2 Samuel 1:1–27 David Hears About the Death of Saul

[Study Aired September 14, 2026]

Our study for today is centered on David receiving the news of the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan. The study also shows how the messenger of the death of Saul was executed by David for confessing to the killing of God’s anointed king, treating him as a murderer regardless of whether his story was true or a boastful lie. The study ends with David composing the famous lament, “How the mighty have fallen.”

The News of Saul’s Death

2Sa 1:1  Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;
2Sa 1:2 It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance.

Ziklag means ‘winding.’ David abiding in Ziklag for two days after the slaughter of the Amalekites implies how the Lord is making our crooked (winding) path straight as we become His witnesses (the significance of the number two) through our victory over the flesh. 

Isa 45:2  I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:
Isa 45:3  And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. 

The fact that it was three days after the death of Saul when a messenger came to David with the message of the death of Saul, is to show us that it is through the process of trials that we mature to discern the spiritual death of our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world or Babylon, represented here by the death of Saul and his sons. The man coming out of the camp of Saul represents our brothers and sisters in Babylon. The man, with his clothes rent and earth upon his head, signifies that our brothers and sisters in Babylon have rejected the righteousness of Christ and have rather embraced their own righteousness.  

Rom 10:3  For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
Rom 10:4  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. 

The man having earth upon his head denotes that when we were in the churches of this world, our thinking was influenced greatly by our flesh, which is represented here as earth. 

Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 
Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 
Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 
Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 

The fact that the man came to bow before David and did obeisance or paid respect to him, indicates that in the fullness of time, our brothers and sisters shall come and bow before us just as Joseph’s brothers bowed before him. 

Gen 42:6  And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth. 

2Sa 1:3  And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. 
2Sa 1:4  And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also. 

The man telling David that he came out of the camp of Israel in verse 3, is to reiterate the point that he represents our brothers and sisters in Babylon. His confession that the people of Israel fled from the battle with the Philistines is to let us know that when we were in Babylon, we were overcome by our flesh. As a result, we were spiritually dead together with our leaders in Babylon. 

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 
Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 
Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 
Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 
Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 

2Sa 1:5  And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? 
2Sa 1:6  And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. 

David wanted to be sure that Saul and Jonathan were dead and so he asked the young man how he came across that knowledge. In answering, the young man stated that he was there on Mount Gilboa where Saul fell. Mount Gilboa here signifies the assembly of the church system of this world where we were part of, at a certain stage of our walk. We were therefore witnesses of the lifestyle of those in leadership, which do not conform to the word of the Lord. By this we know that they are spiritually dead. 

Tit 1:15  Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. 
Tit 1:16  They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. 

Here in verse 6, the young man reported that Saul leaned upon his spear. As indicated in the previous study, Saul leaning upon his spear signifies that the leaders of Babylon die spiritually through leaning on their false doctrines. We were also dead spiritually during our time in Babylon when we also leaned on our spears or false doctrines. 

The first time that chariots and horsemen were following after the people of Israel in the Bible was when the Egyptians went with Joseph to bury Jacob. The second time that chariots and horsemen appeared in the Bible relates to the Egyptians pursuing the Israelites. Egypt means the world. This implies that one of the potential dangers during our walk in Babylon is the tendency to conform to the standards of this world as the devil pursues us aggressively to put us to death by luring us to the world. 

Gen 50:9  And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen [from Egypt]: and it was a very great company. 

Exo 14:23  And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 

2Sa 1:7  And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I. 
2Sa 1:8  And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. 
2Sa 1:9  He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me. 
2Sa 1:10  So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord. 

As we explained in previous studies, the Amalekites represent our flesh. The young man being an Amalekite therefore shows us that it is our flesh that destroys us spiritually. It is important to note that in verse 9, Saul wanted to die rather than bear more suffering. 

2Sa 1:9  “He said to me, ‘Please stand over me and kill me. I’m alive, but I’m suffering.’ (GW)

It portrays how we did not want to have anything to do with suffering when we were in Babylon. We did not know then that it is rather through suffering that our flesh is put to death. 

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

In verse 10, we see the Amalekite slew Saul and took away the crown upon his head and the bracelet that was upon his arm. It shows how we sacrifice our crown of life for a life of comfort, when we were in Babylon. The word of the Lord warns us against losing our crown.

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

The first time that a bracelet was used in the Bible was when Abraham’s servant put bracelets on Rebecca’s hand as a sign of her being chosen to be married to Isaac. A bracelet therefore is the sign of our engagement or the promise given by the Lord to become His future bride. The Amalekite removing the bracelet from Saul’s arm, therefore signifies how we are disqualified from the marriage feast of Christ because of our indulgence in the flesh.  

Gen 24:22  And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; 

Gen 24:30  And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 
Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 
Rev 19:9  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. 

David Mourned Saul and Jonathan

2Sa 1:11  Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him:
2Sa 1:12  And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword. 

David and his men renting their own clothes is to indicate that they rejected the righteousness which results in rejoicing when our enemy is dead or in trouble and embracing the righteousness which is of Christ which enjoins us to love our enemies. 

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

The fact that David and his men mourned, wept and fasted for Saul and his son Jonathan suggests that as the Lord’s elect, when we hear of news of the victims of the devil, as we hear of the evil behavior of the leaders of the church system of this world, we should not be glad. We should behave like David, a symbol of the Lord’s elect. He did not want such information to be broadcast among the heathen. 

2Sa 1:20  Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. 

David and his men mourning for Saul and his son Jonathan implies that it is not only the people of this world, but we, His elect, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, are groaning within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, that is, the redemption of the body. 

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 
Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 
Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 

2Sa 1:13  And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite. 
2Sa 1:14  And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD’S anointed? 
2Sa 1:15  And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. 
2Sa 1:16  And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD’S anointed. 

The lesson we can learn from these verses is that we should not put a stumbling block before our brothers and sisters to cause them to become spiritually dead. We destroy the Lord’s anointed or slay the Lord’s anointed through false doctrines. Therefore, this stumbling block is false doctrines which cause our hearts and minds to be darkened such that we cannot see the truth of the Lord’s words to set us free. 

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

These verses also serve as a warning to the leaders of the church system of this world who peddle false doctrines, that they shall face the consequences of their action in the fullness of time, just as the Amalekite faced his death at the hands of David’s men. 

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. 

David’s Lament for Saul and Jonathan

2Sa 1:17  And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son: 
2Sa 1:18  (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.) 
2Sa 1:19  The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! 
2Sa 1:20  Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. 

As indicated earlier, David lamenting over Saul and Jonathan signifies that it is not only the people of this world and our brothers and sisters in Babylon, but we, His elect, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, are groaning within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, that is, the redemption of the body. 

David urging the people of Israel to teach the people of Judah about his lamentation over Saul and Jonathan means that in every generation, we must make the Lord’s elect aware of God’s people being slain in high places. These, God’s people, represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon who are succumbing or yielding to false doctrines, and as a result, they are slain upon high places of the church system of this world. 

The fact that in verse 20, we are admonished not to publish it in the streets of Askelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, indicates that as the Lord’s elect, we should not make known to the people of this world (daughters of the Philistines), the evil going on in the churches of this world – how our brothers and sisters are dying spiritually through false doctrines. Here in verse 20, we are given reason why we should not be criticizing the church system of this world to the people of this world. It makes the people of this world (daughters of the uncircumcised) triumph over God’s people. In other words, it undermines the honor that the people of this world should accord to God’s people and to God.

I will take this opportunity to talk about this Book of Jasher. Several years ago, during my quest to know the truth, I purchased this supposed Book of Jasher online. When I started reading, I came to the conclusion that this book is not going to help me in my walk with Christ. It is filled with mystics and does not reflect the character of God. It may be that what is being sold as the Book of Jasher is an adulterated version of the original book.

2Sa 1:21  Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil. 

As indicated in several studies, mountains represent a place of worship in the scriptures. Mountains can positively signify the assembly of the Lord’s elect or negatively indicate the churches of this world or Babylon. 

Isa 2:2  And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

Mic 4:1  But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 

Isa 65:7  Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.

Deu 12:2  Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:

Jer 50:6  My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place.

Referring to verse 21, David said that there should not be any dew or rain or fields of offerings on mount Gilboa because the shield of the mighty or that of Saul is cast away as though he had not been anointed. Mount Gilboa here represents Babylon or the church system of this world, where there is no truth of the word of the Lord, signified by no dew nor rain and as a result, the Lord’s people, represented by our brothers and sisters in Babylon, are being slain, as they are not given to understand the word of the Lord in the spirit. 

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

2Sa 1:22  From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. 
2Sa 1:23  Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

Verse 22 is suggesting that Saul and Jonathan all started well in their walk with Christ. They won some victories over their flesh. The bow of Jonathan and the sword of Saul all indicate the truth of the word of the Lord. However, they all became victims of the flesh in Babylon. 

In verse 23, we are given the reason why Jonathan, a close friend of David who knew that his father Saul was wrong, died alongside his father. As stated here in verse 23, Saul and Jonathan were not divided or separated in their death. It shows how Jonathan could not separate himself from his ties to his father, to come out of Babylon or the church system of this world, to join the Lord’s elect, symbolized by David and his men. The word of the Lord clearly enjoins us to come out of Babylon.

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. 
Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 

2Sa 1:24  Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel. 
2Sa 1:25  How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. 

Here in verse 24, we discover that Saul clothed the daughters of Israel with scarlet and put ornaments of gold upon their apparel. Being clothed with scarlet and putting on ornaments of gold implies being prepared for rulership, as shown in the case of Daniel. 

Dan 5:7  The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.

Dan 5:16  And I have heard of thee [Daniel], that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.

Dan 5:29  Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

Verse 24, therefore, means that the leaders of the Lord’s people are required to help the people be clothed with Christ’s righteousness, which guarantees being made a ruler when Christ appears. However, as we can see in verse 25,  Saul and Jonathan (the mighty) lay slain in the high places. That is to say that the leaders of the church system of this world or Babylon are spiritually dead and therefore cannot be of help to us in our pursuit to be crowned kings in the fullness of time. 

2Sa 1:26  I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. 
2Sa 1:27  How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished! 

Jonathan knew that his father Saul was evil, yet he chose to stay with him even unto death, instead of leaving the comfort of his life to suffer with David, a symbol of the Lord’s elect. There are many brothers and sisters in Babylon, whose love for us was genuine, but their inability to leave Babylon and join us in Jerusalem above has made them victims of this war against our flesh. These brothers and sisters are the mighty who have fallen, as they have lost their weapons of war. The Lord is urging us, His elect, to ensure that we arm ourselves with these weapons of war as shown in the following verses:

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

May the Lord help us to continue in Him as we see the day approaching. Amen!

The Song of Solomon – Part 4b

[Study Aired August 29, 2026]

Introduction 

Sequential Peoples and the Healing of Her Heart

Central Thesis

Babylon and the Bride are not two separate populations engaged in eternal opposition. They are sequential stages of the last governing and saving the first—if you are an Elect, it is your own journey, my own journey, the journey of every reformed Elect soul destined for the First Resurrection. First, the natural; afterwards, the spiritual. First Babylon; then New Jerusalem. This single principle prevents the two errors that plague false doctrine: thinking the harlot was only “other people” (spiritual pride), and thinking transformation is impossible (intended spiritual ignorance and “rich man”-like temporary despair). 

This sequential journey is not merely a doctrinal architecture standing apart from you. It explains something far more intimate: why the Shulamite is so radically and unashamedly enthusiastic about being intimate with her Husband. Her enthusiasm is not accidental to the doctrine—it is the doctrine, made flesh in a single woman’s transformed heart. To understand why she can say, in her very first words, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine” (Song 1:2), you must first understand what she has been sequentially delivered from.

Babylon and the Bride: Sequential, Not Separate

Here is a critical corrective that must reshape how you read every subsequent chapter of the Song of Solomon: these are ultimately two conditions of the same people, appearing in two successive stages, not two eternally separate populations.

The pattern is universal and unchanging throughout Scripture: First, the natural; afterward, the spiritual.

Every budding member of the Elect lives first as part of, and in, Babylon before being sovereignly chosen to leave her.

Revelation 18:4 (KJV) “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.”

Notice: this call is addressed to “my people”—God’s own, still residing within Babylon at the moment of the call. You do not become a bride by never having been a harlot. You become a bride by being called out of the harlot condition you were already in.

