Tag: war

Studies

Exposing the Millennium Reign Doctrine – Part 3

Pete

Exposing the Millennium Reign Doctrine – Part 3

“The Destruction of Satan”

The focus of this study is to expose and correct a twisting of Scriptures regarding Satan that is necessary to support the false doctrine of an outward Millennium Reign.

When one fails to keep the sound principles of rightly dividing the Word, a lie such as an outward millennium reign by Christ on a physical earth is easily spewed forth from our carnal lusts.  When this leaven creeps in, it brings with it even more lies and false doctrines including denying the Second Death, perverting the two resurrections all men experience and twisting the plan of God for the ages into another gospel entirely.

2Ti 4:3  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; [tickle their ears, tell them what they want their flesh love to hear]

2Ti 4:4  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 

Many fables have been invented about the Book of Revelation by failing to hold to sound principles we covered in earlier studies.  Some mistakenly view Revelation including chapter 20 by the letter, thinking outward and completely forgetting the repeated and clear instructions that all these things are within us, spoken of in signified language and will shortly come to pass.

Living by every word ensures that all of us will be first be snared by those lusts.  It is only by His mercy, that a few [Mat 22:14] in this age, will be drawn out of the error of chasing Christ in the secret or hidden places.  Christ who is the Word and the Truth, will not be found in what He has not revealed in the Scriptures no matter how many carnal men continue to search.  The Lord Jesus Christ is not in the things His Word does not reveal to us.  We are commanded not to pursue such lusts and deceivers.

Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 

Mat 24:25  Behold, I have told you before. 

Mat 24:26  Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 

Satan is not a single being that can only be in one place at one time as many of us have been taught and may believe to this day.   Satan represents evil spirits the Lord created and controls in working His work in bringing salvation to all men.  The lake of fire, the spiritual event that is God’s judgment was made for the destruction of the devil and his millions of messengers [angels] which are the carnal thoughts of men and all the world [the 200 million lies of the great harlot – 9:16].  The very purpose of the lake of fire is for the destruction of the adversarial spirit and the lies [carnal thoughts] contrary to faith.

Rev 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 

Abiding in carnal thoughts is abiding in death [Rom 8:6-7] being at enmity with the Lord and operating contrary to faith. Such ones do not, in fact they cannot feed, give drink, cloth or bring freedom to men so imprisoned.  Thus, the Lord puts them all into the fire when our day of the Lord is at hand.  This is how all things carnal which is death, is destroyed in us in the Second Death that is the lake of fire.

Mat 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels [messengers]: 

Mat 25:42  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 

Mat 25:43  I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not

The spirit of Satan is the spirit of the world and is integral to the Lord’s plans in creating all men and then remaking those same men [pieces of clay] by way of destruction [Jer 18:4]. An adversary and tempter was needed to try the faith of the saints and teach us obedience through an experience of evil.

Gen 3:1  Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 

The heaven and the earth that begins the Bible at the Lord’s creation in Genesis 1:1 is within all men.  That is where Satan is operating in the kingdom of God within every man.  The parable of the sower shows us Satan at work within our hearts and minds deceiving and being a liar to our mind from the very beginning.

Mar 4:15  And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

Satan is “in there”, in your heaven [mind] and earth [heart/walk] and he is put there purposefully by the Lord to be used for our good and be an adversary and tempter, through which the Lord will bring salvation and destroy our flesh and carnal-mindedness.

Isa 54:16  Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. 

The good fight of faith requires God’s people to do battle against Satan and all offspring of the father of all lies.  The battle rages in heaven and on the earth as the sum of the word tell us but it’s all made of God and used for good in the end.

Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 

Eph 6:12  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 heaven [high places].

 

Rev 12:17  And the dragon [Satan] was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

Until burned up in our day of the Lord, Satan is in the kingdom within us roaming about our earth seeking whom he may devour.  Which is why we need to stay on guard always.

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 

All demons [lying spirits] are considered to be Satan. You can see that in the story of Christ being accused of being under the power of Beelzebub when casting out devils.

Mat 12:24  But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 

Mat 12:25  And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 

Mat 12:26  And if Satan cast out Satan [evil spirit casting out an evil spirit], he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 

Mat 12:28  But if I cast out devils [Satan] by the Spirit of God [Fire from heaven – the Word of Truth] then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 

When we walk contrary to faith, we are walking in the spirit of the god of this world who is Satan, who is the father of all lies who is also known as the prince of the power of the air.

Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 

1Jn 5:19  And we know that we are of God, and the whole world [kosmos] lieth in wickedness.

The spirit of Satan is destroyed in every man only in the lake of fire. Getting this spirit and enmity against God removed is the last milestone of our salvation. The one holding the power of death in us must be destroyed and that is what the Lord is doing when spiritual fire falls from heaven onto our earth bringing and truth and righteousness that burns up the adversary.

Rev 20:9  And they went up on the breadth of the earth [G1093], and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 

Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 

The burning up of Satan, in whom there is no truth [Joh 8:44] is the destruction of all lies and establishment of the truth upon our earth.  Revelation 20 is the transition to our hour of judgment which is a new day [one day is as 1,000 years] that is the day of the Lord that establishes truth as Satan is destroyed by spiritual fire.  This is all taking place within us, where the fire of God is making the new heaven and earth wherein will dwell righteousness.

Joh 4:23  But the hour [of our judgment] cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 

Some have made arguments to us that those in the third harvest cannot live by every word as they do not even have a tempter [devil/Satan] to tempt them when they go thru their judgment in the lake of fire.  Such false doctrine was supported by outward thinking, literal by the letter, reading of Rev 20.  Here is a paraphrase of that false teaching some have been exposed to that shows the errors of taking a literal approach to these Revelation 20 verses.

“The third harvest of men will not have a tempter to try and test them as Satan would have been destroyed earlier at the end of the millennium [Rev 20:10].  When those men are raised in spiritual bodies and enter into their judgment, there is no longer a Satan around to try and tempt them.  That means there is no longer even a wicked one for any of them to overcome.  Therefore, the final harvest of men will not experience the same trials and temptations as God’s Elect that overcome in this age simply because Satan is no more.”

This is all a big pile of lies.  Satan aka the devil and the dragon will be around as long as there are men still needing to be judged.  There is no Scripture that confirms this false teaching except for the carnal misread of Rev 20 outwardly and forgetting all His words are spirit and signified [Rev 1:1, Joh 6:63].  Such perversion twists and negates God’s plan for saving all men at many turns.

