Oil – Is, Was and Will Be – The Unknown Character of Christ and His Word

Numbers 15:1-41 Laws About Sacrifices

Ato Barnes — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 15:50:09 +0000

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Numbers 15:1-41 Laws About Sacrifices

[Study Aired August 7, 2023]

Num 15:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 15:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land of your habitations, which I give unto you,
Num 15:3 And will make an offering by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, or a sacrifice in performing a vow, or in a freewill offering, or in your solemn feasts, to make a sweet savour unto the LORD, of the herd, or of the flock:
Num 15:4 Then shall he that offereth his offering unto the LORD bring a meat offering of a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of oil.
Num 15:5 And the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering shalt thou prepare with the burnt offering or sacrifice, for one lamb.
Num 15:6 Or for a ram, thou shalt prepare for a meat offering two tenth deals of flour mingled with the third part of an hin of oil.
Num 15:7 And for a drink offering thou shalt offer the third part of an hin of wine, for a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Num 15:8 And when thou preparest a bullock for a burnt offering, or for a sacrifice in performing a vow, or peace offerings unto the LORD:
Num 15:9 Then shall he bring with a bullock a meat offering of three tenth deals of flour mingled with half an hin of oil.
Num 15:10 And thou shalt bring for a drink offering half an hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Num 15:11 Thus shall it be done for one bullock, or for one ram, or for a lamb, or a kid.
Num 15:12 According to the number that ye shall prepare, so shall ye do to every one according to their number.
Num 15:13 All that are born of the country shall do these things after this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Num 15:14 And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; as ye do, so he shall do.
Num 15:15 One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD.
Num 15:16 One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.
Num 15:17 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 15:18 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land whither I bring you,
Num 15:19 Then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up an heave offering unto the LORD.
Num 15:20 Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for an heave offering: as ye do the heave offering of the threshingfloor, so shall ye heave it.
Num 15:21 Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the LORD an heave offering in your generations.
Num 15:22 And if ye have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the LORD hath spoken unto Moses,
Num 15:23 Even all that the LORD hath commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the LORD commanded Moses, and henceforward among your generations;
Num 15:24 Then it shall be, if ought be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour unto the LORD, with his meat offering, and his drink offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering.
Num 15:25 And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their ignorance:
Num 15:26 And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger that sojourneth among them; seeing all the people were in ignorance.
Num 15:27 And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering.
Num 15:28 And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him.
Num 15:29 Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.
Num 15:30 But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Num 15:31 Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.
Num 15:32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
Num 15:33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
Num 15:34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
Num 15:35 And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
Num 15:36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Num 15:37 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 15:38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:
Num 15:39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:
Num 15:40 That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.
Num 15:41 I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.

Introduction

Chapter 15 focuses on how the Israelites were to relate to the Lord in terms of what they were to offer to the Lord when they entered the promised land. It shows us our growth pattern in Christ when we leave Babylon and start to possess our bodies. As the Lord’s elect, we cannot offer our bodies as sweet aroma to Christ while we are in Babylon. It is when Christ comes to us and drags us out of Babylon that we start to possess our land which is our bodies and therefore can please the Lord.

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.

As we can see from the scriptures, it was when Abraham left Haran (Babylon) that he was able to build an altar to call on the name of the Lord. Our relationship with the Lord takes a different turn when we are dragged by the Lord out of Babylon to possess our bodies.

Gen 12:5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
Gen 12:6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
Gen 12:7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
Gen 12:8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.

A key to understanding what these verses imply is to know that this sacrifice takes place after we have come into the land of our dwellings which the Lord has given to us (verse 2). This spiritually means that we can offer a sacrifice that pleases the Lord only when Christ has come into our lives, and we have started the process of possessing our bodies. This time of Christ coming into our lives is when we come to know the mercies of the Lord, and therefore, we can offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord. What this implies is that we no longer conform to the patterns of this world but are being transformed by the renewing of our mind to know the perfect will of God.

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

Offering our bodies as a living sacrifice is an offering by fire to the Lord, which is the burnt offering. In a burnt offering, the worshiper voluntarily devotes his whole offering to God through the fire. That is, the whole animal offered “went up in smoke,” providing a sweet-smelling aroma to the Lord, with nothing returned to the worshiper, which made the Burnt Offering distinct from other offerings. The burning was so gradual that it should last from morning to evening. What this means is that it is through the fiery trials or suffering we go through in this life that we can present our bodies wholly unto the Lord as a sweet-smelling offering.

In verse 3, other offerings that were mentioned apart from the burnt offering were a sacrifice in performing a vow and a freewill offering.

Deu 23:21 “If you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin.

Lev 22:17 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Lev 22:18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of the house of Israel or of the sojourners in Israel presents a burnt offering as his offering, for any of their vows or freewill offerings that they offer to the LORD,
Lev 22:19 if it is to be accepted for you it shall be a male without blemish, of the bulls or the sheep or the goats.
Lev 22:20 You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you.

Exo 35:29 All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the LORD had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the LORD.

Spiritually speaking, the sacrifice for a vow and a freewill offering refers to our acknowledging the goodness of the Lord to us as we give thanks to Him. When we have started to possess our bodies, our thanksgiving becomes a sweet savor to the Lord.

Psa 54:6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.

Psa 56:12 I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you.

Psa 61:8 So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day.

In verse 3, the offerings during the solemn feasts of the people of Israel were also mentioned as being part of the offering to be performed when we possess our bodies. The offering at a solemn feast includes all the offerings we have mentioned. This is shown as follows:

Lev 23:37 These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, everything upon his day:

Num 15:4 Then shall he that offereth his offering unto the LORD bring a meat offering of a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of oil.
Num 15:5 And the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering shalt thou prepare with the burnt offering or sacrifice, for one lamb.
Num 15:6 Or for a ram, thou shalt prepare for a meat offering two tenth deals of flour mingled with the third part of an hin of oil.
Num 15:7 And for a drink offering thou shalt offer the third part of an hin of wine, for a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Num 15:8 And when thou preparest a bullock for a burnt offering, or for a sacrifice in performing a vow, or peace offerings unto the LORD:
Num 15:9 Then shall he bring with a bullock a meat offering of three tenth deals of flour mingled with half an hin of oil.
Num 15:10 And thou shalt bring for a drink offering half an hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Num 15:11 Thus shall it be done for one bullock, or for one ram, or for a lamb, or a kid.
Num 15:12 According to the number that ye shall prepare, so shall ye do to every one according to their number.

These verses show us how the Lord deals with us as we begin to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to Him. In order to appreciate what the Lord is teaching us, we need to understand what meat and drink offerings are. A meat offering is a food offering which consists of fine flour, oil and frankincense as shown in the following:

Lev 2:1 And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:

The meat offering is given in three forms: In the form of groats, with the fresh ears roasted by fire, or dried grains coarsely rubbed or crushed (Leviticus 2:14); As finely ground wheat or barley flour. These first two forms were covered or mixed with oil and frankincense (Leviticus 2:1) in the form of loaves or cakes, made of the fine flour mixed with oil. These could be prepared in an oven (Leviticus 2:4) or upon a flat iron plate (Leviticus 2:5-6).

In this study of Numbers 15, the meal offering consists of fine flour mingled with oil. A drink offering is a form of libation that was poured out before the Lord in the holy place. Usually, the offering was wine. Drink offerings were also included with burnt and meat offerings in God-ordained sacrifices, including the morning and evening sacrifices.

Exo 29:40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering.

The ingredients for a meat offering and a drink offering are fine flour, oil and wine which are all the result of the fruits of the earth. The meat and the drink offerings represent what we have received freely from the Lord, which we must also give freely to His children. As we know, the meat and drink offerings consisting of fine flour, oil and wine represent the Lord’s words and doctrines which we have received and are required to give freely (offering) to the Lord’s children. That is why Paul twice used the image of a drink offering to describe his own service to the Lord’s people. He compared his service and dedication to the people of God as a drink offering as follows:

Php 2:16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
Php 2:17 Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.

2Ti 4:6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.
2Ti 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

In verses 4 and 5, the meat and drink offerings consisting of a tenth of fine flour, a fourth part of a hin (volume measure) of oil and a fourth part of a hin of wine were to be offered together with a burnt offering of a lamb. This shows the progressive way the Lord deals with us as we come to understand the truth of the word of the Lord gradually. Initially, we are only able to take in a tenth of fine flour and a quarter of a hin of oil and wine. In this case, we can only offer a lamb. That is to say, what we can offer to the people of the Lord is limited. As we grow in the knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of the Lord, symbolized by our offering of two-tenth of fine flour and one-third of a hin of oil and wine, we can minister much deeper spiritual truth of the words of the Lord to the Lord’s people signified by an offering of a ram (verses 6 and 7). Again, as we continue to grow in the knowledge of the truth, we can offer a more comprehensive truth of the word of the Lord to the people of God, signified by the offering of a bullock coupled with three-tenth of fine flour and half of a hin of oil and wine.

An example of this gradual growth in our understanding of the truth of the word of the Lord and our subsequent offering of the truth to the body of Christ is the story of Ezekiel’s vision of water issuing from the temple of the Lord.

Eze 47:1 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.
Eze 47:2 Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side.
Eze 47:3 Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep.
Eze 47:4 Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep.
Eze 47:5 Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.

As we are aware, we are the temple of the Lord, and the water that issues from the temple is the living water that comes out of our belly which is the word of the Lord. Initially, the living water coming from us is in trickles. As we grow in the knowledge of the Lord, the living water issuing from us becomes like rivers of living water.

Joh 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Joh 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

What we need to understand is that in Babylon, the meat and the drink offerings are cut by the Lord, and we can only offer them when we have left Babylon and are in the company of the Lord’s elect.

Joe 1:9 The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD’S ministers, mourn.

Joe 1:13 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.

Num 15:13 All that are born of the country shall do these things after this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Num 15:14 And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; as ye do, so he shall do.
Num 15:15 One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD.
Num 15:16 One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.

The one that is born in the country represents the commonwealth of Israel while the stranger typifies the Gentiles. In Christ Jesus, both the one born of the country and the stranger have been brought together as one people and therefore we are all operating under the same spiritual laws of Christ.

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

Num 15:17 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 15:18 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land whither I bring you,
Num 15:19 Then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up an heave offering unto the LORD.
Num 15:20 Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for an heave offering: as ye do the heave offering of the threshingfloor, so shall ye heave it.
Num 15:21 Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the LORD an heave offering in your generations.

Again, the emphasis here is that we have left Babylon and come into the assembly of the elect. It is through what every joint supplies that we eat the bread of the land, which is the word of the Lord. The verses here make us aware that when we eat bread in the land the Lord has given to us, we must remember to set some aside as an offering to the Lord just as we do for grains. The bread we eat in the company of the elect is the word of the Lord, and what we are to set aside as an offering for the Lord is also Christ. It is the truth of the word of Christ we have received which we offer to our brothers and sisters. What we set aside and offer is also our lives as a living sacrifice to the Lord.

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

Num 15:22 And if ye have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the LORD hath spoken unto Moses,
Num 15:23 Even all that the LORD hath commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the LORD commanded Moses, and henceforward among your generations;
Num 15:24 Then it shall be, if ought be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour unto the LORD, with his meat offering, and his drink offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering.
Num 15:25 And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their ignorance:
Num 15:26 And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger that sojourneth among them; seeing all the people were in ignorance.

As the body of Christ, if we are ignorant about certain aspects of the word of the Lord and therefore, we have sinned against the Lord because of our ignorance, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Num 15:27 And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering.
Num 15:28 And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him.
Num 15:29 Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.
Num 15:30 But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Num 15:31 Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.

If we sin through ignorance, the Lord in His mercy will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. However, if we make sin a habit after we have come to know the truth, it becomes difficult to be renewed to repentance as our actions amount to crucifying the son of God afresh and putting Him to an open shame. What this means is we become alienated from the people of God.

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

Num 15:32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
Num 15:33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
Num 15:34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
Num 15:35 And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
Num 15:36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.

Finding rest means we have ceased from our own work. These verses show us that if we do not find rest in Christ, we shall end up not being part of the Lord’s elect. Being stoned to death for not observing the sabbath is the same as being cast into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. That is to say, we become spiritually dead. The people of Israel could not find rest because of unbelief. The same situation is happening in every generation. Through unbelief many have become disillusioned in their walk with Christ. Our walk is a walk of faith. All we have to do is believe that the Lord who has started a good work in us will accomplish what He started and that it is not by our might or power. It is the Lord at work in us!

Heb 4:6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
Heb 4:7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Heb 4:8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
Heb 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Num 15:37 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 15:38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:
Num 15:39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:
Num 15:40 That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.
Num 15:41 I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.

Here in these verses, the Lord commanded Moses to tell the people of Israel to put upon the fringe of each border of their garment a cord of blue. As we are aware, garments signify righteousness. In these verses, the Lord is showing us where our righteousness comes from. Blue represents heavenly. Thus, putting on the blue cord on the fringes of our garment is to remind us that our righteousness is from Christ (heavenly). In other words, we cannot of our own produce righteousness. It is Christ who is our righteousness.

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Jer 33:16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.

As indicated in verse 39, any attempt on our part to think that our righteousness comes from our own actions (seeking after our own heart and our own eyes) will result in us playing the harlot. That was what happened to us when we were in Babylon where we thought our own actions as a result of our supposed freewill is what made us righteous. In other words, we wear our own clothes with no cord of blue attached to the fringes. That was what led us astray to play the harlot.

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

Jer 3:6 The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel (Babylon) hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.

Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

May the Lord cause us to walk by faith as we rest in Him. Amen!

