Ahab – Is, Was and Will Be – The Unknown Character of Christ and His Word https://www.iswasandwillbe.com Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty Thu, 14 Jul 2022 16:30:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/cropped-headerlogo-32x32.png Ahab – Is, Was and Will Be – The Unknown Character of Christ and His Word https://www.iswasandwillbe.com 32 32 Study of the Book of Kings – 1Ki 22:30-44  “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood…” https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/study-of-the-book-of-kings-1ki-2230-44-for-we-wrestle-not-against-flesh-and-blood/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=study-of-the-book-of-kings-1ki-2230-44-for-we-wrestle-not-against-flesh-and-blood Thu, 14 Jul 2022 16:11:17 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=25953 1Ki 22:30-44  “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood…”
[Study Aired July 14, 2022]

In this last chapter we’ll look at the order of events with these various kings, and their sons in question, in hope of discovering what the spiritual message is for God’s elect today who know that all these kings, good or bad or somewhat good or bad, represent the spiritual wrestling matches we have in our heavens Christ has caused so that we are brought to our wits’ end (Psa 107:6) bringing us to cry out in this weak flesh that constantly needs deliverance from “the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” against which we wrestle (Eph 6:12).

Psa 107:6  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. 

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

If we are blessed to read, hear and keep the sayings of the prophecies in God’s word in this life (Rev 1:3), our depth of appreciation will grow for all these characters we will read about in scripture as well as every person we have ever known directly or indirectly in this world.

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

With God’s spirit within us and a determination that comes from Him to endure until the end of this life, being faithful to what we have been shown, we are given, through our Lord, an ability to continue to make sense of those things that we now read with eyes that see and ears that hear (Mat 13:16), along with a hunger and thirst to keep these sayings (Mat 5:6). This is why it is possible that we can take heed to the word of God in which we labor and cherish, knowing these are the words of eternal life God has given His elect to hold onto like a crown (Joh 6:68, Rev 3:11, Joh 8:31-32).

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 

Mat 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled [keep].

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

Rev 3:11  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

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.

In this last chapter of the first book of Kings, the scriptures tell us how Ahab went out to battle with Jehoshaphat against the king of Syria (1Ki 22:30-34), resulting in his death and Elijah’s prophecy being fulfilled that the dogs would lick up his blood (1Ki 22:35-38). Ahab would then sleep with his fathers, and his son Ahaziah would reign in his stead (1Ki 22:40).

Then we’re given a review of the timeline that Jehoshaphat the son of Asa ruled over Judah in relation to the then yet alive king of Israel, Ahab. It was in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel that Jehoshaphat began to reign over Judah, and he was thirty five at this point when he began to rule (1Ki 22:41-44).

For the most part, Jehoshaphat was spoken of as being a good king of Judah who did not turn aside from doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord as did his father, Asa. Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel, Ahab, and as we read in the previous verses they fought together against the king of Syria (1Ki 22:39-44).

We then see the son of Ahab, whose name was Ahaziah, trying to make alliance with the king of Judah, but Jehoshaphat refused to let that happen. Then we’re told of Jehoshaphat’s death and learn of his son, Jehoram, who would reign in his stead (1Ki 22:45-50).

The chapter ends by letting us know the year that Ahaziah began to rule over Israel in Samaria, which was the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah. Ahaziah only reigned two years over Israel, and he did evil in the sight of the Lord as did his father and mother, for he served Baal, and “worshiped him, and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done” (1Ki 22:51-53).

Last week’s study was about taking heed, and this last chapter of 1st Kings is about recognizing how we can and should take heed against the powers and principalities that we are wrestling against. The history of these kings is laid out for our sakes to give us a clear symbolic picture of how prophecy is fulfilled in war. These wars typify for God’s elect the powers and principalities we war against daily and can only be overcome through Jesus Christ through whom we are more than conquerors (Eph 6:10-13, Rev 3:12, Rom 8:37).

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 
Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 
Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

Rev 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name [Eze 36:26].

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

1Ki 22:30  And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and enter into the battle; but put thou on thy robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle. 
1Ki 22:31  But the king of Syria commanded his thirty and two captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel. 

