Job 19:25, “For I know [that] my redeemer liveth, and [that] he shall stand at the latter [day] upon the earth:“
Introduction
In Ruth Chapter 3, we find what can be viewed as a somewhat strange historical account where Ruth the Moabitess softly approaches the sleeping landowner, Boaz, lying on his threshing floor in Bethlehem. She uncovers (and lays down at) Boaz’s feet, whereupon he abruptly awakens, questions her, and then Ruth responds with a request that Boaz spread his “skirt” (כָּנָף (kānāp̄;H3671) over her because Boaz is a “near kinsman”(גָּאַל (gā’al))H1350 to both her dead husband and her dead father-in-law.
The spreading of Boaz’s skirt over Ruth, what does that signify?
In the Book of Ruth chapter3, verse 9, we read where Ruth did as she had been earlier instructed by here widowed mother-in-law, Naomi, to go to the threshing floor where the elder Boaz would be sleeping in a petition for redemption. In the course of that encounter, Boaz awoke, and was startled, and then we read of the following dialogue: “And he said, Who [art] thou? And she answered, I [am] Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thyskirt (כָּנָף (kānāp̄;H3671)over thine handmaid; for thou [art] a near kinsman (גָּאַל (gā’al)H1350).” By announced herself to Boaz, Ruth was also stating that she was a gleaner in Boaz’s fields of barley, but more importantly the “Moabitess”, who was also the daughter-in-law to Naomi, the widow of Elimelech and also the mother of Mahlon (Ruth’s dead husband who left no progeny).
Ruth response was to make it clear to Boaz, by her appearance in this setting at the threshing floor and her obeisance to him in seeking to be covered by his “skirt”, that she was willingly offering herself to be Boaz’s wife, and petitioning him to please serve as a kinsman redeemer for both her dead husband (Mahlon) and her dead father-in-law (Elimelech), by marrying her in order to bear children and raise them up in the name of Boaz’s dead kin folk according to Deuteronomy 25:5&6, “¶ If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband’s brother unto her. And it shall be, [that] the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother [which is] dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.”
The Hebrew Word for “Skirt” Also Means “Wings”
The Overspreading With a “Skirt” Is Like Covering With “Wings” and Has Important Spiritual Implications
We must take particular note here that the original Hebrew word used for “skirt” (כָּנָף (kānāp̄;H3671) is most commonly translated as “wings” exactly as it reads back in Ruth Chapter 2, verses 11 & 12, where we read of an earlier discussion between Boaz and Ruth, “And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and [how] thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings (כָּנָף (kānāp̄;H3671) thou art come to trust.“
Seeking to Come Under the Wings of God
We can see more clearly how this correlates with it being the desire of every believer in seeking mercy from God to come under the shadow of God’s “wings”. Note that the King James translators interpreted כָּנָף (kānāp̄)H3671 in the following manner:wing (74x), skirt (14x), borders (2x), corners (2x), ends (2x), feathered (2x), sort (2x), winged (2x), miscellaneous (8x).
This is just as we read in the Book of Psalms:
Psalm 17:8, “Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings (כָּנָף (kānāp̄;H3671),”
Psalm 36:7, “How excellent [is] thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings (כָּנָף(kānāp̄))H3671;”
Psalm 57:1, “¶[[To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave.]] Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings (כָּנָף (kānāp̄)H3671) will I make my refuge, until [these] calamities be overpast.“
Psalm 61:4, “I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings(כָּנָף (kānāp̄)H3671). Selah.” This could also be interpreted as saying “I will seek refuge under the covert of thy wings“.
Psalm 63:7, “Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thywings (כָּנָף (kānāp̄)H3671); will I rejoice.
Psalm 91:1-4, “¶He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, [He is] my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, [and] from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings (כָּנָף (kānāp̄;H3671) shalt thou trust: his truth [shall be thy] shield and buckler.“
And let us not forget the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 23:37, “¶O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, evenas a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not!“
In the last four verses in Ezekiel 16:60-63, God says that He will remember His covenant and promises to establish a new and everlasting covenant (with the spiritual eternal Israel, the true believing Christians, the Church, which includes those out of all the world saved by grace and not by the works of the law).
And is it not interesting that the cherubims’ wings covered the “Mercy Seat” of God in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle and the Temple of God? Exodus 25:20, “And the cherubims shall stretch forth [their] wings(כָּנָף (kānāp̄;H3671) on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings(כָּנָף (kānāp̄;H3671), and their faces [shall] look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.”
Under the wings of God is where one must trust for mercy to be found! Malachi 4:2, “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings(כָּנָף (kānāp̄))H3671; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” Note that the word “Sun” is capitalized to highlight that this verse is describing God, and therefore should be understood to be a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The LORD Jesus Christ Is The Believer’s “Kinsman – Redeemer”
The Hebrew term (go el) for kinsman-redeemer designates one who delivers or rescues as we read in Genesis 48:16, where Jospeph is speaking to his father, Jacob/Israel, “The Angel which redeemed(גָּאַל (gā’al))H1350me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” and Exodus 6:6, “Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I [am] the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeemH1350you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:” or redeems property (Leviticus 27:9-25) or redeems a person under what is known as “The Law of Redemption” in Leviticus 25:23-55). And a kinsman/redeemer is someone who redeems, or vindicates, a relative to raise up children in the relative’s name according to Deuteronomy 25:5&6 and which is best illustrated in the Bible in the book of Ruth, where the kinsman-redeemer is Boaz
Note Also that the words “Near Kinsman” is translated from the Hebrew word גָּאַל (gā’al)H1350, which is translated 18x in the Bible as “Redeemer” as we find in the following examples which all unequivocally point to the LORD Jesus Christ:
Job 19:25, “For I know [that] my redeemerH1350 liveth, and [that] he shall stand at the latter [day] upon the earth:“
Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.H1350“
Psalm 78:35, “And they remembered that God [was] their rock, and the high God their redeemer.H1350“
Proverbs 23:11, “For their redeemerH1350 [is] mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.”
Isaiah 44:6, “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemerH1350 the LORD of hosts; I [am] the first, and I [am] the last; and beside me [there is] no God.” (See also Revelation 2:8 and Revelation 22:13)
Isaiah 48:17, “Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer,H1350 the Holy One of Israel; I [am] the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way [that] thou shouldest go.”
Isaiah 54:5, “For thy Maker [is] thine husband; the LORD of hosts [is] his name; and thy RedeemerH1350 the Holy One of Israel;The God of the whole earth shall he be called.”
In Ruth 3: 10, we read the subsequent words of Boaz, “And he said, Blessed [be] thou of the Lord, my daughter: [for] thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.” Boaz realizes that he is old enough to be Ruth’s father and that he would not normally be appealing to a younger woman. Boaz Blessed Ruth in the Name of the Lord and again called her “daughter”! Boaz also was speaking comfortably to Ruth, similar to what we read in Isaiah 40:1 & 2, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.“
The in Ruth 3:11, “And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou [art] a virtuous woman.” The meaning of a virtuous woman can be found in Proverbs 31:10-31 and Titus 2:5. For more on what it means to be a virtuous woman according to the Bible, please see “The Virtuous Woman“. For a more detailed exposition on the spiritual meaning of the Book of Ruth, please see “The Book of Ruth“.
NOTE: The King James Version of the English Bible translates Strong’s H1350 in the following manner: redeem (50x), redeemer (18x), kinsman (13x), revenger (7x), avenger (6x), ransom (2x), at all (2x), deliver (1x), kinsfolks (1x), kinsman’s part (1x), purchase (1x), stain (1x), wise (1x). What is interesting is that on the positive side the “kinsman/redeemer” is found a total of 31 times, but notice that on the negative side, “revenger/avenger” is found 13 times! The revenger/ avenger is someone who is seeking to avenge the death of a close relative by going after the one who killed that close relative. This would seem to be a reflection of the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is either someone’s Kinsman Redeemer or someone’s Revenging/Avenging Judge and Executioner, because that person had accidentally caused the death of someone (e.g., a believer). And in 1 John 3:15 we read that even hating someone makes that person a murderer in God’s eyes. But remember also that the slayer could still flee to a “city of refuge”…and that is a picture of the fact that there is still the opportunity for salvation when one repents and asks God for mercy.
Conclusion
Ruth, a stranger and Moabitess, was physically safe with Boaz, just as the believers (represented by Ruth) are spiritually safe with The LORD Jesus Christ (represented by Boaz). For Salvation from sin, everyone must seek to be covered by the Atoning Wings of Jesus, as his or her Kinsman Redeemer (for everyone who descended from Adam whom God chooses to save). Moreover, in serving as Ruth’s kinsman/redeemer Boaz raised up a son, Obed, in Elimelech’s name (Ruth’s dead father-in-law), who became the grandfather of king David, and the progenitor of Jesus Christ (through Mary). It would seem fair to say that Jesus, raised up seed (the believers) in Adam’s name, with Jesus being all believers’ Kinsman – Redeemer.
Finally we should remember what God tells us in Ezekiel 16:8, “Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time [was] the time of love; and I spread my skirt (כָּנָף (kānāp̄;H3671or “wings“) over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.” It is difficult for one’s eyes not to swell up with tears at the reading of these Words of God when realizing that, while God was historically speaking to National Israel, is is more importantly showing us how spiritually God loves every believer who is part of the Eternal Israel of God.
The Great Division: Jesus’ Parables of the “Sheep and the Goats”, the “Wheat and the Tares”, and “The Good Fish and Bad Fish in the Net” (All Pointing to Judgment Day)
Jesus presented us with several parables that deal with the Great Separation/Division that is surely coming soon on Judgment Day, and three of these are particularly in view in this study. The first uses the metaphor of a King (representing God) dividing the nations as though they were sheep set apart from the goats in Matthew 25:31-46. These verses come immediately after Jesus’ having just spoken the Parable of the Talents. The verses dealing with the sheep and the goats are consistent with the “Talents” parable, and they provide additional insights regarding it, and should therefore be viewed in that context as a follow-on to that parable. [Please note that Jesus’ provides us with additional insights pertinent to this “great division” in His “Parable of the Ten Virgins“.]
Two other of Jesus’ Great Separation parables use 1) a metaphor of the unwanted tares (weeds) growing in among the desired wheat that was sown in a field that are separated upon the harvest, and 2) a metaphor of good fish and bad fish caught together but separated on the shore. In all three parables, we see a picture of how, on Judgment Day at the end of the World, God will separate the righteous (represented by both the sheep, the wheat, and the good fish) to enter into Heaven, from the unsaved of the world, the reprobates (represented by goats, the tares, and the bad kind of fish), who will be cast into Hell forever. These three parables are extremely ominous in their implications, but nonetheless so very true in this understanding, particularly because the second parable is fully explained by none other than Jesus Christ Himself.
Jesus’ Parable of the Sheep and the Goats
Matthew 25:31-46, “¶When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth [his] sheep from the goats:And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. ¶Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took [thee] in? or naked, and clothed [thee]? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 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. ¶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: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 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. ¶Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] not to one of the least of these, ye did [it] not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.“
The First Division: Jesus’ Parable of the Wheat and the Tares
Matthew 13:24-29, “¶Another parable put he (Jesus) forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.“
Jesus’ Exposition of the Parable of the Wheat and the Taresd
So that there can be no doubt about what is the meaning of this second parable, Jesus Himself provides us with the correct interpretation. We read the explanation of the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares in Matthew 13:36-43, “¶Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. ¶He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked [one]; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” [NOTE: regarding the meaning of “ears to hear“, please see this post]
And is not this division of wheat and the tares identical to, and consistent with, the separation that we read about in Hebrews 6:7&8, “¶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: But that which beareth thorns and briers [is] rejected, and [is] nigh unto cursing; whose end [is] to be burned.“
Jesus said, “The Harvest is the End of the World”
This exposition by Jesus is telling us that Jesus will return at the end of the world and hence He must be referring to Judgment Day. Jesus said explicitly, “the harvest is the end of the world;” according to Matthew 13:39, which will be when the world is ready to be reaped, and all those who are to be saved will have been saved and taken up into Heaven, and when the wicked will be Judged guilty and cast into Hell. Jesus said in Matthew 13:39 when explaining to His disciples the meaning of the “Parable of the Tares of the Field” that, “The enemy that sowed them (the tares) is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.” For more on this, please see again the “Parable of the Sower.“ And note the consistency with what is stated in Exodus 23:16, “And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, [which is] in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.”
Mark 4:26-29, “¶And he (Jesus) said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.“
Matthew 13:30, “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.“
Joel 3:13, “Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness [is] great.“
Revelation 14:19, “And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast [it] into the great winepress of the wrath of God.“
And note also the harmony of what we read in Matthew 5:45, “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.“, which indicates that just as both the wheat and the tares are allowed to grow together until the harvest at the end of the world, in the meantime, that they will still share the same earthly temporal benefits.
The Second Division: The Harvest of Wheat Takes Place at the Threshing Floor of God
There is one more “Division” that we are told about in the Bible, which is also agriculturally focused and has the same implications regarding Judgment Day. It is the separating of the “wheat” (which represents the same as in the parable of the Wheat and the Tares: the righteous, the believers) from the “chaff” (representing the same as with the tares: the unsaved, the reprobates), which John the Baptist spoke of regarding Jesus on Judgment Day in both Matthew 3:12, “Whose fan [is] in his hand, and he (Jesus) will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he (Jesus) will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” and Luke 3:17, “Whose fan [is] in his hand, and he (Jesus) will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he (Jesus) will burn with fire unquenchable.” The “garner” (which is a barn or harvest house) spiritually represents Heaven, while the “unquenchable fire” spiritually represents the fires of Hell for eternity.
Typical Threshing Floor
The “floor” means “threshing floor” where the division of the wheat and the chaff takes place. The “fan” is a tool that is held in the harvester’s hand, which involves the throwing up/winnowing of the mixture of the collected harvested material into the air such that the wind carries away the chaff to the side (that is usually burned), while the desired wheat or barley(corn) drops to the floor for collecting into heaps and then storage vessels, usually placed in a barn. Threshing floors are generally located on hilltops where the wind blows most consistently.
Threshing floors have great spiritual significance in the Bible.
It is where Ruth made her petition for redemption to Boaz inRuth Chapter 3, “And now [is] not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor.”
The Holy Temple in Jerusalem was built by King Solomon on the site of the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, which King David purchased and had been told to erect an altar to God in 1 Chronicles 21:18, “Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. And later in 2 Chronicles 3:1, we read, “Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where [the LORD] appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.”
A much more detailed exposition on the meaning of the “Threshing Floor” can be found in the exposition of the Book of Ruth (and, the Lord Willing, in a future standalone post).
The Third Division: The Good and Bad Fish in the Net
Jesus spoke another parable that provided a third perspective on the great division of mankind. In Matthew 13:47-50, we read where Jesus said, “¶Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.“
Note that this parable of Jesus was immediately followed by these two verses: Matthew 13:51&52, “¶Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. ¶Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe [which is] instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man [that is] an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure [things] new and old.” The scribe and householder is the believer whose treasure includes the hidden things of God as found in both the Old and New Testaments concerning Jesus.
It might be useful to consider here how the “fish” are used by God to represent “people”. This was made clear when Jesus called Peter and his brother Andrew to follow Him and that He would make them “fishers of men” in Matthew 4:19, “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishersofmen.” and Mark 1:17, “And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishersofmen.” Then there is Luke 5:1-10, where in the last verse we read, 324“And so [was] also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.“ Therefore the fishes spiritually (via allegory), represent mankind, because Jesus clearly said that this is the case.
Then we are also present with the case where God records the historical account of Jesus appearing to the disciples (post-Resurrection) on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (“Sea of Tiberias“) as Peter along with named other disciples were fishing as we read in John 21:1-11, “¶After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he [himself]. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the [sons] of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing.They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. ¶And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. ¶Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt [his] fisher’s coat [unto him], (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. ¶Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.“ The disciples under the direction of Jesus caught a great multitude of fish (153 fish to be exact). We can infer therefore that these fish represent a lot of men.
NOTE: There is a reason that the number of caught fish in the net is specified as being exactly 153. 153 is a unique number which highlights the prime number “17”, which can be factored from it in two different ways. If we add 1 +2 +3 +4 +5…..up to and including +17, we find that the sum equals 153! The Number 153 also breaks down like this: 3 x 3 x “17“. In a previous post onthe meaning of Numbers in the Bible, it was shown how the number “3” represents “the Purpose or Will of God” and the number “17” (a prime number that cannot be divided any further) represents “Heaven” in the Bible. The number 17 is therefore uniquely highlighted in two different ways that no other number besides 153 will be capable of doing. We can see that the spiritual implication that God has incorporated into this historical account, and the insertion of this unique number, is that it was the Purpose and Will of God that the disciples, led by Peter, should become “fishers of men“, and they would be used of God to bring a great number of souls into Heaven in accord with Jesus’ declaration that is recorded in Matthew 4:19 and Mark 1:17.
Conclusion
The Great Division of all Mankind who have ever lived, and ever will live, will take place at the end of this world on Judgment Day. Judgment Day is when the harvest of souls occurs.Jesus specifically said inMatthew 13:49&50, “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.“
One part of mankind (represented by the sheep, the wheat, and the good fish) will enter into Heaven (God’s Green Pasture, the Great Harvest Home, and the vessels for good) and as a result of those people having King Jesus Christ’s Righteousness imputed to themwhile the other part of mankind (represented by the goats, the tares/weeds or chaff, and the bad fish) will stand naked before God in their unredeemed sinful state and be cast into the fires of Hell for Eternity.
Are you ready? If you are not ready, it may still be possible for you to cry out to God for mercy through the Person and Atoning Sacrificial Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, such that He might show mercy to you before that Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, Judgment Day. The LORD Jesus Christ is mankind’s ONLY Hope, and The ONLY Means of salvation from God’s just penalty for our sins. There is only one alternative, and that is to spend an eternity in Hell.
Psalm 96:13, “…Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.“
Joel 2:11, “And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp [is] very great: for [he is] strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD [is] great and very terrible; and who can abide it?“
Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” and we are told in 2 Peter 3:13, “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” The believers who seek after righteousness are seeking Jesus for their Salvation and will have Jesus’ righteousness imputed to them forever in the new heavens and a new earth.
Hosea 14:9, “Who [is] wise, and he shall understand these [things]? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD [are] right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.“
POSTSCRIPT
Other verses to ponder concerning the issue of “Division“:
1) In Luke 12:51-53, Jesus was unequivocal in saying, “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; butrather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.” (see also Matthew 10:34–39 )
2) Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.“
3) The Book of Remembrance:Malachi 3:16-18, “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard [it], and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.“
4) Dear reader, please think about this also. During the Crucifixion of the Lord, Jesus Christ, there was a thief on the right hand of Jesus, and a thief on the left hand. Matthew 27:38, “Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.” Likewise we read in Mark 15:27, “And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.” and in Luke 23:33, “And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.“
But we also read later in Luke 23:39, “¶And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. ¶But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.¶ And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.“
One was saved and one was not. Another clear separation!
Two of Jesus’ parables have very similar themes. While each parable has unique aspects, they both deal with an powerful host inviting people to come in and attend a prepared feast, but for one reason or another the invited guests were generally not interested, made excuses, mocked the host, or in fact became hostile and violent to those who were sent to bid them to come. So let us first see what they say, and then next consider the spiritual implications that they hold for all of mankind.
