-dying old man who cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1Co 15:50). Our vision of what God is doing at any given time is dependent on knowing that His word is an eternal is-was-and-will-be word that will not change, and as such we will not be destroyed (Joh 6:68, Mal 3:6). Flesh, on the other hand, and all carnal soulishness will be destroyed (Luk 12:5).

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

2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
2Ti 3:6  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
2Ti 3:7  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

[“Silly women” represent the churches of Babylon out of which we’ve come where we were “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Eph 4:14-16)]

Eph 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
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.

As it says, making “an oath” is “for confirmation…to them an end of all strife“, meaning for the time being we can say in our flesh — because of our swearing “by the greater” — that we have peace. Whoever we’re subject to, they are “the greater”, and so now with Christ in us we ought to be subject only to Christ in one another and only knowing Christ, as opposed to being under tutors and governors (Gal 4:2-6). As such we do not have need that any man teach us, meaning any carnal man who is still under the law for the lawless, the tutors and governors that represent the milk of the word that we must be established upon but not remain in (1Jn 2:27, Heb 5:11-14).

Gal 4:2  But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
Gal 4:3  Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
Gal 4:4  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5  To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Gal 4:6  And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

1Jn 2:27  But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

Heb 5:11  Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
Heb 5:12  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil [Eph 4:14-16].

The truth is the only lasting peace the world will ever have, and it will come through Jesus Christ abiding in us. God has promised the “heirs of promise” that the oath or promise that He made to us is not dependent on some other power greater than Himself because there is none greater (Isa 45:5-7), and therefore we can rest in the Lord and “the immutability of his counsel” which is confirmed by the two immutable promises spoken of in Hebrews 6:18.

Isa 45:5  I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
Isa 45:6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
Isa 45:7  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Heb 6:18  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 

These two immutable promises God has given the elect should cause us to move with fear to the saving of our spiritual house (Heb 11:7) which is what “who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us” means. It is possible because God has granted us the grace and faith, or the unction, to do so (1Jn 5:4, Eph 2:8, 1Jn 2:27). Therefore, because of this anointing, “we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge.

1Jn 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

Our refuge is in Christ in the city of refuge where we flee, and going to that city of refuge (Num 35:15) is another way of saying we go without the camp where our Lord went for us, which is where our “refuge” is (Heb 13:13).

Num 35:15  These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither [Luk 12:5].

Heb 13:13  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach [Luk 12:5].

We “lay hold upon the hope set before us” by going without the camp where we are “bearing his reproach” of being hated by all men (Mat 10:22) and not by shrinking back (Heb 10:39).

Heb 10:39  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul [Luk 12:5].

It is through the giants in our land which God will perfectly position in our lives that we will be nourished and given the strength to lay down our lives as we ought for one another (Num 14:9). Laying hold “upon the hope set before us” can also be thought of as simply looking to Christ who is the faithful author and finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2-3), who for the joy set before him endured the cross.

Num 14:9 Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not [Luk 12:5].

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.
Heb 12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds [Luk 12:5].

Heb 6:19  Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 
Heb 6:20  Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

We can’t have any stronger consolation than to know that the One who has promised to bless us and multiply us (Heb 6:14) has sworn by Himself that these things are true, and it is with such a promise we can patiently endure (Heb 6:15) with this “hope” that “we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast” that is given to the elect so that we can “entereth into that within the veil“. That veil represents the flesh (Eph 5:30), and Christ, who is our hope of glory within (Col 1:27), is the “forerunner” who “is for us entered, even Jesus” who was “made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec“.

Christ has entered into heaven in the fullness as our resurrected Saviour “after the order of Melchisedec“, and that was the expedient action which had to occur in order for us to receive God’s holy spirit that can and will lead us into all truth if we have that spirit within us (Joh 16:7, Joh 16:13, Rom 8:9). We are therefore raised now in heavenly places (Eph 2:4-6) and the veil or carnal sinful mind is being overcome daily as we die daily and neglect not so great a salvation that is unfolding in this manner: “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8).

