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                                                        Judges 4 - Part 25

Air Date: July 5, 2017

In our examination of Judges 4, we have come down to the last 6 verses of this intriguing chapter:

“And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. {20} Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. {21} Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. {22} And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her [tent], behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail [was] in his temples. {23} So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. {24} And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.”

And He Said [’amar:H559] Unto Her, Give Me, I Pray Thee, A Little [m@`at:H4592] Water [mayim:H4325] To Drink [shaqah:H8248]

In the first phrase in Judges 4:19 we encounter four Hebrew words - And he said [’amar:H559] unto her, give me, I pray thee, a little [m@`at:H4592] water [mayim:H4325] to drink [shaqah:H8248]. Curiously, we only find these four terms together in only one other passage - in Genesis 24:43, where we read:

“Behold, I stand by the well of water  [mayim:H4325]; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw [water], and I say  [’amar:H559]  to her, Give me [shaqah:H8248], I pray thee, a little [m@`at:H4592]  water [mayim:H4325] of thy pitcher to drink;”[shaqah:H8248]

In order to understand what God is wanting to convey spirtually by these two seemingly opposite accounts, let’s examine the context of Genesis 24. As we do so, keep in mind who Abraham and Isaac symbolize. You might recall the strange command God gave to Abraham in Genesis 22:1-3, regarding this “miracle” baby, Isaac:  

“And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, [here] I [am]. {2} And he said, Take now thy son, thine only [son] Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. {3} And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.”

This is a most compelling historical parable, in which Abraham typifies God the Father, and Isaac, God the Son. At the very last minute, when Abraham was about to kill his son, God stopped him, and directed him to sacrifice “...a ram caught in a thicket by its horns” - picturing the Lord Jesus Christ - as “...the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”  I’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: this took place on (one of the mountains of) Mt. Moriah perhaps around 2057 BC, if Isaac was 10, let’s say. (He was born in 2067 BC,)  This was also the same location, in which, over 1000 years later, when David was king (He was crowned king in 1007 BC) the plague (that killed 70,000) was stopped in the threshingfloor of Arunah the Jebusite (Jebus was the former name for Jesusalem), and God commanded him (thought the prophet Gad) to build an altar there. This was also the same spot where the foundation of the Temple was laid in 967 BC, (2 Chronicles 3:1), and where Christ hung on the Cross 999 years later in 33 BC. (Hebrews 13:11-13; Matthew 27:33)

The Context Of Genesis 24:43

With this background in mind, we read of Abraham’s mission to find a wife for Isaac in Genesis 24:1-67, 

“And Abraham was old, [and] well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. {2} And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: {3} And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: {4} But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac. {5} And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest? {6} And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. {7} The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. {8} And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again. {9} And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter. {10} And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master [were] in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. {11} And he made his camels to kneel down without [outside] the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, [even] the time that women go out to draw [water]. {12} And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. {13} Behold, I stand [here] by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: {14} And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: [let the same be] she [that] thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. {15} And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. {16} And the damsel [was] very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. {17} And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. {18} And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. {19} And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw [water] for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. {20} And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw [water], and drew for all his camels. {21} And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. {22} And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten [shekels] weight of gold; {23} And said, Whose daughter [art] thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room [in] thy father's house for us to lodge in? {24} And she said unto him, I [am] the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor. {25} She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in. {26} And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD. {27} And he said, Blessed [be] the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I [being] in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren. {28} And the damsel ran, and told [them of] her mother's house these things. {29} And Rebekah had a brother, and his name [was] Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well. {30} And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well. {31} And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels. {32} And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet that [were] with him. {33} And there was set [meat] before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on. {34} And he said, I [am] Abraham's servant. {35} And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses. {36} And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath. {37} And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell: {38} But thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son. {39} And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me. {40} And he said unto me, The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house: {41} Then shalt thou be clear from [this] my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee [one], thou shalt be clear from my oath. {42} And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go: {43} Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw [water], and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink; {44} And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: [let] the same [be] the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master's son. {45} And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew [water]: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee. {46} And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her [shoulder], and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also. {47} And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter [art] thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands. {48} And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter unto his son. {49} And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left. 50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. {51} Behold, Rebekah [is] before thee, take [her], and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken. {52} And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, [bowing himself] to the earth. {53} And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave [them] to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things. {54} And they did eat and drink, he and the men that [were] with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master. {55} And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us [a few] days, at the least ten; after that she shall go. {56} And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master. {57} And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth. {58} And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. {59} And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men. {60} And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou [art] our sister, be thou [the mother] of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them. {61} And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way. {62} And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country. {63} And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels [were] coming. {64} And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. {65} For she [had] said unto the servant, What man [is] this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant [had] said, It [is] my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. {66} And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. {67} And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's [death].”

His Eldest Servant Of His House

It would appear that Abraham’s “eldest servant of his house” as we read in Genesis 24:2 is the same man spoken of earlier in verses 2-3 of Genesis 15:1-5, “...and the steward of my house [is] this Eliezer of Damascus… {3}...and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.”: 

 Genesis 24:2 declares, “And Abraham said unto his eldest [zaqen:H2205] servant [`ebed:H5650] of his house [bayith:H1004], that ruled over [mashal:H4910] all that he had, put [suwm:H7760] …”

Genesis 15:1-5 reveals: “After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I [am] thy shield, [and] thy exceeding gr eat reward. {2} And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward [ben:1121] [mesheq:H4943] of my house  [bayith:H1004] [is] this Eliezer [’Eliy`ezer:H461 - “God is help”] of Damascus? [Dammehsek:H1834] {3} And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. {4} And, behold, the word of the LORD [came] unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. {5} And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.”

The reference to Eliezer of Damascus in Genesis 15:2 is worth noting, as the word “and the steward” (in English) is found in four other passages, and three of them concern Joseph, as prime minister of Egypt. For example, in  Genesis 44:1 we learn:

“And he commanded the steward of his house [bayith:H1004], saying, Fill the men's sacks [with] food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth.”

The term “steward” is implied in H1004, which is the word for “house.” However, in Genesis 43:19 these terms are separated, and the word rendered as “to the steward” is actually one of the main Hebrew terms for “man” (’iysh:H376), 

“And they came near to the steward [’iysh:H376] of Joseph's house [bayith:H1004], and they communed with him at the door of the house,”

The reason I mention this is because in Genesis 15:2, we fund something a little different: two Hebrew words are utilized to translate the word, “and the steward”: [ben:1121] - which is predominantly rendered as “son” and  [mesheq:H4943] - which only appears in this citation, and apparently stems from an unused root, meaning “to hold” or “possess,”  which I am unable to verify. So if this is the case, “steward” could be translated as “son of possession.” This would also fit the historical setting in which Abraham is declaring in verses 2-3: 

“And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward [ben:1121] [mesheq:H4943] of my house  [bayith:H1004] [is] this Eliezer [’Eliy`ezer:H461 - “God is help”] of Damascus? [Dammehsek:H1834] {3} And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.” 

God then pronounces and underscores what He had previously told Abraham in verses 4-5, reinforcing God great faithfulness and impeccable integrity:

And, behold, the word of the LORD [came] unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. {5} And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.”

Ultimately, the “Seed” is view is the Lord Jesus Christ, Whom Isaac magnificently represents, as Galatians 3:16 explains, 

“Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”

On that marvelous note, we have to end today’s study, and Lord willing in our next lesson continue to see if God will open our understanding to further see the relationship between Genesis 24 and Judges 4:19.

                                                              Judges 4 - Part 26

Air Date: July 7, 2017

In our examination of Judges 4, we have come down to the last 6 verses of this intriguing chapter:

“And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. {20} Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. {21} Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. {22} And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her [tent], behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail [was] in his temples. {23} So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. {24} And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.”