Numbers 8:1-26 The Lighting of the Seven Lamps

Ato Barnes — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 15:37:53 +0000

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vmtczbtl1hyslzt/20230619-Study_AtoB-LightingLamps.m4a?raw=1

Numbers 8:1-26 The Lighting of the Seven Lamps

[Study Aired June 19, 2023]

Num 8:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 8:2 Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick.
Num 8:3 And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Num 8:4 And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick.
Num 8:5 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 8:6 Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.
Num 8:7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.
Num 8:8 Then let them take a young bullock with his meat offering, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering.
Num 8:9 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together:
Num 8:10 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites:
Num 8:11 And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD.
Num 8:12 And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites.
Num 8:13 And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD.
Num 8:14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.
Num 8:15 And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering.
Num 8:16 For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me.
Num 8:17 For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself.
Num 8:18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel.
Num 8:19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.
Num 8:20 And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according unto all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them.
Num 8:21 And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.
Num 8:22 And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons: as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them.
Num 8:23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 8:24 This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation:
Num 8:25 And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more:
Num 8:26 But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge.

Chapter 8 concerns the lighting of the seven lamps to give light in front of the candlestick, the cleansing of the Levites, the age requirement for service in the tabernacle of the congregation and retirement age of the Levites.

The seven lamps represent the complete words of the Lord which give light in front of the lampstand or candlestick. According to the word of the Lord, the candlestick or lampstand represents the church. This means that it is the complete words of the Lord which guide the path of the elect in this world.

Psa 119:105 Nun Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Rev 1:20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

As indicated, the candlestick is to give light to the space in front of it in the Holy place in the tabernacle. What is insightful to note is the fact that the light given by the candlestick is not seen outside the Holy place. It is to give light for the priest to perform his duty. In this dispensation, although we are the light of the world, we are not seen that way by many (the world). It is only the elect who see our light and use it to perform their duty – that is, live a life worthy of the Lord.

In verse 2, it was Aaron the High Priest who lit the seven lamps. Here Aaron signifies the Lord Jesus Christ, our High Priest. Before a lamp is lit, it must be filled with oil. As we know, the oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, sent to us by the Lord Jesus Christ to guide us into the truth of His word.

Exo 27:20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.

Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Num 8:4 And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick.

It is very insightful to note that the candlestick was made of beaten gold. This is to let us know that the church is formed by those who are being tried or going through the judgment of their old man.

Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Paul sums up our being beaten like the work of gold in order to give light as follows:

2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
2Co 4:8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;
2Co 4:9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
2Co 4:10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies [providing light for the priest to function].
2Co 4:11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

As indicated in verse 4, the candlestick is to be built according to the pattern which the Lord showed Moses. The pattern shown to Moses is Christ. This implies that the church must reflect Christ in everything.

Num 8:5 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 8:6 Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.
Num 8:7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.

If we are to serve in the house of the Lord, then we must be cleansed from all kinds of contamination such as false doctrines, worldly ways and traditions and deeds of the flesh. Verse 7 prescribes three ways of cleansing – sprinkling of the water of purification, the shaving of all their flesh, and the washing of clothes with water. The water of purification is a symbol of the word of the Lord. It is the truth of the word of the Lord that washes our mind of all the false doctrines that have become idols of our hearts, worldly wisdom and the traditions of men.

Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
Eph 5:26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
Eph 5:27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

In the Bible, the hair on the body is a symbol of our natural strength. Thus, the shaving of all the flesh signifies the cutting off of all our natural strength. This implies that in our service to the Lord, we must not depend on our natural strengths and abilities.

Jdg 16:17 And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.”

Clothes are a symbol of righteousness. Dirty or torn clothes therefore refer to unrighteousness, which could be the result of contamination or self-righteousness, which is iniquity.

Lev 15:6 And whoever sits on anything on which the one with the discharge has sat shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.

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.

Clean clothes (white linen) are the righteousness of the saints which is imputed by the Lord.

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.

The washing of our dirty clothes therefore signifies the truth of the word of the Lord which cleanses us of all unrighteousness.

Num 8:8 Then let them take a young bullock with his meat offering, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering.
Num 8:9 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together:
Num 8:10 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites:
Num 8:11 And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD.
Num 8:12 And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites.

The foundation for our cleansing is the sacrificial offering of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself as a meat offering and a sin offering for us. Christ therefore represents the young bullocks and the fine flour mingled with oil. Remember that the fine flour mingled with oil represents His word, and His word is the same as Christ.

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The putting of the hands of the children of Israel upon the Levites in verse 10 is to show that they are the same as the Levites and therefore are represented by the Levites in the presence of the Lord. In this regard, we, His elect, are representing the whole world in the presence of the Lord. Our victory will ultimately result in the victory of humanity in the fullness of time.

2Co 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

Num 8:13 And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD.
Num 8:14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.
Num 8:15 And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering.

In verse 13, the Levites were to be offered as an offering to the Lord. As the elect, we are to be offered wholly to Christ for humanity’s sake. Being offered to Christ is offering our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to the Lord.

2Co 2:15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

The Levites being separated from among the children of Israel is another way of saying that we should not be conformed to the standards of this world but be renewed in our minds.

Rom 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

In another perspective, the Levites represent the elect, and the children of Israel stand for our brothers and sisters in Babylon. In that sense, the Levites being separated from the children of Israel is a type of the command by the Lord 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.

2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

As we are offered to Christ and are separated wholly from the world, we can do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation as shown in verse 15 concerning the Levites.

Num 8:16 For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me.
Num 8:17 For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself.
Num 8:18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel.

As we saw earlier in the Book of Numbers, the Levites were to replace the firstborn of Israel. The reason why they were to replace the firstborn of Israel was that at the time of Passover in Egypt, all the firstborn were condemned. However, it was only the firstborn of Egypt who were slain. As a result of the Passover, all the firstborn of Israel were redeemed or saved or replaced by the Passover lamb, who is Christ our Lord who came to serve. The firstborn therefore lost their position and were to be replaced by the Levites who were called to serve. This means that we, who have been redeemed by the Lord, are called to serve.

Mar 10:42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
Mar 10:43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,
Mar 10:44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.
Mar 10:45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The Levites replacing the firstborn of the children of Israel is a foretaste of the fact that the Lord’s election is no longer dependent on a person’s pedigree or his or her birth. Paul made this clear when, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he made the statement that it is not one who is born a Jew that counts, but a Jew is a person who worships the Lord in truth and in spirit.

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

Num 8:19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.
Num 8:20 And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according unto all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them.

On a negative note, the Levites represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon who are also of Abraham’s seed. However, they are not counted as the seed of promise and therefore are not to be given any inheritance. This is not because we, the elect, deserve any inheritance. It is through the hardening of their hearts to believe that we are privileged to receive mercy to believe. In the final analysis, this mercy we have received will be extended to the whole of the human race.

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 Levites are given to the elect as a gift to help them minister to the Lord. They do the initial leg work of using the law of Moses as our schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. After we get to know Christ through faith, we are no longer under their influence or the law of Moses. Today’s Levites represent the Christian religion. They are focused on building and taking care of physical churches (tabernacle of testimony). In other words, they are protecting the legacy of the Christian religion.

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.

In verse 19, the Levites being given as a gift to Aaron and his sons positively signifies the elect being given wholly to Jesus, our High Priest, to assist Him to subdue all things so that God may be all in all.

1Co 15:25 For he [Jesus] must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
1Co 15:27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
1Co 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

On a positive note, the Levites symbolized the elect who are given the charge of serving in the tabernacle of the congregation as well as making atonement for the children of Israel so there will be no plagues among the children of Israel, as indicated in verse 19. Atonement is the process by which a person removes obstacles to his reconciliation with God. In the lake of fire age, the elect will help the whole of humanity, represented here as the children of Israel, by making atonement for them. This means that the elect will help the whole of humanity to see what the Lord has done for them and in so doing, remove every obstacle to their reconciliation with God. This is what will make every knee to bow and every tongue to confess that Jesus is Lord!!

Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

It is insightful to note that in verse 20, Moses, Aaron and the whole of the congregation of the children of Israel did to the Levites according to all that the Lord commanded Moses. Moses, Aaron and the whole of the congregation of Israel represent all humanity. It is at the end of the lake of fire age that all humanity will obey our Lord Jesus Christ, who is represented here by Moses.

Num 8:21 And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.
Num 8:22 And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons: as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them.

It is when we are purified that we can offer a service pleasing to the Lord in the temple of the Lord. We know that the process of purification involves being judged. Verses 21 and 22 therefore means that we cannot offer pleasing service to the Lord with our bodies as a temple of the Lord unless we have been purified through the seven plagues. The verse below is therefore a rendition of verses 21 and 22.

Rev 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Num 8:23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 8:24 This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation:

To be enrolled in the army of the Lord, it is required that one is twenty years old or above. Being part of the army of the Lord does not mean that one has obtained maturity. In the physical, those who have gone through the ranks of the military are well-versed in the strategies of enemies. In a similar vein, it takes some time after being part of the Lord’s army to know the strategies of the enemy. It took a lot of experience for Paul to say the following:

2Co 2:10 To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also: for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
2Co 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

In verse 24, the required age to wait upon the tabernacle of the congregation is twenty-five. Although we are enrolled into the Lord’s army at the symbolic age of twenty years, it takes a while for us to be effective in performing the services pertaining to the house of God. The symbolic age of twenty-five, which is required for us to work in the house of the Lord, signifies the period when we have come out from tutors and governors at the appointed time of the Lord.

Gal 4:1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
Gal 4:2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
Gal 4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

In the Bible, the number twenty-five signifies the time that we start to reign as kings over our flesh.

2Ch 25:1 Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

2Ch 27:6 So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.
2Ch 27:7 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars, and his ways, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
2Ch 27:8 He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.

2Ch 29:1 Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
2Ch 29:2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done.

Num 8:25 And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more:
Num 8:26 But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge.

According to verse 25, at the age of fifty years, the Levites are required to retire from active service in the tabernacle of the Lord. The number fifty symbolizes the liberty we have in Christ when we are set free from sin. Retiring at the age of fifty spiritually implies the period of our lives where we do not depend on our own strength to do the work of the Lord, but rather depend on Christ to do the work for us. In other words, we come to rest completely in Him.

Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Heb 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

May the Lord continue to help us retire from our own works so we can come to rest wholly in Him. Amen!!

Which Oil Are We To Use?

Mike Vinson — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 23:34:53 +0000

Which Oil Are We To Use?

[Posted January 17, 2023]

Hi Mike,

I hope you are doing well thank the Lord. I would like to have your opinion on a text according to Grace gives you to understand things. In James 5:14-15, we talk about the oil that the Elder should use to anoint the sick and pray for him.

How do we know exactly which oil it is about, since the text itself does not give any precision on this subject?

I know that the text has a spiritual meaning, and at that level, the oil speaks of the work of the Holy Spirit. Literally, what oil was it?

Thank you,

Sincerely in Christ, E____

Hi E____,

Thank you for your question about the ‘oil’ of James 5:14-15:

Jas 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

You ask:

“How do we know exactly which oil… what oil was it?” (End Quote)

The subject box contains the question:

“Which oil are we to use?” (End Quote)

I appreciate this opportunity to tell you which ‘oil’ we should be using to anoint the sick in our time.

The short answer to the question in the subject box is - “the oil [of] the Word of God”:

Psa 107:20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

Here is what ‘oil’ signifies in scripture:

Zec 4:1 And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,
Zec 4:2 And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:
Zec 4:3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
Zec 4:4 So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
Zec 4:5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Zec 4:11 Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?
Zec 4:12 And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?
Zec 4:13 And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:14 Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

These are “the two olive trees” referred to in Revelation 11 where they are called “my two witnesses”:

Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees [of Zechariah 4], and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

The number ‘two’ in its positive application signifies ‘witness’. Here is a link to a study on the scriptural meaning of the number ‘two’:

Significance of the Number Two

The short answer to your question about which oil was used is that the only oil mentioned as being used to anoint anyone in scripture is olive oil. The land of Canaan is called “a land of oil olive, and honey.”

Deu 8:8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;

When King David said…

Psa 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

…He was speaking specifically of olive oil. It was common to anoint a special friend with olive oil to show respect to them in Christ’s day. Notice what Christ said to Simon, the Pharisee who had requested His presence at a dinner:

Luk 7:36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.
Luk 7:37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
Luk 7:38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
Luk 7:39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.
Luk 7:40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
Luk 7:41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
Luk 7:42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
Luk 7:43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
Luk 7:44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
Luk 7:45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
Luk 7:46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
Luk 7:47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

Let me take this opportunity to point out that those who insist that James 5:14-15 should be observed today never insist that Luke 6:46 should be observed to day. What minister do you know who anoints your head with oil when he meets you?

The point I am making is that the entire time the Lord was on this earth, as well as the entire time covered by the book of the Acts of the apostles, they were living in “the time of reformation” to which Christ alluded when, on the night of His apprehension by the Jews, after three and a half years of His ministry with His twelve apostles, He told them this great Truth:

Joh 16:12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

Many of these “many things [they could not yet] bear” were rituals like circumcision, baptisms, and anointing with physical oil. So this statement in James is made in “the time of reformation” of which the scriptures speak in:

Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

We all experience our own “time of reformation” even today, as we ever so gradually come to see the “many things [the Lord has] to say unto [us which we] cannot bear… until the time of [our] reformation.” Christ could not yet tell His disciples that the physical rituals to which they were so attached would soon lose all their significance. Even the rituals of circumcision and baptisms would, in time, become obsolete and totally unnecessary, as was eventually revealed:

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

He could not yet tell them that water baptism, which was also “outward in the flesh” would be replaced with “the washing of water by the word“:

Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

These are the inspired words from the holy spirit via the pen of the apostle Paul concerning physical water baptism:

1Co 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel [the “washing of water by the word”]: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

The circumcision that puts away and overcomes our flesh is not outward circumcision. It is the inward circumcision of our hearts that cuts off and overcomes our flesh. In the same way outward water baptism does not cleanse us from our sins. It is “the washing of water by the Word which does “sanctify and cleanse” us.