Only after experiencing the harlot condition does one become the Bride. This follows the universal biblical principle that governs every major transition in redemptive history:

• First Adam, then the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45-47)

• First flesh, then spirit (1 Corinthians 15:46)

• First, the wife under law (unfaithful, striving), Old Jerusalem, then the faithful wife (transformed, resting)
• First Babylon, then New Jerusalem (Revelation 17-21)

Why This Matters for Your Self-Understanding

This sequential doctrine protects you from two catastrophic errors:

Error 1: Spiritual Pride. If you imagine that Babylon is other people—those foolish, deceived masses in the 40,000 harlot churches, while you have always possessed (illusory) clearer sight—you have misunderstood your own condition entirely. You did not arrive at understanding through your own superior discernment. You were, at some point, as confused, as self-willed, as spiritually fornicating as any soul in Babylon. The only difference is that God chose to drag you out. This truth must produce in you the posture of 1 Timothy 1:15: chief of sinners, learning to be master of doctrine as is Christ.

1 John 4:17 (KJV) “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.”

Note carefully: this boldness—this confidence to stand without shame—is never rooted in your own accomplishment. It flows entirely from being conformed to His likeness. You do not become a master of doctrine by climbing above your fellow sinners; you become mastered by Christ’s own perfected love working itself out in you.

Error 2: Spiritual Despair. Conversely, if you look at your own remaining sin, your continuing struggles, the ways you still resemble the harlot more than the Bride, you might conclude that transformation is impossible for someone like you. 

The sequential doctrine insists otherwise: the very fact that you were once, in some sense, part of Babylon is not disqualifying—it is the necessary starting point. No one skips from birth directly into perfected Bride status. The harlot condition is not evidence that you are excluded from chastising grace; it is evidence that you are exactly where every member of the Elect has stood before transformation began.

Jer 29:4 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;
Jer 29:5 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; 
Jer 29:6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. 
Jer 29:7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. 

This is why the study of curses in Parts 1-4 was not incidental to this doctrine but foundational to it. You cannot understand your movement toward the Bride without first understanding the curse you are moving out of. The natural must be established before the spiritual can be grasped (1 Corinthians 15:46)—this is not merely a hermeneutical method. It is the actual shape of your own spiritual biography.

Why Is the Shulamite So Enthusiastic? The Question That Unlocks Everything.

Having established the sequential architecture, a striking question now demands our attention: Why is Solomon’s Shulamite Bride so eager to be intimate with her Husband?

This question matters because it exposes the Shulamite as the precise spiritual reversal of what Israel—and ultimately mankind in Adam—had been as Christ’s first wife. Her enthusiasm is not primarily enthusiasm for sensuality itself. It is enthusiasm for Christ, His Word, His authority, and the unity of mind and spirit that those carnal, sensual representations signify and spiritually produce.

Most significantly, this transformation transpired spiritually between the crucifixion and the First Resurrection: Solomon, in the Song of Songs, unwittingly foretold the Bride’s glorious intimate responses, precisely as Christ designed for His future Bride—no longer “against” her Husband’s intimacies, but implicitly, joyfully “for” them.

Old Israel: The Wife Who Does Not Delight in Her Husband’s Intimacies

Israel was God’s wife under the Old Covenant, but she repeatedly rejected His words, His priests, and His expressions of love. This is her “haughty dismissiveness” toward her Husband—the Lord’s own experience of being rejected again and again in the wilderness.

The underlying spiritual problem, resulting directly from Adam’s injured headship, is represented in Eve and all women through the imagery of wounded breasts. The breasts signify the woman’s heart—the seat of her emotional responsiveness and, symbolically, her authority over intimacy.

Genesis 3:16 (KJV) “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”

Because of the wound inherited from Eden’s exposure to her natural condition, the natural woman does not instinctively trust her husband’s headship. Consequently, she attempts to secure herself by controlling the relationship through the immense power of her sensuality; she is headless and adrift without the covering that was designed but never rightly established between the first man and woman.

Although her “sorrow in conception” physically refers to the pain of childbirth, the overarching pain is derived from her attempt to control—amplifying her dominance over bedroom intimacies and resultant disconnection from her carnal husband, mirroring Israel and the harlot churches’ opposition to their Lord and Husband’s headship. Hence, her husband endlessly sweats over working the ground that his wife represents, laden with the psychological intimacies of thorns and thistles, in a vain attempt to restore a semblance of unity of mind, body, and spirit in the marriage.

This makes a very strong parallel: Israel’s relationship with the Old-Covenant Lord → the carnal marriage relationship → Babylon’s relationship with Christ—all represent the same underlying problem. Israel was not simply an unfaithful wife in the ordinary sense. She represented the natural heart that wants God’s benefits while resisting God’s authority and Word.

Manipulative Intimacy: Intimacy Used to Obtain Something

This is an essential distinction in understanding the carnal female mind: the problem is not that intimacy exists. The problem is why the wife is intimate.

The natural woman has learned to use sensuality and emotional responsiveness as leverage within marriage. She may desire her husband’s attention, validation, security, provision, or affection—while her own desire for him becomes conditional on receiving them. The result is a disconnection problem: intimacy becomes routine, negotiated, or mechanically performed rather than arising from wholehearted desire.

This is why the natural wife is preoccupied with how much her husband makes her feel about herself—seen, valued, understood, feminine, secure. In contrast, the Shulamite is fundamentally concerned with how much she esteems her Husband. That is the enormous transition.

The natural wife asks, in effect:

“What will you do for me so that I will want you?”

The Shulamite says, spiritually:

“I already know who you are, and I want you.”

That is why her enthusiasm is so radical.

The Bride Has Discovered That Christ Does Not Need to Be Manipulated

This may be the most profound difference of all. The Bride becomes drawn to the Man she cannot control—One who delights in and desires her, but does not need her to fill His emotional deficiencies and does not submit Himself to her schemes. That changes everything.

The carnal relationship is based upon mutual neediness. The wife seeks security through her husband; the husband seeks affirmation and intimacy from his wife. Both are attempting to extract something from the other.

Christ is different. The Bride gradually realises that Christ is already completely secure in His love for her. Therefore, she doesn’t have to manipulate Him, test Him, withhold herself from Him, or continually demand proof that she is loved.

His love becomes the foundation for her response

That produces her “Sabbath rest” in Him, in His vineyard—the healing of the cursed, wounded heart that enables her to become enthusiastically responsive to Him for the very first time in her spiritual history!

Her Enthusiasm Comes from Being “Kissed” by the Word

This is where Song of Solomon 1:2 becomes central:

Song of Solomon 1:2 (KJV) “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.”

“Kisses” are spiritually interpreted as the delivering of the Word of God, ravishingly awakening the Bride. In other words, her desire is not generated by her flesh trying harder to become religious. Christ first awakens her understanding.

Compared to a man, most critically for a woman, this principle is simple: amorous arousal comes before desire—not merely interest in a prospective mate, but desire itself. That is enormously important. The Bride doesn’t manufacture spiritual desire and then come to Christ. Christ’s Word enters her, changes her understanding, and that new understanding creates desire. 

Centuries after the prophets of Baal danced, leaped, and bled on Mount Carmel to whip up a divine response, modern charismatic churches have resurrected the formula. Only now is the frantic desperation rebranded as euphoric love—a highly engineered, manufactured desire masquerading as an authentic spiritual breakthrough (1 Kings 18:28).

So the sequence is essentially:

Christ speaks → she hears → understanding awakens → trust develops → her heart is healed → desire for Him arises → she eagerly responds. 

That is why the Bride can say: “Thy love is better than wine.” Wine represents the joy of fleshly gratification—the pleasure the natural woman formerly sought through manipulation and sensual control. 

The Bride has discovered something vastly superior to the gratification she formerly sought through the flesh: the joy of spiritual understanding itself.

The Doctrine of Sovereignty Applied to Desire Itself

Notice how completely this principle aligns with everything already established in this system regarding the impossibility of self-generated transformation. The Bride does not conjure desire from within herself through willpower or religious effort. Desire is the fruit of revelation, not the cause of it.

This is Philippians 2:13 applied precisely to the register of intimate longing: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Even her want—her ache, her eagerness, her trembling anticipation—is something worked in her, not manufactured by her.

The natural woman tries to work herself up to feel something for her husband. She performs a fickle desire she struggles to genuinely possess, hoping the performance will eventually produce the reality. This is precisely backward, and it is precisely why it often fails, generation after generation, marriage after marriage.

The Shulamite’s pattern reverses this entirely. She does not perform desire in hopes of manufacturing intimacy. She is first spoken to and “for” (Son 8:8), first known in her entire spiritual nakedness, not insisting that he understands her by her former Babylonian traditional intimacy dogma, but stunned by his choosing her, she is given to understand Him—her Husband’s Word—and only then does authentic spiritual desire arise, unforced and unmanufactured, twice repeated in the Song. “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.” Son 7:10. 

This is why the Song does not open with the Shulamite preparing herself. It opens with a dynamic statement—an admission of insufficiency and longing that only another’s initiative can satisfy: “Let him kiss me.” Not dreary, merciful affection, “I will kiss him,” not “I have prepared myself to be kissed,” waiting for ravishment—but a plea for Him to act first. 

The Weight of This Doctrine Against Her Former Condition

Remember the scars of Eden. The curse that shattered Eve did not just break her—it built a fortress. Trapped in a world of self-delusion, imagining subservience, stripped of her glory, the woman learned she could never risk vulnerability without first extracting a ransom of security from her husband. Her sensuality became a tactical weapon; her body, a currency of survival. This was not malice, but the tragic alchemy of a broken-heart adaptation—a desperate instinct that refused to trust authority with its safety. It was the same veiled, duplicitous rebellion that would later echo through the halls of Susa: Queen Vashti, refusing her husband’s safe harbor, in modern suffragette terms of self-aggrandizement of being a strong, powerful and independent woman in charge of her destiny, defying the crown, refusing to be paraded like property, catastrophically rebounding on her to be banished from the Palace ignominiously. Out of left field, she is rewarded double her self-eminence in eviction as mirrored by the Great Whore of Revelation 18:7: “How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.”

Against that backdrop, the Shulamite’s opening plea becomes almost unbearably poignant. She asks to be kissed before any negotiation, before any guarantee, before any proof is extracted. She has laid down the entire defensive architecture Eve’s curse constructed. In Shunem, young girls are raised like delicate offerings, their entire childhood a rehearsal for the day they are “spoken for.” Yet she approaches not as a captive to destiny, but as its master. Like the legendary Abishag and Esther, she steps into the light devoid of fear. She does not come to negotiate security; she arrives cloaked in it. Persuaded to the depths of her soul by her Husband’s inevitable devotion, she operates from victory, not for it. Her weapon now is a breathtakingly poised, coquettish grace—a silent, beautiful choreography that asks for nothing, yet inherits everything.

This is not naivety. It is the fruit of having been dragged (John 6:44) into a relationship where the Husband’s trustworthiness has already been established beyond doubt—not by her own investigation or negotiation, but by His prior, unilateral demonstration of covenant love. She trusts because He has already proven Himself utterly unlike Adam, utterly unlike every earthly husband who has ever disappointed a wife’s hope. Her enthusiasm, in other words, is not blind. It is the clearest-eyed response possible to a Husband who cannot fail.

Segue to Part 4c

We have now established two intertwined truths that together form the foundation for everything that follows: first, that Babylon and the Bride are sequential, not separate—every jewel has lived, at some point, within the harlot condition before being drawn out of it; second, that the Shulamite’s radical enthusiasm is the direct fruit of this sequential deliverance—a heart once wounded by Adam’s failed headship, once compelled to control and manipulate intimacy as a means of self-protection, now healed and awakened by the kiss of Christ’s Word.

In Part 4c, we will trace the completion of this transformation: how the very symbols that once represented her resistance—her breasts, her sensuality, her power—become instruments of wholehearted giving; how she escapes the Great Whore pattern entirely; and how this personal, intimate transformation opens onto the full eschatological architecture that spans from the cross, to the First Resurrection and final restoration of all things in her signified children, the entire world of humanity since Eden in the Resurrection to Judgment, saved by her and Husband, under the Father.

The Shulamite’s opening cry—“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth”—is where this transformation begins. It is where your transformation begins, too.

Part 4c: Next Study: “New Beginnings and the End of All Things”

1 Samuel 29:1–11 The Philistines Reject David 

[Study Aired August 17, 2026]

The study for today captures how the Lord miraculously delivered David from joining the Philistines to fight against the people of Israel. In this study, we see David and his men marching at the rear of the Philistines to battle the people of Israel. However, the lords of the Philistines were against the idea of David and his men joining them to battle against their enemy Israel and therefore ordered Achish to let David and his men return. The Lord indeed delivers His elect from all that will disqualify us from obtaining the joy that is set before us. 

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

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

The Philistines March to Battle

1Sa 29:1  Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel. 

The Philistines gathering together to fight the people of Israel highlights our war against our flesh. These Philistines were neighbors to the people of Israel, which suggests that the people of Israel are constantly encountering the Philistines in their daily routines. This implies that this war against our flesh lasts a lifetime. 

Gal 5:17  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.  