It is ALL, not some men, who will worship the beast who is given power by Satan aka the dragon.

Rev 13:4  And they [all men being called of God out of the sea in their appointed time] worshipped the dragon [Satan] which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 

Rev 13:7  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 

Rev 13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

This leaven [false teaching] leads to even greater error and a complete butchering of God’s plan for saving all men.  We have witnessed this carnal and outward teaching of Revelation 20 leading to another lie of then denying that all men live by every word God spoke.  The false reasoning was if Satan was no more having already been destroyed in the outward fire and fulfillment of Rev 20:10; then Matthew 4:4, 1Co 3:21, Ecc 9:2 and other scriptures that witnesses to the one event for all, must now be “qualified”.  WOW. A little leaven does indeed lead to even bigger error and a complete miss of the gospel!

Such interpretation is literal and outward, completely missing the spiritual lesson that it is Satan who is a spirit and is in the hearts and minds of all men.  Every man is first a carnal man and is, therefore, is a liar [Rom 3:4] and has as his father the devil who was put there purposefully to be adversary and tempter to God’s people. All men commit sin thereby proving they are of the same mind as their carnal father called Satan aka the devil.

 1Jn 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 

An adversary created by the Lord on purpose to try and tempt us must be overcome for salvation.   The adversary the devil is there roaming about our earth, the land within us as the story of Job tells in our day of judgment.  All men will have their Job experience.

Job 2:1  Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 

Job 2:2  And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth [H776 – land, earth], and from walking up and down in it. 

It is the Lord who works all things, even evil things [Isa 45:7], even our very sins to work His purposes in every man whose end will be salvation. The adversary the Lord creates and puts into our earth treads down the sanctuary thus giving the Lord the occasion to come again for salvation.

Isa 63:17  O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance. 

Isa 63:18  The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary

 

1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple [sanctuary] of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 

Satan is one and the same known as Leviathan who lives in the deep, the bottomless pit, which is the sea which is symbolic of the flesh of every man.    Only the Lord can draw out this dragon and destroy that which He created and puts DEEP into our hearts and minds.

Isa 27:1  In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. [in the LOF]

The teaching of Satan being a single being that can only be tempting one person at a time is an invention of the carnal mind.  The first heaven and the earth must be done away with by fire; as a new heaven and new earth is being established [Rev 21:1] within every man in their day of the Lord.

Heb 10:9  Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 

The battle in heaven precedes the battle on our earth as true doctrine needs to first be established.

Rev 12:7  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 

Rev 12:8  And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 

Rev 12:9  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. 

But the war and fight of faith continue in our day of the Lord as we overcome Satan within us by dying to the carnal mind [Second Death, dying to death] that is all taking place in our lake of fire experience.

Rev 12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 

Rev 12:11  And they overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. 

The defeat of Satan within every man is essential for death to be destroyed in every man.

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 

Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 

Satan being cast into the lake of fire, where our beast and false prophet already abide completes the Lord’s plan of salvation and burns out all the remaining wood, hay and stubble.

Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead [Satan, Leviathan operate in the deep] which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 

Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 

Like all Scriptures, the events of Revelation 20 are not to be avoided but instead are to be hastened unto [1Pe 3:12].  Living through the spiritual events of Revelation 20 is the way salvation is completed in us and the only way Satan is purged from our earth the result being all things made new.

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 

It takes the second coming of the Lord, with fire to show us the Wicked and destroy him with the brightness of His coming.  A day comes to every man when the Lord implements His salvation plan and the end of the carnal age [world] within and puts down all rebellion and carnal enmity [2Th 2:3-9].

As long as there are men who have not completed their day of the Lord there will remain an adversary, a Satan, at work in their earth doing what the Lord has commanded be done. Satan is used to incite the Lord to finish His work and usher in righteousness by kindling this fire within all His people [Zion].

Lam 4:11  The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof. 

Lam 4:12  The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy [i.e. Satan] should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem. 

The result of our partaking of the lake of fire is the raising up of our new man to reign with Christ is our overcoming and resurrection to life.  This is the blessed and holy first resurrection. When death is no more, the carnal mind that is death is no more and all things are alive to Christ.

1Co 15:25  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 

1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death [the carnal mind which is death by fire that falls from heaven].

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 

While there are deeper things to be learned regarding Satan and his messengers, my hope is everyone is clear of web of lies we once were taught regarding the end of the physical earth and humanity and the whole concoction called the outward Millennium Reign.

Let’s not be deceived from the simplicity of the gospel and the truth that all men will live by every word God spoke.  Even those in the third harvest will be tempted and tried by the same adversary and spirit that tempts and tries us in this age.  There truly is one event that comes alike to all.

Ecc 9:2  All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. 

We have learned some valuable lessons from our trials.  Those that lust after spiritual money [which is all of us], which is KNOWLEDGE also are snared into the root of many evils and merchandise [Eze 28, Spiritual Babylon] the Lord’s treasures for carnal gain and profit.  Our learning contentment and waiting on the Lord to give us our spiritual food and bring the increase is a huge lesson we have been taught.

1Ti 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 

1Ti 6:9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 

1Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: [knowledge, spiritual riches] which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

The final Part #4 of this series can be found here:  Exposing Mill Reign Part 4

 

Studies

Remaining Vigilant and Overcoming Fear

Pete

For Our Admonition Part 17

“Remaining Vigilant and Overcoming Fear”

Key Verses:  Jdg 7:1 – Jdg 7:15

After being given the affirmative signs that the Lord was blessing Gideon’s work and the land would be blessed (signs of the dew), Gideon prepares to engage in warfare with the Midianite army.  This lesson is for us to learn of God’s ways in waging spiritual war against our inward enemies that are the carnal thoughts and lies that ensnare us all in unbelief.   Here is our first set of verses for this study.

Jdg 7:1  Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. 

Jdg 7:2  And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. 

Jdg 7:3  Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten. 

Jdg 7:4  And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. 

Jdg 7:5  So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. 

Jdg 7:6  And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. 

Jdg 7:7  And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. 

Jdg 7:8  So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley. 

