“But godliness with contentment is great gain” Part 1

(Pro 17:1-7)

Pro 17:1 Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.
Pro 17:2 A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.
Pro 17:3 The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.
Pro 17:4 A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.
Pro 17:5 Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.
Pro 17:6 Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.
Pro 17:7 Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince. 

In this section of proverbs the focus will be on the subject of “godliness with contentment” and how that can be obtained by heeding the admonitions that God gives us in His word (Eph 5:14-16, Col 4:5).

Eph 5:14  Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
Eph 5:15  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Eph 5:16  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Col 4:5  Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

The verses that precede the phrase “but godliness with contentment is great gain” are these, (1Ti 6:1-5), and they help set the stage for the verses we will be looking at today to help us see what we can do through Christ to grow in a mind of thankfulness and gratitude, being content whether we have a little or a lot (Php 4:11-13).

1Ti 6:1  Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. [amongst the gentiles 1Pe 2:12]
1Ti 6:2  And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.
1Ti 6:3  If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;(1Co 4:6)
1Ti 6:4  He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
1Ti 6:5  Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
1Ti 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1Ti 6:7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

Pro 17:1  Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.

This verse reminds us that it’s not what you have that matters (Luk 12:15), rather how you possess your souls, and that is a matter of being in a right relationship with our Father and the world around us (Deu 13:3, Mat 22:37-40, Mat 19:19).

Maybe a dry morsel doesn’t sound very appetizing to us, but when we parallel this proverb with these verses,  (Mar 7:25-29), it becomes clear that this “dry morsel” with the sound mind of Christ will bring quietness and peace to our souls.

Mar 7:25  For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:
Mar 7:26  The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
Mar 7:27  But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.
Mar 7:28  And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. [“Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith”]
Mar 7:29  And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.

The house “full of sacrifices” represents the many sacrifices being accomplished in the court, which represents the churches of this world, but there is strife there because these sacrifices do not cleanse our conscience (Heb 9:9, Heb 9:14, Heb 10:22) which is only possible by the blood of Christ and the washing of the word (Heb 9:23, 1Sa 15:22). It takes but a little faith of Christ, “a dry morsel”, “faith as a grain of mustard seed”, to remove the mountains in our life (Mat 17:20), as opposed to those days when we were spiritually blind and ever searching and not able to come to the knowledge of the truth even when we were “full of sacrifices”.

Heb 9:23  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. [“Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith”] (Pro 15:16, Pro 16:8)

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

Pro 17:2  A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.

Christ is our wisdom (1Co 1:29-31) and the one who can give us the power to rule over “a son that causeth shame”. The “son that causeth shame” typifies the false doctrines of Babylon that by God’s grace we are rooting out of our heavens in the hope that we “shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren” as we “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Php 3:9-15).

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness [“rule over a son that causeth shame”] which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Pro 17:3  The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.

The “fining pot^H4715” and “the furnace^H3564” are environments that are used to refine precious metals, and are analogous of our bodies, these “earthen vessels”  in “a crucible to remove the impurities and pour into a mold” (the definition of fining pot H4715), or a “smelting furnace” (the definition of furnace H3564), where the pearl of great price is formed within us (Mat 13:46, Col 1:27), our great treasure, Christ, who is hidden in these earthen vessels that we are (2Co 4:7-10).

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. [“but the LORD trieth the hearts”]
2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
2Co 4:9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
2Co 4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

Pro 17:4  A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.

The wickedness of man’s heart was on display when Christ was being falsely accused by the counsels of his day (Mat 26:59-61), and we are warned by our Lord that we will go through the same thing for standing on God’s word (Luk 12:11-12).

Mat 26:59  Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
Mat 26:60  But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,
Mat 26:61  And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.

Luk 12:11  And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
Luk 12:12  For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. [Joh 16:13]

Our goal then is to overcome the “wicked doer” within us and any “false lips”, and to not give ear to gossip or “a naughty tongue”. All these admonitions are expounded on, in these verses in the book of Titus (Tit 2:1-10).

Tit 2:1  But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:
Tit 2:2  That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.
Tit 2:3  The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
Tit 2:4  That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
Tit 2:5  To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Tit 2:6  Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.
Tit 2:7  In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,
Tit 2:8  Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
Tit 2:9  Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again;
Tit 2:10  Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.

How the conditions are going to be created in our hearts and minds to take on these Godly qualities spoken of in (Tit 2:1-10) is revealed in the very next verses we are so familiar with (Tit 2:11-13, Heb 12:6)

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12  Teaching [paideuō] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope (We are being corrected so that we continue to look unto the author and finisher of our faith with hope in our hearts Heb 12:2, Col 1:27, Rom 12:1-2), and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

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

Pro 17:5   Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.

We all in our appointed time ‘mock the poor’, and in our ignorance we ‘reproach our Maker’ (Pro 14:31), who identifies with those who are “poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isa 66:2).

Pro 14:31  He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.

Isa 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

It is Christ who was oppressed and mocked by His accusers for our sakes (2Co 4:15-16) so that we can  receive the comfort that our Father gave him (2Co 1:4, Heb 4:15-16) under those most humiliating circumstances (Mat 26:65-70,  Rom 8:28)

2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes (Heb 4:15-16), that the abundant grace (Rom 5:10) might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Mat 26:65  Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
Mat 26:66  What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.
Mat 26:67  Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,
Mat 26:68  Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee? (Rom 5:10)
Mat 26:69  Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
Mat 26:70  But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. [Christ’s experience of evil was for the sake of His own body (Rom 5:10), the church, who are now filling up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ, and able to be comforted by the author and finisher of our faith unto salvation (Col 1:24)]

It is Christ who we are all naturally against at first, and the spirit of God that is within him and his body (Act 26:14), until we become God’s witnesses of these things, of his power that makes us more than conquerors through Him (Luk 24:48, Rev 11:3). Prior to that we are naturally against Christ and his Christ, and glad at the calamity of Christ lying dead in the streets of Jerusalem (Act 4:26-27, Rev 11:9-10).

Act 4:26  The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
Act 4:27  For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,

Rev 11:9  And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
Rev 11:10  And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; [“he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished”] because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

Pro 17:6  Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

God’s word is unsearchable and the “old men” in this verse is the positive use of ‘old man’, meaning someone who is mature in the Lord and has many scriptures laid up in his or her heavens, which storing up is likened unto “children’s children” and is a crown of honour to the mature man that typifies the crown of glory that God will give to those who are in that blessed and holy first resurrection (1Pe 5:4). We glory in God in all things, and we will especially do so one day Lord willing, when see Him face to face (1Co 13:12) acknowledging all the works that He has accomplished through the weak of the world (Rev 4:10-11).

1Pe 5:4  And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

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

Pro 17:7  Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince.

This last verse we will look at is a reminder to try the spirits of all men, look at the fruit of their life, and if their actions don’t add up with their words then you know that this man’s religion is in vain (Jas 1:26-27).

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.

The other side of this coin is to pray that our conduct and our behaviour and our speech is seasoned with salt (Col 4:6), glorifying God so that our accusers cannot find fault in finding us as princes who lips that are lying (1Pe 2:12).

Col 4:6  Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt (Mar 9:49), that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

1Pe 2:12  Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

When we live a Godly and contented life, God is being glorified as great gain, or treasure is laid up in heaven for us, which He has ordained to be there from the foundation of the world (Mat 25:34, Eph 1:4, Rev 17:8, Eph 2:8-10).

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

The power believers have been given

Posted September 14, 2014

In the first part of this series, we focused on the important aspect of the “house of prayer” being the temple of God and those in whom the Spirit dwells.

While we have all learned many ways to pray in our Christian lives, there are specific guidelines to how we are to look at and apply prayer in our lives as “disciples indeed”.

Yes, we are to be disciples “in deed.” (Truly)

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

“Worship in the Lord’s house”

Jer 26:2  Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD’S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD’S house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:

Today we are going to focus on the ‘words commanded’ and spoken concerning how we handle prayer and how we worship in Spirit and Truth concerning prayer in our daily lives.

In this second part of the series, we are going to look at scriptural witnesses and scriptural instructions on how to worship the Father through our prayer.

Joh 4:21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

“Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship” The contrast being made today will be between “you know not what you worship” versus “we know what we worship”.

The focus on Part 1 was on those who are of the house of prayer, but that group was being contrasted with another group.

When I say “group”, the true spiritual contrast is being made between the natural and the spiritual, the old and new man, the first Adam versus the second Adam.

The house of prayer is compared against a den of thieves.

Mat 21:13  And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den^G4693 of thieves.

I ask everyone reading this if “ye” is you? Have you made the house of prayer a den of thieves? Before you answer that, let us examine the thieves who live in a den versus a house.

G4693
spēlaion
Total KJV Occurrences: 6

den, 3
Mat_21:13, Mar_11:17, Luk_19:46

dens, 2
Heb_11:38, Rev_6:15

cave, 1
Joh_11:38

Here are a couple of examples of where this word ‘den’ appears in the New Testament:

Heb 11:37  They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
Heb 11:38  (Of whom the world was not worthy: ) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Heb 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

Rev 6:14  And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Rev 6:15  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
Rev 6:16  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
Rev 6:17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

The first example is of those who receive a good report through faith, but they don’t receive the promise. Yet, we know there is only One Faith. The promise we are given concerning Faith is to partakers of the “One Faith”. We’ll get to that in a little while.

The second example is of those who ‘tell the mountains to fall on them and hide them from the face of Jesus Christ.’

So, what separates the thieves who are a den of thieves from those who are the house of prayer as “receiving the promise”?

Luk 24:45  Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
Luk 24:46  And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
Luk 24:47  And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Luk 24:48  And ye are witnesses of these things.
Luk 24:49  And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Act 2:32  This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Act 2:33  Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 2:39  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Through the Spirit, I will attempt to connect what worship, Truth, Spirit and prayer have to do with one another.

We just read that those who worship God, who is Spirit, must do so in Spirit and in Truth. Therefore, we must know and understand what this means. Otherwise, how can we ever presume to be praying properly so that we are heard by God?

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Joh 6:64  But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
Joh 6:65  And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

So, the Words spoken by Jesus are Spirit and Life. It is also true that Jesus is Truth.

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

How does someone come to Jesus?

“No man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father….” And “no man cometh to the Father but by Jesus Christ.”

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life,” says Jesus.

It is not speaking above what is written to combine all of these verses to conclude the spiritual Truth that the Words which Jesus speaks are Spirit and Life, Words which speak the Truth and are the Way to the Father.

As a matter of Truth, Jesus says this to His disciples, after explaining the spiritual Truth of Him being the Way, Truth and Life:

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.
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?
Joh 14:10  Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Joh 14:11  Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
Joh 14:12  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Joh 14:13  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Joh 14:14  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Joh 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

After explaining the Spirit behind seeing the Father, and who Jesus is in this process, He tells His disciples (indeed) to keep His commandments.

Now that the stage has been set, let us look toward His words as they pertain to being a house of prayer versus a den of thieves.

Joh 10:8  All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

Mat 6:16  Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Mat 6:17  But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
Mat 6:18  That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Mat 6:19  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat 6:20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Mat 6:22  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Mat 6:23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

What do thieves do? They break through and steal treasures. However, the treasure we have “laid up” is heavenly.

Why would Jesus mention this in connection to fasting? When we are fasting for the appearance of “giving of ourselves to the Lord” and to be seen of men to be fasting, our reward is EARTHLY. It is for the FLESH in others to see it and think of how “godly” we are, and it is for our flesh and carnal mind to believe we are “doing the works of God”.

When you connect this idea with prayer (fasting and prayer go hand and hand) when telling someone we are “praying for them” or we are “keeping them in prayer” and we are not doing it as if it were we ourselves in this situation needing prayer. We are doing it to give the appearance of true prayer, knowingly or unknowingly.

Those that have come before the true Jesus Christ are those that are thieves. They come through to steal our reward, because by giving us their doctrines, their ways of praying, their examples of how to fast, we have to realize that our home with them is in a cave or den.

It is not the house of prayer we belong to in this situation.

Why am I mentioning fasting and prayer together?

Psa 35:11  False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.
Psa 35:12  They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul.
Psa 35:13  But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
Psa 35:14  I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother.
Psa 35:15  But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not:

Dan 9:3  And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, WITH fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
Dan 9:4  And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;

Mat 17:19  Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
Mat 17:20  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Mat 17:21  Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

How then is our fast (Jesus and His mind concerning fasting) directly coupled with our prayer?

Isa 58:4  Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
Isa 58:5  Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?
Isa 58:6  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and THAT YE break every yoke?

Said in the CEV translation:

Isa 58:4  You even get angry and ready to fight. No wonder God won’t listen to your prayers!
Isa 58:5  Do you think the LORD wants you to give up eating and to act as humble as a bent-over bush? Or to dress in sackcloth and sit in ashes? Is this really what he wants on a day of worship?
Isa 58:6  I’ll tell you what it really means to worship the LORD. Remove the chains of prisoners who are chained unjustly. Free those who are abused!

