The Spiritual Significance of the Holy Days, Part 4

The Third Holy Day:  The Day of Pentecost

 [Study Aired September 5, 2025]

Lev 23:15  And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:
Lev 23:16  Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
Lev 23:17  Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.
Lev 23:18  And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD.
Lev 23:19  Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.
Lev 23:20  And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.
Lev 23:21  And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
Lev 23:22  And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.

Before we get into our study on the spiritual significance of the Day of Pentecost, let’s remind ourselves what all these holy days are intended to accomplish.

Here are some of Paul’s thoughts concerning the holy days and the law of which they are a part:

Col 2:16  Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Col 2:17  Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Heb 8:1  Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
Heb 8:2  A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
Heb 8:3  For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
Heb 8:4  For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:
Heb 8:5  Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

Heb 10:1  For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

This third feast, Pentecost, and all that is revealed about this feast, signifies “the true tabernacle, the church which is the Lord’s body” with all that is revealed about who we are and all the functions we perform in service to the Lord and the fulfilling of His plan for mankind.

This feast of Pentecost is the day on which the New Testament church was born:

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

This is the only feast in all the year when an offering is made with leaven.

Lev 23:15  And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:
Lev 23:16  Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
Lev 23:17  Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.

A “meat offering… baken with leaven” was indeed “a new offering” with ‘new’ significance. This is the only day a meal offering was to be “baken with leaven.” That ‘leaven’ in this offering on this holy day signifies the fact that while Christ, our spotless sacrifice, “was made sin which knew no sin”, His body, His firstfruits are not spotless, and they do ‘know sin’ and are all guilty of trespassing against our Lord’s words. That is the spiritual significance of the “two loaves baken with leaven” which were offered only on the day of Pentecost.

This is the only harvest which includes the instructions to leave the gleanings and the corners of your fields for “the poor and the stranger.”

Lev 23:22  And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.

These instructions which make provision for the less fortunate in Israel are mentioned many times in relation to “the fatherless and the widow and the poor”, but this is the only feast where “the poor and the stranger” are singled out for making provision for them.

It was on the day of the first Pentecost after the death and resurrection of our Lord that “strangers” are mentioned as those who heard the gospel of our Lord for the first time:

Act 2:1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Act 2:2  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Act 2:3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Act 2:4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Act 2:5  And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

Act 2:10  Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

Pentecost is the only holy day which specifically makes provision for “the poor and the stranger”, for ‘poor’ Lazarus who ate of the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table and for ‘the strangers’, the Samaritan woman at the well, and Cornelius the Roman centurion.

Deu 10:19  Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

This is the only holy day which foreshadows the fiftieth year of jubilee, the year of release when all debts are forgiven and every man returns to his inheritance. This is a ‘blessed and holy’ holy day, because it signifies and celebrates the birth and the work of the ‘Saviors on Mount Zion’ (Oba 1:21).

To begin to understand and appreciate the great spiritual significance of the day of Pentecost, we must first realize that the root number of this holy day is the number five which signifies grace through faith.

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

Here is the link to that study:

The Number Five

The gift of grace through faith is first given to the Lord’s firstfruits. That is why Pentecost is also called “the feast of the firstfruits of thy labors.” Pentecost is the holy day which celebrates those who, with our Lord, are “a kind of firstfruits”.

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.

Exo 23:14  Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
Exo 23:15  Thou shalt keep [1] the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)
Exo 23:16  And [2] the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and [3] the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.
Exo 23:17  Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

Exo 34:22  And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end.

The wave-sheaf offering on the first day after the sabbath during the days of unleavened bread foreshadows and signifies the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our offering being accepted by His Father as first of ‘the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep in Christ’:

1Co 15:20  But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.  

Christ was intended by His Father to be given preeminence in all things including being the first of the firstfruits. He was never intended to be the only ‘firstfruit.’

While there was no leaven in the offering of the wave sheaf, there is leaven in the offering of the firstfruits of the “two loaves” of the Pentecost offering. Both are of “finely ground flour”, but the Pentecost offering is “baken with leaven.”

Lev 23:15  And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; [signifying Christ as the first of the firstfruits] seven sabbaths shall be complete:
Lev 23:16  Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
Lev 23:17  Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.

“The church which is His body” (Col 1:14) is referred as “firstfruits” by Paul and James and John:

Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

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.

Paul alludes to himself and other members of the church as those “which have the firstfruits of the spirit”:

Rom 8:23  And not only they, 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.

He refers to Epaenetus and Stephanas as “the firstfruits of Achaia”:

Rom 16:5  Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my well beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.

1Co 16:15  I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,)

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

Finally John also calls the church of this present time, signified by the number 144,000, “the firstfruits unto God and 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.

 ‘The church, which is the body of Christ (Col 1:24) was birthed “when the day of Pentecost was fully come” (Act 2:1). This holy day signifies those who are the first to believe on Christ and who are referred to as “firstfruits unto God and the Lamb” here in Revelation 14:4 and throughout the New Testament where those who are first are always mentioned as being  special to the Lord.

Both Paul and John emphasize the exceptional blessing and favor placed by the Lord upon those “who first trusted in Christ.”

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Eph 1:8  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Eph 1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

It is those “who first trusted in Christ” who will come up in “the resurrection of life” and be given to have a part in that “blessed and holy… first resurrection.”

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life [at the beginning of the thousand year reign, (Rev 20:6)]; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [at the great white throne judgment, (Rev 20:11-15)]

Pentecost is the only feast to specifically make provision for the fatherless and the poor, both of which signify the New Testament Gentile church which has now become part of the commonwealth  of Israel because Christ has broken down the middle wall of partition between the Jewish and Gentile Christians and has made of both one new man, so making peace (Eph 2:15).

Pentecost signifies the salvation of the church in “this present time” (Rom 8:18), but the counting of seven sabbaths until the morrow after the seventh sabbath signifies the completion of the time needed as carnal babes in Christ, to bring us to true conversion on the day of Pentecost. This is what Christ said to Peter at the Passover meal the night he was apprehended of the Jews at the very beginning of time which is signified by these seven sabbaths which followed the Passover and culminated in the fiftieth day, the day of Pentecost:

Luk 22:31  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Luk 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Luk 22:33  And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.
Luk 22:34  And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.

Of course, Peter, who at this stage in maturing signifies us as “carnal babes in Christ”, did deny His Lord during this time of seven sabbaths until the day of Pentecost. Pentecost is Greek for ‘count fifty.’ ‘Pente’ is ‘fifty’, and ‘cost’ is ‘count.’ Seven sevens are required to bring us to acknowledge our part in the crucifixion of our Lord, to deny Him, to weep bitterly in repentance, to live in fear of our lives and to be tried of the Lord who raises up the stormy winds of life, and brings us to our wits’ end, as He did with the apostles during that period of time immediately following the Passover. Before the day of Pentecost and the gift of the holy spirit dwelling within us, we are all “carnal babes in Christ” (1Co 3:1-4), afraid for our lives, worried about what our families and friends will think of us, locking our doors and going fishing to avoid having to witness for the Lord. After the day of Pentecost and having the holy spirit now living within us, we are all as brave as a lion and do not let fear keep us from standing up and confessing that we do indeed know Christ and His Father, and we are not ashamed to say that we are His elect.

It was after Pentecost that Peter and all the apostles were dragged before the Sanhedrin, and this time none of them denied their Lord:

Act 5:17  Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,
Act 5:18  And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.
Act 5:19  But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,
Act 5:20  Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.
Act 5:21  And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
Act 5:22  But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told,
Act 5:23  Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.
Act 5:24  Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow.
Act 5:25  Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.
Act 5:26  Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.
Act 5:27  And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
Act 5:28  Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.
Act 5:29  Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

We have no idea how the Lord performed this miracle, but we know He did, and we know these apostles are not the same men who were hiding in fear behind locked doors before the day of Pentecost. Pentecost signifies the giving of the holy spirit, and the holy spirit gives us the mind of Christ who wants nothing but to please His Father and do the things He has given Him to do. Christ was sent to save the world and that the world through Him might be saved:

Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

1Jn 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Christ, with His Father’s approval has sent us to do what His Father sent Him to do:

Joh 20:21  Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. [“That the world through [you] might be saved… [you in Christ are] the propitiation… for the sins of the whole world”]

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

It is at Pentecost that we are given our backbone and are given to fear God rather than men (Act 5:29).

This concludes our study on the day of Pentecost. The next step in the Lord’s plan for our salvation is signified by the Day of Trumpets which will be the subject of our next study.

[The next study in this series can be found here.]

Book of Obadiah – Oba 1:12 …Neither Shouldest Thou Have Rejoiced Over the Children of Judah in the Day of Their Destruction…

[Study Aired February 21, 2024]

Obadiah 1:12  But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.