Salvation has an order to it that starts with our “forerunner” (1Co 15:23-24), then the elect “firstfruits“, and when Christ returns “they that are Christ’s at his coming” who won’t precede those who have already died in the Lord (1Th 4:15-17). When this is all accomplished and the bride of Christ is come together, “then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign [1Co 6:2, 2Ti 2:12], till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” [Rev 11:15].

1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
1Co 15:24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1Co 6:2  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

2Ti 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Without a clear vision (Pro 29:18) of what “the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” is, we won’t be motivated to press toward that mark (Php 3:14-16). However, if Christ is in us as our hope of glory, then we are bound to the altar, and nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus (Psa 118:27-29, Rom 8:35-39).

Pro 29:18  Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Php 3:16  Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

Psa 118:27  God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
Psa 118:28  Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.
Psa 118:29  O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Awesome Hands – Part 170

“The cities of refuge”

August 19, 2020

The Lord always provides His city of refuge. For Christians, He is our refuge.

Psa 46:1  To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psa 14:6  Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.
Psa 71:7  I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.
Psa 71:8  Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.

While this concept is easy to grasp, the Lord is our refuge, it is much harder to hold onto. It seems as though when times of tribulation happen upon us, we often forget that we do have a place to which we can retreat so that judgment can take its course.

Judgment

Judgment is the reason why the city of refuge is implemented. Proper judgment is very hard to come by, but when the Lord is involved, we know that His judgment is just and wise.

In our study today, we find ourselves ported into the world of Joshua 20.

Joshua 11 was the last chapter that we see the Hebrew word “yad” mentioned, and now we jump forward to the next mention of this word, which is found three times in Joshua 20.

In Joshua 11, we saw that the Lord indeed hardens hearts. In the case of a hardened heart, the Lord certainly will not feel like He is a place of refuge. However, in Joshua 20, we find some biblical definitions of what the cities of refuge are all about.

Jos 20:1  The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying,
Jos 20:2  Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:
Jos 20:3  That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

The law of Moses was made up of a lot of laws which were added to the ten commandments. However, one of topics that Moses did not have to delineate on was the topic of the cities of refuge. That is because the Lord Himself instituted this practice.

Killing a person “unawares” was akin to an accidental death. It was not a premeditated murder. However, it was acceptable in the traditions of the people that blood to be repaid with blood.

Exo 21:12  He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.
Exo 21:13  And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.
Exo 21:14  But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.
Exo 21:15  And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.

Joshua simply reminded the people of the law that was already passed down through Moses via the Lord.

Num 35:9  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 35:10  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan;
Num 35:11  Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares.
Num 35:12  And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment.
Num 35:13  And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge.
Num 35:14  Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge.
Num 35:15  These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.

You’ll notice that these rules on the cities of refuge were so important that they were mentioned in three of the five books Moses was credited for writing contained in the first five books of the Old Testament.

Deu 19:1  When the LORD thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses;
Deu 19:2  Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.
Deu 19:3  Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither.
Deu 19:4  And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past;
Deu 19:5  As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:
Deu 19:6  Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.
Deu 19:7  Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.

The “avenger” of blood was a person who was given the ability to “avenge” the murder of someone that was murdered. This was a legal act that was instituted because the sanctity of life is very important with God.

However, what is it to be an “avenger” of blood?

H1350
gâ’al
gaw-al’

A primitive root, to redeem (according to the Oriental law of kinship), that is, to be the next of kin (and as such to buy back a relative’s property, marry his widow, etc.): –    X in any wise, X at all, avenger, deliver, (do, perform the part of near, next) kinsfolk (-man), purchase, ransom, redeem (-er), revenger.

Total KJV occurrences: 104

H1350
gâ’al

Total KJV Occurrences: 98

redeem, 24
Exo_6:6, Lev_25:25-26 (3), Lev_25:48-49 (3), Lev_27:13, Lev_27:15, Lev_27:19-20 (2), Lev_27:31, Rth_4:4 (5), Rth_4:6 (3), Psa_69:18, Hos_13:14 (2), Mic_4:10

redeemed, 24
Gen_48:16, Exo_15:13, Lev_25:30, Lev_25:54, Lev_27:20, Lev_27:27-28 (2), Lev_27:33, Psa_74:2, Psa_77:15, Psa_106:10, Psa_107:2 (2), Isa_35:9, Isa_43:1, Isa_44:22-23 (2), Isa_48:20, Isa_52:3, Isa_52:9, Isa_62:12, Isa_63:4, Isa_63:9, Lam_3:58