These opening verses of our study discuss one of the key ways Satan tries to deceive and conquer God’s people, by having us don the king’s robes so that there is an outward appearance of righteousness when in fact our actions are anything but: “I will disguise myself, and enter into the battle; but put thou on thy robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle.” This is akin to saying ‘Lord, Lord’ but not doing the things that He commands us (Luk 6:46).

This temporary illusion is soon seen through, and nothing is going to stop the king of Syria’s marching orders to “Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel” who was trying to blend in as a common soldier without his kingly robes on. These three verses, (1Ki 20:42, 1Ki 21:19, 1Ki 22:17), address prophetic events written to our old man, typified by Ahab whose days are numbered, and no amount of scheming is going to stop God from accomplishing the goal of having no flesh inherit the kingdom of God, no carnality, no old man of sin (1Co 15:50):

1Ki 20:42  And he [“a certain man of the sons of the of prophets” of verse 35] said unto him [Ahab], Thus saith the LORD, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people. 

1Ki 21:19  And thou [Elijah] shalt speak unto him [Ahab], saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession [of Naboth’s vineyard]? And thou [Elijah] shalt speak unto him [Ahab], saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine. 

1Ki 22:17  And he [Micaiah] said [to Ahab], I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.

Let’s not forget that this war’s outcome, spoken of by all three prophets here, was, as are all battles, a foregone conclusion, all according to the will of God (2Pe 1:21, 1Jn 2:17).

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 
2Pe 1:20  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 
2Pe 1:21  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Syria represents our own sins chastening us (Jer 2:19) by the grace through faith process which God has ordained and is symbolized by the “thirty [a multiple of 3] and two [2] captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel” that the king of Syria commanded be sent. (30 is a multiple of 3 which denotes the completion of the process of judgment, the (link here to that study) completion of the process of judgment, along with the number 2 that symbolizes a (link here) witness of that judgment: 3+2 = 5 which symbolizes grace through faith (link).) As we will see in the next verses, (1Ki 22:32-33), Ahab’s cover is blown which represents our sins that will be found out (Num 32:23).

Jer 2:19  Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts. 

Num 32:23  But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.

1Ki 22:32  And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, Surely it is the king of Israel. And they turned aside to fight against him: and Jehoshaphat cried out. 
1Ki 22:33  And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots perceivedH7200  that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. 

Our old man of sin, represented by Ahab here, is discovered once we are able to seeH7200 a situation for what it is through grace and faith, represented by the 32 captains.

It also only became clear that this was not the king of Israel because the king of Judah “cried out” to God, which is revealed in the other recounting of this story in 2 Chronicles 18:32. We cry out to God to spare our spiritual lives, and we are heard in that we fear, and so Jehoshaphat represents that Godly fear we desire (Heb 5:7) “doing right in the eyes of the LORD”  (1Ki 22:43).

2Ch 18:31  And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, It  the king of Israel. Therefore, they compassed about him to fight; but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God separated them from him.

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

1Ki 22:34  And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded.

Every single event of our life is written in His book. All our days are numbered (Psa 139:16), all our successes and failures, all our joy and hurt, all the increase of Christ in our life that comes from God (1Co 3:6), and all the humbling of our old man and the ultimate destruction of him is of the Lord as we decrease and He increases within us (Joh 3:30). This is the lesson behind this particular arrow that was shot at a ventureH8537 which perfectly went where the Lord wanted it to go to wound Ahab “between the scales where his armor breastplates joined” or “between the joints of the armor“.

The positive example of ‘breastplate’ as we will see is found in the breakdown of the word “venture” [H8537 venture, H8552 tâmam, H8550 tûmmı̂ym] telling us that all fiery darts are quenched by the faith of Christ and the righteousness of Christ found within his bride (Eph 6:14, Rev 19:8).

The vanity of man’s flesh tries to hide from the Lord via our own strength like Adam and Eve in the garden among the trees (Gen 3:8), but no amount of subterfuge with these two kings within us is going to thwart God’s plan from destroying Ahab, by sending His word, which is represented by this arrow that was shot at a ventureH8537.

The gates of hell are really the deceitful and desperately wicked heart that wants to save itself, but God will overcome those gates within us as He told Peter (Mat 16:18). All that was left to do now that the king was severely wounded was to flee from the battle scene, “Wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded.” Like Adam and Eve in the garden though, there was no place to hide from the Lord and the forthcoming punishment which was soon to unfold perfectly (Jer 23:18-20, 1Th 5:2-3, Gen 4:13-14, Job 18:17-18, Jer 10:10).