And He Said [’amar:H559] Unto Her, Give Me, I Pray Thee, A Little [m@`at:H4592] Water [mayim:H4325] To Drink [shaqah:H8248]

In our previous study, we began looking at the first phrase in Judges 4:19, which is made up of the following four Hebrew words - And he said [’amar:H559] unto her, give me, I pray thee, a little [m@`at:H4592] water [mayim:H4325] to drink [shaqah:H8248]. These four terms only appear together in Genesis 24:43, which states:

“Behold, I stand by the well of water  [mayim:H4325]; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw [water], and I say  [’amar:H559]  to her, Give me [shaqah:H8248], I pray thee, a little [m@`at:H4592]  water [mayim:H4325] of thy pitcher to drink;”[shaqah:H8248]

To get a better idea of the spiritual relationship between these two passages, we reviwed Genesis 24, in which a great deal of emphasis was placed on these important factors:

• Abraham (typifying God the Father) commanded “his eldest servant” to find a wife (exemplifying the Bride of Christ) for Isaac (representing Christ) from his family in Mesopotamia, which by God’s leading, he was able to accomplish.
• God answered Abraham’s command and the prayer of his servant (and undoubtedly, Abraham’s as well) for a wife for Isaac.
• Rebekah was blessed in this way in verse 60:  “And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou [art] our sister, be thou [the mother] of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.” 

This blessing reminds us of “Jerusalem above,” (all the elect within the Kingdom of God) as Galatians 4:26 affirms: “But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.”

Is “Eliezer of Damascus” Abraham’s “Eldest Servant”?

Genesis 24:2 states: “And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over [mashal:H4910] all that he had, Put [suwm:H7760], I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:”

And Genesis 15:2-3 declare: “And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house [is] this Eliezer of Damascus? {3} And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.”

We’re curious to know if Abraham’s “eldest servant” in Genesis 24:2 is the same man who is described in Genesis 15:2-3 as, “the steward of my house [is] this Eliezer of Damascus...lo, one born in my house is mine heir.” [yarash:H3423]

In Genesis 24:2 the two terms, “that ruled over” (mashal:H4910) and “all that he had, Put” (suwm:H7760) are only found together is two other citations that mention Joseph’s responsibilities, as prime minister of Egypt:

In explaining God’s providence to his brothers, Joseph says the following in Genesis 45:8, “So now [it was] not you [that] sent me hither, but God: and he hath made [suwm:H7760] me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler [mashal:H4910] throughout all the land of Egypt.”

Likewise, Psalm 105:21 affirms the same: “He made [suwm:H7760] him lord of his house, and ruler [mashal:H4910]  of all his substance:”

In our previous study (Part 25) I pointed out that the Hebrew word, “steward” in the phrase “steward of my house” in Genesis 15:2 is comprised of two terms - [ben:1121] - which is predominantly rendered as “son” and [mesheq:H4943] - which only appears in this citation, and apparently stems from an unused root, meaning “to hold” or “possess,”  which I am unable to verify. So if this is the case, “steward” could be translated as “son of possession.”  What’s interesting about this is that the term “is mine heir” (yarash:H3423) in Genesis 15:3, is predominantly rendered as “possess,” “possession,”and “dispossess,” as these next examples illustrate: 

In Genesis 22:17, God gives this promise to Abraham, concerning the “Promised Seed” - the Lord Jesus Christ: “That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which [is] upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess [yarash:H3423] the gate of his enemies;”

Likewise in Genesis 24:60, this same blessing is given, by extension, to all the redeemed within the Bride of Christ - typified by Rebekah: “And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou [art] our sister, be thou [the mother] of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess [yarash:H3423] the gate of those which hate them.”

In Leviticus 20:24, the same promise encompasses  the “kingdom of God,” which is represented by the phrase, “a land that floweth with milk and honey”: “But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit [yarash:H3423] their land, and I will give it unto you to possess [yarash:H3423] it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I [am] the LORD your God, which have separated you from [other] people.”

In Numbers 33:53, one discovers that this same term is expressed as both “dispossess” as well as “possess”: “And ye shall dispossess [yarash:H3423]  [the inhabitants] of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess [yarash:H3423] it.”

We also encountered this same word in Judges 2:6 and 3:13 respectively: “And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess [yarash:H3423] the land….{3:13} And he [Eglon - king of Moab] gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed [yarash:H3423] the city of palm trees.”

These passages would seem to confirm the idea that Eliezer is indeed “the son of possession” as well as the “eldest servant,” “that ruled over all that he [Abraham] had,” at least in the historical setting. Spiritually, I’m not sure of his identity, but since Abraham and Isaac portray God the Father and God the Son respectively, and Rebekah, the Bride of Christ, perhaps Eliezer (i.e., “God is help”) typifies God the Holy Spirit? Let’s proceed with the rest of verse 19, trusting that God, in His timing, will open our understanding further regarding Abraham’s “eldest servant,” and how he and Rebekah might relate spirtually to Jael and Sisera.

 For I Am Thirsty [tsame’:H6770]

The next word that we want to turn our attention to is rendered as: “...for I am thirsty” (tsame’:H6770). Sisera represents Satan, who is in complete rebellion to God and His Word, and thus lacking the Water of Life, which is the Word of God. This is a root word, from which a number of identically spelled words and derivatives stem from. It is always rendered as some form of “thirst,” in the 9 other places in which it appears, as we note from the subsequent passages:

The Israelites murmured for water during their wilderness sojourn, and despite the fact that most of them were not saved, God alleviated their physical thirst, (among many other similar blessings such as the manna He provided, their shoes did not wear out, etc.) as we read in both Exodus 17:3 and Isaiah 48:21 respectively. Curiously the context of Isaiah 48 is not related at all to the 40-year wilderness sojourn, but rather to our present “day of judgment,” which parallels that “time of testing” spiritually:

“And the people thirsted [tsame’:H6770] there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore [is] this [that] thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?”

“And they thirsted [tsame’:H6770]  not [when] he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.”

Verse 13 of Isaiah 65:13-19 reveals that the non-elect within the churches and within the world presently suffer from spiritual thirst, which will eventually culminate in their death and annihilation: “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: [tsame’:H6770] behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: {14} Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit. {15} And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name: {16 }That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes. {17} For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. {18} But be ye glad and rejoice for ever [in that] which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. {19} And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.”

Understanding The Spiritual Implications Between Jael And Sisera And The “Eldest Servant” And Rebekah:

Before considering the next phrase in our study, I think it would behoove us to look at the spiritual dimension concerning Jael and Sisera on the one hand, and Abraham’s “eldest servant” and Rebekah on the other. We have already seen that Jael clearly typifies the Body of Christ (or all the elect), and Sisera exemplifies Satan. This was highlighted earlier in Chapter 4, as Deborah (picturing the Word of God) advised Barak (symbolizing the Lord Jesus Christ) in verse 9:

“And she [Deborah] said, I will surely go with thee [Barak]: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.” 

We also understand that Rebekah is representative of the Kingdom of God - even as Sarah is, and we noted that in Genesis 24:60,

“And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou [art] our sister, be thou [the mother] of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.” 

I think that the way we can understand the differences between Jael and Rebecca, as they both represent the Body or Bride of Christ - but Rebekah would typify believers giving the Gospel during the “day of salvation.” whereas Jael would portrayy believers during our current “day of judgment,” as Psalm 149:5-9 maintains:

“Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. {6} [Let] the high [praises] of God [be] in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; {7} To execute vengeance upon the heathen, [and] punishments upon the people; {8} To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; {9] To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.”

                                                               Judges 4 - Part 27

Air Date: July 10, 2017

In our examination of Judges 4, we have come down to the last 6 verses of this intriguing chapter:

“And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. {20} Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. {21} Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. {22} And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her [tent], behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail [was] in his temples. {23} So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. {24} And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.”

