Old Testament Survey(Richard Jordan)

8/19/2019 Old Testament Survey(Richard Jordan)

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Grace School of the Bible

OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY

DISPENSATIONAL BIBLE STUDY

Richard Jordan


P.O. Box 97

Bloomingdale, IL 60108

www.GraceImpact.org

OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY 201-L 1

(Lesson 1)

The reason for this Old Testament Survey class is for you to see Israels rebellion in response to Gods Word to them.

You see the sinfulness of man. You see the patience of God in dealing with that. Were not Israel, were not under the Law Program, but we can learn a lot about what was going on back there in the Old Testament.

I want to give you three reasons for this Old Testament Survey in the curriculum

of the School and why its important that you get this information. These thingsthat took place back then were written for our admonition and learning, and forexamples to us. It is very important that you learn three specific things from this study.

1. I want you to see the perfections of the Word of God and the purpose of God.



Psalm 19:7-10 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

I hope that as we study through the Old Testament you begin to see the intricacies of how Gods Word is put together. I hope that you see something of the attitude that David has there toward Gods Word - being captivated by it and seeing its perfections and consequently just being thrilled with it.

Job said, I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

Thats the attitude you ought to have. Youll never have that attitude unless you get in there and study it. The whole book is that way. Its just the most marvelousthing.

Ill give you an illustration of what Im talking about with reference to the perfections of it and the way Gods Word work together.

There are 39 books in Old Testament in your English Bible. Now, 39 is 3 times 13. Do you know the significance of 13 in your Bible? In your Bible 13 is the number that demonstrates rebellion. Come to the book of Malachi. I want you to lookat the last word in the Old Testament in an English Bible.

Malachi 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and theheart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

The last word in the Old Testament of your English Bible is the word curse. Thats fascinating: 39 books, 3 times 13 and the last word is curse. Do you know whatthe Old Testament is? Its the Law that you just read about in that verse in Psalm 19. When he said that the Law of the Lord is perfect, hes talking about that Old Testament - that Hebrew Bible.

Now look at Galatians chapter three:

Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: I read that and I say, Hmm, thats interesting. Do you know what the Law does to people? It curses them.



Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us:

The Law is a curse in your Bible, the way it is laid out. Now, its just one of those fascinating things about the way that God has preserved His Word.

Youll hear me say all the time that the middle letter in the word sin is your problem.

Youve heard me say that. If you havent, you will, many times, because thats true.

A Dutch fellow told me one time, Thats not true in Dutch. But see, thats not a Dutc word; its an English word. Youre not Dutch; youre English-speaking. In Dutch, therell be similar kinds of things that are just object lessons in that language. Were talking about our language. Were not trying to do the same thing in five other l

anguages. It is just a fascinating thing the way it works out in Scripture, andthis can be true in any translation in a different language.

The point is that, as you study, youll find a fascinating little symmetry. Now, in a Hebrew Bible there are only twenty-four books. When we study Manuscript Evidence, youll find they are the same books that are divided into thirty-nine booksin your Bible.

They are divided into twenty-four books in the Hebrew Bible.

For example: First and Second Samuel are one book in a Hebrew Bible. First and Second Kings are one book. They took the number of books and reduced them to twenty-four.

Thats two times twelve. Whose number is twelve? Thats Israels number. Do you know what the last book in a Jewish Bible is? Its Second Chronicles.

When a Gentile reads his Bible, the last thing he reads in the Old Testament isthat he is cursed. When a Jew reads his Bible, the last thing he reads is 2 Chronicles 36. Look what he reads about. When you run down through verses 20-23, youl

l read about the decree by Cyrus for the restoration of Jerusalem:

2 Chronicles 36:22-23: Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORDstirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me;and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Wh



o is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.

The last thing a Jew reads is about the restoration of the nation Israel. He reads about the hope of his nation being restored into its Kingdom.

Do you know what unsaved people get when they read it? The curse. That means something to me. It fascinates me. There are all kinds of things like that in yourBible.

You need to have in your mind an outline of how these 39 books are divided up.

Your Old Testament is divided into three sections. In Manuscript Evidence, were going to study the two canonical statements that Christ makes that identify the contents of the Old Testament in His day and for us. This is one of them:

Luke 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

Now, there are three divisions; we'll study them later. I'm going to divide theOld Testament into a three-fold unit. I'm going to use different titles than are used here.

First, there are the books that we call "History." Then there are some books that are called "Wisdom Literature." Then there are books that are "Prophecy." These books are divided into these sections.

There are 17 books of History, 5 books of Wisdom Literature, and 17 books of

Prophecy (the Prophets). (17 - 5 - 17) Fascinating!

The 39 books of the Old Testament are divided into three sections. So when you study, if you just back off and really look at that, its fascinating. When you put them together, there are 17, 5 and 17. Then he divides each 17 into 5 and 12. Then he divides the 12

into 9 and 3. The number division in History and the Prophets match. Its not a coincidence.



The first 17 books are History and are divided into 5 and 12 thus: 5 Books (ThePentateuch)

-

Genesis through Deuteronomy

12 books of History

-

Joshua through Esther

9 pre-exile books

-

Joshua through 2 Chronicles

3 post-exile books

-

Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther

The next 5 books are Wisdom Literature:

Job, through the Song of Solomon

The last group of 17 is Prophecy. They are also divided into 5 and 12.

5 Major Prophets

- Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel and Daniel

12 Minor Prophets

-

Hosea through Malachi divided as:



9 Pre-exile books

-

Hosea through Zephaniah

3 Post-exile books -

Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

You see, when the Holy Spirit collated these books for you, theres this "balancing act"

going on.

You know that the Exile was when they were carried away into Babylonian captivity, when the nation was deported. The nine books of pre-exile History (Joshua to2

Chronicles) all have to do with Israel's being established in the land; then falling away and the judgment of national deportation coming upon them. The three post-exile books (Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther) have to do with the nation's going back to their land after the captivity.

The same division occurs in the books of the Prophets. You have the five major Prophets (Isaiah through Daniel) that lay out the Prophetic Program in great detail.

Then you have the nine pre-exile Prophets (Hosea through Zephaniah) who prophesied against the nation as it fell away. They correspond to the nine pre-exile books of History.

Then you have the three post-exile Prophets (Haggai through Malachi) who prophesied for the nation when they returned to the land.

Now the five books of Wisdom Literature are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. These books look at the inner life and the heart of the be

liever. They look inside the believer.

Every philosophy of every philosopher that ever lived comes out of those books right there - Aristotle, Plato, Euripides and all the rest, including those in recent centuries. The book of Ecclesiastes by itself - written by Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived besides the Lord - has every philosophy that anybody has ever developed and ever used already written out. What that tells you is that guys like Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates plagiarized from a Bible sitting on a ta



ble in front of them and never gave God credit for the information.

Do you know what that tells you? That tells you that the 20th Century American education system is built on the philosophies of a bunch of plagiarists. Now, that is just one of those interesting things you learn when you study the Bible. If you dont study this material back here in the Old Testament youll never know that. Youll never learn it. I tell you straight out, without any hesitation (I have a bias - I am a biased, prejudiced person - I admit that), that my own personal bias is that God is always right and men are always wrong. Let God be true, and every man a liar. I am not biased about many things, but that one bias I have, andI never make any bones about it.

Someone told me one time, You always try to make the Bible right. I said, Well, I just assumed that it is. I dont try to make it right. It is right.

When you are studying, I want you to learn and to see these divine designs all the way through the Scriptures. Thats a great memory aid that will help you remember the history books (17 divided into 5 and 12). It will help you especially wit

h the pre- and post-exile books and where the Prophets fit in. As we go throughthem, youll see more about that.

Reason #1 for studying the Old Testament: To help you see the perfections and to be excited about the Word of God.

Reason #2 I want you to see Gods purpose for man. Well study that in detail in a minute. But I want you to understand that when God put man on the planet, He didnt just do it without purpose.

We live in an age when the prevalent idea is that man is just another form of animal.

Hes just here, and evolution just happened to squirt him out, and he is just thesupreme product of the survival of the fittest. The chance that youre here is asgood as the chance that you wouldnt be here. It just happened that you did get here and all that nonsense, and pretty soon you have people acting like animals because they think like animals.

Youre not an animal.

Youre a special creature, and God put man on earth for a very special purpose. All these masses of people out here that are unsaved have never come to understand the purpose that God put them there for. If you dont understand what the purpose is; what the program is; what Gods doing and why things are the way they are; then youre going to be constantly frustrated in trying to know what you ought to be doing as a member of the Body of Christ.



I want you not just to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, but to understand the details of Gods purpose for man, for the earth, and for Israel. Whats God doing with the earth?

We talk about God having an earthly purpose; you need to understand what that is.

Those three things (man, the earth, Israel) comprise the elements of God's purpose. I want you to understand that youre not Israel, by the way, and neither are any of the members of the Body of Christ. So you need to know what Gods purpose is for man, for the earth, and for the nation Israel.

Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:

If you understand whats going on in your Bible from Genesis to Malachi; then when John the Baptist shows up and the Lord Jesus Christ comes in His earthly ministry, youll not have so much problem knowing whats going on in Matthew to Acts. Were

here in the Dispensation of the Grace. You need to put yourself back in the OldTestament and read what they knew when they knew it.

Many years ago, Howard Baker asked the question, What did the President know, and when did he know it? Thats a great thing to ask. Thats the question in these issues.

Reason #3 is sort of a keeper. There are three divisions in your Bible.

Ephesians 2:11-12 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 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:

Your Bible has three divisions. Theres Time Past when the basic characteristic is a division between the circumcision and the uncircumcision. You see it in the passage.

There are people called the "Circumcision" and others called "Uncircumcision." He says about us who are the Uncircumcision (verse 12), that at that time (Time Past), you were without Christ. When Jesus Christ came, He belonged to the Circumcision, the nation Israel. His ministry in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John dont have anything to do with us. They had to do with Gods purpose and programthrough Christ for the nation Israel - looking forward to the Ages to Come whenHell bring in the Kingdom.

Through Israel, salvation will go to the Gentiles.



You and I live in verse 13. But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Heres where we are in the Dispensation of Grace, the Body of Christ. Now, you and I have a problem (at least I do) really appreciating what it was to have livedback in the

cut-off position because you and I have only lived in a dispensation where everybody is included. You understand that in Time Past you and I couldnt do what we are doing tonight. Wed have to go find a Jew and ask, Will you please teach us? If hesaid,

No, wed have to go find somebody else because the Word of God belonged to them.

Salvation was through Israel. We couldnt just go to church like this. The peoplewho got inside the building (the Temple) were Jews. It was a religious requirement, an ethnic restriction. In order to appreciate what was going on back here; what it really meant to be cut off in Time Past; what our real status was as Gentiles, you really need to study the Old Testament in that light. I want you to ap

preciate more fully the present Dispensation of Grace and the change in our status so that it will mean more to you than it ever has before. Its kind of hard for us to appreciate the alienation of Time Past because all we know about is the Dispensation of Grace.

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

The wealth of the glory of this Mystery is Christ in you Gentiles, the hope of g

lory. We say, Well, its always been that way as far as we know. But it hasnt alwaysbeen that way. When you begin to study Time Past and the cut-off position of the Gentiles back then and the privileged position of honor that Israel had; when you begin to see that, you can appreciate more and more the change that has taken place between Time Past and Now.

People sometimes say, Well, what real difference does it make where this thing fits?

Youre going to find that it makes a real difference. People say that because they dont understand the difference in the status. Studying this Old Testament materi

al is going to help you to understand how wonderful it is what God has done forus, and how glorious our position really is.

As I try to say, every now and then, God saved us for more than just to keep usout of hell. Boy, when you see the grandeur of what Hes doing in this Book!



Thats three reasons to study the Old Testament.

Genesis, chapter one, is where all of the Bible - all of history - begins. I want to say this to you, also: (the people watching by video will already have studied through the first 15

chapters of Genesis by the time they see this lesson. I am teaching this class in a first-year setting. It will be seen on video the second year. There will besome things they will have studied that you wont have studied yet, so there willbe occasions when Ill mention something (like the Right Division Chart) that maynot be familiar to you. By the time you get to the second year, you will know that chart better than I do. Dont worry about it; you wont get lost. Itll come, and youll have more detailed information.

Were about surveying the Old Testament. Now, what are we going to survey? We aregoing to survey more than the books. Im not simply going to give you an outline of all of the books of the Old Testament. We could do that, and I told you last night about J.

Sidlow Baxters Explore the Book. If youll get that, youll have in printed form an o

utline and an explanation in more splendor than I can do for you.

My desire is to study more than the basic structure of the book. I want you to see the spiritual struggle and the doctrinal progression of what Gods doing with Israel. I want you to see the divine design thats behind it. Just as there is a design behind what God is doing today in the Dispensation of Grace; just like theres a design in what Hes going to do in the Ages to Come, there was a design that God was working on with Israel in Time Past. We can look back at it and can see it, and you can see it not just with Israel but with man. Man, all the way back from the very beginning, becomes the seed of the woman; becomes the seed of Abraham; becomes Israel. Of course, the first verse of the Bible suggests this purpos

e.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Thats the introduction to the whole Bible and to all of human history. That verse identifies the boundary between eternity and time. And, of course: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God. The only one there was God until He began to create through the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But you notice what He says He created. It doesnt say that He created the universe.

Now, He could have said that. There are other verses that talk about that - about His creating all things - but that isnt what He said. It says that He created the heaven and the earth. Now, those two spheres of activity are identified because those two things represent God's two-fold purpose. Youre learning in Genesis 1:1, that God has a purpose that affects the heaven and a purpose that affects th



e earth. In order to understand that, come with me to Colossians 1:16.

I say to you now, that from Genesis 1:2 all the way over to the apostle Paul (Acts 9), the focus in your Bible is on Gods purpose in the earth. All you read about in your Bible pertains to His purpose for the earth. Then, when you get to Paul, you get some added information: God not only has a plan for the earth, but He tells you through the apostle Paul that He also has a plan for the heavens.

Now, this plan for the heavens was kept a secret. This is an important thing tograsp with regard to God's purpose. All the way from Genesis to the middle partof the book of Acts deals with an earthly purpose with man on the earth, with anation of people.

I want you to back up for a minute now, and think about what is in the heavens and whats in the earth; what the issue in heaven and earth is.

Colossians 1:16 For by him [Jesus Christ] were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth [Genesis 1:1], visible [theyre here and you can see them] and invisible

[theyre out there and you cant see them], whether they be [trees and monkeys and elephants and man - no, thats not what it says, is it? What does the verse say God created?] Thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers.

What is a throne and a dominion and a principality and a power? They are governments, arent they? God, in Genesis 1:1, created in Heaven and in the earth realmsof government and governmental rulership and authority. He created them in the e

arth and in the heaven. So, the earth has a governmental structure, and the heavens have a governmental structure that God created.

All things were created by him, and for him. God created the universe with a governmental structure that fills the heavens and the earth. What well learn as we study this is that He says that the governmental positions on the earth are visible, and the ones in the heavens you cant see. So God uses terms you are familiar with. You know what a throne is; you know what a dominion is; you know what a principality is; you know what a power is. He says : You see that government out there; you understand how it operates?

Theres one just like that up there in the heavens that you cant see, and it operates the same way, but out there its operated by creatures you cant see. We call those creatures angels.

The point is that theres a government out there. He created it by Jesus Christ, but He also created it for Jesus Christ. Who do you think ought to be the head of that government? Jesus Christ. God created it for Him.



Ephesians 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times.

Now, let us think about this. This is the last dispensation out here in the future, and its called the fulness of times. Heres a dispensation in which God's purpos for time is going to be brought to fulness. You see, were learning something here in Ephesians from Paul about Genesis 1:1.

Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

This revelation of this Mystery given to Paul takes us all the way back to Genesis 1:1 to tell us what Gods original plan was that He kept secret. Here it is:

Ephesians 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather

together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: All right: what are the things He put in heaven? Governmental authorities. What are the things He put on the earth? Governmental authorities. And Hes going to gather them all under one Ruler, Jesus Christ, " even in Him. You see, He created all these positions so that Christ could be the supreme Headover a government. Now, you want to write this down:

The main issue, the main theme in the Bible is the authority of a throne over the universe.

You hear talk about the conflict of the ages, what the devil is trying to do; what God is doing. The ultimate, bottom-line issue from Genesis 1:1 and after has been the authority of a throne over the universe. You know thats the issue today in human relationships: who is going to run things. You know that. That characterizes the struggle between husbands and wives; parents and children; employers and employees; neighbors and neighbors. People act like God wouldnt have anything to say about any of that. That didnt catch Him by surprise.

But in this universe that God made theres a problem with this government in the heavens and in the earth. You know what the problem is? Look at Ephesians chapter

two.

Ephesians 2:1-2 And you hath he quickened, 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: Who is running the world now? You see that a problem has developed. He creates this heaven and this earth, and He puts positions of governmental authority all through it and He fills it with creatures who are to be subj



ect to Him, and one of these creatures sins and goes out and forms an opposition. Theres been a rebellion.

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places [in heavenly places].

Whats he talking about? There are principalities and powers and mights and dominions and rulers out here in the darkness of this world. Do you know what those are? Those arent Gods people. Those are Satans followers. Theyve taken over these postions of governmental authority. Theres been a coup detat. You notice it says the ulers of the darkness of this world. Go back to Genesis and watch the darkness show up.

Genesis 1:1-2 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

Theres the darkness that the rulers of darkness are ruling over. Notice verse 2, because it is important to follow whats going on here. You begin in Genesis 1:2 and go down to the end of the chapter. You see the first day, the second day, the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day, and the sixth day where the earth is formed and inhabited. That is not a re-statement of verse one. Verse one is not an encapsulated statement and then verse two and following an explanation of how verse one was accomplished.

In verse one God created the heaven and the earth. You start in verse 2 and the eath was without form and void," and from that verse onward in your Bible, the ear

th is the issue. The earth is going to be the focus. Look down to chapter one, verse 26, when He puts man on the earth:

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,and over the cattle, and over all the earth.

Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it:

If they are going to go out and have dominion over the earth and subdue the earth, the indication there is that the earth is in rebellion. You dont have to subdue somebody that is subject to you. You subdue people who have rebelled against you. Look back to verse two again.



You see in Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void. Come over to Jeremiah and see how that phrase is used.

Jeremiah 4:23-24 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains . . .

You read on down through the passage, and what youll see is not a reference backto Genesis one. Thats a reference to the end time at the second coming of Christwhen He comes and destroys the antichrist. The statement that " the earth was without form and void describes the earth as a result of Gods judgment on the earth.

Isaiah 34 is a passage that describes the day of the Lord, the second advent.

Isaiah 34:8 For it is the day of the LORD's vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.

Hes coming back and will pour out His wrath. Vengeance is coming.

Isaiah 34:9 And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.

Isaiah 34:10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall goup for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.

He is describing what will happen when Gods judgment burns up the land.

Isaiah 34:11 But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.

Notice that expression: " the line of confusion and the stones of emptiness." Tho

se words ( confusion and emptiness) are exactly the same words that are translated without form and void in Genesis 1:1. What Im trying to say to you is that something happened back here. There was a Satanic rebellion in this government that God established. We need to understand what thats about. Well have the details of that next week so you can understand how things are when man shows up on the earth.

My point to you is: in Genesis 1:1 there is the creation of the heaven and the e



arth with their governments which are invisible out there and visible here. Then there is the Satanic revolt that seeks to take over the government and does take it over - usurps it.

God takes action in verse two, but what He does - the focus of His action - is on the earth.

He makes a man and puts the man on the earth.

By the way, nobody had ever seen a man before Adam. He was a new creature. He was placed on this earth and given a commission to go out and win that earth back. He fell.

Come with me to Genesis 12.

Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thyname great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be

blessed.

All the way from Genesis one until you get to Paul in Acts chapter 9, the issueand the focus of what God is doing is on the restoration of the earth to the headship and government of Jesus Christ.

Paul makes a very fascinating statement about his conversion experience in Acts26.

Acts 26:19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: When you come to Paul, then the issue begins to be, not just the rulership of Christ over the earth, but now God reveals a secret. He makes known that through the cross He also provided a means of creating a new agency, the Body of Christ. Through this new agency, He will restore the authority of Jesus Christ inthe heavenly places. Thats why you are called a heavenly people; not because yougo to heaven when you die, but because your eternal destiny is to reign in those positions in the heavenly places. In the same way, the nation Israel will reign in the positions of authority in the earth and are His earthly people. Hence, He had to have a new creature out there - one capable of living up there - just as man was created a new creature to rule the earth. Thats why you get a brand-new

, glorified body. Thats why you get all those different assets - because of who you are.

But when we go into the Old Testament, that isnt the issue. When we study the Old Testament, the issue is the agency - the vehicle God is forming - through whomHe will restore His authority in the earth.



Remember: the main theme of the Bible is the authority of the throne over the universe.

The Bible is a revelation of Gods restoration of His throne over that government.

Next week, well go through some fascinating passages about the Satanic rebellion, and well move on from there.

All this is groundwork so that youll understand what the purpose of Israel is tobe.

OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY 201-L2

(Lesson 2)

Well continue from where we left off last week and discuss some of these things that we began to talk about with regard to Genesis 1:1 and 2. Then I'll try to explain them in some detail as a background. I hope that by the end of the class we'll have gotten through the first eleven chapters of Genesis, so we have a lotof territory to cover. This is somewhat preliminary. The first 2,000 years of human history is covered in the first eleven chapters of the Book of Genesis, so obviously it is information in your Bible that is jam-packed together for a reason.

I think I can show you that reason tonight, but were going to do it very quickly. And, by the way, by the time the people who watch the video will be taking this class, they will have already studied through, verse by verse, the first fifteen chapters of the Book of Genesis. So you, who havent done that, understand thateventually you will go through it verse by verse in great detail.

Genesis 1:1-5 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be l

ight: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darknesshe called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Now, I called your attention last week to the fact that when we survey the Old Testament, we are surveying Gods purpose and plans. Gods plan in the Bible starts out in Genesis 1:1.



I tried to show you last week that when God created the heaven and the earth, He created the governmental structure in the heaven and a governmental structure on the earth. He delineates the creation: heaven and earth, because He has a purpose for the government in the heaven, and He has a purpose for the government in the earth.

From Genesis 1:2 (And the earth was without form, and void), all the way through the Old Testament until you come to the apostle Paul in your Bible, the focus ison Gods purpose in the earth. But you need to understand that the purpose He hadin the earth that He discloses in detail, and what were going to be studying in Old Testament Survey, is His purpose in the earth. It begins to be revealed in Verse 2, and well see the history and the design of that purpose throughout the Old Testament Scripture.

God also has a purpose for the heavens - the government in the heavens. We saw last time, in Ephesians 1:10, that Gods ultimate purpose - the purpose He had before He made anything - was that Jesus Christ would be the Head of the governmentin heaven and in the earth.

The main theme of the Bible, from one end of it to the other, and what is dealtwith more than anything else is the authority of a throne over the universe andthe revelation of Gods program to restore that throne unto Himself.

Genesis 1:1-2 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void;

We looked at some verses last week in Isaiah and Jeremiah, and I showed you that the earth being "without form and void is an expression that describes the condition of the earth as the result of divine judgment. There is a rebellion that takes place in the government that God originally established between Verses 1 and 2. What takes place in Genesis 1:2 - and after that - is the focus of Gods restoration plan. It focuses first on the earth, and then later on we learn that He also has a purpose in the heavens which is revealed through Paul.

I want to go over Isaiah 14 with you briefly, which tells what the rebellion was all about.

If you can understand the satanic policy and program and plan, then you can grasp why this division and distinction is made between the heaven and the earth: Gods purpose of the heaven being kept secret and Gods purpose in the earth being made known. You get a little understanding about why its that way.

Isaiah 14 is a passage that takes place at the second advent of Christ and it describes the nation Israel as they mock the antichrist as he goes down to destruc



tion. They are going to "take up a proverb" against the king of Babylon.

Isaiah 14:4-6 That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon,and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.

It goes on throughout the passage about the king going to be destroyed and castdown into hell, to the bottomless pit.

Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

Theyre saying: Look how youve fallen. You were up there and now you are down here.

Youve been cast into hell.

Isaiah 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart

What youre going to read in Verses 13 and 14 is Satan's original aspiration, hisoriginal objective when he first began his rebellion. He was Lucifer, the son of the morning; he was the exalted cherub that covered the throne of God, in the original creation. In his original state, he was created perfect by God. Hes lifted up by pride (I Timothy 3 says), and he falls into condemnation. In his pride,

he developed a plan of rebellion against God, a policy of evil to overthrow Godsrulership and to usurp it.

Here in Verses 13 and 14, he says "I will" five times. These five I will's express the aspiration, the expressed objective, of the satanic plan. Youre going to hear me refer to this repeatedly as the satanic policy of evil because I dont know anything better to call it. Its a policy, not just something thats happening randomly. There is an organized plan and a deliberate policy behind what hes doing, and its a plan of evil. Its the "lie plan"; its the evil plan, as opposed to the righus plan of God.

Notice that there are five I will's. The first one sets the stage.

Isaiah 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, The next three give you the details of what he wants to do: Im going to mount up intoheaven and take over.



Isaiah 14:13b-14 I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit alsoupon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Now, the first one sets the stage for his purpose, and the last one reveals thesignificance of it all: I will be like the most High. You need to understand these, so lets start with the first one.

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven. You know what it isto ascend - thats to go up. He says : Im going to exalt myself. Im going to mount up and take an exalted position. Its like mounting a horse for the purpose of taking the reins in your hands so that you can control the animal and go where you want to go.

When he says, I will ascend into heaven, what hes literally saying is: Im going to scend up by myself. I will exalt myself and take the place of Almighty God in he

aven.

Hows he planning to do it? I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven. You need to understand that Satan has a throne. He has a position of authority, control and rulership. He says : Im going to exalt my throne above the stars of heaven.

What do stars typify in the Bible? Angels (Job 38:1-7). Youll see that stars areassociated with angels. Angels need light to see. Jude 6 talks about fallen angels being held in chains of darkness. If an angel is placed in darkness, he evident

ly cant function because he cant see. So, out there in the universe, the angels seek the light sources; theyre associated with stars because of the necessity of having light to function.

You are going to see, when we get back to Genesis, that one of the things God did in order to stop the satanic rebellion was to create darkness. It didnt exist previously. He created it as a judgment on the sin of Satan. Consequently, the darkness is a judgment.

The stars give light, which liberates their activity. So angels are associated with stars.

For example, Revelation 12:3-4 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; andbehold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered,for to devour her child as soon as it was born.



Revelation 12:7-9 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

He draws out the third part of the stars of heaven with him, and they are cast down to the earth. The dragon is Satan, and the stars that are cast down with him are the angels.

You want to remember that issue about the third part there because Revelation 12 is prophecy about the Tribulation period. Its looking to the future, and it describes the time when Satan is taken out of that position of authority in the heavens. When his cohorts up there in the fallen angelic creation are thrown out, athird part of them are the ones that fall. Youll see why that is important (where they came from and where they are), in a few minutes.

The first thing you have here in Isaiah 14:

1. He intends to ascend up and take Gods place. The way he plans to do it is to take over three thrones; his scheme is to take over the function of three offices that God has established to rule His universe.

First, hes going to exalt his throne - his position of authority, rulership and c

ontrol. Hes talking about the throne of government. Im going to exalt my throne above the stars of God. Im going to run things; Im going to be king. Im going to be chief ruler of the government of the universe. The first tenet of his policy is to go out and say: I should be king. Serve me, and let me rule.

Isaiah 14:13 I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides ofthe north.

Theres the second throne hes going to take over. Not only is he going to take over Gods governmental authority but he wants to take over the throne of judgment.

Concerning "the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north," come backwith me to the book of Job.

Were going through this very quickly. There are a lot of other verses we could look at, but youll get them as you go through some of the other courses.



Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

Have you ever wondered how Satan could come up to heaven where God is and present himself to God and why God wouldnt have booted him out? Did you ever wonder about that?

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

And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

God has a place called "the mount of the congregation." The expression in the sid

es of the north" means up in the farthermost part of the north. If you recall atime in the book of Samuel when Saul goes into a cave, and it says he goes into the sides of the cave.

Its talking about his going into the back of the cave.

That expression "the sides of the north" is like a triangle; the sides of it come up to a point. Where these two sides come together is not a side, it's the farthest point.

Up in the farthermost northern part of the universe, theres a planet. Its called a mountain, "the mount of the congregation." Its a place where a congregation comes together. Theres a place in the universe where God brings together the principalities and powers, the angelic creation that carries on His government. He gathers them together to give account of their ministry for Him. He literally holds them accountable to Him. Its the throne of judgment and accountability. Its a place where God says : You answer to Me for what youre doing.

Satan says: Im going to take over that throne up there where God makes us all give account of ourselves and judges what we do, whether its acceptable or not. Im go

ing to sit on that throne. Im not just going to be on the throne of rulership, but Im going to be on the throne of judgment. Im not just going to have people serving and obeying me, Im going to have them come and give an account to me and answer to me.

Number one: Im going to be the king. I want to be the ruler.



Number two: Im going to be the prophet, declaring right and wrong, acceptable orunacceptable.

In Isaiah 14:14, he says, "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds"; To understand that, go back to Isaiah 6.

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon athrone, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Isaiah sees the Lord, high and exalted, in heaven.

Isaiah 6:2-4 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts:the whole earth is full of his glory.

And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

You see God on His throne; Hes exalted highly up there. The seraphim are worshipping and crying, Holy, holy, holy. The clouds and the smoke are all around. Its as if His throne is sitting on the cloud there, and thats the throne of worship. Theyre crying,

Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts. And when Satan says : Im going to ascend above the heights of the clouds, what he means is: Im not just going to take the th

rone of rulership and government; Im not just going to take that throne out there on the planet where men come to me, and I judge them. Im going to take that throne up there where everybody is going to fall down before me and worship me and honor me and laud me.

Three thrones:

The throne of rulership - the king

The throne of judgment - the prophet

The throne of worship - the priest

Jesus Christ is the Prophet, the Priest and the King. Those are the three offices which result in the rulership of the universe. Satan says: I want to take allof that. Im going to go be like God. Im going to be the king; Im going to be the prophet, and Im going to be the priest.



In Revelation, theres the false father, the false son and the false prophet - the unholy trinity. Satan wants to take all three offices to himself.

Go back to Isaiah 14:14, and notice that when hes planned all that, hes going to attempt the last one:

Isaiah 14:14 I will be like the most High.

He intends, when he rules in those three offices over the territory of the universe, to be like the most High. Satan is the original imitator: "I will be like the most High." His whole method, plan and policy is that of counterfeiting. Youlearn that right there. He started out by counterfeiting what God was doing.

It is important to understand what it means when he says hes going to "be like the most High." Come back to Genesis 14. This is something you need to grasp: the

names of God in your Bible are very significant.

In the next week or two, we are going to be studying in Exodus, and were going to see that the name Jehovah is a very important name. The meaning of the name Jehovah is very important to the nation Israel. They didnt seem to learn it. The only way youll ever learn it completely is in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. The meaning is important.

The term the Most High God is critically important, also. Its the aspect of God tha

t Satan covets when he attempts to usurp those three thrones. Hes going to have what he wants. Youll notice how the title is defined for you in Genesis 14:

Genesis 14:17-19 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him [Abraham] after hisreturn from the slaughter And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread andwine: and he [Melchizedek] was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: God, in His position as the Most High God, is the possessor of heaven and earth. Youll see it again down in Verse 22:

Genesis 14:22b the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,

So, what is it that Satan is after? Whats his goal, his plan, his purpose? Whats he after?

He wants to take over those three thrones, those three offices, so that he can be the possessor of all authority and all worship and all government in heaven an



d in earth.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

What Satan wants to do is to take over the government of heaven and the government of the earth. He wants to receive the worship of all the creatures in heavenand in earth and make them accountable to him.

When he planned that, of course, he needed some help. He devised his plan and said, Thats what I am going to do, thats what I deserve. The sin of pride lifted him up, and he developed this plan. Do you see the parallel between this and Romans, Chapter 1, where it says that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations? Theres Satans vainplan. He thinks its a wise plan. And their foolish heart was darkened. Professingthemselves to be wise, they became fools (Romans 1:21-22). His plan is all rightthere.

Once he developed that plan, he needed some partners, so he goes out and tries to gain some partners. Youll recall that last week we discussed the fact that theres a government in the heavens. All those positions of authority in the heavens are filled by angelic creatures. So, Satan is going to go out there among them and seek some allies.

Ezekiel 28 is another passage about the antichrist and it looks beyond the person of the antichrist to the one who is behind him.

Ezekiel 28:11-13 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith theLord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God;

Now tell me something: Who was in Eden, the garden of God? God was; Adam and Eve were. Was the king of Tyrus there? It says he was. Who was there? God, Adam, Eve and who? Satan is described here by the title of the king who represents him.Heres what he looked like:

Ezekiel 28:13 every precious stone was thy covering, [He was the original Rhinestone Cowboy.] the sardius, the topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, andthe jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.



He had a built-in orchestra: a built-in pipe organ and percussion section.

Ezekiel 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth;

The word anointed in Hebrew is Meshiach (Messiah). The Greek word for anointed is Christos ( Christ). That verse is telling you something: Satan, in his original creation, was the anointed cherub that covered the throne of God. He was a christ. They used to have bumper sticker that said, Christ is the answer. Well, the question is, Which Christ? Because Satan is a christ, an anointed one. That's why you have to be careful today.

Ezekiel 28:14-15 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God [theres that mountain again}; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect inthy ways from the day that thou wast created,

This creature is not a man, because Adam was the only man - the only human - that was ever created by God (and Eve out of Adam). He isnt a man, but he was perfect when he was created. Hes an angelic creation - a cherub, by the way.

Ezekiel 28:15b . . . till iniquity was found in thee.

The iniquity was pride (I Timothy 3:6), and his pride developed that plan in Isaiah 14.

Ezekiel 28:16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst ofthee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profaneout of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

Notice that this creature is out merchandising.

Ezekiel 28:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire fromthe midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

Do you know what it is? If theyre out here selling drugs on the street corner, they call that trafficking in drugs, dont they? If youre selling something, you're merchandising something. Youve got all these stores and businesses selling merchan



dise, and theyre looking for traffic to come to the store to buy. All he does isto go around the angelic creation - those upper-echelon authorities - and triesto sell them on his wise plan. He says: Look, I have a plan. Im perfect in beauty; Im wise; Im smarter than God is.

Why, Im the sum - Im full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. He entices them, and by cunning craftiness he deceives them into following him. He gets a third part of the rulers of the government in the angelic creation to follow him.

When he does that, God Almighty puts a stop to it. He does it by judgment.

Isaiah 45:7 [Jehovah speaking] I form the light, and create darkness.

God Almighty made darkness.

Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the

face of the deep.

God Almighty created darkness as a judgment. God created darkness in the universe as a response to the satanic policy of evil against His purpose. The earth was plunged into darkness. Darkness fell upon Satans realm. The first thing that God said in the beginning of creation was, Let there be light (Genesis 1:3). Light was brought in so the angelic creatures could view the re-creation of the earth and the creation of a new creature that God placed on the earth to overcome the rebellion.

Matthew 25:41 Then shall he [Christ] say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: Christ is speaking about the beginning of the Millennium. Everlasting fire prepared for

anybody who won't believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? No, that isnt what He says.

Prepared for whom? For the devil and his angels. You see, Gods response to the satanic policy of evil, to the satanic rebellion, was to create the judgment thatwe call hell and, ultimately , the lake of fire.

In order to stop the rebellion, God created a judgment that was so awful and soterrible that it just stopped the spread of the satanic policy of evil dead in its tracks. Then He did something else. Come back to Genesis, Chapter 1.

He placed a new creature on the re-formed earth. Notice what He did. (Now, understand what were seeing here. This is sort of like Paul Harvey's The Rest of the Story.) Everything weve seen so far is to get you up to the point where God puts man



on the earth. You see, things didnt start with man. We like to think man is thecenter of everything. Man wasnt placed on the earth to be the center of everything. He was placed on the earth for a specific, God-ordained purpose.

Genesis 1:26-28 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

God creates this new creature that never existed before - this man, human life - and He commissions him. He says: I want you to go out and multiply and replenish the earth. I want you to repossess and repopulate this earth and subdue it. The earth is seen to be in a condition of rebellion against God, and man is to goout and subdue this earth that is in rebellion and then to have dominion and to

rule over that earth.

You know what God does? He makes man a king: Go out and subdue and have dominion. Those are military terms that are used to describe conquest and rulership. Goout and conquer, and rule over My earth for Me.

He makes man a priest. In Genesis 3, He walks with man in the cool of the day and communes with man. Hes a king to rule over the earth for God. Hes a priest to walk with God and He made him a prophet. He brought all the animals to him and sai

d: Okay, it's your job to give them names.

He makes him a prophet to expound the creation. You know what He did for man? He gave man the three offices that Satan said he was going to take. Satan said : Ill take them away from God and gain the authority. God stopped him and judged him, and He put a new creature in there - man - for the purpose of restoring thoseoffices of prophet, priest and king to God.

Now, you know what happened to man when He did that, dont you? All you have to do

is look at Genesis, Chapter 3, and you know what happened to man. The first time Satan came up to man and told man about the wise plan he had, you know what man did? He bit the apple, Buddy. He took it. (It wasnt an apple, by the way. Thatsjust an expression.) You know all the devils apples have worms. You know whats worse than biting into an apple and finding a worm: finding half a worm.

Genesis 3:1-6 Man buys into the rebellion.



Genesis 3:15 [God says to Satan] And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

He says: I put man here, and youve won him over, but Im going to come and do the job Myself that man didnt do. But Im going to use man to do it. Im going to use theseed of woman to accomplish it.

What happened from Genesis, Chapters 1-3, and down through your Old Testament is a development of that seed of the woman. Gods purpose is for man to go out and subdue the earth, to have dominion over it and to replenish it with a populationwho will worship and serve Almighty God.

I understand that what I am saying to you might be a little different from whatyou are used to hearing in an Old Testament Survey, but youve got to understand where were going when you read your Old Testament. I told you when we began that Im

not so interested in giving you the structure and outline of every book in theOld Testament. I want you to understand whats in them. If you understand the issues from the start, youll be able to see why the structure is the way it is.

Matthew 25:31 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:

Now, its clear about when the Lord Jesus Christ comes back and sets up His Kingdom.

Here are the order of events: After the cross, the ascension of Christ, the coming of the Holy Spirit and the fall of Israel, the Body of Christ is formed in the Dispensation of Grace where we are today. The next event will be the Rapture,when we go out to be with the Lord in the heavenly places before the Tribulation period. Then Christ comes back down to the earth and sets up His Kingdom.

At that point, when He sets up His Kingdom, He says:

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:

This Kingdom that they are to inherit is the issue that God has been making known since the foundation of the world. The issue of the Kingdom on this planet, ma



The last one of those institutions is nationalism. Sometimes thats called human government. Well talk more about this next time. Get those four institutions down, and well discuss them next time. We'll see how they fit because those four institutions are basic. The first eleven chapters of Genesis demonstrate to you the establishment of the first three and why they cannot function successfully independent of the national unit.

We'll see the reason for the creation of a kingdom and why the creation of national governmental authority is necessary.

God is going to teach man the necessity of doing things His way, under His authority.


(Lesson 3)

In lesson 3, were going to cover Genesis 1-11: the issues of creation, corruption and chaos.

Ill give you a little outline here. There are actually five beginnings in the book of Genesis. The first four are in the first eleven chapters.

1. Chapter 1:1-25

- the beginning of the world

2. Chapter 1:26-2:25

- the beginning of mankind

In the first one you have a detailed discussion of the beginning of the world. I

n the second one he backs up and discusses it again from the perspective of thecreation of mankind.

3. Chapter 3:1-24

- the beginning of mans sinfulness and corruption

4. Chapter 4:1-11:32



- the beginning of degeneration under the reign of sin

5. Chapters 12-50

- the beginning of a new nation, the nation Israel

In this class we want to talk about the issues in the first eleven chapters. There are four beginnings in the first eleven chapters. They are four big events: the creation, the fall, the flood and the tower of Babel. There are important individuals: Adam and Eve, of course, Cain and Abel, Noah and his family, etc. There are tremendously important things here.

What you want to get out of the first eleven chapters are a couple of things. You know they cover about 2,000 years of human history. The issues are covered soquickly that it is obvious that Moses is not trying to tell you all the events that take place. You have to understand that what the Bible records in Scriptureis involved in the purpose of God.

Hes not just trying to give you a history lesson of all the events that took plac

e but is showing Gods working through mans history.

Now, in the first eleven chapters of Genesis there are four permanent, divinely-ordained institutions that are established for the orderly functioning of the human race. The first one is in chapter two. The four are VOLITION, MARRIAGE, FAMILY and NATIONALISM. You need to understand that those four divinely-ordained institutions are permanent and will last as long as mankind lasts. They are designed for the orderly functioning of the human race. The human race is designed by God (were going to learn this in the first eleven chapters) to function on planetEarth in an orderly, proper way that gets humanity established in the way that God ordained it to function and the way that God created the various facets of hu

manity to function. All that is done under those four institutions. Thats the way it is organized: volition, marriage, family and nationalism.

In chapter 2:16 and 17, youll see volition.

Genesis 1:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Edento dress it and to keep it.

Adam is to guard and protect the garden. Hes the king. The garden is sort of like

a bivouac area. If you trace it down in the Scriptures you see that gardens are for kings.

Its the place where they go for R & R between battles and conquests. So, hes put in the garden which is eastward in Eden. Hes there to keep and dress it and make it beautiful.

Its Paradise because its splendorous. Hes there to guard (military term).



Genesis 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shaltsurely die.

Now, its obvious what God is doing. Hes setting up a situation where man is put in a position where he must obey what God says. In order to obey, you must chooseto obey.

You must exercise positive volition toward what God says. It was established when God created man to operate rationally under volition in his soul rather than to act according to his instinct. When God did that He established the institution of volition.

When He says, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, volition is thebasis of all freedom. Consequently, it is the foundation of establishment and orderly maintenance of society. Volition is the foundation of personal accountability. Its the foundation of all else that man ever has. If youre ever free it willbecause there is volition. Freedom is possible only through submission to author

ity, choosing to be submissive to authority. Therefore, a person who lacks self-discipline lacks the capacity for life and cant fully enjoy an activity, no matter how pleasant the activity might be.

So, theres this demand for self-discipline that is exercised by faith as freedomwithin revealed limits.

So this test of man is placed here. Man is not an automaton, not a robot, but someone who is given the responsibility and created so as he is to choose to obeyGod. Thats what God wants: creatures that worship Him and choose to be obedient to Him. So, theres volition.

Thats the basis of all freedom and personal accountability. Personal accountability is the source of freedom in your life.

Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Thats marriage. Marriage is the basic structure that is designed to form the source of stability in society. God takes the woman out of the man. Now you have two

people and then He brings them back together.

Genesis 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

God takes the two and makes them one. Hes recreating the original humanity. Hes fo



rming the basic social unit and creating a situation where there is leadership.

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother. He is to be severed from his former home and he is to establish a leadership role, a head of a house, a head of a family. Hes to take the headship in the unit. There is to be a permanent thing. He is to

cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. There is to be unity.

So, you have leadership, permanence, stability and unity all being perpetuated through the issue of marriage. Its the foundation for that.

When you come to chapter four, you understand that man was created and put on the earth to be fruitful and multiply. So by creating the marriage unit, you alsoalmost instantly create a family unit.

Genesis 4:1-5 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, andsaid, I have gotten a man from the LORD. And she again bare his brother Abel. An

d Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock andof the fat thereof. And the LORD

had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering hehad not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

Obviously, in the family unit, here is the extended unit, you have marriage andthen you are going to have children, the fruit of the marriage union. But when you have the children, what are you supposed to do with them? Well, it is the fam

ily unit that provides protection and discipline and the material provisions for the family but also the training and the security and the love and the acceptance that is needed to produce children who can go out and reproduce the originaldesign.

Youll notice in the passage here how it worked. And in process of time it came topass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering. Cain knew when to do it (in the process of time). He knew where to go with it (he brought). He also knew what to bring because Abel brought the right thing.

I think, Where did he learn all that? Well, he learned it from his Mom and his Daddy.

They knew where the cherubims were (Genesis 3:24). They knew about the place, the way and all that. They knew about the shedding of blood (God had made them coats of skin (Genesis 3:21). They understood about those things. They knew what the offering was. They knew when to bring it. What the family does is to communicate. Families are the basic means of communicating culture and truth from one generation to the next. Its a stabilizing unit and its the place where the training o



f the next generation is designed to take place.

We live in a world when the whole emphasis of the age in which we live is designed to destroy the family. Youre going to see that happen in Genesis 4, 5 and 6. When the attack on the family takes place, then youll see that man cant function orderly with a dissolved family so then its necessary to create a larger unit thatcreates government of national entities over the family. Youll find that in chapter nine.

The fourth institution is nationalism.

Genesis 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful,and multiply, and replenish the earth.

God goes right back to the commission He gave Adam in Genesis 1 and repeats it with Noah. But this time, Hes going to add another structure. Youre not just going

to have volition, marriage, family to take care of it and to perpetuate mankind, Hes going to add the issue of human government in the form of nations.

Genesis 9:5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

The issue there is human government. This is called by Scofield and most of the

dispensationalists, the Dispensation of Human Government. Now, human governmentis not a dispensation in the Bible. Human government is an institution that Godestablished as an orderly, permanent, divinely-ordained institution that extends as long as man exists.

The issue of establishing the government among mankind in nations is what happens in chapter ten.

Genesis 10:31-32 These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. These are the families of the sonsof Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nation

s divided in the earth after the flood.

God divided the world into national entities with geographic boundaries. The nations were designed to furnish protection for the orderly functioning of the first three institutions. Come with me to Acts chapter seventeen, a passage referring back to Genesis 9, 10 and 11.



Acts 17:26-27 And hath made of one blood all nations of men [Genesis 10] for todwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; [Why did He do that?] That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: You see, He established the national entities so that mankind out there would have the protection and the structure that he might grope around in his darkness and find the Lord,

if haply they might feel after him. Thats the condition of man: hes groping in darkess. And just having him grope willy-nilly God established these entities. One way He does this is in Genesis 11. After Satan tries to overthrow them with internationalism at the tower of Babel, God divides the languages. The whole purposeof that is to separate out so therell be these national entities wherein theres protection for the first three institutions, so that people can function under those things properly and not have to grope around and so that evangelism might beperpetuating.

I am trying to get you to see that theres this structure system that is designedfor the maintenance of mankind.

Volition in your soul. Some people call that freewill.

Marriage the structure for the basis and source of stability in society: two people functioning and carrying on the doctrine.

Family the unit that takes that stability and perpetuates it to the next generation.

Nationalism to protect those first three so they can function smoothly.

I dont want to say that those four institutions are the reason for these chapters to be written in Genesis (I guess that is what I am saying), but thats not the only reason they were written there, but they are established there. Then youll see the necessity let up and demonstrated He establishes the first three just by virtue of creating man and woman.

Then youre going to see the necessity of the fourth be demonstrated, why its necessary that there be nationalism. Youre going to see Satan subvert nationalism andthen God create a nation separate apart, one nation from all the other nations of the earth and demonstrate in that one nation the value and what it means to be a nation who has God as their God and who exercises volition in the family and

passes it on from generation to generation. In other words, He exercises those first three institutions within the confines of nationalism. Hes to take Israel as to take all four of those things and carry them on perfectly as an illustration to the nations of the value of doing it Gods way.

If you can get that thinking in your mind about whats going on here, then youll be able to appreciate why it is that He creates that new nation in Genesis 12. The first eleven chapters are designed to teach you why Israel is important in the



Prophetic Program, why God established one new nation in the earth.

Matthew 24:37-39 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating anddrinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Notice that the issue is as in the days that were before the flood, the days of Noah.

What you have in Genesis 4, 5 and 6 is not a chronological history of the 2,000years between Adam and Noah. What you have is a representative history that demonstrates for you as in the days that were before the flood. What you have is a picture drawn of the kind of society that developed that resulted in the judgment of the flood.

Genesis 4, 5 and 6 are a unit that demonstrates in a representative fashion (your

e not going to get all the chronology), but youre going to get a representative.This is the way society developed. In Genesis 4, youre going to get a picture ofsociety as it was in the days before Noah. Youre going to get a picture of how things functioned in the days before Noah. What you see there is a society that is socially and economically independent with a spirit of rebellion against Gods plan and purpose.

What does Cain do? He develops his own wise plan and his own religion. Hes not going to come and worship Gods way. Hes going to give the fruit of the ground. He hasan independent spirit against what God said to do. Then he goes out and it leads to murder of his brother. Theres this total disruption of the family unit, and t

heres nothing to control it. The doctrine doesnt, and he rebels against the truthof the doctrine. Then God gives him a punishment and says: You cant be a farmer any more. Youre going to be a vagabond. Youre going to go from here to there. Yourenot going to have a permanent place to dwell. And what does Cain do?

Genesis 4:16-17 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

God says: Youre going to be a vagabond. Youre not going to have a permanent dwelling place, and what does Cain do? Does he go out and wander like God says he is supposed to? No, he goes and builds a city. Whats a more permanent dwelling placethan that? He goes out and builds a city and names it after his son. Hes building a monument to his own rebellion against God, his own self-will against God.

That spirit of the city, by the way, is the spirit that every city has within it



. The city is a monument that Cain built. Thats the first city in the Bible. Every city in the Bible, until you come to New Jerusalem, is just a monument to therebellion of man. It was a direct result of Cains refusal to accept Gods protection and to submit himself to the will of God and its his own attempt to satisfy his desires for security and his desires for his own self-fulfillment: a place belonging to him, that he made, that he created. He creates a center of activity outside the circle of Eden and the circle of his family. But its rebellion against what God tells him in verse twelve, thats hes to be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth.

Then you read on down and youll see the development of husbandry (agriculture) in verse twenty. With the depletion of the labor force from the farms into the city, there is a need to be more and more proficient in production, etc. The arts and entertainment, in verse twenty-one, are developed. Industrialization, in verse twenty-two, metallurgy and manufacturing processes, etc. and all of that, allof this socialization, economic development, all of the civilization development, results in what? In verses twenty-three and twenty-four, it leads to murder. It leads to violence. It leads to all kind of mayhem.

So, what happens is that as man progresses and goes away from God, you get this

picture of society that is developing this independent spirit of rebellion against Gods plan. The result is mayhem, violence and murder and torment. You look around today and youve got the idea.

Then you come to chapter five where you have a dispensational picture of the days of Noah. Youll see the thing degenerate.

Genesis 5:1-3 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them;

and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

Notice he begets his children, not in the image of God, but in his own image. All of Adams children are born in the fallen image of their daddy, not in the image in which Adam was created.

Genesis 5:4-5 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred

years: and he begat sons and daughters: And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.

This chapter has been called the Graveyard Chapter of the Bible. Every man in thechapter, except Enoch, died. Verse 8: and he died. Verse 11: and he died.

Verse 14, the last three words: and he died. Verse 17:and he died. Verse 20:



and he died. Six generations of death. That pictures the six prophetic days of mansfailure and rebellion that would be followed by Enoch who walks with God.

Genesis 5:21-25 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: AndEnoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:

Methuselah: Methu means he shall go, and selah (the word you see in the Psalms, the rest) means it shall come. When Methuselah goes, its going to come. God told Enochabout something that was coming when Methuselah died.

Notice in Verse 22 that Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah. God gave Enoch a revelation. You couple that with Hebrews 11:5 when its by faith that he did it.

He was translated. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Go

d

(Romans 10:17).

You understand what happened. God gave Enoch a revelation about a judgment thatwas coming but the judgment wasnt coming until after Methuselah was gone. So as long as Methuselah was there, the longsuffering of God was going to wait until the days of Noah.

Enoch understands that and he walks with God and believes those things and thenthe day comes when God comes and takes Enoch out. Enoch was translated.

Genesis 5:25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:

Genesis 5:28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son

[Noah]:

Now, if you add 187 years to 182 years, youve got 369.

Genesis 7:6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.



Noah was 600 years old when the flood came and that makes 969 years from the time that Methuselah was born until the flood.

Genesis 5:27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.

When Methuselah died, the flood came. Thats what God told Enoch. So, youve got these six generations of death, six prophetic days of mans failure and rebellion followed by the catching away of Enoch and then the judgment on the world. When they come out of the ark in the 601st year, the beginning of the 700th year, they come out onto a new earth (a picture of the Millennium). So, theres a dispensational picture back here of whats going on.

Then when you get to Genesis 6, you have a picture of the moral conditions thatmake human government necessary. You see the moral conditions that have corrupted the social structure that you saw in Genesis 4. Why did that social structurego bad? What happens when death reigns? Well, theres this moral corruption and the earth is filled with violence. You see the angelic intervention and the reason

s for it, etc. You see God choosing out Noah who found grace in the eyes of theLord. God tells him to build the ark and you see the judgment (in chapter sevenand chapter eight) of the ark, of the world and the flood. You see the salvation of the believing remnant to carry on Gods plan.

They go through the flood and come out on the other side of the flood in chapter nine.

They get out of the ark and there they are on a new earth. They are re-commissioned.

God blesses Noah (chapter nine): Be ye fruitful, and multiply; replenish the earth.

When we study Genesis well go through a dozen or so comparisons between Adam andNoah. Youll see that God re-commissions man in Noah and this time He establisheshuman government, He establishes nationalism as a form of governing mankind beyond the family unit and He divides the nations among that national system in chapter ten.

By the way, its real important, when you go through chapters nine and ten, to see the prophecies that Noah gives about his three boys. There are two great chapte

rs in Genesis where daddies give prophecies about their descendants. One is Noah who prophesies what God is going to contribute to humanity through each one ofhis boys: Shem, Ham and Japheth. The emphasis is on the uniqueness of the contribution in a specific form that each one of these boys is going to make.

Shem is going to focus on the spiritual needs. Ham is going to focus on the physical needs. Japheth is going to focus on intellectual needs. Shem is going to contribute to the inner spiritual strength of humanity. Ham is going to contribute



skills and technology.

Japheth is going to give direction and purpose to these things.

These three boys are designed to show how their descendants work together underthe institutional umbrella of nationalism which would cause the nations to bring the best out of it. Volition, marriage and family would cause the contributionof the best within their unit and then the units would share and would be the orderly functioning of man on the planet.

The problem, of course, is sin. What youve got is all this established and then you have explained for you because every time it gets established, you have all this chaos up to the flood that tells you that we need more than just volition, marriage and the family. We need a broader social government out here, so He establishes that.

What He is doing is demonstrating why it is that the government that God established in the heaven and in the earth is necessary and why its the issue. I told yo

u that the main theme of the Bible from one end to the other is the authority of a throne over the universe. What He is demonstrating is why that is true. Whatthe earth is like without it, its chaos and corruption.

So, He re-commissions man and puts the government there. The next thing you have in Genesis 11, is Satans attempt to subvert it. Now, you know hes going to do that, just like he did in the Garden. He subverted the individual and now hes goingto subvert nationalism. And, he does that with internationalism. All internationalism is a satanic subversion of nationalism. When that happens under the towerof Babel and the institution of Nimrod, there comes a point in Gods dealings with man where He gives up on the nation.

Romans 1:19-20 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

They know Him. They understand Him. They have the revelation. And they did,

because that, when they knew God, they had the understanding of what He wanted. He

gave them instructions (Genesis 1-10).

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.



They said: Were not going to do it Gods way. Were going to do it our way. Cain didit in Genesis 4. The world at large, the nations of the earth, did it in Genesis 11 to which this is a reference.

There are two great historical references in the book of Romans. In chapter one, Paul deals with the events in Genesis 11 at the tower of Babel, when God set the nations of the earth aside and then turns to form one nation.

The other historical reference is Romans five when he deals with Adam. There are two times that God has alienated mankind. Sin alienated the individual in Genesis 3, and that is dealt with in Romans 3-5. But rebellion at the tower of Babelcaused the alienation of the nations of the earth. Thats what is going on in Romans one.

Romans 1:22-24 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changedthe glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Romans 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up

Romans 1:26 For this cause God gave them up.

Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, Godgave them over to a reprobate mind.

God gave them up: body, soul and spirit. He gave man up. Thats a reference to a specific point in time, historically, when God gave up mankind, and what the Bible calls

the times of ignorance began.

Come to Acts 14 where Paul is talking to a bunch of heathen, part of the nation.

Acts 14:15-16 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of likepassions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.

He just let the nations go their own way. He gave them up. Come to Acts 17. Paul



is on Mars Hill talking to the intellectuals at Athens.

Acts 17:30a And the times of this ignorance God winked at

Man didnt want God, professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. Man went in his own way and the time of that ignorance is what God called it. They wouldnthave it.

Acts 17b but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

What youve got, in Genesis 11, is a situation where you have Time Past and But Now those passages in Acts. In Time Past, He creates Adam and re-commissions Noah.They go along and Hes working with the nations.

There comes a time when the nations rebel against Him (Genesis 11). At that point God gives up the nations and lets them go on in their own way. He lets them go on in their ignorance and blindness.

In response to this rebellion of man, when the whole world had been given up byGod, and when the whole world was ready only for the wrath of God to be poured on them, do you know what God did? In Genesis 12, He chose out one man by the name of Abram and formed a new, separate nation and set up a middle wall of partition.

So now, the Gentiles are the nations with a new nation being formed. In Genesis12

through 50 is the formation stage of that nation.

What weve learned from chapters one through eleven is why He had to go out and form that one nation to be the representative nation to the Gentiles.

Now, well start next time with the creation of the chosen nation and see how Godforms it to demonstrate what it is to be a nation and to have God as its God and who functions under those four divine institutions for the establishment of mankind.

What were going to find, of course, is that Israel fails, too. And so, Jesus Christ has to come and do for Israel what Israel couldnt do for itself, and in so doing, do for man what man couldnt do for himself.



What you learn back there in Genesis 4-6, when you see the picture of society, moral corruption, and all the rest, you learn why human government is absolutelynecessary in order to protect the first three institutions. When you learn that, youll learn why the government of the Lord Jesus Christ is necessary, because it cant be a failed government, it has to be a government of righteousness. So, indemonstrating the need for the fourth institution for human government, He demonstrates the need for Gods government to provide the framework for those first three institutions to function properly.


(Lesson 4)

Tonight were going to cover the last section of the book of Genesis, Chapters 12through 50. We went over the first eleven chapters last time. Chapter 11 is foundational to everything else that follows: the formation of the nation Israel, the chosen race. We saw the creation, and we saw the corruption of the human racethrough sin. Now youre going to see God form a nation. He will separate Abram from among the nations and use him to establish a new nation. The first three verses in Genesis 12 are somewhat foundational to everything that follows.

Genesis 12:1-3 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy

name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

You see that the Lord had said to Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house. That separation of Abram from the nations of the world indicates a judgment on the world. In our last class we talked about some tremendously important dispensational changes about to take place in the history of mankind and in God's dealings with man here in Genesis, Chapter 11.

Now, when you start to study the Word of God, you begin to figure out how things fit together. Paul says: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). In Ephesians 2, the apostle Paul lays out his understanding of how the Word ofGod should be rightly divided.

Weve been over this so many times that I shouldnt have to review it for you. There



was a Time Past in Verses 11 and 12. Then theres a But Now in Verse 13, and theree the Ages to Come. I want you to see this issue about Time Past.

Ephesians 2:11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

You notice that Time Past is characterized by a distinction between some people that he calls the Circumcision and some people he calls the Uncircumcision.

Ephesians 2:12-13 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.

When you come to the But Now section, this distinction has been done away, and the

res a oneness again.

Ephesians 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one;

That is, He took away this distinction between the Circumcision and the Uncircumcision, and in the But Now section God deals with everybody just alike.

We sing a song:

"The ground is level at the foot of the cross;

No man stands higher than I.

I can call on Jesus name,

And a king can do the same.

The ground is level at the foot of the cross."

Thats true in the But Now section. That was not true in the Time Past section beca back there the basic characteristic was this distinction between the Circumcision and the Uncircumcision.

You notice in Verse 14, that this distinction is called the middle wall of partition.



Ephesians 2:14b and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

That middle wall is the thing that divided these two groups of people. Now, when this division started is where we are in Genesis 12. This division was not always there.

There was a time when everybody was uncircumcised. Then God separates Abram, and through him come Isaac and Jacob, and then there are the twelve tribes that become the nation Israel.

Here in Genesis 12 were at a climactic point which has been led up to in Genesis1-11.

Thats the reason I said to you before that the things that were true in Genesis 3-11 are also true in the situation where we are now in Genesis. Those four divine institutions that He established are still in force here because the nations just continue to function. God separates one man, Abram, just at the point afterthe tower of Babel when the world was ready for the wrath of God; when the world was ready for Gods judgment to come upon it. God chose one man, Abram, to create an agency of people, the nation Israel, through whom He would bring His salvati

on to the world.

A similar occurrence takes place over here in the book of Acts. Christ dies andreturns to Heaven. The Holy Spirit comes and the fall of Israel takes place. God sets Israel aside, and the world deserves nothing but wrath because of their rejection of Christ and their rejection of the witness of the Holy Spirit throughthe apostles. Yet, just at the time when the deserved wrath was destined to fall, God saved another man, Saul of Tarsus, and gives him a message of Grace.

You have a lot of parallels here. Now come back with me to Acts 14. Paul is talking to some heathen idol-worshippers in Verse 15:

Acts 14:15-16 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of likepassions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.

The nations had been given up. God came to a point where He just said : OK. Im going to let the nations go in their way. Im going to let the Uncircumcised, the gentiles [the word gentiles means nations in the plural], go in their own way.

Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:



God calls this time a time of ignorance because the Gentiles go their own way. They dont want what God has for them. Come with me to Romans 1.

Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God . . .

Romans 1 is a reference to what took place in Genesis 11 at the tower of Babel.

Romans 1:21-24 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.

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness.

Romans 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affection:

Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, Godgave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; They didnt want God; they wanted their own way, their own wise plan. They became vin in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. They wanted to do it their own way, so God left them to do it their way! They became ignorant; they went in the ways of ignorance.

They rejected the light of God, and God said, OK. Just go your way.

In Genesis 12, at the point where God is separating a man, Abram, from his kindred and from everybody else, He says to Abram :

Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation,

Hes going to separate Abram and make a nation out of Abrams descendants, and thatnation that Hes going to make is going to be a nation of blessing.

Genesis 12:2b-3 and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseththee: and in thee [in this nation] shall all families of the earth be blessed.



In other words, Gods going to give Abraham the blessings of salvation, etc. If the Gentiles want the blessings of God, they have to go through Abrahams nation toget them because theyre the ones that have them. Its going to be through Abraham that the blessings of God are made available.

Were at a very critical point in Genesis when you come to Chapter 12. Youre at a place where God is choosing one man. Hes going to erect the Middle Wall of Partition

between the Circumcision and the Uncircumcision, and Hes going to set this nation apart. Hes going to separate this nation apart in order to demonstrate to all the other nations what its like to have God as your God and to have Gods wisdom as your wisdom.

So, Israel is set up there on a hill to be a representative to the nations.

Come with me to Deuteronomy 4. We will go over this passage time and again. Mose

s is speaking to the nation Israel:

Deuteronomy 4:5-8 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as theLORD

my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.

Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so g

reat, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things thatwe call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes andjudgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?

Israel was to be the representative nation so the other nations would see what it would be like to function under those four institutions for the establishmentof the human race.

In Genesis 12, were at a point where God is establishing the nation Israel. So, I

say to you so that you understand: the first eleven chapters are the foundation. If he covers two thousand years of human history in eleven chapters, you knowthat hes got something really important to tell you when he covers fewer than four hundred years in Chapters 12

through 50. The first eleven chapters just covered some basic information. The time period back there was comparatively unimportant. God was laying the foundation for His forming of this great nation.



Now, the nation Israel isnt formed at the time of Abraham but comes into existence at the exodus. Youre at a place here where the promise is given and the foundation of it all is being laid.

Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, andfrom thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: So, He separates Abram. Heres the promise He makes (there are seven points to it): Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, (a powerful nation that will have great impact on all the other nations of the earth).

Abram, by the way, came out of Ur of the Chaldees. He knew what it was to live in a great, powerful country. God says, I am going to make of thee a great nation. That nation, of course, is the nation Israel. Four hundred years later it is given birth.

Genesis 12:2b and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Abraham is the first of the fathers. Come with me to Romans 15. Notice this expression:

Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:

Do you see that expression the fathers? Thats somebody who begets children. Lookback in Romans 11:28.

Romans 11:28 As concerning the gospel, they [Israel] are enemies for your sakes

[theyve been set aside]: but as touching the election [the purpose God had in forming Israel], they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.

Now, thats not God the Father - thats Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Always, when you r

ead back there in the Old Testament, Im the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, theGod of Jacob, understand that those men are the fathers of the nation. Thats who Genesis 12 through 50 is all about. Its about Abraham, about Isaac, and about Jacob and his sons. So its important to understand that what we are dealing with here in Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his boys, is the origin of the nation Israel. Its the source from whence they came.

Now, if you go back to Genesis 12, youll also see that's the focus of what is goi



ng on here.

Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Gods purpose in Israel is to bless the families of the earth. There is a literal, physical, visible, earthly purpose in view here. This great nation that is going to be formed is going to be the agency or the vehicle that is going to be utilized by God as a means to destroy Satans usurped dominion in the earth. It is going to be the means - the vehicle -

by which God will subdue the world and bring it back under His authority.

Do you remember how He put man on the earth to do that? Man failed. God made a promise to the seed of the woman, and the seed of the woman spreads out over theearth, and they failed. Now he separates Abram, and He says: Im going to make you My instrument to bring the earth back under My control. The seed of the woman has now become the seed of Abraham. It has now been narrowed down just to Abrahams

seed.

Notice in Verse 3: I will bless them that bless thee. Verse 2: I will bless thee.

We havent seen the blessing of God since Noah. In Genesis 1:28, it says that Godblessed Adam and Eve and told them to be fruitful and to multiply and replenishthe earth. Then they sinned, and you dont see any blessings. He blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. There arent any blessings after the fall until you come to Noah. In Genesis 9:1, God blessed Noah and his three sons. Whats He doing? Hes go

ng to reverse the impact of sin by giving a blessing. You have a new beginning with Noah, just like you had a new beginning with Adam. To Adam He said, Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth.

About Noah it says, And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

You and I are descendants of Adam, but we are also descendants of Noah - all ofus -

because God killed everybody else except Noah and his three sons. We all come from them.

Now, heres the second time that blessing shows up. This time Noahs sons have all messed up again. We come to the tower of Babel, and judgment has fallen again. God started with Adam and started over with Noah; now Hes going to start over again with Abraham. So were seeing this continuous narrowing-down, winnowing-out proce



ss where God is starting something brand new. Now Hes going to start a new nation.

Israel is going to be Gods means of reconciling the earth back under His domain and to Himself.

Now, this covenant that He makes with Abraham is very important. What the rest of the book of Genesis is all about is showing you how God makes the covenant with Abraham; confirms it to Abraham; explains and expands it for him. Then He confirms it to Isaac, to Jacob, and then to the twelve tribes.

Come with me to Chapter 13, and notice how God confirms this covenant with Abram, expands and explains it.

Genesis 13:14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes

You see, when God tells Abram to leave his father and his kindred, Abram didnt obey at first. He left his country, but he took his daddy and his nephew with him. His daddy dies, and then Abram and his nephew are separated. After Lot is goneand Abram is left there alone (with just his household) like hes supposed to be,then the Lord comes to him and begins to expand and explain this promise that Hes made to him. He actually doesnt just make a promise, but now Hes going to put itinto a contractually-binding agreement - a covenant.

Genesis 13:14b-15 Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which th

ou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

The Abrahamic Covenant promises the land of Palestine to the nation Israel forever.

That means that God is not going to renege on His promise. They havent got it forever yet, so the promise hasnt been fulfilled.

Genesis 13:16-17 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth [that means t

hat they are going to be numerous]: so that if a man can number the dust of theearth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

Abraham is going out there and walk around in it, get familiar with it and get to enjoy it.

It's yours, God promised.



Genesis13:18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.

In the interval of Chapter 14, you'll see some things take place concerning Abram, Lot and Melchizedek. Then in Chapter 15 Abram gets a little worried about whether hes going to have a seed or not. Hes getting old and doesnt have any offspring. The Lord confirms the Covenant to him again. This time He confirms it, not just by promise, but He actually cuts an agreement with him.

Genesis 15 -18 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, willI judge: and afterward

[after the four hundred years] shall they come out with great substance.

And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down,and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt [the Nile River] unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

That is, one boundary is the Nile River in Egypt. The other boundary is all theway over in Persia at the mouth of the Euphrates River.

He goes on in verses 19, 20, 21 and tells him where the land is. This is a great piece of land, and Hes giving the boundaries here for Abram.

We come now to Chapter 17. In the interval of Chapter 16, youll see the birth ofIsaac, etc. Abraham is learning some things. We cant go over all the details of what is taking place here, but when you study Romans youll see that in the birth o

f Ishmael (Chapter 16), God is instructing Abram. Abram wants to have this seedand get on with it. So he thinks: I dont have a son yet. Maybe the heir will be Eliezer, my steward (Genesis 15:2).

God said: No, its going to be your seed.

Genesis 15:4 And, behold,The word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shallnot be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be



thine heir.

Well, maybe Id better help out the Lord, and so he takes Hagar, his wife's handmaid, and has Ishmael before he gets too old. God says: No, I dont want Ishmael. Ishmael was a product of what Abraham could do and, God was teaching him: This isnot going to be what you do, Abram, but its going to be what I do through you. It has to be My work.

Abram learns a lot about his flesh. Abram is being trained in some great spiritual lessons.

As you study Genesis you will see these lessons that the nation Israel was having to learn.

When you come to Chapter 17, you see that God adds a sign to the Covenant.

Genesis 17:4-8 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be afather of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy

name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thyseed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seedafter thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

Its pretty clear that the possession of the land of Palestine is the basic part of Abrahamic blessing. What God promises to Abraham is a land, a nation to fill that land and Gods blessings on that nation while its in that land.

Now, here is where God is going to erect in Abrahams flesh the Middle Wall of Partition.

Genesis 17:9-11 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin;and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

Circumcision in the Bible represents death to the flesh. Abraham has learned something about his own natural reproductive ability - his own ability of generation. Hes learned that God doesnt want it, so God cuts it off, demonstrating figuratively that heres this nation of circumcised people; heres a nation of people that God created. You see, Isaac is not virgin-born, but hes born miraculously beyond the ability of Abrahams flesh to produce him. The reason these people have this sign of circumcision, and the reason that illustrates their separation is because



it demonstrates that these are Gods people. He created this nation especially, and He gives them this token of the Covenant.

Genesis 17:12-13 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house,and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

Thats why Ephesians 2:11 calls it the circumcision in the flesh made by hands." It is a sign and a token of this Covenant. To show you how important it is, see Verse 14: Genesis 17:14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

God separates them and makes the Covenant with them. He gives them the sign of circumcision and erects this Middle Wall of Partition between Israel and all the other nations. Israel is on the right side, on Gods side of the wall, and everybody

else is on the wrong side. Theyre outside. The middle wall goes up with the giving of the sign of circumcision. Its the sign of the separation that God has given to Abraham.

Now this Covenant is confirmed in Isaac.

Genesis 17:18-20 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac [Isaac, by the way, is one of seven men who were named before they were born], and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold,I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

Ishmaels descendants are over there in Palestine right now fighting with Isaacs descendants. Ishmaels descendants are the Palestinians. They claim Abraham as their father, and they say they have twelve patriarchs just like Israel. Its just thewrong bunch.

Genesis 17:21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

In Chapter 22, you have the most descriptive type of the death and resurrectionof Christ in the Bible, really, as far as typology is concerned. Abraham takes I



saac up on the mountain and receives him back from the dead, as it were, and then God tells him: Genesis 22:15-18 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abrahamout of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore;and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Its very clear what the Abraham Covenant is all about - its about God forming a nation to be the channel of His blessings to the rest of the world.

Genesis 26:3-4 [God is talking to Isaac] Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; is the essence of the Abrahamic Covenant that God confirms with Isaac.

When you come to Chapter 27 you see the Covenant being confirmed to Isaacs son, Jacob. Each one of these fathers - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - is teaching Israelsome truth about God's deliberately forming the nation. He calls Abraham and separates him and wont accept the work of Abrahams flesh. It has to be Isaac: it hasto be this miraculously-born son.

Isaac has two boys: Esau and Jacob. God chooses Jacob, not because he was the better, because Jacob wasnt so hot, but because God chose him. Israel is being instructed in what their origin is so that later they dont later think too much of themselves. They see that God formed the nation - sovereignly put it together.

Isaac is now giving the blessing to Jacob:

Genesis 27:28-29 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness o

f the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down tothee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

That again: bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee. You know that Jacob stole that blessing from his brother by a sort of hook-and-crook deal. You ask,



Does it stand up? In Chapter 28, Jacob is on the run, and he goes out to a place called Beth-el. God confirms the Covenant to Jacob in Beth-el. It is very obvious that Jacob understands the significance of what is happening in a very definite way.

We won't read all of the passage now, but you need to read and understand it, of course.

Lets start in Verse 12:

Genesis 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

Angels are ascending from earth to heaven and descending from heaven to the earth.

Genesis 28:13-14 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, tothee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

God is confirming the Covenant to Jacob.

Genesis 28:15-17 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awakedout of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none otherbut the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

Jacob understood what was going on. He sees those angels leaving the earth and going into heaven and coming back. He understood that this piece of ground right

there is where God is going to dwell. This is the gate, this is the place from which God communicates with the earth. This is where God is going to establish His will on the earth. This is the command center, this piece of ground here. Jacob understands that this is where God is going to dwell; this is where Gods houseis going to be. So he understands the significance of whats going on and what God is going to do with Israel.

This is how God is going to extend His rulership over the earth.



The Covenant was given to Abraham, confirmed to Isaac, confirmed to Jacob, and then its confirmed to the twelve tribes.

Now, let me give you a couple references:

Exodus 2:23 and Exodus 3:10

In those two passages God tells Moses that the reason that Hes going to come andtake Israel out of Egypt is because of the Covenant. These are the people that have claim on the Covenant that He made with Abraham.

Deuteronomy 1:6-8 and Numbers 28:9 will show you that God confirms the Covenantto the nation after He creates the nation when they come out of Egypt in the exodus. Well study more about that next time.

There is one other thing I want you to see about this Covenant that He makes with Abraham. The Abrahamic Covenant is the basis of the other covenants that God makes.

Basically, it has three parts:

God promises to give Abraham a land.

He tells him Hes going to give him a great nation to fill the land.

Then He tells him that He is going to bless him.

There are three great covenants that God makes with the nation Israel.

1. The Palestinian Covenant (Deuteronomy 30) God makes a Covenant with them about the possession of the land and the terms under which they will possess it 2. The Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7) which has to do with the throne and the dynasty.

Kings will come out of Israel. He makes a Covenant with David that the Throne of

David will always rule over the nation.

3. The New Covenant (Jeremiah 31)

Well be studying those in some detail in other classes, but I want you to see that these further Covenants all have their basis in the Covenant that God made wit



h Abraham. The other three Covenants are designed just to carry out the provisions of the Abrahamic Covenant.

Now, theres one other Covenant that God made with Israel, and thats the Mosaic Covenant. But the Mosaic Covenant is not a part of the Abrahamic Covenant. It was added on the side (Galatians 3:19). This Covenant is called Law. The dispensation that were studying is the Dispensation of Promise. It starts with Adam and goes all the way beyond Moses, but its described as from Adam to Moses.

The Mosaic Covenant does not carry out the Abrahamic Covenant. Its the Law that condemns Israel so that they dont partake in the other Covenants. Well study that next time. Israel should never have agreed to the Mosaic Covenant but should have remained under the Abrahamic Covenant.

The Abrahamic Covenant is the basis of the other three covenants of promise.

Now, lets talk a minute about the book of Genesis, itself.

Genesis 12 through 20 (Abraham)

Genesis 21 through 26 (Isaac)

Genesis 27 through 48 (Jacob and his sons)

In Chapters 37-50, the focus is going to be on Joseph.

Chapters 49-50 is a special section that I want to point out to you as separate. This section corresponds to Genesis, Chapter 9. Here you have some prophecies that Jacob gives about the history of the accomplishments of his sons (the twelve tribes).

You see the supernatural call of Abram. God separates Abram from the nations. He wont take anything Abram has to offer him. It has to be what God offers.

When you come to Isaac, you see his miraculous birth. It has to be something that God creates.

When you come to Jacob, you see Gods watchful care over him. He is a very imperfect instrument. Hes hewn right out of the rock of clay but you see God taking care of him.



When you get to Joseph, you see Gods control over the events of the earth, intervening and taking care of things - sovereignly guiding - so that His course withHis people is not hampered.

In your Bible, when you see the program in which God intervenes in human affairs: when He makes the crops grow; when He withholds the rain; when He makes hurricanes turn away; its with these people, always - the sons of Jacob.

Abraham is a great example of what faith is. Hes a man of faith, inseparably identified with faith in the Bible. In Isaac, you see the lessons of what it is forIsrael to enjoy the status of sonship. In Jacob, you see servitude. In Joseph, you see sufferings and the glory that is to follow.

What Moses is showing in each one of these examples is a theme that demonstrates a lesson for Israel.

I was just reading today, in a quarterly I receive, about the constitution composed by the early fathers of our country. It was about Benjamin Franklin who wasconcerned about our ships that were plagued by the Barbary Pirates. You know the "Marine Hymn:"

From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli. Tripoli is in North Africa.

One of the very first real engagements that the Marines had was in Tripoli. What they were doing was wiping out the pirates over there. Stephen Decateur and those men were great warriors. That was when the American Navy was given birth, to

get rid of the pirates who were robbing our ships. In fact, they had taken a number of hostages over there, and they wanted to swap them for naval munitions (arms for hostages). You thought that just started the last twenty years - thats not anything new under the sun.

And if you have some perspective of history, you can see similar things going on today in a somewhat larger context. You see that there are trends, and you kind of figure out how to deal with it.

You see all that, and you study it, and you can kind of see the way things go. Well, thats what Israel could do. They could look back here and see the fathers, s

ee the formation of their nation, and see the lessons that God focuses on in each one of these men. They are great foundational lessons for the nation.

At the end of the book of Genesis, Israel is in Egypt being blessed. Joseph brings them there, seventy souls. The next thing we see when we get to Exodus is that theyve grown to several millions, but theyre no longer in the position of blessing. Theyre in the position of servitude and slavery. Then well see the exodus andhow God brings them out.



Now, as we study through Genesis, Im not so terribly concerned about giving you an outline of every chapter. I want you to understand the flow of the doctrine. Ill trust you as you read these books during the week, to get the flow of whats inthem. I cant go through every chapter and detail everything and talk about it. Were going to study the first fifteen chapters of Genesis in some detail.


(Lesson 6)

Last time I didnt quite finish giving you the verses about the gods of Egypt that were being challenged by the plagues. Each one of the plagues in Egypt was aimed at defeating one of the gods of the Egyptians.

References

Special Features

Egyptian gods

1. Polluted Nile

Dead fish, putrid smell,

The Nile itself; Khnum

Exodus 7:14-25

undrinkable water. Egyptian (guardian of river's source);

magicians duplicated plague on Hapi (spirit of Nile); Osiris

small scale but could not (Nile was his bloodstream);

reverse it. Lasted 7 days.

various fish deities; Hapi

(crocodiles)

2. Frogs



Magicians duplicated plague Hapi and Heqt (frog goddesses

Exodus 8: 1-15

but could not reverse it.

both related to fertility)

3. Dust and Gnats

No warning given. Magicians Seb (earth god)

Exodus 8:16-19

unable to duplicate plague.

They attributed it to "the finger

of God" (8:19).

4. Swarms of Flies

Did not affect Goshen, the Uatchit (fly god)

Exodus 8:20-32

region where the Israelites

lived. Pharaoh first offered two

compromises.

5. Death of Domestic Animals

No warning given. First plague Ptah, Hathor, Mnevis, Amon

Exodus 9:1-7

directly affecting personal

(gods associated with bull and

property. Israelite animals

cows)

unaffected.

6. Boils

No warning given. First plague Sekhmet (goddess of

Exodus 9:8-12

directly affecting personal

epidemics); Serapis and



property. Israelite animals

Imhotep (gods of healing)

unaffected.

7. Hail and Fire

Most of Egypt gets little or no Nut (sky goddess); Isis and Seth

Exodus 9:13-35

rain. This storm had no (agricultural dieties); Shu

historical parallel. Goshen again (atmosphere)

untouched. First of pharaoh's

"confessions."