Jer 23:18  For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?
Jer 23:19  Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.
Jer 23:20  The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.

1Th 5:2  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 
1Th 5:3  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Gen 4:13  And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 
Gen 4:14  Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. 

Job 18:17  His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street. 
Job 18:18  He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world. 

Jer 10:10  But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.

1Ki 22:35  And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot.
1Ki 22:36  And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country. 
1Ki 22:37  So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria.
1Ki 22:38  And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armour; according unto the word of the LORD which he spake.

This situation demonstrates for us that we can’t make war against the beast, symbolized by being “stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians” (Rev 13:4). It is only through Christ that we can become more than conquerors over all our enemies (Rom 8:37). Ahab was taken “out of the host” as he represents our old man that cannot continue to battle to enter into the kingdom by his own strength (Heb 6:3-6, Eze 31:14).

Heb 6:3  And this will we do, if God permit.
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. 

Eze 31:14  To the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in their height, all that drink water: for they are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit [Gen 3:8].

God is a just Father, and this is the verdict for all flesh that we are privileged to perceive being played out in the life of Ahab (1Co 15:50) our flesh, cornered by his enemy where our own iniquities are chastening us to the point of death. The adamic blood running into the midst of his chariot symbolizes how there is no strength in the first man Adam who is destroyed, bringing about the proclamation that goes throughout the host about the going down of the sun (Mal 4:2), saying, “Every man to his city, and every man to his own country“, and that would include Ahab who “was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria“, his own city, his own country, (Heb 11:10, Heb 11:14) where his own strength failed after residing and ruling for 22 years (1Ki 16:29).

Heb 11:10  For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 

Heb 11:14  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

The events that unfolded were for our sakes to remind and admonish us that our own strength, our armor, or our chariot, all of our flesh and heart that is so wicked, at the end of the day is all covered with our own blood that is washed by our own means and licked up by dogs who have no regard for our life. This is all telling us (1Co 10:11) that we must die, and are as water spilled 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” (2Sa 14:14), each expelled man in his order.

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. 

1Ki 22:39  Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 
1Ki 22:40  So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead. 

As usual, we have these closing words about the king found in “the chronicles of the kings of Israel” where, in this case we learn that Ahab was an industrious king who had an “ivoryH8127 house which he made, and all the cities that he built“, symbols which remind us that Ahab was an industrious beast (Ecc 3:18). Ahaziah, Ahab’s son would now reign in his stead and set out to be like his father and “did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin“.

1Ki 22:41  And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 
1Ki 22:42  Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 
1Ki 22:43  And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places. 
1Ki 22:44  And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel. 

Jehoshaphat began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel and was thirty-five years old when this happened. He reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem, and “his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi“. God’s timing is always perfect, so the symbolism of Judah having a new king who came in at the fourth year of Ahab’s reign tells us that this new king, Jehoshaphat, was going to be wholly instrumental in the outcome of the years of Ahab’s rule over Israel.

Starting to rule at thirty-five years as the king of Israel tells us something about how he was going to rule, along with the point that it was for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. Both of those numbers are multiples of five which is the number that symbolizes grace through faith.

Living by grace through faith (Eph 2:8) is typified by walking “in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD“.

We are told however that “nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places“, which symbolizes our inability to completely put sin out of our lives and our need to constantly be vigilant against the little leaven that can leaven the whole lump (1Jn 1:8-9, Gal 5:9).

1Jn 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 
1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

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

It was Jehoshaphat who made peace with the king of Israel, which typifies our need to make friends with the unrighteous mammon of this world (Luk 16:9), and at this point in our walk we are allowed to return in peace to our house (1Ki 22:17). However, if God is working with us in this age, that is not the end of the story for us, and these following verses (2Ch 19:1-3, 1Ki 22:17, 2Ch 20:30) remind us that Jehoshaphat, who is a type of overcomer, still has things that have to be worked on and purged out of his life, just as Christ told several of the churches in the book of Revelation, showing us that our battle against powers and principalities will be to our last breath (Rev 2:20, Rev 2:14, Eph 6:12-13).

