Comments for May 20

5 v.12 - God's provision is always there in time of need, but we should aim towards self-sufficiency too. We cannot expect God to feed us for ever - there is a need for us to feed of our own volition on the word of life. Neh.9:20-21, Rev.7:16-17, Isa.65:13-14.

5 v.8 The circumcision of the men of war once they had entered the land of Canaan indicated that the deliverance was of Yahweh and not of man. We know that circumcision renders grown men weak and unable to defend themselves [Gen 34:25]. Thus the willingness of these men to be circumcised in hostile territory advertises their faith in God’s power to save.

6 v.17 The way in which ‘all that were in the house’ of Rahab were saved is a forerunner of the way in which there were occasions in the Acts of the Apostles where whole families believed [16:15, 32 18:8] showing us that Yahweh is concerned with families.

6 v.5 - It is worth considering what this meant. The people were to 'go straight before themselves' which means they had to be facing the wall. One would expect the wall around a round city to fall outwards - the way of least resistance. They had to believe that it would not, or it would have fallen on them. As soon as it went down they had to enter the city. Although this was a very strange way that God decreed to take this city, and although it seemed so easy for the people (compared with fighting), in fact it required a great deal of faith that God would perform this act.

5:14-15 Joshua doubtless believed that Yahweh was with him in the taking of the land of Canaan. However the appearance of the angel of the Lord provided him with tangible proof of this. Further Joshua was shown that he was the successor of Moses through the similarity between the events of Exodus 3 and here 'loose thy shoes … for the place … is holy'.

ch 6 - The way in which Jericho was taken is instructive. Israel were to march round the city but 6:10 'ye shall not shout'. This coupled with their obedience to the commandments of the Lord demonstrated to them - or it should have done - that the deliverance was not by their strength. In fact we know that the people did this in faith (Hebrews 11:30)

Notice the precise way in which the writer to the Hebrews draws on this chapter to make his point.

CIRCUMCISE YOUR HEART

Before Israel were allowed to begin to take the land of Canaan, God commanded that all the men be circumcised. It should have been done when the baby boys were 8 days old, but it had not been done, so the conquering of the land was postponed a short time while the circumcisions and healing took place.

Circumcision is taken and compared in other places in the Bible with circumcision of the heart. It means to remove fleshly thoughts from our minds, to become pure, holy and devoted from our hearts to God. The physical act of circumcision does nothing for us spiritually, but the spiritual principle has huge implications in the life of the believer.

In a way, the story of Israel entering the promised land is a lot like us entering the kingdom of God. Now is our preparation time, the time to learn of God and become like him before we cross the Jordan to enter the land. It is also the time we should be circumcising our hearts and ridding ourselves of anything impure, or we could find that it is a painful process to go through before we enter the kingdom.

Circumcise your heart today.

5:2-7 That Israel had not circumcised their males in the wilderness matches Moses (Exodus 4:24) who had not circumcised his son - so why did the Lord tolerate this oversight without comment during the wilderness journey?

5:10 Israel entered Canaan on the 10th day of the month 4:19 and it seems, were circumcised the next day and then three days after that kept the Passover. So we are now only four days into the period that Israel were in the land.

6:25 'unto this day' indicates that the book of Joshua was written quite some time after the events the book speaks of.

 5:3 We have an example here of why we can not put our trust in man. By circumcising all the males, Israel's army was totally incapacitated. (Gen 34:25) Yet we know the results. Put your trust in God. 

Let's try to count the time since the spies came to Rahab: 3 days the spies were hid in the mountains, at least 1 day for the spies to return to the camp, and another 3 days before the officers commanded the people (Josh 3:2).  That's a week.  Then at least a day to cross Jordan, and to set up the stones.  Then the circumcision, with several days to recover. Then the Passover on the 14th day, that's 4 days since entering Canaan (Josh 4:19, and Josh 5:10). That's almost another week.  Then the 7 days walking around Jericho.  So it was at least 3 weeks that Rahab and her family had to stay inside her house, not knowing what was going to happen.  So we have to stay inside our house, the ecclesia, while we are waiting for Joshua (Jesus) to come and save us.

6:26 Joshua's curse concerning the rebuilding of Jericho was played out in the days of Ahab 1Kin 16:34, once again proving the veracity of God's Word.

5:9 "Gilgal" There is no trace either of the name or site to be found to-day. Josephus records that it was located about two miles from Jericho, and was well suited for an encampment by the advantages of shade and water. It was the first place pronounced "holy" in the Holy Land. (V.15)

5:1      That all the kings in the land of Canaan heard of the drying up of Jordan and were afraid should have given Israel a strategic advantage when they came to take the land. God had put fear in the hearts of the people. Israel squandered this blessing from God by their unwillingness to keep God’s commands.

6:1        That Jericho was ‘straitly shut up’ continues to make the point that Israel by now had the psychological advantage over the inhabitants of the land.

5:9 - the (symbolically baptised) stones left on the shore were a symbol that God had "rolled away" (hence the name "Gilgal") the reproach of Egypt (bondage to sin).

6:12,2,3,4,5 - Joshua rose up early in the morning perhaps echoing how Jesus was resurrected well before the future second coming and millennial day of rest (note the frequent mentions of  "seven" and "seventh" Josh 6:4,8,13,15,16 perhaps hinting at the millennial Jubilee, etc.). When they marched around the city 6 days nothing was accomplished (6 being the number of man and thus it took power from God to accomplish the cities walls to fall). The 7th day reminds us of the millennial day of rest. The 7 times on the 7th day perhaps suggests a reference to the ultimate Jubilee when Christ returns (Lev 25:8,9,10,11,12,13,31,39,40,41; Eze 38:11,23; Isa 27:13) with the number 50 (5 x 10 perhaps indicating grace and mercy to a multitude), the mention of liberty and freeing bond slaves (perhaps echoing liberty from slavery to sin and freedom in Christ), villages without walls being redeemed (as Rahab's family in wall less Jericho was redeemed and the unwalled villages of Israel in the last days will be redeemed), and the Lord will make himself known to the nations. 