It is not adding one word to the Word of God to realize that being outwardly anointed with oil in no way gives us the true anointing which heals us. This is what heals us:

Psa 107:20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

Christ is the Word of God:

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

There were events in Christ’s ministry which pointed to this “time of reformation” including the time that He healed the centurion’s servant without even touching him, let alone anointing him with oil:

Mat 8:5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
Mat 8:6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
Mat 8:7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
Mat 8:8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only [Psa 107:20], and my servant shall be healed. [“The Word” is the ‘oil’ of the word of Zechariah 4:12.]
Mat 8:9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
Mat 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. [This centurion saw no need for his servant to be physically ‘anointed with oil’ to be healed. All he wanted was for Christ to “send His word and heal” his servant (Psa 107:20).]

Mat 8:13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

It is the same today. There are few in the church who are given the faith to relinquish all the rituals to which they are so attached by their upbringing and church traditions, which are nothing more that “traditions of men” even if they were kept by the early church which was still offering blood sacrifices. Remember the apostles themselves were not even converted until the day of Pentecost. Look at what Christ said to Peter the night of His apprehension of the Jews. These words were spoken to Peter and all the apostles after spending three and a half years ministering with Christ:

Luk 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Luk 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

This was the same night Christ told all His disciples:

Joh 16:12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

I will close with this… If we are going to insist that everything that was done in “the time of reformation,” then we must resume offering blood sacrifices for our sins as the apostles themselves did in the book of Acts. It was the apostle James who asked the apostle Paul to pay for the offerings of four men who had a vow, and it was the apostle Paul who had agreed to the words of the letter to the Gentiles in Acts 15, who was more than willing to do so because he agreed (for a time) to the conclusion of “us and the holy spirit” that the Gentiles did not need to keep the law of Moses, but the Jews were not yet able to bear that Truth:

Act 21:18 And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.
Act 21:19 And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
Act 21:20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law [of Moses]:
Act 21:21 And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.
Act 21:22 What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.
Act 21:23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;
Act 21:24 Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.
Act 21:25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.
Act 21:26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.

This is all before the revelations of Paul’s prison epistles in which the Lord finally decided it was time to begin to show us some of the “many things [we] cannot bear” until He decides that it is time to begin to open our eyes and ears to the spiritual meaning of His spiritual words:

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh [being ritually anointed] profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you [will anoint, cleanse and heal you spiritually], they are spirit, and they are life.

I pray you are given to bear these “many things” the Lord has said to us since the earliest days of the New Testament church.

YbiChrist,
Mike

Study of the Book of Kings – 2Ki 4:1-7 “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly”

Tony Cullen — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 16:38:30 +0000

https://www.dropbox.com/s/taeiz9xgvg0f60z/20220218-Study_TonyC-SolomonExceeded.m4a?raw=1

2Ki 4:1-7 “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly”

[Study Aired August 18, 2022]

2Ki 4:1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2Ki 4:2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
2Ki 4:3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
2Ki 4:4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
2Ki 4:5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
2Ki 4:6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
2Ki 4:7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

This chapter of Kings has five main sections that have a theme running through them that shows us how God will provide an abundant spiritual life for all mankind in time and “shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Joh 10:10, Php 4:19).

Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Php 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

The thief that comes “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” of (Joh 10:10) is Satan and his influence over mankind as the prince of the power of the air (Joh 8:44, Eph 2:2) and he accomplishes this destruction through false doctrines, lies, that cause everyone in their appointed time to “climbeth up some other way” as Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden (Joh 10:1, Pro 16:25, Gen 3:4).

Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

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.

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:

Joh 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

The life that we can have “more abundantly” of John 10:10 is the life of Christ within us to which we are dragged (Joh 6:44, 2Co 10:17-18, 1Co 11:19). These stories in the fourth chapter of Kings were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages are come (1Co 10:11) and remind us of the faithfulness of our Creator whose workmanship we are (Eph 2:10). We are being given all the provision we need (Eph 3:20, 1Ti 1:14) through the bride of Christ who will be made ready (Eph 3:10), and so we ought to rejoice always for that truth (Rev 19:7, Php 4:4, Rom 12:15, Php 1:8).

2Co 10:17 But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
2Co 10:18 For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

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

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

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.

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.

Php 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

Rom 12:15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

Php 1:8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

The husband in this story who dies typifies Christ, the head of the wife, who when he dies causes the wife [the church] whose husband was a servant of Elisha to be indebted to “the creditor” who “is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.” The wife, who represents the church, has two sons that witness to how we are slaves to sin or “bondmen” who must pay all that we owe to the “creditor” (Mat 5:25, Rom 13:7) and that only through Christ working within the church, which is His body (Col 1:24), can we be delivered from this spiritually impoverished state that would otherwise keep us in bondage (Joh 8:36). The rest of the parable goes on to explain how that freedom or liberty is obtained through an obedient spirit that does what we are asked of the prophet who typifies Christ and His body (Mat 17:27, Mar 12:14-17) and because of that obedience which we learn through suffering we are given His holy spirit that strengthens us to overcome and endure through Christ (Heb 5:8, Act 5:32)

Mat 5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

Rom 13:7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour [“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s“].

Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Mat 17:27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, [1Co_8:13] go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

Mar 12:17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.

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

Act 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

2Ki 4:2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.

Our Father in heaven also asks “What shall I do for thee?” and Christ reminds us to cast our cares upon him, to the end that we may receive what we ask of Him for He cares for us (1Pe 5:7, Jas 4:2-3).

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

Jas 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

This woman typifies the church who has “a pot of oil“, representing the holy spirit, and at the same time recognizes that there is “not any thing in the house” meaning when God gives us to see it, we realize that we bring nothing to the table and are unprofitable servants who are accomplishing through Christ that which is expected of us (Luk 17:10, Php 2:12-13).

Luk 17:10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

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.

2Ki 4:3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
2Ki 4:4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

Borrowing empty vessels and not a few is a parable for us that tells the elect that we must “Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations“. It’s true the vessels are “empty” in this world, the spirit of God or oil is not within the vessel (Rom 8:9), and yet God tells us how important our neighbor is in this parable and how we must have three measures of meal obtained in this life via the loving relationships that we have outside of the church, doing good unto all men (Mat 5:47) but especially unto the household of faith (Gal 6:10, 1Co 5:11).

Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Mat 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

1Co 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

The Meaning of The Widow’s Sons Being Sold Into Bondage

2Ki 4:5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
2Ki 4:6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
2Ki 4:7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

Shutting the door “and shut the door upon her and upon her sons” (Exo 12:22, Mat 25:10, Mat 6:6) is what we do on the world within us, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and pride of life through mortifying the deeds of the flesh, and by not giving the devil a foothold (1Jn 2:16, Rom 8:13-14, Eph 4:27) that can only happen through the crushing process the body of Christ is going through in the temple of God which is Christ’s body (Col 1:24, Mat 21:44). The filling up what is “behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church” is what it takes to produce the precious oil of God’s word (Joh 12:3) which anoints our walk in the Lord and gives us dominion over sin and those who would try to spy out our liberties in Christ (Gen 4:7, Rom 6:14, Jdg 16:3, Gal 2:4, 2Pe 2:19, 2Co 11:14).

Exo 12:22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. [“and she poured out“]

Mat 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. [“and she poured out“]

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. [“and she poured out“]

Joh 12:3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

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

Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Jdg 16:3 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.

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:

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.

2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Selling the oil (“sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest“) represents our fervent love toward all whom we encounter, including our enemies to whom through Christ we can turn the other cheek and love them even while they are enemies as God loved us while we were yet enemies (Col 1:21, Rom 5:8, 1Jn 4:17). Fervent love toward our family covers a multitude of sins within today (1Pe 4:8, Mat 5:44) and is needful if we are going to be used by the Lord to ultimately cover the sins of the innumerable multitude who will give an accounting in the second resurrection (Rev 7:9). If we don’t forgive our debtors their debts today, the Lord will not forgive us of our debt, so it is critical that we examine ourselves and love our enemies and pray the Lord continues to soften our hearts so they don’t grow bitter or wax cold because of the iniquity that we are promised is going to abound more and more at the end of the age (Mat 6:12, Mat 24:12).

Col 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

1Pe 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. [Jas 5:20, 1Co 7:14-15]

Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Rev 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

God’s desire for the church is going to be accomplished which is the opposite of what is happening in Babylon where the whole stay of bread and water has been taken away, and it is all happening according to the counsel of His own will (Isa 3:1, Eph 1:11). As for the body of Christ, we are growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ to a full measure, “unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph 4:13) typified with this verse, “And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.”

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

Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

God has truly called us to learn from every single soul we meet in this life and is maturing His children so that we do not render “evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing” (1Pe 3:9).

Being given the power to overcome and lose our life (Mat 16:24-25, Mat 10:38-39) as we learn obedience in this life through the judgment process that is upon the body of Christ today is what produces the abundant life of which Christ spoke in this verse, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” This is an abundant life that fills us with hope that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” a purpose that teaches us to forsake ungodliness and worldly lust and to love God with all our heart, mind and soul, and our neighbor as ourself (Rom 8:28, Rom 5:5, Mar 12:30-31).

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

Mat 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

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.

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. [If we love God whom we don’t see, we have passed from death to life and love everyone else we do see (1Jn 4:20)]

Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; [Rom 1:16] because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Mar 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Mar 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Book of Jeremiah – Jer 46:1-14 The Sword Shall Devour [Egypt]

Mike Vinson — Sun, 17 Jul 2022 02:53:02 +0000

Jer 46:1-14 The Sword Shall Devour [Egypt]

[Study Aired July 17, 2022

Jer 46:1 The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles;
Jer 46:2 Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaohnecho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah.
Jer 46:3 Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle.
Jer 46:4 Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines.
Jer 46:5 Wherefore have I seen them dismayed and turned away back? and their mighty ones are beaten down, and are fled apace, and look not back: for fear was round about, saith the LORD.
Jer 46:6 Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates.
Jer 46:7 Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers?
Jer 46:8 Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof.
Jer 46:9 Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.
Jer 46:10 For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.
Jer 46:11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured.
Jer 46:12 The nations have heard of thy shame, and thy cry hath filled the land: for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, and they are fallen both together.
Jer 46:13 The word that the LORD spake to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt.
Jer 46:14 Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in Noph and in Tahpanhes: say ye, Stand fast, and prepare thee; for the sword shall devour round about thee.

Egypt is merely the first of many nations, because ‘Egypt’ in scripture typifies and signifies the world of sin. So, we are first told:

Jer 46:1 The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles;

Here is an outline of the remainder of this prophecy of Jeremiah:

Part Three: The Prophecies to the Gentiles (46:1-51:64) I.
Prophecies against Egypt……………………………………………46:1-28 II.
Prophecies against Philistia…………………………………47:1-7 III.
Prophecies against Moab…………………………………………….48:1-47 IV.
Prophecies against Ammon………………………………………….49:1-6 V.
Prophecies against Edom…………………………………………….49:7-22 VI.
Prophecies against Damascus……………………………………49:23-27 VII.
Prophecies against Kedar and Hazor…………………49:28-33 VIII.
Prophecies against Elam…………………………………………….49:34-39 IX.
Prophecies against Babylon………………………………………50:1-51:64 A.
Babylon’s Defeat…………………… 50:1-20 B.
Babylon’s Desolation…………………50:21-46 C.
Babylon’s Destiny……………………51:1-64
Part Four:
The Fall of Jerusalem………………..52:1-34 I.
The Capture of Jerusalem……………..52:1-11 II.
The Destruction of Jerusalem………….52:12-23 III.
The Exile to Babylon…………………52:24-30 IV.
The Liberation of Jehoiachin………….52:31-34
[SOURCE: Talk Through the Bible (TTTB) – 5-3-2017]

This is a good outline of the Gentile nations against which Jeremiah prophesied. It is copied from this link:

http://epubc.ca/files/ROOT/bible-study/documents/2017-08-09_OUTLINE–Book-of-JEREMIAH_rev.pdf

These are one and all the historical enemies of the Lord’s chosen people. In type they signify the various false doctrines and physical passions which seek to destroy the Lord’s elect. The fact that they are each named and judged is for our admonition to show us who our enemies are and to let us know they will not be given any quarter by the Lord. These nations signify the spiritual enemies of Christ within us. They were all “marred in the Potter’s hand” and will each and every one be destroyed by the brightness of the Lord’s coming into our lives.

This is the negative application of the word ‘Gentiles’. The judgments which are pronounced upon Egypt and upon all the other Gentile nations in the coming chapters of Jeremiah are pronounced upon each of these Gentile nations as a type and shadow of the different offenses of our old man within ourselves, but we know that before we can learn any spiritual lesson within our own heart and mind, we must first be shown an outward fulfillment of these prophecies upon these nations of the world outwardly.

The Lord begins His words against the Gentiles, who hate His chosen people, with His words against Egypt:

Jer 46:2 Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaohnecho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah.

Nebuchadnezzar smote Pharaohnecho but not before Pharaohnecho had smitten Josiah, king of Judah. It was all done for our sakes and for our admonition:

2Ki 23:28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
2Ki 23:29 In his days Pharaohnechoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josiah went against him; and he [Pharaoh] slew him [King Josiah] at Megiddo, when he had seen him.
2Ki 23:30 And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulchre. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father’s stead.

Why are we told of this tragedy? It was during the reign of Josiah that Jeremiah’s prophecy begins. Josiah was one of the best kings Judah ever had. This is what the holy spirit tells us of King Josiah’s thirty-one-year reign:

2Ki 22:1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.
2Ki 22:2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.