Oba 1:12  But thou shouldest not^H408 have looked^{H7200(H8799 Qal)} on the day^H3117 of thy brother^H251 in the day^H3117 that he became a stranger;^H5237 neither^H408 shouldest thou have rejoiced^{H8055 (H8799 Qal)} over the children^H1121 of Judah^H3063 in the day^H3117 of their destruction;^{H6 (H8800 Qal)} neither^H408 shouldest thou have spoken proudly^{H1431 (H8686 Hiphil) H6310} in the day^H3117 of distress.^H6869

H408 – Al, not, no, nor, neither, nothing, do not, let not, let there not be, a negative particle

H7200 – Ra’ah, (Qal) to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider, have vision, regard, look after/at/upon/out, see after, learn about, observe, watch, find out, give attention to, discern, distinguish, gaze at, a primitive root

H3117 – Yome, day, time, year, a working day, a day’s journey, days, lifetime, period (general), today, yesterday, tomorrow, from an unused root meaning to be hot

H251 – Awkh, brother, half-brother (same father), relative, kinship, same tribe, each to the other (reciprocal relationship), of resemblance, a primitive word

H3117 – see above

H5237 – Nokriy, foreign, alien, foreigner, foreign woman, harlot, unknown, unfamiliar, wonderful, from H5235, Neker, calamity, disaster, misfortune, from a primitive root H5234, Nakar, to recognise, acknowledge, know, respect, discern, regard, be recognised, observe, pay attention to, pay regard to, notice, perceive, be willing to recognise/acknowledge, acknowledge with honour, be acquainted with, distinguish, understand, make oneself known, act or treat as foreign or strange, disguise, misconstrue, disguise oneself, act as alien

H408 – see above

H8055 – Samach, (Qal) to rejoice, exult, a primitive root

H1121 – Ben, son, grandson, child, member of a group/guild/order/class, children, youth, young men, people, of lifeless things, i.e sparks, stars, arrows, from a primitive root H1129, Banah, to build, rebuild, establish, cause to continue, establish a family, be built/rebuilt, established, be built up (of childless wife becoming the mother of a family through the children of a concubine)

H3063 – Yehoodah, Judah = praised, from a primitive root H3034, Yadah, to throw, shoot, cast, cast down, throw down, give thanks, laud, praise, confess, give

H3117 – see above

H6 – Abad, (Qal) perish, vanish, die, be exterminated, be lost, strayed, a primitive root

H408 – see above

H1431 – Gadal, (Hiphil) to make great, magnify, do great things, a primitive root

H6310 – Peh, mouth, extremity, end, weight equal to one third of a shekel, occurs only in 1Sam 13:21 from a primitive root H6284, Pa’ah, to cleave in pieces, break/dash into pieces, shatter (used once in OT)

H3117 – see above

H6869 – Tsarah, straits, distress, trouble, vexer, rival wife, from H6862, Tsoriy, Zorites or Zorathites = see Zorah, hornet, from H6881 Tsorah, Zareah or Zoreah or Zorah = hornet, apparently another form for H6880, Tsirah, hornets, from a primitive root H6879, Tsara, to be diseased of skin, be leprous, be a leper, have leprosy

The Hebrew word used for stranger is:

H5237 nok-ree’ meaning strange. Used in a variety of degrees and applications (foreign, non-relative, adulterous, different, wonderful): – alien, foreigner, outlandish, strange, woman.

From H5235 [neker] something that is strange, an unexpected calamity

From H5234 [naw-kar] A primitive root; properly to scrutinize, that is, look intently at; hence (with recognition implied), to acknowledge, be acquainted with, care for, respect, revere, or (with suspicion implied), to disregard, ignore, be strange toward, reject, resign, dissimulate.

This primitive root word appears first in Genesis 27:23

Gen 27:23  And he discerned (recognised) him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.

It is also used to describe how Joseph interacted with his brothers when they came to Egypt:

Gen 42:6  And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.
Gen 42:7  And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.

It is used in Ruth’s interactions with Boaz:

Rut 2:10  Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?

In the new testament, the Greek words for strange include:

G3581 xen’-os. Apparently a primary word; foreign, 

…and…

G245 allotrios. Another’s, that is, not one’s own; by extension foreign, not akin, hostile: – alien.

From G243 allos. A primary word “else”

Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers (G3581) and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.

As fellow citizens of the household of God, we are taught by grace, not meat. This meat can be quite delicious, as ‘strange’ is translated in Hebrew as ‘wonderful.’ There are some “wonderful” sermons performed in Babylon by very charismatic “men of God”. When I was coming out of Babylon, I moved from a Baptist church to start attending an Assemblies of God church. Hillsong, at the time, was one of the largest churches in Australia, and they had just opened a new campus in Brisbane. Each Sunday night they put on quite a performance. For all the congregation it was a “wonderful” and entertaining experience. However, their doctrine was not the truth, and so when you pulled back the curtain, you started to see that their truth was not ‘truth’ at all. Their Sunday evening performances were actually a little “strange.” Now we see the truth in Christ. We are ministered to by the words of Christ (the bible), and we now know that it is a good thing we, the body of Christ, are established (built) with grace, not with meats.

Heb 13:8-9  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Be not carried about with divers and strange (G3581) doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

John 10:4  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 
John 10:5  And a stranger (G245) will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers (G245).

The voice of the stranger is subtle because false doctrines are wrapped around the “gold and silver” of Babylon:

Eze 16:17  Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images [doctrines] of men, and didst commit whoredom with them.
Ezk 16:18  And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.
Ezk 16:19  My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.

A few verses prior describes how beautiful and appealing these false doctrines seem:

Ezk 16:13  Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.
Ezk 16:14  And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezk 16:15  But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.

The Hebrew word for fornication is H2181 A primitive root meaning “highly fed and therefore wanton.” Wantonness means “lack of care”, bad behaviour that is intentional or shows no care about bad things that might result. It is the same word as lascivious.

Jud 1:4  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jud 1:5  I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

Eze 16:26  Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.
Eze 16:27  Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way.

The word ‘lewd’ is H2154 zimmaw meaning “a plan, especially a bad one.” From H2161 zaw-mam’ a primitive root meaning to plan, usually in a bad sense: – consider, devise, imagine, plot, purpose, think (evil). The word is first used in Genesis referring to the tower of Babel. My eldest daughter has been introduced to Lego and is becoming quite skilled at building towers and cities. Children have wonderful imaginations, and their schemes and plans to build a great city are “wonderful” to watch. Her Lego towers are not very strong though, as for the tower of Babel the issue God had was their hearts and their desire for building it. They were building it for a name (H8034) meaning the idea of a definite and conspicuous position, an appellation (denomination), honour, as a mark of individuality. It was a defiant act saying, “Look, God, at all we can do, all we can touch, all we can achieve on our own and in our own name, so as to establish our own name.” 

Gen 11:4  And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name [H8034], lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
Gen 11:5  And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
Gen 11:6  And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined [H2161] to do.

Any doctrine that is antiChrist (against Christ) is the voice of the stranger. The word ‘imperious’ is used to describe the true nature of “her”, meaning domineering:

Eze 16:30  How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;
Eze 16:31  In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;
Eze 16:32  But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband.

Isa 4:1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

Christ is the truest example of a faithful wife because He was obedient to God. In type, Christ is a faithful wife of God, teaching us the importance of submission, faithfulness, and obedience to one husband. Likewise, we the elect are called the bride of Christ, in the same manner being submissive, faithful, and obedient to our one husband, Christ.

1Co 11:3  But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God

Both Adam and Eve followed the voice of the stranger (the serpent) instead of the voice of God. They didn’t have the tools to try the spirits, and so in that sense they were blind.

Gen 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground [Your own dying, carnal body of dust] for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life

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

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour

2Pe 3:14  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

Nevertheless, we have been given Christ’s light, His word, His grace which teaches us to forsake ungodliness.

Conclusion and Spiritual Principle. We have been given valuable (and valuable is an understatement) riches the world sees not. While the world (the strangers: Egypt and Babylon) are desiring the fruits of the tree of knowledge and evil, we have been given to eat the words of life. The voice of the true shepherd leads us, drags us, and impels us to eat his bread. His words give us life and it is his words alone that will remain. 

Ricky Gervais, an atheist, has a different view, he says “… Science is constantly proved all the time. You see, if we take something like any fiction, any holy book… and destroyed it, in a thousand years’ time, that wouldn’t come back just as it was. Whereas if we took every science book, and every fact, and destroyed them all, in a thousand years they’d all be back, because all the same tests would [produce] the same result.”

This is known as the empirical method. In Science, so as to ensure reliability and validity of results, they follow the rule of seeing is believing and the importance of controlling for variables and being able to have repeatable results, but Science cannot see faith. Men of Science are not willing to admit they don’t actually know how hot the center of the sun is. They provide estimates, and speak with confidence on the topic, but no scientist has been brave enough to venture out and collect reliable and valid samples. 

The Achilles heel of science is “things unseen,” and things not seen do exist, such as faith. We know faith is:

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

We don’t have to feel threatened by the atheist’s arguments above, because we can discern the voice of the stranger in Ricky’s words. We should be grateful we have been given the gift of faith in greater supply than him; not of our own doing, but ordained of Christ before the world began. That truth is humbling. Like Gideon’s army being whittled down to 300 men, it is God who has preordained who will lap of the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, compared to you ‘will boweth their knee to drink.’ 

Interestingly, it is those that lap like a dog who are chosen. A dog symbolises obedience to their master, and we are willing to let our master guard us while we drink.

I read a quote somewhere which says,‘time will destroy all your books.’ The books of Babylon, the scientific works, and wonderful treasures of Egypt won’t last. While physical books of the bible gather dust on shelves, the words written within the bible cannot be destroyed because they are life and truth. It is these words, the words of Christ, we consider of most value because we have been given the faith to see value in things unseen.

Heb 11:24  By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
Heb 11:25  Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Heb 11:26  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
Heb 11:27  By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
Heb 11:28  Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
Heb 11:29  By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
Heb 11:30  By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
Heb 11:31  By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

Heb 11:32  And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
Heb 11:33  Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
Heb 11:34  Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

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.

[Study Aired June 6, 2022]

Exo 12:33  And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.
Exo 12:34  And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.
Exo 12:35  And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: 
Exo 12:36  And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians. 
Exo 12:37  And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. 
Exo 12:38  And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. 
Exo 12:39  And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual. 
Exo 12:40  Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. 
Exo 12:41  And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. 
Exo 12:42  It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations. 
Exo 12:43  And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof: 
Exo 12:44  But every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. 
Exo 12:45  A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof. 
Exo 12:46  In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. 
Exo 12:47  All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
Exo 12:48  And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
Exo 12:49  One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. 
Exo 12:50  Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. 
Exo 12:51  And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.

The effect of all the ten plagues meted out to the Egyptians resulted in the release of the children of Israel to go into the wilderness to serve the Lord. The review today focuses on the exit of the children of Israel and the ordinance of the Passover that we are to keep by faith, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch us.