For The LORD [Yehovah:H3068] Shall Sell [makar:H4376] Sisera [Ciycera’:H5516] Into The Hand [yad:H3027] Of A Woman [’ishshah:H802]

In our last study, I mentioned Genesis 4:9, while making the point that Jael symbolizes the Body of Christ. In doing so, it struck me that I accidentally skipped over the most important phrase in this entire chapter in verse 9: “...for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman,”  even though I have alluded to this passage a number of times. This is a good opportunity to remind you to please check me out...I can certainly make mistakes, or overlook things, and this is a good example of one. Well, wonderfully, we can take another detour to consider this most important statement in Judges 4:9, 

We have encountered these first two words, “for the LORD” and “shall sell” in some of our previous studies. As a reminder of what these terms signify spiritually let’s consider the following passages:

1 Samuel 12:9, actually alludes to Judges 4, and explains why God allowed Jabin, king of Canaan to oppress Israel for 20 years: “And when they forgat the LORD [Yehovah:H3068] their God, he sold [makar:H4376] them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.”

And Isaiah 50:1 further underscores God’s reasoning for allowing Israel to enter the “oppression” phase of the cycle of “rebellion>oppression>deliverance>rest”: “Thus saith the LORD [Yehovah:H3068], Where [is] the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors [is it] to whom I have sold [makar:H4376] you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold [makar:H4376] yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.”

Into The Hand [yad:H3027] Of A Woman [’ishshah:H802]

God very deliberately forewarned Barak (exemplifying Christ) through Deborah (typifying the Word of God) regarding Sisera’s defeat at the hands of a woman, which in the historical setting would have been most a most embarassing and ignoble way to die. We see this is Judges 9:50-54 with regard to Abimelech, a son of Gideon, through a concuubine:

“Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it. {51} But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut [it] to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower. {52} And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. {53} And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull. {54} Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.”

However, we are, of course, interested in the spiritual meaning, and lo and behold, these two terms appear in Judges 4:21, fulfilling what Deborah has expressed to Barak in verse 9, rendered by the same words - rendered here as “wife” and “in her hand”:

“Then Jael Heber's wife [’ishshah:H802] took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand [yad:H3027], and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.”

And She Opened [pathach:H6605] A Bottle [n’od:H4997] Of Milk [chalab:H2461] And Gave Him Drink [shaqah:H8248]

The next phrase that we want to consider in verse 19 is: “And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink…,” which consists of four terms. 

Spiritually, milk in the Bible refers to the Word of God, as we read in the subsequent citations: 

In Genesis 49:9-12, the tribe of Judah is portrayed in this way, symbolizing its  most prominent Son, the Lord Jesus Christ - “the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David” - as Revelation 5:5 gloriously proclaims: “Judah [is] a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? {10} The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him [shall] the gathering of the people [be]. {11} Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:{12} His eyes [shall be] red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. [chalab:H2461]

Similarly, the promised land - picturing the Kingdom of God -  is described as a “...land...flowing with milk and honey…” in verse 5 of Jeremiah 11:1-5, “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, {2} Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; {3} And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed [be] the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant, {4} Which I commanded your fathers in the day [that] I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God: {5} That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk [chalab:H2461] and honey, as [it is] this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD.”

During the “day of salvation,” the Gospel call went out to reach all of God’s elect, typified by the “loud voice” of the Merchant Man, as verse 1 of Isaiah 55:1-3 announces: “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk [chalab:H2461] without money and without price. {2} Wherefore do ye spend money for [that which is] not bread? and your labour for [that which] satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye [that which is] good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. {3} Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, [even] the sure mercies of David.”

In 1 Peter 2:2 we also read: “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk [gala:G1051] of the word, that ye may grow thereby: {3} If so be ye have tasted that the Lord [is] gracious.”

So we’re not surprised that Jael would offer Sisera (Satan) milk, which is representative of the Gospel, and characteristic of the Body of Christ, thoughout the church age, and in the last 17 years (6100 days) of the Great Tribulation, known as the “latter rain.” This indicates spiritually that as long as Sisera is still alive, the “time and season” of the latter rain has not ended yet - although it will, very shortly.  For this reason, Jael is giving Sisera milk to drink, but since he is not one of God’s elect, it will not profit him spiritually. In doing so, she is heeding the Biblical admonition found in Proverbs 25:21, and the driving thrust of the Great Commission:

 “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:”

We also want to keep in mind that “milk” is synonymous with the Word of God, and the Word of God is pictured in Hebrews 4:12, as a two-edged sword (of the Spirit), capable of either inflicting salvation (during the “day of salvation”) or judgment:

“For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

A Bottle [n’od:H4997] 

The term “bottle” (n’od:H4997) is a curious one, and I’m not sure of its spiritual meaning at this point, but it is found in five other passages, and it is always translated as “bottle” in each of these references:

This term appears in verses 4 and 13 of Joshua 9:3-27 with regard to the inhabitants of Gibeon (who exemplify true believers), who sued for peace with the Israelites, and pretended to come from a “far country,” when in reality they were their neighbors. The reason they did this was because of God’s commandment to the Israelites, which they of Gibeon must have gotten wind of, as stipulated in Deuteronomy 20:10-20, “When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it. {11} And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, [that] all the people [that is] found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee. {12}  And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it: {13} And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword: {14} But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, [even] all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee. {15} Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities [which are] very far off from thee, which [are] not of the cities of these nations. {16} But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee [for] an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: {17} But thou shalt utterly destroy them; [namely], the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee: {18} That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.”

Joshua 9:3-27 reveals their plan, and how this played out:  “And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, {4} They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles  [n’od:H4997], old, and rent, and bound up; {5} And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry [and] mouldy. {6} And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us. {7} And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? {8} And they said unto Joshua, We [are] thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who [are] ye? and from whence come ye? {9} And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, {10} And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that [were] beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which [was] at Ashtaroth. {11} Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We [are] your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. {12} This our bread we took hot [for] our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: {13} And these bottles  [n’od:H4997] of wine, which we filled, [were] new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. {14} And the men took of their victuals, and asked not [counsel] at the mouth of the LORD. {15} And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. {16} And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they [were] their neighbours, and [that] they dwelt among them. {17} And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities [were] Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim. {18} And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. {19} But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. {20} This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them. {21} And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them. {22} And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We [are] very far from you; when ye dwell among us? {23} Now therefore ye [are] cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.” 

This term also crops up in verse 20 of 1 Samuel 16:14-23, regarding David and king Saul: “But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. {15} And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. {16} Let our lord now command thy servants, [which are] before thee, to seek out a man, [who is] a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. {17} And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring [him] to me. {18} Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, [that is] cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD [is] with him. {19} Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which [is] with the sheep. {20} And Jesse took an ass [laden] with bread, and a bottle  [n’od:H4997] of wine, and a kid, and sent [them] by David his son unto Saul. {21} And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer. {22} And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight. {23} And it came to pass, when the [evil] spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.”

Verse 8 of Psalm 56:1-13 is the next passage that records this word: “[To the chief Musician upon Jonathelemrechokim, Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath.] Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. {2} Mine enemies would daily swallow [me] up: for [they be] many that fight against me, O thou most High. {3} What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. {4} In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. {5} Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts [are] against me for evil. {6} They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul. {7} Shall they escape by iniquity? in [thine] anger cast down the people, O God. {8} Thou tellest my wanderings [nowd:H5112]: put thou my tears into thy bottle  [n’od:H4997]: [are they] not in thy book? {9} When I cry [unto thee], then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God [is] for me. {10} In God will I praise [his] word: in the LORD will I praise [his] word. {11} In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. {12} Thy vows [are] upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee. {13} For thou hast delivered my soul from death: [wilt] not [thou deliver] my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?”

