Ezekiel 32:1–16 A Lament Over Pharoah and Egypt

[Study Aired September 16, 2024]

INTRODUCTION

Today’s study reflects the destruction of Pharoah and Egypt. As we have indicated in the previous studies, Pharoah represents our old man or flesh. Today’s study deals with the judgement of Pharoah and Egypt and the resulting benefit that shall follow after the judgement.

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

The study concludes with the destruction of the beasts such that there shall be no foot of man or the hoofs of the beasts to trouble the waters. As a result, the waters shall flow like oil. These concluding statements show us the salvation of all men of every age which shall come about after the destruction of the beasts within man.

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.

 

A lamentation for Pharoah, King of Egypt

Eze 32:1  And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 32:2 Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers. 

The number twelve means foundation and it is also the number of Christ. In our walk in the churches of this world, our foundations in Christ were destroyed.

Psa 11:3  If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? 

This means that the twelfth year in the twelfth month in the first day of the month when the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel implies that the Lord’s coming to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness is to build our foundation in Him as we go through the judgement of our old man.

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

Isa 44:28  That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

Zec 8:9  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.

As indicated in the previous studies, Pharoah, king of Egypt, represents our old man or flesh.  Here in verse 2, the Lord requesting Ezekiel to take up a lamentation for Pharoah, the king of Egypt, is to let us know the evil experience we must pass through for the destruction of our old man or flesh symbolized by Pharoah, the king of Egypt. In this verse, the Lord compared Pharoah with a young lion of the nations and also a whale in the seas. A key characteristic of a young lion is his persistent pursuit to capture a prey as shown in the following verses:

Psa 17:12  Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

Isa 5:29  Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.

Pharoah likened to a young lion of the nations therefore implies that our old man or flesh was made to dominate or capture mankind or people of the world as a prey. A whale represents the sea of our flesh or old man. Therefore, Pharoah being described as the whale in the seas is to show us that Pharoah represents our old man or flesh.

Job 7:12  Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?

One key role of the whale as described in verse 2 is churning up muddy waters with his feet. This implies that if we are dominated by the flesh, that is our walk in the flesh, we end up coming up with muddy waters which refer to the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition. As a result, we make the word of the Lord of no effect in our lives.

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

Mar 7:7  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 
Mar 7:8  For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

Mar 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

Eze 32:3  Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will therefore spread out my net over thee with a company of many people; and they shall bring thee up in my net. 
Eze 32:4 Then will I leave thee upon the land, I will cast thee forth upon the open field, and will cause all the fowls of the heaven to remain upon thee, and I will fill the beasts of the whole earth with thee.

The company of many people represent the physical churches of this world or Babylon. Our flesh is likened to fishes of the sea where the Lord cast His net over us, making the churches of this world drag us from the sea to the land. Being cast forth upon the open field in verse 4 means that our walk in the churches of this world is likened to an open field where we live like people of the world as our flesh is empowered by the devil and his cohorts, signified by the fowls of the heavens. It is at this point that the beasts of the whole earth dominate us to the fullest. We need to understand that our flesh or old man or the beast within us was made to be taken and destroyed. Thus, in our walk in the churches of this world, the Lord seeks an occasion to come and destroy our flesh as He allows us to be dominated by the beasts of the whole earth.

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

Jud 1:10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

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

Eze 32:5  And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy height. 
Eze 32:6 I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee. 

As indicated in the previous study, the mountains and valleys on a positive note represent the assembly of the Lord’s elect, as shown in the following verse:

Eze 6:3 Say this, ‘You mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Almighty LORD! This is what the Almighty LORD says to the mountains and hills and to the ravines and valleys: I am going to attack you with a sword and destroy your worship sites.

In verse 5, therefore, the laying of our flesh upon the mountains and the filling of the valleys therefore signify the unveiling of the dying of our old man or flesh through the Lord’s judgement in the assembly of the Lord’s elect.

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

The life of the flesh is in the blood and therefore, the land being watered with the blood of our old man or flesh in verse 6 signifies the death of our flesh or old man within our bodies (land). The streams being full of the flesh in verse 6 implies that we shall come to see that the false doctrines (the rivers) in our heavens emanates from the flesh and is about man’s wisdom and tradition.