Heb 11:28  Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

Exo 12:33  And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.

The assertion by the Egyptians that they were all dead men is to let us know the extent of the impact of the ten plagues of the Lord’s judgment of the old man (Pharaoh) within us. The judgment of the Lord destroys or puts to death the old man within us. The fact that the Egyptians were so eager to send the Israelites out of their land in haste to go into the wilderness to serve the Lord is another way of saying that the death of the old man gives rise to the birth of the new man within us. This new man enables us to worship the Lord acceptably in this world (wilderness) as we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to our Lord.

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

Exo 12:34  And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. 

In the scriptures, leaven signifies what is sinful, evil, corrupt and unclean in the eyes of the Lord.

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

The use of leaven is to make something softer or easier to eat. For example, if there is no yeast (leaven) in bread, it would be hard to chew. The function of yeast spiritually, is to make sin easier to commit. The teachings of man’s wisdom is a kind of yeast in this world and in the physical churches of this world which makes sin easier to commit.

Because the children of Israel were driven out in haste from Egypt, they had no time to bring leavened food as shown in verse 34. This is because leavened bread takes time to prepare. This indicates that apart from judging us to put to death the old man within, the Lord also deals with our environment to such an extent that it gives us no time to commit sin. The process of committing sin takes time. First, we are drawn away by our own lust, then lust is conceived and after this conception, sin is produced.

Jas 1:14  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 
Jas 1:15  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

It is significant to note that the kneading troughs which were used to prepare both leavened and unleavened bread were all bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. As we are aware, both the old man and the new man are within, representing the kneading trough. This kneading trough within us produces either leavened or unleavened bread depending on whether the trough is that of the old man or the new man. The death of the old man, giving birth to the new man, is this kneading trough which is wrapped by clothes. We know that clothes represent the righteousness of the saints. This righteousness is that of Christ given to us. So, the kneading troughs bound up in clothes means the new man within us is clothed in Christ righteousness making it difficult for us to carry leaven as we journey through this world (wilderness).

Rev 19:8  it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. (ESV)

Exo 12:35  And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: 
Exo 12:36  And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians. 

As we indicated in an earlier review, the borrowing of the jewels of silver and gold is another way of saying that the little knowledge of the Lord that the churches possess have been taken away and given to us.

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. 

The Lord giving the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians is another way of saying that when a man’s way pleases the Lord, He makes his enemies to be at peace with him.

Pro 16:7  When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Exo 12:37  And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.

The Israelites started their journey from Ramses, which was in the land of Goshen in Egypt. From there, they left Egypt and went to Succoth, which means ‘booth’ or ‘tent’. Going to Succoth signifies that, as His elect, we are in this world but not of this world. Our journey through this world must be a journey of faith with the view of inheriting the promise. In other words, we are looking for the city whose foundation is Christ and the builder being our Lord.

Heb 11:9  By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
Heb 11:10  For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

The fact that six hundred thousand men left Ramses in Egypt is to let us know that our exit from Babylon to come to the church of the firstborn does not mean that the Lord had completed His work in us. We were carnal or fleshly as we left Babylon as signified by the number 600,000 (600,000 = 6x10x10x10x10x10). However, the Lord is perfecting us through His judgment to bring us to maturity, and we are His work in progress.

Gen 6:3  Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” (ESV)

Exo 12:38  And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. 

We must also know that not all who came out of Babylon (Egypt) to the church of the firstborn will end up receiving the reward, as signified by the mixed multitude that left Egypt. Later on in our walk, we shall encounter Korah’s rebellion, Achan, etc. This is all part of the ways designed by the Lord to sift the wheat from the tares.

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

Mat 13:38  The field is the world; the good seed (the wheat) are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

As we have explained in the previous study, going out of Egypt with the flocks, herds and cattle is maintaining our livelihood as we serve the Lord. Recognizing the need to work for a living while serving the Lord is one of Paul’s main messages to the churches He ministered.

Act 20:34  Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. 
Act 20:35  I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Exo 12:39  And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual. 

As we have explained earlier in verse 34, the people of Israel did not have ample time to make leavened bread. This is all the Lord’s doing as He puts us in a situation where it becomes easier for us to pursue the righteousness of Christ.

Exo 12:40  Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. 
Exo 12:41  And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. 

According to the Lord’s prophecy when He made a covenant with Abraham, the people of Israel were supposed to spend four hundred years in servitude before they became free. However, verses 40 and 41 talk about four hundred and thirty years. Thus, verses 40 and 41 seem to be in contradiction with the following verses:

Gen 15:13  And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
Gen 15:14  And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

Unlearned and unstable minds, however, think that the Bible is full of contradictions. People who think that way are not meant to know the truth as predicted by Apostle Peter:

2Pe 3:14  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
2Pe 3:15  And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 
2Pe 3:16  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

This is what accounts for the apparent discrepancy: These four hundred and thirty years began in Genesis 12 when the Lord made the promise to Abraham that He would give the good land to Abraham’s seed. From that day until the night of the exodus was exactly four hundred and thirty years. The four hundred years began with Ishmael’s mocking of Isaac in Genesis 21. This means that from Genesis 12 to Genesis 21, there was a period of thirty years, and from Genesis 21 to Exodus 12, there was a period of four hundred years. Spiritually, the number four hundred and thirty signifies the whole of our lives from our birth until the time we leave Babylon after the Lord had come with His brightness to judge us as a result of the fulness of our flesh (sins).

Exo 12:42  It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.
Exo 12:43  And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof: 

According to the instructions given to Moses and Aaron, strangers are not allowed to observe the Passover. The observation of the Passover includes the eating of the lamb and unleavened bread with bitter herbs, the marking of the house where the lamb is eaten with the blood of the lamb and the need to stay in the house until morning. The spiritual meaning of observing the Passover was explained in the previous study as follows:

Every elect of every generation is required to observe the Passover throughout his/her life through faith. Every day of our walk with the Lord is the feast of the Passover.

Heb 11:28  Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

The question is, “What does it mean to keep the passover?” First and foremost, we need to understand the sacrificial offering of the Lord on our behalf.

1Co 5:7  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

Secondly, we need to know that our lives were spared by the Lord from destruction. This has nothing to do with anything we have done. It was just the mercies of the Lord that He showered on us.

Rom 9:18  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

Thirdly, we need to know that the blood of Christ purges our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. In spite of our wickedness and flaws, the Lord has chosen us and purged us of our sins so that we can worship him acceptably.

Heb 9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The Passover also commemorates our eating of the lamb. This lamb is Christ, who is also the word. This means that through the mercies of the Lord, our eyes are being enlightened to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

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 13:16  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.

The enlightening of our understanding is accompanied by the Lord’s judgment which destroys the power and influence of the old man or the flesh in our lives. This is signified by the roasting of the lamb eaten at the Passover.

Exo 12:8  And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

Observing the Passover also means that we are eating the lamb with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs. The unleavened bread here signifies sincerity and truth. This means that our understanding of the word of the Lord must be accompanied with a life of sincerity and truth. In other words, our life must reflect the righteousness of Christ. When our lives reflect the righteousness of Christ, then we are observing the Passover in our lives.

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

It is so exciting when the Lord reveals some aspects of the truth of the word of the Lord to us. In other words, it is sweet in our mouth. However, when it enters our belly, it is bitter. The bitter herb that must accompany the eating of the unleavened bread refers to the bitter experience we must go through to actualize the word we have received.

Rev 10:10  And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

So, the question is, “Who is the stranger who is not to participate in the observance of the Passover?” A stranger is one who is without Christ, being alienated from the covenant of promise and having no hope in the world. This includes people of the world and our brothers and sisters in Babylon who are aliens from the commonwealth of the elect (Israel). It is only the elect who are required to observe the Passover. 

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 
Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 
Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Exo 12:44  But every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. 

Being bought as a slave with money is being redeemed by the Lord with His blood. In times past, we were following the course of this world with our father the devil dictating our walk in this world. However, God, being rich in mercy, came to our aid by redeeming us from the slavery of sin with His blood. He then circumcised us spiritually to become part of the commonwealth of the elect (Israel). Thus, though we were servants to sin in times past, we are qualified to eat the lamb of the Passover.

Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
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 2:18  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Exo 12:45  A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof. 

As we have indicated, we were strangers and hired servants in time past, and during that period, we were not qualified to eat of the lamb of the Passover. In other words, our eyes were not enlightened by the Lord.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them (foreigners and hired servants) it is not given.

Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Exo 12:46  In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. 

“In one house” signifies that we, who at some point in time were strangers, are united with the elect. In other words, we, the strangers and hired servants, are now one with the people of Israel (the elect), eating the same lamb of the word of God.

Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 
Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Here in verse 46, we are also told that we should not take the flesh of the lamb we are eating outside the house. Outside is used severally in the scriptures to denote the dwelling place of those with contagious diseases like leprosy as shown below:

Lev 13:45  “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’
Lev 13:46  He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.

People who dwell “outside” with contagious diseases like leprosy symbolize the people of the world, including our Babylonian brothers and sisters. The fact that we are not to take any of the flesh outside the house is another way of saying that we should not cast our pearls before swine. That is, we should not take what is holy and give it to the dogs, because they have no regard for what is holy and will instead attack us.

Mat 7:6  “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

We are also admonished not to break a bone of the lamb while eating the Passover. The first mention of bone in the Bible was in relation to the Lord taking the rib (bone) of Adam and using it to form a woman. The woman was produced from a bone taken from Adam. This means that a bone signifies life that impart life. The bone taken from Adam imparted Adam’s life into Eve. Adam here represents Christ who imparts His eternal life to us, the church. When Christ was crucified as our Passover lamb, His legs (bones) were not broken. These unbreakable bones of Christ refer to His eternal life or His spirit. The statement that we are not to break a bone while eating the lamb, therefore symbolizes the fact that we must not lose sight of the spiritual implication of the word of the Lord which gives life.

