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JUDGES - PART 13

January 6, 2016

Good evening and welcome to Searching The Scriptures. This will be Part 13 in the Book of Judges, and we are down to the second half of verse 2: “...behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.” One thing that I would like to remind myself and you as well is that each time we start to read or study the Bible, we are in a sense entering the “Holy of Holies,” as the High Priest did once year on the Day of Atonement. The God-breathed words of the Bible are absolutely, holy and pure, as we read in Psalm 12:6,

“The words of the LORD [are] pure words: [as] silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”

Thus we need to approach God’s Word very humbly - even as Esther approached the throne of King Ahasuerus with great trepidation - realizing Whose presence we are in; moreover we also understand that we cannot grasp any truth without God’s divine intervention by opening our spiritual eyes and ears to His Truth. So with this attitude in mind, we pray, according to Psalm 119:18, 

“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.”

In light of what I just mentioned, let me add this: I would ask that you always check out what I teach, as I don’t want to teach anything incorrectly, and I welcome any correction. 

Behold, I Have Delivered [nathan:H5414]

We looked at the Hebrew word, “behold I have delivered” in Part 6, which if you recall, is the term, “nathan” (H5414) - as in Nathan the prophet, for example. This word is used in connection with the promise made to the patriarchs, and occurs almost 100 times from Genesis to the end of Joshua, as we read, for instance, in Leviticus 26:4 and 6, where it is translated twice as “I will give,” and twice as “shall yield”:

“Then I will give [nathan:H5414] you rain in due season, and the land shall yield [nathan:H5414] her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield [nathan:H5414] their fruit. {6} And I will give [nathan:H5414] peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make [you] afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.”

The Land

In some of our earlier studies we also discussed the word “land” (’erets:H776), which we will find continually throughout the Book of Judges, as this theme is woven throughout its 21 chapters. This word, “land” is found 2504 times in the Old Testament, and is predominantly rendered as: “land,” “earth,” and “country,” in addition to a few times as: “world,” “way,” “common,” “field,” “nations,” and “wilderness.” As I mentioned in some of the previous lessons (and it bears repeating), the “land” in view typifies the “Promised Land”  - a picture of the Kingdom of God - which will ultimately be fulfilled in the “New Heavens and New Earth,” which all of God’s elect will inherit. Please remember that it has nothing to do with the physical land of Israel in the Middle East; first and foremost, we must always search for the spiritual meaning, after which for any moral or historical significance, if and only if, that is warranted by the context.

Into His Hand

The last word that we want to consider in Judges 1:2 is “...into his hand.” (yad:H3027) - speaking of Judah’s “hand.” Actually this term “hand” is the grandparent word of Judah (Yehuwdah:H3063); the parent word is “yadah” (H3034 - “praise”),  so we could classify this as a “play on words,” to indicate that Judah - Who typifies Christ - would certainly prevail. In other words the etymological progression would be: “yad” (“hand”)... “yad-ah” (“praise”)... and Ye - huw - dah (“Judah”).  

The following passages illustrate God’s usage of this multi-faceted and widely used word (1615 times):

The Hand (Or Foot) Represents One’s Will

Deuteronomy 33:3 is a marvelous portrait of God’s love toward His elect children; please note that the “hands” as well as the “feet” indicate one’s will:  “Yea, he loved the people; all his saints [are] in thy hand:[yad:H3027] and they sat down at thy feet [regel:H7272]; [every one] shall receive of thy words.”

Keeping this principle in mind, Melchisedec (Who is Christ) blesses “the most high God” Who was responsible for allowing Abraham to be victorious over His enemies in Genesis 14:20,  “And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand [yad:H3027]. And he [Abraham] gave him [Melchisedec] tithes of all.”

Genesis 31:29 also underscores this same truth. This passage records Laban’s response to Jacob upon hearing that he and his wives and children had fled away secretly by night:  “It is in the power of my hand [yad:H3027] to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.”

By contrast, Exodus 15:9 expresses  the violent and bitter desire of Pharaoh (a type or figure of Satan) as he hotly pursued the Israelites: “The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand [yad:H3027] shall destroy them.”

In similar fashion, Job 1:12 highlights Satan’s wicked designs to afflict Job, as God carefully sets up His divine parameters for this “testing program,” which is a historical parable concerning the Lord Jesus Christ:  “And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he [Job] hath [is] in thy power;[yad:H3027] only upon himself put not forth thine hand.[yad:H3027] So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.”

However, in Exodus 14:30-31, God presents an altogether different, but victorious outcome - which spiritually underscores the “great work” of God’s magnificent salvation program, which concluded on May 21, 2011 - after 13,023 years of history: “Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand [yad:H3027] of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. {31} And Israel saw that great work [yad:H3027] which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.”

Similarly, Psalm 31:5 highlights the conquest over sin and death that Christ accomplished “...from the foundation of the world,” (Revelation 13:8) and demonstrated on the Cross in 33 AD: “Into thine hand [yad:H3027] I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.”

Judges 1:3

We read in Judges 1:3, 

“And Judah said unto Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095] his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.”

Besides their brotherly affinity (Simeon was Leah’s second born son, and Judah, her fourth born), the tribe of Simeon was related by lot (inheritance) to the tribe of Judah, and hence their mutual agreement to go to battle on each other’s behalf. Joshua 18:10 and 19:1 and 9 describes the circumstances surrounding each other’s inheritance:

“ And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions… {19:1} And the second lot came forth to Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095], [even] for the tribe of the children of Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095] according to their families: and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah. ... {9} Out of the portion of the children of Judah [was] the inheritance of the children of Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095]: for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them: therefore the children of Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095] had their inheritance within the inheritance of them.”

We concluded in our previous study (Part 12) that Judah typifies the Lord Jesus Christ, but what about Simeon? What does the Bible relate about him? We first read about him in verse 33 of Genesis 29:30-35,

“And he [Jacob] went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years. {31} And when the LORD saw that Leah [was] hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel [was] barren. {32} And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me. {33} And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the LORD hath heard [shama`:H8085]  that I [was] hated, he hath therefore given me this [son] also: and she called his name Simeon. [Shi`mown:H8095] {34} And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi. {35} And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.”

Simeon’s name signifies, “hath heard” (shama`:H8085) as we read in this verse, in which Leah exclaims that Jehovah “hath heard” that she was hated by Jacob, and this term, “hath heard” is the root word from which the name Simeon (Shi`mown:H8095) is derived, just as we saw earlier with Judah’s name. Frequently Simeon is spoken of in conjunction with Levi his brother (Leah’s third boy), as Genesis 49:5-7 affirm,

“Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095] and Levi [Leviy:H3878] [are] brethren; instruments of cruelty [are in] their habitations. {6} O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. {7} Cursed [be] their anger, for [it was] fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.”

There is no question that this prophecy of Jacob concerning the “blessing” of the 12 tribes as outlined in Genesis 49 has tremendous spiritual implications, which we won’t delve into at the moment. However, there is also a historical incident (a historical parable in its own right) which possibly contributed to this assessment by Jacob, under divine inspiration in Genesis 34. It involved Shechem (a Hivite prince) and his father Hamor. Shechem was attracted to Jacob’s daughter, Dinah, and ended up having sexual relations with her. The Bible records that he also spoke kindly to her and wanted to marry her, so he and his father proposed this to Jacob and his sons, who were quite upset about the whole matter. Jacob’s sons agree to the idea, on the condition that all the male Hivites in that city would become circumcised (as the Jews) - as they stated in Genesis 34:16 - knowing full well that this would be a gross violation of God’s law:

“Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.” 

So Shechem and his father went back to their town, and convinced the men of the city that this arrangement would be advantageous for them, and so all the males subjected themselves to this ordeal. Then we read what Simeon and Levi really had in mind in Genesis 34:25-31...

Well, it looks like we’ve run out of time today, so Lord willing, we will continue our investigation of Judges 1:3 next time.

JUDGES - PART 14

January 8, 2016

Good evening and welcome to Searching The Scriptures. This will be Part 14 in the Book of Judges, and we are down to verse 3 of chapter 1: 

“And Judah said unto Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095] his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.”

At the close of our last lesson we were discussing a passage in Genesis 49:5-7 which related to Simeon and Levi, in an attempt to learn more about who Simeon represents spiritually:

“Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095] and Levi [Leviy:H3878] [are] brethren; instruments of cruelty [are in] their habitations. {6} O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. {7} Cursed [be] their anger, for [it was] fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.”

I made the statement that in the historical context Jacob could very well have had in mind an incident that occurred involving the Hivites, in which Simeon and Levi murdered all the males in this particular city, as a result of one of their princes (Shechem, Hamor’s son) who had sexual relations with Jacob’s daughter, Dinah, and wanted to marry her. The sons of Jacob consented, on condition that all the males in their city be circumcised as they were, which they agreed to. Then we learn in Genesis 34:25-31 what Simeon and Levi really intended doing all along:

“And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore [as a result of the circumcision], that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males. {26} And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out. {27} The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. {28} They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which [was] in the city, and that which [was] in the field, {29} And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that [was] in the house. {30} And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I [being] few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. {31} And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?” 

This reminded me of a passage in the New Testament - in Luke 9:51-56 - in which James and John (the two sons of Zebedee) present a similar mindset to that of Simeon and Levi, only they did not or were incapable of actually carrying it out, since it was not sanctioned by the Savior:

“And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, {52} And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. {53} And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. {54} And when his disciples James and John saw [this], they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? {55} But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. {56} For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save [them]. And they went to another village.”

A Closer Look At Genesis 49:5-7

I think we will be greatly benefitted by taking a closer look at Genesis 49:5-7 to see if we can uncover any more clues as to the spiritual identity of Simeon, since this entire chapter is rich with parabolic implications:

“Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095] and Levi [Leviy:H3878] [are] brethren; instruments of cruelty [are in] their habitations. {6} O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. {7} Cursed [be] their anger, for [it was] fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.”

Instruments Of Cruelty [Are In] Their Habitations

This first phrase, “...instruments of cruelty [are in] their habitations” is comprised of three words since “are in” is supplied by the translators, and not in the original Hebrew text - “instruments,” (keliy:H3627); “of cruelty;”(chamac:H2555) and lastly, “their habitations.”(mekerah:H4380)

Let’s consider the significance of  “their habitations” first. This term is only employed in this one verse, and its “apparent” root word is used as “furnace” in the nine verses that contain it, which might be useful, but because it is not a definitive root word, we have to be careful. However there is another word (with a different Strong’s #) in Psalm 74:20 which is rendered in English as “habitations” (na’ah:H4999)  and is connected to the same word “cruelty,” (chamac:H2555) that we find in Genesis 49:5.  Na’ah (H4999) appears in 12 citations and is translated in the following ways: “habitations,” “pastures,” “houses,” and “places.” With the exception of two verses - Psalm 23:2 and Psalm 65:12 - all of the other references, pertain to either the end of the church age, or our current “day of judgment.” 

Psalm 23:2 expresses the tranquil spiritual rest that each true believer possesses because of God’s incomparable salvation: “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: [na’ah:H4999] he leadeth me beside the still waters.”