Parable of the King’s Son’s Marriage Dinner (full text)
Matthew 22:1–14, “¶ And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and [my] fatlings [are] killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise. And the remnant took his servants, and entreated [them] spitefully, and slew [them]. But when the king heard [thereof], he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. ¶And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast [him] into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.¶ For many are called, but few [are] chosen.“
Parable of the Great Supper (full text)
Luke 14:15–24 , “¶Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one [consent] began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel [them] to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.“
An Exposition of the Two Parables
In both parables, Jesus is instructing us that God the Father has ordained that His Beloved Son, the LORD Jesus Christ, as the Bridegroom, would have a Wedding and Marriage Feast, wherein the Church, the Body of Christ, the true Believers, from throughout all the world throughout all time would be the Bride, exactly as we are told in Revelation:
Revelation 19:7-9, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. ¶And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.“
Revelation 21:2, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
Revelation 21:9&10, “¶And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,“
In both parables, invitations were sent out to an initial list of invitees, and that initial list of those bidden allegorically represented National Israel (the Nation within which Jesus was specifically speaking at the time). National Israel did not accept Jesus as the Messiah. They either scoffed at the idea that a “carpenter’s son”, a man from Nazareth and Galilee could possibly be the promised Messiah or they made excuses for not believing in Him. Then the witnesses of Jesus’ miracles were cast out of the synagogues, and the majority of National Israel, up to and including the High Priest, not only aided and abetted the execution of Jesus, but they joined in scourging and even stoning to death those messengers who later brought the Gospel of Salvation (who in fact were simply bidding them to come to Jesus as LORD God and King and to partake of that consummate wedding feast that would take place at the end of the world). God declared that they would be destroyed, and never enter into Heaven, and, as a result, that the Gospel would henceforth go out to all the Gentile world, bringing in everyone (including a remnant of National Israel saved by Grace) who hunger and thirst after righteousness. God the Father would draw them all to Jesus by The Holy Spirit through the “hearing” of the Word. And this all began at Pentecost in 33 AD after Jesus’ Atoning Sacrifice, Resurrection, and Ascension where He now sits at the Right Hand of God the Father.
The First Parable: “Ye Must be Born Again” (John 3:7)
Beating and Killing the Servants/Messengers
The first part of the parable, where the “And the remnant took his servants, and entreated [them] spitefully, and slew [them]” can be related to the warnings to the chief priests and Pharisees of National Israel, and likened to Jesus’ Parable of the Vineyard Owner that we read about in Matthew 21:33-46, as well as Jesus’ more direct denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites in Matthew 23:29-39 for beating, imprisoning, and killing the prophets whom God had sent to them. [For more on this refusal to come to the wedding feast of the king, please see the Typology of Queen Vashti in the detailed exposition of the Book of Esther]
The Wedding Feast/Marriage Feast
Without any doubt this parable of Jesus in referring to the “marriage/wedding feast/dinner” points us directly back to Revelation 19:7-9, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. ¶And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.“
The Man Without a Wedding Garment
Interestingly, the first parable, Matthew 22:1–14, ended with a man who arrived at the wedding feast without a wedding garment. Not only was the man denied entry, but we read of his condemnation by the wrathful king, “Then said the the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast [him] into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
What happened there? What was the big deal? When we compare scripture with scripture it becomes clear what this part of the parable is about.
“Wedding Garment“?
From Revelation 19:7-9 above God makes clear that the “wedding garment” represents the robe of Christ’s righteousness imputed to the believer that covers all his or her sins. “…arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”
And in order to have the robes of Christ’s Righteousness one has to be “born again”. In John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
And that helps to explain why when the servants were told to “…Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.” Those who are born again of the Holy Spirit are spiritually arrayed with that wedding garment are therefore made “good”, and those without a wedding garment remain “bad”.
And this also explains the meaning of “¶ For many are called, but few [are] chosen.“ Those who have the Wedding Garments are not just called, but they are also Chosen. They must be the Elect of God. God chooses, we do not.
“Friend“?
Next, please note that the king addressed the man as “Friend“, from the original Greek word, ἑταῖρος (hetairos)G2083, which means “acquaintance” or “comrade” and most certainly implies close “familiarity”. But we should be careful to note that this word for “friend” is used sparingly in the Bible, only four times and only in the Book of Matthew (and each of the three times that it is found in the singular, it is also capitalized in the King James translation). And, with further scrutiny, we can see that this word translated in English as “Friend” does not have the same positive connotation that one might initially think, in fact just the opposite, it is quite negative.
The connotation is negative, because, most notably, this particular word that is translated as “Friend” just so happens to also be the exact same word that Jesus used in addressing Judas (upon being betrayed by Judas with a kiss) as we read in Matthew 26:48-50, ¶Now he (Judas) that betrayed him (Jesus) gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith he (Judas) came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. ¶And Jesus said unto him, Friend (ἑταῖρος (hetairos))G2083, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.” And also note how well that compares with Psalm 41:9, “Yea, mine own familiarfriend(אִישׁ (‘îš))H376, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.” [[Note that this word in the original Hebrew, which is translated here as “friend” (אִישׁ (‘îš))H376, is almost always (more than one thousand times) translated in the Bible simply as “man“. So, although it was a bit misleading for the King James translators to have translated this Hebrew word into English as “friend”, it nonetheless certainly served God’s purpose to help the reader to relate to it as a prefigurement of Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus.]]
In English we have only one word for “friend”, but in the Greek there is clearly a distinction between the meanings of the two words found in the New Testament that have been both been translated into English as “friend”. The other word in the original Greek is φίλος (philos)G5384 that was translated into English as “friend” is found in the following verses (and these are just a small sample)”:
John 15:13-16, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.G5384Ye are myfriends,G5384if ye do whatsoever I command you.Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends;G5384for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.“
Remember in Matthew 7:21-23, where Jesus spoke regarding Judgment Day, “¶Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.“
Luke 6:46, “¶And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
Luke 13:23-28, “Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you [yourselves] thrust out.“
Speaking of these “friends“, as described above in John 15:13…when we look back in the Old Testament at the original Hebrew word that is translated into English as “friends” by the King James translators in Zechariah 13:6, we can find something very interesting. “And [one] shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, [Those] with which I was wounded (smitten) [in] the house of my friends.” In the original Hebrew, the word that is shown here as “friends” is the word, אָהַב (‘āhaḇ)H157, which means “beloved“. In the King James Bible, אָהַב (‘āhaḇ)H157 is translated in following manner: love (169x), lover(s) (19x), friend(s) (12x), beloved (5x), liketh (1x), lovely (1x), loving (1x). It is a very deep and intimate love. Therefore, this Messianic verse is telling us that Jesus is saying that He was wounded in the house of His “beloved“. Note how this is so very consistent with what we are told in Isaiah 53:5, “But he [was] wounded (desecrated) for our transgressions, [he was] bruised (broken) for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.“
That “man” is an allegorical representative of all those who take upon themselves the name of Jesus Christ, who go to a “Christian” church and are generally associated with the believers, and who are confident that their sins are covered and that they are therefore qualified to be welcomed into Heaven. However, in fact, they have never been “Born Again by the Spirit“, and thus they have never been adorned with the robes of Christ’s Righteousness. They remain naked in their sins, and therefore still subject to God’s wrath, to be cast into Hell forever. The parable rightly ends with the statement, “¶For many are called, but few [are] chosen.“
Many hear the call of the words of the Gospel of Salvation by Jesus Christ, and many go through the motions of what outwardly appear to be the hallmarks of being a Christian, but few are those who are really counted among the Elect of God. And only the Elect of God are internally born again by God’s Holy Spirit. Remember what Jesus said in John 3:5-8, “¶Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.“
This is also the same message that we read about in The Parable of the Ten Virgins, which makes clear that Jesus did NOT die to save “everyone” from their sins! Jesus only came to seek and save those whom God had chosen to save, those who are Born Again of the Spirit, those who God counts to be among the Elect of God, and those who are otherwise referred to as “the sheep” of the Flock of The Good Shepherd, The LORD Jesus Christ!
Another pertinent verse to ponder: Luke 12:45-48, “But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for [him], and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not [himself], neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”
We must pay particular attention to these words as they are identical to what we read was the fate of the unprofitable servant in Jesus’ Parable of the Talents as we read in Matthew 25:30, “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Compare also with Matthew 13:49&50, “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” There is therefore no doubt that the man without the wedding garment and the unprofitable servant shared the exact same fate, and the description of that fate represents the torment that all who remain dead in trespasses and sins (the unsaved) will have to endure in Hell for all eternity. This is the reality Jesus was conveying in His parables, and which has the greatest import for all of humanity!
The Second Parable: No Excuses!
In the second parable, Luke 14:15–24 , instead of mocking the host, the original invitees to the “great supper” simply ignored the host’s sent servant (Jesus Himself) and made excuses “And they all with one [consent] began to make excuse.” Three example excuses are provided, but then, when the host (allegorically representing God the Father) hears of it, he becomes angry. Again we see how the invitees who make excuses are used in the parable to, in the first instance, represent National Israel who were bidden first but refused to come (but more importantly, serve spiritually as a “Type” to represent all of mankind who reject The LORD Jesus Christ and His Gospel call). This is explained more clearly when we look at the role of Queen Vashti in the Historical Parable found in the Book of Esther.
However, as a result of that rejection by National Israel, that same invitation (the Gospel call to come to Jesus and His Passover and ultimately His Wedding Feast) would henceforth go out to all the Gentile world, bringing in everyone and anyone who, because of their natural sin-sick state, are made aware that they are spiritually poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. Remember in James 2:5, we read, “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” (The account of Ruth, a cursed Moabitess, provides us with a metaphor for someone who is spiritually a widow, a stranger, and poor; and the account of Mephibosheth provides us with a metaphor for someone who is spiritually lame (hence “maimed” and “halt“), and Hearing Ear and Seeing Eye explains what it means to be spiritually deaf and blind). Moreover all believers are commanded by Jesus in His Great Commission to go into “all the world” and preach the gospel to the Gentiles, as we read inMark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.“
God the Father would draw these desperate, but chosen, people to Jesus by The Holy Spirit through the “hearing” of the Word. And, also again, we see a similar fate for those who declined the supper invitation with excuses, whereupon the angry host declares, “That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.” Those who deny Jesus, and His Gospel Call, are doomed to endure the wrath of God for their sins for an eternity in Hell.
CONCLUSION
At one time or another, everyone, in some way or another, will be confronted with having to deal with the invitation to Come to Jesus for forgiveness of sins and to come to the great wedding feast in Heaven with Jesus, as prepared by God the Father. Everyone will have to respond by either “hearing” The Word of God and lovingly and joyfully responding to that invitation, or
Make excuses because of each one’s love of this world, in opposition to God’s warning in 1 John 2:15, “Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”, and Matthew 10:37, where Jesus said, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” or…
Dismissively mock Jesus and His Ambassadors, as we read in Matthew 27:41, “¶Likewise also the chief priests mocking [him], with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.” (and remember that these scribes and elders were those who “knew” what the scriptures said, but, because they were spiritually blind, they could not “know” Jesus, Who was the embodiment of those scriptures) and in Acts 2:13, at Pentecost, “¶Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.“, or…
Hate the messengers because they hate the message (they hate Jesus). Remember what Jesus said in John 15:18, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before [it hated] you.” and John 15:19, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” And remember that by God’s standard, that would make all of them “murderers” as we read in 1 John 3:15, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.“)
In the end, on Judgment Day, these latter individuals will find out the Truth, but it will then be too late.
“¶For many are called, but few [are] chosen.“
POSTSCRIPT
National Israel Condemned?
The above exposition makes clear that Jesus was condemning National Israel for rejecting Him and the Gospel of Salvation by Grace through Him. Jesus spoke in parables to the multitudes for a reason, which is explained in a previous post on Parables. Moreover, there are many professing Christians and theologians who claim that God still has a special plan and place for National Israel in a future great awakening, in some type of New Dispensation. That is simply NOT TRUE!There is only ONE Gospel of Grace, which spans all of history, and it applies to both Jew and Gentile alike (the remnant of sinful mankind saved by Grace alone through faith), and it has always been the case and will always be the case right up until Judgment Day. How can this be assured?
The Bible is the source book of Truth. We have only to look back in the Bible, in the Old Testament Book of Esther, another Historical Parable, for confirmation. There in the beginning of that book, Chapter 1, verses 1-22, we find another instance of a banquet feast being held by a great king and his bidding of guests to attend.
Foremost of those bidden guests was Queen Vashti: A beautiful queen, the first wife of the king Ahasuerus. When she was bidden by the king (by his “commandment”) to that great feast, she refused to come while holding her own feast for the women; so the king in his wrath decreed that she could never again come into his presence. The king (who is an allegorical “Type” for God) also decreed, at the advice of his wise men, that her royal estate be given “to another that is better than she.” King Ahasuerus then sent letters to all his provinces to be published “to every people after their language” to find a replacement for Queen Vashti.
Esther was that replacement: A fair and beautiful maid, a virgin, (and an orphan, because “for she had neither mother or father”) who was brought up by Mordecai, her elder cousin (both being Benjamite Jews), and he “took for his own daughter“… “whenher father and mother were dead“.) Esther pleased king Ahasuerus and “she obtained kindness of him.” “And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.“
Please see Deuteronomy 31:16-18, because it lays the foundation for understanding why National Israel, as a people, fell under and have remained under God’s wrath and condemnation: “¶And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go [to be] among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God [is] not among us? And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.”
God provides additional commentary in Psalm 95:10&11 regarding the nation of Israel after their coming out of Egypt, “Forty years long was I grieved with [this] generation, and said, It [is] a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.“
Going back to the parable of Matthew 22:1-14? The “remnant”, that Jesus said was bidden to the wedding feast, but who refused to come and then slew the King’s servants(the Christians), was National Israel! Like Vashti, National Israel acted rebelliously. She refused to come when bidden to the Feast. She was disobedient. Anyone who takes the same action in response to God’s command to “Come unto me” will be cast out of the presence of God forever. Nonetheless, there is another “remnant” of National Israel who God has chosen by Grace before the foundation of the world to be counted among God’s Elect.
[It has also been pointed out to this teacher, that Queen Vashti has attributes that can also be likened to the apostate “Christian” church (as opposed to the true eternal church of Jesus Christ), which in effect also refuses God’s command to come to His feast, because it is conducting its own feast in the house that otherwise belongs to God]
[Some may think that because National Israel was restored as a nation among nations again in 1948, with its capital established in Jerusalem in 1967, that this means that God brought this about to restore His relationship with National again. Absolutely NOT! Rather, it is because it is the fulfillment of Jesus proclamation concerning the “parable of the fig tree.” Matthew 24:32&33, “¶Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors.” The parable was provided in the context of determining the time of the end of the world. Note that it does not say that there would be any fruit. Let him who has ears hear. For more on this topic, please see “Will the Temple Ever Be Rebuilt?]
For additional corroboration please remember what we are told in:
Romans 2:9-11, “Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.”
Acts 10:34, “¶Then Peter opened [his] mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. The word which [God] sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)“
Do you now see how closely this historical account from the Book of Esther so closely mimics and sheds new light upon Jesus’ parables of the two feasts? They are completely consistent!
May this and all the posts found on this website be a blessing to all who read them and may God grant those readers the ears to hear and the eyes to see.
Introduction: A Different Hermeneutic “Which the Holy Ghost Teacheth: Comparing Spiritual Things with Spiritual“
1 Corinthians, Chapter 2, has a lot to say about “spiritual” understanding and interpretation of God’s Word as compared with that of unregenerate, natural man’s method of interpretation. This chapter outlines and explains GOD’S Hermeneutic…which is the key to Bible interpretation! That Hermeneutic, being entirely Spiritual, is that “whichthe Holy Ghost teacheth: comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (holy scripture with holy scripture) precisely as Jesus revealed in the course of His explanation of The Parable of the Sower.
God, in speaking through the Apostle Paul in the first letter to the church in Corinth, emphasizes that there is a clear distinction between the “wisdom of men” and the “Wisdom of God.” This chapter shows us that the only possible means by which that gap can be closed is ONLY if God anoints an individual with His Holy Spirit, commensurate with Salvation by Grace, because of the intercessory Atoning Work and Sacrifice of the LORD Jesus Christ for the sinner’s sins. “Jesus Christ and Him Crucified“.
1 Corinthians 2:1, “¶And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom (σοφία (sophia))G4678, declaring unto you the testimony of God.“
Any man who can read the Bible can easily tell you what the words in the Bible “say”, but only God, through His Holy Spirit, can reveal what the Word “means” for the purpose of the Salvation of the soul.
1 Corinthians 1:17, “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.”
1 Corinthians 2:2, For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
Philippians 3:8, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them [but] dung, that I may win Christ,“
1 Corinthians 2:3, “And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.”
2 Corinthians4:8, “[We are] troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;“
Psalm 2:11, “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” and Philippians 2:12, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.“
1 Corinthians 2:4, “And my speech and my preaching [was] not with enticing words of man’s wisdom (σοφία (sophia))G4678, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:“
2 Peter 1:16, “¶For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (Please see the post “The Mount of Transfiguration“)
Romans 15:19, “Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.“
1 Corinthians 2:5, “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom (σοφία (sophia))G4678of men, but in the power of God.“
2 Corinthians 4:7, “¶But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.“
Acts 20:27&28, “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.“
1 Corinthians 2:6, “¶Howbeit we speak wisdom (σοφία (sophia))G4678 among them that are perfect (τέλειος (teleios))G5046: yet not the wisdom (σοφία (sophia))G4678of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:“
Natural, fleshly, mankind is incapable of having the necessary wisdom of God to understand and discern the true meaning of God’s intent as found in His Word, as God’s Wisdom is only revealed to the saved soul as a Gift by the Power of God’s Holy Spirit. Please see this post: “Refutation of the Literal – Grammatical – Historical Hermeneutic“.
2 Corinthians 1:12, “¶For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.“
The word “perfect” is τέλειος (teleios)G5046, which in the original Greek does mean both “perfect” and “complete“, and is entirely consistent with Matthew 5:48, “Be ye therefore perfect(τέλειος (teleios))G5046, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect (τέλειος (teleios))G5046.”
Hebrews 12:22, “¶But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect(τέλειος (teleios))G5046,“
Hebrews 5:14, “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age(τέλειος (teleios))G5046, [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.“
And the segue to this chapter are the last four verses of Chapter 1, 1 Corinthians 1:28-31, “And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, [yea], and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” The last part of the last verse is repeated in 2 Corinthians 10:17, “But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.“
1 Corinthians 2:7, “But we speak the wisdom (σοφία (sophia))G4678of God in a mystery (μυστήριον (mystērion))G3466, [even] the hidden (ἀποκρύπτω (apokryptō)G613[wisdom], which God ordained (προορίζω (proorizō))G4309before the world unto our glory:“
“Wisdom“
Regarding “wisdom” (σοφία (sophia))G4678 it is really referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, as we read in the preceding chapter in 1 Corinthians 1:30, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:”
“Mystery“
Ephesians 3:3-5, “How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery (μυστήριον (mystērion))G3466; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery (μυστήριον (mystērion))G3466of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;”
Remember when Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 4:11&12, “And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery (μυστήριον (mystērion))G3466, of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all [these] things are done in parables:That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and [their] sins should be forgiven them.“
Colossians 1:26-29, “[Even] the mystery (μυστήριον (mystērion))G3466 which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery (μυστήριον (mystērion))G3466 among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, andteaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect (τέλειος (teleios))G5046 in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”
And we must also remember that Jesus Is The Embodiment of the mystery, as we read in Colossians 2:2&3, “That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery (μυστήριον (mystērion))G3466 of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.“
Moreover as we read in 1 Timothy 3:16, “And without controversy great is the mystery (μυστήριον (mystērion))G3466of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”
“Hidden“
Matthew 11:25, “At that time Jesus answered and said,I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid (ἀποκρύπτω (apokryptō)G613these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.“
Ephesians 3:9, “And to make all [men] see what [is] the fellowship of the mystery (μυστήριον (mystērion))G3466, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid (ἀποκρύπτω (apokryptō)G613in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly [places] might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:“
“Ordained“
Not also that the original Greek word, προορίζω (proorizō)G4309, which is translated as “ordained” before, is the same word that is also translated as “predestinated” as we read in Romans 8:29&30, “For whom he did foreknow, heG4309also did predestinateG4309[to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might bethe firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate,G4309them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.“
All of this was predestined and foreordained before the world was even created!
1 Corinthians 2:8, “Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known [it], they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.“
Not everyone “understands”. To most people, the Word of God is hidden, because there are only a few who have been granted the “ears to hear and the eyes to see.” Please listen carefully to the words of Jesus’ joyful prayer to God The Father…
Matthew 11:25-27, “¶At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal [him.]“
Similarly in Luke 10:21&22, ҦIn that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and [he] to whom the Son will reveal [him].