redeemer, 18
Job_19:25, Psa_19:14, Psa_78:35, Pro_23:11, Isa_43:14 (2), Isa_44:6, Isa_44:24, Isa_47:4, Isa_48:17, Isa_49:7, Isa_49:26, Isa_54:5, Isa_54:8, Isa_59:20, Isa_63:16 (2), Jer_50:34

kinsman, 11
Rth_3:8-9 (2), Rth_3:12-13 (5), Rth_4:1, Rth_4:3, Rth_4:6, Rth_4:8

avenger, 6
Num_35:12, Deu_19:6, Deu_19:12, Jos_20:3, Jos_20:5, Jos_20:9

revenger, 6
Num_35:19, Num_35:21, Num_35:24-25 (2), Num_35:27 (2)

ransomed, 2
Jer_31:10-11 (2)

deliver, 1
Psa_119:154

kinsfolks, 1
1Ki_16:11

kinsman’s, 1
Rth_3:13

kinsmen, 1
Rth_2:20

purchase, 1
Lev_25:33

redeemeth, 1
Psa_103:4

revengers, 1
2Sa_14:11

So, an avenger is a redeemer?!? Could it be the Lord is an avenger of blood? A few of the examples taken from above are:

Psa 74:2  Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt.

Psa 77:15  Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

Psa 106:10  And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

Psa 107:2  Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;

Being a “redeemer” is even more interesting, because being a redeemer is learning about who the Lord is to us and who we are to the Lord as the body of Christ.

1Ki 16:11  And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he slew all the house of Baasha: he left him not one that pisseth against a wall, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends.

Being of the “kin” or of the “kinsfolks” was being related by blood. Are we related to Christ through His blood? I believe we are, according to Christ. We are washed in it, but equally important is that we have taken it INTO us.

Rev 1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

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

Mat 26:27  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
Mat 26:28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Mat 26:29  But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

What, then, can we learn and deduce from this information? Well, the story of Ruth and Naomi can be quite revealing.

Rth 2:19  And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man’s name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz.
Rth 2:20  And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.

Please bear with me as I present the next verses because while they are long to read, they reveal a wonderful connection of who we are in Christ. More than that, they reveal the relationship we have with Him if only we could take it to heart.

Rth 3:7  And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down.
Rth 3:8  And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
Rth 3:9  And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.
Rth 3:10  And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
Rth 3:11  And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.
Rth 3:12  And now it is true that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.
Rth 3:13  Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.
Rth 3:14  And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor.
Rth 3:15  Also he said, Bring the vail that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.
Rth 3:16  And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her.
Rth 3:17  And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law.
Rth 3:18  Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.

Do you ever see a number and wonder why it wasn’t another number? Why not 7 measures of barley? Why not 3? 10?

Here, Boaz gives Ruth six measures of barley. We know the number six has positive and negative aspects, but it also can be seen in the story of Joshua with which we have started today (and other places that talk about the same topic of cities of refuge).

Jos 20:4  And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.
Jos 20:5  And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime.
Jos 20:6  And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.
Jos 20:7  And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.
Jos 20:8  And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.
Jos 20:9  These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.

Six cities were given to Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, so that they could have refuge.

More revealing are the meanings behind the names.

Kedesh = A sanctum/clean

H6943
qedesh
keh’-desh

From H6942; a sanctum; Kedesh, the name of four places in Palestine: – Kedesh.

Total KJV occurrences: 12
From H6942 meaning clean.

H6942
qâdash
kaw-dash’

A primitive root; to be (causatively make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally): – appoint, bid, consecrate, dedicate, defile, hallow, (be, keep) holy (-er, place), keep, prepare, proclaim, purify, sanctify (-ied one, self), X wholly.

Total KJV occurrences: 171

Shechem = Shoulder/the place of burden

H7927
shekem
shek-em’

The same as H7926; ridge; Shekem, a place in Palestine: – Shechem.