Incidentally, the expression “my wanderings” (nowd:H5112) in verse 8 stems from a root word that is identically spelled and appears as “a vagabond” (nuwd:H5110) referring to Cain in both Genesis 4:12 and  4:14; also in verse 16 where were read that Cain “...dwelt in the land of Nod…”  (Nowd:H5113), this term “Nod” is identically spelled as both “vagabond” and “my wanderings.” 

Lastly, verse 83 incudes this word in Psalm 119:81-88,  “CAPH. My soul fainteth for thy salvation: [but] I hope in thy word. {82} Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me? {83} For I am become like a bottle  [n’od:H4997] in the smoke; [yet] do I not forget thy statutes. {84} How many [are] the days of thy servant? when wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me? {85} The proud have digged pits for me, which [are] not after thy law. {86} All thy commandments [are] faithful: they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me. {87} They had almost consumed me upon earth; but I forsook not thy precepts.{88} Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth.”

We’lll have to stop here, today, and in our next study, examine some of the New Testament verses that might shed further light on this word, “bottle,” if God permits.

                                                               Judges 4 - Part 28

Air Date: July 12, 2017

In our examination of Judges 4, we have come down to the last 6 verses of this intriguing chapter:

“And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. {20} Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. {21} Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. {22} And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her [tent], behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail [was] in his temples. {23} So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. {24} And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.”

A Bottle [n’od:H4997] (Cont.)

In our previous study we examined the Hebrew word, “bottle,” in the various places in which it was found, and I stated that we would look at some New Testament passages which might help to shed further light and reveal the spiritual perspective that God has hidden in this term. We discovered thus far that this word is used in conjunction with milk, wine, tears, and smoke. We know that both wine and milk can relate to the Gospel (or Word of God itself) in that the wine represents the “blood” (or life) of Christ, and the “milk” the Word of God. How then are we to understand “tears” (dim`ah:H1832) in Psalm 56:8 and “smoke” (qiytowr:H7008) in Psalm 119:83?

Psalm 56:8 acknowledges, “Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: [are they] not in thy book?”

And Psa 119:83 maintains, “For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; [yet] do I not forget thy statutes.”

Tears [dim`ah:H1832]

Let’s investigate this word for “tears” (dim`ah:H1832) first, by looking at some of the places where it appears:

In Psalm 116:8 we read of God’s salvation which not only saves His elect (during the “day of salvation”), but keeps  them as well: “For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears [dim`ah:H1832], [and] my feet from falling.”

Tears were also part and parcel of the Great Commission as Psalm 126:5 explains: “They that sow in tears [dim`ah:H1832] shall reap in joy.”

Tears can also be part of chastisement which God brings to His elect children at times for their spiritual growth as verse 5 of  Psalm 80:3-7 reveals, in which this term is repeated: “Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. {4} O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people? {5} Thou feedest them with the bread of tears [dim`ah:H1832]; and givest them tears [dim`ah:H1832] to drink in great measure. {6} Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves. {7} Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”

Another example of a child of God crying out to God is found in Isaiah 38:5, in which good king Hezekiah beseeched God to add years to his life which was threatened by an apparently fatal illness: “Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears [dim`ah:H1832]: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.”

Quoted in 1 Corinthians 15:54, Isaiah 25:8 proclaims: “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears [dim`ah:H1832] from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken [it].”

The judgment and subsequent death of the end-time institutional churches and denominations by God’s design is in view parabolically in Ezekiel 24:1 [typified by the “bloody city” (Jerusalem) and the “house of Israel”]. It is further accentuated by the death of Ezekiel’s own wife, in which God commanded him not to grieve for her - and as a result God does not permit sorrow over His abandonment of the New Testament churches for their spiritual adultery: “Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears [dim`ah:H1832] run down.”

Similarly, verse 13 of Malachi 2:1-13 exposes the hypocrisy and rebellion that warranted God’s judgment upon His formerly divine organism, in which Judah and Jerusalem typify the New Testament churches and denominations that came under God’s wrath - as 1 Peter 4:17 substantiates -  on May 21, 1988: “And now, O ye priests, this commandment [is] for you. {2} If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay [it] to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay [it] to heart. {3} Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, [even] the dung of your solemn feasts; and [one] shall take you away with it. {4} And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. {5} My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him [for] the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. {6} The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. {7} For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he [is] the messenger of the LORD of hosts. {8} But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. {9} Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law. {10} Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers? {11} Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god. {12} The LORD will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the LORD of hosts. {13} And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears [dim`ah:H1832]  with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth [it] with good will at your hand.”

Smoke [qiytowr:H7008]

Now we want to look at the term, “smoke” (qiytowr:H7008) to see how God utilizes it:

Verse 28 of Genesis 19:27-28 renders this word twice as: “and, lo, the smoke” and “as the smoke” respectively: “And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD: {28} And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke [qiytowr:H7008] of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.”

In verse 8 of Psalm 148:7-14, this word is translated as “and vapour”: “Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: {8} Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour [qiytowr:H7008]; stormy wind fulfilling his word: {9} Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: {10} Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: {11} Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: {12} Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: {13} Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory [is] above the earth and heaven. {14}  He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; [even] of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD.”

This term “smoke” also stems from the root word qatar (H6999), which is overwhelmingly translated as “incense” or “burn,” and can indicate sacrifice or judgment, but also can be used to worship either the God of the Bible or other false deities. 

New Testament Scriptures On “Bottles” [askos:G779]

Let’s think about these next citations which surface in the New Testament:

Mathew  9:17 teaches, “Neither do men put new wine into old bottles [askos:G779]: else the bottles [askos:G779]  break [rhegnymi:G4486], and the wine runneth out, and the bottles [askos:G779] perish: but they put new wine into new bottles [askos:G779], and both are preserved.”

And Mark 2:22 similarly declares: “And no man putteth new wine into old bottles [askos:G779]: else the new wine doth burst [rhegnymi:G4486]  the bottles [askos:G779], and the wine is spilled, and the bottles [askos:G779] will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.” [askos:G779]

Luke 5:37-38 likewise affirms: “And no man putteth new wine into old bottles [askos:G779]; else the new wine will burst [rhegnymi:G4486] the bottles [askos:G779], and be spilled, and the bottles [askos:G779] shall perish. {38} But new wine must be put into new bottles [askos:G779]; and both are preserved.”

In these passages the “new wine” in view is speaking of salvation, as I remarked earlier. The “wine” is a figure of the  “blood” (or “life”) of Christ which is to be deposited into new “bottles” - a reference to the resurrected soul that each believer received (during the “day of salvation”) as the down payment of his inheritance, which will be completed at the moment he receives his resurrected body. 

Let’s proceed on to verse 20, where we learn:

“Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No.”

Stand In [`amad:H5975] The Door [pethach:H6607] Of The Tent [‘ohel:H168]

The next phrase to ponder are the three Hebrew words: “stand in” (`amad:H5975) and “the door,” (pethach:H6607) and “of the tent” (’ohel:H168). These three terms together emerge in 9 passages, as these next citations maintain:

Verses 9-10 of Exodus 33:1-10, include these three terms: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Depart, [and] go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it: {2} And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: {3} Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou [art] a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way. {4} And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments. {5} For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye [are] a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee. {6} And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb. {7} And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, [that] every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which [was] without the camp. {8} And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, [that] all the people rose up, and stood every man [at] his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle. {9} And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle  [’ohel:H168], the cloudy pillar descended, and stood [`amad:H5975] [at] the door [pethach:H6607] of the tabernacle [’ohel:H168], and [the LORD] talked with Moses. {10} And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand [at] the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man [in] his tent door.”