And please note carefully what Jesus said to His disciples “privately” in the very next two verses in Luke 10:23&24, ¶And he turned him unto [his] disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen [them]; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard [them].” The disciples (as “babes“) were able to see and hear, while to others, to the “wise and prudent” of the world, all these things remain “hid“. To them the Bible is a sealed book, and the knowledge of The Son and The Father is only revealed to the few to whom The Son chooses. As a result, there are very few who fully understand the profound significance of this hard teaching. Please see also the study on Isaiah Chapter 29: “A Book that is Sealed“.
1 Corinthians 2:9, “¶But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”
And here the Apostle Paul is referring back to Isaiah 64:4, “For since the beginning of the world [men] have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, [what] he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.“
Hebrews 11:16, “But now they desire a better [country], that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.“
Jesus Spoke In Parables to the Multitudes, and Jesus Explained Why
1 Corinthians 2:10, “But God hath revealed (ἀποκαλύπτω (apokalyptō))G601 [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth (ἐραυνάω (eraunaō))G2045all things, yea, the deep things of God.“
Also in Romans 8:26&27, “¶Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searchethG2045 the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God.“
God tells us plainly and specifically, in three passages in the Bible, why Jesus spoke in Parables(and because God ordained it, this fact is not widely known or discussed in our world because the carnal man finds it offensive):
In Matthew 13:10-16 we read where the disciples questioned Jesus about His use of Parables, “And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He (Jesus) answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias (Isaiah 6:8-10), which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed;lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. But blessed [are] your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.” (Please see the Hearing Ear and the Seeing Eye)
In Mark 4:10-12, “¶And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. And he (Jesus Christ speaking to His disciples) said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: butunto them that are without, all [these] things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and [their] sins should be forgiven them.”
In Luke 8:9&10, we read , “And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables;that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.“
One has to wonder, “How this can be?“, given that God states so very clearly and plainly how He uses parables to veil the mystery of the kingdom of God from unbelievers. This makes absolutely no sense from the perspective of normal human reasoning, and it is contrary to everything the world tells you about Christianity. This is because the reality is that salvation depends entirely on the supernatural intercession of God as He sees fit (Yes, whether one likes it or not, salvation is of the LORD!). Moreover, Jesus openly explains two of His parables (The Parable of the Sower as found in Matthew 13:3-9, Mark 4:3-9, Luke 8:5-8) which anyone in the world can readily (physically) read in Matthew 13:10-16, Mark 4:14-20, Luke 8:11-15 (together with the companion “Parable of the Wheat and the Tares” as found in Matthew 13:24-30, which Jesus explained in Matthew 13:36-43.)
So then, even when a parable is explained perfectly to someone who is not one of God’s elect/chosen, that parable will still mean absolutely NOTHING to an unbeliever beyond merely the intellectual! That person may understand what the words say, but not what the words mean. That is why at the end of the Sower parable, Jesus said respectively in Matthew 13:9, Mark 4:9, Luke 8:8 “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” and “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” and “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.“
This appears on the surface, intellectually, to not make any sense, and thereby raises the question, how is this possible? The answer to this conundrum is that even if a parable is clearly explained to a person who remains an unbeliever (one whom God does not intend to “hear” or “see” or “perceive” or “understand” the meaning), then the salvation imbuing essence (The Holy Spirit) will not be manifest…and the Word of God will still remain completely veiled or hidden to that person and that person will remain in an unsaved state. That is what makes true Christianity so scary, and so offensive, to the carnal man or woman.
1 Corinthians 2:11, “For what man knoweth (εἴδω (eidō))G1492the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.“
Proverbs 20:27, “The spirit of man [is] the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.”
Note how this harmonizes with what we find in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God [is]quick (meaning that it is “alive“), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.“ and Ephesians 6:17, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:“
And is not the Bible a “Spiritual Book? It was written entirely under the guidance and inspiration of God The Holy Spirit. Jesus made the connection between His Words and The Holy Spirit explicit in John 6:63, saying, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life.“
Additional verses describing God’s Word as being synonymous with The Holy Spirit are found in 2 Samuel 23:2, “The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word [was] in my tongue.” and 1 Corinthians 12:8, “For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;“
And let us not forget what as been discussed in before regarding the Hidden Spiritual Gems in the Bible…In Proverbs 25:2 (KJV) we find this extraordinary verse, “[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter.” If we look carefully at the text as it reads in the original Hebrew using an Interlinear Bible or Online concordance cross-reference like this: https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/pro/25/2/t_conc_653002, we find that it can also read like this…”[It is] the glory of God to conceal a “word” (because it is from the Hebrew דָּבָר (dāḇār)H1697, a masculine noun): but the honour of kings[is] to search out a “word” (because the word that was translated into English as “matter” is also the same word found in the original Hebrew to be דָּבָר (dāḇār)H1697, which is translated more than eight hundred times in the Old Testament as “word.”)*. It appears, therefore, that God is telling us that He is glorified by the concealing of The Word (Jesus Christ) in the Bible, and the believers are “honored” by being made able to search out The Word (Who is Jesus Christ) when reading the Bible.
Jeremiah 17:9&10, “The heart is deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, [I] try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, [and] according to the fruit of his doings.”
Romans 11:33, “¶O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable [are] his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?“
1 Corinthians 2:12,“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of (ἐκ (ek))G1537God; that we might know the things that are freely given (χαρίζομαι(charizomai))G5483to us of (ὑπό (hypo))G5259 God.“
Romans 8:15, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.“
Note that the original Greek word translated as “freely given“is (χαρίζομαι (charizomai))G5483, which actually means “graciously granted and forgiven”. The original Greek word that is translated as “of” is(ὑπό (hypo))G5259, which actually means “beneath” as in “covered by”.
The only way that anyone can “know” God and understand the things that are given by grace is to be a true child of God, a new (born again) creature in Christ. Only those who are “covered by” God can truly know Him. This verse comes to mind, Psalm 91:4, “He (God) shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth [shall be thy] shield and buckler.“
The Holy Spirit, He Teaches the Believer
1 Corinthians 2:13, “¶Which things also we speak (λαλέω (laleō))G2980, not in the words which man’s wisdom (σοφία (sophia))G4678 teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.“
This verse encapsulates GOD’S Hermeneutic…and the key to Bible interpretation!
John 4:24, “God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.”
John 6:63, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life.”
Jesus made clear the following: John 14:26, “But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.“
John 15:26, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:“
John 16:7, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.“
Key to this passage is “comparing spiritual things with spiritual things”…and given that the Bible is Holy, and entirely inspired by the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God, then that statement is telling us that that we should be comparing Biblical scripture with Biblical scripture to gain God’s Wisdom (which is actually coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ Who is Wisdom, 1 Corinthians 1:30).
This is repeated and corroborated in 1 John 2:27, “But the anointing (χρῖσμα (chrisma))G5545 which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing (χρῖσμα (chrisma))G5545 teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.“ The anointing is of the Holy Spirit Who God the Father sent to the believers to lead them into all truth, and that Truth Is Jesus. John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that]shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” Note the consistency with John 14:26, “But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” and 1 John 2:20, “¶But ye have an unction (χρῖσμα (chrisma))G5545 from the Holy One, and ye know all things.” (Therefore “unction” also means “anointing”)
The Bible is its own interpreter, its own dictionary, its own Wikipedia! It is easy to think that a certain word or phrase has an obvious and clear meaning, but the issue is what does the Bible really mean by these words? The only correct answer to that question is to compare verses with other verses and see how the Bible defines its own terms. The Bible alone should limit our thinking about the words and phrases in the Bible. We must learn to abide by the Bible’s definitions and logic.
Anyone who claims to have knowledge from the Bible had better not be quoting men, but rather they had better be quoting Biblical scripture, alone…but even then, you, dear reader, had better be checking out what those preachers and teachers are quoting for yourself, from the Bible alone, as the Bereans did in the first century in Acts 17:10&11, and earnestly “searching the scriptures (the Bible)daily, whether those things were so.”
In 2 Peter 1:20&21, we are told, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved (φέρω (pherō)) by the Holy Ghost.“, and in 2 Peter 2:1&2, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.”
Note: The original Greek word translated as “moved” is (φέρω (pherō)), which also means “borne” or “carried along”.
These latter verses are saying that if anyone gives forth an interpretation out of their own intellect or from the carnal minds of others that have taught them, they are false teachers and the truth is not in them. (Even more ominous, they will receive the greater condemnation from God for that sin.) But how are we to know which interpretation is out of a man’s mind as opposed to what God is really saying? God provides us the answer, out of His Word, the Bible, as follows:
The Bible Is a Spiritual Book!
And we know from 2 Samuel 23:1&2, “¶Now these [be] the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man [who was] raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word [was] in my tongue.” Clearly the word of God, the Bible, is spiritual, as it was written under the direction of the Holy Spirit. So if we want to learn the true meaning of any verse, then we need to compare scripture with scripture (spiritual things with spiritual). Furthermore, any revelation of truth from God’s word (which can only come through the use of this methodology) is solely the work of the Holy Spirit. That is why in 1 John 2:27 we read, “But the anointing (χρῖσμα (chrisma))G5545 (of the Holy Spirit) which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing (χρῖσμα (chrisma))G5545teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” This is entirely consistent with what we read in John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
And we should also bear in mind: 1 John 5:7, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.“
Man’s Wisdom is Foolishness
1 Corinthians 3:18-21, “¶Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore let no man glory in men.For all things are yours;“
1 Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know (γινώσκω (ginōskō))G1097 [them], because they are spiritually discerned (ἀνακρίνω (anakrinō))G350.”
This is extremely important! The natural man is NOT anointed with God’s Holy Spirit and without Him, it is impossible for the natural man to begin to grasp any saving understanding of what God is teaching the believers who have been given, by God, the Anointing of The Holy Spirit. This gets us back again to the Hearing Ear and the Seeing Eyeand also again to “Why Did Jesus Speak in Parables?”
Note that the original Greek word for “know” is γινώσκω (ginōskō)G1097, which can also mean “perceive” or “understand“, and the original Greek word for “discerned” is (ἀνακρίνω (anakrinō))G350, which can also mean “examined” “scrutinized” or “judged”.
Mark 4:11&12, “And he (Jesus) said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all [these] things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and [their] sins should be forgiven them.” Please see “The Doctrine of Election“.
Matthew 16:23, “¶But he (Jesus) turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. Peter was thinking like a typical natural man, “carnally”, and not “spiritually”, as a child of God should.
1 Corinthians 1:18-25, “¶For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. ¶Where [is] the wise? where [is] the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.“
Where is Wisdom Found?
In Job 28 we read of Job’s “parable” (Yes, Job spoke in a “parable”, see: Job 27:1 and Job 29:1) regarding where Wisdom can be found…Job 28:12 &13, raises the question, “But where shall wisdom be found? and where [is]the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.” This is reiterated in Job 28:20&21,”Whence then cometh wisdom? and where [is] the place of understanding? Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.”
Psalm 103:20, “Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.“
Matthew 15:8&9, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with [their] lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men.“
1 Timothy 6:20, “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane [and] vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:”
Jude 1:19, “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.“
Back again to 1 Corinthians 2:6, “¶Howbeit we speak wisdom (σοφία (sophia))G4678 among them that are perfect (τέλειος (teleios))G5046: yet not the wisdom (σοφία (sophia))G4678of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:“
1 Corinthians 2:15, “But he that is spiritual judgeth (ἀνακρίνω (anakrinō))G350all things, yet he himself is judged (ἀνακρίνω (anakrinō))G350of no man.“
The word translated “judgeth” and “judged” is from the same original Greek word ἀνακρίνω (anakrinō)G350 which also means to examine, investigate, scrutinize, search, and “discern” (please see again above in the previous verse, 1 Corinthians 2:14).
Philippians 1:9, “¶And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and [in] all judgment (αἴσθησις (aisthēsis))G144;” Note: The original Greek word translated as “judgment” is (αἴσθησις (aisthēsis))G144, which can also be translated as “discernment“.
Ecclesiastes 8:5&6, “Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment. Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man [is] great upon him.” Note that the original Hebrew word that is here translated as “discerneth” is יָדַע (yāḏaʿ)H3045, which has also been translated into English by the King James translators variously as: know (645x), known (105x), knowledge (19x), perceive (18x), shew (17x), tell (8x), wist (7x), understand (7x), certainly (7x), acknowledge (6x), acquaintance (6x), consider (6x), declare (6x), teach (5x), miscellaneous (85x).
Also consider what we find in Ecclesiastes 3:14&15, “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth [it], that [men] should fear before him. That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past. ¶ And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, [that] wickedness [was] there; and the place of righteousness, [that] iniquity [was] there. ¶ I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for [there is] a time there for every purpose and for every work.“
1John 4:1, “¶Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.“
1 Corinthians 2:16, “For who hath known (γινώσκω (ginōskō))G1097the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.“
Job 15:8, “Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?“
John 15:15, “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.“
So we could also say that, only the believer (the child of God) is one to whom God has graciously given His Holy Spirit and “the mind of Christ.”
Conclusion
So the big question now is, are you, dear reader, a child of God? Do you yearn to more completely know, love and obey the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. Do you clearly see that only Jesus is the means by which a sinner can be saved from the just penalty for sin…or are the revelations of God just so much foolishness?
Let us all hearken to ALL the words that are found written by the same Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2, verses 1-17, particularly this warning 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.“
However, these verses are followed immediately thereafter with words of comfort for the Believers.
2 Thessalonians 2:13-17, “¶But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. ¶Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given [us] everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.“
Postscript
We should also take a moment to consider the fact that God increases (adds to) a believer’s wisdom and knowledge and understanding of the scriptures. A believer is already accounted as having been given wisdom and knowledge and understanding by God through the anointing of God’s Holy Spirit when that person becomes saved.
The believer is who Jesus was speaking of in Mark 4:21-25, “¶And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.¶And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.” and also in Luke 8:16-18, “¶No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth [it] under a bed; but setteth [it] on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light (φῶς (phōs))G5457.For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither [any thing] hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.“
And that word “seemeth” is from the original Greek word δοκέω (dokeō)G1380, which is better translated as “thinks”. Many people “think” that they are right with God, by taking upon them the name of Jesus Christ (hence “Christians”) for their salvation, but sadly they are not truly saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ Alone.
The souls of the lost sinners who become saved are to glorify God by sharing the Light of Gospel of Salvation so that more lost sinners might be found.
Jesus Christ is the Light
Here we are told that if we have been enlightened φωτίζω (phōtizō)G5461 by the Holy Spirit with the Light φωτισμός (phōtismos)G5462 of Christ dwelling in us, that Light (φῶς (phōs))G5457 will shine forth. These verses help to underscore this point:
Genesis 1:3&4, “¶And God said, Let there be light (אוֹר (‘ôr))H216: and there was light (אוֹר(‘ôr))H216. And God saw the light (אוֹר(‘ôr))H216, that [it was] good: and God divided the light (אוֹר (‘ôr))H216from the darkness.“
John 1:4&5,” In him (Jesus, The Word) was life; and the life was the light (φῶς (phōs))G5457of men. And the light (φῶς (phōs))G5457shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.“
John 8:12, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light (φῶς (phōs))G5457of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light (φῶς (phōs))G5457of life“.
John 9:5, Jesus said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light (φῶς (phōs))G5457of the world.”
Matthew 5:14-16, “Ye are the light (φῶς (phōs))G5457of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light (λάμπω (lampō))G2989unto all that are in the house. Let your light (φῶς (phōs))G5457so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Luke 2:32, “A light (φῶς (phōs))G5457to lighten (ἀποκάλυψις(apokalypsis))G602 (reveal to) the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
2 Corinthians 4:3&4, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light (φωτισμός (phōtismos))G5462of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.“
2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who commanded the light (φῶς (phōs))G5457to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light φωτισμός (phōtismos)G5462 of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
2 Timothy 1:10, “But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light (φωτίζω (phōtizō))G5461through the gospel:“
1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light (φῶς (phōs)G5457, as he is in the light (φῶς (phōs))G5457, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.“
Only those with hearing ears will hear, and those who have will be given more
Remember again back in Matthew 13:10-13, “¶And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? ¶He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.” So then, in effect, those who are hearers will be the ones to “hear”.
And let us take particular note of the re-iterated point about those who have, being given more, and those who have not, losing what they have. Whosoever “hath” (e.g., a believer has wisdom, knowledge, and understanding) even more shall be given, but whoever “hath not” (e.g. the unsaved does not have wisdom, knowledge, and understanding), even that which that person “seemeth” (or thinks) to have will be taken away. This statement is beyond profound, and quite ominous too, and yet it is entirely consistent with our Holy and Perfect God and His Equity. Commensurately, it is therefore also entirely consistent with all the other scriptures in the Bible, particularly with what we have all just read and pondered from 2 Corinthians, Chapter 2.
And please note how closely this point correlates with what we read back in the Old Testament in Daniel 2:20-22, “¶Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what [is] in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.” God gives wisdom to those who are already wise, and knowledge to those who already have understanding. God reveals the deep and secret things that are hidden within the scriptures to the believer! Hallelujah!Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!
Remember what we are also later told in Daniel 2:28-30 [being aware that the word in Hebrew is רָז (rāz)H7328, which means “to conceal” or “secret” and is taken from Aramaic, and therefore only appears in the Book of Daniel]: “But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets(רָז (rāz))H7328, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came [into thy mind] upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets(רָז(rāz))H7328maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. But as for me, this secret(רָז (rāz))H7328is not revealed to me for [any] wisdom that I have more than any living, but for [their] sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.” Anyone who has ever been granted the privilege of spiritual understanding of the Bible, God’s Holy Word and by it the knowledge of The Father and The Son, will readily assent to this declaration by Daniel.
Finally, We must also rememberwhat Jesus said inLuke 12:48, “But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” The more wisdom and understanding God graciously grants a person from His Word, the greater the responsibility that person will have to use it to His Glory! Which brings to mind Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.“
In Ezekiel chapter 37 we are introduced to a unique vision that the prophet Ezekiel was given by God, which is not yet fully understood by many professing believers today. This teacher has noted that some have been instructed that the dry bones prophecy of Ezekiel 37 only has to do with a future literal National Israel, consisting of believing Jews, who will at some future time be gathered together in Israel when, according to their belief, Jesus will return to establish a physical Millennial Kingdom on this earth, headquartered in literal physical Jerusalem. This is not only an incorrect understanding, it is, in fact, a lie!
The Ezekiel prophecy is in reality not only a marvelous picture of the resurrection of the soul upon salvation, but also points to the fulfillment of the believer’s salvation, the resurrection of each believer’s body on the last day. There is a wonderful connection of the first and second resurrections by the language used in Ezekiel.
The Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones
Let us now read the account in full as translated from the original Hebrew by the King James translators to see what is being said along with God’s explanation of what the vision means.
Ezekiel 37:1-10, “¶The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which [was] full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, [there were] very many in the open valley; and, lo, [they were] very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. ¶Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD. ¶So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but [there was] no breath in them.¶ Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the LordGOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.“
The Vision Explained
Ezekiel 37:11-14, “¶Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken [it], and performed [it], saith the LORD.“
Looking Closer for Understanding
We need to review the sequence of events to provide us with a context. The first thing that should be understood is that given this is a vision obtained via the prophet Ezekiel having been ‘carried out in the spirit of the LORD‘. So we can clearly see that this is a “spiritual” event that would unfold before him. It is not a literal event, but a prophetic spiritual event, and hence it must be viewed as a parable, as is the case with other spiritual events found in the Bible. We are also provided with insights from God to help us interpret this parable, but even then, the true meaning can be missed if the words are taken at only face value (in only a literal sense).