8. Locusts

Egypt's crop loss: 100%. Serapia (protector from locusts)

Exodus 10:1-20

Pharaoh offers third

compromise, second

confession.

9. Darkness

Lasted three days.

Re, Amon-Re, Aten, Atum,

Exodus 10:21-29

Israel had light in Goshen.

Horus, Harakhte (sun gods);

Thoth (moon god)

10. Death of the Firstborn

Specifically designated by God All of Egypt's gods, Including

Exodus 11-12

as the final plague. Firstborn Pharaoh himself.



slain in every Egyptian

household. Pharaoh expels

Israel unconditionally.

Source: Article on the internet (No author credited) The God of Israel vs. the "gods" of Egypt

These Egyptian gods are the ones in the passages we looked at last time that talked about Jehovah defeating all the gods of the Egyptians. These gods here havedifferent names in different cultures. Rome called them one thing; Greek mythology called them something else. The Assyrians called them one thing; the Babylonians called them something else, but theyre basically the same ones. These particular ones were the main deities in Egypt at the time, according to the textbooks.

Those are the names of the deities, for whatever thats worth. It will help you agreat deal in your edification and Bible understanding. I dont know how you evergot along in life without that list of names. However, thats a technical thing that's good for you to know.

You wont see any of those names on a test, by the way. Dont worry about that, butits something you need to know about.

Were going to start in Exodus 12 tonight. We got down through the first eleven chapters about the plagues, etc. The first eighteen chapters of Exodus have to do

with the birth of the nation Israel. The first eleven chapters record the plagues against Egypt and the destruction of Egypts gods.

Exodus 11:7 But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast [therell be no complaint]: that ye may know how thatthe LORD

doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.

Israel suffered through the first three plagues with everybody else. But theres a distinction made between Israel and Egypt in the last seven of those plagues. Each time theres cumulative judgment until you get down to this last one. The difference that hes talking about in this last plague is literally the difference between life and death. God is making a difference between the nation Israel and Egypt, which is a type of the world.

God has separated His people from all of the other nations of the earth, and Heis forming His nation.



Youll remember where we are on the dispensational chart here in Exodus; we are where the Middle Wall of Partition has been established, setting apart the nationIsrael, and now its going to be fortified by the giving of the Law.

The formation of the nation takes place - the actual birthday of the nation - in Exodus 12, followed by the exodus; then the giving of the Law that codifies and puts this Middle Wall of Partition into a legal document and contract form.

So thats where we are, and it is a very critical point in Israels history, right here.

In Chapters 12-18, youre going to see the deliverance and redemption of the nation.

First, they are redeemed by blood in Chapter 12. You know the story of the Passover; Im not going to go through the details of it because you can read and study

it.

There is tremendous typology here with regard to the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Exodus 12:1-2 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the firstmonth of the year to you.

This is the month Abib. Come over to Chapter 13, Verse 4.

Exodus 13:4 This day came ye out in the month Abib.

That month roughly corresponds to our month of April. The name is changed afterthe Babylonian captivity to Nisan. Sometimes youll hear it called Nisan and other times Abib. Its the same month with two different names. Its to be the first mont

h of the year for Israel.

Every time Israel has a new year on her religious calendar, its literally the birthday of the nation. Israel is going to be born here and delivered from Egyptian bondage, first by blood.



Exodus 12:12-13 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

He said, when I see the blood, I will pass over you, The day is called the Passover because this is when they put the blood on the doorposts and the lintel above. Of course, some would drop on the ground. You see the wounded hands and feet of Christ in type there. The same day this is done, they take the lamb out of the flock and watch it until the fourteenth day of Abib (to be sure there is nothing wrong with it). Then they kill it, and thats exactly when you find the Lord Jesus Christ being crucified in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, in fulfillment of the types. Its a type of the redemption that Israel will have in Christ.

First, theyre redeemed by blood. Then Moses takes them out from Egypt here in Exodus 12. Theyre all ready to go, and out they go. And you know what causes Pharaoh to want them out of Egypt. The death angel smites all the firstborn of the Egyptians. There are some six hundred thousand men, besides women and children, who

arrive at the Red Sea; so probably there are more than two million of them. About the time they get to the Red Sea, Pharaoh has changed his mind. Now hes mad and is going to come out and destroy them.

You know the story in Chapter 14 of how God delivers them, not just by blood but also by power. The power here is the miraculous power of God. He fights the enemy and defends His people at the Red Sea. He stands between His people and the Egyptians in the pillar of fire and stops Pharaoh. God opens up the Red Sea by the hand of Moses, and they go across the Red Sea. Then He allows Pharaoh to comein, and he is drowned and destroyed.

Exodus 14:13-14 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

And that is exactly what happened.

Exodus 14:30-31 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. And Israel saw thatgreat work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.

Israels salvation is a physical salvation, accomplished first by the blood and then by the power of God in taking them across the Red Sea. You understand the geography here: The Red Sea is between Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula. They come to



the Red Sea, and God brings them across. In Exodus 19, were going to see a versethat says, I brought you unto Myself.

What God does is literally to open up the Red Sea, take them across and separate Israel; theyre baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. Then He closes the passageway so the Gentiles cant get through, and He puts a buffer between them. He sets them on the other side.

Hes setting up - establishing - the Middle Wall of Partition. The nation Israel isbeing completely and totally separated. God is doing in a physical way what is necessary for the nation. We are going to see repeatedly that He separates them physically, as with the

Circumcision in the flesh made by hands, for example.

By the way, in Chapter 14, the emphasis is on stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Israels salvation always involves physical activity. For them, salvation was always a physical deliverance, not just a spiritual deliverance. They are

a physical, visible, earthly people whose purpose and ministry is in the physical realm on the earth.

We'll see God doing many miraculous things for them. Next week, were going to see the blessings and cursings that result from their physical activities.

Just like you and I - members of the Body of Christ - are blessed with spiritual blessings in a different realm, Israel is involved in the physical realm.

Exodus 15:22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.

Now you are going to begin in Chapter 15, Verse 22, and go down to Chapter 19, which covers the journey from the Red Sea down the Sinai Peninsula to Mt. Sinai.Youre going to leave Egypt and cross the Red Sea. Theyve been delivered by blood and by power, and now God is going to take them down through the desert of Sinaito Mount Sinai. As He takes them (Chapters 15 through 18), they go through a series of five trials -

five testings - for the purpose of training them and preparing them for growth into maturity as a nation.

Were going to see these five trials as five attempts by God to teach them. Hes just given birth to them. You know, the big thing now when a child is born is thatthey want the mother and daddy to hold it immediately so it will bond with its parents. Thats basically what Hes doing here. Hes given birth to the nation, and Hewants them to come to know Him and to understand who He is.



So He puts them through a series of trials that will show them their need of Him. Then He meets their need to show them that He is the one who can provide for them. As Jehovah, He demonstrates His capacity to them.

All of this activity marks the beginning of the national life of Israel. Every new year commemorates all of this. They were in bondage; the bondage is over.

Exodus 13:3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye cameout from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten.

They were delivered from the house of bondage. If youre in bondage and youre delivered, what do you have? Liberty. So they get life and liberty, and thats why He gives them these feasts to enjoy.

Exodus12:14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep ita feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by anordinance for ever.

God begins to give them their feast days: the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread

- so they can fellowship with Him. Theres something new beginning here.

I want you to get these verses on the birth of Israel as a nation:

Exodus 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

The nation of Israel is Gods firstborn.

By the way, over in Hosea, He says, Out of Egypt have I called my firstborn.

Deuteronomy 32:18 Of the Rock [capital R - thats God, thats deity, Jesus Christ, Jehovah] that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.



The nation Israel was begotten by God at the Red Sea as they came out of Egypt.God gave birth to the nation when He brought them out of Egypt; He begat them. Physically, they were Gods people. Physically, they were begotten by Him. Later on, they were to be born again spiritually. Thats what the New Covenant is about. But this is the first birth here in Exodus.

Numbers 11:10-12 Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased. And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me,

Whats going on here? Moses is saying: Lord these are your people, theyre not mine. I didnt beget them - You did. I didnt give them birth - You did. I didnt conceivethem; this wasnt my idea. This was Your idea, and now You lay all this bunch of griping sissies on me?

Moses was given to complaining. What hes doing is throwing back at the Lord the fact that He conceived, He gave birth to the nation. What I want you to understand is that this is Israels first birth. Later on, we read about Israel's needing to be born again. They need to be born again because they were already born one time. A Gentile isnt going to be born again; he just needs to be born. Israel needs to be born a second time. God begat them the first time, and the He is going to beget them spiritually at His second coming, under the New Covenant.

Theres a dispensation and doctrinal issue involved in that.

Come to Exodus 6. I want you to see this passage because it explains what God is going to do with Israel when He takes them out of Egypt.

Exodus 6:1-8 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him,I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. And I have

also established my covenant [Abrahamic Covenant] with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.

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 redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shallknow that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens



of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which Idid swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it youfor an heritage: I am the LORD.

In other words, Jehovah says : Abraham, Isaac and Jacob didnt know Me in the wayyoure going to know Me. They knew His name was Jehovah, but they didnt have a personal, experiential knowledge of Him as these people are now going to have. Theyre going to know things about Him in His capacity of being Jehovah that nobodys known yet. Jehovah is Gods personal name here. These people are about to experienceas a nation who Jehovah is and what Jehovah is to them.

The name Jehovah is found in your English Bible in Exodus 6:3, Isaiah 12:2, Isaiah 26:4

and Psalm 83:18. Those are the only places where it is transliterated as Jehovah. If you spell the Hebrew out in English it would look sort of like Yahweh, butwe Anglicize it and put the J on it. The Hebrew doesnt have a J. Jehovah is a fine translation. Some people complain about it and say that we need to make it Yahweh, but you know who Jehovah is. Your Bible translates it LORD (capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D) most of the time, but you understand who it means.

Israel is going to get to know Him as Jehovah, experientially understanding about Him.

Hes going to give them five trials to teach them to know Him as Jehovah. So these five trials that were going to see, in Chapters 15-18, are for the education ofthe nation Israel so that they will understand that Hes going to do for them what He has promised to do here in Chapter 6:6-8

Now, you remember the first time you saw that name, Jehovah. Moses saw it back in Exodus 3:14. As we look back there, I want you to see how His name is given there. It kind of helps you understand what the name is about.

Exodus 3:13-14 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

I AM is Jehovah - the great I AM. You read I AM that I AM, and you know what John 858 says. John quotes the Lord Jesus Christ saying, Before Abraham was, I AM.

So, we understand whats going on there - that He is Jehovah.

The issue in the character of Gods dealings with Israel is that He is the great IAM.



The next testing is in Exodus 16 . They dont have any food, and they are complaining about that. Well, now weve got water, but we dont have anything to eat. He provides manna for them and also quail (Verse 13), so they have both bread and meat.

In Exodus 17, they have no water again. Before, they had water but they couldnt drink it. Now they dont have any water at all. God tells Moses to go out and strike the rock, and when he does, water comes out of the rock.

Exodus 17:7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because ofthe chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?

Theyre questioning His presence, and He demonstrates His ability - always tryingto teach them with His "Jehovah-ness," His capacity to be their provider. They need Him; they cant do it; Hell do it for them.

Then there is a trial in Exodus 17:8-16, and youll notice another one of these compound names in Verse 15.

Exodus 17:15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi:That is the LORD, My Banner. Thats not like a banner announcing the Fourth of Julybut a banner such as they fly when they win a war. The LORD My Conqueror might bea better way of saying that.

You remember the story about Joshua when he fights Amalek. Theres a great typology shown here. As soon as Israel got water in the desert place by Moses' smitingthe rock (The smitten rock is a type of the crucifixion of Christ.), the Amalekites (a type of the flesh) came down and tried to take it away from them, so there's a battle. Theres Moses up on the mountain with Aaron and Hur, praying with his hands raised, and Joshua is down in the valley fighting with the Amalekites. Read down through Verses 10 and 11, and you see that as long as Moses has his hands up praying, Joshua is winning down there. But when his hands are lowered, Joshua begins to lose.

A man gets saved through the cross: thats where life comes from. Water is a typeof the spirit, the water of life. A man gets saved by faith in the smitten Saviour, and as soon as he is saved, what does the flesh say? I've been waiting for you to get saved?

The flesh says, No, sir, I don't want that. I'll fight against that. The flesh begins to fight because the Spirit has come in, and youve got a war going on. If you are going to win the war, you win it through prayer and the Word of God.



Theres a lot of typology in here. That is true in all the dispensations because thats the way that system works. The Word of God will work through the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of God will work through the Word of God.

Israel gets in the battle and is out there amid the plagues and curse of sin. When the curse of judgment comes, Jehovah says : Ill take care of you. I AM the LORD that heals you.

When you needed somebody to provide water for you (back there in Chapter 17) and something to eat (Chapter 16), as He told Abraham: Im Jehovah-jireh. Im the one that provides for you. He does that, and now He demonstrates that Hes the one whowill conquer for them and give them victory.

In Chapter 18, you have the story of Jethro (Moses father-in-law) and his conversion and the Gentiles that are converted. They begin to look for some counsel, an

d you notice the counsel that Jethro gives them:

Exodus 18:23-24 If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thoushalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace. So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said.

What Moses father-in-law said is: Look, Moses, I see how great God is.

Exodus 18:11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.

He gets converted, as it were, and he submits himself to Moses. Then he recommends to Moses that he organize the judging of the people in a certain way, but hedoesnt just say:

Do it the way I say to do it. He says: But if you do this and if God tells you todo it, where are you going to get wisdom from, Moses? Youre going to have to get

it from God. This looks like a good idea to me, but youd better let God tell youto do it before you do it.

Moses hearkens to the voice of his father-in-law, and he did all that he had said.

Now, a lot of people kick Moses for doing this, but I dont know if they ought toor not. I know his father-in-law said, Dont do it unless God tells you to do it,



so go ask God before you do it; so I assume Moses asked the Lord, and the Lord commanded him to do it.

The point is that when they needed wisdom to devise a plan, where were they going to get the wisdom? From the Lord.

When you come to Chapter 19, Israel has now been two months in training.

Exodus 19:1 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth outof the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.

Now they come to Sinai. In Exodus 15:2, they leave the Red Sea; in Exodus 19:1,they get to Sinai. In between, God has demonstrated to them - in a series of five different trials when He provided for their needs - that the Great I AM will bewhatever they need Him to be for them.

When they get to Mount Sinai they ought to have learned that whatever they need, Jehovah will provide it for them completely. There ought not to be any question in their mind.

Now, why did He teach them that about His grace? When you get to Chapter 19, Hesgoing to test their understanding of what He has been teaching them.

Exodus 19:3-4 And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.

At the Red Sea, God separated Israel and the Gentiles. After He divided them, He took Israel out into the wilderness and began to teach them about His grace; that He would provide for them what He had promised them. It is at that point that Hes going to make a covenant with them.

Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant . . .

Hes talking to the nation Israel here. Hed made that Covenant with Abraham; Hed made it with Isaac; He had made it with Jacob, and now Hes going to make and confirm it with the nation.



If Youre going to keep that Covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the way You said Youre going to do it, well just have to let you do it. We cant do it.

Notice how careful Moses is to put this proposition before them.

Exodus19:7-8 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken [is too much for us. We cant do it. ] No. You see the arrogant pride with which they answered? All that the Lord hath spoken, we will do . Lay it on us, Lord. Do you know what they are?

Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Now, theyre going to have to learn that lesson before they can receive the blessings. So God gives them the Mosaic Covenant, the Law Covenant. That immediately follows: Chapters 19-24 you have the Covenant of the Law. He brings them to the mountain.

Exodus 19:11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

In three days God is going to meet with them, and Hes going to spell out the term

s of the Covenant. He does that in Chapters 20 through 23. He comes down and orally communicates the details of that Covenant.

First He gives the commandments in Chapter 20.

Exodus 21:1 Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.

The commandments have to do with the righteous will of God. Here is the righteousness of God, the standard.

The judgments in Chapters 21, 22 and 23 have to do with Israel's social life. If you read down through them youll see that He gives minute regulations about every little detail of their life. Thats what living under the Law is like.



In Exodus 24:1-8, the Covenant is confirmed and ratified. Then, after that, in Chapter 25

ff, we have directions concerning the Tabernacle which gives you the ordinances.

So, basically, you have the Law in three parts:

1. First are the ten commandments which demonstrate the righteousness of God.

2. Then there are the judgments that focus on the social life, how to take the righteous standard of God and apply it to the details of life.

3. Then there are the ceremonial aspects of the Law which take into account thefact that they are going to break the Law, all these rules and regulations.

Why would you give somebody all these rules and regulations, if you didnt think they were going to do something different? If someone just naturally goes out and does what you expect him to do, you wouldnt give him a bunch of rules. Just thevery fact that you have these rules, the giving of all these laws and these strict prohibitions, demonstrates that certain conduct is going to occur - crimes are going to be committed.

Therefore, He gives them these ceremonial ordinances of the Law.

The third section, the ordinances, have to do with the religious life. Now, its important to understand that the commandments, the judgments and the ordinances can be divided up that way: the righteous standard, the social issues and the religious issues. But those three things make one unified religious system that was designed to regulate the details of life in every aspect.

Sometimes somebody makes a distinction between the moral law (the commandments)and the ceremonial law. Theyll tell you that the ceremonial law was done away with Moses. But the fourth commandment that He gave: "Thou shalt keep the Sabbath Day"

(one of the original commandments) is a ceremonial observance. It was a sign between Israel and God of the Covenant that He made with them through Moses. In the Scripture you wont find this three-fold division by which you can exclude some and keep others, Actually, all three sections are one unit with three different parts that regulate the religious life and the national life of the nation Israel.

Exodus 24:1 And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nada



b, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.

These are those seventy elders that Moses established back there in Chapter 18.The assumption is that he did it at the Lords command.

Exodus 24:2-3 And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not comenigh; neither shall the people go up with him. And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answeredwith one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.

He gives them all the details. First, He just gave it to them generally. They said: Well do it.

Now, He gives them all these details and they say : OK, were ready. Where is it?Let me sign on the dotted line.

Exodus 24:4-7 And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.

They signed on the dotted line.

Exodus 24:8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said,Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

He solemnizes the agreement. That verse right there compares with Matthew 26:28when Jesus Christ said, For this is my blood of the new testament Hes doing the sae thing at Calvary to get rid of this Covenant and ratify the new one.

Exodus 24:8 is the ratification of the Mosaic Covenant. At that point, the Mosaic Covenant goes into effect.

Now, why did God give Israel the Law? He gave them the Law for several reasons.



1. He gave them the Law to fortify the Middle Wall of Partition. The separation of the nation Israel is fortified with rules and regulations that demand them to be different.

Write down in your notes: Deuteronomy 4:1-8; Leviticus 20:22-26; 1 Kings 8:53; Psalm 147:19, 20; Romans 2:14; and, of course, Ephesians 2:11, 12.

The Law fortifies this by telling them whom they can live next door to, what kind of clothes they can wear, etc. They just look like a bunch of weirdoes walking out there.

Why? They look different. Why? Because the Law fortifies the Middle Wall of Partition. It separates Israel from the other nations.

2. He gave the Law as a revelation of the righteous holiness of God (Deuteronomy 5:22-28).

3. He gave to Israel a standard of godly living so that they might inherit the land and enjoy the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant. (Deuteronomy 4:1; 5:29-33;).

The Law reveals the holiness of God and that it gives the righteous standard for Israel to get their blessings, therefore the Law was given to reveal mans sinfulness. If it revealed the righteous standard of God, what would man do? Hed come short. The Law has these other purposes, but the motivation behind giving the Mosaic Covenant was to reveal mans sinfulness (Romans 3:19, 20). The Law was designed to prepare Israel for a Saviour.

Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

If they had learned the lesson that they should have learned from the Law, whenChrist showed up, they would have said: Hey, we need You. And all the people that learned the lesson did say that, and they were there expecting Him and were waiting for Him.

Well go on from there next week, and I hope well get out of the Exodus stage and finish a few things about Exodus. Then we'll go through Leviticus and Numbers and get on with it.

It is very important to understand what these things are because everything that comes later is based on what is going on here.



The assignment for next week: finish the rest of the book of Exodus and read all of Numbers.


(Lesson 7)

I want to go over the books of Leviticus and Numbers with you tonight, even a little bit of Deuteronomy. Tonight well be through with the Pentateuch as a survey, and next week we'll spend some time looking at some things that Moses tells Israel just before they go into the Promised Land. It will be a subsequent historyof the nation, all the way to the time of Christ. I dont want to skip these books without giving you some idea of whats in Numbers and Leviticus.

The Pentateuch - the first five books of your Old Testament that Moses wrote - are a unit.

It starts out in Genesis with the formation of the nation and the calling of the nation. The nation Israel is called out of Egypt in Exodus. Leviticus, Numbersand Deuteronomy cover the first stage which youd call the "Exodus stage", the formative stage of the nation. The commonwealth is established, the camp is developed, and the nation is formed.

We saw last time how God gave them the Law, brought them out of Egypt, and brought them through the wilderness. He trained them in the grace of God, what His grace was like and the fact that He would provide for them everything they needed. He tried to teach them what it was to be in relationship with Him as Jehovah, the Great I AM. I AM _______, and its just blank. Whatever you need Me to be, Ill bethat for you.

They got to Mount Sinai, and they were given those five lessons in Exodus 15-18.

They have seen God demonstrate His power in delivering them by blood out of Egyp

t

and by power at the Red Sea. They've experienced His salvation.

On their journey to Sinai, theyre trained in His grace as He provides for them according to the way He is going to fulfill His Covenant with them. All that is based on the Abrahamic Covenant.



When they get to Sinai, He makes another Covenant with them through Moses; He gives them the Mosaic Covenant. What they should have done - had they understood and received the lessons up to that point - if they had been walking by faith, they should have said: Wait a minute! Wait a minute! We dont want this Covenant. Weve already got an unconditional Covenant. But they didnt do that.

They agreed to the demands of the Law Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant. God is going to demonstrate that by the Law is the knowledge of sin.

To be able to appreciate His grace, they first had to understand their own inability, their own helplessness. Because they didnt understand that, the lessons about His grace, His redemption, and His providing for them what they needed didnt sink in.

At Sinai, they agreed to the Covenant. They proudly boasted : Whatever You tellus to do, we will do it. We can make it. We can stand. He gives them the Law, an

d they no more receive it than they break it. He gives the Law to them at Sinai: first, orally, to Moses, and then He writes it down on the tables of stone. When Moses brought those first tablets down from the mountain, in Exodus 32, they were already breaking the Law by worshipping the golden calf at the bottom of the mountain. Theyd already agreed to it, and now, "before the ink was dry" on the stone - or the chips had finished flying and the dust is out of the air - theyre breaking it.

Youll remember that when Moses came down with the two tables of stone, he hears the noise in the camp and finds the people dancing around the golden calf. Mosesbreaks the tablets and goes out and has a visitation party and kills some of the

leaders - 3,000 of them. It's interesting to note that that's the same number who are saved on the day of Pentecost, which is a corresponding situation in theinauguration of the New Covenant.

(When we get to the book of Acts, well study that.)

What you have in Exodus 19 and 20 is the Covenant which was agreed to. In Exodus 24, the blood is sprinkled on it, and the Mosaic Covenant is inaugurated. Then, of course, beginning in Chapter 25, ff., you have the setting up of the Tabernacle for the purpose of Israel's having fellowship with God. Then God comes downand dwells in the Tabernacle: the Shekinah glory we see at the end of Exodus com

es, and now God is dwelling in the midst of the nation Israel.

Leviticus 1:1 And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Youll notice that Leviticus is an add-on to Exodus, as Numbers is to Leviticus: Num



bers 1:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai,

By the way, do you notice that word Sinai? If you spell that word out, its interesting: its

sin a(nd) I. Thats another one of those instances that tells you that the middle ler in sin is a problem. Thats one of those things that is interesting about the English language and the way things work out. Every time I see that word Sina i (Sin - I), I'm reminded that thats what the Law does: it demonstrates that by the Law is the knowledge of sin.

Somebody said that "By Adam was the entrance of sin,

By Moses was the knowledge of sin,

By Christ is the forgiveness of sin."

Thats a good outline.

Leviticus is a continuation of Exodus, and Numbers is a continuation of Leviticus.

Leviticus is a book that describes the fellowship and worship of Israel. Numbers describes the warfare that Israel was to engage in as they go in and take the land. Well see that the whole issue in numbering the people (thats what the book of Numbers is about), had a military purpose. They were numbering the men who were able to go to war. Numbers is to identify and establish the military, the army- the host of God in the earth.

What happens in Numbers is that they fail. They refuse to enter the land and fight, so they end up wandering for some forty years in the wilderness because of their disobedience.

Numbers 1:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt,

Exodus 40:16-17 Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so

did he. And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.

Notice in Exodus that this is the first month of the second year. In Numbers, its the second month of the second year. So the book of Numbers starts out where Exodus leaves off. In other words, theres one month that transpires between Exodus40:17 and Numbers 1:1, where the instructions are given to number the people. One month after the Tabernacle was erected, the people are numbered in the book of



where it is poured out

The baptismal laver: where they had the cleansing procedure and separation fromdefilement

Then you go in the fellowship area where the priests work, and theres the GoldenCandlestick (Christ is the Light of the world). The oil in it is the type of the Holy Spirit.

It sheds light on the Table of Shewbread. There are twelve loaves of bread on that Table of Shewbread: six on one side and six on the other side. When I say six, six, does that remind you of something connected with bread?

How many books in your Bible? Six - six. Sixty-six. I know that people say, Yeah, yeah. Well, you can make out of it anything you want to, but its interesting that it isnt seven and five, its not four and eight. Its six and six. You have the light of the Holy Spirit from Candlestick shining light down on the bread (the Bread of Life - a type of the Lord Jesus Christ and a type of the written Word of God.)

Then you have the Altar of Incense, a type of the prayers of the saints, of course, in the presence of God.

The people would bring the sacrifices and slay them on the Altar. The blood would be burned with the sacrifice. Then the priest would wash himself and enter the Holy Place to minister. Once a year on the Day of Atonement the High Priest would go into the Holy of Holies.

This was the center of Israels worship. This was their church building. God dwelt in that Tabernacle, and Israel maintained fellowship with God and kept the Covenant with God in there.

There were two purposes of that Tabernacle:

1. The worship of God took place there (Exodus 25). God met with them and He revealed Himself, and they worshipped.

2. The Tabernacle was a witness to the nation (Numbers 17:7, 8). Its called "theTabernacle of witness." Its a witness to the presence of God with Israel. Its a witness to the holiness of God. Its a witness to the provision of God for Israel.

Israel demonstrated herself to be a nation whose God was the Lord. The witness of their worship was such that Gods presence and person was manifested in their midst.



What were dealing with in Leviticus is that God is now speaking to Moses, not upon the mount, but He speaks to him out of the Tabernacle. Gods going to talk to Moses now out of the Tabernacle. In other words, the book of Leviticus relates what God tells Moses out of the Tabernacle. The issue in Leviticus is going to be fellowship. God is no longer

'way up yonder.

The word Leviticus means pertaining to the Levites, and the Levites, of course, are the priestly tribe. God isnt up on the mountain any more; Hes here among them -dwelling among them, in fellowship with them - so youre going to have a book about worship, about fellowshipping with the Lord. Specifically, the book is going to show Israel how to maintain the fellowship that they have with God. Its not a book to establish the fellowship; its a book to maintain the fellowship that theyalready have. He is already in their midst, and heres how theyre going to maintain fellowship with Him.

Leviticus 1:1-3 And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shalloffer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.

Notice that the man is to bring the offering "of his own voluntary will." Its left up to the individual Hebrew to bring the sacrifice if he wants to. God says: If a man realizes that hes sinned, hes broken the Covenant and the fellowship has b

een interrupted between him and Me, and he wants to restore the fellowship, heres how he goes about doing it, and He tells them the sacrifices to bring. The manrealizes that he is condemned by the Law, and by faith he brings the sacrifice in obedience to what God said.

Its voluntary: God tells them what to do if they want to get right with Him. He sets up a short-account system with the nation Israel, and its laid out in detailin the book of Leviticus: how they can maintain their fellowship with Him.

The book of Leviticus is in two parts:

1. Chapters 1-17 are the foundation and the ground of their fellowship.

2. Chapters 18-27 are the walk of fellowship, the function of the fellowship.



Chapters 1-17 deal with the sacrifices.

Chapters 18-27 deal with the separation of Israel, with the Middle Wall of Partition that is set up between Israel and the other nations.

Chapters 1-7 deal with the five offerings.

Chapters 8-10 deal with how the priests are to work.

Chapters 11-16 deal with the people and their worship.

Chapter 17 deals with the place where they are to worship - the place of the Atonement -

and thats the altar.

Thats the only place they could offer sacrifices that God would accept - right there at the door of that Tabernacle. They couldnt go over to Rome and do it or toCorinth or up to Bethel and do it. They had to come right here and offer them right here in this place.

Thats very important.

Chapters 18-27 are the regulations that deal with their walk. First, you see the way they approached God and then the issue of cleansing. Then, in Chapters 18-27, He deals with clean living, the walk with God. They are a separated people; heres how they are to live in the earth.

Chapters 18-20 contain the regulations for the people.

Chapters 21-22 have the regulations for the priest.

Chapters 23-24 give the feasts of the Lord that they are to observe annually.

Chapters 26-27 tell things about their future. Well study them in some detail next week.

What you have, basically, in Leviticus is how Israel was to live as a holy nation and fellowship with God, and how she was to prepare herself for service as His representative in the earth.

There are five offerings that are identified in Leviticus:

Chapter 1 - the burnt offering

Chapter 2 - the meat offering (Verse 1)



Sometimes people have a problem with that meat offering because it is not meat in the sense that it is beef, pork, fish or chicken. Its fine flour, oil and frankincense. The word meat has a broad meaning. The word itself refers to food of any kind. If you take an apple, and you peel it, remove the core and eat the pulpof it, you eat the meat of it. You take a tomato and eat the meat of the tomatoas opposed to the skin.

The word meat is used that way, for example, in Genesis 1:29 and Deuteronomy 20:20.

Youll see references where it is obvious, as it is here, that meat is not animalflesh, but its the "meat" of grain. Sometimes youll see this referred to as the meal offering, meaning flour.

Chapter 3 - the peace offering.

Chapter 4 - the sin offering.

Chapter 5 - the trespass offering.

Chapters 6 and 7 - regulations that refer to all of the offerings.

Each one of these offerings refers to something specific. The first three are sweet savour offerings. God says they are "a sweet savour unto the Lord." The last two are not sweet savour offerings. All of these are to be voluntarily given at different times for different reasons. As you read, youll see the regulations involved.

The burnt offering is a type of Christ. Each one of these offerings pictures a different aspect of what Christ did at Calvary. The offerings begin from Gods point of view of the cross and go out to man. Now, man begins with the trespass offering - to approach God, spiritually. But when God views it, He starts inside - going out to man, so He begins with the burnt offering.

The burnt offering is one that you burn completely and dedicate it entirely to God. It is completely consumed; God gets it all. Its a type, of course, of the dedication of the Lord Jesus Christ; His complete commitment accomplished the will

of the Father.

For example, Hebrews 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book itis written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who,



being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But madehimself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was madein the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Therefore, because of His complete obedience to the Father, Gods given Him a name that is above every name. The consecration and dedication of the sacrifice of the burnt offering, of course, ultimately typifies the obedience of Christ to God.

The meal (or meat) offering is the only one of the offerings where blood is notshed. The other four require shed blood. The meal offering, the fine flour, etc., is a picture of the perfection and sinlessness of Christ.

The peace offering: Christ is our peace, of course. Thats talking about peace with God; communion is restored.

The sin and trespass offerings deal with sin. The first three offerings deal with how God looks at things, but then - how about your sin?

The sin offering deals with the sin nature, and the trespass offering deals with sinful actions. ( To trespass means to step over the line.)

So, in the one, you have Christ being made sin for us, and in the other you have His paying the debt for our actions.

As you go on in Leviticus you find all these regulations about how Israel is toworship.

Ive spent some time on this because I want you to understand that everything in the entire religious life of Israel revolves around this Tabernacle. These people had all these rules, regulations, ceremonies and all these sacrifices. BecauseGod knew of their sinfulness, He gave them this Law that demanded their obedience. They sin, and they cant obey it; therefore, God gives them a way to restore fellowship with Him and maintain that fellowship.

Out of hearts of gratitude to Him for His goodness, they should have, by faith,come and brought these offerings. But, of course, you know how that goes.

Leviticus is sort of an aside book. You come out of Exodus, and youre going to getback into a history book now in Numbers. From Numbers, youre going to start withthe erecting the Tabernacle, and youre going to end at Mount Sinai. Youre going to



journey from Mount Sinai over to Kadesh-barnea and then leave Kadesh-barnea, and youre going to wander in the wilderness for forty years; then, finally, youre going to leave Kadesh-barnea and go toward Canaan.

In the book of Numbers, you have a journeying and a wandering. By the way, Numbers has been called the "The Pilgrim's Progress of the Bible," and its also been called "The Desert Blues." I suppose because thats what they do for forty years (sing the blues).

Numbers, Chapter 1, Verse 1, begins where Exodus left off. Come with me, if youwill, to the book of Deuteronomy. Youll notice that their wandering extends all the way over to this point.

Deuteronomy 1:3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them;

From Numbers 1:1, on the first day of the second month, in the second year afterthey were come out of the land of Egypt, over to Deuteronomy 1:3 . . . in the fortieth year in the eleventh month and the first day, youre going to have a period of thirty-eight years covered in the book of Numbers.

If youll come back to the book of Numbers, youll notice the way the book begins: Numbers 1:1-3 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the ho

use of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls; From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.

Now, it is important to notice that.

Numbers 1:4 And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head ofthe house of his fathers.

The reason the book is called Numbers is because they are going to go out and number the people. When they get through numbering them:

Numbers 1:45-46 So were all those that were numbered of the children of Israel,by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel; Even all they that were numbered were six hund



red thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.

So there are 603,550 men, soldiers from age twenty and up, who were able to go forth to war. About nine months earlier, back in Exodus 38:25-26, they had been numbered, and there were exactly the same number. Thats how you get the estimate of over two million people coming out of Egypt in the exodus: you have 600,000 men, age twenty and up, that are able-bodied soldiers. You figure each one has a wife, a brother or sister around, so if you multiply 600,000 by three, you get around 1,800,000 people. So two million is a conservative estimate of the number that came out of Egypt. Its quite a group of people being formed here. They went into Egypt seventy people and then they come out in the exodus better than two million, so theres been a fairly big increase in the nation while they were in Egypt.

Its important to notice that God wants them to go forth to war, the purpose for which they are numbered. We will look at this verse next time but you ought to write it down in your mind:

Deuteronomy 6:23 And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in,

God brought Israel out of Egypt so He could bring them into Canaan, into the Promised Land. He didnt bring them out of Egypt so they would wander for forty years in the wilderness. Notice how long it should have taken them to get there:

Deuteronomy 1:2 (There are eleven days' journey from Horeb [Sinai] by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.)

It's an eleven-days' journey from Sinai up to Kadesh-barnea (which is just a little southwest of the Dead Sea) where they were supposed to go into the Land. But you know what happened to them:

Deuteronomy 2:14 And the space in which we came from Kadesh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the LORD sware untothem.

They should have left Sinai and entered into Canaan in two weeks' time. But they came up to Kadesh-barnea, and instead of going in, unbelief reigned in them, and they didnt go in. Because they didnt go in, God said that every man over 20 years old was going to die in the wilderness. You see, all the soldiers should havegone in and fought to take over Canaan, but they didnt do it. Unbelief got them.



What I want you to understand here is that God wanted them to go in and take Canaan.

The whole purpose of Numbers is to establish the army so they could go in and fight and take over the Land. But they dont do it. What do they do? They spend thirty-eight years out in the wilderness marking time and not making any history. The book of Numbers is a record of wasted years - thirty-eight years - the fruit of unbelief.

The way to outline Numbers is in two sections:

1. Chapters 1-20 - The old generation is set aside.

2. Chapters 21-36 - The new generation is set apart.

Chapters 1-20 - They move from Sinai to Kadesh-barnea, and then, in Chapters 15-20, they wander in the wilderness. The Tabernacle camps at Kadesh, and they just span out and wander all over out there for thirty-eight years.

Chapters 21-36 - The new generation is established, and they move on up to the plain of Moab.

Theres some great typology here, and I want you to see that. But before we do, theres one doctrinal issue I want you to get.

Numbers 1:4-5 And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers. And these are the names of the men that shall standwith you [and he lists their names according to the tribes].

Numbers 1:16 These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribesof their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.

There was to be a head over each tribe, even after Israel was given a king and David was on the throne (1 Chronicles 27:16-22). What does that remind you of? Th

e Kingdom?

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



The heads of these twelve tribes who rule the tribes under God have exactly theposition the twelve apostles are going to have in the nation Israel in the Millennium. So, the rulers and the governors for the nation starts back here; each tribe has a head. God organized the nation in that way. Fourteen times in Chapter1, it talks of these men being

all that were able to go forth to war. The whole issue here is about going forth to war and taking over the land of Canaan and, of course, they dont do it.

Now, if you want to see the fruits of unbelief, come with me to Numbers 26.

You come into Numbers with one generation, and you go out with another one. Thebook starts with the numbering of the people; it ends with a new numbering of the people. It starts with a journey from Sinai to Kadesh; it ends with another journey from Kadesh up to the Promised Land.

What you have in the book of Numbers is a spectacle of what happens when a natio

n comes to the place of refusing to believe what God said. There are two warnings about this in the New Testament. One, in Hebrews, is written for the Hebrew saints; another, in Pauls epistles for us, has warnings that use the events that take place back here in the book of Numbers to instruct us about the danger of unbelief.

Hebrews 3:7-11 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation inthe wilderness

[thats back in Numbers when they come to Kadesh-barnea - they wont go in]: When yo

ur fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I wasgrieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into myrest.) Do you see in Verse 10: They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. God had been trying to teach these people about His ways. Thats what that journey from the Red Sea to Mount Sinai was all about: all those lessons He was trying to teach them about how He worked, how He thought, how He wouldprovide for them, how He would be for them everything they needed Him to be. Then He gave them His Law, and He gave them the statutes, the judgments and all ofthe worship. He says : Okay, youre going to fail to keep My Law. But look here, when you fail, Ive provided a way for you to be restored into the fellowship.

They dont walk by faith, so what happens?

Hebrews 3:11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.

Im not going to let you go into Canaan. You are going to die out in the wildernes



7 Neither be ye idolaters

8 Neither let us commit fornication,

9 Neither let us tempt Christ,

10 Neither murmur ye,

Every one of those things is a reference to things that Israel did in the book of Numbers.

1 Corinthians 10:11-12 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

The problem with Israel back here is that they thought they could stand, and they couldnt. Remember, in our last class, we saw when God offered them the Law Covenant. What should they have said? No! We dont want a conditional covenant.

You said You were going to give it to us. But they said: Anything you tell us to do, we can do it. They thought that they could stand. They thought that they could do it, but they couldnt. Thats the deceitfulness of the sin nature. You want to "take heed lest

[you] fall.

Now, you and I have a good position. We are like they were. God has given it all to us; He has provided it all for us. Why should we go back under the Law program? Why should we think were doing it? He does it all. So, theres a parallel invol

ved there.

There are 603,550 able-bodied men when Numbers begins. Look at Numbers 26: Numbers 26:51 These were the numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty.

At the end of the book of Numbers, after the wanderings are over, there are 601,730 able-bodied men. Do you know what that means? That means that after thirty-eight years there are 1,820 people fewer. You think about that. They spent a long

time down in Egypt, and they grow and multiply. But after thirty-eight years in the wilderness there are 1,830 fewer men. Do you know what that is? Thats the fruit of unbelief: thirty-eight wasted years when nothing happened. They didnt grow, the nation didnt get any bigger. They were afflicted and had to endure unnecessary hardships, and they werent honoring to God, they were out there just markingtime without doing anything of any significance. Theyre out there, and its just ablank. It demonstrates what unbelief and pride can do.



Now, in what Paul refers to and what Hebrews refers to, theres some wonderful typology. You could spend some profitable time studying that.

Egypt is a type of the world. Israel is redeemed out of Egypt by blood and by power.

The blood refers to the Passover, and the power was demonstrated at the Red Sea. Thats redemption. Heres a wonderful picture of what redemption does.

By the way, the Passover is a picture of the cross, and the Red Sea is a picture of the resurrection.

They come out of Egypt a People redeemed by blood and by power. When they come out, where are they going? Theyre supposed to be going to Canaan, the Promised Land.

Canaan is not a picture of heaven. (We sing the song about Canaans fair and happyland.) Thats not it. Canaan is a picture of the possessions that God gives Israel.

They werent thinking of dying and going to heaven; they were thinking about their possessions. Canaan is a picture of their inheritance: its the Promised Land. Its a picture of the things God has provided for those who are redeemed. They areto go and enter in and possess the things that God has already given them by His promise and provision.

They come up to a place called Kadesh-barnea, and to enter Canaan they had to go over the Jordan River. Theres a song: "I Don't Have to Cross Jordan Alone. Thats right, I sure cant. The Jordan River is a picture of death - not death in the sense of dying and going to heaven. Its a picture of death to self; its a picture of death to unbelief.

Back here at Kadesh-barnea they had to make a decision, and you know what they did.

They had to make a choice: were they going to love the world and the things of the world, or were they going to love the things God had provided for them? Werethey going to believe what God said to them, trust Him and go into the land He had provided for them? They made a decision not to trust Him. Rather than walking by faith, they walked in unbelief, and they wound up in the wilderness.

Now, that was the choice: It was either the wilderness or Canaan. They chose the wilderness; faith would have chosen Canaan. They loved the world, desired the world, and they feared to go in. They werent trusting God, so they wound up down here in the wilderness, and they wasted thirty-eight years in the wilderness.

Now, you can take that as a parallel to the Christian life. Youre redeemed by the blood of Christ; youre redeemed by the power of God. You have the measure of the



power of God in the resurrection. Then you are called into all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ. Youve got that status, and you can go there and possess those things.

You come to Kadesh-barnea. Are you going to believe what God says and enjoy your inheritance, or are you going to waste your life in the wilderness? Its your choice; it works out that way. As Paul says in First Corinthians: Dont do as they did. Go on in and possess your possessions.

Next time, well start in Deuteronomy. What I want to do is to review with you inDeuteronomy and Leviticus 26. Id like you to read Leviticus 26 twice before nextweek because there is a prophecy that Moses gives to Israel (just as they are ready to go into the Promised Land) that outlines the history of the nation all the way to the time of Jesus Christ. Everything else we are going to study in theOld Testament will be a carrying out of that spiritual outline that well go overnext time.


(Lesson 8)

The book of Deuteronomy is the last book in the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy), the five books of Moses. These five books arethe foundation upon which everything is based that takes place in Israels program after Deuteronomy; so they are critically important books, and that is one of the reasons why we spent so much time going over some of the details in them.

The name Deuteronomy (from deutero, meaning second) is the second giving of theLaw.

When you come to the book of Deuteronomy, Israel is standing on the east bank of the Jordan River, ready to cross over the Jordan River from Moab into the Promised Land.

Moses has brought them up from Sinai. Theyve wandered in the wilderness for the thirty-eight years since their rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea. The forty years of wil

derness wandering are nearly over, and theyve come up around the east side of the Dead Sea through the land of Moab. Theyre ready now to move into the Land.

Moses gives them a rehearsal of their history in Deuteronomy. The book is in two parts: Chapters 1-26 - Moses looks back over the last forty years of the history of Israel from Sinai to where they are now.



Chapters 27-34 - He looks ahead to the future.

Those two sections lay out the content of the book. This is really one long dissertation by Moses to Israel just as they are about to enter into the Promised Land. He looks back over their history, beginning at Sinai, and comes all the wayup to where they are now by tracing their journey. Then he restates the Law.

In Chapters 27-34, which we are going to look at in some specific detail, he looks to the future. He literally traces the history of the nation Israel from that point all the way to the second coming of Christ and the Millennium. He describes and details for them what their history is going to be like. The prophecies and pronouncements about that that he gives in those chapters are very importantbecause they outline for us everything thats going to come in the rest of your Bible as far as the program of God for the nation Israel is concerned.

Let me give you a couple of reasons why the book of Deuteronomy is located where it is.

Its a second giving of the Law. Standing at the threshold of the Promised Land, why would Moses give this review of the history of the nation Israel?

By the way, the book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book in your Bible. Its a book of transition from where they have been to where theyre about to go - into the Land. Some new things are about to take place in their midst.

The book of Acts is the fifth book in your New Testament Scriptures. It also is

a book of transition, and when we study the book of Acts, Ill spend a whole lesson with you going over the distinctions and how the transition in Deuteronomy corresponds to the transition in the Acts. There are some interesting things there.

But in the book of Deuteronomy, Moses re-gives the Law to Israel.

1. Theres a new generation on the scene. The previous generation has passed away; everybody except Joshua and Caleb died in the wilderness; and now the new generation is going to go into the Promised Land. There is a new generation who needs

to be reminded of the Law contract the nation had made with God.

2. A new leader is going to come onto the scene. Moses is going to die, and Joshua is going to take his place; so there needs to be preparation for the nation to receive the new leader. The inauguration of a new leader is at hand.



3. Theres a new challenge laid before this new generation.

That challenge is to go in and possess the Promised Land and to settle the nation in the Land. They had just spent forty years wandering around with no permanent dwelling place. Now theyre to go into the Land that belongs to them, take it, settle down and occupy the Land - a whole new kind of life-style for the nation.

4. There are going to be new temptations for the nation in that new situation.

Those four things: the new generation, the new leader, the new challenge and the new temptations caused Moses to say: Here, let me remind you of your history, and then let me tell you whats ahead for you. So hes preparing Israel to go into the Land.

Now, the book of Deuteronomy has 34 chapters, 958 verses and 28,461 words in a King James Bible. The key verse in the book of Deuteronomy is Chapter 6, Verse 23.

If sometime you want a quick series of messages, go through your Bible and lookup all the 3:16s, like John 3:16. Go through the Bible, and youll find a number of books with 3:16's in them that are good preaching texts.

Another good reference to go through are the 6:23s, and Romans 6:23 is one you think of immediately. Deuteronomy 6:23 is another great one. Its a great preachingverse, and it is the key verse (as far as I am concerned) in the book of Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 6:21-24 Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmenin Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand: And the LORD

shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes: And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers. And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.

Notice Verse 23: "And he brought us out from thence [from the land of Egypt] ."

Why did He bring us out? That He might bring us in, " to give us the land which He sware unto our fathers."

Moses is reminding Israel, in the book of Deuteronomy, that God's purpose in bringing them out of Egypt was that He might bring them in to the blessings that He promised to them through Abraham. The whole issue in God's separating and formi



ng the nation Israel - giving birth to Israel - was so that He could make them the channel of blessing and the instrument that He could use in His purpose to restore the earth to His authority.

We are going to see the beginning of the accomplishment of that purpose in the book of Joshua. Well get there in a couple of weeks.

When Israel goes into the Land under Joshua, in the book of Joshua, God begins His program of restoring His authority in the earth. He goes into the Land with Israel as the Lord God of all the earth, and He goes in to take possession.

God brought us out of Egypt that He might bring us in to the blessings that He sware unto our fathers. God formed the nation Israel and delivered Israel so that He could execute His promise to Abraham. Thats the key to what Moses is trying to get across to Israel as theyre ready to go into the Promised Land.

The key requirement for the nation is found in Chapter 10, Verses 12 and 13. I am using these verses just to summarize what it is that God was doing with them.

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thygood?

What God required of Israel was to fear Him, to walk in His ways, to love Him and to serve Him. In other words, God wanted obedience, and He wanted Israel to ob

ey Him from a heart of gratitude, from a consciousness of the fact that they were in covenant relationship with the faithful God of heaven and earth. They served the God who was absolutely, completely, totally faithful to them even when they were faithless to Him.

God wanted them to serve Him based on an understanding of who He was.

You remember when we studied back in Exodus about His bringing them up out of Egypt, and theyre on their way to Sinai. We saw those five different trials that He took them through there. He was demonstrating to them who He was as Jehovah and what it meant to have Jehovah as their God. They needed to understand what it m

eant to serve Jehovah and that He was the One who was going to provide for their every need. He wanted them to learn that, but they hadnt learned it yet. Were going to see that there are some more lessons for them to learn from their history. What He required of Israel was just for them to understand who He was and thatthey were in a covenant relationship with Him.

The problem there in Verse 13 was the necessity of keeping the commandments of the Lord and His statutes. If thats what God required, what was going to happen?



Weve already seen that one of the purposes for which God gave the Law was not just to reveal His holiness but also to reveal mans sinfulness and failure. So if they had to keep the commandments, that means they were going to fail because they were sinners.

Theres a key pledge that God makes to Israel in Chapter 4. Moses is re-establishing all the requirements of the Law for Israel as they stand on the verge of entering into the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy 4:27-31 And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations,

Theyre going to provoke Him and break His Covenant. Moses is telling them: You will do this, and the Lord is going to scatter you among the nations.

" and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall l

ead you.

Let me say to you (youll understand this a little better later on) that statement right there is what Hes going to talk to them about in Chapters 27, 28, 29 and 30. Were going to go there in a minute and study in detail in the latter part of the book what Hes stating right here in sort of a capsulized form.

The Lord shall scatter you among the nations. Theyre going to be deported. That fifth course of judgment, in Leviticus 26, is going to fall on them.

Deuteronomy 4:28-31 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But if from thencethou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, . . .

This is the first reference in the Scriptures to the latter days. This is the first reference in your Bible to the Tribulation. Hes looking all the way out to the

Tribulation, to the Second Coming, here.

if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them."



I call your attention again to the issue of the fulfilling of that Covenant that He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Everything that Israel gets is based onwhat God promised unconditionally to them.

Those verses right there give you an idea of what we're going to cover in Deuteronomy.

Moses stands before Israel, and he looks back over their history. He restates the contract they entered into with God, and then he looks into the future, and he tells them what their future is going to be like:You entered into a contract with God, and youre going to break it (theyve already broken it by this time). Yourenot going to keep it, and God is going to punish you; Hes going to do this, this, this and this. Youll never get the promise on the basis of your performance; but God, on the basis of His graciousness - because He is Jehovah, and youre in a covenant relationship with Him - will provide everything for you.

Do you remember when we discussed that word Jehovah? In Exodus 3, He defines itas

I AM. Its like He says: I AM ____. You fill in the blank. I'll be whatever you nee

d Me to be. We looked at all those compound names of Jehovah. I AM the LORD. Illbe whatever you need me to be, you just fill in the blank and Ill be that.

Because He is the Provider for them, theyre going to get the blessing; not on the basis of their performance, but on the basis of what He promised to Abraham. That is what Moses is trying to get across to them.

Let me give you the division of the book:

Chapters 1-26 - Moses looks back over the history of Israel from the time they left Mount Sinai to the present, where they are in the land of Moab ready to cross over the Jordan River into Palestine - the Promised Land.

Chapters 1-4 - a review of the journey of Israel from Sinai to Moab.

Chapter 1 - you see the tragedies of unbelief.

Chapters 2 and 3 - you see their journey and their victories.

Chapter 4 - you see Moses appeal to this new generation for their obedience to the contract that Israel had made with God.

Chapters 5-26 - Moses calls all Israel together, and he restates the Law Covenant to them.



Heres the new generation of the nation Israel. Theyre not the ones that were there at the first giving of the Law, so Moses is going to restate the Law - the commandments - to them.

Chapters 5-11 - He restates the testimony

Chapter 5 - the Law is proclaimed, another giving of the ten commandments Chapter 6 - the Law is to be practiced

Chapter 7 - the Law is to be preserved

Chapters 12-18 - the statutes

Chapters 19-26 - the judgments. This is very similar to the arrangement that you have back in Exodus and Leviticus.

Come with me to Deuteronomy 27. I am not going to go over the other material because the content of the Law is easy to understand from where we are. Come with me to Chapter 27.

Chapters 27-34 - the second section of the book. Here, Moses looks ahead. First, he looked backward, then at their present situation, and now hes going to look ahead to what theyre going to do when they cross over the Jordan and go into the Promised Land.

Moses looks forward into the future.

Chapters 27 and 28 - He lists the blessings that will be theirs if they keep the

Covenant or the cursings upon them if they violate the Covenant.

Chapters 29 and 30 - God gives them another covenant. We call it the "Palestinian Covenant." Chapter 4, Verse 31, says that the basis upon which they are goingto receive the Promised Land is not going to be their performance, but its goingto be God's providing it for them. Theyre going to go in, try to perform and fail; but dont worry, God is going to keep His Covenant with Abraham. He actually enters into another covenant with them and details how that is going to take place.

Chapters 31-34 - The last days and the last words of Moses. The words of Moses are prophetic. Some of the greatest prophecies back here are in Deuteronomy 32 and 33

where Moses prophesies the future of Israel. It looks ahead all the way to the second advent of Christ and the Millennium.

Chapter 31 - Moses introduces a new leader, Joshua. He counsels Joshua and commi



plaister them with plaister.

Theyre to put up these stones with the Law written on them up on Mount Ebal.

Deuteronomy 27:5 And there shalt thou build an altar unto the LORD thy God, an altar of stones.

In other words, hes telling them that when they cross over Jordan, Heres what youdo: First, go up on Mount Ebal, and put the stones up there and write the Law on them.

Deuteronomy 27:11-15 And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are come over Jordan;Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin: And these shall stand upon mount Ebal to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel wit

h a loud voice, Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image,

Look at the first word in every verse in the rest of the passage. Cursed, cursed, cursed, cursed, cursed. Its interesting. He says: These six men, stand up hereon Mount Gerizim and bless the people. These other six men, stand up on Mount Ebal and curse them. But you notice that he doesnt list any blessings. Its nothing but curses: cursed, cursed, cursed! He doesnt tell them what to say to bless them.

He's demonstrating that when they go into the Land, the Law is going to be over

there, and the only thing the Law can do is to bring a curse. Theyre going to offer sacrifices because they are sinners, and they are going to need them to get out from under the curse of the Law in order to get into the Land.

There are no stones of Law put up on Gerizim because the Law cant bring them blessings. There are no blessings shouted out from Gerizim, either, in the passage because the blessings arent going to come. Whats ahead for Israel is curses, and hes going to list those for them in Chapter 28.

Deuteronomy 28:1-4 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.



Now, if you want to see what the Millennial blessings for the nation Israel are, read the first twelve verses here, and youll see them. The details of Israels contract with God are given here. They entered into a contract with the Lord, and here are the things God contracted to give them if they obeyed. Verses 3-10 listall those material, physical, wonderful, bountiful blessings God would give them if they kept His commandments.

Deuteronomy 28:9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.

The nation Israel had contracted with God to be the nation He chose them to be based on their performance or to be cursed by God if they didnt perform. That is the contract they entered. So, Moses reiterates to them as they are ready to go into the Land, all these things they had contracted for with God.

Deuteronomy 28:15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes

which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, andovertake thee: Cursed, cursed, cursed. You can go right on to the end of the chapter, in Verse 68, with the cursings. So he expounds the issue of the cursing and the blessing, and he does it by giving them something to do when they go intothe Land. Half of the heads of the tribes are on one mountain and half on the other, and they are to cry out these things. He lists them for them: Here's what you contracted: If youll keep my commandments, then shall you be unto me (Exodus 19:5 and 6).

Heres what God contracted to give you if you obey Him, and here are the things that youre going to get if you dont. Now, youve got a contract. Here are the things y

oure going to have to live by.

Youll see the same kind of thing in Leviticus 26. The first giving of the Law, back in Exodus and Leviticus, some forty years previous to Deuteronomy ended withthe list of the blessings and the cursings that were to be given to the nation Israel: blessings if they kept the Law; the cursings and the punishments if theydidnt.

Deuteronomy 27 and 28 conclude the review of that contract in the same way the o

riginal giving of the contract concluded; that is, with a reminder of the details about these curses and blessings. In Deuteronomy 27 and 28, Moses is literally reminding them of Leviticus 26. Hes reminding them that when they entered into that contract with God, there were some blessings they could get, and there weresome cursings that they could get. They got the blessings if they kept the Covenant. The cursings were punishment for violating and breaking the Covenant.

In Deuteronomy 28, he refers to the things we are going to look at in Leviticus



26. I want you to see Leviticus 26 because it gives a picture and a prophecy ofwhats going to happen to Israel when they break the Covenant.

Now, they did break it, so its a picture of the future course of the nation Israel. As we study Joshua onward, Israels history follows the pattern that God laid out in Leviticus 26.

Leviticus 26:1-4 Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, tobow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God. Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

Go right on down through the first thirteen verses, and youll see the blessings,just like you saw them over in Deuteronomy 28. From Verse 14 down to the end ofthe chapter, youre going to see the cursings, just like you did in Deuteronomy 28.

But notice that in Leviticus 26, he lays these things out in an organized pattern of punishments and cursings for violating the Covenant. What he says is: Okay, when you violate the Covenant, here are the first set of things that are goingto happen to you.

If you dont get right when I do that, then I am going to add another layer of punishment; and if you dont get right from that, then Im going to add another courseof punishment -

another series of punishments. And, if you dont get right from that, Im going to add a fourth stage.

There are literally five stages of punishment that God tells Israel that will come upon them if they break His Covenant - each one more intense than the last.

As we study through Israels history, starting in the book of Judges, all the waythrough the time of Christ, the Tribulation, and all the way to the Millennium,

we will see that it follows these five courses of punishment that are predictedfor them - chastisement, punishment, whatever you want to call it - these five cycles of it begin in Verse 14: Leviticus 26:14-16 But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you;

The first course is in Verses 16 and 17: Heres what Im going to do if you break my



Covenant.

Leviticus 26:16-17 I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shallsow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.

This is the first course - the first cycle - of judgment. Next week we'll studysome of the details, but this is the first cycle that they will go through.

(The second cycle of punishment is in Verses 18-20: Leviticus 26:18 And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me,)

Leviticus 26:16 I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, (Hes talking about sickness. Ill inflict phys

ical diseases upon you.)

When He says, Ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it, Hes talking about Israel's working the land but not reaping the benefit and profit from it because the Gentiles will come in and take it away from them. Youre going to be raided by your enemies, and theyll take away your substance.

Verse 17: And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies. Your enemies are going to come in and whip up on you.

They that hate you shall reign over you. You are going to be taken captive in your own land.

And ye shall flee when none pursueth you. I mean, they are going to have a military disaster. Economic and military disasters as well as all physical diseases are going to come upon them.

Leviticus 26:18 And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.

Leviticus 26:21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I



will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroyyour cattle, and make you few in number; and your highways shall be desolate.

Verses 20 and 21 are the third course of punishment. What I want you to see, though, is in Verses 18 and 22. He says: If you wont listen because of what I just did in the previous course, then Im going to bring some more on you. And, if you wont listen after what Ive done in the second course, then Im going to bring some more on you.

Each time it gets a little worse. Maybe I should say, Each time It gets a lot worse.

Now, there are two things to notice:

The first course of judgment doesnt end when the second course starts. The first

course of judgment is laid down and then He comes along and adds the second oneto it. Then He adds the third one onto that. He adds the fourth one onto that and then He adds the fifth onto that.

When you get to the end, you dont have just the fifth one; youve got the first one, second one, third one, fourth one and the fifth one - all at one time. These things build progressively, but each time a set of punishments is laid on it is not sequential. In other words, its not that you have one, and thats over; then you have the second, and thats over; then you have the third, and now thats over; then the fourth, and thats over; then the fifth. Its not like that.

You have this one, and if you dont pay attention to that, another is added to it. If you dont pay attention to that one, then He adds another. If you dont pay attention to that one, then He adds another; if you dont pay attention to that one, He finally adds another.

So, these things are accumulative and intensified as they go through them.

The fourth course is in Verses 23 to 26.

The fifth course is in Verses 27 through 39.

Then, in Verses 40 to 46, He tells them how to get out from under the curse, the means of being restored.

Next week, were going to go through Leviticus 26 in a little more detail. Ill show



you that when that fifth course of punishment comes upon them, the prophets that are preaching to Israel - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Amos, and others - explain to them whats going on, whats happening to them. They go back to Leviticus 26 and say: Hey, guys, do you remember when God said: Five, four, three, two, one what was going to happen?

Well, look back at your history. Look where you are; youre right where Leviticus26

said you were going to be.

Leviticus 26:40, 42 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.

God promises them that He will remember the Abrahamic Covenant even though theyve broken the Covenant they had made with Moses. Theyve demonstrated themselves tobe sinners, unable to do it on their own, but He says: Ill do it for you on the b

asis of the promise I made to Abraham because I am the God that sware to him.

Deuteronomy 29:1 These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb [Sinai].

In other words, He made the Mosaic Covenant with Israel at Sinai, and they broke it.

That brought curses upon them. There are three things to remember about the Mosaic Covenant.

1. The Mosaic Covenant was ADDED to the Abrahamic Covenant. It didnt subtract anything from it.

2. It did not disannul - did not cancel - the Abrahamic Covenant.

3. The Mosaic Covenant brought curses upon Israel that withheld the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant.

Galatians 3:13-19 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being madea curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It wa



s added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

You need to remember those three points because they are important.

1. The Mosaic Covenant was added to the Abrahamic Covenant. It did not replace it. It did not subtract from it.

2. It did not disannul, cancel, abrogate, do away with it or make it meaningless.

3. What it did do was to put curses on Israel that kept Israel from being able to get the blessings. Thats where the problem was.

As Joshua is ready to take them into the Promised Land, Moses reviews all that,shows them their history and what their future is going to be like - a failure.Then he tells them: Look, youre going to go into this Land, and God is going to give you that Land one day, but not on the basis of what you do; Hes going to give

it to you on the basis of another Covenant. Right now, God has a contract withyou that tells you that youre going to get it on the basis of His providing it for you, and not by anything you can do for yourselves.

In Chapter 29, and especially Chapter 30, are the details of the Palestinian Covenant laid out explicitly. In Chapter 29, he reviews with them why theyre going to need the Law Covenant even though they can't keep it. In Chapter 30, he givesthe details of the Palestinian Covenant. Youll see, in Verses 3-9, that God Himself is going to do for them and in them - by His Spirit - what they themselves have failed to do by themselves and for themselves.

Later on, Hell make a New Covenant that will explain on what basis He will accomplish this. But theyre going to get the Land ultimately, not on the basis of whatthey do, but on the basis of what God does for them. Youll notice again, in Chapter 30, Verse 20, that the basis of it is His executing the Covenant that He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (the Abrahamic Covenant).

Deuteronomy 30:20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unt

o thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

As I have said to you before: all the other covenants - the Palestinian Covenant, the Davidic Covenant, and the New Covenant - are all designed to execute the Abrahamic Covenant, the original purpose that God had in separating Israel and making a nation of them.



So, theyre going to get the Land on the basis of Gods Grace, Gods faithfulness to the Abrahamic Covenant, not their faithfulness to Him. God contracts to be all that His name Jehovah says that He is. God makes a covenant - a contract - with them to do that.

Hosea 14:2 Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.

When they say: Be gracious to us, thats when they get the blessing on the basis of God's providing for them what they couldnt provide for themselves.

Now, in Chapter 31, Moses commissions Joshua. It is very interesting, in Verses24-26: Deuteronomy 31:24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,

Moses is writing the Word of God. In the Manuscript Evidence class, we will study that passage, and youll see how the Word of God is written by Moses and then its put into the ark. Moses tells the Levites:

Deuteronomy 31:26 Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness againstthee.

He is to preserve the Word of God. You need to notice what theyre doing. Theyre ta

king the Law that is a witness against them and theyre putting it into the ark. Now, the Ark of the Covenant was just a box; literally, it was a coffin. Come back to the last verse in the book of Genesis:

Genesis 50:26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

That word translated coffin is the same word thats translated ark in Deuteronomy31:26.

The ark was literally a coffin that the Law was placed in. What God was saying to them (although at the moment they didnt realize it, but later on as they looked back on this, they would) that their performance, their keeping of the Law, was really a dead issue because they werent going to be able to keep it. The Law could only work death. The only place there would be life was outside of that coffin on the Mercy Seat where God, through the blood, had provided for them a way they could receive their blessing by faith in what God had provided for them.



In Chapter 31, Joshua is commissioned. The Word of God is put in the ark. The Levites were instructed.

In Chapter 32, you have the song of Moses. This whole chapter is prophetic. In fact, a great proportion of the passage looks toward the Second Advent and will only be fulfilled there. Youll see that the history of Israel is a record of rebellion. He gives a prophetic foreview of the rebellious future of Israel, and he records it here for them. They were to memorize and sing it. All through their history, theyre singing ahead of time a song which told of their rebellion.

I dont want to say its like Nya, nya, nya, I told you so, but its similar to thatod told them ahead of time, just like in Leviticus 26. He said: Okay, when you rebel, heres whats coming.

Moses writes all this out for them in order that he might get to Chapter 33 where he demonstrates to them that deliverance and blessing for Israel can only be found in the Lord.

Deuteronomy 33:1-2 And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.

Now, that didnt happen at Mount Sinai - thats prophetic. Thats a prophecy, a foreview of the Second Advent.

The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints;

None of that happened at Mount Sinai. Moses is looking into the future and prophesying what Gods going to do when He does bless and redeem Israel.

Deuteronomy 33:3-5 Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and

they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words. Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. And he was king in Jeshurun, He continues:

Verse 6: Let Reuben live, and not die . . .

Verse 7: And this is the blessing of Judah . . .



Verse 8: And of Levi he said . . .

He begins to pronounce blessings on the tribes of Israel. He concludes it in Verse 26: Deuteronomy 33:26-29 There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun [another name for Israel], who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroythem. Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew. Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be foundliars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.

Do you see how the blessing actually comes? Thats a great title: O people saved by the LORD (JEHOVAH). You need to notice that its JEHOVAH. He demonstrates Himselfto be all that theyll ever need Him to be. And thus are ended the words of Moses.

In Chapter 34, Moses goes up on the mountain and dies. Hes the only man that God

ever buried all by Himself.

Ive attended many burials. I've buried my mom, my dad, aunts and uncles and other loved ones, and many of the brethren in this assembly. Every time I go away from a funeral, I think, God knows what it is like to leave a loved one in a tomb. He left His Son there. He knows what it is to have a loved one die.

But there is only one man God ever buried all by Himself, and thats Moses. God buried him. God knew where He put him. Moses died, and the Lord buried him.

Deuteronomy 34: 5-6 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.

Theres a verse in the book of Jude where it talks about Satan contending with Michael over the body of Moses. Evidently there was quite a contest about that.

Deuteronomy 34:9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.

Joshua takes the reins. So when you come to the end of the book of Deuteronomy,youve come through some very significant events. Were going to go back now, and ne



xt time I want to detail for you in Leviticus 26 those five courses - stages, cycles - of judgment that Israel is going to experience. When we follow them intothe Land, in the book of Joshua, were going to see them do what Moses said they were going to do: they're going to break the Covenant. In the book of Judges, youll see those judgments begin to fall.

It is important, as we study the Old Testament, not just to study the history lessons and to know that this king went there, and that king went over here, but to understand the spiritual significance of the doctrinal things that are happening to Israel as they go through all that.

After we study through the history and we get to the prophets, well be able to understand why they were saying what they said to Israel. When you get over to the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, youll see that those same five courses of judgment are still on Israel and youll understand what John the Baptist meant when he said, Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

Youll understand why Peter, on the day of Pentecost, says to Israel, Repent. That m

inistry in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and the early Acts period all extend back over there to the issue raised in Leviticus 26. It also extends all the way over into the Tribulation and into the Second Advent, so its a very important passage.

Read Leviticus 26 again very carefully for next week.


(Lesson 9)

We have finished the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). Before we go on into Joshua and the rest of the history books of the OldTestament, I want to go back and look at a passage of Scripture in Leviticus 26. It gives you a prophetic overview of whats going to happen to the nation Israeland Gods response to their rebellion.

There are two great prophetic chapters in the book of Leviticus. I know most people would never look in Leviticus for prophecy. When you hear people talk aboutprophecy they say, Well, prophecy doesnt mean foretelling but it means forthtelling. When somebody says that, just humor them, and dont get mad at them. Just understand that they havent caught on yet to what its really all about.



Your Bible is full of prophecy in the sense of foretelling the future, outlining and detailing what is coming in the future. Just like there is a design in Pauls epistles that lays out the doctrine for us, so it is in the scriptures pertaining to the nation Israel. When you study the Old Testament, you want to pay attention when God tells you: Heres whats going to happen, and heres the way I am goingto do it. Then when you read through Old Testament history, you can remember that doctrinal frame of reference that He gave you, and you can see it working itsway out.

With the issue of redemption, for example, the great calendar of redemption is found in Leviticus 23. God tells them in advance about how redemption is going to work.

First there is the Passover, then theres the Feast of Unleavened Bread and then theres Pentecost. You know what these are: the Passover shows the crucifixion of Christ.

Pentecost (in Acts 2) is a foreshadowing of the fulfillment that will come whenthe New Covenant is in effect. Theres a break of several months with no celebrati

ons and then theres the Feast of Trumpets, then the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles.

The Feast of Trumpets is a type of the regathering of the nation Israel. The Day of Atonement is the Second Advent of Christ, the establishment of the New Covenant.

Tabernacles is a type of the Millennial Kingdom.

Israel's future is foretold, and their calendar of redemption laid out back there in those seven feasts in Leviticus 23.

In Leviticus 26, He gives you a calendar of Israels rebellion. You have a redemptive calendar in Chapter 23; you have the rebellion calendar in Chapter 26. He tells them about their failure in advance, and He does this in Leviticus when He gave them the Law the first time. Then they go through the years in the wilderness recorded in Numbers, and you come to the book of Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy repeats the Law that He gave them before the wilderness wandering. He repeats it to them after the wilderness wanderings. Moses echoes, in Deuterono

my, what he already told them in Leviticus. We saw that last time in Deuteronomy, Chapters 28 to 33. Moses told them that they are going to fail and break the Covenant. He tells them in advance that theyre going to do it, so that when the nation does it, theyll turn back to the Lord. They will know how to turn back and recover themselves.

In Leviticus 26, there are five cycles of judgment that God predicts - five cycles of chastening that are set forth. That will be the five cycles that the natio



n will experience for having broken the Covenant. These five courses of chastisement set forth literally the future of the nation Israel from the time they go in and possess the Land in the book of Joshua all the way to the Second Advent of Christ in the Kingdom.

The history of the nation Israel is laid out for you under five courses - or cycles - of judgment. They detail the curses that Israel has contracted with God to receive when they break the Covenant. Moses tells them about these curses thatthe contract held in store for them.

It is important to understand, as we begin to study the Old Testament, how Leviticus 26

lays out the doctrine of whats happening in your Old Testament. When you read the books of Judges, Ruth, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Isaiah, Daniel, Malachi and Amos youre going to understand the doctrinal frame of reference from which those books are written.

Did you ever wonder why the things that are in your Bible are in there and why He left out the things He left out? You obviously never wondered about that. Right? Maybe you dont think about that, but I do. I read something and think, Why didHe put that in and didnt put something else in?

The reason He put in what He did wasn't just to fill up space. When Im doing theJournal, I'll come to the end of a column, and theres only a little bit of spaceleft, and I cant start the next column there because its something new. I have a whole box of little things that are called fillers": little ads, little sayings and things that I use to fill space.

Well, God didnt have a space-filling problem when He wrote the Word of God. He didnt have all the column problems that we have. He selectively included certain things because those things communicate a doctrine that He desired the readers ofthe Book to understand.

As we study the Old Testament, we are following the design that God says is in store for the nation Israel. Instead of just studying your Old Testament willy-nilly - just picking things here and there - if youll grasp the doctrine that He communicated to Israel and what the spiritual issues are, you'll see, when we get

over in the prophets, what that prophet is trying to effect doctrinally in Israel. I want you to see now that it all goes back to Leviticus 26; so we need to understand this as the framework upon which everything following the book of Joshua is going to be laid.

You notice that in the first part of the chapter are the blessings.



Leviticus 26:3-4 If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

Right on down through Verses 5 to 13: they're going to get all these blessings.

Leviticus 26:14-16 But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you;

If you break the Covenant: (Israel had contracted with God to receive certain blessings from Him as a result of their obedience.) But the contract they had made with God also said: Were going to receive certain curses if we disobey. Hes going to lay out for them whats going to happen when they disobey.

This is the first course of judgment:

Leviticus 26:14-17 But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.

Here is a list of the five cycles of judgment:

Verses 16 and 17 are the first cycle.

Verses 18-20 are the second cycle.

Verses 21 and 22 are the third cycle.

Verses 23-26 are the fourth cycle.

Verses 27-39 are the fifth cycle.

If you have a Scofield Reference Bible, he has them marked out as "The first chastisement," "The second chastisement," etc. That division is important because each one of these divisions has some characteristics. When you see the things inthat cycle happening in the nation Israel, you know where you are in the list he



re.

So He says: If you break the Covenant, heres what Im going to do to you. There are basically four trials in this judgment.

Leviticus 26:16-17 I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shallsow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.

If you break my Covenant, Im going to afflict you with some physical illnesses.

Consumption is an old word that you dont hear much any more in this country, but it is still a problem in some parts of the world.

Burning ague is like a fever. Hes talking about inflicting physical illnesses on them.

These details identify the first course of judgment. The first affliction that comes is physical illnesses.

Youll remember when God brought Israel out of Egypt He brought them across the Red Sea. They go out into the Sinai Peninsula.

Exodus 15:22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.

From here all the way to Chapter 19 there are five testings that God puts Israel through -

five separate lessons that God seeks to teach Israel - about His ability to provide for them what they need. He tries to instruct them in what it is to have Jehovah as their God. The very first one of those five lessons is the bitter waterat Marah.

Exodus 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORDthy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to hiscommandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases uponthee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.



The LORD Is JEHOVAH-ROPHEKA, one of those compound names of Jehovah. I am the LORD (JEHOVAH) that healeth thee.

The first lesson that God tried to teach Israel when He brought them out of Egypt was that He was the one who would provide for their needs. The first thing that He addressed was the issue of His being JEHOVAH-ROPHEKA.

When you come to Leviticus youll find these five cycles of judgment which correspond to those five lessons that He tried to teach them in Exodus. They didnt learn the lessons, they didnt learn about allowing God to provide for them what they needed, so they went to Mount Sinai and said: N o, d ont worry about it. Well do it ourselves. Put us under this Law Covenant. They messed up when they did that. (Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall, Paul later tells us about that situation.) Youll find a parallel in here. What they were to learn back there was that JEHOVAH-ROPHEKA was the One that would heal and provide for them. The first thing you see in the first course of judgment is that He doesn't represent that to them yet, and these physical illnesses come upon them.

Leviticus 26:16 ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

This is the second part of the judgment. The Gentiles around them are going to come in and raid the Land. Israel is going to plant the seed; theyre going to grow the crop, get the harvest ready, and their enemies, the Gentiles, are going tocome in and steal it away from them. They are not going to be able to enjoy theproductivity of their labors.

Leviticus 26:17 And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies:

Theres going to be military defeat. Theyre going to try to run off these enemies,and the enemies are going to whip them.

they that hate you shall reign over you;

Not only are they going to experience military defeat, but theyre going to experience subjugation. Now, this is not deportation. Theyre going to be in their Land, and the enemy is going to come in and rule over them.

So, when you see these things beginning to take place, what does that tell you?That tells you that the first stage of judgment is fallen upon Israel. You can identify the stages of judgment, which one of these cycles theyre in, by studying



the history of what Israel is suffering at the time. Well do that as we go through Judges, Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, and well see an outline of these stages in Israels history and how consistently the prophets will point to something happening in Israel and say: You see, thats happening just as God told you. Remember what God told you was going to happen when you broke the Covenant? There it is! Therefore, youd better get right.

Leviticus 26:18 And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.

Now, it is important to notice that verse because its going to help you understand how these chastisements are going to work. He says: I gave you that first course of judgment, and if you dont pay any attention, then Im going to intensify your afflictions and its going to get worse. Im going to give you seven times more punishment.

Now, you understand those seven times. Hes going to heap it onto them in a perfectmeasure. He says, Im going to punish you seven times more. The word more is importa

nt because it helps you understand that when each cycle has run its course, it's not over; the next is added to it. Its like this: I put the first one on you, and you didnt listen so Im going to put the second one on top of that. The first one doesnt discontinue; I just add the second one. If you dont pay attention to that, Im going to add the third one.

The first and second ones will still be there, but the third one is included.

Its not going to be consecutive, one after the other, sequential; its going to beaccumulative. Things are going to get more and more severe as He adds each one:the second one is added to the first; the third is added to the first and the se

cond; the fourth is added to the first three; and the fifth is added to the first four. So things are just going to get worse and worse.

In the second course, the Land is going to be affected.

Leviticus 26:19-20 And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of theland yield their fruits.

He says, and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass.

Deuteronomy 28:23 and 24 identifies that as drought, and theyre not going to be able to grow a crop. Hes going to withhold the rain, and there will be famine.



When He says, I will break the pride of your power, Hes talking about the gods of the Gentiles, where Israel has placed her confidence. Well see the judgment that falls on them.

Next is the third course:

Leviticus 26:21-22 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.

He says: I am going to put more upon you than what you got before. Do you notice that He says, if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me? God is going to raise up prophets to try to call these people back. Hell send the judgment, theyll suffer under it and then Hell send a prophet to call them back. They dont pay any attention to His Word so He sends another course of judgment. They dontlisten to that so Hell send another course of judgment and then Hell send some prophets. Thats what you see as you go through the Old Testament. You want notice that judgment and then listen to those prophets call them back, and see their refusal. Then Hell add another course, call them back, and they refuse.

All of this is done with the stated intent of calling Israel back to Himself.

Verse 22: I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your highways shall be desolate.

When you see that happening, they can say, Hey. I know Im in the third course here.

The cattle and the beasts will be in revolt against them. Commerce, trade, the highways are going to be destroyed.

Concerning Verse 22, come over to 2 Kings where there is an interesting reference. Its an incident that people dont usually understand.

(If you want watch commentators head for the bushes, read this passage to them and try to get them to explain it to you.) This is about Elisha who has been doing miracles in Israel, after Elijah was translated.

2 Kings 2:23-25 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came fo



rth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. Andhe went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.

You read that, and you say, Elisha was a nasty old guy, cussing the kids out andputting the bears on them. But thats not whats going on there. When that verse says, And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD, he wasnt just calling them a lot of dirty names, folks. Thats not what cursing thm in the name of the Lord is.

I got a letter from somebody who sent me a tract that said, Gods last name is not

'Damn.' Thats a good tract, but thats not what were talking about here. Do you knowwhat Elisha is doing? Hes pronouncing the curse of Leviticus 26. When we get over to 2 Kings 2, we'll be right in the middle of that third cycle of judgment. Elisha knows where they are and he pronounces the curse on them. Just like the passage over here says: T he wild beasts are going to come and rob you of your children.

Leviticus 26:23-26 And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, [Thats the purpose of the judgments.] but will walk contrary unto me; Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. And Iwill bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant. [Thats the problem: they broke the Covenant - thats the issue.] And when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.

And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your breadin one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied.

Thats the fourth cycle there. He gives more and more punishment - persecution from the Gentiles and famine.

The fifth course of judgment is described in Verse 27:

Leviticus 26:27-35 And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me;

Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.

Hes going to reject their worship because it is vain.



And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell thereinshall be astonished at it. And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.

You know what the Land resting means. In Israel's Law, every seventh year they were to let the Land rest, but they never did it. Greed, avarice and desire for material gain wouldnt allow them to let the Land rest that year, like God told themto do. They wouldnt trust God to provide for them that year, and so He says: Thetime is going to come when Im going to run you clean out of the Land.

Now, the first time the Gentiles came into the Land, they attacked and punishedIsrael, and ruled over them for a while, but now theyre going to uproot them, and theres going to be a national deportation. The Land is going to be laid waste.

Under each course they could have gotten out of the punishment by responding this way: Leviticus 26:40-42 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity. Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant withIsaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.

The recovery process - you know, thats what the prophets continually preached. Do you know why John the Baptist came preaching the baptism of repentance for theremission of sins? Do you know why they went out to John confessing their sins?Thats the method of recovery from these cycles of judgment. By the time you get to the Lord Jesus Christ, of course, youre well into the fifth cycle. Israel has been deported; theyre scattered among the enemies, and the times of the Gentiles are in force.

Its important to understand that with that fifth cycle of judgment - the national

deportation - the fall of Israel politically takes place, but they haven't yetfallen spiritually. They still have the opportunity of recovery.

You are going to see that the first course of judgment takes place in the book of Judges -

well see this as we study Judges and Ruth. Then when you start with Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, you have one continuous history that moves from the second judg



ment all the way to the fifth cycle.