It is important to note that the Philistines were gathered together at Aphek which means ‘fortress’ (in the sense of strength). This shows the formidable opposition of our flesh which has rendered all men (except Jesus) to surrender to its dictates. It is only when we are in Christ that we are given power to overcome its influence after we have initially submitted to its power. 

Rev 13:4  And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” 

The fact that the Philistines were marching against the people of Israel is to let us know that this struggle against our flesh starts when we come to start our journey with Christ. The people of this world do not have any problem with their flesh. They refer to our flesh as human nature and do not see its opposition to the life of Christ in us. They think all human beings are dominated by their human nature. That is to say that nobody can win the war against our flesh.

In this review of the Books of Samuel, we initially encountered the Philistines, led by Goliath, coming out to fight the people of Israel. However, through David, the Israelites wrought a victory. However, the victory was not thorough. This is what is referred to in the Book of Revelation that the beast, which represents our flesh was dealt a deadly blow. However, the wound of the deadly blow was healed. As the Lord’s elect, our deadly wound was healed, thus, making the flesh stronger. Just as the Israelites have to battle the Philistines again and again, we, His elect, are in this war with our flesh for a lifetime.  

Rev 13:3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.     

It is important to note that the Israelites pitched by a fountain which was in Jezreel, which means ‘God sows’. The fountain signifies the word of the Lord, and the Israelites being in Jezreel shows that it is the fire of the word of the Lord sown in our hearts and minds which is the weapon that destroys our flesh. This fire is the Lord’s judgment of our flesh. 

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. 

As we shall see later, the Israelites were defeated by the Philistines. This shows that the fountain here in verse 1 has a negative application. It suggests that when the word of the Lord is compromised by the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition, it loses it power to destroy our flesh, and therefore we become susceptible to its deeds. As a result, we lose the fight against our flesh. It is therefore imperative that we do not compromise the truth of the word of the Lord with false doctrines which rob us of the destruction power of the word of the Lord to destroy the flesh.

Mat 13:20  As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 
Mat 13:21  yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 

1Sa 29:2  As the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear with Achish, 

The lords of the Philistines going to war by the hundreds and thousands of men is to demonstrate to us the fierce opposition of our flesh. Without Christ, there is no way that we can ever dream of winning the war against our flesh. 

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.
Rom 7:15  For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 
Rom 7:16  Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.
Rom 7:17  So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 
Rom 7:18  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 
Rom 7:19  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 
Rom 7:20  Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (ESV)

David and his men passing on in the rear with Achish shows how the devil, represented by Achish, used us against the Lord’s elect, when we were under the dominion of our flesh at a certain stage of our walk with Christ. The fact that David and his men were at the rear implies that it is not obvious to us at that time that the devil was using us to fight against the Lord’s elect. All of us at a certain time of our walk have spoken evil against the Lord’s elect, thinking we were doing it for the Lord. 

Jas 4:11  Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
Jas 4:12  There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? 

1Sa 29:3  Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day? 

When the commanders of the Philistines enquired about the presence of David and his men, Achish came to their aid as he tried to convince the Philistine lords of David’s faithfulness since being with him. This demonstrates how, as the Lord’s elect, we must have a good testimony as the Lord’s children before the people of this world.

1Pe 2:12  Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.  

1Ti 3:7  Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. 

1Sa 29:4  And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men? 
1Sa 29:5  Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?  

At this point, we need to know the strait that David was in. Achish had been good to him, and therefore it was difficult for David to reject the request by Achish to join him in battle against the Israelites. On the other hand, he could not fight against the very people over whom the Lord had assured him rulership in a time to come.  As shown in verse 4, the Lord intervened on David’s behalf, through the insistence of the commanders of the Philistines, that David should leave. When we are at our wits’ end and do not know what to do, it is the Lord who intervenes to bring us to our safe haven.

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. 
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. 
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. 
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. 
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. 
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. 
Psa 107:31  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 

The Lord is indeed the ever-present help in time of trouble. Let us turn our attention from all that is weighing us down and drowning us in this sea of our flesh, and focus on Him. We shall not be disappointed.

Psa 46:1  To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psa 46:2  Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 
Psa 46:3  Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. 
Psa 46:4  There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. 
Psa 46:5  God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

1Sa 29:6  Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the LORD liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not.
1Sa 29:7  Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines. 

Again, Achish testified that he had not found evil in David during the period that David and his men settled in Gath. It implies that we must have a good testimony before the people of this world. 

Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 

1Ti 3:7  Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.    

In spite of Achish’s testimony about David, the lords of Philistines were not pleased with David and his men being in their midst. They therefore requested Achish to send David and his men home. It indicates that not everyone will be pleased with us. For example, Paul was maligned by his own people who saw him as a threat to their religion. In the same vein, the church system of this world is not pleased with us as they think that we pose a danger to their faith in Christ.

Act 24:5  For we have found this man [Paul] a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes: 
Act 24:6  Who also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law.  

The good news is that our persecution shows that we are blessed of the Lord. 

Mat 5:11  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 
Mat 5:12  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.  

We must understand that the Philistines requiring David and his men to return to their estate was of the Lord, Who was delivering David and his men from committing the sin of fighting with the Philistines against the Lord’s people, Israel. In other words, it is the Lord who delivers us from our own flesh, from opposing our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Whenever we fight against each other or the leadership or show preference for one teacher against another, then it shows we are still of the flesh. This is because it is what every joint supplies which builds us up and not what one joint supplies, as we see in the churches of this world. 

1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 
1Co 3:4  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? 
1Co 3:5  Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
1Co 3:6  I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 

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

1Sa 29:8  And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king? 

David wondering why the lords of the Philistines have excluded him and his men from taking on the people of Israel, who were the enemies of Achish was just to convince Achish of his devotion to him. This is because during their stay in Ziklag, David and his men raided many of the surrounding towns and villages, but they did not hurt any of the people of Israel. As the Lord’s elect, we are not to hurt any of our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world, although some of them may be hostile to us.  

1Sa 27:8  And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.
1Sa 27:9  And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish.
1Sa 27:10  And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites.

1Sa 29:9  And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle. 

It is also important to note that Achish referred to David here in verse 9, as an angel of God. We, His elect, are angels of God to the heathen and our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world. The people of this world are not aware that we are the ones that they are waiting for to be revealed as the sons of God. 

Rom 8:19  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 
Rom 8:20  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 
Rom 8:21  that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 

Oba 1:21  Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD’s. 

1Sa 29:10  Now then rise early in the morning with the servants of your lord who came with you, and start early in the morning, and depart as soon as you have light.” 
1Sa 29:11  So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel.   

Starting their journey back to their home in the land of the Philistines early, as soon as there was light, signifies that although we are the Lord’s elect, our early walk with the Lord was characterized by being under the dominion of our flesh. That is another way of saying that we were marred in the hand of the Lord, and so he is making us into another vessel as it seems good to Him. 

Jer 18:1  The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 
Jer 18:2  Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 
Jer 18:3  Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 
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.

In verse 1 of this study, the Philistines were stationed at Aphek. However, here in verse 11, they were moving to Jezreel, where the Israelites, who represent the church system of this world, were situated. It signifies how the church system of this world has gradually been overwhelmed by the flesh. As a result, the great swelling words of vanity from the flesh make our brothers and sisters in Babylon worse off. This was our situation when we were with them in Babylon. 

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

We thank the Lord for His mercies towards us in this age. Amen!

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly”

(Pro 31:1-11)

[Study Aired July 2, 2026]

Pro 31:1  The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.
Pro 31:2  What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?
Pro 31:3  Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.
Pro 31:4  It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
Pro 31:5  Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
Pro 31:6  Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
Pro 31:7  Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
Pro 31:8  Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.
Pro 31:9  Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
Pro 31:10  Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
Pro 31:11  The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

This last chapter of the book of proverbs starts off by contrasting the wine of Babylon that we were drunken on at first (Pro 31:4-5 , Rev 17:5-6), to then speak about the strong drink of God’s word which the elect are blessed to be able to partake of (Pro 31:6-7) in this age (Heb 5:14 , Heb 13:10).

Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6  And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

Heb 5:14  But strong meat [strong drink] belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

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

These first few verses we will look at set the stage for what is required in the life of God’s children in order to bring forth the spiritual exploits that He has ordained for Christ’s wife from the foundation of the world (Eph 2:8-10 , Tit 3:7-8). Those exploits or spiritual works are discussed in the remainder of this chapter, in (Pro 31:12-31).

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

Tit 3:7  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Tit 3:8  This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works (Pro 30:12-31). These things are good and profitable unto men.

Judgement is upon the body of Christ today (1Pe 4:17), and judgement in biblical parlance is found happening “in the gates”. The last verse of this 31st chapter of proverbs makes clear to us that God’s elect is His workmanship, and that it is God who is giving the increase to Christ’s bride (1Co 3:6) as He works in her both to will and to do of His good pleasure, which happens “in the gates” of our hearts and minds (Pro 31:31 , Php 2:12-13).

Pro 31:31  Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

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.

There is no greater honour that could be bestowed on anyone in this life than to be that wife, ordained and chosen by God the Father for His Son Jesus Christ (Joh 6:44). The ‘Proverbs 31 Woman’, as Christians have named this chapter, represents the spiritual fruit produced in the lives of those who are the Sons of God in this age, by the grace and faith of Christ (1Jn 3:1-2).

Joh 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Joh 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace^G5485 and truth.

Luk 1:28  And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured ^G5487,(Eph 1:6) the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Luk 1:29  And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
Luk 1:30  And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour^G5485 with God.

Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted ^G5487 G2248 in the beloved.

Pro 31:1  The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

God’s elect belong to Him, and so we read of “Lemuel”^H3927 whose name means “for God” or “belonging to God” (1Co 6:19-20 , 1Pe 1:16-20).

1Co 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?(1Co 3:16-19)
1Co 6:20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1Pe 1:16  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
1Pe 1:17  And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: (Heb 11:7)
1Pe 1:18  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:(Heb 10:29)
1Pe 1:20  Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

“the prophecy that his mother taught him” represents the words  of encouragement that God’s elect are blessed to hold fast to in this age (Rev 1:3 , Rev 20:6 , Rev 2:25 , Rev 3:3) and are given from Jerusalem above the “mother” of us all (Gal 4:26 , Eph 3:10).

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.

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

Rev 2:25  But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

Rev 3:3  Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Pro 31:2  What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?
Pro 31:3  Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.

The admonition is for the elect, being called 1) “my son” and 2) “the son of my womb” and 3) “the son of my vows”, and describes what are “thy ways to that which destroyeth kings” in the verses that follow (Pro 31:4-11), reminding us of how king Solomon’s judgement (‘son’ mentioned 3 times) was eventually perverted by giving his strength unto women, “Give not thy strength unto women”, that represent the churches and false doctrines of this world.

This is an admonition for God’s elect reminding us that just because we are anointed and called “sons of my womb”, which represents the church, and just because we have tasted of the heavenly things of God’s word as “the son of my vows”(Heb 6:4-6), does not mean that we cannot be rejected if we cease from fearing God and stop keeping His commandments (Rom 11:21-22).

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.

Rom 11:21  For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
Rom 11:22  Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness:(Rom 2:4) otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

All Israel will be saved and God has called us to not be ignorant of that truth so that we don’t start to take on a superiority complex against a world that He tells us this, “that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in”(Eze 16:55).

Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:(Oba 1:21 , 1Jn 4:17 , Joh 20:21 , Joh 3:17)

Pro 31:4  It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
Pro 31:5  Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.

The wine in this instance represents the defiled word of God in Babylon where there is no stay of bread or water (Isa 3:1). That is the drink that Lemuel is being told to avoid, which is given from the aforementioned woman [Babylon] who he is not to give his strength to (Pro 31:3 , Heb 13:10 , 1Jn 4:6).

Pro 31:3  Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.

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

1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Babylon does have “wine” or another spirit or gospel, and there is also strong delusion in Babylon that could be likened here unto “strong drink” (Isa 28:7 , 2Co 11:4 , 2Th 2:11).

Isa 28:7  But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

2Co 11:4  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.

2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

Christ warns us to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees that only requires a little in order for the whole lump to be leavened, “Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted” (Deu 29:6 , Gal 5:9).

Deu 29:6  Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the LORD your God.

Forgetting the law, and perverting the judgement of any of the afflicted is forgetting the law of Christ which tells us we are to bear each other’s burdens and afflictions by stirring up the spirit of God within us and not neglecting so great a salvation (Gal 6:2-3 , Luk 17:10 , Heb 2:3). If we are preoccupied with anything (Mat 24:48-50) other than doing the will of God (Luk 2:49), we will begin to “forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted”.