Likewise verse 12 of Psalm 65:9-13 gloriously declare the rich spiritual environment that surrounds each of God’s elect: “Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, [which] is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it. {10} Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof. {11} Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness. {12} They drop [upon] the pastures [na’ah:H4999] of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side. {13} The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.” 

By contrast, the remaining 10 citations paint an entirely different spiritual landscape - one that is devoid of God’s blessings - and replete with His judgment, as the subsequent verses sadly affirm:

Lamentations 2:1-2 highlight God’s wrath upon all the churches and denominations worldwide, and without exception as of May 21, 1988:  “How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, [and] cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger! {2} The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations [na’ah:H4999] of Jacob, and hath not pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he hath brought [them] down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof.”

Likewise, verse 10 of Jeremiah 23:1-10 speaks of  “...the pleasant places…” (or “pastures” or “habitations”) being “dried up” in this chapter that deals exclusively with the end of the church age - which is described as “the abomination of desolation...stand[ing] in the holy place” in Matthew 24:15, 

“Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. {2} Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. {3} And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. {4} And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD. {5} Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. {6} In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this [is] his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. {7} Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; {8} But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land. {9} Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness. {10} For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places [na’ah:H4999] of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force [is] not right.”

Notice the strong language God uses in addressing the pastors - much like He did in Matthew 23:13-38 in which He vehemently excoriates the religious leaders of His day - and in this condemnation, alludes to His divorce from the nation of Israel, when Christ hung on the Cross in 33 AD, and the veil of the Temple was rent from top to bottom; in the same breath He also indicates His future abandonment of the New Testament churches and denominations, which we have understood in our day to have occurred on May 21, 1988:

“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in [yourselves], neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. {14} Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. {15} Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. {16} Woe unto you, [ye] blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! {17} [Ye] fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? {18} And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. {19} [Ye] fools and blind: for whether [is] greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? {20} Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. {21} And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. {22} And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. {23} Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier [matters] of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. {24} [Ye] blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. {25} Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. {26} [Thou] blind Pharisee, cleanse first that [which is] within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. {27} Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead [men's] bones, and of all uncleanness. {28} Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. {29} Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, {30} And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. {31} Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. {32} Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. {33} [Ye] serpents, [ye] generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? {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: {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. {36} Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. {37} O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not! {38} Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.”

Lord willing, in our next study we will continue looking at Genesis 49:5-7 to see what else God might show us with regard to the spiritual identity of Simeon in Judges 1:3.

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JUDGES - PART 15

January 11, 2016

Good evening and welcome to Searching The Scriptures. This will be Part 15 in the Book of Judges, and we are down to verse 3 of chapter 1: 

“And Judah said unto Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095] his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.”

We have been looking at Genesis 49:5-7 to determine the spiritual identity of Simeon (who is often  associated with Levi) as we see in this passage, which according to Genesis 49:1 has everything to do with the 1955 years of the church age, the “Great Tribulation” and the “Latter Rain,” as well as our current “day of judgment”:

Genesis 49:1 declares “And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you [that] which shall befall you in the last days.”

We sense there is a great deal of spiritual truth contained within Genesis 49, however we want to focus our attention on verses 5-7 since they relate particularly to Simeon:

“Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095] and Levi [Leviy:H3878] [are] brethren; instruments [keliy:H3627] of cruelty [chamac:H2555] [are in] their habitations [mekerah:H4380]. {6} O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. {7} Cursed [be] their anger, for [it was] fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.”

Instruments Of Cruelty [Are In] Their Habitations

In our previous lesson we began looking at this phrase in Genesis 49:5, “...instruments of cruelty [are in] their habitations.” I wanted to investigate the term “their habitations”(mekerah:H4380), but since it is only used in Genesis 49:5, and its root word is dubious, I decided to examine another Hebrew word that is rendered “habitations” (na’ah:H4990) in Psalm 74:20, and is connected to the identical word, “of cruelty” (chamac:H2555) in Genesis 49:5. We learned that this word for “of the habitations” (na’ah:H4999)  in Psalm 74:20  is rendered in 12 passages as: “habitations,” “pastures,” “houses,” and “places.” All but two of these citations reflect the wrath of God upon the churches and denominations or upon the world at large in our present “day of judgment.” However before considering the other words in verses 5-7 of Genesis 49, it might prove helpful to take an in-depth look at Psalm 74:20 first.  Throughout Psalm 74 one finds a number of pleas and questions to God on behalf of the elect, as well as a series of statements that extol God’s magnificent power in creation as well as His great mercy in salvation; this is also punctuated by numerous petitions for God to act on behalf of His redeemed people. At various points in the Psalm, the thoughts and deeds of the wicked are brought to light, as a reminder to God (though He certainly needs not to be reminded of anything - unlike man who constantly needs to be “stirred up” in his mind). This is evident, for example, right from the beginning of this Psalm in verse 1, where two heartfelt questions are being voiced in the ears of the Almighty:

“[Maschil (or “poem”) of Asaph.] O God, why hast thou cast [us] off for ever? [why] doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?”

These two queries are followed by three more in verse 10:

“O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?  {11} Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? 

In these next references, God is being implored about a number of issues: 

verse 2: “Remember thy congregation…” 

verse 3: “Lift up thy feet…” 

verse 9: “We see not our signs…”

verse 9: “... [there is] no more any prophet:...”

verse 9: “...neither [is there] among us any that knoweth how long.”

verse 11: “...pluck [it] out of thy bosom.”

verse 19: “O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude [of the wicked]...” verse 19: “...forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.” 

verse 21: “O let not the oppressed return ashamed:”

verse 21: “let the poor and needy praise thy name.”

verse 22: “Arise, O God, plead thine own cause…”

By contrast, the wicked are also being “brought to remembrance”:

verse 3: “...the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.” 

verse 4: “Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns [for] signs.” 

verse 6: “...now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.” 

verse 7: “ They have cast fire into thy sanctuary…”

verse 7: “... they have defiled [by casting down] the dwelling place of thy name to the ground.”

verse 8: “They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together:...”

verse 8: “...they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.” 

verse 18: “Remember this, [that] the enemy hath reproached, O LORD…”

verse 18: “...and [that] the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.” 

verse 22: “...remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.”

verse 23: “Forget not the voice of thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually.”

These next passages (verses 12-17) extol God’s unequalled power, wisdom, and might:

verse 12: “For God [is] my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.”

verse 13: “ Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.” 

verse 14:  “Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, [and] gavest him [to be] meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.” 

verse 15: “Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.”

verse 16: “The day [is] thine, the night also [is] thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun. 

verse 17: “Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.”

Psalm 74:20

Let’s go back to Psalm 74:20, which declares: “Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations [na’ah:H4999] of cruelty [chamac:H2555].”

Of Cruelty [chamac:H2555]

Let’s begin with the term, “cruelty,” (chamac:H2555) since it is also found in Genesis 49:5, and is modifying the “instruments” which are in the “habitations,” “pastures,” “houses,” and “places” of Simeon and Levi. This word, “cruelty” appears 60 times in the Old Testament and is rendered as: “violence”/ “violent,” “cruelty”/ “cruel,” “wrong,” “false,” “damage,” “injustice,” “unrighteous,” etc. as one notes from the following:

Genesis 6:11 and 13 describe the thoughts as well as the actions of mankind prior to the Flood in 4990 B. C. : “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. [chamac:H2555] ... {13} And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence [chamac:H2555] through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”

In Jonah 3:8 we find a description of the inhabitants of Nineveh, and note that the “violence” stems from their “hands” - which as we have learned, has to do with one’s will: “But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence [chamac:H2555] that [is] in their hands.”

“Violence” is also found in one’s mouth as well according to these next citations:

Psalm 27:12 declares, “Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.[chamac:H2555]

Psalm 35:11 also adds, “False [chamac:H2555] witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge [things] that I knew not.”

For The Dark [machshak:H4285] Places Of the Earth [’erets:H776]

We’re interested in understanding what God intends by the phrase “...the dark [machshak:H4285] places of the earth [’erets:H776]…” as they are “...full of the habitations of cruelty in both Psalm 74:20 and in Genesis 49:5. Keep in mind that the word rendered “earth” (’erets:H776) is translated twice as many times as “land” - referring spiritually to the external representation of the Kingdom of God - the nation of Israel in the first instance, as well as the institutional churches and denominations.

Verse 6 of Lamentations 3:1-6 is one place where we find this same term “dark places” as this passage is typifying Christ as He was atoning for the sins of His people prior to Creation: 

“I [am] the man [that] hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. {2} He hath led me, and brought [me into] darkness, but not [into] light. {3} Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand [against me] all the day. {4} My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones. {5} He hath builded against me, and compassed [me] with gall and travail. {6} He hath set me in dark places [machshak:H4285], as [they that be] dead of old.”

This same truth is also expressed in Psalm 88, where this word is rendered “in darkness” and “into darkness” respectively in verses 6 and 18:

“[A Song [or] Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite.]] O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day [and] night before thee: {2} Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; {3} For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. {4} I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man [that hath] no strength: {5} Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand. {6} Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness [machshak:H4285], in the deeps. {7} Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted [me] with all thy waves. Selah. {8} Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: [I am] shut up, and I cannot come forth. {9} Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee. {10} Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise [and] praise thee? Selah. {11} Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? [or] thy faithfulness in destruction? {12} Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? {13} But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee. {14} LORD, why castest thou off my soul? [why] hidest thou thy face from me? {15} I [am] afflicted and ready to die from [my] youth up: [while] I suffer thy terrors I am distracted. {16} Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off. {17} They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together. {18} Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, [and] mine acquaintance into darkness.” [machshak:H4285]

Similarly, verse 3 of Psalm 143:1-3 contains this same word, rendered as “in darkness”: 

 “[A Psalm of David.] Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, [and] in thy righteousness. {2} And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. {3} For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness [machshak:H4285], as those that have been long dead.”

Verse 15 of Isaiah 29:10-15 also translates this word as “are in the dark” in this passage which is addressed to “Ariel” (a synonym for Jerusalem and a representation of the churches and denominations): “For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. {11} And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which [men] deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it [is] sealed: {12} And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. {13} Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near [me] with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: {14} Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, [even] a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise [men] shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent [men] shall be hid. {15} Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark [machshak:H4285], and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?”

Lord willing, in our next study we will finish up with Psalm 74:20 and return to Genesis 49:5-7.

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JUDGES - PART 16

January 13, 2016

Good evening and welcome to Searching The Scriptures. This will be Part 16 in the Book of Judges, and we are down to verse 3 of chapter 1: 

“And Judah said unto Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095] his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.”

We have been looking at Genesis 49:5-7 to determine the spiritual identity of Simeon (who is often  associated with Levi) as we see in this passage, which according to Genesis 49:1 has everything to do with the 1955 years of the church age, the “Great Tribulation” and the “Latter Rain,” as well as our current “day of judgment.” We sense there is a great deal of spiritual truth contained within Genesis 49, however we want to focus our attention on verses 5-7 since they relate specifically to Simeon:

“Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095] and Levi [Leviy:H3878] [are] brethren; instruments [keliy:H3627] of cruelty [chamac:H2555] [are in] their habitations [mekerah:H4380]. {6} O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. {7} Cursed [be] their anger, for [it was] fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.”

Our examination of this passage has led us to another citation - Psalm 74:20 - which states:

“Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark [machshak:H4285] places of the earth [’erets:H776] are full [male’:H4390] of the habitations [na’ah:H4990] of cruelty [chamac:H2555].”