However, even righteous King Josiah made the mistake of failing to seek the Lord’s counsel before going to war, and that careless act cost him his life even after the Lord used Pharaohnecho to warn King Josiah against getting involved in the Lord’s work with Egypt and Assyria. As the Lord’s soldiers, we are commanded to stay out of the affairs of this world:

2Ti 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

Josiah forgot how the Lord communicates with His servants and presumptuously went to war without first inquiring of the Lord via His proven prophet, Jeremiah:

2Ch 35:20 After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.
2Ch 35:21 But he [Necho] sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.
2Ch 35:22 Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.
2Ch 35:23 And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.
2Ch 35:24 His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
2Ch 35:25 And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.

Jeremiah’s prophecy began in the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign:

Jer 1:1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
Jer 1:2 To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

Josiah’s reign lasted 31 years, so Jeremiah had been prophesying for 18 years by the time Josiah went out to war against Pharaohnecho without enquiring of the Lord at the mouth of His prophet Jeremiah, “and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.”

The Lord had not yet rejected His physical people even though He used King Josiah to demonstrate to us the need to always seek a multitude of counselors before we make our war as an earlier king, King Solomon, had counseled Josiah and us:

Pro 11:14  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Pro 15:22  Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

Pro 24:6  For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Josiah failed to seek counsel before making his war, and he paid dearly for it as we all will if we refuse the Lord’s counsel and if we fail to seek His counsel. It happened to Josiah for our admonition (1Co 10:11). It will cost us our lives if we refuse the Lord’s ‘counsel’ which counsels us to seek and then defer to our counselors:

Heb 13:17 Be persuaded by your leaders, and be deferring to them, for they are vigilant for the sake of your souls, as having to render an account, that they may be doing this with joy, and not with groaning, for this is disadvantageous for you. (CLV)

That is the Lord’s counsel to each of us.

Nevertheless, the Lord has a controversy with the nations that are within us spiritually as well as the outward dispensational nations. As the Lord judged these Gentile nations outwardly, He is setting up all the nations within His elect to be chastened for their rejection of Him and of His people and His prophets. These prophecies still have both inward and outward applications. In the prophets the Lord shows us what He is doing within us by His outward punishments of the Gentile nations of this world beginning with Egypt. The Lord shows no mercy to His enemies whom He has told us to “destroy”:

Jer 46:3 Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle.
Jer 46:4 Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines.

All these words referring to the gear worn by soldiers in war are all mentioned just to make the point that it is all to no avail when they are used in war against the Lord and His purpose. Here is what the holy spirit tells us the Lord can perform for His own glory:

Act 5:17 Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,
Act 5:18 And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.
Act 5:19  But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,
Act 5:20  Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.
Act 5:21 And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
Act 5:22 But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told,
Act 5:23 Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.
Act 5:24 Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow.
Act 5:25 Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.
Act 5:26 Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.
Act 5:27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
Act 5:28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.
Act 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Act 5:30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
Act 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Act 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
Act 5:33 When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.
Act 5:34 Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;
Act 5:35 And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.
Act 5:36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.
Act 5:37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.
Act 5:38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:
Act 5:39  But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

Nothing we can do has any affect against the Lord, and nothing we can do can protect us if “we be found even to fight against God”. Just as the Lord worked things with Joseph’s brothers, He is doing the same thing with the whole world. Everything we do in defiance of Him will be made to correct and reprove us for our own wickedness.

This word ‘brigandines’ (Jer 46:4) is used one other time in scripture, and that entry is also here in Jeremiah where the Lord is telling us what He will do to judge Babylon after Babylon has served as His rod to reprove His own people:

Jer 51:1 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind;
Jer 51:2 And will send unto Babylon fanners, that shall fan her, and shall empty her land: for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about.
Jer 51:3 Against him that bendeth let the archer bend his bow, and against him that lifteth himself up in his brigandine: and spare ye not her young men; destroy ye utterly all her host.

“Him that lifteth himself up in his brigandine” refers to soldiers in “a coat of mail”.

H5630
סִרְיֹן
siryôn
sir-yone’
For H8302; a coat of mail: – brigandine.

A coat of mail covers the entire body to defend against an enemy, but there is no defense against the Lord’s power to punish us for our rebellious defiance of Him and His ways. This is true within and outwardly. Our old man is completely defenseless against the Lord’s hand, and when we fight against the Lord everything we do turns out to be really working against us. It is our own wickedness which will correct and reprove us. The outward nations of this world are just as defenseless as they continue to declare themselves as being free of the Lord’s ruling hand. The world’s rebellions against the Lord are really nothing less than curses against themselves. These words apply within the heavens of the Lord’s elect and as long as there is an outward physical realm, they will always have an application to that outward world in the appointed time:

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

It is the Lord who decides the outcome of every war mankind has ever fought or ever will fight.

This is the Truth, and anyone who says otherwise is a liar:

Dan 4:17 This matter [Any and every “matter”] is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.

It is Christ Himself who has three times in the book of Matthew, commissioned us to “watch” for the Lord’s appearing:

Mat 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Christ reproved His very tired apostles for not watching with Him on the night of His apprehension:

Mat 26:40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
Mat 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

The parable of the ten virgins demonstrates that if we are given to be “watchers” it will be only because the Lord has given us His spirit, so we need not “go to them that sell” when the cry is made that, ‘the bride cometh’:

Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Mat 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Mat 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Mat 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

The foolish virgins had “tasted of the holy ghost” to be able to say, “Our lamps are gone out.” A lamp cannot ‘go out’ if it never had any oil at all.

Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Heb 6:3 And this will we do, if God permit.
Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost [the lamp oil],
Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Heb 6:7  For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God [The Lord’s elect wise virgins]:
Heb 6:8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
Heb 6:9  But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
Heb 6:10  For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

Our “work of love” is our obedience to our Lord under any circumstance. Our ‘work of love’ is measured by how much we “tremble at His words” (Isa 66:5).

We need to remember what it means to “go and buy”. Here is what that means. Here is what the five foolish virgins were not willing to do:

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.

The dream is one and all who buy gold tried in the fire and are rich are the same as the five wise virgins who are rich in the ‘oil’ of the spirit and words and works of Christ because they tremble at His words.

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

Isa 66:5 Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

All who “have tasted of the holy ghost” have had a degree of the holy spirit given to them. If they are then made to “fall away” it will then be “impossible to renew them again to repentance because they will “find no place for repentance”, typified by Esau who actually had the inheritance before treading it underfoot and counting it “an unholy thing.”

Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

Christ is “the spirit of grace”, and it is He who Esau in type “despised” when he sold Jacob his birthright for a bowl of pottage:

Gen 25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

Heb 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
Heb 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Heb 12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

The whole world has turned their backs on God and on His Christ, and all we and they do to deny His sovereignty over the nations of this earth serves only to correct and reprove us and them “every man in his own order” (1Co 3:13 and 1Co 15:23):

Jer 46:5 Wherefore have I seen them [the armies of Egypt] dismayed and turned away back? and their mighty ones are beaten down, and are fled apace, and look not back: for fear was round about, saith the LORD.
Jer 46:6 Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates.

“The mighty man… shall stumble and fall toward the north…” is one of many verses which demonstrate that ‘the north’ typifies the Lord’s humiliating judgment with which He is working His purpose in all the affairs of mankind.

Judgment is revealed to come upon the Lord’s people “from the north”:

Eze 9:1 He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.
Eze 9:2 And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar.

The Lord’s judgments are always depicted as coming out of “the way… which lieth toward the north”, and they are administered first upon “they that are Christ’s”] because the Lord is seeking an occasion to destroy our old man and his entire kingdom “first”, but then “every man in his own order”:

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
1Co 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

The Lord’s own anointed are being judged first in this present time as Ezekiel informs us:

Eze 9:3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side;
Eze 9:4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
Eze 9:5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
Eze 9:6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
Eze 9:7 And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.

The Lord’s chastening, scourging, correcting, and reproving, all “begin at His sanctuary… His house… which temple [we] are” if indeed we have His oil in our vessels:

1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

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

The Lord’s judgments burn up all our wood, hay, and stubble. They cause the death and destruction of the entire kingdom of our rebellious old man. They are the painful and humiliating destruction of our old man:

Eze 9:8 And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?
Eze 9:9 Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not.
Eze 9:10 And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.
Eze 9:11 And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.

These words are telling us that we all reap what we sow, and saying “the Lord hath forsaken the earth” will not keep us from doing so or restrain His chastening hand:

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

The Lord’s elect are judged by the same words which judge those in the lake of fire. The fire of the lake of fire is the same fiery words (Jer 5:14) which judge the elect in this present time. “Every man’s work… shall be revealed by fire, and the fire will try every man’s work of what sort it is”:

1Co 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

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.

Both endure the same “fire and brimstone [of] the wrath of God [expressed in] the words of the prophecy of this book”. It is “the prophecy of this book [which] is the fire and brimstone which produces “the patience of the saints and the faith of Jesus”:

Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

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

Rev 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

The Lord’s “very elect”, the “sheep… on His right hand” share much in common with “the goats on His left hand” (Mat 25:31-46). If we “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” that means we believe and live by every word of God. Therefore, the sheep will never hear the words “depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels”, and the goats will never hear the words “Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”:

Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Mat 25:34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Mat 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Mat 25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Mat 25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Mat 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Mat 25:42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
Mat 25:43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Mat 25:44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Mat 25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
Mat 25:46  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

The elect of the Lord will not be hurt of nor have any part in the second death/lake of fire/great white throne judgment, other than being the judges who administer that great white throne judgment, and being the ‘fire’ which is ‘the lake of fire’.

Egypt signifies the whole world in rebellion against “the Lord and His Christ”. All men have their beginning in this rebellious world and must be judged for that rebellion against their own Maker:

Jer 46:7 Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers?
Jer 46:8 Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof.
Jer 46:9 Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.
Jer 46:10 For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.

If you have the nerve to let it be known that you actually believe that God rules in the kingdoms of men and will judge every man according to his works, this world will consider you to be insane. Nevertheless, the word of God stands true and will be proven to be so.

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

Since “[the Lord’s] words shall not pass away” these words of His coming judgment must be fulfilled:

Jer 46:11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured.
Jer 46:12 The nations have heard of thy shame, and thy cry hath filled the land: for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, and they are fallen both together.

“The mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty” tells us that when the Lord’s judgments come upon us, nothing we can do will keep us from falling under His judgment. All our ‘mighty men’ and all our false doctrines will be revealed to be the lying contradictions they are.

Jer 46:13 The word that the LORD spake to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt.

When the Lord uses Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the king of one nation to punish another nation’s king, the king of Egypt in this instance, He is demonstrating how our own wickedness will correct us, and our own backslidings shall reprove us:

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

Jer 46:14 Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in Noph and in Tahpanhes: say ye, Stand fast, and prepare thee; for the sword shall devour round about thee.

Physically and outwardly “the sword shall devour round about thee” tells us that just as the king of Babylon had already devoured the Philistines, Judah, Syria, Edom, Moab, and Ammon, the Egyptians are now next to defend themselves in vain because the Lord has already decided that Egypt is now in the queue to be punished for her sins, along with all those other nations.

Spiritually and inwardly all these nations are “the law of sin” within our members warring against us even as we war against the Lord. These nations signify all the false doctrines and sins within us which are our own wickedness which will correct and reprove us.

Study of the Book of Kings – 1Ki 17:1-24 “The barrel of meal shall not waste…”

Tony Cullen — Sat, 07 May 2022 02:32:29 +0000

1Ki 17:1-24 “The barrel of meal shall not waste neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth”

[Study Aired May 6, 2022]

1Ki 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
1Ki 17:2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
1Ki 17:3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
1Ki 17:4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
1Ki 17:5 So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by “the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
1Ki 17:6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.
1Ki 17:7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
1Ki 17:8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
1Ki 17:9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
1Ki 17:10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
1Ki 17:11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
1Ki 17:12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
1Ki 17:13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
1Ki 17:14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
1Ki 17:15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
1Ki 17:16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.
1Ki 17:17 And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.
1Ki 17:18 And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?
1Ki 17:19 And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.
1Ki 17:20 And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?
1Ki 17:21 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again.
1Ki 17:22 And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.
1Ki 17:23 And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.
1Ki 17:24 And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.

This section of scripture gives us hope by showing us, through the prophet Elijah, who is a type of Christ, how God will “supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” as we’re told in (Php 4:19). As we read through this study it should become very clear, via the names and places and people and events taking place, that God is showing the apple of His eye through these inspired events (Pro 7:2, Deu 32:9-10, Zec 2:8, Psa 17:8). He knows what we need before we even ask him as the author and finisher of our faith, desiring “above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (Mat 6:8, Heb 12:2, 3Jn 1:2).

2Co 4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

Php 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Pro 7:2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. [Rev 1:3]

Deu 32:9 For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
Deu 32:10 He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

Zec 2:8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

Psa 17:8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

Mat 6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

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.

3Jn 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

To be hidden “under the shadow of thy wings” of Psalm 17:8 is to be hidden in Christ (Col 3:3), and Elijah the Tishbite is also a type of the elect who go whithersoever the Lamb leads us, which means we follow each other as we follow Christ (Rev 14:4, Rom 8:14-16, 3Jn 1:3, 1Co 11:1) fulfilling our role in this life of being a light in this world with the word of His truth in our mouth as it was in Elijah’s, “that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth” (1Ki 17:24, Mat 5:14-16, Gal 6:10).

Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

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 [Rom 8:14-16]. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

3Jn 1:3 For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.

1Co 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Mat 5:14 Ye are the light of the world^{G2889 = kosmos}. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. [1Jn 3:17, Luk 10:30-37]
Mat 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. pan>
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.

Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

1Ti 4:7 But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
1Ti 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
1Ti 4:9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
1Ti 4:11 These things command and teach.

