RoyalPrincess

      This week's Sabbath reading portion, titled Chayyei Sarah, or "The life of Sarah," is always very interesting. One reason that this Sabbath portion is so interesting is because "the life of Sarah" starts with the death of Sarah in Genesis 23: "Sarah (sara/sar - noblewoman, princess, the wife of a king, of noble birth, queen/prince, chief, ruler, governor, leader, princes of religious office) lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her." (v. 1-2).

     As indicated by Sarah's name, she was a "princess". The LORD had previously prophesied to Abraham that kings would come from him: "I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings (melek/malak - king, royal, Messiah[Christ] as the King of Israel, Jehovah as King of Israel/king, queen, rule, reign, cause to reign, to counsel and advise, ascend to the throne) shall come from you...Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings (melek/malak - same as above) of peoples shall be from her." (Gen. 17:6, 16). As Abraham sought to purchase a burial place for his wife, Sarah, from the Hittites of Canaan, they addressed him, saying: "Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places..." (Gen. 23:6). The Hittites recognized Abraham as royalty. Abraham was not interested in their burial places but wanted to purchase a field that contained a (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) cave in order to bury his wife there. (v. 8-9). Although the Hittites referred to Abraham as royalty, Abraham was humble before them and "bowed himself down" (saha - bow down, obeisance, stoop, prostrate oneself before anyone out of honor, to submit oneself) before the people of the land. (v. 12). Royalty does not mean prideful or haughty in the Kingdom of God.

     The covenant household that Abraham and Sarah established in covenant with God was a royal household. This Sabbath portion, "The life of Sarah," will reveal other women in future generations who became part of this royal household. The greatest royalty that would come forth from these royal women would be the Messiah/Christ Jesus, THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. As the meaning in Hebrew of the life of Sarah teaches us, the word "life" is hay/haya which includes the meaning: "have life, restored to life, revive from death, to live forever." This is no ordinary royal household, and this is no ordinary kind of "life." This is a special royal household that has the promise of eternal life in God.

     The Bible follows this royal line and those who belong to it throughout the generations. There are "princesses/queens" in this miraculous and holy account as well.

     From another part of this Chayyei Sarah, "the life of Sarah" Sabbath reading portion, we will see how Abraham acquires a royal bride for his son, Isaac, after the death of Sarah. (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Abraham called his oldest, trusted servant to him, "who ruled over all that he had," to swear to return to Abraham's native land and family (moledet - kindred, born, begotten, issue, relatives, nativity, origin), "...and take a wife for (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) my son Isaac." (Gen. 24:1-4). The servant, who is not named in this passage, is described as being "oldest." This is the Hebrew word zaqen, which means not only old or ancient, but in oriental culture is also "the minister of a king, and is called 'great king father' even if he is young. He is considered a man of very high eminence because of this position." Abraham made the servant swear solemnly that he would never take Isaac back to the land Abraham's family in Mesopotamia, but would bring the bride to the land of Canaan because of God's promise to Abraham that his descendants would inherit this land. (v. 6-9).

     Because the servant had charge over all of Abraham's goods, he took ten camels (gamal - camel, beast of burden/to deal bountifully with, reward, bestowed, recompense, do good to, served) loaded with precious goods to offer to this bride and her family, including substantial gold jewelry, silver, clothing and precious things (migdanot/meged - choice and excellent thing, precious, gem/precious fruit, excellence, distinguished, to be eminent). We know that the servant carried enough of these rich goods to require ten camels. One camel can carry over 900 pounds of goods, although the average weight that is carried by a camel is about 300 pounds. Even if we take the lesser weight, it means that Abraham's servant brought over 3,000 pounds of his master's finest goods to the prospective bride, and it could have been as much as 9,000 pounds! This is not a gift that would be given to an ordinary bride, but it is a suitable gift for a royal princess bride. The future bride and her family would certainly come to this conclusion also. If Abraham could furnish this abundance of finest things to his son's future bride, how much more in natural and spiritual riches has the Father in heaven furnished to His Son, Jesus, to bestow upon His Bride, the believers in Messiah/Christ?

     As Abraham's servant drew near to the home city of Abraham's family, he prayed to the LORD: "O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, 'Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink' - let her be the one You have appointed for your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master." (v. 12-14). The appointed young woman would not be of the average disposition. She would have a godly noble humility like Abraham (see above). Not many royal princesses today would see ten camels belonging to a stranger and offer to fetch water for them! Would we be this hospitable and humble?

     As soon as Abraham's servant finished praying, a beautiful young woman named Rebekah came to the well and did exactly as the servant had prayed. Not only that, but the servant found out that she was the daughter of Abraham' deceased brother. The LORD had answered the servant's prayer.

     Rebekah invited the servant to bring his camels and to stay with her family. After hearing the servant's story, Rebekah agreed to return with the servant to Abraham's household in Canaan to marry his son, Isaac. Her family agreed to let her go and prayed a blessing over (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Rebekah: "Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands; And may your descendants possess (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the gates ( see Judges 16:2-3 and Mt. 16:16-19) of those who hate them." (Gen. 24:60).

     As the servant's and Rebekah's caravan drew near to Abraham's home, Isaac was out in his field and lifted up his eyes and saw them approach. Rebekah also lifted up (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) her eyes and saw (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Isaac. She took her veil and covered herself. She was not only humble and generous, but she was modest as well. "Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Rebekah as his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death." (Gen. 24:61-67).

     As we can see, Rebekah became designated by the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega, the identification of the (royal) household of the Messiah/Christ Jesus, after her agreement to return with Abraham's servant to marry Isaac.