Lev 17:11  For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

Eze 32:7  And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. 
Eze 32:8 All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD. 

These verses describe the day of the Lord which is the time of His judgement of our old man or flesh. This is what Apostle Peter describes about the day of the Lord on the day of Pentecost:

Act 2:19  And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Act 2:20  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Verses 7 and 8 show us that all the bright lights of heavens, together with the stars, shall be darkened as the sun is covered with the clouds and the moon is not giving her light. Comparing these verses with Apostle Paul’s description of the Lord’s day of judgement shows us that the sun being darkened is equivalent to the sun being covered with a cloud, and the moon not giving her light is the same as the moon not giving her light because it covered with blood. The sun being darkened means that when we are dominated by the flesh, we are not able to see Christ who represents the sun, because of the smoke that comes out of our bottomless pit. That is to say that out of our flesh (bottomless pit) comes false doctrines which prevent us from knowing Christ.

Rev 9:2  And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 

As part of the Lord’s judgement of our old man or flesh, we are given over to the desires of our hearts which include believing the false doctrines from our flesh. This is to give the Lord the occasion that He is seeking to come and judge us.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 
Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:23  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Rom 1:24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

The moon turning into blood or not giving her light implies that we become guilty for the death of the Lord’s saints because we hate them. This is because the little knowledge of the Lord has been taken away from us. We know that hating our brothers or sisters is the same as being a murderer and therefore we are guilty of the death of the Lord and His saints. This is all to give the Lord the occasion that He is seeking to come into our lives to destroy our old man or flesh.

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

Eze 32:9  I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known. 
Eze 32:10 Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall. 

When Joseph’s brothers came to realize that Joseph was alive, they were troubled, thinking that Joseph would seek revenge or judge them because of the trouble they took Joseph through, especially when Jacob, their father died.

Gen 50:15  And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. 
Gen 50:16  And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,
Gen 50:17  So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
Gen 50:18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.

Our brothers and sisters in Babylon who represent the “many people” shall be troubled as they see that the judgement of their old man is at hand.

Isa 13:8  And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.

As indicated by Apostle Peter, if we, His elect are scarcely saved through the Lord’s judgement, what shall be the end of them (“many people”) who do not believe? Many people shall be stunned, especially, the leaders of Babylon, signified as the kings of the many people in verse 19, as they see the judgement of the Lord at hand.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 
1Pe 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

 

The Judgement of the Lord

Eze 32:11  For thus saith the Lord GOD; The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee. 
Eze 32:12 By the swords of the mighty will I cause thy multitude to fall, the terrible of the nations, all of them: and they shall spoil the pomp of Egypt, and all the multitude thereof shall be destroyed. 

When we are dominated by the flesh or our old man, the Lord gives us over to be ruled by the sword of the King of Babylon. As we have indicated in previous studies, the negative aspect of “sword” refers to words that are spoken which destroy us. The sword refers to the lying words and false doctrines of the adversary.

2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

Psa 64:2  Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:
Psa 64:3  Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

These negative words spoken is one of the tools that the Lord uses to cause people to speak bitter words to us, His elect.

Eze 38:21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

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

In verse 12, we are made aware that the swords of the mighty is what causes the multitude to fall including the terrible of the nations. This implies that it is through false doctrines propagated in Babylon which caused many to become spiritually dead. These false doctrines is what gives Babylon control of the nations of this world.

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

The woman sitting upon many waters means that Babylon or the physical churches of this world have control over people (multitude) and nations. As indicated in verse 12, this control is through the false doctrines or the sword of the king of Babylon which destroys the pomp of Egypt and all the multitude.

The pomp of Egypt refers to the attractiveness or the pride of the world which involves the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. “The multitude” signifies the people of the world including our brothers and sisters in Babylon. Through the Lord’s judgement of our old man, the attraction of the world, the old man or flesh in the lives of the people of the world, shall be destroyed.

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
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 forever.