Israel was doomed to spend a further thirty-eight years wandering in the desert after they murmured against Yahweh (Num 14:27,33). 

During that time, males of the new generation were not circumcised.  Yahweh had judged His nation.  He left them to subsist in sin until the disobedient generation had died (Num 14:29).  Once all were dead, the new generation would be taken into the Promised Land by Joshua. 

This land was first promised to Abraham and then his progeny (Gen 13:15).  As a token of the covenant with Yahweh, Abraham was circumcised (Gen 17:24).  Thus, as the new generation of Israel was about to enter the land of covenant, they needed to be circumcised (5:7).  At that juncture, Yahweh took away the reproach of Egypt (5:9). 

The shame of Egypt was that it trusted in false gods.  Yahweh had destroyed Egypt for its idolatry and brought His people out to worship Him in the land of promise.  But, Israel lacked trust in Yahweh and had to pay the consequences.  Bear your whoredoms (Num 14:33) literally means to suffer for your idolatry.  The suffering was the same as that of Egypt - death.  But, with the new generation, the reproach of Egypt was rolled back and a new beginning began. 

The name Gilgal means rolling, which signifies the rolling back of this reproach (5:9).

5:13-14 In asking the ‘man’ whose side he was on and hearing his reply we learn something about what we should focus on. The ‘man’ was neither for ‘us’ or ‘our adversaries’. He was ‘captain of the host of the Lord’. Joshua had, therefore, to decided whose side he was on rather than question whose side the ‘man’ was one. The same is true for ourselves.

ON GOD'S TEAM
 
"Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, 'Are you for us or for our enemies?'
'Neither,' he replied, 'but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.'" (Josh 5:13-14)
 
God does not take sides. The lesson for us here is that God is consistent. He does not change. His promise to Israel was that if they obeyed him, he would be with them. But if they chose not to obey, he would turn against them.
 
As we follow through the next few chapters, we can see examples of this. As Israel marched against Jericho, God was well and truly with them and the city fell in a miraculous way. But as Israel marched against Ai with some of the people having disobeyed God at Jericho, God left them, and the men of Ai won an easy victory.
 
Sometimes it is too easy to assume that God is on our side. But the question we really need to ask is, are we on God's side? Our plans and desires are nothing. It is God's will that is important. He is neither for us nor for our enemies. Let's not try to get God to join our team but make sure we stay with him no matter what our circumstances might tell us. Let's join his team.

6:19   As the spoil of Jericho was to be dedicated to God Achan actually robbed God.

5:15 Taking one’s sandals off in the presence of Yahweh showed reverence. Moses was obliged to do the same thing (Exo 3:5). God’s path cannot be sullied by man-made accoutrements. In the spiritual sense, entering God’s house (where he was present) demanded a similar action. The right spiritual attitude and heart was needed as opposed to the thoughts and values of the flesh (Ecc 5:1).

True followers of Christ need to maintain the same spiritual attitudes in their worship, although they are not obliged to remove their shoes while worshipping. It is interesting, though, that some religions still demand that shoes be removed before entering a place of worship as a sign of respect. However, Judaism does not require this practice.

5:1-3  Notice the implied contrast. The Amorites were afraid of Israel – doubtless anticipating a battle they would lose. Joshua arranges for the males to be circumcised which would make them unfit for battle – Gen 34:6-25

First Principles>Kingdom of God>Existed in the past
8. The Wilderness Journey from Egypt to Canaan was 40 years long. Exo 16:35 Num 14:33 Num 32:13 Deut 2:7 Deut 8:2,4 Deut 29:5 Josh 5:6 Neh 9:21 Psa 95:10 Acts 7:36 Acts 13:18 Heb 3:9,17. Go to Gen 12:1-5 for more about First Principles>Kingdom of God>Existed in the past

6:1 Jericho today is an Arab town in the West Bank just north-west of the Dead Sea (16 km – 10 mi). Jericho’s name means fragrance and its population is around 20,000 people.  The Arab name for Jericho is Ariah (fragrance), thought to be derived from the Canaanite Riah. The Hebrew name is Yeriho.  Some think that the Hebrew name is derived from yerah which means moon. In Canaanite times, the people of Jericho were moon worshippers.

Jericho is known as the city of palm trees (e.g. Deut 34:3); and because of its proximity to the Dead Sea, it rests at the lowest elevation of any town on earth.

The West Bank is in the hands of the Palestinians at the moment.  But prophecy says that it must be in the hands of Israel when Gog comes down (Eze 38:8). The mountains of Israel are in the West Bank.  And so, it would not be surprising that modern Jericho would also become a possession of Israel.

A woman worth more than Gold

Jericho had become doomed to destruction as described in the law in Lev 27:28-29. This meant complete annihilation as a devoted offering to God. But for some reason the silver, gold, bronze and iron was allowed to remain (Josh 6:17-19), presumably because metal survives fire intact and is even purified by it (Num 31:22-23). It was not possible (under the law) for Rahab and her family to survive without being killed. So why weren't they killed? In Prov 3:13-18 God likens a woman of wisdom to Gold and Silver. So the principle of the law was applied to Rahab whose wisdom and faith survived the fire of war, as Gold is purified in fire. She became a faithfully devoted servant of God as we can see from her parentage of David and eventually Jesus (Matt 1:5-16).