2Ch 19:1  And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. 
2Ch 19:2  And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD. [Rev 2:20]
2Ch 19:3  Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God. 

2Ch 20:30  So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about. 
2Ch 20:31  And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 
2Ch 20:32  And he walked in the way of Asa his father, and departed not from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the LORD.
2Ch 20:33  Howbeit the high places were not taken away: for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers [Rev 2:14].

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalitiesG746, [Rev 2:14, Rev 2:20] against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 
Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

]]> Study of the Book of Kings – 1Ki 21:17-29  “For we must needs die,  and are as water spilt on the ground” – Part 2  https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/study-of-the-book-of-kings-1ki-2117-29-for-we-must-needs-die-and-are-as-water-spilt-on-the-ground-part-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=study-of-the-book-of-kings-1ki-2117-29-for-we-must-needs-die-and-are-as-water-spilt-on-the-ground-part-2 Fri, 01 Jul 2022 18:17:24 +0000 https://www.iswasandwillbe.com/?p=25899

1Ki 21:17-29  “For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground” – Part 2

[Study Aired June 30, 2022]

For we must die, and are as water spilled on the ground, and with no way to be redeemed except through Christ’s blood that was spilled on the earth, which can sanctify the body of Christ as it represents His Words which are Life, or a seed, that brings death to our old man (Eph 1:7, Joh 17:17, Joh 12:24).

Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 

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

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. [-to believe is to do the work- Joh 8:31]

The water of the word that washes us (Eph 5:26-27) proceeds from the vine Jesus Christ, who is the Word (Joh 1:1), and He is the reason we can be sanctified and cleansed of our old Adamic nature “with the washing of water by the word (wine – blood [Mat 26:28])”

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 
Eph 5:27  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. 

Mat 26:28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

If we hear that word and are convicted by that word and act upon that word, proving all things and holding fast to that which is good (1Th 5:21), then we will be saved through that process of judgment in which we continue until our last breath (Joh 8:31-32) symbolized by the words “O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD” of Jeremiah 22:29. With God’s words being sanctified within us, we can then in turn sanctify each other with those words and play a part in saving one another in this life as we fill up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ “for his body’s sake, which is the church” (Col 1:24, Eph 5:30).

1Th 5:21  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 

Jer 22:29  O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD. 

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: 

Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 

“We must needs die”, just as “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Act 14:22), and the life of Elijah the Tishbite typifies for us what is expected of God’s elect who are dying daily and learning to patiently possess our souls (Jas 5:10, Luk 21:19) as we are led by God’s spirit (Rom 8:14-16).

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.

Jas 5:10  Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 

Luk 21:19  In your patience possess ye your souls.

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 
Rom 8:15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 
Rom 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

We can only say ‘our yes is yes’ and ‘our no is no’ of Matthew 5:37 if we are being obedient to the commandments of God.  So, when God tells Elijah “go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria“, he does so and does not make any excuse as to why he cannot; excuses , “What if the king doesn’t like what I have to say?” God tells us in situations of duress “take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak” (Mat 8:21-22 ,  Mat 10:19).

Mat 5:37  But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. 

Mat 8:21  And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 
Mat 8:22  But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

Mat 10:19  But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.

Each of the wise and foolish virgins are “bidden to the wedding” (Mat 22:3) but it is only those who are given to receive the counsel “buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed” (Rev 3:18) who have those garments washed or sanctified by the blood of the lamb who is the author and finisher of that “more precious than of gold” process of having our faith tried in fire in this life through God’s judgments that are upon His house (Rev 19:7, Heb 12:2, 1Pe 1:7, 1Pe 4:12, 1Pe 4:17, Jas 1:2-4). Satan did exactly what God required of him.  The point is that a prophet going where he is supposed to go, as Elijah did, is not a conclusive event that shows that the vessel is one of honor or dishonor, any more than Judas who kept following Christ when others had already denied him (Joh 6:67).

Mat 22:3  And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 

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

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 

Jas 1:2  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 
Jas 1:3  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 
Jas 1:4  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

The reason I’m bringing up this subject of ‘tried faith’ in this story is because we can easily read about the faithful prophets of old and not realize the life and death situations God put them in was for our sakes, showing us that we are “more than conquerors through him that loved us” (1Co 10:11, Rom 8:37). These stories of the faithful prophets are typical examples of the faith of Jesus Christ that we have today, which tell us nothing can separate us “from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39).