What the prayers of the “house of prayer” are coupled with is the POWER we have been given to free those who are bound to wickedness, take away heavy burdens, to let those who are oppressed go free from their oppressors and to break every yoke weighing someone down.

What do we do these things with? We do it with the Word of God! We couple the Word of God with prayer!

In not so many words, we comfort those in need of prayer with the Word of God, with the Shepherd in us, by speaking to them in a voice they understand (His voice), and we let them know we are petitioning the Father on their behalf in BELIEF that “His will be done”.

“Disciples Indeed”

How do we do this? How do we act on what Jesus tells us to do with prayer? Will His example give us any direction?

Joh 11:35  Jesus wept.
Joh 11:36  Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!
Joh 11:37  And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?
Joh 11:38  Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave^G4693, and a stone lay upon it.
Joh 11:39  Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
Joh 11:40  Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
Joh 11:41  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
Joh 11:42  And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
Joh 11:43  And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
Joh 11:44  And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Have you ever asked yourself how it is Jesus was heard of the Father? It is obvious that Jesus prayed to the Father in secret, but then thanked the Father openly for being heard.

What was Jesus’ prayer coupled with? “Take away the stone…loose him and let him go”. If you would believe, you would see the glory of God.

Before I am misquoted or misunderstood, am I saying that if a person simply believes something when praying for it then that belief will be granted to them?

No, I am not saying that at all.

True Faith only comes from one place, Jesus – the Word of God – and that is why it is so important for the eye to be single.

Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Mat 6:22  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Mat 6:23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

Eph 4:4  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
Eph 4:5  One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph 4:6  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Eph 4:7  But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

In a previous study, I spoke about grace heavily as it pertains to God working His awesome hands in our lives.

In particular, I compared the Sea of Galilee being north of the dead sea to the spiritual concept that if we have the waters of the Jordan flowing through the Sea of Galilee from north to south, the Sea of Galilee is flowing with life.

The sea of Galilee is where Jesus called disciples to follow Him (Mat 4:17-20). It is where He healed people of various afflictions (Mat 7:31-37) including deafness and dumbness, cast out unclean spirits (Mar 1:23-27), and performed many more miracles including feeding the masses with five loaves of bread and two SMALL fishes.

In Mark 1:35, after having done many miracles, Jesus showed us the importance of prayer.

Mar 1:34  And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.
Mar 1:35  And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

I mentioned the Sea of Galilee to point out that it has an inlet and an outlet for the Jordan River waters which flow through it.

However, when the Jordan River exits out of the south of the Sea of Galilee, those waters travel for a distance south and empty into the Dead Sea which has no outlet.

If we are given anything of the Lord whether it be One faith, One baptism, One Spirit, One calling, our One Lord, One Hope, or One God and Father of All, and we do not have an outlet for it, we will be as the Dead Sea.

We become stagnant and lifeless, and nothing flows out of us. How can we be the “house of prayer” and not a “den of thieves” if this is true of us?

How this applies to prayer is that the Lord places a “dead Lazarus”, who someone cares about, in front of us. He places a “deaf and dumb” person in front of us to say “Ephphatha, that is, Be opened,” so that they are healed and raised from the dead.

If we are among the dead, as typified in the Dead Sea, how then can we so these things? However, if “Christ be in you”, you can do ALL THINGS through Him who strengthens you.

Prayer is our realizing that we are ALWAYS HEARD.

How do we know this to be true?

Joh 11:42  And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

Joh 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Pro 8:32  Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.
Pro 8:33  Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
Pro 8:34  Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
Pro 8:35  For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.

Luk 6:47  Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
Luk 6:48  He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
Luk 6:49  But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

There it is! When we are dragged to the Father, through Jesus and the Words of God, we are to DO THE Words! When we do them, we are building our house (the house of prayer) on a foundation which cannot be shaken.

When we are given to come to the Lord to hear His sayings, we can be confident that we are being heard by the Father when we pray to Him.

Our confidence comes in knowing that we answer all things according to the SAME EXAMPLE Jesus gave us and lived by.

“I came to do the works of my Father …. Thy will be done.”

If you have any doubt that the Father hears our prayers always, then weigh your prayers against the way in which Jesus taught us to pray. Here is where we have been given power.

Mat 6:5  And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Mat 6:6  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Mat 6:7  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Mat 6:8  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Mat 6:11  Give us this day our daily bread.
Mat 6:12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Mat 6:13  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Have Faith. Our Father knows what things we ALL NEED before we EVER ASK HIM for them. We are presented with a tremendous power to be able to PRAY for ourselves and others, and when we pray, we pray in Spirit and Truth when our prayer is “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.

This is True Worship. We acknowledge that all things are being worked after the counsel of His own will.

In the next study, I am hoping that the Lord will bless me to speak about how or why we are, or are not, to pray for the world, how we are to pray or not for the “earth, earth, earth” and how we are to practically “pray without ceasing”.

[Next study in this series is here.]

[Study Aired March 3, 2022]

1Ki 10:21  And all king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.
1Ki 10:22  For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. 
1Ki 10:23  So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. 
1Ki 10:24  And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 
1Ki 10:25  And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. 
1Ki 10:26  And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem. 
1Ki 10:27  And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance. 
1Ki 10:28  And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king’s merchants received the linen yarn at a price.
1Ki 10:29  And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.

In this section of 1Kings we are shown in type and shadow how during the thousand-year reign of God’s saints (Rev 20:6), typified by Solomon’s reign, the elect will rule with a rod of iron (Rev 2:26-29). It is with that rod of iron that so many things will be physically accomplished on the earth.

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works [words and works of God – his will (Rev 1:3, Rev 20:6)] unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

[God gives the elect power to lead the nations into a self-righteous captivity of doing many wonderful works (Mat 7:22) that ultimately leads to the second death in the great white throne judgment where their own words or works will judge them at that day (Joh 12:48). “In that day” of Matthew 7:22 and “in the last day” of John 12:48 are the same day!]

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Joh 12:48  He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

In the story of the rich young ruler we learn how he accomplished so much on the earth as he was governed by his own obedience to the commandments of God, and yet he was still a law unto himself. He was no different than the gentile nations around him unbeknown to himself and to us until we are dragged out of Babylon through a lifetime of overcoming that self-righteous spirit of the rich young ruler. That spirit of declaring our many wonderful works is also paralleled with the story of the tax collector and the publican and demonstrates the need for our many trials in this life which keep us abased by God’s grace (Jer 16:14-18, Mat 19:20-22, Rom 8:14-16, Rom 2:14, Luk 18:10-14).

Mat 19:20  The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 
Mat 19:21  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me [be led by God’s spirit to do the works of God (Joh 6:44,  Rom 8:14-16)].
Mat 19:22  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

Parallel story:

Luk 18:10  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 
Luk 18:11  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 
Luk 18:12  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. [“All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?” (Mat 19:20)]
Luk 18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luk 18:14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

The things of the spirit are still foolish to the natural man at this time of the thousand-year reign, so even if the message being given to the world is the true gospel, the true riches coming from Christ Himself and the saints, it won’t change the way the world discerns that message in their hearts (1Co 2:14, Mat 25:24). There can be no spiritual exchange happening in a heart that is not converted and so we can see how this parable of our Lord applies to this generation during Solomon’s reign just as it does to Babylon today where there is no stay of bread or water (Isa 3:1) by God’s design, which means no treasure can be laid up in heaven [Christ in our heavens as our hope of glory (Col 1:27) “thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me“] (Mat 6:20). As long as we are found with our own righteousness, our many wonderful works will be buried in the earth and hidden which is what the self-righteous thief in me does until he doesn’t: “Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury” (Mat 25:24-28, 1Ch 29:14, Luk 17:10).

Mat 6:20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, [“put my money to the exchangers“] where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

Mat 25:24  Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew [1Co 2:14, Joh 9:41] thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 
Mat 25:25  And I was afraid [1Jn 4:18, Rom 5:5], and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
Mat 25:26  His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: [Psa 18:26, Eze 14:4].

[Slothful not because it didn’t take effort to bury God’s talents in the earth representing our own righteousness, but wicked and slothful because that’s how God sees our self-righteous works we think we are doing independently of God; that is what God is burning out his people daily, that just naturally resides within us (Php 3:9-10).]

Ruling with a rod of iron does not change the heart of mankind, only the rod spoken of in Revelation 11:1 can, which represents what the life of Christ within us is doing (Col 1:27) and also answers the question of the rich young ruler, “What lack I yet?” All of the exchanges that happen with Solomon just as all the exchanges the elect will have with the world during the thousand-year reign, does not equate to bringing forth fruit meet unto repentance (Mat 3:8). In fact it is during the thousand year reign that God will “recompense their iniquity and their sin double” (Jer 16:17-18) as stated in Revelation 18:6. The sins of the Amorites are being filled up during the thousand-year reign, and after Satan is loosed for a season all the nations of the world will attack the saints, which will lead to the destruction of that first self-righteous marred vessel (Rev 20:8).

Jer 16:17  For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes. 
Jer 16:18  And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things. 

Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. 

Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

God is using a much broader stroke of the brush [“four quarters“] so to speak at the end of the age to demonstrate  that there is none righteous and show us that the heart of man can never mature spiritually without overcoming the devil who was bound during that time of the thousand years (1Jn 2:14, Rev 20:7). Without God’s spirit within us and an adversary who is used as God’s hand, we cannot mature while we are in the flesh (Rom 8:9, Psa 17:13). All of this is instructive for God’s people today to remind us that He is the only One who can stay the arm of Satan and strengthen us through Christ who gives us the ability to resist the devil and cleave to Christ (Jas 4:7). That is the war in heaven that we are currently experiencing (Eph 6:12). However, those who are in the lake of fire will not be wrestling against the same powers and principalities, but rather against Christ in us as His seraphim who are like Christ and able to overcome the old heaven and earth still residing in the yet spiritually carnal humanity which has to be purified along with Satan and his angels in the lake of fire (Eph 1:20-21, 1Jn 4:17, Rev 20:10).

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

This is also the time when another prophecy is fulfilled when destruction will come to all of the physical creation prophesied first in the book of Malachi (Mal 4:6). It is God’s elect who have been blessed to go on to maturity who will be used to administer the lake of fire after the physical destruction of the heavens and the earth. This natural event of the heavens and earth being destroyed precedes the spiritual destruction of the heaven and earth within all of humanity in the lake of fire which will be the day of the Lord for them which God’s elect are experiencing now (2Pe 3:10-11, 1Co 15:46). The old earth represents our own righteousness, where our defiled old heavens reside, and both must be destroyed. These things will pass, flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom (1Co 15:50), but the words of eternal life will continue on in the new heaven and new earth where there will be one fold that will all be under Christ who is under the Father (Mat 24:35, Joh 6:68).

Mal 4:6  And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse^H2764.

2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. [2Th 2:8]
2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 
2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 
2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 
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. [Jud 1:21-25, Jer 13:23]
2Pe 3:15  And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation [Rom 2:4]; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; [Luk 21:19]

Jud 1:21  Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 
Jud 1:22  And of some have compassion, making a difference: 
Jud 1:23  And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. [Jer 13:23] 
Jud 1:24  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 
Jud 1:25  To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. 

Jer 13:23  Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil. 

Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 

Joh 6:68  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

First verse:

1Ki 10:21  And all king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.

This verse shows us the abundance of spiritual riches that will be in the earth during the reign of God’s elect: “And all king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon^H3844 were of pure gold.

Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, but so were “the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon”^H3844. This “house of the forest of Lebanon” represents the nations of the world who have the gold of God in their possession, but it is being held in unrighteousness (Rom 1:18) or self-righteously via a whiteness [Lebanon] in appearance on the outside but dead man’s bones are within (Mat 23:29).

H3844
lebânôn
leb-aw-nohn’

From H3825; (the) white mountain (from its snow); Lebanon, a mountain range in Palestine: – Lebanon.  Total KJV occurrences: 71

The inability of the nations to repent and change during the thousand years is summed up with this statement: “none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.” Everyone wants to look like the good guy drinking from the golden cup, and yet there is no repentance in the earth during the thousand-year reign of the saints; no conversion (Rom 2:4), symbolized by these words in regard to silver: “none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.” For God’s elect today, Lord willing, we will continue to examine ourselves as we die daily and learn to not despise God’s goodness and longsuffering spirit which is working with us and leading us to repentance, to pure silver that has the dross burned out (Pro 25:4-5, 1Co 11:31, 1Co 15:31, Rom 2:4)

Pro 25:4  Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.
Pro 25:5  Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.

1Ki 10:22  For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. 
1Ki 10:23  So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.

This statement “For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks” demonstrates more of the exchange of commerce God’s elect will have with the world’s merchants during the thousand-year reign. These events will play into God’s people’s hands as we walk in and out and among so great a people as Christ did when He was on the earth (1Ki 3:14-15, 1Jn 4:17), but not so we can convert the nations, but simply to prepare us for the day of their visitation when an accounting will be made for all that transpired during the thousand-year reign leading up to rebellion against Christ and His Christ (1Pe 2:12).