6:10  Battles normally are associated with shouting and noise so Israel’ marching round the city in silence was quite a change from the ‘normal’ battle. Israel were to learn that the victory was of God and not down to their activities.

6:19      The metals mentioned specifically are the metals of the image in Dan 2:32. Jericho stood for the kingdoms of men.

6:9      The victory was to be of God. However the people went in front with their weapons, being followed by the priests. God expects commitment from His people even though He was the one guaranteeing the outcome of the battle. Likewise we must be aware that we have to work for Him and make decisions in our lives even though God is in control.

Josh 6:17

“And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD (Yahweh)…”

“Accursed” is the Hebrew word, cherem, # <2764>, and calls for complete destruction, in this case that of Jericho. No redemption for the city was possible; thus, it was “devoted” to the LORD. Jericho was the first fruits of the conquest of the land and belonged to the LORD.

“All,” as we read in verse 24, excluded the silver, the gold, the brass and iron vessels (see also 1Kin 20:3; Hag 2:8).

We read in Prov 3:9, “Honour the LORD with thy substance, And with the firstfruits of all thine increase.” We are commanded to be good “stewards,” with what has been entrusted to us, and we will be held accountable for our use of that which belongs to the LORD (Luke 16:1-13; 1Pet 4:10).

It is better to have a heart without the means, than to have the means without a heart, to have a heart with the will than to have a heart without the will! Let us honour God with the first fruits of our heart, being first in our love, service, and everything we do for Him, giving to Him from the top and not from the bottom with our leftovers.

6:12      The seeming casual comment “early in the morning” actually relates as aspect of the way that faithful men work – no delay. It was early in the morning that Abram went to sacrifice Isaac –Gen 22:3 and Moses was to appear before Pharaoh   early in the morning –Exo 8:20, 9:13 – to pronounce  plagues, are some examples. Whilst we may not need to get up early in the morning we are being taught that when there is a job to do for God we should not delay.

Josh 5:10-15.Two today -

1. vv. 10-12. Is there any spiritual type in relation to the coming kingdom of God involved in the recorded fact here that the manna ceased to appear after the Jews ate of the produce from the land?

2. vv. 13-15. When Joshua asks the angel of the LORD, "Are you for us or for our enemies?", his response of "Neither" seems unusual considering what will soon happen to Jericho. How are we to understand that response?

1. Maybe; maybe not. How's that for a definitive answer!! I heard this idea once by a speaker, I believe, at a Bible school. And the idea was something along these lines. If the Jews entering the promised land under Joshua (same meaning as Jesus) is comparable to one's inheritance of eternal life and being able to be part of Abraham's seed that inherits the land forever under Jesus, then maybe the manna as represented by our Bibles and being our means of spiritual nourishment during our mortal lives will be replaced by something new and different - i.e. a progressive revelation to the immortals that they can and will share with the mortals during that age. Obviously part of the responsibilities of the immortals will be to instruct the mortals under their control in the things of God (see Isa 2:2,3 for example), but there were different parts of the Old Testament added down through the Jews' history and so on into New Testament times. So his point was maybe this change of one type of food to a different one points to that possibility during the kingdom age. I thought it was interesting when I heard it, so I'm passing that on as something to think about.

2. The bottom line answer to this question would seem to be this: as long as the Jews show faith, then, yes, he will be "for them" as was the case with his involvement in the miraculous causing of the walls of Jericho to fall and it's eventual destruction. But things can change quickly if the Jews' attitude and behavior changes, and then he may be at work for their enemies as would be the case in ch. 7 with the first invasion of Ai when the messengers advised Joshua to send only 2 or 3,000 men to take it and not to weary all the people. But the results - since faith in God seemed to be lacking - was the death of 36 Jews and the chasing of the rest back to the main group. So pretty obviously this angel - if he were the one in charge - did not bless them with immediate victory due to a lack of faith. There is also the complicity of some in Achan's disobedient actions as well, for this appears to comprise part of the reason at least for God's leaving them and their defeat (see Josh 7:10-12). So - it all depends on faith!! But if we do continue to show faith, then it's always true that if God be for us, who can be against us?

6:18   he mention of the “accursed thing” <7264> reminded Israel of the warning in Deut 7:26 and 13:17which is developed fully in the next chapter. 

5:12  So a major transition took place. The food of God’s provision in the wilderness ceased and the people were to eat of the produce of the land promised to them even before they had conquered it and taken it for their inheritance.

5:9       So Israel had not kept the covenant of circumcision whilst in the wilderness. However they had to be circumcised to keep the Passover – Exo 12:48

6:2       God’s assurance to Joshua matches the faith of Rahab as seen in Josh 2:3.

6:26  The solemn warning of Joshua was not heeded so – 1Kin 16:34 – Hiel learnt that God does, in fact, keep His word even if it is many years later that what God says actually happens.

6 An Act of Faith

The nation which had seen God’s miracle when they left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea now place their trust in God again. So Jericho is conquered. The nation had learnt from past experience that their God could be trusted.  The Bible is full of examples for us to learn from. As we read of God’s care for Israel in the Bible our confidence that God will keep his word about establishing his kingdom on the earth should grow

6:11,14 Whilst the inhabitants of Jericho might have been anxious the first few days that the ark was carried round the city one might imagine after a few days they began to relax thinking this was no invasion. What a surprise, therefore, on the seventh day when, without anything else from Israel than a great shout the city walls simply collapsed.

It is also interesting to note from chapter 6 verse 23 that when Jericho was ransacked by the Israelites, the soldiers brought Rahab's family out of Jericho and left them OUTSIDE the camp of Israel. This may well have been in order to comply with such laws as Exous 12 verse 48

5:1 those who would dismiss miracles in the Bible are not like the Amorites and Canaanites. They were used to watching the river Jordan. They would be aware of how to flow changed during the year and they had not doubt that the way in which Israel were able to cross the river at that time of the year was a miracle – hence their fear.