That said, we see that Ezekiel is placed in a valley of dry bones. The remains of the many dead are not only dead peoples’ bones, they are dry bones, “very dry” bones. God asked Ezekiel if the bones could “live”, and Ezekiel rightly replied, “O Lord GOD, thou knowest.“
We next read that Ezekiel is commanded by God to “Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.” The Word of God is the Gospel of Salvation through The Person and Work of the LORDJesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh (John 1:14), and His Words are Life as we read in John 6:63, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life.” So Ezekiel took upon the role of serving as a “preacher”, faithfully proclaiming the Word of God to a spiritually dead world (which has been the case ever since the Fall of Adam). Looking around the world today you can see billions of walking dead, although they are all physically alive, the vast majority are spiritually dead. Then there are those who are indeed physically dead, but who died as believers (although their souls are in Heaven already 2 Corinthians 5:8 ), who constitute the true Eternal Israel of God who are awaiting the Resurrection of their physical bodies to be reunited with their souls as Glorified spiritual bodies on the last day when Jesus returns from Heaven on the clouds of Glory (surrounded by His Saints).
Remember what we are told in 2 Corinthians 2:14-17, “¶Now thanks [be] unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish. To the one [we are] the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who [is] sufficient for these things? For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.“
The next thing we read is that God tells Ezekiel to proclaim His Word, “Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD.”
Then Ezekiel did as he was commanded and he proclaimed those words and there was a great shaking and the bodies reassembled and were physically complete, “but [there was] no breath in them.” The bodies were still physically dead bodies. So then God said to Ezekiel, “Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” We next read that again Ezekiel did as he was commanded by God and “the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.“
God’s Explanation
God next explains to Ezekiel that these bones represent the bones of His people, “The whole house of Israel.” We read in Ezekiel 37:11-24 “…these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. So God commanded Ezekiel to prophesy, “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken [it], and performed [it], saith the LORD.“
National Israel in Ezekiel’s day certainly appeared to be totally doomed in despair being in bondage. They thought their hope was gone and that they had been cut off forever. And we know for a fact that National Israel was indeed temporally “revived“, and restored to its own land after the awful seventy years in captivity as we read in Ezra 9:9, “For we [were] bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.”
Nonetheless, that revival of National Israel was established by God for the purpose of serving as an earthly precedent “Sign” and “Type” for the future spiritual revival of the Eternal Israel of God, the Church of Jesus Christ, that will be both eternal and heavenly. And the earthly restoration of National Israel was absolutely necessary in order to herald the birth of The LORD Jesus Christ in Bethlehem at the time appointed, as was precisely prophesied in Daniel Chapter 9.
However, there are many professing Christians and theologians who claim that God still has a special plan and place for National Israel in a future great awakening, in some type of New Dispensation (and which is being widely taught in many “Christian” churches today).
So then, was God only referring to the National Israel of the Old Testament being prepared for some future earthly kingdom on this sin cursed earth ?, or, rather, is God talking about a future revival of a combination of a remnant taken from National Israel saved by Grace, along with the Gentiles similarly saved by Grace from out of the entire world, primarily during the New Testament era prepared to live forever in the New Jerusalem in “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.“(2 Peter 3:13)? All of which we been done in accordance with God’s Will through the Person and Work of The Son of God, Jesus Christ, by His Atoning Sacrifice for sin.
It can only be the latter! There are NOT two different dispensations, there is only One Dispensation! There is only ONE Gospel of Grace, which spans all of history and applies to both Jew and Gentile alike (the remnant of sinful mankind saved by Grace alone through faith), and it has always been the case and will always be the case right up until Judgment Day.
God indicated that this would be the case many Old Testament passages like Malachi 1:11, “For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name [shall be] great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense [shall be] offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name [shall be] great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.” This point was also expounded upon in Romans 11:25, “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.“
The people of God, for which physical National Israel previously served as a “Type” was always intended to be superseded in “Substance” by the spiritualEternal Israel that has, is, and will be all those who are “born again” by God’s Holy Spirit. God’s Holy Spirit “quickens” (makes alive) and truly “revives” the believer, and makes that otherwise completely dead soul to “Live” forever with Jesus Christ, our LORD God and Savior!
Being Born Again?
Everyone who lives, or has ever lived or will ever live is “spiritually” dead in trespasses and sins. There for to have “newness of life“, a person has to be born again, not physically, but spiritually! Jesus made this clear in John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” and in John 3:7, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” Then God expanded on this point in 1 Peter 1:3, “¶Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us againunto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” and later in 1 Peter 1:23, Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.“
The Holy Spirit, Likened to the Wind, Is The Breath of Eternal Life
Looking back again at Ezekiel 37:9&10, we saw where God told Ezekiel to “Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.” Does this not match precisely with what Jesus said in John 3:7&8, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
To prophesy is to preach the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ. And we also know that Romans 10:17, “So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.“
We also read in Romans 6:4, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newnessoflife.” (and please read Romans 6:5-23 to see the full context and meaning).
The Death and Resurrection of Lazarus Provides Another Metaphor
The resurrection from the dead of the man named Lazarus is another interesting Historical Parable in that it is a real historical account that also has a spiritual implication. The account is quite detailed as we find it in John 11:1-44,
“¶Now a certain [man] was sick, [named]Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. (It was [that] Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. ¶ When Jesus heard [that], he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. ¶ Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. Then after that saith he to [his] disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. ¶[His] disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again? ¶ Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. ¶Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. ¶Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. ¶Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.¶Then when Jesus came, he found that he had [lain] in the grave four days already. Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off: And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. ¶Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat [still] in the house.Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give [it] thee.¶Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. ¶Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.¶Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? ¶She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. ¶And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. As soon as she heard [that], she arose quickly, and came unto him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. ¶Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. ¶When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. ¶Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! ¶And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? ¶Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been [dead ]four days. ¶Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up [his] eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said [it], that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.“
This historical parable was orchestrated by God to establish Jesus’s Authority as the Son of God, Who had the power to resurrect and bring life to the dead. Lazarus served as a “Type” of all believers, who are dead in trespasses and sins just like the dry bones. Every human being who has ever lived though “physically alive” was by nature “spiritually dead” because of the Fall of Adam. Remember that Lazarus was not “asleep”, but he was truly “dead”, having been in the tomb for four days, and his body was expected at that point to be only a rotting copse that “stinketh“. Jesus spoke loudly, and called Lazarus by name to come forth, and Lazarus arose from the dead in the grave. Note that in this resurrection model, Lazarus could not have heard anything because he was “dead”. However, Jesus empowered Lazarus to “hear” when He called Lazarus to “come forth“. We can also see how this fits in perfect harmony with what Jesus taught in both John 6:44, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” and John 6:65, “And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.” Jesus was showing us that salvation is All of God. Salvation is of the Lord! (Jonah 2:9).
Note also the harmony with what we find in Psalm 65:4, “Blessed [is the man whom] thou choosest, and causest to approach [unto thee, that] he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, [even] of thy holy temple.“
An Exceeding Great Army
The last words of Ezekiel’s vision were “an exceeding great army”. When Jesus returns on the Clouds of Glory on the Last Day, Judgment Day, Jesus will be accompanied by all of His Saints who had physically died but their souls went to Heaven. We know this directly in 1 Thessalonians 3:13, “To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” Also in 1 Thessalonians 4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.”
Remember also what we find in the clearly Messianic verses of Zechariah 14:4&5, where the verses end by declaring that on Judgment Day, Jesus will come with all of His saints with Him, “and the LORD my God shall come, [and] all the saints with thee.”
But there are many other clear statements like Jude 1:14&15, regarding Judgment Day “…Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [speeches] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.“). Finally, in similar fashion, we read in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10, we read, “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.“
In John 5:25, Jesus made extremely clear the following, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.“
Jesus was not talking about restoring National Israel to life, but rather all those comprising the eternal Israel who would believe on him and truly “hear” the voice of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Himself.
But then a few verses later, Jesus speaks of the “physically dead” in John 5:28&29, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.“ Please review this post, “The Hearing Ear and the Seeing Eye“.
God speaks of all those who are in the grave who, upon “hearing the voice” of the son of God, will come forth just like the army of revived dead bodies having the breath of life breathed into them after “hearing” the words of God prophesied to them exactly as foretold in Ezekiels vision that we read about in Ezekiel Chapter 37. On the other hand, those who are resurrected from the dead who had not earlier been granted the “ears to hear” the Gospel call, will be under Judgment unto damnation.
Remember what we are told by God by the hand of the Apostle Paul in Hebrews 4:7, “Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” The Apostle Paul was referring back to Psalm 95:7&8, “For he [is] our God; and we [are] the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, [and] as [in] the day of temptation in the wilderness:“
And let us all remember what God The Father said to the Apostles Peter, James, and John on The Mount of Transfiguration, in Matthew 17:5, “¶While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.“
One more thing…When we look at the last few verses of Luke 16 we see the parable of the rich man in Hell crying out to Abraham (while holding Lazarus) in Heaven to send messengers to his brothers who haven’t died yet so that they could be warned to repent and avoid Hell, we read the following: “Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he (the rich man in Hell) said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he (Abraham) said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” The one rose from the dead was not just Lazarus, it was The LORD Jesus Christ! And then we are reminded again of Matthew 17:5, “While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hearyehim.”!!!
God has set a “certain day”, Judgment Day, when His people would enter into that eternal rest. It is the Gospel Dispensation. Not the “rest” provided in a temporal “Type”, but that which is provided in reality for eternity.
2 Corinthians 6:2, “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now [is] the accepted time; behold, now [is] the day of salvation.)“
The reality, and not the “Type”, will manifest itself when Jesus returns on Judgment Day.
Esther is a Book of Concealment and Hidden Truth for the Believer
Many Bible students are aware that there is not one direct/explicit reference to God to be found anywhere in the Book of Esther. God has deliberately concealed Himself within the text, and, moreover, in the process, God has also deliberately concealed the Gospel of God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan, wrought by the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, as well. In fact, the entire Book of Esther concerns ‘concealment’.
It has often been succinctly stated that the Old Testament is the New Testament CONCEALED, and the New Testament is the Old Testament REVEALED…because the whole Bible is really only all about Jesus Christ and God’s Magnificent Salvation Plan through Him! (It has also been said, correctly, that the Old Testament is the New Testament CONTAINED, and that the New Testament is the Old Testament EXPLAINED.) The expositional studies found on the Bereansearching website provide substantiation for the above claim.
The Apostle Paul was inspired to write in 2 Timothy 1:9-11, “Who (God) hath saved us, and called [us] with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.” The word translated here as “manifest” here in the original Greek is φανερόω (phanero)G5319, which means ‘to make visible or knownwhat has been hidden or unknown‘.
God Concealed in the Book of Esther His Magnificent Salvation Plan Through The Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ from Creation into Eternity, but Now Reveals It to the Believers in the New Testament Era by His Holy Spirit
Perhaps the most important of God’s purposes for crafting the Book of Esther was to convey (albeit in a concealed manner) most, if not all, of the key elements of God’s magnificent salvation plan in one short (ten chapter) account.
The Message of the Book of Esther is the same Gospel Message that can be found everywhere else in the Bible as it focuses on the Person and Work of the LORD Jesus Christ. The only difference is that, each time Jesus is found in the Bible, we can learn more about Him and God’s Gospel plan through Him (which glorifies God in the process). However, to truly “see” Jesus (to believe with our hearts and not just our minds), we must have our “spiritual eyes” opened by God. Given that this can be the case, then another purpose for God having provided us with the Book of Esther is that it will edify and strengthen the faith of the saints (the elect of God, the believers). Please see this post for more background and expansion on these points: The Book of Esther: A Summary Christian Commentary and Outline. [In brief, Mordecai serves as an allegorical representative of The LORD Jesus Christ (God as Savior), while Queen Esther serves as an allegorical representative of the Body of Believers, The Bride of Christ (from both Jews (the remnant) and Gentiles; who comprise the true “Jews”, the eternal Israel of God)]. Moreover Esther replaced Vashti, the former queen, who serves as an allegorical representative of National Israel.
Just as significantly, the Book of Esther is also a book of “Prophecy“! It points to the Person and Work of Jesus establishing the New Covenant to offer a way of escape from the demands of God’s Law under the Old Covenant, and the New Testament era that followed. It also culminates with a picture of Judgment Day at the end of creation, and the transition into eternity in Heaven that will follow for all who are counted among the people of Jesus… and the eternal death and destruction in Hell for all those who are not.
Esther’s Very Name Highlights ‘Concealment‘
It is not widely known that the very name ‘Esther’ underscores this point. Although ‘Esther’, the Jewish orphan made queen in Persia (as found in the Book of Esther) was born with a Hebrew name, הֲדַסָה (hăḏasâ)H1919 that was translated in the King James translation as “Hadassah“, which means “Myrtle” (in the feminine form that is found only once in the Bible, in Esther 2:7)because it is derived from the the Hebrew word הֲדַס (hăḏas)H1918, a masculine noun, meaning “myrtle (tree)”.
The masculine version of myrtle (הֲדַס (hăḏas)H1918) is found six times in the Bible, and each time the myrtle tree is always cast in a positive light. In Isaiah 55:13, the myrtle tree is juxtaposed with a brier; and in Isaiah 41:19 it is a green tree planted by God in what had been a wilderness. It can be concluded from these two verses that the myrtle tree is a representation of the believers, where in the wilderness (the world) thorns (unsaved people) flourish, God raises up myrtle trees (the believers); in Nehemiah 8:15, branches from the myrtle tree are to be used in the construction of the Succoth booths (representing a Heavenly abode), and then in Zechariah, myrtle trees are found three times Zechariah 1:8, Zechariah 1:10, Zechariah 1:11, where a horseman is seen in a vision walking among myrtle trees and Zechariah is told by the horseman, “These [are they] whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. ¶And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.” This was during the seventy year period, which God had foretold by the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29:10&11 (see also 2 Chronicles 36:21) whereby God would cause the land to have its Sabbaths (rest) while the Jews were in captivity, but that God would later restore Jerusalem and also spoke “good words [and] comfortable words” (Zechariah 1:13).
The “myrtle tree” is most likely the aromatic common myrtle (M. communis) is native to the Mediterranean region and the Middle East. This evergreen tree is said “to grow more than 5 meters, or about 16.5 feet, high. The opposite leaves are thick and lustrous, with many small, translucent, oil-bearing glands. The solitary white flowers, about 1.8 cm (about 0.7 inch) long, are borne on short stalks. The fruit is a purplish black, many-seeded berry. Myrtol, a volatile oil found in most parts of the plant, was formerly used as an antiseptic and tonic.”
changing her name from Hadassah (Jewish) to Esther (Persian), it would have certainly helped her to “hide” or “conceal” her Jewish identity from potential enemies like Haman.
However, ‘Esther’ is Hadassah’s Persian name, which in Hebrew is אֶסְתֵּר(’es·têr)H635 and just happens to be, phonetically, very similar to the Hebrew word אֶסָּתֵ֑ר (’es·sā·ṯêr)H5641. That word is a variant/derivation of the Hebrew root word, סָתַר (sāṯar)H5641, which means “to hide” or “to conceal”, or “to close-up”, and is found twice in this particular form in the Bible in Genesis 4:14 (translated in English as “shall I be hid;“) and also in Job 13:20 (translated as “then will I not hide“); as well as another variant of the same Hebrew word אַסְתִּיר (’as·tîr)H5641, which is used only once in this particular form in the Bible, in Deuteronomy 31:18, where we read, “And I will surelyH5641hideH5641my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.” (Note also that the word “hide” was doubled, and hence was translated as “surely hide”). In this later usage, God was specifically telling Moses in Deuteronomy 31:16-22 that in the future the people of Israel would commit spiritual adultery, by worshipping other gods, at which point God would “hide/conceal” Himself from National Israel as a result. (It is therefore all the more ironic that, derived from this forewarned concealment of God’s Face, a Jewish tradition has arisen, such that hiding one’s face (wearing a mask) is considered proper when the Jews celebrate the day of Esther/The Feast Purim.)
We should also remember what Joseph said to the good Pharaoh concerning the Pharaoh’s two dreams, which together had the same meaning in Genesis 41:32, “And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; [it is] because the thing [is] established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.“
So then, we can see that the name Esther is actually a cross-cultural “homophone”, in that…in Persian, ‘Esther’ is generally accepted as meaning “Star“, but in Hebrew, ‘Esther‘ phonetically means “Concealed“. At a minimum, one could say that, by changing her name from Hadassah (Jewish) to Esther (Persian), it would have certainly helped her to “hide” or “conceal” her Jewish identity from potential enemies like Haman. While Esther’s name provides us with an interesting play on words (“pun”), we will soon learn from this study that there is far more hidden in the Book of Esther (by God) than just Esther’s Jewish identity. Please see An Exposition of The Book of Esther from which this short post is excerpted.
God Has Hidden Gems in the Bible for Believers
And we should all remember what God tells us in Proverbs 25:2 (KJV). There we find this extraordinary verse, “[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter.” If we look carefully at the text as it reads in the original Hebrew using an Interlinear Bible or Online cross-reference like this one available online, then we find that it can also read like this… ”[It is] the glory of God to conceal a “word”(because it is from the Hebrew דָּבָר (dāḇār)H1697, a masculine noun): but the honour of kings [is] to search out a “word”(because the word that was translated into English as “matter” is also the same word found in the original Hebrew to be דָּבָר (dāḇār)H1697, which is translated more than eight hundred times in the Old Testament as “word.”). It appears, therefore, that God is telling us that He is glorified by the concealing of The Word (Jesus Christ) in the Bible, and the believers are “honored” by being made able to search out The Word (Who is Jesus Christ) when reading the Bible. And as we will see, God has not only “concealed” Jesus Christ within the Book of Esther, but, in our day, God has graciously also allowed the believers to “searchout” Jesus Christ from the Book of Esther. More on this here, and when we remember Jesus’ own testimony along the Road to Emmaus.
Searching the Scriptures for Hid Treasures (Proverbs 2:4)
In Proverbs 2:1-6, we read the following, “¶My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart tounderstanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice forunderstanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as [for] hid treasures. Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge God.For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth [cometh] knowledge and understanding.”
Anyone earnestly seeking for truth in the Bible must ultimately come to the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, for Jesus is, according to John 14:6, “the way, the truth and the life.” In John 5:39, we read where Jesus was admonishing the Jews and said, “Search the scriptures (only the Old Testament in that day); for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”(The “me” being Jesus Christ Himself!) For additional proof that Jesus Is to be the focus of our “searching”, please see the study on the Road to Emmaus. [And while this teacher is hesitant to point to the works of others, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you read the short evening devotional “Search the Scriptures“(Expositing upon John 5:39, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.“) by Charles Spurgeon, circa 1868]
The Word of God Is Holy, as God Is Holy, and Sacrosanct. The Word, the Bible, is to be viewed as One and the Same with Jesus Christ, because Jesus Is The Word made flesh as we read in John 1:14. For more detail on how the Bible is uniquely and magnificently crafted by God to convey Himself to us in written form, please see the Bible Study Guide
There are many “hidden gems” within the Bible, which can easily be glossed over in general or casual reading. This is because God has deliberately Spiritually interwoven “hid treasures” within the various passages, which God Is Willing to reveal, and allow His children to discover, all in accordance with God’s predetermined plan and timing. And ultimately, every one of those “hid treasures” points us to God’s Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and glorifies God in the process, as well as honoring the believers, because those “hid treasures” draw the believers ever closer to the Lord Jesus Christ, their Savior. The believers are thereby provided comfort, edification, encouragement, and strengthened faith. Most importantly they teach the “Wisdom” of God as we read in 1 Corinthians 2:13, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdomteacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
For additional evidence that this is reality and not fiction please see the other linked posts above and this one too: Searching the Bible for Hid Treasures.
Conclusion
When we look around the world today and pass people on the street, it is impossible for anyone to discern by outward appearance who is a true believing Christian. Only God knows the heart. And just as Esther’s identity as a Jew (representing the eternal Jews who form the Bride of Christ) was concealed, but was eventually revealed, so too will the Bride of Christ remain hidden from the world until the end of time when Jesus comes back on the clouds of Glory to gather His Bride to the Wedding Feast (while also condemning the unsaved of the world in Judgment).
