The Integrity of God's Word Is At Stake

This story takes place about one thousand four hundred and ninety years before Jesus Christ.  It could be based on a current events happening now.  It is all about the way we view the promise of God.

The setting takes place at Kadesh-barne-a a holy place. A place God had prepared for them to cross over into the Land of Canaan.  God had made a promise to Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation and there would be a Land of Promise for them to dwell in. They arrived at Kadesh Barnea in the first of the month of the third year or exactly 24 months after leaving Egypt. (Numbers 20:1).

It might help if we had a little information on the place Kadesh-barne-a.

• Kadesh-Barnea" as a compound word, is used 10 times. However the place is never referred to as "Barnea" exclusively without Kadesh. The bible refers to the place as "Kadesh" 18 times alone, without "Barnea."         
  
• Barnea" may mean "place of wandering in the desert". So Kadesh Barnea means: The Kadesh where they wandered in the wilderness. However, Smiths Dictionary in 1884 AD said: "Barnea means, desert of wandering". Eastons said this in 1897 AD: "Kadesh: holy, or Kadesh-Barnea, sacred desert of wandering" (Easton's Bible dictionary, 1897 AD.   No modern dictionaries suggest barnea = wilderness/desert wandering. 
•  Kadesh means "holy" and is one of many words that are derived from the parent word that is most commonly translated "holy":"qades: be hallowed, holy, sanctified; to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate." "Kadesh = "holy"." (Strongs enhanced) 
•  Why was the place called Kadesh and when. At the time of Abraham, Kadesh was known as "En-mishpat" Gen 14:7. Kadesh was known at the "Spring of Judgement" (En-mishpat).

So the place that God brought his people to enter into the Land of Canaan is a “holy place of wandering” and is also known as the “Spring of Judgment.”  Since our study is only on this one event we will not spend time on the full significance of this location.  Moses has brought the Children of Israel to edge of the Land of Canaan which the spies were to explore.

Here is where you must be on your toes with this study.  Going into the Land of Promise was first made to Abraham, then to Isaac and Jacob,  "God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" (Genesis 50:24).  Four hundred years later promise one is fulfilled. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all people on earth will be blessed through you (Gen.12:1-3). 

When Israel left Egypt they had 603,550 armed men for war if all of those men were living at the time (Numbers 1:46). This number included all able bodied men from the age of twenty (Numbers 1:45) to the age of retirement at year fifty (Numbers 4:3;John 8:57) or sometimes sixty (Leviticus 27:7). But if all the women, children and older people over fifty (or sixty) are included, the number of Israelites who left Egypt must have numbered about two and a half million. This is a vast amount of people going into a desolate desert area east of Egypt—a Great Nation.  God has fulfilled his promise to make them a great nation.

Next, "And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you in their generations to be a God to you and your seed after you. And I will give to you and to your seed after you the land in which you are a stranger-all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession" (Genesis 17: 7, 8).  The integrity of God's word is at stake in this question of the future of the Promised Land. When ten of the twelve spies told lies about the land, they were slandering what God had promised them. They did not believe that God would help them, and the people as a whole were persuaded that it was not possible to take the land. As a result, the entire nation was made to wander in the desert for 40 years, until almost the entire generation of men had died.

When the Israelites accepted the false report, they wept over the false belief that God was setting them up for defeat. The night that the people cried was the ninth of Av which became a day of weeping and misfortune for all time-- Kadesh the "Spring of Judgment". 

Here is their report: "But the men who had gone up with him said, 'We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are." And they spread a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there were of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.'"

Let me just wander in the wilderness for a moment.  They were afraid of the giants, who represent the carnal nature of man or the nature of sin.  Sin is the root; sins are the result of the root.  Look what the nature of sin will do- devours those living in it.  There are spied today who tell us you cannot have victory over sin.  They identify as being a sinner.  Nowhere in the Scripture is the redeemed identified with sin.  None of us who claim to be Christians with a saving faith should ever call ourselves a sinner. It is not appropriate to try to claim common ground with unbelievers or immature Christians by saying that you also are a sinner. Scripture says otherwise. Christians are not “sinners.” If you are a sinner –one who habitually sins, you are not a true believer. In that case you can properly call yourself a sinner. Please note the distinction: Christians do occasionally sin. A sinner habitually sins. The Christian (should) immediately repent and seek God’s forgiveness. The sinner does not.

