Numbers 9:1-23 Celebrating the Passover

[Study Aired June 26, 2023]

Num 9:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 
Num 9:2  Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. 
Num 9:3  In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. 
Num 9:4  And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover.
Num 9:5  And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.
Num 9:6  And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day:
Num 9:7  And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in his appointed season among the children of Israel? 
Num 9:8  And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you. 
Num 9:9  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 9:10  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD. 
Num 9:11  The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 
Num 9:12  They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it. 
Num 9:13  But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. 
Num 9:14  And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land. 
Num 9:15  And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. 
Num 9:16  So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 
Num 9:17  And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents. 
Num 9:18  At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents. 
Num 9:19  And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and journeyed not. 
Num 9:20  And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the LORD they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed. 
Num 9:21  And so it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed. 
Num 9:22  Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed. 
Num 9:23  At the commandment of the LORD they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed: they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 

Introduction

This chapter talks about celebrating the Passover and also shows us how Israel’s movement in the wilderness is dictated by the cloud covering the tabernacle. The Passover feast was in recognition of the miraculous exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. The name ‘Passover’ comes from the story of the tenth plague (the death of the firstborn), meted out against Pharaoh and the Egyptians, which passed over the Israelites’ houses, sparing their children.

Exo 12:5  Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 
Exo 12:6  and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. 
Exo 12:7  “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 
Exo 12:8  They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. 
Exo 12:9  Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. 
Exo 12:10  And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 
Exo 12:11  In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover. 
Exo 12:12  For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. 
Exo 12:13  The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. 
Exo 12:14  “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.

Being the firstborn in the Bible, positively signifies the might or strength and the source of power:

Gen 49:3  Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

Deu 21:17  But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

The plague of the death of the firstborn, therefore, signifies the destruction or the stripping of the power or the strength of the old man (Pharaoh) who dominates us. This is achieved by the coming of the Lord with His words (the spirit of His mouth) into our lives after we have come to clearly see the old man or the beast within us.

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

The Passover, therefore, signifies the process of the destruction or the stripping of the power or the strength of our old man when Christ comes with His brightness in our lives.

Num 9:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 
Num 9:2  Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. 
Num 9:3  In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. 
Num 9:4  And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover.
Num 9:5  And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.

The Lord speaking to Moses in the first month of the second year is to let us know that to keep the Passover, we must be perfectly joined to the body of Christ, having one mind, as we serve as the Lord’s witnesses on this earth. Keeping the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month is also significant. The number fourteen means spiritual progression.  It is as we progress spiritually through the judgment of our old man that we can keep the Passover. 

Once the source of our strength or power of the old man is being dealt with by the Lord through judgments of the death of the firstborn, we are able to offer a sacrifice of unleavened bread throughout the rest of our lives, which is signified by the seven days of the feast of eating unleavened bread. The unleavened bread here signifies sincerity and truth. This means that through judgment, our understanding of the word of the Lord is deepened and is accompanied by a life of sincerity and truth. In other words, our lives then reflect the righteousness of Christ.

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

1Co 5:7  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 
1Co 5:8  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 

The seven days of unleavened bread refer to the complete period of our lives during which we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord by living a life of Christ’s righteousness.

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

Num 9:6  And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day:
Num 9:7  And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in his appointed season among the children of Israel? 

As we indicated in previous studies, being defiled by the dead means taking in or accepting the teachings of those who are spiritually dead. We become spiritually unclean when we take in or accept the teachings of those who are spiritually dead. That is what characterized our walk with Christ when we were in Babylon. We accepted the teachings of our leaders who were spiritually dead, and so we became defiled. 

2Pe 2:17  These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. 
2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Verse 7 shows us that when we become defiled in our minds by accepting false doctrines, propagated by those who are spiritually dead, we disqualify ourselves from keeping the Passover. This means that we cannot offer our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord as required by the Lord in keeping the Passover at the appointed time of the Lord. The appointed time here is our time here on earth.  

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

Num 9:8  And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you. 
Num 9:9  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 9:10  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD. 
Num 9:11  The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
Num 9:12  They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it. 

It is very insightful to note that whenever Moses was approached about an issue, he sought the Lord’s guidance as to what should be done. He did not depend upon his own insight but relied wholly on the Lord for direction. This should be our attitude as we seek to know the Lord. 

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 
Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 
Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 

The good news is that those who get defiled by false doctrines from those who are/were spiritually dead will have the chance to also celebrate Passover. However, this will happen in the fourteenth month of the second month. As we have indicated earlier, the number fourteen means spiritual progression. The number two, or the second, means a witness. This signifies that our brothers and sisters in Babylon, who are defiled by false doctrines, together with those come out of Babylon but are defiled by their idols of the heart due to false doctrines, will have the opportunity for Christ to come into their lives to destroy the strength and power of their old man (firstborn) during the lake of fire age in the presence of the elect as witnesses (the second month).

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

During this period in the lake-of-fire age, they shall eat the flesh of the lamb with unleavened bread together with bitter herbs for seven days in keeping with the celebration of Passover.

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

The flesh of the lamb must be roasted with fire and eaten in the night. This is to let us know that we cannot separate the judgment of the Lord (roasting with fire) from His words. As we are being given insight into the mysteries of the kingdom of God, we are being judged to conform to His image.

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

The lamb must be eaten with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs. The unleavened bread here signifies sincerity and truth. This means that our understanding of the word of the Lord must be accompanied by a life of sincerity and truth. In other words, our life must reflect the righteousness of Christ.

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

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

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

Eze 3:1  Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. 
Eze 3:2  So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. 
Eze 3:3  And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. 
Eze 3:4  And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. 

This bitter experience also includes the words of those we are sent to minister, as shown in Ezekiel’s case.

Eze 2:6  And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. 
Eze 2:7  And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.

In verse 12, letting nothing remain of the lamb in the morning means we must not neglect any part of the word of the Lord. We must endeavor to understand the whole counsel of God through His words. 

Act 20:27  For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. 

Our lives here on earth are considered as a long night. It is during our time here on earth that we have to eat the lamb; that is, to know Christ and His words. The morning in verse 12 signifies Christ coming with His elect (the cloud) during the first resurrection.  

Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armour of light.

Not breaking a bone as we eat the lamb in verse 12 is another way of saying that we should not go beyond what is written in the word of the Lord, which is His flesh. 

1Co 4:6  I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.

Num 9:13  But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. 