As we go about our Father’s business, as Christ our example does (Luk 2:49), we will learn of His provision along the way and His faithfulness to meet our every need in this life as we learn to live Godly lives (Tit 2:11-12) that are content whether we have a little or a lot (Php 4:11). The promise of God’s provision for His elect is typified with this statement in 1Kings 17:16: “the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah“, reminding us, especially in matters of faith, how God will provide what we need via the author and finisher of our faith Jesus Christ who provides the spiritual meal (as the bread of life [Joh 6:58]) and cruse of oil (Zec 4:6, Lev 6:13, Joh 6:63) that fails not as a symbol of God’s holy spirit that he pours out upon us to give increase in due season, as we labor in His word and work out our own salvation with fear and trembling knowing “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (1Co 3:6-7).

This prophetic announcement being made to Ahab via the prophet Elijah reveals the sovereignty of God over all of His creation. Not only does God alone give the increase as we read (1Co 3:6), but God alone is the one who withholds His word from us as symbolized with these words, “There shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.” The reason God withholds His word from us is to bring us to our wits’ end so that we cry out in that darkened state of not seeing truth clearly (Psa 107:25-30), and then he delivers us just as Elijah did with the people in his day (Jas 5:17-20).

Psa 107:24 These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
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^{H4480 H4691}. [narrowness (Mat 7:14, 1Co 10:13)]
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.

Jas 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

[This example of Elias is a type of God’s elect who witness to a world today that cannot receive the words of Christ, the whole stay of bread and water, and yet in the day of their visitation Christ’s witness through the elect will bring forth the desired results and the seed will not have been sown in vain (Rev 11:3, Isa 3:1, Isa 55:11, Ecc 11:1, 1Pe 2:12)]

Jas 5:18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
Jas 5:19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; [Luk 22:32, 1Jn 4:17]
Jas 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death [ultimately the second death (Rev 2:11)], and shall hide a multitude of sins.

[Today as the body of Christ, we cover each other’s sins by washing one another with the word (Eph 5:26), “and the earth brought forth her fruit” because of God giving that increase. That is what is happening now within the body of Christ, and if we are granted to endure until the end, God’s elect will be used to “hide a multitude of sins” via the great white throne judgment that will be administered to the “innumerable multitude” (Rev 7:9) with their “multitude of sins.”]

1Ki 17:2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
1Ki 17:3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

“Turn thee eastward” is a statement that symbolizes our starting to look to Christ whose coming into our heavens is “as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Mat 24:27, 2Th 2:8). He comes as lightning which occurs during those Psalm 107 storms, which we see as a result of being dragged to the son (Joh 6:44). That is how “the word of the LORD came unto him“, and unto us for whom these prophecies are written (1Co 10:11) who are hidden in Christ. It is at the brook Cherith [“cutting”] where we receive that first deadly wound before we can cross the Jordan to “hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.“

1Ki 17:4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
1Ki 17:5 So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
1Ki 17:6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.

God can use any means He wants to sustain us spiritually through the wilderness with bread and meat, which symbolize his word, and this provision that was being made for Elijah comes at “the brook Cherith” where that word Cherith^H3747 which means “cut” represents our dying daily process that makes it possible for us to be sustained in the Lord, “And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there” (1Co 15:31).

The raven is an unclean bird but can still, by God’s mercy, be used to supply our needs in the wilderness. The raven gives up the meat just as the churches of Babylon labor in the word for our sakes in this age. God’s elect are the few in this life (Mat 22:14) who are able to read, hear and keep the sayings of the prophecies which are symbolized in Elijah’s life when he ate the meat from the raven (Rev 1:3).

Notice Elijah “did according unto the word of the LORD” demonstrating an obedient spirit that was abiding where he needed to be in order to have the ravens bring “him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook” (Luk 24:49).

Luk 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, [Gal 4:26] until ye be endued with power from on high.

God continues to abundantly supply our every need in Christ provided we are granted by His hand to continue to be apprehended by the hand of a fit man, Jesus Christ (Php 3:12, Lev 16:21), who makes it possible for us to die daily.

Php 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. [Php 2:12-13 says the same thing]

The statement “the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook” is a witness to how God provides the spiritual meat in due season we need in order to be sustained in this life (Mat 24:45, 1Co 10:2-3).

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

1Co 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses [We are baptized into Christ’s death so we can feed each other spiritual meat in due season (Rom 6:3)] in the cloud and in the sea;
1Co 10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
1Co 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

1Ki 17:7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
1Ki 17:8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
1Ki 17:9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

Now in our story of Elijah who represents God’s elect, we see the process of dying daily at the brook Cherith drying up, which is symbolic of losing our first love, and what we must be given to do at this point is to receive the counsel that comes from the word of God “the word of the LORD came unto him” and what it tells us to do is “Arise, get thee to Zarephath^H6886 [Zarephath = “refinery”], which belongeth to Zidon ^H6721 [Sidon = “hunting”], and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee” which is another way of saying “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire [refinement process], 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” (Rev 3:18, Heb 10:25, Jas 1:27).

H6886
tsârephath
BDB Definition: Zarephath = “refinery”
1) a city on the coast south of Sidon and the residence of Elijah during the last part of the drought; modern ‘Sura-fend’
Part of Speech: noun proper locative
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H6884

We can be hunters and fishers of men [“Zidon^H6721“] if God gives us an obedient spirit that leads us to be sustained by “a widow woman” who represents the church where the manifold wisdom of God is given to those who are blessed to hunger and thirst for His righteousness (Eph 3:10, Mat 5:6, Jas 1:27).

H6721
tsı̂ydôn
BDB Definition: Sidon = “hunting”
1) ancient Phoenician city, on Mediterranean coast north of Tyre
Part of Speech: noun proper locative
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H6679 in the sense of catching fish

1Ki 17:10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

It is at “the gate of the city“, which represents our hearts and minds, that this refining process is going to take place in “Zarephath“. This is where Elijah, a type of God’s elect, meets a woman who represents our early stage in the body of Christ that lacks faith and is gathering wood and not gold, silver and precious stone (1Co 3:12). Elijah provokes her to love and good works and says, “Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink“, as Christ does to us through each other helping us to be doers of the word and not just hearers (Joh 4:7-10, Jas 1:22).

Joh 4:7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
Joh 4:8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
Joh 4:9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Joh 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

1Ki 17:11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
1Ki 17:12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

Elijah is in type and shadow hungry for the whole stay of bread and water as God’s elect are a peculiar people zealous of good works (Tit 2:14), and asks the widow “I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand“. It is in her hand because that is where the healing words and works of Christ are going to come from, from our hands that have laid hold to the plough and, Lord willing, are not looking back (Luk 9:62). This widow lacks faith at this stage in her walk, unlike this woman in Matthew 15:26-28 (“Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table“) who like Elijah needed only a “morsel of bread” believing that God can multiply that bread as He does His word which is symbolized by bread (Mar 6:41). Elijah is provoking her to love and good works by these actions of asking for bread and water (Php 4:17, Heb 10:24-25).

Mat 15:27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.
Mat 15:28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

The widow pronouncing “I have not a cake” is a witness that her walk is narrow and hard, no coffee and donuts here, or cake! What she did have however is all anyone of us needs, “an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse“, which represents the little faith of Christ which is great enough to get the work done in our lives (Rev 3:8) as we each operate together as one body in the measure of faith that He gives each joint to supply in love (Luk 17:6, Rom 12:3, Eph 4:16).

Rev 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

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.

The widow was “gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” Those two sticks being separate is a witness of what God is going to do for the body of Christ that is going to become one in Christ. He is our Peace and the One who makes our marriage to him possible by joining the two sticks together. The wages of sin when we’re separate from God is death (Rom 6:23), and the widow has no hope of being sustained or becoming whole again so she just expresses her reason for gathering these two sticks in this manner: “that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die” (Eph 2:14, Mar 10:8, Eze 37:15-20).

Eph 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

Mar 10:8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.

Eze 37:15 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
Eze 37:16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
Eze 37:17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.
Eze 37:18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?
Eze 37:19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
Eze 37:20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

1Ki 17:13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
1Ki 17:14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
1Ki 17:15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
1Ki 17:16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.

Christ comes to us like Elijah did to this widow woman telling her, as Christ tells the church, “fear not“. Fear not it is your Father’s good pleasure to give his little flock the kingdom (Luk 12:32), and our labors in Christ, which are typified by her making “a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.” This demonstrates that our labors are not in vain in the Lord who has preeminence in all thing including eating of the cake first, then we inherit that blessing [Lev 23:15, Lev 23:17] and share it with “thy sons” which symbolizes the rest of the world (Col 1:15-19).

Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

The church is obedient to the commandments of God just as this widow is to the requests of Elijah. The result of that obedience expressed by her doing “according to the saying of Elijah” is that “she, and he, and her house, did eat many days” (Psa 92:14-15).

Psa 92:14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;
Psa 92:15 To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

When we are obedient to God’s commandments “the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.” Israel experienced this same principle in the wilderness regarding the manna, which typifies Christ who, when we don’t know, we take for granted and misappropriate His word to our own destruction (Luk 23:34), not obeying his commandments (Mat 5:18, 1Co 4:6).

Exo 16:16 This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.

Exo 16:20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.

Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

1Co 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

1Ki 17:17 And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.

It is after these physical miracles of providing oil and meal, representing the spirit of God being given, that we see the next parable line up showing us what can be accomplished when we have the life of Christ in us (Rom 8:9). We all are the son of the “mistress^H1172” of a house where there is sickness, which symbolizes our time of spiritual sickness, or blindness, in Babylon, where there is “no breath” of life within us, no stay of water or bread, no oil or meal within.

mistress
H1172
ba‛ălâh
BDB Definition:
1) mistress, female owner
2) sorceress, necromancer (noun of relationship)
Part of Speech: noun feminine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from of H1167
Same Word by TWOT Number: 262b

H1167
ba‛al
BDB Definition:
1) owner, husband, lord
1a) owner
1b) a husband
1c) citizens, inhabitants
1d) rulers, lords
1e) (noun of relationship used to characterise – i.e., master of dreams)
1f) lord (used of foreign gods)
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H1166
Same Word by TWOT Number: 262a

“His sickness was so sore” reminds us of how sore our trials were, the great fight of affliction we endured as we were being grafted into the body of Christ, typified by the prodigal son’s time when he was brought to his wits’ end after having “joined himself to a citizen of that country” (Heb 10:32, Luk 15:16).

Heb 10:32 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;

Luk 15:15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
Luk 15:16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

Afterward our trials turn from the purpose of being grafted into the body to a lifetime of being pruned and shown what great things we “must suffer for my name’s sake” as we, Lord willing, grow and mature in Christ (Act 9:16, Act 14:22).

Act 9:16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

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

1Ki 17:18 And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?

The son was at death’s door, and Elijah came to give witness to the life of Christ symbolically for our sakes, by resurrecting her son to life. That soon-to-be-resurrected son represents our being born again unto God through the death of our old doctrines that are destroyed by being given the new life of Christ within. In this sense, Elijah did slay her son and brought her sins into remembrance, and then raised the child so that he could, in type and shadow, be baptized into Christ’s death (Joh 3:3, Rom 6:3).

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

This section of the story symbolizes how God calls our sins to remembrance and then heals us as the child was healed, “to call my sin to remembrance.” Elijah is come to heal her dead son who represents the false doctrines, or demons, that have come forth from her as a type of Babylon, who was the mother of us all at one point (Rev 17:5). Her spirit is one of fear and torment as she does not see that God is bringing healing to her, and not the condemnation she supposes to be the case (Mat 25:24-26, Rev 18:10, 1Jn 4:17-18).

Mat 25:24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
Mat 25:25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
Mat 25:26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

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.

1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
1Jn 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

1Ki 17:19 And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.

This is not the “bosom” of Abraham that typifies Christ (Luk 16:22), but rather the bosom of Babylon that is in the earth that the child is taken from (Luk 16:22) just as we are dragged out of Babylon by God and grafted into Christ (Joh 6:44). Then the prophet “carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed“, which is symbolic of our being raised in heavenly places where we are grafted into Christ (Eph 2:6) as we lay upon “his own bed” to be healed by God’s power alone, through his Word.

1Co 6:14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

1Pe 1:21 Who by him [Christ] do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

Once we are healed, it will be our own bed and no other man’s, meaning we are commanded at that point to pick up our own bed once we are healed (Joh 5:8) by the Lord. We will spend the rest of our life knowing that it is we who must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, intimately knowing that it is Christ who is giving us the power to pick up our own bed and accomplish this (Php 2:12-13.

1Ki 17:20 And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?

The answer to Elijah’s question is, “Yes, God did bring the evil (Isa 45:7)” He did so with the purpose in mind of preserving life, just as was the case with Joseph’s brothers (Gen 45:5-7). The elect’s posterity in the earth today comes about as a result of being given to see that God does create darkness and makes peace and creates evil. He does it all as the Master Potter who, in time, will save all of His creation (Rom 9:14-16).

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

Gen 45:5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
Gen 45:6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
Gen 45:7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

Rom 9:14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
Rom 9:15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Rom 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

1Ki 17:21 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again.

This symbolic prayer of Elijah, “let this child’s soul come into him again”, is the one that we pray for each other every day when we ask God to fulfill his will in our lives and give us this day our daily bread. This is how the manchild will mature within us as we cry out for one another to God with fervent prayer that avails much and is heard when we fear God (Jas 5:16, Heb 5:7). It is three times he stretched himself upon the child as a symbol of “the process of spiritual completion” we go through and is accomplished when we are covered by Christ (Exo 37:9, Rom 4:7).

Exo 37:9 And the cherubims spread out their wings on high, and covered with their wings over the mercy seat, with their faces one to another; even to the mercy seatward were the faces of the cherubims.

Rom 4:7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

The words “And he stretched himself“^H4058 explains to us what Christ must do to us as His sons and daughters (who need healing in this life, who need a physician) who is healing us with His word that is measuring us against Christ and His words (Luk 5:31, Rev 11:1, Zec 4:9). We stretch ourselves for each other looking not just on our own things but the things of others (Php 2:4), and in so doing we are blessed to fulfill the law of Christ for one another (Gal 6:2).