In our previous study we concentrated on the latter part of this verse as it relates to Genesis 49:5, and we discovered that the “dark places” has to do with death, and the “earth” (or “land”) is a reference to the external representation of the Kingdom of God on earth - Israel in the first instance - as well as the churches and denominations. In Psalm 74:20, “habitations” is a term that can signify: “pastures,” “houses,” and “places.” What is especially noteworthy about this word (na’ah:H4999) [although it is a different word than what we find in Gen 49:5, even though the context is the same] is that it always denotes judgment on either the churches and denominations or the world at large, with the exception of two citations. This means that both the “earth”  (or “land”) in addition to “habitations” is a double allusion to the external representation of the Kingdom of God on earth...and what do we find there? “Cruelty” (chamac:H2555) - which indicates “false witness” (or lies), “violence,” “damage,” “injustice,” and “unrighteousness” not only on a physical level, but even more insidiously, on a spiritual plane, as “violence” is being perpetrated against the Word of God - the Bible, within those God-ordained organisms, which sadly have become “places of death,” devoid of God’s light (and life).  

Instruments [keliy:H3627]

Let’s go back to Genesis 49:5, which says, “Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095] and Levi [Leviy:H3878] [are] brethren; instruments [keliy:H3627] of cruelty [chamac:H2555] [are in] their habitations [mekerah:H4380]. Before moving on to Genesis 49:6, let’s investigate the word for “instruments,” which is another broad term, and is translated in a variety of ways: “vessel,” “instrument,” “weapon,”  “jewel,” “armourbearer”(with H5375), “stuff,” “thing,”  “armour,” “furniture,” “carriage,” “ bag,” and by 13 other miscellaneous nouns. So this is yet another example of a word that is very “pregnant” with many diverse nuances, as we see from these next illustrations:

In 1 Samuel 17:40 and 54 this word is rendered as “bag,” and “his armour,” respectively: “And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag [keliy:H3627] which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling [was] in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. ... {54} And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour [keliy:H3627] in his tent.”

1 Samuel 30:24 records this question that David posed: “For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part [is] that goeth down to the battle, so [shall] his part [be] that tarrieth by the stuff: [keliy:H3627] they shall part alike.”

1 Kings 6:7 underscores that no tool - signifying human effort - could be heard within the Temple, while it was being constructed: “And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe [nor] any tool [keliy:H3627] of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.”

Genesis 24:53 reveals,  “And the servant brought forth jewels [keliy:H3627] of silver, and jewels [keliy:H3627] of gold, and raiment, and gave [them] to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.”

Genesis 42:25 maintains: “Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks [keliy:H3627] with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them.”

Lastly, Exodus 31:9 describes the altar within the Temple: “And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, [keliy:H3627] and the laver and his foot,”

So this term, “instruments” spiritually underscores that everything within the churches and denominations as well as the world (since May 21, 2011) has become completely tainted by “false witness,” “damage,” “injustice,” “unrighteousness,” and overall “violence” to the Bible itself. This spiritual degeneration is poignantly seen in the New Testament by the usage of a unique Greek term (katoiketerion:G2732) that is only found in two incisive passages - Ephesians 2:22 and Revelation 18:2 respectively:

Verse 22 of Ephesians 2:19-22 instructs: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; {20} And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [stone]; {21} In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: {22} In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation [katoiketerion:G2732] of God through the Spirit.”

Revelation 18:1-2 reveals, “And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. {2} And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation [katoiketerion:G2732] of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.”

Genesis 49:6

With that backdrop in mind, let us turn our attention to Genesis 49:6, and see what God will show us from this verse which states: 

“O my soul [nephesh:H5315], come [bow’:H935] not thou into their secret [cowd:H5475]; unto their assembly [qahal:H6951], mine honour [kabowd:H3519], be not thou united [yachad:H3161] for in their anger [‘aph:H639] they slew [harag:H2026] a man [’iysh:H376], and in their selfwill [ratsown:H7522] they digged down [`aqar:H6131] a wall [showr:H7794].”

O My Soul

The first word in Genesis 49:6 is “O my soul” (nephesh:H5315), and occurs 753 times in the Old Testament, and is a very broad term that is predominantly rendered as: “soul,” “life,” “person,” “mind,” “heart,” and “creature,” etc. The exact rendering in English of “O my soul” is found in 14 citations. In these passages we find a recurring theme of “praise” (8 times) as well as being “disquieted” (3 times) - typifying either Christ or the elect; the other three verses are similar to “a statement of fact” as we find here in Genesis 49:6   Here are a few examples:

Psalm 42:5 and 11 reveals anguish of soul, but also the light of hope: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul [nephesh:H5315]? and [why] art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him [for] the help of his countenance. ... {11} Why art thou cast down, O my soul [nephesh:H5315]? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, [who is] the health of my countenance, and my God.”

Psalm 103:1-2 and 22 extol God’s goodness and grace to His children in particular: “[A Psalm] of David.] Bless the LORD, O my soul [nephesh:H5315]: and all that is within me, [bless] his holy name. {2} Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: ... {22} Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul [nephesh:H5315].”

Come Not Thou Into Their Secret 

In the next phrase, “come not thou into their secret” we puzzle as to the reason for this prohibition for Jacob (and who he might represent in this case) to “come” or “enter” (as it is sometimes rendered) into the secret of Simeon and Levi? What secret is that? This Hebrew word is “cowd” (H5475) and is also translated as: “counsel,” “assembly,” and once as “inward.” Like many Biblical words that we have encountered, it can express either a positive or a negative connotation, as these next passages illustrate:

Psalm 64:2 maintains, “Hide me from the secret counsel [cowd:H5475] of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:”

And Jeremiah 23:18 and 22 acknowledge, “For who hath stood in the counsel [cowd:H5475] of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard [it]?... {22} But if they had stood in my counsel,[cowd:H5475] and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.”

Psalm 89:7 also states,  “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly [cowd:H5475] of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all [them that are] about him.”

By contrast Jeremiah 15:17 records, “I sat not in the assembly [cowd:H5475] of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation.”

Unto Their Assembly

The next word in Genesis 49:6 (qahal:H6951) can also be rendered as “assembly” or “company,” but more frequently as “congregation,” as the subsequent passages reveal:

This word appears as “assembly”  in verse 6 of Exodus 12:5-11 regarding the passover lamb instructions [incidentally, the very next word, “of the congregation” (`edah:H5712) in verse 6 is an altogether different Strong’s #] : “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take [it] out from the sheep, or from the goats: {6} And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly [qahal:H6951] of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. {7} And they shall take of the blood, and strike [it] on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. {8} And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; [and] with bitter [herbs] they shall eat it. {9} Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast [with] fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. {10} And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. {11} And thus shall ye eat it; [with] your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it [is] the LORD'S passover.”

Psalm 26:5 affirms, “I have hated the congregation [qahal:H6951] of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.”

So we see there is great similarity between these two words in Genesis 49:6 -  not thou into their secret [cowd:H5475] and  unto their assembly [qahal:H6951] - indicating that God wants to emphasize this matter of the “assembly” or “congregation,” even as we noted that in Genesis 49:5 there is a similar correlation between “the dark places of the earth [or ‘land’]” (which symbolizes death) and “instruments of cruelty (misrepresenting God’s Word) are in their habitations” [i.e., “houses,” “pastures,” - typifying the churches and denominations].

Lord willing, we will continue our examination of Genesis 49:6-7 in our next study. 

JUDGES - PART 17

January 15, 2016

Good evening and welcome to Searching The Scriptures. This will be Part 17 in the Book of Judges. We have been looking at Simeon who is mentioned (along with Levi) in Judges 1:3 which has brought us to Genesis 49:5-7, in order to try to determine the spiritual identity of Simeon in this chapter. We also need to remember that according to Genesis 49:1 and 28, the “blessing of Jacob” (Who represents Christ) upon the 12 tribes of Israel typifies the churches and denominations during the church age as well as in the “Great Tribulation” period: 

 “And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you [that] which shall befall you in the last days. ... {28} All these [are] the twelve tribes of Israel: and this [is it] that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.”   

Genesis 49:5-7 states: “Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095] and Levi [are] brethren; instruments of cruelty [are in] their habitations. {6} O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. {7} Cursed [be] their anger, for [it was] fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.”

In our last study we left off at the word, “mine honour” (kabowd:H3519) in verse 6 of Genesis 49: 

“O my soul [nephesh:H5315], come [bow’:H935] not thou into their secret [cowd:H5475]; unto their assembly [qahal:H6951], mine honour [kabowd:H3519], be not thou united [yachad:H3161] for in their anger [‘aph:H639] they slew [harag:H2026] a man [’iysh:H376], and in their selfwill [ratsown:H7522] they digged down [`aqar:H6131] a wall [showr:H7794].”

Mine Honour Be Not Thou United

The term “mine honour” (kabowd:H3519) is utilized 200 times in the Old Testament, and is rendered in the main as: “glory,” “honor,” and “glorious.” This term can be understood as we consider the next word, “be not thou united” (yachad:H3161) which only appears in two other passages, one of which concerns the true believer in Psalm 86:11; the other has to do with Satan:

Psalm 86:11 reveals, “Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite [yachad:H3161] my heart to fear thy name.”

And Isaiah 14:20 instructs, “Thou shalt not be joined [yachad:H3161] with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, [and] slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.”

What can the  “glory,” “honour,” and “glorious” - which is how this particular Hebrew word in translated - represent spiritually? It is a similar appeal as the word, “O my soul” that we looked at in our previous study, and can personify (among other things) the glory or honour of God, of the Lord Jesus, of the Body of Christ, of His salvation, of His judgment, as well as how He wrote the Bible, respectively, as the following citations exemplify:

Isaiah 42:8 proclaims: “I [am] the LORD: that [is] my name: and my glory [kabowd:H3519] will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”

Isaiah 11:10 extols the Person and Work of the Savior: “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.” [kabowd:H3519] 

Haggai 2:7 and 9 assert:  “And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, [kabowd:H3519] saith the LORD of hosts. ... {9} The glory [kabowd:H3519] of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.”

1 Samuel 2:8 maintains,  “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, [and] lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set [them] among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory:[kabowd:H3519] for the pillars of the earth [are] the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them.”

Referring spiritually to the Holy Spirit departing from all the institutional churches and denominations worldwide and without exception on May 21, 1988, 1 Samuel 4:21-22 uses this same word, “the glory” twice:  “And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory [kabowd:H3519] is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. {22} And she said, The glory [kabowd:H3519] is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.”

Proverbs 25:2 expresses the manner in which God penned His Holy Word: “[It is] the glory [kabowd:H3519] of God to conceal a thing: but the honour [kabowd:H3519] of kings [is] to search out a matter.”