A man who is clean is someone who is not in touch with a dead body. In other words, such a person has begun to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Not being on a journey means one has come out of the world (Egypt) and Babylon and has come into the assembly of the firstborn or the elect. Such a person must keep the Passover. That means Christ has come with His brightness into his life to destroy the power of the flesh or the old man. If we allow our flesh to dominate us, then it means that we are not observing Passover, even though we have been enlightened and tasted the heavenly gift. In this case, we shall not be counted as part of the Lord’s elect and therefore will not be part of the first resurrection. We shall be cast into outer darkness.     

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

Mat 8:12  But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Num 9:14  And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land. 

We, the Gentiles, were not part of the commonwealth of Israel, but by the grace of God, we, the strangers, are part of the commonwealth of Israel and therefore can partake of the Passover. Verse 14 also means that the Lord will find a way to bring in all strangers of Christ (those banished) to partake of Him as the Passover.

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

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.

Num 9:15  And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. 
Num 9:16  So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 

As we are aware, our bodies represent the temple of the Lord or the tabernacle. When Christ, who is the cloud, comes to us, He comes with His judgment to remove all that offends within us so that He can stay in us. The appearance of fire in the evening is therefore our judgment while we live here on earth. Since we represent Christ here on earth, we are also the cloud covering the tabernacle.

Mal 3:1  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 
Mal 3:2  But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: 
Mal 3:3  And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. 
Mal 3:4  Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

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

Num 9:17  And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents. 
Num 9:18  At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents. 

These verses are to show us that we are not on our own. In this life, everything that we do, both good and evil, is ordered by the Lord. In other words, our deeds are all written in the Lord’s book even before we were born. 

Psa 139:16  Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

Jer 10:23  O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

Act 17:26  And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 
Act 17:27  that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 
Act 17:28  for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

Num 9:19  And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and journeyed not. 
Num 9:20  And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the LORD they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed. 
Num 9:21  And so it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed. 
Num 9:22  Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed. 
Num 9:23  At the commandment of the LORD they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed: they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 

These verses reflect how the Lord deals with us at various phases of our lives. There are periods of our lives where the Lord tests our patience as it looks like we are going round in circles, and nothing seems to work even though we cry to the Lord. For example, the Israelites stayed on Mount Sinai for so long until the Lord commanded them to leave. In our lives, we may be battling with some issues which take a long time before we are given a break. There are other times that before we speak, He hears us and comes to our aid. 

Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

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.

Deu 1:6  The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: 
Deu 1:7  Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates. 

Isa 65:24  And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

May the Lord help us to be patient in our walk with Him in order to win the prize of His higher calling. Amen!!

[Study Aired July 27, 2020]

Luk 17:11-19 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Tonight’s study will focus on the “ten men that were lepers” and “Go shew yourselves unto the priests”. The number ten deals with the “completeness of the flesh”. Here is a link to the spiritual significance of the number ten.

The Spiritual Meaning of the Number Ten

Leprosy is a symbol of sin or lack of understanding of the doctrines of Christ. The flesh of Christ, His body, must be healthy to understand the doctrines of Christ in order to overcome the world and its carnality.

Pro 4:1-2 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.

Isa 28:9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

Joh 7:16-18 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

2Jn 1:9-11 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

We need to review Leviticus 13, 14 and part of 22 to understand how leprosy is diagnosed and how it is cleansed.

The leper is sent to the priest or one of the sons of the priest and they will determine if there is a leprosy present.

Lev 13:1-3 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying, When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests: And the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean.

Aaron and his sons represent the elders of the church. The priests examine the spot in the skin. In spiritual-speak the elders review the suspected lack of understanding that is within the member(s) of the body of Christ.

Lev 13:4-6 If the bright spot be white in the skin of his flesh, and in sight be not deeper than the skin, and the hair thereof be not turned white; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague seven days: And the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague in his sight be at a stay, and the plague spread not in the skin; then the priest shall shut him up seven days more: And the priest shall look on him again the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague be somewhat dark, and the plague spread not in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.

After determining there is no leprosy, seeing this is just a sore, the priest pronounces him clean, but he must still must wash his clothes. In other words, only part of the body has succumbed to this sin (lack of understanding), and they have their understanding corrected by the “washing of the water”. Notice there are two seven-day periods during which the priest shut up the leper.

Eph 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Now the scab is spread throughout the body and is pronounced unclean. This leprosy (sin of the body) is now spreading throughout the whole congregation.

Lev 13:7-8 But if the scab spread much abroad in the skin, after that he hath been seen of the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen of the priest again: And if the priest see that, behold, the scab spreadeth in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a leprosy.

Lev 13:9-11 When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest; And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the rising be white in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising; It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he is unclean.

What is an “old leprosy”? It is mixing the old law with the new not understanding there has been a change in the law.

Heb 7:11-12 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

Mat 9:16-17 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

Next, the “leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and it is all turned white” tells us that the sin or lack of understanding that was in part of the body has been exposed and corrected.

Lev 13:12-13 And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh; Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean.

Psa 51:6-7 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

The following section of Leviticus 13 shows us there are many things that can cause us to be unclean and the changes of the skin can show us the leprosy has been cleansed. The unclean person is considered contagious and therefore must be separated from the congregation.

Lev 13:14-15 But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be unclean. And the priest shall see the raw flesh, and pronounce him to be unclean: for the raw flesh is unclean: it is a leprosy.

As we all know, flesh is corrupted and cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.

Gen 6:11-12 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

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

Gal 6:7-8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

If the raw flesh is changed to white, it becomes clean.

Lev 13:16-17 Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto white, he shall come unto the priest; And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the plague be turned into white; then the priest shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: he is clean.

Psa 19:12-13 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous (proud) sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

1Jn 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world [in our leperous flesh], the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 

Just because there is some healing, does not mean the leper is completely clean.

Lev 13:18-20-22 The flesh also, in which, even in the skin thereof, was a boil, and is healed, And in the place of the boil there be a white rising, or a bright spot, white, and somewhat reddish, and it be shewed to the priest; And if, when the priest seeth it, behold, it be in sight lower than the skin, and the hair thereof be turned white; the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague of leprosy broken out of the boil.

Several times, as part of the process of determining if the leper is clean or unclean, they are shut up for seven days up to fourteen days. This represents a time of maturity or lack thereof.

Lev 13:21-22 But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hairs therein, and if it be not lower than the skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days: And if it spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a plague.

Now a new symptom is added to the diagnosis – Burning.

Lev 13:23  But if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not, it is a burning boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean. 