When you get over here to the fifth cycle, you can follow these events; and we will see, as we go through Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, where these things fit.Notice that when they go away into captivity under that fifth course of judgment, God tells them that whats happening to them is the fulfillment of what He toldthem would come in Leviticus 26.

Leviticus 26 is viewed as the explanation for the captivity. The importance of Leviticus 26 to understanding the history of the nation is demonstrated. As we study the nations history, doctrinally, what were going to see are the cycles of judgment and the attempts by Jehovah to get Israel to turn back to Him. He is constantly attempting to get them to turn back, and they constantly rebel and refuseto hearken to Him and go further into idolatry.

In fact, when we study Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, those six books teach you more about human nature than any other piece of literature in all of human history. Theres more about human nature and the way that fallen man works, especially i

n the book of Kings, than anywhere else. You can read all the other literature that man has ever produced, and you wont get as much information as you will out of those books. If you want to understand how mans mind works and how human nature operates, those books are just full of it.

If youll look at it from the point of view of Leviticus 26, youll see the doctrines as we go through there.

2 Chronicles 36:15-16 And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his mess

engers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despisedhis words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

By the way, look back up in Leviticus 26:18. He says, And if ye will not yet forall this hearken unto me . . .

Verse 21: And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me . . .

If you dont hearken to somebody, what have you done? Theyve talked to you, and youve not paid any attention to them. God sends prophets and messengers to Israel and tells them whats happening and they refuse to hearken. They do what Verse 16 says,

they despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD

arose against his people, till there was no remedy.



2 Chronicles 36:17-20 Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and hadno compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: Now, why did He do all that?

2 Chronicles 36:21 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.

God had told Jeremiah that when they were taken away in captivity, theyd be goneseventy years. Why? So the Land would fulfill the Sabbaths.

Leviticus 26:34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoyher sabbaths.

Do you know what 2 Chronicles is telling you? When God took them away into thatcaptivity, He did it so that the prophecy back in Leviticus 26 could be fulfilled.

Consistently, these later prophets looked back to these five courses in Leviticus 26. As we study through Daniel and Matthew, especially, youll hear me refer constantly to their being under that fifth course of judgment. Were going to start at the beginning and study through it. The Old Testament brings you to the placewhere you understand the reason Israel is in the condition shes in. That fifth course of judgment extends all the way to the Second Advent of Christ for the nation Israel - all the way through Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and early Acts. Its interrupted today, but it will pick up again in the Tribulation.

We're getting a doctrinal framework, as we study through the Old Testament, about how they got in that condition and what they should have learned.

Jeremiah 11:1-4 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant, Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the



iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:

Now, thats pretty clear, folks, Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant . Thats Leviticus 26, the Covenant He made with them when He brought them out.

Verse 4: Obey My voice . Thats Exodus 19, when they enter into the agreement. Thexactly what Leviticus 26 says they were to do.

Jeremiah 11:5-8 That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD. Then the LORD said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them. For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day [until the Babylonian Captivity], rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice. Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in

the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.

You understand what hes saying to them. I guess its plain enough . Hes saying: Hey, you guys broke the Covenant, and I protested. I said, Listen to Me, hearken tome, obey Me! How did He do that? He brought the curses on them: that first cycle of cursing; then He brought the second cycle; then the third cycle.

Youre going to see that He brings the first cycle of cursing on them, then He bac

ks away a little while and gives them some time and waits for them to respond, but they dont.

Then He brings the second, the third, and the fourth cycles. By the time you get to the fourth, its almost unavoidable; judgment is assuredly coming on them; and then He waits a little bit before He finally brings the fifth cycle.

You have the first one over here in Judges and second to the fifth in the booksof history.

Its like a greased plank right on down through the history books. The whole point

is that the full extent of Leviticus 26 is what they are experiencing in the captivity.

Lamentations 2:16-17 All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it. The LORD hath done that which he had devised; he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded inthe days of old: he hath thrown down, and hath not pitied: and he hath caused th



ine enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath set up the horn of thine adversaries.

I want you to see that when He says, he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old ." That is Leviticus 26. Thats Deuteronomy 32. Those are the things He said were going to happen.

Ezekiel 14:12-13 The word of the LORD came again to me, saying, Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch outmine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof,

In Verses 13-20, He describes what He is going to do. Notice, in Verse 21, where He summarizes it:

Ezekiel 14:21 For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

You can go back to Leviticus 26 and start with the sword (the first course); the famine (the second course); the beast (the third course); and the pestilence (theres that fourth course).

Do you know what Ezekiel is saying? Hes saying: Hey, guys, the four courses havehit us and now the fifth one is on the way. The fifth one is coming. Ezekiel istelling them that the Babylonian Captivity coming upon them. When Ezekiel describes and explains to them what is happening, what does he say? He says, Hey, why

are we going into captivity? Because that fifth course of judgment is here. Thefourth is past, and the fifth is upon us.

Daniel 9:1-2 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; In the first yearof his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD

came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

Now, in Daniel 9, Daniel is at the end of the seventy years of Babylonian Captivity. He knows that the fifth course of judgment has been operative for seventy years. He also knows that its going to continue for much longer. How does he knowthat? In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar saw that image, and God told Daniel: These kingdoms will rise and fall: Babylon, Media-Persia, and Greece, and then the kingsof the north and the south are going to come during these times of the Gentiles. He knows that the Babylonian rule is over, and the Media-Persian Empire has taken over.



Daniel 9:3-4 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplication, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession,

Thats exactly what Leviticus 26 said he ought to do. Daniel wants to know what the rest of this fifth course is going to be like. He acknowledges that Leviticus26 is what happened to Israel, and hes doing exactly what it says to do.

Daniel 9:4-13 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are

far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him. And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. As it is written in thelaw of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before t

he LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.

Daniel knows exactly why they are in the condition that they are in and what they need to do to get out of it. He keeps looking back at Leviticus.

What Im trying to do is to show you and impress upon you from these passages what was in the minds of the prophets as they went to Israel. They kept saying to them: God told you in Leviticus 26 that if you broke the Covenant, He would send j

udgment upon you; and if you wouldn't hear Him, there would be a second course of judgment and a third and a fourth - and now a fifth one.

Amos was not a prophet of the Babylonian Captivity but was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom. What God did with Judah (the Southern Kingdom) He had already done with the Northern Kingdom. Before Babylon, He had destroyed the Northern Kingdom because theyd gone off into idolatry with Jeroboam much earlier.



Amos 4:1-7 Hear this word, ye kine [cows] of Bashan [in the northern Kingdom], that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink. The Lord GOD hath swornby his holiness

When did God swear by His holiness? Thats what the Law is all about. I am the Lord.

Be ye holy. By His holiness is the premise of the Law.

Amos 4:2-4 The Lord GOD hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks. And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the LORD. Come to Bethel, and transgress

Now, thats sarcasm, but its true. Bethel (the House of God) is one of the places where they set up a golden calf and went into idolatry (1 Kings 12). So He says:Go over there to the "House of God" that you set up and transgress.

Amos 4:4-5 transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years: And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

Their idolatry is what's going to bring punishment on them, not hearkening to the Word of God but going after strange gods (spiritual idolatry). Heres Gods response. He begins to remind them of what He had done:

Amos 4:6 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities . . .

(Thats that first cycle of judgment.)

and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

I put that first cycle of judgment on you. You suffered hunger, but you didnt return to Me.

Amos 4:7 And also I have withholden the rain from you . . .



Just like Leviticus 26:19 said He would. What did they do? They didnt return.

Amos 4:9-13 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerwormdevoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

He says: Do you remember your history? I sent the first course, and you didnt pay any attention. I sent the second course, and you didnt pay any attention. I sent the third course (Verse 10). I sent the fourth course.

Amos 4:10-13 I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and Ihave made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: ye

t have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.

Theyre not going to meet Him as Jehovah; theyre going to meet Him as the Judge. He says: Do you remember those first four cycles? Theyve come, and now youd better get ready because the fifth one is on the way. Those cycles just keep coming. The

fifth one, by the way, is in Chapter 5, Verse 4:

Amos 5:4-6 For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and yeshall live: But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.Seek the LORD

(JEHOVAH), and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.

Go find Him as Jehovah - thats where life will be. Otherwise, youre going into captivity.

Amos 5:15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate:it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.



Thats what they need: they need grace, and there is going to be grace for a remnant even in the midst of the judgment.

Amos 5:16-20 Therefore the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus; Wailing shall be in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing. And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass throughthee, saith the LORD. Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what endis it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him (thats Revelation 13).

Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

Theyve gotten down to the point of that fifth cycle which culminates over there at the Second Advent.

Amos 5:27 Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts.

Out into the captivity they go, and thats the issue.

You might want to write down Isaiah 65:1-7. Were not going to take time to look at that. What Im trying to say to you from those passages - and I hope its getting

through to you - that these courses, these cycles of judgment are to teach Israel. Come over with me to Romans 9.

Romans 9:30-32 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.

But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained tothe law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law.

Israel stumbled -they sought to establish their own righteousness.

Romans 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.



They didnt learn what God tried to teach them with the Law. They didnt learn the lesson of Leviticus 26 that they couldnt keep the Law; therefore they had to turnto the Lord and cast themselves on His graciousness and let Him do it for them.They didnt learn that God, as JEHOVAH, would provide for them. They kept thinking: W ell do it.

1 Corinthians 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Theres the problem. Thats what God has been trying to teach Israel back there, and they wont learn it.

Romans 10:19 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will angeryou.

Thats Deuteronomy 32, the Song of Moses that we studied last time. Moses told them ahead of time they were going to rebel, they were going to fail, they werent going to keep it.

Romans 10:20 But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me (thats Isaiah 65).

Romans 10:21 But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.

What would He do? He would stretch forth His hands and say : Hearken! Listen! Iprotest your rebellion! Come and obey Me. And they wouldnt do it, so that hand of supplication would turn to a rod of affliction.

The doctrinal issue that is being pressed throughout the Old Testament is back there in Leviticus 26 where God says : Heres what the contract holds when you disobey. Here it is. They dont listen; they dont hearken; they dont respond. So He punishes them further.



Youll see those judgments come and repeatedly call them to learn the lesson of the Law; that is, you cant keep it. Youre a failure; youre a sinner. You have to letMe do it for you. God seeks to show Israel that they need a redeemer; so that when the Redeemer JEHOVAH Saviour comes, they would trust Him.

They didnt when He came the first time because they rebelled. The second time, He'll put that new heart in them on the basis of the New Covenant and cause them to inherit the Land according to the Palestinian Covenant and based upon His being their Jehovah.

Next time well start the book of Joshua and see the Lord enter the Land with Israel, set the nation up with Him in their midst. From there on, well just see these cycles in effect.

I spent the time going over these five courses of judgment because we'll be referring to them often from now on.


(Lesson 10)

TEST


(Lesson 11)

The book of Joshua contains 24 chapters, 658 verses and 18,858 words in the King

James Bible. In the book of Joshua, you begin the conquest stage in the history of Israel. Were going to move out of the first five books of your Bible, the Pentateuch, and move into the Land.

In Genesis through Deuteronomy, you have the history of Israel that leads up totheir coming into Canaan. In Joshua, they go into Canaan. In Judges through 2 Chronicles you see life in Canaan. They come up to Canaan, and in Joshua they come into the Land.



In Judges to 2 Chronicles youre going to see them living in the Land. Last week we saw those five cycles of judgment in Leviticus 26 come through on the money in Judges through 2 Chronicles.

Before we get to Judges you have the victory of faith in the book of conquest -the book of Joshua. Joshua is a very important book, and it sets out some spiritual principles that you need to be aware of so you can have an appreciation of what Gods doing with the nation Israel.

They spent all those years wandering in the wilderness for absolutely no good reason at all. They came up out of Egypt, God brought them through the wildernessover to Sinai and taught them those five lessons that we considered. From Sinai, He brought them up to Kadesh-barnea. From Kadesh-barnea they were to go into the Land. They would never have had to wander in the wilderness; they would neverhave had to cross the Jordan River. They never would have had to do any of thathad they gone in by faith and done what the two spies (Joshua and Caleb) said to do: Go in and take the Land - but they didnt.

Hence, they wandered in the wilderness. That was a great picture and type of a spiritual principle here showing that the wilderness wandering is something thatisnt necessary.

Canaan is a type and a picture of the Land of blessing. Hymn writers have used it for centuries as the Promised Land being heaven:

"On Jordans stormy banks I stand,

And cast a wishful eye

To Canaans fair and happy land,

Where my possessions lie.

I am bound for the Promised Land "

Their idea is that you die and go to heaven.

Theres a song that says, I wont have to cross Jordan alone. According to the songwrter, Jordan is death.

But in the Bible, Canaan is not heaven. Canaan is the Land that God had promised Israel, where their possessions and blessings were. They did not belong in thewilderness; they belonged in Canaan. It was unbelief that kept them in the wilderness, and youre going to see in Joshua that the victory of faith carries them in. Its the Land of possession and the Land of blessing for the nation.



There is, in large measure, a great comparison between the book of Joshua and the book of Ephesians.

As Ephesians says: Christian, go in and possess your possessions; Joshua says: Israel, go in and possess your possessions. There are some tremendous parallels between Israel then and us today regarding the issue of faith.

In Joshua there is more than just a spiritual analogy. There are some doctrinalissues that you need to grasp so that you can appreciate whats happening.

Israel comes in and claims its promised possessions.

Joshua 1:1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass,

that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister.

Youll find Joshua mentioned for the first time in your Bible in Exodus 17, Verse9

through Verse 15 in that conquest with Amalek. You'll recall that Moses had struck the rock in Horeb and God provided water out of the rock. Then Amalek came against them and strove with Israel over the water.

Moses was up on the mountain with his hands held up, and Joshua was in the valley with the sword and he discomfits the enemy. When Moses hands come down, Amalekprevails, and when Moses hands are raised, Joshua and Israel prevail.

The first time you see Joshua in Scripture, you see a foreshadowing of the great work that hes going to have as the man who goes in and conquers with the sword for Israel. Hes a great guy.

By the way, his name means Jehovah Saviou r.

In Numbers 13:8 and 16, youll see him in the genealogy as Oshea and Jehoshua (Je, Jehovah; Hosanna, Saviour, Salvation) - Jehovah Saviour. The name Joshua in the Old Testament is the Hebrew form of Jesus in the New Testament. Jesus means Jehovah Saviour. They are the same names; one is Hebrew, one is Greek.



In Hebrews, Chapters 3 and 4, there is an interesting advanced in revelation. Preachers get all bent out of shape because Hebrews 4 says that Jesus led them into the Land of rest. Everybody knows it was Joshua. Well, everybody ought to know that its the same name. In the New Testament, Isaiah is Esaias and Elijah is Elias. They have different spellings.

Jesus of the New Testament is Joshua of the Old Testament, and that tells you something. In Hebrews 4, where it was Jesus who led them in, Hebrews is not just talking about whats going on back here in Joshua, historically; but its looking toward the Tribulation and Christ bringing them into the Kingdom.

That reminds me to say that the book of Joshua is a book of conquest, a book ofbattle; and if you will come with me to Zechariah 14, you will see that it is full of Second-Advent phenomena.

Zechariah 14:1-3 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken . . .

This speaks of the Tribulation and the Second Advent about to happen.

and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; andhalf of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth [Second Coming],and fight against those nations [Revelation 19 when He comes on a white horse],

When He comes, this is how Hes going to fight: as when he fought in the day of battle. Thats a reference to the book of Joshua. He says that at the Second Advent Hes going to fight for Israel just like He did back in the book of Joshua.

Zechariah 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east

Zechariah 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth

This is a Second Advent passage showing Him coming back, entering into Palestine and delivering it. Hes going to do it as He did "in the day of battle." Thats a reference to the book of Joshua. The book of Joshua is a book of battle and Jehovah's conquest of Canaan, through Israel, and His possession of the Land He promised to the nation Israel.



In Chapters 1 through 5, they enter the Land.

In Chapter 1, you see the commissioning of Joshua.

In Chapter 2, the covenant is made with Rahab and the spies. (Moses sent twelvein to spy out the Land and only two were faithful, so Joshua is a little more cautious - he sent only two guys in.) They make a covenant with Rahab, the Gentile. Again, heres the type of Tribulation salvation of a Gentile:

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

As you go down through Joshua 2, youll see that for forty years - ever since Israel came out of the wilderness - the Gentiles have already resigned themselves to the dominion of Israel.

She says in Chapter 2, We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red S

ea for you, And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

You see a picture of the conversion of the Gentiles as Israel enters into the Land.

In Chapters 3 and 4, you see the crossing of the Jordan River.

In Chapter 5, you have Israel's preparation for conquest in Gilgal. In these chapters, Israel enters into the Land, and there is a tremendously important doctrinal issue taking place there.

In Chapters 6 through 12, you see the military action.

Verses 1-5 - Theyre preparing for it. They go over Jordan, arrive in the Land and get ready for three campaigns.

In Chapters 6 through 12, theres the military conquest of the Land, the three campaigns.

In Chapters 6 through 8, you have the central campaign: Jericho, Ai, and Gerizim.



In Chapters 9 and 10, you have the southern campaign

In Chapter 11 is the northern campaign.

Israel comes into the central part, dividing the country in half. Then they go down and take the southern part, and then they go up north and take that. In these chapters you see the military action and the actual taking and possessing of the Land.

There are tremendous spiritual issues here. I repeat: everything we've been reading and will be reading from here on is there to teach doctrine. All the books of history contain doctrinal issues important to grasp. The stories are not there just to fill up Sunday School teachers time, teaching little kids in the juniordepartment. They are there to teach doctrine, and we need to see the spiritual issues that are there.

Chapters 13 - 22 tells of the dividing of the Land among the tribes for their in

heritance.

Chapters 13 -19, you see the territory assigned to each of the tribes.

Chapters 20 - 22, specific cities are identified: the cities of refuge in Chapter 20 and the priests cities in Chapter 21. The inheritance of the border tribes is given in Chapter 22.

Theres an addendum to the book in Chapters 23 and 24 where Joshua charges the nation to be loyal to the Lord as they live in the Land. Heres the nation established in the Land: Theyve gone in; theyve conquered the Land; theyve divided the Land a

mong the tribes, and Joshua charges the nation in the Land to be loyal. He predicts their failure, as well see, and they do fail. So there are things predicted here that need to be understood as we go through the book.

Like I said, you can make a number of spiritual applications. Every passage hasa doctrinal, historical and spiritual application. There are a lot of spiritualapplications that can be made.

In 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul refers to Israel in the wilderness and demons

trates the parallel between the believer today and Israel making a good beginning as they come out of Egypt. They fail in the wilderness through unbelief and wander in the wilderness.

Finally, they come up to the Jordan River and cross over. They have to learn again at the Jordan what they learned at the Red Sea. There is a recognized parallel between the two crossings that you see in Joshua 4:23-24. Joshua is exhortingthem after the placing of the memorial stones, and after theyve gone over and camped at Gilgal. He tells them: Joshua 4:23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God d



id to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.

Now, God did that at the Red Sea so the world would fear. According to the testimony of Rahab in Chapter 2:9 -12, the Gentiles obviously got it, but Israel didnt. They had been in Egyptian bondage and were brought out across the Red Sea. They could have learned the lesson and gone into the Land, but they didnt learn thelesson so God returned them to the wilderness. When He brought them back up andacross the Jordan, He had to teach it to them again.

From the Jordan, they go in to the blessings of Canaan. Both of those crossingstypify the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, of course. Egypt was a place of death for Israel. They crossed the Red Sea, and they came out on the otherside into a place of life and a position with God. The Red Sea became a place of death for the Egyptians.

The same is true in the Jordan River. They go down in the place of death and com

e out in the place of life (death and resurrection). One of those events demonstrates Christ dying FOR sinners and the other demonstrates the fact that the sinner dies WITH Christ.

There are a number of things to learn from those crossings, but that isnt what Iwant to talk about in the book of Joshua.

While you can get those spiritual applications, parallels and thinking patternsthat run the same - because the cross is the center of all of Gods dealings - the book of Joshua contains doctrine that is tremendously important. There are important doctrinal issues about the role of the nation Israel and the plan and purp

ose of God that are found in these four divisions of the book of Joshua. I wantyou to see that. In this class, well look at the doctrinal issue in the first section (Chapters 1-5). Next time, well get into the other parts as we finish the book.

I hope that before next week you will have read the book of Joshua in its entirety.

Sometime this week, you need to sit down and read the book of Joshua. You can do that at one sitting if you will so that next week when we cover Chapter 6 to the end, youll be a little more familiar with some of it and have it fresh in your

mind.

Now, in the first five chapters, you have the reconnaissance and mobilization of the nation as they enter Canaan. First, they send two spies in there to check it out (Chapter 2), and they talk with Rahab. Notice what happens with Rahab because shes a tremendous type of a Gentile saved through submission to Israel and to Israels God. In her testimony, in Verses 9-11, it is very clear that Rahab was a converted Gentile long before those spies ever came. The Red Sea crossing had i



ts intended impact on the nations, and theyre just sitting there wondering why Israel doesnt come on in and claim the Land.

In Chapter 3, they are prepared and taken across Jordan. Theres something going on here that you need to notice because this is a tremendously significant eventfor the whole world. This is the formal beginning of Jehovahs program to repossess the planet. At this point, Jehovah has given birth to the nation, formed the nation, equipped the nation, taught the nation, and brought the nation now to the Jordan River to take them across to formally take possession of the Land. Whatyou have here is the beginning of the program of God to repossess the earth through the nation Israel, not just in prospect but in actuality.

Joshua 3:1-2 And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. And it came to pass after three days, that the officers wentthrough the host; Notice that this was going to be done after three days. I said a minute ago that crossing the Jordan River was a type of the death, burial and the resurrection of Christ. Theres a new life coming into play here for the nation Israel; so, again, the typology of the third day matches.

Joshua 3:3 And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.

The Lord is going to lead them out, and they are to follow wherever He takes them.

Joshua 3:4: Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.

The idea is that the priests bearing the ark are to lead out, but the people are not to crowd around the ark because then they wouldnt know which way to go. Theyre to let the ark get out ahead of them because its to lead them, and in order tolead them, they have to be able to see where its going.

Joshua 3:5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.

Here he is preparing them. When he says, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you, hes talking about more than just going through some ceremony. There are going to be some ceremonies that they perform, but theres more here than just a ceremony. Theres an inward preparation and readiness. Hes telling them: Listen! You need to understand. Go sit down and think about and prepar



e yourselves for the purpose for which you were created. Sanctify yourselves - set yourselves apart. Understand the divine purpose for you.

God is setting the nation Israel aside for the purpose for which He created it.Joshua wants them to have an inward readiness to understand the divine viewpoint.

Joshua 3:6-10 And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of thecovenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people. And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will Ibegin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as Iwas with Moses, so I will be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests thatbear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God. And Joshua said,Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will withoutfail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites and all the other ites that dont belong there.

You see all those ites, and well study next week in some detail about who those people were and why they had to be driven out.

There is no question about what is going on here. They are an army that is going to cross that river and go into the Land and take it away from the inhabitants. They are doing it under the command of God.

When they go in, there is going to be a battle, and God Almighty is going to fight for them. They are going to see that the Living God is leading them. He is not some dead god like the golden calves that Aaron made for them and said, These be thy gods, O

Israel, but the Living God. He is not like old Dagon that just sat there and couldnt do anything and fell over and lost his head. Not that god, but the Living God. The Living God is a title God used when He wanted to describe Himself as a God that can get the job done. He can act and can accomplish things. Hes the Living God.

So theyre going to know that the True, Living God is going with them into the Land.

The term The Living God is in contrast with dead gods, idols. The real, Living God - the God of gods - is going into a land that is owned and possessed by idol-worshippers.

Well see that next week when we study about these Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites,Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. But just understand that Israel is going into the Land that is literally the stronghold in the earth of the Sat



anic policy of evil, held by idolatry. They are going into the Land to do battle against the Satanic policy of evil which is against Gods purpose in the earth to establish His throne over the earth. So whats going on here is the beginning - the engaging, if you will - of that issue.

Joshua 3:11-17 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon asthe soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord ofall the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dryground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

They put up some memorials. They take some stones and pile them in the river and place other stones on the land to mark the spot where they did that. Thats the same spot where, later, were going to see that Elijah goes out of the Land. Its the same spot where, centuries later, John the Baptist comes and preaches repentance and baptizes the Lord Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. When Jesus Christ comes back to the Mount of Olives, He will come from the east and go toward the west, and He will cross the Jordan River at this spot. Whats going on here (God's repossession of the earth) will be the issue all the way to the Second Advent.

The issue is demonstrated very clearly in Verses 11 and 13 by the title that isgiven to the Lord in this passage:

Joshua 3:11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.

Joshua 3:13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in t

he waters of Jordan Thats a tremendously important title given to the Lord because that title has to do with His sovereign rule in the earth. In other words, that is a Kingdom or Messianic title that belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 97 is a Second Advent Psalm that looks to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 97:1-5 The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and ju



dgment are the habitation of his throne.

This is the time when the Lord comes back to reign.

Verse 3: A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.

The Second Advent is when He comes " in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God."

Verse 4: His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled.

Revelation 1 says that every eye shall see Him and wail because of Him.

Verse 5: The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presenceof the Lord of the whole earth.

When He comes back to reign, that is His title. Hes the Lord of the whole earth.

Micah 4:1-3 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people [Isaiah 2 says all people] shall flow un

to it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, andthe word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Thats like Isaiah 2, talking about the time when the Kingdom is established.

Micah 4:7 And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.

Micah 4:8b the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.



Joshua is to recognize the purpose that God had. Joshua needed to recognize Godsperspective of the Land of Canaan. It wasnt just a happy land for them to go into; this was a Land where God has something going on.

Well see more about that next time, but you need to understand that whats going on here is God preparing the nation to go into the Land. They go in, and when they get in theyre there to possess the Land of Canaan for the specific purpose for which God had created them. That has to do with establishing His authority in the planet through the instrumentality of a Kingdom thats going to be established on that piece of real estate.

Now, the reason they have to go in and fight is because that Land is being heldby an enemy. Well see the details about that next time because those are the issues of conflict, and we need to be very clear about all that.

Read the book of Joshua for next time.


(Lesson 12)

The last time, we looked at the outline of the book of Joshua which is basically in three parts. In the first five chapters, you have the nation entering into t

he Land. In Chapters 6-12, you have the conquest of the Land. In Chapters 13-24, you have the dividing of the Land among the tribes. In the last two chapters you actually see the exhortation to loyalty in the Land after theyve received their inheritance. So you can divide the book in either three or four sections. Technically, you could have four sections if you divide Chapters 13-24: Chapters 13-22 tell about the dividing of their inheritance; Chapters 23

and 24 show Joshua enjoining them to be loyal when they dwell in the Land. And,of course, they fail.

We saw in the first five chapters the tremendous issue about the Ark of the Cove

nant of the Lord of all the earth leading them into the Land. This is the beginning, in an official way, of God's coming to fulfill His purpose in the nation Israel. Hes with them. The Ark, the semblance of His presence, goes out before them. Theyre not going along with it; its out ahead, leading them. It is brought up to the Jordan River, and the priests step into the brim of the water.

Joshua 3:15-16 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jor



dan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap

Where it stopped flowing is in the vicinity of a city about thirty miles away from their crossing, so this takes a little while. That water quits flowing some thirty miles upstream, and the water below there just goes all the way on down to the Dead Sea. Theres just this great big dry riverbed out there, and the hundreds and thousands of Israelites cross the Jordan. They literally cross the dry riverbed without any water in sight. As the priests stand there in the riverbed, the people proceed across to the other side. They come out on the other side and put up the memorial stones in the river and on the bank over in Gilgal.

Those memorial stones are testimonies to spiritual truth with regard to whats happening.

They are marking the spot where Jesus Christ in His Second Advent will cross the Jordan River to the Mount of Olives which is on the eastern side of Jerusalem.There are a number of important things to note here.

At the end of Chapter 5, we saw Joshua being confronted by the Captain of the Lords host.

Joshua 5:14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come.

This is the Lord Jesus Christ, and He comes as the Captain of the Lords host. That will remind them about Jehovah-nissi, the Lord our Conqueror, back in Exodus 1

7. The Lord is the One who is going to avenge Himself on the Gentiles for theirrebellion. He comes as the Warrior, as I showed you last time in Verse 15:

Joshua 5:15 And the captain of the LORD's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoefrom off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

The issue there about holy ground is that Joshua is to get a divine perspectiveof the Land. Hes not to think of the Land from a human viewpoint, but as the very

Land that God promised Abraham that He would use to accomplish His reconciliation program.

Joshua is to recognize Gods perspective of the Land.

Go back to Genesis 28 and youll see that Jacob recognized that the Land that these people are going into was special. It's very important to understand this issue about the Land. Here the Lord God of all the earth is coming in to repossess t



he earth. The part of the earth Hes going to repossess is this land of Canaan. Theres a reason for that.

Somebody said that war is Gods judgment on sin now, and hell is Gods judgment on sin hereafter. A famous World War II general said that "war is hell." Thats aboutas right as you can get.

There was a demonstration when it was planned to display the Enola Gay in the Smithsonian or wherever it was. The demonstrators represented that the Americans were blood-thirsty aggressors when we dropped those two atomic bombs on Japan. They claimed that the poor little Japanese were willing to surrender, the poor little dudes, and we just went and whipped up on them. Well, you have to be blind in one eye and unable to see out of the other to believe something like that.

They have absolutely no idea what was going on in World War II. The most ferocious fighters that ever lived were the Germans and the Japanese. Those World War Two regimes were so vicious that the decision was made early on, even before we got into the war - and especially after we got into it - by Churchill, Roosevelt

and Stalin that those two regimes had to be utterly and completely destroyed. Unconditional surrender was the only acceptable conclusion. They had to be completely wiped off the face of the earth. I suppose we would have dropped an atomic bomb on the Nazis. Some people said Yeah, we should have done it, there was no reason not to." By the way, we wanted to, but we didnt have them. Did you know that? We only had those two bombs - Fat Man, Little Boy - whatever they called them.We dropped one, and Japan didnt surrender so we dropped another one, and then they surrendered.

But dont think the Germans and Japanese were the most savage fighters; there wasactually a division of the U.S. Army so fierce that, after the war was over, Ele

anor Roosevelt wrote an article in the Saturday Evening Post suggesting that they not be allowed back in the United States for a year. They were such blood-thirsty warriors and so fierce that they needed about a twelve-month cooling off period. They were Americans. The other side didnt have all the fierce warriors; we had ours too. That was a savage war. Thats what war is, folks; I mean, that is what it is! And this planet is run by those who think they are stronger than the other guy, going out to prove they are, and when they prove it, they take over. If you dont understand that, you just dont understand human history. You can dream about Utopia, but there isnt going to be any until Jesus comes.

This book demonstrates the reason that God sends Joshua in, and its critical to s

ee why the conflict took place like it did. Joshua is a pivotal point in understanding the setting for the rest of your Old Testament Scriptures about what God's purpose is in this land of Palestine, the land of Canaan.

Genesis 28:10-16 And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. Andhe lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on



the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, Iam the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as thedust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for Iwill not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. AndJacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.

Jacob is coming to understand the importance of the Land to the Lord; its Gods place.

Genesis 28:17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

You see, Jacob recognized that that Land is where God is going to live, and he recognized that it was the gate of heaven; the means of God communicating with the earth and establishing His will in the earth. Its the Command Center of the government of God. So, when Joshua meets the Captain out here in Joshua 5, He says: Take off your shoe. This is holy ground. Joshua had to be reminded. You remember that the same thing happened to Moses back in Exodus 3. Well study in a later lesson that when someone was told in Leviticus to remove his shoe, the reason for it was that he had failed in an obligation.

In Ruth 4, when a man cant redeem, he takes off his shoe. Its a demonstration of a failure to meet an obligation. Moses had failed in recognizing what God was doi

ng. If its holy ground just in the sense of the righteousness of God being there, you wouldnt take your shoes off. Your shoes are made of animal skins; the shedding of blood would be between your flesh and the holy ground. Thats what you would want there. Taking your shoes off is a recognition of failure. They didnt recognize the value of what God was doing in that Land, and Joshua is being instructed and rebuked about it here: Hey, it isn't about the Lord's being on your side but your being on His side and understanding what He is doing.

In Chapter 6, they begin the conquest.

In Chapters 6-8, they come into the central part of the Land.

In Chapters 9 and 10, they mount the campaign in the south.

In Chapter 11, they go north.

They begin the conquest of the Land in Chapter 6 with Jericho. The conquest cont



inues all the way to Chapter 12. When you get to Chapter 13, they basically go in and conquer the Land.

In Chapter 12, the issue is taking the Land. The Captain, the Lord, is going tobe the military leader. Hes going to be Jehovah-nissi, the Lord going out and fighting and conquering for them.

Youll see in the margin notes of your Bible that Jehovah-nissi is often translated The Lord, Our Banner. A banner doesnt mean much to us today because fighting is no longer done that way. The idea is that the army would go out with their insignia out ahead, leading them. That banner was leading the charge. The Lord was the One that was going out ahead to lead and avenge His people against their enemy.

You have to understand in these passages why Canaan is the Land that God is willing to go out and fight for. He doesnt fight for Egypt. He doesnt fight for SaudiArabia. He doesnt fight for the Sinai Peninsula. He doesnt fight for the United States, but He fights for Canaan. Theres a reason.

In Chapter 12, youll notice the names of these kings.

Joshua 12:1 Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of thesun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east:

He lists all these names down through the chapter. Look at the long list of kings and peoples that they dispossessed. They didnt just dispossess them, folks, they murdered them. They went in with the mandate that they should utterly destroythem.

Go back to Chapter 6, and notice Verse 21, about the conquest of Jericho: Joshua 6:21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

People say, Oh, they were brutal to kill the women and the kids. This is not a surgical strike; this is a scorched-earth policy. You go in, and you kill everybody.

Joshua 8:26 For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.



Joshua 9:24 And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing.

Moses said to go kill them all, and theyre coming in to do it. Back in Chapter 1, you see where he said: Keep my commandments. One of the commandments was to gokill everybody in the Land. Go up there and take that Land. You dont conquer it;you dont get them to surrender. Its unconditional surrender after you have slaughtered everybody, and dont leave one person alive. Kill the men, young and old; kill the women; kill the kids. Wipe them all out. Can you understand why somebody would think that the God of the Old Testament was a savage, barbaric, blood-thirsty God? They dont understand why God gave this command, but youll see why He did in a minute.

Theres something going on here that you need to understand. Hes coming in to possess the Land and wipe out the inhabitants.

Joshua 10:1 Now it came to pass, when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem had heard ho

w Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it

Joshua 10:28 And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed, them, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain:

Joshua 10:35 And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day,

Joshua 10:37 And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and theking thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining,

Joshua 10:39-40 So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south,and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded.So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly de

stroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded.

Notice that Joshua is doing exactly what God had told him to do.

Joshua 11:11 And they smote all the souls that were therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them: there was not any left to breathe.



Joshua 11:18-21 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. There was nota city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle. For it was of the LORD to hardentheir hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroythem, as the LORD commanded Moses. And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities.

Joshua 11:23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD saidunto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.

Now, its important to understand that all that happened as theyre going in to possess the Land and to take it from the satanic policy of evil. To understand why they are doing all that, you have to go back and understand what God commanded Mo

ses.

Genesis 15:13-18 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed

have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

In Verses 18-22, He gives him the perimeters of the Land. We saw the exact sameperimeters in Chapter 1. Notice Verse 16 again. Its going to be four generationsbefore they come out of Egypt. If you check Exodus, Chapter 6:16-20, youll see that its been four generations when Moses shows up. But notice why: For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

Now, its interesting to note in Daniel, Chapter 8, that the iniquity is brought to the full over there.

But in the passage here, theres some iniquity that hasnt come to a completion yet. It hadnt come all the way to the place of fruition. When He brings Israel out of Egypt, then they are to go into that Promised Land. Of course, they get sidetracked in the wilderness, but theres an iniquity in that land of Canaan that has fully-developed, and God wants it destroyed. Joshua is to take Israel in there and



wipe it out.

Exodus 22:20 He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.

Now, think about this for a second: if he said to utterly destroy a bunch of people, who were they supposed to utterly destroy as Moses commanded? People who worshipped some god other than the Lord - a bunch of idol-worshippers.

Exodus 23:23-24 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto theAmorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.

Do you see the issue there? Its to destroy this system of idolatry that these peo

ple had set up. You see, these nations that were possessing the land of Canaan at that time were literally special instruments in the hands of Satan to perpetuate the alienation of that Land from the purpose, program and blessings of God.

Gods intention was to use that Land as the seat of His authority. Satan filled that Land with a special group of people who propagated his policy of evil against God, who corrupted that Land, who possessed that Land and perpetuated his policy of evil in order to keep God from possessing and using it as the seat of authority for His government on the earth. Theres a battle going on to win back the Land.

Exodus 34:11 Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

Those are all the nations inhabiting the land of Canaan.

Exodus 34:12-17 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabit

ants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee; But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, andthey go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons goa whoring after their gods. Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.



Youve got to get rid of the people who are in the Land lest they corrupt Israel.Come to the book of Deuteronomy. Theres a very clear passage about what Moses isto do: utterly destroy them. Moses told them to get rid of all this idolatry and the people who were sustaining the satanic policy of evil.

Deuteronomy 13:12-15 If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying, Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you; Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroyingit utterly,

Do you see whom they were to destroy? The sons of Belial. Belial is a title. The name means a vile, worthless one. Its one of the names of Satan. Its one of the names that expresses a doctrine about him. He is vile and worthless; hes the wicked one (2

Thessalonians 2:8); that Wicked [one] is the title there. Its a reference to thepeople who propagate the satanic policy of evil against the purpose of God. Look back to Chapter 12

and see Gods attitude about it.

Deuteronomy 12:29-30 When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;

Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they

be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

The multiculturalism wouldnt work. Do you see that? When I was over in Hawaii, we took a tour of Oahu. They were showing us these places, and theyd say, Before the missionaries came, we were so happy and we had all this

Well, before the missionaries came, they were a bunch of savages, just running around in the jungle killing each other. They wouldnt tell you that. The missionari

es made us put on clothes. Well, how terrible that is! They made us stop killing and eating each other. They deboned Captain Cook; you know all the legends.

They say that in our country about the "native Americans." Who in the world is a "native American"? They say, The Indians, before the Europeans came. Well, who was here before they were? Was there anybody here when they showed up?



You understand, folks, somebody is always taking ground away from somebody else.

You know that. You have to struggle to pay your rent to keep somebody from throwing you out of your place, dont you? Thats just the way life is.

Everybody is so worried about their cultural background and all that business. We live in a really weird country. America got its greatness from being a melting pot. Do you know that? Where did the Indians come from? Dont they say they traveled across the Bering Straits from Asia and came over here? Well, they were immigrants, too, werent they? You think about that. Where did everybody come from? They all immigrated.

The melting pot where everybody contributes that which is good and wholesome and helpful has been one of our great strengths, but the thing that allowed that was the gospel and the freedom and liberty it brings.

When Israel was going in to take Canaan, they were not going in with a social welfare program to honor the multiculturalism of the nations around about them. God warns them: If you get in that land and you don't destroy those people, youre g

oing to get into trouble. To prevent that, wipe them all out. Burn up their libraries, and get rid of all the remembrances.

Deuteronomy 12:31-32 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Dont you add to it or leave anything out. Hes talking about wiping these people out because their idolatry is something God hates.

You see, the land of Palestine - the land of Canaan - that land was the seat ofthe satanic policy of evil in the earth.

Deuteronomy 7:1 When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites,

and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;

When you see any nations in your Old Testament that have the ending ites, they are the special instruments of the satanic policy of evil to alienate the land of Canaan from God and to perpetuate blindness in the nation Israel. Satans purpose is to possess that land.



Do you remember that guy in Mark 5 that had all the demons?

Mark 5:9 And he [Christ] asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

Christ said: Im going to throw you out, and they said: Cast us into pigs. Do youremember why he said that? Dont cast us out of the Land. Throw us into pigs. We dont care about that, just dont cast us out of the Land. Why? Because their job was in the Land, to possess the Land and to hold the Land so that Israel, as Gods instrument, couldnt come in and repossess it.

God's purpose with Israel as they go into the Land under Joshua, is for them togo in and throw out the satanic policy of evil and those nations that are the instruments of it, repossessing the Land and establishing God's throne in it.

Numbers 33:51-53 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye a

re passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: And yeshall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it.

They were to dispossess the inhabitants of the Land. They were to go in there and take the land away from the people that were in there and then they were to dwell in it. When God is going to restore His authority, Hes going to do it in twoways:

1. Hes going to take out of it the instruments of the satanic policy of evil.

2. Hes going to put in it His people, the nation Israel.

They were to remove the Gentiles and replace them with the nation Israel. Joshua is bringing the nation Israel right into the satanic stronghold in the earth. God is literally taking the battle to Satan as they go in.

Now, that reminds me to say to you that, in Revelation 12, the armies of heavencome, and they make war with Satan and his angels and cast them out of heaven. Do you remember that? And, neither was their place found any more in heaven. He throws them out and then Hes going to put us into those places; just like Hes going to take the earth away from the Gentiles and give it to Israel.

The reconciliation program is two-fold:



, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land tobe possessed.

There is more land promised than what they possessed, and yet Joshua 11:23 saysthey took the whole Land. Well, they took it, but they hadnt possessed it all yet. There was more promised to Abraham than they ever actually possessed. They got all the Land that that generation was going to get.

Sometimes people like to make out that there is a mistake here. Look at Chapter21.

Theres much more land to be possessed.

Joshua 21:43-45 And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: andthere stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.

There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.

Now, when he says He gave them all the Land, you have to understand that they didnt possess every piece of land at that moment that God had given to Abraham. Howmuch land did God promise Abraham? From the Mediterranean over to the River Euphrates.

(Genesis 15, Joshua 1); from Lebanon all the way down to the Nile River in Egypt. They never got all that Land.

These people went in and just got Canaan, and yet he says, all the land which hesware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it. They go in and get Canaan. The reason He said, in Joshua 13:1, that theres a whole lot more land to be possessed than this, and yet He can say: Ive given it all to you, is that when Godsent Israel into the Land, the understanding was very clear (from Exodus 23) that they were going to go in and get a foothold in the Land. Then the next generation was expected to go out and to possess more of the Land, and the next generation was to go and possess more of the Land. There was to be a progressive possessing of the land. It didnt happen all at one whack. They came in and took the heart of it, and they were to go out and - in faith -

possess the rest of the Land. It was to be the next generations responsibility to go and finish the job, as it were.

Joshuas generation did its job; now the next generation needs to come and do theirs, but they unfortunately fail. For example:



Exodus 23:27-30 I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. I will not drive them out frombefore thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.

The land is going to be repossessed progressively, stage by stage by stage. Why? God wants the Land to be taken care of. In Leviticus 26, the captivity comes because the Land had not enjoyed its Sabbaths. This Land is important to God. Joshua had to learn that at the beginning. You guys are going in and possess the Land. The Land is the issue.

There are all those passages over there in Isaiah where it talks about the Landbeing married to the Lord. The Land is important to God, not just the people inthe Land, but the Land itself, too.

Theyre going to go in and possess it little by little. He says: Dont go in and wha

ck everybody with one whack because nobody will take care of the land. There arent enough of you to fill it all up yet, so Im not going to drive them all out in one year so that it becomes desolate and the beasts of the field multiply against thee. Im going to put this generation in and they can take what they can handle. Then you raise up the next generation and they can take some more, and little by little, stage by stage, were going to get it.

Exodus 23:31-33 And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea ofthe Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee. Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell

in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.

You go into the Land, keep the Covenant, and raise up the next generation. If they keep the Covenant, they'll get more of the Land, and I'll fill the whole Land with you. It's going to take some time.

So, when you come to the end of the book of Joshua, Chapters 23 and 24, Joshua and Israel recognize that they went in and possessed the land initially, and they

got all that they were going to get, but the next generation had the responsibility to possess more of the Land. So, what do they need to be? The next generation needs to be faithful. They need to be loyal. They need to be people who are in the faith and keep the Covenant.

In Chapters 23 and 24, you see that the last advice Joshua gives them is to be loyal.



Joshua gives a charge to the following generation. He recognizes that the seedsof rebellion are already there. Theyre going to fail, and theyre not going to make it, and there are going to be some problems. He actually predicts these thingsand lays it out for them:

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

Joshua 16:10 And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but theCanaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.

They dont drive them all out. Its only going to be by the Second Advent, when Jehovah-nissi comes Himself, personally, that theyll ever get all that God promised them.

Christ, when He returns, takes the same circuit that Joshua and Israel should have run in taking the Land. He takes it and then divides it to them. One day, they are going to receive the Land based on the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thats why the Second Advent is described, over and over, as the events that took place in Joshua because the purpose will be fulfilled over there.

Joshua 23:14-16 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failedof all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof. Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God p

romised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD

your God hath given you. When ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.

They have a choice: They can keep the Covenant and get the blessings (in the contract of Deuteronomy 28), or they can break the Covenant, and theyll get the curses of Leviticus 26 that they contracted for.

Joshua understands that there are the seeds of rebellion. Joshua, like Moses inDeuteronomy 32 to 34, predicts Israels failure. He is literally saying to them: You know that when you fail that first course of judgment is going to come. Thatevil, as Leviticus 26 says, will come.



Now, next time well come to the book of Judges. Youll see that first course of judgment fall on them.

In the book of Joshua, Israel goes into the Land; the Lord God of all the earthis with them. The spiritual issue here is that He is coming to repossess and establish His purpose in the earth through Israel.

The repossession program: Go in, take the Gentiles out, put Gods people in and then fill up the Land through faithfulness. Thats exactly what is going to happen in the Kingdom. Jesus Christ is going to come back, destroy the satanic policy of evil, headed up in the antichrist. He will throw him in the lake of fire, put Satan in the bottomless pit, establish His own nation in the earth, and then that nation is going to go out and fill up the whole earth with His glory. In Joshua, we see the beginning of it.


(Lesson 13)

The book of Judges has 21 chapters, 618 verses and 18,976 words. Its the next history book after Joshua.

Judges 1:1 Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of I

srael asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?

Judges is just like the beginning of the book of Joshua.

Joshua 1:1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua.

Joshua connects with Deuteronomy and then Judges connects with Joshua. What youare seeing is the next step in the life of Israel. Theyve crossed over Jordan and gone in and possessed the Land under Joshua. Then Joshua gives the charge to the new generation, the next generation of people who will be in the Land. We looked at Joshua 23 and 24

last time about he gave them the charge that they were now to go and be faithful like their fathers had been. So you begin the book of Judges there. But that is just about where the similarity ends because there is a great contrast between



Judges 18:31 And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

The Tabernacle was in Shiloh at the time.

Judges 20:27 And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days).

Youll see that the book was written after the Ark had been in Shiloh. Theres a time element there: the Ark is there, and thats later. Look at the very last verse in the book: Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

That passage is found four times in the book of Judges.

Judges 19:1 And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, Judges 18:1 In those days there was no king in Israel:

Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel;

The idea is that if the writer of Judges is telling you that there wasnt any king, well, if Israel didnt have any king when the book was written, there wouldnt have been any reason to write that. In other words, the idea was when it was written things were different back then than when the book was written. So, evidentlythe book was written after the reign of King Saul. But its also written before the reign of King David.

Judges 1:21 And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.

In other words, when the book of Judges was written the Jebusites were still living in a part of the city of Jerusalem.

1 Chronicles 11: 4-5 And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the cast



le of Zion, which is the city of David.

David put the Jebusites out. So, when Judges was written, evidently the kings were already there the first king is Saul but the Jebusites still dwelt in Jerusalem. When David came upon the scene he ran them out of Jerusalem. So, the indication would be then that the book of Judges would have been written after the beginning of the kings but before David.

Now, theres only one king before David, and thats Saul. The logical person to have written the book, in that case, would have been Samuel. Samuel is the last of the judges but he is also the man who anoints the first two kings of Israel. Hes the connection between the judges and the kings. So, the indication is and the idea is generally presented that Samuel wrote the book.

You need to understand the name Judges doesnt mean a judge like in the court system in the United States. You know about some of those judges: Samson, everybodyknows the story about Gideon. They were judges in Israel. What a judge is, the name literally means a correcting ruler. The Hebrew word means to put something rig

ht and then to rule it.

The judges were rulers, individuals whom the Lord was with, whom He raised up at different points of time well see how that goes as we study the book to put things right in Israel. They never ruled over the whole nation. They were local rulers. They never ruled over Israel like a king did but they were men who brought about deliverance for the nation against their oppressors. Were going to see a series of oppressions in the book where enemies come in and oppress them and the judge rises up literally as a deliverer of the nation.

There are thirteen judges in the book of Judges. Youll read some books and commentaries that will tell you that there are twelve. Some books tell you there are thirteen. The reason they do that is because they argue about one of them Abimelech in Chapter 9. The reason they argue about him is that he is a usurper. God raised up and sent twelve of these judges. The thirteenth is a usurper. Now, thatwould fit. Twelve is the right number. Thirteen is the number of rebellion - Genesis 14 weve already studied that. Abimelech is obviously a great type of the antichrist. There are thirteen of them but one is not God-sent man. Hes a usurper who demonstrates the problems in Israel.

The key verse: Joshua 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

That verse is repeated in Chapter 17, Verse 6, verbatim. Youll see it in essencein Chapter 18, Verse 1 and Chapter 19, Verse 1. When you come to the end of thebook the writer says this book demonstrates that the spiritual condition in Israel at this time is that there was no ruler and well see later on why that is important but every man does that which is right in his own eyes. That refers to Cha



The book begins with Israel fighting their enemy but by the time you get over here to the end theyre fighting each other. Theyve quit fighting the enemy and theyve gone fighting and squabbling among themselves. Theyre a complete failure from the beginning to the end. There is a complete refusal of the nation to be restored.

If you go back to Chapter 2, you should notice the cycle that goes through here. These cycles are very important to follow. Theres a pattern laid out for you here in Chapter 2, Verses16-19.

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

So you start off with a cycle of them being delivered.

Judges 2:17-18 And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so. And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: Now, the Lord would have been with the tribe and delivered them if they had wanted Him to, but the tribe didnt want Him. Ii is significant that the Lord is just with the judge.

In other words, the Lord is with the judge to demonstrate to the nation that ifthey were on the Lords side and were faithful, that He would deliver them.

Judges 1:18b-19 for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason ofthem that oppressed them and vexed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, infollowing other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.

So, what happened? Theres a cycle that goes through here. First, they sin. They get off in disobedience and idolatry. Then He chastens them and they suffer. This chastening is in the form of oppression. Well see that the enemy comes in and oppresses them. Then after their rebellion and their sins The God takes retributio

n off them and chastens them for what theyre doing. What theyll do is confess their sins. The judge will come in and lead them in confessing and their supplications and their repentance. Theyll cry unto the Lord for help. When they cry, then the Lord will deliver them. Then therell be deliverance, restitution and salvation. After that theyll have rest until the time that the judge dies. When the judgedies, then theyll go right out and sin again.

You really have a circle and it starts out with being in rest, then the blessing



, then they disobey, they go out whoring after other gods, they forsake the Lord and rejuvenate the Baal worship, and the Lord chastens them for their disobedience and punishes them.

Then they confess and then He delivers them with a judge and they have rest. Each time they do that, theyre stepping further and further down.

There are six major cycles of downward steps. Well see next time as we study thepassage. There are six servitudes that they go through, six major steps down inwhich those twelve good judges fit.

But this cycle: sin, chastening, confession, deliverance and blessing; back to sin, chastening, confession, deliverance and blessing. That cycle of sin, suffering, confession, supplication, salvation and blessing is exactly the cycle that Leviticus 26 describes that is going to come on them.

What happens when they sin, the chastening that they are going to experience, is going to be the first course in Leviticus 26. Theyre going to get it seven times

. They get that chastening, then theyll confess, and just like Leviticus says, Hell deliver them. Hell have mercy on them, restore and bless them and then they goand sin again worse than when they started. That cycle just repeats itself overand over between Chapters 3 and 16. It lays out a history for Israel and it shows Gods mercy and His graciousness to them in trying to get them to restore themselves but their hard-heartedness in refusing to do so.

Lets go back to Chapter 1 and come down through Chapters 1 and 2 tonight. When you start in Chapters 1 and 2, you see the thing that brings you to the point where the chastening begins.

Judges 1:1-2 Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.

Now, thats a good beginning. It sounds great. They go to the Lord, they go to the Tabernacle and take Urim and the Thummim with them and they ask of the Lord who shall go up and the Lord tells them that Judah will go up. Thats just like Joshua had told them it would be. And so, they start out. Theyve got a good beginning.

Judges 1:3 And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot,that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee intothy lot. So Simeon went with him.

If you remember back in Joshua 19, Judah and Simeon are right there together in



Now, why couldnt Judah drive out the inhabitants of the valley? There wouldnt be but one reason: thats his rebellion against God. If the Lord was with him, could he have driven them out? If he had gone, he could have. He said he couldnt drive them out because they had chariots of iron. Their military strength scared him off.

You see, these people were just like those spies were back in Numbers 13 and 14. They went in and spied out the land and said: The people are too big for us. Theyre too strong for us. Its a wonderful place but we cant do it.

You have the same kind of situation and attitude here.

Judges 1:21 And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites.

Verse 27: Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and her towns.

Verse 29: Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer.

Verse 30: Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron.

Verse 31: Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho,

Verse 33: Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, Youve got one continuous record after another for the rest of Chapter 1 of failure to drive out the enemy. What happened is that that human viewpoint and those seeds of rebellion that were there began to take root and spread to all these other tribes.

Judges 2:1 And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I swareunto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.

God brought them out of Egypt, made the Covenant with them, made the contract, Judges 2:2-5 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but theyshall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. Andit came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. And they called

the name of that place Bochim [means weeping]: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD.

They dont go in. They arent winning and they fail.

By the way, back in Joshua 5, Gilgal is an important place. Remember that is whe



re Joshua met the Angel of the Lord, the Captain of the Lords host. Gilgal was Joshuas military headquarters for his campaigns in the book of Joshua. Gilgal is where Joshuas strength was. It was the center of his military operations. It is where his camp was. Did you notice in Verse 1 where the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal? He was in Gilgal and they were in Bochem. Theyre losing. Theyre not winning any more. What should they have done?

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: (Isaiah 55:6).

They arent seeking the Lord. He comes seeking them. Instead of them having the spiritual perception to go seek the Lord, God has to come after them. He indicts them.

He says: You werent supposed to make a league with the inhabitants of the Land. You were supposed to throw down their altars and you havent done that.

Judges 3:6 And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daugh

ters to their sons, and served their gods.

Theyve intermarried and made leagues with them and have begun to serve their gods.

Theyve compromised with the people in the Land rather than going in. Their fathers

generation destroyed the people and took the Land that they were given and now the new generation is to expand and go out and take more of it.

Ill show you next week why He didnt wipe them all out at one time. But, instead of going out and taking that next step of faith of reclaiming more of the Land like they were supposed to they go out and make leagues and compromise and fall into failure. So, He indicts them.

It is good to see in Verses 4 and 5, He says: You havent obeyed My Covenant. They respond to the indictment by weeping. Somebody said, They moved from winning inGilgal to weeping in Bochem. But, unfortunately there is no true change of hearthere as we read the rest of the chapter for we see that this attitude doesnt last

. Do you remember that John the Baptist said: Repent and be baptized and bring fruits meet for repentance?

It was always the case in Israel that they had to bring fruits that demonstrated their repentance. And, they dont do that.

Youre going to get a little review now. From here on to the end of Chapter 2, itssort of a little capsule picture of the whole book of Judges.



Judges 2:6-9 And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel wentevery man unto his inheritance to possess the land. And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua,who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance

Now, the old generation is passing away.

Judges 2:10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

The old generation had obeyed the Lord but they hadnt won their children to faith. They hadnt taught their children the doctrine like Deuteronomy 6 said they were

to do.

Consequently, when the new generation came up, they werent people who walked by faith in a confidence in what God had done for Israel. So, they knew not the Lord. That doesnt mean that they didnt know about Him, it means that they didnt know Him in the sense that they were converted and had faith resting in Him.

Judges 2:11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:

I want you to notice that expression: And the children of Israel did evil in thesight of the LORD. As you read through the book of Judges you want to mark the verses that say that. Six times that expression is repeated in the book of Judges. There are six servitudes that are brought upon the nation Israel by Jehovah Himself, all of them in relationship to that statement. So, when you read through Judges this week, mark in your Bible the verses that repeat that.

Judges 2:11-13 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people

that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

I said to you last time as we were studying Joshua the reason that God wanted all these nations destroyed was that they were the stronghold of the Satanic policy of evil against Gods purpose in the earth through Israel. Joshua and his generation went in and took care of it and were faithful and they pressed the battle,but the next generation didnt press the battle. They compromised instead of destr



oying these people, they went out and intermarried with them, went out and joined their churches, went out and made leagues and and compacts and military alliances with them and social compacts. What happened is that Israel, who was to be the separated nation in the earth, became amalgamated with them.

Judges 2:14-15 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.

Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, asthe LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.

Come back with me to Leviticus 26:14. The Lord had sworn unto them that He was going to do this to them. This is the first cycle of judgment.

Leviticus 26:14-17 But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these

commandments; And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart:

The first thing is that I am going to inflict you personally with illness and disease. But not only is He going to inflict them personally but He is going to inflict the nation as a whole.

and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.

Youre going to be filled with terror and fear, as He speaks about them being greatly distressed. The spoilers are going to come in and take your stuff from you,take the fruit of your ground. Youre going to work and raise a crop and theyre going to come in and take it away from you. Your enemies are going to come in and rule over you and you are going to see a series of oppressions where the enemiescome in and take you over.

Youre going to see that the Lord raises up these oppressors and sends the enemy in and causes these people to take over. Whithersoever they went out, the hand ofthe LORD

was against them for evil.



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

In other words, the Lord takes this Gentile guy and says: Here, Ill sell them toyou for awhile, like you own them, let you possess them, let you work them, letthem be your slaves. Why did He do that? Thats what He said He was going to do to them in that first course of judgment.

Now, theres something back there in Leviticus that I want you to notice. Why didHe put that chastening on them?

Leviticus 26:18 And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.

Why did He put that first course of judgment on them? Because He wanted them to

hearken to Him. And He said: If you dont get the message and hearken to Me, thenIm going to put the second course on you.

Youll see at the end of the book of Judges theyre ready for the second one because they didnt hear. I want you to understand that the reason for the judgment, forthe chastening, and the reason for the anger of the Lord wasnt just so He could whack them in the head, it was to bring them to repentance, bring them to restoration, bring them to correction.

Thats why its called chastening.

Notice in Judges Chapter 2 in that line of thinking how that the Lords graciousness is involved in all of this. His mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

Judges 2:16-18 Nevertheless

(Nevertheless, in other words, in spite of the fact that Hes going to send the chastening on them.)

the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly outof the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD;but they did not so.

And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and d



elivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.

See, the Lord had pity on them and He had mercy on them.

Judges 2:19-22 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they continued to serve God because of His great mercy to them. No.

that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; I alsowill not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died: That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.

The whole issue is to keep the Covenant and if you dont Im going to put the judgment on you to provoke you into getting right. God uses that chastening process. What were going to see, next time in Judges 3-16, is the constant movement of these oppressions.

I want you to read Judges this week and as you do, notice the six places where He says that Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. There are six oppressors that God brings on Israel. Then there are six major judges there are twelve judges but there are six major deliverances where the Lord does what He says.

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

Verse 11: And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD,

Six times that statement occurs.

Verse 14: And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them.

Youre going to read that six times.



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

Six times youre going to read that.

The punishments, the servitudes, the oppressions, you want to notice carefully,were brought by the Lord Himself on them. They werent something that just happened but were brought as the chastening.

If the proper sequel to the book of Joshua had occurred it would have been a history of spiritual progress: Israel going out and possessing more of the Land, driving enemies out.

But the actual history that youre going to read here is one of failure to go on in the purpose of God.

Theres an interesting parallel between that and what were studying in the book ofHebrews, by the way. Hebrews 6 talks about going on, going on. Thats always the issue with Israel and theyre always going on until Christ comes back and the Kingdom is established.

Maybe that will help you to perceive something of He that endureth to the end shall be saved. Theres this continuation and purpose that God has in Israel in restoring the whole earth and the job for them is not brought to fruition until they have accomplished that.

For next week I need you to read the book of Judges. Try to read all twenty-onechapters, if you can, at one sitting.

.


(Lesson 14)

Last time I gave you a preliminary outline of the book of Judges. Tonight, I want to look at the middle section of the book and talk about some of the things in it.



The outline of the book is basically in three parts. The first two chapters deal with the failure of the nation. They fail to conquer the Land, and they fail to obey the Law. You see there the failure to master the sin question. Theres an explanation of that failure in Chapters 1 and 2.

In Chapters 3-16, you see the judgments they suffered. You see the first cycle of judgment proceeding on the nation Israel. You see the judges.

In Chapters 17-21, you see some illustrations of the lawless conditions that existed in Israel during the time of the judges. So, you start out with an explanation of Israel's spiritual condition . Weve already studied that in some detail. Then you see the fall of that first cycle of judgment, and then when you get to the end of the book, he gives you some illustrations of what the conditions werelike during that period of time in which the judges were involved.

Chapter 2 is basically the summation of what happens in the rest of the book. (I showed you this in some detail last time.)

Judges 2:11-15 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoplethat were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands ofspoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whithers

oever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.

Thats a reference back to Leviticus 26 where the Lord had sworn He would do those things. They had covenanted with Him that if they went after other gods and didnt keep the Covenant they had made with Him, that He would afflict them with punishment and judgment. Part of it was that enemies would come against them. Do you remember He said that they wouldnt enjoy the labor of their own hands and that they would be afflicted, and so forth? Thats exactly what begins to happen.

I want you to see in Verse 15 that whats going to happen is just as the Lord hadsworn unto them.

Judges 2:16-19 Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them outof the hand of those that spoiled them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto th



em: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so. And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD

was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all thedays of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.

Thats a picture of whats going to happen, and the rest of the book is just going to detail it for you. It will give you illustration after illustration, and factafter fact of the history of how God dealt with them. Hed raise up a judge and deliver them because of their crying, but they wouldnt hearken. Back there in Leviticus, He said: Ill send this judgment, and if you dont hearken, if you dont pay attention to it, then Ill put the next one on you. What youll see in the book of Judges is how they continue to do that.

Theres a cycle in Leviticus 26: They sin and violate the Covenant and go after ot

her gods; God chastens them - He punishes them and brings the judgment upon them. That judgment rests upon them until they cry out to the Lord and confess their failures and sins, and when they do that, He restores them. In Judges, youre going to learn how these cycles work. Youre going to see Israels failure through compromise. Theres a lot of tremendous spiritual truth to learn in the book of Judges.

In the first two chapters, the lack of a complete mastery of evil at the outsetmeans constant trouble afterwards. Often it means defeat in the end. Thats exactly what happened with Israel. They dont possess the Land; they dont conquer the nations; they dont throw the Gentiles out; they dont get rid of the Baal worship. The

y compromise with it, and the result is that they fail.

All their failures are designed to bring those cycles of judgment along. Every time a cycle comes, they go down; and when they recover, they never get back to their former position. They go down, and the next time they come back up they are not as high as before. Its just a constant progression downward.

In fact, there are some six stages that they go through during this first cycleof judgment.

The Lord judges them and then they have the opportunity of hearing and hearkening to Him through a judge, and He waits to see if they will listen, but they dont. Then He judges them again, and this process continues through this whole period.

In Judges you learn that in these oppressions the punishment God sends is not just to get even; its corrective. Hes trying to correct them, so He sends judgment a



The "rest" is the rest that God had promised they would have in Canaan. The Canaan rest is a type of the Millennial Kingdom rest, and they experience it for forty years.

Judges 3:12 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD:So, after forty years, what do they do? Do you see the pattern? They learn the lesson, but they dont pass the lesson on to the next generation. A new group of people come on the scene, and the lesson hasnt been passed on to them.

And what do they do? They dont naturally serve the Lord. They naturally go out and serve the flesh; they serve the religious system. And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD. There is this Satanic policy of evil in the Land there thats working constantly to corrupt Israel.

Judges 3:12 and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, bec

ause they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees. So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.

And so God chastens them, and there is no question that God brings this chastening onto them.

Judges 3:15 But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised

them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.

Now God raises up Ehud, a left-handed man, and he is going to deliver Israel. God is going to use him and his cunning and his wisdom (even in his weakness - being lefthanded) to deliver the nation Israel. God begins to restore them by thisprocess.

Judges 3:16-17 But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges [a two-edged sword

], of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh. And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man.

That reminds me to say that throughout the book of Judges, there is this conflict between the Satanic policy of evil to corrupt Israel, and God is teaching Israel through these lessons not to go after other gods. There are many things in the book of Judges that are prophetic pictures doctrinally and dispensationally. E



glon is a type of the antichrist here.

By the way, Eglon was a very fat man.

(Job 15:27, a reference to the antichrist, talks about his being a fat fellow. The antichrist is going to be about 40 pounds overweight when he shows up. Thats one of those little details that you find scattered throughout the Word of God.)

You remember that the antichrist is going to be wounded by a sword, as we learnback there in Zechariah 11:

Zechariah 11:17 Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.

If youre going to strike at somebody youre going to try to get his right eye. If a

guy comes swinging at you, a right-handed fellow would come at him one way, and a lefthanded guy would swing from the other direction. (This is how you learn things in your Bible.) I wouldnt teach this as something that you had to believe absolutely without question, but the indication is that when the antichrist is hit by that sword, its going to be a left-handed man that hits him and wounds him unto death. You have a picture of it back here in Judges.

Judges 3:18-27 And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present. But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him. And Ehud came unto h

im; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. AndEhud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat. And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly: And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out. Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them. When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber. And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlour; therefore they took a key, and opened them: and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead onthe earth. And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries,and escaped unto Seirath.

And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them.

Like the Second Coming - they come down with the victory.



Judges 3:28-30 And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over. And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man. So Moab was subdued that day under the handof Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.

Now, that was a great victory that God gave to him in order to demonstrate the power that Israel would have to be what He called them to be in the Land if theywould respond properly to Him.

Judges 3:31:31 And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.

So, there was a time when they had some good men leading them. They hearkened, and they had the victory, but when you come to Chapter 4, the same thing goes onagain: Judges 4:1 And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the

LORD, when Ehud was dead.

Youre going to find that over and over and over again. By the way, this next judge is a woman.

Judges 4:4 And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.

Now, Israel is in a pretty sad shape when they have women running them. That demonstrates frankly the spiritual condition theyve gotten in to because God had given leadership positions, and the men werent taking them up. There is a verse over in Isaiah 3 about women being rulers. Thats not putting women down - thats saying that the men arent doing their job, and they arent being who they ought to be. God raises up this woman, what Peter calls the weaker vessel.

For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. Youll see that these judges are weak, insignificant, and seem out-of-place. Youll see that repeatedly through the book o

f Judges.

The important thing is not the people, but it's God using them in what He is doing.

Now, this situation involving Deborah and Sisera, in Chapter 5, in the first 20



verses, is a great type of the Second Advent of Christ. Again, God gives Israela great deliverance.

They go through the same cycle: they sin, He chastens them, they confess and then He gives them a great deliverance and rest. The deliverance, as we look back,turns out to involve the things that you find in here. You see Sisera is one ofthe main types of the antichrist in the Bible. As you go down through Chapter 5, youll notice, for example, in Verse 4:

Judges 5:4 LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water.

Thats Isaiah 63. Thats the route of the Second Advent.

Judges 5:5 The mountains melted from before the LORD, even that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel.

That didnt happen back in Exodus. Thats something thats going to happen in the future. As you go on through that passage, youll see the deliverance that God gives.

Judges 5:19-20 The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money. They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.

Do you know when a battle is going to take place in Megiddo? Do you know where Megiddo is? Youve heard of the Battle of Armageddon, havent you? Well, thats where that battle takes place. Do you know how theyre going to fight over there at the Battle of Armageddon? The armies of heaven are going to come down and fight there.

Isaiah says that the Lord is going to pass over them as a bird flies. Back there in Samuel, when David hears the "going" in the mulberry trees, Isaiah 28 says is what is going to take place over there in the Valley of Megiddo at the Battleof Armageddon.

Later on, the prophets refer back to these things, and you see that what went on back there is whats going to happen in the future. Theres a lot going on in the book of Judges that you can learn from. You should study future events in the context of what God is telling Israel.

What happens in the Tribulation is really just the culmination of what the battl



e has been from the beginning when God first brought Israel into the Land. The whole issue has been Gods purpose in Israel and the Satanic policy to destroy that.

Judges 6:1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD

delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.

Youre going to see that repeatedly right through Judges.

Of course, you know the story of Gideon and the Midianites, how God used Gideonto deliver Israel. In Chapter 7, the deliverance by Gideon on the hills of Israel is another picture of the Second Coming of Christ. As we study it, you'll seethat.

The next reference is in Chapter 13:

Judges 13:1 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD;and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

Im not going to keep going through all of these references because you get the idea. But there are a couple I want to stop and look at. Maybe you will want to write these down: The first one is Chapter 3: 7-11.

The second one is in Chapter 3:12-30.

The third one is Chapter 4:1-5-31

The fourth one is Chapter 6:1-8:35.

The fifth is Chapter 10:6-12:7.

The sixth one is Chapter 13:1-16:31.

In this first course of judgment, there are several lessons being taught. There

are actually six servitudes that they have to endure to teach them the lesson.

God raises up twelve judges; there are actually thirteen judges, but one of them was a self-appointed usurper. That brings us to some very important chapters in the book of Judges. One is Chapter 9. A parable is given there by Jothan aboutAbimelech and his becoming a ruler over Israel.



Judges 9:7 And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim,

Now, you remember Mount Gerizim from back in Deuteronomy 28 and the connection between Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26.

Judges 9:7-8 and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thouover us.

Youre going to see four trees in this passage which represent different aspects of the life of Israel. The four trees here fail to take up their responsibility of ruling over the other trees (nations).

First the olive tree. All the trees (nations) of the earth in the parable come and say to the nation Israel as an olive tree: Come and reign over us as God created you to do. What did the olive tree say?

Judges 9:9 But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

The olive tree says: No, Im not going to go. I got mine. Look how wonderful I am. Im not going. The olive tree is a type of the spiritual life of the nation Israe

l. Its a type of the position of Covenant blessing. Its a type of being on the right side of the Middle Wall of Partition and being the nation that is near to God. All the other nations are separated.

Deuteronomy 4:7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?

For example, when Solomon builds the Temple, the door into the Holy Place - into the presence of God - do you know what he made it out of? It was made of olive

wood, the wood of an olive tree because that olive tree to Israel represents access. The olive tree represents the special, set-apart access that Israel has but that no other nation may have.

They have this position of spiritual privilege, and they fail with it.

Judges 9:10-11 And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fru



it, and go to be promoted over the trees?

The fig tree represents the religious life of the nation Israel. It represents the religion that is committed to the nation Israel because she was on the rightside of the Middle Wall of Partition and because she had the access to God. Theonly religion that God ever established He gave to the nation Israel, but they failed religiously.

Do you remember that lady over there in Matthew 15? She comes to the Lord for help, but He says, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. Do you know what she says? Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs whichfall from their masters' table.

In other words, she says: I know. Ill get under Israel's table and just let the blessings overflow. Therell be so much on the table that it will just fall off, and Ill get some of it.

Israel sat at their table, and their table became a snare.

Judges 9:12-13 Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

The vine tree represents the national life of Israel as a nation (Psalm 80).

The fig represents the religious life.

The olive tree represents their special, separated, spiritual status of access,the Covenant privileges.

The vine tree refuses to rule, also.

Judges 9:14-15 Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.

And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

The bramble represents Israel in idolatry, Israel under the curse. Thats where the brambles and briars came from (Genesis 3). The bramble represents Israel under the reign of the antichrist.



Theres something to note about this: The order in which the fall of the nation Israel takes place; and the reverse of that is the order in which their restoration takes place. They forsake the Covenant, their religion is vain, the nation isuntrue and then they wind up under the reign of the antichrist.

In Judges, youre seeing the steps that God is showing them: the decline to the place where, instead of taking their position of privilege and exercising that privilege, they wind up in idolatry. What youre seeing is a prophetic picture of the future and of the Satanic policy of evil seeking to corrupt them at every point. Satans policy was to take Israel and destroy her in every area for which God had established the nation. They were to be His prophets, His priests and His kings. And Satan is going to destroy them in every capacity.

Now, there is one other chapter you want to be aware of in Judges (not that youshouldnt know all the chapters, but there are certain illustrations in Judges ofspecial importance), and that is Chapter 17. In Judges 17, you get a little amplification of what it meant for Israel to forsake the Lord and go and serve Baal.

In Judges 17, you see the methodology whereby Baal worship was introduced into the nation Israel.

Judges 17:1-3 And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah. And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, thesilver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the LORD,my son. And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mot

her, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.

When you read that, you think: Thats wild! Heres this woman who has eleven hundred shekels of silver, and her son steals it. He swiped it from his mother, and then he finds out that shes lamenting and crying about it and so he brings it back to her. He said: I took it, Mom. I didnt realize that you had dedicated it to theLord.

You notice, in Verse 2, he talks about the silver about which thou cursedst. In Verse 3, she says, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the LORD. The cursing in Verse 2 is not cursing like using swear words, but its like making a vow or an oath.

In fact, where I come from sometimes people call cursing swearing. Sometimes people will say, Hes swearing an oath, and theyll be saying God damn. And you say,



How can that be an oath? You have to understand what he just said. Think about that.

Nowadays, most cussing is taking the Lords name in vain. They damn something or say hell. Thats just commonplace on television and radio. Its nothing, you know, nowadys. Over there in 1 Corinthians, Paul talks about people doing things that werent even named among the Gentiles. Well, theyre pretty well named among them nowadays. Its a lot different.

In Judges, cursing is a vow - its an oath. The woman had promised: Lord, I am going to dedicate this money to You so that we can make a graven image. Do you understand how screwy that is?

The first commandment is Thou shalt have no other gods before me. The second commandment is Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. Now, shes going to dedicate this to the Lord to make a graven image. How do you do that? Well, the only way to do that is to be really confused. The only way to do that is to compromise truth.

The only way to do that is:

Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Thats the problem. Youll see that same statement back in Chapter 17:6: In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Theres a verse over in Kings that says that they worship Jehovah and serve othergods.

You ask, How do they do that? Well, look around you today. Just turn on Christiantelevision. Turn on Christian radio and listen to them. Why, you go down to theChristian bookstore - any Christian bookstore in Chicago - run by Zondervan or Thomas Nelson or any of them. You will find some independent people who wont sellthat foolishness, but you go to the average Christian bookstore out there, and do you know who the #1 best-selling Christian author on the market is today? He outsells Chuck Swindoll, John MacArthur and James Dobson put together. Do you know who it is?

Benny Hinn.

Benny Hinn is a lost, hell-bound heretic. Do you know that? You know that BennyHinn is a heretic by anybodys standard. Do you know what he does? He gets the anointing

and goes out and heals everybody. Every now and then he loses the anointing. Do yo



unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest,

Do you know any group who has priests that they call father? You do, dont you? Andit isnt just one church, by the way; several of them that do it.

Judges 17:10 and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suitof apparel, and thy victuals.

Theres the "vow of poverty."

Judges 17:10-11 So the Levite went in. And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons.

The term Father is a religious title, just like in Matthew 23:9: And call no man yo

ur father upon the earth:

Judges 17:13 Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.

Does anyone go around talking about having my priest? Gods going to be good to me.

Gods going to take care of me. Gods going to bless me because of the intercessionof my priest.

Hes counterfeiting Israels religion, taking truth and turning it into error, making it look like something real. Baal worship is introduced here, and in the nextchapter youll see the tribe of Dan embrace it, and it isnt long before it becomesinstitutionalized as the official religion of Israel about the time you get to Ahab.

So the book of Judges is where you see that first cycle of judgment. You see the failure and the spread of the Satanic policy of evil against Israel through the

idolatry that permeates the nation. They dont respond and hearken although God begins to inflict the punishment.

For next time, you need to read the book of Ruth.




(Lesson 15)

The book of Ruth comes after the book of Judges and is the eighth book in your Old Testament. Eight is the number of new beginnings. So, youre going to have something very special demonstrated to you in the book of Ruth. Well see that as we goon.

You notice, in the very first verse, it tells you the time element of the book.Ruth is a book of 4 chapters, 85 verses and 2,578 words. Its a book about the experiences of Ruth. Shes a very important woman in the history of the nation Israel. There are some very important reasons why the book of Ruth is in your Bible and why it is where it is.

Ruth 1:1 Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land.

Now, its important to notice that the events in the Book of Ruth took place historically in the days when the judges ruled. In other words, they took place during the time period that we just studied in the book of Judges. The book was not written until the early days of the reign of King David, in the time period of the books of Samuel, but the story takes place during the time of the book of Judges.

Ruth 4:17-18 And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron.

Ruth 4:22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.

When the book was written, David had already been born. The book traces his lineage down to David, so you know the book couldnt have been written before Obed, Jesse and David were born, and you know it was written during the lifetime of David. You notice that the genealogy stops with David. So the book was evidently written sometime after the birth of David but prior to Solomon's becoming the king. The issue here is the lineage of Judah - the royal lineage - as it has been traced out. Well see this in a little while.



So, the book of Ruth was written in the early reign of David, perhaps, but it looks back to the things that took place during the time of the book of Judges. Now, youll remember that there were certain important events taking place in the book of Judges.

Weve already studied the book of Judges a couple times, and Ive tried to show youthat whats going on is that first cycle, that first course, of judgment that Godhad warned the nation Israel about if they broke His Covenant (Leviticus 26).

Ruth 1:1 Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land.

Famine in the land is just like Leviticus 26 said there would be. Youre in that first cycle of the judgments.

Judges 2:16-19 is a passage we have already studied, and it sort of summarizes w

hat the time period covered by the book of Judges was like.

Judges 2:16-19 Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them outof the hand of those that spoiled them. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so. And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD

was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all thedays of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason

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

There is a cycle: Israel rebels; they corrupt themselves; God sends the judgment - the oppression - upon them. As we saw in Leviticus 26, the Gentiles come in and oppress them and steal from them, etc. Israel would repent and then God would raise up a judge and deliver them. But after He would deliver them, and the jud

ge would die, the next generation (as the verse says) corrupted themselves more than their fathers. They would go right back into the same corruption, the same defilement, but each next generation would be worse than the one before. Instead of learning, repenting, hearkening and turning back to the Lord, each succeedinggeneration just got worse and worse, and they went on in their stubborn way. They absolutely refused to take the correction.

What youre going to see at the end of the first cycle of judgment is that they ha



vent hearkened and that second cycle of judgement is going to come - were going to see that when we get to Samuel. You'll remember that when you come to the end of the book of Judges, the last of the judges is Samson. In Chapter 17 to the end of the book, you see the particular events that demonstrate the absolute corruptness of the time. Its a terrible, wicked time when they were going after other gods, corrupting themselves more and more.


Now, its in the context of this cycle that the Book of Ruth occurs. It's when Israel was going into servitude to Gentiles powers, then crying out and being delivered by a judge and then going back into apostasy and servitude.

Ruth is a book that is set out all by itself and records something very specialfor the nation Israel. Theres a certain issue that God wants Israel to be confronted with while they are under those cycles of judgment. After that first cycle of judgment has been completed in the book of Judges, He inserts the book of Ruth

that relates some things that took place during that cycle of judgment. He records them separately and sets them out in a special book with a womans name so that attention would be called to it immediately. He wanted Israel to appreciate the special issue that theyre confronted with in the midst of the terrible corruption and apostasy that the nation is in.

There's an issue that He wants them to be reminded of while in their sinfulnessand wickedness and all of their apostasy and idolatry. While theyre under that first course of judgment, their understanding of what is going on wouldnt be complete without the book of Ruth. There are some special, overriding issues that Godwants Israel to be aware of.

Thats what the book of Ruth is designed to present.

There are three basic issues that the book of Ruth is going to present to you. Ill give them to you, and theres one that were going to talk about in some length.

And can I say this to you? Of all the books in your Bible, there have probably been more good books written about the Book of Ruth than any other book. Its hardto screw up the Book of Ruth. It really is.