It is that exchange which God affords us with the world that will give witness to them that, like king Solomon who is a type of Christ, the world will see how, with Christ in our lives, our riches and wisdom will exceed that of all the kings of the earth. Alas, even being raised from the dead and having been given all this undeniable witness to so many generations, still no conversion will come about in the earth seeing it is only God who can give this increase at an appointed time, which will be the day of their visitation (Luk 19:44, Luk 16:31). This interaction that God’s elect have through the thousand years is very beneficial as it will bring “riches and wisdom” to us as the bride of Christ. It will be a dowry of sorts from Christ that will set the stage when we go to war against all the nations spiritually during the great white throne judgment. The ‘one year’ where the newlywed husband does not go to war is symbolic of the thousand-year reign where Christ’s bride is blessed to have her husband build her up and prepare her for the spiritual battles that will take place in the lake of fire. Of course it’s not much of a battle just as the angel that wrestled Jacob did not break a sweat when that event unfolded (Deu 24:5, Rev 20:1-3, Gen 32:24, 1Co 6:3).

Deu 24:5  When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken. 

Rev 20:1  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 
Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 
Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. 

Gen 32:24  And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 

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

The parallels are striking when we consider how blessed people were to have Christ in their midst healing everyone who came His way (Mat 8:16, Luk 9:11), just as the elect will bring many blessings upon the world during the thousand-year reign, but regardless of the seed of God’s word being sown and the works of God being accomplished, it will not bring forth spiritual fruit in the lives of those receiving these blessings until the appointed time in the lake of fire (Isa 55:11). Bringing “gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks” are symbols of the wealth in the earth, within mankind, but it is still not the purified gold and silver that was used in Solomon’s temple. All of this exchange was for Solomon’s sake, just as all things are for our sakes today, and during the thousand-year reign (2Co 4:15).

Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

The influence of God’s people on the world will be far reaching as this verse tells us: “For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish“, and that influence will result in this iron and clay relationship with the world (Dan 2:43) that will only be dashed by the stone of Jesus Christ’s judgment in the lake of fire (Dan 2:44). Coming up to Jerusalem “once in three years” is not coming up three times in the year as was commanded of Israel (Deu 16:16) as a type of a right relationship with God that is maturing through those three times that Israel came up to worship God and learn of His truths via the process of spiritual completion through judgment [3].

Dan 2:43  And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. 
Dan 2:44  And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 

Deu 16:16  Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: 

1Ki 10:24  And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 
1Ki 10:25  And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. 

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1Co 2:9), and without God revealing these things to us via His spirit (1Co 2:10) we will see the desire of mankind to interact with Christ and His bride just as “all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart” which is according to the counsel of God’s will that they do this (Eph 1:11).

God is the one who has put that desire in the heart of man to come to know Christ in us (Joh 6:44) “to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart” and they will bring very physical gifts like Joseph’s brothers (Gen 43:11), that in our mind will be more like flatteries (Job 17:5, Pro 6:24) that won’t convince us that their hearts are converted any more than Joseph’s brothers were converted [in type and shadow] when they met him during the famine, a time that is also analogous of when Christ and His bride will rule over the nations of the world represented in this instance by Joseph’s brothers (Gen 45:4-11). Joseph’s brothers bring ” the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds: And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight”. The world will do the same thing to Christ and God’s elect typified by this statement: “And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.“

1Ki 10:26  And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem. 

There is always a positive and negative way to look at God’s word, or stories that are made up of the inspired word of God, and this is just as true in this section of scripture that on the positive side of the pillar (Exo 14:20) demonstrates how Solomon who is a type of Christ was able to gather together these powerful beasts “chariots and horsemen” that were used to transport people “in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem.” The 12,000 horsemen, show us that Solomon was able to give direction over the foundational kingdoms of his world, and 1400 chariots is symbolic of the favor [1+4] that God was showing to the whole [4] world through Solomon, just as God’s elect will do during the thousand-year reign. We are showing favor to the world by revealing the true gospel to all nations, but that favor will only reap its spiritual benefit in the great white throne judgment.

1Ki 10:27  And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance. 

We are again reminded of the commonness of silver, and it is also shared in the same context of these non-fruit bearing cedar trees that were “as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance“, telling us that during the thousand-year reign we are going to be surrounded by man’s righteousness who are as trees (Mar 8:24) and this will be the persistent view we will see in humanity found “in the vale”^H8219 which means lowland.

You can’t do battle in a lowland. It does not represent the higher spiritual ground where we have been raised in heavenly places with Christ (Eph 2:6), and silver that represents repentance is not being sought after if people are looking at it as something as cheap as stones on the ground. The positive use of stones on the ground is connected to those who have become like children and are blessed to enter into the kingdom of God now in earnest filled with praise for the wonderful works He has done unto the children of men (Luk 19:37-44).

Luk 19:37  And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; [Psa 107:30-31]
Luk 19:38  Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. 
Luk 19:39  And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 
Luk 19:40  And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. 
Luk 19:41  And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, [Eze 9:4]
Luk 19:42  Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 
Luk 19:43  For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 
Luk 19:44  And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. [The thousand-year reign is a day of visitation upon the kingdoms of this world, but the way to peace will not be given to the world because “but now they are hid from thine eyes“.]

1Ki 10:28  And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king’s merchants received the linen yarn at a price.

In the positive view, we see Solomon taking the strength out of sin (1Co 15:56) by bringing horses out of Egypt, as well as the “linen yarn“, which is the negative use of linen representing the world’s own righteousness as opposed to the righteousness of Christ (Rev 19:8). It is the king’s merchants who represent God’s elect who “received the linen yarn at a price” which price represents our lives being sacrificed so that this linen can be washed in the blood of the lamb and made pure (Rev 22:14, Eph 5:30)

1Co 15:56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 

Rev 22:14  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 

Rev 22:14  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

1Ki 10:29  And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.

This last verse of our study is a witness to the previous verse where Solomon in type and shadow is showing us how by our being a living sacrifice with the pearl of great price within us, Jesus Christ, we can transport, with a chariot “kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means“, and that means is with “six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty“. The six hundred represents mankind who, in time, will appreciate this silver which is the means by which we can move forward through repentance (Rom 2:4, 1Co 3:6, 2Sa 14:14). The process starts when God’s judgments are in the earth so the world can learn righteousness (Isa 26:9); but hearing and doing are two different things and so we’re reminded that it is a “process of spiritual completion through judgment” represented by “an horse for an hundred and fifty” [3×50=150] that was purchased with “silver“.

2Sa 14:14  For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. 

Repentance and the means by which God is going to save all of mankind through His great mercy is connected with the unsearchable wisdom of God that is past finding out (Rom 11:31-36) and so, too, is this story of king Solomon who “exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.“

Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 
Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 
Rom 11:34  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Rom 11:35  Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 
Rom 11:36  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. 

Audio Links

Awesome Hands – part 141

“The treasure of the Lord”

September 9, 2018

Our last study has us looking at and reviewing the phrase and concept of “the Lord of the sabbath”.

Our study today continues to the next chapter in Deuteronomy to once again tell us just how important we are to the Lord and to the process He has placed all of mankind under.

We find that it is a common theme with the Lord that He points out to anyone reading His words that His people are very special to Him.

There are three verses in chapter 7 of Deuteronomy that we are going to cover in this study which deal with the word hand, and how the mighty hand of the Lord once again is mentioned pertaining to His people.

Deu 7:1  When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;
Deu 7:2  And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:
Deu 7:3  Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.

These first few verses set the foundation of what the Lord expects of us when we go in to possess the land that He has prepared for us. We have been prepared for the Lord to have the old man and

His ways conquered and destroyed within ourselves, so that the new man is increased in us more and more daily.

This concept is one that plays itself out throughout all of scripture.

I have been asked personally who it is that we are talking about when we talk about things happening to us. Are things happening to Steven or to Christ the new man in me? Is it the old man or Steven who are being decreased as the new man increases?

How can “we” be the land, and the land is conquered? Who is being conquered?

If a giant is in your land, and it is slain, who then is slain? Is it a GIANT or is it Steven? Who remains? Is it Steven or is it Jesus Christ? If an evil spirit causes me to commit sin, is it I that do the sin or is it the evil spirit in me? Of course, I do the sin, but I was tempted and the sin that is in my did what it was designed to do. Does that mean then that I cannot understand that there are two entities involved …. myself and an evil spirit or seven?

This concept is very easy to understand for those who are given spiritual eyes to see the Truth of this concept.

If I am a tool, and I am used, I can be used in many different ways. Let’s take a cup as an example. A cup is formed in the hands of the potter to be used.

A cup can be filled up, and that same cup can be emptied. Yet, the cup is still a cup.

Now, take that cup and rename it Steven. I can be filled up or I can be emptied. However, I can be filled up with lots of different things as Steven the cup. I can be filled up with evil spirits sent of the Lord, or I can be filled with His Holy Spirit.

As a result, when I am filled with these different spirits, I can be USED in a different way. Let’s take a practical example. Maybe I am filled with milk. I can have the milk drank from me as a cup or it can sit there and dry out over time and curdle up.

I can also have water placed in me and then I can be used to water plants. There are many uses for a cup, just like there are many uses the Lord can use the cup named Steven for.

At the Lord’s discretion and will, I can be filled with milk, water, alcohol, wrath or you name it. In spiritual terms, He can fill me up with whatever He desires whether it is with evil spirits or His spirit.

Then, He can cause different things to happen with that CUP so that those ingredients, evil spirits or His spirit, are used in different ways.

Now, I can be used to sin and commit evils because an evil spirit has been sent to me or I can be caused to bring, love joy and peace to others all at the Lord’s discretion.

As a cup, I am simply a TOOL. This may seem a bit inhumane to call my self a tool in the hand of the potter, but that is exactly what I am. I am also a cup who is able to witness and “record” what I have been used for. I am a cup who is given the ability to experience the things I am use for, but just because I can experience the events I am used for doesn’t make me suddenly more powerful than the hand holding me.

This concept can be seen in John 8.

Joh 8:13  The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.
Joh 8:14  Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.
Joh 8:15  Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
Joh 8:16  And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
Joh 8:17  It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.

I have always seen these verses as only speaking about two physical men, but what if Jesus was giving us a spiritual clue into what He was about to reveal in the rest of John?

What if the testimony of both the old and the new man is NEEDED to bring about TRUTH?

Getting back to my question about being asked personally who it is I am talking about in these scenarios, I am talking about myself as BOTH the OLD man and the NEW MAN in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is a head and body. I am His body. Therefore, I am Jesus of Nazareth because I am in Him and He is in me. This is not a play on words when it comes from Jesus Christ’s mouth. Whether a person believes those words or not is a matter of Faith freely given or not given from the Lord.

I am also “of my father the devil” when I am a cup filled up with evil spirits. Jesus Christ says He judges no man, and it is WE who judge after the flesh, but He goes on to say “YET IF I JUDGE, my judgment is true”.

Here is how Jesus truthfully judged the Pharisees that tried to trip up Jesus in “word play”.

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

So, does Jesus DENY what they are saying, “we be Abraham’s seed”? Let’s see what Christ does while remembering that we too are Jesus of Nazareth:

Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Joh 8:37  I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
Joh 8:38  I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
Joh 8:39  They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
Joh 8:40  But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
Joh 8:41  Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

When you understand what Jesus is answering them with, spiritual words, then it is quite easy to see what is being said.

You are one of two seeds. One seed is of the bondwoman and one seed is made free. When one seed is “of your father the devil” it is in BONDAGE to that DEVIL … and we KNOW that devil has EVIL SPIRITS that He uses, at the DIRECTION of the LORD, which are SENT TO US to do EVIL.

We also know there is another seed. This seed is referred to as a CHILD of ABRAHAM. These children are from the “the father of us all”. Anyone reading this must consider what is being said here. One seed is different from the other, but the CHILDREN of God are BOTH SEEDS at their appointed times.

That is why REPENTANCE is so important. At times we are UNFAITHFUL, and we are that “cup Steven” who has an evil spirit, while at other times I am that “cup Steven” who is GIVEN the RIGHTEOUSNESS of Faith. Since it is a gift, any righteousness I have is JESUS CHRIST IN ME.

If I DECREASE, and He INCREASES, then this event is HAPENNING at the same time!

Rom 4:13  For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Rom 4:14  For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
Rom 4:15  Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
Rom 4:16  Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
Rom 4:17  (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

What then does any of this have to do with our study today? Well, those that are the children of Abraham, are VERY SPECIAL to the Lord. They are His treasure!

Deu 7:4  For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.
Deu 7:5  But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.
Deu 7:6  For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
Deu 7:7  The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
Deu 7:8  But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

The king of Pharaoh had his heart hardened over and over by the Lord because that was what the Lord desired and willed. Was it Pharaoh the man that was hardened or was there a SPIRIT in Pharaoh that was sent to Pharaoh which hardened his heart? The Lord told Moses He would harden Pharaohs heart, but we know from the sum of the Word that the Lord sends evil spirits to do His bidding.