5:4 So the children of Israel entered the land – but were uncircumcised! The entry of uncircumcised into the land of promise is foreshadowing the call of the gentiles who become Abraham’s seed by baptism without the need to be circumcised – Gal 3:16-29. And as such are heirs of the promise of inheritance in the land, as was Abraham. Remember Abraham received the promise before he was circumcised.

5:4 After the entry , unopposed, into the and the males in the nation are rendered rather weak for warfare – therefore vulnerable to attack by the inhabitants of the land.

There must have been some who questioned the wisdom of the act of circumcising the men of war at this time.

However faith prevailed.

6:3 So, as the people walked round the city of Jericho, they clearly believed that God would keep His word because it was “by faith” that they obeyed the commandment  - Heb 11:30. They had only very recently seen the Joran dry up to allow them to pass over on dry land. It seems, as time passed, that the faith diminished. Doubtless because the miraculous things they had seen were soon forgotten.

6:3,4 You shall march around the city ... once. Thus shall you do for six days ... On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times.

A total of 13  trips around the city across a week. This was dangerous given that the army of Jericho could have pelted them with arrows and stones from on high. Plus their faith was being tested since they could argue the marches were risky, inconvenient, superfluous and rested on a claim that a miraculous felling of the walls would happen at the end of these marches. Yet they did it all in faith (Hebrews 11:30)

Josh 5:14,15

“And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come… And the captain of the LORD’s host said unto Joshua…”

“A famous hymn ‘A Mighty Fortress is our God’ (translated from its original German in old, but still comprehensible English) says, ‘Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing: Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth, His name, from age to age the same, and He must win the battle.’

Whether in a hymnal or in a Bible translation this unusual title, ‘Lord Sabaoth’ has caused some confusion. I once heard an otherwise a very-well educated worship leader exhorting the congregation by saying that the Lord Sabaoth simply means ‘the Lord of the Sabbath!’ Nothing can be further from the truth. (Well some things can be, but as you know, this a common way to say that ‘I think this is all wrong’).

The Hebrew term is Adonai tsevaot and it is not related to the Sabbath at all. In Isaiah 6 the great prophet heard angels call out to each other ‘Holy, Holy, Holy is Adonai Tsevaot.’

The Hebrew noun tsevaot comes from the root which means an ‘army’ or a ‘multitude,’ thus a more literal translation would be the ‘LORD of the Armies.’

Nothing illustrates this title better than the story from Joshua Chapter 5, when Joshua met the messenger of the LORD. When Joshua first saw this great warrior, he inquired if the warrior was ‘for them’ (Israel) or ‘for their enemies.’ The answer he received was – no. Not letting Joshua wonder too long the heavenly warrior added, ‘I have come as the Commander of the Army of the LORD.’ He was sar tsevah Adonai the one in charge of the ‘YHVH’s Army.’

God of Israel was not satisfied with assisting the national army (fighting on her [Israel’s] side. He was intending to lead Israel into battle himself. Joshua immediately understood who stood before him. Just as Moses did before him Joshua fell too facedown and took off his shoes in the presence of the heavenly general.”

40 DAYS OF HEbrEW DEVOTIONS, Eli Lizorkin-Eyenberg with Pinchas Shir & Jaime Purcell, pp. 45,46

*Isa 6:3. In Isa 13:4, “host” is # <6635>, tsaba, from # <6633>, tsaba “to mass (an army or servants).”

These two verses in The COMPLETE JEWISH Study Bible read: “No,” he replied, “but I am the *commander of ADONAI’s army… the *commander of *ADONAI’s army answered Y’hoshua…”

*ADONAI’s Tsevaot.

In Rom 9:29, we read: “And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom, and been made like unto Gomorrha.” In James 5:4, we read: Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.”

Contrast this now with the Sabbath. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word is # <7676>, “shabbath,” from # <7673>, shabath, “to repose, i.e. todesist from exertion.” Sabbath in the New Testament is # <4521>, sabbaton, “of Heb. or [<7676>] … “day of weekly repose from secular avocations…”

On the other hand,Sabaoth in the Old Testament is # <6639>, tsabeh from # <6638>, tsabah, “to amass an army against…” The chief commander of Yahweh’s army is the Archangel, Michael, “like God,” (Dan 10:13,21;12:1). 

Sabaoth in the New Testament is # <4519>, “of Heb or (<6635>in feminine plural.); armies; sabaoth (i.e. tsebaoth), a military epithet of God – sabaoth” (underline added). In James 5:4, Jesus the Messiah is the Chief Commander of YHVH’s army, the Captain of our salvation (Heb 10:2), with the immortalized hosts, the saints (Rev 19:7-14; cf. Jude 1:9). James 5:4, therefore, is not about Jesus being Lord over the Sabbath (though he is also, Matt 12:8), as has been commonly interpreted.

v. 4 - What comfort here there is for us - to realise that his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. It came 3 times in yesterday's chapter (Isa.9:12,17,21) and before that in Isa.5:25. Although these words were not designed initially for our comfort, the wonder of God's word is such that we can still derive comfort from them, so let's do that.

v.2 The concern for the 'widows and the fatherless' echoes a major concern of the Father as can be seen from the following list of passages. Exodus 22:22 Deuteronomy 10:18 14:29 16:11,14 24:17,19,20,21 26:12,13 27:19 Psalm 94:6 109:9 146:9 Isaiah 1:17,23 Jeremiah 7:6 22:3 Ezekiel 22:7 Zechariah 7:10 Adding the New testament passage James 1:27 makes it clear that the warning still applies. If we are unable to show compassion to the fatherless and the widow we should not expect the Father to show concern for us. For without him we are fatherless.