Lev 13:24-25 Or if there be any flesh, in the skin whereof there is a hot burning, and the quick flesh that burneth have a white bright spot, somewhat reddish, or white; Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the hair in the bright spot be turned white, and it be in sight deeper than the skin; it is a leprosy broken out of the burning: wherefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy. 

Lev 13:26-27 But if the priest look on it, and, behold, there be no white hair in the bright spot, and it be no lower than the other skin, but be somewhat dark; then the priest shall shut him up seven days: And the priest shall look upon him the seventh day: and if it be spread much abroad in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is the plague of leprosy.

Lev 13:28  And if the bright spot stay in his place, and spread not in the skin, but it be somewhat dark; it is a rising of the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him clean: for it is an inflammation of the burning. 

This burning has a negative and a positive meaning – One causing death (lack of understanding) and the other saving life (understanding).

Num 26:60-61 And unto Aaron was born Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the LORD.

Psa 118:18 The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death. 

1Co 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 

There is another part of the body that can be affected – The head.

Lev 13:29-30 If a man or woman have a plague upon the head or the beard; Then the priest shall see the plague: and, behold, if it be in sight deeper than the skin; and there be in it a yellow thin hair; then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is a dry scall, even a leprosy upon the head or beard. 

Lev 13:31-34 And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and, behold, it be not in sight deeper than the skin, and that there is no black hair in it; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague of the scall seven days: And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague: and, behold, if the scall spread not, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the scall be not in sight deeper than the skin; He shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that hath the scall seven days more: And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall: and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, nor be in sight deeper than the skin; then the priest shall pronounce him clean: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.

Lev 13:35-36 But if the scall spread much in the skin after his cleansing; Then the priest shall look on him: and, behold, if the scall be spread in the skin, the priest shall not seek for yellow hair; he is unclean.

Lev 13:37-41 But if the scall be in his sight at a stay, and that there is black hair grown up therein; the scall is healed, he is clean: and the priest shall pronounce him clean. If a man also or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white bright spots; Then the priest shall look: and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be darkish white; it is a freckled spot that groweth in the skin; he is clean. And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean. And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald: yet is he clean.

Lev 13:42-45 And if there be in the bald head, or bald forehead, a white reddish sore; it is a leprosy sprung up in his bald head, or his bald forehead. Then the priest shall look upon it: and, behold, if the rising of the sore be white reddish in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, as the leprosy appeareth in the skin of the flesh; He is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his plague is in his head. And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.

The leprosy in the head is a symbol of having “another Jesus…another  spirit” or “another gospel”.

2Co 11:1-4 Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

Lev 13:46  All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

1Co 5:1-6 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

There is another thing that must be checked for leprosy. It is the garments which are worn.

Lev 13:47-57 The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it be a woollen garment, or a linen garment; Whether it be in the warp, or woof [woven or knitted material]; of linen, or of woollen; whether in a skin, or in any thing made of skin; And if the plague be greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a plague of leprosy, and shall be shewed unto the priest: And the priest shall look upon the plague, and shut up it that hath the plague seven days: And he shall look on the plague on the seventh day: if the plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in a skin, or in any work that is made of skin; the plague is a fretting leprosy; it is unclean. He shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof, in woollen or in linen, or any thing of skin, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosy; it shall be burnt in the fire. And if the priest shall look, and, behold, the plague be not spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; Then the priest shall command that they wash the thing wherein the plague is, and he shall shut it up seven days more: And the priest shall look on the plague, after that it is washed: and, behold, if the plague have not changed his colour, and the plague be not spread; it is unclean; thou shalt burn it in the fire; it is fret inward, whether it be bare within or without. And if the priest look, and, behold, the plague be somewhat dark after the washing of it; then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof: And if it appear still in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in any thing of skin; it is a spreading plague: thou shalt burn that wherein the plague is with fire.

Lev 13:58-59 And the garment, either warp, or woof, or whatsoever thing of skin it be, which thou shalt wash, if the plague be departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and shall be clean. This is the law of the plague of leprosy in a garment of woollen or linen, either in the warp, or woof, or any thing of skins, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.

Garments represent “righteousness”.

Psa 132:9 Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.

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.

In our next study we will review chapter Leviticus 14 to see how we can cure the disease of leprosy.

Psa 102:6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.
Psa 102:7 I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.
Psa 102:8 Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me.
Psa 102:9 For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,
Psa 102:10 Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.
Psa 102:11 My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.

“The set time” (see verse 13) during which God shows favour and mercy upon Zion is the time when we are granted to be abased under the mighty hand of God and see the Lord arise in our heavens, where he battles the powers and principalities which we must overcome through him (1Pe 5:6-9, Eph 6:12, Eph 1:21, Php 4:13). God shows us in His word what we must do to humble ourselves in these verses in (1Pe 5:6-9). It is of the Lord that any one of us can be humbled under His mighty hand, and so this list is to be understood as an admonition that Christ is able to fulfill in our lives as He works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Php 4:13, Php 2:13).

1. Cast all your care upon him; for he careth for you (Mal 3:10)
2. Be sober and be vigilant because God has created a very good adversary (Gen 1:31).
3. Resist stedfast in the faith, meaning we live by the faith of the Son of God (Gal 2:20-21) and understand and take comfort in knowing that we have a family who is filling up those same afflictions within their lives in this world on your behalf even as we learn to minister to each other’s needs as one body (Col 1:23-25). We are called to continue in that faith-filled relationship, to keep the faith, and endure through the afflictions which God has ordained for the health of the body as we learn to resist the devil stedfastly with the shield of faith that our Father gives as gift to His children.

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Gal 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Pe 5:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Col 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
Col 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Faith above all? Why? Because that shield of faith enables us to put on the whole armour of God found in Ephesians 6:11-17, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, and while you are standing you are then able to pray always as it says in Ephesians 6:18 – “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” This standing and praying really demonstrates to us what optimal spiritual health represents in the mind of Christ, and it is something that we must cry out for as we come to see our lack of faith and how we need to be lifted up by the Lord.

Mar 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Mar 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
Mar 9:25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
Mar 9:26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

Heb 12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
Heb 12:13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

The direct parallel in the flesh is when we see we don’t have optimal health physically we should, Lord willing, cry out to God to heal us and to bring us to that pool called “Bethesda, having five porches”(Joh 5:2). It is through Christ that we can reach that symbolic pool of physical healing and spiritual healing (Rom 2:4) and this story represents what we can do for each other spiritually as we bear each other’s burdens and help each other through this life, guiding each other toward the living waters (Joh 5:7-9, Heb 10:24).

The fruit of being blessed with that faith that God grants us in the measure that He gives is witnessed in our ability through Christ to live these words out in own lives (Mar 9:25-26) and to see it unfold in the lives of others… “When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.”