Why are we holy to the Lord? It is because we have been chosen as a SPECIAL people for the Lord.

H5459
סגלּה
segûllâh
Total KJV Occurrences: 8
peculiar, 5
Exo_19:5, Deu_14:2, Deu_26:18, Psa_135:4, Ecc_2:8
jewels, 1
Mal_3:17
proper, 1
1Ch_29:3
special, 1
Deu_7:6

H5459

סְגֻלָּה
segûllâh
seg-ool-law’
Feminine passive participle of an unused root meaning to shut up; wealth (as closely shut up): – jewel, peculiar (treasure), proper good, special.
Total KJV occurrences: 8

H5459
סגלּה
segûllâh
BDB Definition:
1) possession, property
1a) valued property, peculiar treasure
1b) treasure
Part of Speech: noun feminine passive participle
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from an unused root meaning to shut up
Same Word by TWOT Number: 1460a

Here is how we are “special” to the Lord:

Exo 19:5  Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

Deu 14:2  For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.

Deu 26:18  And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments;

Psa 135:4  For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.

Ecc 2:8  I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.

Did you know that you are a TREASURE to the Lord? That is how special we are to Him. He hides as away and protects us. It’s like finding something so valuable that you do whatever it takes to gain and protect it.

It really changes the meaning of things when you realize that it is first Jesus Christ finds “a treasure hid in a field” and sells all that He had in order to GAIN that treasure. Yes, He showed us the way. Do we really think He was excluded from the same process He tells us we must go through in order to enter into the kingdom of God?

Mat 13:44  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Mat 13:45  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
Mat 13:46  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Mat 13:47  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
Mat 13:48  Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

How many times do we have to be told that Jesus Christ is the son of man before we realize that He Himself sold all that He had so that He could BUY THE FIELD? I’d say Jesus is the greatest fisher of men to ever exist, yet we are there with Him and He is within us.

That is why we must be on guard to obey the commandments of the Lord. It is the children who obey their Father in heaven and keep His commandments, and when we do not obey we are chastened for it. At no time though during chastening do we consider ourselves orphans!

Can I be a son of God, and still sin? Yes, but I will be chastened and scourged, and that situation is being judged as a result!

Deu 7:9  Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
Deu 7:10  And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.

When the “cup Steven” disobeys the Lord, that old man Steven with his carnal mind of the devil is DESTROYED and decreases while at the same time the new man has a little bit more room in that “cup Steven” to increase into. There is more room because that cup has been emptied a little more of that old man.

Deu 7:11  Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.
Deu 7:12  Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers:
Deu 7:13  And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
Deu 7:14  Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.
Deu 7:15  And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.
Deu 7:16  And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.
Deu 7:17  If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?
Deu 7:18  Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;
Deu 7:19  The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out: so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid.

Listen, these events are always happening in every generation of mankind, both at the macro level and at the micro level. What I mean is, every man, woman and child will experience the old man. Some will be given the new man now to experience, as children of God NOW, while others will have that experience later.

However, children of God NOW will still be contending with the giants in the land which are destroyed, discovered and constantly being fought against. “Giants” or “evil spirits”, pick your poison,  because they are spiritually the same thing being described differently.

The Lord is telling us here in Deuteronomy that He will DESTROY the “nations” in us that oppose Him so just read that again as “giants, evil spirits or nations”. It’s all the same thing.

Deu 7:20  Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.
Deu 7:21  Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.
Deu 7:22  And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.
Deu 7:23  But the LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed.
Deu 7:24  And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them.
Deu 7:25  The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.
Deu 7:26  Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.

“Gods, kings and abominations” are all different words to describe different aspects of these spiritual things that are happening in our heavens.

If it seems like word play to some, well I am not sure what to say more than I have already said in this study. I am not sure how any of the bible could be considered at all in this time and age, if I have to take it literally to mean that I must now have “kings” delivered into my hand to be considered a child of God as mentioned in Deut 7:24.

Does God need to send physical hornets among the nations each and every time a child of God is named and brought into the household of God? Yes, I speak as a fool to the foolish.

The message of Deuteronomy 7 is a great one for the children of God. We are His treasure. He adorns us as His most precious and peculiar treasure, and we hold a great spot in the bosom of the Lord. The same message is a death sentence to the old man in us all.

Marriage, Part 5 - Where Your Treasure Is, There Will Your Heart Be Also - Discussion

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Marriage, Part 5 - Where Your Treasure Is, There Will Your Heart Be Also

We closed our last study with a review of what we have learned are pitfalls to the health of our marriages. Today we will, Lord willing, end this series on marriage with the scriptural admonition which will make right and eliminate all those deterrents to a healthy, happy and growing marriage relationship. That admonition is to place greatest value of anyone on earth upon our spouse. If we are granted to value our wives and husbands above all others in this age, then we will have the Godly order in our heavens and upon our earth. Having that Godly order in our hearts and minds will reflect our love of God who tells us to forsake all others to please our Lord, the spiritual husband of all of us, both husbands and wives. When we place our spouse above all others on this earth we are demonstrating to the world that we are putting Christ first in our lives:

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Christ loved His wife as He loved Himself. In doing so, He demonstrates for us how we are to love our own spouse:

Eph 5:28  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
Eph 5:29  For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

Before we look into how we are to value our spouse, let's just briefly review what the scriptures reveal to be the pitfalls into which we all fall which preclude a happy and healthy and growing marriage relationship.

1) Our own personal pride is our greatest obstacle to restoring and strengthening our marriage. Here are just some of the evil fruits of pride which destroy many marriages:

Psa 10:4  The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

Pro 11:2  When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.

Pro 13:10  Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.

Pro 14:3  In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.

Pro 16:18  Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Pro 29:23  A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

Contentions in marriages come "only by pride".

2) Our marriages are being destroyed "for lack of knowledge".

Hos 4:6  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

The Lord is giving us the knowledge of how to restore our marriages, and in doing so, how to restore our relationship with Him. Do not let pride keep you from being restored to both your physical and your spiritual husband.

3) Carnal Husbands tend to be treacherous, while carnal wives tend to be 'against their husbands'. God has used "the wife of our covenant" to demonstrate to us that we have little faith in His leadership, we have perverted priorities, and the wife of our covenant has been proven to be less important to us than our own personal pride and less important to us than our children. Our pride is our worst enemy in this whole world, and our children are to be a distant second in a Godly priority "to the wife of our covenant".

Gen 3:16  To the woman he said, I will greatly increase your labor pains; with pain you will give birth to children. You will want to control your husband, but he will dominate you.

Mal 2:14  Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

4) We husbands cannot change our wives whom the Lord is using to change us. We know that it is God who is making our wives do what they do, and we know that it is He who is trying us with the antics He gives our wives for that very purpose. The same is true for the wives.

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

5) Knowing it is the Lord who makes our spouse to err from His ways, we still blame our spouse for their problems when we know that they are nothing more than a tool of our Lord. When we do that, we are not reproving our wives. We are really "reproving... contending with... and condemning" God Himself, and we are doing so in the presence of our families, friends and this world (Job 40:1-8).

6) We now know that when our actions demonstrate that we think we can make our wives submit to us, we are not 'dwelling with them according to knowledge', and we are blaspheming the name of God among the heathen by proclaiming God as sovereign, while at the same time condemning Him for giving us a trial such as our wives are to us. Wives, the same is true for the trials God gives you through your husbands, who are also nothing more than a tool in the Lord's hand.

Rom 10:2  For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

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

Rom 2:24  For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
Rom 2:25  For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law [of Christ]: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.

Tit 2:3  The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
Tit 2:4  That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
Tit 2:5  To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

7) We know that we of ourselves cannot change ourselves any more than we can change our spouse. But there is a solution, and we must humble ourselves and cry out for help and for mercy to that, the only solution:

Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Php 4:12  I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
Php 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

8) And finally, we have learned in these studies that perfection comes to us "by little and little... [and only after] a long time":

Exo 23:30  By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.

Deu 7:22  And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.

Mat 25:19  After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.

Luk 20:9  Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.

We all know that any trial takes time to endure, and every trial is only a 'trial' because it requires us to wait upon the Lord. It is through such patience that we must arrive at the perfection we are all seeking and to which our marriages serve to bring us:

Psa 37:9  For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

Isa 8:17  And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.

Isa 40:31  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

The Lord "makes us to err from His ways" so He can "hide His face from [us]", then He can try our faith and teach us patience:

Jas 1:2  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Jas 1:3  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Jas 1:4  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Jas 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

These are some of the principles we are caused to violate, and in doing so we are working against a healthy, happy and blessed marriage. However, we are told that if we ask for the wisdom we need to deal with these pitfalls that 'God gives wisdom to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.'

Today we have asked the Lord for wisdom, and He has given us a principle which, if it is applied in our marriages, will  prevent anything from destroying our marriages and will repair the effects of all these pitfalls and restore the happiness of our marriages.

I told you last week that the Word of God is likened in scripture to money. Many sociologists and marriage counselors will tell you that one of the most common sources of stress in a marriage stems from disagreements about how couples handle their money. Our spiritual husband tells us how He rewards us when we handle His resources faithfully, but He also tells us how He deals with us when we deal with His resources foolishly. The parable of the talents is where the Lord's words, His doctrines, are likened to money. This parable is actually telling us that the Lord has invested Himself in us. It also reveals how we first mishandle the resources which the Lord has invested in us.

Remembering the fact that each of us "live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Mat 4:4), let's be careful not to put the words about the wicked and slothful servant in this parable off on 'that person over there', because the Truth is that we are all first made to be the wicked and slothful servant before we are made to become the servant who makes his five talents into ten.

Think of what you have invested in your own marriage as  you read the parable of the talents:

Mat 25:14  For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
Mat 25:15  And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
Mat 25:16  Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
Mat 25:17  And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
Mat 25:18  But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
Mat 25:19  After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
Mat 25:20  And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
Mat 25:21  His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Mat 25:22  He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
Mat 25:23  His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Mat 25:24  Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
Mat 25:25  And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
Mat 25:26  His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
Mat 25:27  Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
Mat 25:28  Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
Mat 25:29  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
Mat 25:30  And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The Lord's money, "My money" He calls it, are His Words, His doctrines. Our Lord is the Word (Joh 1:1). Therefore His words are who He is. "They are spirit and they are life" (Joh 6:63).

Let's all remind ourselves that it is we who must "live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Mat 4:4). We must not think of ourselves simply as the servant who was given five talents and who increased his five into ten talents. We all know that we are all first the wicked and slothful servant who accuses His Lord of reaping where He had not sown. Then we become the man who was given two talents, and finally we become the man who was given five talents.

Notice that when we accuse our Lord, our spouse, of investing nothing in us, the Lord will answer us "according to the idols of our own heart":

Eze 14:1  Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.
Eze 14:2  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 14:3  Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?
Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;

That is exactly what the Lord does to this "wicked and slothful servant". The Lord did not bother to point out to this ingrate that he had just handed back the talent He had invested in that servant. Instead, He answered this deceived man "according to the multitude of the idols of his heart", and that is what He does with us when we accuse Him of giving us a worthless or harmful spouse. It is a fearful thing to "contend with, reprove, and condemn" our own Creator (Job 40:1-8).

What nerve we have to give the Lord back the talent He has invested in us while accusing Him of "reaping where [He] had not sown"! That is exactly what we are doing when we refuse our spouse whom He gave us. We are, in effect, accusing Him of reaping where He has not sown. He has given us the exact spouse we need, and for that we had better be very grateful.

For the sake of our discussion today, I want us all to apply the investment principle of this parable of the talents to our marriages, physical and spiritual, and let's ask ourselves if we are investing ourselves in our spouse or are we more invested in our friends, our children or other family members? Where is our "treasure", because that is where our hearts really are. Is our love really invested in the spouse of our covenant, or do our actions suggest that we love others or our job more? Have we invested our trust in our spouse, or do we feel that we cannot trust him or her? Where do we spend our precious time? Is it with our spouse, or is it with someone else? Who is the most valuable person in this world to you?

Here now is the verse from which I have taken the title of our discussion today. This verse is a very revealing statement which appears twice, word for word, in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Just knowing and acknowledging the Truth of this statement will help us to examine ourselves and to see and know who really is the most valuable person in this world to us:

Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Luk 12:34  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Our hearts are where our treasure is. Who do you treasure? Where are your thoughts during your day? With whom are you investing your time and your life? The context of Mat 6:21 is "the kingdom of God", but we all know "the kingdom of God is within [us]" by virtue of having "Christ in [us], the hope of glory" (Mat 6:33; Luk 17: 20-21; Col 1:27). Therefore the subject is really Christ, who is our spiritual husband. It is Christ who is to be our "treasure". He is our "pearl of great price" for whom we sell all we possess to acquire Him:

Mat 13:45  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
Mat 13:46  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

Christ's Father, who  is also His Head, His Husband, sent Him into this world to secure this "kingdom of heaven... within [us]" (Joh 3:17). To that end Christ, in the very next verses of Matthew 6, tells us just how critical it is that He is number one in our lives:

Mat 6:22  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Mat 6:23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
Mat 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

If our eye is single, the whole body shall be full of light, but if it is not 'single', it is equated with being "evil". If there is anywhere this principle of being 'single minded' applies, it is within a marriage relationship. Our spouse is meant to be our single most important concern in this physical realm because we must have but one master, one husband, whom we are to love and trust as Christ loves the church:

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Eph 5:32  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Eph 5:33  Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

We are to love our spouse "even as Christ also loved the church". So when did Christ love the church? Where were we when He "gave Himself" for [us]? Did He love us because we first loved Him? Does Christ love us because we are a good wife? No, quite the contrary:

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
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;)

There it is! That is "even as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it... even while we were dead in sins." That is how we are to love our spouse!

