Church in the home Wednesday evenings: October 2013

Wednesday, 30 October 2013

2013_1023 Church in the home Wednesday evenings Isaiah 2:5-22, 2013_1023

Isaiah 2:5-22

Chapter Heading Lexham English Bible:

“The Day of Yahweh” (The day of the Lord)

5 House of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of Yahweh.

6 For you have forsaken your people, house of Jacob, because they are full[d] from the east, and of soothsayers like the Philistines, and they make alliances with the offspring of foreigners.

7 And its land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to its treasures; and its land is filled with horses, and there is no end to its chariots.

8 Its land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what they made with their fingers.

Bible Study Tools

http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/hebrew/kjv/eliyl.html

Using the “Strong’s” function in Bible tools,

Idols =“eliyl”

The KJV Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon

Strong's Number: 0457

Original Word Word Origin lyla, apparently from (0408)

Phonetic Spelling el-eel'

Parts of Speech Adjective Masculine

Definition:

of naught,

good for nothing,

worthless

of physicians,

a shepherd,

a divination of false gods

In the King James version, Word Usage = Total: 20

Breakdown: idol 17, image 1, no value 1, things of naught 1

KJV Verse Count

Leviticus 2

1 Chronicles 1

Job 1

Psalms 2

Isaiah 8

Jeremiah 1

Ezekiel 1

Habakkuk 1

Zechariah 1

Total 18 in the KJV (King James Version)

The occurrences in Isaiah are in…

Isaiah 2:8;

Isaiah 2:18;

Isaiah 2:20;

Idols; (“eliyl”) occur 3 times in Chapter2 of Isaiah.

Isaiah 10:10-11;

Isaiah 19:1;

Isaiah 19:3;

Isaiah 31:7

9 So humanity is humbled; everyone is humbled, and you must not forgive them.

Humanity = Adam,

http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/hebrew/nas/adam-2.html

The NAS Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon Strong’s Number: 120

Original Word ~da

Word Origin from (0119)

Transliterated Word 'adam

Phonetic Spelling aw-dawm'

Parts of Speech Noun Masculine

Definition:

man, mankind

man, human being

man, mankind (much more frequently intended sense in OT)

Adam, first man

city in Jordan valley

NAS Word Usage - Total: 552

any man 2, anyone 4, anyone's 1, being* 1, common sort* 1, human 19, infantry 1, low degree* 1, low* 1, man 363, man's 20, man* 1, mankind 9, men 104, men of low degree* 1, men's 3, men* 4, mortal 1, one 3, people 1, person 5, person* 1, persons 3, population 1, someone 1

This word for man is for a common, ordinary, (if there is such a thing) perhaps reflecting society’s extremes or society’s classification of man. It could be used in contrast to “Iysh”, (Strong's Number: 0377) and is used in …..

http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/hebrew/kjv/iysh-2.html

Strong's Number: 0377

Definition

(Hithpalel) to be a man, show masculinity, champion, great man

King James Word Usage - Total: 1

shew yourselves men 1

It is used in ……

Isaiah 46:8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors .(KJV)

(“and shew yourselves men” is variously translated, several times as “be ye ashamed”, which seems opposite to “shew yourselves men”.

10 Enter into the rock (Go into the ·caves of the cliffs [ rocks] Expanded bible); and hide yourself in the dust from the presence of the terror of Yahweh and from the glory of his majesty.

This reminds us of a verse in the book of Revelation: Revelation 6:15

King James Version

Revelation 6:15, And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; (KJV)

Revelation 6:15

Lexham English Bible

Revelation 6:15, And the kings of the earth, and the most important people, and the military leaders, and the rich, and the powerful, and every slave and free person hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,

11 The haughty eyes of humanity will be brought low, and the pride of everyone will be humbled, and Yahweh alone will be exalted on that day.

…on that day… Isaiah 2:2a “And it shall happen in the future of the days the mountain of the house[a] of Yahweh shall be established”.

12 For there is a day for Yahweh of hosts against all of the proud and the lofty and against all that is lifted up and humble,

KJV puts like this "12 For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low”

The term, “the day of the Lord shall be upon”….means the judgment, or consequences, of the Day of the Lord will be felt by ……. (More in the next bulletin, i.e. 2013_1030 Church in the home, Isaiah “the day of the Lord”- see Bullinger comp. bible Isaiah 2:12)

13 and against all the lofty and lifted up cedars of Lebanon, and against all the large trees of Bashan,

Why Trees? Well trees were used to make the idols, the “good for nothing” things, or as Bullinger's called them, “nothings”.

14 and against all the high mountains, and against all the lofty hills,

… where the idols were built for all to be able to see.

15 and against every kind of high tower, and against every kind of fortified wall,

16 and against all the ships of Tarshish, and against all the ships of desire.

17 And the haughtiness of the people shall be humbled, and the pride of everyone shall be brought low, and Yahweh alone will be exalted on that day.

18 And the idols shall pass away entirely,

Many translations translate is as above but others differently, e.g.

Isaiah 2:18

Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB)

Isaiah 2:18

And he shall utterly abolish the idols.

Bullinger Comp. bible

Isaiah 2:18

And the idols He shall utterly abolish.

19 and they will enter into the caves of the rocks and into the holes of the ground from the presence of the terror of Yahweh and from the glory of his majesty when he rises to terrify the earth.

Again reminders of .. Revelation 6:15 as in verse 10 of Isaiah 2.

King James Version

20 On that day humanity will throw away its idols of silver and its idols of gold, which they made for it to worship, to the rodents (this can be moles also) and to the bats—

21 to enter into the crevices of the rocks and into the clefts of the crags from the presence of the terror of Yahweh and from the glory of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth.

Like Revelation 6:10 and Isaiah 2:10, & 19

22 Turn away from humanity, who has breath in its nostrils, for by what is it esteemed?

In the NIV, 22 Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?

In the expanded bible: 22 Stop trusting in people to save you [L Cease from man/people],

·because people are only human [L whose breath is in his nostrils];

·they aren’t able to help you [what good are they; or why do you esteem them?].

Complete Jewish bible: 22 Stop relying on man, in whose nostrils is a mere breath —after all, he doesn’t count for much, does he?

http://www.truthortradition.com/

http://www.stfonline.org/resources/index.html

http://www.biblicalunitarian.com/

http://churchinthehomewednesdayevenings.blogspot.ie/

Tuesday, 22 October 2013

2013_1016 Church in the home Wednesday evenings Isaiah 2: 1-4, 2013_1016

Moving on to Chapter 2 of Isaiah…

Isaiah Chapter 2

Lexham English Bible

The Mountain of Yahweh

V.1 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

This is a repeat of Chapter 1 verse 1. Chapter 1 can then be seen as a summary chapter.

2 And it shall happen in the future of the days the mountain of the house of Yahweh shall be established; it will be among the highest of the mountains, and it shall be raised from the hills. All of the nations shall travel to him;

3 Many peoples shall come. And they shall say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob, and may he teach us part of his ways, and let us walk in his paths.” for instruction shall go out from Zion, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.

4 He shall judge between the nations and he shall arbitrate for many peoples. They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. A nation shall not lift up a sword against a nation, and they shall not learn war again.

WE cannot fail to see similarities between these three verses (Isaiah 2:2-4) and those in Micah 4:1-3

Micah 4:1-3

King James Version (KJV)

4 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.

2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Micah 4:1-3

The Mountain of Yahweh

Lexham English Bible

4 And it will be that at the end of those days, the mountain of Yahweh will be established as the highest of the mountains, and it will be lifted up above the hills, and people will stream to it.

2 And many nations will come and say, “Come! Let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh,

and to the temple of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways, and that we may walk in his paths,” for the law will go out from Zion, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.

3 And he will judge between many peoples and will arbitrate for strong nations far away;

and they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation will not lift up a sword against a nation, and they will no longer learn war

Let us look at these verses which are in stark contrast to those in much of Chapter 1, which proclaim vengeance, and punishment.

But what are this “mountain of Yahweh”, and “the law going forth out of Zion”, all about?

Lexham English Bible

Zechariah 8:3

Thus says Yahweh: ‘I have returned to Zion, and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and Jerusalem will be called the faithful city, and the mountain of Yahweh of hosts will be called the holy mountain.’

Obadiah 1:21

And those who have been saved will go up on Mount Zion to rule the mountain of Esau. And the kingdom will belong to Yahweh.

Joel 3:17

And you will know that I, Yahweh your God, am dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem will be a place of holiness, and strangers will pass through it no longer.

Joel 2:1

Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of Yahweh is coming —it is indeed near.

Ezekiel 20:40

“For on my holy mountain, on the mountain of the height of Israel,” declares the Lord Yahweh, “there all of the house of Israel will serve me, all of them, in the land. I will take pleasure in them, and there I will accept your contributions and the best of your portions with all of your holy objects.

Isaiah 37:32

For a remnant shall go out from Jerusalem and survivors from mountain Zion. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.’

Isaiah 27:13

And this shall happen: on that day, a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria will come, and those who were scattered in the land of Egypt, and they will bow down to Yahweh on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.

Isaiah 11:9

They will not injure and they will not destroy on all of my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh, as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 2:2

And it shall happen in the future of the days the mountain of the house of Yahweh shall be established; it will be among the highest of the mountains, and it shall be raised from the hills. All of the nations shall travel to him;

Psalm 133:3

It is like the dew of Hermon that runs down upon the mountains of Zion, because there Yahweh commanded the blessing— life forever.

Psalm 48:1

Yahweh is great and very worthy of praise in the city of our God, in his holy mountain.

Psalm 24:3

Who may ascend the mountain of Yahweh? And who may stand in his holy place?

Psalm 15:1

O Yahweh, who may reside in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy mountain?

As can be seen from the above verses there are many references to The Mountain of Yahweh (mountain of the Lord) in the old testament.

But what is this exactly. We must remember that God promised to set up his kingdom on Earth. In the old testament this revelation was given many times as generic, i.e. not distinguishing between the Millennial (1000 years) Kingdom, and the Eternal Kingdom. Biblically just and righteous man’s destination is an earthly kingdom where Jesus and God rule with justice and truth. The Millennial kingdom comes first as a fulfillment of a promise to Israel. (J. Schoenheit, “The Christians Hope”) and the Body of born again Christians will enter than Kingdom together with just, resurrected believers, Judeans and Gentiles alike, and some mortal survivors, some of who will subsequently die. This Millennial Kingdom is almost the closest thing to many people’s vague idea of Heaven. However even in this Kingdom there will be poor people, some that die albeit at a ripe old age (100 will seem young) and despite the almost perfect living conditions, many of the “survivors” will gather together in the last days of the 1000 years, and try to destroy the Judeans, Jerusalem, and the reigning King, Jesus Christ.

The eternal Kingdom will not have any mortal “survivors”, but only raised to new life people will enter.

With the benefit of 20:20 biblical hindsight we now see the distinction between the two kingdoms.

Both Isaiah 2: 2-4 and Micah 4:1-3, are referring to the Millennial Kingdom, and Ezekiel 48:8 in further elaborating, states that

V. 8 And beside the border of Judah, from the east side to the west side, shall be the offering of land which you shall offer: 25,000 reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the tribal portions from the east side to the west side; and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it.

Sanctuary = temple

And in Ezekiel 48:21 (KJV)

21 And what is left unallotted, on both sides of the holy portion and of that possessed by the city, shall belong to the prince. Reaching eastward from the 25,000 [measures] of the holy portion to the east border, and westward from the 25,000 [measures] to the west border, parallel to the tribal allotments, it belongs to the prince. The holy portion with the sanctuary of the temple in its midst,

Prince = Jesus Christ

Ezekiel 42:15-20, and Ezekiel 45:2, describe a sacred place, a sanctuary, a temple if you would. This is characteristic of the Millennial Kingdom. However in the eternal Kingdom there will be no temple (see Revelation: 21:22) This temple will be the centre piece of the world for 1000 years. Jesus Christ will sit and reign there. That is why Isaiah and Micah say …

Isaiah 2: 3

Many peoples shall come. And they shall say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house[c] of the God of Jacob, and may he teach us part of his ways, and let us walk in his paths.” for instruction shall go out from Zion, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.

Micah 4:2

2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Jesus Christ will be physically there, and he will, with the help of the 12 apostles, rulers, & judges drawn from all of the righteous peoples of the world, rule the world in righteousness for 1000 years. The bible does say that Jesus Christ will rule with a rod of iron. This stern approach will be necessary because for one, there will be mortal survivors present, and Jesus Christ knows from prophecy and we now do, that those people will increase greatly in number, living as they will be under ideal conditions. At the end of the 1000 years these will gather together as an enemy army against Jesus Christ and the Judeans.

(The Letter to the Church in Thyatira

Revelation 2: 26 & 27, And the one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, I will give him authority over the nations, 27 and “he will shepherd them with an iron rod; he will break them in pieces like jars made of clay,

Revelation 14:1

Lexham English Bible (LEB)

V. 1 And I looked, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads.

(In Isaiah 2: 3, it states, “the word of Yehweh” would go out from Jerusalem, but here in Revelation we see that the Lamb, Jesus Christ, was standing on mount Zion. We should remember the words of the psalm,

Psalm 110:1 “The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”

“The Lord” is Yehweh, and “my Lord” is Jesus Christ. In Revelation 14:1 we see the fulfillment of this.

1 Corinthians 6:2 (KJV)

Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

How wonderful to think and hope for a day as described in Isaiah 2: 4…

Micah 4: 3

3 And he will judge between many peoples and will arbitrate for strong nations far away;

and they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation will not lift up a sword against a nation, and they will no longer learn war

Amos 9:13

“Look, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when the one who plows will overtake the one who reaps, the one who treads grapes will catch up with the one who sows the seed. And the mountains will drip sweet wine and all of the hills will flow with it.

…meaning that the earth will be so productive that there will be little time between harvesting and sowing / planting.

http://www.truthortradition.com/

http://www.stfonline.org/resources/index.html

http://www.biblicalunitarian.com/

http://churchinthehomewednesdayevenings.blogspot.ie/

Friday, 4 October 2013

2013_1002 Church in the home Wednesday evenings 2013_1002 Isaiah 1 verse 1 to 13

2013_1001 Church in the home Wednesday evenings:

Isaiah 1: 1 – 13

Isaiah, the salvation of Jehovah, Yahweh.

Isaiah 1: 1 – 31

Expanded Bible:

V 1 This is the vision Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem ·while [ in the days when] Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah [792–686 bc].

The vision was not concerning the Church of God, but Judah and Jerusalem.

The first King mentioned in V. 1 is Uzziah, also known as (AKA) Azariah.

http://www.vtaide.com/gleanings/Kings-of-Israel/biography_Uzziah.html

Uzziah became king at 16 when his father, King Amaziah, was assassinated following a military disaster. Uzziah was faithful to the LORD for a long time, and during that time he and his nation prospered. Rising to power after a long period of decline, he restored to Judah much of the strength and influence that had been Israel's in the days of David and Solomon. He had a series of military successes against the Philistines, the Gurbaal, the Mehunims, and the Ammonites. He fortified Jerusalem, whose walls had been broken down just before he took office, and he built military outposts throughout the land as well. Being an inventor, he constructed turreted crossbows and catapults, mounting these in towers at his outposts. He was also active in agriculture, digging wells and planting vineyards throughout the land.

Unfortunately, later in his 52-year reign Uzziah presumed to alter the worship of the LORD, placing himself in the spotlight (…his pride led to his downfall. 2 Chron 26:16 NIV) by entering the temple and burning incense, a duty reserved by the LORD for the priests only. A group of 81 priests confronted the king, informing him of his violation — a courageous act, given the unquestioned power of the king in those days. Uzziah became furious. While he raged at the priests, the LORD showed his support for the priests by afflicting Uzziah with leprosy, which became immediately visible on his forehead. As no leprous person was permitted in the temple, the priests began urging the now-unclean king to leave. Uzziah, himself in a panic, rushed away.

Uzziah never recovered from leprosy. For the rest of his life he lived in seclusion, and his son Jotham acted as king during his absence.

Where to read Uzziah's story: 2 Kings 15:1-7; 2 Chronicles 26

http://www.vtaide.com/gleanings/Kings-of-Israel/biography_Uzziah.html

V 2 Listen, heavens, and pay attention, earth [ witnesses of the covenant; Deut. 30:19],

because the Lord is speaking:

“I raised my children [or sons;  the nation Israel] and helped them grow [brought them] up,

but they have turned [rebelled] against me.

Rebellion is often mentioned in the bible , Exodus 23:21, 1 Samuel 15:23, Proverbs 17:11, Jeremiah 28:16,

V 3 An ox knows its ·master [owner],

and a donkey knows where its owner feeds it [ the feeding trough/crib of its owner/master],but the people of Israel do not know me;

Most translations do not say “me” in V.3. It make I clearer indeed to use “me” in this case. What a way to be compared, with oxen and donkeys ! This is a rude awakening for the people of Israel.

V 4. How terrible [Woe; Alas]! Israel is a nation of sin [Sinful nation!],

a people loaded [weighed] down with guilt,

·a group of children [offspring; brood; seed] doing evil [or born from evildoers],

children [or sons] who are full of evil [act corruptly; are depraved].They have left [abandoned; forsaken] the Lord;they hate [despise; or have rejected/spurned] the Holy One of Israel [Isaiah’s favorite title for God],and have turned away [become alienated/estranged] from him.

The message is clear.

What about the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” see Bullingers companion Bible extract below.

The term "the Holy One of Israel" occurs 25 times in Isaiah. Outsidde of Isaiah it is used 1 by Isaiah himself, and 3 times in the Psalms

http://www.companionbiblecondensed.com/OT/Isaiah.pdf

V. 5 Why should you continue to be [or do you insist on being] punished [battered; struck down]? Why do you continue to turn against him [rebel]?

Your whole head is hurt [bruised; wounded],and your whole heart is sick [faint; weak].

The rhetorical questions, Why ? Even though the consequences are known and are negative, are going to hurt, nevertheless man has this stubbornness against God and His will.

V. 6 There is no healthy spot [soundness] from the bottom [sole] of your foot to the top of your head; you are covered with wounds [bruises], hurts [sores; welts], and open sores [raw/infected wounds] that are not cleaned [pressed out] and covered [bandaged],

and no medicine takes away the pain [not soothed/softened with oil].

Israel is completely unhealthy.

V. 8 Your land is ruined [desolate]; your cities have been burned with fire.

While you watch [Right in front of you], your enemies [L foreigners; strangers] are stealing everything from [destroy; devour] your land [fields; crops];

it is ruined like a country destroyed [overthrown] by enemies [foreigners; strangers].

V 9 If the Lord All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] had not allowed a few of our people to live [left us a few survivors], we would have been like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah [completely destroyed; Gen. 19].

Frightening stuff, if a few of our people were not allowed to live, there would have been complete annihilation. Who were these few? Isaiah for one, other prophets, Micah, Nahum, there must have been a few more?

V. 10 Hear [Listen to] the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom [C Jerusalem is compared sarcastically to evil Sodom and Gomorrah]! listen to the teaching [instruction] of our God,

You people of Gomorrah!

Nice comparison, firstly oxen and donkeys, now Sodom and Gomorrah. Direct approach or sure, Isaiah has a tough message to deliver and he did it unequivocally.

V. 11 The Lord says,

“I do not want all these sacrifices [L What are your many sacrifices to me?] I have had enough of [am stuffed full with] your burnt sacrifices [Lev. 1:1–17] of male sheep and fat from fine [fattened] animals [beasts; cattle]. I am not pleased by [take no pleasure in]

the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats.

V. 12 You come to meet with [appear before; worship] me, but who asked you to do

all this running in and out of [trampling/parading through] my Temple’s rooms [courts; courtyards]?

Good imagery, busy running round looking sincere and parading with pomp and ceremony, a big distraction from the real business at hand. Most translations call it trampling (through my temple.)

V. 13 Don’t continue bringing me worthless [meaningless; futile] sacrifices!

I hate the incense you burn [ Incense is detestable/an abomination to me].

I can’t stand your New Moons, Sabbaths, and other feast days [convocations; sacred assemblies];

I can’t stand [endure] the evil you do in your holy meetings [sin and assembly].

http://bibleprofessor.com/files/Isaiah.pdf page 8

Offerings of the uncommitted are an abomination to Yahweh.

The strongest possible language is used to show the divine displeasure in the observance of holy days. Yahweh cannot endure them. He hates these feasts. They are a burden to him. In v 4 iniquity was a burden to the people; here hypocritical worship is a burden to Yahweh.

http://bibleprofessor.com/files/Isaiah.pdf page 8

http://www.truthortradition.com/

http://www.stfonline.org/resources/index.html

http://www.biblicalunitarian.com/

http://churchinthehomewednesdayevenings.blogspot.ie/