Gal 6:2  Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Gal 6:3  For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

Mat 24:48  But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
Mat 24:49  And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
Mat 24:50  The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
Mat 24:51  And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Pro 31:6  Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
Pro 31:7  Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

God’s elect are dying daily and this proverb reveals the spiritual benefit of His word upon our bodies that are blessed to be ready to die daily unto the Lord (1Co 15:31). With the mind of Christ we are as our Saviour, who was a man acquainted with sorrow and suffering (Isa 53:3 , 1Jn 4:17). Christ was sorrowful near unto death and the “strong drink” that he received before dying was symbolized by the ointment that was poured out on him prior to his death (Mat 26:38 , Mat 26:12). The strong drink and the ointment symbolizes the same thing, the word of God that quickens us (Joh 6:63) and gives us the strength we need in our time of need (1Jn 2:27).

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

We drink the word of God that we can now rightly divide having been given eyes that see and ears that hear, and this helps us forget our poverty when we were in Babylon with no stay of bread or water, “forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more”. Every joint supplies this drink that helps us bear our cross and remember our misery no more (Eph 4:16).

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

Pro 31:8  Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.
Pro 31:9  Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.

The dumb represent the speechless, “Open thy mouth for the dumb”, those who are appointed to destruction as all of our old men within are for defiling the temple of God which we are (1Co 3:16-18). When we are granted to have a ready heart to receive the words of God, we will “Open thy mouth” in love and concern for others, as we receive His word that will make it possible for us to bring healing to the spiritually dumb (1Ti 4:14-16).

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 3:18  Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.

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

God tells us that a seed must fall into the ground and die (Joh 12:24) in order for life to spring forth from us. It is via the judgments of God’s word, that if we are given a hunger and thirst, that this will be accomplished in the elect. If we are blessed to “open thy mouth” and receive His word (Rev 1:3), then we can be sent to heal others through the healing we have received, which makes it possible for us to “judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy” (1Ti 4:16).

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.

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.

Pro 31:10  Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
Pro 31:11  The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

The only “virtuous woman” to be found is the one that is being dragged to Christ in this age (Joh 6:44). Our Father sees the bride of Christ as being “far above rubies”^{H4480 H6443} in “her price” and God places great value on His workmanship that will be used to save the entire world (Mat 11:11 , Luk 12:7 , Oba 1:21).

Mat 11:11  Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Luk 12:7  But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

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.

Christ is not fretting about the outcome of any of the elect of which none will be lost. That is what this last verse we are looking at today is telling us, “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil^H7998”. We are Christ’s inheritance, and he has no need of another woman, another spirit, another gospel. This wife that the Father has provided for Christ is His inheritance in the saints that we will share with Him spoken of in (Eph 1:18-23).

Eph 1:18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph 1:20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
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:
Eph 1:22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

1 Samuel 19:1–24 Saul Tried to Kill David

[Study Aired May 25, 2026]

In today’s study, we shall look at four attempts from Saul to assassinate David. However, in all these attempts, He was delivered from them, through the intervention by Jonathan’s mediation, Michal, his wife, and Samuel’s protection, and by his own agility. 

The fact that there were four attempts on David’s life in this chapter, shows us the whole of the devil’s scheme to destroy us in our walk with the Lord. However, as the word of the Lord reminds us, no weapon formed or fashioned against us shall prosper.

Isa 54:17  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. 

Jonathan’s Intervention in Saving David’s Life 

1Sa 19:1  And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. 

Saul, in this context, represents the leaders of the church system of this world or Babylon. Jonathan, on the other hand, signifies our time as the Lord’s elect  in Babylon and Saul’s servants symbolize our brothers and sisters in Babylon. David on the other hand, stands for the Lord’s elect who have just left Babylon. With this in mind, it becomes easier to understand the spiritual significance of verse 1. What we are being told is that the message of the leaders of the church system of this world kills as we see Saul telling his son Jonathan and servants to kill David. In other words, their message is what puts us to death, spiritually.  

As we are aware, the church system of this world focuses on the physical interpretation of the word of the Lord or the letter, which kills. This ministration of death is what the law of Moses represents. 

2Co 3:6  who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 
2Co 3:7  Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 
2Co 3:8  will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 

Apart from the fact that the letter kills, the false doctrines propagated by these leaders of the church system of this world also kills. That is to say that the false doctrines from Babylon end up killing the hearers spiritually. 

2Pe 2:1  But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 
2Pe 2:2  And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 

1Sa 19:2  But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself: 
1Sa 19:3  And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I see, that I will tell thee. 

Jonathan delighted much in David is Jonathan loving David. It demonstrates the love that binds us together as the Lord’s elect. This is the love that Jesus prayed that we should have for one another as it shows that we are really His disciples. 

Joh 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 
Joh 13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.   

Jonathan telling David that Saul was seeking to kill him refers to when we come to realize in Babylon that the church system will only put us to death spiritually. That is what expedites our exit from Babylon. In other words, knowing that our continued fellowship with our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world represented by Saul will cause us to be spiritually dead, demands that we leave Babylon.    

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. 
Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 

Jonathan pleading with David to abide in a secret place and hide himself is the need to abide under the shadow of the Almighty, where we are hidden in Christ, such that we are delivered from the devil’s traps (the snare of the fowler) and from deadly plagues (noisome pestilence) of false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition, spewed from the pulpits of Babylon. 

Psa 91:1  He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 
Psa 91:2  I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 
Psa 91:3  Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 
Psa 91:4  He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Psa 91:5  Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;  

The question is, “How do we abide in the secret place of the most high under the shadow of the Almighty?”  Here in Psalm 91, we are given three clues as to what it means to abide in the secret place of the most high. In verse 4 of Psalm 91, we are told that truth shall be our shield and buckler. This implies that a key to abiding in the secret place of the most high is being given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. The second clue from Psalm 91 is as follows:

Psa 91:9  Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;  

Making the Most high our habitation involves the Lord coming to us with the spirit of His mouth to destroy our old man or the man of sin who sits in our temple, claiming himself to be God. The destruction of the man of sin is the judgment or the suffering marked out for us, which makes us abide in the secret place of the Lord.

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 third sign that we are abiding under the shadow of the Almighty is as follows:

Psa 91:14  Because he (the elect) hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. 

Our love towards the Lord is demonstrated by our obedience. Through our obedience, we are being protected under the secret place of the Most High – our hiding place.

In verse 3 of the study, Jonathan wanted to talk with his father Saul in the field to reconcile him with David. As indicated, Jonathan represents our walk as the Lord’s elect in Babylon. At that time of our walk, we did not have a clue that what was happening to us (David) is of the Lord, as He wants us to leave Babylon. We thought that the church system of which we belonged to, would come to understand our views of the scriptures. We therefore did not have a clue that the solution was to leave Babylon.  

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. 

1Sa 19:4  And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good: 
1Sa 19:5  For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause? 
1Sa 19:6  And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the LORD liveth, he shall not be slain. 
1Sa 19:7  And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as in times past. 

As we can see from these verses, Jonathan was able to reconcile his father with David. This is to show us that our exit from Babylon is a process. We may be physically detached from the churches of this world, but yet retain its false doctrines which bind us to Babylon. At that time, both Jonathan and David did not know that Saul’s enmity against David was all of the Lord and that He was seeking for an occasion to judge David. 

Jdg 14:1  And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. 
Jdg 14:2  And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 
Jdg 14:3  Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. 
Jdg 14:4  But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.  

1Sa 19:8  And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled from him. 

As long as we are living, we have to contend with our flesh regularly. Here in verse 8, we see David battling the Philistines and through the mercy of the Lord, he came out victorious. The Philistines fleeing from David is to let us know that there are times of relief in our lives, where our flesh is under control. There are other times, too, that we have to rise up and fight our flesh which is influenced by the devil, with the full confidence that we shall be victorious in the final analysis, as we see David’s victory over the Philistines.

Ecc 3:8  A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. 

1Sa 19:9  And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand. 
1Sa 19:10  And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night. 

When a brother or sister becomes disobedient to the Lord and falls away, such a person is possessed by an evil spirit from the Lord, which troubles him or her. Just as the words of the Lord are spirit, false doctrines are also spirit from the devil. Therefore, Saul being troubled by an evil spirit from the Lord, means that those who fall away are troubled by the false doctrines in their hearts and minds. 

1Ti 4:1  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 
1Ti 4:2  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

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

As we are aware, a spear or a sword in the positive sense represents the word of the Lord. However, the javelin or spear in the hand of Saul signifies false doctrines which come out of the smoke from his bottomless pit or his heart and mind, which darkens the sun and the air. That is to say that the javelin thrown at David in verse 10 signifies the false doctrines which darkens our understanding of the word of truth and makes us spiritually dead. 

David fleeing from Saul’s presence signifies our exit from Babylon. As we can see, David’s continued stay with Saul would have resulted in his death through the spear of Saul. It signifies that our continued stay in Babylon or the church system of this world would have resulted in our spiritual death through false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition. 

Michal’s Intervention in Saving David’s Life

1Sa 19:11  Saul also sent messengers unto David’s house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David’s wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, tomorrow thou shalt be slain. 
1Sa 19:12  So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped. 

After escaping from Saul’s house, David went to Michal, his wife. Michal, in this case, represents the church system of this world or Babylon because of her affiliation to her father Saul. Usually, when we leave one Babylonian church, we end up with another Babylonian church thinking that would be better. However, the churches of this world or Babylon are the same in terms of their harlotry inclination and therefore are not faithful to Christ. 

Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.    

Michal telling David to escape with his life that night or risk being killed means that during our walk in the churches of this world, the Lord sometimes spoke to us through the churches to prepare our exit from it. As we are aware, the Lord even spoke through a donkey (a beast) to stop Balaam from his trip. 

Num 22:27  And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. 
Num 22:28  And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?   

Michal helping David to escape by letting David down through a window implies that our escape from Babylon is a life or death matter and not through a conventional farewell through the door. We escape like a bird out of the snare of the fowler. It is also important to note that Michal helping David to escape also means that we are pushed out of the church system or Babylon by the church.  

Psa 124:7  Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. 
Psa 124:8  Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.  

1Sa 19:13  And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats’ hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth. 
1Sa 19:14  And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. 
1Sa 19:15  And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him. 
1Sa 19:16  And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats’ hair for his bolster. 
1Sa 19:17  And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?

As indicated, Michal represents the church system of this world which is in bondage with her children through deception. We can see here in these verses that Michal was involved in deception as a way to preserve the life of David. This is to show us that the Lord uses both good and evil to achieve His purpose in our lives. 

Psa 139:12  Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. 

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

A typical example of how the Lord uses both good and evil to achieve His purposes is the story of how king Ahab was drawn to battle to die by a lying spirit proclaiming that Ahab would win the war. 

1Ki 22:20  And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.
1Ki 22:21  And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. 
1Ki 22:22  And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. 
1Ki 22:23  Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee. 

Saul Pursuing David to Ramah

1Sa 19:18  So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth. 

David fleeing and coming to Samuel at Ramah signifies our escape from the churches of this world, as we come to the church of the New Jerusalem or the Lord’s elect. The name Ramah means ‘height’ and Naioth denotes ‘dwelling’. David coming to Naioth in Ramah symbolizes the beginning of our spiritual elevation or height as we dwell with our brothers and sisters in the Lord in unity. When we come to the assembly of the firstborn or the Lord’s elect, we are helped by what every joint supplies, to escape from the flood of false doctrines spewed by the devil through the false teachers and apostles parading in the corridors of the church system of this world.  

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: 

1Sa 19:19  And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah. 
1Sa 19:20  And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
1Sa 19:21  And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also. 

These messengers sent by Saul represents false brethren who are secretly brought in to spy out our liberty in Christ with the purpose of bringing us into bondage, that is, kill us spiritually. 

Gal 2:4  And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: 
Gal 2:5  To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. 

The fact that these false messengers were sent three times by Saul to take David indicates the process of spiritual maturity that we must all go through as the Lord’s elect, resulting in our spiritual maturity, when we come to the church of the first born or the New Jerusalem. 

As we can see, these false messengers prophesied under the unction of the Holy Spirit when they came into the body, although their orientation was not to seek after the prize of the higher calling of God. We have seen how some have come into our fellowship being gifted with prophesying, but yet were easily offended, when they were challenged of their heretical teachings. Saul sending these messengers three times, means that their coming and going out of the body is all part of the process of our spiritual maturity through suffering (the significance of the number three).

Gal 1:6  I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 
Gal 1:7  not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 
Gal 1:8  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 

1Sa 19:22  Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah. 
1Sa 19:23  And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 
1Sa 19:24  And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets? 

Saul ending up in Naioth in Ramah in pursuit of David and the messengers he sent earlier to take down David are all the same in spiritual significance – the coming of false brethren into our midst to spy on our liberty in Christ with the purpose of bringing us into bondage, that is, killing us spiritually. However, in the case of Saul, we are given further information that he stripped off his clothes and prophesied as he lay naked throughout the day and night. 

