Gideon |
Chapter 44 |
|
|
|
WITH A SLIGHT DIVERSION (the Lord’s intent) 01-13-13 (Rev 1:12-20) (Rev 1:12) And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; (Rev 1:13) And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow [white is the color of the hottest purest flame of fire]; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; (Rev 1:20) The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
THE GOLDEN CANDLESTICK (first biblical mention) IN THE TABERNACLE OF MOSES (Exo 40:22-25) And he [Moses] put the table [of showbread] in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without [Heb: outside] the veil. And he set the bread [“I am the bread of life” John 6:35] in order [Heb: to set in a row, i.e. arrange: put (set) (the battle, self) in array] [throughout the Bible, and thus throughout man, God calls forth order out of chaos: Gen 1:1-5] upon it [“the pure table”] before the LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses. And he put the candlestick [Heb: menorah] [“the pure candlestick” Exo 31:8; 39:37; Lev 24:4] in the tent of the congregation, over against [Heb: in front of] the table [of showbread], on the side of the tabernacle southward. And he lighted [set on fire “our God is a consuming fire” Heb 12:29] the [olive oil in the bowls of the seven] lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses [“For thou wilt light (Heb: set on fire) my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten (Heb: illuminate) my darkness” Psa 18:28]. 1. “the bread” = “twelve cakes… And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD” (Lev 24:5,6). [interesting thought, why are two rows of six on a row specified??] 2. PARENTHETICALLY, THE DESCRIPTION OF A GODLY DIVERSION i.e., BEING LED BY THE SPIRIT: (Exo 3:1-4) Now Moses [Heb: drawn out of water, rescued] [(and becoming fire)] kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert [Heb: wilderness], and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb [Heb: desolate; the name for the Sinaitic mountains] [“the wilderness of mount Sinai” Exo 19:1; “the desert of Sinai” Exo 19:2]. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed [an archetype of God and a typification of man]. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see [Heb: consider] this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw [Heb: considered] that he turned aside to see [Heb: consider], God called unto him out of the midst [the mystery] of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses [an emphatic hebrew writing convention]. And he said, Here am I. a. THE SCOPE OF CHOICE, REQUIRING DISCERNMENT, WITHIN THE WORD BOXCAR “see” = Heb: 7200. ra'ah, raw-aw'; a prim. root; to see, lit. or fig. (in numerous applications, direct and implied, trans., intrans. and causat.):--advise self, appear, approve, behold, X certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, X indeed, X joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), mark, meet, X be near, perceive, present, provide, regard, (have) respect, (fore-, cause to, let) see (-r, -m, one another), shew (self), X sight of others, (e-) spy, stare, X surely, X think, view, visions. b. COLLABORATING EVIDENCE (1 Ki 19:11,12) And he said [God said to Elijah], Go forth, and stand upon the mount [“Horeb” 1 Ki 19:8] before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent [Heb: tore] the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still [Heb: quiet: calm] small [Heb: crushed, small or thin: very little thing] voice. 3. THE SPECIFIC DIVERSION COMMENTARY: “two rows, six on a row” = interestingly, the literal and symbolic numerical combination of 6 repeated twice, i.e. 66, appears fairly frequently in the Old Testament, but the combination of 666 appears only twice (that I am aware of). The first mention (sign) is found in Goliath and his armor: “six cubits” (1 Sam 17:4), “six hundred shekels” (1 Sam 17:7); and then the (somewhat hidden) number six encompassing the total articles of his armor (1 Sam 17:5-7). We may note that the second mention (sign) of 666 occurs plainly in the Old Testament when the queen of Sheba gave to Solomon “six hundred threescore and six talents of gold” (1 Kings 10:14). Taken together, Goliath and the queen of Sheba (man and woman) present respectively a quite vivid worldly composite picture of the zenith of evil power and immoral wealth. a. (Rev 13:18) Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six [666].
BURNING THE OLIVE OIL (YOU) IN THE CANDLESTICKS RELEASES YOUR SPIRIT (Exo 27:20,21) And thou shalt command the children of Israel [Heb: he will rule as God], that they bring thee [their self-sacrifice of] pure oil olive beaten [Heb: crushed] [i.e., which is the transformation (conversion) process] for the light [illumination (glory)], to cause the lamp to burn [to separate the secular waste that weighs us down, and cause (allow) the spirit within us to ascend] always. In the tabernacle of the congregation without the veil, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning [i.e., throughout the Night (Satan’s rule) versus the Day (Christ Jesus’ rule) of the Lord] before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel. 1. olive = Heb: an olive (as yielding illuminating oil), the tree, the branch, or the berry. 2. (Eccl 12:7) Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit [“the breath of life” Gen 2:7] shall return unto God who gave it. 3. Commentary: heaven, earth, and hell are physically pictured by the brazen altar situate in the Courtyard of the Tabernacle of Moses, and much less clearly but spiritually pictured by the golden candlestick situate in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. 4. (Jer 11:16,17) The LORD called thy name, A green [Heb: verdant, flourishing] [moist flourishing with water] olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken. For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal. 5. Commentary: “A green olive tree” = An olive tree is symbolic of Israel’s religious aspect destined to be ascended unto God as fruit for the Lord, which may be contrasted to a “withered” (Gk: desiccated, died up) fig tree symbolic of Israel’s secular aspect destined to be cursed and dried up. The “green” description of the olive tree connotes an abundance of water (the Holy Spirit), life, growth, and elasticity (Grace - forgiveness), whereas the dried up fig tree speaks of no water (Holy Spirit), death, no growth, and stiffness (Law - legalism). a. (Mat 21:18,19) Now in the morning as he [Jesus] returned into the city [of Jerusalem], he hungered [He desired fruit]. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only [i.e., the appearance of life], and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever [no fruit for me, no fruit for you; an eye for an eye judgment: John 12:48]. And presently the fig tree withered away [that is the eternal judgment for bearing no fruit for the Lord]. b. (John 15:6-8) If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Amen
|