Gen 2:21  So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
Gen 2:22  And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 
Gen 2:23  Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”

Joh 19:32  So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 
Joh 19:33  But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
Joh 19:34  But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 

Joh 6:63  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

Exo 12:47  All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
Exo 12:48  And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.

All the congregation of Israel keeping the Passover means that the elect of every generation is required to eat the lamb of the Passover, the unleavened bread with bitter herbs and to smear the blood of Christ on our doorpost. Observing the Passover spiritually means that our eyes are being enlightened to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God and that we live a life of righteousness. All of this is done on the basis of the fact that the blood of Christ has purged our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. In spite of our wickedness and flaws, the Lord has chosen us and purged us of our sins so that we can worship him acceptably.

Heb 9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

In verse 48, a distinction is made of circumcised and uncircumcised persons. Only circumcised persons can observe the Passover. Uncircumcised persons cannot participate in the Passover. We, the elect, are the circumcised who are admonished to come near to the Lord and observe the Passover. Circumcision signifies the doing away of the flesh which had dominated us in our earlier walk with Christ.

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

The uncircumcised person is anyone who is dominated by the flesh. Such a person walks after the flesh. This is what walking after the flesh (uncircumcised) is all about:

Gal 5:19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 
Gal 5:20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 
Gal 5:21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Exo 12:49  One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

We, the strangers, are joined together with the homeborn through the law of the spirit of life which sets us free from the law of sin and death.

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.

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 
Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 
Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Exo 12:50  Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. 

It is through the Lord’s judgment of the ten plagues, culminating in the death of the firstborn, that we become obedient and therefore righteous. As indicated in verse 50, all the children of Israel obeyed the Lord’s commandment.

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

Exo 12:51  And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies. 

It is significant to note that the children of Israel came out of Egypt as the Lord’s army. We are the Lord’s army here in this world to serve the Lord and His interest.

Rev 19:14  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

As the Lord’s army, our fight is not against a physical enemy but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world and against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Rev 19:19  And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

The Lord has already given us all the weapons we need to prepare for this war of our lives.

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. 
Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 
Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 
Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 
Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 
Eph 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

We thank God for the opportunity to count us worthy to observe the Passover. Our prayer is that through the adherence to His guidelines regarding how we are to observe the Passover, we shall be presented blameless and faultless in His presence. Amen!!

Gospels In Harmony – The Final Judgment

Mat 25:31-46

[Study Aired September 21, 2021]

Mat 25:31  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Mat 25:32  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
Mat 25:33  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Mat 25:34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Mat 25:35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Mat 25:36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Mat 25:38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Mat 25:39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
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.
Mat 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Mat 25:42  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
Mat 25:43  I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Mat 25:44  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Mat 25:45  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
Mat 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Today’s study Christ shares the process of mankind’s judgment with his disciples.

Mat 25:31  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

Our first verse tells us the timing of when Christ enters our heavens and sits upon His throne of glory. It is the combination of Christ and His angels, the messengers with His word in them, sharing the truth with us. Sitting upon the throne represents our time of judgment. The religions of the world believe this is not directed toward the elect of God but a future group of people, and they are partly right. What they don’t understand is that we are all given life in a particular order, and we are all judged.

Psa 96:13 Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with right eousness, and the people with his truth.

Psa 98:9 Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

Act 17:30-31 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

1Co 15:22-24 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 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.

2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

1Pe 4:17-18 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? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

Rev 20:11-12 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Our next verses tell us there is a process of judgment and what takes place.

Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

“All nations” in these scriptures represent everyone’s doctrines, the understanding of those doctrines, and each person’s way of life.

Rev 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

In the Revelation study on the website, this verse is explained to show us how the nations are our way of life and our doctrines. Here is an excerpt of that study and the link to the full study.

Rev 17:12-18

“Again, “the dream is one”, and the symbols of this vision are one. These waters are the “people, and multitude, and nations, and tongues of the “two hundred thousand, thousand” false doctrines which ascend up out of the bottomless pit within us to darken our Sun and our air, and keep us in the darkness which is our false Babylonian doctrines. These waters are this beast on which the woman sits, and over whom she rules with “the bondage of the elements of this world.” These waters and these peoples are all within us submitting to the teachings and doctrines of this great harlot until the appointed time when the beasts we are will rebel against the strength and influence of this harlot. Whenever this woman within us comes into conflict with this beast within us, the brute beast we are will always win that battle, and will hate the hypocrisy of the harlot we also are.”

The division of the sheep and goats represents the truths of Christ being separated from the lies of Satan in our minds. The sheep are the righteous ways of Christ in us, and the goats are the ways of Satan, our unrighteousnesses, which are the merchandise we receive either by Christ and His holy angels or of our father the devil and his angels.

Rev 18:12-14 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

The right and left hands represent the power these doctrines have in our lives.

Exo 15:6-7 Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble.

Ecc 10:2 A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left.

Mat 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Mar 14:62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Luk 22:67-69 Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe: And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go.Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.

Here is what happens with those on His right hand.

Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Mat 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

In the beginning of everyone’s walk with Christ it is questioned what is happening. Also, this in not a one-time event but a continual happening until God is all in all – the elect first and then to all mankind.

Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Mat 25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Mat 25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

Everyone is first a carnal babe in Christ and cannot understand the doctrines of Christ and must grow into understanding.

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

We ask the questions because we are not able to bear the spiritual understanding of Christ’s doctrines. Here is Christ’s answer.

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.

Now here is what is happening to doctrines of the world within each of us.

Mat 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Mat 25:42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
Mat 25:43  I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Mat 25:44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Mat 25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
Mat 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Christ once again is telling us the same thing He has told us in earlier parables: “One shall be taken, and the other left.”

Luk 17:34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

These parables are all about the kingdom of heaven, and as you all know and understand, this kingdom is within us and must be cleansed of all filth. This is done through “everlasting (age-abiding) punishment”. Our mind must be renewed from having the mind of Satan and changed to having the mind of Christ.

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

The doctrines within everyone are judged by fire and every doctrine is judged in the order ordained by God. We first are given the way of the world, and by the renewing of our minds, we are given the way of Christ. This continues until our mind is completely changed. I will end our study with Proverbs 2.

The Value of Wisdom

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

Audio Links

Awesome Hands – part 83

“The judgments” Part N

August 5th, 2015

Exo 23:7  Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.
Exo 23:8  And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
Exo 23:9  Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

The verses in the study today are verses which have very basic and practical uses for our everyday lives, and they also help us formulate our thoughts for what the Lord is going to present to us in the verses following them (which will be covered next study).

False accusations and righteous judgment

Being able to examine a situation and see the forest for the trees can at times be a very hard thing to do. The Lord knew this to be true and set out to give us laws that would help those who were in the place of passing judgments to be able to do this job properly.

We know that the law was given to a “lawless and disobedient” people, but it was also given to several other groups that we are all very familiar with if we are candid with ourselves.

We are going to cover several verses in 1 Timothy chapter 1 with the verses in today’s lesson. First off, I will read the verses together and in context.

1Ti 1:3  As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,
1Ti 1:4  Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
1Ti 1:5  Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
1Ti 1:6  From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;
1Ti 1:7  Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.
1Ti 1:8  But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
1Ti 1:9  Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10  For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
1Ti 1:11  According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
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;

Given what we just read, I want to connect the concepts here in 1 Timothy to Exodus 23:7-9. These verses in Timothy do not only apply here, but the concepts laid out certainly give us more context on the judgments given to us in Exodus 23.

Exo 23:7  Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.

We are told to stay away from a “false matter” for very good reasons.

(ESV) Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked.

(GNB) Do not make false accusations, and do not put an innocent person to death, for I will condemn anyone who does such an evil thing.

(BBE) Keep yourselves far from any false business; never let the upright or him who has done no wrong be put to death: for I will make the evil-doer responsible for his sin.

Keeping ourselves “pure heart” and “good conscience” as stated in 1 Timothy is directly connected with realizing that “judges” have an ultimate Judge.

Our Judge will be passing on judgment which comes directly from mouth, and the mouth speaks what the heart is feeling/thinking.

Jer 23:16  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.

Mat 12:34  O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Mat 15:18  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

Luk 6:45  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

Mat 7:1  Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Mat 7:2  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

The two concepts spoken about in Exodus 23:7 tell us to not listen to or partake of false accusations and to not put an innocent person to death. If we disobey these judgments/laws, then we ourselves will be guilty of the “blood on our hands” so to speak.

In 1 Timothy 1:6 that those who stray from a pure heart, a good conscience and faith do so because they “give heed to FABLES and endless genealogies” which only produce MORE questions and do not solve whatever issue is at hand.

Why does a person “give heed” or listen to these things? It is because they give heed to a doctrine that they have not heard before or are straying from the “sound doctrine” that has been proven.

2Jn 1:8  Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
2Jn 1:9  Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of CHRIST, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
2Jn 1:10  If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
2Jn 1:11  For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

Bribes and righteous judgment

Bribes and righteous judgment do NOT go hand in hand.

Exo 23:8  And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.

When we consider who it is who sees and who it is that is righteous, these verses become even more pertinent to our spiritual walks with the Lord.

Of course, our spiritual walks are only part of the equation of things to consider, but they also are something we can apply to our daily lives today.

It’s easy to conclude what bribes do to those that need to be able to pass righteous judgment to those who need to be judged. We are talking about the laws given to the judges to judge the people with, so how do bribes affect God’s people if not addressed and seen for what they are?

1Sa 8:1  And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
1Sa 8:2  Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.
1Sa 8:3  And his sons walked not in his ways (think… DOCTRINE), but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
1Sa 8:4  Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
1Sa 8:5  And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
1Sa 8:6  But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.

Judgments which can be bought with a bribe are obviously not proper judgments. Worse than that, they lead people to welcoming in even more evil to their lives just like the elders of Israel did when they petitioned Samuel to give them a judge over them.