Total KJV occurrences: 49

The same as H7926 –

H7926
shekem
shek-em’

From H7925; the neck (between the shoulders) as the place of burdens; figuratively the spur of a hill: – back, X consent, portion, shoulder.

Total KJV occurrences: 22

Kirjatharba = City of the four giants

H7153

qiryath ‘arba‛    qiryath hâ’arba‛
(keer-yath’) ar-bah’, haw-ar-bah’

The second form, used in Neh_11:25, has the article interposed; from H7151 and H704 or H702; city of Arba, or city of the four (giants); Kirjath-Arba or Kirjath-ha-Arba, a place in Palestine: – Kirjath-arba.

Total KJV occurrences: 7

Bezer = Fortification

H1221
betser
beh’-tser

The same as H1220; an inaccessible spot; Betser, a place in Palestine: – Bezer.

Total KJV occurrences: 5

The root means a gold clipping, a gold “clipping of defense”.

H1220
betser
beh’-tser

From H1219; strictly a clipping, that is, gold (as dug out): – gold defence.

Total KJV occurrences: 2

Ramoth = Height or exaltation

H7216
râ’môth    râ’môth
raw-moth’, raw-moth’

Plural of H7215; heights; Ramoth, the name of two places in Palestine: – Ramoth.

Total KJV occurrences: 5

The meaning “from something high in value”.

H7215
râ’mâh
raw-maw’

From H7213; something high in value, that is, perhaps coral: – coral.

Total KJV occurrences: 2

Golan = Captive / to make bare

H1474
gôlân
go-lawn’

From H1473; captive; Golan, a place East of the Jordan: – Golan.

Total KJV occurrences: 4

This is from the root H1473 meaning, exiles.

H1473
gôlâh    gôlâh
go-law’, go-law’

Active participle feminine of H1540; exile; concretely and collectively, exiles: – (carried away), captive (-ity), removing.

Total KJV occurrences: 42

These words/cities alone should tell you what you mean to the Lord. Though it may not seem like a good thing to our flesh, look at where we rest when we find refuge from the old man in us via the new man in us.

We are captives to the city of four giants, but in this we are given an exalted fortification placed on us as a burden to be shared by Jesus Christ, thus making us clean. We are man, but we are man in the spiritual form and type and shadow of the six-winged beasts sitting around the thrown of God.

Rev 4:8  And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

Can it get any clearer than that for where we sit in the Lord?

Yes, we may have burdens, but they are shared with the Lord of all of creation because we are the bride of the Lamb. We now can be cities of refuge for those the Lord sends us to or sends to us.

Though the cities of refuge were appointed to the physical nation of Israel to see that justice was done for those who had circumstances that were not considered murder, spiritual Israel is given spiritual refuge, when we have placed upon us these six wings of the beasts, beasts which continuously “rest not” proclaiming holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty.

Judgment must begin at the house of God, and I am happy to be here with you in this holy house.

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Awesome Hands – part 150

“The mouth of two”

March 2, 2019

Our study for this evening finds us reviewing a few concepts which I am sure all of us have or will encounter in our Christian walks. At first glance, these topics may not seem applicable in the 21^st century, but the spiritual concepts behind them are applicable in any age.

The first set of verses are found in Deuteronomy 17.

Deu 17:1  Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God.
Deu 17:2  If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant,
Deu 17:3  And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;
Deu 17:4  And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:
Deu 17:5  Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.
Deu 17:6  At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
Deu 17:7  The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.

It should be apparent that worshiping or serving other gods is a bad thing with the Lord. In fact, the person found doing so was to be put to death.

However, the focus of this set of verses is on the witnesses that finds or hears of a fellow Israelite doing this.

It was very important that someone found to be worshiping other gods within the gates of Israel, who was transgressing the covenant with the Lord, be found out and dealt with. Equally as important was that this issue had to be diligently pursued because the death penalty was involved.

When a person was found to be partaking in such activity, a second or third witness had to know of this in order for it to be brought to the judges. Bringing a false accusation out of the mouth of only one person was never enough. There must be a second witness minimally.

Afterward, the witness must be the first person to put their hands on this person to bring them to justice, and then everyone else could participate. Stoning was the way death was to be carried out.

All of these steps were necessary to deal with abomination that required the death penalty.