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. 

We need to look at these situations of the prophets and all the examples of faith in Hebrews 11:1-40, and remember these things were written for our sakes to encourage us and to remind us that nothing can separate us from the love of God as we are given the ability to endure the trials of this life with the very faith of Jesus Christ and the love of God that is shed abroad in our hearts (Rom 5:5). That God-given faith gives us the power we need to be obedient even as we deny ourselves every day and follow Christ by carrying our cross, which is how we deny ourselves and ultimately overcome by enduring to the end (Luk 22:32, Gal 2:20, 2Ti 1:7, Heb 5:8, Mat 16:24, Mat 24:13).

Luk 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: [Col 1:27] 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. 

2Ti 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 

Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 

Mat 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 

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

1Ki 21:17  And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 
1Ki 21:18  Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.
1Ki 21:19  And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.

Elijah gets his marching orders from “the LORD“, and as mentioned, he goes straightway to go do the work of the Lord (Mat 4:20, Heb 11:8, Rom 8:14).

Mat 4:20  And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 

Heb 11:8  By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 

We are God’s workmanship, and Elijah’s meeting “Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria, in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it” is symbolic of where God meets our old man of sin who must be confronted straightway by the prophet for the death of Christ, for which we are guilty, symbolized in this story by the life of Naboth that was taken. The dogs licking the blood of a dead man is symbolic of our returning to our own vomit, our own blood, or words, which are not words of life that can sanctify the earth like the words or Christ but are rather consumed by the beast that we are, to give nourishment to the beast. To clearly witness to that point, both Naboth’s and Ahab’s blood are mentioned as being spilled on the ground and licked up by dogs to remind us that flesh and blood does not inherit the kingdom of God (1Co 15:50) and only Christ can redeem us with His blood (Pro 26:11, Mat 7:6).

Pro 26:11  As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.

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 prophet Elijah does not shun to declare the whole gospel (Act 20:27) in type and shadow to Ahab with these words that paint a gruesome story of what is going to befall Ahab: “And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.“

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

1Ki 21:20  And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.

We all “sell ourselves” or “deny Christ” when we “work evil in the sight of the LORD“, and the good that we would we don’t do, but the evil that we don’t want to do that’s what we do (Rom 7:14-17), and if Christ’s spirit is within us, we will overcome this struggle in our heavens, because the Son of man sets us free from sin so we can be free indeed (Joh 8:36). This freedom does not happen all at once, and is a dying daily process that brings us to learn of God’s faithfulness to finish what He has started in His workmanship through Jesus Christ (Heb 12:2, Eph 2:10). Elijah is the enemy of Ahab just as the spirit of God is against the flesh, and the flesh against the spirit (Gal 5:17), and what we sow in that flesh we will reap and be found out: “Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?” (Gal 6:7)

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 
Rom 7:15  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 
Rom 7:16  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 
Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 

Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. [ultimately freed from this double-minded man of Romans 7:13-17 on the third day (Luk 13:32)]

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would [Rom 7:14-17].

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap [Rom 9:19-21].

1Ki 21:21  Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, 
1Ki 21:22  And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin. 
1Ki 21:23  And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. 
1Ki 21:24  Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat. 
1Ki 21:25  But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. 
1Ki 21:26  And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. 

The evil that God is going to bring upon Ahab is to take away from him his “posterity”H310, a symbol for us of God taking away our talent and giving it to someone else (Mat 25:28-29). In the physical sense, it represents everything that is ‘behind’ Ahab, everything that has been established in his life including “him that is shut up and left in Israel“, meaning in type and shadow the things he has bound on earth and in heaven are all being destroyed, the whole root and branch, because that ‘posterity’ represents what our old man builds and develops in this life, our many wonderful works with no acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty over it all (Mal 4:1).

Mal 4:1  For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

Mat 25:28  Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 
Mat 25:29  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

Notice that the curse which comes upon Ahab and Jezebel is spoken of as being against the wall, and by the wall of JezreelH3157. This wall of Jezreel, in the negative sense, is a symbol of the idols of our heart, and the word means “God will sow“, telling us that God is the one who is sovereign over this whole process of light and dark and good and evil (Isa 45:7) about which we are learning in this story of Ahab and Jezebel. He created us to be a marred vessel in the Potter’s hand that is either redeemed in this life or the next, which reminds us of 2 Samuel 14:14 and Romans 9:22-23.