For In Their Anger They Slew A Man

The next phrase that we encounter in verse 6 is “... for in their anger [’aph:H639] they slew [harag:H2026] a man [iysh:H376]…” which is comprised of three words. This statement in the historical context is a vivid reminder of the account in Genesis 34, in which Shechem and his father, Hamor and all the men of their city were killed by Simeon and Levi (following their circumcision two days earlier, according to the terms of the agreement which they had made with the sons of Jacob, and by whom they had been cruelly deceived). This also parallels a long line of murders in the Bible - starting with the very first one - when Cain in his anger - killed his brother Abel, as we learn from Genesis 4:5-13, where the same word for “wroth” (charah:H2734) in verses 5 and 6 also surfaces in Genesis 34:7 referring to the anger of Jacob’s sons upon learning what had happened to Dinah; additionally, the same word for “they slew” (harag:H2026) is utilized both in the account of Cain and also repeatedly in Genesis 34.

Genesis 34:7 records, “And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard [it]: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, [charah:H2734] because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done.

And Genesis 4:5-13 provides this tragic account: “But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth [charah:H2734], and his countenance fell. {6} And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth [charah:H2734]? and why is thy countenance fallen? {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. {8} And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him [harag:H2026]. {9} And the LORD said unto Cain, Where [is] Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: [Am] I my brother's keeper? {10} And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. {11} And now [art] thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; {12} When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. {13} And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment [is] greater than I can bear.” 

Well, let’s proceed to the last phrase in Genesis 49:6...

And In Their Selfwill They Digged Down A Wall

This phrase also contains three terms: 

And In Their Selfwill [ratsown:H7522] They Digged Down [`aqar:H6131] A Wall [showr:H7794].”

In Their Selfwill

As we have discussed previously these two brother - Simeon and Levi - took matters into their own hands historically when they killed the men of the city of the Hivites, which is why we read, “...in their selfwill…” (ratsown:H7794) God employs this word 56 times in the Old Testament; and in the majority of cases this word is cast in a positive light, as Psalm 5:12 and 19:14 testify respectively: 

“For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour [ratsown:H7522] wilt thou compass him as [with] a shield.”

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable [ratsown:H7522] in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”

However in Jeremiah 6:20 we discover the negative aspect of this term as God makes this declaration with regard to external sacrifices which do not emanate from a redeemed heart: “To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings [are] not acceptable,[ratsown:H7522] nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.”

I think we will stop here for today, as I want to spend some more time on the phrase, “they digged down a wall” before proceeding further, as there is some confusion as to how this is to be translated.  

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JUDGES - PART 18

January 18, 2016

Good evening and welcome to Searching The Scriptures. This will be Part 18 in the Book of Judges. We have taken a detour to consider Genesis 49:5-7 in order to identify who Simeon represents spiritually in Judges 1:3. And we have arrived at the last two words in Genesis 49:6, 

“O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down [`aqar:H6131] a wall [showr:H7794].”

They Digged Down A Wall

The term “they digged down” (`aqar:H6131) appears only 6 other times in the Old Testament in the following ways: “hough” (i.e., “hamstring”), “pluck up,” and “rooted up;” in over half of the verses, the word “hough”/houghed” is used with regard to immobilizing the enemy’s horses, as the following passages illustrate:

Joshua 11:9 records, “And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him: he houghed [`aqar:H6131] their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.”

2 Samuel 8:4 likewise states, “And David took from him a thousand [chariots], and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David houghed [`aqar:H6131] all the chariot [horses], but reserved of them [for] an hundred chariots.”

And Ecclesiastes 3:2 affirms, “A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up [`aqar:H6131] [that which is] planted;”

The word for “wall” (showr:H7794) appears 78 times, and only in this verse is it rendered as “wall;” in all the other 77 citations, it is translated as: “ox,” “bullock,” “cow,” and “bull.”  This is why  Jay P. Green Sr. translates verse 6 in the Literal Translation of the Bible (LITV) within his Interlinear Bible as follows: 

“ Let not my soul come into their counsel; let not my honor be joined to their company. For in their anger they killed a man; and in self-will they hamstrung [`aqar:H6131] a bull [showr:H7794].”

Here are some examples of how God uses this word in the Old Testament:

Exodus 23:12 regarding the Sabbath, underscores the deeper spiritual principle that one is forbidden by God to work for salvation, without incurring His just wrath: “Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox [showr:H7794] and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.”

1 Samuel 15:3 records God’s command to King Saul given by Samuel the prophet highlighting the full extent of all who come under the fierce anger of the Almighty: “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 [showr:H7794] and sheep, camel and ass.”

Verse 3 of Isaiah 1 outlines the spiritual bankruptcy of the institutional churches and denominations typified by Judah and Jerusalem:  “The ox [showr:H7794] knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: [but] Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.”

Ezekiel 1:10 is an awesome four-fold spiritual portrait of the nature of one aspect of the glorious Godhead: “As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox [showr:H7794] on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.”

According to Strong’s Concordance, this word for “wall” (showr:H7794), which is normally translated “ox,” is a “mistake.” Strong’s states that this term should be: shuwr (H7791), which is only used 4 times, and in each case as “wall”  or “walls.” It turns out that H7791 is almost identical in spelling to H7794, with the exception of an additional letter. One needs to be “on high alert” whenever one hears allegations that there are errors in the original Greek and Hebrew texts. We are confident that none exist, as God was absolutely meticulous in protecting and preserving each word and each letter of every word in the Bible. Notwithstanding, there can be errors in translation, which is why Jay P. Green Sr. rendered it the way he did, as I mentioned earlier. Given what we have learned about Simeon thus far, we can ask the question, is there any Biblical evidence that showr (H7794) should be translated as “wall,” instead of “ox,” since it is rendered that way in 77 other passages? Both H7794 and H7991 have the same root (or parent word), which is shuwr (H7788), and it so happens that it is identical in spelling to H7794; it appears as “...as thou wentest...,” and “...did sing...” in Isaiah 57:9 and Ezekiel 27:25 respectively, which are chapters that deal with the “end of the church age”:

Verse 9 of Isaiah 57:1-13 reveals: “The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth [it] to heart: and merciful men [are] taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil [to come]. {2} He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, [each one] walking [in] his uprightness. {3} But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore [zanah:H2131]. {4} Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, [and] draw out the tongue? [are] ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood, {5} Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks? {6} Among the smooth [stones] of the stream [is] thy portion; they, they [are] thy lot: even to them hast thou poured a drink offering, thou hast offered a meat offering. Should I receive comfort in these? {7} Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed: even thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice. {8} Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrance: for thou hast discovered [thyself to another] than me, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee [a covenant] with them; thou lovedst their bed where thou sawest [it]. {9} And thou wentest [shuwr:H7788] to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase [thyself even] unto hell. {10} Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; [yet] saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved. {11} And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid [it] to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not? {12} I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they shall not profit thee. {13} When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take [them]: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain;”

Ezekiel 27:25 also records,  “The ships of Tarshish did sing [shuwr:H7788] of thee [Tyrus - spiritually representing the churches and denominations] in thy market: and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas.”

Isaiah 23 is another chapter that is concerned with the “end of the church age,” as well as our current “day of judgment” and in verses 15-17 we see references to both “Tyre/Tyrus” (tsor:H6865) as a “harlot” (zanah:H2131) as in Isaiah 57:3, where it is described as “...and the whore.”

Isaiah 23:15-17 makes this pronouncement: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre [tsor:H6865] shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre [tsor:H6865]  sing as an harlot. [zanah:H2181] {16} Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot [zanah:H2181] that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered. {17} And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre [tsor:H6865], and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication [zanah:H2181] with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.”

Ezekiel, chapters 26-28 deal with “Tyrus,”(tsor:H6865) as well, and whose identity is revealed in verse 7 of Ezekiel 26:7-13, and notice the usage of the term “walls,” which is a different Stong’s #:

“For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people. {8} He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee. {9} And he shall set engines of war against thy walls [chowmah:H2346], and with his axes he shall break down thy towers. {10} By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls [chowmah:H2346] shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach. {11} With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground. {12} And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls [chowmah:H2346], and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water. {13} And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard.”

Destruction Of “Walls” Points To God’s Judgment On His Corporate People

The foregoing verses indicate, among other citations, that the “plucking up/uprooting” of “walls,” can certainly indicate God’s judgment on His corporate people. So the question still remains, is this conclusion applicable with regard to the phrase we have been considering in Genesis 49:6, “...they [i.e., Simeon and Levi] digged down [`aqar:H6131] a wall [showr:H7794].” At this point, I am not sure, so let us continue with Genesis 49:7, and perhaps God will give us more understanding, and we can develop this further.

Genesis 49:7

So far we have considered Genesis 49:5-6, as we are attempting to understand who Simeon represents spiritually:

“Simeon and Levi [are] brethren; instruments of cruelty [are in] their habitations. {6} O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.” 

The last verse that we want investigate in connection with Simeon (and Levi) is Genesis 49:7 which states, 

“Cursed [’arar:H779] [be] their anger, [’aph:H639] for [it was] fierce; [`az:H5794] and their wrath,[`ebrah:H5678] for it was cruel:[qashah:H7185] I will divide [chalaq:H2505] them in Jacob,[Ya`aqob:H3290] and scatter [puwts:H6327] them in Israel. [Yisra’el:H3478]”

Cursed Be Their Anger

When we were looking at Genesis 49:6 the same word translated “their anger” (’aph:H639) here in Genesis 49:7 was rendered in that verse “...for in their anger...” This reminds me of a passage in the New Testament - Mark 3:17 - involving James and his brother John, whom the Lord renamed, “...the sons of thunder”: 

“And James the [son] of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:”

A similar incident to the one involving Simeon and Levi’s anger in Genesis 34 surfaces in Luke 9:51-55, which the Lord Jesus, in His divine wisdom saw fit to restrain:

“And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, {52} And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. {53} And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. {54} And when his disciples James and John saw [this], they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? {55} But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. {56} For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save [them]. And they went to another village.”

Well, on that note we will have to close today’s study; Lord willing we will continue our examination of Genesis 49:7 in our next lesson.

JUDGES - PART 19

January 20, 2016

Good evening and welcome to Searching The Scriptures. This will be Part 19 in the Book of Judges. We have taken a detour to consider Genesis 49:5-7 in order to identify who Simeon represents spiritually in Judges 1:3. We began looking at verse 7 toward the end of our last lesson:

“Cursed [’arar:H779] [be] their anger, [’aph:H639] for [it was] fierce; [`az:H5794] and their wrath,[`ebrah:H5678] for it was cruel:[qashah:H7185] I will divide [chalaq:H2505] them in Jacob,[Ya`aqob:H3290] and scatter [puwts:H6327] them in Israel. [Yisra’el:H3478]”

Cursed Be Their Anger

The term rendered “cursed” (’arar:H779) appears 63 times in the Old Testament, and is rendered “curse/cursed” in each case, except for in Judges 5:23, where it is rendered twice as “curse” and once as “ye bitterly;” incidentally two others words in this verse are also doubled - “not to the help/ “to the help” (`ezrah:H5833) and “of the LORD” (Yehovah:H3068). Lord willing, we can take a closer look at this verse, if God allows us to get to Judges 5:

“Curse [’arar:H779] ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse [’arar:H779] ye bitterly [’arar:H779] the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help [`ezrah:H5833] of the LORD [Yehovah:H3068], to the help [`ezrah:H5833] of the LORD [Yehovah:H3068] against the mighty.”  