If the judges would have “walked after Samuel’s way”, then the evil of appointing a king over themselves would not have taken place. Of course, the Lord wanted us to see that we have a “law in our members”, our king that we desire to be our head, that reigns over us because we do not have righteous judgment ourselves.

There are more examples of bribed judgment in scripture, and here are a few of those examples.

Psa 26:1  A Psalm of David. Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide.

Psa 26:9  Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men:
Psa 26:10  In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.
Psa 26:11  But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me.

Pro 17:23  A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.
Pro 17:24  Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.

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.

Contrasted with:

Jas 1:26  If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
Jas 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

So, if we consider that Samuel’s sons didn’t “walk in his way” and then realize that this is a type for us, who’s “Way” should we be walking in?

What does “doctrine” have to do with the items mentioned in Exodus 23? The emphasis and ( ) are mine.

Exo 23:7  Keep thee far from a false matter (MIND and DOCTRINE); and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.
Exo 23:8  And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise (EYES that SEE, EARS that HEAR), and perverteth the words of the righteous.
Exo 23:9  Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger (SOUL), seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

“Don’t be involved with false accusations, don’t slay an innocent man, take no gifts or bribes and don’t oppress strangers.” All of these concepts are rooted in doctrine, in the mind that has given us our doctrine, but it may not appear to be the case on the surface and in the letter.

1Ti 1:3  As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

1Ti 1:6  From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;

The Lord has continued to give laws to Moses to give to the Israelites. In turn, the Israelites will have judges who are being given directions on how to judge properly.

Likewise, we have been given a law of Christ that we use to judge all situations in our lives each and every day.

What we DO NOT want to do is turn aside our judgment to “vain jangling”, so what is “vain jangling?”

Strongs:

G3150

mataiologia

mat-ah-yol-og-ee’-ah

From G3151; random talk, that is, babble: – vain jangling.

From G3151:

G3151

mataiologos

mat-ah-yol-og’-os

From G3152 and G3004; an idle (that is, senseless or mischievous) talker, that is, a wrangler: – vain talker.

Thayers:

G3150

mataiologia

Thayer Definition:

1) vain talking, empty talk

Part of Speech: noun feminine

A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G3151

Citing in TDNT: 4:524, 571

From G3151:

G3151

mataiologos

Thayer Definition:

1) an idle talker, one who utters empty senseless things

Part of Speech: noun masculine

A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G3152 and G3004

Citing in TDNT: 4:524, 571

G3152

mataios

Thayer Definition:

1) devoid of force, truth, success, result

2) useless, of no purpose

Part of Speech: adjective

A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from the base of G3155

Citing in TDNT: 4:519, 571

G3004

legō

Thayer Definition:

1) to say, to speak

1a) affirm over, maintain

1b) to teach

1c) to exhort, advise, to command, direct

1d) to point out with words, intend, mean, mean to say

1e) to call by name, to call, name

1f) to speak out, speak of, mention

Part of Speech: verb

A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: a root word

Citing in TDNT: 4:69, 505

So “vain babbling” is to speak something that is devoid of truth and has no purpose which is what those who turn from sound doctrine do.

What then is sound doctrine so that we know what it is we should be saying, thinking and applying/judging in our lives and in all situations we encounter or are asked about by others?

1Ti 1:10  For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound (G5198) doctrine (G1319);

G5198

hugiainō

hoog-ee-ah’ee-no

From G5199; to have sound health, that is, be well (in body); figuratively to be uncorrupt (true in doctrine): – be in health, (be safe and) sound, (be) whole (-some).

G5199

hugiēs

Thayer Definition:

1) sound

1a) of a man who is sound in body

2) to make one whole, i.e. restore him to health

3) metaphorically teaching which does not deviate from the truth

Part of Speech: adjective

A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from the base of G837

Citing in TDNT: 8:308, 1202

G837

αὐξάνω

auxanō

Thayer Definition:

1) to cause to grow, augment

2) to increase, become greater

3) to grow, increase

3a) of plants

3b) of infants

3c) of a multitude of people

3d) of inward Christian growth

Part of Speech: verb

A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: a prolonged form of a primary verb

Citing in TDNT: 8:517,*

I know that is all a bit technical when drilling down into the roots of the words, but the end result is that “sound doctrine” is not deviating away from the Truth.

Jesus Christ gave us His TEACHING, His doctrine. The root “sound” doctrine is that which causes and INCREASE.

How does this allow hearken back to Exodus 23:7-9?

Exo 23:9  Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

We know what it is like to not have proper judgment or consideration given to us. “Strangers” in the land aren’t afforded the same consideration as someone who is a native to the land.

Strangers a lot of times may be unaware of the “laws of the land” they are guilty of breaking. When they do break the laws, they may not know the penalties or technicalities associated with breaking those laws and they may not be able to afford counsel or representation in a “court of law”.

When then does this leave a judge?

As spiritual judges, who know the “heart” of a stranger, we are told to hearken to the teaching of Christ and apply that you our judgments, both of ourselves first and foremost and then on the will the Lord is working out in other’s lives.

The English word used as heart here isn’t very revealing. This word would be better translated “soul” as it is the other 400+ times in Hebrew. I am not going to include them all here for the sake of space, but I’ll show the first 416 entries.

H5315

nephesh

Total KJV Occurrences: 749

soul, 416

Gen_2:7, Gen_17:13-14 (2), Gen_19:20, Gen_27:4, Gen_27:19, Gen_27:25, Gen_27:31, Gen_34:3, Gen_34:8, Gen_35:18, Gen_42:21, Gen_49:6, Exo_12:15, Exo_12:19, Exo_30:12, Exo_31:14, Lev_4:2, Lev_5:1-2 (2), Lev_5:4, Lev_5:15, Lev_5:17, Lev_6:2, Lev_7:18, Lev_7:20-21 (4), Lev_7:25, Lev_7:27 (2), Lev_17:10-12 (3), Lev_17:15, Lev_19:8, Lev_20:6 (2), Lev_22:3, Lev_22:6, Lev_22:11, Lev_23:29-30 (3), Lev_26:11, Lev_26:15, Lev_26:30, Lev_26:43, Num_9:13, Num_11:6, Num_15:27-28 (2), Num_15:30-31 (3), Num_19:13, Num_19:20, Num_19:22, Num_21:4-5 (2), Num_30:2, Num_30:4-8 (6), Num_30:10-13 (4), Num_31:28, Deu_4:9, Deu_4:29, Deu_6:5, Deu_11:12-13 (2), Deu_11:18, Deu_12:15, Deu_12:20-21 (3), Deu_13:3, Deu_13:6, Deu_14:26 (2), Deu_26:16, Deu_30:2, Deu_30:6, Deu_30:10, Jos_22:5, Jdg_5:21, Jdg_16:16 (2), 1Sa_1:10, 1Sa_1:15, 1Sa_1:26, 1Sa_2:16, 1Sa_17:55, 1Sa_18:1 (3), 1Sa_20:3-4 (3), 1Sa_20:17, 1Sa_23:20, 1Sa_24:11, 1Sa_25:26, 1Sa_25:29 (2), 1Sa_26:21, 1Sa_30:6, 2Sa_4:9, 2Sa_5:8, 2Sa_11:11, 2Sa_14:19, 1Ki_1:29, 1Ki_2:4, 1Ki_8:48, 1Ki_11:37, 1Ki_17:21-22 (2), 2Ki_2:2, 2Ki_2:4, 2Ki_2:6, 2Ki_4:27, 2Ki_4:30, 2Ki_23:3, 2Ki_23:25, 1Ch_22:19, 2Ch_6:38, 2Ch_15:12, 2Ch_34:31, Job_3:20, Job_6:7, Job_7:11, Job_7:15, Job_9:21, Job_10:1 (2), Job_12:10, Job_14:22, Job_16:4, Job_19:2, Job_21:25, Job_23:13, Job_24:12, Job_27:2, Job_27:8, Job_30:16, Job_30:25, Job_31:30, Job_33:18, Job_33:20, Job_33:22, Job_33:28, Job_33:30, Psa_6:2-4 (3), Psa_7:2, Psa_7:5, Psa_11:1, Psa_11:5, Psa_13:2, Psa_16:10, Psa_17:13, Psa_19:7, Psa_22:20, Psa_22:29, Psa_24:3-4 (2), Psa_25:1, Psa_25:13, Psa_25:20, Psa_26:9, Psa_30:3, Psa_31:7, Psa_31:9, Psa_33:19-20 (2), Psa_34:2, Psa_34:22, Psa_35:3-4 (2), Psa_35:7, Psa_35:9, Psa_35:12-13 (2), Psa_35:17, Psa_40:14, Psa_41:4, Psa_42:1-2 (2), Psa_42:4-6 (3), Psa_42:11, Psa_43:5, Psa_44:25, Psa_49:8, Psa_49:15, Psa_49:18, Psa_54:3-4 (2), Psa_55:18, Psa_56:6, Psa_56:13, Psa_57:1, Psa_57:4, Psa_57:6, Psa_59:3, Psa_62:1, Psa_62:5, Psa_63:1, Psa_63:5, Psa_66:8-9 (3), Psa_66:16, Psa_69:1, Psa_69:10, Psa_69:18, Psa_70:2, Psa_71:10, Psa_71:13, Psa_71:23, Psa_72:14, Psa_74:19, Psa_77:2, Psa_78:50, Psa_86:2 (2), Psa_86:4 (2), Psa_86:13-14 (2), Psa_88:3, Psa_88:14, Psa_89:48, Psa_94:17, Psa_94:19, Psa_94:21, Psa_103:1-2 (2), Psa_103:22, Psa_104:1, Psa_104:35, Psa_106:15, Psa_107:5, Psa_107:9 (2), Psa_107:18, Psa_107:26, Psa_109:20, Psa_109:31, Psa_116:4, Psa_116:7-8 (2), Psa_119:20, Psa_119:25, Psa_119:28, Psa_119:81, Psa_119:109, Psa_119:129, Psa_119:167, Psa_119:175, Psa_120:2, Psa_121:6-7 (2), Psa_124:4-5 (3), Psa_124:7, Psa_130:5-6 (2), Psa_138:2-3 (2), Psa_139:14, Psa_141:8, Psa_142:4, Psa_142:7, Psa_143:3, Psa_143:6, Psa_143:8, Psa_143:11-12 (2), Psa_146:1, Pro_2:10, Pro_3:22, Pro_6:30, Pro_6:32, Pro_8:36, Pro_10:3, Pro_11:17, Pro_11:25, Pro_13:2, Pro_13:4 (2), Pro_13:19, Pro_13:25, Pro_15:32, Pro_16:17, Pro_16:24, Pro_18:7, Pro_19:2, Pro_19:8, Pro_19:15-16 (2), Pro_19:18, Pro_20:2, Pro_21:10, Pro_21:23, Pro_22:5, Pro_22:23, Pro_22:25, Pro_23:14, Pro_24:12, Pro_24:14, Pro_25:13, Pro_25:25, Pro_27:7 (2), Pro_29:10, Pro_29:17, Ecc_2:24 (2), Ecc_4:8, Ecc_6:2-3 (2), Ecc_7:28, Son_1:7, Son_3:1-4 (4), Son_5:6, Son_6:12, Isa_1:14, Isa_3:9, Isa_10:18, Isa_26:8-9 (2), Isa_29:8 (2), Isa_32:6, Isa_38:15, Isa_38:17, Isa_42:1, Isa_44:20, Isa_51:23, Isa_53:10-12 (3), Isa_58:2-3 (3), Isa_58:5, Isa_58:10-11 (3), Isa_61:10, Isa_66:3, Jer_4:10, Jer_4:19, Jer_4:31, Jer_5:9, Jer_5:29, Jer_9:8-9 (2), Jer_12:7, Jer_13:17, Jer_18:19-20 (2), Jer_20:13, Jer_31:12, Jer_31:14, Jer_31:25 (2), Jer_32:41, Jer_38:16-17 (2), Jer_38:20, Jer_50:19, Jer_51:6, Jer_51:45, Lam_1:11, Lam_1:16, Lam_2:12, Lam_3:17, Lam_3:20, Lam_3:24-25 (2), Lam_3:58, Eze_3:19, Eze_3:21, Eze_4:14, Eze_18:4 (3), Eze_18:20, Eze_18:27, Eze_24:21, Eze_33:5, Eze_33:9, Jon_2:4-5 (2), Mic_6:7 (2), Mic_7:1, Hab_2:4, Hab_2:10, Zec_11:8

