Bible Ministries International

Bible Studies

A series of verse by verse studies by Gunther von Harringa Sr

Act 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Text Studies

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Judges 5 - Part 37

Air Date: November 24, 2017

“And the princes of Issachar [were] with Deborah; even Issachar, and also Barak: he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben [there were] great thoughts of heart. {16} Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben [there were] great searchings of heart. {17} Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches. {18} Zebulun and Naphtali [were] a people [that] jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field.”

In Ships [’oniyah:H591]

In our previous study, we had to stop in the middle of a passage because of time, so I would like to repeat that passage which we were investigating. We began looking at the word for “in ships” (’oniyah:H591) in Judges 5:17, which also is found in Ezekiel 27:1-36 (in verses 9, 25, and 26) which speaks of Tyrus - a picture of both the rise and the fall of the churches and denominations - who for 1955 years were the external representation of the Kingdom of God on earth in this context:

“The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, {2} Now, thou son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus; {3} And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, [which art] a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I [am] of perfect beauty. {4} Thy borders [are] in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty. {5} They have made all thy [ship] boards of fir trees of Senir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee. {6} [Of] the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches [of] ivory, [brought] out of the isles of Chittim. {7} Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was that which thou spreadest forth to be thy sail; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was that which covered thee. {8} The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy mariners: thy wise [men], O Tyrus, [that] were in thee, were thy pilots. {9} The ancients of Gebal and the wise [men] thereof were in thee thy calkers: all the ships [’oniyah:H591]

of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise. {10} They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness. {11} The men of Arvad with thine army [were] upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadims were in thy towers: they hanged their shields upon thy walls round about; they have made thy beauty perfect. {12} Tarshish [was] thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all [kind of] riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs. {13} Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they [were] thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market. {14} They of the house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules. {15} The men of Dedan [were] thy merchants; many isles [were] the merchandise of thine hand: they brought thee [for] a present horns of ivory and ebony. {16} Syria [was] thy merchant by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy making: they occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate. {17} Judah, and the land of Israel, they [were] thy merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm. {18} Damascus [was] thy merchant in the multitude of the wares of thy making, for the multitude of all riches; in the wine of Helbon, and white wool. {19} Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market. {20} Dedan [was] thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots. {21} Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they occupied with thee in lambs, and rams, and goats: in these [were they] thy merchants. {22} The merchants of Sheba and Raamah, they [were] thy merchants: they occupied in thy fairs with chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold. {23} Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, [and] Chilmad, [were] thy merchants. {24} These [were] thy merchants in all sorts [of things], in blue clothes, and broidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords, and made of cedar, among thy merchandise. {25} The ships [’oniyah:H591] of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market: and thou wast replenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas. {26} Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas. {27} Thy riches, and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that [are] in thee, and in all thy company which [is] in the midst of thee, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin. {28} The suburbs shall shake at the sound of the cry of thy pilots. {29} And all that handle the oar, the mariners, [and] all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships [’oniyah:H591], they shall stand upon the land; {30} And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes: {31} And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart [and] bitter wailing. {32} And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, [saying], What [city is] like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea? {33} When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise. {34} In the time [when] thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall. {35} All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, and their kings shall be sore afraid, they shall be troubled in [their] countenance. {36} The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee; thou shalt be a terror, and never [shalt be] any more.”

In Isaiah 23:1-18 both terms - “remain” and “in ships” - are expressed; the former in verse 7, as “sojourn” and the latter, twice in verses 1 and 14, as “ships”:

“The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships [’oniyah:H591] of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them. {2} Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished. {3} And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, [is] her revenue; and she is a mart of nations. {4} Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, [even] the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, [nor] bring up virgins. {5} As at the report concerning Egypt, [so] shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre. {6} Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle. {7} [Is] this your joyous [city], whose antiquity [is] of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn. [guwr:H1481] {8} Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning [city], whose merchants [are] princes, whose traffickers [are] the honourable of the earth? {9} The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, [and] to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth. {10} Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish: [there is] no more strength. {11} He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the LORD hath given a commandment against the merchant [city], to destroy the strong holds thereof. {12} And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest. {13} Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, [till] the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness: they set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof; [and] he brought it to ruin. {14} Howl, ye ships [’oniyah:H591] of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste. {15} And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot. {16} Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered. {17} And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth. {18} And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.”

The next phrase tht we want to examine in verse 17 is: “Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches.”

Asher [’Asher:H836] Continued [yashab:H3427]

We have seen the two terms, “Asher continued” in Judges 1:31-32, in which the terms, “Asher” and “Asherites” appear, along with H3427, which is predominantly translated as “dwell” or “inhabitant.” I’ll read the context from verses 21, and 27-34, since it involves a number of the other tribes who failed to heed God’s command to utterly drive our the various heathen nations that occupied the land of Canaan:

“And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day...{27}Neither did Manasseh drive out [the inhabitants of] Bethshean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land. {28} And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out. {29} Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. {30} Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries. {31} Neither did Asher [’Asher:H836] drive out the inhabitants [yashab:H3427] of Accho, nor the inhabitants [yashab:H3427] of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob: {32} But the Asherites [’Asher:H836] dwelt [yashab:H3427] among the Canaanites, the inhabitants [yashab:H3427] of the land: for they did not drive them out. {33} Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, nor the inhabitants of Bethanath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became tributaries unto them. {34} And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley:”

You might recall that as a result of this pattern of disobedience, God made the subsequent pronouncement in Judges 2:1-3,

“And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. {2} And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? {3} Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be [as thorns] in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.”

Consequently, the all too familiar cycle of “rebellion>oppression>deliverance>rest” ensued, as we will witness throughout the entire book of Judges. Keep in mind that the failure of the Israelites to heed God’s directives is parallel to the churches and denominations during the church age allowing false doctrines (“high places”) to get a stronghold within their congregations., and even though God gave them “space to repent” (during the 1955 years of the duration of the church age), they did not, and so reaped the punishment that God had forewarned them about, according to Revelation 2:5, 16, 21-22,

“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. ... {16} Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. ... {21} And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. {22} Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.”

On The Sea [yam:H3220] Shore [chowph:H2348]

The next two expressions are: “on the sea” and “shore,” which appear together in five other citations; I’ll just metion a few of them:

In Deuteronomy 1:1-8 we learn the following, and these two terms surface in verse 7, as “by the sea” and “side”: “These [be] the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red [sea], between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab. {2} ([There are] eleven days' [journey] from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.) {3} And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first [day] of the month, [that] Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them; {4} After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei: {5} On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying, {6} The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: {7} Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all [the places] nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea [yam:H3220] side [chowph:H2348], to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates. {8} Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.”

Jeremiah 47:4-7 speaks of God’s judgment against the Philistines, and in verse 7, these two words are rendered as “and against the sea” and “shore”: “Because of the day that cometh to spoil all the Philistines, [and] to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth: for the LORD will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor. {5} Baldness is come upon Gaza; Ashkelon is cut off [with] the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself? {6} O thou sword of the LORD, how long [will it be] ere thou be quiet? put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still. {7} How can it be quiet, seeing the LORD hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the sea [yam:H3220] shore [chowph:H2348] there hath he appointed it.”

Similarly, Ezekiel 25:15-17 echoes this same refrain, in which these two words are translated as: “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy [it] for the old hatred; {16} Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the sea [yam:H3220] coast. [chowph:H2348] {17} And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.”

Please note that the Philistines, along with the other heathen nations that inhabited the land of Canaan typify the kingdom of Satan, and so the command by God to utterly destroy them represented the assault on the “strong man’s [Satan] house” during “the day of salvation,” and to plunder it for the sake of freeing those who were God’s elect saints - and for whom Christ made atonement for, at the foundation of the world.

On that wonderful note, we’ll have to bring today’s study to a close. Lord willing, in our next lesson, we will continue looking at this most interesting chapter.

Judges 5 - Part 38

Air Date: November 28, 2017

In our last study we began looking at Asher, and we left off at the phrase,

And Abode [shakan:H7931] In His Breaches [miphrats:H4664]

The term, “And abode” we saw peviously with respect to Gilead at the beginning of verse 17, in Part 35. It is primarily translated as “dwell” or “abide,” and is only found in this verse connected to “breaches.” The term, “breaches” is only found in this verse, and its root word (parats:H6555) surfaces 48 other times, as these next passages indicate:

Parats [H6555]

In Part 36, when we discussed the term, “ships” (’oniyah:H591) which were broken, as a result of the unholy alliance that good king Jehoshaphat of Judah made with wicked king Ahaziah of Israel, as recorded in 2 Chronicles 20:37, in which H6555 is translated as “hath broken” with regard to Jehoshaphat’s “works”:

“Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken [parats:H6555] thy works. And the ships were broken [shabar:H7665], that they were not able to go to Tarshish.”

Incidentally, this other term, “were broken” - with regard to the “ships” - is “shabar”(H7665).

In Ecclesiaistes 3:3 it is rendered as “to break down”: “A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, [parats:H6555] and a time to build up;”

Isaiah 5:1-7 is part of a parable relating to national Israel, which represents the end-time institutional churches and denominations, and in verse 5 this word is rendered as “and break down”: “Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: {2} And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. {3} And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. {4} What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? {5} And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; [and] break down [parats:H6555] the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: {6} And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. {7} For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts [is] the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.”

The “breaking down” of the wall also reminds us of two other citations which include a different Hebrew term for “wall,” yet they help us to see the spiritual significance that God has hidden within this expression:

Isaiah 60:18 declares, “Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls [chowmah:H2346] Salvation, [yeshuw`ah:H3444] and thy gates Praise.”