v.20 - the word 'stay' (08172) is also translated lean - but it is more than just lean, it is lean strongly - it is the word used by Samson when he asked the lad to show him the pillars that he might lean on them (Judg.16:26)

10:4 that God's anger was not turned away but that He was still holding out the hand to those who would repent marks the judgement and mercy of God and provides a way of escape to any that would humble themselves under His mighty hand. Actually this point has been made a number of times already in Isaiah in 9:12, 17, 21 and here in 10:4

WHEN BAD PEOPLE SEEM TO GET AWAY WITH IT
Have you ever wondered why God seems to use bad people to punish his people? He did it to Israel when they turned away from him. When Israel's wickedness god so great God sent the Assyrian armies against them. They were not a godly people, yet God used them to punish his people. Why did he act this way? He had already said that this was how he would punish them if they went astray. Deuteronomy 28 v 25 promised it, that among other things, their enemies would defeat them when they turned against God. And in relation to our lives, he also uses unbelievers to set us on the right track through punishment or other actions. 1 Peter 2 v 13 - 20 explains that.
So the conclusions we can come to is that God does use unbelievers in the life of his people to bring them back to him. But sometimes the unbelievers go too far in their pride and their vengeance. They forget (or don't realise) that God is using them and believe that what they have done and what they have achieved has been by their own strength and not by God's design. This is what the Assyrians thought. But rest assured, God sees. He punished the Assyrians for their excessive force and he will not let other injustices go unnoticed either. God is just.

:6 'to take the spoil and to take a prey' quotes 'Maher-shalal-hash-baz of Isaiah 8:1.

10:4 May I suggest an alternate meaning to the phrase: "but his hand is stretched out still."? I suggest that God is saying that measures already meted are insufficient; therefore "his hand is stretched out still" to devour. I feel the context indicates this to be the sense of the phrase.
See also: Good News Bible, Jerusalem Bible, Amplified Bible, & New English Bible.

V.24 "after the manner of Egypt" as Egypt and Pharaoh oppressed thee, so shall Sennacherib. But, the prophet offers words of comfort to Israel. (if they would listen) in V.26 as you were delivered out of the hand of Pharaoh, so you will be delivered from the Assyrians.

10:20 Ahaz had sought help from Tiglath-Pilneser (2Kin 16:7) and so Isaiah  is warning against such activities being pursued in the future.

Isa 10:22,23 is quoted by Paul in Rom 9:27,28.  Paul uses these verses from Isaiah to show that despite the wickedness of Israel, a remnant will return.  What a comfort this must have been to the prophet.  We think back to his question to God in Isa 6:11, "Lord, how long?"

10:6  ‘mire of the street’ echoes the words of the contemporary prophet Mic 7:10

The warnings spoken by Isaiah now become more specific. Moses had spoken of a nation coming from afar, speaking a strange language, and cruel in its dealings with other nations. Isaiah, now identifies this nation as the Assyrians. It is plain that both nations, north and south were warned by the prophet about the devastation to come about. (V.10-11)

V.6 Yahweh used proud Assyria as a tool of punishment for His people.  The nation would stride arrogantly through the land conquering many cities on its way to Jerusalem (vs.28-32). 

But, Yahweh would spare Jerusalem and dispatch the invader.  Assyria would be cut down to the degree that the number of its remaining leaders would be minuscule (vs.19,33).  (Trees are used figuratively to represent them). 

The collapse of Assyria began in 612 BC when Babylon destroyed Nineveh, and was completed at the battle of Carchemish in 605 BC.

10:21  "The remnant shall return" is a play upon the name "Shearjashub" of Isa 7:3.

10:21 The goodness of God was not completely lost on Israel, there was a remnant that did return to the God of Abraham. An example of that would have been those who returned to Jerusalem under the leadership of Jeshua and Zerubbabel as recorded in the book of Ezra. There is still a remnant today as Paul indicates in Rom 11:5

10:17  The ‘thorns’ and ‘briers’ is echoed in the contemporary prophet – Mic 7:4– where the Godless nature of the people is highlighted.

Sennacherib’s philosophy was to conquer nations and to remove their people to other parts of his territory.  This practice of dislocation would rob vanquished people of their power and dignity. Sennacherib also believed that the gods of nations were their protectors, and so in conquering the nations he would also conquer the nations’ gods, thus nullifying the nations’ source of power. He intended to do just that to Jerusalem (v.11).

Little did he know that Yahweh, the God of Israel, was not an idol like the gods of other conquered nations. He would challenge the living God and it would cost him his life.

10:22 The ‘sand of the sea’ echoes the promise to Abraham – Gen 22:17 - but despite the fact that Israel are numerous only a few will remain. It is clear from the way that this passage is used in Rom 9:27 that the few that remain are faithful.

V.24 The Assyrian here is a reference to Gog, another northern host.  Gog and its confederates will come against Israel in the end times (Eze 38:3-6).  They, like Sennacherib will come against Jerusalem.  But, unlike Sennacherib, they will attack Jerusalem and wreak havoc (Zech 14:2).  The Lord Jesus together with His immortalised saints will destroy this enemy (Zech 14:3).

10:1 It seems that the false prophets were not content with just speaking words opposing the prophets. They put things in writing as well! A bit like Nebuchadnezzar’s decree that no one in his kingdom could worship any God but himself – Dan 3:5-7 God requested obedience. The false prophets demanded adherence to their ways. We are not governed by manmade rules. Our conscience, educated by the Word of God, is our guide.