Joh 5:7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
Joh 5:8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
Joh 5:9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.

This second part of our study with Psalm 102 will look at the deliverance of God and how that deliverance by God’s definition does not mean being delivered from our flesh necessarily, but rather being able to see “the set time” realized, which is the time that we go boldly unto the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. It is the time when we have lost confidence in our own flesh [brought to our wits’ end] and understand that our lives can only be quickened by putting off that flesh and receiving the new life of Christ’s words that are spirit and that quicken the new man being formed within us.

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.

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

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.

There is wonderful imagery throughout this Psalm being used to bring us to understand the helpless condition to which God drags his people in our flesh and in our spirits so that we can learn of, and trust in, his mighty hand reconciling us to Himself as He delivers Zion, the body of Christ, by arising and showing us mercy at the throne of grace.

Oba 1:21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

Psa 102:13 Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.

2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Like all deliverance which God brings to us, it is done in a process and in an order that reassures us that we truly are more than conquerors through Christ and that He is the one granting the grace and faith that we need to endure unto the end.

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.

Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Mat 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

The trials and lessons which God gives us along the way are so critical to our maturing (Act 14:22) as we’re brought to the point where we are equipped through God’s spirit to save others, as typified so wonderfully in the life of Joseph when he gave his brothers messes of food and changes of raiment that represent the store and provision that God is laying up in the church today (1Ti 4:16, Eph 3:10).

Those who will be fed and clothed spiritually by us in the future will know in time that we had to endure unto the end and lose our life as Christ did for us, so that we could gain life and have that life of Christ formed in us to give to the rest of humanity (that life of Christ is represented by the food and clothing that Joseph gave his brothers). The love and care that we show to each other in Christ as we help each other endure through this life of trials and much tribulation is the needful and necessary training ground that is preparing us to be kings and priests under our Lord.

Act 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

1Ti 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

Eph 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

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.

Gen 43:34 And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin’s mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

Gen 45:22 To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.

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

Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

God is in the process of showing His people “the set time” or the appointed time that he has determined to bring growth to the body of Christ through trials that mature us in this age (thinking within ourselves Dan 2:20-22, Rev 17:12-14, Rev 12:3). We must initially be bound by that great red dragon within and come to see that we have seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns that all must be destroyed by Christ who is going to do this in “the set time“.

That process of destruction will be looked at in this study, as we consider how God is sovereign over all the powers and principalities of our heavens that He is using to humble us in these marred vessels, in order to come to see his hand that has alway been about His business through our Lord Jesus Christ working within us “both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Luk 2:49, Php 2:13).

Psa 102:6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.
Psa 102:7 I watch, and am as a sparrow^H6833 alone upon the house top.

Of these three birds mentioned in these two verses, only the sparrow, which is a song bird, was considered a clean bird (Lev 14, Luk 12:6-7).

H6833 tsippôr tsippôr – Phonetic: tsip-pore – Strong’s: From H6852; a little bird (as hopping): – bird fowl sparrow
Total KJV Occurrences: 40
•bird, 22 / birds, 10
Gen_7:14; Lev_14:6(3); Lev_14:7; Lev_14:51(2); Lev_14:52(2); Lev_14:53; Deu_22:6; Job_41:5; Psa_11:1; Psa_124:7; Pro_6:5; Pro_7:23; Pro_26:2; Pro_27:8; Ecc_12:4; Lam_3:52; Hos_11:11; Amo_3:5 / Gen_15:10; Lev_14:4; Lev_14:5; Lev_14:49; Lev_14:50; Deu_14:11; Psa_104:17; Ecc_9:12; Isa_31:5; Eze_39:4

•fowl, 5 / fowls, 1
Deu_4:17; Psa_8:8; Psa_148:10; Eze_17:23; Eze_39:17 / Neh_5:18

•sparrow, 2
Psa_84:3; Psa_102:7

In Leviticus 11:13-19 we learn of the birds that God considered an abomination for Israel to eat, and they included the pelican and the owl.

Lev 11:13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
Lev 11:14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;
Lev 11:15 Every raven after his kind;
Lev 11:16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,
Lev 11:17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,
Lev 11:18 And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,
Lev 11:19 And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

These birds represent something symbolic, and so we are not talking about gastronomy when we look at the meaning behind these clean and unclean birds, but rather they are set in scripture to show us a pattern in our heavens that reveals that process by which we are being given dominion over those unclean birds in our heavens as we present ourselves a living sacrifice coming out of Babylon.

Rev 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Son 1:15 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.

Mat 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
Mat 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

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

Lev 14:6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:
Lev 14:7 And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.

Lev 14:30 And he shall offer the one of the turtledoves, or of the young pigeons, such as he can get;

It is interesting to note that three birds are mentioned, the first two being unclean and the third, the sparrow, is connected with the thought “I watch” and the “watch[ing] and pray[ing]” of Matthew 26:41, as well as the “watchman unto the house of Israel” of Ezekiel 3:17, with the second part of this verse “alone upon the house top”.

Psa 102:7 I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.

Mat 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Eze 3:17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

We start off as fishers in the world like Peter or the solitary pelican (Mat 4:18-19) and then we are carried into Babylon, wise in our own conceits (Pro 3:7) saying we see (Joh 9:41), even while we yet abide in darkness, feeding like an owl does in the night (1Th 5:6-9) on unclean animals because, just like the desert, there is no stay of bread or water when we are in Babylon (Isa 3:1).

Mat 4:18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
Mat 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Pro 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Joh 9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

1Th 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
1Th 5:7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
1Th 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
1Th 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

Isa 3:1 For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water, [referring back to verse 6 of our study: Psa 102:6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl].

Psa 102:8 Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me.

Sin lies at the gate of our hearts “all the day”, and those who were sworn against Paul to destroy him are a type and shadow of the enemy within us at the gate, the flesh which is against the spirit (Gal 5:17) that must be overcome by Christ in us who is our hope of glory (Col 1:27). That hope of overcoming and the process thereof is described in these following verses:

Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

Act 23:12 And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

Mat 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
Mat 12:44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
Mat 12:45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Mar 3:25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
Mar 3:26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.
Mar 3:27 No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.

We are the first fruits of God who are first to see that we are that wicked generation that is guilty of the blood of all the prophets (Mat 23:35) and only able to overcome because of the grace and faith of Christ that has been provided so that we can bound the strong man (Mar 3:27, Joh 8:36). The parable in (Mark 3:25-27 is talking about a house divided, and that house has a strong man in it by the name of Satan, and so we are learning that it is only through Christ that we can be more than conquerors as we overcome the “strong man” or the powers and principalities in our heavens by a far greater power found in Christ.

Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

1Jn 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

The scriptures don’t say what the outcome was of those men who made a vow against Paul (Act 23:12), but symbolically they would represent that part of Paul’s heavens — because all things were for his and our sakes — that has to die. Regardless of whether those men ever ate again (and they probably were loosed from their vow – see “John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible” commentary on Acts 23:12 for an example), symbolically we are already dead men walking who had no stay of bread or water.

2Co 4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace 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.

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

Luk 9:60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

Psa 102:9 For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,
Psa 102:10 Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.
Psa 102:11 My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.

These next three verses tie into the concept of not having any stay of bread or water, and coming to realize that you’re starving to death like the prodigal son of Luke 15, which represents the spiritually malnourished lives we first must live in Babylon (Luk 15:11-22).

That process we spoke of at the start of this study with that pelican of the wilderness, owl of the desert and sparrow alone upon the house top, is the same process that God takes us through in detail in these three last verses for tonight’s study. It is a glorious outcome that proceeds from having “eaten ashes like bread” and having “mingled my drink with weeping, explained to us in this parable of the prodigal, and it is something the Father makes happen “because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down”. As the Master Potter, He creates us marred in His hand and predestines us to fall a set amount of times (i.e. completely) so that, ultimately, we see how frail and temporary we are, and how we need to see “my days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.” It really is at that point that we come to our senses and cry out “How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!”

Luk 15:11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
Luk 15:12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
Luk 15:13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
Luk 15:14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
Luk 15:15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
Luk 15:16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
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!
Luk 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
Luk 15:19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
Luk 15:20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
Luk 15:21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
Luk 15:22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
Luk 15:23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
Luk 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

Next week, Lord willing, we will look at Part 3 of our study entitled “Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion” as we look at more examples of what the status of our first man Adam must become if we are going to experience God’s mercy in this generation to see more deeply what that “set time is come”, is, was and will be.

Psa 102:12 But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations.
Psa 102:13 Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.
Psa 102:14 For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.
Psa 102:15 So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.
Psa 102:16 When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.
Psa 102:17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.
Psa 102:18 This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.
Psa 102:19 For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;
Psa 102:20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;
Psa 102:21 To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem;
Psa 102:22 When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
Psa 102:23 He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days.
Psa 102:24 I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations.
Psa 102:25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
Psa 102:26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
Psa 102:27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.
Psa 102:28 The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.

The Prophecy of Isaiah - Part 68 Discussion

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Isa 17:8-14 This Is The Portion o​f Them That Spoil Us, And The Lot of Them That Rob Us

Isa 17:8  And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images.
Isa 17:9  In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation.
Isa 17:10  Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:
Isa 17:11  In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.
Isa 17:12  Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
Isa 17:13  The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
Isa 17:14  And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.

Our Creator is in the process of completing His creation. His final creation is not​, was not​, and was never intended to be a physical creation. This physical realm is just a necessary evil step in the completing of His spiritual creation. The process required to accomplish and produce a new spiritual man requires that "every man" first be a corrupt and wicked "man of sin". Only after this "man of sin" is revealed for who he is will "the new man" begin to be given life within these "corruptible... earthen vessels" into which we must all first be placed by our Creator as He continues His work of "conform[ing]... every man... into the image of His Son": ​

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

Php 3:21 Who will transfigure the body of our humilation, to conform it to the body of His glory, in accord with the operation which enables Him even to subject all to Himself." (CLV)

Our old man was never "in the image" of his Creator as these verses make so clear:

Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

The word 'created' is in the aorist tense, and should read 'creates him' or 'is creating him'.

This is the beginning of what we first are,​ and this is the beginning of what He is doing:

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

The churches of this world teach that Adam was created in a perfected state from which he fell when he ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, after the serpent persuaded Eve "You will not surely die". But that is not at all what scriptures teach. The fact is that the scriptures actually teach that the creation is an ongoing process, and that the physical realm of the events which occurred in the Garden of Eden are but the first steps in making mankind in the image of "the One creating him".

Col 3:10  and having put on the new, having been renewed in full knowledge according to the image of the One creating him, (LITV)

The Concordant Version captures the sense of the Hebrew which tells us what Christ was doing with His creation in the Garden of Eden. The fact is that nowhere are we ever told that God made man in His image, rather this is how the Hebrew actually reads:

Gen 1:27 And creating is the Elohim humanity in His image. In the image of the Elohim He creates it. Male and female He creates them.

Adam is being created in the image of God, but that creation and that image is "the image of God", which Adam never possessed as the "marred... vessel of clay" he was in the Garden of Eden. These are Christ's own words concerning this "vessel of clay" stage of His creation:

Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Here we are clearly told that as the vessels of clay, which we all are, we are "marred in the hand of the Potter".

There it is for any and all who are hungry for the Truth of the scriptures. "God... is... creating man in His image". Nowhere are we told He has already done so. God did not create Adam in a perfected form from which Adam fell. Rather God created Adam in a "marred" condition from which God is in the process of delivering Adam, much like a hen lays an egg from which she will,​ through the 'magic' of controlled heat, deliver a chick which will grow up to be just like her - 'in her image'. "The first man Adam" was not at all created in the image of God because God is not a "vessel of clay".

1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body; there is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
1Co 15:45 So also it has been written, "The" first "man", Adam, "became a living soul;" the last Adam a life-giving Spirit. (Gen 2:7)
1Co 15:46 But not the spiritual first, but the natural; afterward the spiritual.
1Co 15:47 The first man was out of earth, earthy. The second Man was the Lord out of Heaven. (Gen 2:7)
1Co 15:48 Such as is the earthy man, such also are the earthy ones. And such as is the heavenly Man, such also are the heavenly ones.
1Co 15:49 And as we bore the image of the earthy man, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. (LITV)

God is not "earthy", rather He is heavenly. God is not physical or "natural" and cannot be seen with physical "natural" eyes. He is instead spirit and as such can only be seen with spiritual eyes.  That is why we are plainly told that He is "invisible" to the natural man:

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

What God is doing with mankind is "understood by the things that are made", but He Himself is "invisible", and what the scriptures actually teach is that there is only one person in all of the universe who is, at this time, "the only begotten Son of God". He alone truly has been "made in the image of God", then He "emptied Himself" of His invisible heavenly glory to come into this human "valley of... death", for the explicit purpose of setting an example for all those who after Him are in that process of being "made in the image of God", made of invisible spirit:

Col 1:12  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Col 1:13  Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Col 1:14  In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Col 1:15  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Yes, it is true that "now are we the sons of God", and it is even now true that He "has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son". But these blessings​ are ours at this time only in down payment, "earnest" form:

Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

"The redemption of the purchased possession" is given us only at the resurrection from among the dead, so we are told:

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

"The holy spirit of promise" is what gives us the hope of being in that "blessed and holy... first resurrection":

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

When were we called to be in either resurrection? At what point was Christ and His Father aware of those who "first trusted in Christ" (Eph 1:12)

In complete accord with the fact that God's creation is an ongoing process, which, from "before the world began",​ included a "marred... vessel of clay" which was never to begin with intended to "inherit the kingdom of God", we are plainly told:

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

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

We are even told that this "experience of evil",​ which is a marred clay vessel of sinful flesh and blood,​ was given to "the sons of humanity" by God Himself for this specific purpose:

Ecc 1:13 I applied my heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: it is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it.

So Adam ate of the tree because it was determined "before the world began" that Christ would come into this realm of death,​ known as dying flesh and blood, for the purpose of judging mankind and teaching mankind His righteousness:

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.

That is what "thy judgments" produce in "the inhabitants of the world", whether it is the judgment which is now on the house of God or the judgment of the "great white throne" with its accompanying "lake of fire". All judgments are the Lord's chastening for the stated purpose of teaching "the inhabitants of the world... righteousness":

Joh 9:39  And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

1Co 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

Understanding all of this we will begin our study,​ and I am including the last verse from last week'​s study:

Isa 17:7  At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel.
Isa 17:8  And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images.

Any time we read the phrase "that day" the first thing that should come to our mind is the day of the Lord's wrath and His judgment upon the kingdom of our old man within us first, as it will eventually be upon the outward kingdoms of this world when they will "become the kingdoms of our Lord and His 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.
Rev 11:16  And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 11:17  Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
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.

Rev 11:18 demonstrates that the day of God's wrath upon the kingdom of our old man is also "the time of the dead, that they should be judged". It is a very dark and dreadful day for the kingdom of our old man:

Isa 17:9  In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation.
Isa 17:10  Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:

In the day of God's wrath and His judgment upon the inward kingdom of our rebellious and stubborn old man,​ all of the "cities" of our old man are "as a forsaken bough" except for what the Old Testament calls 'a remnant'. In verse 9 "an uppermost branch, which they left because of "the children of Israel", refers to "the very small remnant", spoken of throughout this prophecy of Isaiah, and it is just another Biblical phrase for God's​ chosen few. It is another name for 'the new man, God's elect few'.

Here are but a few examples of this "uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel":

Isa 1:9  Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

Isa 10:20  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 
Isa 10:21  The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

"Plant[ing] pleasant plants" only to discover we have "set it with strange slips" is just another way of revealing to us that our "righteousnesses" are as "filthy rags" before God.

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

When our self-​righteous, rebellious old man claims the name of Christ while stubbornly refusing to "do the things [He] says" (Luk 6:46), this is what God tells us He thinks of our own self​-​righteous efforts to serve him as we see fit instead of being obedient to Him and serving Him in the way He commands us to serve Him:

Pro 21:4  An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.

All of our righteousnesses, everything we attempt to do to please God is rejected by Him if we stubbornly refuse to listen to and be obedient to what He tells us to do in His service.

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

This is what Christ told Israel before they had even gotten to the promised land:

Deu 12:28  Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God.
Deu 12:29  When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
Deu 12:30  Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
Deu 12:31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
Deu 12:32  What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Our attention had better be toward what "is good and right in the sight of the Lord [our] God", and not what we want to do to please Him. We are nowhere given the liberty to serve God in the way we see fit. Rather we are commanded, both in the Old and in the New Testament, to do "what thing soever [Christ] command(s) [us]... to... observe... and to do". We are commanded, "thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it":

Rev 22:18  For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

This is what our efforts to serve God as we see fit produce:

Isa 17:11  In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.

We can plow and "plant pleasant plants", we can work hard and "make the seed to flourish", but even "the plowing of the wicked is sin", and when we come to the harvest we will discover that our "pleasant plants" are nothing more than "strange slips". We planted what we thought were good grapes,​ and we find out they are worthless wild grapes. Verses 9-11 are simply a repetition of what the Lord has already told us in:

Isa 5:1  Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:
Isa 5:2  And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
Isa 5:3  And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
Isa 5:4  What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?
Isa 5:5  And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:
Isa 5:6  And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
Isa 5:7  For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

You and I are "the vineyard of the Lord of hosts". It is we who have oppressed Christ and have produced the cries of oppression when He was looking for righteousness and judgment.

If we are granted to see ourselves for what we are in this age, then we will not be judged in the age to come:

1Co 11:27  Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
1Co 11:28  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
1Co 11:29  For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
1Co 11:30  For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
1Co 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

"If we would judge ourselves we should not be judged... with the world." Being judged with the world is the subject of our last three verses:

Isa 17:12  Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and [woe] to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
Isa 17:13  The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
Isa 17:14  And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.

Let's break down the symbolism in these verses. Why is "the multitude of many people" likened unto "the noise of the seas"? Why is "the rushing of nations" likened unto "the rushing of mighty waters"? The answer to these questions is that throughout scripture the nations and the multitudes of humanity, with all of the Babylonian religions and false doctrines which deny and rebel against Christ and His sovereignty in the affairs of the nations of this earth, are always referred to as "the sea" or as "many waters" as demonstrated in these verses in the book of Revelation:

Rev 13:1  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

This "beast" is the Biblical symbol for all of mankind in rebellion against their own Creator.

Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has a mind calculate the number of the wild beast, for it is the number of mankind, and its number is six hundred sixty-six. (CLV)

These words are inspired by the same spirit which had told us this hundreds of years earlier:

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.

Satan is called Leviathan in the book of Job,​ and we are told "he makes the sea like a pot of ointment... one would think the deep to be hoary", because we are also told in Psalms that Satan was made for the specific purpose of playing in the sea:

Job 41:31  He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.
Job 41:32  He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.
Job 41:33  Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.
Job 41:34  He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride

Psa 104:25  So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
Psa 104:26  There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.

The angel who shows us the revelation of Jesus Christ tells us in no uncertain terms what the meaning of the sea and of "many waters" is:

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.

So "the noise of the seas" and the "mighty waters" of Isaiah 17:12 represent all the nations of the earth within ourselves​ and outside of ourselves. Verses 13-14 tell us of their relationship to Christ and His Christ and what the result is ​of that relationship:

Isa 17:13  The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
Isa 17:14  And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.