Isaiah 26:1 likewise affirms: “In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation [yeshuw`ah:H3444] will [God] appoint [for] walls [chowmah:H2346] and bulwarks.”

In Matthew 23:37-39 (one of the most scathing denunciations against the religious leaders of Jesus’ day in the entire Bible and 24:1-5 we learn of the fall of the New Testament churches and denominations, worldwide, and without exception on May 21, 1988, as well as the chief charateristic of the Great Tribulation which began on that same day and lasted 23 years (8400 days) until May 21, 2011 when the judgment that began at the “house of God” (1 Peter 4:17) transitioned to the world at large, and in its wake, the door to Heaven was shut:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not! {38} Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. {39} For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord.{24:1} And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to [him] for to shew him the buildings of the temple. {2} And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. {3} And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? {4} And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. {5} For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.”

We read in verse 18,

“Zebulun and Naphtali [were] a people [that] jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field.”

We have already considered both Zebulun and Naphtali in Judges 4, and also Zebulun here in chapter 5 as well. You might also recall that these two two tribes who along with Dan, and three of the other tribes, were commissioned to pronounce curses on top of Mount Ebal in Deuteronomy 27:13,

“And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun [Zebuwluwn:H2045], Dan, and Naphtali.” [Naphtaliy:H5321]

So, with that in mind, let’s consider what the rest of the passage says about them: “...a people [that] jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field.”

Were A People [`am:H5971] That Jeoparded [charaph:H2778]

The two words, “were a people” and “that jeoparded” are found together in four other Scriptures; the term, “jeoparded,” except in our verse, is always translated as “reproached” or “to rail”:

In 2 Chronicles 32:1-21 we learn of the king of Assyria’s attempt to overthrow Judah and Jerusalem (as he had done earlier to the 10 northern tribes in 709 BC); in verse 17 these two terms are translated as “their /his people” and “to rail”: “After these things, and the establishment thereof, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities, and thought to win them for himself. {2} And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, {3} He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which [were] without the city: and they did help him. {4} So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water? {5} Also he strengthened himself, and built up all the wall that was broken, and raised [it] up to the towers, and another wall without, and repaired Millo [in] the city of David, and made darts and shields in abundance. {6} And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying, {7} Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that [is] with him: for [there be] more with us than with him: {8} With him [is] an arm of flesh; but with us [is] the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. {9} After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem, (but he [himself laid siege] against Lachish, and all his power with him,) unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that [were] at Jerusalem, saying, {10} Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem? {11} Doth not Hezekiah persuade you to give over yourselves to die by famine and by thirst, saying, The LORD our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria? {12} Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and burn incense upon it? {13] Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the people of [other] lands? were the gods of the nations of those lands any ways able to deliver their lands out of mine hand? {14} Who [was there] among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand? {15} Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand? {16} And his servants spake yet [more] against the LORD God, and against his servant Hezekiah. {17} He wrote also letters to rail [charaph:H2778] on the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of [other] lands have not delivered their people [`am:H5971] out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people [`am:H5971] out of mine hand. {18} Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews' speech unto the people of Jerusalem that [were] on the wall, to affright them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city. {19}And they spake against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth, [which were] the work of the hands of man. {20} And for this [cause] Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven. {21} And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.”

Psalm 74:18-23 utilizes this two words in verse 17, as “hath reproached” and “people”: “Remember this, [that] the enemy hath reproached [charaph:H2778], O LORD, and [that] the foolish people [`am:H5971] have blasphemed thy name. {19} O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude [of the wicked]: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever. {20} Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty. {21} O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name. {22} Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily. {23} Forget not the voice of thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually.”

Lastly, Zephaniah 2:1-10 presents this warning prior to the shutting of the door to salvation: “Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; {2} Before the decree bring forth, [before] the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD'S anger come upon you. {3} Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger. {4} For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. {5} Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD [is] against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. {6} And the sea coast shall be dwellings [and] cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. {7} And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity. {8} I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached [charaph:H2778] my people [`am:H5971], and magnified [themselves] against their border. {9} Therefore [as] I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, [even] the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them. {10} This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached [charaph:H2778] and magnified [themselves] against the people [`am:H5971] of the LORD of hosts.”

Their Lives [nephesh:H5315] Unto The Death [muwth:H4191]

The next two words, “their lives” and “unto the death” appear in 48 other citations. Here are a few examples:

Genesis 19:19 recounts Lot’s request to God - in the persons of the two messengers - in which these two words are translated as “my life” and “and I die”: “Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life [nephesh:H5315]; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:” [muwth:H4191]

We also read in Exodus 4:19 when God told Moses that it was safe for him to return to Egypt for the great task that God had prepared him for: “And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.”

Psalm 143:1-12, [A Psalm of David.] “Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, [and] in thy righteousness. {2} And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. {3} For the enemy hath persecuted my soul [nephesh:H5315]; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. [muwth:H4191] {4} Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate. {5} I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands. {6} I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul [thirsteth] after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah. {7} Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. {8} Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. {9} Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me. {10} Teach me to do thy will; for thou [art] my God: thy spirit [is] good; lead me into the land of uprightness. {11} Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name's sake: for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble. {12} And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I [am] thy servant.”

We’ll have to stop here, and Lord willing, pick this up in our next lesson.

‍

Judges 5 - Part 39

Air Date: November 29, 2017

“‭Zebulun and Naphtali ‭were‭ a people ‭that‭ jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field. {19} The kings came ‭and‭ fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money. {20} They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. {21} The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength. {22} Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones. {23} Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.‭ ”

In our last lesson, we stopped at the last phrase in verse 18: “...in the high places of the field.”

In The High Places [marowm:H4791] Of The Field [sadeh:H7704]

These two terms are only found together in this verse, so we will have to consider them individually. I’ll start with “in the high places” first, but before doing that, I want us to bear in mind that the “ten thousand men” (who exemplify the Body of Christ) from the tribes Zebulun and Naphtali were to assist Barak (picturing the Lord Jesus Christ) as Judge Deborah (representing the Word of God) declared to him - by God’s decree - to fight against Sisera (a type of Satan), as we learned in Judges 4:6,

I also mentioned previously that both of these tribes were part of the 6 tribes who were commissioned by God to pronounce curses on top of Mount Ebal, as we read in Deuteronomy 27:13; I’ll read from verses 13-26, and 28:15-68, in order to appreciate the nature and extent of these curses - for disobedience to God’s laws - and then we are going to find something interesting in the last verse (68) of Deuteronomy 28. I know this is quite lengthy, but I think it is very important because those within the leadership of these formerly divine institutions have erroneously concluded that God treated the sins (or “high places”) of Israel as well as the corporate churches with the same degree of grace with which He favors the elect child of God, which is simply not the case at all! Furthermore, this serves to really emphasize the meticulously high and holy standard that national Israel (and its New Testament counterpart - the corporate churches) were held accountable to, and which they failed to uphold, resulting in the divorce of the former, and the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit from the latter.

Deuteronomy 27:13-26 and 28:15-68 fearfully acknowledge: “And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. {14} And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice, {15} Cursed [be] the man that maketh [any] graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth [it] in [a] secret [place]. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen. {16} Cursed [be] he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen. {17} Cursed [be] he that removeth his neighbour's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen. {18} Cursed [be] he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen. {19} Cursed [be] he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. [typifying the unsaved elect during the day of salvation] And all the people shall say, Amen. {20} Cursed [be] he that lieth with his father's wife; because he uncovereth his father's skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen. {21} Cursed [be] he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen. {22} Cursed [be] he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen. {23} Cursed [be] he that lieth with his mother in law. And all the people shall say, Amen. {24} Cursed [be] he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall say, Amen. {25} Cursed [be] he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen. {26} Cursed [be] he that confirmeth not [all] the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen… {28:15} But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: {16} Cursed [shalt] thou [be] in the city, and cursed [shalt] thou [be] in the field. {17} Cursed [shall be] thy basket and thy store. {18} Cursed [shall be] the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. {19} Cursed [shalt] thou [be] when thou comest in, and cursed [shalt] thou [be] when thou goest out. {20} The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. {21} The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. {22} The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. {23} And thy heaven that [is] over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee [shall be] iron. {24} The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed. {25} The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. {26} And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray [them] away. {27} The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. {28} The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: {29} And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save [thee]. {30} Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof. {31} Thine ox [shall be] slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass [shall be] violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep [shall be] given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue [them]. {32} Thy sons and thy daughters [shall be] given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail [with longing] for them all the day long: and [there shall be] no might in thine hand. {33} The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway: {34} So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. {35} The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head. [picturing leprosy] {36} The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone. {37} And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee. {38} Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather [but] little in; for the locust shall consume it. {39} Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress [them], but shalt neither drink [of] the wine, nor gather [the grapes]; for the worms shall eat them. {40} Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint [thyself] with the oil; for thine olive shall cast [his fruit]. {41} Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity. {42} All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume. {43} The stranger that [is] within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. {44} He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. {45} Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: {46} And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. {47} Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all [things]; {48} Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all [things]: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. {49} The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, [as swift] as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; {50} A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young: {51} And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which [also] shall not leave thee [either] corn, wine, or oil, [or] the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. {52} And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee. {53} And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee: {54} [So that] the man [that is] tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave: {55} So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates. {56} The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, {57} And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all [things] secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates. {58} If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; {59} Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, [even] great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. {60} Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. {61} Also every sickness, and every plague, which [is] not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. {62} And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God. {63} And it shall come to pass, [that] as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. {64} And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, [even] wood and stone. {65} And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: {66} And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: {67} In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. {68} And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships [’oniyahH591], by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy [you].