The army of Israel camping out at the well of Harod tells of Gideon’s yet fearful state of mind regarding the battle he has been tasked with leading for the Lord.   Camping at the well of Harod, which is a name only mentioned this one time in all of Scripture, signifies what we see more expressly in Jdg 7:10-11 which we will cover shortly.  Harod is Strong’s H5869 and means eyes and comes from a root word H2729 which means afraid and which well is referred to as fountain of tears or fountain of trembling.  We, like Gideon, even after being given mighty signs, still fear the flesh and going into the hot fire that is needed to wage spiritual warfare.  There is some growing still needed.

2Co 5:7  For we walk by faith, not by sight (our physical eyes or senses):

The young and immature new man will be greatly oppressed by design (Rom 8:20) by the heathen nations representing the carnal mind and its millions of lies and false doctrines (Rev 9:16).  We overcome our fears of men and fears of judgment by first giving into such fears and being overcome with fear.   The wisdom of God has us being strong in Spirit by first being shown we are weak in the flesh (2Co 12:10).  It’s only when we have no hope in ourselves that the Lord takes over.

Exo 14:14  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

Psa 56:2  My enemies would hound me all day, For there are many who fight against me, O Most High.

Psa 56:3  Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.

Psa 56:4  In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?

Php 3:3  For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

We first find Moreh, the place of the Midianite camp, mentioned in the Bible as the place on the west side of the Jordan in the land of Canaan.  It was here the Lord spoke to a new journeyman Abram to encourage him.

Gen 12:6  And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

Gen 12:7  And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

Those words of the Lord were like rain on a dry earth which brings forth righteousness. The Midianites are camped by the hill or Moreh which means rain [H4175] and comes from a root [H3384] meaning to teach.  It takes the Word of God, the doctrines of Christ (God’s rain Deu 32:1) falling from the clouds and the heavens to bring judgment.  The assembly of the Midianites at Moreh in the valley of Jezreel signals that judgment has come to deliver the land. The former and latter rains (Words and doctrines of Christ) are what curses the old man and brings the blessing to the new man by way of judgment.

Joe 2:23  Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain [H4175]  moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain [H4175], and the latter rain in the first month.

Heb 6:7  For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:

The Midianite camps are strongholds and idols of carnal thinking that live in the valley and depressions of our earth.  Those valleys will be filled with spiritual blessings, which is the judgment of the old man.  That is how all flesh is being saved.

Luk 3:5  Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;

Luk 3:6  And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

The stage is set for the Judge of Israel (Christ in His Elect) to begin judging the nations and cleansing the land within us.  Yet there is a problem in that Gideon (and you and me in our immaturity and weakness of faith) is still afraid of the fight ahead. Christ becomes unattractive quickly when we realize there is more to it than knowing doctrine.

Luk 14:33  So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

There is no turning back.  We have to get over the hump and be willing to lose everything to be used of the Lord in judgment of the nations within and without.

Luk 17:32  Remember Lot’s wife.

Luk 17:33  Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

What is the Lord’s response to us being weak in faith and still fearing the war with the flesh?  His ways are not our ways whatsoever!  Instead of giving us more resources to comfort us in our carnal reasoning, the Lord strips what little comfort we might have by taking away 99% of our army in reducing it from 32,000 to 300 men.  The winnowing down of the army is a well-known parable (Hos 12:10).  Coming to understand the Lord’s ways and fighting spiritual warfare always brings us back to faith and not trusting in our own abilities.  There are three primary lessons learned in the process of the Lord winnowing down Gideon’s army.

The first macro lesson is that God’s Elect, who is the Israel of God, is a very SMALL group.  It is indeed very few that make up His people and the army by which the nations are being and shall be judged and subdued is, was and will be.

Mat 22:14  “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Luk 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

The Lord will have it be known that He is the Saviour and Deliverer and we are merely the instruments through which He works His greater works (Oba 1:21, Joh 14:12).

1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence.

The Lord only appears to and is choosing this 1% (300/32000) who have been prepared to know they need repentance (Luk 15:7) and a Saviour to save them from their enemies.  It is this same small army by which the heathen nations within ourselves and without are judged by the fiery Word we speak (Jer 5:14) at the appointed times.  The battle with the Midianites is a type and shadow of this end time battle as Christ is revealed in us.

Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

Rev 19:13  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

Rev 19:14  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

A second key lesson in this story of winnowing down the army, is that the fearful don’t make the cut and are unable to accomplish many miracles and good works in their unbelief.  Those not given the gift of faith will continue to fear men and are sent away as they cannot be used of the Lord.

Rev 22:15  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Where faith lacks and unbelief rules, not many mighty works get done and that includes the works in purging the Midianites within us.

Mar 6:5  And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.

King Saul was rejected as king for his disobedience in not killing all the Amalekites.  His disobedience was because he feared men and obeyed them rather than God. This is our inward battle we fight every day with the Midianites.

1Sa 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

1Sa 15:24  And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

Twenty-two thousand (22,000) that feared went home leaving 10,000 in the camp.    The fearful have been purged yet there is more purging to prepare the weak and despised army of Christ for a successful conquest.

The third and most noteworthy lesson as it pertains to this parable is the requirement for vigilance (faithfulness) in our walk of faith.  The opposite of vigilance is lasciviousness where we turn the grace of God and the law of faith into a lazy justification (Jud 1:3) to stop striving at every turn to stay on this narrow road.  The NON-vigilant are not going to make it.

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

We are not faithful when we are not vigilant in discerning between the good and the evil and acting in a godly way. We get there by experience and use.

2Co 10:3  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.

2Co 10:4  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Lord willing, we are being given a spirit of vigilance and be chosen of the Lord to fight against the Midianites within ourselves so we can make that blessed and first holy resurrection.  The lapping of water like a dog or a leopard is a metaphor for what the Lord wants His army to be doing in always keeping guard and watching.

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Mat 26:41  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Luk 12:35  “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;

Vigilance differs from a similar word “diligence” mainly in the aspect of watching. Both denote the act of being careful and being conscientiousness.  The vigilant keep watch so they will not be overcome and snared by Midianites and other evils.

Rev 3:3  Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Our failures to be vigilant require a repeat of the fiery grace lessons (Rom 5:20) and experiencing anew the wrath of God against our unbelieving and lascivious ways.

1Th 5:6  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

1Th 5:7  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

1Th 5:8  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

With the army now reduced to 300 men, Gideon waits on the Lord who then gives the command to go take the Midianite camp.  The very thing that disqualified the majority of Gideon’s army, being fearful; has now afflicted Gideon, the judge and mighty man of valor in the making.  Gideon still fears even after the four times the Lord proclaimed victory (Jdg 6:14, 6:16; 7:7, 7:9) and despite having been given three confirming signs.