Eze 32:13  I will destroy also all the beasts thereof from beside the great waters; neither shall the foot of man trouble them anymore, nor the hoofs of beasts trouble them. 
Eze 32:14  Then will I make their waters deep, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord GOD.

The “great waters” in verse 13 signify the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition. These false doctrines comes from our flesh or our old man or beast. The destruction of all the beasts shall take place in the Lake of Fire as all mankind from Adam to date shall be judged. The fact that the feet of humans and the hoofs of beasts cannot stir up the water anymore implies that the beast within man, which is the source of the false doctrines in our heavens, shall be destroyed completely, such that there will not be any false doctrines.

As described in verse 14, the only river available shall run like oil. This river is the water of life which proceeds out of the throne of the God and of the Lamb. Oil represents the Spirit and it is the spirit that gives life. The Lord causing the rivers to run like oil therefore signifies that all humanity shall come to have the spiritual understanding of the word of the Lord which gives life.

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 

Rev 22:1  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 
Rev 22:2  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 
Rev 22:3  And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
Rev 22:4  And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
Rev 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

Eze 32:15  When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country shall be destitute of that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all them that dwell therein, then shall they know that I am the LORD. 
Eze 32:16 This is the lamentation wherewith they shall lament her: the daughters of the nations shall lament her: they shall lament for her, even for Egypt, and for all her multitude, saith the Lord GOD. 

In verse 15, Egypt symbolizes the world. The making of the land of Egypt desolate therefore represents the Lord’s judgement of the world during the lake of fire age.  The result of this judgement is that all shall come to know who the Lord is.

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

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 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 

The daughters of the nations in verse 16 signifies the physical churches of this world who shall lament the destruction of the old man in their lives, which is the source of all worldliness. This is the order in which these daughters of the nations shall be saved:

Eze 16:53  When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them:

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.

May the Lord continue to deliver us from our old man or flesh. Amen!!

Audio Links

“The virtuous body of Christ” – Part 4

March 27, 2016

with Steven Crook

Trust is vital to any healthy relationship as we all know. However, the trust the Lord has with His body is slightly different because the trust the Lord gives and has for His wife, the body of Christ, stems from a different source than free will or self-control to make trusting decisions.

In our study today we are going to look at the scriptural support for why king Lemuel’s mother would tell him that the heart of the husband of a virtuous woman trusts safely in her and that he will have no need of spoil.

Trust

 

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

We covered last week what the spiritual applications of being a virtuous woman are, but what are some of the physically applicable attributes and traits of being virtuous?

We need to ask ourselves this because the “safe trust” of the husband will rely on these things. I think we all know what trust means so I will only red a few verses that show us examples of trust in scripture.

Psa 37:1  A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
Psa 37:2  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
Psa 37:3  Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

Isa 50:10  Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.

Psa 119:41  VAU. Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation, according to thy word.
Psa 119:42  So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust in thy word.
Psa 119:43  And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgments.
Psa 119:44  So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.
Psa 119:45  And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.
Psa 119:46  I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.
Psa 119:47  And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved.
Psa 119:48  My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.

“Do good, dwell in the land, you shall be fed, fear the Lord, obey His voice, trust in His NAME, rest upon the Lord, mercies shall come upon you, salvation shall come upon you, I speak the thy word out of my mouth, I hope in your judgments, I keep your law continuously, I walk in liberty, I seek your precepts, I speak your testimony before kings and I am not ashamed in doing so because I delight in your commandments,” are all things that someone who trusts in the Lord can confess among many other things.

That is what we do as the body of Christ towards Jesus Christ, but that doesn’t give us a clear picture of how and why Jesus Christ trusts in US as His wife? After all, the verses we are covering today say, “the heart the husband trusts in His virtuous wife”.

How then does Jesus Christ trust in His body?

Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Eph 2:17  And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
Eph 2:18  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

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

We are one body, not two. We are one unit, not two. We were separate and individual on our own but in the marriage with our Husband Jesus Christ, we became One with Him intimately.

The reason that the Lord TRUSTS His wife is because His heart IS THE HEART of His wifes. He doesn’t have two hearts or two minds, He has ONE HEART.