This post has provided just one example how God has magnificently crafted history, and the recording of it, to convey important spiritual truth that is hidden/concealed and interwoven within the tapestry of the Biblical text. Esther’ name represents just another unique way how this can be shown to be the case. However, the primary purpose for interweaving the Person and Work of the LORD Jesus Christ within and throughout the Scriptures is that this reality must be spiritually discerned by the indwelling Power of God, The Holy Spirit. Proverbs 25:2 makes clear that God’s stated purpose for such concealment of His Word within the scriptures is that it brings ‘glory’ God to do so, while also granting ‘honor’ to the believers who are led to search out God’s Word (Who Is Jesus). “[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing (‘word’): but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter (‘word’).”
Please ponder these verses carefully:
1 Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him:neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.“
2 Thessalonians 2:6-12, “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will] let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even [him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.“
Jesus also taught the following concerning the Kingdom of Heaven, which Jesus compared to ‘hid treasure’ that is only attainable through the Person and Work of the LORD Jesus Christ. Matthew 13:44, “¶Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. ¶Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” Once someone has found The LORD Jesus Christ as his or her Savior, he or she will have found the Kingdom of Heaven!
It is this teacher’s hope and prayer that the reader will have been Gifted by God the Spiritual Enlightenment (The Hearing Ear and Seeing Eye) to have a much greater appreciation that the Bible is indeed the Word of God, and begin to more fully grasp that the Bible was indeed supernaturally crafted perfectly by God the Holy Spirit… and, more importantly, that the reader can have a greater understanding of the implications that it holds regarding the destiny of everyone’s eternal soul. IF not, then please cry out to God while you still can, repent of your sins whatever they are, and make peace with God through His Dear Son, The Lord Jesus Christ, because Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the life! The entire Bible Testifies of Jesus!
Postscript: But what about National Israel? Why is it that the Jews (as a corporate body) do not understand the hidden meaning of Esther?
It is indisputable that the Book of Esther is indeed about the miraculous “physical“ deliverance of the Jews of National Israel (the physical descendants of the patriarchs from the first, Abraham, through Isaac and Jacob and David). However, it is more importantly about the miraculous eternal “spiritual”deliverance of the true “Jews”, the body of believers, the eternal Israel, which is the Church of Jesus Christ (those who are of the faith of Abraham, which include a remnant of both National Israel and the Gentile nations – – Romans 2:28–29; Romans 4:13–16; Galatians 3:26–29). Because the Book of Esther has both an earthly/historical meaning and a heavenly/eternal spiritual meaning, it is an “Historical Parable“, which involves significant use of “allegories” and “types“.
The true spiritual meaning of the Book of Esther, being ordained and crafted by God as an Historical Parable, has remained “hidden“, “concealed” and “closed up” to the Jews (and all unbelievers) to this very day! God has hidden His Face from National Israel exactly as He prophesied in Deuteronomy 31:18 and we see confirmed in John 12:35-41, “¶Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and didhide himself from them.¶ But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: That the saying of Esaias (Isaiah) the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? (referencing Isaiah 53:1) and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? ¶Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias (Isaiah) said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with [their] eyes, nor understand with [their] heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.“(in Isaiah 6:1)
The above was referring specifically back to Isaiah 6:9&10, “¶And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.“
Romans 11:7, “What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.”
2 Corinthians 3:14-16, “Buttheir minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which [vail] is done away in Christ.But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.“
2 Corinthians 4:3-6, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.“
Which is the better…to love the fact that you are cured of leprosy, or to love the one who healed you and made you clean? However, it is not the outward physical healing that matters, but the inward healing and cleansing that only the LORD Jesus Christ can do; and having been given the faith that leads one to worship Him, to give glory to God, and to thank Him and worship Him.
Introduction
In Luke 17:11-19, God provides us with a real historical account recorded in the Bible in such a way that it serves as an “Historical Parable“. This particular historical account is widely known as “Jesus’ Healing of the Ten Lepers.”
Before we begin this exposition, this teacher feels compelled to warn the reader that this particular account holds dire consequences for all mankind. It is a somber, sobering, shaking to-the-core, wake-up call:
1) To the reality of the doctrine of God’s Sovereign Election (versus “mankind’s ‘free’ will”), and
2) To know that God’s determinate (and predetermined) Plan of Salvation rests solely upon His Will through the Atoning Sacrifice of His Beloved Son, The LORD Jesus Christ.
3) That only Jesus, as the sin bearer who knew no sin, can cure and cleanse the believer (God’s Elect) of his or her leprosy-like infirmity of sin.
This study will show how The LORD Jesus Christ, while heading south to Jerusalem to suffer the Judgment of God for the sins of His Elect (the believers throughout all time), stops to save a leprousSamaritan (and “stranger“)! Jesus was met by ten lepers who all desired and cried out to Jesus Christ to have Him heal them of their externally obvious outwardly visible ‘physical‘ infirmities. [Note that the ten lepers cried from “afar off” and did not approach Jesus, but they remained at a distance, as per the Law of Moses Leviticus 13:45]. And Jesus certainly, and graciously, healed them ALL of their physical disease. But this physical healing/cleansing in this historical account was only intended by God as a “sign”, which pointed to their real situation, which is the same for all mankind, everyone is, by nature, a leper, and hence “unclean” in the eyes of our Holy God because of our sins. Moreover, this healing and cleansing is a sign that points us toJesus’ Authority that goes beyond curing of the outward physical disease of leprosy to the curing of the real internal disease that makes everyone true deathly sick and outcasts by nature…our sin-sick souls!
We must be made aware of, and remember, the fact that every human being is a sinner and therefore unclean in the Eyes of God, both because of the original sin of Adam and his or her own sins. And God makes clear that no unclean thing can come into His Presence. Deuteronomy 23:14, “For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.”
It will also become evident in this study that not everyone who comes to Jesus Christ is genuinely seeking internal, eternal, healing. In fact it is clear that very few do. In this historical account only “one tenth” of the lepers, a “Samaritan” and “stranger” no less, was truly saved both internally and eternally (and well as physically and temporally). (Remember the Parable of the Lost Coin that was found in Luke 15:8-20? That one lost coin was also “one tenth“, and it also represented the lost sinner who was trulysaved.) The Samaritan leper in this account…the “stranger“…was the only one of ten who was both outwardly physically healed, and subsequently returned to Jesus to give “glory to God“, to worship Jesus, and “giving Him thanks“…after which he was told by Jesus to “Arise” and that his “faith” had “made” him “whole“. The result was that that the Samaritan leper was the only one of ten who was fully healed and cleansed by Jesus Christ, both physically and spiritually!
Jeremiah 17:14, “Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou [art] my praise.” In this verse, God is equating for us “healing” with “salvation”.
The key takeaway is that our focus should not be on the outward physical healing of the ten lepers, rather we should focus on the eternal salvation of the one Samaritan leper (and stranger) who came back to glorify God and thank Jesus, receiving the spiritual healing for sin that Only Jesus Could Provide (and this entire historical account was foreordained as a spiritual object lesson in the form of an Historical Parable).
The Historical Parable of Jesus’ Healing of the Ten Lepers
The Literal, Historical, Text
The historical account reads as follows in the King James English translation of Luke 17:11-19,
“¶And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he (Jesus) entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up [their] voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. ¶And when he saw [them], he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. ¶ And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on [his] face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. ¶And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where [are] the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.“
The Meaning of the Parable
We know that God is Sovereign, and that He Reigns over all space and time. God (and Jesus Is God) Is Omniscient and Omnipotent. So when we read that this historical account begins with “It came to pass“, then we know that it is most certainly not happenstance or something incidental, but rather pre-ordained by God to serve His Purpose. And when reading these words we be assured that God is about to tell us that something that is very significant in the following verses. As we move on to the meaning of this Historical Parable, we need to understand the context of:
The Place,
The Problem,
The People,
The Prescription Is The Person(The LORD Jesus Christ)
1. The PLACE: Samaria (and Galilee) and a “Certain Village”
When we look at the context within which we find the account of Jesus’ encounter with the ten lepers, we see that Jesus was on His way on His final earthly journey back to Jerusalem (based upon what we read in the first verse, and subsequently in Luke 18:31). Jesus’ sole purpose was to finish the work of purchasing the Salvation for His people at the cross of Calvary, which was at hand and was awaiting Him in Jerusalem at Passover!
We read in Luke 17:11 that Jesus passed through Samaria and Galilee, “¶And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.”
When we look at the map below, we can understand how Jesus, when traveling south from Galilee to Jerusalem, would have had to also traverse Samaria, which was also the case that we read in Luke 9:52&53).
The Land of Samaria
As was discussed in the exposition of the “Parable of the Good Samaritan“, Samaria is a region north of Jerusalem. The areas shown on the map as Samaria and Galilee comprise the lands previously belonging to the ten northern tribes of Israel. The area shown as Samaria consisted predominantly of the two larger tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the two-half tribes from the two sons of Joseph in Egypt. The people of that land were taken captive by the Assyrians in about 721 BC as is written in 2 Kings 17:6, “In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor [by] the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.” Israel’s rebellion against God that forced God to bring Israel into captivity and subsequent dispersal is fully explained in 2 Kings 17:7-18. Then we read the following in 2 Kings 17:24, “¶And the king of Assyria brought [men] from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed [them] in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.” “Samaritans” were first mentioned as a separate people 2 Kings 17:29. Then 2 Kings 17:34-41 tells us that, as a result of this foreign immigration, the Samaritans became a separate people distinct and alien from the Jews, who, “¶Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;“
Moreover, once in captivity, the Jews of the northern kingdom intermarried with Assyrians which contributed to the so-called half-Jewish, half-Gentile “Samaritan” race. This explains how, in Jesus’ day, the Jewish people of Galilee and Judea shunned the Samaritans, viewing them as a mixed-race people who practiced an impure, half-pagan religion.
The Land of Galilee
This brings us to the land of Galilee. We should remember that even though Mary and Joseph (Jesus’ stepfather) were both from Bethlehem and hence of the tribe of Juday, they lived in Nazareth, which was land belonging to the tribe of Zebulun. Jesus was assumed to be a Galilean as we read in Matthew 21:11, “And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.” And being from Galilee was evidently was not considered to Jesus’ credit as we also read in John 1:46, “Can There Any Good Thing Come Out of Nazareth?” and John 7:40, “But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?” and John 7:52, “Search, and Look: For Out of Galilee Ariseth No Prophet.”
In Isaiah 9:1&2, we read, “¶Nevertheless the dimness [shall] not [be] such as [was] in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict [her by] the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” and in Matthew 4:12-15, “¶Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias (Isaiah) the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, [by] the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;” (Please see map below.)
The key takeaway is that Galilee is associated with the Gentiles (the non-Jews), and a people who, up until the New Testament era, had walked in darkness and had dwelt in the land of the shadow of death were being made to see “The Great Light”, Jesus Christ and His Gospel of Salvation! It would certainly not have been a place where a Jew would have expected the Jewish Messiah to heal either a Samaritan or a stranger. More on this below in Section #3, The PEOPLE.
“A Certain Village“
The significance of Jesus’ coming into “a certain village” tells us that while the village is not specified, it is nonetheless “certain”, meaning it is indeed a village, but one that is indeterminate (the name was not specified). The point is that while we do not know which village was involved with this account, we can be sure that God certainly foreknew the village, and what was about to transpire in it, as it was all God ordained, and therefore predetermined and predestined via Election.
2. The PROBLEM: The Plague of Leprosy, What Does It Mean from a Biblical Perspective?
It is clear from this account that the ten men, being called “lepers”, all had a serious and debilitating infectious skin disease, commonly translated as “leprosy.” In the Israelite community, when a person discovered a rash or skin disorder suggestive of being leprosy, he or she had to go to the priest for examination. The priest would then determine whether this was or was not indeed the “plague of leprosy“, and if it was leprosy, then that person would be declared ceremonially “unclean” (Leviticus 13:1-59). Jewish law as given to Moses prohibited anyone with such a disease from associating with the general community. They had to be isolated, and would live as literal outcasts (outside the camp) until they died. We read this in Leviticus 13:45&46, “¶And the leper in whom the plague [is], his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague [shall be] in him he shall be defiled; he [is] unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp [shall] his habitation [be].“
They “Stood Afar Off“
Notice that it is clear that these lepers could not come near to Jesus. They had to cry out to him from ‘afar off‘…”they lifted up [their] voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” They were viewed as cursed castaways because of the uncleanness that was associated with leprosy (which symbolizes natural mankind’s unsaved state separating and preventing everyone from coming into God’s Holy Presence apart from the Atoning Sacrifice of the LORD Jesus Christ).
Ephesians 2:12&13 highlights this point clearly, “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” and Ephesians 2:17, “And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.”
From an earthly standpoint, this isolation was also necessary in order to keep infectious diseases from becoming an earthly epidemic. But, for those afflicted, it could be a life sentence, because it was incurable to any humanly devised medical interventions, just as our SIN sickness cannot be cured by human means.
Leprosy (a disease that God created for His Purposes) provides a clear and unequivocal symbolic basis for understanding what it means to be “unclean” and an “outcast” in the Eyes of God because of sin, with the result being forever separated, ostracized, from those whom God would otherwise deem as “clean” (who are inside the camp, and the camp serves as a picture of Heaven). The healing of our sin sickness is incurable apart from the Supernatural Divine intervention by God, as we will see more clearly below in this study. Moreover, the process requires a post-healing second step “cleansing” involving the sin sacrifice of a male lamb without blemish, and then having the lamb’s blood being put upon the healed leper followed by the leper being anointed with oil. Again, more on this, and the spiritual implications, below.
Law of Cleansing for a Healed Leper
Despite the fact that there was no known medical cure for leprosy at the time, it is clear that God made provision for the possibility of someone with leprosy to be healed of the disease, and it is extremely important that we review the cleansing requirements that must be followed according to the Law as we read in Leviticus 14:1-32. Within those verses, there is no doubt that it was God’s plan all along that lepers could be “healed” and “cleansed”, but that it involved a number of steps.
Foremost we read that the leper who is healed and to be cleansed must first be brought before “the priest.” Leviticus 14:1-7, “¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest: And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, [if] the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper; Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive [and] clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird [that was] killed over the running water: And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.“
Next we read in Leviticus 14:8&9, “And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days. But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.“
But the cleansing process did not stop there. In the following verses there are a number of other ceremonies involved that include the leper having to be shaved completely and washed along with that person’s clothing. Then after seven days another shaving, and another washing of body and clothes.
Then “on the eighth day“, more ceremonies are conducted, at “the door of the tabernacle“, as we read in Leviticus 14:10-14, “¶And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for] a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil. And the priest that maketh [him] clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, [at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them [for] a wave offering before the LORD: And he shall slay the lamb in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place: for as the sin offering [is] the priest’s, [so is] the trespass offering: it [is] most holy: And the priest shall take [some] of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put [it] upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot:” Notice that three lambs are slain, and blood from the first male lamb “without blemish” (just like the Passover Lamb), which was killed for a sin offering, was put on the right ear, right thumb, and right big toe of he healed leper as part of the cleansing process. The male lamb without blemish for a sin offering represents the LORD Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, and the blood of the lamb is His shed Blood upon His Death as the Atoning Sacrifice for sin.
The same steps would then be conducted with “oil” (of the olive) as we read in Leviticus 14:15-18, “And the priest shall take [some] of the log of oil, and pour [it] into the palm of his own left hand: And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD. And of the rest of the oil that [is] in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering: And the remnant of the oil that [is] in the priest’s hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD.” Note that the priest shall make an “atonement” for the cleansed leper. The ‘oil’ represents God’s Holy Spirit, Who comes after Jesus’ Sacrifice on the eighth day, because Jesus rose from the grave on the eighth day.
A Similar Time Sequence/Pattern: Pentecost Comes After Passover
Please note that it is no coincidence that the sequence of cleansing of a leper involves atonement by the application of the blood of a lamb without blemish first (meeting the exact same qualifications as the Feast of Passover lamb) and then, second, having that action followed by the anointing with oil (equivalent to the post-Passover pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit, The Comforter, that came after Passover in 33 AD at Pentecostin 33 AD).
But the following two verses expand upon this “atonement”, Leviticus 14:19&20, “¶And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness; and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering: And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean.“(Note: There are slightly different rules provided for a poor person who is substantially unable to provide the lambs for the sacrifice in the subsequent verses.). We know that Jesus also had to pay the Price of what amounts to the equivalent of ‘burning’ for an eternity in Hell for the sins of the Elect whom Jesus came to save. (Please see the post on Jonah that explains this point, and consider the meaning of Revelation 1:15, “And his (Jesus’) feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.“)
So then, we see that God provided a template/pattern for the time if, and when, a leper is ever found to be healed of this humanly incurable disease. And note that in the Old Testament there are only two cases where lepers were healed, both supernaturally by God. (Please see box below)
The healed leper must be brought before the priest.
The priest would then examine the leper outside the camp, and if healed, then
A sacrificial animal (a turtledove or pigeon) had to be killed (sacrificed) and the blood shed.
The blood is then sprinkled seven times on the healed leper with cedar, scarlet, and hyssop whereupon the leper would be declared “clean” (a second living bird, which is also dipped in the blood, would be set free as part of the process).
The healed leper must wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days.
After seven days the now “clean” leper would then complete a similar washing of clothes, shaving of hair, and personal washing.
On the eighth day the clean leper would come before the door of the tabernacle
A two-step process involving the blood of the sacrificed lamb without blemish being put upon the clean leper followed by a similar application oil and then anointed with oil for atonement by the priest.
This is followed by a sin offering to make atonement and the killing of the second lamb as a “burnt offering” to make atonement.
The only two recorded cases in the Old Testament whereby lepers were healed can be found first in the account in which Merriam, Moses’ older sister (together with Aaron, their brother), berated Moses for marrying an Ethiopian woman in Numbers 12:1. God subsequently required that all three meet with Him at the tabernacle whereupon we read in Numbers 12:5, “And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood [in] the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.” Later in Numbers 12:9-15 we read, “¶And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam [became] leprous, [white] as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, [she was] leprous. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb. ¶And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee. ¶And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in [again]. And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in [again]. Secondly, we have the account of Naaman the Syrian in 2 Kings 5:1-27 who was healed by God according to the words of the prophet Elisha when Naaman dipped himself seven times in the Jordan River. It is also interesting that the king of Israel made it clear that only God could cleanse a leper, as we read in 2 Kings 5:7. Jesus highlighted this particular healing by the Jewish prophet Elisha to the Jews in His home town of Nazareth as an illustration of Israel’s problem of unbelief in Him (“No prophet is accepted in his own country.“) In Luke 4:27-29, “And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus (Elisha) the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. ¶And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.” It has been noted before by more than one theologian, that thus, in the same way as in the time of Elisha, the Israelites of Jesus’ day did not believe The Prophet for healing Who was right in front of their eyes. But as we read in Acts 10:34&35, “¶Then Peter opened [his] mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.” Thus the Gentiles eventually received the Gospel of Salvation that Israel rejected. Acts 13:46, “Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.”
There was also the case where God gave Moses leprosy and then healed to be shown to Pharaoh in Egypt as a second “sign”. We read this in Exodus 4:6,”¶And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom:and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his [other] flesh. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.“
There were two other cases recorded in the Bible where someone became a leper as a result of sinning/rebelling against God:
Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, greedily sought to benefit himself financially after Naaman the Syrian was healed of Leprosy via Elisha, and Gehazi was punished accordingly as we read in 2 Kings 5:27, “The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as [white] as snow.“
King Azariah (Uzziah) violated the sanctity of the temple to burn incense because he was not a Levite. The account is both in 2 Kings 15:5, “And the LORD smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house. And Jotham the king’s son [was] over the house, judging the people of the land.” and in 2 Chronicles 26:19-21, after having been rebuked by the priests, “¶Then Uzziah was wroth, and [had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he [was] leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten him. ¶And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.“
It should also be noted that there is no record of any time that a Levitical priest conducted the ceremonial cleansing of a leper per Leviticus 14:1-32.
Jesus had healed other lepers
The first time that the Bible records Jesus having healed a leper is found in Matthew 8:1-4, “¶When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. ¶And Jesus put forth [his] hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. ¶And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.“
There are two additional accounts provided in the Bible where Jesus healed other lepers:
Mark 1:40-45, “¶And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. ¶And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth [his] hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.¶But he went out, and began to publish [it] much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.“
Luke 5:12-14, “¶And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. ¶And he put forth [his] hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.“
Jesus Dined in the Home of Simon the Leper
The account of Jesus entering the house of Simon the leper (evidently also previously healed by Jesus) to eat is recorded in both Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3-9, beginning with these words respectively: “¶Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,” and ¶And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured [it] on his head.”