I was watching TV the other night - they have an ETW network on the cable out at my place - the Eternal Word Network. Its Catholic Cable TV. Theyve got this little screwball nun that sits there, and shes got her little deal (habit) on, and shes a Bible teacher. Shes doing all this "blessing," and shes talking and holding upthis commentary on the book of the Revelation, as I flipped through there. She says, Oh, this is the greatest commentary ever written on the book of Revelation.You ought to have it." I thought, I bet a commentary that the Catholics would sel



l on Revelation would be a mess. Well, you can mess up a lot of books, but few commentaries miss the point of the book of Ruth. Its that simply done. Its that beautifully done. Its marvelous to see it.

Some of my favorite preaching that Ive ever heard J. Vernon McGee do, was when he preached through the book of Ruth. If you havent heard that and get a chance to, you ought to. Old Dr. DeHaan used to have a book called The Romance of Redemption.

(Both he and J. Vernon McGee used the same title for their books on Ruth.) Ruthis a great love story; its all of that, but there is some really tremendous doctrine in the book of Ruth. Like I said, if sometime you want to be encouraged andto enjoy a little time, you can almost always pick up a book on the Book of Ruth, and it will be a blessing. Now, you pick up a book on Romans and it might be a blessing, and it might not be; Ephesians, and it might not be; Acts, and it probably wont be. But with Ruth, its hard to miss. Its a wonderful book, and the message in it is very easy to get.

Three are three basic issues that I want you be cognizant of when you study Ruth.

One of them is very important, and the other two are there for your edification.

1. The typology in the book - The book of Ruth is a book of tremendous typology. The commentaries dont usually pick up on this.

In the first chapter, youre going to see the famine hit the nation Israel, and yo

ure going to see this family leave Israel and go into Moab. They go to the wrongplace: a type of Israel wandering in darkness. The judgment falls on them and then Ruth comes back with Naomi into the Land.

Ruth is a picture of Gentiles who are accepted under Israels program, and she claims Israel as her people and Israels God as her God. You see a positive responseto Israel and to the God of Israel - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - by this Gentile woman, and she is brought into the place of blessing. There are sometremendous types and pictures of the Second Advent of Christ in Chapter 3.

So, the book itself has a lot of types. You ought to study the names in the book. The names of the people are all significant, but the one thing you want to remember is that the book demonstrates Gentile acceptance under Israels program: how a Gentile could be accepted under the program that God gave to the nation Israel.

By the way, youll find Ruth in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew,



Chapter One.

2. The second issue is in Ruth 1:1:

Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

The book is going to emphasize facts about the tribe of Judah. The Book of Ruthis going to provide for you the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ from Judah to King David. David is the King, and youre going to find the royal lineage detailed.

Genesis 49 talks about Judah from whom Shiloh comes. Hes in the Messianic line.

There are sixty generations listed in your Bible from Adam to Christ. Those sixty generations are divided into six groups of ten. Every tenth individual in that genealogical list is an important character.

1 Chronicles 1:1-4 Adam, Sheth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered, Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Now, if youll count those names, the tenth man from Adam is Noah. The time of Noa

h is when Satan attempted to destroy the Messianic line with corruption, and God destroyed man with the flood.

Then if you count from Noah - come down to Verse 24, and youll see Noahs boy, Shem, - the line goes Noah and then through Shem. Shem is the seed line, and If youcount the names in Verses 24, 25, 26, 27, youll come to Abraham, the tenth afterNoah.

Now, Abraham is the father of the Messianic nation, the seed-line nation. Notice

that Abraham begets two boys: Isaac and Ishmael. Isaac begets Jacob and Jacob begets Judah.

Go back to Ruth, now. Youve got Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Israel), and Jacob begetstwelve sons. One of them is Judah.



What God is teaching Israel under that cycle of judgment is that The only hope you have is in a Redeemer.

Now, that name Jehovah, by which Israel is learning to know God - do you remember what that name Jehovah had to do with? Jehovah is demonstrated in Ruth.

The Book of Judges demonstrates the sinful, helpless condition of the nation and the judgment on them because of their sin. The Book of Ruth says: In all of that judgment back there, what Israel needs is that kinsman-redeemer.

Jehovah: I AM ______. Fill in the blank. God tells Israel: Whatever you need Meto be, Ill be for you.

Do you remember we studied those five lessons that Israel was to learn in the wilderness in Exodus 15-18? The first test was when they went to the waters of Mar

ah. What about those waters? They were bitter, and Jehovah demonstrated Himselfto be the One Who could heal the bitter waters. He said: I am Jehovah-ropheka (I am the Lord God that healeth thee). There were five lessons He sought to demonstrate to Israel, but they wouldnt learn them. He tells them later, in Leviticus 26: If you dont keep My Covenant; if you dont learn about Me from My Covenant, then Im going to send five judgments on you. And each of those judgments are designed to teach Israel what they didnt learn back in those five lessons He tried to teach them when He brought them out of Egypt.

In other words, He brings them out of Egypt, tries to teach them these lessons through the different experiences in the wilderness, and they wont learn them. He

was trying to teach them what it means for Him to be Jehovah, how He will provide for them what they need, that Hell do for them what they need Him to do for them. He will be for them their source of provision, and they dont learn that. Youllfind that each one of these five cycles of judgments is designed to teach Israel: the first one is designed to teach them the first lesson, the second one the second lesson, the third, the third lesson. Israel never learns, but the motive behind them is: Learn to trust Me as Jehovah.

Ruth 1:20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.

You'll notice that Naomi uses the name Mara (from back there in Exodus). Call me

"Bitterness," for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. Now, Naomi hasbeen staying in Moab because of the famine in Judah. Shes lost her family, and shes lost everything, and shes coming home. Shes in poverty, and shes coming home jus to live in poverty. She says: Ive got nothing but judgment and wrath from the Almighty. Just call me "Mara." Im bitter.



But, in the Book of Ruth, do you know what she learned? Look down at Verse 20, in Chapter 2, and notice how she changes the name she calls God when she changesher attitude.

In Chapter 2, Verse 1, Boaz, the kinsman, shows up. Naomi sends Ruth out into the fields to glean. Boaz notices her and is gracious to her and tells the workmen to leave her extra handfuls of barley to glean.

Ruth 2:20 And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD

[Jehovah], who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.

You see what happens when the kinsman-redeemer shows up, Naomi begins to remember and learn some doctrine about Jehovah providing for Israel what Israel couldntget any other way. She starts out calling Him the Almighty and now shes calling Him

Jehovah. Shes beginning to appreciate His Jehovah-ness, His ability to be the One Who will provide through the kinsman-redeemer.

So, the doctrine in Ruth is designed to bring Israel from the bitterness of judgment (doing it their own way and reaping their own reward), to the blessings ofJehovah providing redemption through the kinsman-redeemer, for them. Shes learning to appreciate Him in that capacity.

Scofield calls Chapter 1 Ruth deciding. I guess that is a good title. Everybodyhas a name or title for the chapters. Chapter 1 gives you the details of how Ruth came to be in the land of Israel.

Chapter 2 shows you the kindness that is expressed to Ruth by Boaz, her kinsman-redeemer.

Chapter 3 shows you the appeal by Ruth to Boaz for him to function as her kinsman-redeemer.

In the first chapter, Ruth comes into the Land.

In the second chapter, Boaz is kind to her and is identified as her kinsman-redeemer.

In Chapter 3, she goes and says: Will you be my kinsman-redeemer?



Then in Chapter 4, you see Boaz fulfill his role as her kinsman-redeemer, marryher and then you see the fruit and the blessing that follow his functioning as her kinsman-redeemer.

The first chapter focuses on Ruths sorrow.

The second chapter, on her service.

The third chapter, on her surrender.

The fourth chapter, you see her satisfaction.

Scofield says it is Ruth deciding, Ruth serving, Ruth resting and Ruth rewarded. Anyway you want to do that is all right with me. The important thing is that you get the flow.

Notice how the book goes:

Chapter 1:2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, Now, Elimelech means My God is King. Naomi means the favored one, the one ofblessing. My God is King and Ive got the blessing. Thats the status Israel had, bu notice what they do. They go off down into Moab. Did they belong in Moab? No. They go out in the wrong direction.

Come with me, if you will, to Deuteronomy 23. Here you see Israel in rebellion against Gods direct command.

Deuteronomy 23:3-6 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregationof the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever: Because they met you not with bread and with waterin the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee. Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee. Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.

Thats pretty clear. Theres a famine in Israel so Elimelech and Naomi get their boys up and say: Lets go over there to Moab. Theres prosperity over there. Theres food to eat over there. Things are okay.

Why was there famine in Israel in Ruth 1? It was because of the judgment of Leviticus 26. What should Israel do when the judgment is on them? They should repent. What are they doing? Theyre rebelling. So, the book starts out with the wrong kind of direction in life.



They had two sons: Mahlon and Chilion. Mahlon means joy, singing, song. Chilionmeans ornament, something of beauty and perfection.

Ruth 1:4a And they took them wives of the women of Moab;

Write down by that verse, Deuteronomy 7:3. It was absolutely forbidden for themto do that. So what are they doing? Theyre breaking the commandment.

Verse 4b the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.

Ruth 1:5-6 And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband. Then she arose with her daughters in law,

Now, while they were in Moab and theyve gotten these Moabite wives, the guy named Joy and the guy named Ornament or Delightful Thing die. Their joy, their ornament and perfection, and their happiness all dry up. You see how those names can be used typically.

Ruth 1:6 Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.

How did the Lord visit Israel to give them bread? In other words, He raised up one of the judges, and prosperity came again.

In Verse 1, the famine comes - theres the servitude and judgment. The cycle is working its course in Israel and now God has raised up a judge to deliver and bless Israel, so Naomi says: Well, I think Ill go back.

Ruth 1:14-15 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sisterin law.

Imagine this woman telling these Gentile women to go serve other gods. See how messed up Naomi had gotten? She said: I cant do anything for you. What you need to



do is just go back and serve those gods that you had. Go back into the paganism, but watch what Ruth does. She demonstrates herself to be a saved Gentile under Israels program.

Ruth 1:16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

You see what she has done? Shes recognized Israel to be Gods people and the God of Israel to be the one true, living God. She says: Im not going to leave you. Im going to stay with you, and your God is my God. Shes joined herself to the nation Israel, just like, for example, the nations in Matthew 25 in the Tribulation: Come, ye blessed of my Father into the Kingdom, Ill bless you. Ruth is the type of the Gentile who cleaves to Israel.

Zechariah 8:23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we

have heard that God is with you.

By the way, it has always fascinated me that there is a famous wedding song where the bride sings to the groom: Whither thou goest, I will go; thy people will be my people

. Did you ever hear that song at a wedding? This is where that comes from. The song has nothing to do with a bride telling her husband that shell go with him and follow him and do whatever he wants her to do. This is a woman talking to her mother-in-law, both of whose husbands are dead, so its not about marriage at all. It has always fascinated me how people will reach back and take this and make it a

wedding song.

At our wedding, we had a lot of music. I specifically picked every song so thata certain one wouldnt be sung. I had a lot of Christian songs and hymns and gospel songs, but not any of the traditional wedding songs. There was a lady who didmuch of the singing, and she asked my wife at the last minute, You know, theres this one beautiful wedding song that I could include. And my wife said, Why dont youdo it? She mentioned it to me, and I didnt pay any attention, but when I listenedto the tape later, it turned out to be that song. I could have croaked. I couldhave just died! Man! Of all the songs - at my wedding! But everyone thought it was just wonderful. We had a lot of gospel songs, and they kept scratching their he

ads; and when I got up and gave a word of testimony, they really scratched their heads. A guy told me, Ive never been to a wedding like this before. Too bad. You have now.

In Chapter 2, you have them back in the Land. The point is that the way Ruth gets back to the Land of Israel is that she clings to Naomi and, more importantly,to Naomis God.



Even when Naomi isnt really trusting her God, Ruth is. Thats why, over in the NewTestament, Ruth is used as an illustration of a justified woman, because she was -

justified under Israel's program.

In Chapter 2, Verse 1, youll see Boaz, the kinsman, show up. Come back with me to Leviticus 25, and notice the law of the kinsman-redeemer. Now, the kinsman-redeem was supposed to redeem three things.

He could redeem property that had been lost.

He could redeem people who were sold into slavery.

He was to redeem posterity.

If a man died without a son, then his nearest kinsman was to take the wife and raise up children to him in his stead. Thats why Naomi tells Ruth and Orpah that s

he was too old to bear them husbands, so they might as well leave.

The issue here about the kinsman is going to be about the property.

Leviticus 25:24-27 And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land. If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem thatwhich his brother sold. And if the man have none to redeem it, and himself be able to redeem it; Then let him count the years of the sale thereof, and restore t

he overplus unto the man to whom he sold it; that he may return unto his possession.

There are three qualifications that have to be met by the kinsman-redeemer.

1. He has to be the nearest kinsman.

Leviticus 25:48-49 After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him: Either his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, orany that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may redeem himself.

2. He has to be able to do it. You might have the right to redeem it, but if hedoesnt have the money, he cant do it.



Notice, in Verse 25, if any of his kin come to redeem it.

3. He has to be willing.

They find out (in Chapter 2, Verse 1) that they have a kinsman and that he is able. He is

"a mighty man of wealth." Now the question is: is he willing? So Naomi sends Ruth out to glean. Ruth goes out and gleans what is called the poor mans gleaning around the edge of the field.

Leviticus 19:10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD

your God.

Deuteronomy 24:19 When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be forthe stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.

Ruth goes around to Boaz's field, and shes gleaning. Boaz asks who she is, and you know the story. He finds out who she is and is gracious: Leave her some extrahandfuls on purpose, so they leave Ruth some extra. Naomi says to Ruth: Hes being

gracious to you.

Ruth 3:8-9 And it came to pass at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turnedhimself: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.

When she says, Spread thy skirt over thine handmaid, she is saying, Marry me; takeme to be your wife. Theyre asleep there on the threshing floor and she lies down a

t his feet. Shes appealing to him: Youre my near kinsman; come and fulfill your role. Are you willing to come and take the obligation? He gets up immediately andsays he will.

Ruth 3:13 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.



There was somebody who was nearer kin than Boaz, so he says: Theres a problem; Imwilling, but theres somebody who has a prior claim and responsibility. If he wontdo it, I will. He clearly declares his willingness.

In Chapter 4, you have a very touching scene where he goes in and confronts theother guy.

Ruth 4:6 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it.

Ruth 4:2 And he [Boaz] took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit yedown here. And they sat down.

Boaz has the elders judging. He brings the other kinsman in, and he says to him: Redeem her. The man says: I cant do it.

Thats a wonderful picture of redemption. No man can give a ransom for his brother.

You cant even give a ransom for yourself. And so the man couldnt do it, but Boaz says: Well, I can, and he comes in and provides the redemption and fulfills the obligation.

Removing the shoe is a picture of failure to perform and do what you ought to do. Its an insult. Deuteronomy 25 is a passage about that: failure to keep and honor the Covenant.

Ruth 4:9 And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's,

He said: I bought it all. Its a finished transaction; nothing is left undone.

Ruth 4:10-13 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of hisplace: ye are witnesses this day. And all the people that were in the gate, andthe elders, said, We are witnesses.

The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah,



which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, andbe famous in Bethlehem: And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman. So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son.

The way Ruth got into the Land of Israel was by believing in Israels God and clinging to Israels people. When she got there in faith, God had that kinsman-redeemer who brings her, not just into the Land, but brings her into the place of blessing and places her in the line of Judah and makes her a part of the royal lineage.

Ruth 4:14-15 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath notleft thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than sevensons, hath born him.

Do you see what wonderful thing that Gentile woman is saying to her mother-in-law?

Shes looking at Israel and blessing Israel and saying what God is doing for us. Its your kinsman and your redeemer and Im getting in and being blessed because of that.

Ruth 4:16-17 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it.

And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naom

i; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

What happens is that the blessings just flow, and she winds up in the royal lineage.

Now, whats Ruth doing? The Book of Ruth is demonstrating that Israel - wicked, vile and vicious - is under the judgment (as weve been reading about in the Book of Judges).

There was an issue for Israel to face: faith in Jehovah and looking to Him to be their Kinsman-Redeemer, to be the One that provides what they need - the redemption.

In all of that, the judgment wasn't to destroy them; it was to bring them to Me -a call for them to hearken. So you have that little book of redemption.



When you get over to Romans 3, Paul draws on the doctrine of the kinsman-redeemer and demonstrates to us that the Kinsman-Redeemer is really the Lord Jesus Christ. What all this points toward is the redemption that God provides for Israel and for us - for all mankind - in the Person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who became a man that He might be kin to us. He was God manifest in the flesh soHe was able and sinless, and He was also willing. He fulfills all of the requirements and is our Kinsman-Redeemer. He is the source of all of Gods provision forIsrael and for us for all time.


(Lesson 16)

Now, weve gotten over to a point were going to have to take a little overview ahead. I want you to turn to First Samuel, and look at the heading in the book, andyoull get an idea of what weve got to do.

The name of the book comes from Samuel, the last of the judges. We studied the Book of Judges where we saw the first course of punishment against the nation Israel based on the Covenant that Israel had made with the Lord through Moses. As delineated in Leviticus 26, they contracted for certain blessings if they kept the Covenant, and they contracted for certain curses if they failed to keep the Covenant.

We saw them go into the Land under Joshua's leadership, and we saw the seeds of

their rebellion that were sown there. Then we got into the Book of Judges, and we saw that they continuously rebelled against the Lord. As a result of that, wesaw the first course of punishment against the nation Israel executed in the Book of Judges.

By the way, we finished with the Book of Judges, and we looked last time at thebook of Ruth. Ruth goes back into the period of the Judges and demonstrates thefact that, even though the judgments were falling on Israel, God was working inthe nation Israel and had a plan, a purpose and a system of redemption for them. God was working through the Messianic line of the tribe of Judah. We saw that Ruth is in that lineage and that God was working there.

But now, when we study Samuel (next time well start going through the book itself) youre going to discover that Samuel was the last one of the judges. He lived contemporaneously with Samson and right after the time of Samson. Were actually picking up, time-wise, at the end of the first course of judgment.



Youre going to find in Samuel, Kings and Chronicles a continuous history that extends from the time of the last of the judges all the way through the captivity.What you have here is one continuous history of the nation Israel from the second course of judgment all the way through the fifth. Were going to see these things continuously mount up in the life of the nation Israel as you go through these books.

The heading here is the The First Book Of Samuel Otherwise Called The First Bookof the Kings. If you come over to the Book of Second Samuel, you will notice thesame thing there: The Second Book of Samuel Otherwise Called the Second Book of the Kings.

Look at First Kings: The First Book of Kings Commonly Called The Third Book of Kings. Now look at Second Kings: The Second Book of Kings Commonly Called The Fourth Book of Kings.

The divisions called the books of Samuel and Kings are really four books of Kings, but the first two books are called Samuel because Samuel is such a prominent

figure in those books. Well talk more about that next time. I want you to see how the headings are written there because they are telling you that its First Kings, Second Kings, Third Kings and Fourth Kings. This is one continuous story - one continuous history - of the nation Israel.

You see the first course of judgment in the Book of Judges. First Samuel picks up with the second course, and the third, fourth and fifth courses transpire during the history of the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles. When you get to the end of the history books, in 2 Chronicles 36, youll see that the fifth course of judgment has fallen on the nation Israel.

What I want you to get fixed in your mind is that there is one continuous history through here of the nation Israel under these last four cycles of judgment ofLeviticus 26.

2 Chronicles 36:14-16 Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted thehouse of the LORD

which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the LORD God of their fathers sent to th

em by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassionon his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

Now, that is a description not just of what is happening in Zedekiahs day, but thats a description of what has happened all through Samuel, Kings and Chronicles - the whole history of Israel.



2 Chronicles 36:17-21 Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and hadno compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: To fulfil the word of theLORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.

Now, that is a direct reference back to Leviticus 26 and that fifth cycle of judgment that God was going to bring upon the nation Israel.

Leviticus 26:27-32 And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, . . .

(God raises up the prophets and warns them, but they dont hearken.)

but walk contrary unto me; Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; [This is the fifth time He says this.] and I, even I, will chastise you seven timesfor your sins. And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto des

olation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. And I will bringthe land into desolation:

(And, that is just what He is doing back there - destroying the sanctuaries andworship.) Leviticus 26:32-34 And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.

Then [when He carries them away into captivity]

Leviticus 26:34-35 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did notrest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.

Theres a lot of the Old Testament left to study, but where you are in Samuel, Kin



gs and Chronicles is historically a record that takes you all the way to when Israel is carried away into Babylonian captivity - all the way over to the beginning of the "Times of the Gentiles. Well show you how all that works together, but when you approach these books you need to understand that whats involved in here is one long, continuous history, and youre going to see those cycles of judgment - the second one to the fifth one

- come on Israel.

I say that to say this: As you read through Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, you are not going to find lines of demarcation between each one of these cycles of judgment. Its not that the first one starts and comes to an end, then the second one starts and comes to an end and the third one starts and comes to an end. They don't run consecutively like that.

One judgment falls on them, and they dont get the message so He adds another on top of it. So they are still suffering under one, and it is intensified by the second one that is added. Those continue, and they dont get the message; the thirdone is added and then the fourth one is added. I am not going to say, Okay, fromthis point to this point is the second one, and from this point to this point is the third one. Youre going to read through the history, and youre going to come to a place where youre going to say,

Hey, the second one is here. Then youre going to read along a little further, and youre going to say, Hey, the third one is here. And, youre going to read along a litle more, and youre going to say, Hey, the fourth one is here. And then the fifth course, the last one, comes.

Instead of seeing lines of demarcation, theres really a flow of history as such,and theyre added progressively, and they run concurrently, one added to another.

You need to understand that, as we start these books, were starting a long studyof the history of Israel.

Notice the heading on 2 Kings: The Second Book of the Kings Commonly Called the Fourth Book of Kings. Now, you read First Samuel which is Otherwise Called The First Book of Kings. We read Second Samuel which is Otherwise Called The Second Book of Kings. We read 1 Kings and that is Commonly Called The Third Book of Kings. The Second Book of Kings is "Commonly Called The Fourth Book of Kings.

But look at First Chronicles: The First Book of Chronicles. You come to Second Chronicles, and its called The Second Book of Chronicles. Chronicles is not connectedwith Samuel and Kings. Samuel and Kings are connected as four books that form one unit. But when you get to Chronicles, its over here on the other side of that unit, and you don't have six books that form one unit. Theres one unit: Samuel and Kings, and then First and Second Chronicles are another unit. What you discover when you read Samuel and Kings is that 2 Kings 25 ends at the same historical point as 2

Chronicles 36. What you really have is two separate accounts of the second to th



e fifth courses of judgments.

First and Second Samuel and First and Second Kings start with Samuel and trace the history of Israel all the way to the Babylonian captivity. Then, when you begin in First Chronicles, it starts all over again and traces the history of Israel from the beginning (Adam) all the way to the Babylonian captivity.

So you really have two separate accounts of the history of Israel under the second, third, fourth and fifth courses of judgment. One account is in Samuel and Kings, and one account is in First and Second Chronicles.

2 Kings 25:1-7 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign [King Zedekiah], in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of th

e gate between two walls, which is by the king's garden: (now the Chaldees wereagainst the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain. And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him. So they took the king, andbrought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.

If you go on down through that passage, youll find more details in Kings that match the fifth course of judgment in Leviticus 26 than you will find in Chronicles. When you come to the end of 2 Kings, youve followed the history of Israel all t

he way to the captivity.

When you come to First Chronicles, the next book, notice how it begins. The first nine chapters are all genealogy. He starts with Adam.

1 Chronicles 1:1 Adam, Sheth, Enosh,

Verse 4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Verse 5 The sons of Japheth

Verse 8 The sons of Ham

Verse 17 The sons of Shem;

Verse 27 Abram;

Verse 34 And Abraham begat Isaac. The sons of Isaac; Esau and Israel.



1 Chronicles 2:1 These are the sons of Israel; Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,Issachar, and Zebulun,

Verse 2 Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

Verse 3 The sons of Judah

It traces the line right down to David through Judah. Notice where He starts when He gets beyond the genealogy.

1 Chronicles 10:1-2 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. Andthe Philistines followed hard after Saul, and after his sons;

When you come to Chronicles, you go back and begin again with Saul. Samuel and Kings bring you from the prophet Samuel to Saul, David, Solomon, the dividing of

the Kingdom, and down to the captivity. When you get to the end of 2 Kings, yougo back to Saul in First Chronicles. We go from Saul to David, Solomon, the dividing of the Kingdom and the captivity again.

I want you to notice that there are two separate records - accounts - of the history of Israel under the second to the fifth courses of judgment. Why would there be two? Well, its like the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. When you go to Bible school, everybody wants to harmonize the four gospels and have thelife of Christ to have one long continuous history.

Ive told you time and again thats not why they were put there. If God had wanted you to have one story, what would He have done? He would have written just one book. He wrote four because there are four scriptural pictures that were necessary to be given of the Lord Jesus Christ in order to demonstrate who He was and for Him to be presented to the nation Israel so that they would understand who He was.

Well, the same thing is true back here. There is a reason for the two accounts.Samuel and Kings view the history of Israel from mans perspective and just give you the basic history of the courses of judgment and events of the time.

When you come over to Chronicles, you see the same history, but you begin to look at, not just the historical events from mans perspective, but you see the events from Gods perspective. You begin to get the divine viewpoint on it. Each of them is a unit.



In Chronicles the only time the Northern Kingdom is considered is in connectionwith Judah. Jerusalem and Judah are where the Temple is. Thats where the true worship of God is, and that is where the focus is. When the Kingdom was divided after Solomons death, the believers from all of the Northern Kingdom of Israel migrated down to the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

When God looked at the nation Israel, from His perspective the issue was Judah because that is where the true, believing remnant was. The northern ten tribes had gone into apostasy. Thats why they followed Rehoboam in the division. God deals with them in judgment, and they never have a good king. They never have a spiritual revival. The prophets' warnings of judgment go unheeded, and finally theyretaken captive.

So God's focus is on the southern division, and you begin to see in this history how He views these things.

Let me give you some outlines of these books. Theres a lot of information in them, but they are very easy to outline.

First Samuel

Chapters 1-7 are about Samuel. He is the last judge. You know the story.

Chapters 8-15 focus on Saul, the first of the kings. Youre in a transition phasehere.

Chapters 16-2 Samuel 24, the focus is on David.

So First and Second Samuel only cover just the time of Samuel, Saul and David. Thats just a little over one hundred years.

Second Samuel

Chapters 1-10, you have Davids triumphs. Youll see his military victories.

Chapters 11-24, you have Davids troubles, his sin with Bathsheba. In Chapter 12,Nathan confronts him. And in Chapter 13 and following, youll see the four-fold payment, the harvest that David reaps though hes the great king of Israel. Youll see

the troubles that come his way.

So, in First and Second Samuel, you have Saul and David.

First Kings



Chapters 1-11, you see the Kingdom united under Solomon.

Chapters 12-22, you see the Kingdom is divided.

First, Solomon reigns, and he builds the Temple and his house and fulfills all the promise that David had laid out for him. Then Solomon dies, and theres the rebellion under Rehoboam, and the Kingdom is divided. The history of that is in Chapters 12-22.

2 Kings

Chapters 1-10 deal with Israel, the ten northern tribes, taken into captivity.

Chapters 11-17 deal with both kingdoms.

Chapters 18-25, you see Judah taken captive.

So the Northern Kingdom is taken and then the Southern Kingdom goes. You start w

ith Samuel, the last of the judges; you go to Saul, the first of the kings; andyou move to David, the anointed successor - Gods choice for a king. You move on to Solomon and you see the Kingdom divided. Then you see its divided history (the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom) that leads to the captivity.

In Samuel and Kings you move through their history all the way down to the captivity.

The northern tribes - the Northern Kingdom - is gone, never to be restored, andJudah is taken captive.

This describes the second to the fifth courses of judgment of Leviticus 26, andyou see the history of it.

Now, were going to start over again when you come to First Chronicles.

First Chronicles

Chapters 1-9, you have a genealogy. You go all the way back to Adam and trace the genealogy from Adam all the way up to David - through Judah, Davids line.

By the way, First Chronicles is written after the captivity. Most of Samuel andKings are written contemporaneously as its happening. Chronicles is written after the captivity, looking back with Gods retrospective view. Thats why Chronicles will be much more interpretive of the events.



Chapter 10, you have the reign of Saul in just one chapter.

Chapters 11-29 (the end of the book), you have the reign of David.

Once again, you move right on down through the issue concerning David.

Second Chronicles

Chapters 1-9, youll see the reign of Solomon, just like in Samuel with the Kingdom united.

Chapters 10-36, youll see the Kingdom divided, just like it was in Kings. You wind up with Judah taken captive, just like in Kings.

So this is a recapitulation of the history given in Samuel and Kings done from a different perspective: Samuel and Kings from a human viewpoint and Chronicles f

rom the divine viewpoint.

Now, there are five restorations - spiritual revivals or awakenings - that youllread about in Second Chronicles.

One under Asa (Chapters14-17)

One under Jehoshaphat (Chapters 17-20)

One under Joash (Chapters 23-24)

One under Hezekiah (Chapters 29-32)

One under Josiah (Chapters 34-35)

As I said, for example, in Samuel and Kings you have three verses on the spiritual activities of Hezekiah and three chapters on the history of the secular events of the time.

In Chronicles you get one chapter on the secular events and three chapters on th

e revival.

So you see the emphasis in Chronicles from Gods point of view.

Just remember, as we study through these books, the focus in Samuel and Kings is just the historical events and facts. The focus of Chronicles is on the divineview, on the spiritual issues behind the events.



For next week, I want you to read the first fifteen chapters of First Samuel. Read them maybe three or four times between now and the next class because were going to go over that information in some detail. Get it in your mind as you go through it so that when I refer to some of if, you dont get lost. You can get bogged down in the details back here, but the way to get the details is basically just to read the chapters. Dont try to minutely assimilate anything until youve gotten the broad picture of whats going on.

Im going to spend a little more time studying some of the details of these booksthan we did in Judges, but well try not to get too bogged down in them.

If youll remember those outlines, Ill try to break it down for you a little more thoroughly as we go through the books. Youll be able to follow. This is tremendously, wonderfully, interesting history, especially as you begin to see Gods working in these events. You begin to understand why things happened the way they did,what Gods doing in Israel and what Hes teaching them.

When we get over in the prophets, youll hear the messages Hes sending them, and youll see how Gods working with the nation Israel is consistent with the Covenant that He made with them through Moses.


(Lesson 17)

The book of First Samuel has 31 chapters, 810 verses and 25,061 words, so its a lot of reading. The first twenty-four chapters, at least, were written by Samuel.

1 Samuel 25:1 And Samuel died.

1Samuel 10:25 Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD.

Now, in our class on Manuscript Evidence we learned that the Old Testament began to be written by Moses, and when he finished writing his copies of the original autographs he put them before the Lord in the ark.



When we went through Joshua, we learned that Joshua added to that book. Now in Judges and Samuel, Samuel adds on. Its not clear who wrote the book of Judges; perhaps Samuel did that. In other words, your Bible was being written and added to, and when it says He laid it up before the Lord, that means that he put it with the other copies of the Word of God that had already been written.

1 Chronicles 29:29 Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, theyare written in the book of Samuel the seer,

Thats why First and Second Samuel are called First and Second Samuel, in case you ever wondered why that was. Ill talk to you about that a little while later. I showed you last time how First and Second Samuel and First and Second Kings are really one long story, one long history, of the nation Israel. Youll see over theheading in the books of First and Second Samuel, that it says Otherwise Called First and Second Kings. The reason that First and Second Samuel are so called is because the things in the first twenty-four chapters of the account are designed to focus on the acts of David the King.

1 Chronicles 29:29-30 Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer, With all his reign and his might, and the times that went over him, and over Israel, and over all the kingdoms of the countries.

The nation Israel evidently had a large set of public chronicles. Their historywas written out, publicly known and chronicled during the time it was happening.

Samuel, Nathan and Gad are generally credited with having written First and Second Samuel. Perhaps some of the other books came from the chronicles, too.

Samuel would have written the first twenty-four chapters of First Samuel and then he dies (1 Samuel 25:1). After that, Nathan and Gad would have taken up writing, so thats some kind of light information, perhaps, on who wrote the books.

In Manuscript Evidence, I gave you a list of some fourteen different books thatare named in Chronicles and Kings identified as being publicly-known records tha

t were easily accessible in the libraries of Israel for the people there. Theserecords are commonly known and easily verifiable.

The Law of Authenticity is a law that you take into a courtroom to try to provethe facts of an event that took place. In other words, you go into a courtroom,and you say that something happened, but you have to prove it. One of the ways that you can prove something happened in the past is by meeting the requirementsof what is called the Law of Authenticity. That law is such that if you claim so



mething happened in the past and there is an independent, contemporaneous record of that event happening, then that is a witness to the veracity of it. If someone comes along and says it didnt happen, then they have to verify their claim; therefore their claim is not as weighty as the claim that it did happen.

So when you see all these different records, that tells you that the Scriptureswere right in line with common understanding of what was going on in that day. These history books back here in the Old Testament are part of the national record of Israel.

Once again I say to you that the reason the things are recorded in these books is not just to give you a compilation of the whole history of Israel. There are some spiritual issues that are involved here in the history of Israel that God desires you to see and understand.

Of course, we know that; weve already talked about that in great length. The outworking of these courses of judgment in the life of the nation Israel is what isinvolved here.

Were going to see, in the first fifteen chapters of First Samuel, a very important, climatic crisis point in the outworking of these courses of judgment. The first part of First Samuel is extremely important in setting up the rest of what happens.

From Judges 1 to 1 Kings 12 covers a period of about 450 years. The first sevenchapters of I Samuel cover the life of Samuel, who was the last of the judges and the first of the prophets.

Then, Chapters 8-15 deal with Saul.

Chapter 16 to the end of the book deals with David.

Then the first 12 chapters of First Kings deal with the end of Davids life and the reign of Solomon.

Samuel, Saul, David and Solomon cover a period of only about one hundred years a

nd yet youve got a lot of information in your Bible about that.

When you start in 1 Kings 12 and go all the way over to 2 Kings 25, youve got another period of about 400 years. So theres a lot of information given about a comparatively short period of time in Samuel. That ought to tell you that there is scriptural importance in the things that are going on here.



I gave you an outline of First Samuel last time.

Chapters 1-7 deal with Samuel who was the last of the judges and the first of the prophets.

Chapters 8-15 deal with Saul who was the first king of Israel.

Chapters 16-31 deal with David who is the anointed successor to Saul. (Saul is the wrong guy; David is the right guy.)

Now, the book itself starts during the time of the judges. Its important to understand that the book of Samuel took place during Samuels lifetime. Really, its during the time period just subsequent to, if not contemporaneous with, Samson.

Judges 13:1 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD;and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

As you go on down through that passage, youll see that Samson is then raised up to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines. You remember how that workedout. It didnt turn out to be such a wonderful situation. When you get to the endof Chapter 16, Samson is destroyed in the temple of the Philistines when he brings the house down.

Judges 16:30-31 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. And he judged Israel twenty years.

Well, theres still another twenty-year period there after Samson judges Israel. The Philistines are still there.

When you come over to First Samuel, youll find that the Book of Samuel begins when the Philistines are still ruling over Israel.

1 Samuel 4:1-2 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Eben-ezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

1 Samuel 7:15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.



Samuel is the last one of the judges. If you go back to Judges and make a list of the judges, Samuel is one more name to add to it. Now, all during the book ofJudges, we saw that first course of judgment being executed against Israel, so when you come to Samuel youre still in that first course of judgment.

1 Samuel 7:15-17 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. And he wentfrom year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places. And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the LORD.

Samuel was going through the nation judging Israel and bringing light, wisdom and help to them. Now, hes the last of the judges, but also the first of the prophetic order. Hes not the first prophet that ever showed up in the Bible. The firstman ever called a prophet was Abraham (Genesis 20), but, Samuel is the first inwhat is called the order of the prophets - a certain group of prophets. When the Scripture talks about the Law and the Prophets, the prophets as a group - as an order - theyre not talking about Abraham or people like Noah who prophesied; theyre talking about a group of people who occupy the office of prophet. Samuel is the f

irst of them.

Acts 3:24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, asmany as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.

At the end of Acts 3, Verse 21, it says which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets Reading Verse 20, you might say, Well, thats any prophet. But n you get to Verse 24: and all the prophets from Samuel, , now hes talking about prophetic order, people who occupy the office, not people who incidentally prop

hesy. It would be like the expression the Law and the Prophets. Those prophets began with Samuel.

Acts 13:20 And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

So Samuel was not only the last of the judges, but he also was the first of theprophetic order.

Hebrews 11:32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel,and of the prophets:

He speaks of Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephtha - theyre in the book of Judges - and



Elkanah was not a Levite, because he was.

1 Samuel 1:8: Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?

(You remember that Hannah didnt have any children.)

1 Samuel 1:9-11 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on theaffliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORDall the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. [Thats the Nazarite vow.]

Hannah says : Lord, if youll give me a man-child, Ill dedicate him to you and he shall be a Nazarite. He will be just like Samson was. (Samson took that Nazaritevow. Thats why he had the long hair, and thats why cutting his hair took his strength away; it violated his vow.)

Hannah is not just praying to have a child, she wants a deliverer for the nation Israel.

Shes not simply saying: Lord, give me a son. Shes saying: Give me a child that isgoing to deliver the nation Israel. She knew that Israel was in apostasy. She kn

ew the priesthood was apostate, and she knew they needed a deliverer from God to rescue Israel from apostasy and thus from oppression.

You know the story, I trust. Youve already read that the Lord was going to give her the child, and Eli comes and comforts her about it, and so forth. They had adiscussion: 1 Samuel 1:17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

By the way, the first ten verses of Chapter 2 is Hannahs prayer. That is one of t

he clearest statements looking forward prophetically to the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ that you can find in the Old Testament. It is a prayer and astatement in unabashed terms, prophetically given, about the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Samuel 2:12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.



1 Samuel 3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.

Youll recall how the Lord called to him, and finally:

1 Samuel 3:10-13 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth. And the LORDsaid to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.

And He goes on and gives Samuel his commission.

1 Samuel 3:19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.

(Now, thats something that I would wish for myself.)

1 Samuel 3:21 And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.

If you want God to reveal Himself to you, folks, thats the way its going to happen. That was true even back then when they didnt have a complete Bible.

Now, in Chapter 4, you see the judgment on the apostate priesthood. Thats the great chapter about I-chabod.

1 Samuel 4:21 And she named the child I-chabod, saying, The glory is departed fr

om Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. [They died.]

The Philistines come in and take the ark. God ships it out of Israel.

Psalms 78 and 79; 105 and 106; Acts 7 and 13 are the six passages that quickly g



ive you in synopsis form a divine record of the nation Israels history up to thepoint at which they are written.

The first fifty verses of Psalm 78 bring you from Abraham to Egypt.

Psalm 78:51-53 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham: But made his own people to go forth like sheep, andguided them in the wilderness like a flock. And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

When did all that take place? It took place in the book of Exodus. So theres thebook of Exodus in those verses.

Psalm 78:54 And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.

Thats the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy.

Psalm 78:55 He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

Thats the book of Joshua.

Psalm 78:56 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies.

Thats the book of Judges.

Psalm 78:57-58 But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: theywere turned aside like a deceitful bow. For they provoked him to anger with thei

r high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.

Theres the book of Judges and the first course of judgment falling on them.

Psalm 78:59-60 When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel: So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;



did.

See the problem with that? Just because Samuel was in the office didnt mean his boys were going to be in it. God put Samuel in the office, and it would have to be God who puts his boys in there.

1 Samuel 8:2-3 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beer-sheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

His boys didnt live up to Samuels standard. His boys were corrupted by the apostasy in Israel, and they became like Elis boys.

1 Samuel 8:4-5 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sonswalk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

When you just read it, that doesnt sound like a bad idea. The last verse over there in Judges told us that "there was no king in Israel."


It seems like bedlam has broken out in the nation Israel. Any time you get anarchy, any time you get bedlam, what happens? People want somebody to come in and r

un them.

They look for an authority. These men are seeing the problem. They see that Samuel is getting old and will die, and they wont have any leadership, so they say: Give us a leader. We need somebody to judge us. Make us a king.

Now that looked like a wise idea. The problem with that is the rest of the sentence.

Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. Notice: like all the nations. What is Israel doing? They are saying: We want to be like all those Gentiles o

ut there. They have a king. We want a king.

Now, what was Israel supposed to be? Were they supposed to be like the nations?They were supposed to be separate and distinct from the nations. God had chosenthe nation Israel to be the head of the nations. The problem really wasnt that they were asking for a king. They understood they would have a king. They werent wrong in simply asking to have a king. That wasnt the problem.



Genesis 17:4-6 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be afather of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

The Abrahamic Covenant told them that they were going to have kings reigning over them, so they knew that. It was not an unscriptural request in that sense.

Exodus 19:5-6 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.

A kingdom has to have a king, doesnt it? It would be something other than a kingdom if it didnt have a king. Our country doesn't have a king. We have a differentkind of government so were not a kingdom. If you have a kingdom, you have a king.

Israel understood that they were going to have a king.

Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people.

They werent supposed to be like all the people. They were to be separate and dist

inct and above all people.

Deuteronomy 28:13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

You see, Israel was supposed to be the head of the nations. They werent to be like the nations. They were supposed to be separate, distinct, set apart and not be

like all the other nations of the earth. God created the nation Israel to function as a distinct, separate nation in the earth. They were created to be that.

1 Samuel 2:10 The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.



You see, God had promised to give Israel a king, and if they were to hearken tothe Lord according to what God said, what would they do? Theyd wait until God gave them a king, wouldnt they? Sure they would. Theyre not doing that. They are notcoming by faith and asking God to honor His Word here in I Samuel 8. They are coming to Samuel in rebellion, saying: We no longer want to function as a separate, distinct nation. We no longer want to function as the people that God createdus to be. We dont want to do it Gods way. We dont want to be what God created us to be. We want to do it our way.

We want to go be like everybody else.

Now the problem - the thing that was motivating them - is seen in Verse 19: 1 Samuel 8:19-20 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all thenations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.

You see, they were motivated by fear. Look over at Chapter 12, Verse 12.

1 Samuel 12:12 And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me [Samuel], Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king.

You see what motivated them? They saw a fight coming, and they looked up and said: Samuel is too old to lead us any more. Wed better get us a leader to fight against that guy out there. Who was giving the victory in the battles, any way? God was their King.

God was their Leader. The Lord was the One that was going to do all that for them, but they werent trusting Him any more. They werent paying any attention to Him. They were a bunch of apostate, flesh-observing people who had lost any thoughtof obedience to the Word of God.

Whats happening here is that they were motivated by fear, not by faith. Now, Ive got to give them credit. Look at Chapter 13, Verse 22. They evidently werent wellarmed.

1 Samuel 13:22 So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people.

Thats two years into Sauls reign, but there still arent any armaments available. They didnt have a lot of tanks, guns, bombers, Cruise missiles and submarines. They didnt have a lot of armament, but that wasnt the issue anyway. If they were trusting the Lord, their enemy couldnt stand against them. Theyre going to see that inDavid when he faces Goliath a little later on. Its the first thing you see David



do. They can have all the armaments in the world, but if God isnt for them, it wont do them any good.

What you see in 1 Samuel 8 is a crisis point. When you get to 1 Samuel 8, the climax of Israels rebellion under the first course of judgment is reached.

Now, theres something important about that because the execution of the first course has come. Will you hearken? Will you hearken? No. What does Leviticus say? If you wont hearken, then Ill punish you seven times more.

Were going to see Samuel say to Israel: Because you rejected God the Father as your King, you refused to obey the Covenant. You refused to trust Him to be who He is for you. You refused to trust Jehovah to be what His name tells you He is, the One would be anything and everything you need Him to be. Whatever you need, Hell provide. You wouldnt trust Him that way. The result is going to be the secondcourse of judgment.

But the second course of judgment doesnt come for almost one hundred years. Thatsimportant to notice. In Samuels day they didnt want God; they rejected Him, and the only thing left is for the next course to come. But for almost a hundred years God extends mercy and longsuffering to Israel and doesnt send the second course. Rather, He allows them to choose Saul who is a king after their own heart. In Saul, God demonstrates their failure in choosing a king after their own heart.

Thereupon, God raises up David who is a success, a king after Gods own heart.

Everything Israel wanted out of a king, Saul failed to give them and David succe

eded in giving them. We will see that as we study this. Everything they thoughtthey were going to get from a king after their own heart, they didnt get, but David provided all of it. Not only did he provide it, but then Solomon, his son, came along and took what David had provided and extended it to the whole world.

Two of the most wonderful types of the Lord Jesus Christ in His Kingdom glory and Kingdom accomplishments are David and Solomon. In David you see the Deliverer. He delivers Israel and establishes a righteous rule over Israel. Then he brings blessing to the nation.

Then his son Solomon comes along, and you see the glory of the Kingdom of Israel lifted up before all the nations. You see all the nations coming to Solomon and admiring his glory and the wealth of the Gentiles pouring into Israel.

You see in one, the Kingdom and the righteous rule established, and in the other you see the glory of the Kingdom. Beautiful pictures of the Kingdom.



t God has consistently dealt with Israel. Over in the book of Acts you see it, so it isnt anything that should surprise you that He extends mercy and longsuffering to them. Heres a demonstration of mercy and longsuffering: He delays the second course of judgment, and He grants their request for a king after their own heart in order to teach them the necessity of having a king after Gods heart - thatsDavid, and beyond David, its God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Well start next time in 1 Samuel, Chapter 8, and go to 1 Kings 12 as one unit. We read through Chapter 15 last time, so you need to read 1 Samuel 16 through 1 Kings 11, and especially pay attention to 2 Samuel 7. Well pick up here next time.


(Lesson 18)

TEST


OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY 202

DISPENSATIONAL BIBLE STUDY


(Lesson 19)

Id like to finish First Samuel tonight, even Second Samuel if we could. I am going to spend a little more time in these books than we have in the other books, amore detailed study of them, mainly because I want you to see some of the things about the doctrine thats involved through here and the way things are recorded.In a survey class like this I've got two choices: I could go through every chapt



er and every section and describe it.

It makes more sense to me for you to read it and describe it to yourself.

Some people give out handouts. Well, if you give somebody a handout they can read it and then you can say something else. You dont need to repeat whats on the handout.

They just read whats on the handout. Thats a teachers perspective. A students perspctive is "We want you to explain whats on the handout." Thats what Im trying to dowith this. I want you to read these passages and become familiar with them as you read them. I resist the idea that you are going to learn the Bible by listening to what I say. You are going to learn the Bible by reading and studying the Bible. Now, you can learn some things about the Bible, and you can learn some doctrine in the Bible if we compare verses. I can teach you how to study the Bible,and thats what I am trying to do. I want you to know how to study these passagesso you can return to the passages and get the information out of them. You don't need to just have somebody explain to you what the chapters say. You can read the chapters and figure out what they say, and thats what I hope you are doing aswe go through them. Im trying to point out the doctrine involved in the events and why things are the way they are.

Probably the best book or commentary that I know on the Old Testament, especially going through these books, is Arno C. Gabeleins book The Annotated Bible. Its in about six volumes. Ill bring it and show it to you sometime if I can remember to do it.

You can get it at the bookstore. Its not an in-depth, verse-by-verse commentary,but it is more or less a chapter-by-chapter, section-by-section explanation of the events in the chapters of the books of the Bible. Hes very good in these particular books, and its a book I would strongly recommend that you have.

The other commentary is George Williams Students Commentary of the Holy Scriptures. Those two commentaries - Gabeleins and Williams - are extremely helpful, especially in the history books of the Old Testament. There is a wealth of informationcollected in just a little bit of reading. You can spend hundreds and thousandsof dollars and buy all kinds of other books, and youll never get a lot more helpthan what those give you, so I recommend them to you.

By the way, if you read through Samuel I hope you have noticed that there was a"school of prophets" that Samuel had established in Israel. It was something like what we are doing here; not exactly of course. He established schools where he

taught men the Word of God, taught them how to preach and teach and get the Word of God out. A tremendous spiritual movement took place in Israel under Samuel. There are some things going on back here in these books that demonstrate that human nature hasnt changed.

Some of the greatest studies in human nature that youll ever find are in Samuel and Kings and especially in the passages that were fixing to traverse in the nextseveral weeks. In these books, you'll find the greatest studies of human natureand how human nature reacts in certain situations.



Now, if you'll notice Psalm 78, Ill point out to you again where we are in 1 Samuel 8, because its important that you see the crisis point you come to there so you can appreciate whats going on.

In Psalm 78 you have a history of the nation Israel. There are a number of Psalms: 78, 105, 106, e.g.; also Acts 7, 13 and chapters like that which give you a picture, in condensed form (sort of a running commentary), of the history of Israel.

Psalm 78:51-2 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strengthin the tabernacles of Ham: But made his own people to go forth like sheep (ThatsExodus.) Psalm 78:54 And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary (That would be the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy.)

Psalm 78:55 He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line (Thats the Book of Joshua.)

Psalm 78:56-57 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies: But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers (Thats the Book of Judges.)

Psalm 78:60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men (Thats First Samuel.)

Verses 61-64 (Thats the first part of the Book of First Samuel.)

Psalm 78:65 Then (That will compare with to the events that are going on in 1 Samuel 8.)

When Israel had come to the place when she had done the worst thing she had ever done up to that point in her history, God does something wonderful.

Psalm 78:65-72 Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine. And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach. Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim: But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved. And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever. He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds: From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance. So he fed them according to



the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.

Theres a tremendous demonstration thats going to take place in First Samuel at the point of crisis that we already looked at last time: how Israel had demanded aking. They wanted to be like every other nation around them. When they did that, they were rejecting God as their King. Theyd been under that first course of judgment; it had come right down to that crisis point where they get it or dont getit. They no longer wanted to be what God Almighty had created them to be. They rebelled against the purpose of God and His chastening, disciplining and trying to bring them back to be whom He had created them to be. When they were doing the worst thing they had ever done in their history, God gives them this demonstration and outpouring of His mercy and longsuffering.

The next thing that happened was for the second course of judgment to come on them, but He delays that second course of judgment in order to raise up a deliverer and to raise up the line of David. Instead of sending that next course of judgment immediately on them, He "awaked." He rises up and holds back that second course and gives them some mercy and longsuffering by choosing David and establish

ing the dynasty of David through the Davidic Covenant. He established David as the deliverer, the righteous ruler and the one through whom they would receive their blessing. Its going to be David and the seed of David.

Rather than leaving them hopeless, He extends mercy to them and raises up a deliverer.

He gives a further covenant with Israel, a covenant that is called "the sure mercies of David," right when the wrath of the next course of judgment ought to have fallen on them. You see, under the first course, Israel learned everything they needed to know about Jehovah. Youll remember that what Hes trying to teach them

in these courses of judgment and chastisement is to trust Him as Jehovah. He istheir Jehovah. He is their "I AM." I AM ______. Fill in the blank. Whatever youneed Me to be, God says, I AM

your provision. Trust Me. Come to Me with your need and Ill be everything you need Me to be. Thats what the name Jehovah means: "I AM hath sent me unto you." I AM

what? You fill in the blank, whatever it is that you need. That is inherent in all those compound names: Jehovah-ropheka, Jehovah-nissi, Jehovah-jirah. Whatever you need Me to be, Ill be.

They had opportunity to learn all of that already, and they rejected it. Instead of the next course coming to punish them seven times more in intensity, He holds it back, raises up Davids line and gives them whats called "the sure mercies ofDavid" in the Covenant that He makes with David.

Back in 1 Samuel 8, God extends to them two opportunities after theyve chosen Saul to be king. He extends to them two opportunities to change their mind, to repent, to do what Leviticus 26 said to do when that course of judgment came upon th



em. Hes punished them with it and chastened them with it. They havent responded, so - before He moves on - Hes going to send them an opportunity to repent. But further on, beginning in 1

Kings 12, the opportunity ends. The mercy goes from 1 Samuel 8, when they choose Saul, all the way over through 1 Kings 11. There are Saul, David and Solomon.

There is some tremendous, typical history being taught to Israel from spirituallessons being demonstrated in David and in Solomon. Were going to see that from the way the books are put together here, the way the history is compiled, to show you the thing that God is going to do through the Messiah. Hes typified by David and by Solomon in very special ways.

So theres this extension of mercy to teach Israel about Gods provision to deliverthem and to raise up the right king. God had told them they were going to have a king. They just demanded Saul, and when they demanded Saul they rejected God. In other words, instead of waiting for God to give them the deliverer, they demanded one like all the other nations round about them had.

The sin was not in demanding a king as much as it was in demanding one like thenations had. They were to be a separated nation. They were to be the head of the nations, an example to the nations. The nations were to look to them and be like them. They cast off that separated, distinct position that God had given themand created them for, and they were rebelling against the kingdom concept of a separated nation that God had given them in the Abrahamic Covenant. They no longer wanted to be what God had created them to be. It displeased the Lord that this had happened.

1 Samuel 8:6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to

judge us.

If it displeased the Lord, it displeased Samuel. As I said, this is just rebellion against God. They knew what they were doing.

1 Samuel 10:17-19 And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh; And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians,and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: And ye have

this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands.

What they were doing when they said: Give us a king like the nations, they wererejecting the Lord. They were rejecting Gods purpose in having formed them. Theywanted to be like everybody else. God created them to be different, so theres tre



mendous rebellion going on here.

In the midst of all that gross wickedness, they had rejected the foundation upon which the Israel as a nation stood. Even after having done this, yet God extends to them some opportunities of repentance.

1 Samuel 8:7-9 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they alsounto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnlyunto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

Samuel was one of the first "protestants." Hes sent down there to protest. The first thing God does is to say: Okay, now they want to have their way, and Ill letthem have it. But before we let them go, go down there and solemnly protest. Godown there, Samuel, stand in front of them and say: "Dont do it. If you do it, he

res whats going to happen."

If you read down from Verses 10 to 18, youll see Him describe whats going to happen when the king after their heart reigns over them. Hes saying: Guys, you dont need to do this. This is a bad idea. You need to change your mind. You dont want todo this.

Look whats going to happen to you if you do.

1 Samuel 8:19-20 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like allthe nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.

Now, thats the whole problem. They want to be like everybody else when God wantsthem to be different. So, in Chapters 9 through 12, Saul is established over Israel as their king, and you see that he has some early promise here. It looks like he might be a pretty good guy. Hes a fellow who has a strong constitution. Hes certainly a handsome, big guy and looks as though hed be strong and able to fightfor them. He has a lot of advantages going his way. He has a humble heart, and h

e also has some divine equipping. Look over at Chapter 10 where Samuel is talking to Saul.

1 Samuel 10:6-7 And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee.



1 Samuel 10:9-10 And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day. And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

This guy is out there doing signs and wonders, speaking in tongues, prophesying- doing all that - and the preachers from the prophets school in town see it. Gods Spirit comes on him, and thats just like in the Book of Exodus when the Spirit of God came on the craftsmen and gave them the capacity to carve and sculpt the furnishings for the Tabernacle. Its the same kind of thing.

This idea that the Spirit of God never indwelt anybody or never came upon anybody in the Old Testament just isnt true. They were not regenerated. You notice that Verse 6

says, "Thou shalt be turned into another man." Verse 9 says that "God gave him another heart." It doesnt say that he would turn into a new man and it doesnt say that He gave him a new heart. Now, thats what Ezekiel 36 and John 3 say that the N

ew Covenant is going to give them: a new heart. But Saul is turned into anotherman.

In other words, the Spirit of God comes on him, and now he has some abilities and capacities just like those artisans did back there, just like Samson did withhis empowerment and that kind of thing. The Lord gives Saul an opportunity to be His King.

Thats something for you to remember. God gave Saul divine equipping, gave him signs (Israel is the signs people) and gave him the ability to prophesy. The guy is out here speaking in tongues and prophesying. God gave him this capacity, and S

aul could have been Gods man. He could have been the one that led Israel to trust God. Gods extending the opportunity to him, but well see that his early promise doesnt hold out very long.

Look over in Chapter 11:12 after he comes back from a victory:

1 Samuel 11:12-13 And the people said unto Samuel, Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? bring the men, that we may put them to death. And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day: for to day the LORD hath wrought

salvation in Israel.

In other words, he tells the truth. You see, Saul understood that he didnt get the victory in the battle but that God gave it to them. What Saul, in essence, issaying is to trust the Lord. Trust God.



1 Samuel 11:14 Then said Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there. Samuel is saying: Lets go back up there and reestablish ourselves as to who we really are.

1 Samuel 11:15 And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul kingbefore the LORD in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

The opportunity was there for them to go back and reestablish themselves as thenation that God had chosen them to be. But, they dont do it. Their heart really isnt in it.

When you read on down the passage, youll see that Sauls early promise turns into disaster. Right here in Chapter 12, Verse 6, Samuel warns Israel that if they continue to rebel, although Gods going to extend mercy to them, the second course of judgment is already on the way. Yet God extends mercy and longsuffering to teach them about the provision that He has for them in their need.

There is something significant that goes on here in Chapter 12 that you need tonotice.

1 Samuel 12:6 And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.

Then he begins to describe them in Verses 8-12 and he talks to them about how God has been delivering them and dealing with them.

1 Samuel 12:13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you.

In other words, God has done all this for you, and you have rebelled.

1 Samuel 12:14-17 If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God: But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers. Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes. Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is gre



at, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.

Samuel is saying: You guys blundered. Youre in open rebellion against the commandments. Youve been through this whole course of judgment, and what do you do? Youre just rebelling more in asking for a king. Its great wickedness that youve done. God has taken this king whom you have chosen and Hes blessed him, Hes given you victory. Now youve returned, and you've said: lets go back and be the nation God created us to be.

I want to tell you something. If you dont follow through with that, theres judgment coming that youve never thought about. Gods going to give you a sign, and I want you to see that.

And so theres a tremendous demonstration that Samuel is involved in. Its the wheat harvest, and Samuel is going to call for thunder and rain.

1 Samuel 12:18-22 So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder andrain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that wedie not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king. And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turnnot aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart; And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. For the LORD will not forsake his people for hisgreat name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.

Thats grace. They deserve wrath; they deserve no mercy. They just deserve more ju

dgment. Theyve messed up and done wickedly. He says: Look, youve messed up, but God is going to preserve Israel, and you can be a part of that if youll turn from your rebellion.

1 Samuel 12:23-25 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way: Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.

That sign of the thunder and rain in Verse 17 is associated with that second course of judgment thats going to come on them. He says: Look, youve got an opportunity so get right. Turn around, repent, keep the commandments, fear God and serveHim.

And so, there is an extension of an opportunity to do that before the second course of judgment falls.



Chapter 13 and the rest of the book deals with Saul. Therell be an overlap with David beginning in Chapter 16, but the emphasis is really on Saul and his career. Davids reign doesnt take up until 2 Samuel, although youll see David anointed andthe reason that he comes on the scene.

In Chapters 13-27, youre going to see the decline of King Saul. There are three major things that are in evidence here.

In Chapter 13, you see a weird thing that Saul does.

1 Samuel 13:1-2, Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel;

Now, Samuel made a circuit and youll see it back in Chapter 10:8 Samuel was a priest.

He was a prophet and a priest. He made a circuit, going around making sacrifices and offerings for Israel. Saul is at the place where Samuel told him to be, and Samuel is going to come.

1 Samuel 13:8-9 And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings.And he [Saul] offered the burnt offering.

What Saul does here is presumptuous, and its unscriptural. He usurps the office of the priesthood. Saul was never placed in the office of the priest. He was a king. God had recognized him as Israels choice, and God had given him the opportunity to be His king, but the only way he could do that was by keeping the Word ofGod

Saul just presumptuously violates the Word of God by usurping unto himself the priest's office. It was not his privilege to offer sacrifices. Samuel wasnt there.

Well, thats okay, guys. I can take care of it.

What youre going to see is a demonstration of self-will in Saul begin to come out. In Chapters 13, 14 and 15 you see a great study in the corrupting influence of power when it is not coupled with faith in Gods Word



If you want to understand whats going on in the politics of America and the politics of the world today, this passage right here will take care of it for you. Its self-will and the presumption of self-will. It's the rashness of self-willfulness, the open disobedience, deceit and a defiance of Gods Word when you have political authority and power and its not coupled with faith in Gods Word. What happens is that it corrupts.

Someone said that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Thats what you will find here in Saul. He goes in, he usurps the priesthood and he fails to trust God Word. What would faith have said?

Well, if Samuel isnt here, we cant have the sacrifices because its Samuels job to ofer them. But notice what happens in Verse 10.

1 Samuel 13:10 And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came.

You see, Samuel came right on time. Saul was just impatient.

1 Samuel 13:10b-12 and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. AndSamuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; Therefore said I,The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.

Lord, You dont understand what a sacrifice it was for me to do this. I just mademyself do this. Thats a common alibi for sin. Lord, I was doing this for You andI just forced myself to do it against my will. I didnt want to.

1 Samuel 13:13-14 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, andthe LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.

Do you see what was happening? God is finding out if Saul has patience. Is he going to continue with the Word? Will he let circumstances drive him from the Word? Saul gets into some adverse circumstances, and, instead of trusting God, he decides hes going to do it his way. What happens? He loses his shirt. He loses hiskingdom.



1 Samuel 15:13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thouof the LORD:

Do you see that pious, religious blessing ? Ohhh, beloved . Come here and let me hug you around the neck . Dearly beloved .

Did you ever wonder why I just get all bent out of shape with that kind of stuff? I started out studying passages like this before I met people who did that. Every time I see somebody fall all over you with a lot of syrup, sweetener and all that saccharine stuff, I cant help but think of this.

1 Samuel 15:13 Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment ofthe LORD.

Is he lying or is he lying? Hes a pious liar - thats what he is. Watch what happens.

1 Samuel 15:14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep inmine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

And if you did what God said, whats that bleating; whats the bawling of oxen thatI hear?

1 Samuel 15:15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen,

Now, wait a minute. What does Verse 9 say spared them? Saul. Whos the leader here anyway? The people?

Have you noticed whats going on in Washington right now? Dont you get sick of them

saying: The people want this, and the people want that. You send those jugheads to Congress and you send that dude to the White House to represent you. The people have already spoken. The decision is over. Listen. Our president doesnt haveto worry for four more years. He hasnt been in office thirty days yet, and people are talking about trying to get re-elected. Man! He doesnt have to worry about it for three years and eleven months. Whats he worrying about?

Do you know what that is when they are always talking about "the people"? Theyre



trying to put a cloak of deceit over what they are doing - trying to con you into thinking theyre doing what somebody else wants them to do - and they are just doing their own devilment and their own deceit. Thats just a ruse. When anybody talks about giving you liberty youd better watch out because theyre fixing to put ashackle on you somewhere.

If you dont believe that, go on down and check Cuba out.

"The people" - the great bugaboo, you know. Notice why they did it. Great motive!

1 Samuel 15:15b the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

Oh, Samuel, youre going to be so proud of us. We kept the best of the flocks because we wanted to make a sacrifice to God! Oh, we want to go out here and serve God and please God. We'll have a great feast and a great ceremony to the victorythat God gave. We know God just wants the best so we kept the best.

Do you get the picture? Do you know that people do that right now? Human naturehasnt changed a bit. People in complete and total rebellion to the clear statements of the Word of God are doing it all the time. Just a bunch of pious pretenders : "The Lord bless you, brother," and "Were just doing this for God. Im sacrificing and Im putting myself out," and "Oh, Im bearing a heavy burden, but Im doing itfor God."

When the Word of God says to do something exactly the opposite from what theyre d

oing, they wouldnt pay any attention to that if you showed it to them.

Well, Samuel showed it to old Saul, and he didnt like it.

1 Samuel 15:19-21 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, butdidst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the

chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.

What are you complaining about? Man, I did everything I could to stop it, but the people did it, anyway.



You see, God put Saul as king of Israel to lead them in the way of righteousness, to be a righteous ruler over them, but he failed miserably. What he did was to lead them in rebellion.

1 Samuel 15:22-23 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 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.

1 Samuel 15:24-26 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD. And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.

And thats all there is to it. By the way, go down to Verse 33:

1 Samuel 15:33 And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD

in Gilgal.

Samuel went down there and had a little visitation committee meeting with Agag,and he wiped Agag out himself and got the job done.

Starting in Chapter 16, you begin to see David come on the scene, and Saul understands that hes been rejected. David begins to be established. Going on down through the rest of the book you see the progressive decline of Saul. David honors Saul as Gods anointed, but youre going to see David come onto the scene as the anointed, God-appointed successor of Saul.

Then, in Chapters 28 to 31, you see the absolute, utter failure of Saul and finally his death.

It reminds me just to say to you that the end of all self-will, folks, is just what it is there: it winds up being destruction and failure. Absolute destruction comes to Saul. God gives Israel a king, and they rebel against God. They choose a man after their own heart. God says: Okay, if youll get right Ill accept you if you keep My commandments. God extends mercy to them; He doesn't destroy them. They wont do it and so Saul leads them away.



God is going to demonstrate that the problem isnt that they chose a king. The problem is that theyre not keeping the commandments and so Hes going to raise up David.

In Chapters 16 to 31, you see God is choosing David. You see Sauls failure and decline.

You see Him training and disciplining David to be the deliverer and the rightful ruler and the one who brings blessings to Israel. Hes going to be Gods king.

What were going to see in 2 Samuel is that what Israel wanted in a king, could be and will be found in David. God chooses him; God anoints him, and youre going to see his exploits, the opposition to him and the rest, the prosperity and the justice that Israel wanted a king to bring them are found in David. The only place theyre going to be available for Israel is in Davids line. The only place that Israel is going to get the promises of God fulfilled for them is going to be in the Davidic line - David and his seed after him.

The seed of the woman became the seed of Abraham, and the seed of Abraham became the seed of Judah. Now its going to become the seed of David. The promised lineis narrowed down more and more and more until you get to David.

Come with me over to Chapter 7, and let me show you how the things that Israel sought for in a king comes to them through David. They didnt come to them throughSaul, but they did come to them through David.

In the first ten chapters of 2 Samuel you see the triumphs of David, his triumphs and his victories. Then, in Chapters 11 through 24, you see his troubles; yousee his downfall.

You see his great sin and the reaping and the destruction that come. Triumph through faith turns to trouble because of sin.

2 Samuel is called The Book of the Reign of David. Youll see that as we go through it next time, but look just at three things.

2 Samuel 7:1 And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;

David is the one who brings rest to the nation Israel, rest from their enemies,from that first course of judgment where their enemies came in and constantly were plaguing them.



of them: David and Solomon. David delivers Israel from their oppressors. He brings prosperity and blessing to Israel, and he brings peace and righteous rule. The kingdom that David establishes, Solomon carries its glory to all the nations. Under Solomons rule Israel became the glory of all the kingdoms of the earth.

In David, you see the peace is won - he brings peace. In Solomon, you see the glory of the kingdom. David is called a bloody man. He won the war - type of the Lord Jesus Christ winning the victory in battle. Hes the deliverer, and hes the One to whom peace comes and then theres the glory that follows.

What Israel wanted was going to be found only in Gods man, David, and Davids son.

Youre going to see, as we go through Second Samuel, prophetic pictures laid out in the history of Israel, things that Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Micah and the prophets later on, are going to point back to and say: Remember back there in Second Samuel, back there in Kings? Remember those events that are laid out back there? Those are the things that are going to happen out there in the Tribulation atthe Second Coming of Christ.

In the Davidic Covenant God tells them to look at David and Davids son because there theyre going to see the doctrine about Israels Redeemer who is going to be the true Son of David.

Be sure to read again for next time Second Samuel and the first eleven chaptersof First Kings.


(Lesson 20)

The whole book of Second Samuel is basically about the reign of King David.

2 Samuel 5:3-5 So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and kingDavid made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.

Now, David was a man after Gods own heart. Paul calls him that in Acts 13:22. Youll find that in a number of other passages. David was Israels first God-given king



. Were going to see in Second Samuel that hes not only Israels first God-given king, but he is the king through whom the Messianic line - Israels hope of a Kingdom- was going to be established. Messiah is going to be the true Son of David.

So, Second Samuel is a very important book in the history of Israel.

Chapters 1-10: You see the great triumphs of David, the great victories.

Chapters 11-24: You see his triumphs turn to tragedies and troubles.

The triumphs that turn into trouble are because of Davids sin, yet David is always called a man after Gods own heart.

As soon as we get to Solomon, we are going to see that he also sinned, but he didnt have his heart toward the Lord like David did. David never went after idols.He had a lot of sins of the flesh, a lot of failures, a lot of things he didnt do

right. He was a bloody man, but he always kept his heart toward the Lord. He didnt sin in his heart, and he didnt go after strange gods. He always knew that Jehovah was God. He kept his heart true to the Lord in spite of the fact that he had all kinds of personal failings.

Thus it is recorded in the Psalms that the Lord "knoweth our frame," that we are just dust.

Its not our failings that are the issue before Him but its where our hearts faith is resting.

So the first ten chapters deal with David's triumphs. You want to be sure to get hold of them. Then, in Chapter 11, you have his great sin with Bathsheba and the cover-up.

Beginning in Chapter 12 through Chapter 20, you see his reaping the harvest forhis sin.

In Chapter 12, Nathan the prophet comes in and confronts him. David confesses his sin, and hes going to pay four-fold for his sin, like the Law required.

In Chapter 21 to the end of the book is sort of a little appendix, a history ofDavid. The things recorded there are not in chronological order, but theyre written there to give you something of the flavor of the typical and prophetic record of David's life.



For example: 2 Samuel 22 is also Psalm 18, almost verbatim. When you read Psalm18, you know immediately that its a Messianic Psalm talking about the Lord JesusChrist.

When you find out where it came from - the life of David -- then you find out that those many things in the life of David are typical of prophetic events. Youllfind a great deal of prophecy foreshadowed in practical events in the life of Israel back here, especially in Second Samuel.

Many times, the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micah, Joel, Amos, Daniel, and others, especially the minor prophets, will look back to events that took place in Second Samuel - in the reign of David - and say: Do you remember what it was like back there?

Thats what its going to be like over here when the Lord comes. Do you remember what it was like back there? Thats what its going to be like over here in the Tribulation. So these events back here are of more than just historical interest to us. They are typically prophetic of the future of the nation Israel.

Theres a lot of information in Second Samuel that is good for you to know. I hope

you've read the book by now, and if you havent, you need to do that this week. Youre probably supposed to have read up to 1 Kings 11 by tonight. Well be getting into First Kings next week so you need to be sure to read Second Samuel and the first part of First Kings.

As we just read there in Chapter 5, Verse 4, David is reigning in the first four chapters of Second Samuel, but not over all of Israel yet. Hes just reigning inHebron over Judah -

over the southern Kingdom, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

Abner, the captain of Sauls host - who also happened to be Sauls uncle - refused to submit to Davids authority and so you have about a seven-year period where David doesnt reign over all of Israel. He reigns in Hebron for seven years and six months because the throne is contested after the death of Saul. God Himself finally establishes David:

2 Samuel 3:6-10 And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner made himself strong for the house of Saul. And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah: and Ish-

bosheth said to Abner, Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father's concubine? Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ish-bosheth, and said, Am I a dog's head, which against Judah do shew kindness this day unto the house of Saul thy father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David, that thou chargest me to day with a fault concerning this woman? So do God to Abner, and more also, except, as the LORD hath sworn to David, evenso I do to him; To translate the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beer-sheba.



(Thats from the northern border to the southern border. That would be like saying from the Canadian border to the Mexican border.)

2 Samuel 3:12 And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying also, Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee.

2 Samuel 3:17-18 And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying,Ye sought for David in times past to be king over you: Now then do it: for the LORD hath spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.

Its clear that Abner knew that David was to be the king over Israel, but Abner resisted it and tried to get a place for himself and for Sauls family. Youll noticehow David handled all that during that period of time.

2 Samuel 2:1 And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.

David depends on and operates on Gods guidance for him during this transition period.

God sends him to Hebron, the ancient city of Abraham. He depends on the Lords guidance, and when he gets there he waits, as it were, on the Lord during the times

of these long wars.

2 Samuel 3:1 Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weakerand weaker.

In spite of his connivings, Abner is finally killed by Joab, the captain of Davids host.

Joab would be like David's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Abner was like Saul's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and hes trying to get Sauls house established and yet he knows that God wants David established. Finally, Joab goes out and kills Abner.

When you finally get down to Chapter 5, you see David finally established as the king over all of the nation Israel. Youll notice that the first couple of verses are really touching.



2 Samuel 5:1 Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.

2 Samuel 5:2 Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.

They said: David, were kin. Youre bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. You led us out and you brought us in. Youve proven your ability to lead, and not only that, but God appointed you to be our shepherd and our king. We want you to be king.

2 Samuel 5:3c and they anointed David king over Israel.

Verses 4 and 5 are the record of the extent of his kingdom.

Now, there was great rejoicing in Israel. You read 1 Chronicles 12:39 and 40 and youll see in that passage that theres a time of great rejoicing in Israel as David is made king, not just over the southern tribes but over all the twelve tribes.

David is made king and is going to establish the throne in Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 5:6a And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land:

(Youve already seen the Jebusites back in Judges. They inhabited that territory and Jerusalem, which was originally called Salem.)

2 Samuel 5:6b-12 which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blindand the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither.

Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion [Jerusalem]: the same is the city of David. : And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David's soul, he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lameshall not come into the house. So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward. And David went on



goes up there he is following God's purpose.

Come to 2 Chronicles, Chapter 6. This is Solomons prayer at the dedication of the Temple.

2 Chronicles 6:1-2 Then said Solomon, The LORD hath said that he would dwell inthe thick darkness. But I have built an house of habitation for thee, and a place for thy dwelling for ever.

2 Chronicles 6:6 But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel.

You see, God chose David and Davids lineage - were going to see that He makes a Covenant with him - to be the head over Israel, the royal line, and that He choseJerusalem to be the place where His Throne is going to be.

What youre seeing back there in Second Samuel is God establishing the nation in the Land. Turn to Matthew, Chapter 5.

Matthew 5:34-35 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for itis God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

So, its very clear that Jerusalem is the city of the great king, and, of course,thats David; but its also the City of the Great King, the Lord Jesus Christ. In the passage, its the Messiah. Its the place where the Messiah is going to reign.

1 Kings 11:36 And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant mayhave a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.

I show you those verses just to emphasize to you the fact that God chose Jerusal

em. All that in Second Samuel is a type and a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.Its also a type of Luke 21:24 where Jerusalem is given into the hands of the Gentiles.

Luke 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.



Beginning in 2 Samuel 5:13-16, youll see some progression in the program. Youll see Davids lineage, and youll notice in Verse 14 that the last two boys are Nathan and Solomon. Nathan is the one from whom the lineage in Luke 3 descends. Solomonis the one from whom the genealogy in Matthew 1 descends.

Josephs genealogy in Matthew 1 is through Solomon. Marys genealogy in Luke 3 is through Nathan. Those two boys are brothers.

Beginning in Verse 17 and going on down through the end the chapter, youll see that David destroys the idols and images in the Land.

2 Samuel 5:20-22 And David came to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there, and said, The LORD hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach ofwaters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baal-perazim. And there theyleft their images, and David and his men burned them. And the Philistines came up yet again, The events in Verses 17-25 - the "going in the tops of the mulberry trees," etc. - are directly referred to in Isaiah 28, a passage about the Second Advent when He destroys the antichrist.

You read, back in Judges when Joshua led Israel into the Land, that they were to destroy the inhabitants, destroy the idolatry and get rid of all that Baal worship, and they didnt do it. Its still there in Davids day, and when he takes over the reign of the whole nation, he goes out and wipes out the idolatry and purges it out of the nation. David is an enemy of idolatry all the days of his life.

In Chapter 6, he recovers the ark that the Philistines had taken, and he bringsit back to the nation Israel. Theres a great parallel passage in Chronicles that

tells you how David brought back the ark. You remember that the guy who put hishand out to steady it was killed because he disobeyed the Scriptures. This scared them and they had to figure out what was going on. Its a great illustration about doing things by the Word of God. Here you just read about them bringing the ark back and the Tabernacle that David pitched for the ark in Shiloh, up north of Jerusalem.

When you come down that far you see this great revival taking place. You see inthe first five or six chapters, as David takes over, that Israel bows to him and acknowledges him as king. They say: Youre bone of our bone; youre worthy; God anointed you. Come be our king. He comes in and delivers Jerusalem from the Gentile

s and sets up a throne, and the glory of the Gentiles begins to flow into it. He goes out and destroys the Satanic policy of evil against Israel and then he brings the glory of the Lord, the ark, back into the Land.

In the midst of all that you come to 2 Samuel 7 where you have a revelation of the great purpose of God in David. It contains the great covenant, the Davidic Covenant, that God made with David. From there its sort of downhill. Chapters 8, 9and 10 describe the extent of Davids kingdom, how he goes out and smites the peop



le around him, brings peace and extends boundaries of the nation.

Then, in Chapter 11, it comes to pass that David, instead of going out with hisarmies into battle, he tarries in Jerusalem and commits the great sin with Bathsheba.

In Chapter 12, Nathan comes and confronts him. Had he not tarried in Jerusalem,had he been staying in the Word of God like he should have and like he had in the past, he wouldnt have gotten into sin with Bathsheba but he did.

In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, its very clear that a king was not to multiply unto himself wives and concubines, yet when you go back to 2 Samuel 5:13, it says, And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem. David took a whole bunchof wives and concubines into his house. Thats what happens in Chapter 11: it sets him up for a fall. He shouldnt have done it. He was making provision for the flesh, and he shouldnt have, and it got him in trouble.

Old Barney Google said, "Pity the man with soul so tough who says one wife is not enough." Thats not Scripture, but its scriptural. I think it goes the other way, too, about wives and husbands. Women seem to be smarter than men because you dont read much about a woman taking a bunch of husbands, but its a husband taking abunch of concubines and wives, and they always get in trouble for it.

You know the story. David goes out and falls lusting after Bathsheba, and he takes her unto himself. People try to blame Bathsheba and they say: Well, she shouldnt have been bathing out there on the roof at night in the sight of the king. Imnot trying to excuse her part in it, but folks, she wasnt to blame. He was. Thats

like blaming Eve for the fall, you know. Some people are always just trying to blame somebody other than the guy that did it.

It was Davids fault. It wasnt Bathsheba. It was David. If hed been out on the battlefield where he belonged, if hed been abiding in the truth of Gods Word where he belonged, he wouldnt have done it. But he got satisfied, and he got soft and he fell. And the worst thing about it is not just that he sinned, but when she sent him word that she was pregnant he calls her husband, Uriah, back home by one of his mighty men.

Uriah, the Hittite, wasnt even an Israelite. Uriah was a Gentile who had converted to following David and had joined Davids army and had faith in Davids God. He wouldnt go in to his wife. He slept at the door of David's house - he was that dedicated to David. Im not going in and sleep with my wife when the armies of Israelare out there in hardship. He was more righteous man than David. So David tellsJoab to put him in the front of the battle and then withdraw from him so that hell be killed.



David knew that Joab was a murderer. Joab had murdered Abner back in Chapter 2.

Joab was a guy who had already murdered somebody, and David had disassociated himself with that murder, but when David needed dirty work done, he knew the one to get.

In Chapter 12, Nathan comes in and tells David the story about the rich guy whohad many flocks of sheep and the guy who had but one lamb. The rich man took that mans one lamb and killed it and served it to a visitor. David says: The man that did that thing is going to die, and hes going to restore fourfold to the man whose lamb he killed.

Thats exactly what Exodus 22 said he was supposed to do. Davids response to Nathan was a scriptural response quoting the Law of Moses. He knew the technical details of the Law. And Nathan said; Youre the guy. David confessed his sin.

Youre going to see a four-fold reaping from Chapter 12 to Chapter 20. David and h

is family, the crop, comes back into the barn, one right after the other. Terrible things happen in Davids family. Youll see that David wasnt much of a daddy. Davids mouth was shut in the face of the rebellion and the godlessness of his children. One of the reasons for that is that when youre the kind of daddy that David evidently was, who indulged his kids and led a bad example in front of them, sin will shut your mouth when it comes to rebuking your own kids.

When you have kids you learn a lot about your own humanity. Do you know that? You really do. You learn what you are capable of. I learned a long time ago that you cant require your kids to be something youre not and that is perfect. Thats what most parents want their kids to be - perfect. But, you didnt make a perfect kid;

you made a sinner, just like you.

David never seemed to work that out so there are all these things happening in his childrens lives.

Finally, in Chapter 21 through Chapter 24 there are just little pictures of events in Davids life, sort of like an appendix stuck on there and it ends in Chapter 24 with Davids greater sin. The sin with Bathsheba was a great sin but the numbering of the people in 2 Samuel 24 was his greatest sin.

2 Samuel 24:10 And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people.

And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, 2 Samuel 12:13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD.