Another way to say this can be found in Ephesians 5.

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,
Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Eph 5:28  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
Eph 5:29  For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
Eph 5:31  For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
Eph 5:32  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Eph 5:33  Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

We are one flesh because Christ is come in the flesh. He is within all of us while we are in these earthen tabernacles.

Psa 115:16  The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.

We have talked about the spiritual connection between the Lord and His body and what trust looks like back and forth, so what does this relationship look like to the rest of the world who are not currently privy to this relationship?

In other words, the earth (us in the flesh) has been given to the “children of men” so how do we interact with the “children of men” in our lives who happen to be our spouses, children, parents, siblings, friends, peers and foes?

Since this chapter is speaking about a virtuous woman, I will speak about how a husband can safely trust in his wife and the branch off of that into other relationships that we all have in one way or another.

We all know that trust is vital in a relationship. When it is broken the relationship will be broken itself in many ways. As Christians, we must endeavor to handle our relationships as the Word instructs us or we are pretty much just spitting into the breeze and hoping for the best.

Trust shows itself in many different ways but often times we think of trust in terms of being faithful or not. Obviously, we need to be able to trust our wives (and husbands) to be faithful in a relationship. “Innocent” flirting can damage this trust as well, but that is mostly obvious to anyone in a serious relationship.

Trusting that my wife (this applies to husbands as well) will do what she says she will is absolutely vital to maintaining trust. Some unspoken things like fidelity are obvious, but what about when you say you’re going to do something and then don’t?

Num 32:24  Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth.

If something happens to cause you not to be able to do what you would have said you would do, then that is one thing, but it is becomes a perpetual habit, then it is another thing entirely.

Psa 89:34  My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.

As a parent, this is extremely important as well. If a man is a man of God and desires to have his home be a godly home, then he expects his wife to act the same way he does when he is not around.

If my children are acting up and I tell them to stop or else this and that will happen, and then they don’t stop and I do not do what I said the “this or that” is, I am inadvertently causing trust to deteriorate.

Our children need to see their parents of one mind on how to parent otherwise how can two walk together in successful parenting?

Amo 3:3  Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Our children need to be able to believe what we say and that goes for things we want them to believe as well as for knowing that when we have spoken a thing we will do what we are able to perform that thing.

If I tell my children that the first time is warning and on the second time I say something like, “do it again and you are in trouble”, and they don’t get in trouble on the third time, then I have done them and myself a GREAT disservice as a parent.

We must ALWAYS mean what we say and say what we mean. It only takes ONE TIME of letting things go before your children will wonder if that same pattern of letting things go will be the norm and they WILL test the boundaries on that.

It is a horrible thing to believe you are showing your children mercy by letting them get away with not listening to you. That isn’t mercy but simply slothful.

… So that he shall have no need of spoil

Pro 31:11  The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

At first glance the end of this verse can seem a bit confusing when speaking about trust at the beginning of the verse.

In order to clear up and confusion we need to look no further than “the sum of thy word”.

H7997
shâlal
Total KJV Occurrences: 13
spoil, 4
Eze_26:12, Eze_29:19, Eze_39:10, Hab_2:8
spoiled, 4
Psa_76:5, Eze_39:10, Zec_2:8 (2)
take, 2
Isa_10:6, Eze_38:13
fall, 1
Rth_2:16
prey, 1
Isa_59:15
purpose, 1
Rth_2:15-16 (2)

A few of these verses listed are:

Eze 26:12  And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water.

Eze 29:19  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army.

Anything that is considered “riches” is more than what is needed and excess or gain. A spoil is something not had before but is the reward and wage of gaining the spoil.

In the context of this understanding why does a husband who trusts in his virtuous wife not have a need of spoil?

The “riches” are already found in the trust itself.

There is a “movement”, for lack of a better word, that says a man will have a happy “life” if he has a happy wife. This could be no further from the Truth that is Jesus Christ. I always respond to that statement with, “the person who made up that phrase has never been married” to which I usually get unfavorable responses.

Why would I say such a thing?

