Gideon

Chapter 69

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07-07-2013

THREE PROPHECIES PRESENTLY BEING FULFILLED EXPERIENTIALLY,

BUT WERE IMMEDIATELY FULFILLED POSITIONALLY WHEN YOUR CANDLE WAS LIT.

(Psa 18:28)  For thou wilt light my candle:

the LORD my God will enlighten [Heb: to glitter; illuminate] my darkness.

 

THE BURNING BUSH THAT WAS NOT CONSUMED

(you became a consuming fire)

(Exo 3:1-6)  Now Moses [Heb: drawing out (of the water), i.e. rescued] kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian [Heb: brawling, contentious: discord, strife] [“Ishmaelites” Judg 8:24]: and he led the flock to the backside [Heb: the hind part: hinder end, posterior] of the desert, and came to the mountain of God [Mount Sinai], even to Horeb [Heb: desolate (a name for the Sinaitic mountains)]. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush [Heb: to prick]: and he [Moses] looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed [the burning bush represents saved mankind]. And Moses said, I will now turn aside [from my intended path], and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither [Heb: near to here]: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground [and your shoes are man-made separators from God]. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father [“Amram” Exo 6:20; Heb: high people], the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

1.      Commentary: In a spiritual sense the bush is the most humble of trees. Prophetically in these verses, the burning bush, the bush that was not consumed, represents our positional status, that reality which we have already attained, that status of having God dwell within us, wherein we are unified “as one man” (Judg 6:16) and God speaks from our midst the inspired Word of God. In these verses, God is illustrating by concrete example our experiental status which is the reality which we are presently experiencing. We may note that God will talk with us and fellowship with us, only if we will first “turn aside” (exercise that option) from our intended natural path, and focus on the things of God, in this case, the burning bush.

2.      Commentary: The born-again child of God’s journey through this life consists of walking (being drawn) toward Mt. Sinai (which is not physically Mt. Sinai, but it is now spiritually Mt. Zion). Upon seeing something deemed questionable, a flash in the distance, a flurry in the woods, we have the option, the opportunity really, to turn aside” from our natural way to investigate as to what that thing could possibly be. When, but not before, God sees the action of our inquiry, rather than hears the declaration of our intent (Luke 15:18,19), He calls our name, thus drawing our attention and us upward toward “life” eternal. If we respond affirmatively by coming closer to Him, we will receive His abundant blessings. However, if we remain unresponsive to His call, we shall resume, after perhaps a slight hesitation, our natural normal path, unknowingly marching downward toward “death” and eternal outer darkness.

 

THE POWER OF GOD

(God empowered you with gifts and offices)

(Exo 4:1-5)  And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he [Moses] said, A rod [a wooden rod representing Moses’ own sins – whose rod was it?]. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent [this verse is a descriptive parallel of God casting Lucifer to the earth wherein he became Satan]; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand [the Hand Ministry: Eph 4:11,12], and caught it [1], and it became a rod [of power used by Moses and Aaron to effect the ten plagues of Egypt, also later used as Aaron’s rod that budded (us): Num 17:8] in his hand [Do you want power, the power of the love of God? Then control your sin] [2,3]: That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

1.      caught it = Heb: chazaq; to fasten upon; hence to seize, be strong (courageous, strengthen, cure, help, repair, fortify), obstinate; to bind, restrain, conquer.

a.      Commentary: as an interesting aside,  please see chazaq translated into the English word “retained” (Judg 7:8) which verse precisely parallels in circumstance the NT “harpazo” 1 Thes 4:17 i.e., the rapture.

2.      (Gal 5:22,23)  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance [Gk: self-control] [NKJV, NIV]: against such there is no law.

a.      Commentary: Might we note, not coincidentally, that the last attribute in the latter verse line of the fruits of the Spirit is “temperance” or self-control. Actually, self-control is at the tail of the line. J  We are instructed by God to take a hold of sin “by the tail.” Why? Because the relative proximity of a frontal attack (fangs, etc.) may become too close for our own good (too tempting), and thus a frontal attack can be very dangerous, perhaps somewhat like me walking into a Strip Club with a wad of cash in my hand truly intending to minister to the strippers.

3.      (Rev 2:26,27)  And he that overcometh [“kings and priests” Rev 1:6; 5:10], and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they [the nations] be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

a.      Commentary: The “rod of iron” appearing in Rev 2:27 is Moses’s wooden rod (a type of mankind) having been “transformed” (Rom 12:2) by the renewing of our minds into the iron rod (a type of mankind) of judgment.

 

THE AX HEAD AND THE CROSS

(you picked up your cross and followed Him)

(2 Ki 6:1-7)  And the sons of the prophets [Heb: a prophet or (gen.) inspired man] said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait [Heb: narrow: small] for us [doubly so, both physically and spiritually]. Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan [Heb: descender] [a type and shadow of the Holy Spirit], and take thence [there] every man a beam [Heb: a rafter] [a wooden board, but stronger], and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. And one said, Be content [be pleased, be at ease] [1], I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. But as one was felling a beam [for the new home], the ax head [Heb: iron (as cutting) by extens. an iron implement] [the metal iron represents judgment in the Bible] fell into the water [was buried in the water, died, death]: and he [the servant] cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed [i.e., not mine; then borrowed from whom?]. And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick [a type and shadow of the cross], and cast it in thither; and the iron [the judge – Jesus Christ] did swim [manifesting spiritual life supported by the water of the Holy Spirit] [to the cross] [2]. Therefore said he, Take it up to thee [the resurrection, and the whole concept] [3,4]. And he put out his hand, and took it.

1.      (1 Tim 6:6-8)  But godliness with contentment [Gk: self-satisfaction] is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content [Gk: satisfied].

2.      Commentary: The head of the ax, a cutting (separating) implement, is Jesus Christ who is “the LORD the Judge” (Judg 11:27)  and “ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead” (Acts 10:42).

3.      (Mat 16:24)  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself [i.e., say “no” to my selfish, lustful desires], and take up his cross, and follow me.

4.      Commentary: “Take it up to thee” = Accept the concept of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as a done deed, possess it, own it, and it shall become a part of you – an extension of your hand, the offices of your fingers empowered alike by “the blood” of Jesus through “The Hand Ministry.” “And he put out his hand, and took it.” Take it.

 

 

Amen