About Bathsheba, he knew it was a big sin, but he just confesses, I have sinned against the Lord. Now, after numbering the people, its I have sinned greatly. The si with Bathsheba was because his flesh got him. Compare 2 Samuel 24:1-2 with 1 Chronicles 21:1, which are parallel passages. Chronicles gives you the spiritual commentary, and youll see what moved David to number Israel.

1 Chronicles 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

It was Satan that moved him and tempted him to number the people.

2 Samuel 24:2 that I may know the number of the people.

David was lifted up in pride by Satan to exalt himself as though what Israel was doing was what he was doing. He was lifted up by pride and fell into the condem

nation of the devil by doing that. He made some mistakes, and God curses them. You see, David was the kind of guy that, when the punishment came, he got right.He does that in 2 Samuel 24. His heart wasnt against God; he just got all messedup, but when the Word of God came to him, he would turn back to God, you see.

There are some practical lessons in that for you and me, too.

That takes you through the reign of David. Go back with me now to 2 Samuel 7. When you read that, you kind of get an idea where you are and what is taking place

. Chapter 7

is the most important chapter in the book, especially the first seventeen verses where you have the Davidic Covenant recorded.

The Davidic Covenant provides basically three things:

1. The seed of David would inherit a kingdom.

2. The seed of David would build the Temple.

3. The seed of David would be subject to discipline for disobedience.

Now, the Davidic Covenant basically provides for three things:

1. The throne of Israel is established by God. You have a divine establishment of the throne in Israel.



1. In Genesis 3:15, its the seed of the woman. Thats the promise of the race - the racial promise. Humanity is going to provide a redeemer. The redeemer is not an angel; hes a man.

2. Genesis 12: The nation Israel is established as the seed line.

3. Genesis 49: The tribe of Judah is established as the royal seed line, the Messianic line.

4. Then here, the family of David is established as the seed line.

You have the race picked out, a nation from among humanity, then a tribe from among the nation, and now a family from out of the tribe. There you have the royal lineage of the House of Israel.

Notice that Psalm 89 is an exposition of the Davidic Covenant.

Psalm 89:27-37 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.

My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.

His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; If they break

my statutes, and keep not my commandments; Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have Isworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven.

That lasts as long as the universe exists; as long as the sun is in its course and the moon is in the heavens, the nation is going to exist. Thats exactly what Jeremiah 33 says about Israel. And as long as Israel exists, David and his lineag

e - his house, the dynasty that comes from him - are going to be the royal lineof Israel.

Youll see the same thing, for example, in Acts 2.

Acts 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath



to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he [God] wouldraise up Christ to sit on his [Davids] throne;

So, the fact that Davids line is the Messianic line is very clear. And the fact that its going to be forever is very clear. Look back to 2 Samuel 7 and youll notice the unconditional nature of the Covenant.

2 Samuel 7:13-16 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripesof the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house [the posterity, the dynasty] and thy kingdom [the government]

shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

The government, the throne, the kingdom, the house are going to be established f

orever.

Thats an unconditional statement. The reason that its an unconditional statement is because of Christ, not because of David and not because of the goodness of his descendants. Individually, the descendants of David are going to be sinners. Thats what Verse 14 is about. The sins of David and his posterity will be punished, but the promise is unconditional. Gods going to see it done.

Now, the Abrahamic Covenant provided for three basic things.

1. It promised Israel a land that they were going to possess forever (Genesis 12, 13, 15

and 17). They are going to possess the land, and Abrahams seed is going to possess it forever.

2. It promised them a nation that would dwell in the land forever.

3. It promised them blessings: eternal life, some spiritual blessings that would give them the capacity as a nation to live in the land forever.

Now, those three basic promises of the Abrahamic Covenant are fulfilled in the three great Covenants that weve been studying. The Abrahamic Covenant is the basis of the three great unconditional Covenants that God then gives to Israel.

First is the Palestinian Covenant. We studied it in Deuteronomy 29 and 30.



Thats the Covenant that God, through Moses, re-established with Israel as they stood on the shores of the Jordan River ready to go into the Land. The basis uponwhich Hes going to give them the Land of Palestine is an unconditional statementby God that in spite of their failure he would give them the Land, not because of any merit of theirs, but because of His Word to them.

The Palestinian Covenant secures for them an exhibition of the promise of the Land to Abraham. The promise given to Abraham that his descendants are going to have the Land forever is fulfilled through the Palestinian Covenant.

2. The promise of a nation with kings to rule is fulfilled in the Davidic Covenant.

The Abrahamic Covenant is the basis of the Covenant given to David. The DavidicCovenant is the explanation of how God was going to provide kings to rule over that nation in the Land.

3. The promise of blessings: I will bless thee and make you a blessing.

How could the nation, Abrahams seed, be a blessing to anyone? Not in themselves,but in the redemption and salvation that God would give them. Thats what the NewCovenant is all about. The New Covenant is the means of the redemption and the spiritual blessings God promised to Israel: eternal life.

When Abraham died, he was a sinner. Death would have held him, except that God had promised to redeem him from the grave. On what basis? Thats the explanation of that is what the New Covenant is about.

The Abrahamic Covenant is the basis of all that Israel gets from God.

The New Covenant explains the spiritual blessings.

The Davidic Covenant explains how the nation is going to function in its kingdom aspect.

The Palestinian Covenant explains the Land aspect.

The New Covenant redeems the nation. The nation then fills the redeemed Land, and the Abrahamic Covenant is fulfilled that way.

Youll notice in Verses 12 and 13 that He talks about Davids son: He shall build an



house for my name. Davids son is going to build a Temple. Theyre going to be a Kingdom of Priests. Theyre going to build the Temple and establish the worship and service of God. Were going to see that Solomon does that.

David was a man of war - a bloody man, he was called. Solomon was the king of peace. You dont build the Temple until the king of peace comes. David is a picture of Christ in His first coming, conquering Israels foes and destroying their enemies.

In Solomon you see the reign of Christ in everlasting peace. Next week, when weget to Solomon, youre going to see that type of the Lord Jesus Christ.

David puts down Israels enemies and establishes the kingdom by his sword. When you get to Solomon, youre going to see the kingdom in its glory extending out intothe earth.

Read 2 Samuel, if you havent, and then read the first eleven chapters of First Kings. If youve read that far, keep reading First Kings. If you havent, get the first eleven chapters for next week.


(Lesson 21)

First Kings has been called the "book of disruption through disobedience." The first thing youre going to see in the first eleven chapters is what the Lord calls "Solomon in all his glory." You remember about the lilies of the field: " that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" (Matthew 6:29).Youre going to see King Solomon in all his glory here tonight in the first eleven chapters of the forty years of his reign.

Then in Chapter 12 to the end of the book, Chapter 22, you see the first eighty

years of the divided kingdom of Israel - the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. When we get over to Chapter 12, were going to see the dividing of the Kingdom and then well see the first eighty years of that Kingdoms division.

So disruption comes. Weve already seen Davids reign, and tonight were going to study about Solomons reign. Then well see the failure that came in Israel and then the disruption of the division of the Kingdom that results because of the judgmenton their idolatry. The rest of it is just a sad story of the next cycle of judgm



ent, and then next cycle, and then next cycle. Israel is not learning the lesson that God was seeking to teach them in each one of those successive cycles of judgment.

But the first eleven chapters of the book are really sort of happy experiences.Solomon is Davids son, and hes the one that God had promised to build the Temple.Well see all that accomplished here.

Solomons reign is a type of the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. When he starts out, at least, until you get over toward the end of it, hes a type of Christ and the Kingdom glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. David is a type of Christ in his putting down of war and bringing peace. Solomon is a type of Christ in the rest and enjoyment of the peace thats won.

Solomon is a type of Christ in his peace and rest. Hes a type of Christ in his wisdom and knowledge. Hes a type of Christ in his wealth and His glory. Hes a type of Christ in the fame and honor that came to him. Hes a type of Christ in the joyand the safety that was provided for Israel in his reign. There are a lot of won

derful things in this passage.

The first eleven chapters are divided into three sections:

In Chapters 1-4, you see the ascension of Solomon to the throne. Chapter 3 is the passage where the Lord tells him: Whatever you ask, Ill give it to you. Solomon is going to ask, of course, for wisdom.

1 Kings 3:7 And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.

When Solomon began to reign he considered himself a little child. Youll notice in the first verse in the book: "Now King David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat." David was an old man when the book starts.

Solomon is still just a little child and when he ascends to the throne, hes still

a very young man.

People take that "little child" in several ways. Some say he was twenty years old. Some say he was fifteen. Some people say he was twelve, in fact. I don't know whether hes twelve, fifteen, twenty or how old he was. Its not clear, but one thing that is clear is that he was very young and very inexperienced in life, in the sense that he was not an older man.



You are going to see, as we study the kings in Israel and Judah, that many of them ascended to the throne at very young ages. Thats because of what a monarchy is. When Solomon does ascend the throne in the first chapter, youre going to see that theres a conspiracy against his ascending the throne. In other words, other members of the family tried to get ahead of him.

1 Kings 1:5-8 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith [Davids fourth wife] exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. And his father [thats David] had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; andhis mother bare him after Absalom. And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him. But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.

Adonijah gets up a group of people there to follow him. So theres a conspiracy to supplant Solomon and Davids wish and pronouncement that Solomon is to be the king.

Look down to Chapter 2.

1 Kings 2:13-15 And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably. : He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on. And he said,Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother's: for it was his from the LORD.

Now, thats a very important statement there. It became obvious that God had set Solomon up to be the king. David had pronounced it so, and they finally recognized that, and Adonijah's ambition is quelled. So you read about a little intriguebefore Solomon ascends to the throne in the first chapter.

In the second chapter youre going to see the charge that David gives to Solomon to execute Gods Word and to execute Gods wrath, in fact, on some people. You read down through this and youll notice that David puts Solomon in a position where heis to do some very rough things. He counsels him here in the first eleven verses and gives him some advice as a father would to his son, as a king would to his

successor. He tells him, in essence: Youd better get in the Book and stay true to the Word of God and the promises that God has made to you, and do what God gives you to do.

1 Kings 2:12 Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.



Then you have the judgments that Solomon executes, etc., according to David's commands. Joab, Shimei and Abiathar are executed because of what David knows about these men. The judgments that David forswears upon these men - its not personalvengeance that hes seeking. Rather, its Solomons public duty to accomplish these things. David warns him about Joab in Verse 5.

1 Kings 2:5-6 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the sonof Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.

Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar [white] head go downto the grave in peace.

What Joab did in killing Abner happened 'way back in Second Kings. David disowned it when it happened, but David never did anything about it. Now hes telling Sol

omon when he comes to the throne that he is to execute the death penalty on Joab that should have been executed on him way back yonder. When David lies on his deathbed, as it were, and counsels his son, he says: You know, you need to take care of that. Thats a piece of unfinished business that I never accomplished.

It kind of shows you a little bit about the character and the way that Davids life operated.

According to Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 19, David should have had Joab executedbecause of his murder of Abner, but he didnt. You say, "Why wouldnt he? Why wouldDavid not do it?" Well, you have to think back to 2 Samuel 12 when David sinned

with Bathsheba. Joab is the captain of Davids host, his army. He is the Joint Chief of Staff.

Hes a confidant, and its Joab that David tells: Take Uriah the Hittite and set him in the front of the battle and then withdraw from him. In other words, murder him!

Joab was in complicity with David in the dastardly deed, and David knew it. So,later on, when Joab murders somebody, whats David going to do? Is he going to say, We're going to come and get you because you murdered this guy?" He's not goingto get the guy that he had murder somebody for him.

Thats what sin does. Sin makes a person timid. "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion." Ive said to you before, youll learn much about human nature studying Samuel and Kings (especially First and Second Kings).

You can learn more here about the workings of human nature than in any psychology book, college, any medical school or anywhere else.



Youll notice there in 1 Kings 1:

1 Kings 1:6 And his father had not displeased him [Adonijah] at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so?

David had a "hands-off" policy when it came to discipline. If you look back at Davids life youll see that one of the reasons he didnt involve himself with Absolommore than he did is because his mouth was quieted because of his own failing and his own sinfulness and, evidently, the consciousness of his own weakness. It caused him to tolerate things in his family that, had his conscience been clear, he would have been free to deal with.

Thats whats going on here with Joab.

Now, these other guys: Shimei committed treason against David in 2 Samuel 16. David is warning Solomon about him because hes a dangerous guy, somebody that couldnt be trusted.

We read about the defection of Abaithar in I Kings 2. So there are reasons for the advice hes giving. David gives Solomon the counsel, and Solomon basically follows it. He thrusts out Abiathar. Joab flees and catches hold of the altar and dies there. What, in essence, takes place in Chapter 2 is that the slate is wipedclean.

Chapter 3 records the great incident where God asks Solomon: What can I do for you?, and Solomon asks for wisdom. He doesnt ask for riches or for glory, so whenhe asks for wisdom, God honors him for it and says: Its just the right thing to have asked for, and because you asked for that, Im going to give you all these other things, too. So, in addition to wisdom, he gets the riches and the fame and the glory.

Notice over in Chapter 4, Verse 29.

1 Kings 4:29-31 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.

For he was wiser than all men [Then a bunch of men are listed - philosophers, and so forth. He was wiser than all of them.] and his fame was in all nations roundabout.



1 Kings 4:32-34 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.

Solomon was the wisest man in the earth. He was a philosopher. He was a man whotalked about horticulture. He was a man who talked about animal husbandry. He was a man who talked about the creation and the insects and the fish. He was a man of great wisdom in the earth. He wrote a lot - all the Proverbs and songs.

There are a couple things to learn from that.

Everybody heard his wisdom.

If you go over and see Solomon late in life writing the Book of Ecclesiastes, hes an old man looking back over all the adventures of his life. He sees and all the pursuits of wisdom: happiness and money, power and fame and all the rest, andhe says : Seek the Creator when youre young. In essence, he says that everythingis vanity. He gives his philosophy there.

Every philosophy that is known to man through the course of history is identified and found in Ecclesiastes. Solomon is recognized by the Greek philosophers in

1000 BC to be wiser than all men.

1 Kings 4:30 And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.

The philosophers of the world said: This is the guy. He writes some books - Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are Scripture in the Bible. Especially in Ecclesiastes, you can find everything from Archimedes' Golden Mean, to Nietzsche, to Marxism and the nihilism of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. You can find all of the

philosophies, and when we go through Ecclesiastes, if youll remind me, Ill give you a list and point out most of them to you.

Now, what that tells you is that Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Euripides, Hermogenes and all these great Greek philosophers borrowed from Solomon. When I was in college (I will never forget), the head of the English department was a lady with a doctorate in literature.



She thought that the Greek philosophers were the greatest things going, and, man! I spent two years reading Greek philosophers. I got so tired of them. But shethought that they were the greatest things going.

I remember telling her one day in class, "I dont know why these guys were considered to be so great because they plagiarized everything they knew out of the Word of God."

Needless to say, I didnt do so well in that class from there on. But thats what happened.

We call it "Wisdom Literature": Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song ofSolomon. That "Wisdom Literature" was circulated where they knew about it and discussed in the universities, on the college campuses and in the philosophical circles of the day.

How many of you guys know who Albert Einstein is? Do you know anybody who doesntknow who Albert Einstein is? Why? Because he is considered to be a brilliant ind

ividual of the last part of the nineteenth century and early part of the twentieth century. He made tremendous strides in science and in understanding, great break-throughs.

Do you think that people who lived after Solomon didnt know about Solomon? Sure they did. They borrowed his ideas, and Ill tell you that when they get to the White Throne Judgment what theyre going to watch God Almighty demonstrate is that Archimedes got his Golden Mean right out of Ecclesiastes, Chapters 6 and 7.

Theyre going to watch Him demonstrate that Karl Marx, Plato, Socrates and all the rest of them got their philosophy right out of Ecclesiastes. Everybody that bows down at the shrine of these pagan philosophers have gods that are just cheap plagiarists who never gave credit to the source of their information, ideas and inspiration.

Now, I tell you that, not because Ive got a chip on my shoulder, but because youneed to realize who Solomon was and the impact that he had on the world. I say that so you notice when he gets all that wisdom (in Chapter 4) thats what happens. Hes a very wise man, and he brings peace. There is great prosperity in Israel under Solomons reign.

Look back at Chapter 3:16 ff. You know the illustration. Its in there to illustrate what kind of wisdom that he had.

Two mothers came with a baby. They had agreed that We'll eat your baby today, and tomorrow we'll eat mine, but when tomorrow came, she wouldnt give hers up. Now



theyre before Solomon, and theyre both claiming the baby. What would you do? How would you come to a decision about that? You know the story. Youve read it already, Im sure.

Solomon demonstrates his wisdom in making the decision. Hes going to slice the baby in half and give one half to one woman and the other half to the other. The real mother says: No, no, no! I'd rather the baby live and the other woman have it. That's how Solomon identified the real mother.

1 Kings 3:28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.

So you see, this illustration that put to rest the fears of his friends and contemporaries about his immaturity. Heres this young man, even if hes twenty, hes still a young man to rule the Kingdom. Heres this tremendous illustration of the wisdom that God has given him which will help them not to be worried about his seeming immaturity age-wise. All of those things are recorded. Thats why that is writt

en down before you, so you can see his wisdom.

Now, you need to understand one thing about Solomons wisdom. The wisdom that Godgave him had to do with political, economic and social issues. Solomon turns out to have almost no wisdom when it comes to spiritual issues. The reason for that is that he didnt ask for spiritual wisdom, by the way. He asked for wisdom thathe could judge and rule the people and take care of that, and thats what God gave him.

Solomon winds up as a pitiful flop of a person because he rejects the spiritualwisdom that was given to him in the Word of God that he had at the time. Youre going to find that theres some real disappointment in Solomon that way.

Beginning in Chapter 5 through Chapter 8, Solomon is reigning.

1 Kings 4:25-26 And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine andunder his fig tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon.

So, his reign is secure, his Kingdom is established and prosperity is ruling - peace and safety. Everybody is able to sit out under his own vine and fig tree. Theres safety and tranquility. Theres no crime in the streets. Theres no war, so theres none of the plunder that comes after war.

There was a reprieve of that first cycle of judgment. You remember that back the



re they werent going to enjoy the fruit of their land. God has withdrawn all that and held that judgment back. The second judgment hadnt come, and theres peace and tranquility.

David had won the peace, and Solomon is going to extend it. God is giving Israel a picture of what is available to them through the Messianic line, the DavidicDynasty that Hes establishing through David and demonstrating in Davids son, Solomon.

When you come to Chapter 5, Solomon begins to build the Temple. You see the preparations that are made and in Chapters 6, 7, and 8, the actual construction anddedication of the Temple.

1 Kings 5:1 And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David.

David has a part in building the Temple. God wasnt going to let David actually bu

ild the Temple because he was a bloody man, but He allowed David to get the provisions together to build the house of God. There were tremendous provisions that were made by David.

1 Chronicles 22:1-5 Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel. And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God. And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight; Also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David. And David said, Solomon my son is young

and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the LORD must be exceedingmagnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore nowmake preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.

So, David prepares all these things together in order that there might be the material available to build the Temple.

1 Chronicles 22:14 [Speaking to Solomon] Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the LORD an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousan

d thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto.

David has made tremendous preparations, and he has left them behind, and he also left behind the plans for the Temple. Come over to Chapter 28. This will kind of match what were studying back there in Kings.



1 Chronicles 28:9-12 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father,and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. Take heed now; for the LORD hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.

Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat, And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things: As you go on down the passage, you see that hes giving Solomon the pattern that Verse 12 says he had "by the spirit." God had given to David the pattern, the plans for the Temple, just like He had givenMoses the plans and the pattern for the Tabernacle.

1 Chronicles 28:19 All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writingby his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.

God literally inspired David to draw the pattern of the temple and to write down the instructions, and then he gives that to Solomon. You see, thats how David knew what kind of materials to prepare, and so he gives all that information to Solomon.

Then you come to 1 Kings 6 and 7, and youll see the construction. Im not going togo over that in a lot of detail with you because you can read and study that yourselves.

Youll see the construction of it: the size and all the details. The Temple is not

a great big building. Its not great in its size. In fact, when they measured it, its just double the size of the Tabernacle that Moses built in the wilderness that had been carried around; and that was only a very small building.

The Temple did not need to be a large building because people didnt come together and worship in the Temple. They gathered around it.

Do you remember, back when we were studying Numbers, how three tribes would meet on each side of the Tabernacle - the north, south, east and west? They met out

there, and they worshipped toward the Tabernacle, but they didnt come inside it like we come inside this building. Because they werent meeting inside, it didnt need to be that big. It just needed to be there where they could worship toward itbecause it was the dwelling place of the glory of God. It was a splendid building. It was ornate and was made beautifully because God dwelt there.

Now, you see church buildings today, cathedrals and so forth, that are opulent in their beauty. Why? Because people believe that God dwells in there, but we kno



w better than that. You say, "Well, this is a nice building. This is a nice church building." But this building is not the church. We are the church. What you want a building for today is to be a comfortable and utilitarian place to meet to study the Word of God. There are different purposes. But this building was theresidence of the glory of God so it was opulent in its beauty.

Then you come to Chapter 8, and you see the dedication. You want to notice especially Verses 22 through 53, the great prayer of dedication that Solomon prays. Its very telling and its very prophetic with seven points to it. Its prophetic of what God is doing with and through Israel and with and through this Temple. Its the dedication of the great Temple. Thats a real high point in the life of Israel there.

Then in Chapters 9 and 10, you see the glory of Solomons reign. It, too, is quite a splendid thing. Chapter10 tells of the visit of the Queen of Sheba. When youread down that, you see the obvious picture of the Millennium and the gentiles coming in to see. It says in Verse 7, ". behold, the half was not told me." We have the song with the words, "the half has never yet been told." The glory of thegentiles flow in unto Solomon. They come and see him, and theyre awestruck by the splendor, the glory and the wonder of his kingdom. All of this is just a wonder

ful type and picture of the Millennial Kingdom.

1 Kings 10:13 And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

She sees the ascent up to Solomons throne, all the glory and hears his wisdom, its just like a gentile looking at Christ in the Kingdom and seeing in Him the wisdom and the glory of God demonstrated through the nation Israel.

When you get to the paragraph mark in Verse 14, things begin to turn around.

1 Kings 10:14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold.

"Six hundred threescore and six" - 666. You know thats not a good number to show

up.

2 Chronicles 9:13 records that passage, and thirteen is not a good number to show up.

What youve got there is from here on, Solomon changes from being a type of Christ to a type of the antichrist. From here on, youre going to see Solomons failure. Youre going to see the failure of a life of self-indulgence. The self-life is in f



1 Kings 11:3-6 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: [That would be problem enough], and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was theheart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David hisfather. Then did Solomon build an high place [a temple] for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.

Right out there on Olivet, on the Mount of Olives, he built a pagan temple. TheMosque of Omar over there isnt the first pagan temple built on the hills in Jerusalem.

1 Kings 11:8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incenseand sacrificed unto their gods.

And, Solomon winds up just a sad, miserable mess. The reason he wound up that way is because of idolatry.

1 Kings 11:31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith theLORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:

1 Kings 11:33 Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreththe goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which isright in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.

God brings an end to that. Now, Hes going to preserve Solomon for Davids sake, and Hes going to preserve the Davidic line, but the judgment is going to fall.

Were going to start next week in Chapter 12. You need to start reading the rest of Kings. Pay special attention to what happens in Chapters 12 and 13, and alongin there, with the rending of the Kingdom and the breaking of the power of Israel. Theyve got all this great glory, deliverance in David, and the great glory and picture in Solomon.

Theyve had the respite from the judgment cycle, and what do they do?



receive curses and judgments from Him. Punishments, as it were: chastisements.There are five cycles of them.

Weve been through the first cycle (Leviticus 26:14 through Verse 17). That firstcycle of judgment was the book of Judges through First Samuel. Actually what youve go there I dont know if I told you the breaking point there but if youll remembr the book of Judges is when Joshua enters and gets established in the Land. Joshua tells them that the seeds of rebellion are there. In Judges you see them rebel and you see the first cycle of judgment come upon them (Leviticus 26:14-17).Those are the details and weve seen how those things happen.

Judges, Ruth and up through 1 Samuel 15, you have that first course of punishment being executed. Now, when you get to Chapter 16, you have the anointing of David as king.

From 1 Samuel 16 all the way though 1 Kings 11, you have the ascension of David, the reign of David, the promises and the blessings and the establishment of the Davidic Dynasty and the Davidic Covenant, and then the reign of Solomon, the son of David.

Literally what happens is that that first cycle of judgment falls upon them, they go through it and in their final rebellion, when they demand a king like all the other nations had, they completely and totally rebel against the purpose of God in Israel making them a separate nation and a special people in the earth. They wanted to be like all the other nations and have a king and be run like everybody else instead of all the other nations being like them, they rebel against Gods purpose in them.

We looked at those passages in 1 Samuel 10 and so forth, where he does those mir

acles and they literally see the second course of judgment that Samuel says is coming on them.

And yet, God doesnt send the second course of judgment immediately. When they deserve the second course of more intense judgment, God doesnt send it, He holds itback. He establishes David and the Davidic Dynasty and the Covenant with David.

What he does is to raise up the kingly line of David. He makes the Davidic Covenant about the throne and the Kingdom. Its like a reprieve of mercy. Youve had thefirst cycle and you should have learned the things and you havent, now the next one is ready to fall, but before it falls let Me show you that if you will do it

My way, heres My redeemer whom you need. Heres who he is and here is what Ill provide through him.

And so, youll see David and Solomon - we studied all that. You see the extensionof mercy to Israel and the opportunity for them not to go on with the other courses of judgment but to receive the blessings through the Davidic Dynasty. Its going to be important to remember that because when we get here in a minute in 1 Kings 11 and 12, were going to see that Israel stood on the threshold of being able



Now, the breaking of the pride of your power refers to governmental power. That expression is used over in the book of Ezekiel a couple times. In Romans, it speaks of

the powers that be are ordained of God (Romans 13:1). God is going to take the pride and the arrogance of their government and break it. Hes going to rend it, break it in pieces. Hes going to divide the Kingdom.

In Chapters 12 through 16, were going to see the details of the division of the Kingdom and how they adjusted in the division.

In Chapters 17 through 22, youre going to see the judgment on the nation. Youre going to see Elijah show up and the judgment and the other judgments that are going to come on them after the Kingdom is divided. Youre going to notice as we study that, that the judgments come upon the Northern Kingdom first and then on the Southern Kingdom.

As we study that well see why that is because the Northern Kingdom is a totally idolatrous system. Hes going to maintain Judah for Davids sake. When we study the p

rophets who prophesy to them, well see that Hes constantly saying to Judah: Look up there at your wicked sister and see what all this idolatry is getting her andwhat I do to her. Whack! Now, if you do what shes doing and dont straighten up, youre going to get it too.

So, each one of these courses of punishment falls first upon Israel, the northern ten tribes, before it falls on Judah. Israel is taken away in captivity into Assyria before Judah is taken away to Babylon.

The reason is that God is teaching Judah even still, by pointing up there and saying: Look at your wicked sister and what happened.

Now, were going to see here in a few minutes why the issue in Judah is considered to be the one that Hes dealing with. The northern ten tribes are in complete rebellion and they never had a good king. Every king in the Northern Kingdom in Israel is a bad king.

They never have a good one.

The Southern Kingdom doesnt have a lot of good kings but they did have some goodones. Thats Davids throne down in Jerusalem.

So, the Northern Kingdom is divided off from the Southern Kingdom. As we study that Ill show you on a map how that works.



1 Kings 4:20-25 Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry. And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistine and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal, Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and roebucks, and fallowdeer, and fatted fowl. For he had dominion over all the region on this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides round about him. And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon.

Thats pretty luxurious living that guys got. These provisions in Verses 22 and 23, I mean, thats a lot of stuff to consume every day. Thats pretty high living.

1 Kings 4:26-34 And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And those officers provided victual for king Sol

omon, and for all that came unto king Solomon's table, every man in his month: they lacked nothing.

Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries brought they unto the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge. And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about. And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fi

shes. And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.

Solomon is in all of his glory, Christ says. Hes a big shot and hes somebody. Hes exalted and hes honored before all the kings of the earth. Hes wealthy and hes got everything hed ever need.

1 Kings 10:23-27 So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for richesand for wisdom. And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which G

od had put in his heart. And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: andhe had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whomhe bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem. And theking made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance.



Folks, this is luxurious living for everybody.

1 Kings 10:21 And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all thevessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.

Silver was like stones in the street. The vessels in the house werent silver thats too cheap. We want gold. You talk about living at a level that you and I at least I dont know much about. Theyre driving the Benzes and their Mercedes and theyrejust the junk cars, you know, and that kind of stuff. This is high-hog living andtheyre doing pretty well with it.

1 Kings 10:28-29 And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price. And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.

I read that to you so you get an idea of the high living that was going on in Solomons day. The pride that his kingdom had generated, his pride, arrogance, as well as that among the people.

When you come over to Chapter 11 you will notice the obvious decline and the deliberate apostasy.

1 Kings 11:1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; You write down by that verse Deuteronomy 7:1-7 where you see that God specifically told them not to marry people of other nations.

Deuteronomy 7:1 When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites,and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

Here he is, marrying Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; specifically the people God told him not to. What youve got there in 1 Kings 11:1 is deliberate rebellion by Solomon, deliberate apostasy. It goes on down the chapter and youll see it.

1 Kings 11:29-31 And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had cl



ad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field: And Ahijahcaught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces: And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:

Now, you see that expression I will rend the kingdom and what hes talking about isdividing up the kingdom. Hes going to break the pride of Solomons power, of Israels power.

1 Kings 11:32 (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and forJerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:) Now, you want to remember that verse. Hes going to give Jeroboam the ten northern tribes but Hes not going to take Judah away from Solomon for Davids sake because that is where Jerusalem is and that is the City of the Great King. Thats the place God has determined to put His throne. Hes going to keep that in the hands of the tribe of Judah.

The Southern Kingdom will be called Judah and the Northern Kingdom will be called

Israel.

1 Kings 11:33 Because that they have forsaken me,

(You see that it wasnt just Solomon, but the people followed him.)

and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of t

he Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.

You have broken My Covenant and you wont get right and you didnt hearken to the first course so now, the next judgment is coming and Im going to break the power of the pride of your power. Im going to divide the kingdom, God says. Hes going to divide the nation into two kingdoms. Hes not going to divide it into two nations.Hes going to divide one nation into two political units.

1 Kings 11:34-37 Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: butI will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes: But I will take thekingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes. Andunto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there. And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.



Now, thats just a great opportunity. Next week when we start studying on, youre going to have to remember this opportunity that God gives to Jeroboam. He says: Jeroboam, you can be My man and you can have the blessing. Judah is not going to get them but you can have them.

1 Kings 11:38-39 And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee

[ All youve got to do is keep the Covenant, keep the Contract] and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee. And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever.

God isnt going to be through with David. Hes not going to do away with Judah or Jerusalem or the Davidic Dynasty. Those five judgments will work their cycles out

and when they get to the last one in Leviticus 26, theres restoration. So, that judgment cycle isnt going to last forever but after that fifth one Christ is going to come back and restore the Kingdom.

Now, the division that God makes between the ten northern and the two (Judah and Benjamin) in the south, that division lasts until the Second Advent of Christ.It lasts all the way over until Christ comes back.

Ezekiel 36 and Ezekiel 37 well study that when we get to Ezekiel - you see Ezekie

l takes the two sticks and makes them one and God says: Theres the house of Israel and the house of Judah and Im going to make them one. And, My Prince David is going to reign over all of them. And the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the One that is going to accomplish that but not until then will that happen.

It is important to understand that the reason for the division of the Kingdom in Israel was because the second course of judgment had fallen on them. The firstissue in that second course is the breaking of the pride of their power. They said: Were going to have us a king like everybody else and were going to do it our way.

They set it up and God gave them a reprieve. He said: Look, Im going to give youa king. Instead of the way you want, choose My king, a king after My own heart,not after yours. Choose My king: David. Heres his son Solomon, look at the blessings Ill give you. Look at the provisions. Look at the wealth, the fame Ill give you. Im going to make you the head of the nations.



Well study Elijah next week. Its important to understand why Elijah showed up theway he did and what was being taught and what was the issue behind all of the details.

Thats why we have to follow these judgment cycles.

Come back with me to Deuteronomy 17. Heres a passage that we have studied in Manuscript Evidence. I want to look back at it now, not from the perspective of theWord of God and what they did to it, but the instruction that it gives them about the king.

You see, God never told them they werent going to have a king. He told them thatthey were going to have a king, but it was going to be His king, not theirs a king of His choosing, not their choosing.

Deuteronomy 17:14 When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set

a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;

Do you see how God through Moses, predicted what they were going to do in 1 Samuel 8?

He knew what they were going to do. He knew the seeds of rebellion were there. He knew they were the sons of Adam. He says: When you come up against this temptation, against this thing that you want to do, heres how to handle it.

Now, thats important because thats what God does in His Word, over and over and over again for you and for me and for all of His people. Hell tell you: Youre goingto face this kind of situation and when you face that problem, heres what to do.

Now, what is faith going to do? It will do what God says to do. Heres what they were to do.

Deuteronomy 17:15-16 Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD

thy God shall choose:

(Not one after your heart, but one after Gods heart.)



one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. But he shall not multiply horsesto himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.

Didnt we just read over there in First Kings where Solomon multiplied horses andstalls and all that business? And, he even went to Egypt to get them. Solomon violates it.

Deuteronomy 17:17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away:

Did he do that? Yes.

neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

Did he do that? Yes.

The three things God said the king isnt to do, what does Solomon do? He does allthree of them. Solomon is deliberately violating what God wrote down back here that he ought to do.

Deuteronomy 17:18-19 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which isbefore the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:

Did he do that? Absolutely not. Theres no record anywhere that Solomon ever did any of that. Go back and read Ecclesiastes and see how it is just filled with skepticism and human viewpoint.

I told you the other night that every philosophy of the world, the Greek philosophers and all the great thinkers of the Classics are all found in the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament, specifically identified in Ecclesiastes. Solomon was a wise guy but its all human viewpoint. He didnt seek wisdom from the Word of God. You never find Solomon opening up the Scripture. You read through Proverbs and all the counsel that the father gives the son about seeking the Word. But, he never follows any of that. His dad explained and told him and instructed him and taught him but he didnt do it. He doesnt do those things.



Deuteronomy 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

Thats exactly the problem that Solomon had. His heart was lifted up and it was the pride of his power, and that is what God had to break.

So, theres this deliberate apostasy on the part of Solomon and all Israel with him that results in God breaking the pride of their power.

Now, theres something to remember about that. There had to be that extension of mercy between the first and second course in order to develop and establish the pride of that power, so God does that.

I want to spend the last fifteen minutes of the class talking to you about something in Jeremiah 34. I want you to be sure to get some notes on this.

The division in the kingdom was a political division. The distinction between Israel and Judah is a purely political distinction. I say that because there are people that teach a doctrine that is called Anglo-Israelism or British-Israelism. That doctrine is that the ten northern tribes migrated up through Turkey, up into northwestern Europe and finally over into Britain and from there into Canadaand the United States and that the northern ten tribes of Israel were lost. Ther

e is no such thing in your Bible as the ten lost tribes. I am going to show you that they arent lost. The idea is that that kingdom still exists among the Anglo-Saxons. They do this little word thing where they take Isaacs sons

and evolve it into Anglo-Saxons.

Like the guy said, Take ham and beans and they become human beings. You can make ahing say anything, you know. If you can make Isaacs sons become Anglo-Saxons, you make ham and beans become human beings. There are a lot of people that believe thi stuff.

Garner Ted Armstrong and Herbert W. Armstrong on the radio were probably the most popular proponents of this in America. Dr. Gene Scott on the television teaches this. There are a lot of remnants of this and youll find people up in northernWisconsin and Minnesota who are in a political movement that teach this.

What they teach is that we in the United States are Ephraim and Manasseh and tha



t the European countries are the other eight tribes of the lost ten tribes, and that we are the Promised Land. We are what God promised Israel and that is arrived at, owned and possessed in the blessings that God has placed on the British Empire, the United States and Canada. What that is just an appeal to nationalisticpride and nationalism and that kind of thing and it is total scurrilous Bible doctrine. Its not Bible doctrine at all. You need to be equipped to understand thedifference.

By the way, Reverend Sun Myung Moon of the Moonies says, Its not us, its Korea.

You can work this thing around and do it all kinds of ways.

You hear people say that Israel is not a Jew. The word Jew comes from Judah.

When you hear people say, Well, Jew should be applied only to the tribe of Judah with Benjamin in the Southern Kingdom and you should be calling Israel the Northern Kingdom and the Jews, the Southern Kingdom and thats the only way it should be.

What that is, is just those people talking. Your Bible never makes that kind ofdistinction.

Jeremiah 34:9 That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himselfof them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.

Now, he calls him a Hebrew and then he calls him a Jew. Who was the first Hebrew?

Abraham was (Genesis 14). Then, Abraham was also the first Jew, wasnt he?

You need to have it clear in your mind that the division is only political. It is not racial, national division. There is only one nation that is divided into two political units.

1 Corinthians 10:32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:

What kind of people are there on the earth? Jews, Gentiles and the Church of God. Well if the Jews dont include Israel, the ten northern tribes, where are they?Theyre either Jews or Gentiles or they got left out. It doesnt make any sense. Come with me to Romans, Chapter 9. What Im saying to you that is that in the Bible,the words are used interchangeably.

Romans 9:24-25 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of t



he Gentiles? As he saith also in Osee [Hosea], I will call them my people, Now,what hes saying in Verse 24 is like what Hosea said in Verse 25. Hosea was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom, a prophet to Israel and yet, there Paul doesnt say

Israel or the Gentiles, he says Jews.

Romans 11:1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

Now, which Kingdom was Benjamin in? Northern or Southern Kingdom? He was in theSouthern Kingdom and yet he calls himself an Israelite.

Galatians 2:14-15 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thouthe Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,

I thought a minute ago he said he was an Israelite. He did, didnt he? You see, folks, the issue here is those terms in your Bible are used interchangeably. Thisnationalistic distinction that people try to make just doesnt work.

Now, the reason he can do that and the reason I can say to you that the ten northern tribes are not lost and that all ten tribes of Israel are still in existence even though that Northern Kingdom has been deported and gone, is that portions of all of the tribes moved down south to Judah when the division of the Kingdom

took place.

Do you want me to say that again? Representatives of all of those ten tribes, the believing remnant, moved south to Judah and took up residence in the SouthernKingdom when the division took place. Ill show you why they did that next week, but I just want you to see that they did.

2 Chronicles 11:5 And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defencein Judah.

(Youre talking here about Rehoboam at the time of the dividing of the Kingdom.

2 Chronicles 11:13-16 And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their coasts. For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had c



Come with me to Matthew 10. All of the tribes are still there. Theyd lost possession of their homeland and so forth, but all twelve of them are still there.

Matthew 10:5-6 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Now, tell me something. Where did Jesus Christ minister? Did He minister in Palestine?

He didnt minister in Europe. If youre looking for the lost tribes of Israel, where would you go? According to these folks, theyd go to Europe, the United States and England and Canada and Australia. Where did Christ go? Do you reckon that Jesus Christ just didnt know where to go to find the lost sheep of the house of Israel? Are you all with me?

The same thing is in Matthew 15:24. I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of thehouse of Israel.

Do you see when He talks about the lost sheep of the house of Israel, Hes looking for them in Palestine, not in Europe or the United States, not England. Hes not talking about ten lost tribes that nobody can find. Hes talking about some people who are spiritually lost. Hes not talking about some tribes that He cant identify their location.

He knows where they are. There are representatives of all twelve of those tribes right there in Jerusalem.

Luke 2:36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of thetribe of Aser:

Now, was Asher in the Northern Kingdom or the Southern Kingdom? The Northern Kingdom. I mean, folks, it isnt any problem. You can go through here and do that kind of thing over and over again and find these people. Theyre there. The believing remnant was there in the Southern Kingdom because that is where the worship took place.

Were going to see next week why they would have migrated.

But, understand two things:



1. God broke the pride of their power. The Kingdom was divided, rent in half because the second course of judgment had begun.

2. The division was a political distinction only. The nation was not divided into two nations theres only one nation but its divided into two political units.


(Lesson 23)

The first eleven chapters of First Kings had to do with the reign of Solomon. In Chapter 12, you get into the division of the kingdom. From Chapter 12 to the end of the book, Chapter 22, youre dealing with the division of the kingdom.

With Solomon involved here, the blame for the division was Solomons. The division occurred with Rehoboam and was established by Jeroboam. Jeroboam was the one who took away the ten tribes. I want you to understand this issue of the divisionof the kingdom where the twelve tribes are divided into two political entities.I pointed out to you last time - and its important that you understand - that itis two political entities. Its not two nations that are formed. There is only one nation, but the one nation is divided into two political units: the northern ten tribes called "Israel" and the southern two tribes called "Judah."

From here on out, until after the captivity, theyll be called "Israel" and "Judah

."

Sometimes Israel is called "Samaria." Samaria is the capital city of the Northern Kingdom. Sometimes the Southern Kingdom will be called "Jerusalem" because Jerusalem is the capital city of the Southern Kingdom. Those are the two politicalunits.

We saw last time, and I want to emphasize again, that it is very important thatyou understand those cycles of judgment in Leviticus 26: the doctrinal significance of whats happening in the history of Israel. You understand that from the things God tells them in Leviticus 26. There are two parts to the second course of

judgment which is what were studying in this part of Kings. The second course ofjudgment is coming on Israel at this time - Chapter 12 and following.

Last time we saw the two parts. The first part is that God is going to break the pride of their power. We say that that had to do with the dividing and the breaking of the kingdom. Were going to see that.



The second part of that judgment in Leviticus 26:18-20 was on the nation, and were going to see that after the dividing of the kingdom in 1 Kings, Chapter 12-14. You'll actually see it in Chapters 12-16. Youll see the kingdom divided, and then youll see how things went with the divided kingdom: the decline of Israel and the decline of Judah.

Then, in Chapter 17, Elijah will come upon the scene. In his ministry you are going to see the issue of that second part, and that is the judgment and chastening of the nation.

So this second course of judgment is in two parts:

1. The breaking of the power, the dividing of the kingdom in Chapters 12-16. Were going to see how that goes.

2. The judgment on the nation. In Chapters 12-16, Hes going to show you the dividing of the kingdom and the establishment of Israel and Judah. Then Hell go back in Chapter 17 and show you Elijahs ministry during that time and the judgment on the nation. Then well see the conclusion of it.

The second course of punishment runs from Chapter 12 to Chapter 22 in First Kings, so were involved here in studying that second course of Gods chastening.

We saw the first course and the reprieve that was given to them. We saw the issu

e with David and the house of David: "the sure mercies of David" and the opportunity for Israel to see that all that God had for them was wrapped up in what Hewould do for them through the seed of David. They reject that and go off into apostasy anyway. They dont want it and now the courses are going to start again. Well start with the second one.

So, in Chapters 12-14, youll see the division of the kingdom.

In Chapters 15 and 16, youre going to see the decline, first of Judah and then of

Israel.

There are five kings of Judah listed in First Kings. Some of them are good, andsome of them are bad. There are eight kings of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) listed, and all of them are bad. In fact, all of the kings of the Northern Kingdomare bad. They never have one good king.



There are a total of twenty kings in Judah and nineteen kings in Israel. Some of them are good and some of them are bad in Judah. All of them are bad in Israel. But as you read through First and Second Kings, you need to make your own listof kings. Try to list them as to when they fit. Then, when we get through, were going to list the kings in the Southern Kingdom and in the Northern Kingdom and then were going to list the prophets that go with them. You can find that list inany Bible dictionary or study book.

I recommend that you do that.

By the way, I mentioned to you a couple weeks ago The Annotated Bible by Arno C.

Gabelein. That probably is the most helpful set of books that I have or that I know about if you want to study chapter by chapter in the Old Testament. The Annotated Bible by Arno C. Gabelein is put out by the Loizeaux Brothers and comes in six volumes. He gives you a chapter summary. Generally, the chapters are outlined and then they are summarized in some detail. Its not a verse by verse commentary; its a chapter by chapter summary. This is an excellent set of study books - very, very helpful. It covers the whole Bible, by the way, not just the Old Testament.

George Williams Students Commentary of the Holy Scriptures is also a chapter by chapter study of the Bible. This is an excellent book to have. This book, along with J.

Sidlow Baxters Explore The Book, are probably the two most helpful books youll ever have to study through the Old Testament scriptures. I recommend them to you very highly.

Millers Church History, by Andrew Miller, is probably as good a history book that

you can find. Its put out by Bible Truth Publishers. Miller was a Brethren. Hisapproach to studying Church history is that he follows the Scofield -Darby outline, where Revelation 2 and 3 are a picture of church history and that kind of thing. So youll have to look beyond some of that. He starts the Church in Acts 2, of course, etc., but if you look beyond that part of it youll see the doctrine. This is a one-volume history of the Church from the time of the Book of Acts on to the present.

Its very important that you know something about Church history so that you havea perception of where you are. This is written by a man who has some understanding, not only of Church history, but of spiritual issues also. A lot of Church hi

story books are written by modernists, Roman Catholic sympathizers and some Protestants, and we ask,

"Where are we? Where is any understanding of whats going on from a Bible-believers viewpoint?" A book like this helps. This book deals with Church history about like Im trying to do with the Old Testament history of Israel, and that is not just give you the details - youre reading and studying the details as we go through- but Im trying to give you an ability to understand why the recorded details are recorded.



I say to you repeatedly, "The things that are recorded are not all that happened. Theyre what God wrote down." Well, why did He write this down and not something else?

Because theres some doctrine that Hes trying to communicate to Israel about what Hes doing here. Theres some doctrine that Hes trying to communicate to us about what was going on at the time. We need to understand that. Thats why, in going through Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, Im emphasizing this issue of Leviticus 26 and the cycles of judgment back there. Thats what the spiritual issues were at the time.

After weve studied the prophets and have come over to the last one of the prophets -

John the Baptist - were going to see there that when he comes and preaches to Israel, when Christ comes and preaches to Israel and when the apostles go out and preach to Israel, they preach from the perspective of that fifth course of judgment being laid on Israel and the remedy for that fifth cycle of judgment. If youdont understand what that means, and how Israel was brought to that, then you cant really appreciate the things that are taught to you when you get into the gospel accounts of the ministry of John, Christ and the apostles.

1 Kings 12 - now, again, the ten northern tribes become "Israel" - sometimes called

"Samaria" - and the two southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin are the Kingdom of Judah.

In Chapters 12-14, you see the division of the Kingdom, and (as I said) Solomonwas to blame for it. It occurs with the ascension of Rehoboam, who was a bone-he

aded sort of guy. (By the way, hes the only one of Solomons children that is evernamed in scripture.)

Then the division is established by Jeroboam. If you go down through the first fifteen verses of Chapter 12, you see Rehoboams foolishness of forsaking the counsel of the wise and older men.

1 Kings 12:8 But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood

before him: You can see that Rehoboam is an evil, self-indulgent, young man. Hesjust interested in satisfying himself, and he takes bad advice to oppress the people. In 2 Chronicles 12, you can see more of the history of Rehoboam from Gods perspective and Gods attitude toward him. Youll find that he was not considered tobe such a smart, wonderful guy.

2 Chronicles 12:1 And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel w



ith him.

Rehoboam was not a man who had the wisdom to walk in the ways that God had given him, and he forsakes the Word of God.

2 Chronicles 11:21 And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above allhis wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines; and begat twenty and eight sons, and threescore daughters.)

Well, if he took all those concubines and wives, you know he wasnt very smart. He learned much from his daddy. His daddy had that same problem. Hes forsaking thelaw.

When you come to 1 Kings, you can understand. You only get a brief view of him here in Kings; Chronicles interprets it for you spiritually. You begin to see that he wasnt a very wise person. What happens when wisdom isnt applied? Well, the secular view is that the people immediately rebel against him.

1 Kings 12:19-20 So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day. And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.

So theres a division that develops. The people say : Were not going to have what this guy wants done, and so, the division starts. Youll see on down in Chapter 12how Jeroboam sets out to establish this division and to make it solid.

Now, Jeroboam is a very interesting guy. Look back to Chapter 11 just a minute.Right at this point, Jeroboam had an opportunity to serve God. God had already chosen Jeroboam to be king over the Northern Kingdom. God had already determinedHe was going to rend the Kingdom, tear the Kingdom, from Solomon. He said: Im going to break the pride of your power. God had already determined that this course of judgment was coming on them and that the Kingdom was going to be divided. God determined that. He had told Jeroboam: You can be My man if you will. The problem is that Jeroboam failed to do that.

1 Kings 11:9-11 And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded. Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.



It is clear that Gods going to tear the Kingdom. Now, you go on down in the passage and youll see that the Lord appears to Jeroboam, and He tells him that hes going to be given most of the Kingdom.

1 Kings 11:31 And he [Ahijah] said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:

Now, Jeroboam can be Gods man for Gods going to give him the ten tribes and establish him. The reason He gave him ten and not all twelve of them is that Hes goingto save a remnant for Davids sake and for Jerusalems sake (Verse 32). So Hes not going to get rid of Davids family. Hes just going to chasten them. The reason is inVerse 33.

1 Kings 11:33 Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreththe goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon,

But Jeroboam has the opportunity to be Gods man.

1 Kings 11:37-39 And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel. And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee. And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever.

Jeroboam is told by God: You can be My man. Im going to give you the ten northern tribes.

In Verse 40, Jeroboam flees into Egypt until Solomon dies. After Solomon dies (Chapter 12), Rehoboam tries to take over but hes not so smart and alienates the people from him.

Jeroboam comes back from Egypt and takes up the reign over the northern ten trib

es.

1 Kings 12:20 And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was comeagain, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: So what happens? Jeroboam comes back and has the opportunity notto go out and follow the heathen gods and get messed up like Solomon, but has the opportunity to lead the Northern Kingdom in serving and worshipping Jehovah and being faithful to Him and His Word.



God says to him: Ill establish you and build you a house and do for you what Im going to do for David - to be a man after Mine own heart like David was, and Ill do the same for you. That was a great opportunity. The problem was that Jeroboam failed thirteen times in Kings.

Youre going to read after people who record the name "Jeroboam, the son of Nebat" as an epitaph of humiliation and shame and a mark of failure. Thirteen times "Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that made Israel to sin" is the way hes mentioned. Hes the man that caused Israel to sin, caused them to go into Baal worship, idolatry, apostasy and on to the judgment of God, destroying them. Rather than having that Northern Kingdom established, God finally says: That Northern Kingdom will never exist again.

Jeroboam fails to live up to the calling that God had offered to him, and he becomes the one whose epitaph - just the very mention of his name - over and over has the appendix:

"he caused Israel to sin." Well see those verses as we go on.

Go back with me to Chapter 12, and notice how he seeks to establish the nation.He establishes Baal worship as the state religion in the Northern Kingdom.

Weve studied Baal worship time and again. Solomon worshipped these other gods.

Baal and Belial are just different forms of the title of that satanic policy ofidolatry that was designed to thwart Gods purpose in Israel.

Do you remember, when we studied Joshua, what Israel was supposed to do to those people? They were to go in there and destroy them - wipe them out - but they never did.

Now youve come to the place where, rather than being wiped out, their idolatry is being established as the state religion of the Northern Kingdom. The thing that is going to coalesce that Northern Kingdom and hold it together is this idolatrous religion that is in total opposition to God, to Jehovah. Notice how he doesit:

1 Kings 12:25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.

Those are great cities in the history of Israel. Penuel is where Jacob wrestledwith God.



Great things happened in these places. Hes got the names, and he builds in the right places.

1 Kings 12:29 And he set the one in Bethel [the house of God], and the other put he in Dan.

Hes got this show of religion, but he doesnt have the right religion.

1 Kings 12:26-28 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. Whereupon the king took counsel,

Notice: he understands that all of the men in Israel (Deuteronomy 16:16) - every man in Israel - is required by the Law to go to Jerusalem three times a year. O

n three of those feasts - Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles - they are required to travel from wherever they are in the world to Jerusalem to worship. Jeroboam understands that the Temple in Jerusalem is where the worship of Jehovah is to take place. Weve already seen the spectacular place that Solomon built, the pride of all the nation.

Jeroboam says: Now look. If they keep going down there to worship, Im going to have to keep open borders. Their allegiance is going to take them back to Jerusalem three times a year, so what Ive got to do, if I am going to establish my kingdom, is to stop them from worshipping Jehovah in Jerusalem.

Hows he going to do it? Well, hes going to call on established tradition. Do you know what religion is built on? Tradition. "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the traditions of men."

In Mark 7, Christ talks to them about making void the Word of God through theirtraditions. Jeroboam calls on a tradition.

1 Kings 12:28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, andsaid unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Now, where did you read a passage like that before? Didnt we study back in Exodus 32

where Moses had gone up on the mountain, and the people of Israel come to Aaron



and say: We dont know how long hes going to be gone. (He' just up there forty days .) We dont know how long hes going to be gone. Make us some gods to worship. Aaron goes out and gathers golden earrings, and he makes a golden calf. Remember that?

And he says: Look there, Israel. This is your god that brought you out of Egypt.

Do you see what Jeroboam is doing? Baal worship has been there all along, folks. Israel brought it with them out of Egypt. Baal worship has been around since Genesis 11. In Genesis 10, it was started by Nimrod. It infected Israel, and it was there in Judges. We saw, in Judges 2 and Judges 10, how they worshipped Ashteroth and Baal.

In Judges 17 and 18, we saw Micah and the priest who was called a "father." (Whom do you know who calls a priest "father?" Baal worshippers. Thats who.) Theyve got images, idols, "aids to worship," and icons, in a house of gods where the priest is called

"father." Then the tribe of Dan comes and takes him and he becomes a priest to the tribe of Dan. Baal worship is introduced into Israel through the tribe of Dan.

In Joshua, Israel was supposed to wipe them out, and in Judges you see that they dont.

Now, Jeroboam is going to make that false, Idolatrous system the state religionof Israel.

Hes going to do it by claiming their religious tradition that goes back to Moses

and to Aaron. Hes going to say: Look, the Bible says in Exodus 32, Behold, Israel, your god.

Behold the cow!

As sure as you are sitting there, he pulls out Moses book and reads it to them. They add tradition to it and destroy themselves. So, anyway, they build a goldencow; and, of course, the calf is designed for the purpose of worshipping Satan.Apostasy begins here, and it becomes the state religion of the Northern Kingdom. Thats why nothing but bad stuff comes out of that Northern Kingdom.

1 Kings 12:29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.

Now, before the division in Israel, youd say, "From Dan to Beersheba"; that is, from the north to the south. Wed say, "From the Atlantic to the Pacific." What doyou mean?



"From one end of the country to the other."

When he sets one up in Bethel and one in Dan, one is in the northern part of the Kingdom and one is in the southern part of the Kingdom. And he says: Look, go to the church nearest you. Why travel all the way down there to Jerusalem?

Because that is the place where God says to worship.

No, no, no. Were going to make this convenient for you. Go to the church of yourchoice. Well give you a choice, but go to one that is convenient to you.

Did you ever hear that before? Thats all part of the same religious system.

1 Kings 12:30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before

the one, even unto Dan.

Now, hes got the right names and appearance: Bethel, Penuel, Shechem. Hes got thehistory and the good names of Israel. Hes got the tradition - although it was a bad tradition - of apostasy, and it looks real but its a sin. In order to make itlook really real, look how he counterfeits the thing.

1 Kings 12:31-32 And he made an house of high places [they got him a little church building], and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of th

e sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah.

He wasnt interested in the preaching of the true Word of God so he didnt make theLevites priests. He didnt want anybody tainted with the truth of Gods Word.

1 Kings 12:32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar.

Now, notice that. Hes trying to counterfeit the true worship down in Jerusalem, and its a cheap imitation. And HE offers. Look down to Chapter 13, Verse 1.

1 Kings 13:1 And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.



Jereboam is up there offering. Jereboam is usurping the priesthood just like Saul had the problem back there of usurping the priesthood. Saul was a king; he wasnt a priest, but he went and offered sacrifices. He tried to usurp the office. Jereboam is a king trying to usurp that priesthood.

See how theyre trying to amalgamate the priesthood and the throne? Just like religion does today. Baal always seeks to put those two things together and to put the political throne under the rule and influence of the religious system. Thats what hes doing here.

This is exactly what is going to take place in Revelation 17 and 18 with the antichrist.

There wont be anything new over there but the repeat of all this stuff. Its goingon all over town today.

I heard on the radio that the State Supreme Court made a ruling concerning the C

hicagoland archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church about all these pedophile priests.

There are more than twenty of them in the last six months that been exposed formolesting children. The State Attorney General is trying to arrest them, prosecute them and put them in jail, like theyd do to you if you were guilty of it.

The Archbishop said: No, were not going to let the government control them. Were going to control them. You cant have the documents until the states attorney goes to court and gets a subpoena to make the Roman Church give him the documents andinformation (about these criminals who are molesting children).

The Court says: We can't do it because they've got a right.

And the Archbishop says: Were the ROMAN Catholic Church, not the Chicago Catholic Church. Were not subject to the laws of Chicago, Illinois or the United States.Were subject to the authority and laws of Rome. (By that, he means the Vatican.)Do you know what that is? Its politics. Its the political run by the religious. Thats what it is. If you can understand that, then you can understand how that beast and false prophet are going to operate over there in Revelation.

I want you to see the counterfeit here. Come with me to 2 Chronicles 11. Let meremind you about a passage that we read last time - the comparative passage in Chronicles.

2 Chronicles 11:13-17 And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel re



sorted to him [Rehoboam] out of all their coasts. [That is, the priests up in the Northern Kingdom go down south to Jerusalem.] For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest's office unto the LORD: And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calveswhich he had made. [Thats pretty clear about what he did, isnt it? The high places, the groves and the "church buildings" and for devils and for the calves. Its not a very flattering picture of what he did.] And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers. So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon.

What happens is that the Levites and the believers in the Northern Kingdom migrate down to the Southern Kingdom. I showed you that last time so youd understand that representatives of all of the twelve tribes of Israel lived in that Southern Kingdom. When that Northern Kingdom was finally destroyed, you didnt lose the ten tribes, you just lost that political entity up there. There were parts of allthe twelve tribes down there in the Southern Kingdom. The believers all went where they ought to have gone and got out of that mess up north.

So when Jereboam makes his priests up there of the lowest of the people that were not Levites, the true Levites leave their possessions, lands and houses - they forsake what they have - and go down where Jehovah could be worshipped.

1 Kings 12:32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah

It is important that you understand that he uses the Levitical system to worship

idols -

"Biblical idolatry." He makes a religion that looks just like Gods religion, butit just isnt. They use the terminology: "the Levites"; they use the same ceremonies and sacrifices. They just worship the devil using Gods terminology and he offered upon the altar.

1 Kings 12:32b-33 So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel [the house of God] the priests of the high places which he had made.

So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

1 Kings 12:26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, . . .



So you see, this is a man-made religion, "the traditions of men." He establishes this Baal-worship system as the official state religion of the Northern Kingdom, and he does it in order to bind that Kingdom together.

Now, God sends him a messenger in Chapter 13.

1 Kings 13:1-3 And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word ofthe LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee. And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altarshall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.

The man of God gives him the sign about the word he preached in Verse 2, about this child, this king. Hes saying: Jeroboam, God will wipe you out and Hes going to

do it by a guy named Josiah. Its hundreds of years before Josiah shows up, by the way.

Josiah is one of the seven men in the Bible who are named before his birth. Josiah shows up over in 2 Kings 23. The date of 2 Kings 23 (at the top of page 451 in the Scofield Reference Bible) is B. C. 624. 1 Kings 13 is about B. C. 975, soyoure talking 975 to 624 - 351 years before Josiah. God names him and puts it inHis Book.

Of course, Jeroboam thought he was crazy, so God demonstrates all that to him. The Lord warns Israel; He warns Jeroboam and sends him a warning that God is going to judge them.

Theres an interesting thing in this passage, 1 Kings 13. The man of God delivered the message that God gave him, and God told him while he was down there: Dont eat anything. Dont touch anything; just come on out.

Jeroboam tried to get him to stay, but he wouldnt, and so he tried to trick him i

nto staying. Then an old prophet heard about the man of God, and he came to himand said : Hey, God spoke to me, too. The old prophet deceived him into staying, and God judged the man of God for being deceived into disobeying the Word of God. He was slain for disobedience to the Word of God. He had been deceived by listening to a man who claimed to have the word of God but spoke without the Word of God (Verses 17 and 18).

He caused the man of God to be disobedient to the Word that God had given him. (By the way, that's a great preaching text.)



You see the failure of the man of God in Chapter 13 after he has delivered the message.

Hes going home, and hes deceived; hes beguiled and tricked. Thats an illustration o what it says over in Matthew 24 about deception:

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

The point is that the only thing Israel could do, the only thing a believer could do at that time to be saved was to take what God said in His Word and stick to what God said in His Word. Theyve set up a false, phony, counterfeit religion up there in that Northern Kingdom that would deceive them if they went by anything except the Word that God gave them.

This old prophet came along, and it says in Verse 18 : An angel spoke unto me by the Word of the Lord and gave me a different message than what He gave you. Heres a new word for you. He lied to the man of God. When the man of God believed the word that came from somebody else, and he didnt hear from God Himself, he was beguiled.

The warning here is to believing Israel, and especially to those people in thatNorthern Kingdom who believed the Word of God, that theyd better get out of there. What they ought to do is migrate down south, of course, where the Word of Godwas.

Do you remember that passage in Deuteronomy 13 where a man comes and says hes had a dream? If he shows you a sign and wonder, and it comes to pass, but he uses it to cause you to contradict and disobey the written Word of God, dont believe him. Its the same thing going on here.

So theres a great warning given to Israel here - to the Northern Kingdom and to the Southern Kingdom - about whats going on, what's required and how easy it is to be deceived and thus be destroyed if they dont go by what God says to them.

1 Kings 13 is the great preaching text for any age warning against being deceived by the counterfeit religion and the need to go by the truth that God gives you and just sticking by it even when somebody comes along and says that God is saying something different.

If you cant see the parallels for right division there, and if you cant see the pa



rallel between the charismatic movement and their saying: Oh, God is saying this, while the Word of God is saying something different, well, think about it. Ina while, you will.

1 Kings, Chapters 14 through 16, kind of show you how the Kingdom, now divided into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, is going to function and how things go.

The first twenty verses of Chapter 14 tell you about the judgment and the prophecy about Jeroboams destruction.

1 Kings 14:16 And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.

That sin is the sin of Chapter 12, Verse 30: "And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan." [Its the sin of idolatry.]

Youre going to find Jeroboam referred to over and over as "Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin." That particular expression occurs thirteen times, and, of course, thirteen is the number of rebellion in your Bible.

So Jeroboam is judged and passes off the scene in verse twenty. "And he made Israel to sin," and the sin was Baal worship, idolatry.

Beginning in 1 Kings 14:21, down through 15:24, youre going to see the decline of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. From Chapter 14:21 to the end of the chapter, you see Rehoboam who reigned for seventeen years. Hes a bad king.

Then, in Chapter 15:1-8, you have the reign of Abijam. He reigns three years and he, too, is a bad king.

In 1 Kings 15:9 through 15:24, you have Asa. Asa reigns for forty-one years, and hes a good king; in fact, hes a great king.

Then, in Verse 24, you have Jehoshaphat. Youll see more about Jehoshaphat over in Chapter 22. He reigns twenty-five years, and hes a good king, too.



Theres one other king that you see later in 1 Kings, and that is Jehoram. Hes a bad guy, and he reigns eight years.

In Chapter 15, through Verse 24, youve got the decline of Judah. Chapter 15:25 starts with Nadab, and were going to switch from Judah to the Northern Kingdom, Israel.

Hes going to give you a list of kings here. The first is Nadab (Verses 25 - 32),and he reigns for two years.

Then youve got Basha in I Kings 15:34 through 16:7, and he reigns for twenty-four years.

In I Kings 16:8-14, Elah reigns two years.

In Chapter 16:15-20, youve got Zimri, and he reigns for only seven days. He doesnt

get in much of a reign and then Omri takes over. When Omri takes over, in Verses 23-28, he reigns for twelve years.

Notice in Verse 26: For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.

Then in Chapter 16, Verse 29 to the end of the chapter, Ahab reigns twenty-two years.

He is a wicked king, and youre going to see more of him because it is in his reign that Elijah shows up. Well start there next week. Ahab raises wickedness in Israel to its pinnacle.

What Jeroboam did by making Baal worship the state religion of Israel in the Northern Kingdom, Ahab took to its pinnacle. He thoroughly propagated it and established it. Its then that Elijah comes and pronounces: The second course is on us.Its here. The judgment on the nation is there. In Chapters 18 and19, youll see the contest between Elijah and the Baalites.

In Chapters 20 to 22, youll see the final wickedness and judgment on Ahab. Well take up there next time because its imperative that you understand this issue about Ahab, who he is and the wickedness that is brought into the nation at that time. It is at that time that the second course of judgment falls on them because of the wickedness.



By the way, you will notice that in Chapter 16, Verse 24, it says that Omri hadJericho rebuilt. Jericho is a cursed city. Joshua 6 pronounces a curse on anyone who rebuilds that city. Thats indicative of the fact that the curse of that second course of judgment is on them, and they deserved it.

Hes demonstrating to us in the text why Israel deserves that chastening judgmentthats coming. Then, under Elijah, hell show that its there, but heres the word : Herken, dont continue on, and you can be delivered. They dont hearken; they continue on and then the third course comes.

You need to be sure youve read the last half of 1 Kings and are familiar with it. If you have read that, then start reading Second Kings, and read at least the first ten chapters.

The first ten chapters of Second Kings deal with the third course of judgment. Well start with Ahab next time.

Be sure youve read First Kings all the way through. If youve read it all the way t

hrough before next week, read at least Chapters 12 to 22 again. You need to getthat information and get the flow of the events in your mind.


(Lesson 24)

I have here a table of the kings of the divided kingdom. Im going it to give youas a handout. The people on the video probably wont ever see this handout, so dont get mad and upset, and dont write me or call me and ask where it is. But Ill tell you where to find one: any good Bible dictionary will give you a list of the kings of Israel and Judah in the divided kingdom starting with Rehoboam and Jeroboam and going down through Zedekiah, etc. In fact, this is just a page I tore out of a Bible dictionary.

The best way to do it is to make your own list. As youre reading through Kings, y

ou ought to be making your own list, and make a correlation. This list gives you the kings and also where the writing prophets fit with the kings. When we get over to Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and the minor prophets well have to come back into Kings and put in those writing prophets where they wrote those books.

Im not so worried about you understanding that right now, but when we get into the prophets, we will come back and put them in their historical settings. You can get a general list of the kings out of any good Bible dictionary, and you need



to make for yourself a list of the kings, the length of their reign, whether they were good or bad -

thats easy, because all of the kings of Israel were bad; and then the kings of Judah, some were good and some were bad. Also, show where the prophets fit. When we study that, Ill put a chart up on the overhead so the people on the video can get involved in that, and they wont feel like they are being slighted or left out.

I mentioned it last time, and you should be careful to get that kind of information. Sort it out, and spend a little time studying it. Be aware of who the kings are and where they fit.

By the way, when we get over to the prophets, well come back to these books. I remind you that the way we are studying the Old Testament Survey is that I'm not trying to teach you every detail in the text. You can read the details in the text. You need to be doing that, but I want you to see whats going on spiritually in Israels history so that when we study the prophets youll understand the doctrinal content of the prophetic books. When Isaiah spoke, when Jeremiah spoke, when Ezekiel spoke, when Daniel spoke, they dealt with Israel in the fifth and final course of judgment. The people of Judah are carried off into captivity. Daniel is

in captivity with them looking to the restoration. The message that the minor prophets give is determined by the course of judgment the people are under, either to the Northern Kingdom or the Southern Kingdom, which ever one that they go to.

So its important to understand the spiritual issue going through their history. If you understand that, then you begin to understand why the history is given here.

So often, when people read their Bible, they read the gospel accounts, they read Acts, they read the history books back here and always take it as just historyand interesting stories to be told in Sunday School. That is not why God put ithere. Just remember that He chose what to put in a particular place for a reason. There is a myriad of other things that He could have written here, but He wrote this because of the doctrine to be taught to you about the spiritual condition of Israel at the time.

We trace through these courses of judgment that lay out the history of the nation Israel from the time of the judges all the way through the time of Christ, through the book of Acts and on into the Tribulation period. But there are spiritua

l issues for you to understand so that you can interpret and understand the doctrines that are taught in the Prophets and in the Wisdom Literature of Job, Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. If you are to understand the doctrine in those books you have to understand it in light of the spiritual conditions that exist atthe time.

I say that to you so that you understand that its very important to put these things in their proper context. When we study the minor prophets, youre going to see



that the minor prophets message to Israel had to do with the course of judgmentthat they were under or with their future restoration. Of course, the restoration prophets are looking to the resolution of the fifth course of judgment.

Here in 1 Kings 16, Israel is still under the second course of judgment, but they are moving toward the third course. As we finish the rest of Kings, the issues are going to turn from the purely historical. We saw the division of the Kingdom in Chapter 12.

Then in Chapters 13, 14, 15 and 16, you see how the divided Kingdom functions.

Chapters 15 and 16 give you the decline of Judah and Israel and how they keep going down.

Now I want to start in Chapter 16 with Ahab. We got that far last time as we traced through Chapters 14, 15 and 16 and saw the different kings.

You saw the decline of Judah, the Southern Kingdom, in Chapter 14:21 to 15:24; a

nd then in Chapter 15:25 through the end of Chapter 16, you have the decline ofIsrael, the Northern Kingdom. You see that all of the kings of Israel are bad, but none so bad as this last guy were going to read about. The rest of Kings is going to deal with the days and times of Ahab.

When you read about the Southern Kingdom of Judah, the standard for the kings is always David. This happens because of David; that happens because of David.

In the Northern Kingdom, the standard for the wicked kings - the rebel kingdom -

is Verse 26.

1 Kings 16:26 For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and inhis sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.

I showed you these things last week about Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, that "made Israel to sin." That expression about Jeroboam is found thirteen times in these passages. Thats the standard of Israel.

Jeroboam set up Baal worship in the Northern Kingdom, and he divided the Kingdom with the pagan religion of Baal worship.

What Jeroboam had established as a state religion, Ahab came along and actuallymade it what Jeroboam intended it to be. He takes that Baal worship and makes it



the official religion of Israel.

When we get down to the end of his reign, Elijah says: There is no God in Israel. When he says that, he doesnt mean that Jehovah isnt available; he means that, as far as the people are concerned, they are so consumed with the pagan gods of idolatry and Baal worship that they dont even recognize Jehovah as their God any more.

God is going to confront the wickedness of Ahab in his determination altogetherto dethrone Jehovah in Israel - just completely get rid of Jehovah - and He does it with the prophet Elijah. You need to get a hold of who Ahab is and why Elijahs ministry of judgment comes as it does in the reign of Ahab. In Ahabs reign is the culmination of that second course of judgment and then they move into the third course of judgment with the ministry of Elisha.

1 Kings 16:27-28 Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he shewed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his

son reigned in his stead.

So, Omri is buried in the capital city of the Northern Kingdom, and Ahab comes on the scene to reign.

1 Kings 16:29a And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel:

Now you see the year in that verse, and youll see it right along, so you can kind of draw a timeline with these guys and fit their reigns where they go.

1 Kings 16:29b-30 and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twentyand two years. And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD aboveall that were before him.

Ahab is one of the major types of the antichrist in the Old Testament scripture.

1 Kings 16:30-31a And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians.



Theres a guy that has the name Baal inscribed in his name. Ethbaal means "the living with" or "living for Baal." Jezebel is his daughter. Hes the king of the Zidonians. And, of course, you know from Genesis 10 who they are.

1 Kings 16:31c and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.

Ahab marries this Baalite woman, Jezebel. Youll recall, I trust, the things we studied in Revelation 2 about Jezebel, and you see the connections there.

1 Kings 16:31b-32 he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.

You see how this religion is taking over in Israel, the Northern Kingdom. They have a house of Baal, a house of god. They build this big shrine and church building to worship Baal in, and they are serving Baal.

1 Kings 16:33 And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

Youre going to see this thing about provoking God to anger; that is, to provoke Him to move from the second course of judgment to the next course of judgment. When we get to 2 Kings 1, youll see that is just what He does: He moves from the second course into the third course. That movement comes under the reign of Ahab.

When you read, "And Ahab made a grove," you need to go back to Deuteronomy 16.

Now, we studied Baal worship a number of times, and I am not going to do it at this point because we covered it quite extensively in Daniel, Matthew and Revelation. The reason that I do that is because the religious system of our day was established in Genesis 11, and it goes all the way to Revelation 17 and 18 with the antichrist. Its his church.

Its the same religion that is present; you can look at the religious system out t

here, and you see it. You see the comparisons in the scriptures here. Youll justhave to call on your memory and put into your frame of reference - you know, punch up the keys and get in there. Get the information out of your hard drive about what Baal worship is, and put it up on the screen of your memory. You need tobe familiar with that when you study back there.

God gave them the worship of Jehovah with the Mosaic Law and the Commandments, but this is a counterfeit religion that Jeroboam set up in the north. This is not



just a small thing; this is an organized state religion not to worship Jehovah, not to go down in the Temple in Jerusalem and offer the sacrifices. He set up worship centers at Bethel in the south and Dan in the north, and now Ahab has raised up a shrine - a basilica, a church building to worship in - in Samaria.

Deuteronomy 16:21-22 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee. Neither shalt thou setthee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth.

That is the issue of the grove. It is a grove of trees out on a high place. They put an idol in the middle of it. It is a secluded place where the fornication and the idolatry associated with their worship takes place. Ahab brings all these things that are an abomination to God into Israel.

1 Kings 16:34 In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youn

gest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua theson of Nun.

You'll remember that God cursed the city of Jericho back in Joshua 6:26. He cursed the man that would rebuild the city, so when this guy laid the foundation inhis oldest son and set up the gates in his youngest son, he loses his boys for doing this.

So Ahab is a wicked guy and a terribly effective man at propagating Baal worship

. His determination is to dethrone the Lord Jehovah altogether from the life ofIsrael, and the reason the second course of punishment comes is because of whathe does. He brings about the curse.

The issue here in Verse 34 about building the cursed city is just saying to you: This is the guy who brings the curse upon Israel.

In Chapters 17, 18 and 19, youre going to be introduced to Elijah.

1 Kings 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

He talks about there not being "dew nor rain according to my word. When Elijah comes along and says that there isnt going to be rain, hes not just saying: Well, I



just think Ill ask God not to let it rain for three and a half years.

You know that passage over in James 5:16 b-17: "The effectual fervent prayer ofa righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months."

Elijah wasnt just going out praying and saying: Well God, what can I pray for today?

Elijah is pronouncing and delivering the curse of that second course of judgment on the nation Israel. That second course contained two things.

Leviticus 26:18-19a And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then Iwill punish you seven times more for your sins. And I will break the pride of your power; Weve already seen that He did that. Kings has demonstrated His dividing the Kingdom.

Hes rent the pride of their power from them and broken the Kingdom in pieces. But theres also another part: theres not only a dividing of the Kingdom and it's falling into disarray and declension, but theres also a judgment on the Land itself.

Leviticus 26:19b and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: The heavens arent going to give you their benefit, and the earth is just going tobe closed up to you.

Leviticus 26:20 And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall no

t yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.

Come to Deuteronomy 28 and notice what this judgment is. Weve already studied that Deuteronomy 28 is a restating of the curses that God promised originally to Israel back in Leviticus 26. He first gave the Law. Leviticus 26 is the contract for the blessings and the curses. Before Israel goes into the Promised Land in Deuteronomy, Moses recounts to them the contract that theyd entered into. He reminds them about the blessings that theyd get if they kept the contract and the curses theyd get if they didnt. He amplifies the curses in Chapter 28.

Deuteronomy 28:23-25 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed. The LORD

shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all thekingdoms of the earth.



You notice that "the heavens being brass and the earth being iron" refers to the rain that is withheld from the Land. In other words, there isnt going to be anyrain. The rain is going to be powder and dust. Well, what does that mean? If youve ever gone down to southern Illinois after its been dry for awhile youll see some of the most fascinating things.

Several years ago we were down at Brother Morris Chesnuts. Morris has that big farm all cultivated around his house there. We were down there in the fall of theyear, and it had been dry. They had had a bad drought, and the wind was blowing. That afternoon the wind was blowing and picking up the dust off the field and blowing it away, and old Morris got all upset. My fields blowing away! He said, "Excuse me," and he went out and got on his tractor and began to ride up and downthat field with his disc harrow turning over the dirt.

Well, if you turn over the dirt, what do you do? You stop the dust from flying.Why?

Because you break up the dirt that is six inches down and has moisture in it and

when you turn it over and put it on top, when the wind blows on it, it dries it out but it doesnt blow it away. He was turning the dirt to stop the dust.

You get that dust blowing and flying around and then it comes down. Its not rain- its dust.

When he talks about the rain being dust, hes not talking about water. Theres going to be a dust bowl! Youre going to have a drought! When hes talking about the heavens being brass, he talking about there being no rain.

Deuteronomy 11:13-17 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full. Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods and worship them [like Israel did]; And then the LORD's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the landyield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the

LORD giveth you.

When Elijah came along and said thered be no rain "but by my word for three and a half years," what hes saying is that the next installment of that second courseof judgment is here, and Gods judgment is coming. Elijah is a prophet of judgment to the nation Israel and, really, a prophet of death to Israel.



By the way, youll notice that the Northern Kingdom gets the judgment first - Ahab is up north - but then Judah gets it. When we get over in the prophets, were going to see where the prophet comes to Judah and says: Look up there at your wicked sister and see what Ive done to them. Dont be like them.

The Northern Kingdom goes into captivity under the fifth course of judgment before the Southern Kingdom does. The Northern Kingdom goes in 2 Kings 17; the Southern Kingdom goes in 2 Kings 25.

The reason that the Northern Kingdom is judged first, before Judah, is not thatGod cant figure out when to send the judgments, but because the Northern Kingdomis the usurper.

They are not the legitimate Kingdom; Judah is. Judah is where the real believers - the real remnant - are. Weve already seen that the real believers migrated down to the Southern Kingdom so that they could carry on their faith and worship and be the people of faith.

The Northern Kingdom gets the judgment as an example to the Southern Kingdom: as a warning of what happens when they persist in this idolatry. So youre going tosee, over and over, the Northern Kingdom punished before the Southern Kingdom. I want you to understand that the reason for that is that the Northern Kingdom is used as an example to the Southern Kingdom.

Remember that issue: the reason that the Northern Kingdom will get judgment first (with no rain for three and a half years) is that they are an example to the Southern Kingdom.

God is continuously extending mercy to the true remnant because of who they are.

Elijah the Tishbite comes on the scene.

1 Kings 17:2-3 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

Now, the first thing God tells Elijah to do is to hide himself. He is going to be withdrawn from public view.

1 Kings 18:1 And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year,



"In the third year" means that from Chapter 17:1 there has already been six months of drought before Elijah pronounces the judgment on Ahab. Then Elijah goes and hides for three years. In the third year, God says to Elijah, "Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth."

In other words, in Chapter 17, after six months of drought, Elijah appears in the scripture out of nowhere and pronounces this judgment upon Ahab because theresgoing to be three more years of it, big boy, and then he just disappears.

After three years, God says: Okay, go down there to Ahab, and Im going to demonstrate who the real God is.

One of the most famous preaching-texts in all the Word of God is in 1 Kings 18.Well read through that in a minute, but first, go back to Chapter 17. While Elijah is in hiding, there are three miracles that take place. Elijah does eight miracles in his ministry.

By the way, Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijahs spirit. If Elijah did eight miracles, and Elisha has a double portion, how many miracles would you thinkElisha would do? Theres a tremendous comparison in the ministries of these guys,the first one building toward the next.

Again, let me say to you, Im not trying to study these mens lives. I have studiedthe life of Elijah, line by line, through the years. I remember many, many years ago when I first started in the ministry, just as a teenager, a man in the ministry whom I thought of as a mentor told me that I needed to study the life of El

ijah because he was a man of God, a great example. Through the years I studied Elijahs life, and there is tremendous stuff in his life that is lessons for people who are out in ministry. When I say "people out in ministry," I mean any of you every one of us.

You see, there are not two statuses in the Body of Christ. There is not the professional ministry and the laymen. Theres just "us." We are all ministers, and weall are involved in the ministry. Each one is in the ministry as much as the another.

There is the professional clergy/laity division where this person is the clergy; hes "the Reverend." I was going to fly to Michigan once, and I went up to the counter to check in.

A man looked at me and said, "Okay, Reverend."