For our own good, Christ goes on to admonish us:

Mat 6:25  Because of this [because our heart is where our treasure is] I say to you, be not anxious about your life, what ye may eat, or what ye may drink, nor yet for your body, what ye may wear. Is not the life [Christ, our husband] more than the food, and the body than the clothing?
Mat 6:26  Look to the birds of the sky, because they sow not, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are ye not more valuable then they?
Mat 6:27  And which man of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his life span?
Mat 6:28  And why are ye anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, nor do they spin,
Mat 6:29  yet I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like one of these.
Mat 6:30  And if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into an oven, will he not much more you, O ye of little faith?
Mat 6:31  Be not therefore anxious, saying, What may we eat? or, What may we drink? or, What may we wear?
Mat 6:32  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, for your heavenly Father knows that ye need all these things.
Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Mat 6:34  Be not therefore anxious for the morrow, for the morrow will be anxious about things of itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil of it. (ACV)

Christ is not saying that we are not to think of food, clothing and shelter. The opposite is true, because He promises us:

Mat 6:30  And if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into an oven, will he not much more you, O ye of little faith?

Our Lord's message to us in all of this is that if we have our spiritual house in His order, then He is going to provide for our needs, both physical and spiritual. Remember we are told:

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Eph 5:28  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

Those who know the voice of the True Shepherd will know that "He that loves His wife loves himself" actually means 'He that loves his wife loves Christ', because that is exactly what the following verses tell us:

Eph 5:29  For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
Eph 5:31  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
Eph 5:32  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

What we have just been told is that when we refuse the wife of our covenant or the husband of our covenant, we are refusing Christ. In other words, if our spouse is not the most important physical person in our lives, then we are demonstrating that Christ is not the most important person in our lives.

We all need affection, and Christ is very affectionate toward us and ministers to our every need every day. Be affectionate toward your spouse. Never leave the house without an affectionate kiss, and when you come back home repeat that process. If you do, you will find that you want to come home and be together. It is a demonstrable scientific fact that affectionate hugging lowers one's blood pressure, and there are no negative side effects.

Christ says all of this in these few words:

Luk 14:25  And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,
Luk 14:26  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Here is Matthew's version of those words:

Mat 10:37  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Based on what we have learned about the real meaning of marriage, let's replace the word "me", meaning Christ as our spiritual husband, with the words 'his spouse' and see what these words can tell us about how we are to order our home:

Mat 10:37  He that loveth father or mother more than [his spouse] is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than [his spouse] is not worthy of me.

The only thing that is to come between us and our physical spouse is Christ. But what this verse is telling us is that if any physical person or thing comes between us and our spouse, of whom we are told, "I speak concerning Christ and the church", then we "cannot be [Christ's] disciple".

Christ is our "talents". He is our "money", our "treasure", and as such He is the one whose "money", His words and doctrines, tell us that the value we place upon our spouse is a direct reflection of the value we place upon our Lord and His kingdom.

If we are equipped with His mind, then we will have His order in our home, and nothing will come between Him and us. Having His mind means we value and treasure the things He values and treasures, and that insures that our spouse is our most treasured possession in this world, and that nothing will come between us and the wife or husband of our covenant.

Ephesians 5 has made it perfectly clear that marriage is really a type of Christ and the church:

Eph 5:29  For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. [As the woman was of the man (1Co 11:12)]
Eph 5:31  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
Eph 5:32  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Eph 5:33  Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

It was with this knowledge of and faith in the Word of God that Paul could make this statement:

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

That is our study for today. It is my prayer that we all value our spiritual and physical spouse as Christ values His bride, and that we give ourselves for our spouse as Christ gives Himself for His spouse, the church.

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Part 71 Discussion

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Isa 19:2-7 Every One Against His Brother, And Every One Against His Neighbor

Isa 19:2  And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
Isa 19:3  And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.
Isa 19:4  And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.
Isa 19:5  And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.
Isa 19:6  And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.
Isa 19:7  The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.

We will begin our study by repeating verse one from last week's study:

Isa 19:1  The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.

Now we will begin to see how the Lord will begin moving the idols of Egypt and melting the hearts of the Egyptian in the midst of it, both within us first and then, in time, we will see these things all fulfilled outwardly in the world:

Isa 19:2  And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.

Let's read this verse together with verse one to get the full force of what we are being told:

Isa 19:1  The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
Isa 19:2  And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.

The inward application of what these verses are telling us is that when we begin to see the true Christ, at that very moment we also begin to see the conflict of "the Egyptian against the Egyptian... every one against his brother" which is inherent in the doctrines we all believed for so long. A good example of "Egyptians and the Egyptians" within our heavens was manifested in a church marquee which read: "God is love... sinners will burn in hell". That self-conflicting doctrine is to this day believed by millions of people who profess to be Christians.

"Every one against his neighbor" has a very clear outward fulfillment which tugs at the hearts of even God's very elect. As we witness the injustices of mankind against their brothers, it will take Christ within us to keep us aloof from "the affairs of this life" and keep us from being against our brother. We simply cannot stay aloof from the affairs of this life of ourselves, but we can do so through Christ who strengthens us:

Php 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

2Ti 2:3  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2Ti 2:4  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

We will first take a closer look to see how Isaiah 19:2, "Egyptian against Egyptian is fulfilled within the kingdom of God within us, where our old man's Babylonian kingdom with all of its Babylonian lies is being invaded by the fiery words of the truth of the doctrines of Christ. My own person experience of "Egyptians against the Egyptians" began in my early twenties and continued for many years as I struggled with the scriptures I was being given to see for the first time in my life.

I first began to realize the meaning of the Greek word 'aion' and the Hebrew word 'olawm' in 1973. There were no personal computers to be bought at a local store, and there was no e-sword or any other such helps to search out how those words were used in the scriptures. Inwardly "the Egyptians [fought] against the Egyptians" for many years before that conflict subsided and Christ began to reign over all those conflicting doctrines within me which I had never before seen as contradictions.

The kingdom of our first old man is typified by the firstborn son of Abraham with his bond maid who was later cast out and of whom we are told:

Gal 4:29  But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
Gal 4:30  Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.

We may find it hard to understand, but this "son of the bondwoman" is none other than our own first-born "old man", and as we continue to compare spiritual things with spiritual (1Co 2:3-14), we will see that he is described as "a wild man":

Gen 16:12  And he [Ishmael, Abraham's first born son by Hagar, his "bondwoman" wife] will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

Our old man "dwells in the presence of his brothers" inasmuch as he cohabits with Christ as an "earthen vessel". He is decreasing as Christ is increasing, and our old man is dying daily (1Co 15:31) simply because he is that "earthen vessel" in which Christ dwells at this time. We must all contend with the beast, that "earthen vessel" within, and we must do so on a daily basis:

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
2Co 4:9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
2Co 4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

Notice carefully, "the dying of the Lord Jesus" and "the life also of Jesus" are both "manifest in our body".  "Christ in [us]" (Col 1:27) is dying daily to the pulls of His own flesh, meaning the flesh of each of us within these earthen vessels because:

Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

As shown already, inwardly "brother against brother" first speaks of the conflict of the lies of the Babylonian "spiritual... Egypt", the kingdom of our old man within us, conflicting with and warring with the Truth of the Words of Christ which comes as a fiery sword to destroy those lies "with the brightness of His coming" within us (2Th 2:3-8). It is this inward struggle that brings us all "to [our] wits' end" as we saw earlier in:

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.

While Christianity and Islam will certainly have their part in the fulfillment of the work of this "wild man" in the outward fulfilling of the Lord "set[ting] the Egyptians against the Egyptians", it is nevertheless the spiritual beastly nature within every man which the Lord has always used and which He will continue to use to bring to pass this "every man's hand against his brother" prophecy of world-wide civil unrest, as these verses demonstrate:

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

Jdg 7:22  And the three hundred blew the trumpets [symbolizing the Lord's elect], and the LORD set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.

Isa 3:5. And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

1Sa 14:20  And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle [against the Philistines]: and, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.

Jer 25:30  Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.

Eze 38:20  So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
Eze 38:21  And I will call for a sword against him [Gog and Magog - vs 1-2] throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother.
Eze 38:22  And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
Eze 38:23  Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Hag 2:22  And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.

Zec 8:9  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.
Zec 8:10  For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.

Zec 14:13  And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.

"Egyptian against Egyptian" will be accomplished "throughout all [of God's] mountains" (Eze 38:21), which has the same meaning as "...all the nations in the four quarters of the earth".

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

The Lord tells us His words "shall not pass away":

Mat 24:32  Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
Mat 24:33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

So these words concerning Gog and Magog have both a present and a future application, as well as being applicable at the time these words were written, just as surely as Joseph's brothers physically bowed down to him in his lifetime. These words in Psalms are also addressed to "the kings of the earth", and they are addressed to all nations who "take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed", whether in the days of King David, at the time of the crucifixion of Christ, or at the time of the "little season" of rebellion against the rulership of the Lord's elect following the thousand years of the reign of God's elect over the kingdoms of this world.

Psa 2:2  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
Psa 2:3  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
Psa 2:4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Psa 2:5  Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

Rev 20:1  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Here is the application of these words at the time of Christ's crucifixion:

Act 4:26  The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

All these words are first to be applied within each of those in whom Christ will take up His abode. Then these words will also have a pre-millennial application when the kings of this world will resist the installation of the thousand-year reign of the Lord's elect over the kingdoms of this world:

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

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.

Then they will have a final outward application to the nations at the end of the "little season" of rebellion, which follows the thousand year reign of Christ:

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

The rest of our study details the destruction of Egypt within and without:

Isa 19:3  And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.

When any of us first hear the truths of Christ, those truths sound so incredibly radical that we reject them out of hand as utter heresy. It just does not seem possible that so many of the people we know, love and respect could all be that wrong, and besides we have read the Bible for ourselves, and we, in our spiritually blind state, have never seen this doctrine there in the Bible. So we all at first rebel against Christ, and this is what we are told God thinks about that mindset:

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

It is our old man who turns to the idols of our heart, and in doing so we become guilty of the sins of witchcraft and idolatry. At that time, we are comfortable with our bondage to the traditions of men. We like paying tithes on our gross income, and we dearly love keeping days, months, times and years, for just two examples.

The story of Elijah and the four hundred prophets of Baal is actually a type of what will become of all the false ministers who are this very day making merchandise of the Lord's flock. The Lord had delivered Israel into the hands of an apostate king who had married Jezebel, the daughter of a pagan Zidonian king (1Kg 16:31). Jezebel was intent upon destroying all the Lord's prophets and was making good on her intention, so Elijah, with Ahab's apparent consent, challenged them to a showdown. Our old man has a showdown with Christ written in his book, and all the nations of this world also must face a day of accounting for turning away from their Creator to idols of their own hearts.

See if you can see your own old man in the confidence these prophets of Baal had in the doctrines of their god:

1Ki 18:25  And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.
1Ki 18:26  And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.
1Ki 18:27  And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
1Ki 18:28  And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
1Ki 18:29  And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
1Ki 18:30  And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.
1Ki 18:31  And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
1Ki 18:32  And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
1Ki 18:33  And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
1Ki 18:34  And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
1Ki 18:35  And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
1Ki 18:36  And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
1Ki 18:37  Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
1Ki 18:38  Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
1Ki 18:39  And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
1Ki 18:40  And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

It requires a miracle from God for any of us to come to Him. Paul's 'road to Damascus' conversion is not that different from any of ours, nor is it different from this story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. We do not willingly come to God. Rather, He drags us to Himself (Joh 8:44, 65). In the same manner, it will require a miracle to strike the fear of God into the kingdoms of this world before they will give up their dominion over the Lord's elect. However, the Lord specializes in miracles, and His word is sure:

Isa 19:4  And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.