The nations will rush upon Christ and His elect "like the rushing of many waters; but God shall rebuke them". These words have had an application to God's elect in every generation since Christ. These words happened to the people who lived at the time they were penned by Isaiah, but neither those people, nor​ Isaiah knew their spiritual meaning.

The New Testament scriptures make this fact known to us on two separate occasions. First the apostle Paul tells us:

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

That verse alone could be construed to mean that 'these things happened to them, and they are written for our admonition also', but the Lord wants us to know that is not how we are intended by our Lord to understand that verse. Peter makes clear that the lessons of the Old Testament were not  for the benefit of those who lived at that time, but they are meant only to minister to those who are in Christ:

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

We each know how these words of Isaiah 17:13-14 have transpired inwardly within our own lives.

​These words had an outward application for the time in which Isaiah penned them, but ​they also have had an inward application within the lives of each of God's elect since the time of Christ, and they will have both an outward application to the time immediately preceding the millennium, and again at the time of the final rebellion against Christ and His Christ "when the thousand years are expired" and the nations will one last time attempt to push God off His throne to their eonian chagrin and their destruction.

This is what is proclaimed at the beginning of the millennium:

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 11:16  And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 11:17  Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
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.

So here once again the book of Revelation confirms the prophecy of Isaiah. The Lord has shown no mercy to the kingdom of our old man within each of us. That brute beast was made to be taken and destroyed, and his destruction within us is our very salvation:

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
2Pe 2:13  And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;

None of us know​ exactly how He will accomplish the destruction of those who "destroy the earth", but we know that it will happen,​ and the sovereign God will give the kingdoms of this world to "our Lord and His Christ", and He "will destroy them which destroy the earth".

Isa 17:14  And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.

"Us" is not ancient Israel, "us" is "the Israel of God" (Gal 6:15-16).

"​Us"​ is the overcomer of Rev 2:26-27. "Us" is:

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
Heb 12:26  Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
Heb 12:27  And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
Heb 12:28  Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Heb 12:29  For our God is a consuming fire.

This is where the apostle learned that the Lord will yet "shake not the earth only, but also heaven":

Hag 2:6  For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
Hag 2:7  And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
Hag 2:8  The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
Hag 2:9  The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

"This latter house" is you and me and all in whom Christ dwells. [It is] the general assembly and church of the firstborn".

That is our study for today. Up to this point we have seen ourselves in our own flesh as Edom, Moab, Ammon, Syria, and the Philistines and Assyrians.

Next week, if the Lord wills, we will begin to be shown who we are as those nations of the world who are nowhere near Israel. In our next study we will begin to see ourselves and our old man as the Ethiopians, who, according to the scriptures and secular historians, had conquered Egypt and were a very great power on earth in the days of the prophecy of Isaiah:

2Ch 14:9  And there came out against them [Asa, King of Judah] Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.

This event was quite some time before Isaiah's day, but it serves to demonstrate that Ethiopia was a great nation at that time, and like Egypt, Ethiopia was not related to Israel except through Noah, who was the father of all nations.

The point being made is that our old man, being "the vessel... made of clay (Jer 18:4), of the dust of the earth" (Gen 2:7), is related both to "the earth... and the sea":

Rev 5:13  And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

These nations which are within us are nowhere near Israel, and they have no ethnic connection to Israel, yet they, too, are subject to the judgment of God upon our old man, and they will be our subject in the next few chapters of Isaiah.

Next week, Lord willing, we will begin with Ethiopia:

Isa 18:1  Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia:
Isa 18:2  That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!
Isa 18:3  All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.
Isa 18:4  For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.
Isa 18:5  For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.
Isa 18:6  They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.
Isa 18:7  In that time shall the present be brought unto the LORD of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion.

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The Spiritual Significance of Swine

Introduction

Each animal in scripture has a separate spiritual message which our Lord wants to convey to us. All animals in scripture are used to spiritually convey either the thought of the negative or the positive beastly attributes of mankind, who is but a mere beast who is in the process of being made into the image of God’s son:

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.
Ecc 3:19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath [Hebrew – ruach – spirit]; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
Ecc 3:20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

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

Without a resurrection, “a man hath no preeminence above a beast.’ Even the apostle Paul informs us that if there is no resurrection of the dead, then those who have “fallen asleep in Christ are perished.”

1Co 15:17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
1Co 15:18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

So mankind begins his existence as a mere beast, as a wild beast:

Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast [Greek – therion, dangerous animal (venomous, wild) beast”] rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Later mankind becomes a ‘dzoon‘.

Rev 4:6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts [Greek – dzoon, an animal, a brute beast, but not a wild animal] full of eyes before and behind.
Rev 4:7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

Of the 23 time the word ‘dzoon‘ appears in the New Testament, 20 of those times are references to these four beasts around the throne of God. Of the other three, one refers to animal sacrifices and the other two refer to God’s backslidden people.

Man is a beast, and as such he has within him all the features of all the beasts of scripture. There are, in scripture, wild beasts and domesticated beasts. There are solitary beasts, and there are beasts which live in herds. There are beasts that provide wool and meat to eat, butter and milk, and there are beasts on which men can ride and on which men can place heavy burdens and use them to plow and to tend the soil and to turn huge grinding stones. All of these beasts show us that we are still flesh and blood, created on the sixth day along with all beasts, and as such we “cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” Each beast in scripture shows us something about how God is working with and using us in His service. And yet, even after we shed this flesh and blood, we are never allowed to forget our beastly, earthly origins.

1Co 15:47 The first man [is] of the earth, earthy: the second man [is] the Lord from heaven.
1Co 15:48 As [is] the earthy, such [are] they also that are earthy: and as [is] the heavenly, such [are] they also that are heavenly.
1Co 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

The lion and the eagle are generally thought of as wild beasts, but as we will see, the scriptures reveal that wild beasts can become domesticated, and domestic beasts can become wild beasts.

Swine have some things in common with clean animals

In order to understand the spiritual significance of swine in scripture we must notice what the scriptures mean when speaking of swine. The Hebrew word for swine is ‘chaziyr‘, and it appears only seven times in the Old Testament. Here is what the scriptures reveal to us about swine:

Lev 11:3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.
Lev 11:4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
Lev 11:5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
Lev 11:6 And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
Lev 11:7 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
Lev 11:8 Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.