The same term “with ships” in verse 28 is the identical term as in Judges 5:17, in the phrase, “...and why did Dan remain in ships?” [’oniyahH591] We do not find that Israel ever returned to Egypt “in ships,” historically, because this statement is to be understood spiritually, by reetrning to Egypt “in their hearts,” even as Lot’s wife “looked back” to Sodom, because that is where her heart was - she had left Sodom physically - she was outside the city limits so to speak, but her heart never left the city. “For where your heart is, there will your treasure be,” as Luke 12:234 maintains.

In The High Places [marowm:H4791] Of The Field [sadeh:H7704]

Let’s then consider the word, “in the high places,” which is primarily translated as “high,” “height,” “above,” and “high places,” etc. Here are a few examples, in which this term can be used in either a positive or negative manner:

In Part 38 we looked at the word, “jeoparded” or “reproached” in 2 Chronicles 32, and there is a parallel account in 2 Kings 19:22, in which both terms “reproached” and “on high” are found together in this citation; I’ll read verses 14-22 for the sake of the context, which involves Hezekiah’s prayer to God for deliverance, and God’s gracious reply to him by Isaiah the prophet:

“And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. {15} And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest [between] the cherubims, thou art the God, [even] thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. {16} LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. {17} Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, {18} And have cast their gods into the fire: for they [were] no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. {19} Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou [art] the LORD God, [even] thou only. {20} Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, [That] which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. {21} This [is] the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, [and] laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. {22} Whom hast thou reproached [charaph:H2778] and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted [thy] voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? [marowm:H4791] [even] against the Holy [One] of Israel.”

Psalm 68:18 might sound familiar as it is also quoted in part in Judges 5:12, “Thou hast ascended on high, [marowm:H4791] thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, [for] the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell [among them].”

In fact, the only other place where this is quoted is in Ephesians 4:7-8 which states, “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. {8} Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.”

Lastly, Psalm 73:8 accurately portrays the wicked: “They are corrupt, and speak wickedly [concerning] oppression: they speak loftily.” [marowm:H4791]

We’ll have to bring this study to a close, but Lord willing, we will continue our examination of Judges 5 in our next lesson.

Judges 5 - Part 40

Air Date: April 22, 2019

“‭Zebulun and Naphtali ‭were‭ a people ‭that‭ jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field. {19} The kings came ‭and‭ fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money. {20} They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. {21} The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength. {22} Then were the horses hoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones. {23} Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.‭ ”

A Victory Song

We are continuing our examination of this victory “song” in Judges 5 which Barak (typifying the Lord Jesus Christ) and Judge Deborah (representing the Word of God) sang.

“Ten Thousand Men”

You might recall that the “ten thousand men” from the tribes Zebulun and Naphtali were to assist Barak as Judge Deborah declared to him - by God’s decree - to fight against Sisera (a type of Satan), as we learned in Judges 4:6,

Do you recall who those “ten thousand men” represent?

Yes, they typify God’s elect. In our previous lesson (Judges 5 - Part 39) we also learned that both Zebulun and Naphtali, along with four other tribes (Reuben, Gad, Asher, and Dan) were to pronounce curses on top of Mount Ebal (while the other six tribes were to declare blessings atop Mount Gerizim), as they began their conquest of the Promised Land according to Deuteronomy 27:13,

“And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

As we have learned, the defeat of Sisera spiritually mirrors the defeat of Satan on May 21, 2011, and the close of the Great Tribulation, as mankind entered the “day of Judgment.” In the same way that God used His people to proclaim the Gospel to the nations of the elect, prior to May 21, now, in this prolonged “day of Judgment,” God, together with His elect, is bringing judgment against all of the non-elect, as we read in Psalm 149:6-9,

“[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.”

We left off at the last word, “of the field,” but as a review, some of the words that precede it: “Zebulun and Naphtali [were] a people [that] jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field.”

That Jeoparded [haraph:H2778] Their Lives [nephesh:H5315]

These two terms only appear together in this verse, but we want to keep in mind that this expression, “jeoparded” is only translated as such once in this verse; it is predominantly rendered as “reproach” or “defy,” as these next references indicate:

Psalm 74:10 and 18 maintain: “O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? [haraph:H2778] shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever? ... {18} Remember this, [that] the enemy hath reproached [haraph:H2778], O LORD, and [that] the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.”

Verse 12 of Psalm 55:12-15 declare: “For [it was] not an enemy [that] reproached me; [haraph:H2778] then I could have borne [it]: neither [was it] he that hated me [that] did magnify [himself] against me; then I would have hid myself from him: {13} But [it was] thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. {14} We took sweet counsel together, [and] walked unto the house of God in company. {15} Let death seize upon them, [and] let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness [is] in their dwellings, [and] among them.”

Psalm 69:9 also acknowledges: “For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches [cherpah:H2771 - from H2778] of them that reproached [haraph:H2778] thee are fallen upon me.”

This verse also surfaces in the New Testament in John 2:13-17 in connection with judgment beginning “at the house of God” first:

“And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, {14} And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: {15} And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; {16} And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. {17} And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.”

In The High Places [marowm:H4791]

“And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. {15} And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest [between] the cherubims, thou art the God, [even] thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. {16} LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. {17} Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, {18} And have cast their gods into the fire: for they [were] no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. {19} Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou [art] the LORD God, [even] thou only. {20} Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, [That] which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. {21} This [is] the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, [and] laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. {22} Whom hast thou reproached [charaph:H2778] and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted [thy] voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? [marowm:H4791] [even] against the Holy [One] of Israel.”

Lastly, Psalm 73:8 accurately portrays the wicked: “They are corrupt, and speak wickedly [concerning] oppression: they speak loftily.” [marowm:H4791]

Of The Field [sadeh:H7704]

Let’s now turn our attention to the word, “of the field.” Perhaps you remember what the “field” exemplifies? Matthew 13:38 is a very helpful “definition” verse of what the “field” represents.

“The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked [one];”

The “field” is also Satan’s domain, which God had been successfully plundering for 13,023 years (until May 21, 2011) when Satan was vanquished, as the last of the elect throughout history - during the “time and season” known as the “latter rain” (from September 7, 1994 - May 21, 2011) - were brought into the Bride or Body of Christ, and that glorious holy Temple was finally completed:

The subsequent passages show how God employs this term, “of the field” (sadeh:H7704) in the Old Testament:

Zechariah 10:1 teaches, “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.” [sadeh:H7704]

We also read in Leviticus 26:3-4 this conditional command to national Israel (who typify the end-time institutional churches and denominations): “If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; {4} Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field [sadeh:H7704] shall yield their fruit.”

Did you note the references to “rain” in the two passages I just read?

They tie in to both the “early rain” (which fell on the Day of Pentecost when about three thousand were saved, as well as the “latter rain,” during which God saved millions from the nations of the elect.

Verse 19: “The kings [melek:H4428] came ‭and‭ fought, then fought the kings [melek:H4428] of Canaan [Kena`an:H3667] in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money.”

Moving ahead to verse 19 we read about two “kings”: the first one refers spiritually to Barak (or Christ) as well as to the ten thousand men of Zebulun and Naphtali (representing the elect). The second are the “kings” of Canaan (who in this context, typify), the non-elect and their leader, Satan, as Judges 4:2 and 23-24 reveal with regards to Sisera’s commanding officer - Jabin, king of Canaan - as the cycle of “rebellion>oppression>deliverance>rest” takes another turn of the wheel, as we have seen so often throughout the Book of Judges:

“And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host [was] Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. ... {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.”

The warfare between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan has been ongoing throughout the various “times and seasons” of history, as God decreed, until the demise of Satan on May 21, 2011. Since that auspicious date which marked the onset of the “day of Judgment,” we witness a new situation in the world - as God is exposing the sins of various sectors in society: in sports, media, entertainment, government, etc. - and fulfills what the Lord Jesus foretold would happen, as described in Mark 3:24-26,

“And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. {25} And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. {26} And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.”

Let’s stop here today, and we will pick this up in our next study.

Judges 5 - Part 41

Air Date: April 24, 2019

“‭Zebulun and Naphtali ‭were‭ a people ‭that‭ jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field. {19} The kings came ‭and‭ fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money. {20} They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. {21} The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength. {22} Then were the horses hoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones. {23} Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.‭ ”

In Part 40 we left off at verse 19, and I had mentioned that these two “kings,” Barak and Jabin, represent the two opposing kingdoms of the Lord Jesus Christ, and Satan, respectively. The spiritual battle in view - prior to the day of judgment - is typified by the literal battle that took place, “... in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo…”

In Taanach [Ta`anak:H8590] And Megiddo [Megiddown:H4023]

We note that Taanach is spoken of in the following verses, and we learn that it is also in the same vicinity as Megiddo:

1 Chronicles 7:29 states: “And by the borders of the children of Manasseh, Bethshean and her towns, Taanach [Ta`anak:H8590] and her towns, Megiddo [Megiddown:H4023] and her towns, Dor and her towns. In these dwelt the children of Joseph the son of Israel.”

Both places - Taanach and Megiddo - also appear together in Judges 1:27, which is the only other reference to them, that we have encountered thus far, besides, here in Judges 5:19, “Neither did Manasseh drive out [the inhabitants of] Bethshean and her towns, nor Taanach [Ta`anak:H8590] and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo [Megiddown:H4023] and her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.”

By The Waters [mayim:H4325] Of Megiddo [Megiddown:H4023]

Do you recall what water represents in the Bible?

If you answered “salvation” and “judgment” you are correct. Like so many words in the Bible “water” spiritually denotes two opposite meanings, as these next citations reveal:

In Amos 5:24, it refers to God’s commands (“judgment”) in the Bible, and is connected with “righteousness”: “But let judgment run down as waters, [mayim:H4325] and righteousness as a mighty stream.”