10:5 Judah had watched the Assyrian come against Israel and now themselves. Doubtless they saw them as a threat, not God’s workmen.  But truly God was working through them to punish His people. The appropriate response was repentance. Sadly it did not really come from the people. It was faithful Hezekiah who averted the destruction.

10:3-4  Isaiah asks a very pertinent question. It is an equally valid question to ask as the return of Christ draws near. Whilst we may feel confidence in our possessions, pension, job or other trappings of this life they can offer no deliverance when God executes His judgements on the earth.

10:12   The Assyrian was an instrument of God’s judgement against Judah. However once Assyria had finished the task that God had given to her God would fulfil His words towards Israel which much have been a great comfort to those who could see beyond the immediate invasion by the Assyrians.

Isaiah's own role in the fulfilment of his words

This chapter is talking about the punishment of Judah and Israel (v11) by the means of the Assyrian nation. Some of the details here show exactly at what time this happened... the time of Hezekiah:

"O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian... For yet a very little while and the indignation will cease, as will My anger in their destruction. And the Lord of hosts will stir up a scourge for him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb" (v24-25)

Notice the words in bold, God was speaking only to Zion (Jerusalem), and telling them that He would protect it against the invader. All this happened just as prophesied, because Jerusalem was the last city left standing during Sennacherib's invasion, and is the main subject of the later chapters of Isaiah (see Isa 36-37 and 2Chron 32). In fact, Isaiah himself was involved in crying out to God for deliverance at that time, as recorded in 2Chron 32:20.

10:10   In speaking about the overthrow of Samaria having already happened we can conclude that these words were spoken by Isaiah at least 6 years into the reign of Hezekiah as can be seen  by comparing 2Kin 18:10. 

FAITHFUL REMNANT

When Israel were punished for their sins, and taken captive into lands far away, God had said that a remnant would return. "A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God. Though your people O Israel, be like the sand by the sea, only a remnant will return." (Isa 10:21-22).

For those who did return from the captivity, it must have been very discouraging to have seen the cities teeming with people, and now to have only a handful of people in it's streets.

The interesting thing is that it could be like that for believers in the last days. Jesus tells us that "At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Matt 25:10-12)

From this it seems that only a remnant who hold to faith in Christ will remain faithful to the end. We could look around and wonder who will leave, and who will be left. But let's not look at each other, let's look at ourselves instead.

When people around us lose their faith, when they act in unChristlike ways, and when people try to deceive, will our faith stand strong? Will you and I be part of the faithful remnant when Jesus returns?

10:24-26         The Assyrian became a problem, eventually being removed in the days of Hezekiah. God, through the prophet, reminds Israel of the deliverance in the days of Gideon by mentioning Oreb. Those with a knowledge of the time of the Judges – probably through an ability to read the words of the book of Judges – would be able to take courage from a knowledge that God had worked in the past. Those who gave no heed to the inspired record of their history would have no basis for confidence. The lesson is clear. It is only through reading Scripture and looking at what God has done can we have confidence that He will work in the future.

1. Isa 10:1-2 - "Woe to those who make unjust laws" - social inequality (Isa 3:14-15;Isa 5:7,23) in contrast to the righteousness of the future reign on earth of Jesus (Isa 11:1-4,9;Acts 1:9-11;Matt 5:5;Num 14:21).

2. Isa 10:5-7 - Woe to the Assyrian even though God used them to punish Israel and Judah; VS.5-6 was written after Samaria fell in 722BC (Isa 10:11); VS.5-7 the Assyrian invasion of Isaiah's day is perhaps a type of the latter day Assyrian/Gogian host invasion in the last days.

3. Isa 10:8-11 - the blasphemous message of Sennacherib against Jerusalem.

4. Isa 10:12 - when Assyria had served God's purpose it too would be cast away as a result of its pride and taking credit (Isa 10:10-11,13-15).

5. Isa 10:16-19 - if Israel's briars and thorns seemingly associated with sin (Gen 3:17-18) would be destroyed, so too would those of the Gentile power (i.e. Assyria) that God used to chastise Israel (Isa 7:24;Heb 6:7-8).

6. Isaiah 10:20-34 - the remnant of Israel:

7. Isa 10:20-22 - V.20 "In that day the remnant of Israel...will truly rely on the Lord"; VS.20-21 ultimate deliverance for the remnant (Isa 9:6;Matt 19:28-29); VS.20-22 encourgement to a faithful remnant; V.21 a remnant of Jacob to return to God; V.21 "a remnant will return" is the meaning of "Shear-Jashub"<7610> (Isa 7:3); V.21 emphasis on the return of the captives (from Assyria) suggests the promised deliverance would happen in a year of Jubilee (Lev 25:39-41), circa 701BC? V.22 "be as the sand of the sea" (promise to Abraham Gen 22:17-18).

8. Isa 10:24-25 - Assyria will smite but God's anger towards the people who live in Zion will end and His wrath will be directed toward the destruction of the Assyrians.

9. Isa 10:26 - God takes on Assyria; the destruction of Assyria is likened to the slaughter of of Midian at the rock of "Oreb"[(<6159> means "raven" which was unclean and dark as opposed to the bright torches carried by Gideon's men) Judg 7:22-25] and the burial of the Egyptian army (Exo 14:26-28).

10. Isa 10:27 - the burden lifted, the yoke off the neck, and the yoke destroyed [Matt 11:29-30 Christ will make our burden light and provide rest (does this suggest the millennial rest?)]; (KJV) because of the 'annointing'[ means "fat, oil,for annointing, figuratively means 'richness, prosperity'"; Psa 45:3,7; Mic 5:2-5 (V.5 - "eight 'principal' men" with 'principal' meaning "one anointed, something poured out, a libation")].