Jesus also provided this summary in Matthew 11:5&6, “The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is [he], whosoever shall not be offended in me.“
The Real Problem Is that Sin (Typified by Leprosy) Makes Us Unclean Outcasts, and Separates Us from God
The key lesson to be learned from this incident is that sin defiles us in the sight of God, but through Jesus Christ, we can be healed of the plague of sin that separates us from God. God loathes sin; it is repulsive to Him. Sin bans us from the presence of God because God will not allow sinful man in His sight and presence. God is Pure and Holy!
Deuteronomy 23:14, “For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he seenouncleanthing in thee, and turn away from thee.“
Psalm 5:5, “The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.“
Habakkuk 1:13, “[Thou art] of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, [and] holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth [the man that is] more righteous than he?“
Revelation 21:27, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither [whatsoever] worketh abomination, or [maketh] a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.“
This is not only true of sins with a sexual connotation that are normally regarded as filthy and repulsive, but it includes all forms of disobedience and rebellion.
1 Samuel 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.“
Proverbs 15:9, “The way of the wicked [is] an abomination unto the LORD: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.“
James 2:10, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one [point], he is guilty of all.“
Ephesians 2:1-10, “¶And you [hath he quickened] (made alive), who were dead in trespasses and sins; 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: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. ¶But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 1:5-7, “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;“
3. The PEOPLE: What is a “Samaritan”? What is a “Stranger”?
Samaritan?
When the Jews accused Jesus of being a “Samaritan”, they were disdainfully implying that Jesus was of mixed-race and not entirely a full “Jew” (perhaps because he was known to be from Nazareth, which is in the land given to the tribe of Zebulon, which is associated with the Gentiles and Galilee based on Isaiah 9:1&2), and moreover they also claimed that Jesus “hast a devil“. We read this in John 8:47-49, which tells us where Jesus said, “He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.”
Other information concerning what it meant to be a Samaritan in Jesus’ day
Jesus met with some adversity when ministering to people in Samaritan villages (Luke 9:52&53) and initially told His disciples not to enter them (Matthew 10:5–6), because the Gospel had to first to be preached “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel“. Nonetheless, Jesus did witness to the Samaritans, most notably when ministering to a Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:4–26) as well as the Samaritan leper, the focus of this study.
Those passages in the New Testament provide us with additional insights and reference to what it means to be a Samaritan at the time of Jesus. In this excerpt from Jesus’ exchange with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well in John 4:5-10, “¶Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with [his] journey, sat thus on the well: [and] it was about the sixth hour. ¶There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) ¶Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. ¶Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.“
As was shown above, in New Testament times, the Jews despised Samaritans, and they would have nothing to do with them. Nonetheless, not only did Jesus not hesitate to have interactions with Samaritans, Jesus’ Great Commission specifically directed His disciples in Acts 1:8 to preach the Gospel to them (as well as to the whole world), “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” And his disciples obeyed as we read in Acts 8:25, “¶And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.”
Stranger?
God makes special mention of what it means to be a stranger from a Biblical perspective. By nature we are all strangers to God and His Kingdom by birth, due to the inherited sin of Adam. God equates that status to being in Egypt (which is a metaphor for the devil’s kingdom, which is also this world). But our God is a merciful God. Psalm 146:9, “The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.”
Moreover back in Deuteronomy 10:17-19 we read, “For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.“
Finally, Ruth ‘the Moabitess’, the great-grandmother of king David and a direct ancestor of the LORD Jesus Christ, was also a ‘stranger’. The meaning of what it means to be a ‘stranger’ is more fully expounded in the post A Spiritual Understanding of The Book of Ruth.
4. The PRESCRIPTION Is The Person (The LORD Jesus Christ)
In Verse 14 we see what transpires after the ten lepers shout out to Jesus and say “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us“…
“¶And when he saw [them], he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.“
One positive aspect of being a leper is that it makes immediately clear one’s unimaginable utter destitution and desperation and need for healing…as opposed to being completely “physically” healthy and thinking that all is well when it is really not.
All that Jesus is quoted as having done was to simply say in Verse 14, “Go shew yours selves unto the priests.” and while on their way “they were cleansed.”
There was no indication of any direct physical action by Jesus for the lepers, he simply spoke and instructed them to show themselves to the priests. Then, in obedience to Jesus’ instruction, the lepers became aware that they were healed along the way as we read in the next verse.
We saw earlier why Jesus would have told them to show themselves to the “priests” as having been cleansed of leprosy based on the Mosaic Law in Leviticus chapter 14. However, there is no record in the Old Testament of any priest ever having to have carried out the process of pronouncing someone clean from the scourge of leprosy and conducting the atonement ceremonies. This would therefore be a first! What would the priest(s) think? (Jesus’ command is another reason to believe that most, if not all, of the nine un-returning lepers were likely Jews as they would know where to go to find a priest.)
But God wants us to understand that the outwardly observable physical cleansing, involving the outward healing of the leper (and being declared clean) is not enough. Another series of steps are absolutely necessary to achieve true “cleansing” and those steps involved blood sacrifice and subsequent anointing with oil. (see more below). So then the outward cleansing (healing) of the flesh is only a “sign” of the Work of God. It alone is not the substance of true inner cleansing that comes with Salvation by Jesus.
Note: We should ask ourselves, How many people today place their trust in outward “Gospel signs” like 1) Their Baptisms, 2) Their Works (e.g., Repentance from a particular sin(s)), or 3) Their faith, rather than placing their trust in Jesus’ Substitutionary Atoning Sacrifice by God’s Grace Alone? And how many so-called “Christians” are limiting their desires to only healings of their physical infirmities and rescue from temporal life issues? The “Gospel signs” are all there only to point us to Jesus Christ and 1) His Work, 2) His Sacrifice, 3) His Baptism, and 4) His Faith! As Jonah cried in Jonah 2:9, “Salvation [is] of the LORD“. And similarly, this historical account of Jesus and the ten lepers shows us how Jesus Is The Substance and Fulfillment of the Old Testament Levitical Law for dealing with lepers and our need to be anointed/sanctified by God the Holy Spirit, which is the “substance” of Regeneration and True Cleansing and Healing pointed to back in Leviticus chapter 14.
So then all the lepers were cleansed outwardly…they were all given “the sign.” The importance of this event also involves the timing. They were cleansed during Jesus journey to Jerusalem for the last time.
Back in Luke 4:16-28, we learned of Jesus’ reading from Isaiah 61 in the synagogue in his home town of Nazareth (hence Galilee). By Jesus’ saying that He was fulfilling the prophesy “To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD“, Jesus was thereby proclaiming that He was the promised Messiah…and inherently the One to “heal the leprous souls”. The locals refused to accept that their neighbor, the carpenter’s son, could possibly be the Messiah. Then Jesus said that a prophet is not without honor in his own house or country, and reminded them of Naaman the Syrian who was the only one who was healed of leprosy by Elisha the prophet. Luke 4:27, “And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.” The point being that Naaman was NOT a Jew, but rather a despised Gentile, and yet God healed Naaman of his leprosy and not any “Jews”. He was making clear to them that being a Jew (by birth and tradition) is not sufficient to be clean before God, rather it involves God’s Sovereign Election. Jesus was not accepting the common Jewish viewpoint, by which they trusted in their heritage and claimed obedience to the law rather than by God’s interventional Grace. The Jews were insulted by this, and “were filled with wrath“, and sought to kill Jesus (although He moved away unscathed).
A Samaritan (and Stranger) Was Healed and “Made Whole” by Jesus
The Prescription was not the physical healing of the ten lepers, it was the Salvation of the one “Samaritan” leper and “stranger” who came back to Jesus for the spiritual healing that Only Jesus Can Provide.To be made Whole is to become Saved!
“¶And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on [his] face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.“
Jesus expressed disappointment that the other nine had not thought to give praise to God for their healing. From this we learn that God desires for us to express our thankfulness to Him for all that He does in our lives but without doubt it is not our physical cleansing but our spiritual cleansing that was only made possible through Jesus’ Atoning Sacrifice on the saved person’s behalf.
The Bible does not record how far they had walked before being healed. However we are told that only one of ten lepers, significantly both a “Samaritan” (a person despised by the Jews) and “stranger” to Israel, when he saw that he was healed turned back to The One Who Was The Source of his healing. He found grace, and saw nothing in the works of the law that could save him (because they only pointed to Jesus Christ). He came back to Jesus and gave glory to God, which is the real goal of the Law. Instead of crying to God for mercy, the Samaritan leper, was then praising God for His abundant mercy. Anyone who has been shown the mercy of God will gladly sing praises to the Grantor of that mercy forever.
We should also note that Jesus expressed disappointment that the other nine had not thought to give praise to God for their healing. From this we learn that God desires for us to express our thankfulness to Him for all that He does in our lives but without doubt it is not our physical cleansing (which is only a shadow), but our spiritual cleansing (that is the substance of this Historical Parable) that was only made possible through Jesus’ Atoning Sacrifice for every saved person’s behalf.
Returning Back to God is the Essence of Repentance
Isaiah 44:22, “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return (שׁוּב (šûḇ))H7725unto me; for I have redeemed thee.“
Psalm 90:3, “Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return (שׁוּב (šûḇ))H7725, ye children of men.“
Psalm 116:7, “Return (שׁוּב (šûḇ))H7725unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.“
Isaiah 10:21, “The remnant shall return(שׁוּב (šûḇ))H7725,[even] the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.
The Great Physician
And let us not forget that it was Jesus Christ Who made clear the analogy between sin and sickness in Mark 2:15, “¶And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together withJesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard [it], he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Note that it was sinners (the ones in need of healing) that were called to “repentance” (μετάνοια (metanoia))G3341, which involves turning away from sin and purposefully reversing course and turning back to God.
Jesus Is The High Priest Above All Others
The healed Samaritan leper showed himself to “The Real High Priest“! Jesus did not require any “additional” ceremonial acts of physical blood sacrifices and oil anointings to declare the Samaritan leper “clean.” And the cleansed leper used his loud voice to praise God!Anyone who has been blessed to know God’s mercy will similarly joyously and loudly sing praise and glory to Almighty God!The cleansed Samaritan leper simply came to Jesus and fell at His feet and gave Glory to God!
We saw earlier how our sins separate us from God, but Jesus Alone provides us with only means to bridge the gap or remove the wall of separation between us and God because of sin. But Jesus had to make the full payment for sin through His Atoning Sacrifice at the cross as we read in Ephesians 2:14, “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;“
Is it not remarkable how the Levitical Law was also fulfilled (the one that Jesus referred to when telling the ten lepers to go to show themselves “to the priest”)? Remember the first requirement was: 1) The healed leper must be brought before the priest. The Samaritan leper never made it to an earthly Levitical priest, he instead turned to Jesus Christ, Who Is The High Priest after the order of Melchisedec, Who we read about in Hebrews 5:10 and Hebrews 6:20. (Please see the studies of Hebrews 5 and Hebrews 6.)
Then there were the additional ceremonial steps involving the sprinkling of blood of sacrificial animals (first involving doves and finally involving the blood of a lamb without blemish). There were also spiritual washing of the body and clothes with water.
Finally, there was the anointing with oil followed by the burnt offering of a lamb for atonement. In Jesus, and through Jesus, all of these steps were spiritually fulfilled for the healed Samaritan leper and stranger, just as they are spiritually for all who believe on Him.
Jesus Is The ‘Lamb of God‘ as we know from John 1:29 (and John 1:36), “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.“
we know from 1 Peter 1:19, that it was His death and his shed blood that was the acceptable for the Atonement for sin and redemption of souls who otherwise would remain as lepers and strangers outside the family of God. “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:“
And after the spiritual washing of regeneration by the Blood and the Water (please see John 19:34 & 1 John 5:6) all believers are spiritually anointed with the most Precious Oil, God’s Holy Spirit. 1 John 2:20, “¶ But ye have an unction (anointing) from the Holy One, and ye know all things.” and 1 John 2:27, “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.“
Even though Jesus did not withhold the physical healing from the nine who did not thank Him, He made a point of noting their lack of gratefulness to Him. Luke 17:18, “There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.” “Returning” is another word for “repentance”, and we know from Jeremiah 24:7, “And I will give them an heart to know me, that I [am] the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.”
Because all ten men believed in the miracles, all ten of them were “physically” healed. But Jesus’ final words to the grateful Samaritan imply that this man, alone, received a spiritual healing in addition to the cleansing of his skin. After the man was already healed of leprosy, Jesus said to him, “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole” (verse 19). It is evident that both the man’s return to give Glory to God, and to fall to the ground to worship at Jesus’ feet, were evidence that God had given him spiritual wholeness…Salvation… in addition to the physical wholeness that he had previously received. When we acknowledge the Giver and not just the gifts, we Glorify God. It pleases God to grant His children spiritual healing that could only come through Jesus’ Atoning Sacrifice. We read four times in Psalm 107:8 & 15, 2131), “Oh that men would praise the LORD [for] his goodness, and [for] his wonderful works to the children of men!“
And let us not forget what we read in James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
True Cleansing from Sin Requires The Application of The Atoning Blood of Jesus and The Anointing of God’s Holy Spirit
Going back to the Mosaic Law requirements that had to be met in the cleansing of a healed leper, it was pointed out that it was no coincidence that the sequence of cleansing of a leper involves
An atoning sacrifice by the application of the blood of a lamb without blemish (meeting the exact same qualifications as the Feast of Passover lamb) on the right ear, right thumb, and big toe of the right foot of the healed leper (signifying the “will” of a person) and then,
Having that action followed likewise by the anointing with oil again on the right ear, right thumb, and big toe of the right foot of the healed leper (Just as we saw in the post-Passover pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit, The Comforter, that came after Passover in 33 AD at Pentecostin 33 AD).
In the same way, Jesus’ shed Blood Is The Atoning Sacrifice for all those who would believe on Him, and is spiritually applied to every believer because it is efficacious throughout all time, and subsequently, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit was obvious in 33 AD to fulfill Biblical prophesy, but the action of the anointing and indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit is also applied to every believer because that anointing is also efficacious in the lives of all for whom Jesus Christ shed His Blood.
So the very last verse of this Historical Parable reveals some important spiritual truths. In Verse 19 we read:
“And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”
‘Arise’ points to the Resurrection
The original Greek word for “Arise” is ἀνίστημι (anistēmi)G450. It is the same word that is used in reference to Jesus’ Resurrection in Mark 10:34, “And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again (ἀνίστημι (anistēmi))G450.
It brings into remembrance the Parable of the Prodigal Son, where he said he will “arise“(ἀνίστημι (anistēmi))G450, indicating that he was being drawn by God to repentanceand raised from spiritual death. In Luke 15:18, “I will arise (ἀνίστημι (anistēmi))G450and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,”
We also read later in Luke 15:20, “¶And he arose (ἀνίστημι (anistēmi))G450, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” We learn that he “arose” and his father had compassion towards him (and thus the prodigal son had become a “resurrected” soul in spirit). God has compassion and love for His elect sons and daughters, even when still dead in trespasses and sins as we read in Ephesians 2:5, “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened (made alive) us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and Colossians 2:13, “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;“.
It should also be noted that another word that is translated into English as “arise” or “to lift up” in the original Greek, ἐγείρω (egeirō)G1453, is sometimes used together with ἀνίστημι (anistēmi)G450 as synonyms in Mark 9:27, “But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up (ἐγείρω (egeirō))G1453; and he arose (ἀνίστημι (anistēmi))G450.” Among other verses that point to the resurrection includes Matthew 10:8, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers,raise(ἐγείρω (egeirō))G1453the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.“
‘Go Thy Way’
This does not mean the healed Samaritan leper’s “own” previous life’s way, it means the new Way which is Jesus Christ’s Way. Having been made “whole” this new creature in Christ will go forth as a witness of Jesus Christ and that Salvation is only by Him Alone, and to die to self in the service and for the sake of others in preaching that Gospel.
‘Thy Faith’
The Samaritan leper (and stranger) had Christ’s Faith imputed to him. Belief was given by Jesus to this Samaritan and then Jesus credits it to him as “his faith”. Faith is both the substance and evidence of God’s Grace, and Jesus is the Sole Source of it! Hebrews 11:1, “¶Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.“
Jesus Is The Author and Finisher of Faith: Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith;who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.“
The Grace of God: Faith is a Gift of God, not the product of the natural heart. Ephesians 2:8&9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:Not of works, lest any man should boast.“
The Word of God(Jesus): The Foundation of faith. We can only believe what God has said and has revealed to us from the Bible. Romans 10:17, “So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.“ (Please see the post on Hebrews chapter 11)
‘Hath Made The Whole’
The true illness was cured…the “leprosed soul” was now healed and fully cleansed of his sins. He now would walk in the newness of life as a Sanctified soul.
Thankfulness Versus Unthankfulness
We should note what is implied by Jesus within the context of the preceding two verses, Luke 17:17&18:
¶And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where [are] the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.”
It would seem that Jesus was differentiating between the other nine lepers and the Samaritan leper by singling out that the Samaritan leper was also identified differently as being also a stranger. Jews would never be considered as strangers.
We should remember that there is nothing that we have ever obtained that was not given to us (just as the lepers’ healing was a gift to them). The lepers did not heal themselves, it was a gift freely granted to them by Jesus. 1 Corinthians 4:7, “For who maketh thee to differ [from another]? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive [it], why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received [it]?” And as was mentioned earlier, we should not forget what we read in James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
2 Timothy 3:2 describes what people will be like in the last days, and one characteristic is ingratitude. “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,” When pride and self-rule become fashionable, the human heart has no one to thank. We become convinced of our own supremacy and consider all we have as a just reward for our own efforts rather than a blessing from God.
Ingratitude toward God is not so much a cause of evil as the result of it. We know from Romans 1:18, “¶For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;” and later in Romans 1:21, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” Notice that this is exactly the difference that Jesus identified as the nine unreturned lepers’ failure in Verse 18…they did not glorify God and neither were they thankful!
The nine lepers represent those in the world that seek to identify with Jesus as ‘Christians’, but do not really want Jesus as their Savior. They are like those that call Jesus “Master”, but who do not return to worship Jesus as the One worthy of all the praise. They are seeking a temporal physician. While we know that the repentant leper was a Samaritan and stranger, the identity of the other nine lepers is not provided. One could speculate that they were Jews, or perhaps a mix of Jews and Samaritans, but we do know that they are spiritually representative of all those who exhibit an outward form of Godliness and seek outward cleanliness, much like the scribes and Pharisees whom Jesus addressed in Matthew 23:25, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.” And we should keep in mind that within the context of those who are deemed “unthankful” in Timothy 3:2, we have this warning in 2 Timothy 3:5, “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.“
One reason the Bible takes such a strong stance against unthankfulness and ingratitude may be that God knows that the end result of such arrogance is a reprobate mind as we read in Romans 1:28, “¶And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;“. We all need to be reminded that all that we are and all that we have is a gift from God, we are not only guarding ourselves against idolatry and pride, but we will have a greater awareness of what Jesus did in giving up His Life for His sheep and granting eternal salvation as a free gift of Grace to them. Every believer, represented by the despised Samaritan stranger (being spiritually cleansed of his or her leprous sins, being atoned for by the Blood of Jesus Christ, and anointed with God’s Holy Spirit) will constantly want give glory to God. Every one will joyously shout Hallelujah! and worshipfully offer up praise and thanksgiving to Jesus, both now and at the resurrection forever and ever in Heaven.
CONCLUSION
It was mentioned in the Introduction that this entire historical account was foreordained as a spiritual object lesson, thereby serving as an ‘Historical Parable‘. The original ten lepers, signified by the number 10, represent the totality of all mankind in the natural state in sin under the curse of God. The nine lepers who were physically cleansed are a picture of natural reprobate mankind, who seek earthly benefits, but do not acknowledge, thank, or love the Wondrous Benefactor Who Is The Giver of every good and perfect gift: James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” The ‘one’ leper who returned to Jesus to Glorify God and thank and worship Jesus represents the unity of all those who are truly saved “spiritually” and eternally counted among the Elect of God fully cleansed from their sins.