In verse 15 we find these three terms in verse 15 of Deu 31:14-18, with regards to the death of Moses, and the appointment by God of his successor, Joshua: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation. {15} And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle [’ohel:H168] in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood [`amad:H5975] over the door [pethach:H6607] of the tabernacle. [’ohel:H168] {16} And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go [to be] among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. {17} Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God [is] not among us? {18} And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.”

In the preceding accounts we note the presence of God associated with “standing by the door of the Tabernacle.” 

In Leviticus 16:7, which we discussed briefly in some of our earlier lessons, we discover another “portrait” of both salvation as well as judgment with regard to the two goats: “the LORD’s goat” (representing Christ’s sacrifice for His elect at the foundation of the world) and “the scapegoat” (typifying the non-elect) that was to be driven out into the wilderness to die:

“And he [Aaron the high priest] shall take the two goats, and present [`amad:H5975] them before the LORD [at] the door [pethach:H6607]  of the tabernacle [’ohel:H168]  of the congregation.”

In light of this passage it’s interesting that Jael (whose name means “wild goat”) typifies the Body of Christ (for whem “the LORD’s goat” made atonement for), and close by is Sisera (the head of the non-elect, as we read in Matthew 25:33, “And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.”), an illustration of “the scapegoat,” who is about ready to forfeit his life, at the hand of Jael, who is collaborating with God to bring judgment, as the “day of judgment” will commence with the death of Sisera.

On the other hand in verse 18 of Numbers 16:16-19, and 35-40, there is only judgment in view in this account of the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and the 250 men:

“And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow: {17} And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the LORD every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each [of you] his censer. {18} And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron. {19} And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation. ... {35} And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense. {36} And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, {37} Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed. {38} The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates [for] a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel. {39} And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad [plates for] a covering of the altar: {40} [To be] a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which [is] not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.”

Well, on that very solemn note, we will have to end today’s study. Lord willing, in our next study, we will continue to search out the rest of verse 20.

Judges 4 - Part 29

Air Date: July 14, 2017

In our examination of Judges 4, we have come down to the last 6 verses of this intriguing chapter:

“And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. {20} Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. {21} Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. {22} And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her [tent], behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail [was] in his temples. {23} So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. {24} And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.”

In our last study we began investigating verse 20, by seeing how God uses the three Hebrew terms “...Stand in the door of the tent…” together. We noted that these three words can denote the presence and glory of God; additionally they can typify a place of sacrifice - representing the sacrifice of Christ for His elect people “from the foundation of the world,” (e.g.,“the LORD’s goat”) or as the “scapegoat” - of which Sisera (typifying Satan) would be the spiritual father of all the “goats” (or unbelievers as John 8:44 reveals) highlighting the fate of all the non-elect, which is death and annihilation - in which they themselves are the sacrifice -  in order to pay for their sins, as Zephaniah 1:7-8 maintains during the “day of judgment”: 

“Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD [is] at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. {8} And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.”

Matthew 22:2-14 focuses on the imagery of “strange apparel,” using the language of “a wedding garment” (i.e., “the robe of Christ’s righteousness”), or rather the lack thereof, during the “day of salvation;” however, the setting is different (although what finally happens is identical - namely, the destruction of the unsaved): “the wedding,” “my dinner,” and “the marriage”: “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, {3} And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.  {4} Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and [my] fatlings [are] killed, and all things [are] ready: come unto the marriage. {5} But they made light of [it], and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: {6} And the remnant took his servants, and entreated [them] spitefully, and slew [them]. {7} But when the king heard [thereof], he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. {8} Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. {9} Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. {10} So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. {11} And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: {12} And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. {13} Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast [him] into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. {14} For many are called, but few [are] chosen.”

Please note in verse 14  the general Gospel proclamation that sounded during the “day of salvation,” but only the elect - or “chosen” - were truly saved and brought into the Kingdom of God, because they alone had their sins paid for by Christ, as Ephesians 1:4 testifies:

“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”

Revelation 19:9-21 paints a similar spiritual portrait with respect to “the marriage supper of the Lamb” : “And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb, And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. {10} And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See [thou do it] not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. {11} And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. {12}  His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. {13} And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. {14} And the armies [which were] in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. {15} And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. {16} And he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. {17} And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls [or “carrion”] that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; {18} That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all [men, both] free and bond, both small and great. {19} And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. {20} And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. {21} And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which [sword] proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”

This is very similar to Ezekiel 39:17-20, “And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, [even] a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. {18} Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. {19} And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. {20} Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.”

The remainder of verse 20 reveals: “... and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No.”

Before examining this more closely, I would like to remind you of what we learned earlier (in Part 15) with regard to Heber’s tent, which is where this conversation between Jael and Sisera is taking place:

In Judges 4:11, we learned: “Now Heber the Kenite, [which was] of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which [is] by Kedesh.”

“Zaanaim” is the plural form of “tsa`an” (H6813), which appears once as “[that] shall not be taken down” in verse 20 of Isa 33:20-24, 

“Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle [’ohel:H168] [that] shall not be taken down [tsa`an:H6813]; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. {21} But there the glorious LORD [will be] unto us a place of broad rivers [and] streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. {22} For the LORD [is] our judge, the LORD [is] our lawgiver, the LORD [is] our king; he will save us. {23} Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey. {24} And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein [shall be] forgiven [their] iniquity.”

In this context, the “tent” or “tabernacle” has to do with the Kingdom of God. However, this same word can also exemplify the external representation of the Kingdom of God on earth - namely, Israel in the first instance, and secondly, the New Testament churches and denominations, as we see from a passage like verse 20 of Jeremiah 10:20-22,

“My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth of me, and they [are] not: [there is] none to stretch forth [natah:H5186] my tent [’ohel:H168] any more, and to set up my curtains. {21} For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered. {22} Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, [and] a den of dragons.”

“...And It Shall Be, When Any Man [’iysh:H376]  Doth Come [bow’:H935] And Enquire [sha`al:H7592] Of Thee, And Say [’amar:H559], Is There [yesh:H3426] H0 Any Man [’iysh:H376] Here [yesh:H3426]? That Thou Shalt Say [’amar:H559], No.”

I’ll read Judges 4:11 again: “Now Heber the Kenite, [which was] of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which [is] by Kedesh.”

Do you recall who the Kenites typify? They are descendants of Cain, and spiritually they portray the New Testament churches and denominations that came under the wrath of God, as of May 21, 1988. Sisera, however, accepts Jael’s invitation to hide in her tent, assuming that they are still allies.

We should keep in mind, that the “tent” in this setting, represents the churches and denominations that Satan had longed to indwell, as we read in Isaiah 14:13-20, (not knowing that it will lead to his demise):

 “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: {14} I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. {15} Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. {16} They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, [and] consider thee, [saying, Is] this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; {17} [That] made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; [that] opened not the house of his prisoners? {18} All the kings of the nations, [even] all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. {19} But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, [and as] the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. {20} Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, [and] slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.”

For God’s own purposes, He allowed Satan to infiltrate His formerly divine institution, as 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 records,

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin [Satan] be revealed, the son of perdition;{4} Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

We see that Sisera (Satan) is essentially asking Jael to lie about his whereabouts. In the historical context, we also recognize the obvious fact that Sisera was a hunted man, and was attempting to hide himself from Barak (Christ) and his army, not realizing that Jael was an adversary, not an ally. 

As a sidenote, this reminds me of the account of Rachel hiding her father Laban’s false gods in her tent under the “camels’ furniture”), declaring that she was on her monthly, and hence could not stand up to greet her father according to Genesis 31:30-35. Here again, among other items, we see the “tent;” we see “false gods,” and we see “Rachel” - who like Jael - is a picture of the Body or Bride of Christ:

“And now, [though] thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's house, [yet] wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? {31} And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me. {32} With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before our brethren discern thou what [is] thine with me, and take [it] to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them. {33} And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the two maidservants' tents; but he found [them] not. Then went he out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent. {34} Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found [them] not. {35} And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women [is] upon me. And he searched, but found not the images.”