Jdg 7:9  And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand. 

Jdg 7:10  But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: 

Jdg 7:11  And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host. 

Jdg 7:12  And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude. 

Jdg 7:13  And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. 

Jdg 7:14  And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host. 

Jdg 7:15  And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian. 

Until faith is given to the few, men of all kinds, even religious ones, remain in bondage to fear.  The shadow of true faith, the law of Moses, commanded that Israel be not afraid before engaging their enemies.  This law further requires the priests to come speak and encourage the people!  Sharing our testimony is what the Lord’s priests do in helping one another overcome their fears and reminding us often that the victory is already won.  It is the duty of God’s priests to lift up one another and bolster faith and confidence in what the Lord wills for His people that believe.  The battle truly is the Lord’s.

Deu 20:1  “When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.

Deu 20:2  So it shall be, when you are on the verge of battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people.

Deu 20:3  And he shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel: Today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; 

Deu 20:4  for the LORD your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’

Overcoming fear of death takes strong faith and it is passing that point of maturity that brings lasting deliverance.

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 

Gideon, like all of us, is commanded to engage in war needs strengthening and encouragement by his fellow “neighbors and laborers” in the faith. The Lord tells Gideon to go with a servant named Phurah to the camp of Israel’s army and listen to what he hears spoken.  Phurah is a name only found in the Bible in these verses of Judges 7.  It comes from a root word H6288 meaning young branches, new shoots or sprigs like of a tree or plant.  Gideon is Phurah as he is still young in service yet he in shadow, like all the elect, are mighty men of valor that will be the instruments of judgment and salvation to the entire human race which is ALL ISRAEL (Mat 19:27, 1Co 6:2).  Being made ready requires us to walk with Christ through His Christ and be taught war.

Pro 24:5  A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

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

1Ti 4:10  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

1Ti 4:11  These things command and teach.

Angels of the Lord, our fellow brethren, who have walked before us are there to lead us through the tough times with comfort, encouragement and exhortation.  Even our Lord needed strengthening when in a body of weak flesh.

Luk 22:42  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Luk 22:43  And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 

Psa 34:7  The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. 

The KJV calls the man sharing his prophecy (dream) a “fellow” but that word is much more commonly translated as neighbor or friend.  We are friends of the Lord and true friends of one another when we obey God, which is how we love God and one another (1Jo 5:3, Joh 15:14).  It is our fellow servants that minister as priests of God to each of us in our time of need.  Fellow servants are used to reveal Christ in us and show us how to make war with the enemies of Christ.  We are the army of the Lord that is following the Lord, the Word of God, riding on the white horses and following Christ .

Rev 19:10  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

His Word fitly spoken by angels, will strengthen us and help us to stand strong.

2Ch 20:15  And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 

The details of the neighbor’s dream signify that it is thru the laying down of our life as a living sacrifice that we overcome the Midianites.  Barley is symbolic for the first fruit harvest of the grain crop in Israel and symbolizes the Lord and His Christ who are a type of firstfruits (Jas 1:18, 1 Co 15:20).  Christ is this Bread which is the Word of God.

Joh 6:50  This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

Joh 6:51  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

This  Bread of Life coming into a tent or dwelling place is going to turn everything upside down and great shall be the fall of that former house.  The dream is one and this same bread is also known as rain that comes upon the old carnal man’s dwelling.

Luk 6:49  But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

The symbolism is multi-faceted as the Word is also likened to an ax that is worked by a deliverer who is also ax men or hewers of wood the very meaning of Gideon’s name.  Gideon’s sword, which is his ax, is used to chop down the wood that is the tree and carnal-mindedness (Midianite mindset) of all mankind.

Mat 3:10  And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

The enemies of the Lord, which are carnal thoughts and minds the world over, will all be converted in due time, beginning in the hearts and minds of the elect who are being judged now by this same Word, rain and ax!

Rom 12:20  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

Psa 66:3  Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee

Gideon hears the dream, the Spirit of prophecy, from his brethren and through this experience, he grows in faith and obeys the Lord in leading Israel into battle.

Jdg 7:15  And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

Gideon like all of us are learning to walk by faith and not by what he sees and processes with a carnal mind through physical senses.  The brethren play an essential role in developing one another and building confidence in the Word and His precious promises.  It is why we are to break Bread often in communion with one another.

1Co 11:24  And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

1Co 11:25  After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

1Co 11:26  For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

We end the study with a reminder of who we are battling as God’s people and how we are to be prepared to fight and stand on faith wearing all the armor.

Eph 6:12  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.

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

As we are able to live more and more each day Lord willing, we will progress further in cleansing the land of the Midianite nation and judging righteously.

Comments and questions welcome.  You can also email me direct at peterjwilson56@gmail.com

Studies

Enemies Left in the Promised Land

Pete

For Our Admonition #11

“Enemies Left in the Promised Land”

Key Verses:  Judges Chapter 2 and Jdg 3:1 – 3:11

In this study, we take our first but not last entry into the Book of Judges. This Book in the letter is a chronological history of Israel’s early days in the promised land.  Even a “Babylonian” website nails the physical history lesson in their summation of the Book of Judges.

The book of Judges describes a cycle that repeated itself multiple times during the reign of the judges. Because the Israelites failed to remove wicked influences from the promised land, they became entangled in sin and were conquered and afflicted by their enemies. After the Israelites cried unto the Lord for help, He sent judges to deliver them from their enemies. However, they soon returned to their sins, and the cycle repeated.

They are blind to the fact that these verses were written down by the prophets of old to minister and teach us, the true Israel of God.  Those stories happened to teach us the things we need to know about the Lord’s work in the kingdom of God.

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

These events in Judges show the continued cycle of Israel falling away into evil, crying out to the Lord and then being saved out of those troubles.  Such is the ongoing cycle of many tribulations (Act 14:22) by which the true Israel (the Body of Christ) is being saved in this age.  Before we get to the specific story in Judges of the first appointed judge, let’s review some foundational truths about what these events portray in the kingdom of God.