11. Isa 10:28-32 - the approach of the Assyrian advance upon Jerusalem.

12. Isa 10:33-34 - the Assyrian army will be cut down (Isa 37:35-37). 

10:22   The idea of a returning remnant is found in the contemporary prophet – Mic 5:2

10:32  The king of Assyria could only “shake his hand” against Jerusalem even though he had taken over the town named in verses :28-31

10:16  The phrase “the Lord, the LORD of hosts” is only found in Isaiah’s prophecy – Isa 1:24, 3:1, 10:16,23, 19:4

10:34    The chapter division masks a continued theme. The high trees are cut down but in 111:1 a new shoot grows.

10:28   When we see place names we should reflect on when we come across those places elsewhere in Scripture. Whilst Isaiah is speaking of the coming of the Assyrians against Israel the place names are the same as when the Philistines came against Saul – 1Sam 13 and 1Sam 14.

10:2  Notice that those who are oppressed are all vulnerable ones already. This is how the flesh behaves. It tends to oppress those who are seen as less able to defend themselves. This should be a warning to us about how we think of others.

10:1-3 Seemingly oblivious of the threat of invasion those with power are oppressing those with less power than themselves. But oppression is a great leveller. The oppressors were going to be oppressed and their loss would be greater than the loss of those who they were oppressing. So how would the oppressors respond in “the day of visitation”? A realisation of the judgments from God should have caused the oppression of the oppressed to cease. We should appreciate that we are all in the same position before God – in need of His forgiveness. This should affect the way we treat others.

10:5 Doubtless those in Judah saw the Assyrian invasion in the days of Hezekiah as an obvious follow on from the taking of the northern kingdom captive in the days of Hoshea. The spiritually educated mind would see it differently. They would see God’s hand at work.

10:7-12 Whilst Assyria thought that they were doing their own will Isaiah makes it clear here that their actions are only happening because God is using them to judge His people.

It is really important for us to understand that God has a plan and He will ensure it is fulfilled. So if world events are not going as we expect them to then we have to conclude that our thinking is faulty.  Events always go right from God’s perspective.

1 v. 4,5 - Time after time Paul remind us of the worth of the sufferings that we must endure. Surely it is worth suffering anything, that we might be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God by that suffering. Phil.1:28, 1Pet.4:14-18, Jer.9:24, Dan.4:37, Acts 14:22, Rom.8:17, 2Tim.2:12, Heb.10:32,33, 12:11.

1 v.1 The association of Paul Silvanus [Silas] both here and 1 Thessalonians 1:1 is most natural as they were together at Thessalonica. [Acts 16:19] Timothy seemed to be an almost constant companion of Paul, being sent on missions to see how things fared with the ecclesias that Paul had established.

2 v.3 'falling away' is not a casual departure from the faith. From the way that this and a related word are used in the New testament Matthew 5:31 19:7 divorcement Mark 10:4 divorcement Acts 21:21 forsake 2 Thessalonians 2:3 falling away we can see the terrible nature of forsaking Christ.

1:8 taking vengeance draws on Isaiah 61:2 which we know is the work of the lord Jesus (Luke 4:18) but to be finished at his return.

2:8 Consume with the spirit of his mouth echoes Isaiah 11:4 which speaks of the work of the Lord Jesus at his return.

1:9 'Glory of his power' quotes Isaiah 2:10, 19, 21) which clearly speaks of the establishment of the kingdom of God.

2:4 'exalteth … God' quotes Daniel 11:36 and so the brethren at Thessalonica would doubtless see Rome being a partial fulfilment of this area of Daniel 11.

2Thess 2:3. apostasia (646) This falling away that Paul writes about here is truly a serious problem. Peter writes about the same problem in 2Pet 2:1-3. This what began in the 1st. century has certainly snow balled over the years, until now when we are surrounded by the apostate churches. This warning should also be heeded by us to-day, to do our best to eliminate the possibility of false teaching in the ecclesia of the 21st. century.

1:4 Paul suffered persecution whilst he was at Thessalonica and eventually was thrown out of the city (Acts 17:10) There is no indication in Acts that the ecclesia suffered persecution however here we learn that they did.

2:2 'By letter as from us ...' is further evidence that there were those in the first century who sought to undermine the preaching of Paul by sending our letter which purported to come from him even though they did not. 

1:11 Do we ever pray for our brethren and sisters that they might be accepted at the resurrection?

2:1  The judgment is a personal thing. We will be judged according to our individual response to the gospel. However the purpose of the Father is to have a multitude of immortal saints who do His will. Hence ‘being gathered together …’ speaks of the fellowship we will enjoy in the kingdom with both the Father and his son and our brethren and sisters.

1:8 The judgment on those who do not know God contrasts markedly with the blessing on those who do know Him – John 17:3

Twice in these two chapters Paul says that he is bound to give thanks for the Brothers and Sisters in Thessalonica (2Thess 1:3, and 2Thess 2:13)Twice in these two chapters Paul says that he is bound to give thanks for the Brothers and Sisters in Thessalonica. It’s a lovely expression. I remember hearing a brother say many years ago, “I have learnt to love everyone in my ecclesia.” That is wonderful. It’s something I think that comes with experience.

1:3   In 1Thess 1:2 Paul had told the brethren and sisters that he thanked God for them. Now he says he is ‘bound to give thanks’ indicating that the spiritual development of the ecclesia since the sending of the first letter had gown.

Vs.3,7 Paul warned that before Jesus would return to earth to become the king of the world, spiritual rot would set in the ecclesia. The term falling away is derived from the Greek word apostasia from which the word apostasy (the abandonment of former beliefs) comes.

The apostasy began in the first century and was already observable to Paul. Over the subsequent centuries the apostasy would develop, organise and enlarge until we now see the organised Christian churches which are astray from the original tenets of the apostles. 