Saul stripping off his clothes and lying naked signifies that as the body of Christ, we shall come to know the sinful motives of these false brethren who come in our midst, just as all things are naked and opened to the eyes of the Lord.   

Heb 4:13  Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. 

May we continue in Him having the full assurance that He who has started this good work in us shall see to its completion. Amen! 

1 Samuel 17:1–30 David and Goliath, Part 1

[Study Aired May 4, 2026]

Chapter 17 of first Samuel emphasizes the victory of David over Goliath, demonstrating the triumph of faith over fear. It also shows us that the battle is indeed the Lord’s. 

1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 
1Jn 5:5  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 

1Sa 17:47  And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands. 

The chapter is divided into two parts. The first part, which is the study today, highlights how David came to the battle field where Goliath was defying the armies of Israel. The second part of the study will focus on how David won the victory over Goliath and his army. 

Introducing Goliath

1Sa 17:1  Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim. 
1Sa 17:2  And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. 
1Sa 17:3  And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. 

The verses above demonstrate how we are in conflict with our flesh as long as we live. As we have indicated in previous studies, the Philistines represent our flesh and this conflict with our flesh is what is spoken of in the word of the Lord as follows:

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 
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. 
Gal 5:18  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.  

In verse 1, we are told where the Philistines were gathered – from Shochoh to Azekah. The names of where the Philistines were gathered show us some of the characteristics of our flesh. Shochoh means ‘hedge’; which can mean limiting an action. This implies that our flesh signified by the Philistines, is limited in terms of its ability to derail the Lord’s elect from the prize. Azekah means ’tilled.’ The Philistines’ residence stretching to Azekah implies that the carnal mind of  the flesh, powered by the devil, can dominate those in whom the Lord is preparing their hearts and minds. Our Lord Jesus warned us that when an unclean spirit leaves a man, he comes with seven more spirits to reside in the man whose heart and mind is garnished. That is why we must test the spirit to see if what is said is of the Lord or from the carnal mind of the flesh. 

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. 

The fact that the Philistines were in Ephesdammim, which means the boundary of blood drops suggests that in our fight against the flesh, we do not have to resist to the point of shedding blood. 

Heb 12:4  Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 

Saul and the men of Israel were camped by the valley of Elah. In the scriptures, valleys represent places where we are tried and tested, just before the Lord elevates us spiritually.  

Psa 84:6  Who passing through the valley of Baca (Baca means weeping) make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. 
Psa 84:7  They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. 

Hos 2:15  And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor (Achor means troubled) for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. 

The fact that in verse 3, the Philistines were on a mountain, while the Israelites, too, were on a mountain with a valley between them signifies that we must be full of the flesh before we are judged or taken through bitter experience, resulting in our elevation to become part of the children of Israel which denotes the Lord’s elect. 

1Sa 17:4  And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 
1Sa 17:5  And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. 
1Sa 17:6  And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. 
1Sa 17:7  And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him. 

Goliath’s stature, protective armor and weapons of warfare typify the formidable opposition of our flesh. Goliath means exile and Gath signifies wine press. This shows us that the work of the Lord is to exile or cast out the flesh of the elect through judgment (winepress) in this age.

In verse 4, one of the notable features of Goliath was his height of approximately six cubits. The number six is the number of man, and therefore this shows us that Goliath represents our flesh. Height in the negative context denote pride. One of the notable characteristics of our flesh is its pride in lifting ourselves or not submitting to the Lord. 

Eze 31:10  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height; 

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.   

In verse 5, Goliath’s body armor weighed 5,000 shekels of brass. Brass or copper on a negative note describes our carnal state in Christ which must be purified with a furnace of fire. What this implies is that the carnal mind of the flesh is what protects it from the truth of the word of the Lord. The number 5,000 signifies our carnal state in Christ such that we cannot understand the mysteries of the kingdom. 

Mat 14:21  And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

Mat 16:9  Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 

If we are called and chosen by the Lord, then in the fullness of time, the stronger man (Jesus Christ) will grant us victory over the carnal mind of our flesh as He disarms the flesh. 

Luk 11:22  But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. 

Goliath’s weapon is the spear which spiritually is the same as the sword. 

1Sa 13:22  So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.

In the negative sense, the sword or the spear represents false doctrines. This is supported by the fact that Goliath’s spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron. The number six hundred is composed of six and two tens (600 =6x10x10). Six is the number of man, and the two tens represent a witness to the fullness of the flesh. This implies that the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition is what is spewed by our flesh. 

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 

It is through false doctrines that the devil empowers our flesh and therefore, deceives the whole world.

Rev 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.  

It is also instructive to note that there is one who bears Goliath’s shield before him. The person bearing his shield represents the false teachers and apostles parading in the corridors of the church system of this world. These false messengers come as angels of light, spewing false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition to strengthen the flesh.

Mat 15:9  But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.    

1Sa 17:8  And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. 
1Sa 17:9  If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. 
1Sa 17:10  And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. 
1Sa 17:11  When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. 

As indicated, Goliath represents the formidable opposition of our flesh. Since creation until the time of Christ, no man was able to overcome the flesh except Jesus. Jesus is the first overcomer. 

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. 

Goliath throwing a challenge that the Israelites should choose a man to fight him and that whoever wins becomes the Lord is to let us know how our flesh makes his boast through the false doctrine that no man can overcome him.

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 

Saul and the people of Israel becoming dismayed and greatly afraid in verse 11, shows that as long as we remain in the church system of this world or Babylon, we are not going to overcome the flesh. This is due to the false doctrine that no man is able to make war with the beast or our flesh. 

How David Entered the Battle Field

1Sa 17:12  Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul. 
1Sa 17:13  And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 
1Sa 17:14  And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul. 
1Sa 17:15  But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

In the previous study, David was anointed with the spirit of the Lord coming on him. This serves as the beginning of the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him. 

Col 3:10  and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 

The fact that David was the eighth son affirms his new beginning or the new man in him, since the number eight represents new beginning or the new man. David therefore signifies the Lord’s elect.   

The number three denotes the process of spiritual maturity through the Lord’s judgment. The fact that three of the eldest sons of Jesse went to battle the Philistines implies that it is through judgment that we overcome the old man or the flesh. 

In verse 15, David going from Saul, who symbolizes the church system of this world, to take care of his father’s sheep means that we must leave Babylon to become part of the church of the new Jerusalem or the first born.  

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. 
Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 

1Sa 17:16  And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. 

The number forty signifies the periods of trial and testing in our lives. Goliath presenting himself for forty days to the Israelites without any challenge shows how when we were in the church system of this world or Babylon, we were not given to enter the rest of the Lord since we were always erring in our hearts and had not known the Lord’s way of overcoming the flesh. 

Psa 95:10  Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: 
Psa 95:11  Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. 

1Sa 17:17  And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren; 
1Sa 17:18  And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge. 
1Sa 17:19  Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.

The fact that David was sent by his father Jesse to send food to his brothers and the captains of thousands, in the camp of the Israelites, signifies that there is lack of food or the word of the Lord in Babylon. 

Eze 4:16  Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment: 
Eze 4:17  That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity. 

As indicated earlier, valleys represent places where we are tried and tested, just before the Lord elevates us spiritually. Saul and all the men of Israel in the valley of Elah fighting the Philistines in verse 19 implies that they were being tried and tested. As we shall see later, none of the men of Israel or Saul was able to confront Goliath in the valley. This suggests that when we were in the church system of this world or Babylon, we were tried and tested, and found lacking the ability to overcome the flesh. 

1Sa 17:20  And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. 
1Sa 17:21  For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. 
1Sa 17:22  And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. 
1Sa 17:23  And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. 
1Sa 17:24  And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.  

As we have shown earlier, David represents the Lord’s elect. The fact that David was not part of Saul’s army facing the Philistines is to show us that David had left Babylon. In verse 24, all the men of Israel fled from Goliath and were afraid. This demonstrates how our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world are not given to overcome the flesh in this age. On the other hand, David was not afraid when he heard the words of Goliath. It shows us that it is only the Lord’s elect who are favored to overcome the flesh in this age. 

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

1Sa 17:25  And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel. 
1Sa 17:26  And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? 
1Sa 17:27  And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him. 

Verse 25 shows us the reward for overcoming the flesh in this age. The king enriching the one who kills Goliath signifies being enriched in Christ as we overcome in this age. This is a continuous process as long as we live in the flesh.

1Co 1:5  That in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; 
1Co 1:6  Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: 

The king giving his daughter to the one who overcomes Goliath symbolizes the overcomers becoming the bride of Christ. 

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 
Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Rev 19:9  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

The third reward for overcoming in verse 25 is that the king will not require his father’s house to pay taxes. As we overcome and are being enriched in Christ, we come to realize that we are free from the burden of the law of Moses which includes tithing, which is equivalent to paying tax. 

Mat 17:24  When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 
Mat 17:25  He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” 
Mat 17:26  And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.” (ESV)

David enquiring about the reward for overcoming Goliath in verse 26 indicates that David, as a symbol of the Lord’s elect, had respect for the reward. As we are aware, the Lord Jesus was motivated by the joy that was set before Him or the reward. Similarly, Moses also had respect for the reward. As the Lord’s elect, we must be motivated to overcome in this age by the reward set before us. 

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

Heb 11:24  By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; 
Heb 11:25  Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 
Heb 11:26  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

1Sa 17:28  And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. 
1Sa 17:29  And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause? 
1Sa 17:30  And he turned from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.

It is important to note that in verse 28, David’s brother, Eliab, was angry with David’s enquiry about the reward for defeating Goliath. Eliab represents our brothers and sisters in the churches of this world or Babylon, whose anger is kindled against us when we question their beliefs about the future reward. Just as Eliab did not think that David had changed inwardly and was pointing to David’s pride and naughtiness of heart, our brothers and sisters in the church system of this world do not consider us as inwardly changed from our former way of life. They consider us as dead in the street of the church system of this world or Jerusalem (Sodom and Egypt).

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

As David turned from his brother Eliab to someone ready to provide him with answers about the reward in verse 30, we must turn to those who are willing to help us understand the joy that is set before us.

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.  

May the Lord grant us the grace to have respect for the reward. Amen!!

1 Samuel 8:1–22 Israel Demands a King

[Study Aired February 23, 2026]

Introduction

Today’s study highlights Israel’s rejection of the Lord as their king and their desire to have an earthly monarch. The study also exposes the corruption of the leadership of Israel, represented by Samuel’s sons, Joel and Abiah at that time. Part of the study is devoted to the warnings of the Lord through Samuel that a king will burden the nation, seizing sons for war, daughters for service, and taking the best fields. 

Finally, the study ends with the Lord requesting Samuel to accept the demands of the people of Israel for a king so that they may be like other nations.

Israel Demands a King

1Sa 8:1  And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. 
1Sa 8:2  Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. 
1Sa 8:3  And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. 

Under the law of Moses, becoming the Lord’s elect was through the Levites tribe. In other words, priesthood was only through the Levite tribe. Election was therefore through one’s pedigree. As we are aware, the church system still operates under the law of Moses, and it is when faith comes that we are set free from the law, resulting in our exit from Babylon.

Deu 18:5  For the LORD thy God hath chosen him (Levi) out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons forever. 
Deu 18:6  And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the LORD shall choose; 
Deu 18:7  Then he shall minister in the name of the LORD his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, which stand there before the LORD. 

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 

On a positive note, the fact that we do not have control over the family we are born into, means that serving the Lord is determined by the Lord and not by our own will or initiative as we were told when we were in Babylon.

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 
Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

One of the significant features of the church system of this world or Babylon which we see every day is how their leaders want their children to lead the churches when they are gone. Samuel’s sons becoming the judges of Israel after Samuel shows us that Israel at that time represents Babylon or the church system of this world. Samuel’s sons not walking in Samuel’s ways therefore means that they were false apostles transforming themselves as angels of light. The names of Samuel’s sons attest to this. Joel means ‘Jehovah is God’ and Abiah stands for ‘Jehovah is my father.’ These sons of Samuel were therefore presenting themselves as their father Samuel (who represents Christ), but do not walk in the Lord’s ways.

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. 

In verse 2, these sins of the sons of Samuel were itemized. They turned aside to lucre, which is dishonest gain. The Lord has warned us against the love of money which is the root of all evil. Many of the leaders of the church system of this world today have become rich through excessive demands for money from their church members.

Jer 6:13  “For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely.
Jer 6:14  They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace. (ESV)
Jer 6:15  Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,” says the LORD.

1Ti 6:9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 
1Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Another item mentioned, revealing the sins of the leadership of the church system of this world or Babylon is taking bribes. That is to say that the leadership are dishonestly persuaded to favor those who come to them with gifts or money. In the church of the Lord’s elect, there should not be any favoritism. 