I said, "Who?" and he said, "Reverend."



The lady who processed my ticket - she knows me - wrote "Reverend" on it. Now, I know why she did that. Do you know why she did that? I told her not to. She told me that she was going to do it because when you go into a place like that, you get special treatment sometimes - usually for the better. Its like a congressman, you know.

Everybody hates them, but they are given better treatment.

I went into a motel one time with a guy I used to work with. We got a room because we were traveling together, and when we check in, he says, "Im Reverend So-and So." Then later on he asked me, "Did you ever do that?" And I said, "No."

I always avoided calling myself a "Reverend." Do you know why that works in theworld? Because they have this idea that there is this special, hallowed status,and that a Reverend or a minister or a pastor - whatever you want to call him -has a special status.

Do you know what that is? Thats Baal worship. Thats what that is. Thats what Ahab was into. Thats the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes in Revelation 2. There isnt any kind of that kind of stuff in Gods Word and in Gods work. You understand where thatcomes from.

Well, Elijah is a great study. We arent going to study all his life, but I commend it to you. I tell you that we are not going to study it because we could spend the rest of our lives studying it and never finish it. But, I commend to you Elijah and of Elisha as men of God, who are great examples; they are great types.You are going to see as you study through here that Elijah, Elisha and Jonah minister very much contemporaneously, and they are three great sign prophets to the

nation Israel. Well study more about that when we get over to Jonah.

Elijah does some miracles here.

In Verses 2-7 theres the issue of the dry brook. The brook dries up, and yet Godprovides for Elijah and feeds him as He is going to feed the remnant.

In Verses 8-16 theres the depleted meal barrel, and theres this gentile woman that trusts the God of Israel.

1 Kings 17:12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth,

She understands who Elijahs God is. She acknowledges Israels God. Death and punish



ment come, and theres an illustration here in the midst of that punishment that God is yet going to provide for the believing remnant in Israel. He demonstratesthat there is death in the Land. Theres drought and barrenness and famine. The provisions are running out and then theres a dead boy down at the end of the chapter. The ladys son is dead. The punishment and judgment fall on Israel and yet theres deliverance for the believing remnant.

Then you come to Chapter 18, and Elijah shows himself. There is the great contest between Baal and God. You have to love the passage down in Verse 17.

1 Kings 18:17-18 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said untohim, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.

Do you know where the real trouble came from in Israel? It wasnt that Elijah pronounced the curse. Folks, the curse wouldnt have come if they hadnt broken the contract. So Ahab is the one that troubles Israel, and Elijah is the one who is pron

ouncing the judgment.

1 Kings 18:19-20 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table. So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.

Ahab has these preachers of Baal all over the country out there. I mean, theyve got four hundred prophets of the groves. Thats a lot of preachers. Do you know wha

t it would be like if we had eight hundred and fifty Grace Churches all over Chicagoland here? The population of Israel was not nine million people like it is in this area. Do you realize how many churches theyve got spread around that little country? They have four hundred and fifty churches and another four hundred groves out there where theyre practicing Baal worship. That stuff is just everywhere.

Elijah says: Go get all your preachers together; get your big shots. Ahab gets them together. They meet on Mount Carmel.

1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.

Now, thats a great challenge, a great preaching text. I mean, dont sit here undeci



ded. If God is God, then follow Him; and if Baal is God, follow him. Just get on with it. Quit trying to do both.

Revelation 3 talks about their being lukewarm . Youre not hot; youre not cold. Illspew you out of My mouth. (He's talking about another bunch of Baal worshippers.) You see, Baal worship is a counterfeit where they practice a religion that looks like Jehovahs religion. It looks like it, and they use the terminology, the rites and the rituals.

Theyre trying to make it look like its the real thing, but its a counterfeit.

Elijah says: If Jehovah is God, serve Him. If Baal is God, serve him. Dont halt between two opinions. "How long halt ye between two opinions?"

1 Kings 18:22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

Then they have a contest. Baals men build their altars, and Elijah says: Okay, were going to see who the real God is when He answers.

You know the story. Youve already read it, havent you? Sure you have. You learnedthis in Sunday School when you were "knee-high to a grasshopper." The God who answers by fire is the real God. The Baalites go out there and choose their bullocks and lay on their sacrifice, and from morning till noon they pray and plead with Baal to answer and accept that sacrifice by fire.

From Genesis 4 onward, when God accepted a sacrifice, He accepted it with fire.Thats why the fire in the Temple was never to go out. God lit the fire, and it was never to go out because it was of divine origin.

The fire has gone out in Israel. Elijah says: Lets see if Baal is God, and he mocks them.

1 Kings 18:27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cr

y aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.

You guys aren't getting any answer. Maybe you'd better holler a little louder. He isn't paying attention. Maybe you need to know God's phone number.



By the way, you ought to look that verse up in a Living Bible and see how they change that. They put some dirty words in the mouths of Gods prophets. Thats one of those shock verses from a Living Bible.

He mocks them, and you know what happens. Nothing happens. So at noontime, he says: Okay, its my turn. Elijah put the sacrifice on the altar of the Lord, and says , Okay now, I want you to fill up the trench with water so there isnt any doubt in anybodys mind that it didnt just catch on fire. He prays that the Lord would answer his prayer so that all Israel would know theres a God.

1 Kings 18:36-41 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the eveningsacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word: Hear me,O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and thatthou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD [Jehovah], he is the God; the LORD, heis the God. And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of

them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink;for there is a sound of abundance of rain.

The rain came. Now, this contest is a demonstration to Israel : Heres the judgment, but if youll make the choice of turning away from Baal back to Jehovah, and make Him your God, you dont have to suffer continued judgment. He brings Israel toa crisis of decision-making. You see in Leviticus: If you will hearken to Me but if you wont hearken, Ill punish you seven times more. God is constantly seeking to bring Israel back to obedience to the provisions of the Covenant and the contract that they had made with Him.

Now, in spite of all of this, Israel continues on under the leadership of Ahab and Jezebel in their idolatry. Elijah has brought the issue to a head, and the people see that Jehovah is God, but we are going to read in a minute that all that has changed.

Now, in Chapter 19, we see God's tender dealings with Elijah, and we see Elishacome on the scene.

Then in Chapters 20, 21 and 22, you see the wickedness of Ahab, his stealing Naboths vineyard, and the judgment of God on Jezebel and on Ahab.

Come over to Chapter 21, and notice Verses 25 and 26. See how Ahabs reign comes to the end.



1 Kings 21:25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to workwickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

That is interesting. (That is just what happened to Solomon.) Jezebel got Ahab into idolatry.

1 Kings 21:26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

Ill remind you about the fact that they were to wipe all those people out, and they didnt.

Now, Ahab completely replaced the worship of Jehovah and the Law of God with idolatry, with Baal worship. He sold himself to do wickedly.

Come over to the end of the book, in Chapter 22.

1 Kings 22:51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria theseventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel.

By the way, youre going to see Jehoshaphat back in league with Ahab in the chapters we just went over and how Ahab seeks to pollute the Southern Kingdom, to spread Baal worship not just in the North but in the Southern Kingdom, too.

1 Kings 22:52-53 And he [Ahaziah] did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walkedin the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin: For he served Baal, and worshippedhim, and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.

He did it so much so, and provoked the Lord God to anger to the extent that thestage is now set for the third course of judgment, that next course of judgmentto fall on Israel.

Look down in 2 Kings 1 at Gods response to the wickedness of the Baal worship that the Northern Kingdom has gotten into and that Ahab has propagated down in theSouthern Kingdom. Gods response to that is to bring that third course of judgment on them.



2 Kings 1:6 And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.

Isnt that a sad epitaph? "There is not a God in Israel?" You dont recognize God in Israel so you go over to a heathen town to enquire of their god?

We just saw in 1 Kings 18 that they recognized who God was and that Baal was not real, but they go right back into that religious stuff.

When you get in 2 Kings 1, ff., were going to see in the next couple of chaptersthat the third course of judgment is now ready to fall on the nation Israel. The reason: their continued stubbornness and idolatry.

This third course will start here and will extend all the way through 2 Kings 10:31.

You need to be sure to read 2 Kings thoroughly for next week. There are just twenty-five chapters. Read the first ten chapters especially carefully, but you need to get the whole thing.

Let me give you an outline of 2 Kings because the third, fourth and fifth courses of judgment come on Israel in 2 Kings

The third one comes in the first ten chapters.

The fourth one starts in Chapter 10, Verse 32.

In Chapter 25, the fifth one extends all the way to the Second Advent of Christ.

2 Kings is divided into three sections.

Chapters 1-10, the history of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.



Chapters 11-17, an alternating history. Youll read about Israel, then Judah, then Israel and then Judah.

In Chapters 18-25, you have the history only of the Southern Kingdom. The reason for that is that in Chapter 17: the Northern Kingdom of Israel goes into Assyrian captivity.

That Kingdom is never to exist again

The Southern Kingdom goes into captivity in 2 Kings 25, and that Kingdom, of course, will be restored. Again, I say to you: the Kingdoms are only political divisions. Its one nation divided into two political units. The Northern Kingdom, ofcourse, is a false kingdom, a usurped kingdom.

So read and notice those things that way, and well study them in more detail next time.

OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY 202 - L7

(Lesson 25)

I think I said to you last time that the first ten chapters of Second Kings deal with the Northern Kingdom. Chapters 11-17 alternate between the two and then Chapters 18-25

deal with the Southern Kingdom. The reason that Chapters 18-25 deal with the Southern Kingdom is because the Northern Kingdom has been annihilated in Chapter 17. Its carried off into captivity, and all you have after that is the Southern Kingdom. In Chapter 25, you have the last chastisement cycle, the fifth course of judgment, on the Southern Kingdom where they are carried off into Babylonian captivity.

So the book of Second Kings is a book of disruption, specifically, a book of dispersion.

In First Kings, you see the disruption of the Kingdom, where it is divided, andyou see how it operates under the separate states. Now you are going to see it dispersed and carried away into the nations.



Somebody has said that the motto of Kings is Willful sin brings a woeful end. Youll see that.

Ive said to you before that in First and Second Kings, more than in any other books in the Bible, you see illustrated and demonstrated the nature of man - what mans nature is like. You get some of the best teachings on psychology - what happens in interpersonal relationships and national dynamics - in First and Second Kings than anywhere in all of history and in the Word of God.

Second Kings is important because, in Chapter 17, the Northern Kingdom goes into Assyrian captivity; in Chapter 25, the Southern Kingdom goes into Babylonian captivity.

So youre going to see the last courses of judgment. Were going to start out here in Second Kings1 and see that the third cycle of judgment is fixing to fall on the nation Israel. Once again, it falls on the Northern Kingdom first, then on the Southern Kingdom. Youll see that especially when the fifth course comes.

The Northern Kingdom is carried away first into captivity in order to demonstrate - as an example - to the Southern Kingdom their need to take heed and to get right.

Youll remember, in Leviticus 26, in each one of those cycles of chastisement Godsays: If you will not hearken for all of this, then I will punish you seven times more. Each time its designed to make them hearken. So Hell punish the Northern Kingdom first because they are the usurpers; theyre the interlopers. They are notlegitimate, so Hell carry them away first as an example the Southern Kingdom.

Notice, in 2 Kings 1:1 Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.

Then is a reference back to 1 Kings 22.

1 Kings 22:51-53 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Isr

ael. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin: For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.

When you come to the end of this mans life, the Lord is being provoked to anger.That is, the second course of judgment has come to a head, and now God is beingprovoked to anger. His response to their continued rebellion will be to lay the



third course of judgment on them. The third cycle of judgment will start along in here and will extend over to Chapter 10. Well see that specifically in Chapter10, Verse 31, as we go through here.

You notice the condition that Israel is in. The third course is ready to fall on Israel, the Northern Kingdom, as you read down through Chapter 1. Its a fascinating situation here.

2 Kings 1:1-2 Then rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. And Ahaziahfell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.

They are going to have to send over to the town of Ekron to enquire of Baal-zebub. Now, Baal-zebub is a name that is picked up in Matthew 12. Youll see him referred to the by Lord over there as Beelzebub. Youll notice that it starts out Baal-zebub, and what it literally means is the Lord of flies, the god of filth and flies. Its a title of the devil; its one of Satans names. In Matthew 12, its used that

ay.

2 Kings 1:3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go upto meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them; Is it not because there is not a God in Israel [you want to underline that] that ye go to enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron?

In other words, Y ouve got to leave town and go over there to Ekron and enquire of a false god because theres no real God left in Israel. You dont have a God that

you recognize as the real and true and living God. There is no God in Israel soyouve got to go over there. Idolatry had completely crowded Him out. You see, Jehovah is not being acknowledged in Israel as God. Hes not being worshipped, and they dont even remember Jehovah because theyve been so influenced by this religioussystem of Baal worship that has been established and that has permeated the nation by the rule of Ahab and Jezebel.

Sunday night, we started studying Revelation 17, and we got down to Verse 5 which talks about MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS. Next

Sunday evening, in the Bible study, well go over Revelation17 in some detail and

go over some of this about MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT and the Baal worship, etc. Weve been talking about it here as weve studied the history of Israel in Kings.

You cant study the history of Israel in Kings without seeing the prominent placeof Baal worship.

Now, we saw last time that Jezebel, the wife of Ahab and the daughter of a Zidonian priest, was a priestess of Baal. In Revelation 2, she is one of the two peop



le described as causing Israel to commit fornication and eat things sacrificed to idols. In other words, shes propagating that worship.

In Baal worship there is a female deity called the Queen of Heaven" and a male deity. It all goes back to Genesis 11, and it is the religious system that Israelwas to destroy when they came into Palestine under Joshua. We studied about those "sons of Belial" who had taken over that territory and whom Israel was to destroy. Satans policy of evil was to take that false religious system and plant it in the Land where God was going to put His people because Satan knows that that land is the Land where Gods throne is going to sit.

If he can pollute and possess the Land for his cause, He can keep Gods people and His throne out of the Land, so hes constantly working to pollute it with Baal worship. Its worked, and theyve taken over. They dont acknowledge God in Israel.

2 Kings 1:4-8 Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed. And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back? And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith th

e LORD, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron?

therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, butshalt surely die. And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words? And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.

Elijah the Tishbite! You can just see it! Man! Hes struck again! You remember thatElijah was raised up in First Kings 17. Youve already seen the apostasy in the re

ign of Ahab. The priests of Jezebel and Ahab had an encounter with Elijah on Mount Carmel, and then, as a result of his destruction of the Baalite priests, Jezebel persecuted Elijah and sent him into hiding. She put him on the run.

Now hes appeared again. Ahabs boy, here, knows who he is - hes heard the story. Hehates this guy.

2 Kings 1:9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty.

In other words, now instead of just sending messengers up there, he gets an armed troop to go.

2 Kings 1:9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.



The king sends for him and sends an army out to get him.

2 Kings 1:10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. [Do you get the idea that they dont like each other?] And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.

Now, thats a sign to Israel to show them their perversity. The fire comes down. Do you remember what he did in Carmel, how God demonstrated on Mount Carmel thatthere was a God in Israel? How did He do it? The fire fell. There was this demonstration, and Elijah destroyed all the prophets of Baal. The fire demonstrates that theres a God in Israel.

So what does Elijah do? Here he is a few years later; theres no God in Israel, and so they go back to Ekron to the devils oracle there. Elijah says: You just go t

ell the king that hes going to die where he is. You dont need to go ask anybody else. God will tell him what to do.

So the king sends his army out to get Elijah and bring him in, and Elijah says:Hey, guys.

Let me show you that theres a God in Israel. God, just burn them. And He burned them.

2 Kings 1:11-12 Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly.

And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.

He does it again. Its no problem for God.

2 Kings 1:13 And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. Andthe third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah.

This third guy has gotten the message. His two buddies and their troops went upthere and were burned up, so when this guy shows up he does what the king oughtto have done.



2 Kings 1:13b [He] came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of thesefifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight.

Weve come up here to join you, Elijah. We came up here to serve you. Were your servants. Spare us, will you?

2 Kings 1:14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight.

You see, the fire coming down those two times was a sign, and this guy got the message.

He learned what they ought to have learned. He did what Ahab and Ahabs boy ought

to have done. He comes and pleads for mercy.

2 Kings 1:15-16 And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king. And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word?

therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.

So God sends Elijah down there, and he pronounces the judgment on the king. Theclimax of the rebellion under the second course of punishment is reached at this point with the judgment of God on Ahaziah, and he dies.

2 Kings 1:17 So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken.

And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah.

2 Kings 3:1-3 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samariathe eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. Andhe wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like hismother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.



Jehoram backs up a little bit. He takes down some of the images of the blatant,overt idolatry of Ahab, but he doesnt really depart from it. His hearts not in it, and nothing really changes with Jehoram. So the third judgment is coming, and youll see that in Chapter 2.

Second Kings 2 is a very important chapter because youre going to see the translation of Elijah and his replacement, Elisha, coming on the scene. There is a very important comparison between Elijah and Elisha in these things.

Elijah and Elisha - their names are almost alike, and people get them mixed up.

Sometimes you have to think about which is which. They are two halves of one testimony to Israel. One ministers under the second course of judgment; one servesunder the third course of judgment, but theres one great testimony.

Now, Elijah is a great prophetic personage. In Matthew 17 and Malachi 4, youre to

ld that before the Messiah comes back, Elijah, the prophet, is going to reappear to Israel.

God takes him away in a chariot of fire so that he will be able to return back before Christ comes. There is a doctrine in Matthew 17 about the second coming of Elijah that is very important.

When John the Baptist comes, he comes in the spirit and the power of Elijah, and people think he is Elijah. He has to tell them: I am not. Elijah is yet to come, but Im one like Elijah. The reason they thought that was because they knew that before the coming of the Messiah to judge over here in the Kingdom, Elijah was

going to show up. The very last prophecy in Malachi 4:5 about the Lords coming is about Elijah's showing up.

What youve got back here in Kings with Elijah and Ahab is a type of the strugglein the Tribulation between the believing remnant and apostate Israel when the antichrist is reigning. There are tremendous prophetic parallels back here. Elijah portends the judgment of God. The fire being called down here in Second Kings 1 is just like the two witnesses in Revelation 11: one calls fire down from heaven. Theres a real comparison.

Theres a comparison between Elijah and Elisha like theres a comparison between your left hand and your right hand.

You see the issue of the number 2 in the Bible. Number 1 is unity, and number 2is division. Thats why in the Bible the number 2 is often used of witness because if you have a division - two different people - you have a possibility of two different answers.



But if both of them say the same thing, then one validates the other, and you know the witness is true.

In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. (Matthew18:16) Number 2 is a number of division, but it is also a number of witness. There is a difference between Elijah and Elisha. Elijah is a prophet of judgment. Elijahs ministry is judgment and death. All of the eight miracles Elijah does have to do with death, judgment and destruction that are coming on Israel.

On the other hand, Elisha is a minister of mercy to Israel. When he comes in, even when he pronounces the third course of judgment on them and the curse of it,he does it amidst displays and miracles that bring life and restoration out of death.

Elijah calls Israel to repentance, and Elisha demonstrates the restoration thatwas available to Israel even in these courses of chastisement and judgment. So there are some comparisons. As you study through Kings (and if you havent read the

first seventeen chapters of Second Kings you need to do that this week) mark the miracles of Elijah.

Youll find that Elijah does eight miracles. Elisha does twice that many miracles-

sixteen - after he comes back into the Land. The issue is very important here about what happens in Chapter 2 when he takes over the mantle from Elijah becausehes going to go forth in the spirit and power of Elijah with a double portion ofElijahs ministry. Thats why theres a doubling of the miracles.

Elijahs miracles all speak of about death. In the very first one the brook driesup.

The first miracle Elisha does when he comes into the Land is to heal the water in a dry spring. He provides water.

In Elijah there is judgment. In Elisha there is restoration and blessing available if they obey.

So theres a contrast, but its two sides of the witness that God is giving to Israel. I say that because these prophets dont write anything down. These are speaking prophets.

Were going to study the writing prophets that are prophesying during this time (Isaiah to Malachi), and youll see what the message of each of the prophets to Israel was. Youre getting a demonstration here in Elijah and Elisha of what God is seeking to bring forth in Israel.



Theres judgment because of their rebellion against Jehovah and their fornicationwith Baal worship - Baal-zebub. The result is that they are filthy from their spiritual idolatry, but there is restoration available in the Word of God if theywill trust it. And that message is always given to Israel right down to the end. When you get down to the end, theres no mercy, but at this point there is.

Now this is very interesting.

2 Kings 2:1 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heavenby a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

So they start out at Gilgal. Theyre here in the Land west of the Jordan River. You ought to look at a map in the back of your Bible or in a Bible atlas and trace the route that they followed because it is important.

2 Kings 2:2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thysoul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.

Now, Elijah is trying out Elisha to see whether or not hes going to stand the test and stay with him. In other words, Are you really going to stay with me in the ministry? - testing whether hes going to be faithful after he leaves.

2 Kings 2:3-13 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. And Elijahsaid unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leavethee.

So they came to Jericho. And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho cameto Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. An

d Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.

And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: andthey two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they twowent over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away fromthee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon m



e. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me whenI am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw himno more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood bythe bank of Jordan; Lets stop right there before we go on. Theres something very important going on here in this trip. If you read commentaries, you know theres alot of preaching been done from this passage. Ive heard some really good messages and a lot of fiery preaching about Elijah's going. (The old Brethren writers have taken Bethel.) They go there from Gilgal. Tremendous history in Israel takesplace in Gilgal. Then they go to Bethel, the

House of God. There are tremendous spiritual lessons for Israel to learn there. Then they go to Jericho, and there are tremendous lessons to learn at Jericho. Then they go to the Jordan River and they open up the Jordan River and walk across.

Now, where did you see that happen before? You dont always realize whats going onhere until you get to this point, but when he whacks that Jordan River, and it opens up and they walk across there - didnt we read something like that back in th

e Book of Joshua? When the water parted and Israel came into the Land, whats thefirst town they conquered? Jericho. Do you know what hes doing? Theyre over here in the Land by the Jordan River where Israel came into the Land. Do you know what God is doing with Elijah? Hes backing him out of the Land. God is with Elijah, and Hes leaving the Land in the same trajectory that Israel entered the Land to start with.

Do you remember when we studied Joshua 3? It was the Lord God of all the earth entering into the Land. Do you remember that? Oh, I know you do. You wouldnt forget that. As Israel entered the Land, the Lord God of all the earth was entering.Now, the Lord God of all the earth is leaving. He opens up the river and goes ba

ck to the other side.

Youve got a picture here of God taking Elijah out of the Land in the reverse course of Israels entrance into the Land under Joshua. He literally takes him to theother side, trans-Jordan, and then takes Elijah up in a chariot from the other side of Jordan.

Theres no God in the Land, Elijah says, so okay, God leaves; out I go! So he goes to the other side of Jordan and God takes him up. Theres God leaving the Land th

rough Elijah

- a picture of what had happened, a picture of the judgment because of what hashappened.

Now, when he gets over there, Elisha gets Elijah's mantle, and Elijah asks him:What do you want me to give you? Elisha says: I want a double-portion of your spirit.



2 Kings 2:10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing:

He wants a double portion of his spirit, and Elijah says: Youve asked a hard thing. Its a hard thing, not because its difficult to give it to him, but because, boy! Its going to be a hard row for Elisha to travel. Hes going to need that double portion of Elijahs spirit on him because of the increase in the punishment thats going to come on Israel during Elishas ministry. Watch what Elisha does in Verse 13:

2 Kings 2:13-14 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

Do you see what Elisha is doing? Hes coming back into the Land. Jehovah left theLand with Elijah; opens up the Jordan and goes right back out. Elisha says: Okay, I've got the double portion. Whack! The water opens up, and he says, Where is the LORD

God of Elijah?" Im coming back in. What would God be coming back in for? Folks, He left because of their rebellion. What is He coming back in for? Hes going to come back in for judgment, but Hes also coming back in to offer mercy. Thats what happens.

Elisha is going to come back in now, and you are going to see him pronounce the

curse that inaugurates the third course of judgment on Israel. But before that,he does something else that's very interesting.

2 Kings 2:15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

They come and give a positive response to Elisha. They bow themselves before him.

They were arguing with him before. Now they submit themselves to him.

2 Kings 2:16-22 And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley.



And he said, Ye shall not send. And when they urged him till he was ashamed, hesaid, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he saidunto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not? And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren. And he said, Bring me a newcruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. And he went forth untothe spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the sayingof Elisha which he spake.

Now, Jericho is a cursed city. Elisha comes in there, and because of the positive response that they give to his ministry, there is blessing available to the Land. He takes a blessing to the land and to a city that is cursed. He heals the water of Jericho. Elisha, coming back in to a cursed city, heals the water. Whatshe saying? Gods saying: You're under a curse, but theres also mercy for you.

Watch what happens because Hes fixing to demonstrate the other side of the coin.

Verse 23 is very important.

2 Kings 2:23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel.

He heals Jerichos water. He gives blessing to the land that was cursed. Theres a display of mercy, but theres something else.

2 Kings 2:23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.

The little kids are mocking them, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.

2 Kings 2:24-25 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from

thence he returned to Samaria.

Boy! You read about that passage right there in the average commentary and theyjust have a fit about Elisha being such a heartless guy and God Almighty being a cruel God for doing what He did, but theres no cruelty involved in this situation. When those kids come out there and mock Elisha, theyre demonstrating something.



Proverbs 20:11 Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

By the way, these little kids - hes not talking about five and six-year olds, hestalking about young men who havent yet come to their majority. They could be as old as nineteen years and could still be considered children.


which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassionon his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

They hadnt yet gotten to the no remedy part in Elishas day, but they sure are doingwhat Verse 16 says: they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, and they just kept doing it, doing it, and doing it until that fifth course finally gets them.

When those little kids come out and mock Elisha, Go up, thou bald head, they are talking about Elijah. Theyre mocking whats just happened to Elijah. Elisha comes representing Elijah with a double portion of Elijahs spirit and they mock him.

Now, what theyre doing demonstrates how pervasive the mockery of Gods men had become. It isnt grown men standing out there mocking him, its the little kids that goout. What do little kids do? Whose words do they repeat? They repeat what they hear at home, dont they? They repeat what they hear at school, dont they? They repeat what they hear the grown-ups say, dont they?

You watch these nit-wits on the TV when they interview these eight and nine-year old kids, six and seven-year old kids, and they say, What do you think about a nuclear war?

Why, I think its bad. Well, anybody would think its bad. Do you mean that anybody wuld think it was good?

What do you think about so-and-so? What does a little eight-year old kid know about anything? All he knows is how to repeat what somebody told him.



Do you know what these little dudes are doing? Why, if they were twelve or fourteen or sixteen years old, all they would be doing is to repeat back what they are told.

Sit down and talk to a fifteen-year old sometime; do you know what youll find out? If you talk to one out here on the street, youll find out whats on MTV and thatkind of stuff. Thats all youll find out.

Do you know what these little kids are doing? Theyre just repeating what theyve heard.

Theyre following the example set for them by the adults. The life-style of Bethel was mockery of Gods prophet, despising his word. And do you know what happened?

Elisha cursed them in the name of the Lord.

Now, to get that, you have to come to Leviticus 26. And the she-bears came out and rended [tore up, destroyed, killed] forty-two of them.

It says that he cursed them. If you want to see the contents of that curse, youll see it in Leviticus 26:

Leviticus 26:21-22 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. I willalso send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destr

oy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your highways shall be desolate.

Do you know whats happening over there in Second Kings, Chapter 2? That passage right there is being fulfilled. Its a sign. Dont you think that news had gotten around the town that Elisha had cursed a bunch of kids, and the bears (wild beasts) had come out there and destroyed forty-two of them? The mommies and the daddies are boo-hooing on NBC, ABC, CBS and the Jane Fonda network (CNN). What do you think would happen? Everybody would know about it. They got it on the AP wire going all over the world about what was happening. That third course of judgment is coming. Its here!

Its here! The curse is here!

That curse is going to extend through Chapter 4. Youre going to see Elishas ministry in Chapters 4, 5 and 6; you see the miracles he does that offer reprieve. Hearken! Listen!

Hear, will you? But they wont. That third course of punishment begins there and goes right on down to Chapter 10:31.



2 Kings 10:31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.

In the following verses youll see what happens after that is that the next course of judgment comes on the scene. Well start there next time.

Be sure that you have read the first seventeen chapters of Second Kings. In fact, be sure that you have read all of Second Kings by next time. Identify and list the miracles of Elisha for yourself so that you know what they are.


(Lesson 26)

The third course of punishment predicted for Israel in Leviticus 26 begins in 2Kings, Chapter 1, and you see the things that we talked about last time in Chapter 2 where Elisha is demonstrating the curse of God; He curses the children in the name of the Lord. Hes quoting Leviticus 26, and that third course of judgment, that third cycle of chastisement, comes upon them.

The first ten chapters of 2 Kings deals with that third course of chastisement and it extends down through Chapter 10:31. Youll notice it says in Chapter 10:32,"Because in those days the Lord began to cut Israel short." He had been punishing them previously, but beginning at Verse 32 something further begins to happen. What happens in Verse 32 and on down through Chapter 17 is that the fourth course of judgment takes place.

And then, in Chapters 17-25, the fifth one.

Now, youll notice that the third, fourth and fifth courses all take place in 2 Ki

ngs. The reason that verse says, "In those days the Lord began to cut Israel short" is that the fourth and fifth judgments are just coming, and things are beginning to move quickly. The die has been cast, the course has been set and the fourth cycle of chastisement proceeds quite quickly. When the fifth course comes on them, it continues, of course, until the present time.

Once we get to the last part of Kings and the beginning of that fifth cycle of judgment and begin on the seventy years of captivity, well have a new set of instr



uctive passages on how to get through that time period. Right now, Leviticus 26is the passage fitting the doctrinal framework of understanding whats happening in the historical books.

You need to understand and grasp the things that we have been studying in Leviticus 26

about these five cycles of chastisement, these five courses of judgment. If youdont understand that and understand thats where Gods thinking and dealings with Israel are coming from, youll never be able to understand the historical books: Joshua through Kings and, really, through Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. Youll never understand those books. Youll never be able to grasp whats going on in them if you dont see these spiritual issues.

The Bible is not just history, and it is not written simply to record history. There is doctrinal and spiritual truth being dealt with. The reason the history that is in the Old Testament is here is the same reason that Matthew, Mark, Lukeand John are written the way they are, as four pictures of the life of Christ. We've been over the spiritual issued involved in that time and again. The same things are going on back here: those same five lessons when God brought Israel out

of Egypt, where they left the Red Sea and they went to Mount Sinai. That journey between the Red Sea and Sinai is when they see the salvation of the Lord. He gives Israel five tests, five lessons, that He sends to teach Israel about His provision for them in Himself, about what it is to have Jehovah as their God.

Do you remember who Jehovah was? Do you remember studying that? To me, thats an exciting thing about I AM. I AM what? I AM whatever you need Me to be. Think of the name Jehovah. He says: Tell them that I AM sent you. Thats an incomplete sentence. I AM ______. You fill in the blank. Whatever you need be to be, Ill be thatfor you. God shows them that.

There are five lessons that He seeks to teach them about His being Jehovah and being their provision, being available to them. They get to Sinai, and rather than trusting Him, they turn to their own efforts; they contract with God to gain the blessings that He wanted to give them. They contract with God to get those blessings on the basis of their performance in the keeping of the Law.

From that point to the present, God uses the Law to teach them the issues of those five lessons. And of course, when they are in the wilderness they wander; then they go into the Land. (We studied that and have been all through all of this.

) They go into the Land under Joshua and pretty soon after Joshua, the first cycle starts in Judges. We saw how God uses that first cycle to bring Israel to the place where they should be reformed and where they should change their heart and their mind, but they dont. They refuse to do that.

The whole purpose in these chastenings is to bring Israel back to Himself.



Leviticus 26 is the beginning of every one of them. God says : If you will not hearken to Me, if you wont pay attention to the lesson that I am trying to teach you, then Ill punish you seven times more. And Hed go through each one of these cycles. The first one leads into the second because Israel is in continuous rebellion. The second one now has led into the third one.

Were involved in the third course of punishment here in 2 Kings. Ive tried to show you that the reason for the things going on here is where they are spiritually. It is what the prophets are speaking to them about.

When we get over in the writing prophets we are going to see that they all minister under the fifth course, and they deal with Israel in that light.

As you come into 2 Kings, theyre under that third cycle, and the things that arelaid before you here are laid out in the light of that. We saw last time that in Chapter 2

Elijahs ministry gives way to Elisha's. Elijah is the prophet of God, the visible man under the second course. Elisha is going to be the prophet under the thirdcourse. Now, there are other prophets, but they are the main ones.

We saw last time how, in the first part of Chapter 2 (its fascinating how these things go) Elijah literally backs out of the Land. The book starts with his telling them in Chapter 1: The reason you go out here to Ekron (the heathen city outthere) to get word is that theres no God in Israel.

Do you remember in Joshua when they went in to the Land, it was the "Lord God of all the earth" entering into the Land and taking the Land? Now youre going to see Elijah backtrack. He goes from Gilgal, to Bethel, to Jericho, crosses the Jordan River and is taken up. Literally, it is God leaving. You watch Elijah go - there goes the Lord leaving the Land. Its just like Christ does in Matthew 23. He stands in the Temple, and He says, in essence: Im God. Im leaving, and youre not going to see the Lord again until I come back.

Well, thats what God is doing. Elisha goes with Elijah. He understands whats going on.

He says: Im going to stick with you. Elijah says : If you see me go, youll get a double portion of my spirit, so the mantle falls on Elisha. Elisha is Elijahs minister. Just like Moses had a minister, Joshua, who assumed and carried out the ministry, Elijah has a minister who is Elisha. Elisha goes with a double portion of Elijahs spirit. One way you know that is that Elijah did eight miracles that are recorded in scripture; Elisha does sixteen - twice as many miracles. Elijahs miracles look toward destruction and judgment. Elishas miracles demonstrate that theres life, restoration and salvation available. So theres a counter balancing - one looks at judgment and wrath; the other looks at grace thats available.



What I want to do with you tonight is to focus a little bit on Elisha and go through the miracles that he did. Weve been going through the Old Testament historylickety-split, and Im doing it on purpose because theres just not the time in ourschedule to go chapter by chapter and verse by verse. It is not a necessity to do that because this is an Old Testament survey; this is not an Old Testament exposition. It isnt necessary to go through every verse and every detail. If you can understand the spiritual issues, then you can understand the verses.

Most of what you see in the third course of judgment is the ministry of Elisha.Now, you dont see much else. You see basically the miracles that Elisha does. Infact, you see fourteen or fifteen of the miracles that everything else kind of revolves around until Elisha finally dies.

By the way, his last miracle is after he dies - which is quite a trick. Again, its a type of the blessings of God through Israel. When we get there, youll see that Gods blessings to the nation are still available in Israel even when Israel isin a "dry bones" condition.

In Chapter 2, Elijah goes out of the Land - there goes the Lord - Hes leaving, and when Elisha comes back in, its like the Lord coming back into the Land. If Godleft under Elijah, Hes coming back in with Elisha. The second course: judgment. Theyre going to move into the third course of judgment; but again, the courses are remedial in purpose to reform Israel. The chastening is to bring them to repentance and to bring forth fruit in them.

So Elisha comes on the scene. All of his ministry demonstrates the opportunity that God has available to Israel in the midst of judgment and evil days: that God

has His remnant and does provide for His people and that there is blessing available even in the midst of judgment. All that Israel had to do was to acknowledge their sinful condition, their rebellion against Him, and come to Jehovah, theLord. Then everything would have been provided for them as promised.

2 Kings 2:14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote thewaters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smittenthe waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

Where is the LORD God of Elijah? Hes with me, and Im coming in.

2 Kings 2:15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.



There was a great school of prophets in Jericho. Elisha was not a graduate of the school.

He was a ploughman. Later on, youre going to read a passage where it says that hes the one who poured water on the hands of Elijah. He was Elijahs servant. I dont want to say he was just an untrained bumpkin - thats not the idea -but he was nota part of the established school of prophets. He was this man who understood what was going on in Elijahs ministry, and when he comes back into the Land, the men of school of the prophets recognize that God is with Elisha. They dont have much faith in him in Verses 16, 17 and 18, but theyve got a problem in Verse 19 and turn to him for help.

Now, the first miracle Elisha does is smiting and parting the waters of the Jordan River and crossing into the Land. The second miracle is in Chapter 2, beginning in Verse 19.

In this miracle youre got a real illustration of the situation that Israel was in.

2 Kings 2:19 And the men of the city [Jericho] said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray

thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren.

In other words: Its a nice place to live if we just had some good water that wasnt polluted. When we drink it we get sick. We need some good water so we can cultivate the land.

2 Kings 2:20-22 And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast t

he salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.

Water is the sustainer of life. The springs are spewing out bad water. Elisha goes in there, and he does just what Jehovah-Ropheka taught Israel in the first lesson back there in Exodus 15. Jehovah-Ropheka concerns the issue of "I am the Lord that healeth thee."

Just as Jehovah healed the waters back there, Elisha heals the waters here. Its the same issue.

This issue about the salt - come back with me to Numbers 18. Its important to notice the details as you go through here about what goes on. Hes talking to these guys from the school of the prophets who would know something about the Bible, and theyd be familiar with the Word of God that existed at that time. That would be Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges and First andSecond Samuel.



Perhaps even some of First and Second Kings was available to them, so they had that much of the Bible already. That included the book of Job, also, and some ofthe Psalms (if not all the Book of Psalms), Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Songof Solomon. They had a good portion of the Word of God. The history of Israel has been going on a long time. The Book of Psalms had already been compiled. Job was the first book written.

Youve got the Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, First and Second Samuel, Ruth, and1 Kings was probably already written. Theyve got access to the Word of God.

Now, when Elisha takes the salt, hes saying something to them.

I dont know if youve ever tried to drink salt water; its no good at all. I come from the Gulf Coast and have swum in the salt water down there. Its not like Lake Michigan where, if you get hit in the back and gulp in a mouthful of water, it just tastes like Lake Michigan. The water is salty in the Gulf, and its worse in the Pacific and the Atlantic. If you swim out there in the Pacific Ocean and come in and sit on the beach, youve got a crust all over you that comes from the salt in the water. Its really salty, and it tastes terrible. If you gulp down about three good mouthfuls youll be sick to your stomach for three or four hours.

Well, you say, "Why in the world would he have taken salt and put in the spring? How could salt make the water clean?" Well, the salt doesnt do it. The Lord heals the water.

Then you say, "Why does he use salt?" Because hes trying to show them something.

Numbers 18:19 All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children ofIsrael offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.

Salt is a preservative. We talk about the covenant of salt being a "perpetual covenant" -

something that's going to last and preserve, not just the covenant, but preserve those entering into the covenant. You notice that it is talking about the covenant that God made with Israel. Now, the whole problem that Israel is having at t

his time is that they're forsaking the covenant. Come with me to 2 Chronicles 13.

Elisha is demonstrating to them, and to any Bible-believer around there at the time who would have known about the Pentateuch, what salt symbolized and represented to Israel.

They would have understood what he was doing in this healing. He can give waters



of life, but the source of the life-giving water and the thing that is going to give fruit-bearing capacity to the Land is going to be that Covenant. What they needed to do was to obey the Covenant - keep the Covenant.

2 Chronicles 13:5 Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant ofsalt?

You see that Elisha is pointing to what theyve already learned back under that first course of judgment (or should have learned) about Gods provision for the nation in her Messiah, in the Messianic line thats coming through David and the Covenant thats given through David. God has promised something that is going to last forever through that Covenant and the provisions that Hes made in the seed of David.

As for the waters in 2 Kings 2:22, "the waters were healed unto this day." There is a permanent healing of the water according to the Covenant of Salt. Now, ifthey want to have the blessings, its clear where to get them. Where do the blessi

ngs come from for Israel? They come from Israels keeping and allegiance to the Covenant, the contract theyd made with God, but you know they werent doing that.

The third miracle is in Verses 23 and 24. We studied this in some detail last time - when these kids come out to taunt Elisha. He had left Jericho to go up to Bethel, the House of God, a place of great blessing in Israels past. As he was going up there, these little kids came out of the city. They mock Elisha, and theysay, "Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head."

Wow! Whats that all about? Whats the matter? Didnt Elisha have any hair? I dont thik thats what theyre talking about. I dont know if youve ever noticed it - and its ange to me that most of the commentaries dont seem to pick up on it - but go back to Verse 4.

2 Kings 2:4-5 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD

hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LOR

D will take away thy master from thy head to day?

Now, just the way he says it there tells you something. "The LORD will take away thy master from "thy head" today." Now if somebody came to you a little while later and said, "Youre baldheaded," now, I dont think about the guy not having anyhair, I think of Verse 5 being fulfilled. In other words, Elijah was taken up -God left. Elisha comes back into the Land and says: Here I am. Gods coming in with me.



The sons of the prophets see it and they say : Well, yeah, we recognize that, but were not real sure about it. Then he heals their water. He gives them a blessing and demonstrates to them what can happen if they just have confidence and be faithful to the Covenant -

the contract they had made with God. Then when these little kids come out - I remind you again what we studied last time - theyre only telling what they heard at home. Of course, the media shows them differently.

They had this kid on the TV last night talking to the president. Hes a twelve orthirteen-old boy whos been out cutting grass, and he sent President Clinton a check for one thousand dollars to help reduce the budget deficit. The President says to him: Why, what a wonderful thing it is for you to do.

This kid says: Mr. President, what are you going to do to reduce the debt? You know that a twelve-year-old kid doesnt know anything about a budget deficit. You know what he knows about? He knows what somebody has been telling him. Hes saying

only what hes been hearing, thats all. Most people thirty or forty years old dont know enough to talk independently unless somebody else tells them what to say, much less a twelve-year-old.

These little kids come out there, and they mock Elisha. They say: Go up, bald head. In other words , Your masters gone. God took him away. God is gone. There is no God in the Land. Thats what theyre saying to Elisha. Theyre mocking him. You think you represent God and Jehovah is God, but theres no God in Israel.

It just shows that the idolatry and corruption had gone all the way down to thevery littlest kids in town, and Elisha cursed them in the name of the Lord. Thats almost a direct quote out of Leviticus 26:22. He pronounces the curse of that third course of judgment on them, and wild beasts come out of the field and tearthem up.

The reason thats in the Bible is not to demonstrate to you that theres some kind of cruelty on the part of Elisha. It is to demonstrate the severity of what was going on in Israel at the time. It is in response to the judgment that they agreed to receive if they broke their contract with God.

So that third miracle is a miracle of judgment. You have a miracle of healing, and then a miracle of judgment if you dont receive the healing.

Let's skip down to Chapter 3. Moab rebels against Israel, and Israel continues on in their rebellion and unbelief. There are a great many interesting things going on here in Verses 8 to 12 when the King of Israel, the King of Judah and the



King of Edom get together.

2 Kings 3:10-11 And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab! But Jehoshaphatsaid, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may enquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.

(You see that he doesnt say that he was the president of the school of the prophets. He says he was Elijahs servant.)

2 Kings 3:12 12-14: And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the LORD is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. [In other words, you worship Baal. You dont belong down here.] And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab. And Elisha said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand

, [Thats almost verbatim what Elijah said in 1

Kings 17:1.] surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.

Now, that is God speaking through Elisha. He said : The only reason that I pay any attention to you at all is because the King of Judah is there. Judah is where the blessing was. The Northern Kingdom was the usurper. Judah is the line of David. God is honoring the promise and provision through David - just like that covenant of salt. Hes going to honor the provision because the King of Judah stoodthere. Its the Davidic Covenant, again.

2 Kings 3:15-20 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches. For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water,that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. And this is but alight thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand. And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones. And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was fi

lled with water.

Thats the fourth miracle. That water just comes out there. Four, by the way, is the number of the earth. You see the blessings come from there, and the whole land is filled with the blessing. Why do they get the blessing? Because the King of Judah, Jehoshaphat, is there; not because of the King of Israel nor the King of Edom.



Everybody gets the blessing, and it extends out to the whole land there, but the blessing comes because Judah is there.

Elishas ministry is constantly reminding Israel that theres provision, and theres blessing, and theres salvation available for Israel, but they have to come and get them at the place where God has them.

When you come to Chapter 4, the first six verses record the fifth miracle. Theres a widow here. (Verse 1 says that her husband is dead.)

2 Kings 4:1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest thatthy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my twosons to be bondmen.

This lady has lost her husband; shes in debt, she doesnt have any insurance and th

e creditors are fixing to come and take her boys as slaves according to the Lawof Moses.

She comes to Elisha for some help. He goes in and helps her. Here's this widow,unable to pay. She casts herself on Elisha, and what does he do?

2 Kings 4:3-7 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shutthe door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she pou

red out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God.

And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy childrenof the rest.

In other words, God is again providing the blessing. Here they are bankrupt; they have no one to provide for them. The husband is gone. The kids are going to be taken off into slavery, and what does she need? She needs someone to pay her debt and redeem her kids, and so God comes in and multiplies the oil abundantly so

that all her debt is paid off and they can just live in peace and security. The miracle demonstrates the provision that God had made in providing for the needs of the poor and delivering them from stress.

Verse 8 starts with a different kind of a woman.



2 King 4:8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread.

Read on down in this passage and youll see in Verse 10 that this woman has a little chamber built onto the house. Have you ever heard of a prophets chamber? A lot of churches have apartments in them that they call "prophets chambers" where visiting preachers or missionaries going through town can stay.

Down south, where Im from, we used to have "prophets chambers." A friend and I stayed in one down there in Coden, Alabama, - a beautiful, three-room apartment, all fully furnished - right there in the building. Thats what they call the "prophet's chamber." You can come and stay and refresh yourself if you are journeying through town. We do that here. We have people stay with us all the time. We openour home for hospitality. Visitors and missionaries come through and spend the night.

Well, this lady had the means, and she did that. She was not just cultured, butshe was very hospitable. She was very discerning. She perceived that Elisha was

a man of God, and he offered to do something for her in return for her hospitality.

She said: I dont need anything. Im okay.

He said: Well, I tell you whats going to happen. Youre going to have a son. (She didnt have any kids.)

She said: Man, dont be cruel to me.

2 Kings 4:17 And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elishahad said unto her, according to the time of life.

Thats the sixth miracle. She had the boy. Do you know what happened ? Them that bless thee, Ill bless. Do you see the "great woman" in Israel, the type of Israel? Do you want to see what happens to her when she is solicitous of Gods Word and o

f Gods man?

She begins to bear fruit. It just comes naturally as a response to being what they ought to be.

But then, some things begin to happen. The boy gets sick. He has a bad headache, he lies on the bed and he dies. The woman gets vexed in her soul, and she sends for Elisha.



He comes back, and in Verse 35, raises this boy from the dead.

2 Kings 4:35 Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up,and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

(Do you know anyone who would do something like that? "He sneezed seven times."I do that every now and then, but its not because somebody resurrected me from the dead.

Its because I get hay fever.)

She has a son, and then death strikes. She got the blessing. She started out wonderfully, but then death struck and what happens? Elisha restores the boy - he revives. Where is revival for Israel? Its going to be in the Word of God, listening to what Elisha is saying.

Then you go down in Verses 38 - 41, and you see the eighth miracle. See how these things come one right after the other? Youre not seeing much about Israel's life and her kings. What youre seeing is Elisha's ministry, events that are taken out of the third course of judgment when Elisha comes, and how he ministers to them. Every time he does, he offers hope, and hes saying to Israel: Hey. Theres an answer to the problems here.

2 Kings 4:38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him:

Now, a dearth is a famine, but worse. First, things get dry, and you have a drought, then a famine, and then you have a dearth. It starts out a drought; thingsare parched. Then it gets to be a famine, and you cant find anything to eat. It gets hard, and you have to search for food, and then it gets to be a dearth. I mean, its just baked and dry. If you look over in Chapter 8, youll see it referred to again.

2 Kings 8:1 Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life,

saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the LORD hath called for a famine; and it shall also come uponthe land seven years.

Chapter 8, Verse 1, fits time-wise back here in Chapter 4. The dearth in Chapter 4 is the famine in Chapter 8:1. It starts out a famine, and after seven years its a dearth. There are some tough times going on in Israel, a great famine and agreat dearth.



Notice what happens here - its very instructive.

2 Kings 4:39-40 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not. So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they criedout, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could noteat thereof.

Theyve got this pottage to eat. Its just some bean curd stuff, and theyre cooking it.

This guy goes out and finds a wild vine, and he cuts some gourds off it and puts them in the pot.

If you know anything about symbolism and typology in your Bible, the vine tree is a type of national Israel. But this is a wild vine, not the good vine. He goes out here and brings it back, puts it in the pot and it poisons the pot. Heres ayoung man who adds to the divinely-provided food. He goes and gets something out here and comes and adds it to Gods provision, and what happens? It produces death - "death in the pot."

2 Kings 4:41 But he said, Then bring meal. [Meal is the type of the Word of God, a type of the Bread of Life.] And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.

Instead of going out and getting all these false religions and other people's ideas, and adding it to your true religion, Israel, if youll just stick by what God gave you, it will take care of death. Israel had death in their pot because what they were taking in was this idolatrous system. If they would just take the Bread of Life, the Word of God that He gave them, it would heal the death. The Word of God would save them.

2 Kings 4:42 And there came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley,

"Baal-shalisha" - do you see the first part of that word, "Baal"? Thats a bad place to live; and yet, in the midst of an apostate town who would add the name ofa satanic god to its name, theres a believer. Right in the midst of all that apostasy, theres a believing remnant. This man sends bread down there to Elisha. Does that tell you something about Israel? Does that tell you that in the midst of all the apostasy theres still a believing remnant with the capacity to be faithful to the Lord?



2 Kings 4:43-44 And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men?

Weve got twenty loaves and I am to give them to one hundred guys?] He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.

Do you remember in Matthew 14 that Christ feeds the four thousand? In Matthew 15 He feeds the five thousand? Do you remember all that? There are three times inyour Bible where God takes a small amount of food and feeds great multitudes ofpeople. This is one occasion. Feeding the four thousand and the five thousand take place in the life of Christ.

(There are thirteen famines in the Bible, by the way. Interesting numerology there.) So youve got the "day of small things." They dont believe that these twenty loaves will be sufficient, and God shows them: Hey! You take My Word and it wont j

ust save you but it will satisfy you, and therell be plenty left over to boot.

So what you see in Chapters 3 and 4 is the fact that Elishas ministry brings blessing and salvation for the people in the midst of dire circumstances. Now, thatsalvation and blessing which are available to Israel through the ministry of Elisha, in Chapter 5, is demonstrated that it can extend also out to the gentiles.

2 Kings 5:1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance

unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.

Thats a sad thing in a mans pedigree: hes a leper. Naaman comes down, hes got his amor on, and he wants to get healed of his leprosy. He has a little girl who works for him, and she says: You know that theres a prophet down there in Israel. Hecould heal you.

He goes through a little resisting and a little pride, but finally he goes down, and Elisha doesnt even come out to him. He just says to tell him to go and dip s

even times in the Jordan River.

(A guy had a sermon that he called "Seven Ducks In A Muddy Pond" - you know, dipping seven times in the muddy Jordan River.) The point is that Naaman got healed because he received the testimony of that believing Jewish girl and trusted Israels God.



Look at what he says in Verse 15 if you want to see the testimony of a man thatgot converted. (The tenth miracle, by the way, is in Verse 14 where he was madeclean.) 2 Kings 5:15-17 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. And Naaman said, Shallthere not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD.

Do you know what that guy is saying? He's saying: I know that theres a God in Israel who is the God of gods, and Hes the One. Ive got to go back home to Samaria. Give me two pickup loads of dirt. I want to take some of Israel home with me, and when I worship, Im going to dump some of that stuff out on the ground, and Im going to step on the land of Israel when I worship because Im not going to worship anybody but Jehovah.

Do you know what he was doing? Thats how a gentile got saved in time past, folks.

He acknowledged Israels God. He submitted himself to Israels God. Naaman did exactly what any gentile in the Old Testament who was a believer in God would do. He blessed Israel, and he submitted himself and acknowledged the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as being God. He did what Israel was not doing.

Notice, in Verse 16, that Elisha wouldnt take money from him, but if you read down from Verse 20 to the end of the Chapter, youll notice that Gehazi does. Elishasservant does take the money, and so the picture is complete. Youve got a gentilehealed through the testimony of a believing remnant in Israel when he trusts inIsraels God, and yet youve got apostasy in the midst of blessing. Gehazi is the man closest to Elisha - hes his servant. He was to Elisha what Elisha was to Elijah

, and yet he had a heart of unbelief. He had become a coveteous man, a hard-hearted guy without faith. Israel, outwardly, was near God, and yet their heart wasfar from Him.

The eleventh miracle is down in the last verse of the chapter. Elisha strikes Gehazi with leprosy. The judgment that was removed from the gentile when he trusted Jehovah is placed on the apostate Jew - like the judgment in the Tribulation will be.

In Chapter 6:1-7, youll see that the twelfth miracle is in Verse 6. The sons of the prophets are going to build themselves some living quarters. One fellow starts cutting down a tree, and the axe head flies off the end of the handle and sinks in the river.

2 Kings 6:5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.



Now, people try to make a lot out of stuff out of this miracle, and I tell you what. If the young man borrowed an axe to go cut trees to make him a house and he got out there and the head came off the handle - I dont know what you make of the thing, but I know one thing: somebody lent him a defective tool. They lent him a worn-out old axe that wasnt any good to do the job with because axe heads dontcome off axe handles unless theres something broken. The axe handle has to break. The boy wasnt overworking with it, he was just getting busy, and the thing felloff. Well, Elisha says not to worry about it.

The boy says: I cant work any more. Ive got a defective tool, and so Elisha cuts down a stick and casts it in the water where the axe head had sunk.

In Verse 6, it says, "and the iron did swim." I dont understand that. I know youcan make things fly. I see that, and in my mind I can accept that. I cant understand how you can take 250,000 tons of pig iron and make it float, but I see it. I see that aircraft carrier out there with five thousand people living on it. I see it standing out there in the water, and I say, "I dont understand that." I understand the theory of displacement and all that, but I still dont understand it.

I just accept it. I see it, I read it, I accept it.

What did he do? They lose the opportunity of service; theres a defective tool. God restores the privilege of service. Im just saying that over and over in these miracles God shows them that they don't have to be under the cycle of judgment that theyre under. It doesn't have to be the way it is.

Go down to Chapter 6, Verses 13-17, and youve got the thirteenth miracle. Thats when he opens the eyes of the young man who is his servant so he can see the horse

men on the mountains - the mountains were full of the angelic host - and the victory that was assured to Israel.

The fourteenth miracle is in Verse 18 where he blinds the eyes of the Syrians.

The fifteenth miracle is in Verse 20 where he opens the eyes of the Syrians, and by so doing wins their battle with them. What you see there is that God is going to defeat their enemies, but Hes not going to do it the way they think its going to be done. God Himself will do it.

Start in Chapter 6, Verse 24, and from here on, hes going to move away. Youve seen these fifteen miracles that Elisha does that demonstrate the provisions of Godavailable.

In Leviticus, it says, "If you will not hearken to me for all this . Hearken! Lis



ten!

Hear about My provisions. But they dont.

2 Kings 6:24-25 And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold forfourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver.

Now, thats inflation, brother, when youre reduced to eating dung and donkeys heads.

Theres not much meat on a donkeys head. Theres not much that's palatable about doves dung, either. I mean, theyre down to it, and it gets worse because you read on down in the passage where theyre eating their kids. Theres nothing figurative about all that; its all real and literal.

Great famine and great distress have come into the Land.

You come to Chapter 7, and there are four lepers sitting at the gate. (This is a great preaching passage here.) Four lepers are sitting at the gate, and they say: Look, were sitting outside the gate. If we go into the city were going to die.If we go out to the Syrians were going to die, but theyve got food. Theres nothingin the city. Lets go out and see if the Syrians wont give us something. I mean, if they dont give us anything,

"why sit we here until we die?" (Verse 3). If we go out there and they kill us,big deal!

Were going to die here. Maybe theyll take pity on us. So they get up and go.

2 Kings 7:6 For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said oneto another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.

The Syrians just drop everything - they drop their chicken bones and leave the place.

They dont even go back and get their suitcases. They just run for the hills. These four lepers came into the camp there and looked around, and I expect their eyes get real big.

They sat down and ate their fill.

2 Kings 7:9 Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of



good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household.

Thats the idea. You get a blessing, and you go tell about it. Well, they get back to town and nobody wants to believe them - which is quite natural.

2 Kings 7:14 Go and see.

So they go and they see the blessings, and God delivers Israel from the siege.

The point is that it wouldnt take an awful lot of effort on Gods part to deliver Israel if theyd just be faithful. Four outcast lepers, and God makes it happen.

Deliverance is possible even in the midst of such extremities.

You come to Chapter 8, and theres that famine again. In Verse 3, he takes up thehistory after the famine. The woman comes back, but shes lost all of her possessions. She doesnt have anything, and so she goes and petitions the king. In Verse 6, he gives back all her possessions and even some more to demonstrate that God still acts in the behalf of His own people. He makes great provision, even in anevil day.

Then, when you go down through Chapter 8, you see that Elisha is called out to heal the king of Syria, Ben-hadad. You see the episode there with Hazael. In that, you will see that Elisha is a faithful servant. He gives the Word of God; he gives Gods message.

Hazael is a very unfaithful servant. He just goes back and lies to his master.

Here you see the two kinds of sons. This man told his two sons to go work in the field.

One said: Ill go, but he didnt. The other said: I wont, but he repented and went.

A certain man had two sons; one wasted his substance in riotous living but cameto himself and returned home. The elder son stayed home, but didnt want his brother back when he returned. He said : Ive done everything youve told me to do. (He was lying through his teeth when he said that. You see that all the time in Israel.) You see the two classes of servants. One of them brings a blessing and the other brings a curse.



Jehu is king in Israel. You remember, back in First Kings 19, that Elijah, before his ministry was over, had promised Jehu that God would make him king in Israel. Now this is coming to pass as Elijah had promised it would. Elisha annoints Jehu to be king. Jehu is going to be a king who executes the wrath of God on those who despised the Lord and on those who disobey Gods Word.

2 Kings 9:6-10 And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel. And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel: And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah: And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.

It is very clear, in Verse 7, ff., but especially in Verse 7, that Jehu is going to be the instrument of vengeance in the Lords hand against those who have persecuted His prophets and rebelled against Him. And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants. Jehu does just that. If you go down through there, beginning in Verse 14, youll see that he slays Jehoram. Then Ahaziah is killed, and Ahab and all his descendants are killed in Chapter 10. In the last part of the chapter, in Verses 15-28, he goes out and kills all the Baalites.

2 Kings 10:28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.

Jehu goes out and gets all the Baal worshippers together and slays them. He uses all kinds of means, and he executes judgment. Ahab dies, and Jezebel is killed. The vengeance of God is executed.

Youll notice in Chapter 10, Verse 16: Jehu is talking to Jehonadab.

2 Kings 10:16 And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD.

Now, his zeal for the Lord was zeal in killing people. Hes a bloody guy.

2 Kings10:16b-18 So they made him ride in his chariot. And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the LORD, which he spake to Elijah. And Jehu gathered



Now, when you come to Verse 32:

2 Kings 10:32-33 In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel; From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.

Now, this issue of God's beginning to cut Israel short and these other nations'coming in and beginning literally to take territory away from them, he says : the Lords going to cut Israel short. That is, He begins to let their enemies come in and take the land away from them, to shorten their boundaries and shrink the territory of Israel. Whats happening here is that the fourth course of judgment is beginning to come on the nation Israel. They begin to lose their territory; they begin to lose their land as the fourth course of judgment begins.

Come back to Leviticus 26 and look at the details of this fourth course of judgment.

Were coming down to the last two courses: the fourth and fifth. Its important to see from Chapters 10-15 in Second Kings that the fourth and fifth courses come quickly. The Lord begins to make a short work of this. Its not going to take a long time, now, to get over these things as He begins to cut Israel short.

Leviticus 26:23-24 And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things [These things

are the first three courses of judgment which Israel has suffered from First Samuel all the way up to 2 Kings 10.] but will walk contrary unto me; Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins.

In other words, they were acting as if Jehovah was not their God. So He says: Okay, if youre going to act as though Im not your God, Im going to act like youre notMy people. If youre going to act like Im not your God, then Ill act like you are not My special people, and Ill walk contrary to you.

That's the first time that statement occurs. This is the first time He tells them, in Leviticus 26, that He's going to walk contrary to them. Youll notice it again down in Verse 28, about the fifth course.

Leviticus 26:28 Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury;

The idea of His walking contrary to them is that there is going to be an increased intensity - an increasing of the severity - of the judgment against them. Thats why He says, in Verse 28, that Hes going to walk contrary to them also in fury.



Its like in the first cycle when He gave them the chastisement, opportunities torepent and then demonstrated that through the house of David there was going tobe deliverance, redemption and blessing for them, but they wouldnt take it. Yet He gave them this opportunity.

The second course came on and the third one. Under each of the second and thirdthere were real opportunities for them to repent, and now theres going to be opportunity during the fourth one for them to get right, but they dont take advantage of it. So He says: Look, youre getting more and more stubborn so the pressure is going to be turned up on you.

Notice (in Verse 23) that, for the first time, Hes explaining the reasons for the chastenings. The reason He explains it is so that as the chastenings get harder and heavier and the fury increases, they understand why hes doing it to them.

Leviticus 26:23 And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things

In other words, the purpose of the courses of judgment on Israel - the chastisement on them - are not because God hated them; they were because He wanted to reform them.

He wanted to train them to do differently. He wanted them to obey. They had contracted for judgment, punishment and chastisement if they broke the Covenant. Hewould chastise them, and then He would say to them: Now hear Me! Pay attention to Me! And if you wont then Im going to give you another dose of your medicine. Listen to Me! If you wont listen to Me, then youre going to get another dose.

Hes done that to them three times, and each time He says: If you wont listen to that, then Ill give you the next one. If you wont listen to that, then Ill give you the next one.

Now, He explains: Hey! You havent listened three times, and if you wont be reformed, straighten up and learn what Im trying to tell you then Im going to give you another punishment. But listen. Its fixing to get serious now. Im fixing to pour out some fury on you, and things are going to get even worse, but I want you to understand, as the pressure is turned up, the reason is not that I dont love you. Its not vengeance and hatred. My purpose is reformation.

That is what chastisement is all about. You know the passage about chastening. Come with me to Hebrews 12 where you see a contrast between Gods chastening underthe Law program, under the Mosaic Covenant, which is what were dealing with in Leviticus 26, and the way He will deal with them under the New Covenant.



Israel needed to have an appreciation for what God was doing when He chastened them.

Hebrews 12:5-6 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you asunto children [This is a quote from the book of Proverbs.] My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord [not hates but] loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he[not rejects but]

receiveth.

You see, the chastening doesnt come from hatred, but it comes from a desire on Gods part to teach His children proper behavior. It's to teach them the danger of misbehavior and despising His Word and the blessing of obedience.

Hebrews 12:7-10a If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we

have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he forour profit,

Do you notice how Verses 9 and 10 define the word chastening for you? In Verse 9, He says fathers of our flesh which corrected us. Verse 10: they verily for a fewdays chastened us after their own pleasure. Chastening, in the Bible, is not designed as vengeance to destroy someone. It is rehabilitative, to bring about a reformation. That passage right there is a passage that you want to remember. Chastening that God gives to His people, Israel, back here, is for correction, not be

cause He hated them. Its not like His day of vengeance against the ungodly. Its acorrective judgment.

Hebrews 12:10b but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

You see, God corrects for our profit, He says. The whole purpose here is that there could be some profit given to these people, not just that He would punish them.

Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

In other words, chastening was designed to bring fruit. It was designed to corre



ct them, for their profit, so that they would then walk in the way of the Lord.

So, when you go back to Leviticus 26, remember that these cycles of judgment are for the purpose of correction - chastening. In fact, Scofield even identifies them as

"chastisements," and thats really probably a better way to describe them than tocall them "judgments." They are judgments, but they are for the purpose of reforming them -

correcting them - and chastening the nation Israel.

One of the ways that you can see that is the fact that God gives them a course of chastisement and then He says: Now, will you listen? They dont listen so He gives them another course. Course by course by course, the consecutive, accumulating chastisements.

When we started studying this, I pointed out to you that these chastisements bui

ld each upon the one before. One is sent and then the next one is added on to it, and the next one is added on to that. He doesnt drop all of it on them at once. In other words, its a course-by-course giving of the chastisements to display His mercy. Hes demonstrating to them that He is the Lord "slow to anger and plenteous in mercy." He doesnt give it all at once, nor is it going to last forever. They accumulate, but they dont last forever.

They are designed to reform them, and in each of them He comes as their Deliverer.

Each one of them starts with the expression in Verse 23: If you will not be refor

med.

Verse 27: If you will not for all this hearken unto me.

Verse 21: And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me.

Verse 18: And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me.

Verse 14: But if ye will not hearken unto me.

In other words, the whole purpose is listen to Me! Now, if you have kids, you unde

rstand that. If you dont have kids, you dont have a way to understand it. Maybe Ishould say, If you have children and understand how to discipline them, then youcan understand the issue of listen to me.

Go back to Verse 25 and notice the issue in this fourth cycle of chastisement.



Leviticus 26:25-26 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant [Now, that is important because that is whats going on in these things.]

and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and notbe satisfied.

Hes going to bring a sword against them. The gentiles are going to come in and invade the Land. Weve already seen this happen, for example, back in Verse 17.

Leviticus 26:17 And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.

The issue back there was that the enemy would come in, attack them and then take

away the fruit of their land and that kind of thing. Its not so much that the enemy is just going to come in and invade them, but now the sword is going to come against them. What do you do with a sword? If youve got a loaf of bread, you take a knife, cut off a piece of the bread, and you take it away. The enemy is going to cut down the Land; theyre going to cut down the nation. Israel is going to be directly invaded. Theyre going to begin to lose their Land. Theyre going to begin to lose their territory and their freedom to invading enemies.

The reason Hes going to do it is to avenge the quarrel of His Covenant. Thats where we are back here in Second Kings 10. Thats exactly what is fixing to start happening to Israel in Second Kings. The Assyrians are going to begin to come down a

nd attack them.

In 2 Kings 10:32, it says, The Lord began to cut them short. In other words, He begins the next cycle. It isnt that He hadnt been doing these things to them up to now, but what Hes going to do now is to begin the next step, the fourth cycle of chastisement.

Hes going to bring the sword, and Hes going to cut them short. He does that in Chapter 10 through Chapter 16.

An interesting illustration of it is in Chapter 11.

2 Kings 11:1 And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead,she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.

If you wanted to cut a nation short, what is the first thing that youd do? Youd get rid of all the royal seed.



forty and one years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

(Weve seen that over and over again.)

2 Kings 14:25 He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah,

Now, you know who Jonah was. Jonah was a writing prophet. Were going to study some of his writing. Its important that you understand that, during this period of time, God had His spokesmen, His prophets. He also had prophets that were warning Israel and Judah and the nations around them about whats going on.

2 Kings 14:26-27 For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bit

ter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel. And the LORD said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven:but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

So they deserved the fifth course of judgment. There was no question about whether they deserved it or not, but Hes not going to let it happen to them yet. He hadnt yet said that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven. As yetit hadnt fallen, but its coming.

When you get over to Chapter 17, youll see it come. It doesnt take long for it toget there. Youve got the different kings that are named. Some of them are good; some of them are bad. There are different things going on there in the times of these last few kings. Josiah is really the only good one in the bunch.

Then you get to 2 Kings 17 where Hoshea is king over Israel in last course of judgment.

In Chapter 17, there is the historic account of the Northern Kingdom going intocaptivity.

2 Kings 17:1-2 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.

This king tries not to be such a bad guy. He is a bad guy, but he tries not to be. Youve got to give him credit. If you read 2 Chronicles 30, youll see that he al



lowed Israel to participate and to share in the great Passover that King Hezekiah called to worship the Lord down in Judah. Hoshea allows his Kingdom to participate in that, so hes not completely a bad ogre, but theres not much good about him, either.

2 Kings 17:3-5 Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents. And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison. The king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.

So Shalmaneser takes over the whole territory, invades and occupies it, and then takes over the capital city.

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.

And thats it. In one verse, one simple little statement, theyre gone. Just like that!

In the rest of the chapter, he describes why that happened to them and then howhe takes Israel out of the Land and puts the Assyrians in, and makes it a colony of Assyria. He makes it a part of Assyria, and Israel loses everything.

Come back to Leviticus 26 and notice that this fifth course of judgment described back there is whats happening. I want you to grasp how quickly this is happening to Israel now. It started out slowly, but now its going fast. Hes cutting them short. His judgment is a strange work, Isaiah says. Isaiah is contemporary to whats going on here.

Judgment is His strange work, and it doesnt take Him long to do it. The fourth course and the fifth one come bang! , like that, in the history of these nations back here.

Leviticus 26:27-31a And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me; Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I,will chastise you seven times for your sins. And ye shall eat the flesh of yoursons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. And I will make your cities waste,

In other words, its not just the capital that they're going to get, theyre going t



o take the whole Land, all the cities of the Land. So they came up and got themall.

Leviticus 26:31b-32 and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.

Notice: Your enemies are going to dwell in your Land. Theyre going to take it over, and theyre going to live there. Theyre not simply going to invade the Land, take some of your goods and go away, but theyre going to come into your Land, take the Land away from you and live in your Land. Well see thats exactly what happens in 2 Kings 17.

Leviticus 26:33-35 And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. As longas it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, wh

en ye dwelt upon it.

In other words, God says: Youve broken the Covenant. The Sabbath was a sign between God and Israel of that Covenant that He gave them.

The sign of the Abrahamic Covenant is circumcision.

The sign of the Mosaic Covenant is the Sabbath Day.

The sign of the Davidic Covenant is water baptism.

The sign of the New Covenant is the spiritual gifts.

Every covenant that God ever gave Israel had a sign involved in it. (Weve studied that over and over.)

The Land had sabbaths for rest. The sabbaths were not just the weekly sabbath. There are all these other sabbaths, but Israel wasnt following the Covenant - the

contract - that God had made with them. They had polluted the Land, and He said: Look, Im going to take you out of that Land and just let the Land rest.

Go back with me to 2 Kings17, and Ill show you some verses where it says it willtake seventy years for the Land to be restored and cleansed from that pollutionthat theyd put on it.



As you go back to 2 Kings 17:1-6, youll see the historical account here of Israel, the Northern Kingdom, going into captivity.

Then, in Verse 7, he explains why it happened to them, what it was that caused them to go into captivity. Verse 7: they forgot God.

Verses 8 and 9: they disobeyed the Covenant, the commandment that God gave them.

Verses 10, 11 and 12: they just openly rebelled against Him and served idols when the Lord told them that they couldnt do that.

Verses 13, 14 and 15: they resisted when God tried to call them back.

Verse 16: they just sell themselves to do evil.

2 Kings 17:16-18 And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there wasnone left but the tribe of Judah only.

The Northern Kingdom is gone! All that is left is the Southern Kingdom. The Southern Kingdom is going to follow in their sisters footsteps.

2 Kings 17:19-23 Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight. For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israelfrom following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin. For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;

Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.

In Verses 7-23, He goes back over those four previous courses of chastisement. Youve had all four of them, and you havent responded, so now were down here to the fifth one.



hat is, they fear Him as the God of the land, but they serve the other gods, too. They serve Baal and all the others. Its just an empty form of worship.

Theres no cure for apostasy. When it starts, it completely takes over. When theywent and got a priest from Israel to teach, he didnt come and tell them : Look, the Lord thy God is one God, there are no other Gods before Me and teach them the truth; he taught them the ceremonies. Thats what apostasy does.

Have you ever heard anybody say, Well, in our tradition we do this and you do that and in your tradition you do that and we do this? Everybodys tradition is justabout alike, you know, and we dont want to make doctrine an issue. We dont want to make truth and doctrine an issue. What we want to do is just to get along. We want to keep the lions from devouring us, we want to do good in society, have the kids fed, the folks happy, food on the table and everybody doing okay. Were notgoing to worry about those words in the Bible, back there, you know.

Thats what youve got there. Thats what got Israel in the mess that they were in. After they got in the mess under the judgment, they dont change their attitude.

Beginning in Chapter 18 to the end of the book, the focus now is going to be onthe Southern Kingdom of Judah because thats all thats left.

The cycles happen to Israel, the Northern Kingdom first. Judah is the Southern Kingdom, which is the real Kingdom (the Northern Kingdom is the usurper). It happens to the Northern Kingdom first; they suffer the judgment and are destroyed so that Judah can see it and learn not to do as they did. But Judah is kin to theNorthern Kingdom, and they wind up doing exactly what the Northern Kingdom did,

anyway.

In Chapters 18-20, you have the reign of Hezekiah. What you see in his reign and in the reigns of Manassah and Josiah and all the rest of these guys in Chapters 18-23, are the details of that fourth course of chastisement on the Southern Kingdom, also.

Now, the fifth course hit the Northern Kingdom first as a warning to the Southern Kingdom, but now you are going to see that the fourth course come on the South

ern Kingdom, also, and they should have learned, but they didnt.

Now, Hezekiah is a great guy. The events in Chapters 18, 19 and 20 are not in achronological order here. There is a spiritual order involved in them, but whatyou see is that the Assyrians invade Judah. They try to take over from Hezekiah, and you see the deliverance that the Lord gives. Hezekiah is a great reformer.



Second Chronicles 29-32 is the divine view of this. Youll see it in Isaiah 36-39. By the way, Isaiah is very prominent in the life of Hezekiah. If you look at 2Kings 19, in the last part of Verse 2, youll see the first time the prophet Isaiah shows up on the pages of scripture. Thats the Isaiah that were going to study about as one of the fifth course prophets who wrote the Book of Isaiah. So Isaiahis prophesying about this time.

Jeremiah is here. Ezekiel is going to be here. Daniel is going to be along in this time period pretty shortly. So were getting into a lot of the people well be studying about later on.

In 2 Kings 20, you see Hezekiahs illness and death. He winds up a flop. He was agood guy, but he wasn't very strong at the end. Theres an old saying: Its not how you begin but its how you end the race. The way Hezekiah ends in Chapter 20 is kind of sad.

2 Kings 20:19 Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?

Neville Chamberlain said just before the Second World War, you remember, Peace in our time.

Well, its sad when a man sacrifices the future on the altar of the expedient andthe immediate. Thats what Hezekiah winds up doing.

In Chapter 21, you have Manasseh, a predictable rascal, who returns to apostasy.

2 Kings 21:10-12 And the LORD spake by his servants the prophets, saying, Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols: Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I ambringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, bothhis ears shall tingle.

God says : When they hear what Im going to do to Jerusalem and Judah, theyre going to get tinnitus. Man, their ears are going to start ringing.

2 Kings 21:13-15 And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and theplummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish,wiping it, and turning it upside down. And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies; Because they have done that which was



evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.

Boy! You read that and you figure that tough times are coming. What you see in here is that God is through. Hes finished. Its kaput. Its over. The judgment is on the way, and thats all theres going to be. The fifth course is coming.

Then, when you come to Chapter 22, you see this guy, Josiah. All of a sudden theres a glimmer of hope because Josiah turns out to be fantastic. Probably one of the greatest revivals Israel ever had was under the reign of Josiah.

By the way, where Josiah shows up in Chapter 22, you ought to write there in your notes 1 Kings 13:1-5. God promised that Josiah was coming. He prophecied about him by name. When Josiah comes to the throne of Judah, he shows up in fulfillment of the Word of God to Israel through the man of God in 1 Kings 13:1-5. He isa sign to Israel - one final sign, a divine demonstration - given to them to call them to repentance. And that isnt all.

2 Kings 22:8 And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

Shaphan brings it to the king, and the king reads it and says: Man, look at what we havent been doing. Heres the Law. Heres what God says. Heres what we need to do

And they go out and tear down the grove.

2 Kings 23:6a And he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron

Can you imagine that thing inside the Temple? Thats how bad off they were. I told you folks about the first time I preached in a certain church. There was a Christmas tree on the platform. Id never seen a Christmas tree inside a church building before until I moved up here. I was up in Beloit, Wisconsin, preaching the Sunday after Christmas a number of years ago. Lo and behold, they had a Christmastree on the platform. It was a big old dude, up to the ceiling with a little sta

r up on top and "angels" all over it. I was flabbergasted. I couldnt believe it,man. I never put one of those things up in my house, much less in a church. I tell people here, If you want to put one of those things up in your house, thats your business, but please dont put one up here. Most people around here are scared because they know I feel that way.

These guys have all that stuff and worse in the Temple. You know, you can go tothe average church today and see that kind of Baal worship stuff.



But Hezekiah gets all that stuff out and gets rid of it. But, alas, it doesnt last because, even though they keep the Passover, things dont get better, and they go back into the same kind of apostasy.

2 Kings 24:1 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years:

By the way, there are three sieges that Nebuchadnezzar inflicts upon Judah. Thefirst time is 2 Kings 24:1-10. The second siege is in Chapter 24, Verse 11, andthe third one is in Chapter 25.

In the first siege, Daniel is carried away into Babylon. In the second siege, Ezekiel is carried away into Babylon. Jeremiah is in the land of Judah prophesying and telling them: Its coming! Theyre not paying any attention to him. They leaveJeremiah in the Land. They dont ever take him with them.

Weve already seen how one of the Babylonian soldiers points to Israel - its recorded in Jeremiah - and literally quotes Leviticus 26 to them as to why its happening to them.

Judgment coming out of the mouth of a Gentile soldier to them. They are ignorant of the Word of God, and God raises up a stone to speak His Word, as it were.

And then, finally, theyre all carried away. Now, that was Babylons method. Theyd co

me in and take a nation, take the leaders and most prominent people away and leave the mass of people without any leaders to organize a resistance against them. If they didnt submit, then finally theyd come in and whack them.

Well start in Chapter 24 next time because I want you to see this issue of the fifth cycle coming on them and then what is going to happen after that. In Leviticus 26, when you come to that fifth cycle, its like thats the end. The spiritual condition that Israel was in under that fifth course of chastisement that comes on them at the end of Kings and Chronicles is the condition they were in all the way through the middle part of the Book of Acts. In fact, its the condition theyrein today and will be all the way to the Second Advent, really. All these fifth c

ourse prophets - Isaiah to Malachi - have to do with this time period here. Thereason that when you study them youre studying the Revelation period is because whats happening here is the judgment that stays on Israel until Christ comes backas their Redeemer, Blesser, Deliverer and Saviour at His Advent.

The reason I keep emphasizing this to you is that were not just studying historyback here. There is a spiritual issue going on that is identified and laid out for you in the Covenant that God made with them through Moses, and it brings them



right up to this point. After this, the answer for the future out there is going to be found in the prophets.


(Lesson 28)

I want to take a minute here tonight and go over a couple things in Samuel, Kings and Chronicles that are often thrown up to you. One of the things that peoplewill throw up to you is the apparent discrepancies in the different accounts.

In fact, just a few months ago I had a letter (it came unsolicited) from Brother Charles Baker. In the letter he was talking about an article I put in the Journal last year about the Bible version issue. He says, "My wife and I were just re

ading through Kings the other day, and we came across ." He listed a couple of these apparent discrepancies between the numbers, the ages of kings and that kindof thing. Ill show them to you as we go on.

I thought, "Its kind of odd, you know, a man and his wife having a devotional time and reading in Kings, and he just happened to discover (as though as it were for the first time) these comparative verses where there are apparent discrepancies. I thought, "Well, he probably knew about them all along, and theyre just an excuse for writing a letter and telling me about them as if I dont know about them."

There are some, probably three hundred, that are problem texts. There are a dozen of them in Kings, Samuel and Chronicles. I want you to understand how to handle these things. Maybe you havent noticed them when youve gone through the books this time, but you will notice them. At least, somewhere along the line somebody is going to point them out to you.

I have a book at home that is called The Arsenal for the Skeptic. Its a listing of hundreds and hundreds of what they call "contradictions and discrepancies in the Bible.

I saw a book one time, years ago, put out by the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism. (Thats a wonderful outfit, the AAA.) That book was entitled Fifteen Hundred Contradictions in the Word of God. It was in a Greyhound bus station in Mobile, Alabama, and they were just giving them away. I got all of them that were on the rack. I tell you, I put forth a little evangelistic effort. Ipicked them all up and took them down to the mission and threw them in the garbage can, but I kept one of them.



It was fascinating. All but about two hundred of the contradictions in the listof fifteen hundred (and I checked them all) were bogus. They were things like in Genesis, Chapter 1, when God looked out at the world and He saw what He had made and that it was good.