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

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.

Rom 9:22  What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: [“yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him“]
Rom 9:23  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

For further contrast, Ahab is compared to his proteges telling him that he is no better, and in fact is worse, than them: “like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat (1Ki 14:1-12), and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah (1Ki 15:33-34, 1Ki 16:1-4), for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin“. Even as Ahab is digesting these strong rebukes from the prophet, he is further told “And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.“

1Ki 14:10  Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone. 
1Ki 14:11  Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat: for the LORD hath spoken it. 

1Ki 16:2  Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins; 
1Ki 16:3  Behold, I will take away the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

Jezebel is the wife of Ahab, and therefore they are one, and she represents his spiritual state of mind which is corrupt like hers, and therefore he is pronounced with the same fate: “Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.” Again, it is not just Ahab who is going to die but all those who are connected to him, and the death, although physical, is represented to us in the terms used to show us that those to whom we are joined in our folly and our disobedience are devoured by dogs, which is a symbol of spiritual depravity (Tit 1:12). The fowls of the air show the dream-is-one principle in that it is speaking of the same point. “The field” is the world, and the fowls represent the evil spirits which are going to destroy those connected to Ahab in the world (Deu 28:15, Deu 28:26).

Deu 28:15  But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: 

Deu 28:26  And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.

The casting “out before the children of Israel” of “the Amorites” is typical language that says these same words of Christ: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” as He delivers us from every abominable idol of our hearts, the most persistent one being that we don’t see that these words of God are speaking of the chief of sinners, who we are (1Ti 1:15), along with Jezebel who represents our inability without Christ to be seduced by Babylon out of which God alone can drag us. “But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.” It is when God brings us to see our hopeless and helpless situation as a result of the fullness of the sins of the “Amorites” being fulfilled in our life that we are then delivered from ourselves (Gen 15:16).

1Ti 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

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

1Ki 21:27  And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
1Ki 21:28  And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 
1Ki 21:29  Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.

Although God did postpone the evil that would come upon Ahab’s house due to his repentant heart, the “posterity” of Ahab that God said he would take away from him was inevitable, and so God’s judgments were temporarily withheld and then unleashed as prophesied “in his son’s days” did God “bring the evil upon his house”, similar to king Solomon whose curse was visited in the generation after him with his son king Rehoboam (Deu 5:9, 1Ki 11:11-12). In both kings’ lives, Ahab and Solomon, there was an abuse of power and an entitled spirit that had little and no regard for the commandments of God as they sowed to their flesh. The end result of that disobedience is always the same and is written for our sakes (1Co 10:11) to help us learn that God is a just God who tells us what we sow we will reap. He is the one who orchestrates all of it at the appointed time (Gal 6:7).

The reason God delays these punishments at certain times is to remind us that when one member of the body of Christ sins, we are all affected by that behavior, and “visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me” is an old covenant expression of telling us that sin can have long-term consequences for all those who commit sin, and for those who are in the midst of the leaven that can leaven the whole lump (Gal 5:9, 1Co 5:13, Heb 12:15).

Deu 5:9  Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, 

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 
Gal 6:8  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. 

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

1Co 5:13  But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. 

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

In the end, the prophetic words of Elijah come to pass as we will read in the last chapter of first Kings, where we learn of how Ahab died in battle, this telling us again that God is a just God who judges us for our sins (1Ki 22:38). It would seem very pointless to be reading these stories if we were not given to understand that we are looking at events that reflect the one event that is common unto all man, each man in his order, and that being the judgment of God (Ecc 3:9). That judgment and the blessing it will ultimately bring upon all the world, is the salvation of all which leads us back to our title “For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground” in order to become that means-to-an-end body of Christ that God will use to save the rest of the world “that his banished be not expelled from him” (Oba 1:21).

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: [Rom 9:19-21] yet doth he devise means [Oba 1:21], that his banished be not expelled from him. 

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Php 2:14  Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

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

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

Their fate was revealed to Isaiah...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Isa 66:1  Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
Isa 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

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

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

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

This is that product:

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

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

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

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

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