Our old man is a cruel taskmaster who rules us with a rod of iron. It is because of how he abuses us that we are all brought to our wits' end and cry out for the Lord's mercy. In the same way the outward kings of this world think little of sacrificing the lives of the sons of other men and women to maintain their own power and pride, the Lord has also placed this whole world into the hands of the basest of men who are all "fierce kings" who will not hesitate to go to war and to "destroy the earth":

Rev 11:18  And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

There was a three and a half year drought at the time Elijah slew the four hundred prophets of Baal:

Luk 4:25  But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;

The whole world is under just such a drought at this moment, but it is not a physical drought:

Amo 8:11  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

We all live through the days when God truly does dry up the waters that nourish Babylon. At that time the ten horns upon the beast are burning the doctrines of the great whore with fire and are devouring her flesh:

Rev 16:12  And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
Rev 16:13  And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev 16:14  For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

When we come to see Babylon as 'spiritual Sodom and Egypt', then we will also see the drying up of the river of Egypt as the same thing as the drying up of the Euphrates. It is merely two ways of saying the same thing.

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

The drying up of the waters of the river of Egypt and the drying up of the Euphrates River symbolize the rejection of the doctrines of Babylon and the doctrines of the religions of this world, which we honestly believe bring so much wealth to ourselves and to the coffers of the churches of this world. The Lord is at this very moment drying up the Euphrates and the Nile, and everything sown by the brooks of these rivers is beginning to wither away, 'to be driven away and to be no more'.

Isa 19:5  And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.
Isa 19:6  And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.
Isa 19:7  The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.

This is what must happen to the kingdom of our old man and to Babylon within us, and it will happen just this way because:

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.
Rev 17:16  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
Rev 17:17  For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

It was the waters of the Euphrates by which the riches of the kingdoms of Babylon came into that city, and it was by the Nile that Egypt was made rich. Those are outward literal rivers and countries, but water also symbolizes the Word of God and the doctrines of Christ:

Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

As we have seen, when the water of the Word of God was taken from Israel, there was "a famine in the land".

Amo 8:11  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

In the same manner, the revelation of Christ and His Truth within us and within this world will effect a famine of the lies and falsehoods of Babylon, and when that happens Babylon's source of nourishment and wealth will dry up and wither away.

Isa 19:6  And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.
Isa 19:7  The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.

King Cyrus turned the waters of the Euphrates and diverted them far north of Babylon. When the waters were no longer flowing through Babylon, his armies marched into the city through the empty channel which had been the Euphrates River and took the city without having to fight a battle. That is the outward fulfillment of the "drying up of the Euphrates". The spiritual fulfillment is coming in the form of the rejection of the doctrines of the Babylonian religions of this earth, and the eating of the flesh of that great whore and burning her with the fire of that rejection.

That is the deep darkness that comes just before the light of dawn. That is the great high waves which bring us and the kingdoms of this world to our wits' end just before we are brought to our haven of rest, and just before the kingdoms of this world are given into the merciful hands of the Lord's Christ.

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

We have read a lot about how the Lord melts the hearts of the men of Egypt and the inhabitants of the promised land. Here are more verses which make that a personal experience and give us a much deeper understanding of what must take place within us before it can take place outwardly:

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

It is He who "commands and raises the stormy wind", and it is also He, who at the time He has appointed for our good, will in the end 'makes the storm a calm and bring us into our desired haven of peace and safety' and "[His] rest" (Heb 4:1-5).

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.

Next week, Lord willing, we will continue to see more of the kingdom of our old man and his fate, presented to us in the form of the drying up of the river of Egypt.

Isa 19:8  The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.
Isa 19:9  Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded.
Isa 19:10  And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.
Isa 19:11  Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?
Isa 19:12  Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.
Isa 19:13  The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.
Isa 19:14  The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.
Isa 19:15  Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.

Part of this testimony that is being established in Jacob is the witness of God’s great longsuffering and kindness toward Israel as He creates the circumstances needed to bring them (us) to their wits’ end and show them the need for deliverance from their carnal ways.

These types of us throughout the old covenant are there for our learning, and they remind us of how steadily God has been building up the body of Christ and doing this great work at the end of each of our ages, having been called today to be judged and made to present our lives a living sacrifice, as we are blessed to bring our whole life into a relationship within God’s temple, which we are (Rom 12:1-2, 1Co 3:16, Eph 2:20-21, Eph 4:15-16, 1Pe 2:5).

Without God’s stedfast love that He has for us (Rom 5:5), without the unchanging heart of our Lord as our head, our corner stone, and our high priest (Heb 4:14-15), we would be consumed and not able to bear each others’ burdens, and would be unable fulfill the law of Christ through the strength that he gives us to do this.

Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

The end of the book of Malachi mirrors the same message as this section of Psalms 78 that we are looking at now, where God throws the gauntlet down, so to speak, and wrestles with the nation of Israel and shows us our lack of commitment and wavering hearts that can only be received because of our Father’s faithfulness and mercy that chastens and scourges every son that He brings to himself.

It is very clear that flesh must decrease whenever Christ is coming into the picture, and our presenting ourselves a living sacrifice would be of no value unless we were brought to understand that we are simply giving back that which God has given us.

Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Mat 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

1Ch 29:14 But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.

Look at the language in the first part of chapter 3 in Malachi prior to verse ten where God is asking us in type and shadow to give our whole life, “bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse” present your life a living sacrifice in other words.

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.

The only way we could ever be able to receive these great blessings poured out from heaven, which are spiritual and unsearchable and coming from our Father in heaven, would be through the preparation of our heart, a heart being prepared to receive these blessings by his rebuking of “the devourer for your sakes” (Rom 11:32-33 , Jas 1:17). So it is a two-fold process as he destroys the devourer within us for your sake, and strenghthens us through the Vine so that “neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field”.

Mal 3:11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

Mat 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season [her fruit]?

God changes not in His stedfast dealing with all the iniquity within those who He is judging today, and even when He starts this great work of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers within each of us, we still ask “Wherein shall we return?”

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 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

Mal 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Mal 3:7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

In other words we don’t see our need to return to God because we are convinced in ourselves that we have no need, and yet God says that it is this spirit that He is going to deal with within His bride so that she is made into a meek and humble servant who ultimately will present her entire life a living sacrifice, taking away the curse that we bring upon ourselves when we do anything short of this.

Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

1Pe 3:4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

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

The Lord brings us to focus on the joy that can be ours if we are blessed to be among those who “bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse”, and to understand that your life matters in this precious house of God. Malachi goes on to describe our living sacrifice as the means by which “there may be meat in mine house”.

Mal 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

If the world could only acknowledge (which we can’t at first either) that we are robbing God, and see the need to submit to Him as our saviour, and see how salvation is found only in His house, then He would “pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it”, and He would add no sorrow to that blessing because He would “rebuke the devourer for your sakes” and would “not destroy the fruits of your ground” neither let “your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.”

Mal 3:11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

Pro 10:22 The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

This part of scripture in Malachi 3 and Psalms 78 reveal the pattern of how we can become rich toward God and toward each other. It reminds us that God is the Only one who is getting us there and that there is judgment needed upon us as we move into that place of worshipping God in spirit and truth, in His temple, as we become richer toward each other as a result of the grace and faith working together for the overall good of the body of Christ.

Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

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

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

The giving of the tithe of Malachi 3:10 simply reminds us that our entire life belongs to our Lord and that He has good plans for us; plans to prosper us and not hurt us (Jer 29:11); plans to establish us and build us up in this storehouse which is His temple, and the place where His government will be established, and be blessed to feed all the nations one day (Rev 11:15).

Here are the verses we’ve been talking about in Malachi, which we can read before we get into the verses of this Psalm 78 for tonight’s study:

Mal 3:5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Mal 3:7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
Mal 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Mal 3:9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
Mal 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Mal 3:11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

Psa 78:15 He clave^H1234 the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.

H1234
בּקע
baqa‛

baw-kah’
A primitive root; to cleave; generally to rend, break, rip or open: – make a breach, break forth (into, out, in pieces, through, up), be ready to burst, cleave (asunder), cut out, divide, hatch, rend (asunder), rip up, tear, win.

Here we have the means by which God is going to establish this testimony in God’s elect, by breaking or splitting the stony heart in the wilderness  and giving us drink from “the great depths”.

Eze 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

Num 20:11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

Joh 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

This section of scripture (Num 20:8-12) shows Moses thinking above what is written, his words and his works coming forth from his lack of faith and wanting to beat the menservants so to speak (Luk 12:45) rather than trust the word of God that told him to just “speak ye unto the rock before their eyes”.

Moses also represents the law, and striking the rock twice is a witness to this verse that tells us it was God who allowed us all to crucify our Lord in spirits of disobedience.

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

Num 20:8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
Num 20:9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
Num 20:10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
Num 20:11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
Num 20:12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

Psa 78:16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

These waters were only a type and shadow of the true rivers of living waters of God’s holy spirit which is the only power that can truly change our carnal nature, just as only the true bread from heaven can only change us.

Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Joh 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

Psa 78:17 And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.
Psa 78:18 And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.

Regardless of the miracles in the wilderness, Israel was not being changed on the inside, and the end result was sinning “yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.”

There is no godliness with contentment or great gain coming to Israel of old (1Ti 6:6) because their hearts are not changed, and they are yet asking things of God amiss to consume upon their own lust, not content whether they have a little or a lot.

Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Exo 16:12 I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.

Num 11:31 And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.
Num 11:32 And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.
Num 11:33 And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.

Php 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Php 4:12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Psa 78:19 Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
Psa 78:20 Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?

God is batting a thousand, and Israel, who represents the unbelieving heart of Adam, is striking out big time here. Not only are we doubting God but speaking “against God” saying “Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?”. In other words, can God change our stony hearts? The answer comes right after the question saying “he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed”

Then the rebellious spirit rises up again and asks “can he give bread also?” or “provide flesh for his people?”. These two doubt-filled statements demonstrate the wicked and unbelieving heart that we must mortify and fight against as we die daily.

Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

Psa 78:21 Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;
Psa 78:22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:
Psa 78:23 Though he had commanded the clouds from above , and opened the doors of heaven,
Psa 78:24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.
Psa 78:25 Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.

When we are not persuaded of the church, of each joint that supplies through this body of Christ (Eph 4:15-16, Heb 12:1-2), we are in fact rejecting “the doors of heaven” that God has been opening, and when we reject Christ in each other we are rejecting the Father.

Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

They received “angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full” so what was actually happening here? Why could they not be nourished and grow spiritually from these experiences? What does this tell us about ourselves?

Heb 4:2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. [and this is why boasting is excluded – Rom 3:27]

Psa 78:26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.
Psa 78:27 He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:

God is controlling the winds ‘causing them to blow from the east, and by his power he brought in the south wind, reminding us that God is sovereign over all these spirits that are represented as wind (Joh 3:8).

It is with this wind that “He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea”, which fowl we know represents spirits in type and shadow which were sent to tempt Israel and show what was in their lust-filled hearts (Eze 14:9, Mat 16:16). These spirits are devilish sensual and earthly and therefore are connected to the sand of the sea that we are.

Jas 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

Jud 1:19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit^G4151.
Jud 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost^G4151,

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Psa 78:28 And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.
Psa 78:29 So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;
Psa 78:30 They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,
Psa 78:31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

The wrath of God was upon “The fattest of them” and “smote down the chosen men of Israel” tells us that when we think we are rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing, our pride is ready to bring about a great fall (Rev 3:17, Pro 16:18, Rev 18:2).

The Lord describes all the fatness of the harlot, all the riches and increase wrapped around the idols of her heart, and then Babylon falls, and we are astonished at how great the fall is and how clearly God sought this occasion against our flesh by letting these false doctrines and heresies “fall in the midst of their camp” and round about our “habitations.”

If we are blessed with a desire to eat only that which God gives us, then it will be through chastening and scourging in this age that our sensual appetites will change, to become centered upon only wanting to do what God has commanded us to do (Tit 2:12).

Psa 78:32 For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.

When we believe not the wondrous works of the Lord, or are not given to discern the signs of the times, it is of the Lord (Luk 12:56). This spirit of unbelief is one that Christ prophesied would become more and more pronounced at the end of the age (2Ti 3:13).

To be able to believe and endure until the end will give witness (testimony) to the fact that it is Christ working with his workmanship (Eph 2:10) establishing His testimony in His elect bride whose heart must be pierced (Luk 2:35) as opposed to that period in our walk when we “sinned still” and “believed not for his wonderous works” (Pro 27:22).

The heart will not wax cold in God’s elect, but it shall go unto maturity by the grace and faith of Christ (Eph 2:8). This strength that we receive from each joint that supplies, is the testimony that God is establishing through the church and spoken of in type and shadow as the testimony that God establishes in Jacob.

Joh 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

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

Psa 78:33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.

God is dealing with our vanity and knows how to cause us to waste away our days and our years in trouble.

When we look back we regret all the mistakes, and all the wasted time and vain conversation that we had to live, but then we come to understand that this was all of the Lord and that we must experience this ‘all is vanity’ experience both within and without (Ecc 1:2) if we are ever going to fully appreciate the new and precious life of Christ, the pearl of great price, the treasure in earthen vessels which we have been given.

Mat 13:46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

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

Psa 78:34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.
Psa 78:35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.