The third item mentioned, regarding the sins of Samuel’s sons is perverted judgment. As shown in Deuteronomy 16:19, we are shown that perverted judgment comes about through favoritism and taking gifts which influence our ability to judge fairly and also having no respect for persons.

Deu 16:19  Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. 

We can see that all these sins are prevalent in the church system of this world which effectively pervert the words of the Lord’s elect or the righteous. 

1Sa 8:4  Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 
1Sa 8:5  And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 
1Sa 8:6  But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. 

The Israelites requesting for a king was because of the lifestyle of the sons of Samuel, who were not walking in the way of the Lord like their father Samuel. Samuel here signifies the Lord’s elect and the children of Israel desiring the leadership of Samuel is to let us know that what creation is actually looking for is the Lord’s elect to come and rule over them.

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 

As we can see in the Book of Acts, Paul appointed elders in every fellowship that he visited. This indicates that the governance of the church of the Lord’s elect is through plural leadership. However, the people of Israel requesting for a king to judge them just like other nations of the world shows us the shift from plural leadership to singular rule in the churches of this world which will expose the decadence of the church system of this world.

Act 14:23  And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

Tit 1:5  For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:

Samuel was displeased at the request by the elders of Israel because he knew it was not in accordance with the Lord’s established governance system of His church. He therefore went to seek the face of the Lord concerning the matter. That is to show us that when we are uncertain about any matter, we should seek answers from the Lord through prayer.  

Php 4:6  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 
Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

1Sa 8:7  And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 
1Sa 8:8  According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. 
1Sa 8:9  Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. 

In seeking the Lord for what Samuel must do, the Lord told him that he must hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to him. The Lord is always ready to answer us when we call on His name. In Jeremiah 33:3, the Lord told Jeremiah that not only will He answer us but will go further to show us great and mighty things which we have not even imagined. Here in verses 7-9 of today’s study, the Lord was revealing to Samuel that although asking for a king is a rebellion against Him, it is part of His plan for Israel. 

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

All our rebellion against the Lord is part of His plan for us so that He will have the occasion He is seeking to come and judge us for the destruction of our flesh. This is clearly shown in the example of Samson asking for a wife of the Philistines which was part of the Lord’s plan for him. 

Jdg 14:1  And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. 
Jdg 14:2  And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 
Jdg 14:3  Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. 
Jdg 14:4  But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

In verse 8, the Lord told Samuel that Israel has rebelled against Him since they left Egypt to date as they served other gods instead of Christ. The Israelites who left Egypt and came into the wilderness and later settled on the promised land represents the church system of this world. This is what the Lord says about them when they were in the wilderness:

Psa 95:8  Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 
Psa 95:9  When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. 
Psa 95:10  Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: 
Psa 95:11  Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. 

The church system of this world or Babylon has always rebelled against the Lord. As we shall see later in the study, the king that the Israelites require will make their relationship with Christ even worse. 

In verse 9, the Lord told Samuel that he should let Israel know the consequences of their action of wanting a king just like the other nations. The Lord always warns us about our actions to give Him the occasion that He is waiting for, to come and judge us.

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. 

Samuel’s Warning Against Setting up Kings

1Sa 8:10  And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. 
1Sa 8:11  And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.

As indicated, the Israelites in this study represent the church system of this world or Babylon. What the Israelites requested is what is prevailing in the Babylon to date. The king taking their sons and appointing them for himself is portrayed in the story of Daniel as follows:

Dan 1:1  In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. 
Dan 1:2  And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
Dan 1:3  And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes; 
Dan 1:4  Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. 
Dan 1:5  And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. 
Dan 1:6  Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: 

Here in these verses of Daniel, we see that the king wanted the children of Israel of the king’s seed and the princes to be taught the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. The king’s seed and the princes represent us, His elect, who were taken captives when we were in the churches of this world where we were taught all the false doctrines of Babylon. We ended up serving the pastors, instead of the living God. 

Act 5:29  Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. 

1Co 1:12  Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 
1Co 1:13  Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

1Sa 8:12  And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. 

To plow His ground and reap his harvest means that we become laborers for the pastors, who use us for their benefit. In Babylon, the pastors have dominion over the Lord’s flock and are not ready to serve for the benefit of others.

1Pe 5:1  So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 
1Pe 5:2  shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 
1Pe 5:3  not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.  

1Sa 8:13  And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 
1Sa 8:14  And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 
1Sa 8:15  And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 

The daughters becoming cooks and bakers means that the church system eats its own bread and food. The bread and food that the churches prepare in this case represent the false doctrines emanating from the hearts and minds of their leaders. 

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

The king taking the fields, vineyards and olive yards to give to his servants implies that we become spiritually impoverished during our time in the churches of this world. Verse 15 shows us one of the ways we become spiritually impoverished. The king taking the tenth of our seed and our vineyard and giving to his officers and to his servants means that one of the ways we become spiritually impoverished is through tithing. However, in our eyes, we think that we are spiritually enriched in Jesus.

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 
Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 

1Sa 8:16  And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 
1Sa 8:17  He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. 
1Sa 8:18  And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.  

The three young Hebrew men – Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego, together with Daniel are examples of how as the goodliest young men (the Lord’s elect), we are put to work by our leaders or shepherds, during our time in the churches of this world. 

Dan 1:6  Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: 
Dan 1:7  Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.

Eze 34:7  Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
Eze 34:8  As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;

When we look at the church system today, we see many of our brothers and sisters in Babylon complaining about their leaders but still continue to worship there. This is to show us how true the words of the Lord is when He said here in verse 18 that you shall cry out in that day because of your king, but the Lord will not hear you in that day. However, if we are the Lord’s elect, then in the fullness of time, the Lord will come to our aid and force our escape from Babylon. 

Jer 29:10  For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. 
Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 
Jer 29:12  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 
Jer 29:13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 
Jer 29:14  And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

The Lord Grants Israel’s Request

1Sa 8:19  Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; 
1Sa 8:20  That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.

Being like other nations means living like the people of this world who are ruled by their flesh and have no part in the commonwealth of the Lord’s people. The Israelites desiring to become like other nations therefore means that they become worse off. This is what the Lord says when we do not glorify Him as God and as a result, we become vain in our thinking as we desire to become like the people of this world:

Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 
Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 
Rom 1:23  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 
Rom 1:24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 
Rom 1:25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 
Rom 1:26  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 
Rom 1:27  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 
Rom 1:28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;  

1Sa 8:21  And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. 
1Sa 8:22  And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city. 

It is important to note that after Samuel heard from the Lord regarding the Lord’s position on the matter, Samuel told the Lord exactly what the Lord has told him. This means that in the study of the Lord’s word, we must always have a witness from another scripture to confirm what we are being told. That is one of the principles of understanding the word of the Lord. 

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

For example, in Isaiah 26:8 we are told that the Lord’s judgment leads to righteousness. This is confirmed in 1 Peter 5:1-2 which says that our suffering or the Lord’s judgment, leads to 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.   

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

In verse 22, the Lord also told Samuel to hearken to His voice to make the people of Israel a king. The Lord demands our obedience if we are to be His children.  We demonstrate our love to the Lord through our obedience. 

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

May the Lord grant us the grace to demonstrate our love to Him through our obedience. Amen!!

1 Samuel 3:1–21 The Lord Calls Samuel

[Study Aired January 19, 2026]

The study for today highlights the call of Samuel by the Lord. It also touches on the Lord’s pronouncement of judgment on Eli’s house. Finally, it shows us how Samuel was growing spiritually as the Lord continues to reveal Himself to him through His word.

The Lord Calls Samuel

1Sa 3:1  And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision. 

As indicated in the previous study, Samuel ministering before Eli is the same as him ministering before the Lord. This is because whatever we do for any of the Lord’s elect, we have done it for the Lord. It implies that as we minister to one another, we are ministering to the Lord.

Mat 25:37  Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 
Mat 25:38  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
Mat 25:39  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 
Mat 25:40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 

Samuel being referred to as a child means that he was not mature in the things of the Lord. In today’s jargon, we will say that Samuel was a baby in Christ. We may be ministering to the Lord and yet are babies. This is what it means to be babies in Christ:

Heb 5:12  For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 
Heb 5:13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. (ESV)

In verse 1, we can see that Samuel’s immaturity in the Lord is because he had not been exposed so much to the word of the Lord since the Lord’s words were rare during Samuel’s early stages of life. In other words, there was famine of the word of the Lord. Samuel’s early walk with the Lord is the same as our early walk with Christ in the sense that we also experienced famine of the word of the Lord since the church system of this world or Babylon, with which we started our walk is starved of the word of the Lord. 

Amo 8:11  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: 
Amo 8:12  And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. 
Amo 8:13 In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.  

Apart from the word of the Lord being rare in Samuel’s childhood days, there was also no open vision. According to Strong’s Dictionary, vision in this sense means revelation, and open here can mean to increase or grow. What this implies is that during our time in the churches of this world, there was no increase in revelation of Christ. In other words, what we knew about Christ when we entered Babylon had not increased. Actually, we became worse off due to the false doctrines which we imbibed. 

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. 

If we are to grow in grace, then our knowledge of Christ or His words, must increase. Fortunately, in our time, knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom has increased tremendously as we get closer to the end of this age. This was prophesied by Daniel as follows:

Dan 12:4  But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. 

As indicated here in Daniel 12:4, this knowledge, which will increase at the time of the end, does not pertain only to the word of the Lord. In the field of science and other areas, there have been major breakthroughs in knowledge resulting in the use of artificial intelligence to solve many problems that we were grappling with for many centuries. All of these show us that the end of this age is almost here with us. Indeed, the time is at hand!!

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. 

1Sa 3:2  And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; 
1Sa 3:3  And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; 

The eyes of Eli becoming dim represent the fading glory of the law of Moses which makes it difficult for us to see the law of the spirit of life which sets us free from the law of sin and death, when we were in Babylon. 

2Co 3:7  Now if the ministry of death (the law of Moses), carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end
2Co 3:8  will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 

2Co 3:12  Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 
2Co 3:13  not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 
2Co 3:14  But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 
2Co 3:15  Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 
2Co 3:16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 

As shown in verse 3, the lamp of the Lord had not yet gone out in the temple of the Lord as Samuel laid down to sleep. Samuel, in this case, represents the Lord’s elect during our time in the church system of this world. The lamp of God signifies the word of the Lord. 

Psa 119:105  NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. 

Therefore, what verse 3 is suggesting is that even though we, as the Lord’s elect, were spiritually becoming more bankrupt (laid down to sleep), in our hearts and minds (the temple of God), the word of the Lord had not fully gone out of us. It is this word in our hearts and minds that makes us answer to the Lord’s call in our spiritually dead state.

Job 14:15  You would call, and I would answer you; you would long for the work of your hands.

1Sa 3:4  That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. 
1Sa 3:5  And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. 
1Sa 3:6  And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
1Sa 3:7  Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.  

In verse 4, the Lord calling Samuel signifies the Lord coming to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness when we were in the church system of this world or Babylon. 

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: 

This coming of Christ to us during our time in Babylon is usually not something spectacular like what happened to Paul when He was going to Damascus to arrest the Lord’s elect. Usually, the Lord comes to us through His elect who speak to us the truth of the Lord’s word. However, just like Samuel, we mistake the voice of the Lord through His elect and think that it is the voice of our pastors of the churches of this world. If we are given to realize the voice of the shepherd through His elect, that is when we are given to say that blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Mat 23:39  For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 

As stated in verse 7, the reason we were not able to hear the voice of the Lord is because during our time in Babylon, we did not know the Lord yet because we have not yet been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. We were part of the multitude that came to hear Jesus but heard parables which we did not understand. 

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.  

Most of us experienced the call of the Lord several times before we began to pay attention to Him. For example, Abraham, our father in faith, had to be called twice before he responded to the Lord’s call. The Lord appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia and also in Haran before Abraham moved to the promised land. Calling Abraham twice signifies that the Lord always leaves a witness of His relentless pursuit of His elect. As His elect, nothing shall separate us from the love of the Lord.

Act 7:1  Then said the high priest, Are these things so? 
Act 7:2  And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 
Act 7:3  And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. 
Act 7:4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.   

Gen 12:1  Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 

Gen 12:4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 

Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1Sa 3:8  And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child. 
1Sa 3:9  Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
1Sa 3:10  And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

The calling of Samuel three times by the Lord and Samuel still thinking that it was Eli calling is to show us that Samuel had not gone through the process of becoming spiritually mature through the Lord’s judgment (the significance of three). It means Samuel was still a baby in Christ. That was our situation when we were in the church system of this world before the Lord came to us to begin the process of our exit from Babylon.