Exo 23:9  Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the soul of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Gen 2:7  And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

What it means to know the soul of a stranger, spiritually speaking, is to understand that the Lord has caused us all to be who we are, to experience what we experience, and to be trapped as SLAVES to the Will of God in our lives.

When judging things that are set in front of us to judge, we should be looking toward what we have been freed from in order to then look to the cross of Christ and realize that Jesus Christ has “sat us on judgment bench” to be able to represent Him as ambassadors.

Exo 23:7  Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.
Exo 23:8  And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
Exo 23:9  Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

The points of Exodus 23:7-9 are we cannot possibly hope to make proper judgments in our lives if we lean only toward our own understandings. We need witnesses and guidance to make proper assessments. Otherwise, we spiritually kill those whom we give advice to since we are not founded in the truth.

We are able to be bribed and influenced and this happens because our eyes can be blinded. They must be “open” and not shut by influences/bribes over us. We must always stick with wise and righteous Words, the word of God, to know we are indeed not being blind in judgment.

If we don’t remember where is it is we have come from remembering what we have been set free from when we were slaves, then we are in now shape to be able to judge situations properly.

These laws precede the verses coming next week which give to us the various time tables and feasts the Lord has given us when we follow His laws and become His people.

Audio Links

Awesome Hands – part 75

“The judgments” Part F

February 25th, 2015

Today, we are continuing our series with the judgments the Lord has given us as admonitions on how to live our lives. While some of the examples given to us in the judgments in Exodus 22 do not apply to us in the physical today, all of those same judgments apply to us spiritually.
In the study today, we are going to cover the next few verses concerning how to treat strangers and how to deal with the poor, widows and fatherless.

“Strangers in the land”

The first verse we are covering today is found in  Exodus 22:21.

Exo 22:21  Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

One of the more easily forgotten aspects of the Israelites being strangers in the land of Egypt is that it was due to them needing help so they didn’t perish and being welcomed in due to one of their own family members. Here is a short recap on why they were strangers in the first place.

Gen 41:56  And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.
Gen 41:57  And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.

Gen 45:17  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan;
Gen 45:18  And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.
Gen 45:19  Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.
Gen 45:20  Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.
Gen 45:21  And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.
Gen 45:22  To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.

Pharaoh typifies our Lord and King, and as such, we should recognize that all strangers are in their particular situations due to the Lord working all things out after the counsel of His own will.
A stranger naturally has a huge disadvantage in a strange country as it pertains to communication, knowledge of surroundings, customs of the people, etc.
We, as strangers seeking our “home country,” should take this to heart and remember that we too know the heart of a stranger.

Exo 23:9  Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

However, what is not easily gleaned from reading the words in the letter, about why it is that we shall no oppress a stranger, can be found in what a stranger lacks.
When we meet strangers, they do not know they are speaking with the Christ, but they should SEE the Christ in our ACTIONS and DEEDS. We should be disciples IN DEED, in doing what the Lord commands us and in living our lives as unto Christ Himself.
Before we are given the “land” to possess, we are strangers to that land.
Before the war with Egypt can be won, before the red sea can be parted, before the Hivites, Canaanites, Hitites, Amorites, Jebusites, Perizzites and Philistines are driven out, before the giants in the land can be conquered and killed, we are strangers.

Exo 23:20  Behold, I send an Angel before thee, TO KEEP thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
Exo 23:21  Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
Exo 23:22  But if thou shalt indeed OBEY HIS VOICE, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.

Notice, it is the voice of the Lord which SPEAKS through the MOUTH of His angel.

Exo 23:23  For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.
Exo 23:24  Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.
Exo 23:25  And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
Exo 23:26  There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
Exo 23:27  I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.
Exo 23:28  And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
Exo 23:29  I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
Exo 23:30  By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.
Exo 23:31  And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.

Why do I mention these things in the context of speaking about not oppressing a stranger?

Heb 13:1  Let brotherly love continue.
Heb 13:2  Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Heb 13:3  Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

A stranger could very well be an angel of the Lord, and a stranger could also just as easily be someone who the Lord is working with but has not yet been given the Lord’s heart and mind.
Notice that we strangers to the land, when our enemies possess the land. Yet, the Lord will send ANGELS before us to guide us. Why do strangers in this state of mind need guidance and direction?

Exo 22:21  Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Exo 22:22  Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.
Exo 22:23  If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;
Exo 22:24  And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and YOUR wives shall be widows, and YOUR children fatherless.
Exo 22:25  If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.

Zec 7:9  Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:
Zec 7:10  And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

In a negative application of these verses, each of these groups is lacking something. Widows lack their spouse, the fatherless lack a Father, the poor lack riches and strangers lack their country.
If you apply these things in the Spirit, we should be the MESSENGERS of the Lord to represent our Father and our Lord to these strangers who NEED HIM. He is the spouse they want, the Father they need, the riches they desire and the country they seek.
Do we know and remember the heart of a stranger? Do we not also seek the same country as some of them? We are of the household of Faith.

Heb 11:14  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
Heb 11:15  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
Heb 11:16  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

For those who are of the household of Faith, it is important to recognize that the Lord is telling us ahead of time that “he who is given much is expected much”.

Luk 12:46  The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
Luk 12:47  And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
Luk 12:48  But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
Luk 12:49  I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

To be as blunt as possible, you are NOT of the household of Faith unless you are a THANKFUL stranger. Being thankful is in your ACTIONS as well as your words, but only words is NOT what the Lord seeks. We must worship in Spirit and Truth and NOT in lip service alone.

Luk 17:11  And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed THROUGH THE MIDST of Samaria and Galilee.
Luk 17:12  And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
Luk 17:13  And they lifted up their VOICES, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
Luk 17:14  And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
Luk 17:15  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a LOUD VOICE glorified God,
Luk 17:16  And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
Luk 17:17  And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
Luk 17:18  There are not found that RETURNED to give glory to God, save this STRANGER.
Luk 17:19  And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: THY FAITH hath made thee whole.

Notice, the other 9 lepers were cleansed, and the other 9 lepers were healed, but only ONE was made WHOLE.
James tells us this about our Faith:

Jas 2:12  So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
Jas 2:13  For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
Jas 2:14  What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
Jas 2:15  If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
Jas 2:16  And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
Jas 2:17  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Jas 2:18  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Jas 2:19  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Jas 2:20  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

James tells us that to claim the Faith of Christ alone is DEAD and VAIN. Do you believe him? If we claim the Faith of Christ and do not operate that same Faith by DOING, acting, living and breathing it, then we are only fooling ourselves.

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.
Jas 1:26  If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
Jas 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Look at why the Lord tells His people in Exodus they should be concerned with listening to Him diligently when handling strangers, widows, fatherless and the poor.

Exo 22:23  If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;
Exo 22:24  And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and YOUR wives shall be widows, and YOUR children fatherless.
Exo 22:25  If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.