While the spiritual significance of clean and unclean meats is a most revealing and instructive study, I will only note here that swine are similar to clean meat inasmuch as they “divide the hoof and be cloven footed.” Those “instructed unto the kingdom of heaven” understand that we are always to have two witnesses to every word we teach as the Truth of the doctrines of the kingdom of heaven, and those two witnesses must be of both the Old and the New Testaments:

Mat 13:52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

Any teacher who violates this directive must be suspect and the spirit which ignores this directive will always be tried and found wanting of obedience to the Truth of this verse. No prophecy of scripture is ever to be of its own interpretation. It is all to be understood in the light of the rest of God’s Word.

2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private [Greek: idios, its own] interpretation.

So swine in scripture are seen as being similar to what is clean, yet, because swine do not chew the cud, because they do not ruminate, because swine do not have the ability to “meditate on God’s word day and night” they are not to be considered as clean. Those who cannot discern unclean swine, will eat them and touch them and become unclean themselves.

Swine, while not always wild beasts, also have some things in common with wild beasts

Swine, in scripture, are not to be thought of as wild beasts but as herd animals, under the care and direction of men.

Mar 5:11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
Mar 5:12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
Mar 5:13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

Christ himself sends evil spirits into the swine. Swine receive unclean spirits and receive the rewards of doing so. They are “choked in the sea.”

Psa 80:8 Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
Psa 80:9 Thou preparedst [room] before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.
Psa 80:10 The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof [were like] the goodly cedars.
Psa 80:11 She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.
Psa 80:12 Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?
Psa 80:13 The boar [Hebrew: chaziyr, swine] out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.
Psa 80:14 Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;

The scriptures use the figure of serpents and swine as figures of those who “waste God’s vine.” It is presented to us as a necessary part of our walk to leave our first love, follow the Nicolaitans and become the prey of the leaders of Babylon, being wasted by “the boar out of the wood.”

How swine relate to God’s backslidden people

There are two verses of scripture which reveal that swine are closely associated with, but have no appreciation for, the valuable things of the spirit:

1) The first verse is:

Pro 11:22 As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.

The “jewel of gold” is God’s truth in His doctrines. Read The Spiritual Significance of Gold on iswasandwillbe.com, the first part of which can be found here. Here is one verse that indicates what God means by “gold on a fair woman.”

Eze 16:11 I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.
Eze 16:12 And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.
Eze 16:13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment [was of] fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.
Eze 16:14 And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it [was] perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 16:15 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.
Eze 16:16 And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: [the like things] shall not come, neither shall it be [so].
Eze 16:17 Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

God’s “gold” is God’s doctrines and His truth, and the “fair woman” is God’s own people who take His words, His Truths, His doctrines and twist and pervert them into the doctrines of men and of demons.

Pro 11:22 As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.

This verse alone tells us what is the spiritual significance of swine in scripture. “A fair woman without discretion” is God’s own people who cannot receive His words. God’s backslidden people spiritually use God’s gold, His Truths and His doctrines, as an instrument with which to root and wallow in the filth of the earth.

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

God’s own people have His gold, but they have no appreciation of it. Here is an example of those who spiritually have been given Christ’s words and His doctrines, but do not receive and appreciate these valuable ornaments and jewels of gold of God’s Word. Here is a Biblical example of what are spiritual swine:

Joh 8:30 As he [Christ] spake these words, many [of God’s own people, Jews, the established church] believed on him.
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?

Spiritual ‘swine’ believe on Christ, and are indeed Abraham’s seed by the bondwoman. However, they are “unclean” and do not appreciate things of spiritual value any more than Esau appreciated the value of his birthright. Look now at how “Jews that believe on Christ” but do not value His doctrine, treat the valuable things of the spirit:

Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
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.

Spiritual ‘swine’ have no appreciation for Christ’s spiritual words “because My word has no place in you … [“Jews which believe on me”].”

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.
Joh 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
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.
Joh 8:45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
Joh 8:46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
Joh 8:47 He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
Joh 8:48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?

Why do spiritual ‘swine’ want to kill Christ? Three reasons are given in this passage: 1) Because you cannot hear My word, 2) Because I tell you the truth, you believe me not, and 3) You hear not my words because you are not of God. All three of these reasons Christ gives amount to the same thing; spiritual swine have no appreciation for the valuable gold and ornaments of Christ’s words and His doctrine. What they do really appreciate is wallowing in the mud of the ground from which they were taken. Spiritual ‘swine’ like Esau, appreciate the things of this world. Esau preferred the red pottage of this world to the blessings of his birthright, which typifies our spiritual blessings of our spiritual birthright.

Gen 25:30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
Gen 25:31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
Gen 25:32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
Gen 25:33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
Gen 25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

Esau had God’s words, but He had no appreciation for God’s words. God “sends His rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Like Ishmael, Esau really is Abraham’s seed. Just like King Saul, who was anointed by Samuel but replaced by King David, Esau typifies God’s rejected anointed. Here is what swine do with God’s valuable truths and His valuable and precious doctrines.

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

The “many called but [not] chosen” are spiritually ‘swine’ who have God’s Word and who give God’s Word much lip service, but who in reality would crucify Christ rather than to keep His commandments to “love thine enemies… resist not evil… bid them not into your house…” etc.

The prodigal son wasted His substance and fed the swine

The symbols of the parable of the prodigal son are most revealing:

Luk 15:11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
Luk 15:12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
Luk 15:13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
Luk 15:14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
Luk 15:15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
Luk 15:16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
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!

So we are all guilty of feeding swine when we are living in and believing in the doctrines of Babylon. “The field is the world” according to Christ, and the swine, as we have seen, are God’s own people who prefer the slop and husks of Babylon to the nourishing and bountiful food of God’s table:

Heb 13:10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

Conclusion

I hope this helps you see that spiritual swine are a herd animal (Mat 8:30), and therefore portray a less ravenous animal than a lion or a wolf, which would represent the more prominent false leaders and Nicolaitans among God’s people. Spiritual swine are those “many called” who know of and “believe on Christ” and yet “cannot receive Christ’s words,” His doctrine (Joh 8:30-48). Spiritual swine are those who prefer the recognition of men and the things of this world to spiritual values. Swine are not wild beasts in the sense that they are not even Abraham’s seed. Spiritual swine are Abraham’s seed, and they do split the hoof, and to that degree they are familiar with and “believe on Christ.” However, like Esau, spiritual swine do not have the ability to appreciate the things of the spirit. They much prefer the immediate gratification of the “red pottage,” the things of this earth.

The spiritual message in God’s word concerning spiritual swine is for each of us, and admonishes us to apply this verse of God’s word in our lives:

Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

[The next installment of this study can be found here.]