However in Jonah 2:5, the prophet is in the “whale’s belly” (or the “belly of hell,” which is the grave), as he typifies Christ under the wrath of God, “...from the foundation of the world”: “The waters [mayim:H4325] compassed me about, [even] to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.”

The Importance Of The Biblical Hermeneutic

By the way, and I’m deviating a bit, but this phrase “by the waters of Megiddo” is a good illustration of how critically significant the Biblical hermeneutic of “comparing spiritual with spiritual” in 1 Corinthians 2:13 is, in contrast to that which the churches and seminaries advocate, namely,

“When the plain sense of scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense…”

If I were to do that (and I was tempted to do this) because I found an article entitled “Megiddo The Place of Battles,” by the Associates For Biblical Research (Spring, 2010, Bible And Spade), until I realized, “Wait a minute... that can’t be what this phrase is teaching spiritually.” I’ll quote a small excerpt from that article:

“One of the most interesting structures to explore at Megiddo is the large water system, probably built during the reigns of the northern kings Omri and Ahab (ca. 880–853 BC) in order to gain protected access to the spring outside the city walls. An 82 ft (25 m) deep square vertical shaft with steps along its side was dug inside the city walls and connected to a 262 ft (80 m) tunnel dug through rock that led to the city’s water source, a spring in a cave 115 ft (35 m) below the surface. [bold text is mine for emphasis] The outside approach to the cave was then concealed and blocked (Shiloh 1993: 1023).”

In and of itself, there is nothing wrong with this article - providing that archeological information is accurate (which I cannot substantiate) - but if one were to make the claim that this is what the Bible has in mind with regards to “by the waters of Megiddo,” one would fall into the trap of that unsound methodology, instead of what God insists, as we read in Acts 17:11,

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

Megiddo [Megiddown:H4023]

Besides the battle of Sisera against the forces of Barak and Deborah - aided by Zebulun and Naphtali - near Megiddo and Taanach, we also learn that the last “good” king of Judah, Josiah was killed in battle here [at the beginning of the 2nd “Great Tribulation” or 70-year Babylonian captivity (609 BC - 539 BC)] in 609 BC as he went against Pharaohnechoh in 2 Kings 23:29-30,

“In his days Pharaohnechoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josiah went against him; and he slew him at Megiddo, [Megiddown:H4023] when he had seen him. {30} And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, [Megiddown:H4023] and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulchre. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's stead.”

2 Chronicles 35:22 adds this declaration: “Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.” [Megiddown:H4023]

The death of Josiah (who also represents Christ - since Christ “departed” (all the New Testament churches worldwide and without exception) is what Zechariah 12:11 is referring to, and is a noteworthy spiritual time marker in the Biblical Calendar of History:

“In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.”

In other words the death of good king Josiah spiritually mirrors Christ (or the Holy Spirit) purposefully abdicating the “house of God” (according to 1 Peter 4:17, Jeremiah 25:29, Ezekiel 9:5-7). As a result that formerly divine institution would be missing its “Head,” - no longer making it divine, and thereby lacking all the blessings that its Head had bestowed upon them for 1955 years (from May 22, 33 AD - May 21, 2011).

We will also see that the Kishon (Qiyshown:H7028) River in verse 21 is mentioned, as it too, is in the same vicinity. This is also where Gideon’s battle against the Midianites and Amalekites took place in the nearby “valley of Jezreel.” Additionally, Elijah killed the prophets of Baal, after the contest with them on Mount Carmel, by the “brook, Kishon,” both of which are in the same area, as the succeeding passages depict:

Judges 6:33 asserts, “Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley [`emeq:H6010] of Jezreel.” [Yizr@`e’l:H3157]

1 Kings 18:19-20 and 40 record the following conversation between king Ahab and Elijah “Now therefore send, [and] gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table. {20} So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel....{40} And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.”

One other very important event in this location is that Saul - who represents the corporate church - and his three sons were killed in the vicinity of Mt. Gilboa, near the plain of Jezreel, which is in proximity to Taanach and Megiddo, as we read in 1 Samuel 31:8-10,

“And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa. {9} And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish [it in] the house of their idols, and among the people. {10} And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth [a false goddess]: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.” [“house of rest or ease”]

There is one additional reference to “Megiddo” in the New Testament in Revelation 16:12-16, which further confirms the spiritual picture that is being presented in the battles that I mentioned above, between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan, which is really what is in view:

“And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. {13} And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs [come] out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. {14} For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, [which] go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. {15} Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.{16} And he gathered them into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” [Harmagedon:G717]

The Greek word, “Armageddon” (Harmegeddon:G717) stems from the compound Hebrew word signifying “the mountain” (har:G2022) and “ of Megiddo” (Megiddown:H4023)

They Took [laqach:H3947] No Gain [betsa`:H1215] Of Money [keceph:H3701]

The last phrase in verse 19 is: “...they took [laqach:H3947] no gain [betsa`:H1215] of money.” [keceph:H3701], which is comprised of three Hebrew words. This phrase is referring to Barak and his forces. The term “no gain” has to do with “profit” or “covetousness,” as the verses below indicate:

Exodus 18:19-23 record Jethro's wise counsel to Moses, regarding the selection of men to help him judge the causes of the Israelites, in which this word appears as “covetousness” in verse 21:

“Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: {20} And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. {21} Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness [betsa`:H1215] ; and place [such] over them, [to be] rulers of thousands, [and] rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: {22} And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, [that] every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear [the burden] with thee. {23} If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee [so], then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.”

And in Isaiah 33:15-17, this term is rendered in verse 15 as “the gain”: “He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; {16} He shall dwell on high: his place of defence [shall be] the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters [shall be] sure. {17} Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.”

This characteristic of God’ elect reminds us of the admonition the Lord gave in Luke 16:13 (and the parallel verse in Matthew 6:24):“No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” [“riches” personified]

I think we'll have to stop here. Lord willing, we will pick up with verse 20 in our next study.

Judges 5 - Part 42

Air Date: April 26, 2019

“‭Zebulun and Naphtali ‭were‭ a people ‭that‭ jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field. {19} The kings came ‭and‭ fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money. {20} They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. {21} The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength. {22} Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones. {23} Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.‭ ”

At the close of our last study I mentioned that today we would start by investigating verse 20:

“They fought [lacham:H3898] from heaven [shamayim:H8064]; the stars [kowkab:H3556] in their courses [mecillah:H4546] fought [lacham:H3898] against Sisera.” [Ciycera’:H5516]

Once again we encounter the same term, “fought” twice, in this verse, even as we did in verse 19; in doing so God is drawing attention to this notable battle. However we see a dual battle that is raging - both on earth historically as was noted in last study, “...in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo…” as well as in “heaven.” Why heaven? And how are the “stars in their courses” able to fight against Sisera, when the stars are in deep space, and Sisera is on the earth? What is God teaching here?

From Heaven [shamayim:H8064]

Spiritually, we can understand that this battle is taking place in Heaven during the “time and season” of the Great Tribulation, culminating in the defeat of Satan on May 21, 201. Ephesians 6:10-12 records:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. {11} Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. {12} For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].”

Similarly we read about Satan being cast out of Heaven in Revelation 12:7-10, “And there was war in heaven: Michael [Christ] and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, {8} And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. {9} And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. {10} And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”

The Stars [kowkab:H3556]

Spiritually “stars” can refer to either the Lord Jesus Christ, as well as His elect, as the following passages affirm:

Numbers 24:17 reveals, “I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star [kowkab:H3556] out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.”

In Nehemiah 9:23 we also discover the term “thou as the stars,” along with the same word for “of heaven” as in Judges 5:20, “Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars [kowkab:H3556] of heaven [shamayim:H8064], and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess [it].”

Just as we saw in verse 19 that God’s saints were likened to “kings,” in verse 20 they are typified as “...stars in their courses…” How are we to understand the expression, “in their courses”?

In Their Courses [mecillah:H4546]

This expression, “in their courses” is predominantly rendered as “highway,” as we see from these next citations, which points spiritually to the Lord Jesus Christ. So we can conclude that the “stars” or the elect are in the “highway,” or “in the Lord Jesus Christ”:

Proverbs 16:17 declares: “The highway [mecillah:H4546] of the upright [is] to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.”

And Isaiah 11:16 affirms: “And there shall be an highway [mecillah:H4546] for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.”

Isaiah 40:3 further maintains: “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway [mecillah:H4546] for our God.”

Judges 5:21

This bring us to the next verse - Judges 5:21, which states: “The river [nachal:H5158] of Kishon [Qiyshown:H7028] swept them away [garaph:H1640], that ancient [qaduwn:H6917] river, [nachal:H5158] the river [nachal:H5158] Kishon. [Qiyshown:H7028] O my soul, [nephesh:H5315] thou hast trodden down [darak:H1869] strength.” [`oz:H5797]

It’s noteworthy that the word, “river,” is repeated three times in this one verse - as God is highlighting this word in terms of the “purpose of God.” You might also recall that in our last study I mentioned the fact that this river was also the place where Sisera’s army was defeated, where Elijah killed the prophets of Baal, as well as the surrounding areas of the “valley of Jezreel” where Gideon defeated the Midianites (and the Amalekites); Mount Carmel and Mount Tabor are also in the same general area. With that in mind, I would like to now focus on some of the language that God uses to describe this river, and its spiritual implications, if God wills.