Then, in Genesis 6, where He looks out and says that "the whole earth was filled with violence" and corrupt before Him, and thats supposed to be a contradiction. Well, you know a six-year-old kid with a pea-brain knows better than that. Youknow its just a different situation; thats not a contradiction.

In any piece of literature and in any kind of history book anywhere nobody would call that a contradiction. But when you lay them beside each other, and you want to make it that way, it looks like one.

I want to give you some rules about this and some things that can kind of control your thinking about it and show you how to handle some of these things. Then I want to show you some of them because one of the things you're going to find as you go through the Old Testament - and youre going to have it thrown at you - is that there are apparent discrepancies between the accounts, especially in Samue

l, Kings and Chronicles.

First of all, you want to understand that there is no such thing as one proven contradiction in your Bible. There are no proven errors in a King James Bible. There are no proven contradictions in the Word of God - not at all. Thats true of the King James Bible as well as the original text in which it was written.

There are some things that we call "apparent contradictions." But, you see, in order to prove a contradiction youve got to do more than just accuse the Bible of

being wrong.

To prove a contradiction you have to show that your interpretation is the only possible interpretation of the passage. You have to prove several things. For example, youve got to prove that the text youre using is the right text. You cant usea document that is declared to be a forgery as evidence of an error. But were not going to worry about those kinds of things because we believe the Bible is theway it ought to be. We accept the text, and we arent going to declare the forgery.

When somebody tells you something in the Bible is wrong, you want to understandthat in order to prove your Bible is wrong - and this is true whether it is an apparent contradiction, discrepancy or even when they want to tell you that the t

ranslation is wrong - they have to do two things:

1. They have to demonstrate that their interpretation is the only possible one that can stand.

2. They have to demonstrate that the task of reconciling the two "discrepancies" is impossible.

If you can reconcile them, then theyre not contradictions. If you can find another explanation than the one you say it is, then they havent proven it. So Im going



to say to you, and you need to understand, that theres no such thing as a provencontradiction in your Bible.

Some of these things are kind of puzzling, and I am going to show you some here. When you come across them, you always want to give the Bible the benefit of the doubt. You just assume that there isnt a mistake, but that there is a way to reconcile it; there is an answer. If youll use your intelligence, your common sense, and just be interested enough to spend some time thinking about it, youll figure out an answer.

Now, Ive got a list of between five and six hundred problem texts - apparent contradictions, whatever you want to call them - in my notebooks at home that Ive collected through the years, and I am going to show some of them to you tonight back here in some of these books. But theres an answer to every one of them. Ive spent three or four years on some of them trying to figure out an answer, but you always find one, sooner or later.

If youll just give the Bible the benefit of the doubt when you cant figure out an

answer, just decide that you havent studied hard enough, and youll get there.

Now, there are some things that we call "discrepancies." There are no contradictions, but there are apparent discrepancies, things that clash and look like they butt heads.

I want to give you some reasons for the apparent discrepancies. I am going to give you twelve different classifications of the discrepancies. You should write these things down.

1. Different dispensations

You know the instructions in Genesis 1 on what they could eat. In Genesis 9, they have red meat added to their diet. They can eat anything that they can catch.In Leviticus 11, they cant eat certain meats. In 1 Timothy 4, you can eat anything again. Are those contradictions? No, theyre just dispensational differences. In Genesis 9, God changes the program that men were under in Genesis 1; He gives a new set of dispensational instructions. In Leviticus 11, under the Law, He changes it with a different set of instructions. In 1 Timothy 4, under Grace, you have another change. 2 Timothy 2:15

will take care of a lot of the problems that people throw up at you.

2. The date of writing

For example, as I mentioned a minute ago, at creation God said that everything is good.

In Genesis 6, before the flood, everything is corrupt. Well, theres a time period involved that made a difference.



3. Different speakers

The Bible records the truth about what somebody says, but everything the Bible records isnt true in the sense that it is something that God said. If He records the lies that the devil tells, its a truthful, accurate record, but what the devil says is a lie. Sometimes the devil will say one thing, and God will say something else. Some man will say one thing, so when you have different speakers, you have to figure out whos speaking.

4. Different viewpoints

An illustration of this would be Proverbs 26:4-5.

Proverbs 26:4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.

Proverbs 26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

Well, one verse says: Dont answer a fool, and the next verse says: Answer him. Now, which one are you supposed to do? Well, it depends on the situation, the viewpoint about whats going on.

"Answer not a fool according to his folly." If youve got some guy whos just a fool in his manner and his make-up, you dont want to play the fool like him and looklike him.

You dont want to answer him and look like a fool.

But it says, "Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit."

There might be another time when you need to answer him so that you can help him out of his problem. So sometimes you answer him, and sometimes you dont, depending on the situation.

Those are two great verses there. One says, "Answer a fool," and the other says, "Answer not a fool." Make up your mind. Well, the difference there is in the viewpoint.

4. Different methods of computing time

If you write down John 19:14 and compare that with Matthew 27:45, youll notice that John uses the Roman method of computing time, and Matthew uses the Jewish method.

In John 19, the sixth hour is six oclock in the morning. In Matthew 27, the sixth



hour is twelve noon, the difference being the way the Romans counted time (from midnight, the way we do) and the Jewish reckoning which would be from sunup tosundown.

5. Different accounts of the same event

Youll find, in Mark 5:2, theres one man, the maniac of Gadara. In Matthew 8:28, there are two men. Which was it: were there one or two? Well, there were two, butMark only tells you about one because hes giving you some different details about the same event.

He focuses in on just the one. He gives us one set of details, and Matthew gives another.

They dont contradict but they compliment. Theyre giving different accounts of an event.

6. Different spellings of words and names

Lots of times we read in the New Testament about Esaias. Who is that? Thats Isaia

h.

The Old Testament name of Isaiah is translated Esaias in the New Testament. Thats the difference between the way to spell it in Hebrew and the way to spell in Greek. Elijah becomes Elias in the New Testament. So you have to be aware of that.

7. Difference in numbers

We are going to see a bunch of them tonight.

8. Different names of a person

For example, come with me over to Numbers 32. This is something you need to remember because a lot of people have more than one name in the Bible. You rememberour study in Daniel about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; everybody knows their names. Those are the names that the Babylonians gave them. Do you remember what their real names were? Cant remember, can you? Daniel was his Hebrew name. Do you remember what his Babyonian given name was? Belteshazzar. Remember that in Daniel 1?

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego are the names we know of the three Hebrew servants who were thrown into the fiery furnace, but those werent their Hebrew names.They each have two names in the book of Daniel.

A lot of people in the Bible have more than one name. A lot of times youll see somebodys name, and youll ask, "Who is that?" Youll have to study the further in your Bible to find out that he had another name.



9. Different names of cities and months

Numbers 32:38 And Nebo, and Baal-meon, (their names being changed,) and Shibmah: and gave other names unto the cities which they builded.

Now, its important to notice that. Write down in your notes Deuteronomy 3:9, andyoull see something like that in another passage. Its important for you to noticethat a lot of times a city will have more than one name in different places in the Bible.

The month Abib is the first month in the Jewish religious calendar and is called Abib in Exodus through the captivity where we are studying. When Israel comes back from the Babylonian captivity, its no longer called Abib but its called the month Nisan. Abib and Nisan are the same month. In our calendar they are about the time of April. They are two different names for the same month. You have to beaware of that.

10. "Copyist errors"

There are three other reasons for discrepancies that are just funny reasons. One of them is what is called "copyist errors." Now, these are things that I am going to be showing to you in a few minutes. If you look them up in a commentary, most of the number discrepancies are said to be "copyist errors." Youre going to find that the new Bibles change these numbers. The numbers won't be the same as you have in the King James Bible. Theyll have different numbers, and they'll say,"Well, you know, the copyist made a mistake when he copied it." Of course, we know thats just not going to get it.

11. People's imagination

Another source of apparent discrepancy is in peoples imagination. People say, "Where did Cain get his wife? Well, he went off in the land of Nod and found her."The Bible doesnt say he found her in the land of Nod. Somebody says, "Well, how could he find her over there in Nod if Adam and Eve were over here with all the humans?" He didnt find his wife over there; the Bible doesnt say he did. Thats a figment of somebodys imagination. Where did Cain get his wife? He took her with himwhen he went to Nod.

Genesis 4 doesnt say he found her over there. Peoples imaginations get going, youknow.

Its like that down south. If you went down where I used to minister in Alabama in Dallas County, you could stop ten people on the street and ask them if the Bible says that

"every tub should sit on its own bottom. Nine out of ten would say "yes." They dont know where it is, but they know that verse is in the Bible. Theres nothing in the Bible like that, but people imagine there is, you know.



12. Proving a point

Another kind of funny one is doctrinal passages where people are trying to prove something so they make a change in it. Anytime somebody makes a change in yourBible to prove their doctrine you need to stay away from them. Be alert and getaway from them, and don't mess around with them.

Now, if you want to iron out the problem Ill give you five rules that will help you figure out these discrepancies.

1. When you find an apparent contradiction, you want to notice EVERY WORD in the text. Notice EVERY word carefully.

Turn to 1 Kings 7 and 2 Chronicles 4. Here is the kind of discrepancy youre going to see in numbers and things.

1 Kings 7:26 And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wroughtlike the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths.

It contained two thousand baths - two thousand measurements of water. The parallel passage is in 2 Chronicles.

2 Chronicles 4:5 And the thickness of it was an handbreadth, and the brim of itlike the work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies; and it received and

held three thousand baths.

Now, one passage says "two thousand," and the other passage says "three thousand."

Now, which is right? Theyre both right. You ask, "How can they both be right?" Well, look at every word in the passage. Dont just look at me and say, "Huh uh, two and three are different."

Two and three are different, so what should I do? Look at the other verses in the passage.

Do you see in 1 Kings 7:26 that it says, "It contained two thousand baths?" What does that mean? That means how much water there is in it. Right? Its got two thousand baths of water in it.

Now look at 2 Chronicles 4:5. "It received and held three thousand baths." How m



uch water could you put in it? Three thousand. That passage is talking about what it would hold - its capacity. It had a capacity of three thousand baths of water. How many were actually in it? Two thousand. Thats not a contradiction; thats just an amplification, but you wont get that if you are caught up on the two's and three's. Youve got to look at EVERY word in the passage. You notice that one says that it "contained" and the other says that it "received and held." When you begin to think about that, and use your intelligence and common sense, you can work the thing out.

Every one of these things is that way. If you will think about them and look atall the words in the passage, and check the parallel passages about them, youll find the answer.

Look at every word in the text.

2. Dont change any word or punctuation. Just take it like it says in the Bible.

Turn to 1 Chronicles 20 and 2 Samuel 21. Dont change any of the words or even the

punctuation. For example:

2 Samuel 21:19 And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath theGittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

Now, look at that passage. It says that this dude slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite.

Do you see those words "slew the brother of?" Do you notice how those words arein italics? What does everybody tell you to do with the words in italics? "Throw them out."

But if you threw the words in italics out, what would that tell you? It would say that Elhanan is the guy that slew Goliath, but whom do you know slew Goliath?David did, just back in 1 Samuel 17. You know that David slew him, so if you leave out the italicized words, you make the verse wrong, dont you? Dont leave any words out of your Bible. I dont care if they are italicized words; leave them where they are. You start leaving out italicized words, and youre going to wind up teaching false doctrine and maybe not even be aware of it.

Now look at 1 Chronicles 20:5.

1 Chronicles 20:5 And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan theson of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver's beam.

Now, theres the parallel passage, and you notice that it says "the brother of" is



not in italics there. You see, the italics in one passage are the text in the other. So if you leave the italics out of the other passage, youve made a mistake. You've wound up contradicting what Gods Word really said. Only by continued study would you have found the other passage. So dont change the words in your Bible. Dont even change italics. Dont even change punctuation.

3. Dont add or subtract words or letters.

Come with me to 1 Kings 7 and 2 Chronicles 7. Let me tell you, dont even mess with the letters in a word. These verses are talking about the furnishings of the Temple that Solomon is making:

1 Kings 7:48 And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shewbread was,2 Chronicles 4:19 And Solomon made all the vessels that were for the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables whereon the shewbread was set;

When he talks about that table for the shewbread, 2 Chronicles 4:19 says "tables," plural.

Now, what did he make? Did he make a table or did he make tables? One passage says he made tables and the other passage says he made a table.

People come along and say, "Well, you need to strike off that letter on tables and make it singular." But when you do that, you make a mistake because, if you go back to 1 Kings 7, you'll notice that when Solomon makes the furniture for the Temple he doesnt make just one of these things; he actually makes ten sets of fu

rniture:

1 Kings 7:27 And he made ten bases of brass;

1 Kings 7:38 Then made he ten lavers of brass;

1 Kings 7:49 And the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, He makes ten candlesticks. Do you know what hes doing? Hes making ten of everything. Do you know how many tables of shewbread he made? He had to make ten to match everything else, so its really right to say that he made "tables"in the plural because he did.

Changing even as much as a letter can make it wrong. Dont subtract anything, and

dont add anything to the text. Leave it like it is.

4. Exhaust every possible meaning of the word.

If you look for meanings of words, youll be surprised. I get real tickled; thereare some brothers sitting in the back with their Bible in one hand and an Englis



h dictionary in the other. Well, thats a good idea. Its not a bad idea to have a good dictionary with you, but when you have something that you cant understand, instead of just assuming its wrong, look for an explanation. Watch every word in the text; dont add anything to it; dont take anything away; dont change anything. Start looking for the meaning, and exhaust all the possibilities. As you do that -if you use your intelligence, if you use your common sense and believe that Godis right - youll find an answer.

5. Dont forget to use 2 Timothy 2:15. Often thats the answer.

When youre studying Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, youre going to find a lot of discrepancies, basically in three categories.

1) Sometimes therell be different names for people. I want to give you some thatpeople bring up to you, not some of the more obscure ones. For example: 2 Samuel 17. This is one that comes up every now and then.

2 Samuel 17:25 And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which

Amasa was a man's son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab's mother.

Now, Ithra the Israelite is Amasas daddy.

1 Chronicles 2:17 And Abigail bare Amasa: and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmeelite.

Now, folks, Ithra, an Israelite, is different from Jether, the Ishmeelite, isnt it? You think about it. Who really was his daddy? Well, think of some explanations for that. Ive already given them to you. If his dads name is Ithra in one placeand Jether in another, whats an explanation for the difference in their names? Aguy can have two names, cant he? How many names have you got?

My name is Charles Richard. Ive got two of them. How many names do you have?

Most of you have two, some of you have three. All of you have one.

Now, how could he call him an Israelite in one place and an Ishmeelite in the other? Is it possible to change from an Ishmeelite to an Israelite? Would it makesense to you that when somebody is giving your genealogy that he gives your birth name and nationality, but when theyre appointing you to be the captain over the Lords host, they would demonstrate that youd been converted to Judaism and become a citizen of Israel? You know that, back there in Exodus 12, when a Gentile came into Israel and was circumcised, he was then accepted as though he'd been born in the nation. You remember that. If he came into the nation by conversion, do



you think maybe there would have been a time when he wanted to take a name thatreflected who he was in Israel instead of who he had been in the gentile world?

Does that make any sense at all? Sure it does. Is that a possible explanation? Yes. Then that isnt a proven contradiction. Thats just something that somebody might throw at you, and you can say, "Hey, wait a minute. Thats not too hard to understand. Common sense tells me ." Do you see how you do that? Just think your waythrough it. If the contradiction cant stand, its a way to reconcile it, and the contradiction isnt the only logical explanation.

Youre going to find different names for people. Sometimes these names get confusing, but thats what study is about.

2) Then there are different numbers, lots of different numbers. Probably the most famous example is in 2 Samuel 8:4 compared with 1 Chronicles 18:4. There are several like this, but these are the ones that go to Bible schools, Bible colleges, Sunday School classes and campfires where the preachers are. In fact, in theletter I mentioned to you awhile ago (the letter the brother wrote me), this was

one of the contradictions he mentioned.

Ive read enough about what the critics say that when I hear somebody quoting them, I know why theyre saying it. They say it because theyve read the critics, not because theyve studied the problem themselves.

One time, a lady was telling me how many times shed read the Bible through. She went to our church in Selma, Alabama. She was bragging what a Bible student she was. One day she came to me and said, "Brother Rick, have you ever read this verse?" She points to the verse, and she wouldnt even read it to me.

I laughed, and I said, "Yeah, Ive read that verse, and Ive read my Bible through lots of times."

She says, "Im appalled."

I said, "I thought you told me youve been studying the Bible."

She was mortified about that verse over there that we read the other night where it says that God is going to destroy "him that pisseth against the wall." You know, thats a little word that people take and make a dirty word out of it. She says, "Ooooh!"

I asked her, "What did you want him to say? Hes going to destroy him that peepees against the wall?" I dont know what she wanted him to say. How else are you going to say it?

The thing is, "Ooooh!", she discovered that one on her own. Well, most people do



nt discover nearly as many such words on their own in the Bible as they do reading books.

When you read books about these numbers, this verse right here and the ones like it are always brought up.

2 Samuel 8:4 And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for an hundred chariots.

Notice it says, "A thousand chariots and seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand footmen."

1 Chronicles 18:4 And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: David also houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them an hundred chariots.

Now, which did he take? Seven hundred horsemen or seven thousand horsemen? Well, there is a difference, isnt there? What the commentaries say is : See? That is clearly a scribal error. The scribes either missed a zero or they added a zero. Is that what we're left to? I can understand that if the scribe who transmitted the Word of God was as careless as you and I are, they probably could have done that, but theres another explanation. Well, look at a couple more of these.

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

2 Chronicles 9:25 And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots,and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.

Now, wait a minute. If he had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, howmany stalls did he have for chariots for the horse? Four thousand. But, you notice in the other passage in Kings, it says he had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots.

Let me ask you this: if you had four thousand chariots and youre going out here to fight with them, would it ever dawn on you to take more than one horse for the chariot?

Whos going to wear out first, the horse or the chariot? The driver, probably, but beyond that, would it ever dawn on you to take some spare horses along? Dont you know that redundancy is the first law of military expediency?



The first law of military conquest is to have more of whatever it is youre goingto need than you can possibly use. What youve got there is that Solomon has forty thousand horses for his chariots and four thousand chariots to hook those horses up to. They go out there and run around, come back, swap horses and drivers, and go out and run around again. You could use the hardware over and over, but the men and horses had to have spares to replace them. Any military in the world would have that kind of provision.

Frans son works on a submarine, and his crew on that submarine goes out so many days and then they come back in and get off the submarine. But that boat doesnt sit there for the next thirty or forty days waiting for them to rest up and go out again. Another crew gets on the boat, goes out and does the same things while the first crew is on shore leave resting, recuperating. When the boat comes backin, the first crew gets back on the boat, and they go back out while the other crew is resting. They have two whole crews, plus spares for the crews, but theyvejust got the one ship.

Thats whats going on here. You can see that again in 2 Samuel 10:18. Compare thatwith 1 Chronicles 19:18 and youll see the same kind of thing. In 2 Samuel 10:18 hes got seven hundred men for the chariots, and in 1 Chronicles 19:18, hes got seve

n thousand. Hes got seven hundred men in the chariots and seven thousand that fight in the chariots. Youve got to have replacements going along there.

When you find these verses where one will say one thing and another verse will say another, dont just say, "Well, one is a scribal error and lets all cut it downto seven hundred or rack it up to seven thousand or make it four thousand or forty thousand."

Instead of doing that, just leave it like it is and use your common sense and think awhile.

Exercise yourself by listening to every word in the text and noticing the differences in them.

Look with me at 2 Samuel 24. Youll begin to see that, instead of being contradictions, theyre really complimentary things looked at from different viewpoints. Thats one of the rules I gave you a minute ago about these things: looking at things from different viewpoints.

2 Samuel 24:9 is a verse that describes the military strength of Israel and Judah in the census.

2 Samuel 24:9 And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

Now, there are eight hundred thousand in Israel and five hundred thousand in Judah, but if you look at 1 Chronicles 21:5, you get a different kind of census.



1 Chronicles 21:5 And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David.And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.

A thousand thousand - thats a million. Now, in Samuel, Israel has eight hundred thousand. In Chronicles, they have a million, one hundred thousand. Thats a difference of three hundred thousand men.

In Samuel, Judah has five hundred thousand, and in Chronicles they have four hundred and seventy thousand. You say, "Whats the difference?" Well, if you look back there in 2 Samuel 24, theres a word in there that will kind of help you. Again, apply the rule: watch every word in the text.

2 Samuel 24:9 there were in Israel eight hundred thousand [Whats that next word?]

valiant men that drew the sword . . .

Does that give you an idea that this is something like the elite corps? There were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men. Look at 1 Chronicles 21:5.

1 Chronicles 21:5 5 And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel.

This is everybody. No question about what 1 Chronicles 21:5 is - its everybody in Israel thats in the army - a million, one hundred thousand men. 2 Samuel 24 is not everybody in the army; its the valiant men. That doesnt include the inactive men. 2 Samuel 24 is talking about the combat-ready troops. 1 Chronicles 21 is talking about everybody.

So the lower number is the number of men that are combat-ready. The higher number is the total force. In Israel there are eight hundred thousand men combat-ready-to-go soldiers. There are a total of a million, one hundred thousand available

. There are another three hundred thousand on inactive duty.

In Judah, there are four hundred seventy thousand combat-ready-to-go guys and thirty thousand on inactive duty.

So, instead of it's being a certainty that the passages contradict, one passage



is talking about the total military strength and the other is talking about theactual, combat-ready men on the ground. Does that make sense? Is that warrantedby the text? Sure it is. The

"valiant men tipped you off to it and made you begin to think about it. Rather than just clipping it out of 1 Kings 7 and saying, "Well, its just got to be a scribal error," think a little bit about it. We could go on with these things all night long. Im not going to do it, but, boy! Theyre here.

3) Differences in descriptions

Compare 2 Chronicles 4:3 with 1 Kings 7:24. Were right back here where we were with the description of the building of the Temple.

1 Kings 7:24 And under the brim of it round about there were knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knops were cast in two rows, when it was cast.

The knops are placed on the top of this molten sea and there are ten of them ina row.

2 Chronicles 4:3 And under it was the similitude of oxen, which did compass it round about: ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about. Two rows of oxen were cast, when it was cast.

Now, whats on that molten sea? Is it ten knops or ten oxen? Do you know what a knop is? We built a fence out there at the house, and on the fencepost we put a li

ttle ornamental doo-hickey on the top. Thats called a "knop."

What did they put there - knops or oxen? Well, obviously, they put both, didnt they?

One verse says they put a knop, and the other verse says they put oxen. Now tell me.

Did they put real oxen up there? What did they put up there? They were figures of oxen, werent they? It wasnt a big animal stuck up there; you know that. What did they do?

They put little carved oxen up there. Does that tell you something about the shape of the knops? You figured it out just then, didnt you? What did they do? Theyput knops carved in the shape of oxen.

You could go out there to my fence that the guy put up, and he says, "We put knops on top of the posts as ornaments." You might ask, "What shape are they?" Theones on my fence are round, but the ones on the molten sea are in the shape of o



xen. One verse says they're knops, and the other says they're oxen. Is one of them wrong? No, theyre both right. You have to watch what youre doing.

Come with me to 2 Chronicles 36, and let me give you two that are more serious.When you get to the different ages of people there are some discrepancies between the ages of these kings, especially when they start reigning.

2 Chronicles 36:9 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and hereigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.

How old was he when he began to reign? He was eight years old. Right?

2 Kings 24:8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months.

Now is there a difference there? Yes, same guy. One verse says he was eight andthe other says he was eighteen when he began to reign.

So they say, "Well, ones got to be wrong, a scribal error, and well change it to eight."

But that wont do because Jehoiachin started reigning when he was eight, but he also started reigning when he was eighteen. " Well," you say, "How can he do that, Brother Rick?" Look at 2 Kings 24:8.

2 Kings 24:8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months; And his mother's name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. [Notice that his mother is involved there.]

2 Kings 24:11-12 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it. And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.

Come with me to Jeremiah 13. Watch this guys mother show up again.

Jeremiah 13:18 Say unto the king and to the queen, . . .

Do you know what his mother was? His mother was a queen. In England, you hear ab



out the Queen and the Queen Mother. Jehoiachin was king, and his mother was queen.

In other words, they reigned and ruled together. He came to the throne when he was eight years old, but there was a co-regency with his mother until he was eighteen. When he was eighteen, he came to the throne on his own, and she became the Queen Mother.

She steps to the back, and he becomes king by himself. Three months later, whenNebuchadnezzar takes Judah, he takes Jehoiachin and his mother (the Queen Mother) to Babylon. He takes her because she has been reigning as queen.

You see, it is possible for a king to be anointed king at one point in his lifeand not actually succeed to the throne until later in his life.

You remember King David, dont you? In 1Samuel 16, Samuel comes and anoints Davidking. Remember that? He doesnt get on the throne until 2 Samuel 5. Well, when did David become king in Israel? He became the king when Samuel anointed him, but he doesnt get to rule on the throne until 'way over yonder many years later.

You see that many times in Israel. The man will come to the throne - maybe his dad wont be dead yet - and reign for a period of time with his dad. His dad will die, and hell take up his reign. Maybe hell start reigning, and his mother or somebody will reign with him for awhile. Thats what happens here.

Now, the most famous one of these things is in 2 Kings 8. Compare 2 Kings 8:26 with 2

Chronicles 22:2. This is the most famous - everybody knows about Ahaziah.

2 Chronicles 22:2 Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri.

In 2 Chronicles, from Gods perspective, Ahaziah was forty-two when he began to reign.

2 Kings 8:26 Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.

By the way, who was Omris son who was king over Israel? Do you remember? It was Ahab. Do you remember that we studied about Ahab, the wicked king in Israel who sets up Baal worship? His sisters son is going to sit on the throne down in the So




(Lesson 30)

Chronicles gives you the divine perspective on the events that weve been studying in Kings. Weve come down now to the end of the nation Israel insofar as the fifth cycle of judgment has come upon the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Theyve been carried away into Babylonian Captivity after the sieges of Nebuchadnezzar; the lastone is when Zedekiah is carried away. The last section here in Chronicles is going to describe and emphasize the things that are taking place from the divine perspective. Youre going to see the emphasis in the passage here on the preservation of Israel on the basis of the Davidic Covenant.

2 Chronicles 36:11-13 Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophetspeaking from the mouth of the LORD.

(He rebels against the Word.)

And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel.

Thats just that totally rebellious, unrepentant heart. What Zedekiah is doing isrepresentative of what the nation is doing. Hes its leader.


which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassionon his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD a

rose against his people, till there was no remedy.

Now, what that passage does is to take you back to Leviticus 26 in order to understand it and make you appreciate whats happening here. What hes saying is that heres the Word that God gave them, with the warnings about judgment, and it goes all the way back to Moses. Every time God would send someone to call them back, they would mock the messengers, and they despised His Words. They misused His prophets, and, finally, theres no remedy. Theres no way to get out of it. That fifth c



ycle of chastisement is going to come upon them - and it did.

The obvious reasons are their refusal to hearken and submit to Gods Word to them.

2 Chronicles 36:17-21 Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees [the Babylonians] who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the houseof God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they wereservants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths

Notice carefully: Nebuchadnezzar takes them away into Babylon and does all of th

at TO

FULFILL THE WORD OF THE LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths. They are going to be there until. Its not going to be something that lasts forever. Theres going to be a limit on it.

2 Chronicles 36:21 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.

Now, youll notice that this is done "to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah." Jeremiah is a prophet contemporaneous with the events. Hes a prophet in the Land warning about the Babylonian captivity - the Babylonians are coming to destroy them. Of course, the rulers there in Jerusalem didnt want to believe it.

Jeremiah 25:8-11 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant,

(Notice that Nebuchadnezzar is described as the "servant" of the Lord. Now, that doesnt mean that hes believing in God and that kind of thing. What it means is that he is the instrument that God is going to use to chasten Israel.)

and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, andagainst all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make t



hem an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. Moreover I willtake from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle. And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

As you read through that passage, its going to explain to you a lot of the things we are going to read about in the Book of Psalms. There is that plaintive Psalm where it says that "we hung our harps on the trees of Babylon. How can we singthe songs of God in a strange land?" and all that. A lot of those Psalms had todo with the mirth being gone, the happiness being gone, the joy being gone. Its just bitterness and captivity.

Jeremiah 25:12-14 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations. For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according t

o the works of their own hands.

In other words, God is not through with Israel. They are going to go down to Babylon, and He is going to use Babylon to hold them captive for seventy years. Then Hes going to judge Babylon so theyll let Israel go. Israel gets out and gets loose from captivity.

Jeremiah 27:6-8 And now have I given all these lands unto the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given h

im also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.

And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve thesame Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck underthe yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumedthem by his hand.

This is the beginning of "the Times of the Gentiles." When we studied the Book o

f Daniel in the School in some detail we saw that the Times of the Gentiles begin when God sets Nebuchadnezzar up. Israel had been Gods Kingdom nation. God had never allowed one nation to gain control over the planet because that was the position that belonged to Israel, but now, Israel loses that privilege of being the head of the nations.

They lose the opportunity. They fall politically, and God sends them off into captivity.

He sets up a Gentile nation, Babylon, as the head.



When we get over to the Book of Daniel were going to find the time schedule for this fifth course of judgment. What we know so far about the fifth course of judgment is that it has come upon them. They are carried away, and theyre going to be out there until the Land enjoys her sabbaths, and then theyre going to be restored. Leviticus 26 tells of a specific event that brings that fifth course of judgment to an end.

When we get into the prophets were going to find out that Israel is not going tobe able, on their own, to bring about the required response in order to conclude the fifth cycle of judgment. God is going to have to do it for them. The way Hes going to do it is with a new covenant. What will be required of Israel to get out from under that fifth cycle of judgment is a new covenant. God is going to make the New Covenant with them.

So the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel talk about and explain the spiritual issue that is going to be required to cleanse the nation. Daniel, then, givesa time schedule showing what that fifth course of judgment is going to be like.

By the way, Daniel tells you the Gentile nations that fill it up in Daniel, Chapters 2, 7 and 8. Then, in Daniel 9, he gives you the time schedule - how long its going to last. So the book of Daniel gives you a lot of details about that. Then the other prophets begin to talk about how Israel is going to be treated and whats going to be required of them in response.

We read about the fifth course of judgment in Leviticus 26:27, ff. In all of the previous courses He said: If you dont hearken to Me, Im going to put this next one on you; but when you get to the fifth one, He doesnt do that. He just tells them that theyre going to be cast out.

Leviticus 26:27-32 And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me; Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. And I will destroy your highplaces, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.

(We just read how Nebuchadnezzar did all that.)

And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.

(We just read in Second Chronicles and in Jeremiah how Nebuchadnezzar comes in and destroys the cities - not just Jerusalem - all the cities, but Jerusalem in p



articular. He destroys the Temple and the sanctuaries, etc.)

And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell thereinshall be astonished at it.

And that is exactly what Jeremiah said.

Leviticus 26:33-35 And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. As longas it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.

Now, thats what hes talking about in 2 Chronicles 36:21: "To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as

long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years."

Every seventh year the land was to lay idle. They were not to till the land or farm the land every seventh year. It was to have a sabbath of rest. But, becauseof the greed and the desire for material gain that Israel had, they rejected Gods Word; they didnt do it Gods way, and they kept right on tilling the land every year. The times when it was supposed to lay fallow and not be used, they ignored.They polluted the land by not allowing it to rest.

You see, they broke the sabbath. The sabbath was a sign between God and Israel.They broke, not just the weekly sabbath, but they broke that ceremonial sabbath

for the land, not trusting God to provide. The land has been violated and had the blood of the sacrifices of idolatry spilled upon it. It had been polluted, soGod is going to heal the land. The purpose of carrying Israel out of the land for those seventy years was just so the land could catch up on its rest, catch upthose sabbath years that were behind. He takes the people out of the land because they are polluting the land. Theyre messing up the land. So He is cleansing the land by having them taken out.

Leviticus 26:36-39 And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they sha

ll fall when none pursueth. And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies. And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquityin your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.

In other words, there is going to be a national deportation. Theyre going to be o



ut in the enemies lands. Theyre going to be cast out, and theyre just going to be forsaken.

Israel has fallen politically, but they havent yet fallen spiritually. Though they have fallen politically God isnt through with them spiritually. He tells them in Verse 40: Leviticus 26:40-45 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenantwith Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths,while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and becausetheir soul abhorred my statutes. And yet for all that, when they be in the landof their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.

Now, those issues there are telling Israel: Youre going to go, but I am not going to make an utter end to you. Im going to cast you out of your land; Im going to w

alk contrary to you. You walked contrary to Me. You acted like you werent My people so Im going to act like Im not your God. Im going to put you out there with theGentiles; Im going to put them over you, and theyre going to reign over you. The crown has fallen off your head, but, when youre out there and you see your condition, if youll repent - if youll rethink this thing, change your mind and say, "Wait a minute. We made a mistake," - Ill not destroy you.

Remember, I showed you last time in this passage that the purpose in these chastenings was to reform them. It was not just to punish them and spank them. It was to bring them to reformation. Hebrews 9 talks about the time of reformation coming. That is the time when Christ comes back. Its talking about reforming the nat

ion, making them rethink whats going on and come from unbelief and despising GodsWord to faith and trust in Gods Word.

Now, thats where you are in Chronicles. Thats come on them, and theres going to bea seventy-year period where theyre going to be in isolation out there. During that time element of the fifth course coming upon them - the seventy years that they spend out there and then when they come back under Ezra and Nehemiah - there is a series of prophets that God sends. Hes always sent prophets to them, but He begins to send some prophets that write books.

What youve got after Chronicles is Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther - these books that describe Israel coming back from the captivity. (Were going to look at that in some detail.) Then they are brought back into the Land. When theyre brought back, they dont come back in triumph. They come back still as vassals and servants, still ruled over by other people. They come back in a very humble situation. They dont come back as head of the nations yet. The Times of the Gentiles are going to extend on.



that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saithCyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heavengiven me; . . . .

"The LORD God of heaven " is the title by which God will be known. Youll recall that we studied in Joshua 3 about when Israel goes across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Do you remember by what title God was known then? "The LORD God of all the earth" because here was God coming to possess the earth for His earthly people. Now His people have been scattered among the heathen, the Gentileshave been placed over them, and Hes no longer dwelling in the earth with His people; Hes gone to heaven.

Thats why, when John the Baptist comes, he preaches, "Repent, for the Kingdom ofHeaven is at hand." Thats why Daniel 2 tells us that "the LORD God of Heaven" isgoing to set up the Kingdom on the earth. God has withdrawn Himself, as it were,

and it indicates a change in Gods dealings with the earth, characterized by this new title, "the LORD God of Heaven."

2 Chronicles 36:23 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people?The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.

So Chronicles ends with the call to Israel to go back and rebuild Jerusalem and

the challenge that they should do that and come back out of captivity into the Land.

Ezra 1:1-2 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spiritof Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth;

Now, that is just what we read in 2 Chronicles. Ezra, Nehemiah (especially Ezraand Nehemiah) and then Esther record for us the issues of the return of Israel.Esther talks about God preserving Israel while they were among the Gentiles. Ezra and Nehemiah are going to talk to us about their return from Babylon.

When they return from Babylon, they dont return like the prophets prophesy abouttheir coming back at the second advent. This isnt the final return. They come back understanding that there is going to be a long period before they ever get bac



k in with the blessing.

They return under Ezra and then again under Nehemiah. There are two different returns.

Esther talks about Gods quiet preservation of Israel while theyre among the Gentiles.

Then follow the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon.

Those are five books that we call "Wisdom Literature." Now, those are not history books.

Those are books that record the thinking, the feeling and the doctrine during the period covered by Samuel, Kings and Chronicles. They contain some of the doctrine thats being communicated during the period that weve been studying.

The great majority of the Book of Psalms was written by King David. The Book ofPsalms was evidently put together by King Hezekiah, and its a tremendous source of information for Israel.

Most of Proverbs was written and compiled by Solomon and some of his men. He also wrote Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon. These are books that talk about Israels hope, and well see how the doctrine in those books fit the hope of the nation looking out toward the Kingdom.

The Book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible. It was written very early, andit talks about the suffering that Gods people go through and the conflict between God and Satan over His people on the earth. These books are giving wisdom; that is, they are giving insight into the believing remnants attitude during these times.

Then you come to Isaiah to Malachi who are the fifth -course writing prophets. They lay out the issues that Israel is going to face with regard to her restoration from under the fifth course of judgment.

The fifth-course prophets are in two groups. Isaiah to Zephaniah is one group; Haggai to Malachi is the second group. Isaiah to Zephaniah are prophets that prophesied either at the beginning or during the captivity. Haggai to Malachi are the prophets who were raised up after the captivity during the return under Ezra and Nehemiah and when they had access back into the Land.

Historically, weve got the rest of prophecy coming in here during the period we a



re now reading. You literally go historically from Ezra and Nehemiah over to John the Baptist in Matthew. Now, there are a lot of books that follow in your Bible, but historically you go from Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah to the next step which is John the Baptist. All of the prophets are going to take place during the time period that were covering here just before the captivity, under the captivity and when they come back into the Land. Isaiah to Malachi fits that. The Bookof Job to the Song of Solomon fits even earlier than that.

Thats why the last book in a Hebrew Bible is the Book of Second Chronicles. Theyhave all the same books you and I have in the Old Testament, but their last oneis Second Chronicles. The last thing that Second Chronicles tells them is that Israel is invited to return to her Land. Thats Israels hope and so its the logical book to end a Hebrew Bible.

The Book of Malachi is the last book in a Gentile Bible. The reason for that isthat the last word in the book of Malachi is "curse." That is what the Old Testament does. By the way, thats what a Gentile has to look for when he takes Gods Word to Israel. He doesnt get a blessing; he gets a curse.

There are thirty-nine books in our Old Testament. Thirty-nine is three times thirteen.

Thirteen is the number of rebellion. Youve got "curse, curse, curse; thirteen, thirteen, thirteen; rebellion, rebellion, rebellion," and it ends in a curse.

A Hebrew Bible has the same number of books, the same books that your Old Testament has in it, but they are divided into twenty-four books (two times twelve - Israels number) instead of thirty-nine.

So you find that the books are arranged a little differently, but theyre all there.

Im not going to look at Ezra at all with you tonight, but well start that next week. I want you to go with me to Ezekiel 36. I want you to notice that Ezekiel isa prophet who finally winds up there in the Babylon captivity. Hes a contemporary of Daniel, so this is at the beginning of the captivity here. In Chapters 36 to 39, Ezekiel begins to be given prophecies about the restoration of Israel out of the captivity and her future glory in the Kingdom. In fact, Chapters 41 to 48detail for you the Millennial Kingdom and the Temple in the Kingdom.

Chapter 36 of Ezekiel lays out the way theyre going to get out of the fifth cycle of judgment. Its sort of like a prescription that a doctor would write. Notice Verse 1: Ezekiel 36:1 Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD:

He goes down through the first part of that passage talking to the Land.



Ezekiel 36:4 Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about;

You see? Hes talking to the Land here - the Land of Palestine.

Ezekiel 36:6 Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel,

Ezekiel 36:8-9 But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come. For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:

He goes on down and literally talks to the ground: Look. I havent forsaken you. Im going to bring the people back.

Ezekiel 36:12-15 Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel;and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men. Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations; Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord GOD. Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shal

t thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord GOD. What Hes promising the Land is that its not going to be desolate.

By the way, we sing that song: "Beulah Land." We were laughing about that the other day at a meeting when we were talking about Beulah Land. The word "Beulah" means marriage. I dont know what you think that verse is talking about, but in Isaiah He says Hes going to call that Land "Beulah" (marriage) because God is goingto take the nation Israel (Hes not talking about Israel being married to God) and the land of Palestine and marry them, unite them, and He says that the Land will never again be called "forsaken."

He is going to marry the nation Israel to the land of Palestine, and theyre never going to be divorced again.

So He looked at the casting out of Israel as Israel being divorced, separated from the Land. And, Beulah Land is when He brings Israel back into the Land of Palestine and permanently plants and unites them there in that Kingdom so that they are never again taken out of that Land. That is what "Beulah Land" is. Thats what hes talking about here - the time when thats going to come. So the Land is being



cleansed.

Ezekiel 36:16-24 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their ownway and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman.

Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it: And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them. And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land. But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.

Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the hea

then, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

Israel polluted and defiled the Land so God removed them out of the Land. It was the uncleanness of a "removed woman." That is, God took Israel and removed herout of the Land because she was polluting the Land. For seventy years He lets the Land lay and enjoy her sabbaths and now the Land has been restored back, and the pollution is over with. When the Land is ready to receive the people again then Hes going to bring back the people.

But, look here: if the Land is cleansed, and He brings the people back, and thepeople are still dirty, whats going to happen to the Land? Theyre going to mess it up again, arent they? So He isnt going to bring the people back until theyre ready to be sanctified and cleansed. The Land is ready, but the people arent. It tookseventy years to get the Land ready, but its going to take longer than that to get the people ready? When are the people going to be ready to be put back into the Land?

Ezekiel 36:24-25 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you outof all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle cl

ean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

Thats what water baptism is all about, folks. John the Baptist preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, and they went out to John and were baptized in Jordan. That was a ceremonial purification rite - a Jewish purification rite - that was cleansing them from idolatry. "[F]rom all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you."



When He says its going to wash away their sins, you know it wasnt washing away their moral guilt before God. I mean, if the blood of bulls and goats cant take away sin, then a water ceremony cant. It is a ceremonial cleansing of separation from the defilement of the idolatry.

Look, picking up an idol isnt going to make you dirty. You understand that. You can go down here to this hocus-pocus church on Addison with all those statues and those things in there, and they arent going to make you dirty.

One time I heard a missionary talk, and he said that somebody came over to the mission field and bought a little idol from a curio shop and brought it home. Hesaid that demons came with that idol and attacked and possessed those peoples kids and did all kinds of crazy things. They couldnt figure out what was wrong, butfinally they figured out that it was this idol. They took that idol out and burned it up, and that exorcised the demon.

Do you know what is? That is just tommyrot. Thats foolishness, thats what that is. I mean, folks, you dont get demons because you took a little hunk of carved wood and stuck it up in your house. You get demons from believing bad doctrine. Yousee, that little piece of carved wood isnt going to defile you. What defiled Israel was worshipping the satanic forces and the satanic religion that created that idol. The filthiness of the idolatry was spiritual idolatry, worshipping othergods. Weve seen that through Baal worship. Weve been studying that enough, and you know all about that.

When they come along with the water baptism, what does that do? That washes that

away and says: Hey. Were getting rid of all that.

Do you remember that song, "Im Going To Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair?"

Thats what water baptism is doing. Its going to wash all that stuff right out of their life.

Its the outward expression of their inward faith. Im rethinking this thing. Thats an idol. Its nothing. Thats the satanic policy. Were going to trust the Word of God.

What does God say? In Leviticus 15, when that woman is removed out of the camp for uncleanness, how does she get back into the camp? The first thing she does is that she washes herself and says: Im going to come with this washing.

What is he talking about when he says that the first thing the priest does is that he goes out and washes himself? Whats he talking about? Hes talking about being separated away from all the idolatry and being sanctified and set apart for the



purpose for which God created and established him. Thats what it is. So they gothrough that. Then Verse 26:

Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will giveyou an heart of flesh.

Theres going to be a spiritual regeneration.

Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. Theres going to be an empowerment.

Gods going to take away their bent to sinning; Hes literally going to reverse their old sin nature and put a new nature in them and cause them and empower them to keep His statutes and His judgments.

By that passage right there you ought to have already written down "Jeremiah 31." Thats the New Covenant.

Ezekiel 36:28-31 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abo

minations.

Thats exactly what Leviticus 26 said they were going to do.

Ezekiel 36:32-34 Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight

of all that passed by.

Its a time of restoration and refreshing.

Ezekiel 36:35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced,



and are inhabited.

Gods going to take the Land of Israel and make it His Paradise again. And Hes going to fulfill the original purpose that He had back in Genesis 1 with man through Israel in that Paradise of a Kingdom that Hes going to give them.

Do you know when the people are going to be put back in the Land? Its going to be the Kingdom. Whats it going to take? Its going to take a New Covenant (Verses 26and 27).

Jeremiah explains that New Covenant. The New Covenant is in Jeremiah 31:31-34 but if youll read the whole chapter youll see the setting is just like it is here. They start back there, but look. When is this fifth course of judgment over? Its over there at the Second Advent, at the Kingdom, with the New Covenant. The prophets tell them that fifth course is going to extend, and what its going to take to end it is the New Covenant, this grace period.

But first, we need to go to Ezekiel. You need to understand that where we are in

Chronicles is finishing up with Leviticus 26, in that fifth course of judgment, and thats all theres going to be for Israel. The Times of the Gentiles is going to extend until Christ comes back, and thats what they understand.

Seventy years - the Land is ready but the people arent. Its going to take seventyweeks of years to get the people ready. So when John the Baptist shows up and announces the Messiahs coming, when Christ shows up and sends out His apostles, their ministry is a fifth-course-of-judgment ministry.

If youre going to understand whats going on with John the Baptist and the Twelve and the early Acts period, you need to understand where weve been back here. The reason Ive been trying as hard as I have about this is so that when you get over there youve got the spiritual context that their ministry is conducted in.


(Lesson 31)

We will be studying the books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther tonight. These are what are called post-exilic books; that is, post-exile. The captivity that we read and studied about in Kings and Chronicles come to an end in those books.



When you come to Second Chronicles, of course, you see the promise of Israel going back into the Land. Ezra picks up that promise, and these last three books -Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther (Esther takes place during the time of the Book of Ezra) - are the last three books of the historic section. Theyre the books that follow the captivity. The seventy years of captivity are just sort of passed over.

In Ezra and Nehemiah, you see the remnant that God promised that would return out of captivity back into the Land. You see the rebuilding of Jerusalem: first the Temple, in Ezra, and then the city, in Nehemiah.

In Esther, youll see what happens to those of Israel who stayed in the land of the captivity. In other words, after the seventy years are over, some of them come back under Zerubbabel, under Ezra and then under Nehemiah. Some of Israel stays in Babylon; we see them in Esther. So you get a picture of whats going to happen to Israel as they remain among the Gentiles. Then you see what happens to Israel as they go back into the Land and their position in the Land after the captivity. You see the issues involved in their being sustained in the hands of the Gentiles and during the times of the Gentiles.

What were going to see when we study Ezra and Nehemiah is Israel in a very low state after the captivity, yet there is going to be the rod of Judah that God preserves. Well see here that He actually preserves a remnant from all the twelve tribes. That little remnant returns back into the Land.

Ezra is a book of the regathering of Israel.

Nehemiah is a book of rebuilding.

Esther is a book of preservation.

Those three issues look forward to the restoration of the nation. Israel is regathered.

Then their position is built back up, and in it all God preserves them. So we have those three issues: in Ezra you see Israel regathering and returning to the Land. In Nehemiah, theyre going to build up the city, etc. In Esther, youre going to see their special preservation by God while theyre out among the Gentiles.

Because I am going to try to go over these tonight in one lesson, were not goingto be able to look at a lot of the details in Ezra and Nehemiah. Youre probably familiar with much of the account because these are books that are frequently dealt with.

The Book of Ezra has ten chapters, 280 verses and 7,441 words. There are actually two separate returns. The first one takes place in the first six chapters andis under the leadership of Zerubbabel. The second return is in Chapters 7 throug



h 10 and its under the leadership of Ezra, the man that compiled the book.

First, the return of Israel commences under Zerubbabel. The first six chapters cover about twenty years. Then, between Chapter 6 and Chapter 7, theres a period of about sixty years. After that, Ezra returns with another group of people.

So you have two returns under two prominent leaders: first Zerubbabel and then Ezra.

There are many more people who go back in Chapter 2 - almost fifty thousand. Itsnot such a big number considering how many Israelites there were at the time, but about fifty thousand go back with Zerubbabel. Only about two thousand come back with Ezra. So you can divide the book up under those two sections:

The return under Zerubbabel (Chapters 1 through 6) is a national restoration.

Then, in Chapters 7 to 10, you have a spiritual reformation under Ezra.

Now, the name Zerubbabel means descended from Babylon. Thats his personal name. Hes a couple of titles that are given to him in the book, but his personal name is Zerubbabel. His folks would have given him that name to indicate that he was born during the captivity. Hes one who is born in captivity but who then comes back. Hes introduced to you in Chapter 2, Verse 1.

Ezra 2:1-2 Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the ca

ptivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city; Which came with Zerubbabel:

If you check the chronology in 1 Chronicles 3:17 and Matthew 1:12, youll see that Zerubbabel was a descendant of King David. Hes of the house and lineage of David.

He is part of the royal lineage of the house of Judah. Hes a good man. He comes back as the royal line of Judah.

Well look at Ezra in a few minutes. Ezra was a priest. In fact, well see him identified as "a ready scribe"; hes a skillful teacher of the Word of God. Zerubbabelwill come back and replant the nation in the Land, and the purpose is to build the Temple, etc.

When Ezra gets back, hes going to bring some spiritual revival for the nation.



In Chapters 1 and 2 of Ezra, you see the return to the Land.

In Chapter 3 were going to see the rebuilding of the Temple.

Then in Chapters 4, 5 and 6, were going to see the opposition of the enemy and their resistance.

Ezra 1:1-3 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spiritof Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which isin Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) whichis in Jerusalem.

That verse is almost a direct quote from the last two verses in Second Chronicles 36. In other words, when you read down to the end of Second Chronicles and sta

rt Ezra, youve got a couple of verses there that almost read to you, and so its pretty obvious that the two books are connected. Theres a reason for that, and its that fellow, Cyrus, who is a very important person. Youll notice that whats recorded here give the details of Israel's return.

Ezra 1:1-2 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spiritof Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Now, you guys can go back home and build the house of the Lord.

Now, there are a couple things to remember. Jeremiah 25:11 and 12 and Jeremiah 29: 10

and 11 have foretold of the length of the Babylonian captivity . Jeremiah had explicitly told them that at the end of the captivity a remnant would return. So whats happening here is that the remnant that God had promised - that little group of people - have the opportunity to return to their Land.

Now, its interesting about Cyrus. Isaiah, of course, prophesied some one hundred

fifty years prior to the time where we are reading in Ezra; i.e., about one hundred fifty years extending from before the captivity to the end of the captivity. Isaiah wrote this information about 712 B. C.

The Lord is speaking of Cyrus:



Isaiah 44:28 - 45:4 That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, thatthou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

In other words, God says: A hundred fifty years from now, Cyrus is going to show up and Im giving him his name right now. (God names him ahead of time.) Of Cyrus, He said , I am going to raise you up as the head of the empire, as King of Persia, so that you can fulfil my Word in bringing My people back to Jerusalem.

So its pretty obvious, when you read Ezra 1:1-3, that this has had an impact on Cyrus because of what he says in Verse 3.

Ezra 1:3 Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and lethim go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,)

Cyrus is a Gentile who recognizes the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Hence, hes called, over there in Isaiah 45:1, Gods anointed. He is a messiah.

You remember that wacko down in Waco that burned himself up, David Koresh. Now,that wasnt his real name (Do you remember what his real name was?); that was histitle.

The Branch Davidians split off from the Seven Day Adventist Church. Koresh is the Hebrew word for Cyrus. He was going to be King David. In Ezekiel, there are prophecies about King David sitting on the throne, so Koresh (Cyrus) was going tobe David, having the anointed, messianic position of king and Gods anointed.

In other words, he was using two titles that describe the messianic hope. Some people said that this guy, Koresh, was Jesus Christ. He didnt say he was Jesus Chr

ist; he said he was David Koresh who was messiah. He was claiming to be a christ. Just like

"Reverend" Sun Yung Moon claims to be the christ. Theyre not claiming to be Jesus Christ, but theres this position of christ - of messiah - and theyre claiming that position.

That is a typical kind of doctrine among a lot of religions. Thats what Sun Yung



Moon says he is - the modern manifestation of the christ. Its just some more of that stuff Ezekiel 28 tells about: the anointed cherub that covereth. Satan was a christ. Hes an anointed cherub. That word messiah means the anointed one. Christ ( Christos) means the anointed one. So these guys are claiming the position of the anointed one.

Well, Cyrus was Gods anointed. He was anointed, chosen and named one hundred fifty years ahead of time. That obviously had an impact on him, so when the Lord stirs him up ( hes a man who has heard the Word of God and understands whats going on), in obedience to Gods Word, he says: Okay, guys, its time for you to go back. Who wants to go?

Well, you see that the people stepped forward, not a great many of them, but the people who stepped forward in Chapter 2 are enumerated, and the total number is given in Chapter 2, Verse 64.

Ezra 2:64-65 The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore, Beside their servants and their maids, of whom there were

seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and there were among them two hundred singing men and singing women.

Thats 42,360 people who go back besides their servants and their maids who numbered 7,337 including the singers. Theres just about 50,000 people going back.

They go back, and in Chapter 3, they rebuild the Temple. They lay the foundation.

Ezra 3:1-2 And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel werein the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.

So they had the Word of God, and theyre going to go by what the Word of God said.

Ezra 3:4 They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written,

Ezra 3:6 From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid.



In the last part of Verse 8, it says they set forward the work of the house of the LORD.

When you get over to Chapter 6, youll see that it gets finished.

What happens is that they get established, and they begin to rebuild the Temple.

Now, its important to notice that the people who go back are basically all of Israel.

Ezra 2:70 So the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

Now, when it says all Israel, hes saying that representatives of all twelve tribesare there and are going back. By the way, youll notice that this house was finished on the third day, and in Verse 16, they dedicate the house of God with joy. Youll notice in Chapter 4:

Ezra 4:1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard

In Chapters 4, Chapter 5 and Chapter 6, youll see the actual opposition that comes against them, trying to stop them from building the Temple.

Ezra 5:1 Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the Godof Israel, even unto them.

Now, there are three prophets who prophesy during this time: Haggai and Zechariah (they wrote two books toward the end of your Old Testament), and the third one is Malachi who will show up later. Those three prophets - post-exile prophets,post-captivity prophets - are prophesying during this time. They are encouraging

Israel not to stop but to keep going and to get the Temple rebuilt, and they do.

Its important for you to understand who is going back - who is involved. Its all of Israel. Its not just some of Israel but representatives of all twelve of the tribes.



Ezra 6:17 And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

So they didnt lose some of the tribes in Babylon. Theres no such thing as the Ten Lost Tribes and nobody knows where they are. Youll remember that when we were studying back in Kings and in Second Chronicles 11,15 and 34, we read all those passages about when the Kingdom was divided, and the faithful remnant which was in the northern ten tribes migrated down to the Southern Kingdom. You find representatives in Judah of all twelve tribes, so when they were carried away into the Babylon captivity some of all the twelve tribes were carried away. Now some of allthe twelve tribes come back, and when they dedicate the Temple of God they dedicate it with the number of tribes that are there, and there are twelve of them.

Ezra 8:35 Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the LORD.

So what youve got here is a situation where representatives of all twelve tribesgo back, and for a period of about twenty years they function under the leadership of Zerubbabel.

They have Haggai and Zechariah prophesying in their midst in the face of all the opposition, and they build the Temple and they dedicate the House of God.

Then, between Chapters 6 and 7, there is considered to be a period of about sixty years that transpire. Its in the time period between Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 th

at the events in the Book of Esther take place. Now, Esther doesnt take place inthe land of Palestine but over in Persia, but its about this time period when ittakes place.

Ezra 7:1 Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Artaxerxes is the next king. By the way, Artaxerxes is a title, like the title Pharoah or the title Herod. Its a Persian title for their king. Its not a proper name like John or Mary, Ann or Robert, Harry or Bill. Its a title. You could call BillClinton "President Clinton,"

or you could call him "the president." Artaxerxes is like the president; its like

Caesar - a title. Youll see one Artaxerxes, and later on youll see another Artaxerxes, and youll wonder, Is the same one? Its like when you see Pharoah; it isnt als the same individual.

Ezra 7:1 Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,



Ezra shows up, and youve got his genealogy.

Ezra 7:5-6 The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the sonof Aaron the chief priest: This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.

When it says, He was a ready scribe in the Law of Moses, thats like that verse over in First Peter where it says, 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 hopethat is in you with meekness and fear:

Ezra is a ready scribe; hes an expert student and instructor of the Word of God.Now, hes a priest but, he also is a scribe. Youll recall from our study together that one of the functions of the priesthood was to study the Word of God and teach the Word of God to the people. In fact, the reason theyre called scribes is because a scribe is generally thought of as somebody writes. One of the functions of

the priesthood was to make copies of the Word of God to distribute to people and to increase its availability among people.

So Ezra is a man who is studying the Word of God. By the way, hes over there in Persia, in the land of the captivity, and yet hes got the Bible and hes studying it. They took their Bible with them when they went. The Word of God was never confined just to one little area. Everywhere they went as they were scattered abroad, the faithful remnant took the Word of God, and they taught the Word of God topeople who would listen.

Thats how Cyrus knew about it.

So Ezra comes along, and what youre going to see, beginning in Chapter 7 and 8, is that Ezras heart has been prepared.

Ezra 7:10-13 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel. Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the

God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time. I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.

Ezra 7:16 And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem:



Hes collecting a freewill offering to take back to Jerusalem, and theyre going torebuild and enhance the Temple.

By the way, Ezra is an important person. Ezra is generally considered to be theone who compiled First and Second Chronicles, perhaps First and Second Kings, the Book of Ezra, the Book of Nehemiah, and hes generally considered to be the onewho fixed the Old Testament canon - identified it and put it together. He wrote, for example, Psalm 119, that longest Psalm about the Word of God. In Psalm 119, the Word of God is mentioned in every verse except three. God Himself is mentioned in every verse.

He was a man who did much in collecting scriptures. When we studied Manuscript Evidence we studied a lot about Ezra as being someone who was involved in the preservation of Gods Word. Hes a very important figure.

He comes to Jerusalem now, in Chapters 7 and 8, and brings a couple of thousand

people with him. He comes back with the intent of bringing spiritual revival tothe people.

Theyre there, and they have rebuilt, but the work has fallen into disrepair. Ezra comes back to bring the spiritual life that Israel needed.

In Chapter 9, well see him doing what Daniel does: Daniel confesses the sins of his people. Hell do exactly what Israel, under the fifth course of judgment, is required to do in Leviticus 26: he confesses the sins of his people, the nationalsins of Israel.

There in Chapter 10, he cleanses the people. They have intermarried with the Gentiles in the area and forsaken the separate status that they were to have. He went in and accomplished the cleansing of the people, and he brings spiritual restoration to them.

The Book of Nehemiah takes place about fifteen years after the close of the book of Ezra.

In Nehemiah, there is going to be a third going-back to Jerusalem.

Now, when you come to Nehemiah, hes going back for a little different reason. But what happened is that Zerubbabel brought them back and got them established inthe Land. Ezra has gone back and brought some spiritual light and understandingto them, and now Nehemiah comes on the scene.



In the first six chapters of Nehemiah, you see the rebuilding of the wall of the city.

In Chapters 7 through 13, you see a reviving of the people. You remember the story of Nehemiah. He hears that things are in bad shape back there in Jerusalem. Theyve been there eighty years, and things are not going well. Times are tough. It was almost a hundred years since they had started back the first time, and things arent going well. He hears that, and he begins to pray for an opportunity to do something.

Nehemiah 2:1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan ,

By the way, in Chapters 1 and 2 of Nehemiah, you see him preparing for the returning and the work of building up the city. This return with Nehemiah, in Chapter 2, is a very important part in Israels life because this is going to mark the point where the Seventy Weeks of Daniel 9 begin. Daniel is a prophet during the Babylonian captivity. In Daniel 9, he hears and understands the Word of God.

Daniel 9:1-2 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; In the first yearof his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD

came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

Daniel realizes that those seventy years are over. Daniel 9:1 will correspond ro

ughly to the time period of Ezra, Chapter 1. Daniel is in Babylon, and he realizes that the seventy years are over. What Jeremiah said has come to pass.

Ezra, Chapter 1, says that for the words that Jeremiah spoke to be fulfilled, the remnant has to go back. Youre in roughly the same kind of situation when they are going back to Palestine. Daniel is over there in Babylon, and he's understanding some revelations.

Daniel 9:3-4 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplica

tion, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said,

Daniel does exactly what Leviticus 26 says he was supposed to do: he confesses the sins of his people. These men understand what it is to live under that fifthcourse of judgment, and they understand what is required of Israel to get out from under it.



In response to the confession that he makes, God sends Daniel some information.He sends Gabriel to him. He says: Daniel, its going to be a little while yet. The Land has enjoyed her sabbaths and is ready, but the people have also to be cleansed. He gives to Daniel a time schedule for the cleansing of the nation Israel, not the Land, but the people.

Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

Now, those six purposes are going to require seventy weeks to accomplish.

Daniel 9:25-26a Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of thecommandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shallbe seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, a

nd the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself:

Daniel 9:27a And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.

Now, if you are going to understand how to date that schedule of events, you have to know specifically when it begins. Verse 25 is clear: Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two

weeks.

In other words, there is going to be a seven-week period and then a sixty-two-week period which make sixty-nine. When does it begin? It begins with the commandment to go forth and rebuild Jerusalem. From the giving of that commandment, there are going to be forty-nine years until the wall is rebuilt. Then there are going to be sixty-two more weeks (a total of 483 years) from that commandment to the point where the sixty-ninth week ends, after which the Messiah is cut off.

Now, go back with me to Nehemiah, Chapter 2 where there is a decree given by Artaxerxes, the king, to Nehemiah for him to go back and to rebuild Jerusalem.

The interesting thing about that is that this is really the fourth decree that has been issued.

In Ezra 1:1-4 we read a decree by Cyrus that they were to go back. What did they go back to build? What did we just read about? What were they sent back to Jeru



salem to build? The Temple (Ezra 1:3). Is that the decree that Daniel 9 is talking about? What did Daniel 9 say to go back and build? Daniel 9:25 says they arego back and build the city. In Ezra, they are to go back and are told to build the Temple.

Well, I know that the decree in Ezra is not the decree that starts Daniels Seventy Weeks because the decree that starts the schedule in Daniel 9 tells them to go back and rebuild the city. In Ezra, they are told to go back and build the Temple.

In Ezra 6:1-12, Darius reaffirms the decree to rebuild the Temple. In Ezra 7:11-22, Ezra receives permission to go to Jerusalem and do the same thing. But its not until you come to Nehemiah, Chapter 2, that there is a decree to go back and rebuild the city and the wall.

Nehemiah 2:5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.

What does Nehemiah want to go back and build? The city. If you read on down there youll see that he gets the decree.

Nehemiah 2:8 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained tothe house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

Nehemiah gets the decree to go back and build the city. Now, the date on Nehemiah, Chapter 2, is variously given. For example, Scofield has the date 445 B. C. If you take 445 B. C., the sixty-nine weeks from that point all the way to the end of the sixty-nine weeks in Daniel 9, is 483 years. If you subtract 445 B. C. from 483 years, that would put the beginning of Nehemiah 2 at 445 B. C. and youd go all the way to 38 A. D. for the sixty-nine weeks.

Youd have to subtract six years from that because of the change in the calendar.When you look on your calendar, have you noticed that the date of Christs birth i

s given anywhere from 4 B. C. to 6 B. C.? The reason for that is that the Herodthat lived at the time of Christs birth and had all the babies killed, died in 4B. C. according to Roman history. So you know that Christ had to be born before4 B. C. in order to fit in the murder of all the babies. Since he had all the babies killed all the way up to two years old, the assumption is that Christ could have been anywhere up to two years old. So He was born somewhere between 6 and4 B. C. In order to adjust your calendar, you have to subract that. That would make the crucifixion, the cutting off of Christ, at the end of the sixty-nine weeks take place about 32 A. D. That works pretty well.



The date that is generally given for the crucifixion is 29 A. D. In other words, if He was born in 4 B. C. and lived 33 years, then He would have been crucified in 29 A. D. That is how that date is arrived at. That is the date you usually will see in your Bible. In a Scofield, it is at the top of the page, and thats how they arrive at that.

If you take 29 A. D. and subtract 483 years from it, you have a date of 454 B. C. for Nehemiah 2.

Now, I dont care which one of those dates you use. I, myself, probably would choose the 454 date, which may be more accurate, for I know I can fix the date of the crucifixion and get pretty close, and I know how many years to subtract to get back to Nehemiah 2.

Thats kind of figuring backward from something you know.

But whichever date you use, and whatever way you want to figure it, the point is, this is the place where the decree starts. That makes Ezra and Nehemiah extremely important to Israel because, when you leave these books and go over into the prophets, there is a time schedule for the events in prophecy to begin to unfold for the fifth course of judgment to end. That time schedule is going to be pegged to what is going on here in Nehemiah, especially in Nehemiah 2.

Youve got these three decrees in Ezra that are not the decrees that match Daniel9.

Then, when you come to Nehemiah you say, Here is the place where the Seventy Week

s begin to tick off.

In Nehemiah 2 is the beginning of this period of four hundred ninety years thatits going to take to finish the transgression and make an end to sin, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to anoint the Most Holy, etc.; that is, to do away with the fifth course of judgment and bring in Israel's Kingdom. That begins here.

Now, in Nehemiah 3, you see Nehemiah prospers in the work of rebuilding the city. Its a wonderful thing to watch him do this, by the way, because he uses great s

kill.

Then in Chapters 4, 5 and 6, well see the opposition that comes. Nehemiah also suffers tremendous opposition from those about him who seek to stop the work - opposition from without and opposition from within.



Theres ridicule in Chapter 4:1-6.

Theres force used against him in Chapter 4:7-9.

Then theres discouragement in Chapter 4:10.

Theres fear in Chapter 4:11-28.

Theres selfishness and greed in Chapter 5.

Theres guile and trickery in Chapter 6:1-4.

Theres slander in Chapter 6:5-9.

There are threats in Chapter 6:10-14.

And, in the face of all of that, in Chapter 6:15-19, the job is completed and the wall is finished.

I think probably my favorite answer that Nehemiah gives is in Chapter 6. Sanball

at and Geshem come and say: Lets meet together. We want to get with you and havea meeting, y ou know, a little builders meeting. And old Nehemiah says to them: Nehemiah 6:3 And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?

Thats a great attitude to have about the ministry. Youre doing something so important for God that you dont have time to mess around with the devil, and itll save you a lot of trouble if you don't. You know that old saying about idle hands being the.devils workshop. A lot of times in the ministry thats a real truth.

Now, in Chapters 7-13, you see a great revival take place. In Chapter 7, you see the registering of the people. Then in Chapter 8, you have the meeting at Water Gate.

Now, several years ago, when we had the Watergate affair in this country, I used to preach a message called The Bibles Water Gate about what happens here. There are all these gates in the wall that he built.

In Chapter 8, they all meet out at the Water Gate. Water, of course, is a type of the Spirit of God and the Word of God.

Nehemiah 8:4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood



Nehemiah 8:5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:

Nehemiah 8:8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

The method of teaching the Word of God Ezra used was the literal method. He just went right down told them every word and said: Heres what it means and what it does. He gave them the sense so they could understand it and a great revival breaks out.

Any time you take the Word of God and preach it and teach it to people, folks, the Book will do the work. People try to get you to pray for revival, pray it down, work it out, and do all that stuff. You know, fifteen weeks of cottage prayer meetings - thats not the way you get revival. You get revival just like they did right there. So the Word of God is proclaimed.

In Chapter 9, the sins of the people are confessed. Again, they do what Ezra did.

Nehemiah confesses the sins of the people.

As we look down, beginning in Verse 6 and going down to the end of the chapter,youll notice that he traverses the whole history of Israel.

In Verse 6, he starts with creation.

In Verse 7, he talks about Abraham.

In Verses 9-14, he talks about the Exodus period.

Verses 15-23 talk about the wanderings in the wilderness.

In Verses 24 and 25 he talks about the time of the Book of Joshua.

In Verses 26-29 he is talking about the time of the Book of Judges.

Verses 30 and 31 bring it all the way down to the time of the captivity.

Verse 32 brings it up to the time of Nehemiah.

He does just what he has been doing, and what Ive been trying to do with you as weve been studying this; he goes over their spiritual history. He starts back there with Abraham and comes right on through, just like weve said over and over again. They understand Leviticus 26 and where they are under this fifth course of judgment. They understand that they need to get out from under it by confessing th



So God is working behind the scenes. You know the story of Esther, Mordecai, Haman and the deceit, etc. You know the great statement that Mordecai makes to Esther: Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Now, those books fit together as a unit. In fact, Ezra and Nehemiah are one book in a Hebrew Bible; theyre not two books. You need to read those books if you havent read them yet. You need to read through them and get them in your mind, and then for next week, begin the Book of Job.


(Lesson 32)

Weve come to the Book of Job now. When youre in the Book of Job, youre in the historical section.

When you go back to your first lesson, when we started, I gave you an outline of the Old Testament books. I mentioned that there are three sections of books. First there are the historical books, the first seventeen books. Then there is what is called the wisdom literature (Job through the Song of Solomon) and then there are the books of prophecy (Isaiah through Malachi).

There are seventeen history books of the prophets. There are five wisdom books.

The seventeen history books are divided into two sections - five and twelve.

The books of prophecy are divided into two sections - five and twelve.

In the history section, the first five books are the Pentateuch, the Torah. Then there are twelve books dealing with history. There are nine books that deal with pre-exile history of Israel and then three books that deal with the post-exile

history. Joshua to 2

Chronicles (nine books) deal with Israel's occupying the Land. In Genesis to Deuteronomy, the nation is prepared; in Joshua to Second Chronicles, theyre in the Land. They enter, occupy and live in the Land.

Ezra to Esther (the post-exile books) deal with the remnant that returns after the exile.



The same kind of a breakdown is in the prophetic books (Isaiah to Malachi). There are seventeen of those books: five major prophets and then twelve minor prophets.

In fact, in the Hebrew Bible, the minor prophets (we call them "minor" prophets) - the last twelve - are actually one book called "The Twelve."

There are five major prophets (Isaiah through Daniel). Then there are the twelve minor prophets, and they are divided - like the history books - into nine and three.

Then you have nine pre-exile prophets (Hosea through Zephaniah). They prophesied before the captivity. Then you have three prophets after the captivity (Haggaithrough Malachi).

Those seventeen prophets, by the way, are what we could call the prophets of the fifth course of judgment. We are going to study them in some detail when we get through the wisdom books. Those books deal with the fifth course of judgment that Israel is under, beginning with the captivity and extending all the way to the Second Coming of Christ.

In order for Israel to understand what is going on during that fifth course of judgment, how long its going to last and what its going to take to get out from under it, you have all those prophets (Isaiah to Malachi) that prophesy specifically about that fifth course of judgment - the punishment and chastening on Israeland especially about the restoration.

Well say more about that when we get over there.

Right now were in the wisdom books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Songof Solomon - those five books in the middle. Those books give you a glimpse of the personal life of a believer and especially - coming the way they do - youll see inter-workings and the inner life of an Israelite under the fifth course of judgment. Theyre not all written during the time of the fifth course of judgment.

For example, the Book of Job was written back in the time of Genesis, probably around the time of Chapter 35 or 37. Most of the Psalms were written at the time

of David and Solomon and on up to Hezekiah. Some of them were written during the exile. Most of the Book of Proverbs was written in the day of Solomon, and of course, Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon, so they would be in his day. So theyre not all written during the fifth course, but the way they are collated here in your Bible demonstrates that inner life of Israel during that time period.

Here are instructions that theyre going to need for that period of time. You'll s



ee a spiritual progression as you go through.

In the Book of Job, you see the suffering of the godly remnant. Think about that as we study the book. Youre going to see that the issue there has to do with the suffering of the godly remnant during that time of the fifth course of judgment but looking especially to the end of it which is the Tribulation period. In Job, you see his having to die to himself and to his own plans.

In the Book of Psalms, you see people living unto God, worshipping in praise ofGod.

You see life focused toward Jehovah.

In Proverbs, you see precepts that lead to prudence and godliness - how to order your steps in a right way and walk in wisdom.

In Ecclesiastes, you see the vanity of human viewpoint, of self-will and self-seeking.

In the Song of Solomon, you see the special love-relationship that God has withthat believing remnant in Israel.

So youre going to see some things in these books that deal with the experiences of the individuals as part of the believing remnant and especially instructions that are going to be apropos and appropriate for that believing remnant during th

e fifth course of judgment which lasts all the way to the time of the return ofChrist.

Now, the Book of Job is the first one of these books, and so were going to startthere tonight and kind of survey the book. There are forty-two chapters in the Book of Job, 1,070 verses, and 10,102 words. The Hebrew name Job means persecuted. When you make a proper noun out of it, hes the Persecuted One, the hated one. Apparently, Job was that.

The Book of Job is in three parts:

In the first three chapters, you have Jobs distress. Great calamity falls on Job.

In Chapters 4 through 37, you have Jobs defense. That defense is in three sections.

What he does in his defense is that he has conversations basically with three fr



iends.

Three friends, and then finally a fourth one shows up at the end, but basicallythe three friends have a series of discussions. One of them will talk, and thenJob will respond.

The next one will talk, and Job will respond. There are three rounds of that.

Chapters 4 through 14 is the first round.

The second round is Chapters 15 through 21.

The third round is Chapters 22 through 37.

Chapter 38 through 42 is the third major section in the book of Job. That is Jobs deliverance.

So, you have three sections:

Jobs distress - Chapters 1-3

Jobs defense, the conversation he has with his friends - Chapters 4-37

God intervenes, confronts and delivers Job from the difficulties - Chapters 38-42

Now, notice that Job is a real person. Theres a tendency among so-called scholars to try to discount a book like this. The Book of Job is the oldest book in your Bible as far as the time of its writing is concerned. Sometimes people try to discount it, but youll notice in Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 14:12-14 The word of the LORD came again to me, saying, Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch outmine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will sendfamine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it: Though these three men,Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.

In Verse 15, he talks about the noisome beasts. In Verse 17, he talks about thesword and, in Verse 19, about pestilence.

Ezekiel 14:20 Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

Now, you notice that this passage is a parallel passage to Revelation 6. Ezekiel



14 is a passage that looks into the Tribulation period and is talking about the famine, the beasts, the sword and the pestilence that match the horsemen in Revelation 6. So, you have the context of the Tribulation. In that Tribulation context, He says: If these three men were in that city Id still destroy it.

Daniel is the prophet that lays out the prophecies of the Tribulation period inhis book.

Daniel is a type of the Tribulation saint in the Book of Daniel.

Noah is a type of the Tribulation saint (1 Peter 3). The issue is the flood. The flood is the Tribulation, the wrath of God on the earth. Noah prepares the ark, the means whereby the believing remnant can be preserved through the wrath being poured out.

Job, also, is a type of the Tribulation saint. Come with me over to James 5. You'll notice again that Job is a real person. In both Ezekiel and James, Job shows up in a Tribulation context, demonstrating that prophetically and doctrinally he is a picture and a type of the saint under that fifth course of judgment in the Tribulation. The sufferings that you are going to see in Job parallel the suff

ering that Israel experiences under that fifth course of judgment.

Of course, as far as God is concerned, in the prophetic program, that fifth course of judgment has a time schedule. Were going to study that in some detail whenwe get over to the prophets. God also has a prescription for the suffering thatthis believing remnant goes through during that period of time. That fifth course culminates in the Tribulation that Ezekiel is talking about. Doctrinally, theBook of James is a Tribulation book.

James 5:8-9 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

The coming of the Lord is being dealt with here - Hes coming in judgment.

James 5:10-11 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen t

he end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

The patience of Job has to do with the endurance of unexplained suffering that he goes through. Were going to see how that works in a minute. The patience of Job is an illustration of the patience that is needed by Tribulation saints to getthrough the Tribulation and into the Kingdom at the Lord's coming.



Now, the Book of Job has a lot of things that are very interesting in it. Again, he is a type of the Tribulation saint. Theres a lot of pathetic material in theBook of Job. There is information, also, about the antichrist that is not foundanywhere else in the Bible. There is information about the Seventieth Week of Daniel. There is information about Satan, the Second Coming of Christ and all kinds of prophetic events that youll see as you study the Book of Job.

There is actually more information on creation in Job than there is in Genesis.Well glance through some chapters in a few minutes - Chapter 38 and along in there - about God's creation work, etc. There is actually a tremendous amount of scientific data about creation that isnt anywhere else in the Bible. Its in the Bookof Job.

Now, Job is part of the Word of God. By the way, look at 1 Corinthians 3 and see Pauls attitude toward the Book of Job.

1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it

is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

Where is that written? Do you have a reference of that? Thats Job 5:13. So the apostle Paul quotes the Book of Job and says, "It is written." In other words, Paul obviously understood that the Book of Job was a part of Scripture by the Wordof God. It was something that God wrote.

Come back to Job 32. Notice that the author of the Book of Job was not Job, butit was this young man by the name of Elihu. He sits by and listens quietly for t

he first thirty-one chapters of the book but then begins to speak.

Job 32:1-2 So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous inhis own eyes. Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu.

Elihu is going to discuss whats going on. But notice how he does it.

Job 32:6-7 And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion. I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.

Job 32:10 Therefore I said, Hearken to me.



Job 32:14-18 Now he hath not directed his words against me: neither will I answer him with your speeches. They were amazed, they answered no more: they left off speaking.

When I had waited, (for they spake not, but stood still, and answered no more;)I said, I will answer also my part, I also will shew mine opinion. For I am full of matter, the spirit within me constraineth me.

You notice when you read that he talks about them and then he says, I'm speaking. When you've come this far in Job, you've seen "Eliphaz said, Zophar said, Jobsaid," but when you get here, you read that Elihu says, "I said." All of a sudden, the guy is talking in the first person.

If you are reading something, and the writer says, "So-and-so came into the room, and he said ," you know that the writer is not the guy talking; hes talking about somebody else. But if the writer says, "I went into the room, and I said ," what does that mean?

That means that the guy writing is the guy hes describing.

So, when you read Chapter 32 here, you notice that Elihu speaks in the first person, indicating that he must have been the person who wrote the book. The book was written with a great deal of care and symmetry in its parts.

By the way, Elihu's speech that starts here in Chapter 32 goes all the way overto Chapter 37. Hes got six whole chapters of his own speaking - its the longest speech by anybody in the book. Some people complain about it and call him a loud-mouthed young guy, but evidently hes the fellow who wrote the book, and he put his personal material last out of respect for the other guys because he wanted wisd

om to speak and he wanted the aged to have opportunity to talk first.

Now, the time of the writing of the book is somewhere along in Genesis 35, 36 or 37.

Theyre in Edom. Did you notice that Elihu is called a "Buzite"? Hes from the territory of Edom. You notice Jobs friends (Chapter 2:11): Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. If you go back to Genesis 36, 37 and along in there, youll find all those guys are involved with Esau.

Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job.

That land of Uz is generally said to be located at the mouth of the Euphrates River, over where Abraham came from. Its hard for you and me to figure out where all these places are. Most of the names of the people involved go back to the territory of Edom, so its very possible that thats where the events in Job took place.



I know this: theres no reference to the Abrahamic Covenant in the book. That would indicate that it's somewhere other than where Abraham was. There are no references to Moses. If you look over at Chapter 8, there is a reference to the patriarchs. There is no reference to Moses, the Mosaic Law, the Commandments, the Exodus or any of those things. There are all kinds of references to creation; thereare all kinds of references to the flood of Noah. There a lot of references to many things in Genesis, but there are no references to events in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy or any time later. All of the historical references fitback in the earlier part of the Book of Genesis.

Job 8:8 For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to thesearch of their fathers:

Well, there are patriarchs: "their fathers." So its after the raising up of the patriarchs, but it's evidently before Moses comes on the scene, for there is no reference to the Law in the moral discussions about sin, etc. Theres no referenceto the Commandments or any of those kinds of things. So it is evidently writtenbefore Moses which would put it in the Book of Genesis. Because the people invol

ved - like Eliphaz ,the Temanite - dont show up in the Bible until Genesis 36, youre going to have to put the book after Genesis 36, somewhere along in there.

So, time-wise, thats probably about where the events fit. There are a lot of references, as I said, to the creation, the flood, the "sons of God," etc. Since these things are true, its probably best to put Job in that timeframe. I don't knowhow you'd do it if you were trying to fit the book in at any other time.

That makes Job the oldest book in the Bible. Genesis is written by Moses later o

n when hes in the wilderness. Job would have already been written when Moses wrote the Book of Genesis and the Book of Exodus. So its a book that was penned quite early in Israels life, and it demonstrates Israel's sufferings that God had told Abraham about: the smoking furnace, etc., that they were going to go through.

Much of what you see in the Book of Job in regard to suffering is exactly what Israel experiences through most of her life. The Book of Job gives you a look into the issue of why do the godly suffer?

Now, the question is not about why people suffer; thats not what Job is about. Its not about why there is suffering, but its about why the righteous suffer. Why wo

uld a godly, righteous man like Job who had done nothing to incur the wrath of God, why would he suffer? Job is a believer. His wife says, "Curse God and die."His kids are wiped out, his business is wiped out and hes sitting out on an ash heap with boils - oozing sores.

His wife comes up, pats him on the head, kicks him in the stomach and says: Just cuss God and die.

And Job says, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him."



Theres something about this that youve got to remember. When we read the first two chapters in the Book of Job, the scene is in heaven where Satan comes before God.

Weve studied about the universe and the fact that theres a "mount of the congregation in the sides of the north" where all the angelic creation come and give account to God of their operation in the universe. Theyre carrying out the business of heaven. Satan doesnt go up into the third heaven to the city where God lives. This takes place down in the universe where he is, but he comes there and has togive account like all the other angels do.

When he comes, theres this challenge between God and Satan, and Satan and God.

Theres a contest going on. God says : Have you considered my servant Job?

Satan says: Does he serve You for nothing? I mean, hes just serving You just to get what he wants out of You. Thats all.

God tells Satan: No. I know his heart. He serves me because he loves me. He knows Me.

Satan says: No. Its just because of what he can get out of it. If You let me have him, Ill show You.

God says: Okay. You can have him. You can attack him and take everything hes got

but his life. And so, Satan goes about doing it.

Now, when all these things happen to Job, he doesnt understand why theyre happening.

Theres a reason that they happen. Theres this contest, this dispute, between God and Satan, but God doesnt come down and tell Job about it. Its important to remember this.

Job is not meant to know the explanation of his personal suffering and trials. There was an explanation. The explanation is written down in your Bible here. Well

talk later a little bit about why that was true.

The first three chapters of Job show that there are things going on all around us that are a lot bigger and involve a lot more than just us and our lives. We can understand this from the Book of Job. We can learn something about our need today in the Body of Christ from this. Theres great instruction here for us.



Specifically, this is about Israel in the Tribulation under the fifth course ofjudgment, but theres something in here for you and me. There's a lot going on inthe universe in the purpose and plan of God thats bigger than just you and me.

Everything in the universe and everything that Gods doing doesnt center around you or me. In fact, everything that Gods doing doesnt center around mankind, uch less one m

individual man, no matter how pure and upright that mans heart might be. Everything didnt center around just one individual although there were some things goingon that affected that individual. There was this angelic conflict going on up there.

So when you come to Chapter 2, Verse 11, Jobs buddies show up. Its sort of a sad thing, you know, the way they talked to him.

Job 2:11-13 Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come up

on him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him. And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. Sothey sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

Now, I expect that when old Job was in the chips, he had a lot more than three friends, but when times got tough in his life, he didnt have but three friends left. These friends dont turn out to be such wonderful friends. Hes going to call the

m "forgers of lies" and

"miserable comforters" here in just a minute. So they come with good intentions. They come to comfort him.

In Chapter 3, Job asks the question that permeates the whole book: why?

Job 3:1-4 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day. And Job spake, and said, Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was sai

d, There is a man child conceived. Let that day be darkness;

He goes on and says: Man! Just get rid of the day I was born.



Job 3:11-13 Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly? Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that Ishould suck? For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,

And, he begins this cry: Why, why, why?

Job 3:23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hid:

From here on out Job is asking the question "why?" Its just the wail of a desolate soul in utter agony and despair. He asks some good questions. You know, the quality of your life is going to be determined by the answers that you get to thequestions. If youre going to get good answers, you have to ask good questions. Alot of times in your life you get poor answers because you ask poor questions.

In Job 9:2 is the greatest question any man could ever ask.

Job 9:1-2 Then Job answered and said, I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?

Now, thats a good question. In the first book written in the Bible, he asks the right question. But youll see that question "Why?" going all the way through the Book of Job.

Whats going on. I dont understand it.

The fact is that Job wasnt meant to know the explanation for his trial, but there was an explanation. The explanation was in understanding this big picture.

But Job, as an individual, couldnt understand what was going on, and there are some very clear instruction here for the Tribulation saints over there in what their situation is going to be. Theyre going to have the Book of Job as instructions to them.

You might not know all the answers about the specific, personal problems youre going through, just like Job didnt. But you need to know - just like the Book of Job teaches you - that there is a big, over-all reason for it. God had something that He was doing in Job; God was accomplishing a purpose. Job couldnt understandthe reason, and he goes through all kinds of questionings in his mind, like weregoing to see in the Psalms. The only way he gathers up an answer is by looking away from human viewpoint, looking away from human tradition, looking away from religion and looking to God.



Thats what the Book of Job is going to show you. Thats what theyre going to have to do in the Tribulation. Under all that suffering, instead of asking "Why, why, why? What have I done?" theyre going to have to look to the big picture, see the big scheme of things and look to the right place for the right answer.

Jobs defense, which starts in Chapter 4, is really against his friends. In Chapter 13, Job is answering back.

Job 13:4 But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.

Things get a little hot, a little testy, as this thing goes on.

Job 16:1-2 Then Job answered and said, I have heard many such things: miserablecomforters are ye all.

So all his buddies here start out with good intentions as they go through each round of discussions. Job talks to Eliphaz, he talks to Bildad and then he talkswith Zophar. By the time he gets down to Zophar, man! things are hot because Zophar has been sitting and listening; then he starts talking, and Job argues back. The next guy will say: No, youre wrong. When you read the discussion, you see that they are just contradicting each other.

For example, Eliphaz, in Chapter 4:

Job 4:7-9 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off? Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. By the blast of God they perish,

Eliphaz starts out by saying: Well, Job, when did the innocent ever perish? Hey, man, when did you ever see anybody that had trouble who didnt deserve it?

Job answers back: to Eliphaz: Hey guys, cant you give me a little sympathy? I mean, cant you have any pity on me?

Old Bildad hits him in Chapter 8:

Job 8:6 If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he [God] would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.



Job kind of gets a little exasperated.

Job 8:20 Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help theevil doers:

So Job says: Okay, I know what youre saying is true, but tell me, how do you getright with God? Help me out, guys. Do something for me. He pleads for them to understand him.

Job 9:20 If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.

He says: I am not going to justify myself. He wants them to justify him. Its a little case of false humility here. Compare that verse with Chapter 32, Verse1:

Job 32:1 So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.

Jobs a good man, by the way. You have to understand something about Job. Hes the most righteous man in the Bible. Sit and read Job, Chapter 31, and imagine if you were privileged to say those kinds of things about yourself. Theres not a man among us who can say the things about himself that Job says about himself. Job was a righteous man.

In Verses 1-12, his moral purity is in evidence. In Verses 13-40, his conduct was impeccable. He was a good man inwardly and outwardly. He starts back here in Chapter 9 saying: I dont want to brag about myself. Come on, guys, help me out. But they dont do it. What they do is lambaste him.

When you get over here to Chapter 11, old Zophar hits him hard. He says: Job 11:2 Should not the multitude of words be answered? and should a man full of talk be justified?

All you do is talk, talk, talk.

Job 11:3 Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?

You see, hes getting a little testy with him. Old Job gets testy right back. He doesnt take it for a minute.



Job 12:1-2 And Job answered and said, No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.

Youre the people. You guys just know it all. Job kind of gives it back.

Job 12:3 But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these?

Youre not telling me anything; everybody knows about these things. Youre not so bright. Job keeps going at them.

Job 13:2-3 What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you. Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.

Job says: I dont want to talk to a bunch of peons like you, Let me talk to God. " Ye are

"forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value." Its not worth talking to you guys.

Like I said, things get a little hot as you go through here. Eliphaz jumps backon him.

Job 15:9 What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which isnot in us?

Job comes back at them in Chapter 16, calling them "miserable comforters."

Job 16:3-4 Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answ

erest?

I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul's stead, I could heapup words against you, and shake mine head at you.

Do you see what they are doing? Theyre heaping up words and shaking their heads at him, but the truth is (that verse tells it all): "I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul's stead."



He says : Man, if you were miserable and suffering like I am suffering I could stand there and judge you and say all this pious stuff to you. You guys arent listening to me. Youre not helping me. And they never do help him.

If you come over to Chapter 32, youll notice that this is one of the things thatgets Elihu going. He steps forward to talk:

Job 32:3 Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they hadfound no answer, and yet had condemned Job.

Thats what they do. They dont have an answer, but they condemn him. Now, these three guys talk to him from three different points of view. They start out good with three different lines of reasoning.

Eliphaz bases what he says in the beginning on human viewpoint. Come back to Chapter 4. Eliphaz demonstrates the wisdom of men and how baseless and helpless that it is. For example, Eliphaz bases what he says on human observation.

Job 4:8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.

His view is based on what he has seen and observed.

Job 5:3 I have seen the foolish taking root.

Job 5:27 Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.

Come and find out what our view is and how weve come to understand these things.

You see it again in his later speech in Chapter 15.

Job 15:17 I will shew thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare;

Eliphaz bases everything on human viewpoint. Youll notice that basically what Eliphaz is telling Job in Chapter 4, Verse 7, is: The reason that youre suffering is because youve sinned. We all look around, and human viewpoint leads us to the conclusion that the reason you suffer is that youre a sinner. Youve sinned, and youve messed up. What you need to do is find out where you messed up.

But Bildad doesnt come at it from human viewpoint so much; he comes at it from tradition. He doesn't say : Heres how weve got it figured out. Weve reasoned it out a



nd rationalized it. Weve observed it from the standpoint of scientific empiricism. He's going to say: Weve got a body of tradition that has come down to us and that tells us this.

Job 8:8 For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to thesearch of their fathers:

Go back and look to the tradition of the fathers.

Job 8:10 Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of theirheart?

So Bildad is going to go by tradition. (You see it again over in Chapter 18.) Now, Bildad winds up condemning Job. Bildad says, in Chapter 8:

Job 8:6 If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.

Job 8:20 Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help theevil doers:

In other words, Bildad says: Job, youre a hypocrite. You claim to be righteous, but if you were righteous, God wouldnt be inflicting suffering on you. He wouldnt l

et that happen. How do we know? Why, thats what our tradition says.

Thats the first one of those human viewpoints: "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men " (Colossians 2:8). And so here comes this guy who has the traditions of men.

Now, Zophar is even worse. By the time you get over to Chapter 11, old Zophar is about to blow a gasket. He bases what he says on human merit, human morals andhuman standards.

Job 11:2-6 Should not the multitude of words be answered? and should a man fullof talk be justified? Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed? For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes. But oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee; And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.



Youre not getting nearly as much trouble as you ought to get.

Job 11:13-15 If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him; If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.

For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast,and shalt not fear:

Come on man, get right. Go do all these things, and youll be okay.

Now, the problem with all these guys is that they start out this way: human viewpoint, tradition, human merit, but before they get very far in the discussions they just degenerate into a name-calling, condemning session. That tells you that, like Elihu said, they didnt have an answer, so all they ever say is just that t

he calamity is a result of sin; if you were in favor with God you would have material prosperity, and if youre not in favor with God youre going to get calamity.That's why you are condemned; youre a sinner -

youre a hypocrite. That's why all this trouble is coming on you.

All their fancy philosophies and ideas to explain everything just boil down to the same thing, so they all wind up sounding just alike even though theyre comingfrom different perspectives to start with.

Thats just what the world does, by the way. You go out there in the world and you hear all this philosophy and that philosophy, this idea and that tradition, and do you know what you wind up with? They wind up sounding just like the same thing. You wind up with no answers at all in any of it.

Now, when you come over to Chapters 32 to 37, you get to Elihu. Elihu goes at it a little differently. Elihu says: I want to answer for the Lord. I want to tell you what God thinks.

In essence what Elihu says is: Job, youre not suffering because you sinned. Youresinning with your lips against God because youre suffering. Then Elihu spends most of his time talking about the Lords ability, etc. For example:

Job 34:35-35:2 Job hath spoken without knowledge, and his words were without wisdom. My desire is that Job may be tried unto the end because of his answers forwicked men. For he addeth rebellion unto his sin, he clappeth his hands among us



, and multiplieth his words against God. Elihu spake moreover, and said, Thinkest thou this to be right, that thou saidst, My righteousness is more than God's?

Hes defending God.

When you get to Chapter 38, we expect Job to answer Elihu, but it doesnt happen.You notice, in Chapter 38, the Lord answered Job out of a whirlwind. Verse 2 isprobably the greatest verse in the book (my favorite verse).

Job 38:2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

God says: Who is this that just keeps running off at the mouth? He gets everybody confused and nobody knows whats going on. Why dont you guys just sit down, keepquiet and listen to Me?

Thats good advice. You can darken counsel just running off without knowledge. The Lord begins to ask a series of questions in Chapters 38-41, about things that nobody knows anything about but God. What He does is to put Job in his place.

In Chapter 42, you get Jobs response:

Job 42:1-6 Then Job answered the LORD, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth c

ounsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

Thats exactly what Israels going to do when they get a vision of the Lord at the end of the Tribulation. Theyre going to see Him for What He is, Who He is, and theyre going to repent, abhor themselves and mourn.

Job 42:7-8 And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams,



Job 42:10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

As you go on down through there, you see that God gave back Job twice everything that had been taken away from him. Job repents, the captivity of Job is turnedand hes restored. By the way, he gets all his kids back.

Job 42:13 He had also seven sons and three daughters.

Theres a resurrection. The first ones that die are resurrected.

In spite of everything, the Book of Job gives some real insight into the cause of suffering by the godly remnant in the Tribulation. It gives some insight intowhat they need to know in order to endure through the sufferings of that periodof time; how not to be deceived when their brethren forge lies against them, make lies their refuge and come against them with accusations like Jobs three friend

s did and how to find the answer in what God says.

By the way, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar use human viewpoint, tradition and merit; Elihu used religion, and none of it worked.


(Lesson 33)

This book in your Bible is called the book of Psalms.

Luke 20:42 And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto myLord, Sit thou on my right hand,

Acts 1:20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.

Acts 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.



So not only was there a book of Psalms - there are 150 Psalms in all - but its obvious that the book was divided up into chapters, into Psalms, already at the time of Paul. The book of Psalms was always divided, placed in an orderly fashion.

The word Psalms means praise. It was the songbook of both the Jewish Church (James 5:13) and if you look at Colossians Chapter 3, youll see that the apostle Paul talks about it.

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, singingwith grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Now, that verse doesnt necessarily mean that they were singing songs out of the book of Psalms. They could have written some of their own praise songs but the probably is that youre talking about Scripture there, too, and certainly not exclud

ing it. So the book of Psalms is called a lot of different things the songbook of the Bible, and that kind of thing.

Psalms is a part of what we call the Wisdom Literature. Youll remember those five books that stand between the historical books and the prophetic books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon. Those five books come after the historical books and before the prophets and they contain expressions about the feelings and the way people relate to praises, the sufferings, the trials, the hopes, the aspirations.

Specifically and doctrinally, they contain those feelings of the godly remnant i

n Israel under that fifth course of chastisement and judgment that extends specifically into the Tribulation. Dispensationally and doctrinally youre looking at books that describe the remnant of Israel, the Little Flock, in the Tribulation period.

In the book of Job, you see the end of the Lord as its called and its shown in Sata defeat and the saints deliverance from tribulation. The remnant in Job is put to the test.

Satan is defeated and they are delivered from the Tribulation. Weve already seenthat.

You enter into the personal experiences of these people. You get to see into the thinking, the way the remnant is going to think and act and respond in that day.

In the book of Psalms, you see the sufferings and the hope of the believing remnant in Israel. You see something very special in Psalms especially in the suffering aspects, and thats why the books of Job and Psalms and Proverbs are so univer



sally used.

Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon are books that haveuniversal application as far as dispensational things are concerned. They have a dispensational setting: theyre under the Law. They have a doctrinal setting: theyre looking to the Tribulation period. Yet, there is a sense where the book of Psalms is loved by everybody because of the devotional aspect and the spiritual application. That has to do with the fact that it enters into the feelings of thesufferings and of the turmoil and the strife that are expressed.

But more than that, doctrinally, youre going to see in the book of Psalms Christentering into the depths of the sufferings of that Little Flock in the Tribulation. You see Him suffering with His people. Over and over again, as you read thePsalms youll say,

Thats David, or whoever, suffering. And then you read down, and you say, No, thatsrist suffering.

What youll see is the Spirit of Christ in the remnant suffering with His people and in Israel the things that He suffered in His earthly ministry, and the things that He suffered going up to the cross and before He became the sin-bearer. There are all these other sufferings that Christ goes through and those are sufferings that He is bearing and is identifying with as He identifies Himself with the sufferings of His people who go through the Great Tribulation and the turmoil,and so forth.

In the book of Psalms, you get a glimpse into the thinking and into the mind and into the hope of what that godly remnant in the Tribulation period is going tobe saying and praying and thinking and hoping and experiencing.

In the book of Proverbs, you get the divine viewpoint, divine wisdom applied tothe details of life. You get divine viewpoint to give guidance through the mixed circumstances in the world and life. The book of Proverbs is a fantastic book of divine wisdom given to the details of life and managing every aspect of life.

Ecclesiastes is just the opposite. In Ecclesiastes, you see human viewpoint in the details of life. You see human viewpoint searching for happiness and completely failing to find it and coming to the conclusion that everything is vanity, th

at there is nothing of any value anywhere and in anything. When we go through Ecclesiastes, if you study it closely, youll notice that every human philosophy that is known to man finds its seedbed in the book of Ecclesiastes. Human viewpoint is examined ad nauseum. What happens is that it turns up a blank.

Then you come to Song of Solomon where you get a beautiful picture of the affections of the Little Flock for Christ and He for them. Really you begin to see the affections that He can create in the Little Flock and by which He draws them to



Himself. Its a tremendous love story. Its a book that describes the relationshipbetween Christ and the believing remnant in Israel.

Weve studied Hebrews, and Ive said to you that in the book of Hebrews youre seeingall this doctrine about Christ and what Hes done for Israel, what He accomplished for them at Calvary, this design to motivate them to go through the Tribulation and endure with Him. In Song of Solomon, you sort of see the result of that doctrine. They glory in Christ. They learn the doctrine, they appreciate Who He isand you see the affection that His glory and His person draws out of them and its a wonderful thing.

So, in these books you are looking into the inner feelings of the remnant and the people of Israel.

Now you remember that when we concluded the historical books, theyre under the fifth course of judgment. When we get over to the prophetic books: Isaiah to Malachi, well see how the doctrine of how the fifth course of judgment is going to becarried out and what God is expecting. What youll be doing in these experiential

books in the middle, youre not looking so much at the doctrine that the prophetsteach that Israel needs to do and youre not seeing so much the history of that doctrine being worked out as youre seeing here how the people felt while all that is going on. Heres how people are thinking. Heres how they are reacting. Heres how they are expressing and understanding what is going on.

The book of Psalms is a collection of 150 Psalms. By the way, there are 150 chapters, 2,416 verses and 43,743 words, so its the biggest book in the Bible.

Notice Psalm 90 which is the oldest Psalm that it is a Prayer of Moses, a man of God.

So, the book of Psalms begins with a Psalm that Moses wrote and it goes all theway through the time of the captivity. Come over to Psalm 137

Psalm 137:1-4 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the LORD's song in a strange land?

Thats a great question, isnt it? There you see the despondency of that Jew in theBabylonian Captivity. So, the book of Psalms begins at the time of Moses and extends all the way over into the time of the captivity. So, you have a tremendousexpanse of time covered by the different Psalms. Most of them were written during a 500-year period, but theres a lot more than that from Moses to where we are here.



Now, seventy-three of the Psalms are ascribed to David. If you turn to Psalm 3,youll notice that there is a title: A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom, his son.

Seventy-three of these Psalms are ascribed to David. Twelve titles are ascribedto Asaph who was Davids choir director. Twelve of them are ascribed for the sonsof Korah; one to a guy named Heman, the Ezrahite; one to Ethan; the Ezrahite; one to Moses and fifty of them are anonymous.

You notice that Psalms 1 and 2 have no title. Fifty of them dont have a title. Many, but not all of those, probably were written by David. Well see later in the book of Psalms that Hezekiah was involved with the Psalms of Degrees. So, there are a lot of different people writing them, but David was the predominant author.

The book of Psalms is in five sections. In fact, in a Jewish Bible, they are called five

books.

Book One consists of Psalms 1 - 41.

Book Two consists of Psalms 42 - 72.

Book Three consists of Psalms 73 - 89.

Book Four consists of Psalms 90 - 106.

Book Five consists of Psalms 107 - 150.

Each one of those books contains a structure within it that is unique to itself. Its as if there are five separate books of Psalms, and each one of them has a theme and a progression through it.

The first book deals with the state of the Little Flock in Jerusalem.

The second book deals with the remnant outside of Jerusalem. Theyre outside looki

ng in.

The third book deals with the deliverance and restoration of the nation Israel.

The fourth book focuses on the Lord being the centerpiece and the dwelling place of Israel.

In the fifth book Gods ways are rehearsed and everything ends in triumph.



In the Jewish division of this there are five books of Psalms. Do you know another set of five books? The Pentateuch the first five books in your Bible.

The book of Psalms was often called the Pentateuch of David, like the Pentateuch of Moses. Each of the five books of the Psalms corresponds to one of the books of Moses.

The first book corresponds with Genesis.

The second book corresponds with Exodus.

The third book corresponds with Leviticus.

The fourth book corresponds with Numbers.

The fifth book corresponds with Deuteronomy.

Genesis and the first book of Psalms deal with man. The first book starts out with the godly man and the ungodly man.

The second book of Psalms compares with the book of Exodus and it deals with Israel as a nation.

The third book compares with the book of Leviticus concerning the sanctuary andholiness in Israel.

The fourth book of Psalms compares with the book of Numbers and deals with the nation Israel and the nations of the earth.

The fifth book corresponds with the book of Deuteronomy which deals with God and His Word. That, basically, is what the last book of Psalms is going to deal with.

If you have a copy of the Companion Bible, one of the most helpful things Bullinger put in it is a layout of the book of Psalms. He has each one of these booksoutlined and laid out. It would give you some real help as you study the book of Psalms. I dont recommend that you use the Companion Bible, quite frankly. Ive never used one but I have one. It sits on a shelf and occasionally, like today because I knew it was in there, I got it out and looked at it.

He has a very keen structural outline of these books. I dont recommend Bullinger



because a lot of what he does is interesting, but Im not big on studying these inversion outlines. He does these structures and anytime somebody is big on outlines, sooner or later, they start forcing things. They get real tantalized by their outlines and start forcing things to fit.

When you start making an outline, you have to make every major word start with the same letter, you know. It wont be long before youre going to force one of themto make it work. Then what are you doing? Youre teaching the outline and youre not teaching the Bible any more, so Im not real big on that.

People say, Well, theyre great memory aids. Well, if you teach somebody a verse inthe Bible, thats a memory aid, too, you know. My memory aid is for you to look at the verses and remember them. Make some notes on the verses and let the versesteach you.

Bullinger is into that, but this that he has on the Psalms is well worth the cost of a Companion Bible. It is something that you would be well served to have. I dont recommend using it all the time because Bullinger made a lot of mistakes. H

e had a tremendous, tremendous wealth of information. Ethelbert William Bullinger was his name. He lived in the last part of the eighteen hundreds and he died in the early nineteen hundreds. He was a gospel-preaching, grace man, a dispensationalist, came from classical a-millennialism into pre-millennialism into dispensationalism into mid-Acts dispensationalism and wound up as an Acts 28-er. He went all the way.

He is often vilified because he didnt believe in hell and he believed in soul-sleep. He had some weird ideas. He didnt believe that God the Holy Spirit personally indwells the believer. But, those ideas, you look at them and you say, You can pick the bones and eat the fish. Because of some of those things I dont recommend h

im just pell-mell to everybody. But he is somebody you guys ought to know about. You can buy one of his hard-back Bibles for about $35. Keep it on your libraryshelf and use it. The appendix is in the back and is full of information. You cant always trust what he says when he gives you facts. If you research behind what he says you find that nobody else knew what he knew. He knew things about Greek and Hebrew that nobody else knows and that is always dangerous. (When you knowsomething that nobody else knows, maybe you ought not know what you know because it might not be true.)

On the other hand, there is a great deal of information and a mature believer can profit greatly from it.

So, that structural outline Im not going to spend a great deal of time on it butyou can get a lot of details out of his Bible notes on the book of Psalms. It might be very helpful to you.

Come over to Matthew, Chapter 13 and Psalm 78. The Psalms are used for devotiona



l reading. Everybody knows the 23rd Psalm. People know the 41st Psalm and Psalm42

and 43. You know, all the devotional things and the depression Psalms, and all of that.

But, the book of Psalms is more than a devotional book. It wasnt put in your Bible to be a devotional.

The book of Psalms is mainly a prophetic book and it is recognized as such in your Bible.

Matthew 13:35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

Thats a quote from Psalm 72 and when He says. it was spoken by the prophet, its taling about Asaph. In Matthew 19, Christ looks back and He says, It is spoken by th

e prophets and He doesnt quote Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea or Malachi. He looks back to the book of Psalms. The reason for that is that there is a recognition that much in the book of Psalms is prophetic in nature.

There are three basic prophetic themes that run through the book of Psalms.

The first one is concerning the Messiah. There is much in the book of Psalms that looks at and is a direct reference to the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ, both of which, of course, are future when the book of Psalms

was written.

You see the humiliation of Christ. In fact, when you go through the life of Christ, youll see that the Lord Jesus Christ in His suffering often quotes from the book of Psalms.

Gesthemane is there; Calvary is there. The mind of the Lord Jesus Christ as He hangs on the cross is a quote from Psalm 22. You see right into His thinking andthats what youre going to do in the book of Psalms. Youre going to look into the mind of someone who is going through a circumstance.

The history books tell you about the circumstances. The prophets tell you what God wants them to know and whats going to happen and the doctrine. Psalms takes you into the mind of the person who is experiencing all of that. Consequently, you see into the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ as He hangs on the cross. You see into His mind later on in Psalm 22 as He comes back in glory.



There is a series of what are called Messianic Psalms. There are seventeen Psalmsthat are Messianic Psalms. A Messianic Psalm is one that refers to the Messiah and is applied in the New Testament Scriptures and is expounded in the New Testament as being a reference to Christ. There are seventeen of these Psalms that specifically are said to refer to the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me give you a list ofwhich ones they are.

2, 8, 16, 22, 23, 24, 40, 41, 45, 68, 69, 72, 87, 89, 102, 110, 118.

As we studied the book of Hebrews weve notice that Psalm 110 has been quoted over and over. Remember how I pointed that out to you? That one little Psalm that says, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

That Psalm is quoted over and over in the New Testament. Thats also the Psalm that says, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. So, you have these things. Much of the doctrine about who Christ is and what He did, in the New Testament, is based and built upon the teachings of the Psalms.

You have to be careful about this and you need to get an understanding of this point and make a note on this: a Messianic Psalm is a Psalm that the New Testament verifies as being a reference to Christ. Otherwise, when you read the book ofPsalms, what can be applied to the Little Flock should be applied to them and not applied directly to Christ.

Even when you apply it to the Little Flock youre going to see, as you study the Psalms, that it will be Christ suffering with the His people.

There are three times in your Bible that the wrath of God is poured out withoutmixture.

The first one is Calvary. The second one is the Tribulation. The third time is the lake of fire.

Jesus Christ suffers at Calvary and in His suffering He identifies Himself withthe sufferings that His people go through in that Tribulation. There is a connection there and consequently sometimes a blurring.

If you look at the second Psalm, the first Messianic Psalm, theres a progressionof doctrine to these things. We just dont have time in one class to go through all of it. But, as you go through these Messianic Psalms, theres a progression of doctrine that goes through them. If you take just the first four of them that are in the first book Psalm 2.



Psalm 2 is a tremendous passage on the Sonship of Christ. We see Him rejected and we see Gods intent to glorify Him. He says:

Psalm 2:1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

Israel and the Gentiles join together and raged Him madly.

Psalm 2:2-5 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed [Christ], saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

There comes the wrath of God. Whats the prophesied response to the rejection of Christ?

Acts 4:25-28 quotes that passage as being fulfilled in the crucifixion of Christ and in the persecution of the Little Flock in the early Acts period. Whats Gods prophesied response to the rejection of Christ? He speaks to them in His wrath.

Psalm 2:6-8 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Theres the whole commission in Matthew 28 and Acts, Chapter 1: Unto the uttermost parts of the world. Why? Because Hes going to give it to His Son, the King, fora possession.

Psalms 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

We just studied about that passage in Revelation 19. Christ is going to come and rule with a rod of iron. Its His rejection, His resurrection, and the Fathers int

ent to make Him the King. Its all right there, so the advice is given:

Psalm 2:10-12 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.



ave time to go through all of it, but if youll study it, youll see it and youll berewarded by it.

Instead of studying the Psalms isolated from one another as though they have norelationship to one another, if you learn to study them as a unit and in sections and see the progression that goes through them, youll greatly profit from the book and from the time spent in it.

Instead of just looking at it as a songbook or as a book of devotional ditties to make you to feel better - I dont depreciate that value of the book - but beginto look at it as a book of prophecy about the way Israel is going to function and feel and operate under that fifth course of judgment, because thats where theyare, but of course, looking specifically at the intense time of it in the Tribulation period.

In Psalm 1, you have an introduction to the book itself.

Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Buthis delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringethforth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

You have the godly man; now the opposite, the ungodly man:

Psalm 1:4-6 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but theway of the ungodly shall perish.

Now, that sets the tone for the book. Theres the issue of the godly remnant versus the ungodly remnant; the Little Flock versus the apostate nation.

Chapter 2: God is going to give them some counsel concerning His Anointed, concerning His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Whats going to happen to His Son when He comes?

The Psalm is clear. Hes going to be rejected, and Hes going to have to go sit in the heavens and yet Gods intent is for Him to sit on His holy hill of Zion. Hes going to do for His Son what He promised Him He would do.



So you start the Psalms with the godly man and the ungodly man. Theres a conflict going on. Theres a rage against and the rejection of the Lords Anointed. The word

"anointed" is Messiah, the Christ. Gods intent is to set Him in His Kingdom.

Psalm 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when hiswrath is kindled but a little.

When you come to Chapters 3 through 7, youre going to see something about the trials and sorrows of the Little Remnant while the Messiah, the Anointed One, is rejected and in exile.

When you get to Chapter 8, youll see the Son of man coming and reigning in the earth in the glory and the dominion of His Kingdom.

Chapter 3 is a Psalm of David when he fled from Absolom. Do you remember what Absolom did to David? He usurped the kingdom. David is a king on exile. What are the feelings of the Little Flock when the king is on exile?

Psalm 3:1 LORD, how are they increased that trouble me!

You see them surrounded by enemies and yet he says:

Psalm 3:8 Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.

By the way, there are three "Selahs" in that chapter - Verses 2, 4 and 8. When you see that term "Selah," that is a little key word for you. Every time you seethat word, the context of that word will be a Second Advent passage. It will beTribulation, Second Advent, every time you see it.

I know that what you are told is that word is a musical note that means a rest,but that isnt why God put that word in your Bible. It wasnt for you to take a pause while youre singing. Thats a doctrinal key to tip you off to understanding every time you see it - and it isnt just in the Psalms. You see it in the prophets and other books. When you see it you know that doctrinally the context will be theSecond Advent.



Psalm 4:1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness.

He begins to cry and pray to God because of the enemies that are all about. Notice what he says:

Psalm 4:2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how longwill ye love vanity,

Do you know anybody in the Tribulation who cries, "How long?" Do you remember in Revelation 6 those souls under the altar that cry, "How long?" Sometime you ought to take a concordance and look up that expression and see how often "How long?" occurs in the book of Psalms. Another one of these little references over here: The words out of the mouths of the souls under the altar are the words in the mouths of the people saying and praying the Psalms. Why? Because theyre the same people. Not necessarily the same individuals but in the same doctrinal framework.

Psalm 5:1 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.

Hes praying again, and he pleads. Now the enemies arent on the outside but the enemies are in the midst of him.

Psalm 5:8 Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.

He goes on down and he talks about the enemies of God.

Psalm 5:10 Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.

That is the first of what are called the "imprecatory" passages. There are a number of passages in the book of Psalms that are called "imprecatory Psalms." An imprecation is a denouncement and a condemnation.

"Destroy them, O God." There is no mercy asked for. When David says this, he doesnt say, "Lord, be merciful." In many of the Psalms David is pleading for mercy for his enemies, but there is a whole series of Psalms where they say such things as: Blessed are they that pick up the heads of their little ones and dash themagainst the rocks. Where is the love in that? Its absent.



The reason is that this isnt just the general tenor of the relationship of people. This is the Spirit of God looking at the rebels out here from Gods perspective. The answer for the imprecatory Psalms (this is the first occurrence) is the last statement in Verse 10: for they have rebelled against thee."

Hes not calling for destruction and judgment of innocent people who have done nothing wrong, but hes saying: Lord, its time to judge these dudes that are destroying Your people.

Psalm 5:4-5 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

He says: Look, Im agreeing with you, Lord. You hate people who rebel against you.

Come and destroy. What are You waiting for? Lets get on with this thing.

The imprecatory Psalms are really a vindication of Gods honor. Theyre not a statement of malevolence and lack of compassion. Theyre just a recognition of reality.They are not a statement of an individual as much as they are the statements ofthe king and the official representative nation of the Lord.

If you go back to Deuteronomy 19, you will find the verse that says, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. You see people on TV who want to embarrass a Bible believer and make him look like some half-wit, you know, so theyll have some guy with half his teeth knocked out come up and say, "Well, Im going to kill this guy cause he kil

led so-and-so. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, you know."

If you read that passage, its not talking about personal retaliation. To get theeye for an eye and the tooth for a tooth you had to take them down to the court, prosecute them in court before the civil authorities and get a conviction in court and then have the civil authorities execute the judgment. Thats Deuteronomy.

You see, thats talking about civil government. Thats talking about the type and standard of punishment that the civil authority was to mete out to be fair and equ

itable.

Thats what that passage is talking about. Its not talking about you taking personal vengeance: Somebody punches you, and you have to punch him back - an eye for eye and a tooth for tooth. It isnt talking about that at all. The imprecatory Psalms are not talking about personal vengeance. Theyre talking about God executing His judgment and the delight and the praise Hell get when He does that.



Psalm 6:1-4 O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hotdispleasure. Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for mybones are vexed. My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long? Return, O

LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake.

Psalm 6:6 I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.

He says: Man, Im squalling so bad, its just a bed of tears. Im swimming around in them.

In Chapter 7, its the same thing. Actually, its a Second Advent passage. Verses 7-11: theres the Second Coming of Christ.

Then you get to Chapter 8 and theres the Kingdom. Everything is put under His feet.

Psalm 8:1 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hastset thy glory above the heavens.

Psalm 8:4-6 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, thatthou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the

works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

Theres the Kingdom.

So what are you going to see in the Book of Psalms? It recognizes where they are - in the condition of rebellion. Theyre under that fifth course of judgment. Theyre crying out for deliverance. There are going to be enemies without and enemies within. Theres going to be all this destruction going on in the camp and the persecution and trouble.

That Little Flock is going to be crying: Oh Lord, come get us and save us! Theres no salvation anywhere but in You, and then Hes going to come back, destroy the wicked and set up His Kingdom.

In the first eight chapters you see the Son of man, and now in Chapters 9-15 you see the man of the earth. Youre going to get a picture of the Antichrist, especially in Chapters 9



and10.

Psalm 10:18 To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.

But when you go down through this passage, hes repeatedly called "the wicked" and "the wicked one." Where do you recognize that title from?

2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed,

That isnt the first time that term appeared in the Bible. You go back to Job 28 and over here in Psalms 9 and 10, and you see "the wicked man," and "the wicked man." What are you talking about? A man oppressing Israel in that time of judgment.

For example, in Chapter 9, Verses 5-6: Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hastdestroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever. O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end:

And on and on he goes. The Lord is going to be their refuge, etc.

Psalm 9:16-17 The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked i

s snared in the work of his own hands. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

Psalm 9:19 Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thysight.

Put them in fear, Arise! Stand up! There you are with Stephen over there. How does he see Him? Standing, arising to judge His people and deliver them.

Psalm 10:2-4 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be takenin the devices that they have imagined. For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth. The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.



On and on he goes down through there, and he talks in Verse 7 about "His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity."

Psalm 10:11 He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.

Hes gone away. Hes in exile. Hes stayed away so long, and Hes never going to come bck.

Psalm 10:12-13 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.

Wherefore doth the wicked contemn [despise] God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.

Come on back and fix him.

Psalm 10:15 Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man.

There it all is. Now, heres this guy praying and pleading under this oppression.Whats he going to do?

Psalm 11 talks about what the righteous do when wickedness dominates.

Chapter 12 talks about the preservation that God is going to have for His people.

Chapter 13, again, Verse 1: "How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?"

Hes gone. Hes on exile. Hes not there. When are you coming back?

Psalm 13:2-3 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily?

how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me? Consider and hear me, O LORD my God:



Come on, Lord. Come get us! They cry and plead.

Psalm 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.

You see the depravity of man down through that chapter.

Then in Chapter 15, youre going to see the perfect man. In fact, Chapter 15 is the outline of the Sermon on the Mount. If the Lord Jesus Christ had had a set ofnotes and preached the Sermon on the Mount from them, He could have used Psalm 15.

When you come to Psalm 16, you move from focusing on the oppressor and the evilman, and youre going to start looking at the perfect man. From here all the way down to Chapter 41, the focus is going to be on the Son of man as the Man Christ

Jesus.

In Chapter 16, you see Him taking His place of dependence among the Little Flock.

Chapter 17 is a prayer to be kept from His enemies.

Chapter 18 is the answer to the prayer in Chapter 17 and you see Him enter intothe sorrows of the remnant.

Chapter 19 is a great passage on Christs glory before Israel in creation and in the Word of God.

Chapter 20 is the prayer for salvation for the remnant.

Then in Chapter 21 He gives you the answer to that prayer and the glory of thatKingdom which is to come where the Lord will be exalted.

In Chapter 22 you come to the crucifixion where you see the Good Shepherd laying down His life for the sheep. The first part of the chapter, the first twenty-one verses, is His humiliation. Verse 22 to the end of the chapter is the glory that shall follow. First the sufferings and then the glory. First, you see Him cry



ing and suffering and you see into His heart and mind as He hangs on Calvary. Then you see the glory: " for the joy that was set before him .

In Chapter 23 you see the Great Shepherd.

In Chapter 22, Hes the Good Shepherd, then Hes the Great Shepherd.

Then in Chapter 24, Hes the Chief Shepherd who is coming.

In Chapter 22, you see the cross.

In Chapter 23, you have His identification with the remnant in their sufferings.

In Chapter 24, you see the glory of the King of Glory coming.

Read down through Chapter 24, and you"ll see the whole thing is on the Second Coming of Christ.

Psalm 24:7-10 Lift up your head, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

You see that over and over and over and over again.

In Chapter 25-28 He begins to deal with the principles of being accepted: faith, hope and confession, etc. You see the principles that Leviticus 26 told us about and how theyre going to get out of that fifth course of judgment. You see its being expressed in the thinking and talking of the people living at the time these passages were written, and it goes all the way to the end.

I go through those things in the Psalms with you to say to you that its not justa book of separate little devotional things. Its a book that has continuity to it. Each of those five sub-sections carries on the message, and they all focus doctrinally on that Tribulation period and how that Little Flock of believers, - that godly remnant, that godly man - is going to be oppressed by the ungodly man,but its the godly man that prospers and the ungodly man who is "not so."

Now, there are a lot of things in the Psalms that are very comforting for you an



Its real important to understand the placement of the book of Song of Solomon. When you think of Job, thats about Job. When you think of Psalms, whom do you think of?

David. And when you think of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon, whom do you think of? Solomon. Those three books are writtten by or about Solomon.

Although David did not write only maybe about half of the Psalms, the sweet bard of Israel, his name is attached to the Psalms as is no other persons name is.

I tried to show you that the book of Job - the first book in the Bible - was written around the last part of the book of Genesis, actually before Israel went down into Egypt. It was long before these books were written, time-wise. Job is placed at the head of the heart books because it demonstrates the plight and predicament of Israel in satanic captivity and their hope that the Lord will turn their captivity.

We looked in James 5 when we started and we saw that in the last days that thatbelieving remnant of Israel in the last days is going to have the book of Job be

ing taught to them as giving them the education and information they need so they can patiently endure the trials and suffering that theyre enduring and that they can commit their souls to God, the faithful Creator, for His safe-keeping.

The book of Psalms is a book that sets forth the hope of Israel in the Davidic Covenant.

The book of Proverbs sets forth wisdom that that believing remnant is going to need in order to handle the details of their life wisely facing the evil of the last days, so they can walk wisely in the midst of wicked days.

Ecclesiastes sets forth the kind of attitude the world is going to have, the things that the world is going to be facing and shows forth Solomon as the wise preacher. He talks about and sets forth the sore travail that is going to be givento the sons of men.

These three books of Solomon are real important. You come to the Song of Solomon and it sets forth the relationship of the Shulamite woman who is a picture of the believing remnant in Israel and how she is being seduced away from waiting for her Beloved by the religion of Israel.

When David and Solomon are so prominent in these books, you have to understand immediately this is something I want you to grasp as we are looking at the Song of Solomon these books (Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon) were



written within an eighty year period in Israels history. Thats David writing forty years and Solomon writing forty years. It is in their lifetime that these books are basically written.

I know Psalms covers more time span, Moses writes some and people later than David write them. In Proverbs we saw that as late as the time of Hezekiah, men arecopying out the proverbs of Solomon. But, the bulk of these books cover the life of David and Solomon. Over and over in the Psalms, you see that David is in a predicament and theres a Psalm about his predicament and God delivering him. Thatsjust like it will be with the Little Flock in the Tribulation in the Day of theLord.

In Solomons case and this is real important to grasp Solomons life is in three stges and in each one of these stages is a picture of Israel of different places in their history.

He starts off as a type of Christ, the son of David. In the book of Proverbs heis Davids faithful son. You see the proverbs that are given to the believer in Is

rael to encourage them to remain faithful. You have this wise information in Proverbs that gives the Little Flock the capacity to endure against the seductionsof the satanic policy against Israel.

So, in that, Solomon is a picture of wisdom and the true son of David faithfully receiving from his father these proverbs and walking in them in wisdom.

Proverbs is like its given to Solomon when he becomes king. Then in Ecclesiasteshe says: I have been king in Jerusalem. In Ecclesiastes, its toward the mid-life

career of Solomon and hes had time to give his heart. His kingdom is established, he is wealthy, hes got a real reputation of everything from an architect to a statesman, to a poet, a wise man, a counselor and hes gone out and allowed his heart to intermeddle with wisdom and the things of the world. By his own wisdom hes gone out to see what is available under the sun.

He reports back about the source available. In Ecclesiastes 1, he talks about Everything is vanity. He talks about the sore travail to the sons of men on the earth.

Ecclesiastes is specifically written not just to the nation Israel but remember

that.

Ecclesiastes 1:12-13 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are doneunder heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.



He begins to describe and reports back his observations and what he learned about the sore travail given to the sons of man.

By the way, notice that he says the sons of man, not men. The Hebrew word man

is exactly the word used in Genesis hadama. Hadamas is the word for Adam (man).

He is talking about humanity, all the sons of Adams situation in the world. And,its just one of sore travail. He talks about the reason for that in the philosophy that the world follows and the wisdom of the world and the vanity of all the aspects of the ungodliness program of the world.

Weve been studying in the book of Jude where we talked about in the last days, in the Day of the Lord, ungodliness reaches its zenith.

Well, Solomon describes the ungodliness that leads to that zenith of ungodliness in the last days and the conclusion do you remember what the conclusion of Eccl

esiastes is in the twelfth chapter? You look over there and he says:

Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth,

Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Ecclesiastes reports the source of all that the sons of man that are enduring and he says that the conclusion that you get from that is that theyd better fear God.

Now if you remember that in the book of the Revelation, in the middle of the Seventieth Week, theres an angel that flies in heaven and preaches whats called The Everlasting Gospel. (Do you remember what that is? Come over to Revelation 14 and well look at it in a minute.) You need to be familiar with these gospel messages in the Bible.

Revelation 14:6-7 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

Doesnt that sound just about what Solomon says at the end of Ecclesiastes? What E



cclesiastes does is that it brings you through to the place and the message of the book of Ecclesiastes is just the message that the remnant in Israel is goingto be delivering to the world.

I understand that the Old Testament is Israel and Israels book, but there are tremendous messages back here that God gives to Israel to take to the nations of the world, this Everlasting Gospel. What this is doing is giving information for that believing remnant and a message that theyre going to carry to the nations inthat Seventieth Week of Daniel.

First, Solomon is a picture of the faithful son of David. Then he becomes a picture and a type of the remnant in Israel with a message for the nations having really learned for them to proclaim. Toward the end of Solomons ministry, he became a type of the antichrist. In Solomons life, you have a type of the true son of David at the beginning of his life, then someone who goes out and takes human wisdom, sets aside divine revelation, and intermingles with the worlds wisdom and comes away with the conclusion that there is no message in it. But then, toward the end of his life Solomon is used by Satan to reestablish in Israel the system of Baal worship, the religious system of the antichrist, of the devil.

Peter talks in 1 Peter 1 about being redeemed from the vain conversation received from your fathers (that vain religious system that is in Israel). Jesus tellsthe Pharisees

Howbeit in vain do they worship me. Thats Baal worship in the Bible and it goes all the way back to Genesis. It got infested in Israel in Judges in the first course of judgment. When Samuel came along he rooted it out and for a brief period in the ministry of David and the first part of Solomons ministry, the worship of the Lord Jehovah was there.

But, toward the end of Solomons life and ministry he gets associated with what Nehemiah calls outlandish women. I love these expressions in the Bible. I love thatthing in Acts 17 about leud fellows of the baser sort. What more do you need to say about these dudes? They just are bad dudes (leud fellows of the baser sort).

Outlandish women doesnt mean they wore funny-looking clothes. Out of the land is w its talking about. Solomons heart was drawn away from the worship of the Lord into idolatry and Baal worship by taking wives and concubines, women from outside Israel that he brought in. Those women when they came in it wasnt just that they were outlandish it was that they brought in with them the worship of false gods.

They stole Solomons heart away from the Lord. At the end of his life, Solomon winds up being a picture of someone who has been seduced by the apostate religion of Satan and has gone back and reestablished that apostate system in Israel.

In fact, when Solomons son divides the kingdom, the north from the south, they do it on religious grounds. They establish Baal worship as the official religion in the Northern Kingdom and then Ahab and Jezebel get it established in Judah.



Notice when they built Solomons throne there are six steps: one, two, three, four, five, six. On each step there is a lion six on one side and six on the other.So when you go up to Solomons throne there are six lions, six lions, six steps. Six-six-six. Just to come up to Solomon you had to go through he identified himself. You see the wealth and the position that he gained and all the rest, he allowed it to seduce him into the whole system, that in the Bible is identified with Baal worship.

And, at the end of his life he is totally seduced into that system of Baal worship and thus you see the representative six-six-six. He has this number attachedto his name. Now he doesnt have that number attached to his name in the beginning of his ministry. That is what I am trying to get you to see. At the beginning he is the true faithful son of David.

Then he goes out and lays aside the divine revelation and wisdom that he has and he goes out under the sun, not with divine revelation but with human wisdom totry to work what people are doing and figure it out and see if it has any purpose and meaning in life. He comes back and he says: There isnt any out there. All there is in the world is sore travail.

At the end of his life, because of the influences of the satanic policy of evilagainst the nation Israel, to deceive Israel, Solomon himself has become a participant in the apostate religious system that has overtaken the nation Israel.

So, when you see his books: Proverbs at the beginning of his life, the faithfulson of David and wisdom to teach the believer how to be faithful.

Ecclesiastes is in the mature era of his life. After hes been king and has interm

eddled with the wisdom of the world he says: Theres nothing out there.

But Song of Solomon is written way over toward the end of his life. Now, ratherthan being a type of Christ and the faithful remnant, hes become in Israel a type of the seducer. Hes become the six-six-six man. So, in Solomon, you get this whole course of Israel as they start well. Then they are seduced away and in spiteof what they know to the contrary, they wind up in rebellion against God. Song of Solomon is written from that perspective.

Its a song, a love song, and as you read Song of Solomon what you find is this Shulamite woman who has her Beloved and Hes gone away. Hes told her Hes going to come back. Solomon comes to her and on two occasions seeks to seduce her and to draw her away from faithfulness and chastity to her Beloved to come join him and let him lavish upon her his riches, let him lavish upon her his wealth.

Do you understand that In the Tribulation, in the Day of the Lord, - weve studied through 2 Peter and 1, 2 and 3 John and were going through Jude on Wednesday nig



ht and Ive talked to you about this seduction policy that the adversary has against the Little Flock.

Sometimes we think of the persecution and forget how strong it is to be seduced. Theyre going to have wealth beyond imagination that they offer to Israel. Just like Solomon offers this to this woman. Come. And in Chapter 1, he takes her into his palace. In fact, when we get over there in the second attempt, he actually takes her into his bedroom and he seeks to seduce her and then he lavishes gifts on her to appeal to her to make her succumb.

She does one thing that the believing remnant is going to have to do in the last days to stay faithful in the face of all that, this woman does it in faith. Well see that as we go through it.

I want you to get that background about the book, Song of Solomon, so you understand.

I understand that Song of Solomon is usually presented as a picture of Christ an

d the woman is a picture of the church and the love affair between Christ and the church and that kind of stuff. But, when you really see where Solomon is in his life, you say, No, thats not really going on. Hes really the seducer and hes tryig to seduce away the Shulamite woman.

Thats exactly whats going to happen in Israel because its the religious leaders ofIsrael, the national leaders of Israel. It was the scribes and the Pharisees and the priests that were opposing the Lord Jesus Christ. They were seduced away already.

Song of Solomon 1:1 The song of songs, which is Solomon's.

Notice the title. Solomon wrote a bunch of songs. You know that. He wrote hundreds of them. Weve seen that when we studied Proverbs. When he says, The song of songs

when the Bible wants to make something a superlative, the best of the best it would say something like the song of songs. Or, it would say, king of kings, lord of ls. I mean, youve got lords and youve got one that is lord of all. Youve got kings ad youve got one that is king of all. Servant of servants: youve got servants and y

ouve got the supreme one.

The song of songs. Heres one that is above all the others. Now there are three of those songs in the Bible. Come with me to Isaiah 5 and Psalm 45. There are actually three of these love songs in scripture. All three of them have to do prophetically with Israel, about the history of Israels struggle under the fifth course of judgment.



Isaiah 5:1 Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard.

Here is a song of my beloved, a song for my lover, the one that I love. Just asSong of Solomon is a song with a longing for the beloved, Isaiah 5 is the same kind of thing.

Come over to Psalm 45. When you read the Psalms, you should always notice and read the titles of the Psalms. In some Bibles you will have outlines of the chapters at the headings that the translators put in. The Scofield Bible always notesthe divisions but theyre not scripture. But, in the Psalms there are titles thatwere affixed to the Psalms when they were written. They are not something the translators added but were literally a part of the Psalm when it was written to tell you the purpose of the Psalm. (We studied this when we went through these.)

Psalm 45 has this title: To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of K

orah, Maschil, A Song of loves.

Do you see that word Maschil? That word alerts you to the fact that this is a Psalm to educate, to teach. This is going to be a teaching Psalm. This is not a Psalm of praise.

This is a Psalm designed to educate the reader about some doctrine. Every Maschil Psalm is a Psalm about doctrine that these people need to learn.

Then, notice what it says: A Song of loves. That term is not like saying that this guy is writing about all the lovers he has had. Its not like the country singer, Willie Nelson, who sang the song All the Girls Ive Loved Before. Its not that. Itot talking about all the lovers but its a song of loves. Thats a chorale of majesty. Thats a common use of language but you have to think what is being said here. A Song of loves. Ive loved and Ive loved and Ive loved and heres a song thats the ajestic thing of all of the things that Ive loved. Its the idea that this is a song of the majestic, exalted kind of love.

What Psalm 45 is, is the super Messiah when they crown Him King of kings and Lord of lords. If you read down through Psalm 45, what you literally see here is th

e coronation day.

On January 20th, we inaugurate the president of the United States. Hes elected in November and inaugurated in January. We have a big ceremony and theres a parade.

He has a great entourage that goes with him. There are people up on the dais who are friends and family, loved ones and people who have meant something to him,and all his associates. And they have a big wing-ding.



What Psalm 45 is, is the big wing-ding. We literally see the parade of people who go in to the coronation of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, its a song of love, the majesty of their love for their Messiah.

Psalm 45:1-6 My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips [talking about the King]: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. Thy throne, O

God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.

Where is that quoted? Do you remember its quoted in Hebrews 1:8?

Hebrews 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

Shake your head yes that you remember. I dont want to be talking over your head here if we need to looking at all these verses but Im looking across this august auditorium here tonight and assuming that this biblical, intelligized group of people remember these verses like that. Youve got them in your mind. Right? Write that verse down by Hebrews 1:8, if you need to, and look it up. That verse is quoted in Hebrews 1:8 as a reference to Jesus Christ. Its one of the great verses on t

he deity of Christ.

God says to the Son, Thy throne, O God, (theres God the Father addressing God the Son). Thats whats in this passage. Theres no doubt about this being Christ.

Psalm 45:7-8 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, wherebythey have made thee glad.

Weve got a song: Out of the Ivory Palaces. Do you know that song? Thats where it coes from, talking about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 45:9-11 Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir. Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and



incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.

And He goes on down to describe the entourage thats going to enter in with Him.

Psalm 45:15 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enterinto the king's palace.

Theyre going to go from the coronation when He stands out there and He is inaugurated as King of kings and Lord of lords. All the Old Testament saints are raised up in that great resurrection day and then theyre all going to go into the palace.

Man! Thats going to be some day, folks. This Psalm is describing that. Its a lovesong about the Kingdom.

Now, in Isaiah 5, that love song starts with the first coming of Christ. Psalm 45 looks at the second coming of Christ and the Kingdom. Song of Solomon fits between those. Its a song of the faithful, beloved remnant of Israel, the believingremnant of Israel. Christ having come and done the things Isaiah 5 talks about,theyre going to come and do the things that Psalm 45 talks about and heres that believing remnant in the midst of waiting.

Her Beloved has come and gone away. Hes coming back and shes waiting for Him.

Her heart is fixed on Him but the apostate religious system, the seduction policy of the adversary, comes and seeks to seduce her away.

What you have in Song of Solomon is her faithfulness not to be seduced away andthe thing she has to do to maintain her fidelity to her Lord.

Now, go back with me to Isaiah 5 and Matthew 21 just for a second. Let me identify for you where this one starts.

Isaiah 5:1 Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard.

Now, notice the issue about touching his vineyard. Isaiah says: Im going to singa song of my beloved touching his vineyard.



Isaiah 5:1b-7 My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: Iwill also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

And then he goes on with the woes that are going to come upon Israel because oftheir failure to be who God planted them to be.

Now you know what the vine and the fig tree are. The vine tree is a picture or representation in the Bible of the nation Israel, of the national life. He said : I went out here and I fixed the ground. He chose out Palestine and He got it out and He planted the nation in the land of Palestine. He planted a vineyard there and in the vineyard He planted a fig tree. A fig tree in the Bible is the picture of religion. God never established in the earth but one religion and He gave it to the nation Israel through Moses and He planted that religion, that fig tree, in the vineyard.

Then He came looking for fruit from the fig tree but also from the vineyard. The

fruit that they brought forth was yukka yukka pooey. Spit it out. It wasnt any good. It wasnt the cultivated sweet grapes. It was yucko.

When did He come looking for fruit in the vineyard? Well, that was what the earthly ministry of Christ was. He comes looking for fruit and there isnt any and Hesays: Im going to judge the nation because of that.

Look at Matthew 21:33. Hear another parable Jesus is telling them.

Matthew 21:33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:

Thats exactly what you read in Isaiah. Hes planted a vineyard. Hes put a hedge around it to keep everybody out, to keep it separate, to protect it from the nations



, with a winepress in it and a place to get the fruit and get everything ready.Then He let it out.

He put it in the hands of leaders to take care of it and then He goes off in a far country and leaves husbandmen to take care of it.

Matthew 21:34-39 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servantsto the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmentook his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again,he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. Butwhen the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him,and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

Thats a picture of what Israel is doing. God had sent His prophets and His messengers and they were ignored. They had killed them and thats why He says to them in Chapter 23:

Matthew 23:31-35 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: andsome of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

Abel is in the first book of the Hebrew Bible and Zacharias is in the last bookof the Hebrew Bible. Hes saying: From Genesis to Revelation youve rejected My Word, you have killed My prophets and the judgment is going to come on you.

You see, the thing that Isaiah 5 is talking about comes into existence in the earthly ministry of Christ. He comes looking for fruit and they dont have any.

Matthew 21:40-43 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicke

d men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in thescriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you [the religious leaders of Israel, the Scribes and Pharisees], and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.



That nation is identified in Luke 12:32 as the Little Flock.

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

Theres going to be a believing remnant in Israel that is going to give the blessings of the Kingdom, too.

Matthew 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Theres going to be judgment at the Second Coming. The stone (Daniel 2:44 and 45)comes and destroys all the kingdoms of the earth so the Kingdom of Christ is established.

So, Isaiah 5 tells them in light of their refusal to respond to Him and to trust the Beloved One theres going to be judgment coming and Hes going to select out aremnant, a faithful Little Flock to give the Kingdom to, and the rest Hes going to wipe out.

Now, go back with me to Isaiah 5:1 and notice the song of my beloved touching his vineyard. Go back to Song of Solomon 8. When you read Isaiah 5, youve already read Song of Solomon.

Song of Solomon 8:10-14 I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour. Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver. My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred. Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me tohear it. Make haste, my Beloved, See how Solomon has his vineyard but Im interested in somebody elses vineyard.

Song of Solomon 8:14 Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a y

oung hart upon the mountains of spices.

The last thing that woman is doing is comparing Solomons vineyard with her Beloveds vineyard. In Isaiah you begin to read about the song of my Beloved, about Hisvineyard.

You see, what this woman in Song of Solomon is doing is that she is thinking about her Beloved, her Messiah and His vineyard, and not the vineyard of the aposta



tes out there who are trying to take away Gods possessions.

And, all through the Song, from the first chapter all the way to the end well gothrough it in detail next time and Ill show you the flow of thought.

She waits for her Beloved and that verse over there in Isaiah that says, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: is what this gal does. She does the one thing that the believing remnant is going to have to do to get through without being seduced. All she thinks about, all she talks about, all thats in her mind is her Beloved.

When she dreams, she dreams about Him. When she talks, she talks about Him. When Solomon talks, she says: Yeah, but My Beloved. In fact, Solomon comes in and tries to dazzle her and she says : Well, thats great, but My Beloved Man! Hes something else.

When He comes, Hes going to do this and when He comes, Hes going to do that.

Theres a wonderful picture of His Coming in Chapter 2 and then Solomon attempts to seduce her, goes away and he comes back the second time and tries to make herthink hes her Beloved. He tries to seduce her into thinking that he is the coming of her Beloved. She looks and sees right through it because she knew His voice.

And, it becomes a wonderful love story because it becomes a picture of a faithful believer, just the chastity of this Shulamite woman waiting for her Beloved.

Then you see Solomon as the apostate Israel trying to seduce her. He comes as a

king; he comes as a priest; he comes with all of the garb and wealth of the vain conversation of the fathers and she doesnt fall for it.

Well go through the details next time but its important to me that you see the setting of Solomon so you just dont think; Well hes a type of Christ here and so hes aways a type of Christ over here. You know hes a type of Christ. That is the thingthat he used to try to seduce her just like Israel will have two attacks from the adversary: as the man of sin and as the son of perdition. Solomon comes afterher in the same way. The key in the Song of Solomon is that the one thing that the believing remnant is going to need to do to see herself through faithfully, keeping her mind stayed on thee (on Jehovah), she does.

Now, thats a lesson for you and me because occupation on Christ is the key of getting through the day. I have said to you many times, Ive said thousands of timesto others, if talking about your problems, focusing on your problems solve yourproblems, you wouldnt have any problems. Talking about your problems doesnt solvethem but talking about who you are in Christ thats what solves them.



Its not looking how big the adversary is but its looking at how big your resources are.

Can I encourage you to read Song of Solomon before next time? There are portions of the book of Song of Solomon that are not meant for public reading and teaching and Ive never subscribed to the idea that you ought to teach every verse in the Bible publicly.

There are portions of this book that are not meant for that and we are not going to go through every verse and every detail in the book but we will get the flow of thought.

Wonderful picture of this Shulamite woman being faithful to her Beloved. Hes gone away, but Hes coming back. And while Hes gone, the seduction tactic, the design to take this gal whos out in the woods, out in the wilderness with nothing, seemingly unappreciated, and the wealth of the king to seduce her and the wealth of the honor and glory of the religion of Israel to seduce her, and yet, she doesnt succumb.

So, you read the eight chapters for next week and then youll be familiar enough with them that we can go through them and theyll be fresh in your mind.

Father: Thank You tonight for instruction such as this in Your Word where Your people have loved You all along because of Who You are. As we see this dear ladyrepresent what every believer in every age needs to do: to keep their mind stayed on You. We pray that we might be encouraged by it to emulate her example and honor our Saviour because of it.

In Christs name, Amen.


(Lesson 35)

The books of Job through Song of Solomon deal with the guarding of the heart and attitude of that believing remnant in the Day of the Lord. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon being authored under his reign progress through the lifeof Solomon.

And just as Solomon starts out as the faithful son of David - Proverbs demonstrates his wisdom there - he evolves spiritually into one who trusts his own wisdom, his own power, his own ability.



The book of Ecclesiastes addresses that sore travail that comes with the sons of men who are looking for meaning and purpose and direction under the sun ratherthan getting it from God. That is, theyve abandoned the wisdom of God and seek human viewpoint.

Then in the last part of his life he literally becomes a type of the antichrist. We looked at passages last week that associate Solomon that way. It is at thatpoint that the Song of Solomon is written. What you have in the Song of Solomonis Solomon functioning as a type of the antichrist. He functions as a type of the apostate religious system in Israel, the apostate nation Israel, who seeks tocorrupt and woo away the Little Flock from faith in her Messiah, faith in her Beloved, chastity and faithfulness to her Beloved who is not there. Hes gone away.She knows Hes going to return. She knows Hes coming back.

What this Song demonstrates is how this Shulamite woman who is a picture of thebelieving remnant in Israel remains faithful to her absent beloved one and resists the seduction of Solomon who is a type of apostate Israel her beloved is a type of Christ

and shes a type of the believing remnant. It goes right along with what weve beenstudying in the Hebrew epistles about the seduction policy that is involved over there in the latter epistles: Second Peter, First, Second, and Third John and Jude where the apostate nation is trying to seduce the believing remnant into apostasy.

So this lady in Song of Solomon is a tremendous illustration of that. Now, I understand that nine out of ten, if not ninety-nine out of a hundred, commentarieson this book of Song of Solomon dont teach it the way I just described it to you. They teach that Solomon is a type of Christ and shes loving Him and so forth. Bu

t, when you study Solomons life you begin to realize that its really not that. You see him not the way Christ would function when you see him function as a seducer. The Lord Jesus Christ is not a seducer. Thats the adversary coming in to try to take away what really belongs to another.

Its a fascinating book. Its divided into six sections. Ill just go down through the sections with you so you can kind of get an idea of what they are and how theyfunction.

The song of songs, which is Solomon's. And again, this is one of the three songs that deals with the relationship of the believing remnant in Israel to the apostate nation Israel in the Day of the Lord and prior to the absence of Christ in the time of the Tribulation.

Song of Solomon 1:1-7 The song of songs, which is Solomon's: Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the



virgins love thee. Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee. I am black, but comely, O ye daughters ofJerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me,because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept. Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?

She describes her love for her beloved one. Shes longing for him and shes designed for him to be there even though hes gone. She knows generally where he is. She says: Come and show me where you are. Dont leave me as one that doesnt know where her lover, her betrothed, is. Dont leave me that way. She remembers and longs forhim in Verses 2 and 3.

The problem in Verse 4 is that its the king. The king is Solomon. The king hath brought me into his chambers. Now, shes longing for her beloved even though the king has brought her into his chambers. Thats what the Little Flock is going to be doing in the Day of the Lord when the antichrist and the apostate religious system

are seeking to seduce them.

Youll see as we go on down through here that Solomon has brought her into his palace.

When it talks about his chambers its talking literally about his living quarters. Its like in the White House, you have the West Wing and you have the Oval Office and then you have the residence where the President lives. Solomon is literally taking her not just into the West Wing where the offices are, hes taking her up into his living quarters. Well see later in the book where he actually takes her into his bedroom. Hes trying to seduce her and trying to wow her with all the wealt

h and blessings, the position and the title and the glory and all that she can have if shell just come and be his lover, be a part of his harem. (What did he have? Seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines?) You know, she wouldnt be very special but hes making it out that way.

You have to remember that these people in the seduction were in the last days. Seduction is a way you draw people in and try to seduce them into something withthe promise of delightful things. You dont seduce people with a stick. You seduce them with a carrot.

The seduction that is going to be laid against Israel in the last days is something where wealth and power and fame and Everything youve ever been looking for, you can have, just come and trust me to give it to you. Thats literally what Solomon does to her. She does, right here at the beginning of the Song, the one thing that the Little Flock is going to have to do to get through the tribulation, to get through the Day of the Lord, into the Kingdom without being seduced. She does it there in Verse 4:



Song of Solomon 1:4 Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy lovemore than wine: the upright love thee.

She says to her beloved: I dont care where he takes me, what he shows me, Im justthinking about you. Ive got my mind filled with you and who you are.

In fact, youll see as she goes on here, when she talks, she talks about him. When she sings, she sings about him. Even when she dreams, she dreams about her beloved one.

That is what sustains her against the seduction thats put before her with all its enticing things.

Come with me to Isaiah 26 so you see why that is important to Israel.

Isaiah 26:1 In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have astrong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.

Notice that this is another song that theyre going to be singing when the King comes.

Its fascinating that they sing songs. You know, theres a big thing today in Christendom about Praise and Worship music. The way we sing here is considered to be traditional singing. Traditional singing is supposed to be a no-no. Youre not supposed to do that any more. Youre supposed to sing what are called Praise and Worship son

gs. Where that comes from is just the Charismatic Movement. Thats all it is.

A Praise and Worship song is a song where you sing directly to the Lord. You address the Lord. You dont sing about God. We dont sing Years I spent in vanity and pride, Knowing not my Lord was crucified. Thats a song of Testimony. You sing, Oh Lord love you. O Lord, I praise you. You address the Lord.

Well, I dont know about you, but when youre talking to the Lord, theres not a whole lot you can say to Him that He doesnt already know. Its a lot easier to sing, Lord

, we need You. Lord, we praise You.

I was in a meeting in another state earlier this year and they were singing oneof these songs and they were reciting the names of the Lord all these differentHebrew names.

When they got through I asked the song leader, Do you know the meaning of those names? It turned out that he didnt. I said, Then how do you explain how thats helpfu



? You see, the Lord doesnt just want words. The Lord wants intelligent understanding on your part and He wants to see the information in you working out through you.

Weve sung to God the Father, now were going to sing to God the Son and God the Holy Spirit so they dont get jealous of us talking to God the Father.

Pretty soon it just gets to be flesh, real fleshy. And, thats what that stuff is its all that

He-touched-me, that real sense-oriented, flesh-oriented, experience-oriented business.

If the doctrine you believe is true it will confirm itself in your experience. You dont have to put the experience first; you put the truth first. If its true, in fact, if its not true, whatever you believe is going to work itself out in yourexperience because thats the way life works.

Experience comes out of the heart of the issues of life, from whats inside of you, what youre thinking. So, when you have sound doctrine inside of you, it will work itself out.

If you have error inside, its going to work itself out and produce its fruit.

When youre singing, the big thing now is, you know, you just have to kind of get in it

and have a good time. I dont know about you but we sing here for just a half an hour and I have a good time. I enjoy it. Ive always wondered, Why couldnt people learn some of these good songs with some doctrinal content and it be good? Well, you could, you see.

The reason I said all that is in Isaiah 26 is another song that Israel is goingto sing. Every time Israel is singing a song it is full of doctrine. Thats all the songs are. They are a rehearsal of their understanding of what God is doing or has done for them. When they address the Lord, they dont just get into this gooey Oh we adore thee business. They say: Lord, you did this, this, this, this and this, and we praise you for it. Its not this goo-goo eyed kind of thing .

I remember years ago when I was going to marry this couple and I was counselingthem ahead and was talking with them. I asked the girl, Why do you want to marrythis guy?

(I like to ask that question.) And, she looked at me kind of blank in the face.Well, thats too long to give an answer. If you dont have an answer on the tip of your tongue, man, its too long. The poor guy is looking Now, she had to say the ri



ght thing, shes had time to think about it, you know. Well anyway, I cant tell you what happened in that situation, I could but I wont. You know, you need to havethe right answers to things and there needs to be some content.

Well, that is what this is. When you see these songs, theres doctrine, theres content and theres not just this gooey little Oooh, I just looove Him sooo much. Why do you want to marry that jerk? Oh, I just looove him. Well, six months from now when you come around telling me how big a jerk he is, Im going to say to you, Yeah, hes that jerk that you didnt think you just couldnt live without.

Somebody has said that love is blind and marriage is a great eye-opener. But, its a little late. You see, its eye-opened.

Isaiah 26:1-2 In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We havea strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.

This is the Little Flock. The entourage is coming in. The other night we were studying Psalm 24 about opening the gates and letting the King of Glory come in with His entourage for His coronation. Here they are.

Isaiah 26:3-6 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; thelofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringethit even to the dust. The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.

You go down through the restoration of the nation and the Lord coming out of His place in Verse 21 at the Second Advent. In Chapter 27 He destroys the devil and his program and sets up the Kingdom.

The key is in Verse 3: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayedon thee:

Now, that song is going to be sung by the nation Israel at the Second Advent when He delivers them from their enemies and when they extol the Lord Jesus Christfor being their Deliverer. Theyre going to rely on Him and trust Him and rely onthat truth of what He is going to do for them so that they can be faithful and stable. By keeping their mind stayed on Him and who He is and what He is going to accomplish for them is what gives them the capacity to resist all of the persecution, resist all of the seduction that would draw them away.



Just so you understand. That is exactly what this Shulamite woman does. In Verse 8

Solomon begins to try to woo her. You know where your beloved is? Well, okay, Solomon says to her.

Song of Solomon 1:8-9 If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents. I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots.

That helps you understand a little bit about when this book was written, by theway. He knows who Pharaoh is and they know who he is. At this time, he has taken daughters of Pharaoh to be a part of his harem and has made alliances with him. Go back to Second Kings and read about when he does that.

Song of Solomon 1:10-13a Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck wit

h chains of gold. We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver. Whilethe king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof. A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me;

Solomon is there and hes trying to seduce her and he says: You dont know where your beloved is, hes left you. Look, come over here and Ill take care of you. You can have all these things and theyll be yours. He tries to woo her and call her into coming in and just enjoying the wealth and love and the pleasures.

(Hebrews 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt;) This verse speaks of Moses bearing the reproach and here it is again in Song of Solomon.

In Chapter 2 all the way down through the end of Chapter 3, you see this Shulamite woman repel Solomons advance. She pushes him away.

Song of Solomon 2:1-6a I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. Asthe lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. As the apple tree amon

g the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me tothe banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love. His left hand is under my head.

She begins to brag on the details of who her lover is. She talks to him in Verses 1-7



about how much he loved her and how she loved him.

Song of Solomon 2:8-9a The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: She begins to describe his coming. In fact, this is a tremendous passage, whenyou go down through here, when youre studying the Second Coming of Christ. This is a very important passage and a lot of doctrinal respect with regard to the Second Coming of Christ when you compare it to the writing prophets - Isaiah to Malachi - in things that they talk about taking place when Christ comes.

Hes coming back, she says , I love him and he loves me, and one day hes coming back for me. She talks about her eager anticipation for his coming.

Song of Solomon 2:16-17 My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.

Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.

We have a song: Until the day break and the shadows flee away, talking about Christs coming. You go down through the first four or five verses of Chapter 3 and shes talking about him coming.

Now, Solomon picks up on that. Because he sees her anxiety and anticipation forhis coming, Solomon comes along in Chapter 3, Verse 6:

Song of Solomon 3:6 Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?

Who is that? In Chapter 2 and the first part of Chapter 3 shes been saying: Hes coming!

Im looking for him and when he comes hes going to come out of the wilderness and hes going to do all these things for me.

So here comes this guy out of the wilderness and hes got pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense. You go through and you take the things back in Chapter 1

about the king sitteth at his table with spikenard and the bundles of myrrh andfrankincense - you take all these perfumes that you read Solomon having in the Song of Solomon, and you go back into Exodus youll find those things are repeatedly associated with the priesthood.



What Solomon is trying to do is to present himself as the Messiah. What youve got here is that shes looking for the Messiah to come. Solomon tries to fool her into thinking hes it. He pretends to be like her returning Beloved but shes not fooled by him.

Song of Solomon 3:7-11 Behold his bed, which is Solomon's; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel. They all hold swords, being expert inwar: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night. KingSolomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon. He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem. Go forth, O yedaughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.

She says : Hey! That guys trying to get me to think thats my Beloved coming. I see who it is. Thats not my Beloved. Thats Solomon and Im not going to follow him. And if you daughters of Jerusalem want to go out and make out that hes your Beloved,

go ahead. Count me out. Im not going.

Because she has her mind so fixed on who her Beloved is shes not seduced by the counterfeit.

In Chapters 4 and 5 really the central portion of the book - youll see that shes absolutely captivated and occupied with what her Beloved had to say. She remembers his words.

Song of Solomon 4:1 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thouhast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appearfrom mount Gilead.

(Now, you know, if I told my wife that her hair looked like goats hair shed get alittle upset with me. Im not sure that would appeal to her. Thats got to be a little bit cultural there, you know.)

But, you read on down there, but she remembers what her Beloved said to her about His love and how He expressed their espousal and the fact that their marriagewas at hand.

She says in the last verse in Chapter 4:

Song of Solomon 4:16 Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my gar



den, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden,and eat his pleasant fruits.

Shes just longing for Him to come because she remembers what He said. Again, shesfocusing on His words to her. In Chapter 5, its the same kind of thing.

Song of Solomon 5:2 I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my belovedthat knocketh,

Even when shes asleep shes dreaming about Him. Absolute total occupation. He knocks and he says:

Song of Solomon 5:2b-8 Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were mo

ved for him. I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. I openedto my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me,they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I amsick of love.

I am just heartsick for Him. Notice the activity here. He came and said: Open to me. I want to come in, her response was I have put off my coat; how shall I put

it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? She says: Wait a minute. There was a time when He came and said Open and she didnt get up. She said: Its not onvenient.

He came (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). He comes and says: Here I am (early Acts period). And they said: No, well not have this man reign over us. He puts His hand in the hole of the door and when He did - thats what He does in the book of Acts. Hes fertilizing it, Hes working on it, Hes putting forth the effort. She says : Oh man, that was Him! Ive been over here dreaming about Him and that was Him! She ran to open the door, but Hes gone. Too late! No Israeli would read that and fail to understand what he was reading because He says to them over and over to th

em: Im going to go hide.

Song of Solomon 5:6 My beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone I sought Himand couldnt find Him.

You can go to Micah and Hosea and Daniel and Isaiah and all the prophets and the



y say: Hey! Hes gone away. Hes hidden Himself. Thats what He does. He ascends backinto heaven as a Royal Exile and they cant find Him.

What this womans doing now is dreaming about what had happened to her and why Hesgone but she knows Hes going to come back so shes going to stay faithful to Him She says: Boy, if you see Him, you tell Him Im waiting on Him.

But for the history of the nation, see that brings you up to where this woman is historically. Thats why this book fits that role in the Day of the Lord for thebelieving remnant over there because they had the opportunity and missed it. Hesgone away and they cant find Him. They have to wait on Him coming back.

Song of Solomon 5:10 My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.

The only physical description of Jesus Christ in His earthly life in the Bible i

s that passage right there - Verse 10 to the end of the chapter.

Song of Solomon 5:16 His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely.

That is one of the titles that the songwriters use about Him. Theres no questionbut that everyone would recognize what that is. You want to compare the pictureof Him in Revelation 1 the resurrected, glorified Lord - with this. Here is thepicture of Him during His earthly ministry. In Revelation 1, you see His heavenly appearance after His resurrection and glorification.

By the way, in Isaiah 53:2 you see how the unsaved, apostate Israel viewed Him.They said, he hath no form nor comeliness. This gal says: Hes the most beautiful thing, Hes altogether lovely. She can detail everything about Him.

I dont know if you ever dared to do that but I remember when I was young, beforeI got married, we used to play a game. A fellow would stand in front of five orsix guys and they got to study him for two minutes. Then they had to turn around and he would do something. Maybe Id be standing here like this and then Id put a

pen out here like that, and you would have to figure out what I had changed. Thats called developing the powers of observation. We never did anything as obviousas that. Wed stand there like that and move that sleeve out a little bit like that or do something real subtle. One of the guys was married and one time he justturned his wedding ring around. Then you had to find out what he did.

You look at this ladys observation in Verses 10-16. She had studied Him closely,carefully and shes longing for Him.



Song of Solomon 6:1-2a Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women?

whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee. My belovedis gone down into his garden,

(Others in Israel say: Come and well go with you.)

Song of Solomon 6:2-3 My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies. I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.

She knows where He has gone. Hes gone back to His garden, back to His Fathers house but Hes going to come back.

Beginning in Chapter 6:4 down through Chapter 7:9 is the second attempt by Solomon to seduce her, just like he did back in Chapters 1 and 3. Now again hes goingto try to seduce her. Just as Israel is going to have a seduction by the antichrist in the first half of the week and a seduction in the second half of the week. Just like theyre going to have to stand up against the apostate, religious system as well as the political onslaughts that the antichrist will put against them.

In the face of this second attempt, you see that once again she successfully rejects his advances and remains faithful. Her answer:

Song of Solomon 7:10-12 I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me. Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages. Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves.

What shes doing is saying: Come and see if there is any real fruit here in our mi

dst.

Youve been looking for fruit, we have it.

The Beloved, in Chapter 8, finally comes. This is the way Song of Solomon ends.Shes looking for Him, pleading for Him to come and here He comes.



Song of Solomon 8:5 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness?

Notice where he is coming from. Back in Chapter 3, thats what Solomon came from

out of the wilderness. It was the wrong one back then but its the right one thistime.

Where does Christ find the Little Flock in Revelation 12 and Hosea 2? In the wilderness.

Song of Solomon 8:5 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?

Hes gone out, Hes got her and Hes bringing her back into Jerusalem. Shes with Him.

Song of Solomon 8:5b-7 I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee. Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterlybe contemned.

Verse 6: Set me as a seal upon thine heart, - thats what she did in Chapter 1. Sheset Him as the seal upon her heart. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:

Verse 8: We have a little sister

She has a family that responds and comes with her.

Verse 10: I am a wall,

She goes on down and begins to describe how she has been loyal to Him.

Song of Solomon 8:11-14 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver. My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred. Thou that dwel



lest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it. Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.

She says: Solomon has his vineyard but Ive got mine. Im going to be faithful to my Beloved because Hell take me to our vineyard. All that stuff that Solomons got, forget it. So come on back, Even so, come Lord Jesus.

Just like this lady, this Shulamite woman, a picture of the believing remnant in Israel, a picture of the faithfulness, chastity to their Beloved, the apostle Paul exhorts you and me to loyalty, to faithfulness, to chastity as we await theLords coming for us. What you see this woman doing here in Israels program is just what Paul in Romans 6, 7, 8, instructs us about our Beloved. Just as we keep our mind fixed on Him, Paul says, Set your affections on things above, thats the keyfor us as well as it is for this lady.

As soon as she got her mind fixed on all the things she could have if she violated the word, it would draw her away. The key for her was to keep her mind fixed

on Christ.

And thats the key for us.

Now, you cant fix your mind on Christ by trying to be her any more than she could try to be you. You have to be you in your program. She has to be in her program.

As you read through Song of Solomon and you think about it in those connections

youll see the wonderful example of the all-consuming nature of the ferocious, passionate love of God that pursues us in a consuming way and you can understand why First John says: We love Him because He first loved us.

Father, thank You tonight for this dear little lady memorialized in this wonderful, strange book about the power and the consuming nature of a heart thats passionately in love with You and how wonderful it is to have the love of Christ so envelope her heart, our heart, that it constrains us to faithfulness and loyalty until You come for us.

We thank You in Christs Name.

Amen.




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OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY Richard Jordan

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