The Promised Land

The land of Canaan in Scripture represents the promised land.  The land promise to Israel is the land within us that represents the Kingdom of God.  This is where Christ appears in the hearts and minds of His Chosen people to take back the kingdom for the Lord.  (Luk 17:20-21).  While the land is given to Israel (us) as a possession, the land must be overcome and be cleansed of the heathen nations and giants (besetting sins) that occupy it.  In Genesis the land promise is described as including the territories occupied by ten nations.  It only awaits the times appointed the Lord for this to be fulfilled.

Gen 15:18  In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

Gen 15:19  The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

Gen 15:20  And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,

Gen 15:21  And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

All ten of these people/nations are types for our flesh (and associated false doctrines) that are naturally at enmity with our new man and the ways of the Lord.   The land of Canaan will be humbled, it will bow the knee to Jesus Christ in the appointed time. The root word for Canaan [H3667] is Strong’s H3665 which very clearly shows the Lord’s masterpiece in declaring the end of all things from the very beginning (Isa 46:10).

H3665, kâna‛

kaw-nah’

A primitive root; properly to bend the knee; hence to humiliate, vanquish: – bring down (low), into subjection, under, humble (self), subdue.

Canaan is the son of Ham and was cursed by the Lord for Ham’s disobedience (Gen 9:25).  This all part of the Lord’s plan to save all mankind by remaking in its entirety the marred vessels of clay (Jer 18:4, Rev 21:5).  The first man Adam, his mindset and fleshly body was not designed to inherit the kingdom of God nor can it.  The Lord is changing the true Israel now in this age by bringing judgment upon the house of God.

1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

1Co 15:51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

The law of Moses gave us a shadow of the true law of faith.  But the principles work the same.  With obedience comes blessings and more power is given to us.  With disobedience, come curses and wrath and we are given over to our enemies to turn our hearts back to the Lord.

Blessing:  Deu 28:7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that revolt against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way and flee before thee seven ways.

Curse:  Deu 28:48  And thou shalt serve thine enemies, which the Lord will send forth against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in the want of all things; and thou shalt wear upon thy neck a yoke of iron until he shall have destroyed thee.

This land promised is traced back to Canaan’s lineage which is spiritually synonymous with the land of the Philistines (Palestine) that is always at war with Israel.   Yet it will be possessed by the Lord’s shepherd’s and flocks and sin will be ruled over in due time.

Zep 2:5  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.

Zep 2:6  And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks.

Our walk of maturity is taking over this land little by little as the Lord gives us the victory.

Num 34:2  Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:)

Salvation is a process of being saved and overcoming our enemies.  The Canaanite nations that occupy the promised land is our own flesh and the lusts thereof (1Jo 2:16).  These are the enemies of Israel whom we are overcoming and fighting every day of our life in these flesh bodies.  This land is being possessed slowly but surely in our day of the Lord which is the judgment now on the House of the Lord (1Pe 4:17).   It is an often-repeated theme that the Lord purposefully leaves the enemies (our own flesh) to later try and prove our faith.

Jdg 1:28  And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out. 

The Canaanites paying tribute to Israel illustrates the partial victory and partial dominion we have over our flesh when young and immature and doing battle in the promised land.  The Lord has plans for our enemies will use them to teach us righteousness by bringing trials and chastening.  Look at just some of the failures of the tribes of Israel in overcoming the enemies.

Jdg 1:29  Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.

Jdg 1:30  Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries.

Jdg 1:31  Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob:

Jdg 1:32  But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out.

There is indeed a method to the Lord’s strange ways and all of it is being used for our good (Rom 8:28, 2Co 4:15).

Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Mat 10:36  And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household (think within) 

The fact is our flesh and deep-rooted beastly nature will always be with us. We must always stay vigilant in the fight of faith and never think we have arrived and put our guard down.

Jos 15:63  As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day. 

Rev 17:8  The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Another new testament witness of this same “always on” battle with flesh are these verses.

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Gal 5:17  For the flesh (Canaanites) lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

The Lord uses our enemies to ensnare us in bondage, so our hearts and minds will look to Him only (repent) for all things beginning with our deliverance. This methodology is a good work and wonderful work of the Lord to the children of men in destroying our false peace (1Th 5:3) and exposing our being at ease in Zion as we walk out our faith (Amo 6:1).  We reap what we sow and that applies to our disobedience and evil deeds.

Jdg 2:13  And they (Israel, you and me) forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

Jdg 2:14  And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.

Jdg 2:15  Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.  (coming to our wits end – Psa 107:27)

Jdg 2:21  I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:

Jdg 2:22  That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.

There is indeed a time and purpose for every season under heaven (Ecc 3:1), even being in captivity to our enemies.  The Lord always works evil for good in the end (Gen 50:20) and that begins by seeing our sin and thereby beginning to know (learn) the right ways.

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

Our captivity to our enemies will itself be taken captive as Christ takes His seat on His throne in our hearts (Eph 4:7-8) and we are placed into the Body of Christ (The Judges).  The Book of Judges is symbolizing our being ruled and judged now in the House of God.

1Co 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

We WILL fall, yet we Lord willing will get right back up.  That is the “seven times” pattern of Pro 24:16 that we see in Judges and the early history of Israel in the land.

Jdg 2:16  Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.

Jdg 2:17  And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so.

Jdg 2:18  And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.

Jdg 2:19  And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.

When the judge within us is not on the job, we are eating and drinking unworthily.  The result is we sleep and are spiritually dead (1Co 11:29-30).  This is how we are learning diligence, vigilance and even patience by our mistakes that are 100% caused by the Lord (Isa 63:17, Joh 15:5).  We now come to the appointment of the first judge in Israel.

Jdg 3:1  Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; 

Jdg 3:2  Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof; 

Jdg 3:3  Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath. 

Jdg 3:4  And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. 

Jdg 3:5  And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites: 

Jdg 3:6  And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods. 

Jdg 3:7  And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves. 

Jdg 3:8  Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years. 

Jdg 3:9  And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 

Jdg 3:10  And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim. 

Jdg 3:11  And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died. 

In type, this appointed judge Othniel is our new man.  This judge is a younger brother (the brethren) of Caleb.  We all learn the truth and the fire spreads from one another and especially those angels of the Lord who have walked before us shown us these things (Rev 19:10).  It is those in the true Body of Christ who are His Elect of God and are the Lord’s angels that show us truth that is judging Spiritual Israel now and all men in the ages to come (1Co 6:2-3).

Mat 19:28  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Caleb and Othniel are from the tribe of Judah and Caleb is best remembered in the Scriptures as the only man besides Joshua not afraid to engage the enemies of Israel.