Well the first thing to understand according to the sovereignty of God is that you cannot “make” any person happy including your wife or husband. Many people have many of the riches of this world fame, power and wealth and they still are not happy.

So what is wrong with the concept of trying to please your wife or spouse and what does that have to do with trust and spoils?

There is nothing wrong with trying to please the person who we have dedicated our physical lives to, however our full devotion, above all those who are in the flesh, is to God alone.

I tell my wife all the time that she is my favorite person in the flesh, but God takes precedence over all.

The worlds wisdom tells me that in order to have a happy life for MYSELF I must make my wife happy, but is that true?

1Co 7:31  And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.
1Co 7:32  But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
1Co 7:33  But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.
1Co 7:34  There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
1Co 7:35 And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.

I would much more prefer the joy of the Lord than making my wife’s happiness come before serving the Lord. Outside of that, I do want to please my spouse like anyone else would want to.

There is a balance to be had in making sure to provide for the needs of our family and spouse and serving God, but we are to NEVER do anything to provide for our family and spouse IF it is not in accord with keeping God’s commandments.

From a wife’s perspective, and without even knowing she is doing so, the natural way to interact with her husband is via the filter of the curse that has been placed upon her by God.

What curse am I referring to?

Gen 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to [H413] thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

The KJV doesn’t do this verses justice.  The verse should say, “thy desire shall be AGAINST thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

A verse in the next chapter in Genesis demonstrates this.

Gen 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against [H413] Abel his brother, and slew him.

Job’s way of dealing with his wife is a great example of how we should be doers of the Word and not only hearers of the Word.

Jas 1:22  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Job 2:9  Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
Job 2:10  But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

For a lot of women, speaking this way to her may not come across as loving and kind but in all of this Job did not sin against God nor his wife. If a wife is seeking to please God then she will desire and encourage her husband to always follow God above all else and the same is true for a husband encouraging a wife.

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

Php 3:16  Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
Php 3:17  Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
A virtuous woman, both physically and all of us collectively as the body of Christ, must desire to be FOR our husband and NOT against him. We must seek peace and the building up of our homes.

Pro 14:1  Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
Pro 14:2  He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.

If a husband or wife seek to please their spouse before God, you will reap what you sow in this and it will only be spiritual death. In fact, we can and certainly do make our spouses idols of the heart because Jesus clearly told us that “ye are Gods”. When we worship and desire to please our spouses before God, they become our idol.

So, how so we practically serve God and how is trust and spoils accomplished as women in a relationship where the husband does not believe in the doctrines of Jesus the Christ?

We’ve already partly covered this, but as a woman you need to follow the lead of your husband and respect his decisions on what needs to be done in a variety of situations. Even if he does not believe the doctrines of Christ, you are representing Christ, and as the anointed one you are an ambassador who must be as Christ is, was and always will be. Jesus Christ is subjected to God the Father.

Eph 4:1  I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye WALK WORTHY of the VOCATION (G2821) wherewith ye are called,
Eph 4:2  With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Eph 4:3  Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Eph 5:24  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be [subject] to their own husbands in every thing.
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,

In Ephesians 4:1 the vocation we are called you means “calling” every other place it is translated.

G2821
klēsis
Total KJV Occurrences: 11
calling, 10
Rom_11:29, 1Co_1:26, 1Co_7:20, Eph_1:18, Eph_4:4, Phi_3:14, 2Th_1:11, 2Ti_1:9, Heb_3:1, 2Pe_1:10
vocation, 1
Eph_4:1

Heb 3:1  Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

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

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

1Co 7:20  Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.

As a woman and wife, you are called to represent Jesus Christ’s relationship with His Father in the physical while doing so with the spiritual principles of Christ’s liberty. Likewise, as a huaband we represent Jesus Christ’s role to the church as leading the body in the ways it must go.

Jesus Christ follows God the Father always, therefore a wife must always follow her spiritual Husband first and her physical husband in anything that is not contrary to sound doctrine. That is our calling.

In our next study, we will continue to look at how to practically live out our lives while keeping true to the spiritually doctrines of Christ. We all are to desiring being a virtuous body of Christ to those around is and as representing the church of the Living God to the world around us.