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. 
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

The fact that Eli, who represents the fading glory of the law of Moses, was able to instruct Samuel about how to engage the Lord in a conversation means that the law of Moses was needful at a certain point in our walk with Christ, when we were in the church system of this world.  

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 

It is through the law that we come to know that of our own, we can do nothing. It is this knowledge which serves as the basis of our relationship with Christ as we begin to walk by faith in Him or His word.

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 

In verse 4, Samuel finally answered the Lord’s call. It was at the fourth call by the Lord that Samuel was able to respond appropriately. The number four means the whole of the matter under discussion. Therefore, Samuel responding to the Lord’s fourth call implies that as His elect, the Lord will use the whole of His communication arsenal to get our attention at the right time. 

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

This is what the Lord is doing in this age. He is standing at our door and knocking and it is only the Lord’s elect that are hearing Him, just like Samuel and not Eli, who also represents the leaders of the church system of this world. Therefore, the door is being opened to us to come and dine with the Lord. 

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

The Judgment of the House of Eli

1Sa 3:11  And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. 
1Sa 3:12  In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.  

It is only the Lord’s elect who are aware that the church system of this world or Babylon shall be destroyed in the fullness of time. What the Lord will do, which will tingle the ears of the people of this world, is the destruction of Babylon. Babylon within each of us must be destroyed first before we can be set free to worship the Lord in truth and in spirit. In verses 11 and 12, the Lord was telling Samuel what He was going to do regarding the church system of this world. 

Rev 16:17  And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. 
Rev 16:18  And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 
Rev 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

On the other hand, there is also the physical or outward destruction of the church system of this world or Babylon through the judgment of the Lord in the fullness of time.  

Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 
Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
Rev 18:9  And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, 
Rev 18:10  Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. 
Rev 18:11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 

1Sa 3:14  And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever. 

According to Brown-Driver-Briggs Dictionary, the word “forever” in verse 14 means as far as, until, up to, etc. Therefore, it means that the iniquity of Eli’s house which represents the church system of this world or Babylon will not be cleansed by the sacrificial blood of Christ in this age. 

1Sa 3:15  And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision. 
1Sa 3:16  Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I. 
1Sa 3:17  And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide anything from me of all the things that he said unto thee. 
1Sa 3:18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good. 

Samuel fearing to tell Eli the vision is to remind us that our communion with the Lord should not be proclaimed at the house-tops – it is private. Unlike Samuel, who represents the Lord’s elect, our brothers and sisters in the church system, especially their leaders will always talk about how the Lord is always communicating with them. Many times you will hear them saying, “the Lord told me …”, when the Lord has not said anything.

Eze 22:27  Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain. 
Eze 22:28 And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ when the LORD has not spoken. (ESV)

Jer 23:16  Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. 
Jer 23:17 They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.’” (ESV)

When the Lord wants us to share what He has shown us by way of vision, dream, etc., He will create the circumstance which will make us share what He has shown us, just like the case of Samuel. 

Eli’s response did not show any remorse, after Samuel told him everything about the evil the Lord would bring to his house. Compare this with the behavior of the people of Nineveh when they realized that the Lord would destroy them in forty days. They put on sackcloth and repented of their evil ways. The Lord therefore did not destroy them. As indicated earlier, Eli’s house will not be given the opportunity to repent and be cleansed by the blood of Christ. This means that the church system of this world will not repent in this age and therefore will not be cleansed in this age by the blood of Christ.

Jon 3:4  And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. 
Jon 3:5  So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
Jon 3:6  For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 
Jon 3:7  And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything: let them not feed, nor drink water: 
Jon 3:8  But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. 
Jon 3:9  Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? 
Jon 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. 

Samuel Continued to Grow in the Lord

1Sa 3:19  And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. 
1Sa 3:20  And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD. 
1Sa 3:21 And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD. 

Just like Samuel, the Lord is with us, and therefore we must feed on the word of the Lord to grow. It is very instructive to note that the Lord did not let any of His words fall to the ground. This means that the Lord will surely fulfill every promise He has made to us. 

Psa 138:8  The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. 

The Lord establishing Samuel as a prophet of the Lord in the eyes of the people of Israel in verse 20 is to let us know that the unbelief of the house of Eli or the church system of this world or Babylon has resulted in the Lord showing mercy to His elect in this age. This implies that in the fullness of time, through the mercy we have obtained, the whole of humanity shall also obtain mercy.  

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

As we are aware, Samuel later became like a ruler to the Lord’s people as He was consulted in all key issues pertaining to Israel. For example, when the people of Israel wanted a king, it was to Samuel they referred the matter. This is all to show us that our obedience to the Lord is preparing us to rule over the kingdoms of this world at the end of this age when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of 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 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. 

It is important to note in verse 21 that the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord. Our eyes being opened to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven is the same as the Lord revealing Himself to us, just like the case of Samuel. It is therefore not through signs and wonders that we perform or the size of our followers that authenticate the fact that we know Christ. 

We cannot therefore thank the Lord enough for favoring us in this age to know Him through His word. May His name be praised. Amen!

Matthew 23:1–39 The Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

[Study Aired October 13, 2025]

Today’s study is about Jesus exposing the hypocrisy of the leaders of the church system of this world or Babylon, symbolized by the scribes and the Pharisees. Before we can understand today’s study, we need to know the use of the word “woe” in the Bible. A woe in the Bible can have various meanings depending on the context. It can mean an expression of deep sorrow, pain, or a state of great misery and trouble. It can also mean a solemn declaration of God’s judgment against those who persist in sin or hypocrisy. A woe can indicate a lament over one’s own pitiful state, as seen in Isaiah’s vision of God’s holiness.  

Isa 6:5  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts [here Isaiah is lamenting over his spiritual poverty].

Rev 8:13  And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! [This is talking about our judgment]

In today’s study, Jesus pronouncing seven “woes” against the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy and spiritual blindness serves as a divine pronouncement of their judgment. As we are aware, the number seven spiritually means complete. Therefore, the seven woes show us the complete judgment of the Lord on our old man or flesh for our deeds during our time in the church system of this world. It also shows our spiritual poverty during our time in Babylon.

Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

Mat 23:1  Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 
Mat 23:2  Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: 

Here we see Jesus speaking to both the multitude and His disciples. As we have indicated in this study of the Book of Matthew, the multitude represents us in the churches of this world, and the disciples signify the Lord’s elect. We must first be part of the church system of this world before we are given to become the Lord’s elect. The Scribes and the Pharisees sitting in Moses’ seat means that in this age, it is the church system of this world or Babylon who are the custodians of the law of Moses. This implies that the church system preaches only the law of Moses, and therefore, they are not given to know Christ. In other words, the church system of this world does not have the keys of the kingdom of Heaven. 

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 

We know that the law of Moses only serves to make us aware of our sinful state. That is why we must first be in Babylon so that we know our sins through the law. Knowing our sins is a prerequisite to knowing Christ and His words. It is when we begin to see our spiritual poverty that the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to open our understanding to know Him. 

Rom 7:7  What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 
Rom 7:8  But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. 
Rom 7:9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 

Mat 23:3  All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. 
Mat 23:4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.   

During our time in the churches of this world, the Lord required us to be obedient to the law of Moses which is taught in Babylon. This is because it is through our disobedience that we can know our sinful state. It is in Babylon that we saw the works of the leaders which reflect our state. That is, we worshiped the Lord with our mouth but our hearts were far away from Him.

Mat 15:8  This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 
Mat 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 

In Matthew 15:9, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men is the same as teaching the law of Moses. 

Rom 2:14  For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 

As shown in verse 4, these commandments of men are like heavy burdens which are grievous to be borne because we do not have what it takes to obey them – not even the leaders of the church system of this world or Babylon. This heavy burden we bore during our time in the churches of this world is depicted by the people of Israel’s reaction to Rehoboam, Solomon’s son who succeeded him as king. Rehoboam’s insistence on increasing the burden on the people of Israel was what brought about the separation of the northern kingdom from Judah. We can therefore deduce that this heavy burden that we bore when we were in the churches of this world was what accelerated our exit from Babylon.   

1Ki 12:1  And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
1Ki 12:2  And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, (for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt;) 
1Ki 12:3  That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying, 
1Ki 12:4  Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee. 

1Ki 12:12  So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day. 
1Ki 12:13  And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men’s counsel that they gave him; 
1Ki 12:14 And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. 

1Ki 12:16  So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents. 

1Ki 12:17 But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 

Mat 23:5  But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 
Mat 23:6  And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 
Mat 23:7  And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 
Mat 23:8  But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 

In these verses, the Lord is warning us, His disciples, of the Nicolaitan system in the churches of this world. The word “Nicolaitans” is found in the following verses of scripture:

Rev 2:6  But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 

Rev 2:15  So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

It means conquerors of the people or victory over the laity. These scribes and Pharisees were lording over the Lord’s people, and this nicolaitan doctrine is what prevails in the church system of this world where the pastors rule over the Lord’s people. The Lord has warned His disciples of this tendency as follows:

Mat 20:25  But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 
Mat 20:26  But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 
Mat 20:27  And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 
Mat 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

As indicated in verses 5-7, these scribes and pharisees, who represent the leaders of Babylon, want their works to be seen by everybody. This runs contrary to what the Lord wants His elect to do.

Mat 6:3  But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 
Mat 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.  

Mat 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 

Mat 6:17  But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 
Mat 6:18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. 

Mat 23:9  And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 
Mat 23:10  Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. 
Mat 23:11  But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 
Mat 23:12  And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. 

We are called to serve and not lord over the Lord’s people as we see in the churches of this world or Babylon, where the pastors reign as kings over the Lord’s people. 

Gal 5:13  For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 

1Pe 4:10  As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 

Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 
Php 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 

In verse 12, the Lord is warning us to humble ourselves before Him and men and we shall be exalted. On the other hand, if we exalt ourselves, we shall be abased. The story of Nebuchadnezzar is a reminder of how the Lord brings us down if we exalt ourselves.

Dan 4:28  All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. 
Dan 4:29  At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. 
Dan 4:30  The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? 
Dan 4:31  While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. 
Dan 4:32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.   

Mat 23:13  But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
Mat 23:14  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 
Mat 23:15  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. 

We were the scribes and pharisees during our time in the churches of this world. The question is, “How do the scribes and Pharisees shut up the kingdom of heaven against men?” When we preach the doctrines of men or false doctrines, we are shutting up the kingdom of heaven. As indicated earlier, the doctrines of men are just like the law of Moses, which only requires obedience from our end, but does not provide the way to obedience. This implies that those who preach the law of Moses cannot live according to what they preach and therefore cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. If those leading the way cannot enter, then the followers are made worse off.

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. 

As indicated in the introductory portion of this study, woe can mean a lament over our pitiful state of being worse off. The Lord’s use of woe to the scribes and pharisees shows our worsened state as we become entangled with the pollution of this world during our time in Babylon.

The next question is, “How do we devour widows houses?” It is when our message makes them worse off. The widows here represent the church system of this world or Babylon, who is without her husband Christ. As indicated in 2 Peter 2:17 above, it is in Babylon that we are made worse off, using prayer as a smoke screen to deceive many. Receiving greater damnation means that we shall be judged severely.

2Ti 3:6  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 
2Ti 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Compassing the sea and land to make one proselyte means putting in significant resources and effort to win a convert. We can see everywhere around us, many Christian TV stations and so-called mega pastors, travelling all over the world in the name of the gospel. In the final analysis, these converts become worse off than when they started in the faith.      

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. 

The Lord predicted how these men of God (scribes and Pharisees) will make His people worse off through the prophet Joel as follows:

Joe 2:2  A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. 
Joe 2:3  A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. 
Joe 2:4  The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
Joe 2:5  Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. 
Joe 2:6  Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. 
Joe 2:7  They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march everyone on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
Joe 2:8  Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk everyone in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. 
Joe 2:9  They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.
Joe 2:10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: 

Mat 23:16  Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! 
Mat 23:17  Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 
Mat 23:18  And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 
Mat 23:19  Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 

In verse 16, Jesus is referring to the scribes and the Pharisees as blind guides. This sums up what the leaders of the church system of this world are – they are blind guides. In other words, being blind, their eyes are not opened to perceive the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven. We know that our bodies are the temple of the Lord. These scribes and Pharisees, who represent our lifestyle when we were in the churches of this world,  focus on the gold of the temple instead of the temple. This implies that many consider financial gain as a form of godliness instead of the cleansing of our hearts and minds (the temple).   

1Ti 6:5  Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. 
1Ti 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain. 
1Ti 6:7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1Ti 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 
1Ti 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 

In verses 17-19, Jesus is showing us that we are indeed fools and blind to consider the gold of the temple (riches) more than the temple (the sanctification of our hearts and minds). The parable of the rich fool demonstrate the point that Jesus was making.