This word, “cursed” (’arar:H779) can refer to Satan and the ground being cursed in the Garden of Eden after the Fall, as well as to Cain for having murdered Abel, and in other contexts as well; Cain (like Esau) is a picture of the non-elect who remain forever under God’s curse. This is the reason why a number of passages in the Bible contrast “curses” with its antonym, “blessings,” as we read in Deuteronomy 27:14-26 (and Deuteronomy 28:16-68) and Deuteronomy 28:1-14 respectively:

Deuteronomy 27:14-26 solemnly pronounces, “And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice, {15} Cursed [’arar:H779] [be] the man that maketh [any] graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth [it] in [a] secret [place]. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.{16} Cursed [’arar:H779] [be] he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen. {17} Cursed [’arar:H779] [be] he that removeth his neighbour's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen. {18} Cursed [’arar:H779] [be] he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen. {19} Cursed [’arar:H779] [be] he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen. {20} Cursed [’arar:H779] [be] he that lieth with his father's wife; because he uncovereth his father's skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen. {21} Cursed[’arar:H779] [be] he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen. {22} Cursed [’arar:H779] [be] he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen. {23} Cursed [’arar:H779] [be] he that lieth with his mother in law. And all the people shall say, Amen. {24} Cursed [’arar:H779] [be] he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall say, Amen. {25} Cursed [’arar:H779] [be] he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen. {26} Cursed  [be] he that confirmeth not [all] the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.”

In Deuteronomy 28:15-19 God continues to utilize H779, but then in verses 20-68, He goes into even greater detail concerning the specific effects of His curses as they impinge on practically every area of human  life. I know these passages are quite lengthy, so please bear with me, since they do relate to the first two stages of the cycle of rebellion>oppression>deliverance>rest which we will encounter again and again in the Book of Judges:

“But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: {16} Cursed [’arar:H779]  [shalt] thou [be] in the city, and cursed [shalt] thou [be] in the field. {17} Cursed [shall be] thy basket and thy store. {18} Cursed [’arar:H779]  [shall be] the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. {19} Cursed [’arar:H779]  [shalt] thou [be] when thou comest in, and cursed [shalt] thou [be] when thou goest out. {20} The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. {21} The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. {22} The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. {23} And thy heaven that [is] over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee [shall be] iron. {24} The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed. {25} The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. {26} And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray [them] away. {27} The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. {28} The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: {29} And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save [thee]. {30} Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof. {31} Thine ox [shall be] slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass [shall be] violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep [shall be] given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue [them]. {32} Thy sons and thy daughters [shall be] given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail [with longing] for them all the day long: and [there shall be] no might in thine hand. {33} The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway: {34} So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. {35} The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head. {36} The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone. {37} And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee. {38} Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather [but] little in; for the locust shall consume it. {39} Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress [them], but shalt neither drink [of] the wine, nor gather [the grapes]; for the worms shall eat them. {40} Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint [thyself] with the oil; for thine olive shall cast [his fruit]. {41} Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity. {42} All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume. {43} The stranger that [is] within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. {44} He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. {45} Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: {46} And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. {47} Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all [things]; {48} Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all [things]: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. {49} The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, [as swift] as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; {50} A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young: {51} And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which [also] shall not leave thee [either] corn, wine, or oil, [or] the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. {52} And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee. {53} And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee: {54} [So that] the man [that is] tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave: {55} So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates. {56} The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, {57} And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all [things] secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates. {58} If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; {59} Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, [even] great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. {60} Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. {61} Also every sickness, and every plague, which [is] not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. {62} And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God. {63} And it shall come to pass, [that] as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. {64} And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, [even] wood and stone. {65} And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: {66} And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: {67} In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. {68} And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy [you].”

For It Was Fierce

Let’s move on to our next word in Genesis 49:7 - the adjective that God employs to describe Simeon’s and Levi’s anger - which is: “for [it was] fierce” (`az:H5794). This term is found 23 times, and is translated predominantly, as “strong,” “fierce,” and “mighty,” as the subsequent citations reveal:

It is found, by the way, in Deuteronomy 28:50, which I was just quoting: “A nation of fierce [`az:H5794] countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:” 

Exodus 14:21 records it as “by a strong”: “And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go [back] by a strong [`az:H5794] east wind all that night, and made the sea dry [land], and the waters were divided.”

Isaiah 43:16 similarly states, “Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty [`az:H5794] waters;”

Speaking of Satan Daniel 8:23 furnishes a portrait of Satan: “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce [`az:H5794] countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.”

Lord willing, in our next study we will continue our examination of  the rest of Genesis 49:7.

JUDGES - PART 20

February 17, 2016

Good evening and welcome to Searching The Scriptures. This will be Part 20 in the Book of Judges. We have taken a detour to consider Genesis 49:5-7 in order to identify who Simeon represents spiritually, in Judges 1:3. We began looking at verse 7 in our last lesson:

“Cursed [’arar:H779] [be] their anger, [’aph:H639] for [it was] fierce; [`az:H5794] and their wrath,[`ebrah:H5678] for it was cruel:[qashah:H7185] I will divide [chalaq:H2505] them in Jacob,[Ya`aqob:H3290] and scatter [puwts:H6327] them in Israel.” [Yisra’el:H3478]

And Their Wrath For It Was Cruel

We left off at the phrase, “...and their wrath [`ebrah:H5678], for it was cruel [qashah:H7185]:...” God has chosen to use this term, “wrath” 34 times - 31 times as “wrath,” twice as “anger,” and once as “rage,” as the subsequent verses demonstrate:

Verse 30 of Job 21:28-30 speaks about God’s judgment upon the non-elect, as we have entered into “the day of Judgment,” as of May 21, 2011:  “For ye say, Where [is] the house of the prince? and where [are] the dwelling places of the wicked? {29} Have ye not asked them that go by the way? and do ye not know their tokens, {30} That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.” [`ebrah:H5678]

Psalm 7:6 is a Messianic psalm - one in which David typifies the Lord Jesus Christ: “Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage [`ebrah:H5678] of mine enemies: and awake for me [to] the judgment [that] thou hast commanded.”

Isaiah 13:9 and 13 are two out of about a dozen Old and New Testaments passages that speak of our day, in which God has ended His salvation program which had been in effect for 13,023 years: “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath [`ebrah:H5678] and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. ... {13} Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath [`ebrah:H5678] of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.”

Lamentations 3:1 is a spiritual portrait of Christ under the wrath of God which occurred prior to Creation: “ I [am] the man [that] hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.” [`ebrah:H5678]

Keep in mind that this word - “and their wrath” - is referring to both Simeon and Levi; furthermore it represents various objects of  God’s judgment: Israel, the churches and denominations, all the non-elect during our current “day of judgment,” and, last and most importantly, upon the Lord Jesus Christ as He was “...the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,” as Revelation 13:8 and other verses maintain. 

The next term, “for it was cruel” (qashah:H7185) further defines the extent of Simeon and Levi’s anger. This word is rendered predominantly as : “hardened,” “hard,” and “grievous,” etc., as these next citations illustrate:

Exodus 7:3 exemplifies Satan, who is typified by Pharaoh Thutmosis III - the reigning Pharaoh at the time of the Exodus: “And I will harden [qashah:H7185] Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.”

Nehemiah 9:16-17, and 29 pinpoint the heart condition of the majority of Israelites in the wilderness: “But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened [qashah:H7185] their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, {17} And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened [qashah:H7185] their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou [art] a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. ... {29} And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened [qashah:H7185] their neck, and would not hear.”

This is why Psalm 95:8 (which is quoted in Hebrews 3:8 and 15) admonish,  “Harden [qashah:H7185] not your heart, as in the provocation, [and] as [in] the day of temptation in the wilderness:”

Likewise Jeremiah 19:15 underscores the spiritual destruction of the churches and denominations, as of May 21, 1988, exemplified by “Judah and Jerusalem” according to verses 3 and 7: “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened [qashah:H7185] their necks, that they might not hear my words.”

The “hardening of the neck” principle which precipitates destruction is found in various passages - such as Eli, for example - who died by falling over backwards, and breaking his neck in the process, and all the events surrounding that incident is a magnificent historical parable concerning the end of the church age. Again we see in Genesis 49:5-7 that a number of the individual words contained in this citation point to God abandoning the institutional churches and denominations, as He promised He would in Revelation 3 and 4, if they did not repent of their “high places” or false doctrines - even as Israel of old.

I Will Divide Them In Jacob And Scatter Them In Israel

The last two phrases in Genesis 49:7 that we want to consider are: “I will divide them in Jacob…” which is comprised of two words: “I will divide…” [chalaq:H2505] and “...them in Jacob...”[Ya`aqob:H3290]; the other is: “...and scatter [puwts:H6327] them in Israel.” [Yisra’el:H3478] I will start with the latter phrase first. This word, “scatter,” is mostly translated as such, but it is also rendered in the following ways:  “scatter abroad,” “disperse,” “spread abroad,” “cast abroad,” “drive,” “break to pieces,” “shake to pieces,” “dash to pieces,” and  “retired.”  

In Numbers 10:34-36 we see it used in connection with the prayer that Moses uttered, under divine inspiration -  both when the ark rested, and when it was time for the Israelites to move on -  to another encampment; notice, too, that  God’s enemies are the ones being scattered: 

“And the cloud of the LORD [was] upon them by day, when they went out of the camp. {35} And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered [puwts:H6327]; and let them that hate thee flee before thee. {36} And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel.”

The fact that Israel was scattered because of their rebellion - as God had warned -  is also seen in the following passages, which spiritually exemplify God’s judgment on the “house of God,” and later, on the world at large: 

 Deuteronomy 4:27 and 28:64 declare:  “And the LORD shall scatter [puwts:H6327] you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you…{28:64} And the LORD shall scatter [puwts:H6327] thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, [even] wood and stone.”

Nehemiah 1:8 likewise warns: “Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, [If] ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad [puwts:H6327] among the nations:”

And Isaiah 24:1 describes the spiritual condition of mankind during our present “day of judgment”: “Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad [puwts:H6327] the inhabitants thereof.”

Lastly, Jeremiah 23:1-2 boldly introduces this chapter which is a powerful spiritual portrayal of the end of God’s usage of the churches and denominations - His divine organism which He used for 1955 years: “Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter [puwts:H6327] the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. {2} Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered [puwts:H6327] my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.”

So we can conclude that this “scattering” is a result of Israel’s (as well as the New Testament churches’) failure to heed God’s commands. With that in mind, let’s now consider the first phrase, “I will divide [chalaq:H2505] them in Jacob.” [Ya`aqob:H3290] The term, “I will divide”  is predominantly translated as : “divide,” “flatter,” “part,” and “distribute.” Both of these words, “I will divide,” and “them in Jacob” appear together in eleven citations. Let’s consider a few of these:

I Will Divide [chalaq:H2505] Them In Jacob [Ya`aqob:H3290] 

In verse 5 of Joshua 14:1-5 we learn about the remaining lots which were to be given to the 9 ½ tribes that had not yet received them, once they arrived in the land of Canaan (which typifies Heaven): “And these [are the countries] which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance to them. {2} By lot [was] their inheritance, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and [for] the half tribe. {3} For Moses had given the inheritance of two tribes and an half tribe on the other side Jordan: but unto the Levites he gave none inheritance among them. {4} For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim: therefore they gave no part unto the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell [in], with their suburbs for their cattle and for their substance. {5} As the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel [Yisra’el:H3478] did, and they divided [chalaq:H2505]  the land.”