Like Sarah and Rebekah before her, Ruth 4:11 makes this statement regarding Rachel (and Leah):

“And all the people that [were] in the gate, and the elders, said, [We are] witnesses. The LORD make the woman [Ruth - a figure of all the elect] that is come into thine [Boaz - a type of Christ] house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem:”

In Judges 4:20, the term “man” (’iysh:H376) is used twice along with the words, “and enquire” (sha`al:H7592) and “is there here” (yesh:H3426).

“...And It Shall Be, When Any Man [’iysh:H376]... And Enquire [sha`al:H7592] 

These two terms, “man” and “enquire” surface in a number of accounts. We will look at a few of them, starting with verse 15 of Genesis 37:12-15, the last time that Joseph would see his half-brothers for 13 years:

“And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. {13} And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed [the flock] in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here [am I]. {14} And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. {15} And a certain man [’iysh:H376]  found him, and, behold, [he was] wandering in the field: and the man [’iysh:H376] asked him [sha`al:H7592], saying, What seekest thou? {16} And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed [their flocks]. {17} And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.”

Verse 28 of Isaiah 41:28-29 translates these expressions as: “and [there was] no man,” and “that when I asked”: “For I beheld, and [there was] no man  [’iysh:H376]; even among them, and [there was] no counsellor, that, when I asked [sha`al:H7592] of them, could answer a word. {29} Behold, they [are] all vanity; their works [are] nothing: their molten images [are] wind and confusion.”

The same word, “And a  certain man” (’iysh:H376) in Genesis 37:15, is also found elsewhere, in which “certain” is separated from “man” in some of the citations:

Daniel 10:5 is constructed this way, symbolizing the Lord Jesus Christ: “Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain [’echad:H259] man clothed in linen, whose loins [were] girded with fine gold of Uphaz:”

As in Genesis 35:17 and Isaiah 41:28, where these terms refer to Christ, the following passages in the New Testament also pint to Him, as this “certain man”: 

Matthew 21:28 states, “But what think ye? A [certain] man [anthropos:G444] had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.”

Mark 12:1 likewise reveals, “And he began to speak unto them by parables. A [certain] man [anthropos:G444]  planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about [it], and digged [a place for] the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.”

Lastly, Luke 14:16 affirms, “Then said he unto him, A certain [tis:G5100] man  [anthropos:G444]   made a great supper, and bade many:”

From the foregoing Scriptures we note that the “man” or “certain man” alludes to the Lord Jesus Christ. When we consider the parabolical meaning of Sisera’s statement: “...when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No.  This is occuring in the “tent,” which, in this context represents the churches and denominations during the 23-year period of the Great Tribulation since Sisera is in the tent - even though the Great Tribulation (in this setting) is going to end momentarily with the death of Sisera (Satan).

Lord willing, in our next lesson, we will continue our examination of the rest of verse 21, and the rest of Judges 4.

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 Judges 4 - Part 30

Air Date: August 11, 2017

In our examination of Judges 4, we have come down to the last 4 verses of this intriguing chapter:

“Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. {22} And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her [tent], behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail [was] in his temples. {23} So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. {24} And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.”

Took [laqach:H3947] A Nail [yathed:H3489] Of The Tent [’ohel:H168]

We are curious as to what the “nail of the tent” represents spiritually. Actually we have encountered this term previously when we were investigating verse 11:

“Now Heber the Kenite, [which was] of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which [is] by Kedesh.” 

In Part 15, I mentioned that “Zaanaim” is the plural form of “tsa`an” (H6813), which appears only once as “[that] shall not be taken down” referring to the “tent” (or “tabernacle”)  in verse 20 of Isa 33:20-24, 

“Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle [’ohel:H168] [that] shall not be taken down [tsa`an:H6813]; not one of the stakes [yathed:H3489] thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. {21} But there the glorious LORD [will be] unto us a place of broad rivers [and] streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. {22} For the LORD [is] our judge, the LORD [is] our lawgiver, the LORD [is] our king; he will save us. {23} Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey. {24} And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein [shall be] forgiven [their] iniquity.”

The Hebrew word, “not one of the stakes” (yathed:H3489) is the same word as “a nail” in verse 21, and Isaiah 33:20-24 is a spiritual portrait of the Kingdom of God. This term is also found in the subsequent passages, starting with verse 22 of this same chapter, as well as in Judges 5:26, in which this word is translated as “and the nail” and “to the nail” respectively:

“And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her [tent], behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail [yathed:H3489]  [was] in his temples.”

 “She put her hand to the nail [yathed:H3489], and her right hand to the workmen's hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples.”

Verse 8 of Ezra 9:1-15 renders this term as “us a nail,” in Ezra’s confession to God for the sins of the Israelites who had transgressed God’s express command to not marry the heathen inhabitants of the land - a picture of the spiritual adultery that Israel had committed against her “Husband” - the Law of God:

“Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, [doing] according to their abominations, [even] of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. {2} For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of [those] lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. {3} And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied. {4} Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice. {5} And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, {6} And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over [our] head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. {7} Since the days of our fathers [have] we [been] in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, [and] our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as [it is] this day. {8} And now for a little space grace hath been [shewed] from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail [yathed:H3489] in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. {9} For we [were] bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. {10} And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments, {11} Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. {12} Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave [it] for an inheritance to your children for ever. {13} And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities [deserve], and hast given us [such] deliverance as this; {14} Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed [us], so that [there should be] no remnant nor escaping? {15} O LORD God of Israel, thou [art] righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as [it is] this day: behold, we [are] before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.”

This word, “nail” also surfaces in verses 23 and 25 of Isaiah 22:20-25, in which Eliakim (or “God raises”), son of Hilkiah (or “my portion is Jehovah”) typifies the Lord Jesus Christ, and points to Christ “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: {21} And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. {22} And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. {23} And I will fasten him [as] a nail [yathed:H3489]in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house. {24} And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons. {25} In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail [yathed:H3489] that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that [was] upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken [it].”

Without doing an in-depth analysis of this passage which is beyond the scope of this study, we understand that the “nail” in view is a spiritual metaphor to the Lord Jesus Christ, by the language of verse 22 which parallels what we read in verse 7 of Revelation 3:1,3, 5, and 7, in which the context clearly speaks of God the Son:

“And unto the angel [i.e., “messenger”] of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. ... {3} Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. ... {5} He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. ... {7} And to the angel [i.e., “messenger”] of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;”

I’ll mention one last citation, which is found in verse 4 of Zechariah 10:1-4, in which this term is rendered as “out of him the nail.” The context has to do with the “time and season” of the “latter rain,” - or the second outpouring of the Holy Spirit (the first one occurred at Pentecost in 33 AD) -  which took place between September 7, 1994 - May 21, 2011, covering the last 17 years (or 6100 days) of the Great Tribulation (May 21, 1988 - May 21, 2011), which spanned 23 years (or 8400 days): 

“Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; [so] the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field. {2} For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because [there was] no shepherd. {3} Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the LORD of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle. {4} Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail [yathed:H3489], out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.”  