Swept Them Away [garaph:H1640]

This term only appears here, and it has no “root” or “parent” word. However, it is a curious word used to describe the defeat of Sisera. Because the river is being associated with death and destruction, we immediately think of the Flood, in which all but Noah and his family perished, or the Egyptians who drowned in the Red Sea. But for now, let’s examine the next few words, to see if we can glean some help from them, if God permits, and if He does, we can revisit this term with greater spiritual clarity.

That Ancient [qaduwn:H6917] River [nachal:H5158]

Kishon is described as “that ancient” river, which is only used once in this verse, but its root word (qadam:H6923) surfaces 26 times in the Old Testament, in the following manner: “prevent” (15x), “before” (6x), “met” (2x), and once as “come,” “disappoint,” and “go.” Here are some examples of its usage; keep in mind that the Old English word, “prevent” signifies “precede”:

2 Samuel 22:6 pinpoints the Atonement “...from the foundation of the world,” and the subsequent demonstration in 33 AD on the Cross: “The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented [qadam:H6923] me;”

Psalm 95:2 proclaims: “Let us come [qadam:H6923] before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.”

Psalm 119:147-148 is a beautiful reminder of meditating on God’s Word, “day and night,” in which this word is translated as “prevent” twice: “I prevented [qadam:H6923] the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word. {148} Mine eyes prevent [qadam:H6923] the [night] watches, that I might meditate in thy word.”

Micah 6:6 reiterates the truth that the only acceptable sacrifice that God is looking for, is that of His Son, at the “...foundation of the world;” this expression surfaces twice here too, as “shall I come before”: “Wherewith shall I come before [qadam:H6923] the LORD, [and] bow myself before the high God? shall I come before [qadam:H6923] him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?”

River [nachal:H5158]

I inadvertently forgot to look at the term, “river,” while studying Judges 4. Nonetheless, the wonderful thing about Bible study is that we can always take the time, as in this instance, to go back and explore one of God’s holy words, to see what He might reveal to us. Bear in mind that this term, “river,” also relates to the previous word, “swept them away.” It is primarily translated as: “river” (56x), “brook” (46x), “valley” (23x), “stream” (11x), and “flood” (5x); please note how God handles this term in both a positive way (with regards to the elect), as well as in a negative fashion (pertaining to the non-elect), as we have discovered with so many words in the Bible:

Let’s begin with Judges 4:7 and 13, “And I will draw unto thee to the river [nachal:H5158] Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand. ... {13} And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, [even] nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that [were] with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river [nachal:H5158] of Kishon.”

Psalm 83:9 further maintains: “Do unto them as [unto] the Midianites; as [to] Sisera, as [to] Jabin, at the brook [nachal:H5158] of Kison:”

In Numbers 21:14, God associates this word with both the Red Sea as well as the “...brooks of Arnon”: “Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD, What he did in the Red sea, and in the brooks [nachal:H5158] of Arnon,”

Joshua 12:1-2 adds this commentary, in which this same term, “river,” is employed 4 times: “Now these [are] the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river [nachal:H5158] Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east: {2} Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, [and] ruled from Aroer, which [is] upon the bank of the river [nachal:H5158] Arnon, and from the middle of the river [nachal:H5158], and from half Gilead, even unto the river [nachal:H5158] Jabbok, [which is] the border of the children of Ammon;”

Deuteronomy 8:7 extols the physical blessings in the land of Canaan - typifying the spiritual blessings which pertain to the kingdom of God, which it symbolizes; here is is rendered as “of brooks”: “For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks [nachal:H5158] of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;”

Psalm 36:8 likewise reveals the eternal satisfaction that God’s elect will enjoy throughout eternity; once again, it is translated as “of the river”: “They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river [nachal:H5158] of thy pleasures.”

Isaiah 66:12 prefigures the Gospel going out to reach the nations of the elect: “For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream:[nachal:H5158] then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon [her] sides, and be dandled upon [her] knees.”

Psalm 78:20 underscores God magnificent provision for His redeemed people, by means of this historical parable, as Christ is the elect’s “Rock” of salvation: “Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams [nachal:H5158] overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?”

It looks like we’ll have to stop here, as we have run out of time. Lord willing in our next study we will continue to examine the rest of verse 21.

‭

Judges 5 - Part 43

Air Date: April 29, 2019

“‭Zebulun and Naphtali ‭were‭ a people ‭that‭ jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field. {19} The kings came ‭and‭ fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money. {20} They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. {21} The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength. {22} Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones. {23} Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.‭ ”

The Identical Root Word [nachal:H5157] For “River”

In our previous study, we looked at the term “river” in verse 21. I wanted to also make you aware that the root word for “river” is identically spelled, and curiously, is rendered in the following manner: “inherit” (30x), “inheritance” (19x), “possess” (5x), “have” (2x), and once as “divide,” “heritage,” and “possession,” as the following citations testify. This helps us in understanding what God intended by the term, “swept them away” in this same verse, as the word, “river” (G5158) can either relate to destruction (of the non-elect), or eternal blessings (for the elect), as this identically spelled root word underscores:

In Exodus 23:27-30, God explains His methodology for allowing the Israelites to conquer the land of Canaan: “I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. {28} And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. {29} I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. {30} By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit [nachal:H5157] the land.”

We considered Exodus 32:13 when we were examining the term, “stars” previously, but this same verse also contains this word, “inherit”: “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit [nachal:H5157] [it] for ever.”

Deuteronomy 12:10 also states: “But [when] ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, [nachal:H5157] and [when] he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;”

Deuteronomy 32:8 gives further insight into the boundaries of the various nations that God established: “When the most High divided [nachal:H5157] to the nations their inheritance, [nachal:H5157] when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.”

1 Samuel 2:8 gloriously portrays God’s magnificent redemption program for each of His elect, during the “day of salvation”: “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, [and] lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set [them] among princes, and to make them inherit [nachal:H5157] the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth [are] the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them.”

Isaiah 49:8 adds this regarding the “time and season” of salvation, which lasted 13,023 years: “Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit [nachal:H5157] the desolate heritages;”

Psalm 82:8 acknowledges our present “day of judgment”: “Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit [nachal:H5157] all nations.”

Proverbs 3:35 reveals the destinies of both saved and unsaved alike: “The wise shall inherit [nachal:H5157] glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.”

Can you see what is in view spiritually with regard to the “river” that “swept them away,” (garaph:H1640)?

The Kishon “river” (G5158) contains water; and “water” in the Bible carries a dual significance. It can highlight the “water of life” (salvation), or “the waters of judgment” such as Noah’s Flood, which decimated all the inhabitants of planet earth (except for the 8 on board the Ark), as read in 2 Peter 3:6 and 1 Peter 3:20 respectively:

“Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water [hydor:G5204], perished:”

“Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” [hydor:G5204]

The annihilation of the unsaved, would also include the reality of them being eternally “shamed” - in the eyes of God - because they did not “inherit” (H5157) His everlasting kingdom, since they were not elect.

O My Soul [nephesh:H5319] Thou Hast Trodden Down [darak:H1869] Strength [`oz:H5797]

This brings us to the next phrase in verse 21, “...O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength” which is made up of three Hebrew words, however, two of these - “O my soul” (H5319) and “strength” (H5797) - do surface in two other passages, besides here in Judges 5:21,

Psalm 138 is very appropriate for our present “day of judgment,” and in verse 3 these two words are found together; I’ll read verses 1-3, “[A Psalm] of David.]I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. {2} I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: {3} In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, [and] strengthenedst me [with] strength [`oz:H5797] in my soul.” [nephesh:H5319]

Ezekiel 24:15-25 is one of the most compelling historical parables in the Bible, and these two appear together in verse 21:

“Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, {16} 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 run down. {17} Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not [thy] lips, and eat not the bread of men. {18{ So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded. {19} And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these [things are] to us, that thou doest [so]? {20} Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, {21} Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength [`oz:H5797], the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul [nephesh:H5319] pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword. {22} And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover [your] lips, nor eat the bread of men. {23} And your tires [shall be] upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another. {24} Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I [am] the Lord GOD.”

This historical parable concerns God’s judgment that began at “his house,” as 1 Peter 4:17 acknowledges (“For the time [is come] that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if [it] first [begin] at us, what shall the end [be] of them that obey not the gospel of God?”) In this account God informs Ezekiel that his wife will die, but that he is not to mourn for her, as one would under such grievous circumstances; his wife represents the corporate church that came under God’s wrath (and as a result, “died”), yet God’s people (typified by Ezekiel) were not to “mourn” over this fact, because it was God’s divine will:

Thou Hast Trodden Down [darak:H1869]

The next expression we want to investigate is: “thou hast trodden down.” In thinking about this word, “thou hast trodden,” do you recall a similar New Testament verse that has to do with “treading”?

What came to my mind is the verse one finds in Revelation 19:15, which pinpoints our current “time and season”:

“And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule [poimaino:G4165] them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth [pateo:G3961] the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”

This passage reveals that God is ruling this world “...with a rod of iron...” Please remember that the word, “shall rule,” (poimaino:G4165) is translated 7 times as “feed,” and 4 times as “rule” - underscoring the two dynamics that are co-existing in this final “time and season”: God’s elect are being “fed” spiritually by the Word of God in accordance with John 21:15-17 and all the non-elect in the world, are likewise being fed the Word of God - only with Judgment!

Here are some of the ways that God utilizes this Hebrew word, “thou hast trodden down” (darak:H1869), which is presented in terms of judgment as well as blessing, as the follow citations illustrate:

Judgment:

Once again we encounter Numbers 24:17, which also contains the word, “star,” that we were researching in Part 41; “thou hast trodden down” is translated here as “there shall come”: “I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come [darak:H1869] a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.”