Then what is the first lesson which must be applied in order to follow these same steps in the new testament?

Mat 18:15  Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16  But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

Everything that the Lord is doing must be established by two or three witnesses because that is the way the Lord has set up creation.

God the Father could have easily just created everything, but He created Jesus Christ first.

Rev 3:14  And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

By creating Jesus, God has a witness to what is happening. If this is how the creator decided to do things from the very foundation of everything, then it must be important that we get this concept right.

Stoning was the method used to kill those who brought the abomination of worshipping other gods into Israel. Stones are very significant when you connect the idea behind “out of the mouth of two or three witnesses EVERY WORD may be established.”

Jacob used stones to make various altars to the Lord. The ten commandments were written on tables of stone. Goliath was taken down with a stone. Stones were used to cut off the river Jordan for the crossing of the Israelites. Stones were used as boundary markers for land, for writing the names of the tribes of Israelites upon, to be part of the high priest’s garments, etc.

Stones are important markers to the Lord. This is because the Lord Himself is THAT STONE which we reference.

Mat 21:42  Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
Mat 21:43  Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
Mat 21:44  And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

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

Stoning someone to death should not be taken lightly. We don’t generally see people being stoned to death today, but it does happen in the news from time to time in cultures which still hold onto this form of the death penalty.

What we do see much more is stoning to death in the spirit. All this means is that the Word of God is the stone which is cast at those who are being cut off from His people, but this process is not to be taken lightly or looked upon casually.

The Lord requires us to be diligent because this topic is one which we must be certain how to handle. In our lives today, we are not going to be simply seeing who is worshiping the sun, moon and stars within our midst.

What we will see are various forms of god worship being taught as if it is worshiping the Lord. This is what we must be diligent to guard against. We will continue to look at this as we progress through the rest of this study.

It may come as a shock to some, but we are all human. We all make mistakes in actions and mistakes in our judgments. When these things happen, we must have fail-safes in place which allow us to recover peaceably in these cases.

An example of this thought process can be found in our next set of verses.

Deu 19:1  When the LORD thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses;
Deu 19:2  Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.
Deu 19:3  Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither.
Deu 19:4  And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past;
Deu 19:5  As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:
Deu 19:6  Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.
Deu 19:7  Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.

This example of the slayer is a perfect example of a situation that requires diligent judgment concerning a matter that could be looked upon the wrong way, especially when all of the details are not known.

The situation is that one person is dead, but it was an accident. However, the person who may not be able to see it this way, because “their blood is hot”, will not be willing to wait upon proper judgment because they have already judged the matter.

So, the Lord has created cities of refuge to which the slayer of the dead can run for safety until the matter is judged.

If, as a people, we adhere to these proper ways of understanding and judgment, and walk in the ways of the Lord, He promises to continue to bless us to be able to do more of the same.

Deu 19:8  And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;
Deu 19:9  If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three:
Deu 19:10  That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.
Deu 19:11  But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities:
Deu 19:12  Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
Deu 19:13  Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

The Lord gives us plenty of examples of how to judge matters properly, and the judgment comes from using the Word of God properly.

The very act of looking upon the Word of God for guidance requires that the judges of these things must themselves be looking into the Word of God for two or three witnesses in all matters.

Establishing doctrine based on one verse alone will never work because this is contrary to how the Lord has set up all of creation.

Therefore, when we are judging matters within ourselves, within others or within the body as a whole, we must rely on the Word of God properly divided to help us judge matters for what they are.

When comparing the ways things were done in the old testament versus how we are to handle them today, the example is there for us to apply if we are conscious to what to do.

For example, let’s look at these verses again and see if we can glean anything significant from them:

Deu 17:2  If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant,
Deu 17:3  And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;

There are certain situations that may be hard to judge due to a lack of details.

For example, when someone comes to us for advice, they probably will hold back the most embarrassing details of a situation because they are embarrassed. They may hold back details because they are trying to judge things on their own, but don’t want to give all of the details for various reasons.

In contrast to that, maybe we hear of someone in the fellowship who is partaking in things we believe are not becoming of a Christian in some way. What should we do in that situation?