Num 13:30  And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it (subdue the land).

Num 13:31  But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

When the occasion has come to smite our enemies, the Lord raises up a deliverer who is also a judge.  Being delivered is being saved, they are the same thing.  The KJC for the Hebrew word “Yasha” demonstrates this clearly.

H3467, yâsha‛

Total KJV Occurrences: 207

save, 105

saved, 35

saviour, 13

help, 10

delivered, 8

Jdg_2:16, Jdg_2:18, Jdg_3:9, Jdg_3:31, Jdg_8:22, Jdg_10:12, Jdg_12:2-3 (2)

saveth, 7

preserved, 4

deliver, 3

salvation, 3

savest, 3

deliverer, 2      Jdg_3:9, Jdg_3:15

saviours, 2       Neh_9:27, Oba_1:21

The name Othniel means “force for God” and as the offspring of Kenaz [H7073] a word which means to hunt.  Babylon has its hunters in Nimrod (Gen 10) and the true Israel are spiritual hunters in seeking out and destroying the inward enemies of Israel.  Anointed of the Lord, we are sent to make war with our enemies.

Jdg 3:10  And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim.

Judging Israel and going to war with our enemies are one in the same thing.  It is through judgment and our judging righteously that the land is sanctified and brought into submission.

Isa 59:18  According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.

Isa 59:19  So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard (THE WORD) against him.

There are two men and two witnesses in Scripture and as God’s people we are those men and those witnesses (old and new man).  Our old man of sin is this heathen King of Mesopotamia.  This King links back to Cush, another son of Ham and Canaan’s brother.  This king is a symbol of our idolatry in fornicating with the gods of this world which our flesh naturally loves to do.

Jer 5:30  A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;

Jer 5:31  The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

Our idolatry is wonderful only in the sense it gives the Lord the occasion to bring judgment and pour out the grace and chastening we need. It is horrible because our wicked deeds of the flesh are an abomination to the Lord.  It was not surprising to see the meaning of the name of this king and enemy of Israel.

H3573, kûshan rish‛âthayim

koo-shan’ rish-aw-thah’-yim

Apparently from H3572 and the dual of H7564; Cushan of double wickedness; Cushan-Rishathajim, a Mesopotamian king: – Chushan-rishathayim.

Double wickedness is other side of the two-edged sword that is the double blessing to the new man we receive in due time.  To spoil our old man and expose our decrepit spiritual condition both our heavens (mind) and our earth (deeds, actions) will be made wicked by the Potter to bring us low and to a place where repentance can be granted.

Jas 4:10  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

When both our minds and deeds are sold into captivity of King Chushanrishathaim, we are being caused to err from the Lord’s ways and our every step is ordered of the Lord.  The word “good” is not in the Hebrew and original Scripture, it was added by carnal men to support their false doctrine that the Lord is not sovereign over all things.

Psa 37:23  The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

Jer 10:23  O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

The fact is we only come to know the Lord in the whirlwind of our judgment.  The Lord leaves the enemies in the land to give Him plenty of opportunities to chasten us and thereby teach us.

Jdg 3:1  Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan;

Jdg 3:2  Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof;

To learn war, one needs practice and experience.  This is why the enemies are left in the land.  Interesting to note there are FIVE Canaanite/Philistine lords which link these heathen nations never totally removed from the land to the chastening grace of God that is symbolized by the number 5 and its various multiples.

We serve the Mesopotamian King in bondage for eight years. This timeline has great spiritual significance also as we are so blessed to know.  These eight years are the time and experiences needed to be circumcised by the hand of God and have our new man increase to the detriment of the old man (Joh 3:30).   It takes eight days (years) to accomplish the circumcision of Jesus Christ, who we are if we are His people and of His flesh and bones in the Body of Christ (Eph 5:30).

Luk 2:21  And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Rev 17:11  And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

The Lord is always seeking an occasion to bring what is necessary to save us.  What is necessary is judgment (fire in our heavens and earth) and it is that process that is delivering us.

Isa 1:27  Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.

1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire (the word judging us in the last day Joh 12:48)

When we are caused to sin (Pro 16:9, Amo 3:6) and fornicate with our flesh and the heathen nations (the world); it gives our Father the occasion for judgment and to bring the best teacher of righteousness known to man.  The Lord is seeking His will to bring all men to repentance and that is done by seeking an occasion to pour out grace that is what saves us (Eph 2:8) and teaching us righteousness.

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Tit 2:12  Teaching (chastening) us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Psa 66:3  Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.

Psa 66:4  All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.

It is by our learning thru our suffering under these cruel inward heathen kings that obedience comes to the land and the enemies are brought into submission.

Exo 23:22  But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.

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

To mature more judgment and more trials are ALWAYS needed and exactly what the Lord dials up for each of us (1Pe 4:13, Heb 5:14).

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Our many failures in driving out the Canaanites is used to humble us and remove all confidence in our flesh.  Only then are can we be justified by faith alone and then we are being circumcised by the hands of God alone (Col 2:11).

Php 3:3  For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. 

Exo 23:30  By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.

After the victory by Othniel, the land has rest for forty years.  We know this rest at this stage of our walk is only temporary as the very verses makes clear.

Jdg 3:12  And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.

We must endure to the end to be saved as we are being saved now via the process.  We have more things to learn always about righteousness.  The Lord gives us times of trials, but He also gives us times of relative peace and prosperity to consolidate our learning.

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

Our flesh is being ruled by a rod of Iron but has not yet been totally destroyed and will rise up again to confront and defy the Israel of God.  The IS, WAS and WILL BE nature of the Word applies to this ongoing battle and cycle of warfare with our flesh.  We are living out Judges (Mat 3:11) now as the Lord has raised up Judges via The Christ and The Word that lives in us.  The Lord via His Word is always winnowing down the old man to bring forth the new man.  There is always something more to be discovered and burned out while we live in flesh bodies.  The message to the churches is a message to us His Church and these words never pass away and the Lord always has some more work to be done to rid us of fornication with worldly nations and gods.

Rev 2:19  I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

Rev 2:20  Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

Rev 2:21  And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

Blessed is the man that can read, hear and live out the words of judgment in the Book of Revelation (Rev 1:3).  In the same way, blessed are the men and woman of God that are being tried in the fire and given many battles with the enemies that the Lord has put and keeps in the Promised Land.

Jas 1:12  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

There comes a time to move on to greater maturity.  The Judge Othniel dies and the cycle of Israel’s (our) learning continues through the entire foundation of these twelve judges.

Your questions and comments are always welcome.  You can also email me directly at peterjwilson56@gmail.com

Studies

Angels of the Lord Camp Around the Saints

Pete

For Our Admonition Part 10

“Angels of the Lord Camp Around the Saints”

Key Verses: 2Ki 6:8-23

Being chosen as the true Israel of God and enduring the circumcision by the hand of God (Rom 2:29) ensures there are plenty of wars when our day of the Lord is at hand.  That is how the heathen nations within us (Luk 17:21) are subdued and brought into subjection to the Lord.  In this war, we lose many battles, especially the ones in the middle of our walk when we don’t remain vigilant to fight the good fight of faith.  The best news is that victory is ensured in Christ.  Whatever the Lord starts in us, He will finish exactly on schedule.

1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Joh 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Joh 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Our story today has Syria warring against Israel with Elisha, the King of Israel, and Elisha’s servant (presumably the spiritual leper Gehazi) in view.  This story like all the OT stories is written for our spiritual edification and admonition.  Here is the first part.

2Ki 6:8  Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. 

2Ki 6:9  And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. 

2Ki 6:10  And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. 

2Ki 6:11  Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? 

2Ki 6:12  And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. 

2Ki 6:13  And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. 

2Ki 6:14  Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. 

2Ki 6:15  And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 

2Ki 6:16  And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 

2Ki 6:17  And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 

We all come to faith as spiritual Syrians.  Abraham, the father of faith and his sons were all Syrians (Chaldeans) first, before they were chosen as the Israel of God.

Deu 26:5  And thou (Israel) shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:

The king of Syria is a representation of our first born old man who wants to claim the land (dominion) that has been promised to Israel, who are God’s elect.  The battle for dominion in the land is with our own flesh, inside the kingdom of God within us.

Mat 10:36  And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

The physical history of flesh Israel reveals to us the spiritual experience that will follow for spiritual Israel which we are, as the Body of Christ.

The Hebrew word for Syria and Syrians [“aram” H758] comes from a root word “armon” that means to be elevated.  No flesh shall glory in the Lord’s presence which means the Syrians will be put into submission before the new man within us is raised up in glory. This requires us to trust in the Lord and His ways when we see the impossible ahead.

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

2Co 10:3  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

So long as we live in clay vessels we need to always be on guard against our flesh and the lusts therein.  They are always seeking to war with Israel to take back the spiritual land that Christ’s elect are being promised as our possession.

2Ki 6:8  Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. 

The King of Syria, a representation of the old man, our man of sin, is warring against the Israel and Christ within us.  This king relies on his servants, the lies and false doctrines of the harlot (Rev 9:16) to guide him in his warring conquests.  Yet Christ in us, the man of God (Elisha), guides the King of Israel (you and me) on the schemes of our fleshly enemies and the wiles of their father, the devil’s, servants. With the warnings and admonitions of truth from Elisha, we, the king, are able to send armies (truth) and save the land and thwart the Syrian advances.  This is spiritual warfare played out daily in our lives illustrated here in a biblical history lesson.

2Ki 6:9  And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. 

2Ki 6:10  And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. 

This engagement and response against the Syrians is an ongoing battle not just once or twice.  We only enter into the Kingdom and eternal life thru many trials of faith and many tribulations (Act 14:22) with our own flesh.  This is how we grow, and our faith is proven.

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Col 1:28  Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

Col 1:29  Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

Elisha, as type of Christ, and the elder and prophet, was obedient to the commands as a faithful watchman and warns us, the king of Israel, of the Syrian plans.

Eze 33:7 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.

Our old man is vexed (troubled) by the continued thwarting of his plans as the land remains under the dominion of Israel.

2Ki 6:11  Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? 

2Ki 6:12  And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. 

The Syrian king discovers that Elisha knows all his secrets and what he speaks in his bed chamber.  This reinforces how the Lord exposes our hidden sins and wicked thoughts in our day of the Lord.  To be destroyed all things must be brought to the Light of Christ.

Mar 4:22  NKJV For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.

The fleshly agenda of the Syrian king within us will be uncovered and the king of Israel is able to defend the land.

Luk 12:2  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.

Luk 12:3  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

Yet our old man does not go easily.  This old king hatches a plan with the objective of capturing Elisha.  This is the plan of the Pharisees in all of us who hate Christ and seek to kill Him.

2Ki 6:13  And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. 

2Ki 6:14  Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. 

Secular scholars like to say that Dothan was the home of Elisha.  While we have no way of knowing that for certain we can deduce some spiritual significance from the name Dothan and apply that to our walk and journey onto maturity in Christ.  The only other place Dothan is mentioned in the Scriptures is the story of Joseph (Gen 37) where his ten brothers attempted to slay him and eventually sold him into slavery in Egypt.  Dothan is also the city where this Syrian army encampment takes places and there is an attempt to capture Elisha and put him into bondage.  Most experts claim Dothan means two wells or two cisterns which does fit both stories where the city is mentioned.

Jer 2:13  For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

Like Joseph’s ten brothers and our flesh, the Syrians, we are committing these two evils as a Pharisee seeking to serve two masters and drink out of the wells of the Spirit and the flesh.  We are both the sons hating and the son being hated at our appointed times.

Gen 37:17  And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.

Gen 37:18  And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. 

As Pharisees we don’t want the land healed, we want to remain in power and control and not submit to the righteousness of Christ.  Hence, we plot like the Syrians to capture Christ.

Mat 12:14  Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.

As Jews that believe on Jesus Christ (Joh 8:31), the Syrians within us (old man), seek to kill Christ and silence the truth so they can remain occupiers of the land.

Joh 8:40  But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.

The king of Syrian wars against the ways of the Spirit and sends many horses, chariots and a huge host (army) to war against Israel and defeat it.  This is our battle against all that is in the world.  Horses symbolize the strength and power of the world and our flesh which is why Israel was commanded not to ride horses nor engage in any horse trading.

Deu 17:14  When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;

Deu 17:16  But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.

Deu 17:17  Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

Of course, with a bunch of heathen kings still living in the land, we are being caused to disobey all these commands first before we are caused to obey the Lord.  The example of Solomon was written for our admonition in taking many horses and many wives.

1Ki 4:26  And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.

1Ki 11:3  And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.