Verse 3 of  1 Chronicles 16:1-3 records the return of the Ark from the house of Obededom (where it had been for 3 months) to King David; to celebrate this joyous event David gave to each male and female Israelite three food items:: “So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God. {2} And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD. {3} And he dealt [chalaq:H2505] to every one of Israel [Yisra’el:H3478], both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon [of wine].”

In Ezekiel 47:21 there is a similar reference to the “dividing” of the land, but this in in the midst of a series of visions that God gave to Ezekiel, starting in chapter 40 and going all the way through chapter 48 and the end of the book of Ezekiel. These chapters are quite difficult, and I have not worked on them, but we do know that God is speaking spiritually about the external representation of the kingdom of God, and possibly God’s elect as well; perhaps if God directs us to these chapters again in our study of the book of Judges we can consider them in greater detail: “So shall ye divide [chalaq:H2505] this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel.” [Yisra’el:H3478]

Lastly, Amos 7:17 speaks with regard to the second “great tribulation” period - known as the Babylonian captivity (which lasted 70 years or 840 months, even as the first great tribulation lasted 84 months, and the 23-year great tribulation of our day lasted 8400 days) - which typified the end of the era of the New Testament churches: “Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided [chalaq:H2505] by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel [Yisra’el:H3478] shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.”

This brings us to the end of our detour of Genesis 49:5-7, which states:

“Simeon and Levi [are] brethren; instruments of cruelty [are in] their habitations. {6} O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. {7} Cursed [be] their anger, for [it was] fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.”

In our last 8 lessons, we have discussed this passage in some detail, so I would like to briefly summarize what we have discovered in our next study, Lord willing.

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JUDGES - PART 21

February 19, 2016

Good evening and welcome to Searching The Scriptures. This will be Part 21 in the Book of Judges. In our previous lesson we concluded our detour in Genesis 49:5-7, as a result of what we read in Judges 1:3 regarding Simeon, and I said that I would summarize what we have learned concerning Simeon and Levi in our last 8 studies today. We learn in Judges 1:3,

“And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.”

And Genesis 49:5-7 records: “Simeon and Levi [are] brethren; instruments of cruelty [are in] their habitations. {6} O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they [hamstrung] [a bullock]. {7} Cursed [be] their anger, for [it was] fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.”

1. The phrase “instruments of cruelty [are in] their habitations” spiritually underscores that everything within the churches and denominations has become completely tainted by “false witness,” (i.e., “lies”) “damage,” “injustice,” “unrighteousness,” and overall “violence” to the Bible itself, because the Holy Spirit is no longer operating there. The same phrase [albeit with a different Strongs’s # for “instruments” (na’ah:H4990)] is found in Psalm 74:20 where it is coupled with the phrase, “for the dark places of the earth” - pointing to death, and the absence of spiritual light, which began at the “house of God,” on May 21, 1988 and then transitioned to the entire world on May 21, 2011, according to 1 Peter 4:17-18 and its Old Testament counterpart, Jeremiah 25:29.

2. Secondly, the double prohibition to not “...come [and “be not united”]into their secret; unto their assembly...” is very significant since both words, “secret” and “assembly,” can refer to the institutional churches and denominations, which God commanded the believers to leave, as we read in Matthew 24:15-16, for example: “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation [i.e., “Satan”], spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place [i.e., “the churches and denominations”] , (whoso readeth, let him understand:) {16} Then let them which be in Judaea [i.e., “the churches and denominations”] flee into the mountains [i.e., “the kingdom of God”]:”

3. Thirdly we read: “...for in their anger they slew a man and in their selfwill they digged down [“hamstrung”] a wall [“a bullock.”] Now in the historical context we can see this with regard to Shechem in Genesis 34, but why does it say “a man” (’iysh:H376)? After all, not only was Shechem killed, but so was his father, as well as all the male inhabitants of their Hivite city. The same word for “man” is employed, for example, in Deuteronomy 21:22-23, and underscores the fact that Christ became sin (resulting in being cursed by God) for His people whom He atoned for, prior to Creation, and then demonstrated the same in 33 AD: 

“And if a man [’iysh:H376] have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: {23} His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged [is] accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee [for] an inheritance.”

Christ is also in view in Mark 12:6-8, as the “one son,” “his wellbeloved,” “my son” and as the  “heir” of the vineyard; notice too, how they plot to obtain the inheritance by their wicked will:  

“Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. {7} But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. {8} And they took him, and killed [him], and cast [him] out of the vineyard. Moreover, Isaiah 5:7 defines what the vineyard represents spiritually:  

“For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts [is] the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.”

This is also corroborated by many verses in the New Testament, such as Luke 9:22, 

“Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.”

The “hamstringing of the bullock” (which would render the animal useless - figuratively “killing” it) is another reference to Christ, Who is likened to a “bullock” in Ezekiel 1:10 for instance:

“As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox [showr:H7794] on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.”

In the Old Testament God also required the “firstling” (or “firstborn male”) of all cattle to be offered to the LORD in sacrifice, according to Exodus 34:19, in which the same word for “bullock” (showr:H7794) in Genesis 49:6 is employed:  

“All that openeth the matrix [is] mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, [whether] ox [showr:H7794] or sheep, [that is male].”

4. In considering the next two phrases - “Cursed [be] their anger, for [it was] fierce [`az:H5794]; and their wrath, for it was cruel [qashah:H7185]…”  I was reminded of the admonition in James 1:19-20,

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: {20} For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”

The adjectives that God uses to describe Simeon and Levi’s (don’t forget that Levi also symbolizes the Levitical priesthood) “anger” and “wrath” are: “fierce” and “cruel.” The former term, “fierce” (`az:H5794) can refer to Satan and his kingdom as Deuteronomy 28:50 and Daniel 8:23 indicate, which is very significant. This would also be in keeping with Jesus’ condemnation of the religious leaders of His day in the 4th Gospel (Lazarus) 8:37-47 and 59,

“I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. {38} I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. {39} They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, {ye would do the works of Abraham. {40} But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. {41} Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, [even] God. {42} Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. {43} Why do ye not understand my speech? [even] because ye cannot hear my word. {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. {45} And because I tell [you] the truth, ye believe me not. {46} Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? {47} He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear [them] not, because ye are not of God… {59} Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”

The term, “cruel” (qashah:H7185) reflects a “hardening of the heart” which is clearly seen in the parable of the vineyard (Matthew 21 and Mark 12) and in the account I just quoted from the 4th Gospel (Lazarus), Chapter 8.

5. The last two phrases in Genesis 49:5-7 are: “I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.” These two statements reflect the fact that God would judge His corporate people, if they failed to obey Him, as the following passages reveal: 

In Nehemiah 1:8, God’s dire warning to Israel in the wilderness is recalled : “Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, [If] ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad [puwts:H6327] among the nations:”

Amos 7:17 refers to the second “great tribulation” period - known as the Babylonian captivity - which typified the end of the era of the New Testament churches: “Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided [chalaq:H2505] by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel [Yisra’el:H3478] shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.”

Judges 1:3 (Cont.)

Getting back to Judges 1:3, which states: “And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go [halak:H1980] with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went [yalak:H3212] with him.”

“Halak” And “Yalak”

There are two words left to consider in verse 3, before proceeding on to verse 4 of Judges 1; these are “and I likewise will go” (halak:H1980) and “went” (yalak:H3212), each of which relate to the tribes of Judah (his name means “praise”) and Simeon (his name signifies, “hath heard”) and describe their actions to help each other combat  the Canaanites. You might recall that besides their brotherly affinity (Simeon was Leah’s second born son, and Judah, her fourth born), the tribe of Simeon was related by lot (inheritance) to the tribe of Judah, and hence their mutual agreement to go to battle on each other’s behalf. Joshua 18:10 and 19:1 and 9 describe the circumstances surrounding each other’s inheritance:

“ And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions… {19:1} And the second lot came forth to Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095; root word: shama`:H8085], [even] for the tribe of the children of Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095] according to their families: and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah. [Yehuwdah:H3063; root word: yadah:H3034 ]... {9} Out of the portion of the children of Judah [Yehuwdah:H3063] [was] the inheritance of the children of Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095]: for the part of the children of Judah [Yehuwdah:H3063] was too much for them: therefore the children of Simeon [Shi`mown:H8095] had their inheritance within the inheritance of them.”

The root words for Simeon (“hath heard”) and Judah (“praise”) are coupled together in only three references; one of which is in verse 4 of Psalm 138 - a Messianic psalm - where they are translated as “when they hear” and “shall praise;” this verse underscores the heartfelt response of God’s elect to hearing (and obeying) the Word of God - Who is the Lord Jesus Christ - and Who is responsible for initiating and maintaining this stupendous spiritual relationship between His spiritual Bride and Himself:

All the kings [i.e., true believers] of the earth shall praise [yadah:H3034] thee, O LORD, when they hear [shama`:H8085] the words of thy mouth.  

The following illustrate some examples of God’s usage of these two terms, “and I likewise will go” (halak:H1980) and “went” (yalak:H3212) in Judges 1:3,

In Exodus 13:21, these words are utilized to describe God’s presence by day as well as by night: “And the LORD went [halak:H1980] before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go [yalak:H3212] by day and night:”

Likewise Exodus 14:19 concurs: “And the angel of God, which went [halak:H1980] before the camp of Israel, removed and went [yalak:H3212] behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:”

In verse 8 of Joshua 18:8-10, upon Joshua’s command, three representatives from each of the remaining 7 tribes who still needed to possess their lot (or inheritance), went into Canaan and recorded what they saw of the land “in a book”: “And the men arose, and went away [yalak:H3212]: and Joshua charged them that went [halak:H1980] to describe the land, saying, Go [yalak:H3212] and walk [halak:H1980] through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh. {9} And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book, and came [again] to Joshua to the host at Shiloh. {10} And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.”

There are also a number of passages found in the Book of Judges, which contain these same two words together as well, but it looks like we’ll have to wait until our next study, Lord willing, to consider them, as we have run out of time today.

JUDGES - PART 22

February 22, 2016

Good evening and welcome to Searching The Scriptures. This will be Part 22 in the Book of Judges. At the close of our last study we began looking at some of the ways that God uses two terms in Judges 1:3 to describe the agreement that Judah and Simeon had reached with respect to fighting the Canaanites on each other’s behalf - “and I likewise will go” (halak:H1980) and “went” (yalak:H3212).  Please note that in our last study we encountered a few instances, in which these two words appear in certain contexts, where two or more people or entities are in view. For example, we saw this in both Exodus 13:21 and 14:14 pertaining to God’s presence in the “pillar of a cloud” by day and the “pillar of fire” by night; in Joshua 8:18 we encountered 21 representatives (3 from each of the remaining 7 tribes that had not yet received their lot or inheritance in the Promised Land - a picture of Heaven) who were instructed by Joshua to identify what they discovered throughout the land of Canaan, and write in a book, divided into 7 parts. As I indicated previously, there are some other passages in the book of Judges that also contain these two terms (besides Judges 1:3) that I want to bring to your attention presently, since we will be examining these in greater detail if God allows us to get there, as they are complex historical parables:  

In Judges 4:8-9 we read about another relationship - that of Barak (who represents the Lord Jesus) and the prophetess Deborah (who symbolizes the Word of God) in another (spiritual) battle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan: “And Barak said unto her [Deborah], If thou wilt go with me [yalak:H3212], then I will go [halak:H1980]: but if thou wilt not go [yalak:H3212] with me, [then] I will not go. [halak:H1980] {9} And she said, I will surely [halak:H1980] go [yalak:H3212] with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest [halak:H1980] shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera [representing Satan] into the hand of a woman [typifying the elect]. And Deborah arose, and went [yalak:H3212] with Barak to Kedesh. 