In Deuteronomy 11:24-25, it is rendered again as “tread”: “Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread [darak:H1869] shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be. {25} There shall no man be able to stand before you: [for] the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread [darak:H1869] upon, as he hath said unto you.”

Reminiscent of Revelation 19:15, Jeremiah 25:30 asserts: “Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread [darak:H1869] [the grapes], against all the inhabitants of the earth.”

Lamentations 1:15 renders it as “hath trodden,” in this citation that concerns God’s judgment against Judah - who typifies the churches and denominations that fell under God’s wrath - as of May 21, 1988: “The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty [men] in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath trodden [darak:H1869] the virgin, the daughter of Judah, [as] in a winepress.”

On the other hand, Lamentations 2:4 translates it as “He hath bent”: “He hath bent [darak:H1869] his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all [that were] pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire.”

In similar fashion, Lamentations 3:12 presents this statement regarding the Lord Jesus under the wrath of God: “He hath bent [darak:H1869] his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.”

Let’s stop here for today, and Lord willing, we will pick this up in our next study.

‍

Judges 5 - Part 44

Air Date: May 20, 2019

“‭Zebulun and Naphtali ‭were‭ a people ‭that‭ jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field. {19} The kings came ‭and‭ fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money. {20} They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. {21} The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength. {22} Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones. {23} Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.‭”

Thou Hast Trodden Down [darak:H1869]

In our previous study we left off at the expression in verse 21, “thou hast trodden down” (darak:H1869), which is a word that can convey either “judgment,” as was noted in Part 43, or “blessing,” as the following verses show respectively:

Blessing

In Psalm 25:5 and 9, it is expressed as “lead” and “will he guide”: “Lead [darak:H1869] me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou [art] the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. ... {9} The meek will he guide [darak:H1869] in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.”

In Isaiah 48:17 it is rendered as “which leadeth”: “Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I [am] the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth [darak:H1869] thee by the way [that] thou shouldest go.”

Similarly, Psalm 107:7 presents this as “And he led them forth”: “And he led them forth [darak:H1869] by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.”

Blessing And Judgment

Isaiah 63:2-6 is one of the most descriptive passages regarding atonement for sin, in which both salvation (for the elect “...from the foundation of the world”) as well as judgment (for the non-elect) are in view, and once again rendered as a form of “tread;” please note the three-fold emphasis of this word: “Wherefore [art thou] red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth [darak:H1869] in the winefat? {3} I have trodden [darak:H1869] the winepress alone; and of the people [there was] none with me: for I will tread [darak:H1869] them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. {4} For the day of vengeance [is] in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. {5} And I looked, and [there was] none to help; and I wondered that [there was] none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. {6} And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.”

Strength [`oz:H5797]

The last term in verse 21 is “strength,” and normally it is used to describe the “strength” of God, or the “strength” that the elect possess through Him. However, in Judges 5:21 it relates to the strength of the kingdom of Satan, which was destroyed as of May 21, 2011, as we glean from the following citations:

Proverbs 21:22 maintains: “A wise [man] scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength [`oz:H5797] of the confidence thereof.”

Jeremiah 51:53 likewise affirms with regard to Babylon - a type of the world or the kingdom of Satan: “Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, [`oz:H5797] [yet] from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.”

Then Were The Horsehoofs [`aqeb:H6119] Broken [halam:H1986] By The Means Of The Pransings [dahahar:H1726]

Then Were The Horsehoofs [`aqeb:H6119]

This first term, “Then were the horsehoofs…” is found 12 other times (besides the one here in Judges 5:22) in the Old Testament, and is translated in the following ways: “heel” (6x), “footsteps” (3x), and once as “steps,” and “liers in wait.” Incidentally, its identically spelled root word, “ `aqab” (H1617) appears four times, and in two of those instances, is rendered as “hath supplanted me” and “by the heel” - both of which are used in connection with Esau - and found in Genesis 27:36 and Hosea 12:3, respectively:

Genesis 27:36 reveals, “And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me [`aqab:H6117] these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?”

Hosea 12:3 likewise adds, “He took his brother by the heel [`aqab:H6117] in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God:”

The term translated “horsehoofs” (H6119) in Judges 5:22, also appears in Genesis 25:26 as “heel”:

“And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; [`aqeb:H6119] and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac [was] threescore years old when she bare them.”

Broken [halam:H1986] By The Means Of The Pransings [dahahhar:H1726]

The term, “broken” is a root word that is utilized only 9 times, and in over half of its occurrences, it is rendered, as “smite” or “break down.” Most notably we are going to find this same term in connection with Jael killing Sisera, in verse 26, in which it is expressed as “and with the hammer she smote”:

“She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer; and with the hammer she smote [halam:H1986] Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples.”

By the way, it’s worth noting that in the same account in Judges 4:21, God has chosen to use a different word than “broken” (H1986) - which is rendered as “unto him, and smote,” which is “taqa`” (H8628):

“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 [taqa`:H8628] the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.”

I mentioned this when we were going over Judges 4, but it bears repeating that this same term (H8628) was also found in Judges 3:21 and 27, with respect to Eglon, the king of the Moabites (another type of Satan):

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

This same term - with regard to Ehud blowing the trumpet - also reminds us of the responsibility that the elect were given during the “Latter Rain” (1994 - 2011) to warn the world of impending judgment on May 21, 2011, as Ezekiel 33:1-9 declare, in which this term surfaces in verses 3 and 6 as “he blow” and “and blow” respectively:

“Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, {2} Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:{3} If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow [taqa`:H8628] the trumpet, and warn the people; {4} Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. {5} He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. {6} But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow [taqa`:H8628] not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take [any] person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. {7} So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. {8} When I say unto the wicked, O wicked [man], thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. {9} Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.”

Moreover, after May 21, 2011, as we are in the day of judgment we are to “prophesy again,” concerning the nature of judgment day, as we learn from the following passages:

Revelation 10:11 reveals: “And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”

And Jeremiah 50:2 teaches: “Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, [and] conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.”

It looks like we will have to stop here today. Lord willing in our next study we will continue our examination of this term, “the pransings” (dahahar:H1726).

Judges 5 - Part 45

Air Date: May 22, 2019

“‭Zebulun and Naphtali ‭were‭ a people ‭that‭ jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field. {19} The kings came ‭and‭ fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money. {20} They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. {21} The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength. {22} Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones. {23} Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.‭”

By The Means Of The Pransings [dahahar:H1726], The Pransings [dahahar:H1726] Of Their Mighty Ones [’abbiyr:H47]

The next word we want to focus on is “by means of the pransings” and “the pransings” in verse 22, which are the only two places in which this term appears. Apparently, this word is a re-doubling of its root word (dahar:H1725), which in turn is only found in Nahum 3:2, as, “of the pransings.” I’ll read verses 1-7 for the sake of the context, which has to do with judgment against Nineveh - the Assyrian kingdom - which God used to judge the 10 northern tribes (or Samaria) in 709 BC:

“Woe to the bloody city! it [is] all full of lies [and] robbery; the prey departeth not; {2} The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing [dahar:H1725] horses, and of the jumping chariots. {3} The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and [there is] a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and [there is] none end of [their] corpses; they stumble upon their corpses: {4} Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. {5} Behold, I [am] against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame. {6} And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock. {7} And it shall come to pass, [that] all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?”

In turn, Assyria was judged by God for daring to destroy God’s external representation on earth, in spite of the fact that God subjugated them to bring judgment against Samaria in the first place in order to fulfill His Divine will, as Isaiah 10:5-18 reveals:

“O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. {6} I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. {7} Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but [it is] in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. {8} For he saith, [Are] not my princes altogether kings? {9} [Is] not Calno as Carchemish? [is] not Hamath as Arpad? [is] not Samaria as Damascus? {10} As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; {11} Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? {12} Wherefore it shall come to pass, [that] when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. {13} For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done [it], and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant [’abbiyr:H47] [man]: {14} And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs [that are] left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped. {15} Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? [or] shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake [itself] against them that lift it up, [or] as if the staff should lift up [itself, as if it were] no wood. {16} Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. {17} And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; {18} And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth.”

The word that is translated in verse 13, “like a valiant” is the same term, rendered as “of their mighty ones” in Judges 5:22.

Incidentally, we see this same principle re-enacted with regard to Judah and Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 609 BC, and their subsequent defeat by Cyrus (or Darius, who represents the Lord Jesus Christ and His victory over Satan on May 21, 2011, of which our present account in Judges 5 is celebrating spiritually) the Medo-Persian king who conquered the Babylonians in one night (as “a thief in the night”) in 539 BC, fulfilling Daniel’s prophecy concerning the “handwriting on the wall” of Belshazzar’s palace, as we learn from Daniel 5:25-28,

“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.”

Of Their Mighty Ones [’abbiyr:H47]

Let’s now consider this term, “of the mighty ones.” In this context, it is referring to Barak (i.e., Christ) and the “ten thousand men” (referring to God’s elect) of Zebulun and Naphtali who soundly vanquished Sisera’s army. This expression is used quite often of the unsaved, as it can be translated in the following ways: “bulls” (4x), “strong (ones)” (4x), “mighty” (3x), “stouthearted” (2x), “valiant” (2x), and once as “angels” and “chiefest.” Here are a few illustrations to show this:

In 1 Samuel 21:7 it is translated as “the chiefest” referring to the wicked Edomite, Diego, who killed 85 priests, and destroyed the city of Nob, where the priests lived, as 1 Samuel 22:18-19 describe: “Now a certain man of the servants of Saul [was] there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name [was] Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest [’abbiyr:H47] of the herdmen that [belonged] to Saul… {22:18} And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. {19} And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.”