And how can this teacher say that Election was involved in the salvation of this one leper and stranger? In John 6:44, Jesus explicitly stated that, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” The Samaritan leper was moved by God the Holy Spirit to come back to Jesus. Remember how this is consistent with Psalm 65:4, “Blessed [is the man whom] thou choosest, and causest to approach [unto thee, that] he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, [even] of thy holy temple.“
We have to remember that it was Jesus Who chose to go through Galilee and Samaria. It was all according to Jesus’ Will. Jesus knew beforehand exactly what was about to play out in this account of the ten lepers. It was to be established by God as another Historical Parable to be recorded in the Bible to convey an important spiritual message (and therefore, because it is a parable, the spiritual message will remain hidden from unbelievers).
Matthew 22:14, “For many are called, but few [are] chosen.“
Romans 9:11, “(For [the children] being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Ephesians 1:5, “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.“
Ephesians 1:11, “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.“
Ephesians 2:14-18, “¶For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition [between us]; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.“
Today’s Application
We must all consider whether we can begin to see ourselves in our natural state just as Holy Almighty God sees us, and abhor ourselves in our souls whenever we can look back and see that every thought and action in our lifetime was in rebellion and hatred toward God (ultimately rooted in the sin of pride). Only then can we have any hope of cleansing from our sins. A healthy person has no need for a physician.
We must look to Jesus Christ, Who Alone can heal our inborn spiritual infirmity of sin, and not be ultimately concerned with earthly physical difficulties that arise, but rather focus of true healing and cleansing from our sins.
If there is a desire to love, honor, and obey Jesus Christ (as He Is fully revealed in the Bible), then this is evidence of a “new heart” toward God and that one may be cleansed already by Jesus’s shed Blood and having been anointed with God’s Holy Spirit Who guides the believer into all truth (John 16:13). As a result, such a one should rightly be continuously giving all Glory to God for that understanding.
One must fully believe that it is only the Grace of God Alone that is the means to turn us from a life of natural willful sin back to God and cleanse us from those sins through Jesus Christ’s Atoning Sacrifice. Only Jesus, as The Great Physician, can grant us eternal life in Heaven with Him by healing us from our sin sickness. One must also understand that even one’s faith is solely a gift of God. To God Alone be all the Glory and Honor for ever and ever. Hallelujah!
It has become common today to hear of “Hate Speech”, that “words are violence”, and frequent accusations of “provocative rhetoric”. The fact is, that according to the Bible, this is true, because words can cause individuals pain. Hateful, demeaning, slanderous and provocative words can indeed cause permanent injury to others…emotionally, mentally, and, most of all, spiritually. God tells us in Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.“Proverbs 12:18, “There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise [is] health.” (And we should all know that God hates a lying and deceitful tongue: Proverbs 6:16-19.)
Contrariwise, while evil words can bring injury and death, God makes very clear that loving words should rather be used to build up our fellow man (and as Proverbs 12:18 says above, good words of the wise actually promote health and life). God instructs us from the Bible to use our words lovingly, sparingly, and always in Truth, to encourage others and most of all to share the Gospel of Salvation, speaking of Jesus Christ, the Living Water and the Bread of Life, to everyone possible that they might have eternal life (while also praying that God might grant them the spiritual “ears to hear” to effectuate it).
Proverbs 10:21, “The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.“
Proverbs 18:4, “The words of a man’s mouth [are as] deep waters, [and] the wellspring of wisdom [as] a flowing brook.”
The duty of every Christian is to use his or her mouths (and very lives) to faithfully proclaim the LORD Jesus Christ, Who Is The Word of God as is found in the Bible, and thereby Comfort, Edify (“build up”), Encourage, Exhort, Establish, Perfect, Settle and Strengthenthe faith of the Saints (the true Believing Christians, the “Sheep”, the Eternal Church of Jesus Christ per Jesus’ instruction to the Apostle Peter in Luke 22:32 to “strengthen thy brethren“). And also help the believer to more fully comprehend what we read in 2 Timothy 3:16&17, “¶All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.“
The believer goes further to use his or her words to Worship and Praise God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) for Who He Is, our LORD God Creator and Savior and Eternal Life Giver. We use words to sing Praise in Psalms, and Hymns, and Spiritual Songs (Ephesians 5:19&20, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” and Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.“). This is the good and proper use of our mouths to Give Glory and Honor to God.
The purpose of this post is to create a compendium of God’s instructions regarding how God wants us to use our mouths/lips/ tongues and speech, so that this post can serve as a future reference for anyone seeking to know and do God’s Will more faithfully. There is no better place to begin than with Ephesians 4:29, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” and Proverbs 25:11, “A word fitly spoken [is like] apples of gold in pictures of silver.“
God said this by the hand of King Solomon in Proverbs 4:20, “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they [are] life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life.” And Jesus made this even more clear Luke 6:45, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” And this brings to mind how God describes the heart of the natural, unregenerate, person, Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart [is] deceitful above [all things], and desperately wicked: who can know it?“
Remembering also what Jesus said in John 6:63, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life.“
Finally, the best answer that any person can give, in response to any worldly subject today (and which will glorify God in the process), is to simply follow Jesus’ example and quote from appropriate Bible Scripture. Three times Jesus was tempted by the devil, and in all three cases Jesus only replied with the appropriate Bible verse:
The Mouth of the Righteous Speaks Blessings of Truth and Life
The believer speaks from God’s Word the Bible, Joshua 1:8, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.“
Psalm 34:1&2, ¶[[A [Psalm] of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.]] “I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise [shall] continually be in my mouth.My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear [thereof], and be glad.”
Psalm 39:1, “[[To the chief Musician, [even] to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David.]]I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.“
Psalm 77:12, “I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.“
Psalm 141:3&4, “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.Incline not my heart to [any] evil thing (word), to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.” Remembering what Jesus said in Matthew 12:34, “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things?for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” referring back to Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life.“
Job 27:4, “My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.“
Proverbs 16:1, “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, [is] from the LORD.”
Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.“
Psalm 37:30, “The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.”
Psalm 15:1, “¶[[A Psalm of David.]] LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbitten not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.“
Psalm 49:3, “My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart [shall be] of understanding.“
Psalm 139:4, “For [there is] not a word in my tongue, [but], lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.“
God says in Proverbs 8:13, “The fear of the LORD [is] to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.“
Isaiah 50:4, “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to [him that is] weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.“
Zephaniah 3:13, “The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make [them] afraid.“
Philippians 2:10&11, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.“
Colossians 3:8, “¶But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.“
Colossians 3:17, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.“
1 Peter 3:8-12, “¶Finally, [be ye] all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, [be] pitiful, [be] courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord [are] over the righteous, and his ears [are open] unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord [is] against them that do evil.“
1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.“
Proverbs 10:19, “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips [is] wise.”
1 Corinthians 10:31, “¶Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.“
These verses outline the closeness of honoring God by honoring His sabbath day along with NOT seeking “pleasurable” diversions from Him (and His rest), and with NOT speaking idle words, but instead to be using our mouths in speaking from His Word:Isaiah 58:13&14, “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, [from] doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking [thine own] words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it].”
The Mouth of the Wicked Speaks Lying, Deceit, and Death
Regarding the wicked, God tells us in Psalm 10:7, that, “His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue [is] mischief and vanity.” and then in Psalm 52:1-5, “¶[[To the chief Musician, Maschil, [A Psalm] of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech.]]Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God [endureth] continually. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good; [and] lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. Thou lovest all devouring words, O [thou] deceitful tongue.God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of [thy] dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.“
God Hates the Lying Tongue; It Only Brings Death
Proverbs 6:16-19, “These six [things] doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness [that] speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.“
Also we read in Psalm 50:19, “Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit.” and “He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass.“
Proverbs 10:18, “He that hideth hatred [with] lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, [is] a fool.”
Proverbs 18:8, “The words of a talebearer [are] as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.“
Psalm 5:9, “For [there is] no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.“
Psalm 12:3, “The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, [and] the tongue that speaketh proud things: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who [is] lord over us?“
Psalm 58:3&4, “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. Their poison [is] like the poison of a serpent: [they are] like the deaf adder [that] stoppeth her ear;” Remembering what Jesus said to the Jews in John 8:44, “Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he isa liar, and the father of it.“
Proverbs 4:24, “Put away from thee a froward (עִקְּשׁוּת (ʿiqqᵊšûṯ))H6143mouth,and perverse (לְזוּת (lᵊzûṯ))H3891lips put far from thee.” Proverbs 6:12, “A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward (עִקְּשׁוּת (ʿiqqᵊšûṯ))H6143mouth.” The original Hebrew word that is translated as “froward” in English means fraudulent or deceitful speech. To be deceitful is to be false and misleading, another way of describing someone who lies. And again the “father of lies” is the devil (John 8:44). We see this also in Psalm 36:3, “The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, [and] to do good.“
Psalm 59:12, “[For] the sin of their mouth [and] the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying [which] they speak.“
Proverbs 15:23, “A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good [is it]!“
Proverbs 17:4, “A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; [and] a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.”
Proverbs 21:6, “The getting of treasures by a lying tongue [is] a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.“
Proverbs 21:28, “A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly.“
Proverbs 16:28, “A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.”
Proverbs 17:20, “He that hath a froward (עִקֵּשׁ (ʿiqqēš))H6141 heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.“
Proverbs 18:6, “A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.“
Proverbs 18:7, “A fool’s mouth [is] his destruction, and his lips [are] the snare of his soul.“
Proverbs 18:8, “The words of a talebearer [are] as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.“
Ecclesiastes 5:2, “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter [any] thing before God: for God [is] in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice [is known] by multitude of words.“
Ecclesiastes 5:6&7, “Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it [was] an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy theworkofthinehands?“
Jeremiah 9:5, “And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, [and] weary themselves to commit iniquity.“
Jeremiah 9:8, “Their tongue [is as] an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: [one] speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.”
Psalm 64:2&3, “Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: Who whet their tongue like a sword, [and] bend [their bows to shoot] their arrows, [even] bitter words:That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.“
Matthew 12:34, “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
Matthew 5:22, “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”
And God has this to say about the natural, unsaved, of all mankind as is recorded by the pen of the Apostle Paul in Romans 3:13, “Their throat [is] an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps [is] under their lips: Whose mouth [is] full of cursing and bitterness:Their feet [are] swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery [are] in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.“
Does not this sound a lot like Psalm 140:1, “¶[[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.]] Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man; Which imagine mischiefs in [their] heart; continually are they gathered together [for] war. They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders’ poison [is] under their lips. Selah.” And within a short space, Psalm 140:11, “Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow [him].“
And Heaven is shut up to those who tell lies: Revelation 21:27, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither [whatsoever] worketh abomination, or [maketh] a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.“
Juxapositions
Proverbs 10:20, “The tongue of the just [is] as choice silver: the heart of the wicked [is] little worth.“
Proverbs 10:31, “The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out.“
Proverbs 12:18, “There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise [is] health.“
Proverbs 12:19, “The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue [is] but for a moment.“
Proverbs 15:2, “The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.“
Proverbs 15:4, “A wholesome tongue [is] a tree of life: but perverseness therein [is] a breach in the spirit.“
Proverbs 15:7, “The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish [doeth] not so.“
Proverbs 15:26, “The thoughts of the wicked [are] an abomination to the LORD: but [the words] of the pure [are] pleasant words.“
Proverbs 15:28, “The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.“
Words to Live By
Proverbs 21:23, “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.”
Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.“
Proverbs 25:15, “By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.”
Proverbs 16:23, “The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.”
Proverbs 16:24, “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.“
Proverbs 18:13, “He that answereth a matter before he heareth [it], it [is] folly and shame unto him.“
Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.“
Luke 6:45, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.“
Matthew 12:36, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.“
Matthew 15:10&11, “¶And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.“
Matthew 15:18, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.”
Acts 18:9, “¶Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.“
Ephesians 4:15, “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ:“
Colossians 3:17, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.“
1 Corinthians 15:33, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.“
Hebrews 13:15, “By him (Jesus) therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of [our] lips giving thanks to his name.“
2 Samuel 23:2, “The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word [was] in my tongue.“
The Book of James Has a Lot to Say about the Tongue
James 1:19, “¶Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:“
James 1:26, “¶If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion [is] vain.” (Note how this relates back to Psalm 39:1)
James 5:12, “¶But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and [your] nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.“
James 3:1-9, “¶My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same [is] a perfect man, [and] able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.Behold also the ships, which though [they be] so great, and [are] driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue [is] a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; [it is] an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.” (Note alsl how the bit in the horse’s mouths relates back to Psalm 39:1)
Morever, we next read in James 3:10-12, “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet [water] and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so [can] no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.”
NOTE:It is naturally IMPOSSIBLE for these earthly examples described above to exist together. So too it is IMPOSSIBLE for a true believer to love God and hate someone. We must take to heart the following verses from the book of 1 John:1 John 3:15, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.¶Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels [of compassion] from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? ¶My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”1 John 4:20, “¶If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?“
Conclusion
Words can save or condemn. The Mouth and Tongue of the believer should be a “balm of life” for our fellow man, and never a “weapon of war” that brings forth only poison and death”
Our mouths, via our tongues and the words we say with them (due to our natural lack of self-control), can be powerfully evil and destructive. It’s not a small problem. It’s rooted in the fundamental spiritual problems all people have: pride and lack of self-control, which is due to the sin problem, which originated with the Fall of Adam. May we all humbly call upon God as the Psalmist in Psalm 19:14, and pray, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.“
Let us all learn to Honor God with our mouths, as well as all of our members and ask God to please make us more conscious of the words we speak and quickly repent of any comment that dishonors Him. Our words should demonstrate the power of God’s grace and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our lives. May God enable us to use our words as an instrument of His love and saving grace to the hearers that they too might be saved. Romans 10:17, “So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.“
We should also remember that the believers will be speaking with “New Tongues” upon regeneration by God’s Holy Spirit.
POSTSCRIPT
Regarding the fountain (spring) that sends forth only “sweet” water is a picture of the true Gospel (The Word) going forth with rivers of sweet living water to bring eternal life, versus the spring of “bitter” water, which is a picture of the false gospels that will only bring forth death. The Bible makes this clear when we look at the following verses:
LIVING WATERS, The True Gospel
Proverbs 16:22, “Understanding [is] a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools [is] folly.“
Proverbs 18:4, “The words of a man’s mouth [are as] deep waters, [and] the wellspring of wisdom [as] a flowing brook.”
Jeremiah 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.“
Jeremiah 17:13, “O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, [and] they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.“
Isaiah 12:2&3, “Behold, God [is] my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and [my] song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.“
Isaiah 44:3, “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.”
Jesus said in John 7:38, “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”
Revelation 21:6, “¶And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.“
POISONED WATERS, the False Gospels
Revelation 8:10&11, “¶And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.” The great star from heaven is the devil cast out down to the earth. The third part represents the corporate church that becomes apostate through the pollution of the bitterness and poison of the wormwood, which then brings forth false gospels that result only in the death of their hearers.
Jesus warned the disciples how false doctrine (false gospels) can be compared to “leaven” as we read in Matthew 16:11, “How is it that ye do not understand that I spake [it] not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade [them] not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” Note how this harmonizes with what the Apostle Paul wrote concerning the false gospel of circumcision for salvation in his letter to the church at Galatia in Galatians 5:8, “This persuasion [cometh] not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.“
Posted September 1, 2024 by bereansearching Categories:Bible Studies
Introduction
This post is an excerpt from a much longer post concerning “Jesus’s Parable of the Good Samaritan“. This post is intended answer 1) How does the Bible define the meaning of parables? and 2) What was the purpose behind Jesus’ employment of them when speaking to the multitudes?
What Are Parables? and What Purpose Do They Serve?
Jesus’ parables are linguistic devices consisting of “earthly”, relatable, hypothetical stories, which also contain, and are intended to implicitly convey, “heavenly” (spiritually) focused lessons. Remember what Jesus said in John 3:12, “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you [of]heavenly things?“
Definition of the Word “Parable”
The Bible tells us that a “parable” is something that is not obvious, and hence hidden from open view, or something that is “concealed” or “secret”.
In the New Testament, in the original Greek, the word translated as “parable” is παραβολή (parabolē)G3850. That Greek word is a composite of “pará“, meaning “alongside”, and “bállō“, meaning “to cast“. A parable is, by interpretation, a familiar thing which is cast, orput alongside, that which isunknown or concealed, and is essentially the same as “similitude” or “likeness” and a “thing serving as a figure of something else“.
Sometimes the word translated in the New Testament as “parable” is from the original Greek word παροιμία (paroimia)G3942, which is also translated as “proverb“, meaning “speech or discourse in which a thing is illustrated by the use of similes and comparisons; an allegory, i. e. extended and elaborate metaphor”
It has also been said, accurately, that parables are “earthly stories, or accounts, having heavenly meanings“, by which those meanings cannot be carnally (humanly) understood apart from the Holy Spirit having revealed them (1 Corinthians 2:13).
In the Old Testament, the word in the original Hebrew text that is most often translated into English as “parable” is מָשָׁל (māšāl)H4912 (and which is also translated in the King James Bible as “proverb”, e.g the Book of “Proverbs” is the Book of Māšāl). Either way that it can be translated, the word מָשָׁל (māšāl)H4912 is defined as a “metaphorical adage requiring mental action.” We should realize, however, that it does not require human mental action, but God provided mental action (again 1 Corinthians 2:13).
Jesus ONLY Spoke in Parables to the Multitudes!
The Bible makes it clear that Jesus always spoke in “parables”to the multitudes. Jesus deliberately spoke in parables so that those who only had carnal ears and eyes, would hear, andnot understand; and see, andnotperceive. In Matthew 13:34&35 we read that:”All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables (παραβολή (parabolē))G3850; and without a parable (παραβολή (parabolē))G3850spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables(παραβολή (parabolē))G3850; I will utter things which have been kept secret* from the foundation of the world.”” (and Jesus was referring back to the prophetic statement we find in Psalm 78:2, “I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:”)
*Note: The word translated as “secret” used here derives from a Greek word κρύπτω (kryptō)G2928, that means “to conceal or hide”.
So let us look closer at Psalm 78:1&2, where God calls upon all believers to, “Give ear, O my people, [to] my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable(מָשָׁל (māšāl))H4912: I will utter dark sayings(חִידָה (ḥîḏâ))H2420of old:”
It is particularly noteworthy that in Psalm 78:2, this Hebrew word translated as “parable” (מָשָׁל (māšāl))H4912 is also placed together with another word that is translated as “dark sayings“. The word in the original Hebrew text that is translated into English as “dark sayings” is חִידָה (ḥîḏâ)H2420(also used as “riddle“, “dark sentences” or “dark speech“) means “hard question”, “riddle”, “enigma”, or “puzzle”.
There are at least three other cases where God uses these exact same two Hebrew words, which are translated here in English as “parable” and a “riddle“, together to show that they are essentially synonymous.These three verses are quite profound!
Psalm 49:3&4, “My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart [shall be] of understanding. I will incline mine ear to a parable (מָשָׁל (māšāl))H4912: I will open my dark saying((חִידָה (ḥîḏâ))H2420upon the harp.“ [[Please note that God is placing “wisdom” and “understanding” together with “parables” and “dark sayings”.]]
Proverbs 1:5&6, “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand aproverb(מָשָׁל (māšāl))H4912, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings(חִידָה (ḥîḏâ)).H2420“
Ezekiel 17:2, “Son of man, put forth a riddle(חִידָה (ḥîḏâ))H2420, and speak a parable(מָשָׁל (māšāl))H4912 unto the house of Israel;“
But is it not interesting that in Psalm 78, immediately after declaring that the speaker would utter a “parable” and “dark sayings (חִידָה (ḥîḏâ))H2420of old”, the Psalmist only provides a straightforward Biblical historical account?! One might reasonably ask…Why is that?