However in Judges 4:24, both terms appear side by side, and are translated as one word - “prospered”: And the hand [representing one’s will - in this case, under God’s leadership] of the children of Israel prospered, [yalak:H3212] [halak:H1980] and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.”

In Judges 5:6, these two terms are rendered, “and the travellers” and “walked”:  “In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers [halak:H1980] walked [yalak:H3212] through byways.”

In Judges 14:9, Samson is in view in the historical parable involving the honey in the carcase of the dead lion, in which these words are translated “and went on” and “came”:  “And he took thereof in his hands, and went on [yalak:H3212] eating, and came [halak:H1980] to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.”

In another historical parable regarding the “end of the church age,” Judges 19:9 and 18 reveal: “And when the man rose up to depart [yalak:H3212], he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel's father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go [halak:H1980] home. ... {18} And he said unto him, We [are] passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence [am] I: and I went [yalak:H3212] to Bethlehemjudah, but I [am now] going [halak:H1980] to the house of the LORD; and there [is] no man that receiveth me to house.”

Judges 1:4

Let’s move on to verse 4 of chapter one in the Book of Judges: 

“And Judah [Yehuwdah:H3063] went up; [`alah:H5927] and the LORD [Yehovah:H3068] delivered [nathan:H5414] the Canaanites [Kena`aniy:H3669] and the Perizzites [Perizziy:H6522] into their hand: [yad:H3027] and they slew[nakah:H5221] of them in Bezek [Bezeq:H966] ten [`eser:H6235] thousand [’eleph:H505] men.”[’iysh:H376]

And Judah Went Up; [`alah:H5927] And The LORD Delivered [nathan:H5414] The Canaanites And The Perizzites

As God indicated in Judges 1:2...

“And the LORD said, Judah shall go up [`alah:H5927] : behold, I have delivered [nathan:H5414] the land into his hand [yad:H3027],” 

...so we read here in verse 4 that He brought it to fruition. Three of the same words in verse 2 are also found in verse 4: “shall go up” (`alah:H5927), “behold, I have delivered” (nathan:H5414), and “ into his hand” (yad:H3027). (In studies # 10-13, I went into some detail regarding each of these three words which embody many different shades of meaning.) These expressions, at times, can spiritually underscore the Lord Jesus Christ’s victory over the kingdom of Satan (typified by these 7 heathen nations that dwelt in the land of Canaan), as pictured by Judah’s “hand” (or “will”) prevailing over His enemies; at other times, as I have mentioned previously and as we shall see, it can refer to God bringing judgment upon His corporate people by enlisting heathen kings and nations to do His bidding. Remember that in Revelation 5:5 Christ is called the “Lion of the tribe of Judah.” You might recall that we discovered in these earlier studies that the “hand” (yad:H3027) is the “grandparent” word for Judah; while the “parent” word (yadah:H3034) for Judah is Yehuwdah (H3063). It helps to hear the progression in their sounds - “yad”(hand)... “yadah” (praise)... “Yehuwdah” (Judah). Incidentally, all three of these words appear together in 19 other citations, besides Judges 1:2 and 4, some of which are very similar in both structure and context. Here are a few examples: 

In Joshua 8:1 God foretells Joshua (Who symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ) of his victory over the city of Ai: “And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up [`alah:H5927] to Ai: see, I have given [nathan:H5414] into thy hand  the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:”

There are also three other accounts in the Book of Judges, in which these three terms are utilized, besides Judges 1:2 and 4, which, if God permits, we will discuss at greater length once we get there:

Judges 12:3 concerns a judge by the name of Jephthah: “And when I saw that ye delivered [me] not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered [nathan:H5414] them into my hand : wherefore then are ye come up [`alah:H5927] unto me this day, to fight against me?”

Speaking of Samson Judges 15:13 declares: “And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver [nathan:H5414] thee into their hand [yad:H3027]: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up [`alah:H5927] from the rock.”

Regarding the matter of the concubine whose dead body was cut up into 12 parts and sent to each of the tribes of Israel (a spiritual portrait of the death of the institutional churches and denominations in Judges 19), Judges 20:28 states, “And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up [`alah:H5927] ; for to morrow I will deliver [nathan:H5414]  them into thine hand. ” [yad:H3027] 

These same three words also appear in the account of Jonathan and his armourbearer who won a decisive victory over a garrison of the Philistines in verses 10 and 12 of 1 Samuel 14:8-12, “Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto [these] men, and we will discover ourselves unto them. {9} If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up [`alah:H5927] unto them. {10} But if they say thus, Come up [`alah:H5927] unto us; then we will go up [`alah:H5927]: for the LORD hath delivered [nathan:H5414] them into our hand [yad:H3027] : and this [shall be] a sign unto us. {11} And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves. {12} And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up [`alah:H5927] to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up [`alah:H5927] after me: for the LORD hath delivered [nathan:H5414] them into the hand [yad:H3027] of Israel.”

Yet another illustration is found in 2 Samuel 5:19, in which David ( a great type of Christ) inserts these same words, under divine inspiration, as questions to God, and then receives immediate confirmation; please note the doubling of the word, “deliver” in the last sentence: “...I will doubtless deliver…”: “And David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up [`alah:H5927] to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver [nathan:H5414] them into mine hand [yad:H3027]? And the LORD said unto David, Go up [`alah:H5927]: for I will doubtless [nathan:H5414] deliver [nathan:H5414] the Philistines into thine hand.” [yad:H3027] 

Well, I’m afraid we will have to wait until our next study to look at two more remaining citations, and then, Lord willing, we can examine the latter half of Judges 1:4b, “...and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.”

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JUDGES - PART 23

February 24, 2016

Good evening and welcome to Searching The Scriptures. This will be Part 23 in the Book of Judges. In our last study we began looking at three words that appear together in Judges 1:2 and 4, which we also had investigated in some of our previous lessons. These three terms in verse 4 are: “went up” (`alah:H5927), “delivered” (nathan:H5414), and “into his hand” (yad:H3027). In Part 22 we looked at a number of passages - both in the Book of Judges and elsewhere in the Bible - and today I would like us to look at two more accounts, before proceeding on to the second half of Judges 1:4.  

Another long, but very interesting account involving these same three words surfaces in verses 6, 12, and 15 of 1 Kings 22:6-28 in which Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and Ahab, king of Samaria are engaged in a discussion as to whether they should fight against the Syrians to recapture one of their own cities, Ramothgilead; they turn for counsel to one true prophet of the LORD (Micaiah) as well as to 400 false prophets. Please note how God “pulls back the curtain” so to speak, to show how He uses false prophets as a “testing program” to accomplish His will, as well as His one lone messenger who, unequivocally and unashamedly, speaks His truth - yet is not heeded. Once again we are reminded that consensus is never the basis for truth: “Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up [`alah:H5927]; for the Lord shall deliver [nathan:H5414]  [it] into the hand [yad:H3027] of the king. {7} And Jehoshaphat said, [Is there] not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him? {8} And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, [There is] yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. {9} Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Hasten [hither] Micaiah the son of Imlah. {10} And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. {11} And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith the LORD, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them. {12} And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up [`alah:H5927]  to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver [nathan:H5414]  [it] into the king's hand. [yad:H3027] {13} And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets [declare] good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak [that which is] good. {14} And Micaiah said, [As] the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak. {15} So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go [`alah:H5927], and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver [nathan:H5414] [it] into the hand [yad:H3027] of the king. {16} And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but [that which is] true in the name of the LORD? {17} And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace. {18} And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil? {19} And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. {20} And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. {21} And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. {22} And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade [him], and prevail also: go forth, and do so. {23} Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee. {24} But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee? {25} And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself. {26} And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son; {27} And say, Thus saith the king, Put this [fellow] in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace. {28} And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, the LORD hath not spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, O people, every one of you.”

One final reference to consider is 2 Chronicles 36:17 which again contains these three words that we have been focused upon and describes how God used the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar (who spiritually portrays Satan), to destroy Jerusalem (587 BC) as Israel went into captivity for 70 years (609 BC - 539 BC) (picturing the end of the church age, and the second “great tribulation”period of the Bible): “Therefore he brought [`alah:H5927] upon them the king of the Chaldees [or Babylonians], who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave [nathan:H5414] [them] all into his hand.”[yad:H3027] 

Judges 1:4-7

Let’s now turn our attention to the curious context of verses 4-7 of Judges 1 regarding this first battle that we recorded find in the Book of Judges: 

“And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek [Bezeq:H966] ten thousand men. {5} And they found Adonibezek [’Adoniy-bezeq:H137] in Bezek [Bezeq:H966]: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites. {6} But Adonibezek [’Adoniy-bezeq:H137] fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. {7} And Adonibezek [’Adoniy-bezeq:H137] said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered [their meat] under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.” 

And They Slew Of Them In Bezek Ten Thousand Men

The latter half of Judges 1:4 chronicles the victory of Judah (and Simeon) over the Canaanites and Perizzites in Bezek, where they killed 10,000 men, including Adonibezek (a compound word signifying the “lord,” or king of Bezek - which only appears in this account, where he is mentioned three times). The number “ten thousand” if it has any spiritual significance at all, points to “completeness” (as does its integers, 10 and 100), and in this context typifies - “the ‘completeness’ of those who are under the wrath of God.” There are also two other battles in Scripture that similarly mention the death of “ten” (’eser:H6235)  “thousand” (’eleph:H505):

In Judges 3:29 we read the following during the period when Ehud was judge: “And they slew of Moab at that time about ten [’eser:H6235] thousand [’eleph:H505] men, all lusty, and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man.”

Likewise, 2 Chronicles 25:11-12 states: “And Amaziah [king of Judah] strengthened himself, and led forth his people, and went to the valley of salt, and smote of the children of Seir [or “Edom”] ten [’eser:H6235] thousand. [’eleph:H505] {12} And [other] ten [’eser:H6235] thousand [’eleph:H505]  [left] alive did the children of Judah carry away captive, and brought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, that they all were broken in pieces.”

Keep in mind, that both Moab as well as Edom symbolize the churches and denominations which came under the wrath of God as of May 21, 1988, at the start of the final “great tribulation” period of our day and ended on May 21, 2011 - after a full 23 (a number that signifies judgment) years or 8400 days precisely. The Canaanites as well as the Perizzites similarly represent those who typify the non-elect who are under the wrath of God, whom God commanded to be utterly destroyed.