Luk 5:31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
Luk 5:32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

Zec 4:9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.

H4058 [And he stretched himself]
mâdad
BDB Definition:
1) to measure, stretch
1a) (Qal) to measure
1b) (Niphal) to be measured
1c) (Piel)
1c1) to extend, continue
1c2) to measure, measure off
1d) (Po) measured
1e) (Hithpolel) to extend oneself, stretch oneself
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number: 1146

1Ki 17:22 And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.
1Ki 17:23 And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.

We are heard by God when we fear Him and have reverence toward Him, and this is what makes it possible for our outward man to perish daily even as we put on the new man that is formed in His righteousness (Joh 14:13, 1Jn 5:14, Heb 5:7, Eph 4:22-24). Elijah is a type of the elect who is heard by the Lord, and the body of Christ’s prayers are answered according to God’s will which is to put off the flesh and to have us conformed to the image of Christ in this age (2Co 4:16-17, Lam 3:22, Luk 22:42).

Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

2Co 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
2Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

Lam 3:22 It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

One day the Father will introduce the bride of Christ to the world, symbolized by this sentence: “And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.” This witness of the son’s healing reminds us also of Christ’s own resurrected body that had to be seen by the doubting heart of Thomas in order to be convinced that this was the son of God (Joh 20:27-29).

Joh 20:27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
Joh 20:28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
Joh 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

1Ki 17:24 And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.

Her statement, “Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth“, demonstrated her lack of faith having had to see these things to believe (Joh 20:29), just like Nicodemus coming to Christ by night who uttered very similar words out of his mouth which were connected with the works of Christ and not the faith of Christ which is the precious gift God has given to so few in this life (Joh 3:1-3).

Joh 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Joh 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
Joh 3:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

It is with that faith of Christ that we come to believe the personal application of the title of this study that applies to the body of Christ today that has been “born again” and can see the kingdom of God that is God’s good pleasure to give to us in an earnest relationship that is leading up to the first resurrection: “And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah“.

Gospels In Harmony – The Parable of the Talents

Aaron Lohman — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 13:22:20 +0000

Gospels In Harmony – The Parable of the Talents

Matthew 25:14-30

[Study Aired September 7, 2021]

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

Our last study covered the parable of the “Ten Virgins”, its key elements being the difference between those in the first resurrection and the second. Those in the first resurrection have their lamps full of oil which will burn throughout the night. This signifies the elect having the holy spirit, and while they abide in the world, Christ is in them. Today’s study is another parable about the kingdom of heaven. The key words and phrases we will review are “a man traveling”, “a far country”, “his own servants”, and “his goods” which are used in out first two verses of the parable.

Mat 25:14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

“A man traveling” is Christ. Christ is traveling into “a far country” and that is heaven, (the kingdom of God), which is within you. “His own servants” are the many called and few chosen.

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

Eph 4:8-10 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also de-scended, first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

1Pe 2:9-10 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

There is a difference between the called, chosen and faithful and what they do with “the goods” received from the “traveling man” Christ. Here are “the goods”.

Mat 25:15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

The one to whom he gave five talents represents the “grace through faith” we receive from Christ. Number Five

The one who received two talents represents the “witness” we receive from Christ. Witness

And the one he gave one talent represents “unity” we receive from Christ. Number One

This “unity” is in the negative sense representing our self righteousness.

Now all these received these gifts based “according to his several ability”. This represents our measure of faith given to us.

Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Because of the measure of faith given these servants, here is what they do with their lord’s money.

Mat 25:16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
Mat 25:17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.

The first two “traded” the money they received and doubled what they had. This represents “doing the things that I say” and “keeping the sayings of the prophecy of this book”.

Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

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.

Here is what the third one did.

Mat 25:18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.

He took the “one” (unity) and buried in the earth. Being buried in the earth, it is in darkness and cannot receive any light. This is telling us that we cannot grow because of our forsaking the assembly.

Heb 10:23-25 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Now the lord of those servants returns seeking to find profits produced by his servants.

Mat 25:19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
Mat 25:20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
Mat 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Mat 25:22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
Mat 25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Both of these servants gained profits by doing what their Lord had commissioned them to do. For their efforts they will be rulers over “many” things. This represents ruling over the “many called” in the first resurrection.

Rev 1:5-6 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev 20:4-6 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 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.

Now let’s see what happens to the last servant that received one talent.

Mat 25:24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
Mat 25:25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
Mat 25:26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
Mat 25:27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

This servant knew his Lord “reaped where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed” representing our Lord Jesus receiving of his Father and doing what he says.

Joh 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

Joh 8:28-29 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

Here is the punishment the “wicked and slothful servant” receives.

Mat 25:28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
Mat 25:29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
Mat 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The chosen and faithful receive the truth in this age, and the many called cannot receive the truth because Christ’s word has no place in them.

Joh 8:31-38 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

Joh 8:42-45 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 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. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

Each of these servants are us at certain points of our walk. We are first given “one talent” being the “many called” and are of our father the devil worshiping ourselves and hiding our talent in the earth. Next, we become the “chosen” by being given “two talents” receiving the true witness of Christ. Finally, we become the “faithful” enduring until the end by receiving “five talents” grace through faith. We are then promised to rule in the kingdom of God.

Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

Joh 16:32-33 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. 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.

We must be careful to keep the commandment of our Lord and pray without ceasing. We all know and understand that it is God Who is working all this in us, yet he tells us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Lord willing, we are given to endure until the end.

Mat 24:4-14 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Eph 1:3-12 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 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: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Php 2:12-13 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. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

1Th 5:12-18 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1Jn 2:1-6 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gwjwgft4p3kga1n/20210907-Study_AaronL-ParableTalents.m4a?raw=1

Gospels in Harmony – The Ten Virgins

Aaron Lohman — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 01:59:16 +0000

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a9s7s75zo48y82q/20210831-Study_AaronL-TenVirgins.m4a?raw=1

Gospels In Harmony – The Ten Virgins

Mat 25:1-13

[Study Aired August 31, 2021]

Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Mat 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Mat 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Mat 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

In this study Christ is continuing to speak in parables about the kingdom of God and His return. The parable is about what is within each of us. We are the ten virgins being prepared as the bride of Christ. Here is the first verses.

Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Mat 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

The ten virgins are us when Christ first enters our hearts and minds, ten having the spiritual significance of the completeness of the flesh. In our last study, Christ said the coming of the Son of man is like the days of Noah. Noah was the tenth generation, and at that time all mankind were killed, and only eight remained. Here is the link to the study of Numbers in Scripture – “Ten = Completeness of The Flesh” which also shows us the meaning of the two fives mentioned in this parable. Here is the link to the study which shows us the number ten is 5 (grace through faith) twice (first and second resurrections). This also represents the many called and few chosen and the old man and new man within.

Their lamps hold the oil that is fuel for the light. The lamp represents our mind and heart. The oil represents the holy spirit by which we are annointed. When the oil is touched by fire, which represents judgment, light is produced. The light represents the truth, and the bridegroom represents Christ. The lamp is made of copper and represents us as being carnal babes in Christ, the best flesh has to offer and the necessity of copper in bringing us to Christ. Here are study links for Base metals in scriptures: Copper, Part 1;
Copper, Part 2; and Copper, Part 3. Also, here is a link to showing us what oil represents in scripture What is Oil in Scripture.

Now here is the difference between the foolish and the wise.

Mat 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

The foolish took no oil, therefore being called to meet the bridegroom, they came unprepared, which means they were called but not given the spirit. This is how we are in Babylon. The wise, on the other hand, came prepared having been given the spirit but are yet carnal babes in Christ until the cry is made and they are awakened. We do not know the hour the cry will come so we must always be prepared. Of course, it is the Lord Who prepares the heart.

Pro 16:1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.

We are called to go into Babylon, next we are chosen to come out of Babylon, and finally we are given to endure until the end.

Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

The ten virgins who arose and trimmed their lamps represent receiving knowledge of the work which must be done to enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Being called as one of the ten virgins and trimming their lamps is where most “Christians” are today. Here is where they are.

Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

The foolish virgins are able to trim their lamps but cannot produce any light because their lamps are gone out. This tells us that they do not believe what they have been told and that is judgment begins at the house of God. Not only this but they do not except that there is any judgment to begin with. The reason they do not believe this is because they are not given any oil. Their wick is lit, but it extinguishes immediately. The foolish take the word of God and twist it to mean something totally different. Here is an example.

Luk 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
Luk 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

The Christians of the world are given to believe they will not face judgment. The reason they believe this is because they have no oil. The spirit is not in them.

Next the wise tell them what they must do.

Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

The wise know that they are not to share their oil and tell them to go on their way. The wise also know that if they were to give up any oil, their own lamps would go out. Their lamps are lit in the middle of the night, and they must stay lit until the fullness of the daylight comes. This represents our time being in these bodies of flesh until the redemption of the purchased possession.

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

The foolish go away to buy the oil they lack and miss out on the bridegroom coming.

Mat 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

The door being shut symbolizes the division between the many called and few chosen, the old man and the new man, and those in the first resurrection and the second. These two groups are separated by Christ either knowing them or not knowing them.

Mat 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

What does this mean? Christ says, “I know you not” because they were not prepared and then gives us the following warning.

Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Being called, chosen and faithful is the only way we can enter into the kingdom of Heaven. We must be given to be diligent in all we do until the end of our walking in these bodies of flesh. In the beginning we are the five virgins who have empty lamps that are turned away and eventually destroyed. If we endure until the end, we are the five virgins that have lamps full of oil and are able to have light throughout the night. Christ is our light, and as he is, so are we in this world.

Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

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

Pro 13:9 The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

We hold the lamp (word/doctrines of Christ) in our hearts and minds.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Joh 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Joh 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

1Jn 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
1Jn 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

I have used the following scriptures in several studies, but it is a warning we must have continually.

2Pe 3:14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
2Pe 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
2Pe 3:16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
2Pe 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

The Book of Kings – 1Ki 1:31-40 “Let my Lord King David Live for Ever”

Tony Cullen — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 18:37:28 +0000

1Ki 1:31-40 “Let my Lord King David live for Ever”

[Study Aired June 24, 2021]

1Ki 1:31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.
1Ki 1:32 And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king.
1Ki 1:33 The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon:
1Ki 1:34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon.
1Ki 1:35 Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.
1Ki 1:36 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the king say so too.
1Ki 1:37 As the LORD hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David.
1Ki 1:38 So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon.
1Ki 1:39 And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon.
1Ki 1:40 And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.

“Let my lord king David live for ever” heralds the conclusion of the matter from Bathsheba’s mouth whose words and works typify for God’s elect what should be in our hearts every moment, and that is to let brotherly love continue (Heb 13:1) through Christ who is symbolized by king David.

Heb 13:1 Let brotherly love continue.

In this story of the lineage of king David being preserved, God is the one who is making a way where there seems to be none, and He does so today in our lives by having Christ rule and reign in the hearts of those who have God’s spirit within them (Rom 3:10, Isa 43:16, Rom 8:9), spoken this way in the old covenant: “Let my lord king David live for ever“. These events symbolize for us the promise of eternal life which is given to us through Christ (Joh 6:55-57).

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Isa 43:16 Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;

Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Joh 6:55  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
Joh 6:56  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
Joh 6:57  As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

Bathsheba and Nathan symbolize the witness of the church and the holy spirit that God uses to teach us to forsake ungodliness and worldly lust in this age (Tit 2:12-13). God’s spirit is leading us into all truth, convicting us of unrighteousness just as Nathan was used regarding David’s adultery and now in giving Bathsheba the direction needed to preserve the lineage of King David (Joh 16:13, Rom 8:16).

Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

It is God’s spirit that gives us power to overcome through a process of repentance and forsaking worldly lust (Rev 11:3, Rom 2:4), and as we discussed last week, our flesh has to continually be humbled, “clothed in sackcloth”, dying daily (Ecc 7:1-2, 1Co 15:31), in order to fear God and work righteousness (Pro 9:10, Act 10:35, Psa 115:13, Ecc 12:13-14). This process is all tied into the faith God gives His elect who He intends to purify through the fiery trials of this life (1Pe 4:12, 1Pe 1:7).

Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Ecc 7:1 A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.
Ecc 7:2 It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.

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

Pro 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecc 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Bathsheba with her “face to the earth” symbolizes the understanding that the body of Christ has been granted today to be shown how we ought to “tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1Ti 3:15, Mic 6:8), which can only be accomplished “by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zec 4:6). That tarrying long is the long-suffering process to which God has called the elect so we can be washed by the word of God and be made ready to be the bride of Christ (Eph 5:26, Rev 19:7).

Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Pro 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Act 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

Psa 115:13 He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.

Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecc 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Mic 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Zec 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Let us give great thanks to God for His mercy which never fails as we let brotherly love continue in His holy temple, the church, where we worship our Father in spirit and in truth (Joh 4:23-24), which is how we are given to “Let my lord king David live for ever“.

Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

1Ki 1:31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.

It’s when we bow our face “to the earth” and humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand (1Ki 1:16, 1Pe 5:6) that we begin to see how Christ, who is typified by King David, will preserve the church (Psa 121:7-8, Mat 16:18). This preservation comes as a result of His righteous judgments in our earth (Luk 21:4-5, Isa 26:9, 1Th 3:12, 2Pe 2:9) and with our faces introspectively looking “to the earth” we go through a process of judgment now (Jer 22:29) so we can be among those who will be blessed and holy to have their part in the first resurrection: “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 20:6, 1Co 11:31).

Psa 121:7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil (1Co 10:13): he shall preserve thy soul.
Psa 121:8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore (Pro 3:5-8).