God allows us to be buffeted in the world and gives us the power to die daily, which is what is required if we are going to seek Him out “and “enquire early after God”, and remember “that God was [our] rock, and the high God [our] redeemer” as described in the story of prodigal son who has to go through so much before he finally remembers how good he had it in his father’s house.

Luk 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

Lam 1:7 Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths.

Psa 78:36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.
Psa 78:37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.

We are being shown this transitioning process that all flesh has to go through, where there is still guile in our heart and we are yet carnal knowing Christ after the flesh, our mouth and tongues not yet cleansed with the fiery coals that need to be placed there in order to burn away the idols of our hearts and have them replaced with a heart that is right and able to bear testimony in Jacob as we’re “stedfast in his covenant”.

Isa 6:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

Psa 78:38 But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.

This last verse of this study shows us that God is “full of compassion” forgiving our iniquities and not rewarding us according to them. He turns his anger away from us and does not “stir up all his wrath” against us. He does chasten us in measure and mercy rules over his judgement which is upon us today as the body of Christ. The testimony of God working in the elect will be very bright for all the world to see one day as God demonstrates that no flesh will inherit the kingdom of God and only because we have this hope of glory (Col 1:27) can we endure His chastening and scourging and not despise his correction which is of the utmost importance if we are going to go unto perfection as mature sons.

Pro 24:10 If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.

Psa 18:26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

Mat 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Jas 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

These following verses explain the day of the Lord that we all must experience, and how this is the compassion of God that does not destroy us, but does bring us to our wits’ end so that we can give thanks to God for the wondrous works that He is doing that bear testimony of His great power and glory working in the body of Christ.

2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
2Co 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
2Co 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
2Co 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
2Co 4:11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

God’s mercy ruling over judgement is something that we will learn as a result of mortifying the deeds of our flesh and being granted the ability to forgive from our hearts all those who He will use to serve us in their unbelief. This is the greatest testimony that we can show the world and was first shown through our Saviour.

Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Gen 45:5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.

Luk 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

Mat 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

(Key sections from Genesis chapters 41 to chapter 43)

After suffering many trials and tribulations for thirteen years in Egypt, Joseph is given rulership in Egypt under the Pharaoh after Joseph gave him wise counsel concerning his two dreams (Gen 41:14-46). Pharaoh also acknowledged that Joseph was “a man in whom the Spirit of God is” and that he was indeed “discreet and wise” (Gen 41:38-39). In the first seven years of plenty in Egypt under Joseph’s rulership, he stored up food from every part of the country, and the corn was “as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number” (Gen 41:47-49). This great provision period links to the symbolic thousand-year period when the elect will reign on the earth after they are part of the first resurrection (Rev 20:4-6). It is also within the time of Joseph’s rulership that the seven years of famine came on the whole earth, which forced all the countries to come to Joseph to buy food:

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.

Joseph first supplied the Egyptians and afterward his family, which confirms these scriptures concerning the physical Jews showing God’s disdain on those whose pride makes them believe that physical attributes and preferences will influence His election and salvation (Pro 16:5; Jas 4:6):

Eze 16:55 When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou [physical Jerusalem – Gal 4:25] and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

The family of Joseph was also forced to go to Egypt to buy food, and little did they know how this would end for them. In our last discussion we started to touch on significant patterns in the way Joseph and his family were interacting within this time of getting food in order to survive the famine, which was also felt in Canaan. It all started off with the first command from Jacob:

Gen 42:1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?
Gen 42:2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.

Several journeys back and forth between Egypt and Canaan will follow, and each journey brings deeper torment to these brothers as their evil hearts were systematically unveiled:

Gen 42:3 And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.
Gen 42:4 But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.
Gen 42:5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

These ten brothers then appeared before Joseph, whom they could not recognise as he accused them of being spies, which they flatly denied. Our flesh and its carnal mind see spiritual things as foolish as they also speak and act against God and His elect (1Co 2:14; Rom 8:33; Isa 50:8; Luk 18:7; Rev 11:7-12). This passage is about the Christ whom the flesh cannot appreciate or value:

Isa 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
Isa 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

This accusation from Joseph that these ten brothers were spies connects to the evil report and slanders of the ten spies in the days of Moses against the promised land, which points to God’s spiritual provision and inheritance (Num 13:1-33; Num 14:1-45). Just as Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden could not recognise or appreciate the tree of life, these ten brothers of Joseph were spiritually blind (Gen 3:6-24; Gen 37:2-36). The revelation of the coming of Jesus starts off with the unveiling of our old man, the “man of sin”, and this is what is happening in the lives of these brothers (Gen 1:24-30; Ecc 3:18; 2Th 2:1-4; Rev 13). Before they could recognise Joseph, his brothers had to see themselves for who they are. Joseph was the “voice like a trumpet” to these fleshly brothers as he was used by God on several occasions to bring down their walls of iniquities and sin and show them their transgressions (Jer 4:5, 19, 21; Jer 6:1, 17; Rev 1:10):

Isa 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Isa 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

It is when the seven seals on our books are being opened that we can hear the trumpets of God announcing the judgment through which God’s righteousness are brought into our lives (Isa 26:9; Rev 8:1-2). The revelation of Jesus Christ unveils our old nature (the opening of the seals) and that goes with the sounding of the trumpets which connects with the judgement of God on our old man of sin. There is no perfection of the flesh, and our spiritual walk and understanding is being developed and going through a process as long as we live in this vessel of clay. It is only at the first resurrection that the elect in Christ will be given spiritual perfection. Our souls are indeed afflicted when our book is unsealed when we hear God’s trumpets, when we go through His judgments. The feeling of being forsaken should rather be seen as the birth pains of being redeemed from the old man (Isa 54:7-8; Mat 27:46):

Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23 And not only they, 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.

Through the interrogation by Joseph, more and more of the evil dealings of the brothers are confessed, and they were placed in jail for three days:

Gen 42:21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.
Gen 42:22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.
Gen 42:23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.

We will get back to this interpreter a bit later. The second command which these brothers received within this time of famine came from Joseph. Joseph kept one brother, Simeon, in jail on the condition that he will be released if the other nine brothers bring their youngest brother, Benjamin, with them the next time they come to Egypt. The number nine spiritually links and confirms that judgment is for sure on these brothers of Joseph (Gen 17:24; 2Ki 25:1-3; Mat 27:45-46). Joseph also commanded his stewards to fill the sacks of the brothers with corn, and that their money is to be placed within their sacks without their knowledge. A new aspect in this process of judgment is now introduced which also relates to the theme of spiritual glorification and rulership of the elect:

Gen 42:25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money [Hebrew: “keseph”] into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them.
Gen 42:26 And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence.

The word “money” in verse 25 is translated from the Hebrew word “keseph”, and this is how Dr. James Strong defines this Hebrew word “keseph” and its root word “kâsaph” in his dictionary of Hebrew and Greek words:

H3701 – keseph – From H3700; silver (from its pale color); by implication money: – money, price, silver (-ling).

H3700 – kâsaph – A primitive root; properly to become pale, that is, (by implication) to pine after; also to fear: – [have] desire, be greedy, long, sore.

This Hebrew word “keseph” appears no less than 19 times in chapters 42 to 44 in Genesis which involved Joseph and his brothers (ref: Gen 37:28; Gen 42:25; Gen 42:27-28 (2); Gen 42:35 (2); Gen 43:12 (2); Gen 43:15; Gen 43:18; Gen 43:21-23 (5); Gen 44:1-2 (3); Gen 44:8).

Silver is a precious metal because of its scarcity, and spiritually it is also to be valued as such. That this word “keseph” appears so many times in this interaction between Joseph and his brothers therefore needs closer scrutiny. We also know that the Word of God deals both with the good and the evil, the light and the darkness, and therefore all symbols used in the scripture have both negative and positive applications, even in our own lives (Gen 1:2-5; Isa 45:7). This is how the Word of God is perceived from the two opposing viewpoints – the flesh and the spirit:

Exo 14:19 And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:
Exo 14:20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

In the case of Joseph’s ten brothers, the negative application of the word “keseph” applies first in their dealings with him. Joseph himself was sold for twenty pieces of silver to the slave traders by his ten brothers:

Gen 37:28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver [Hebrew: “keseph”]: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

The ten brothers now brought “keseph” again to buy food from the very person whom they sold as a slave to Egypt, although they did not know it was Joseph. This is what they confessed when he accused them of being spies:

Gen 42:11 We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.

This was their outward confession, but Joseph knew who they were and what they were hiding. God indeed reveals His mysteries and the plan of salvation to His elect (Amo 3:7; 1Co 2:6-10):

Psa 25:14 The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

By God’s design, the natural man is hooked to earthly things which are all corruptible, and spiritually this points to a dependence on the unfulfilling, self-righteous, carnal mind and its stubborn belief in Babylon’s false doctrines (Isa 1:22; Eze 7:19). Here we also see this negative spiritual application of the earthly silver:

Ecc 5:10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
Ecc 5:11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?

It is the true silver and gold of God found in His Word and true doctrine that brings spiritual atonement and redemption from this old mind set with its old vain conversations and traditions of men:

1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers.

We only see this corruptible silver, and all the other corrupt spiritual merchandise within ourselves, when this spiritual whore, Babylon, is brought to the ground and destroyed:

Rev 18:10 …. Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
Rev 18:11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
Rev 18:12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
Rev 18:13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

This is what Joseph’s brothers must be taken through for their own good. However, this will take a long journey, as Joseph’s nine brothers also begin to realize on their way back to Canaan:

Gen 42:27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack’s mouth.
Gen 42:28 And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?

Only one of them discovered the money in his sack, and the shock and fear was very real as they also knew God was punishing them. More shocks and torment awaited them later. Joseph returned their money because he had no need of it in one sense, but also to deepen their torment in order to reveal their self-righteous hearts… “we are true men.” Christ also said that He has no need for us when we come to Him with our self-righteous deeds forgetting what we have done to our own brothers and sisters (Mat 5:23-24):

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

God does not know us and will reject us when we use His silver and His gold to do good works with the wrong motives, which are filled with the pride and lusts of our hearts (Eze 14:3-5; Eze 16:17; Eze 28):

Joe 3:5 Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things.

Joseph’s brother’s self-righteous hearts are being revealed, and their torment is now taken to a deeper level yet again as they also have to give an account to their father of this money and all that happened in Egypt:

Gen 42:29 And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying,
Gen 42:30 The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.
Gen 42:31 And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:
Gen 42:32 We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.
Gen 42:33 And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone:
Gen 42:34 And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.

Then they made a bigger discovery that brought more fear on them all:

Gen 42:35 And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.

Jacob’s response to their story did not bring much comfort either. This is also where Jacob’s heart is tormented with the thoughts that he will lose more of his sons:

Gen 42:36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.

“Jacob’s trouble”, in this sense, is also now brought to its finality as this day of judgment will actually bring him to be united with his whole family, which he could not yet see at this point in time:

Jer 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

Jacob did not want to lose any more sons, but Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob, is now even prepared to give up his own sons to be taken from him in the place of Benjamin, who was to be brought to Egypt:

Gen 42:37 And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.

Joseph’s command brought deep torment not only to his brothers, but also to Jacob:

Gen 42:38 And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

Jacob finally commanded the nine brothers to return to Egypt with double the money and Benjamin:

Gen 43:12 And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight:
Gen 43:13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man:
Gen 43:14 And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.
Gen 43:15 And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

God will destroy all flesh, but he will set up an occasion for that. God wanted to destroy the Philistines in Samson’s days, and God then brought a woman of the uncircumcised Philistines into Samson’s life of whom his parents did not approve.

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

Our natural observations and our carnal understanding of this life will never agree with God’s ways (Isa 55:8-9). This we also see with Joseph’s brothers as they arrived back in Egypt and were taken to Joseph’s house by one of Joseph’s stewards:

Gen 43:18 And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses.

The steward of Joseph’s house communed with the brothers at the door:

Gen 43:19 And they came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they communed with him at the door of the house,
Gen 43:20 And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food:
Gen 43:21 And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand.
Gen 43:22 And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks.

This was the reply of this steward:

Gen 43:23 And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.

We hear comforting and encouraging words from the mouth of Joseph’s steward, who is also called the ruler in Joseph’s house (Gen 43:16). This steward spoke with authority and even released Simeon from prison. He also brought them water to wash their feet and food for their beasts:

Gen 43:24 And the man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender.

These stewards are mentioned several times in this interaction between Joseph and his brothers. They function as interpreters (Gen 42:23), they fill the sacks with corn and provisions (Gen 42:25; Gen 44:1), they are rulers of the house of Joseph (Gen 43:16), they are doorkeepers (Gen 43:19), they speak words of peace and comfort (Gen 43:23; Gen 44:4), and they are givers of water and food (Gen 43:24). These stewards expose the role and function of the elect of Christ within His household which is what spiritual glorification is all about:

Luk 12:42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
Luk 12:43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Luk 12:44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

In our next discussion, God willing, we will look at the positive application of this Hebrew word “keseph” in this interaction between Joseph and his brothers.