Also notice, that our voice or their voice will be heard.
If we operate in Faith in all things covered by Exodus 22:21-25, then we will not have the hot wax of God’s wrath poured out on us.
However, we also know that we must live by every word, so we all at some point do the EXACT OPPSOSITE of what we are told not to do here in Exodus.
If what is being presented to you today makes any spiritual sense to you, then you will recognize that it is at times that you are the stranger, the widow, the poor and the fatherless who CRY OUT to the Lord and are heard of Him.
While later down the path with Christ, you become the angel sent ahead of others and to them to be the voice of the Lord. Unbeknownst to those strangers, widows, poor and fatherless is that their old man is being burned up by the presence of His coming!

2Sa 22:7  In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.
2Sa 22:8  Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth.
2Sa 22:9  There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
Rev 11:5  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

Do these verses in Jeremiah not say it all about who a stranger is?

Jer 5:14  Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
Jer 5:15  Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.

It should be becoming clearer that we are a positive and negative type of “stranger, widow, poor, and fatherless”.
We first start off seeking the Lord and we are in great need. We are sent angels of the Lord, that we know not at first, and they help us by BURNING us up, burning away the old man that needs to go for that time.
Later, we become the stranger seeking a country, living by Faith, being poor, meek and humble in spirit, having written of the first man Adam and His Father the devil knowing the first man Adam must die.
Lastly, in this physical world we should be looking to help those who need it the most in this world, notwithstanding we are to help the household of Faith first and foremost.
We should physically help the widows, strangers, poor and fatherless that we know need help and as the Lord permits. Likewise, we need to be careful to always remember those which are spiritually widows, fatherless, poor and strangers.
We have to do both and find the balance the Lord would have us to seek.

Mat 6:25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Mat 6:26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Mat 6:27  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
Mat 6:28  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
Mat 6:29  And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Mat 6:30  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Mat 6:31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Mat 6:32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

And:

Gal 6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Gal 6:10  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

 

Video Links

Study Aired June 17, 2012

Job 19:15 They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight.
Job 19:16 I called my servant, and he gave me no answer; I intreated him with my mouth.
Job 19:17 My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children’s sake of mine own body.
Job 19:18 Yea, young children despised me; I arose, and they spake against me.
Job 19:19 All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.
Job 19:20 My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.
Job 19:21 Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.
Job 19:22 Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?
Job 19:23 Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!
Job 19:24 That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!
Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
Job 19:26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
Job 19:27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
Job 19:28 But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?

Introduction

In this study we will hear the most impassioned plea from Job for pity from people who have no pity. Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar were willing to condemn Job as an extreme sinner, based solely on the fact that Job was enduring a trial which was worse than anything they had yet endured. Job had been universally highly esteemed by all, and now he is universally greatly despised by even his closest friends and family members and even his own servants in his own house. Even his wife considers ‘his breath [ to be] strange’.
As the Old Testament type of our “old… first man Adam”, Job continues his plea for mercy against Bildad’s continued false accusations. Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar are all Edomites, and Edom is Esau, the type and shadow of our anointed, yet rejected old man even though he is born of the same mother and father as Jacob, who is the type and symbol of God’s accepted anointed.

Gen 36:8 Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom.

What this tells us is that Job is not the early type of our old man when he first comes into this world. Rather Job and his miserable comforters are a much later type of our rejected old man as a brother in Babylon, who is convinced that he already knows God, when in truth he is still desirous of destroying God’s elect while thinking he is doing God service:

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.
Joh 16:3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

Neither Job nor his comforters know God, but they are all fully convinced that they do and that they are speaking in His behalf.

Job 12:1 And Job answered and said,
Job 12:2 No doubt but ye [ think] are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.
Job 12:3 But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these?
Job 12:4 I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn.

When we are being judged, it appears that God is on the side of our accusers, and while we are being ‘mocked by our accusing neighbors, it appears to us that God has them to mock us, but He also appears to answer their prayers. Even our closest friends and family members see our trials as “the savor of death unto death”.

Job 19:15 They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight.

Our very presence, if we are being “crucified with Christ” (Gal 2:20), causes “all men” to hate us.

Mat 10:17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
Mat 10:18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
Mat 10:19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
Mat 10:20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
Mat 10:21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

“All men” speaks of “men” as those who do not know God and His Son. “Men” in scripture stands in contrast to God’s anointed elect who are “hated of all men”. Just how universal is this hatred of the anointed of Christ?

Job 19:16 I called my servant, and he gave me no answer; I intreated him with my mouth.
Job 19:17 My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children’s sake of mine own body.

If Job’s wife typifies Babylon, then our trials prove to her that we are stricken of God. The “day of our visitation”, our being judged and our suffering, emboldens her to consider us a stranger. Thus the gulf between God’s elect and Babylon grows until it cannot be spanned.

Job 19:18 Yea, young children despised me; I arose, and they spake against me.

Even Babylon’s most immature hate those who are being judged at this time. Nevertheless our judgment at this time prepares us to become their judges in the next age.

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.

Job 19:19 All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.

Is it possible to make a more universal expression of the disdain that is poured out upon those with whom our Lord is working to purify them in this age, and to prepare them to rule over the world and then later over angels? “All men… speak against” God’s despised anointed. But it ‘turns to us for a testimony’ if we are indeed God’s anointed. It is God’s anointed whose trials make them despised by a world which sees physical blessings as proof of spiritual obedience and divine favor. If Christ is in us, then we are God’s anointed who are despised by this world. Babylon, on the other hand, is God’s rejected anointed who are typified by the anointed but rejected King Saul, Saul of Tarsus, and by Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar.

Luk 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
Luk 6:23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
Luk 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.
Luk 21:13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
1Pe 3:16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

The “all men” are those whom Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar typify. It is “all men” to whom we, if indeed Christ is living His life in us, are nothing less than a putrid smell of death, while we are the sweet smell of life to those in whom Christ dwells.

2Co 2:14 But thanks be to God, the One always leading us in triumph in Christ, and the One revealing through us the odor of the knowledge of Him in every place.
2Co 2:15 For we are a sweet smell to God because of Christ in those being saved, and in those being lost;
2Co 2:16 to the one, an odor of death unto death, and to the other, an odor of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
2Co 2:17 For we are not as the many, peddling the Word of God; but as of sincerity, but as of God. We speak in Christ, in the sight of God. (LITV)

“The many, peddling the Word of God” and “all men” are symbolized by Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. To them we are the smell of death, but to those in whom Christ dwells we “reveal… the [ sweet] odor of the knowledge of [ Christ] in every place”.

Job 19:20 My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.

“Escaping with the skin of [ our] teeth” is just another way of saying “the righteous [ are] scarcely… saved”.

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?

It is also another way of saying we ‘die daily… are crucified with Christ… offer [ our] bodies as a living sacrifice, and lose our lives to find them.’

Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
1Co 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
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.

Job lives through this ordeal and receives double what he had before his trial, as the Old Testament type of our enduring the fiery trials of this age and coming through “the body of this death” to become the overcomers who will be redeemed first through that “blessed and holy… first resurrection”, to rule and reign with Christ.

Job 42:10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

“Turned the captivity” is Old Testament terminology for repenting and turning to God and being delivered out of the captivity of the devil and his ways.

2Ti 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
2Ti 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Satan’s “will” is defined in this book of Job as God’s own hand.

Job 1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
Job 1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
Job 1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
Job 1:11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Job 1:12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
Job 2:4 And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
Job 2:5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Job 2:6 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

So Satan is nothing more than an instrument in the hands of Him who is “working all things after the counsel of His own will”.

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

If we are granted to deeply believe Eph 1:11, we will not be holding others or ourselves responsible for either the good or the evil we are caused to perform in these vessels of clay.
But Job’s understanding of God’s sovereignty is as limited as ours first is, so He begs for just a little compassion from those who were once His “inward friends”.

Job 19:21 Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.

Job did not blame Satan for anything. He knew that all that Satan performs in this world is nothing less than “the hand of God” (Job 1:11 and 2:5). But he does not yet see who or what are those he calls his friends.

Job 19:22 Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?

He calls them his “friends” but they are “miserable… friends”, who use his severe trial as an occasion to condemn him, instead of attempting to comfort him, as if Job were responsible for his own fate. “Why do you persecute me as God?” Job knew what was “the hand of God”. We all wonder why those who witness us in our suffering are not satisfied with that physical suffering alone; “satisfied with [ the suffering of] my flesh?” Why do we all just naturally kick our brothers when “the hand of God has touched [ them]”?

Job 19:23 Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!
Job 19:24 That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!

God has certainly granted Job this request. We are studying what is one of the most puzzling books ever written. These are Job’s words, and they are his story “printed in a book” for all men to read, and by which we all ought be admonished to deal generously and mercifully with our brothers who are suffering.

Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

This is one of the earliest references in scripture to a resurrection from among the dead. It is sad to realize that there is great controversy among many scholars about whether the word “redeemer” refers to Christ, a man of whom Job had no personal knowledge, or whether Job is simply expressing a desire to be delivered from his present distress. Job has made it clear in this very chapter that he has no hope for deliverance in this life.

Job 19:8 He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths.
Job 19:9 He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head.
Job 19:10 He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and mine hope hath he removed like a tree.
Job 19:11 He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies.

“He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth” tells us spiritually that Christ will subdue our old man, but these words also have a ‘will be’ application which has given hope to all of mankind who have been given to read and rejoice with Job, in the hope that these words have given to everyone who has ever been granted to read and believe these words. Job is one of the oldest Old Testament types of God’s elect who are suffering in and are rejected by this world and the harlot who sits upon the waters of the world of mankind.

Rev 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

Job typifies us while we are in those ‘waters’, but in the process of “coming out of her” (Rev 18:4). Job 19:25 gives us hope even “while we are yet sinners” (Eph 2:1-3).