Did you notice that God specifically mentions “transgressing His covenant” in the verse above? There are specific situations that REQUIRE specific actions, but those sorts of things are always easy to spot. Otherwise, we may not have specific guidance on what we are to do.

Another example can be found in some familiar verses to us:

Mat 18:15  Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16  But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

“If your brother shall trespass AGAINST THEE …..” is a specific situation. Your brother has trespasses against you and you KNOW the details. In this situation you are given directions on how to solve this issue. You go to your brother ALONE.

This is equivalent to diligently searching a matter out and being certain on the topic at hand. Maybe a brother didn’t know how they trespassed against you or that they even did. Maybe they did know they did this action and that it was a sin against you.

Going to them alone will reveal these details. When the details are known, then the situation can be talked about and a conclusion made. If the conclusion results in needing more judgment to take place, then you go and take another one or two with you.

There is safety in doing these things properly and not offending the Word of God or offending with Word of God.

If I merely hear rumors and think I have the whole story on a situation, which has nothing to do with me, then I am inviting a world of pain into my spiritual household if I take actions on something that has nothing to do with me personally.

Overseers of the flock certainly have a somewhat different role in various matters because matters are usually brought forth to be judged. In these cases, judgment can be made without personal involvement because that is the point of having arbitrators to help in various situations.

The focus of this study is to continue to help us all think clearly on when to act and not act in various situations in which we may find ourselves.

Praying to the Lord to help guide us on how to make decisions is always a great place to start. When we need to move toward taking additional steps, the Lord does give us various guidances throughout the Word of God.

When we are unsure what the Word of God might contain on a various topic, the Lord has providers helpers so help us go in the “Way” in which we should go.

I will finish with a few Psalms which help me personally follow a set of steps which the Lord inspired king David to pen. These “steps” as I call them are very good at helping guide me in the way I should go.

Psa 32:5  I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
Psa 32:6  For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
Psa 32:7  Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
Psa 32:8  I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
Psa 32:9  Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
Psa 32:10  Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.

1. Confess and acknowledge who you are and what you have done. The Lord will know the sincerity of your acknowledgement.
2. Pray.
3. Hide in the Lord, rest in the refuge of being still and knowing that you know Him. Believe in your deliverance.
4. Believe you are in the path and on the way which you must go because the Lord is guiding you.
5. Know that the Lord has given you understanding in Him, and do not listen to that old serpent which will try to strip away your confidence in simple belief that you are the Lord’s. Trust in the Lord always.

Two weeks ago we looked at what it means to dwell “in the secret place of the most High”, and we’re reminded how blessed God’s people are to be called to abide in a place which His word tells us to consider as “our refuge and fortress“, a place of security and sufficiency.

Then we considered how the Lord works in that “refuge and fortress” where He is fashioning a work in the life of His people that is being forged through fiery trials, and pressure (1Pe 4:12, 2Co 4:8). It sounds counterintuitive to our flesh, but if we are going to be “deliver[ed] thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence” we have to first be brought to clearly see how those things are within us, so that we can repent of them.

When looking more closely at what the words “snare^H6341 and fowler^H3353” mean, we once again were witnessed to how the body of Christ live by every word of God as we take God’s word and wrap it around the idol of our hearts as these priest did back in Moses day (Num 16:1-50), resulting in their being rejected because of their disobedience.

The experience of evil to which we are called and the blessed conclusion of the matter for God’s people is to be delivered from the snare of the fowler, but only after we see clearly that we are the ones who offer up that unclean sacrifice by way of the light from the censor, which at that stage in our walk can only be a self-righteous light that does not glorify God in any way because the light is emanating from the idol of our heart. It is a grievous pestilence to come to see ourselves for who we really are, but I pray that in this study we will come to see more clearly the blessing that is ours to be brought to this point, so that we can become the new vessel of honour that can be used of God to bring His light to the body of Christ and to the rest of the world.

Mat 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Mat 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Our suffering and having that veil ripped (Mat 27:51, Heb 10:20) and then having the purified gold weaved into the new veil, which is the body of Christ, is the fruit produced through our trials or the “snare^H6341 and fowler^H3353 (Num 16:38) which is worth all the suffering and correction and bumps along the way which we must experience if we are going to reign with our Lord (2Ti 2:12). The end result of our misuse of the word of God is a purifying event of the temple that can only be performed by the sons of Aaron, which represents the saviours coming up on mount Zion to judge mount Esau which mount has already been judged and sanctified in our own heavens.