Luk 12:15  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 
Luk 12:16  And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 
Luk 12:17  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 
Luk 12:18  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 
Luk 12:19  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 
Luk 12:20  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 
Luk 12:21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. 

Mat 23:20  Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 
Mat 23:21  And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 
Mat 23:22  And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 

Verses 20 to 22 show us the importance of our body as living sacrifice to the Lord. The altar is within the temple, and the temple and the heavens all refer to our hearts and minds, where the throne of the Lord is. The sanctification of our hearts and minds is the work of the Lord who uses judgment as His cleansing tool. We can therefore see that the work of the Lord in our lives pertains to building of our temple or hearts and mind. This building of our temple is the cleansing of our hearts and minds. To ignore our temple, the center of the Lord’s work, and to focus on anything else means that we have been blinded and as a result, we have become fools.

Zec 6:12  And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:   

Mat 23:23  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 
Mat 23:24  Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 

These verses show us that the church system in Jesus days is not different from what the churches are doing today. Obsession with tithing was what drove the leaders in churches in Jesus days and it is the same as today.

Ecc 1:9  The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. 

Here three things are mentioned as being of greater significance than tithing – judgment, mercy, and faith. Judgment is the means the Lord uses to take us out of the miry clay and to establish us on the rock which is Christ. It is through the suffering we go through that the Lord is able to destroy our flesh, or old man, who is the source of sin in our lives. The importance therefore of judgment is without question. It is the process the Lord uses to prepare us as His bride as we learn righteousness. As the church system in Jesus’ days ignored the issue of judgment, so is the church system of this world today. We can therefore see why the Lord called the scribes and the pharisees blind guides. This is because they do not have a clue as to how the Lord prepares us to be like Him. The same is today. The church system or Babylon today is ignorant of the Lord’s judgment, and therefore they are as blind as their fathers. We were also blind until the Lord came to us to open our eyes to see and ears to hear the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

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.

The church system in Jesus’ days and today do not understand the extent of the Lord’s mercy. The Jews thought they were the only people to whom the Lord will show mercy. The church today also thinks the same way in the sense that the Lord will show mercy to them but will not show mercy to all but burn them forever in the lake of fire. That is not the Lord we serve, who will show mercy to all in the fullness of time.  

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

The third item of importance is faith. Our walk with Christ is a walk of faith, and it is through faith that we receive a good report and are able to overcome. It is through faith that we might obtain a better resurrection (first resurrection).

Heb 11:33  Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 
Heb 11:34  Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 
Heb 11:35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 

The biblical phrase “strain at a gnat and swallow a camel” in Matthew 23:24 means to focus on trivial rules and external appearances while ignoring weightier matters that leads to salvation, such as, judgment, mercy and faith.

Mat 23:25  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 
Mat 23:26  Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
Mat 23:27  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 
Mat 23:28  Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 

When our focus is on outward godliness, we miss out on the power of the Lord to cleanse us from within. As a result, we become worse off. The Lord does not see as we men see, in the sense that He focuses on the inward while men pay attention to the outward. The whole of the church system of this world pay attention to the outward. No wonder during our time in the churches of this world, we were filled with all sorts of evil.  

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 

1Sa 16:7  But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. 

Mat 23:29  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 
Mat 23:30  And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 
Mat 23:31  Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 
Mat 23:32  Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 

These scribes and Pharisees claimed innocence of the shedding of the blood of the prophets, but want to kill Jesus. The word of the Lord says that what we do to any of His messengers, we have done it to the Lord. This implies that the church system of this world is guilty for shedding the blood of Jesus and the prophets. We, His elect, were part of the church system at a certain stage of our walk and therefore were equally guilty.

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

Mat 23:33  Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 
Mat 23:34  Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 
Mat 23:35  That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 
Mat 23:36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 

The first time that the word vipers was used in the Bible, it referred to the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to John the Baptist to be baptized. That was when John the Baptist asked them if it is because they want to flee from the wrath of God that they have come to be baptized. 

Mat 3:7  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

This shows that vipers represent the Lord’s people who think they can escape from the wrath of the Lord or His judgment. This is confirmed in verse 33 where Jesus referred to them as generation of vipers who think they can escape from His judgment. Jesus also referred to them as serpents. Since the serpent represent the devil, it shows us that when we were in the churches of this world, our father was the devil. In verse 33 therefore, the Lord was revealing to us our state when we were in the churches of this world – we were deceived to believe that we have escaped the Lord’s judgement and were not aware that our father was the devil.   

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

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. 

As indicated in the previous verses, we were guilty of the blood of the prophets including our Lord Jesus Christ and therefore cannot escape the Lord’s judgment. Every generation of the Lord’s elect is guilty of the blood of Jesus and the prophets and must go through the Lord’s judgment.

Lament over Jerusalem

Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 
Mat 23:38  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 

Jerusalem in verse 37 represents the church system of this world or Babylon, of which we were part before the Lord came to rescue us. 

Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 

As we are aware, hating a brother or sister means murder. We were therefore guilty of killing the Lord’s prophets sent to us as we rejected their message and considered them dead in the street of Jerusalem.

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

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

Verse 37 is showing us that while we were in the churches of the world, the Lord wanted to gather us together as His elect, but He gave us a spirit of rebellion so that we were not willing. In verse 38, we are given a reason why we were not willing. Our house must become desolate before the Lord steps in to deliver us. In other words, we must come to see our spiritual poverty before the Lord comes to intervene in our circumstance.  

Mat 23:39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 

Here in this verse, the Lord is showing us how He comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His judgment, that is, through His elect. Recognizing His elect as coming in the name of the Lord is therefore an indication that we have indeed, seen the Lord. Jesus told Thomas that anyone who has seen Him, has seen the Father. Since we are His Christ, anyone who recognize us as messengers of Christ has also seen Christ. 

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

May the Lord continue to uphold us in Him as we see the day approaching. Amen!!

Rev 17:1-7 The Judgment of the Great Whore, Part 2

[Study Aired April 13, 2025]

Rev 17:1  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Rev 17:2  With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6  And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Rev 17:7  And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

We closed our last study taking notice that the revelation of the great whore was given to John by ‘one of the seven angels which had the seven last plagues’:

Rev 17:1  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

We cannot show anyone the judgment of the great whore until we ‘look behind ourselves’ (Rev 1:12) to see what Christ has worked in our own lives. Then we can be used by Him to show our brothers and fellow servants what is Lord is doing in our lives:

Rev 19:10  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Look at who it is who “have the testimony of Jesus”:

Rev 1:2  Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

Rev 1:9  I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Rev 12:17  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Rev 19:10  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

If you and I have been granted to be a part of the body of Christ, then it is we who have the testimony of Jesus.

We know that ‘the battle of the great day of God Almighty’ (Rev 16:14), the great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world, no, nor ever shall be (Mat 24:21), the great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon our earth (Rev 16:18), the dividing of that great city Babylon within us and the great hailstorm within us’ (Rev 16:21), are all the “great and marvelous” work of God which, through His work of fire and brimstone, wipes away all the lies of Babylon which until this time have held us in their bondage.

This is how the holy spirit describes this great whore to us:

Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

“In the spirit” signifies that everything John is seeing is of spiritual significance. In other words “the holy spirit teaches comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” This is not a literal whore, and she is not seated on a literal beast. This “whore” signifies what the Lord’s people had become spiritually:

Isa 1:21  How is the faithful city become an harlot [“whore” (Rev 17:1-3)]! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.

The “whore” signifies the Lord’s own apostate people who have always committed fornication with the nations about them:

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.

It was “In the spirit into the wilderness” that the Lord Himself fought with the beasts of His own flesh:

Mat 4:1  Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Mar 1:12  And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.
Mar 1:13  And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

 “The Tempter did all in his power to persuade Christ to deny His own linage, His own calling and His own inheritance. To avoid having to give up all that is in this world and become the savior of us all, Christ was offered by the Tempter to become the physical ruler of all the nations of this world.

Mar 1:9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
Mar 1:10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
Mar 1:11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying [to Christ], Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Mar 1:12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.
Mar 1:13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

This scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy having seven heads and ten horns signifies the exact same beast we came to know in our studies of Revelation 13:

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.

The “beast” of Mark 1:13, where Jesus was in the wilderness tempted by the devil with wild beasts, the ‘beast’ of Revelation 13:1 who comes up out of the sea; the beast of Revelation 11:7 who arises out of the bottomless pit, and this ‘beast’ here in Revelation 17:1, supporting and being ridden by this “Great Whore”, are all the same ‘beast’ (G2342, ‘therion’, “A wild animal, a wild beast”). This is who we all are before being transformed of “the same lump” into a “new man… another vessel as it seemed good to the Potter to make it” (Jer 18:1-6). At that point we become another ‘beast’ (G2226, ‘zoon’, “a living thing that is an animal”). This is the word used to describe the animals which were offered as sacrifices to God as opposed to wild beasts.

The only added detail here in Revelation 17, besides being a ‘therion’, a wild beast, is the fact that we, like our father the devil and Satan, are “scarlet colored”… having seven heads and ten horns”:

Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

Like our spiritual father the devil, at this time, while in the darkness and deception of Babylon, we, too, are signified as a ‘wild beast’, a ‘therion’, with ‘seven heads and ten horns.’

In this sad state we are merely “the natural man” who has not been given eyes that see or ears that can hear the things of the spirit:

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1Co 2:15  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

At this ‘carnal babe in Christ’ state of our being, spiritual thoughts are “foolishness” to us:

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.

1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

Babylon seems so very innocuous. In fact she appears as a downright righteous woman who is decked with gold and precious stones and pearls. In chapter 18 we are told that she is full of “gold silver and precious stones.”

Rev 18:11  And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
Rev 18:12  The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

‘Gold, silver, and precious stones’ are the very symbols used by the holy spirit to signify the materials with which we are to build upon the foundation of Christ and the apostles and prophets:

1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire [the fiery Word of God]; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

Babylon appeals to our flesh in every possible way. She is very generous and is filled with many wonderful works which immediately appeal to men. Babylon is first and foremost a harlot whose greatest joy is to please men, and not her true and ultimate husband, our Lord. She “has a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.” That ‘cup’ opposes everything found in the cup Christ gave to His apostles on the night of His apprehension by the Jews. The cup of Christ calls for us to be hated of all men (Mat 10:22), to deny our flesh, and to die daily to the desires of our flesh (1Co 15:31), to be “crucified with Him” (Gal 2:20), to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God (Rom 12:1), and to fill up in our bodies what is behind and lacking of His afflictions for His body’s sake, which is the church (Col 1:24).

The cup in the hand of this harlot teaches us that Christ did all of that for us and all we need is to reach out and accept His suffering in our stead. It is a damnable doctrine known as substitutionary atonement, and it comes right out of the throne of the beast in the bottomless pit.

It is designed to deceive and seduce us all at our appointed time. She is much too subtle for any man to resist by himself or by his own wisdom. It requires knowing the word of God, and trying the spirits of Babylon to see her as she is here described:

Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

The blood of Jesus and the blood of the saints are what causes the drunken stupor of the harlot we all are. These words are “written therein” and are kept by us all in our own time. We do not martyr Christians as the apostle Paul martyred Stephen. Our drunkenness on their blood is detected in the hatred we have for the doctrines of Christ, and our hatred for the example He has left us to follow.

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

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

Christ tells us that His blood is “My blood of the New Testament.” The New Covenant is the Words of Christ. If we hate Christ’s Words, then we hate the words which tell us of the example He has set for us to follow, and if we hate those words, we hate those who bring us His Words. As a matter of fact, we are told that when we reject those who come to us with the words of Christ, we are rejecting Christ himself (Luk 10:16):

Mat 10:14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Mat 10:15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Mat 10:36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
Mat 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Mat 10:40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

Luk 10:16  He that heareth you heareth me; and he that rejecteth you rejecteth me; and he that rejecteth me rejecteth him that sent me.(ASV)

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

Joh 13:20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

“And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.” When we are given to follow Christ, we are given to follow Him wherever He goes:

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

Those who seek to know God and His Son with their “whole heart”, always ask, “What did Jesus do” in each and every situation encountered in any situation. The flesh asks, “What is permissible?” while the spirit is whole hearted in its service and inquires “What is commendable, what did Jesus do?”

Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Ask yourself what did Christ say and where Christ go in every move of your life. When we are given to see His steps, then we should “follow the Lamb whithersoever He goes.” If the Lord gives us the strength to do that, then we will never be ashamed, and His blood will cover the blood of His saints which is on our own hands.

Luk 11:51  From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation [‘This generation’ reading these words (Mat 24:15)].

Next week, Lord willing, we will review the origins and the fate of the beast within us when we look into the spiritual meaning of these words:

Rev 17:7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
Rev 17:9 And here [is] the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
Rev 17:10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, [and] the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
Rev 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
Rev 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.