Job 19:26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

Most of the literal translations understand this verse to say “from my flesh… from out of my flesh… without my flesh”, etc. Here are several examples of the various ways this verse is translated to mean “without my flesh”, which is much more in line with these New Testament verses concerning the resurrection of the dead:

Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Here is how several of the literal translations, and even some which are not literal, translate this verse:
(CLV) And behind my skin I will stand erect, And from my flesh I shall perceive Eloah,
(Darby) And if after my skin this shall be destroyed, yet from out of my flesh shall I see God;
(JPS) And when after my skin this is destroyed, then without my flesh shall I see God;
(LITV) and after my skin has been struck off from my flesh, yet this, I shall see God,
(Rotherham) And, though, after my skin is struck off, this followeth, yet, apart from my flesh, shall I see GOD:
(RV) And after my skin hath been thus destroyed, yet from my flesh shall I see God:
(YLT) And after my skin hath compassed this body , Then from my flesh I see God:

If indeed this verse refers to the resurrection the dead, then there can be no doubt about how it should be translated because:

Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

The word translated ‘in’ as “in my flesh” in the King James, is this Hebrew word with its Strong’s definition:

H4480
min minn y minne y
min, min- nee’, min- nay’
For H4482; properly a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses: – above, after, among, at, because of, by (reason of), from (among), in, X neither, X nor, (out) of, over, since, X then, through, X whether, with.

“… Yet in my flesh I shall see God”, is not the best translation for this verse, nevertheless, as was the case for many other Old Testament patriarchs, prophets and others, Job did “see God… in [ his] flesh”, with worms still in his skin.

Job 7:5 My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome.
Job 42:5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.

Here are but a few of those who ‘in their flesh, saw God’.

Gen 18:1 And the LORD [ Hebrew – Yahweh] appeared unto him [ Abraham and Sarah] in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
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.
Jdg 13:22 And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

Of course none of those who ‘saw God’ anywhere in the Old Testament ever saw the form or ever heard the voice of God the Father.

Joh 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Joh 5:37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

Christ came to “reveal… the Father”.

Mat 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

In so doing, Christ also revealed to us that He Himself was the “I Am” of the Old Testament, who the Jews all thought was the Father Himself:

Exo 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Joh 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

So it is Jesus Himself who is talking with and dealing with Satan on behalf of His Father, working in the life of Job, for our admonition.

Job 19:27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

Seeing Christ is to see Him and His Father:

Joh 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

‘Seeing’ God is to know Him:

Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

And to “know God… is life eternal”.

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

What cannot be seen or heard by those who have not yet been given to accept Christ, who is the Truth, is that Job, and all who “saw God” in the Old Testament did so only “for our admonition”, simply because they were not even ministering to themselves but unto us:

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

It behooved Christ “to be made like… His brothers” so he could be “a merciful and faithful high priest… with… the same… flesh… as the children of Abraham”.

Heb 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Heb 2:16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

“It behooves” us to “judge righteous judgment” and be merciful in judgment, because “with what judgment we judge we shall be judged”. As Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar we simply do not have it in us to do so.

Mat 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Mat 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

As with Job’s friends, we know nothing of examining ourselves. We have no “eyes within”. Like Christ’s carnal disciples, and like Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, all we can see are the sins of others. God’s elect have “eyes within” and are therefore concerned with what is within the cup, instead of what is without, or in other’s cups.

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.

Job 19:28 But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?

“You should say, Why persecute we him” because those who “are full of eyes within”, know that judgment and vengeance belong to God, and that they should be looking at the “beam in their own eye” first, and let God deal with “the matter” within others.

Job 19:29 Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.

“For wrath brings punishments of the sword” tells us that “the wrath of man works not the righteousness of God”.

Jas 1:20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

The self- righteousness that is “the works of the law” is “the wrath of man [ which] works not the righteousness of God”, and bring us into judgment:

Rom 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

So the law, the law of Moses, which is nothing more or less than what “the Gentiles do by nature”, is for the lawless and is not made for a righteous man”.

1Ti 1:9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,

“… That you may know there is a judgment”, is why Christ came into this world:

Joh 9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
Joh 9:40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
Joh 9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

At this point in our story, both Job and His friends think they “see” who God is. In Truth they do not know God and are spiritually as blind as a bat. But it is only for blessed Job, that the fire of Christ’s judgment is already kindled.

Luk 12:49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

So while we are careful to clean the inside of the cup first, and while we are careful to be merciful and patient with the sins of others, we must never allow the permissive spirit of “agreement in the essentials of the doctrines of Christ, and tolerance in the non essentials”, to ever creep within our own hearts or within the body of the Christ. The body of Christ ” knows there is a judgment” and knows that judgment must begin at the house of God”

1Co 2:15 But he t hat is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
1Co 5:3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that j udgment 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?

God’s house is both within us and it is a corporate house which comprises the entire family of God, the church. Judgment begins within the cup of our own individual lives as well as the “man who has done this deed” who must be judged within the church which is His body.
It is by “judging those that are within”, that we “try the spirits” and remain of “one mind” and avoid the schizophrenia of the 40,000 denominations of Christendom.

1Co 5:12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
1Jn 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
1Jn 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
1Jn 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
1Jn 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby [ by trying the spirits] know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Next week, if the Lord wills, we will see that God destroys and causes Him to “fly away as a dream, and shall not be found”.

Job 20:1 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,
Job 20:2 Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer, and for this I make haste.
Job 20:3 I have heard the check of my reproach, and the spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer.
Job 20:4 Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth,
Job 20:5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?
Job 20:6 Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds;
Job 20:7 Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?
Job 20:8 He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.
Job 20:9 The eye also which saw him shall see him no more; neither shall his place any more behold him.
Job 20:10 His children shall seek to please the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods.
Job 20:11 His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust.
Job 20:12 Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue;
Job 20:13 Though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth:
Job 20:14 Yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him.
Job 20:15 He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.

Mike,

I am trying to understand naturally and spiritually why a distinction is made in Deuteronomy here between the Israel and the stranger in the gates. Israel is commanded not to eat of that which dies of itself, but it is okay to give or sell to the stranger in the gates. In Lev 17:15 the thing that dies to itself is considered unclean. The stranger is permitted to eat what Israel is not, but the stranger that dwelleth is suppose to be considered as one born among Israel. Seems contradictory to give that which dies of itself to a stranger in the gates when one would not give it to an Israelite. Maybe the difference is in stranger simply in the gates vs stranger that sojourneth or stranger that dwelleth.

Deu 14:21 Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.
Exo 12:48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. 
Exo 12:49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
Lev 19:34 But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Lev 17:15 And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall be unclean until the even: both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and then shall he be clean.

The more I looked into it, there does appear to be a difference between a stranger simply in the gates vs. a stranger that dwelleth/ sojourns (same Hebrew word). Also, the stranger that does not sojourn is oft mentioned with Levites, fatherless and widows relating to not having an inheritance or not have a head of household to provide.

Thanks,
D____

Hi D____,
It is so good to hear from you. You ask:

Why [ is] a distinction made in Deuteronomy here between the Israel and the stranger in the gates? Israel is commanded not to eat of that which dies of itself, but it is okay to give or sell to the stranger in the gates. In Lev 17:15, the thing that dies to itself is considered unclean. The stranger is permitted to eat what Israel is not, but the stranger that dwelleth is suppose to be considered as one born among Israel. Seems contradictory to give that which dies of itself to a stranger in the gates when one would not give it to an Israelite. Maybe the difference is in stranger simply in the gates vs. stranger that sojourns or stranger that dwelleth?

You notice in your next e- mail that there is a difference between a stranger who sojourns or dwells with you, and a stranger in thy gates. You are right, there definitely is a vast difference. A stranger who sojourns with you, and a stranger that dwells with you, are one and the same. They are essentially proselytes who have converted to the laws of Israel and want to become an Israelite. There is to be no discrimination towards a convert and a free born Israelite. They are both one Israelite, and there is one law for both.

Exo 12:49  One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

The word stranger means an outsider who has no interest in converting or changing his ways and being assimilated into Israel and Israel’s laws. As a convert we may not be native Israelites, but we are to be considered as such. Here is the law as it concerns a convert.

Exo 23:9  Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Israel had lived in Egypt for nearly 400 years, and the Egyptians still did not consider the Israelites to be Egyptians with “one law for both him that is ‘homeborn’, and… the stranger that sojourns among you.” That was a big mistake on the part of the Egyptians, and God wants His nation to be careful never to make the same mistakes that the Egyptians made. Here it is again in even clearer language:

Lev 19:34  But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

A “stranger that dwells with you” is a stranger who should no longer be considered a stranger, but “as one born among you.”
Giving and selling that which dies of itself to the stranger that is within your gates is just spiritual type and shadow for these New Testament words:

Mat 7:6  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

If we “give not that which is holy to the dogs”, and we “cast not our pearls before swine,” then this is what we are doing:

Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

The Levites who were not priests were themselves counted by God as being unworthy to handle the holy implements of the temple. If the priests allowed a Levite who was not a priest to touch the holy things, then the priest and the Levite were both to be put to death.
Read the series on The Temple, The Court and The Camp on iswasandwillbe. com All of these things, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs; He which is filthy, let him be filthy still; Let not a Levite who is not a priest touch the holy things, and sell that which is unclean to the stranger that is in your gates, is all saying one and the same thing, and that one and the same thing is that God’s elect are never under any circumstance to ever allow the Truths with which they have been entrusted to be contaminated by that which is not Truth. They are not to allow that which is holy to be contaminated by that which is not holy. Let the stranger that is in your gates have the unclean, but see that you “touch not the unclean thing, and I will be your God…”
I hope this has helped you to understand that “we brothers, as Isaac was, are children of promise,” and that these promises made to Israel are really made to you and to me if we are in Christ.

Gal 4:28  Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
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.

You have hit the nail on the head with this statement:

The more I looked into it, there does appear to be a difference between a stranger simply in the gates vs a stranger that dwelleth/ sojourns (same hebrew word). Also, the stranger that does not sojourn is oft mentioned with Levites, fatherless, and widows relating to not having an inheritance or not have a head of household to provide.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike