Empires of Prophecy 4 Foundations of Biblical Empires

Empires of Prophecy 4 

Foundations of Biblical Empires

Egypt

Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet

Psa 119:57-64  CHETH. Thou art my portion, O LORD: I have said that I would keep thy words.  (58)  I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.  (59)  I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.  (60)  I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.  (61)  The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law.  (62)  At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.  (63)  I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.  (64)  The earth, O LORD, is full of thy mercy: teach me thy statutes.

Ecc 1:9-11 KJV  The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.  (10)  Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.  (11)  There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

Ecc 3:14-15 KJV  I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.  (15)  That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

Ecc 3:16-17 KJV  And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.  (17)  I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

Mat 5:17-20 KJV  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  (18)  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.  (19)  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  (20)  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Rom 15:1-7  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.  (2)  Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.  (3)  For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.  (4)  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.  (5)  Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:  (6)  That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (7)  Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

Rom 15:4  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Hello again Friends. We will be exploring the empires of prophecy again here with this study. We will be looking at the first empire after the tower at least as far as scripture is concerned. That being Egypt. Just as we did in our looks at Babel we can trace the Egyptian civilization or empire back to the sons of Ham. Let’s start our exploration of Egypt according to scriptural history. The first time our search found the word Egypt was in the journey of Abraham or Abram as he was known at that time. 

Gen 5:32  And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

This would have been 1556 years after creation and 100 years before the flood. 

Gen 6:9-13  These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.  (10)  And Noah begat three sons, Shem, HamH2526, and Japheth.  (11)  The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.  (12)  And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.  (13)  And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Ham,H2526

חם

châm

BDB Definition:

Ham = “hot”

1) 2nd son of Noah, father of Canaan and of various peoples which were inhabitants of southern lands (noun proper masculine)

2) in late usage, a collective name for Egyptians (noun proper masculine)

3) the place where Chedorlaomer smote the Zuzim, probably in the territory of Ammonites (Gilead) east of the Jordan (noun proper locative) Part of Speech: see above in Definition

We will go ahead and provide the Strong’s concordance definition as well.

חָם

châm

khawm

The same as H2525; hot (from the tropical habitat); Cham, a son of Noah; also (as a patronymic) his descendants or their country: - Ham. Total KJV occurrences: 16

Gen 7:11-17  In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.  (12)  And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.  (13)  In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;  (14)  They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.  (15)  And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.  (16)  And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.  (17)  And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.

Noah's Descendants

Gen 9:18-23  And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.  (19)  These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.  (20)  And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:  (21)  And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.  (22)  And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.  (23)  And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.

Gen 9:24-29  And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.  (25)  And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.  (26)  And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.  (27)  God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.  (28)  And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.  (29)  And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

Gen 10:6-14  And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.  (7)  And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.  (8)  And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.  (9)  He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.  (10)  And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.  (11)  Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,  (12)  And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.  (13)  And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,  (14)  And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.

The Tower of Babel

Gen 11:1-9  And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.  (2)  And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.  (3)  And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.  (4)  And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.  (5)  And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.  (6)  And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.  (7)  Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.  (8)  So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.  (9)  Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

It’s after this point in our biblical history that we feel the empires started to develop. It’s with this dispersal of nations when the foundations of Egypt began and all other empires began. It’s hard to get a precise year for the dispersal. Some have said 100 years after the flood. We studied out the “kingdom” of Nimrod and the foundations of Babel last get together. We know that Abraham was born 292 years after the flood. The Bible also tells us something about a fella named Peleg.

Gen 10:22-25  The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.  (23)  And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.  (24)  And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber.  (25)  And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.

Peleg born 101 years after the flood in the year 1757 after creation. He lives for 30 years and has a son named Reu. Then lives another 209 years the Bible tells us. So sometime between the years 1757 and 1996 the year Peleg dies the tower incident took place. Abraham was born in the year 1948 after creation. So it’s a real possibility he could have witnessed the tower incident. Noah died in the year 2006 after creation. So in some form or another these patriarchs knew one another. 

Gen 11:16-19  And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:  (17)  And Eber lived after he begat PelegH6389four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.  (18)  And PelegH6389 lived thirty years, and begat Reu:  (19)  And PelegH6389lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.

PelegH6389

פֶּלֶג

peleg

peh'-leg The same as H6388; earthquake; Peleg, a son of Shem: - Peleg. Total KJV occurrences: 7

פּלג

peleg

BDB Definition:

Peleg = “division”

1) son of Eber and brother of Joktan  Part of Speech: noun proper masculine

Let’s just say that the earliest date for the tower would be around 1800 after creation. This means the migration and development of Egypt or Mizraim and his sons could have been going on 200 years before Abraham received the covenant. We should keep in mind very much that the Bible tells us that Abram was 75 years of age when he starts out on the journey ABBA Father called him to. This would have in the year 2023 after creation. 

The Call of Abram

Gen 12:1-5  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:  (2)  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:  (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.  (4)  So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.  (5)  And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

So it’s easy to see how these civilizations mentioned in Genesis 10 forward had plenty of time to develop. We do not know nor could anyone the magnitude with which ABBA Father allowed food and other necessities to flourish for the 2nd dispersal of people on the earth. The flood of course being the 1st one. So let’s begin to explore what the biblical history of what we know as the 1st empire of biblical prophecy being Egypt. 

Egypt as we have seen means Mizraim. We will look at the entry from Smith’s Bible Dictionary.

Egypt

E'gypt. (land of the Copts). A country occupying the northeast angle of Africa. Its limits appear always to have been very nearly the same. It is bounded on the north by the Mediterranean Sea, on the east by Palestine, Arabia and the Red Sea, on the south by Nubia, and on the west by the Great Desert. It is divided into upper Egypt — the valley of the Nile — and lower Egypt, the plain of the Delta, from the Greek letter; it is formed by the branching mouths of the Nile, and the Mediterranean Sea. The portions made fertile by the Nile comprise about 9582 square geographical miles, of which only about 5600 is under cultivation. — Encyclopedia Britannica. The Delta extends about 200 miles along the Mediterranean, and Egypt is 520 miles long from north to south from the sea to the First Cataract.

Names. — The common name of Egypt in the Bible is "Mizraim." It is in the dual number, which indicates the two natural divisions of the country into an upper and a lower region. The Arabic name of Egypt — Mizr — signifies "red mud". Egypt is also called in the Bible "the land of Ham," Psa_105:23; Psa_105:27, compare Psa_78:51, — a name most probably referring to Ham the son of Noah — and "Rahab," the proud or insolent: these appear to be poetical appellations. The common ancient Egyptian name of the country is written in hieroglyphics (Kem, which was perhaps pronounced Chem. This name signifies, in the ancient language and in Coptic, "black", on account of the blackness of its alluvial soil. We may reasonably conjecture that Kem is the Egyptian equivalent of Ham. See Names.

We will continue using Smith’s Dictionary for now and look into the other sons

Gen 10:6  And the sons of Ham; CushH3568, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.

Cush

Cush. (black).

1. A Benjamite, mentioned only in the title to Psa_7:1. He was probably a follower of Saul, the head of his tribe, (B.C. 1061).

2. The name of a son of Ham, apparently the eldest, and of a territory or territories occupied by his descendants. The Cushites appear to have spread along tracts, extending from the higher Nile to the Euphrates and Tigris. History affords many traces of this relation of Babylonia, Arabia and Ethiopia.

CushH3568

כּוּשׁ

kûsh

Koosh  Probably of foreign origin; Cush (or Ethiopia), the name of a son of Ham, and of his territory; also of an Israelite: - Chush, Cush, Ethiopia.Total KJV occurrences: 30

כּוּשׁ

kûsh

BDB Definition:

Cush = “black”

1) a Benjamite mentioned only in the title of Ps 7 (noun proper masculine)

2) the son of Ham and grandson of Noah and the progenitor of the southernmost peoples located in Africa (noun proper masculine)

3) the peoples descended from Cush (noun proper masculine)

4) the land occupied by the descendants of Cush located around the southern parts of the Nile (Ethiopia) (noun proper locative)

Part of Speech: see above in Definition

A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: probably of foreign origin

Gen 10:6  And the sons of Ham; Cush, and MizraimH4714, and Phut, and Canaan.

MizraimH4714

מִצְרַיִם

mitsrayim

mits-rah'-yim  Dual of H4693; Mitsrajim, that is, Upper and Lower Egypt: - Egypt, Egyptians, Mizraim.  Total KJV occurrences: 681

מצרים

mitsrayim

BDB Definition:

Egyptians = “double straits”

1) a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows (noun proper locative)

2) the inhabitants or natives of Egypt (adjective)

Part of Speech: see above in Definition

Gen 10:6  And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and PhutH6316, and Canaan.

Phut

Phut. (a bow). The third name in the list, of the sons of Ham, Gen_10:6; 1Ch_1:8, elsewhere, applied to an African country or people. The few mentions of Phut in the Bible clearly indicate a country or people of Africa, and, it must be added, probably not far from Egypt. Isa_66:19; Jer_46:9; Ezk_27:10; Ezk_30:5; Ezk_38:5; Nam_3:9. Some identify it with Libya, in the northern part of Africa near the Mediterranean Sea; others, as Mr. Poole, with Nubia, south of Egypt.

PhutH6316

פּוּט

pûṭ

poot

Of foreign origin; Put, a son of Ham, also the name of his descendants or thier region, and of a Persian tribe: - Phut, Put.

Total KJV occurrences: 7

פּוּט

pûṭ

BDB Definition:

Phut or Put = “a bow”

1) a nation and people of northern Africa; probably Libyans

Part of Speech: noun proper people

Gen 10:6  And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and CanaanH3667.

Canaan

Ca'naan. (low, flat).

1. The fourth son of Ham, Gen_10:6; 1Ch_1:8, the progenitor of the Phoenicians, see Zidon, or Sidon, and of the various nations who, before the Israelite conquest, people the seacoast of Palestine, and generally, the whoe of the country, westward of the Jordan. Gen_10:13; 1Ch_1:13. (B.C. 2347).

2. The name "Canaan" is sometimes employed for the country itself.

CanaanH3667

כְּנַעַן

kena‛an

ken-ah'-an

From H3665; humiliated; Kenaan, a son of Ham; also the country inhabited by him: - Canaan, merchant, traffick.

Total KJV occurrences: 93

כּנען

kena‛an

BDB Definition:

Canaan = “lowland”

1) the 4th son of Ham and the progenitor of the Phoenicians and of the various nations who peopled the seacoast of Palestine (noun proper masculine)

2) the land west of the Jordan peopled by the descendants of Canaan and subsequently conquered by the Israelites under Joshua (noun proper locative)

3) merchant, trader (noun masculine)

Part of Speech: see above in Definition

The first place we encounter the word Egypt in scripture is in Genesis 12. 

Gen 12:10-14  And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.  (11)  And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:  (12)  Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.  (13)  Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.  (14)  And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.

Gen 12:15-18  The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.  (16)  And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.  (17)  And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.  (18)  And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?

Gen 12:19-20  Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.  (20)  And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

As we just explored the migration into what we know as Egypt and Africa in general started with the sons of Ham. As a matter of fact scripture mentions the land of Ham by name. 

Psa 105:23  Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.

Psa 105:24-27  And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies.  (25)  He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants.  (26)  He sent Moses his servant; and Aaron whom he had chosen.  (27)  They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.

Psa 106:22  Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red sea.

We will be exploring this in detail as we move forward with our looks into Egypt.

Gen 13:1-4  And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.  (2)  And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.  (3)  And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;  (4)  Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

As we can see Abram benefited well from his encounter with the Egyptians. This of course only come about by the hand of ABBA Father. It’s perhaps because of this abundance that Abram and Lot separate. This also started a pattern in prophecy. That being from time to time the Israelites had to deal with Egypt over some necessities. A pattern which ran right down through history to the birth of our Messiah Lord Yeshua. 

Gen 13:5-8  And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.  (6)  And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.  (7)  And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.  (8)  And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.

Gen 13:9-12  Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.  (10)  And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.  (11)  Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.  (12)  Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.

Gen 13:13-18  But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.  (14)  And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:  (15)  For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.  (16)  And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.  (17)  Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.  (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.

Abram Rescues Lot

Gen 14:1-5  And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;  (2)  That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.  (3)  All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.  (4)  Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.  (5)  And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

Gen 14:6-12  And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness.  (7)  And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar.  (8)  And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;  (9)  With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.  (10)  And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.  (11)  And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.  (12)  And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

We have to remember here  that we are dealing with cousins that are warring with 1 another. We have mentioned before in different journeys at different times how we all restarted as cousins coming out of the flood. We took about as long or as little as the time Cain turned on Abel prior to the flood to lose that sense of family love. 

Gen 14:13-16  And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.  (14)  And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.  (15)  And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.  (16)  And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

Abram Blessed by Melchizedek

Gen 14:17-24  And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.  (18)  And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.  (19)  And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:  (20)  And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.  (21)  And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.  (22)  And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,  (23)  That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:  (24)  Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

Melchizedek blessing Abram (1897 illustration by Charles Foster)

So we see that there was a tribe involved in the warfare from the land of Ham or Egypt. The next mention of Egypt is found in Genesis 15 where ABBA Father declares the Nile river to be the border of the territory promised to Abraham. This is done right after the covenant between the pieces as it is sometimes referred to. 

God's Covenant with Abram

Gen 15:1-6  After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.  (2)  And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?  (3)  And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.  (4)  And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.  (5)  And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.  (6)  And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Gen 15:7-14  And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.  (8)  And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?  (9)  And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.  (10)  And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.  (11)  And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.  (12)  And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.  (13)  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;  (14)  And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

Gen 15:15-17  And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.  (16)  But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.  (17)  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.

Gen 15:18-21  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:  (19)  The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,  (20)  And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,  (21)  And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

Gen 15:13-14  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;  (14)  And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

Here is a direct prophecy from ABBA Father given to Abraham as part of their everlasting covenant. We feel that this will be a good closing place for us in our exploration of the Egyptian empire in scripture. A promise that was made that eventually led to our Messiah walking among us. 

Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest

Mat 11:25-30  At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.  (26)  Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.  (27)  All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.  (28)  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  (29)  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  (30)  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Wait for the God of Salvation

Mic 7:1-7  Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.  (2)  The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.  (3)  That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.  (4)  The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.  (5)  Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.  (6)  For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.  (7)  Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

As always thanks for sharing a word

Remember the voices of the martyrs

God Bless

The Isaiah Factor 3:1-5 Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem

The Isaiah Factor 3:1-5

Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem 

The World Then and Now

Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet

Psa 119:49-56  ZAIN. Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.  (50)  This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.  (51)  The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law.  (52)  I remembered thy judgments of old, O LORD; and have comforted myself.  (53)  Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.  (54)  Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.  (55)  I have remembered thy name, O LORD, in the night, and have kept thy law.  (56)  This I had, because I kept thy precepts.

Ecc 1:9-11 KJV  The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.  (10)  Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.  (11)  There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

Ecc 3:14-15 KJV  I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.  (15)  That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

Ecc 3:16-17 KJV  And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.  (17)  I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

Mat 5:17-20 KJV  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  (18)  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.  (19)  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  (20)  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The Example of Christ

Rom 15:1-7  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.  (2)  Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.  (3)  For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.  (4)  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.  (5)  Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:  (6)  That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (7)  Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

Rom 15:4  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Hello again Friends. Moving ahead into chapter 3 of Isaiah. It is an entire chapter devoted to judgment specifically for Judah and Jerusalem. We will have at least journeys to complete this chapter. We are trying to be as thorough as one can in this type of environment. 

Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem

Isa 3:1-5  For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,  (2)  The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,  (3)  The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.  (4)  And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.  (5)  And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

Isa 3:6-9  When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand:  (7)  In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.  (8)  For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory.  (9)  The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

Isa 3:10-14  Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.  (11)  Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.  (12)  As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.  (13)  The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.  (14)  The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

Isa 3:15-17  What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.  (16)  Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:  (17)  Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.

Isa 3:18-23  In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,  (19)  The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,  (20)  The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,  (21)  The rings, and nose jewels,  (22)  The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,  (23)  The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.

Isa 3:24-26  And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.  (25)  Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.  (26)  And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.

The first thing we should acknowledge is this chapter is a continuance of Isaiah 2 concerning the day of the Lord. 

Isa 2:20-22  In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;  (21)  To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.  (22)  Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?

Isa 3:1-5  For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stayH4937and the staffH4938, the whole stayH4937of bread, and the whole stayH4937of water,  (2)  The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,  (3)  The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.  (4)  And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.  (5)  And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

stayH4937

mish‛ên    mish‛ân

mish-ane', mish-awn'  From H8172; a support (concretely), that is, (figuratively) a protector or sustenance: - stay. Total KJV occurrences: 5

staffH4938

mish‛ênâh    mish‛eneth

mish-ay-naw', mish-eh'-neth  Feminine of H4937; support (abstractly), that is, (figuratively) sustenance or (concretely) a walking stick: - staff. Total KJV occurrences: 12

We explored this chapter in another set of studies. Cannot recall which ones at this moment. We are sure that it probably involved something like abandoning our foundations as a nation and the type of people we want to lead us. Let’s start with the stay and the staff and what they can represent both naturally and spiritually. Again seeing that there is a dual relationship to Isaiah’s prophecies in many if not all places. The stay and the staff can represent a physical staff as the definitions tell us. There are some who say this is applying to the leaders or the princes of the day in Israel. 

They are also seen as representing sustenance and survival. The bread and water seen as exactly what they are to sustain our bodies. We would like to demonstrate from scripture what we are exploring. That old saying the quickest way to reach a man is in or through his stomach. In other words exactly what the word study tells us. 

In Leviticus 26 a passage dedicated to the curses for disobedience or punishments we can say. Famines were a part of the judgments to come on the people of Israel. 

Punishment for Disobedience

Lev 26:21-26  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.  (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 high ways shall be desolate.  (23)  And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me;  (24)  Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins.  (25)  And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: 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.  (26)  And when I have broken the staffH4294of 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 not be satisfied.

Psa 105:16  Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staffH4294 of bread.

מַטָּה    מַטֶּה

maṭṭeh    maṭṭâh  mat-teh', mat-taw'

From H5186; a branch (as extending); figuratively a tribe; also a rod, whether for chastising (figuratively correction), ruling (a sceptre), throwing (a lance), or walking (a staff; figuratively a support of life, for example bread): - rod, staff, tribe.  Total KJV occurrences: 251

Famine, Sword, and Pestilence

Jer 14:1-6  The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.  (2)  Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.  (3)  And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.  (4)  Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.  (5)  Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass.  (6)  And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.

Jer 14:7-12  O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.  (8)  O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?  (9)  Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.  (10)  Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.  (11)  Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.  (12)  When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.

These are some passages of what ABBA Father intended for the use of His bread.

Psa 104:13-15  He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.  (14)  He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;  (15)  And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.

Pro 12:11  He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.

Gen 3:17-19  And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;  (18)  Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;  (19)  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Abram Blessed by Melchizedek

Gen 14:17-20  And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.  (18)  And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.  (19)  And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:  (20)  And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

Then we have the spiritual bread of life who came along about 4000 years or so later. 

Jesus Walks on Water

Joh 6:16-21  And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea,  (17)  And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.  (18)  And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.  (19)  So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.  (20)  But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.  (21)  Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.

I Am the Bread of Life

Joh 6:22-25  The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;  (23)  (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)  (24)  When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.  (25)  And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

Joh 6:26-29  Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.  (27)  Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.  (28)  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?  (29)  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Joh 6:30-33  They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?  (31)  Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.  (32)  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.  (33)  For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

Joh 6:34-40  Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.  (35)  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.  (36)  But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.  (37)  All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.  (38)  For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.  (39)  And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.  (40)  And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Joh 6:41-42  The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.  (42)  And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?

Joh 6:43-48  Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.  (44)  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.  (45)  It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.  (46)  Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.  (47)  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.  (48)  I am that bread of life.

Joh 6:49-51  Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.  (50)  This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.  (51)  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Jeremiah is the perfect companion to Isaiah. Isaiah’s prophetic warnings are made clear by the prophet Jeremiah. The following passage from Jeremiah 2 describes the spiritual loss that is coming to the people. 

Israel Forsakes the Lord

Jer 2:1-6  Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,  (2)  Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.  (3)  Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.  (4)  Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel:  (5)  Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?  (6)  Neither said they, Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?

Jer 2:7-13  And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.  (8)  The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.  (9)  Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children's children will I plead.  (10)  For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing.  (11)  Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.  (12)  Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.  (13)  For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

Jer 17:7-13  Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.  (8)  For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.  (9)  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?  (10)  I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.  (11)  As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.  (12)  A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.  (13)  O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.

We spent a good deal of time exploring the book of Zechariah. It’s in the very last chapter being chapter 14 we find another reference to living waters. This chapter just happens to be about the day of the Lord as we explored in chapters 2 and now 3 of Isaiah. 

The Coming Day of the Lord

Zec 14:1-8  Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.  (2)  For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.  (3)  Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.  (4)  And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.  (5)  And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.  (6)  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:  (7)  But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.  (8)  And it shall be in that day, that livingH2416waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.

livingH2416

חַי

chay

khah'ee  From H2421; alive; hence raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively: -    + age, alive, appetite, (wild) beast, company, congregation, life (-time), live (-ly), living (creature, thing), maintenance, + merry, multitude, + (be) old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop.  Total KJV occurrences: 502

Then again as we said earlier we have Lord Yeshua representative to living waters. 

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria

Joh 4:1-5  When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,  (2)  (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)  (3)  He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.  (4)  And he must needs go through Samaria.  (5)  Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

Joh 4:6-10  Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.  (7)  There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.  (8)  (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)  (9)  Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.  (10)  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Joh 4:11-14  The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?  (12)  Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?  (13)  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:  (14)  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

We recommend as with all the passages we explore to check out the entire chapter. 

Psa 36:9  For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

A Great Multitude from Every Nation

Rev 7:9-13  After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;  (10)  And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.  (11)  And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,  (12)  Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.  (13)  And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

Rev 7:14-17  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  (15)  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.  (16)  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.  (17)  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

What we have discovered here hopefully to your satisfaction is that when ABBA Father prophesies about bread and water there are 2 realms being mentioned. Of course we have the siege of food and water that would be put forth by an invading nation to create famine conditions. Then we have the deeper more spiritual side to the equation. 

When ABBA Father takes away the spiritual bread of life and the living fountains of living waters we are losing much more than what we read at face value so to speak. Remember ABBA Father announces He is going to take away the foundations of the kingdom that were needed for Israel or any nation to be successful. 

Isa 3:2-4  The man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,  (3)  The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.  (4)  And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

The skilled warriors needed for battle would also be taken as with the rest of the people Isaiah describes. They all go by divine judgment or through the warfare coming to the city. 

The man, and the man of war, 

The King of Glory

Psa 24:1-6  A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.  (2)  For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.  (3)  Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?  (4)  He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.  (5)  He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.  (6)  This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.

Psa 24:7-10  Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  (8)  Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.  (9)  Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  (10)  Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

the judge

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

Luk 18:1-5  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;  (2)  Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:  (3)  And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.  (4)  And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;  (5)  Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

Luk 18:6-8  And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.  (7)  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?  (8)  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faithG4102on the earth?

faithG4102

πίστις

pistis

pis'-tis  From G3982; persuasion, that is, credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly constancy in such profession; by extension the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself: - assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.  Total KJV occurrences: 244

It’s extremely possible that the judges of Jerusalem were either neglecting their duty to ABBA Father or being bribed. We have to remember the Babylonian conquest of Israel, Judah and Jerusalem came about because of many different failures with ABBA Father. 

the prophet

Deu 13:1-9  If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,  (2)  And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;  (3)  Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.  (4)  Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.  (5)  And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.  (6)  If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;  (7)  Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;  (8)  Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him:  (9)  But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.

There were many false prophets operating all through Israel’s history. It seems as though ABBA Father had let His cup of iniquity fill to the top. 

Abominable Practices

Deu 18:9-14  When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.  (10)  There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,  (11)  Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.  (12)  For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.  (13)  Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.  (14)  For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

the ancient

Gen 18:11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

Gen 35:28-29  And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.  (29)  And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Jer 6:9-11  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets.  (10)  To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.  (11)  Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days.

Isa 3:3-4  The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.  (4)  And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

Jer 38:17-22  Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:  (18)  But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.  (19)  And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.  (20)  But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.  (21)  But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD hath shewed me:  (22)  And, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah's house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon's princes, and those women shall say, Thy friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back.

Psa 83:1-4  A Song or Psalm of Asaph. Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.  (2)  For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.  (3)  They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.  (4)  They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.

Exo 7:10-13  And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.  (11)  Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.  (12)  For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.  (13)  And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

the prudent

Joseph Rises to Power

Gen 41:37-41  And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.  (38)  And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?  (39)  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:  (40)  Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.  (41)  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.

Isa 3:3-4  The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.  (4)  And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

All of these people were either going to be taken in the battle or taken by ABBA Father before hand. Of course we know that the Babylonians did come and the city of Jerusalem went into captivity for 70 years. In case you are wondering the same fate awaits the entire planet for those that abandon and turn away from Lord Yeshua. It’s right about now we urge those of us uncommitted or not sure about their situation to consider the following. 

The Lord Is in His Holy Temple

Psa 11:1-3  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?  (2)  For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.  (3)  If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

Psa 11:4-7  The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.  (5)  The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.  (6)  Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.  (7)  For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.

Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest

Mat 11:25-30  At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.  (26)  Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.  (27)  All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.  (28)  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  (29)  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  (30)  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Wait for the God of Salvation

Mic 7:1-7  Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.  (2)  The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.  (3)  That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.  (4)  The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.  (5)  Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.  (6)  For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.  (7)  Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

As always thanks for sharing a word

Remember the martyrs all around the world

God Bless