The answer is that it is because the “plain”, “simple”, “literal” “historical” account was actually a parable (or “riddle” or “allegory“), and it is therefore also an “Historical Parable“…Psalm 78 points to the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout time and space! And it was therefore most certainly not written to be “plainly” understood!
However, Jesus Expounded/Explained the Parables to His Disciples (and to anyone else who reads those particular Biblical accounts)
But Jesus did expound the parables to His disciples. In Mark 4:34, we read, “But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.”
The disciples initially did NOT understand the meaning of Jesus’ parables
The Bible makes us aware that Jesus explained at least two parables, which we can view retrospectively involved using scripture to interpret scripture (comparing “spiritual things with spiritual” per 1 Corinthians 2:13)
Anyone in the world can hear the explanations of all of Jesus’ parables and potentially even understand all of them intellectually when they are explained. However, if someone has not been quickened by God, The Holy Spirit, then there will still be no impactful change in that person’s heart. The result will be that he or she will remain a reprobate, and remain spiritually dead in trespasses and sins.
Jesus explained to His disciples WHY He always spoke in parables to the multitudes. In Mark 4:11&12, we read: “And he(Jesus Christ speaking to His disciples) said unto them, Unto you(the elect) it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without(the non-elect),all [these] things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and [their] sins should be forgiven them.“ Jesus was making clear that His teachings were never intended for “everyone”, but rather only to those to whom God had given “spiritual ears to hear and spiritual eyes to see“. More on this point below.
This is similarly explained by Jesus in Luke 8:10, “¶And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.” God further reiterates this explanation in the following verses which provide perfect reinforcement:
Isaiah 6:9&10, “¶ And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.”
John 6:63, Jesus said plainly, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life.” Similarly, under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul instructs us in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.“
John 9:39&40, “¶And [some] of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? ¶Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.“
Acts 28:26-28, “Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.“
The point being that, when Jesus spoke, then the “plain” earthly meaning was insufficient for the vast majority of his hearers (those who were not to be counted among God’s Elect) to understand the “spiritual” or “heavenly” meaning. What Jesus said was effectively given in the form of a “riddle”, and hence having a “hidden” or “secret” meaning. The exposition of the Bible’s parables comes from God Alone, and through His Holy Spirit Alone, and not from the wisdom of men. Remembering again what we are told by The Holy Spirit inspired Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.“
The Purpose of Parables: Parables Are a Sign Pointing to Election
One might then ask, “Oh really? Well, if a Biblical parable, which is a riddle, is expounded publicly, then why would not everyone immediately understand (intellectually) the parable? Would not the exposition thereby defeat Jesus’ stated intent and purpose of the parable?”
The answer is an absolute NO! We know this is the case because Jesus did expound and explain the meanings of at least two of His parables to everyone in the world (at least to everyone who reads the Bible), because those expositions are provided to us in the Bible (the “Parable of the Sower” and the “Parable of the Wheat and the Tares“). Nonetheless, and this is the key to understanding this point, even when the heavenly/spiritual meaning is provided to everyone and anyone by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, in a seemingly plainly understood way, the non-elect will still NOT spiritually perceive and NOT understand with their hearts the means to eternal life and as a result they will remain in their unsaved state of having rejected the Gospel of Salvation. The proof can be found here: Matthew 13:14, Mark 4:12, and Acts 28:26. Please also see: The Hearing Ear and the Seeing Eye.
The Bible certainly makes clear that Jesus is the Only Way for mankind to make peace with God. It states clearly and unambiguously that Jesus must be the Atoning Sacrifice and Sin Bearer to pay what is the just penalty for a person’s sins (requiring spending eternity in Hell). However, the answers lie with understanding why Jesus spoke only in parables to the multitudes.
Parables were given by Jesus as a “sign” to show us that, apart from God’s Divine intervention to save someone through the quickening by God’s Holy Spirit, no one would, or could, ever be saved. Parables are evidence that salvation is by Election only. We should remember what Jesus said in John 6:44, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” Only someone who has been predestinated, and chosen by God to be saved from before creation, will be saved, because he or she will have been graciously given the spiritual ears and eyes to hear and see that the Lord Jesus Christ is his or her Lord, God, and Savior. But for the non-elect, because they remain “spiritually” dead in trespasses and sins, that plainly stated Gospel message from God will still have no impact whatsoever other than to serve God’s purposes as we read in Isaiah 55:11 where God clearly states, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it.”
The Bible Contains Many Parables
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is one of what are 18 generally accepted “parables”, spoken by Jesus, which are unique to Luke, out of a total of about 42-46 parables (depending on how one defines any individual “parable“) that are found in the whole of the first three of the four Gospels in the New Testament (the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Jesus’ parables are not literal, factual, or historial accounts, nor do they have to be, because the spiritual lessons are still true and valid regardless.
Jesus’ parables are not to be confused with “Historical Parables”, which are also found throughout the Bible, which are all unequivocally true, factual, and literal, historical accounts as opposed to illustrative and hypothetical stories. Similarly, “Geographical Parables“, as found in the Bible, reference real physical locations, which can be used to highlight spiritual concepts. Those true historical accounts and real Biblical places can also convey important spiritual lessons in the same way as do Jesus’ parables in the New Testament (the Jonah account in the Old Testament is just one example of an Historical Parable, while Mount Taborand the River Kishon are two examples of Geographical Parables ).
Moreover, “Historical Parables” are also found in the New Testament accounts as well as the Old Testament ones. Paul’s shipwreck, that we read of in Acts 27:37 where all 276 “souls” made it safe to the Island of Melita, which is another example of an historical parable. Moreover, the Island of “Melita”, where those 276 souls landed safely, which means “Honey”, is itself, another important Geographical Parable. Despite the destruction of the ship (representing the corporate church) in the tempest, which is indicative of the “Final Tribulation” leading up to Judgment Day, all the souls, who are destined to be saved within that destroyed corporate body, will, nonetheless, all make it safely to Heaven.
And we should not forget that even Jesus’ various interactions during His earthly ministry, which were true historical accounts like Jesus’ Healing of the Ten Lepers were also Historical Parables (as opposed to being purely illustrative parables like the Prodigal Son).
God Speaks Plainly to His Own From His Word, the Bible
Parables are Understood and Made “Plain”to the Believers, God’s Elect, by The Holy Spirit
Thankfully and Joyously, for the believers whom God chooses, God makes His words (the Bible) “plain”, as we find in Proverbs 8:8, “All the words of my mouth [are] in righteousness; [there is] nothing froward or perverse in them.They [are] all plain (נָכֹחַ (nāḵōaḥ)H5228, meaning “straightforward”) to him that understandeth, and right (יָשָׁר (yāšār)H3477, meaning “straight (both literally and figuratively)” to them that find knowledge.”
This is also made clear in Isaiah 32:1-4, where we are also pointed to Jesus and His Reign in Righteousness (together with His saints): “¶Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken. The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, andthe tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly(צַח (ṣaḥ)H6703, which means to be “clear, “(figuratively) evident” or “perspicuous”)”
We should also remember what Jesus said to His disciples in John 16:25-29, “¶These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs (παροιμία (paroimia))G3942(which can also be interpreted as “parable“): but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs(παροιμία (paroimia))G3942, but I shall shew you plainly (παρρησία (parrēsia))G3954of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. ¶His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly (παρρησία (parrēsia))G3954, and speakest no proverb (παροιμία (paroimia))G3942.”
The original Greek word that is translated into English as “proverb“, παροιμία (paroimia)G3942, means “speaking in allegory or metaphor“. The original Greek word that is translated into English as “plainly“, (παρρησία (parrēsia))G3954, means “openly, frankly, i. e. without concealment“.
This, amazingly, brings to mind, 1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” The original Greek word that is translated into English as “glass” is ἔσοπτρον (esoptron)G2072 means “mirror“. The original Greek word that is translated into English as “darkly” is αἴνιγμα (ainigma)G135 means “obscure saying, enigma, riddle“, and is derived from the Greek root word αἶνος (ainos)G136 which means “laudatory or praising proverb“!
The Non-Elect Will Continue to Have Their Minds Blinded by the Devil
However, for the non-elect (the lost) God’s words are “hidden”. 2 Corinthians 4:3 states, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
It is again worth repeating 1 Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.“
Sadly, Jesus never meant to save “everybody”. Jesus (The Good Shepherd) has His sheep (not the goats) for whom He came to seek and to save, and they will “hear” His voice. We see this clearly in John 10:3&4, “To him (the shepherd, Who is Jesus) the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.” We should also know very well what is written in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” and John 10:14&15, “I am the good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.“
Note also that Jesus, Himself, Is a Parable (hence proverb or riddle) to those who are not His, as we read in the Messianic verse, Psalm 69:11, “I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb (מָשָׁל (māšāl))H4912 to them.“
Moreover, On Judgment Day, Jesus said in Matthew 25:32-34, “And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth [his] sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:” But later in Matthew 25:41, we read this ominous statement “¶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:“
Conclusion
Understanding the application of Parables (whether presented as instructional methods employed by Jesus, or in the form of literal historical accounts in both the Old and New Testaments) is foundational to the Doctrine of Election (stated clearly in Romans 9:6-24, please seeSalvation by Election). It enables the believer to more clearly comprehend the amazing Gospel of Salvation through the Person and Work of the LORD Jesus Christ. More insights on this bonafide “Mystery” can be found in the post God’s Word is a Mystery.
Parables were never meant to serve ONLY as end in themselves, but to just as importantly serve as a metaphor for how God effectuates His Magnificent Salvation Plan.God uses them as a linguistic device to underscore God’s Sovereign Election program.
As was stated previously in the post, “Salvation by Election“, this teacher wants to make clear the following…Parables teach us of our need for Jesus as The Savior. They also can be understood by comparing scripture with scripture per the declaration of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:13, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
But we should also never forget that the devil understands parables (dark sentences) as we read in Daniel 8:23&24, “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences(חִידָה (ḥîḏâ))H2420, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.” And we must also please remember what we are told in 1 Corinthians 13:1, “¶Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith,so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.“
As hard as this post is to accept, we must remember that Jesus stated specifically, twice for emphasis, the following in John 6:44, “Nomancancometo me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” and John 6:65, “And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.“ (Please note the harmony with the Old Testament as we find in Psalm 65:4, “Blessed [is the man whom] thou choosest, and causest to approach [unto thee, that] he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, [even] of thy holy temple.“)
However, just because Election is a predetermined grace upon one individual and not another…everyone, while still living, is in no way absolved from not turning back to God in repentance for sin, and is therefore still faced with the personal reckoning. Everyone needs to ask, “Am I saved child of God or not?”IF this question is disturbing?…then that is a positive sign of being fearful of God’s wrath to come on Judgment Day and that God is instilling a desire to make peace with Him through the Atoning Sacrifice of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Cry out to God for mercy and He will show mercy. However, if, on the other hand, the individual is disgusted, and does not like what has been said above, or is simply disinterested, then so be it. God Is still The Sovereign Creator, The Potter, and The Judge.
May this post (as well as each of the others found on this website) be a blessing to all who read it.
Postscript
Let it never be the case of anyone of us who reads the posts on this website what we are told in 2 Timothy 3:7, that we be “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Jesus is that Truth!
Posted August 27, 2024 by bereansearching Categories:Bible Studies
INTRODUCTION
“The Lord’s Prayer” is the starting point
When Jesus responded to the disciples request to teach them how to pray, we are told in Luke 11:1-4, “¶And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. ¶And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.“
Similarly we also are told in Matthew 6:9-13, that Jesus said, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.“
Note how the petitioner is instructed to worship and honor the Father God in Heaven, and to humbly pray seven key things, but notice (for the purposes of this study) that one of those things is to petition God the Father to forgive us of our trespasses (sins), just as we are to forgive those who trespass (sin) against us. This is a key instruction that Jesus emphasized a number of times along with the immediately following admonition given as part of the “Sermon on the Mount” following His teaching “the Lord’s Prayer“:
Matthew 6:14&15, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.“
Other Bible passages that also apply include:
Matthew 18:35, “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” (Please notice that it is not just a smile and lip service forgiveness, but forgiveness from the heart! Remember what God said in 1 Samuel 16:7, “¶…for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.“)
Mark 11:25 & 26, “¶And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.“
The Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor
Jesus expounded on that admonition when the Apostle Peter asked Jesus the following question in Matthew 18:21, “¶Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” after which Jesus replied the following in Matthew 18:22, “¶Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.“
Jesus said that we should forgive others “seventy times seven” (which is literally “490” times). However, even that number should not be taken “literally”, but rather figuratively, or, more accurately, “spiritually”, because the Numbers in the Bible“7” and “70” spiritually represent perfection of what is in view (see below in the Appendix), we can rest assured that Jesus is telling us that our forgiving is to be perfect, even as God’s forgiveness of our sins is perfect, and hence that we are to NEVER stop forgiving others of their sins as they trespass against us.
We should also note that the number seven comes up again with regard to forgiveness in Luke 17:3&4, “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.“
However, Jesus did not stop there, because immediately following that short dialogue in Matthew 18:21&22, Jesus proceeded with the following “Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor” that we find in:
Matthew 18:23-35, “Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.¶ But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took [him] by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.”And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.¶So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”
Anyone who is counted among those of God’s Elect, knows that the number of his or her sins (the trespasses against God and His Law) are innumerable. Hence the debt is also so very great that the debt, too, is beyond measure. And, even more importantly, that same debt could not simply just be dismissed by God, but rather had to be paid for in full by God Himself, through the Atoning Sacrifice of the LORD Jesus Christ, Who not only endured the physical death on the cross, but also the eternal wrath of God in Hell for the equivalent of eternity. That was a Ransom Payment for debt that we can neither possibly fathom nor ever pay.
And notice that the debtor “fell down, and worshipped” the king. The debtor panicked when he knew he could not pay the debt that he owed to the king, and so he was forced to show obeisance to the king begging for mercy. But as we read on, it was not from his heart. We are reminded of what we find in Isaiah 29:13, “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near [me] with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:“
Moreover, the emphasis here is that we must also desire to forgive others of their trespasses against us in our hearts (and not just with our lips and our minds), or we will likewise be beholden to God for our trespasses to Him, and that payment requires an eternity in Hell.
Forgiveness Is Loving Your Neighbor as Yourself
We must all also remember the so-called “Golden Rule” that Jesus taught during the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 7:12, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” Just as we all want to be forgiven of the trespasses that we have caused to others (and God), we must always be forgiving to everyone who trespasses against us. No desire for revenge, or returning evil for evil, and no holding grudges in our hearts.
This is expanded further in Matthew 22:37-40, “¶Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” For more on this please see the post on the “Parable of the Good Samaritan.”
Note the consistency with what we find in Job 31:13-15, “If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me; What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him? Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?“
A Believer understands that all of mankind (which includes hisself or herself) are sinners by nature and according to Romans 3:9&10, “¶What then? are we better [than they]? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; ¶As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” which hearkens us back to Psalm 14:1-3, “¶[[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.]] The fool hath said in his heart, [There is] no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, [there is] none that doeth good. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, [and] seek God. They are all gone aside, they are [all] together become filthy: [there is] none that doeth good, no, not one.” Therefore we should just be grateful, and thank and praise God that things are not worse every single day of our temporal lives. We must view every other person as our earthly brothers and sisters (those saved, and those still unsaved, alike) and realize that it is only by the grace of God that anyone is, or can be, saved. Ultimately, to be forgiving of others is to realize that in the eyes of a perfectly Holy and Just God, there is no room for pride or hate, which is clearly manifest in unforgiveness.
God stated plainly the following in Leviticus 19:18, “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I [am] the LORD.”
This comes up again in Colossians 3:12, “¶Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also [do] ye.“
Also in James 5:9, “¶Grudge(grieve) not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.“, and in James 4:11, which is pertinent as well, “¶Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of [his] brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.“
Moreover, Jesus said very clearly to pro-actively love our enemies, and not just love those who show kindness and are dear to us, in Matthew 5:43-48, “¶Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 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; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more [than others]? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.“
God is Merciful, Therefore We should be Merciful
Similarly, in Luke 6:32-36 Jesus said, “¶For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend [to them] of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”
And of course, we read the very next verse in Luke 6:37, “¶Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:”
It is therefore very clear from the above that if we desire mercy from God for our sins, then we must be likewise merciful to others. Exodus 34:6, “And the LORD passed by before him (Moses), and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God,mercifuland gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear [the guilty]; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth [generation].” Psalm 103:8, “The LORD [is] merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” Psalm 116:5, “Gracious [is] the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.“Matthew 5:7, “Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.“
James 2:13 tells us similarly and quite significantly, “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.” Those that show no mercy now, shall find no mercy on Judgment Day. On the other hand, there will be such as shall become recipients of mercy, in whom mercy rejoices against judgment: everyone, in the last day, will be either vessels of wrath or vessels of mercy. It concerns all to consider among which of these two shall they be found.
More on Loving Thy neighbor as Thyself
Note also the harmony of the above verses with what we find in the Old Testament in Exodus 23:4, “¶ If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.“
Similar verses include:
Matthew 19:19, “Honour thy father and [thy] mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.“
Matthew 22:39, “And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.“
Mark 12:29, “¶And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments [is], Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment.And the second [is] like, [namely] this,Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.“
Luke 6:31, “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.“
Romans 13:9, “For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,Thou shalt not covet; and if [there be] any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.“
Galatians 5:14, “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, [even] in this; Thou shalt lovethyneighbouras thyself.“
James 2:8, “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
Romans 12:17, “¶ Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” This reminds us of What God said in Deuteronomy 32:35, “To me [belongeth] vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in [due] time: for the day of their calamity [is] at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.“
To be unforgiving is in essence to be hateful in one’s heart. And to be hateful in one’s heart is the same as being a murderer according to what we find in 1 John 3:15, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” Moreover, in Matthew 5:22, Jesus said, “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.“
And this also hearkens us back to the Old Testament and to what we read in Leviticus 19:17, “¶Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.” The Old Testament has additional pertinent admonitions as we find in Proverbs 20:22, “Say not thou, I will recompense evil; [but] wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.“
Finally, we should remember these admonition from Jesus in Matthew 5:22-26, “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.”
And ultimately, we should all also consider the fact that we are all by nature in an adversarial relationship with God apart from God’s Saving Grace because of our sins, so this latter verses should also be understood as saying that we make peace with God through Jesus Christ today (‘quickly‘) for who knows if we will be alive tomorrow? And to pay ‘the uttermost farthing‘ in prison for our sins means spending an eternity in Hell! 2 Corinthian 6:2, “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now [is] the accepted time; behold, now [is] the day of salvation.)“
Conclusion: “Love [is] the fulfilling of the law“
Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant followed directly after Jesus reply to Peter concerning “seventy times seven” as the number of times to forgive someone who trespasses against us, which drove home the point that if we are forgiven the enormous debt of sin against our Holy God, how much more should we be eager to forgive those who sin against us, who are just as sinful as we are? Paul parallels this example in Ephesians 4:32, where we are admonished, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Clearly, forgiveness is not to be meted out in a limited fashion but is to be abundant, overflowing, and available to all, just as the measureless grace of God is poured out upon all believers.
A Christian should not hate or begrudge others for any reason. The Bible makes clear what love is. Romans 13:10 tells us, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love [is] the fulfilling of the law.” And if we say that we love God, then we must love others as ourselves, and moreover in John 14:15, Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
John 13:35, “By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.“
1 John 4:7, “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.”
1 John 4:12, “No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.“
1 John 4:20&21, “¶If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.“
Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.“
And finally, what is the best way we can show true love to both friend and foe…it is by being a Christian witness to them of the Gospel of Salvation by Jesus Christ our LORD, whoever they may be, and to pray for their souls in the hope that they too might be saved from their sins.
Postscript: We should also remember that sometimes a hurt can even come from another Christian, intentionally or unintentionally, and so then, rather than harbor any ill feelings, it is correct to discuss it privately, and in a loving manner, with that person as we read in Matthew 18:15, “¶Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.” There is additional instruction in the following verses, but it has more to do with church discipline for one who is unrepentant.
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