In Psalm 22:12, this term is rendered as “strong,” in this Messianic psalm: “Many bulls have compassed me: strong [’abbiyr:H47] [bulls] of Bashan have beset me round.”

Isaiah 46:12 expresses (and defines) this word as “stouthearted”: “Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, [’abbiyr:H47] that [are] far from righteousness:”

In Psalm 76:5-9, this term is rendered again as “the stouthearted”: “The stouthearted [’abbiyr:H47] are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands. {6} At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep. {7} Thou, [even] thou, [art] to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry? {8} Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still, {9} When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.”

From the foregoing passages, one gets the idea that this word has to do with the non-elect, and with good reason. But there is also something else to take into account, which has to do with this term’s identically spelled root word (’abiyr:H46) which is only found in 6 references, and in each case points to God Himself - the One Who is truly "Strong " and the "Chieftest," as the subsequent citations acknowledge:

Genesis 49:24 declares: “But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty [’abiyr:H46] [God] of Jacob; (from thence [is] the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)”

Isaiah 1:24 further reveals: “Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One [’abiyr:H46] of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:”

Because each of the Scriptures I just read are exclusively about God, I think we are on safe ground to understand that this identically spelled word “of their mighty ones” (’abbiyr:H47) in Judges 5:22 is really pointing to Barak (i.e., Christ) and the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali (typifying the elect) [under the direction of Judge Deborah (i.e., the Word of God)] who were victorious over Sisera (i.e., Satan) and his army. Psalm 149:6-9 highlights one of God’s primary roles that He has assigned for His people (besides “feeding sheep”) to perform during our present, prolonged “day of judgment”:

“[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.”

Let's stop here, and Lord willing, we will continue our examination of Judges 5 in our next study.

Judges 5 - Part 46

Air Date: May 24, 2012

“‭Zebulun and Naphtali were‭ a people ‭that‭ jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field. {19} The kings came ‭and‭ fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money. {20} They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. {21} The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength. {22} Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones. {23} Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.‭”

Verse 23

In our examination of Judges 5, we have arrived at verse 23, which is a curious passage, in which God repeats the term “curse” three times, the word “[came not] to the help” twice, and “of Jehovah” three times:

“Curse [’arar:H779] ye Meroz [Merowz:H4789], said [amar:H559] the angel [ma’lak:H4397] of the LORD [Yehovah:H3068], curse [’arar:H779] ye bitterly [’arar:H779] the inhabitants thereof [yashaab:H3427]; because they came [bow’:H935] not to the help [`ezrah:H5833] of the LORD [Yehovah:H3068], to the help [`ezrah:H5833] of the LORD [Yehovah:H3068] against the mighty.‭” [gibbowr:H1368]

The Identity Of Meroz [Merowz:H4789]

The term, “Meroz,” only appears here, and has no root word, making its meaning quite difficult to ascertain. It is apparently a “town,” since it has inhabitants - but that could also signify a “spiritual town” with “spiritual inhabitants.” In any case these inhabitants are under a very serious curse - so much so that it is repeated three times - pointing to the “purpose” of God; another thing to bear in mind is that “the angel [or “messenger”] of the LORD” (Who is the Lord Jesus Christ - the “messenger of the covenant” - according to Malachi 3:1 and other verses) is pronouncing this dreadful curse. For example, we ran across these two terms, “the angel” (mal’ak:H4397) and “of the LORD” (Yehovah:H3068) in Judges 2:1-4, in which these two words surface in verses 1 and 4:

“And an angel [mal’ak:H4397] of the LORD [Yehovah:H3068] came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. {2} And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? {3} Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be [as thorns] in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. {4} And it came to pass, when the angel [mal’ak:H4397] of the LORD [Yehovah:H3068] spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.”

Please note the three-fold consequences that their sin produced in verse 3b: “...I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be [as thorns] in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.”

Additionally, we learn that these “inhabitants,” “...came not to help of the LORD...against the mighty.”

Against The Mighty [gibbowr:H1368]

Let’s first look at the term, “against the mighty,” which also appears in verse 13 of this same chapter as “over the mighty,” referring to the overthrow of Sisera and his forces:

“Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people: the LORD made me have dominion over the mighty.” [gibbowr:H1368]

So the question we want to answer is: who are those that “...came not to the help of the LORD…” to battle against Sisera and his army? When we read the historical narrative in Judges 4 there is no mention of any of the Israelites that refused to take part in this battle, as verses 6-7, 9-10, 13-14, and 16 of chapter 4 maintain:

“And she [Deborah] sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, [saying], Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? {7} And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand. ... {9} 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. {10} And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him. ... {13} And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, [even] nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that [were] with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon. {14} And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this [is] the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. ... {16} But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; [and] there was not a man left.”

We also recognize the spiritual import of God’s command to Barak, through Judge Deborah, to enlist the help of the 10,000 men from the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, which we have discussed in some of our earlier studies, but I think it is helpful to be reminded of who they represent spiritually, before proceeding on to verse 24:

In Matthew 4:13-20 we read about both of these tribes, who are associated with the Great Commission, which ended on May 21, 2011, according to Matthew 24:14,

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

Matthew 4:13-20 maintains, “And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: {14} That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, {15} The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, [by] the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; {16} The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. {17} From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. {18} And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. {19} And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. {20} And they straightway left [their] nets, and followed him.”

Isaiah 60:1-9 similarly depicts the thrust of the Great Commission (during the “day of salvation”): “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. {2} For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. {3} And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. {4} Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at [thy] side. {5} Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. {6} The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD. {7} All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. {8} Who [are] these [that] fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? {9} Surely the isles [“continents”] shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.”

Those who did not take part in the Latter Rain were disobedient to the command in Ezekiel 33:1-7,

“Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, {2} Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: {3} If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; {4} Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. {5} He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. {6} But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take [any] person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. {7} So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.”

An even worse scenario involves those who did participate in the Latter Rain, and then after May 21, 2011, went back to the churches (picturing Lot’s wife - “Remember Lot’s wife”) or to the world - both of which are now included in our “day of judgment." The indictment that God levels in 2 Peter 2:20-22 is severe, but warranted:

“For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. {21} For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known [it], to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. {22} But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog [is] turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (quoting Proverbs 26:11)

For this reason the admonition found in Hebrews 10:35-39 is so compelling, and offers great encouragement to the child of God:

“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. {36} For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. {37} For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. {38} Now the just shall live by faith: but if [any man] draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. {39} But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”

Lord willing, in our next study we will continue our investigation of Judges 5:23.

Judges 5 - Part 47

Air Date: May 27, 2019

Good evening, and welcome to Searching the Scriptures. This is going to be Judges 5 - Part 47, and today’s date is May 27, 2019. I’ll read Judges 5:18-24

“‭Zebulun and Naphtali were‭ a people ‭that‭ jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field. {19} The kings came ‭and‭ fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money. {20} They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. {21} The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength. {22} Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones. {23} Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty. {24} Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.‭”

Against The Mighty [gibbowr:H1368] (Cont.)

In thinking some more about this term, “against the mighty” we want to keep in mind that it can refer to God Himself, to the elect, as well as to the non-elect, within and outside of the corporate churches, as these next citations reveal:

In Genesis 6:4, God labels the children of the sinful marriages between believers and non-believers as “mighty men,” and “men of renown” (predominantly translated as men of the “name” - thus seeking identification with Christ): “There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the same [became] mighty men [gibbowr:H1368] which [were] of old, men of renown.” [shem:H8034]

We see this same desire for identification with Christ in connection with the churches (reminding one of the 7 churches in the book of Revelation) that came under God wrath, as Isaiah 4:1 highlights, “And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, [i.e., Christ] saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called [qara:H7121] by thy name [shem:H8034], to take away our reproach.”

Please take note that they want to eat their “own bread” (their own “gospel”), and wear their “own apparel” (their own “man-made righteousness”), resulting in their own death and annihilation in order to pay for their sins.

In Deuteronomy 10:17 this term is rendered as “a mighty.” This is a majestically unique description of eternal God by a variety of glorious titles, including the expression, “a mighty”: “For the LORD your God [is] God of gods , and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty [gibbowr:H1368], and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:”

Psalm 112:1-2 also makes a similar declaration, in which this word is expressed as “shall be mighty” in verse 2, speaking of the elect: “Praise ye the LORD. Blessed [is] the man [that] feareth the LORD, [that] delighteth greatly in his commandments. {2} His seed shall be mighty [gibbowr:H1368] upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.”

Lastly, in Jeremiah 5:15-17, we read the following portrait of the Babylonians that God used to judge Judah and Jerusalem (a picture of the end-time institutional churches and denominations), in which this term surfaces in verse 16 as, “they are all mighty men”: “Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD: it [is] a mighty nation, it [is] an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say. {16} Their quiver [is] as an open sepulchre, they [are] all mighty men. [gibbowr:H1368] {17} And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, [which] thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword.”

Curse [’arar:H779]

Let’s now turn our attention to this word, “curse,” which is used three times (denoting the “purpose of God”) in Judges 5:23, now that we understand that the ones that are truly “cursed” are the non-elect, who “turned back,” after the conclusion of the day of salvation (i.e., after May 21, 2011), and did not “endure to the end,” since this battle with Sisera represents the demise of Satan at the end of the Great Tribulation; this word is rendered as, “curse,” “curse,” (the second time) and “ye bitterly” (the same Hebrew word, the third time - the only place where it is not translated as “curse” in the 63 times it appears):

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

In Deuteronomy 27, we find that the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali (along with Reuben, Asher, Dan and Gad) were assigned by God (through Moses) to pronounce curses atop mount Ebal, in which this word appears in succession 12 times (representing the “fullness” of whatever is in view - in this case, judgment) in verses 15-26,

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

Psalm 119:21 further acknowledges: “Thou hast rebuked the proud [that are] cursed, [’arar:H779] which do err from thy commandments.”