It behoves anyone interested in truly serving Yahweh to refer to the His Word, the Bible, and check out the claims of those espousing religious beliefs and philosophies (John 4:24). If those claims do not agree with the Word, they should be rejected (Isa 8:20; 2Cor 11:3,4).

1:6 How often do we feel the need to defend ourselves? Paul says it is God’s righteous prerogative, which comment is based upon the teaching of the Old Testament – Lev 19:18

1:10 This verse is taken by Evangelicals (particularly) to describe those who will have come through the Tribulation.

They reckon that raised believers, together with believers who are living at the time, will be taken out of the earth to safety, in the Rapture, just before the Tribulation occurs.  

They think that the Tribulation will be a seven-year period in which the Antichrist (a Jew) sets himself up as king in Jerusalem.  They believe that He will be deposed. 

Unfortunately, they have based scriptures, which are ascribed to Jesus, as belonging to the Antichrist.  Thus, when Jesus returns to earth and sets up His kingdom in Jerusalem, He will be opposed as the Antichrist.  But, He will not be deposed. Instead, He will destroy those who oppose Him.

Those who think that they will be whisked away when Jesus (the supposed Antichrist) appears will be greatly surprised to see that they have not gone anywhere.  Instead of being welcomed as saints, they will be destroyed as sinners.

2:5  Paul was well aware of the problems that the Thessalonians had to deal with. Those very problems had been a topic of his instruction when he was with them which visit is recorded in Acts 17:1 where we infer – Acts 17:11 – there was an antipathy towards the message of Scripture.

1:10  It is God’s plan to fill the earth with the knowledge of His glory Hab 2:14. This can only be achieved by you and I being changed at Jesus’ return.

INCREASING FAITH AND LOVE

Paul, Silas and Timothy, every time they thought of the believers at Thessalonica, thanked God because of their ever increasing faith and love. This is what they said, "We ought always to give thanks God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God's churches, we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring." (2Thess 1:3-4)

Just imagine if Paul, Silas and Timothy were writing a personal letter to you or me. If they knew us well, what would they write? Would they be able to write the same as what was written to the Thessalonians, saying that no matter what hardships of persecutions faced us, our faith, love and perseverance keep increasing?

Let's think back over our lives - a month, a year, five years: Have our faith, love and perseverance grown over that time? Would other people have noticed it?

Let us make sure that over the next while we either continue or restart that growth. Let's pray to increase our faith; let's practice loving our fellow believers; and let's determine to hold on to the hope we have been given until the return of Christ.

1:4      Paul spoke of the faith of the brethren and sisters in Thessalonica to other ecclesias. Do we appreciate the strengths of others and speak of them to others? Or are we more concerned to highlight what we see as shortcomings in others?

2:9-11  There is a contrast between the coming of Jesus spoken of in verse :8 who will “consume with the spirit of his mouth” and the way of sinful flesh. The instruction of the word of God is clean and pure. “Satan” is full of deceit. 

2:4    The way in which the man of “perdition” of verse 2:3 sets himself against God is lie the king of Babylon in Isa 14:14

1:1  Generally Paul, when writing to ecclesias, states he is an apostle – for example Gal 1:1 – but he does not when writing to the ecclesia at Thessalonica. Maybe because there was no fear that they would not know who he was not would anyone question his authority.

2Thess 2:3-12

The unveiling of the man of sin (v. 3)

In an explosive interview with the French newspaper La Croix, Pope Francis likened Christ and his disciples to ISIS! He said:“Today, I don’t think that there is a fear of Islam as such but of ISIS and its war of conquest, which is partly drawn from Islam. It is true that the idea of conquest is inherent in the soul of Islam. However, it is also possible to interpret the objective in Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus sends his disciples to all nations, in terms of the same idea of conquest.” In other words, Christ’s disciples spread the Gospel much the same way as Muslims waging Jihad! I have yet to read the passage in Scripture where Christ’s disciples beheaded those who would not accept the Gospel and raped their women!

Pope Francis also said that he “dreaded” hearing about the “Christian roots of Europe” because to him, they take on “colonialist overtones,” and called on European nations to “integrate” with Muslim migrants. He further said: “This integration is all the more necessary today since, as a result of a selfish search for well-being, Europe is experiencing the grave problem of a declining birth rate,” and stated, “a demographic emptiness is developing.”

This feeds into what Sheikh Muhammad Ayed said that Muslims should exploit the migrant crisis to breed with Europeans and “conquer their countries.” The Sheikh said: “Europe has become old and decrepit and needs human reinforcement… they are not motivated by compassion for the Levant, its people and its refugees… soon, we will trample them underfoot, Allah willing. Throughout Europe, all the hearts are enthused with hatred toward Muslims. They wish that we were dead, but they have lost their fertility, so they look for fertility in our midst. We will give them fertility! We will breed children with them, because we shall conquer their countries!”

What is Pope Francis’ goal? It is to merge all religious denominations with Islam, referred to as Chrislam. “Ultimately, co-existence between Christians and Muslims is still possible. I come from a country where they co-habit on good terms…”- Pope Francis

While the Pope pushes for integration and to tear down walls and be accepting towards incoming non-vetted Muslim migrants, Vatican City is surrounded by large, fortified walls, originally built to keep the Muslims out!

It seems like every time Pope Francis speaks up, he wrests Scripture, defends Islam, pushes for Muslim migration throughout the continents, speaks against having borders, and promotes Chrislam!

2:11       Whilst the “strong delusions” will affect those who have those thoughts Jesus warns, and maybe Paul is alluding to this, those individuals’ thoughts will impact on believers – Matt 24:5,11 – where those ideas will deceive some believers.

2Thess 2:3

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first…”