Verse 2 of Isaiah 54:1-17 also describes the “latter rain,” in which the “nail” is rendered as “thy stakes” in verse 4  (just as in Isaiah 33:20), both of which describe the greatest influx of the elect who would ever be saved at one particular time in history - hence the language of “enlarging the tent,” “stretching forth the curtains,” and “lengthening the cords” - in order to accomodate the “...great multitude which no man can number...” (as read in Revelation 7:9) before God shut the door to heaven on May 21, 2011:

“Sing, O barren, thou [that] didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou [that] didst not travail with child: for more [are] the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. {2} Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes [yathed:H3489]; {3} For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. {4} Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. {5} For thy Maker [is] thine husband; the LORD of hosts [is] his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. {6} For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. {7} For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. {8} In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. {9} For this [is as] the waters of Noah unto me: for [as] I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. {10} For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee. {11} O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, [and] not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. {12} And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. {13} And all thy children [shall be] taught of the LORD; and great [shall be] the peace of thy children. {14} In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. {15} Behold, they shall surely gather together, [but] not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. {16} Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. {17} No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue [that] shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This [is] the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness [is] of me, saith the LORD.”

Notice, how God alludes to the “children of the desolate” and “children of the married wife” which points to Sarah and Hagar, as verse 27 of Galatians 4:22-31 maintains, in this “allegory” or parable regarding these two “covenants” (or “gospels”):

“For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. {23} But he [who was] of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman [was] by promise. {24} Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. {25} For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. {26} But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. {27} For it is written, Rejoice, [thou] barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. {28} Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. {29} But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him [that was born] after the Spirit, even so [it is] now. {30} Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. {31} So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

And Took [suwm:H7760] An Hammer [maqqebeth:H4718] In Her Hand [yad:H3027]

I’ll read verse 21 again: 

“Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.”

We want to keep in mind that Sisera typifies Satan, and Jael, the Bride of Christ (comprised of all the elect). The time frame of this event also corresponds to May 21, 2011, marking the defeat of Satan by the Lord Jesus Christ in conjunction with His Bride, and ushering in our current “day of judgment,” upon the entire world that is now under the wrath of God.

The word, “an hammer” (maqqebeth:H4718) is only found in one other passage - in verse 1 of Isaiah 51:1-8 in which it is translated as “and to the hole;” please note the reference to Abraham and Sarah again:

“Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock [whence] ye are hewn, and to the hole [maqqebeth:H4718] of the pit [whence] ye are digged. {2} Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah [that] bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him. {3} For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. {4} Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people. {5} My righteousness [is] near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust. {6} Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished. {7} Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart [is] my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. {8} For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.”

We can see why the translators rendered this term as “hole” (as opposed to “hammer”) as the “hammer of the pit” doesn’t make any sense. Actually the root word for “an hammer” or “and to the hole” (maqqebeth:H4718) is “naqab”(H5344), and is expressed in the following ways: “curse” (6x), “expressed” (6x), “blaspheme” (3x), “bore” (2x), “name” (2x), “pierce” (2x), and once as “Appoint,” “holes,” “pierce through,” and “strike through.” Here are some examples of how God has chosen to utilize this word with respect to Satan:

Verse 14 of Habakkuk 3:11-18 translates this term as “Thou didst strike through”: “The sun [and] moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, [and] at the shining of thy glittering spear. {12} Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger. {13} Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, [even] for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head [Satan] out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah. {14} Thou didst strike through [naqab:H5344] with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing [was] as to devour the poor secretly. {15} Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, [through] the heap of great waters. {16} When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops. {17} Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither [shall] fruit [be] in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and [there shall be] no herd in the stalls: {18} Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”

Job 40:24 speaks of “behemoth,” who represents Satan, and this term is rendered as “pierceth through”: “He taketh it with his eyes: [his] nose [i.e., “anger”] pierceth through [naqab:H5344] snares.”

Similarly, Job 41:2 describes “leviathan” - another portrait of Satan, in which this word is expressed as “or bore”: “Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore [naqab:H5344]  his jaw through with a thorn?”

It looks like we’ll have to stop here today, and continue our examination of verse 21 in our next lesson, as God permits.

Judges 4 - Part 31

Air Date: August 14, 2017

In our examination of Judges 4, we have come down to the last 4 verses of this intriguing chapter:

“Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. {22} And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her [tent], behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail [was] in his temples. {23} So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. {24} And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.”

We left off at the phrase, “...and went softly unto him...” in our last lesson, as Jael approaches Sisera who is in a deep sleep, as she prepares to kill him with a death blow to his head. In reading this account we see the spiritual correlation to Genesis 3:15,

“And I [God] will put enmity between thee [Satan] and the woman [the elect], and between thy seed [the non-elect] and her seed [Christ]; it [“he”] shall bruise thy [Satan] head, and thou [Satan] shalt bruise his [Christ] heel.”

In Genesis 3:15 Christ is highlighted as the One who conquers Satan with a death blow to the head; whereas, in Judges 4:21, the elect are in view - typified by Jael - because God is underscoring the role that Christ and His people share in bringing judgment, as we learned earlier in this chapter in verse 9, as Deborah (representing the Word of God) explains to Barak (a type of the Lord Jesus Christ):

“And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.”

We have discusssed this in some of the other lessons in this series, but this dynamic relationship between Christ and His Bride bears repeating as the following citations underscore:

1 Corinthains 6:2a declares, “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?...” 

Similarly, Psalm 149:5-9 affirm: “Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. {6} [Let] the high [praises] of God [be] in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; {7} To execute vengeance upon the heathen, [and] punishments upon the people; {8} To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; {9| To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.”

Verse 14 of Revelation 19:11-16 also accentuates this truth: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. {12}  His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. {13} And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. {14} And the armies [which were] in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. {15} And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. {16} And he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

And Went [bow’:H935] Softly [la’t:H3814] Unto Him

In the historical context, we can understand that Jael would have exerted caution in what she was about to do, but, as always we are looking for the deeper spiritual meaning that God has hidden in each of His God-breathed words. The term, “softly” (la’t:H3814) is only found in this verse, making it a little more difficult to ascertain, but it is spelled identically to its root word (la’at:H3813), which again, only appears in one verse - 2 Samuel 19:4, in which David’s poignant reaction to Absalom’s death is recorded, in which this word is rendered as “covered” - in other words, “hidden from view”:

“But the king covered [la’t:H3814] his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

One way to understand this idea of “softly” or “covered” (“hidden from view”) is the fact that Christ came as “a thief in the night,” as we read in the passages below. This is especially evident when we consider that the end of the 70-year Babylonian captivity coincided with the defeat of Belshazzar in 539 BC, by Darius (also known as Cyrus) the Medo-Persian ruler, according to Daniel’s prophecy and the interpretation God gave him of the “handwriting on the wall” in Daniel 5:18-31,

“O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: {19} And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down. {20} But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: [21} And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling [was] with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and [that] he appointeth over it whomsoever he will. {22} And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; {23} But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath [is], and whose [are] all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: {24} Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. {25} And this [is] the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. {26} This [is] the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. {27} TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. {28} PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. {29} Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and [put] a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. {30} In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. {31} And Darius the Median took the kingdom, [being] about threescore and two years old.”

1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 also maintains, “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. {2} For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. {3} For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden [aiphnidios:G160] destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”

The word rendered “sudden” in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 only appears in verse 34 of Luke 21:34-36, as “unawares,” with regard to this prolonged “day of judgment” which we are now living through, and began on May 21, 2011, during which Satan (typified by Sisera as well as Belshazzar /Nebuchadrezzar) was vanquished by Christ (represented by Darius/Cyrus):

“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares. [aiphnidios:G160]  {35} For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth {36} Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”

And Smote [taqà:H8628] The Nail [yathed:H3489] Into His Temples [raqqah:H7541]

The next phrase that we want to examine is: “...and smote the nail into his temples…” We have already considered the word “nail” as well as “smote,” which you might recall we discussed in Judges 3:21 and 27, with respect to Eglon and Ehud, and rendered as “and thrust” and “that he blew” respectively:

“And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust  [taqà:H8628] it into his belly: ... {27} And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew [taqà:H8628]  a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them.”