And lastly, Jeremiah 11:3 maintains, “And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed [’arar:H779] [be] the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,”

Verse 24

Let’s move on to Judges 5:24, and I’ll read verses 24-27, “Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent. {25} He asked water, [and] she gave [him] milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish. {26} She put her hand to the nail, 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. {27} At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead.”

We are down to the last 8 verses in Judges 5, which deal with two “women” - Jael (who typifies the elect), and the mother of Sisera (remember that he represents Satan). However, let’s focus on Jael first, in this “victory song” that Barak (i.e., Christ) and Judge Deborah (i.e., the Word of God) sang together in celebration of their dominion over Sisera. Since we have already considered all the words in verse 24 and 25a in some of our previous lessons, I will start with verse 25b:

Verse 25: “...she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.”

She Brought Forth [qarab:H7426] Butter [chem’ah:H2529]

These two words only appear together in this verse, so we’ll have to consider them individually:

We actually ran across the term, “she brought forth” in Judges 3:17-18 in the account of Judge Ehud bringing a “present” to king Eglon (who also represents Satan as well):

“And he brought [qarab:H7126] the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon [was] a very fat man. {18} And when he had made an end to offer [qarab:H7126] the present, he sent away the people that bare the present.”

It is also used frequently in connection with “bringing” or offering up sacrificial animals to atone for sin, as verse 18 of Leviticus 8:18-21 declare,

“And he brought the ram for the burnt offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. {19} And he killed [it]; and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about. {20} And he cut the ram into pieces; and Moses burnt the head, and the pieces, and the fat. {21} And he washed the inwards and the legs in water; and Moses burnt the whole ram upon the altar: it [was] a burnt sacrifice for a sweet savour, [and] an offering made by fire unto the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.”

Malachi 3:5 states, “And I will come near [qarab:H7126] to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in [his] wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger [from his right], and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.”

Job 33:22 likewise affirms: “Yea, his soul draweth near [qarab:H7126] unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers.”

By contrast, this term can also be used in a positive sense, as in Esther 5:2, in which it is rendered as “drew near”:

“And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, [that] she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that [was] in his hand. So Esther drew near, [qarab:H7126] and touched the top of the sceptre.”

Our time has run out, but Lord willing, we will pick this up in our next study.

Judges 5 - Part 48

Good evening, and welcome to Searching the Scriptures. This is going to be Judges 5 - Part 48, and today’s date is May 29, 2019. I’ll read Judges 5:24-27

“Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent. {25} He asked water, [and] she gave [him] milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish. {26} She put her hand to the nail, 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. {27} At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead.”

Butter [chem’ah:H2529]

We are down to the term, “butter” in verse 25. This is another word that can typify the blessing of the Word of God or the judgment that is associated with the other edge of the “twoedged sword”:

Deuteronomy 32:9-20 exemplifies both the “blessings” associated with obedience as well as the “curses” associated with sin: “For the LORD'S portion [is] his people; Jacob [is] the lot of his inheritance. {10} He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. {11} As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: {12} [So] the LORD alone did lead him, and [there was] no strange god with him. {13} He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; {14} Butter [chem’ah:H2529] of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape. {15} But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered [with fatness]; then he forsook God [which] made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. {16} They provoked him to jealousy with strange [gods], with abominations provoked they him to anger. {17} They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new [gods that] came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. {18} Of the Rock [that] begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. {19} And when the LORD saw [it], he abhorred [them], because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters. {20} And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end [shall be]: for they [are] a very froward generation, children in whom [is] no faith.”

Job 29 is a magnificent portrait of a number of holy characteristics related to the Lord Jesus Christ; in verse 6, “with butter” which typifies the Word of God is linked with “oil,” which exemplifies the Holy Spirit: “Moreover Job continued his parable, and said, {2} Oh that I were as [in] months past, as [in] the days [when] God preserved me; {3} When his candle shined upon my head, [and when] by his light I walked [through] darkness; {4} As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God [was] upon my tabernacle; {5} When the Almighty [was] yet with me, [when] my children [were] about me;{6} When I washed my steps with butter [chem’ah:H2529], and the rock poured me out rivers of oil”

With regard to Sisera we see that he was presented with the finest “milk” and “butter,” (which results from churning milk) - which he mistook for kindness - on the part of Jael (typifying the elect), but instead led to his death. In Job 20 we read about the fate of the wicked, and this same term, “butter” appears in verse 17, and notice that the wicked will not see, “...the rivers, the floods, the brooks of honey and butter;” I’ll read verses 4-17:

“Knowest thou [not] this of old, since man was placed upon earth, {5} That the triumphing of the wicked [is] short, and the joy of the hypocrite [but] for a moment? {6} Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; {7} [Yet] he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where [is] he? {8} He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night. {9} The eye also [which] saw him shall [see him] no more; neither shall his place any more behold him. {10} His children shall seek to please the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods. {11} His bones are full [of the sin] of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust. {12} Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, [though] he hide it under his tongue; {13} [Though] he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth: {14} [Yet] his meat in his bowels is turned, [it is] the gall of asps within him. {15} He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly. {16} He shall suck the poison of asps: the viper's tongue shall slay him. {17} He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the brooks of honey and butter.” [chem’ah:H2529]

In A Lordly [’addiyr:H117] Dish [cephel:H5602]

The last two words in verse 25 are: “...in a lordly dish,” and they only emerge together in this verse, and so we will have to investigate them individually. Actually, we encountered the term, “in a lordly” earlier in this chapter, in verse 13, so let’s move on to the word,

Dish [cephel:H5602]

The word, “dish,” is only found in the book of Judges, and in only one other verse - Judges 6:38, in which it is translated as “a bowl”:

“And it was so: for he [Gideon] rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl [cephel:H5602] full of water.”

Verse 26: “She put her hand to the nail, 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.”

She Put [shalach:H7971] Her Hand [yad:H3027] To The Nail [yathed:H3489]

The first three words in verse 26 only appear together in this citation, but we do find the first two terms mentioned in Judges 3:15 and 21,

“But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him [i.e., “by his hand” - yad:H3027] the children of Israel sent [shalach:H7971] a present unto Eglon the king of Moab. ... {21} And Ehud put forth [shalach:H7971] his left hand [yad:H3027], and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:”

We also encountered the last two terms in Judges 4:21, which is being re-stated here in Judges 5:26

“Then Jael [i.e., the elect] Heber's wife took a nail [yathed:H3489] of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand [yad:H3027], and went softly unto him, and smote the nail [yathed:H3489] into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.”

And Her Right Hand [yamiyn:H3225] To The Workman’s [`amel:H6001] Hammer [halmuwth:H1989]

We have already examined the word, “right hand” in some of our previous studies in the book of Judges, so let’s focus on the next two terms, “to the workman’s” and “hammer,” which only surface together in this verse, so we’ll have to look at them individually:

To The Workman’s [`amel:H6001]

The word, “workman,” is utilized 8 other times in the following ways: “labour” (4x), “take” (2x), and once as “misery” and “wicked.” Here are some examples:

Job 3:20 renders this expression as “to him that is in misery”: “Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, [`amel:H6001] and life unto the bitter [in] soul;”

Job 20:22 translates this term as “of the wicked” in this chapter that deals with the final end of the non-elect: “In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: every hand of the wicked [`amel:H6001] shall come upon him.”

And in Ecclesiastes 2:22, this word appears as “he hath laboured”: “For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured [`amel:H6001] under the sun?”

Ecclesiastes 2:22 reminds us of the profound New Testament question that is asked in Mark 8:36,

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Hammer [halmuwth:H1989]

The next word that we want to consider in Judges 5:26 is translated as “hammer,” (halmuwth:G1989), and is only found here; we have already looked at its root word, “halam” (H1986) in Judges 5:22, in which is is rendered as “broken”:

“Then were the horsehoofs broken [halam:H1986] by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones.”

This same root word, “halam” (H1986) also appears in the next phrase in verse 26, “...and with the hammer she smote [halam:H1986] Sisera [Cicerya’:H5516]…,” comprised of two words. We have already looked at Sisera, so let’s move on to the next phrase:

She Smote Off [machaq:H4277] His Head [ro’sh:H7218]

The word, “She smote off” has no root word, and is only used in this verse, so let’s see how God utilizes the term, “his head.”

His Head [ro’sh:H7218]

The word, “his head” appears for the first time in the book of Judges in this passage. It is primarily translated as “head,” but to a lesser extent also as “chief,” “top,” and “beginning,” and in quite a few other ways, so it is indeed “pregnant” with many nuances. In this account it is spiritually pointing to the “head” of Satan (typified by Sisera, as I have mentioned numerous times), as he is the ruler of the kingdom of Satan, and in this account we witness his demise, which correlates to May 21, 2011, when Satan was deposed; on that auspicious date Christ began to rule this world “with a rod of iron” at the onset of the “day of judgment,” as we read in Revelation 19:15,

“And out of his [Christ’s] mouth goeth a sharp sword [the Word of God], 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.”

Here are some illustration of how God employs this term, “his head”:

It surfaces one other time in this same chapter - in verse 30 - in which it is translated as “to every”: “Have they not sped? have they [not] divided the prey; to every [ro’sh:H7218] man a damsel [or] two; to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides, [meet] for the necks of [them that take] the spoil?”

We will also encounter this word again in Judges, chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, and 16.

I’m afraid that we have run out of time today, so Lord willing, in our next study we will consider some more examples of this word, “head” (ro’sh:H7218)

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