The integrity of God's word is at stake in the promise of freedom from sin. “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 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 give you an heart of flesh. 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.” (Ezekiel 36:24-27 KJV)

“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.” (Romans 6:6-7 KJV)

“For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:1-14 KJV)

OK, back to the lesson.  The whole purpose of sending out the spies was to determine how to conquer Canaan and then settle 3 million men, women and children in the new land.  God shows them encouraging signs that the land is indeed plentiful and rich: They find a cluster of grapes so enormous that eight men are needed to carry it (Numbers 13:23). God also makes sure the spies encounter heavily fortified Canaanite cities ― which in fact is a sign of Canaanite weakness, since anyone who is truly powerful does not have to hide behind big walls. Everything was perfectly orchestrated; nothing could possibly go wrong.

Yet somehow, things do go wrong. After 40 days, the spies come back and 10 of them recommend against entering the land. They report: “We can’t succeed because everything is huge!” ― a reference to the gigantic fruits. “We can’t succeed because the land devours its inhabitants!” ― a reference to the funeral. “And we can’t succeed because it’s too strong!” ― a reference to the heavily fortified walls. (see Numbers 13:31-33)

The Israelite community accepts the report, and gives up their dream of going into Israel. The consequence of their unbelief? If you don’t want to enter the land, says God, then you won’t enter the land. All Israelites will die out over the next 40 years in the desert, and only their children will enter the land.

Numbers 14:1 tells us, “The people wept that night.” That night was Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av. God declared: “They cried for no reason; in the future I’ll give them good reason to cry.”  I remember hearing that same expression while growing up- “If you don’t stop your crying, I will give you something to cry about.”  I didn’t know that was scriptural.

Here is how failing to deal with sin has serious consequences.  Several hundreds of years later, the destruction of the First Temple was to occur on Tisha B’Av and 500 years after that, the Second Temple was destroyed.

So what went wrong?  The spies lost the vision of the Promise. They got so wrapped up in self that they took God out of the equation ― and never put Him back in! The original question they’d been assigned to answer ― "How to conquer the land” ― suddenly became a question of "should we or shouldn't we." 

What caused this twist to occur?  God’s presence was self-evident in the desert: a rock provided a steady supply of water, Clouds of Glory kept enemies at bay, and a daily supply of manna fell from heaven. Yet these “open miracles” were to cease upon entry into Israel. Thus, the spies reasoned, God’s guidance and protection would cease as well.

From this skewed perspective, all the positive signs that God had shown them ― the fruits, the funeral and the city walls ― were turned into negatives. From a purely rational perspective, their conclusion was ― not surprisingly ― “This is not possible!”  The rational perspective is used by those who refuse to see the victory Jesus Christ has promised his people over the power and dominance of sin.  

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Rom.6:22

By the way, after the Israelites had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, God brings them right back to the same spot and gives them the same opportunity, to enter the Promise Land—they took it and the conquest was on.

Fighting Giants In Your Old Age

I shared this Sunday with the congregation. I spoke about missed opportunities and how sometime things come back to haunt us in our old age.

This is without a doubt one of the most famous Bible stories--the little guy fighting the big guy.  However, there are some hidden elements of this story that are overlooked by the casual reader. For years I have enjoyed the study of the scripture, seeking to find hidden truth.  Let’s take a look at this story and see what we can find.

It was around 1020 B.C., the Philistines camped on the southern side of the Valley of Elah between the cities of Socoh and Azekah.  Saul and the Israelite army moved into a defensive position on the northern ridge overlooking the Valley of Elah opposite the Philistine camp. The Philistines had a champion named Goliath who for forty days went down into the valley to taunt the Israeli army and defy Almighty God. This giant who was somewhere around 10 feet tall would challenge the Israeli army to bring their champion so there might be a duel between two warriors.  This challenge put fear in the hearts of the soldiers of Israel.  Got the picture?

David was a young man at the time, perhaps in his teens; I like to think he was about seventeen.  His main responsibility in life was to tend his father’s sheep. His mission on this day from his father was to take provisions to his three older brothers, who served with Saul’s army, David made the fifteen-mile trek from his hometown of Bethlehem down to the Israelite camp in the Valley of Elah. 

When he arrived, he heard the challenge of Goliath, the giant from the city of Gath. David was deeply offended that this “uncircumcised Philistine” would taunt the people of the living God. David wanted to know, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of God?" So David volunteered to fight Goliath. It took some persuasion, but King Saul finally agreed to let David fight against the giant. I have no idea what Saul was thinking to let a young boy become the bait for his strategy.     

David took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. [1 Samuel 17:40] 

Here is where is starts getting interesting.  Why did David get five smooth stones from the brook? We have the benefit of hindsight and know that it only took one stone to drop Goliath, but what was David thinking?  Why five smooth stones? Goliath had four brothers and David was prepared to kill the four other giants who may have been standing with their older brother—Goliath.   Meeting all five giants would not happen on this day, it would be some sixty years later that he would finish what he started on this day in the Valley of Elah.

Before we look at the four brothers of Goliath we need to be aware that there is no happenstance in life and understanding the adversity that comes our way may have started when we were younger.  David was ready to face all the giants of his life in one day but, circumstances prevented this from happening.  No doubt in the moment of David’s victory the enemy realized that there would be a better day to take on David—when he would be old and weak.  Our enemy does not need to defeat us today; he can wait until we are unprepared and vulnerable to his attack.  From the life David we will learn we face a common enemy all from the same evil family.

The types and symbolism in this study may not be acceptable to some but, you will have to admit it makes for a very interesting study of the spiritual conflict that each of us face on our spiritual journey.

Looking at the term “giant” used in the story of David’s life is the Hebrew word rephaim. This word rephaim along with  nephilim and anakim are in reference to the Old Testament giants.   Not to get into a theological discussion of the giants, I will just say I believe the giants were the unnatural offspring of the unholy union between angels and human women as recorded in Genesis 6:1–4. 

Let’s put some order to the giants in David’s life.

• 1.      Goliath and is killed by David (1 Samuel 17:50–51).  Goliath.-  means to exile.  Goliath symbolizes separation.

• 2.      Ishbibenob, he is killed by Abishai (2 Samuel 21:16–17.  Ishbibenob.-  is a compound of yashab, which means to dwell or abide, and nob, which means high places symbolizes pride.

• 3.       Saph-- 2 Samuel 21:18, but is called Sippai in 1 Chronicles 20:4  he is killed by Sibbechai. Saph/Sippai.- root word of caph actually means to snatch away or terminate; in other words to stop short of, or break covenant.  As such, Saph symbolizes hypocrisy. 

• 4.      Lahmi--2 Samuel 21:19 he is referred to only as Goliath’s brother, but his name is provided in 1 Chronicles 20:5; he is killed by Elhanan. Lahmi.- means my bread, or my war; the possessive my being emphasized symbolizes selfishness (greed, lust).

• 5.      Six-fingers--no name is provided for the fifth giant who is referred to only as “a man of great stature from Gath.”  He was killed by Jonathan (2 Samuel 21:21,21; 1 Chronicles 20:6,7).  A Man of great Stature from Gath.-  Six-fingers-the grip of sin.  The number six symbolizes man’s opposition to and independence from God, and the grip of sin on one’s life.  The feet symbolizes the walk on the Broadways of life. 

 David.-  means beloved and he was loved by his men.  David had the ability to draw mighty men of valor around him.  He was a man’s man.  He was a man who led men.

 Abishai (Son of Zeruiah).- Nephew-family The root word of the name Abishai means to equalize. Abishai killed Ishbibenob; hence equalization overcomes pride.  Ishbibenob fought David and apparently was close to killing him when Abishai rescued David.  Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. [Proverbs 16:18] 

Pride is the over-estimation of oneself combined with the under-estimation of others. We are not to think of ourselves too highly or of others to lowly, but to think according to what God’s word commands, according to the measure of faith, grace, and the gifts that the Father has given each individual believer. 

In addition to meaning equalize, the name Abishai also means source of wealth, or father of a gift; e.g. generosity. 

Finally, Abishai is noted as being the son of Zeruiah, David’s sister. The name Zeruiah is translated balm, an aromatic tree  used as a medicinal ointment-- it is symbolic of spiritual healing. 

 Sibbechai.-  means Yahweh (Jehovah) intervenes. The eighth captain for the eighth month was Sibbecai the Hushathite, of the Zarhites: and in his course were twenty and four thousand. [1 Chronicles 27:11]  Sibbechai was the eighth captain in the eighth month. The number eight symbolizes a new beginning, resurrection, and regeneration. Sibbechai killed Saph, who symbolizes covenant breaking or hypocrisy.

 Further information is provided by Sibbechai’s lineage. The root words for Hushathite mean someone who makes haste doesn’t waste time the root definition of Zerah is to irradiate with light to expose to the light.  Overcoming hypocrisy requires God’s intervention, exposing it to the light, making haste and starting over.  

Sibbechai is also called Mebunnai in 2 Samuel 23:27 (cf. 1 Chronicles 11:29).  Abiezer the Anethothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, [2 Samuel 23:27] “body is the temple of God   ”Mebunnai means to build up, or building of Yahweh  The building of Yahweh is the Temple. It is provocative to note that the giant overcome by Sibbechai/Mebunnai is called Saph. The root word for Saph is caph; the root word of caph is caphah. It is used only once in the Bible is Psalm 84. 

For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand {outside.} I would rather stand at the threshold (caphah) of the house of my God, than dwell in the tents of wickedness. [Psalm 84:10 NAS]

Sibbechai appears to represent the fullness of God’s building; God’s dwelling. We are individually and corporately the Temple of God, partakers of the New Covenant and the power of the resurrection through the blood of Christ. Saph represents stopping short of entering or even breaking covenant; or worse yet, turning away from the covenant. 

Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? [Hebrews 10:29 NKJ]  

 Elhanan (son of Jair).-  is a compound word combining El (God) with chanan, meaning to show favor or kindness, to be gracious, to move to favor by petition;  Elhanan means God is gracious, or God is moved to favor by petition.  Elhanan killed Lahmi who symbolizes selfishness, greed and lust.   Selfishness, greed and lust are closely related but each is slightly different. Selfishness is being “concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself…without regard for others.” Greed is defined as “a selfish and excessive desire for more than is neede d.” And lust is defined as “an intense or unbridled desire or need.” 

Elhanan’s father’s name is given as Jair in 1 Chronicles 20:5. Jair means He enlightens, may Yahweh (Jehovah) shine forth, one giving light, or He arouses.

 Jonathan/ Nephew   means Yahweh (Jehovah) has given. Jonathan is identified as the son of Shimea. In 2 Samuel 13:3, Shimea is recorded as having a son named Jonadab or Jehonadab; which may simply be different names for the same man.  Jehonadab means Yahweh (Jehovah) is liberal or Yahweh (Jehovah) is noble, and can mean Yahweh (Jehovah) is magnanimous.  This makes complete sense since magnanimous means showing or suggesting a lofty and courageous spirit, and showing or suggesting nobility of feeling and generosity of mind. Yahweh is clearly all these things and the man Jonathan/Jehonadab was an earthly representation of these qualities. 

Jonathan/Jehonadab killed a man of great stature from Gath. We are reminded again of the abnormal size of these men, thereby signifying that these are unnatural thought patterns. There are times when pressure or fear can be good things. We are commanded to fear the Lord, plus we learn obedience through suffering, and fear can keep us from danger or harm. This is clearly not the case here since everything about this giant declares that he is unnatural. 

The giant from Gath had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, symbolizing that both his hands and feet were quick to do the work of and walk in the ways of the world, and abnormally strong for exerting pressure. One of the greatest sources of anxiety and pressure is “the world” and worldly systems. 

Shimea was David’s brother, making Jonathan David’s nephew.  The root word of Shimea is shama, which means, to hear intelligently, with the implication of attention and obedience. It is this word that inaugurates the Jewish confession of faith known as the Shema that begins, In the Shema, it is Israel that is exhorted to hear and obey. But the name Shimea in this context means God has heard, and by implication obeys, or more aptly responds.  

In summary what lessons do we learn from killing giants and how do we overcome the carnal- giants we face? 

• The giants represent the carnal nature of man which is contrary to the Spirit of God. The giants could not be defeated without the assistance from God.  We cannot fight the carnal nature--only God can.
• The giants are all brothers-- the carnal nature has its root in the nature of sin-- all from the father of all evil--Satan
• The giants are Philistines with no legitimate rights to the land they occupied.  Sin does not have a legitimate right to the soul.  All five giants were from Gath the home of the father of all the giants.
• David took five smooth stones as his weapon of choice to kill these giants. He chose stones from the brook because the flowing water makes them smooth over time, and smooth stones fly straighter. The water represents the cleansing ministry of the Holy Spirit and the stones represent Jesus Christ and the  promise of God  to overcome each separate enemy.
• Five is the number of grace and mercy.  It is by grace that we are saved, not by our own action.  I hope this has given you some food for thought.

Wolves In The Church

This past Sunday our Bible study was on “wolves in sheep’s clothing”.  The question was asked if we could identify the “wolves” within the Church in general.  I was actually ready for this question.  Almost every week I receive mail, phone calls or emails from individuals who want me to support some “ministry.”   I am told that the big churches have used this "ministry" to better their outreach, train leaders or enrich marriages,  the material has been prepared by well known Christians. (Many of these “famous Christians” I have never heard of, nor have they shared their ministry with me personally.) But, after a few minutes on the phone or reading through the material I find the real reason they are asking for support they are selling merchandise and not ministering. This got me to thinking, what has happened to the “free gospel”? You know “freely you received, freely give”?   The merchandising of the gospel is being carried out by individuals who have very little regard for the message of Jesus Christ and no reverence toward God—they use the gospel to make money-- they are wolves.

We have reduced the gospel message to slogans, video games, fictional movies, wrist bands, tattoos and religious jewelry. The hymns of the church have been replaced by tattooed freaks that are no more than wannabe rock stars.  The sad part of this is there are those who have been deceived into believing this is the way to bring men, women, boys and girls to Christ. 

Now, that I have lost the contemporary music crowd let me add another group.  I have always enjoyed Southern Gospel music. Even though my musical taste is more Gospel Bluegrass, I enjoy Southern Gospel music. However, I am increasingly frustrated with the whole Christian music industry. Today’s Christian music scene is becoming nothing more than an entourage of Hollywood wannabes. Anyone with a little discernment can see there is very little true spirituality in the songs of today, most songs center on the individual and not on Jesus Christ.  Southern Gospel is no longer Southern Gospel.  The same problems found in the secular music industry are found in the Gospel music industry—sex, drugs and alcohol.  Could it be because the message of salvation is not the real reason for these entertainers but rather money?  These are the singing wolves.

Another area where the gospel has been merchandised by the religious hucksters is in the publishing industry.  I am often asked if I have read the latest Christian new best seller by___ and you fill in the blank.  My standard reply is if it was not written prior to 1830, no I have not read the book.  There is no place in Christianity that propagates false-teaching more than in a Christian book store.  If you put the title with any “religious” sounding idea they will sell it.  Most Christian book stores are filled with self-help books based on non-scripture concepts.  You will find a large section of charismatic writers, feminized Bible study guides and health and wealth books. There will be a large selection of “religious fiction” along with various new age theologies it is no wonder there is very little understanding among Christians of what the Bible actually teaches.  Daily devotional books have actually replaced studying the scriptures.  Personally I am not interested in your opinions on what the scriptures teach.  Opinions are not needed in the Church.  What we need, is to accept the Word of God as it written.  After all, the scriptures are not given to private interpretation.  

So should we put a price on the message of the Gospel?  Jesus was willing to give freely, Matthew 10:7-8 KJV) . . .and as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. {8} Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

 

Paul could have been the first to profit from the Gospel but he didn’t.  He could have had a palace, chariots, ships and gold and silver if he only would have preached a prosperity gospel.  But, sadly Paul was not as financially astute as the evangelist of the 21^st Century.  His message was, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. (1 Corinthians 2:12 KJV)  He actually did the opposite of the modern day religious huckster, “Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?” (2 Corinthians 11:7 KJV)  

Preachers are merchandising the gospel.  Preachers who charge a set amount to come and preach have not learn to trust the Lord to provide.  Several years ago our church invited a minster to hold a week-end special service.  The Board was going to pay him a set amount, he said, “No I will trust God to provide.”  The amount he received from the free-will offering was three times more than what he would have received from a set amount.  God does provide. 

Ever since the prosperity, health and wealth denominations have taken over the mass marketing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Church as a whole as suffered.  The prosperity, health and wealth movement has preached a false Christianity while holding their ministry up as the light of truth. The scandals generated from greed, immorality, and false-teachings of these prosperity preachers and so-called Christian entertainers have done more to damage the Church than the critics outside the Church.  It is time we get back to primitive Christianity and stop merchandising the Gospel of Jesus Christ and run the wolves out of the Church.