The term, “into his temples” (raqqah:H7541), as I have mentioned is found in Judges 4:21-22, and Judges 5:26, along with two passages describing the elect in Song of Solomon 4:3, and 6:7 respectively:

 The former states: “Thy lips [are] like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech [is] comely: thy temples [raqqah:H7541] [are] like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.”

Likewise the latter declares, “As a piece of a pomegranate [are] thy temples  [raqqah:H7541] within thy locks.”

The word, “temples” derives from a very unique root, which is translated as “lean,” “thin,” and “leanfleshed,” and all of these appear in the same chapter - Genesis 41 - in verses 19, 20, and 27: 

“And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed [raq:H7534], such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness: {20} And the lean [raq:H7534] and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: ... {27} And the seven thin [raq:H7534] and ill favoured kine that came up after them [are] seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.”

What is noteworthy about the verses in Genesis 41 is that they are describing the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream which God had given to Joseph, as part of God’s overall plan to lift Joseph to a place of prominence, second only to Pharaoh, for the purpose of “preserving life” as he told his brothers. Furthermore, the dream explains that “seven years of famine” would follow “seven years of plenty,” in which, as it would turn out, Joseph would store up grain in abundance for the time of famine. And this famine which lasted 7 years (or 8400 days) is the first of three “Great Tribulation” (or “great afffliction”) periods mentioned in the Bible, which all begin with a “famine,” (which except for the first one, is spiritual in character.) The second occurred during the Babylonian captivity and lasted 70 years (or 840 months). The third took place in our day, and lasted 23 years (or 8400 days). Each of these “Great Tribulation” periods have many factors in common, so we are not surprised to see that this root word for “temples” (in which Sisera received his death blow) is connected exclusively to Genesis 41, as it is at the end of the third Great Tribulation period that Satan is overcome; you will recall that this was also the case with Belshazzar at the end of the 70-year Babylonian captivity, when Darius (or Cyrus) the Medo-Persian ruler conquered the kingdom of Babylon.

 And Fastened It [tsanach:H6795] Into The Ground [erets:H776]

The next phrase that we come to in verse 21 is: “...and fastened it into the ground…,” which is comprised of two terms, which we have considered in some of our previous lessons throughout this series. “Into the ground” is always rendered as “land” in Judges chapters 1-3, until we read about the death of Eglon in Judges 3:25, in which it is translated as “on the earth” in that verse:

“And they [Eglon’s servants] tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he [Eglon] opened not the doors of the parlour; therefore they [Eglon’s servants]  took a key, and opened [them]: and, behold, their lord [was] fallen down dead on the earth.” 

This is similar to Sisera’s death (since Eglon typifies Satan as well), as the “nail” or “stake” was driven by Jael into his temples, and “...fastened it into the ground...” 

The expression “and fastened it” is only found in two other passages that we have discussed previously - Joshua 15:18 and Judges 1:14 - both of which depict the same historical account, and render this word as “and she lighted off” and “and she lighted” respectively:

Joshua 15:18 records, “And it came to pass, as she [Achsah - Caleb’s daughter] came [unto him - Othniel], that she moved him [Othniel] to ask of her father [Caleb] a field: and she lighted off [tsanach:H6795] [her] ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou?”

And Judges 1:14 adds: “And it came to pass, when she [Achsah - Caleb’s daughter] came [to him - Othniel], that she [Achsah] moved him [Othniel] to ask of her [Achsah] father [Caleb] a field: and she lighted [tsanach:H6795] from off [her] ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou?”

In Judges 1 - Part 33, I reviewed the following regarding who Achsah represents spiritually:

The root word (`ekec:H5914) for Achsah (`Akcah:H5915) only surfaces in Proverbs 7:22 and Isaiah 3:18,

Proverbs 7:22 states, “He goeth after her [the “harlot”] straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;” [`ekec:H5914]

And in Isaiah 3:18 we read:  “In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of [their] tinkling ornaments [`ekec:H5914] [about their feet], and [their] cauls, and [their] round tires like the moon,”

H5914, in turn, has a root or parent word (H5913) spelled the same as H5914 which is only found in one citation - in this very same chapter - in Isaiah 3:16,

“Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing [as] they go, and making a tinkling [`akac:H5913] with their feet:”

As you can see in both Proverbs 7 and Isaiah 3, the focus is on God’s judgment which fell on the institutional churches and denominations, symbolized by a “harlot,” which the “daughters of Zion” had become. This is now associated with Achsah, Othniel’s wife, whose name signifies these “tinkling ornaments;”  in other words, the institutional churches and denominations have really become spiritual “stocks,” designed to confine one’s feet (or “will”) and bring its members under the wrath of God. 

God’s Associates Achsah (Who Represents National Israel As Well As The New Testament Churches) With Satan Receiving A Death Blow

With the foregoing information in mind one can see why God chose the word that He did (tsanach:H6795) in Judges 1:14, as opposed to the more common term (yarad:H3381) to form the association between Achsah (who represents national Israel in the first instance, and by extension, the New Testament churches) with Sisera (Satan) receiving a death blow, since God abandoned all churches worldwide, and without exception on May 21, 1988, bringing about their spiritual death; then on May 21, 2011, Satan - the one who had been ruling for the past 23 years in all the churches and denominations worldwide, and without exception - was defeated. The death blow given to Sisera (Satan) typifies Satan’s demise, and is the fulfillment of what we read in Genesis 3:15,

“And I will put enmity between thee [Satan] and the woman [the elect], and between thy [Satan’s] seed and her [the elect’s] seed [Christ]; it [or “he,” i.e. Christ] shall bruise thy [Satan’s] head, and thou [Satan] shalt bruise his [Christ’s] heel.”

Lord willing, in our next lesson, we will continue looking at these last two words - “weary” and “died” in Judges 4:21.

Judges 4 - Part 32

Air Date: August 16, 2017

In our examination of Judges 4, we have come down to the last 4 verses of this intriguing chapter:

“Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. {22} And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her [tent], behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail [was] in his temples. {23} So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. {24} And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.”

For He Was Fast Asleep [radam:H7290] And Weary [`uwph:H5774]. So He Died. [muwth:H4191]

The last phrase in Judges 4:21 states:  “...for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.” It consists of three terms, and they only appear together in this verse, so we will have to consider them separately:

For He Was Fast Asleep [radam:H7290] 

This first expression, “he was fast asleep” is also found in six other places and indicates a “deep sleep,” and even more forcefully, “a dead sleep” as we see from Psalm 76:6, referring to Pharaoh and his army that perished in the Red Sea:

“At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.” [radam:H7290] 

This is also the case with respect to Daniel, as we learn from Daniel 8:18, as well as 10:9, respectively: 

“Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep [radam:H7290] 

 on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright…{10:9} Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep [radam:H7290] on my face, and my face toward the ground.”

On the other hand in Proverbs 10:5 we read this very stern admonition which is applicable to our present “day of judgment” which is likened to a “time of reaping,” and in light of the other verses, drives home that point that this is not speaking of “dozing off” but of a very profound sleep: 

“He that gathereth in summer [is] a wise son: [but] he that sleepeth [radam:H7290] in harvest [is] a son that causeth shame.”

Lastly, Jonah 1:5-6 contains this term twice, which is curious as Jonah is a type of Christ: “Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that [were] in the ship into the sea, to lighten [it] of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. [radam:H7290]{6} So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper [radam:H7290]? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.”

We also want to keep in mind how Christ equated “sleeping” with death in John 11:11-14,

“These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. {12} Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. {13} Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. {14} Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.”

We have already considered all the words in verses 22-24 in some of our earlier lessons, so let’s move on to chapter 5; I’ll read the entire chapter, which is a similar victory song, like the “song of Moses” in Exodus 15, after God defeated Pharaoh Thutmosis III, and his army in the Red Sea, while God delivered all the Israelites. 

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