Luk 12:4 And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do [in this life or the next (1Co 6:3, Luk 10:20)].
Luk 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

[have reverence and fear toward the judge, toward the king as Nathan and Bathsheba did which actions typify the right spirit of fearing him, “which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.”]

1Th 3:12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
1Th 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

[the saints are preserved and the rest of God’s creation is reserved “unto the day of judgment to be punished”. Our time of enduring God’s wrath and punishment on our first man Adam is now (1Pe 4:17, Rev 14:12)]

2Pe 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

Nathan and Bathsheba were stedfastly going about to preserve the line of David, which line is a type and shadow of the body of Christ, the remnant that God promised would endure until the end “according to the election of grace” (Rom 11:5). Again Christ’s answer to the world that is yet to be judged is expressed in these verses where David says, “Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them” just as Adonijah who typifies our first man Adam who must experience this stumbling first, a blinding to the word of God that is spoken in parables for that very reason (Luk 8:10). It is only when we are crushed by the stone that was rejected by the builders that we can then see the truth that if we are granted to continue in will set us free (Isa 28:13, Mat 21:42-44, Joh 8:32). These verses in Romans 11:8-16 remind us of that same point that “(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them”, which is where we all start until we begin to be judged of God (1Pe 4:17).

Isa 28:13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Mat 21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
Mat 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
Mat 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken [Isa 28:13]: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

1Ki 1:32 And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king.

Keeping in mind that king David is a type of Christ we can now look at this very decisive moment when Solomon is going to be anointed and see the correlation being drawn for God’s elect who likewise see the spiritual equivalent of these things happening in their life.

[…as others by God’s design try to usurp the rulership that God had determined to give us from the foundation of the world as Adonijah attempted (Joh 15:16-17, Rev 3:11)

Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Joh 15:17  These things I command you, that ye love one another.

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

The anointing of Solomon is symbolic language referring to the return of Christ in our life in earnest as we are anointed and given this unction that is accompanied with many struggles at the onset and much tribulation throughout our lives that culminates in great tribulation at the end (1Jn 2:20, Heb 10:32-33, Mat 24:21).

1Jn 2:20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

Heb 10:32 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;
Heb 10:33 Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.

Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

It is through that lifetime of much tribulation that God’s people will be prepared and learn how He can “preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore”, and it will be by God’s anointing found within the church the body of Christ that this power to overcome will be accomplished, symbolized for God’s people with Nathan, a type of the comforter that brings the sure word of prophesy into the church, typified by Bathsheba, so that we can have light in this dark world in which we live both inwardly and without ourselves (Mat 24:33-36, Psa 121:7-8, 2Pe 1:19).

Mat 24:33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Mat 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Psa 121:7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
Psa 121:8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

Who David calls to take action is symbolic of what the Lord will do in our heavens to make the bride ready to be in the first resurrection (Rev 19:7). Here are the meanings of those names of people that the king called upon to bring about this coronation, keeping in mind that these were the ones that Adonijah, who represents our flesh, would have never called upon to help him with his schemes, telling us that it is only the Lord who can build the house and that boasting is excluded by the law of faith (Psa 127:1, Rom 3:27).

These all “came before the king” for our sakes (2Co 4:15). In short it is those who are being cleansed and washed by the blood of lamb who are overcoming by the power of God represented by the name Zadok (Rev 12:10-11).

Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Zadok the priest H6659 צדוק tsâdôq tsaw-doke’
From H6663; just; Tsadok, the name of eight or nine Israelites: – Zadok.
H6663 צדק tsâdaq tsaw-dak’
A primitive root; to be (causatively make) right (in a moral or forensic sense): – cleanse, clear self, (be, do) just (-ice, -ify, -ify self), (be, turn to) righteous (-ness).

Nathan’s name tells us that it is God who has recompensed us unto himself by reconciling us unto our Father (Rom 11:35-36, Rom 5:10).

Rom 11:35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Nathan the prophet H5416 nâthân naw-thawn’
From H5414; given; Nathan, the name of five Israelites: – Nathan.

H5414 nâthan naw-than’
A primitive root; to give, used with great latitude of application (put, make, etc.): – add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, X avenge, X be ([healed]), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit consider, count, + cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute do, X doubtless, X without fail, fasten, frame, X get, give (forth, over, up), grant, hang (up), X have, X indeed, lay (unto charge, up), (give) leave, lend, let (out), +lie, lift up, make, + O that, occupy, offer, ordain, pay, perform, place, pour, print, X pull, put (forth), recompense, render, requite, restore, send (out), set (forth), shew, shoot forth (up). + sing, + slander, strike, [sub-] mit, suffer, X surely, X take, thrust, trade, turn, utter, + weep, X willingly, + withdraw, + would (to) God, yield.

Again we are reassured by the name Benaiah that the Lord will build his temple, the church, Christ’s body (Col 1:24) and the gates of hell won’t prevail against it (Mat 16:18).

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

Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Benaiah the son of Jehoiada H1141 benâyâh benâyâhû ben-aw-yaw’, ben-aw-yaw’-hoo From H1129 and H3050; Jah has built; Benajah, the name of twelve Israelites: – Benaiah.

H1129 bânâh baw-naw’
A primitive root; to build (literally and figuratively): – (begin to) build (-er), obtain children, make, repair, set (up), X surely.

1Ki 1:33 The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon:
1Ki 1:34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon.

There is more instruction given from king David in order to turn the tide of Adonijah who represents the man of perdition who wants to remain the ruler of our land, our bodies, but God has other plans and those plans in type and shadow are being revealed for us through what king David who is a type of Christ is going to institute (2Th 2:8-10).

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:
2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Notice the orders that are given to Zadok, Nathan and Benaiah: “The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon“. They are told to take “the servants of your lord” which servants represent any and all who are being led of God’s spirit and see themselves as servants who have been humbled in the kings service (2Co 4:5, Rom 8:14).

2Co 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

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

We have no dominion over each other’s faith (2Co 1:24) that God is giving to each member of the body of Christ, and because of that relationship, or discipleship that we have in Christ, we obediently go where the Lord would have us go when his servant is sent our way (Mat 4:22, Joh 13:35). In this type and shadow instance, the servants are commanded “and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon” to teach us that we are entering into Jerusalem above upon “mine own mule“, a beast of burden that represent Christ’s flesh that we are (Col 1:24, Eph 5:30). It is upon that beast that we are caused to enter into heavenly places being bound to the altar (Psa 118:27) and those heavenly places are represented by “Gihon” where we are drawn to Christ (Joh 6:44).

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

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

H1521 gı̂ychôn gichôn ghee-khone’, ghee-khone’
From H1518; stream; Gichon, a river of Paradise; also a valley (or pool) near Jerusalem: – Gihon.

H1518gı̂yach gôach ghee’-akh, go’-akh
A primitive root; to gush forth (as water), generally to issue: – break forth, labor to bring forth, come forth, draw up, take out.

It is with the mind of Christ that is working within the body of Christ that we come together to anoint each other as “Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel“. We are anointed through Christ as we wash each other with the word (Eph 5:26), which is happening at the altar that God has drawn us to, represented by “Gihon“(Heb 13:10).

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

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

We are called to “blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon” meaning we herald the truth while in these earthen vessels that we are more than conquerors through Christ and can overcome. God can “save king Solomon” (Rom 8:37).

Salvation comes to us through judgment and so these verses show us how it is through those judgments represented by the blowing of the trumpet that God will save the king who will rule over “Israel” that represents the world and all the sin that is in our world that needs to be ruled over through Christ (Zec 9:14, Amo 3:6, Joe 2:15, Joe 2:1, 1Jn 2:16-17).

Zec 9:14 And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord GOD shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.

Amo 3:6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? [Luk 12:5] shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?

Joe 2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

Joe 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; [1Pe 4:17]

1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

1Ki 1:35 Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.

Verse 35 is a prophesy telling God’s elect we will be saved first, and once again we are shown in this story the order of salvation with the statement, “Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.” We are appointed to be the first who will rule over sin in our members represented by Israel and Judah, Ohola and Oholabah who are also represented by “thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate” of Ezekiel 16:55. It is God’s elect today who have Christ sitting on the throne of our hearts because we have been anointed, and so we are told that we are ambassadors for Christ, represented by the phrase “he shall be king in my stead” (2Co 5:20). Christ’s anointing makes it possible for us to be judged and to endure that judgment through Christ (Php 4:13).

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

2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

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

1Ki 1:36 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the king say so too.
1Ki 1:37 As the LORD hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David.

“Benaiah the son of Johaiada answered the king, and said, Amen” because he was of the same mind as the king and saw the blessing that was upon David that was coming from above, from “the LORD God of my lord the king“, just like John the Baptist recognized Christ as being anointed (Joh 1:29). Benaiah goes on to say: “As the LORD hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David“, which typifies Christ’s words to God’s elect found in John 14:12-13.

Joh 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Joh 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

1Ki 1:38 So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon.
1Ki 1:39 And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon.
1Ki 1:40 And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.

The earth will be rent^H1234 with the sound of God’s government when it is established, and these closing verses of our study witness to the fact it will be accomplished not by might or power but by God’s holy spirit (Zec 4:6): “And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon.”

The order of God’s government is witnessed to us again in 1Kings 1:38, and the end result of Christ ruling and reigning through His body, which is the church, is that all mankind will be saved, typified in this last verse of our study: “And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent^H1234 with the sound of them.” The earth represents our flesh that needs to be judged, and when God’s judgments are in the earth men will learn righteousness (Isa 26:9), and the end result, or the fruit of that judgment, is expressed with these words which tell us “And all the people came up after him [1Co 15:22-24, 1Co 15:28], and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them“.

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
1Co 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

1Co 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

H1234 bâqa‛ baw-kah’
A primitive root; to cleave; generally to rend, break, rip or open: – make a breach, break forth (into, out, in pieces, through, up), be ready to burst, cleave (asunder), cut out, divide, hatch, rend (asunder), rip up, tear, win.

We started this study off by seeing how Bathsheba bowed her face to the earth, which was a symbol of the humility of Christ within the church who are being judged now so that one day we will rule under Christ to see the veil of all men’s hearts rent, which will bring about everlasting peace (Isa 9:7). This is all symbolically expressed with the words “Let my lord king David live for ever”.

Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Teacher’s Choice – The Spiritual Significance of the Meat Offering

Mike Vinson — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 22:24:15 +0000

The Spiritual Significance of the Meat Offering

[Study Aired 4/13/2020]

This is the second of the five types of offerings which Christ fulfills for us and in us. 1) burnt, 2) meat (meal), 3) peace, 4) sin, 5) trespass. There are two sub-types: the first three are sweet-smelling savors, and the last two are not sweet-smelling savors. This offering is just one part of the revealing of the “secret hidden from the ages:”

Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: [the ability to ‘do the things I say’]

There are three categories within each of the five types except for this offering. 1) herd, 2) flock, and 3) fowl. These offerings are the revelation of “Christ in you the hope of glory.”

This offering differs from all the others in that there is not a life being given. So, there is no herd, flock or fowl categories in this offering. Instead it has four parts of one offering: it was composed of 1) flour, 2) oil, 3) frankincense and 4) salt. Each of these parts reveals more of what is Christ in you. All three are “fruit of the ground” and therefore represent what man, who was made out of the ground, made of the dust of the earth through “Christ in him”, owes to God in service to his fellow man. The meat offering being of the fruit of the ground represents our good works which we perform in our flesh. However, these ‘good works’ are not a “sweet savor” if they are not offered upon a burnt offering. Consequently, we have these phrases in God’s Word:

Lev 23:18 And ye shall [on the day of Pentecost] offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD.

Num 29:2 And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD; one young bullock, one ram, [and] seven lambs of the first year without blemish:
Num 29:3 And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram,

Ezr 7:17 That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which [is] in Jerusalem.

Jdg 13:19 So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.

The Law of the Meat Offering

Lev 2:1 And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be [of] fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:

“Fine flour” means that this offering has been “crushed to powder.”

Mat 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Luk 20:18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

What is the difference between ‘falling on the stone and being broken’ and ‘the stone falling on you and grinding you to powder?’ Here is that difference:

Rom 9:31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
Rom 9:32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone;
Rom 9:33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

“Believing on Christ” is ‘doing the things I say.’ It is becoming ‘fine flour’ with no unevenness. It is to become completely malleable in the hands of the Potter to be “made anew”.

Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

The meat offering was what Cain presented to God. However, Cain had not “done well” (Gen 4:7). He had not done ‘the things which I say’. Cain had not obeyed God’s instructions concerning how to approach God. God had already covered Adam and Eve with the skins of animals to show them how to properly cover their nakedness. Yet Cain saw no need to bother with shedding blood. He may have had to go to his brother to get a lamb. That was a humility Cain could not bear. Foreshadowing the death of Christ, which was to come, Cain killed God’s anointed rather than obey God’s instructions concerning how God was to be approached and satisfied:

Gen 4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
Gen 4:2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Gen 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
Gen 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Gen 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Gen 4:6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee [shall be] his desire, and thou shalt rule over him [over sin].

“The fruit of the ground” was what God had given man at this time as man’s nourishment:

Gen 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

However, “the fruit of the ground” does not satisfy God. What does satisfy God is the burnt offering, which requires the shedding of blood. God’s portions which satisfy and nourish Him were not to be eaten by man at that time. It was not until after the flood that God gave man meat to eat. And even then, He reserved the blood to himself:

Gen 9:3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
Gen 9:4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

“You shall rule over him” is a prophecy of Cain’s, and all men’s, ultimate destiny through the sacrifice of Christ for which Cain saw no need. “If you do well” means ‘if you do the things I say.’ Cain had not done as he had been instructed. Cain was the original King Saul, who was instructed to kill all the Amalekites and their animals, but he decided he knew how to better approach God than God knew. King Saul unilaterally decided to keep the cattle and women and King Agag. But King Saul’s good works, like our good works when those works are out of us and not through the burnt offering, not through Christ, become “as filthy rags” before God.

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

“Our [most insidious and hard to detect] iniquities” are “our righteousnesses.” They are not called our unrighteousnesses; they are called “our righteousnesses,” our ‘blamelessness according to the righteousness which is in the law.’ They “are as filthy rags” and have taken us away” from the presence of our God.

Lev 2:2 And he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD:
Lev 2:3 And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.

Aaron and his sons represent Christ, our priest:

Heb 7:12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

His handful (Lev 2:2) represents His claim upon our entire lives just as the tithe represented God’s claim upon Israel’s entire life (Gen 47:24-26). All the shadows of the Old Testament represent Christ. This offering represents His claim upon our entire life as a life in service to our brothers. We present our entire bodies as living sacrifices to God:

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

This offering is the type and shadow of Christ in us being ground to powder so as to be of service to our fellow man is a way which is a sweet-smelling savor to God.

Lev 2:1 And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:

The meat offering is the second of the five types of offerings. 1) burnt, 2) meat (meal) 3) peace, 4) sin, and 5) trespass.

The meal offering consists of four ingredients 1) “finely ground flour” with 2) oil, and 3) frankincense and 4) salt. We have covered the significance of an offering which does not include the shedding of blood, an offering of the “fruit of the ground.” That ‘fruit of the ground’ represents the offering of our flesh:

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

The fact that part of this offering is not burnt but is given to the priests shows us that this is an offering whose emphasis is our debt to our fellow men who we are to see as Christ:

Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them [the sheep] on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Mat 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink?
Mat 25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took [thee] in? or naked, and clothed [thee]?
Mat 25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

So, the sheep on His right hand, who feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take in strangers, clothe the naked, visit the sick and come to the prisoners, are the meat offering.

The oil of this offering shows us the spirit of Christ in us. But it is a certain part of Christ in us. This is Christ in us as “finely ground flour… of the fruit of the ground.” It is Christ being ground to powder for us. It is also Christ being ground to powder in us. It is us being ground to powder for Christ’s body which is the church:

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

What do we see here in Colossians? How can anyone say that there is something “behind of the afflictions of Christ? Isn’t Paul blaspheming? Did not Christ say, “It is finished?”

Joh 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

How then can Paul say: “I… fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church?”

Paul can say this because Paul knew that it wasn’t really him who was filling up those afflictions at all. Paul knew his Bible, and Paul had the mind of the spirit (1Co 2:16). Paul knew what this verse was all about:

Exo 20:25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

Our works, without acknowledging the need and efficacy of the burnt offering, pollute our meat offering. While this offering shows us what Christ accomplishes in being bruised and crushed to powder for us, it also shows us that this is accomplished through us by having Christ in us. This is the only offering which is not a blood offering. It is an offering of the fruit of the ground. It represents what and how the fruit of the ground is given in service to God. It represents our good works toward our fellow man, who is also Christ. And the fact that it must never be offered without a blood offering tells us that our good works alone cannot save us. The fact that it is always offered with a shed blood offering tells us that our good works are not our works at all. They are rather ‘Christ in us.’

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

Whose works are they if they are worked in us?

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 (‘aion’) of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of [our own] 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.

Is “in the ages to come” an ‘Is, Was and Will Be statement? What say the scriptures?

1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

The fact that “the ends of the ages… are come… upon [us]” tells us that the phrase “the ages to come” is indeed an ‘is, was, and will be’ statement, which will be applicable to every man in every generation of mankind.

The following words of Isaiah’s prophecy are part of the words of Christ which shall “never pass away” (Mat 24:34-35):

Isa 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Isa 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

“Bruised… put to grief… the travail of His soul”, [and having] his soul poured out unto death”, that is the meat offering. It is bruised to please His Father and to atone for our sins:

Isa 28:28 Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.
Isa 28:29 This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.

“Bread corn is bruised.” That is what we are if we are to be of service to our brothers. We must “fill up in our bodies what is behind of the afflictions of Christ, for His body’s sake which is the church.” That is the finely ground and even consistency of the meat offering. It was not just “finished” 2000 years ago on His cross. It ‘Is, Was and Will Be’ being “finished… in our bodies, for His body’s sake which is the church.”

Christ suffered, not just from His enemies. He suffered from His own apostles who left Him to whatever the Jews and the Romans wanted to do to Him. What that “two horned beast [which], looked like a lamb, but spoke as a dragon” (Rev 13:11), wanted was Christ’s death, and the seven headed beast which the two-horned beast rode upon (Rev 17:1-3), was willing to accommodate her.

What is missing in the false doctrine of a ‘substitutionary atonement’ is the Biblical doctrine stating there is something yet lacking in the afflictions of Christ.

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

The reason this part of the gospel is so little understood is that Christ Himself is so little understood. How few it is who appreciate the depth of the Truth of these words:

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

Mat 25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

Act 22:7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 22:8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

Christ did not die for us so we would not have to suffer and die. That is a lie from the depths of the ‘bottomless pit’, the carnal mind of man. Christ died for us so we could die with Him:

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

We are not called to be physically blessed in this life. Rather our calling is to suffer with Christ:

Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Php 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

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

Christ Himself made His doctrine on this matter clear beyond any question:

Mat 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
Mat 10:25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

Luk 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.

Joh 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

1Jn 3:12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one [of his father the Devil – Joh 8:44], and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
1Jn 3:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
1Jn 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
1Jn 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Second ingredient – Oil

The second ingredient in the meat offering is oil – “he shall pour oil upon it.” What does oil signify in scripture?

Act 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
Act 2:17 (a) And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh:

Oil is not mentioned in the burnt offering. In the burnt offering the spirit is signified by water:

Lev 1:9 But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, [to be] a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

Here is the ‘oil’ being poured out on the ‘flour:’

Luk 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

Here is what that ‘oil’ generates:

Luk 4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

Luk 4:14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
Luk 4:15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
Luk 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

What He reads in the synagogue tells of what He does under the anointing of the ‘oil,’ the spirit:

Luk 4:17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

The spirit is mentioned in this offering of our bodies to Christ in service to our fellow man, as oil, because it is in service to one another that the smoothing and healing effect of oil is needed to heal the wounds we find or inflict on one another:

Luk 10:34 And went to him [one of the least of these my brothers], and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

Here is the one verse which best describes the meat offering:

Act 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

What was the result of Him “going about doing good?”

Luk 4:28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
Luk 4:29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

All who present themselves to God to be given Christ in them will always be “the bruised corn,” the meat offering.

Third ingredient – Frankincense

The third ingredient is frankincense, “…and put frankincense thereon:” But look what is said in connection with commanding this ingredient to be part of the meat offering:

Lev 2:11 No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.

No leaven and no honey were ever to be burnt in any offering made by fire unto the Lord. Why is that? Why is frankincense to be burnt on the altar of the Lord, but leaven and honey are never to be burnt on the altar?

The reason is that both honey and leaven corrupt and puff up when submitted to heat. Frankincense, on the other hand, is a most precious and fragrant and enduring perfume whose scent is released when heated. That is the symbolism of Christ in us as the meat offering, and it is contrasted with the sweetness of honey which is in many of us until we are put through the fire of God’s words. Then all our sweetness, like honey and leaven, begins to ferment and sour immediately. Our sweetness must never be placed on the altar of God. Here is a story which gives the contrast of incorruptible, enduring, fragrant frankincense to the never to be burnt on God’s altar, honey and leaven:

1Sa 15:1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
1Sa 15:2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
1Sa 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
1Sa 15:4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
1Sa 15:5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.
1Sa 15:6 And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
1Sa 15:7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah [until] thou comest to Shur, that [is] over against Egypt.
1Sa 15:8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
1Sa 15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all [that was] good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing [that was] vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
1Sa 15:10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,
1Sa 15:11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul [to be] king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.
1Sa 15:12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
1Sa 15:13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed [be] thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
1Sa 15:14 And Samuel said, What [meaneth] then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
1Sa 15:15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
1Sa 15:16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
1Sa 15:17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?
1Sa 15:18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.
1Sa 15:19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?
1Sa 15:20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

King Saul is our own self-righteous old man. We convince ourselves that our ways are much better than God’s ways. To our old man these words…:

1Sa 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. [Meaning simply, clean up your life!]

…Are turned into these self-righteous actions:

1Sa 15:21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.
1Sa 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
1Sa 15:23 For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from [being] king.

These words are not for Samuel and Saul. They happened unto them and they are written for us:

1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

How can I say that these experiences were not for those who experienced them?

1Pe 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

King Saul’s life was lived and recorded by the prophets to “minister… unto us”, and “not unto themselves”.

1Sa 15:24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
1Sa 15:25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.
1Sa 15:26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
1Sa 15:27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
1Sa 15:28 And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.
1Sa 15:29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
1Sa 15:30 Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.
1Sa 15:31 So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.
1Sa 15:32 Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
1Sa 15:33 And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
1Sa 15:34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.
1Sa 15:35 And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

This story portrays the corrupting leaven and honey within us while we are in Babylon where we “fear the people” more than we fear God. Such actions are never to be offered with fire on the altar of God.

King Saul, within us is contrasted with Christ in us. It is contrasted with the enduring, sweet, fragrance of frankincense, that part of Christ within us which seeks to please His Father over everything else in this life. That is a life of “praying without ceasing (1Th 5:17). That is what smells so good to our Lord as a part of Christ as the meat offering:

Psa 45:7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Psa 45:8 All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
Son 1:3 Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.

Who are “the virgins?”

2Co 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

This is the virgin who says:

Son 1:13 A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.
Son 1:14 My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.

The frankincense also symbolizes the prayer of these ‘virgins’, “the prayers of the saints:

Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.

It is for God that Christ is all these things which the meat offering symbolizes in us and for us.

Fourth ingredient – Salt

The fourth and final ingredient in the meat offering is salt:

Lev 2:13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.

All meat offerings had to be seasoned with salt: “Every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt.” Notice the next part of this same verse: “neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering”.

When anything is intended to be understood as lasting and being preserved it is called “a covenant of salt.” Salt both “seasons”, and salt also preserves.

Num 18:19 All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.

That is why it is emphasized in this offering that there must be no leaven offered by fire on the altar of the Lord. Leaven is contrasted with salt. Leaven corrupts, and salt preserves: “neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering”.

Leaven, on the other hand, is used like this in scripture:

Luk 12:1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

Mat 16:6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Mar 8:15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and [of] the leaven of Herod.

Paul gives us this admonition using the word ‘salt’:

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

Speaking with grace means that you understand how God works with His children, correcting and disciplining His chosen few. When this is so, our words are “seasoned with salt” and are not distasteful to the hearer. “Fitly spoken” words are words spoken “with grace [and] seasoned with salt:”

Pro 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

The meat offering differs from the burnt offering in that it is not all burnt:

Lev 2:2 And he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests: and he [the priest] shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD:
Lev 2:3 And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons‘: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.

The priest takes a handful of the flour and of the oil and all the frankincense to burn on the altar to the Lord. “And the rest of the meat offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons.“

While it is not all burnt like the burnt offering, it is all consumed with nothing going to the offerer. Here is what the meat offering is:

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable [Greek: divine] service.

Christ in us is our meat offering, and He Himself feeds His priests:

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Psa 132:15 I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread.

Who is “her poor?” Look at the preceding verses:

Psa 132:13 For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.
Psa 132:14 This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.

Where does God desire to dwell for ever?

1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

So, the meat offering, with its flour, its oil, its frankincense and its salt is intended to be consumed for the most part by man, it is nevertheless “for the Lord.” We may tend to do what we do for recognition of others. Christ in us does it all for God:

1Th 2:5 For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:
1Th 2:6 Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.

The last thing we need to know about this offering is how it differs from the wave sheaf at Pentecost.

Lev 2:12 As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the LORD: but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour.

What is the “oblation [offering] of the firstfruits? It is mentions in Lev 23:

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

This offering was to be “burnt on the altar for a sweet savour” just the wave sheaf on the marrow after the sabbath during the days of unleavened bread was to be burnt on the altar.

Lev 2:14 And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the LORD, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears.
Lev 2:15 And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meat offering.
Lev 2:16 And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and [part] of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

The reason why the meat offering of the days of unleavened bread is to be burnt upon the altar as a sweet-smelling savor is that is ‘first fruit’ is Christ. As “a kind of firstfruits” we, too, are a sweet savor to the Lord, even though we are offered “with leaven” on the day of Pentecost.

Lev 23:16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
Lev 23:17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.
Lev 23:18 And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD.

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

We are also a ‘kind of first fruits’:

Jas 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

We are a “kind of firstfruits” but meat offering of Pentecost is the only offering which is mixed with leaven:

Lev 23:17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.

The “bread of the firstfruits” was to be offered with the burnt offering. It was to be offered with fire on the altar. Read it again:

Lev 23:16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
Lev 23:17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.
Lev 23:18 And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD.

Leaven could not be offered with fire on the altar to the Lord:

Lev 2:11 No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.

What is this all telling us is the difference between the offering of the firstfruit at “the morrow after the sabbath” and the offering of the firstfruit at the day of Pentecost 50 days later? Here is the difference:

Phi 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Phi 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Phi 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

As opposed to this:

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Christ in us is our meat offering accepted as a sweet savor and burnt upon the altar to God, but the offering contrasting us with Christ is also a sweet savor, but it is “Baked with leaven” on the day of Pentecost. Christ is all of these in us. As a sweet savor His is our meat offering. “The bread of the firstfruits… baken with leaven, is also “waved… with … a sacrifice of peace offering… unto the Lord:

Lev 23:19 Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings.
Lev 23:20 And the priest shall wave them [the two lambs of the peace offering] with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.

Christ is both our sweet savor and our sin offering. He is all these things, and He is doing all of this in us:

Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.