Num 16:37  Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed.
Num 16:38  The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates^H6341 for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.
Num 16:39  And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar:

Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

It is after we see ourselves as the two hundred and fifty men of renown which number represents a large multiple of a grace and faith (5) event (5x5x5x2=250) that we can identify with this process of judgment (three fives) that can only be accomplished by the life of Christ within us who is the true witness (2).

The fervent prayers of the saints that will avail much and put an end to the physical noisome pestilence that would otherwise destroy the whole world or camp of Israel is represented by Eleazer the son of Aaron the priest and so we are learning that all our prayers are being stored up as a precious incense and witness for the world to see how God fashions His people through suffering to be the ones who He uses (sends) to be the stop gap to prevent the physical destruction of the world.

Mat 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Num 16:37  Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed.

These following verses demonstrate the need for the sanctification process that is needed in our life in Christ before we can be sent as Christ was into the world (Mat 24:22). We are also being witnessed to that this natural event of preserving all flesh is only a type and shadow that reminds us that God is going to preserve all mankind spiritually one day in the lake of fire experience that will put an end to all of mankind’s struggles against the flesh of man and God as we see the foundation of Christ being laid for all eternity through that destruction of the first man Adam.

Isa 6:8  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Isa 6:9  And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Joh 17:18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Gen 6:3  And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

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:

1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

Today we must come to see how we mishandle the word of God, not in not comprehending the letter, but by not being able to apply the weightier matters of the law. The priests understood the steps that were needed to be taken in the temple, but it was all on a foundation of disobedience because it was not what God had ordained for them to do, and could not be done in a spirit of love (obedience to His commands), just as we must first come to see that our sacrifices and righteousnesses are as filthy rags to God until we are purged and purified by the grace and faith process we are so blessed to be experiencing as His sons.

We are being received today through those fiery trials that enable us to cease from sinning and become obedient children who offer up our praises and thanks day after day and night after night.

1Sa 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Mat 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Isa 42:19  Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD’S servant?

Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

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

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Psa 19:2  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

It is by the grace and faith of Christ that those censors which were supposed to be used to the glory of God are cast to the ground and then through the beating and the bruising, through the melting down and reshaping of the gold of God that He fashions within our hearts, that we can finally become implements that are refined gold fit for the masters use and weaved into the very fabric of God’s temple which we are (2Ti 2:21, 1Co 3:16). It is only after we acknowledge that we have misused the word and abused Christ by not obeying His commandments in thinking that the order that we have done things in our life glorifies God when it doesn’t that we can truly be profitable servants unto our Lord by losing our life. (We all initially bring the censors of God by our own strength, as king Saul deciding what is an acceptable offering unto God only later to hear that God does not accept any sacrifice that is not accompanied with an obedient spirit.

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

1Sa 15:14  And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

This third and final part of our three part study entitled “Our sufficiency is of God” shows us the joyous conclusion of our life in Christ when there is no more weeping and the fruits of His righteousness are demonstrated in the lives of those who God has called to be one unified body.

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.
Psa 91:13  Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
Psa 91:14  Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
Psa 91:15  He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
Psa 91:16  With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

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.

We can easily look at these two verses and think that this must be talking about the protection of our flesh in times of physical trouble. However, upon closer examination and based upon the sum of God’s word, we acknowledge that God was never in the business of preserving our flesh indefinitely (Gen 6:3).

When we make the LORD our refuge and the most HIGH our habitation we are in fact surrendering our life as a living sacrifice to do whatever the Lord would have us do, knowing that that something may not be comfortable for the flesh at all (we must be spiritually older to embrace these truths).

Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Joh 21:18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.

Act 21:13  Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

Denying ourselves (Luk 9:23) is a process that we are brought to be able to bear through the fervent prayer and strong tears that we offer up to God as one body which in turn will give us the ability to overcome any evil that may befall us, or any spiritual plague that may come near our dwelling.