In the negative, chariots are lies and false doctrines that are pulled by the strength (the horses) of our carnal minds.  The two hundred million locusts (Rev 9:16) are described as these chariots which are lies (Isa 9:15) that darken the truth and blot out the Light that are saving us.

Rev 9:7  And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

Rev 9:9  And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

It is through the use of these horses and chariots that our old man, as the King of Syria, wages war against the Israel of God within us and without.  The deceitfulness of sin that lies in all of us creep in unawares in the cover of spiritual darkness.  Before we know it, we are surrounded and we, like this servant, wake up to see our predicament and have no confidence in the Lord to deliver us.  The lesson here is one of faith and how we stand on faith and know that this battle is the Lord’s.

Deu 20:4  For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

We now get to the part of the story that is most instructive to our growing in the faith.

2Ki 6:15  And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 

2Ki 6:16  And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 

The Lord is working this waging war within us and only He brings victory.  Learning to trust in the Lord and His sovereignty is how we are given to rise up and overcome our enemies via our faith.

1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1Co 2:5  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

We are at war with our own flesh which seem hopeless until our eyes are opened.  Our young faith is being tested often as those trials are what build us up in the Lord and move us onto maturity.  We are learning to trust in the Lord alone and His supernatural power but at first, we cannot see the power that Christ has over all things.

Mat 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth (mind and our bodies)

As Christ’s chosen disciples, we already have this power (Christ in us) but we don’t believe at first when our city is surrounded by the enemy.

Luk 10:19  Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

The truth of the Word puts exponentially more enemies to flight when the two converge.  No lies, the enemies of the truth can stand in the presence of truth.  Thus the meanings of these war stories from the OT become clearer to us and the  important of believing.

Lev 26:8  And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.

Deu 32:30  How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?

When we are surrounded by our flesh (Syrians within) and it seems hopeless, the stronger are there to help the weaker in the faith.  This care should be cast upon Christ and we should seek help and prayer from the multitude of counselors.  Elisha, the mature man of God, prays to the Lord for the weak servant to see the spiritual truths and to see the true power of the Lord’s army.

2Ki 6:17  And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 

The fire that surrounds Elisha and all in the Christ is the Living Word (fire) that lives inside of us and is spoken when we speak truth.  The Lord’s horses and chariots are the truth, the doctrines on which we, the elect of God, ride and in which we stand.

Rev 19:14  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

Rev 19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Collectively this army is also known as the battle axe of the Lord through which all these heathen nations are destroyed.

Jer 51:20  Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;

Jer 51:21  And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider;

Christ, through His Christ is our protector and our protection.  There is no other place to be saved (Act 4:12)!  Our seeing this truth comes via the process off maturing via the trials the Lord is working in our life with the Syrians and other heathen nations.  The Body are the saviours and deliverers who help one another and protect us from the enemy within and without.

Psa 34:7  The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. 

Psa 34:8  O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Heb 1:7  And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

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

Most translations say this army was more [H7227] than the Syrians yet that being more or greater is only in power and strength not in quantity.  The sum of the Word makes clear that the people of God are a little flock who are few in number (Mat 22:14) but mighty in Spirit (Mat 28:18)

Luk 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

The lesson of Gideon’s army (Jdg 7) is an OT proof also where a thirty-two thousand strong army was winnowed down to just three hundred by the Lord’s design to conquer the much larger Midianites.   The Lord is saving a few now, through whom all men shall be saved.

2Ki 6:18  And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 

2Ki 6:19  And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. 

2Ki 6:20  And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 

2Ki 6:21  And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? 

2Ki 6:22  And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. 

2Ki 6:23  And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel. 

The second part of our story follows and begins with the Lord’s army coming together as one to hold each other up in time of war (Exo 17:12) and great trials.  It is standing together in the Name of the Lord that our enemies are being defeated.

1Th 5:11  Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

The servant of Elisha (us in our time of unbelief) is strengthened and comforted by the Lord’s small and powerful army that facilitates us winning the battles with our flesh (the Syrians).   The land is subdued and overcome by judgment that brings new light into the picture.  Yet before we can see spiritually we must come to see that we are blind.  The Word that brings judgment at first brings blindness and then only after a while do we realize we were blind as we begin to follow the Lord (Elisha back to Samaria).

Joh 9:39  And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

Joh 9:40  And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?

Joh 9:41  Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

We have an OT witness to the same.  Those gathered against Christ and His Christ (the Syrians within, the Pharisees within) will be blinded and lose all strength and  direction of their old way of life.

Zec 12:3  And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

Zec 12:4  In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.

The fire of the Word of truth destroy our former mindset and reveal our blindness even as God’s people.  It is humbling to be blind and dependent upon others to lead us safely.  But that is how an elevated prideful Syrian is brought low in the appointed time.

Jas 4:10  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Once blinded, the Syrians within us, readily follow Elisha (Mat 9:27, Mar 8:23) where he leads them back to Israel and then reopens their eyes, so they can see.  The last lesson in this story is learning to love our enemies and walking by the  law of faith.  Our enemies are doing exactly what the Lord has made them to do and for that we should be thankful as even they are for our sakes (2Co 4:15).

When our Syrian captives are brought back to the congregation of Israel, our first instinct as the king in training is to smite them or kill them.  This is how the carnal mind works but that is not the Spirit of Christ.

Luk 9:56  For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

Mat 5:43  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

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

Elisha is obedient to the commands of God and teaches the king to be obedient and not do what the whole world does to their enemies.  Loving our enemies, spiritually speaking is for us to feed Christ (the sheep) and give them drink as Elisha persuades the King of Israel to do.  Paul and the Lord tell us to spiritually feed all those He puts in our path.

Rom 12:20  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

Rom 12:21  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Mat 25:37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

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

We can read on in Kings and see that the peace with the Syrians here was only temporary.  The war with our flesh is a lifelong affair that consume our entire age or aion in these clay bodies.  A different leader, king Benhadad, brings the Syrians right back into Israel after a season of peace and ends up conquering and controlling the land.  Little by little we get the victory, overcome and possess the land in the Kingdom of God within us.  Yet no matter where we are in that process, we are to never stop striving to walk the straight and narrow way.

Luk 13:24  Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

Pro 24:16  For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Sincere questions and comments are always welcome.  You can also email me directly at peterjwilson56@gmail.com and I would be  pleased to respond and help any way I can.

Your brother in Christ,  Pete