Regarding the term, “Bezek” (Bezeq:H966), it is spelled identically to bazaq (H965), which is only found once in the Bible, as “a flash of lightning,” (hence the meaning of the city’s name Bezek) in the vision of the glory of God that appears in Ezekiel 1:14, 

“And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.” [bazaq:H965].

We also discover in Luke 10:18 a noteworthy statement indicating among other things, that Satan can be associated with “lightning” or even “light,” itself (according to 2 Corinthians 11:14),  “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning [astrape:G496] fall from heaven.” One possibility is that  Adonibezek (“lord of lightning”) is a representation of Satan himself, and the 70 kings (pointing to the perfection of whatever is in view) that he conquered, a picture of the 7 churches mentioned in Revelation?

Besides Judges 1:4-5, Bezek is only found one other time -  in 1 Samuel 11:8 -  at the scene of yet another battle, in which king Saul numbers the army of Israel and Judah in Bezek as they prepare to fight against the Ammonites who are attempting to overtake Jabeshgilead:

 “And when he [king Saul] numbered them in Bezek [Bezeq:H966], the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.”

Cut Off His Thumbs And His Great Toes

We read in verses Judges 1:5-7 of the fate of the king (or “lord”) of Bezek: “And they found Adonibezek in Bezek: and they fought [lacham:H3898] against him, and they slew [nakah:H5221] the Canaanites and the Perizzites. {6} But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off [qatsats:H7112] his thumbs [bohen:H931/ yad:H3027] and his great toes. [regel:H7272] {7} And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs [bohen:H931/ yad:H3027] and their great toes [regel:H7272] cut off [qatsats:H7112], gathered [their meat] under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.” 

I was unable to find any other accounts in the Bible quite like this one that is depicted here. It is true that we read about what Joshua did to the 5 kings who hid in a cave in Joshua 10:24-26, when he had his captains place their feet upon the necks of these kings, in a display of victory which God had orchestrated on their behalf; the same words for “fought” and “slew” in Judges 1:5 are rendered “fight” and “smote” in verses 25 and 26 of Joshua 10:

“And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. {25} And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight. [lacham:H3898] {26} And afterward Joshua smote [nakah:H5221] them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.”

Another even closer account to that of Adonibezek is found in 2 Samuel 4:12, in which David punishes two brothers - Rechab and Baanah -  by cutting off their hands and feet for the murder of Ishbosheth, one of Saul’s sons; “And David commanded his young men, and they slew them [Rechab and Baanah], and cut off [qatsats:H7112] their hands [yad:H3027] and their feet, [regel:H7272] and hanged [them] up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried [it] in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.”

Thumbs And Toes

As I indicated earlier, this account in Judges 1 concerning Adonibezek’s thumbs and toes being cut off (in addition to the 70 kings that he had conquered and mutilated in the same manner) is unique. There are only three other reference that relate - by way of contrast - involving the instruction that God gave through Moses to Aaron the first high priest (foreshadowing the Lord Jesus - the great High Priest - after “the order of Melchisedec”) and to his sons in order to ceremonially prepare them for their official priestly duties in Exodus 29 and Leviticus 8; a similar injunction regarding the cleansing of lepers also appears in Leviticus 14.

Unfortunately, we won’t have sufficient time to consider these other passages, so we will have to wait until our next study, as God allows.

JUDGES - PART 24

March 2, 2016

Good evening and welcome to Searching The Scriptures. This will be Part 24 in the Book of Judges. In our last lesson I mentioned that we would take a look at three passages that relate - by way of contrast to the cutting off of Adonibezek’s “thumbs and great toes” (and those of the 70 kings which he overthrew) in Judges 1:6-7  - involving the instruction that God gave through Moses to Aaron the first high priest (foreshadowing the Lord Jesus - the great High Priest - after “the order of Melchisedec”) and to his sons in order to ceremonially prepare them for their official priestly duties in Exodus 29 and Leviticus 8; a similar injunction regarding the cleansing of lepers also appears in Leviticus 14. Let’s take a look a Judges 1:6-7 to refresh our minds:

“But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. {7} And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered [their meat] under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.”

In Exodus 29, God gives various instructions with regard to what Aaron and his sons were to bring - namely, a young bullock and two unblemished rams -  along with a basket which contained unleavened bread, cakes, and wafers of wheat and oil - and they were to bring these to the door of the Tabernacle. At that point, they were to wash themselves ceremonially, and afterwards put on the various elements of their priestly attire: the coat, robe of the ephod, the ephod, the breastplate, and the “curious girdle” of the ephod, as well as the mitre, and “crown” (or “plate”) upon the mitre. After sacrificing the bullock and one ram upon the altar, we then read the following in Exodus 29:19-33; please notice the language of verse 20:

“And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram. {20} Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put [it] upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb [bohen:H931] of their right hand, and upon the great toe [bohen:H931] of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. {21} And thou shalt take of the blood that [is] upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle [it] upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him. {22} Also thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul [above] the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that [is] upon them, and the right shoulder; for it [is] a ram of consecration: {23} And one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of the unleavened bread that [is] before the LORD: {24} And thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his sons; and shalt wave them [for] a wave offering before the LORD. {25} And thou shalt receive them of their hands, and burn [them] upon the altar for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour before the LORD: it [is] an offering made by fire unto the LORD. {26} And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron's consecration, and wave it [for] a wave offering before the LORD: and it shall be thy part. {27} And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of the consecration, [even] of [that] which [is] for Aaron, and of [that] which is for his sons: {28} And it shall be Aaron's and his sons' by a statute for ever from the children of Israel: for it [is] an heave offering: and it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, [even] their heave offering unto the LORD. {29} And the holy garments of Aaron shall be his sons' after him, to be anointed therein, and to be consecrated in them. {30} [And] that son that is priest in his stead shall put them on seven days, when he cometh into the tabernacle of the congregation to minister in the holy [place]. {31} And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration, and seethe his flesh in the holy place. {32} And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that [is] in the basket, [by] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. {33} And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate [and] to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat [thereof], because they [are] holy.” 

We note in verse 21 that Aaron and his sons (representing the priesthood of all believers) were anointed both with the blood - signifying the “blood” or “life” of Christ as Leviticus 17:11 maintains - as well as with the oil - symbolizing the Holy Spirit:

“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.”

(Incidentally, this is why it was mandatory that the Atonement took place prior to the foundation of the world because, as we read in Hebrews 9:22b, “...and without shedding of blood is no remission [or forgiveness].”

Also, please note what verses 31-32 reveal: “And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration, and seethe his flesh in the holy place. {32} And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that [is] in the basket, [by] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.”  What does this remind us of in the New Testament? Remember what Jesus told His so called “disciples” in John 6:53-58 and 66-69,

“Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. {54} Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. {55} For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. {56} He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. {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. {58} This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. … {60} Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard [this], said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? {66} From that [time] many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. {67} Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? {68} Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. {69} And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.”

The next citation that includes the “thumbs and great toes” is in Leviticus 8, which is similar in nature to Exodus 28; we learn in verses 22-24, “And he brought the other ram, the ram of consecration: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. {23} And he slew [it]; and Moses took of the blood of it, and put [it] upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb [bohen:H931] of his right hand, and upon the great toe [bohen:H931] of his right foot. {24} And he brought Aaron's sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs [bohen:H931] of their right hands, and upon the great toes [bohen:H931] of their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about.”

The last reference in which we find mention of the “thumbs and great toes” surfaces in Leviticus 14 with regards to the cleansing of a leper. You might recall that leprosy typifies sin nature, for which there is only one remedy which only God can cure through the Faith and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verses 14, 17, 25, and 28 list the procedures the priest was to perform with respect to one that was afflicted with this loathsome disease: “And the priest shall take [some] of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put [it] upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: ... {17} And of the rest of the oil that [is] in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering: ... {25} And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take [some] of the blood of the trespass offering, and put [it] upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: ... {28} And the priest shall put of the oil that [is] in his hand upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the place of the blood of the trespass offering:”

We see from the preceding examples the repetition of the word, “right” (yemaniy:H3233) - the right ear, the right hand, and the right foot - these point to the Lord Jesus who is identified as sitting on the Father’s right hand, as we read, for example, in Psalm 110:1 and 5, in which a related word (yamiyn:H3225) is employed:

Psa 110:1 and 5, “[A Psalm of David.] The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, [yamiyn:H3225] until I make thine enemies thy footstool. ... {5} The Lord at thy right hand [yamiyn:H3225] shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.”

Psalm 110:1 is also quoted in the New Testament in Matthew 22:44, providing a very helpful “word bridge” between the Old and New Testaments, in order to confirm that the Hebrew adjective, yamiyn (H3225) corresponds to the Greek adjective, dexios (G1188):

 “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, [dexios:G1188] till I make thine enemies thy footstool?”

The “right hand” can also symbolize the Body of Christ as Matthew 25:33-34 underscores; please notice how the kingdom was “...prepared...from the foundation of the world”: “And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, [dexios:G1188] but the goats on the left. {34} Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, [dexios:G1188] Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:”

To “Cut Off” Can Signify Judgment

Back to Judges 1:6-7…

“But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off , [qatsats:H7112]  his thumbs and his great toes. {7} And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, [qatsats:H7112] gathered [their meat] under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.”

Let’s take a closer look at the term “cut off,” (qatsats:H7112), which is mentioned twice in Judges 1:6-7 - once, with respect to Adonibezek, and the second time in conjunction with the 70 kings he had conquered.  Here are some more illustrations of how God uses this term:

Exodus 39:3 is an example of this word which describes the raw material that went in to fashioning the priests’ garments by God’s decree. Here - at least on the historical level - this word is not being used to indicate judgment: “And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut [qatsats:H7112] [it into] wires, to work [it] in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, [with] cunning work.”

In 2 Kings 24:13 we read about Nebuchadnezzar destroying Jerusalem in 587 B. C. - a spiritual portrait of the end of the New Testament church era: “And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces  all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.”

Alluding to God’s judgment on His own (corporate) house (1 Peter 4:17) at the start of the “great tribulation” of our day on May 21, 1988 - and then transitioning to the world at large at the end of the “great tribulation” on May 21, 2011(1 Peter 4:18), verse 26 of Jeremiah 9:25-26 translates this same word as: “and all [that are] in the utmost corners”: “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all [them which are] circumcised with the uncircumcised; 26 Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all [that are] in the utmost corners [qatsats:H7112], that dwell in the wilderness: for all [these] nations [are] uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel [are] uncircumcised in the heart.”

So, in conclusion, let’s keep in mind this contrast between Adonibezek and the 70 kings whose thumbs and great toes were cut off - signifying judgment upon their hands and feet - which represent the will of man... and the “anointing” with blood (referring to the life of Christ in the Atonement) of Aaron and his sons (symbolizing the priesthood of each believer) on their right ear (remember Romans 10:17 - “...faith cometh by [spiritual] hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”), right thumb, and right great toe. The term, “right” points to the Lord Jesus Christ, and underscores that their wills belong to Him and are subjugated to His supreme will, as a result of redemption.

Well, we’ve come to the end of today’s lesson, so in our next study, Lord willing, we’ll continue investigating the rest of Judges 1:7.

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