Luk 22:44  And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

We do not wrestle against flesh and blood and neither are we trying to preserve our physical life but rather our spiritual life through the destruction of the carnal physical first man Adam.  We learn that the blessing that God brings to those who are enduring through this process of putting off the fleshly ways of the first man Adam are growing in having minds that are stayed and able to find peace after we endure through the hard part of His judgment, His seven last plagues must come upon us if we are to finally not have “any plague come nigh thy dwelling” (Psa 119:165, Rev 1:8)

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.

These next two verses transition nicely with the first two verses to show us who it is, and how it is, that we can as one body of Christ find our refuge and habitation in each other, so much so that no evil will befall us neither any plague come near our dwelling.

It takes the whole body to keep us and preserve us in this world and to overcome all the evil and wicked in our own heavens which we tear down through Christ and “his angels [who have] charge over thee [us], to keep thee in all thy ways”.

If we truly are Christ’s body we will not be denying our own body (Eph 5:29), but will be confessing our faults to one another (Jas 5:16), showing our wounds to one another (Joh 20:27, 1Jn 4:17) and not hiding our flesh (Isa 58:7) and being there for one another when we do “dash thy foot against a stone”.

God has placed schisms in the body of Christ for our good, and those fault lines in our spiritual heavens are the very places where the greatest earthquakes are promised to come so that nothing in the end will be able to stand in our lives except Christ and His Christ, which standing is the result of having those schisms destroyed. God is blessing us to deeply learn the lessons that will bring unity in the body of Christ, a unity that can only come about by being given the ability to bear each others burden, even as we must drink a cup of judgment that will destroy the carnal man in us who resists God. These are the hard experiences that we must endure through Christ in order to understand and live lives with the singleness of Christ’s mind which His ways produce, even as we learn that this one event which is common to his body today will in time be experienced by all men in the lake of fire.

Mat 9:16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent^G4978 is made worse.

1Co 12:25  That there should be no schism^G4978 in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
1Co 12:26  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

Luk 21:11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Heb 12:27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Gal 6:2  Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Mat 20:23  And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

Psa 91:13  Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

This verse speaks of the profound power of God working in the life of His people that needs to be there if the gates of hell are not going to prevail against us. We shall be able to do nothing less than “tread upon the lion and adder” symbols of Satan who wants to be on the seat of our heart which is where God’s throne is.

Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

We are told twice as a witness that it is “the lion and adder” or “the young lion and the dragon” to remind us that it is Christ in us who is the true witness who gives us the ability to “trample under feet” the devil as prophesied in these verses as well in Genesis. This power of God working in the hearts of his people will tear down the strongholds like lightning from heaven making it possible for Christ to continue to abide on the throne of our hearts, making us more than conquerors through him.

Gen 3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Rom 16:20  And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Luk 10:18  And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Luk 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Psa 91:14  Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
Psa 91:15  He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
Psa 91:16  With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. 

Behold what manner of love the Father has shown to us or bestowed to us in that “he hath set his love upon me” and know, that because of this relationship of which Christ is the author and finisher, that he will deliver us “therefore will I deliver him” and set us on high, because he hath “known my name” which has been written in heaven that tells me we will be more than conquerors through Christ who loves us. To know God’s name is to have a relationship with him, where we are no longer called servants but friends who know the will of God and understand that this will is being accomplished within our lives through Christ both to will and to do.

1Jn 3:1  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

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.

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Luk 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Joh 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Therefore because of this heavenly relationship we can “call upon” the Lord and he will answer us in our time of trouble. He will deliver us and even bestow honour upon  us so we are reassured in our hearts of his love and mercy which shall endure until the end of our age.

Psa 50:15  And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Jer 33:3  Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Rom 13:7  Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

Luk 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

To be satisfied with long life is a shadow of the aonian life that God will bestow upon the few who will be shown his salvation in this age in advance of the rest of humanity who will come to know this same salvational event that will occur to all men in time.

Someone once asked how can those in the second resurrection live by every word of God if they can’t experience the first resurrection and the answer is simply they will experience the first resurrection through the elect just as all of His creation will eventually experience all the preeminent events of Christ’s life through Christ where our sufficiency is found and will one day be shared with the rest of the world.

Col 1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

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.