[Here is a link to the next study in this series.]

———-

Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the iswasandwillbe.com website, including these topics and links:

Numbers in Scripture
The Lake of Fire in Genesis
Metals – Precious Metals, Silver – Negative, Part 1
The Biblical Overview of the Plan of God – Part 5
The Biblical Overview of the Plan of God – Part 6
The Biblical Overview of the Plan of God – Part 14

Audio Links

“The House of Prayer” – Part 2

The power believers have been given

Posted September 14, 2014

In the first part of this series, we focused on the important aspect of the “house of prayer” being the temple of God and those in whom the Spirit dwells.

While we have all learned many ways to pray in our Christian lives, there are specific guidelines to how we are to look at and apply prayer in our lives as “disciples indeed”.

Yes, we are to be disciples “in deed.” (Truly)

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

“Worship in the Lord’s house”

Jer 26:2  Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD’S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD’S house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:

Today we are going to focus on the ‘words commanded’ and spoken concerning how we handle prayer and how we worship in Spirit and Truth concerning prayer in our daily lives.

In this second part of the series, we are going to look at scriptural witnesses and scriptural instructions on how to worship the Father through our prayer.

Joh 4:21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

“Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship” The contrast being made today will be between “you know not what you worship” versus “we know what we worship”.

The focus on Part 1 was on those who are of the house of prayer, but that group was being contrasted with another group.

When I say “group”, the true spiritual contrast is being made between the natural and the spiritual, the old and new man, the first Adam versus the second Adam.

The house of prayer is compared against a den of thieves.

Mat 21:13  And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den^G4693 of thieves.

I ask everyone reading this if “ye” is you? Have you made the house of prayer a den of thieves? Before you answer that, let us examine the thieves who live in a den versus a house.

G4693
spēlaion
Total KJV Occurrences: 6

den, 3
Mat_21:13, Mar_11:17, Luk_19:46

dens, 2
Heb_11:38, Rev_6:15

cave, 1
Joh_11:38

Here are a couple of examples of where this word ‘den’ appears in the New Testament:

Heb 11:37  They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
Heb 11:38  (Of whom the world was not worthy: ) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Heb 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

Rev 6:14  And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Rev 6:15  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
Rev 6:16  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
Rev 6:17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

The first example is of those who receive a good report through faith, but they don’t receive the promise. Yet, we know there is only One Faith. The promise we are given concerning Faith is to partakers of the “One Faith”. We’ll get to that in a little while.

The second example is of those who ‘tell the mountains to fall on them and hide them from the face of Jesus Christ.’

So, what separates the thieves who are a den of thieves from those who are the house of prayer as “receiving the promise”?

Luk 24:45  Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
Luk 24:46  And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
Luk 24:47  And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Luk 24:48  And ye are witnesses of these things.
Luk 24:49  And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Act 2:32  This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Act 2:33  Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 2:39  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Through the Spirit, I will attempt to connect what worship, Truth, Spirit and prayer have to do with one another.

We just read that those who worship God, who is Spirit, must do so in Spirit and in Truth. Therefore, we must know and understand what this means. Otherwise, how can we ever presume to be praying properly so that we are heard by God?

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Joh 6:64  But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
Joh 6:65  And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

So, the Words spoken by Jesus are Spirit and Life. It is also true that Jesus is Truth.

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

How does someone come to Jesus?

“No man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father….” And “no man cometh to the Father but by Jesus Christ.”

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life,” says Jesus.

It is not speaking above what is written to combine all of these verses to conclude the spiritual Truth that the Words which Jesus speaks are Spirit and Life, Words which speak the Truth and are the Way to the Father.

As a matter of Truth, Jesus says this to His disciples, after explaining the spiritual Truth of Him being the Way, Truth and Life:

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.
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?
Joh 14:10  Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Joh 14:11  Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
Joh 14:12  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Joh 14:13  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Joh 14:14  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Joh 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

After explaining the Spirit behind seeing the Father, and who Jesus is in this process, He tells His disciples (indeed) to keep His commandments.

Now that the stage has been set, let us look toward His words as they pertain to being a house of prayer versus a den of thieves.

Joh 10:8  All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

Mat 6:16  Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Mat 6:17  But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
Mat 6:18  That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Mat 6:19  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat 6:20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Mat 6:22  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Mat 6:23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

What do thieves do? They break through and steal treasures. However, the treasure we have “laid up” is heavenly.

Why would Jesus mention this in connection to fasting? When we are fasting for the appearance of “giving of ourselves to the Lord” and to be seen of men to be fasting, our reward is EARTHLY. It is for the FLESH in others to see it and think of how “godly” we are, and it is for our flesh and carnal mind to believe we are “doing the works of God”.

When you connect this idea with prayer (fasting and prayer go hand and hand) when telling someone we are “praying for them” or we are “keeping them in prayer” and we are not doing it as if it were we ourselves in this situation needing prayer. We are doing it to give the appearance of true prayer, knowingly or unknowingly.

Those that have come before the true Jesus Christ are those that are thieves. They come through to steal our reward, because by giving us their doctrines, their ways of praying, their examples of how to fast, we have to realize that our home with them is in a cave or den.

It is not the house of prayer we belong to in this situation.

Why am I mentioning fasting and prayer together?

Psa 35:11  False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.
Psa 35:12  They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul.
Psa 35:13  But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
Psa 35:14  I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother.
Psa 35:15  But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not:

Dan 9:3  And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, WITH fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
Dan 9:4  And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;

Mat 17:19  Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
Mat 17:20  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Mat 17:21  Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

How then is our fast (Jesus and His mind concerning fasting) directly coupled with our prayer?

Isa 58:4  Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
Isa 58:5  Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?
Isa 58:6  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and THAT YE break every yoke?

Said in the CEV translation:

Isa 58:4  You even get angry and ready to fight. No wonder God won’t listen to your prayers!
Isa 58:5  Do you think the LORD wants you to give up eating and to act as humble as a bent-over bush? Or to dress in sackcloth and sit in ashes? Is this really what he wants on a day of worship?
Isa 58:6  I’ll tell you what it really means to worship the LORD. Remove the chains of prisoners who are chained unjustly. Free those who are abused!

What the prayers of the “house of prayer” are coupled with is the POWER we have been given to free those who are bound to wickedness, take away heavy burdens, to let those who are oppressed go free from their oppressors and to break every yoke weighing someone down.

What do we do these things with? We do it with the Word of God! We couple the Word of God with prayer!

In not so many words, we comfort those in need of prayer with the Word of God, with the Shepherd in us, by speaking to them in a voice they understand (His voice), and we let them know we are petitioning the Father on their behalf in BELIEF that “His will be done”.

“Disciples Indeed”

How do we do this? How do we act on what Jesus tells us to do with prayer? Will His example give us any direction?

Joh 11:35  Jesus wept.
Joh 11:36  Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!
Joh 11:37  And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?
Joh 11:38  Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave^G4693, and a stone lay upon it.
Joh 11:39  Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
Joh 11:40  Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
Joh 11:41  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
Joh 11:42  And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
Joh 11:43  And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
Joh 11:44  And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Have you ever asked yourself how it is Jesus was heard of the Father? It is obvious that Jesus prayed to the Father in secret, but then thanked the Father openly for being heard.

What was Jesus’ prayer coupled with? “Take away the stone…loose him and let him go”. If you would believe, you would see the glory of God.

Before I am misquoted or misunderstood, am I saying that if a person simply believes something when praying for it then that belief will be granted to them?

No, I am not saying that at all.

True Faith only comes from one place, Jesus – the Word of God – and that is why it is so important for the eye to be single.

Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Mat 6:22  The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Mat 6:23  But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

Eph 4:4  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
Eph 4:5  One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph 4:6  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Eph 4:7  But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

In a previous study, I spoke about grace heavily as it pertains to God working His awesome hands in our lives.

In particular, I compared the Sea of Galilee being north of the dead sea to the spiritual concept that if we have the waters of the Jordan flowing through the Sea of Galilee from north to south, the Sea of Galilee is flowing with life.

The sea of Galilee is where Jesus called disciples to follow Him (Mat 4:17-20). It is where He healed people of various afflictions (Mat 7:31-37) including deafness and dumbness, cast out unclean spirits (Mar 1:23-27), and performed many more miracles including feeding the masses with five loaves of bread and two SMALL fishes.

In Mark 1:35, after having done many miracles, Jesus showed us the importance of prayer.

Mar 1:34  And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.
Mar 1:35  And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

I mentioned the Sea of Galilee to point out that it has an inlet and an outlet for the Jordan River waters which flow through it.

However, when the Jordan River exits out of the south of the Sea of Galilee, those waters travel for a distance south and empty into the Dead Sea which has no outlet.

If we are given anything of the Lord whether it be One faith, One baptism, One Spirit, One calling, our One Lord, One Hope, or One God and Father of All, and we do not have an outlet for it, we will be as the Dead Sea.

We become stagnant and lifeless, and nothing flows out of us. How can we be the “house of prayer” and not a “den of thieves” if this is true of us?

How this applies to prayer is that the Lord places a “dead Lazarus”, who someone cares about, in front of us. He places a “deaf and dumb” person in front of us to say “Ephphatha, that is, Be opened,” so that they are healed and raised from the dead.

If we are among the dead, as typified in the Dead Sea, how then can we so these things? However, if “Christ be in you”, you can do ALL THINGS through Him who strengthens you.

Prayer is our realizing that we are ALWAYS HEARD.

How do we know this to be true?

Joh 11:42  And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

Joh 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Pro 8:32  Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.
Pro 8:33  Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
Pro 8:34  Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
Pro 8:35  For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.

Luk 6:47  Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
Luk 6:48  He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
Luk 6:49  But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

There it is! When we are dragged to the Father, through Jesus and the Words of God, we are to DO THE Words! When we do them, we are building our house (the house of prayer) on a foundation which cannot be shaken.

When we are given to come to the Lord to hear His sayings, we can be confident that we are being heard by the Father when we pray to Him.

Our confidence comes in knowing that we answer all things according to the SAME EXAMPLE Jesus gave us and lived by.

“I came to do the works of my Father …. Thy will be done.”

If you have any doubt that the Father hears our prayers always, then weigh your prayers against the way in which Jesus taught us to pray. Here is where we have been given power.

Mat 6:5  And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Mat 6:6  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Mat 6:7  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Mat 6:8  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Mat 6:11  Give us this day our daily bread.
Mat 6:12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Mat 6:13  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Have Faith. Our Father knows what things we ALL NEED before we EVER ASK HIM for them. We are presented with a tremendous power to be able to PRAY for ourselves and others, and when we pray, we pray in Spirit and Truth when our prayer is “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.

This is True Worship. We acknowledge that all things are being worked after the counsel of His own will.

In the next study, I am hoping that the Lord will bless me to speak about how or why we are, or are not, to pray for the world, how we are to pray or not for the “earth, earth, earth” and how we are to practically “pray without ceasing”.

[Next study in this series is here.]

Hi Mike,

Does the bible teach anything on retirement? I don’t recall reading about anyone retiring, so should a Christian just keep working until he/she dies? I’m getting close to that age, and though I still feel good, I am slowing down. Would just like to know what is the best course of action before I get there.

Thanks,

A____

Hi A____,

Thanks for your question concerning retirement. For those ‘of a certain age’, it becomes an important question.

While it is true that scripture does not mention Abraham, Isaac or Jacob ‘retiring’ at age 65, it certainly does mention the fact that Isaac had gotten so old he could not tell Jacob from Esau, so it is obvious that he was no longer watching after his own flocks and had worked long and hard enough to pay others to do that for him.

All men of God are diligent and hard working, both physically and spiritually, as long as they are capable of doing so. The scriptures do not speak of retirement per se, but there is nothing wrong with retiring from strenuous physical or mental labor in a secular job with a well deserved pension. Such a situation can free us up to be of even greater service to our Lord, if that is what He has written in His book.

It is the fact that we do not retire from seeking the kingdom of God first, and being always vigilant and sober and diligent in our service to the kingdom of God. That is the point of these scriptures:

2Sa 11:1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. [Retired?]
2Sa 11:2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

Psa 139:16 Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them. (ASV)

Luk 12:16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
Luk 12:17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
Luk 12:18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
Luk 12:19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. [Retire?]
Luk 12:20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
Luk 12:21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

None of these verses are condemning physical retirement from secular work. They are one and all warning us against letting down our spiritual guard, and becoming spiritually complacent as King David did. He thought he was still ruling the kingdom when in reality he had “laid up treasure for himself and was not rich toward God”. It is entirely possible to retire from being physical fishermen to become fishers of men, and it is also entirely possible to retire from construction work to become fishers of men, as our Lord Himself did.

I hope all of this serves to give some scriptural balance to this subject of retirement. If we retire so we can travel, or we retire so we can simply take it easy, we need to pay close attention to our Lord’s warning:

Luk 12:20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
Luk 12:21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Your brother in the never tiring Christ,

Mike