     In the true meaning of a royal bride, Rebekah would establish the Messianic line of Christ as well as the nation and tribes of Israel as she gave birth to her two sons. The LORD had prophesied to her that of her twin sons, the older would serve the younger, so Rebekah did all she was able to ensure that her younger son, Jacob, later renamed Israel, would receive the blessing from her husband, (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Isaac, rather than Esau. Then she would provide the means by which Jacob would survive the murderous rage of his brother, Esau, by sending Jacob to her family in Mesopotamia.

     In another reading portion from this Chayyei Sarah, "the life of Sarah" Sabbath, one of David's wives, Bathsheba, in partnership with the prophet of Israel, secured the oath of elderly King David to keep his promise to name their son Solomon as his successor, because another son from a different mother plotted to grab the throne instead before his father's death, which would also put Solomon in danger. (1 Kings 1:28-31). David assured Bathsheba that Solomon would succeed him, and then set the things in motion to accomplish this. David had formerly been promised by God that his household would be the one to bring forth the Messiah/Christ in generations to come. Solomon did become king after his father David, and he is indeed named in the genealogy of Jesus. (see Mt. 1:6). Bathsheba secured the Messianic/Christ royal line that God had prophesied to her husband, King David.

     This Chayyei Sarah Sabbath also brings us the story of Ruth. Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law had a husband named Elimelech (meaning "My God is King") who had died and her two sons were dead also. All she had left as she lived in the nation of Moab was her daughter-in-law, Ruth, whose husband was deceased and had left her with no children. Naomi decided, having nothing left, to return to her homeland and hometown, Bethlehem in Israel. Her faithful daughter-in-law, Ruth, clung to Naomi and begged to go with her to Israel, saying in part, "...your people shall be my people, and your God, my God." After Naomi and Ruth arrived in Israel, Ruth began to glean grain/corn (sibolet/sobel - ears of corn, branches, a flowing stream, a waterflood/flowing skirt or train, train of a robe) as a poor person in the fields of Boaz, a rich kinsman of Naomi's deceased husband, in order to feed herself and Naomi. It is important to understand the meanings of the names of Boaz and Ruth in Hebrew. The Hebrew letters of Boaz' name are beth + 'ayin + zayin and when joined together could have the meaning "House/Household/Family that sees and understands the fountain of the (One) pierced." Ruth's name in Hebrew means "friendship, appearance, mate, female companion", with the root meaning: "feed, shepherd/shepherdess, pastor, tend to, to pasture, teacher, to keep, ruler." The Hebrew letters of Ruth's name are reysh + vaw + tav, which when joined together could mean "The Highest nailed to the cross/covenant." In other words, Boaz and Ruth were made for each other, a foregone conclusion. 

     Ruth says three times in the account (Ruth 2:2, 10, 13) that she while she is gleaning the field, she is really seeking "favor/grace" (hen/hanan/hana - grace, favor, pleasant, well-favored, kindness, acceptance/merciful, gracious, besought, supplication, have mercy on, implore the favor of/dwell, abide, tent, encamp, bow down, inhabit, pitch one's tent" even though she is a foreigner. Ruth is looking for a habitation of mercy and grace. When Naomi heard that Ruth was gleaning in Boaz's field and had received kindness from him, Naomi exclaimed: "Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken his kindness to the living and the dead!" (Ruth 2:20).

     Boaz had heard of Ruth's kindness and faithfulness to Naomi and redeemed the inheritance of all that belonged to his dead relative, which included Naomi and Ruth, and he married Ruth. Ruth became known to him by her royal character. They had a son, Obed (obed/abad - serving/servant, worshipper), who would be King David's grandfather. Naomi treated Ruth's child as her own, and became a nurse to him, and her women neighbors said, "There is a son born to Naomi." (Ruth 4:16-17). Boaz had restored the (royal) line of his dead relative Elimelech by being a "kinsman redeemer". Through the serving and faithful heart of Ruth the Moabitess, the royal line of the Messiah/Christ had been restored. Both Boaz, Ruth, Obed and, of course, David are named in the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah/Christ. (see Mt. 1:5-6).

     How are the women mentioned in this Sabbath reading portion, in which we should also consider the Bride of Christ, connected to our Sabbath title "the life of Sarah"? Sarah, meaning "princess, noblewoman, wife of a king, queen", had also confirmed the direction of the royal Messianic line, or line of Christ, in her lifetime like the women mentioned above when she insisted that Ishmael be removed from the camp because he was mocking, saying to Abraham: "...the son of this bondwoman (referring to Hagar) shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac." This was very displeasing (ra'a - evil, wicked, hurt, harm, break into pieces, evildoer, injurious) in Abraham's eyes because he loved Ishmael, his first born, also. The LORD told Abraham: "...whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed." (Gen. 21:9-13). Abraham obeyed the LORD and did as Sarah had told him.

     Sarah established the royal line of kingship (Ishmael would produce princes according to the promise of the LORD, while Isaac's line would establish kings) which reflected the will and plan of God. Worldly royalty comes and goes, but the royal kingdom of God is eternal. Jesus instructed His disciples as He sent them forth to say to those that they ministered to with healing and miracles: "The kingdom of God has come nigh you."

     Our role as the royal Bride of Messiah/Christ is to affirm and witness His Kingship (see Rev. 17:14, Isa. 9:6-7, Dan. 7:13-14, Jn. 18:36, etc.) while understanding the royal kingdom of which we also have been made a part through Him (Rev. 1:5-6, 1 Pet. 2:9-10).

     If you would like to learn more about how each of us are connected to "the life of Sarah", you can join me in prayer: "Our Father, You have called me to Your Kingdom through and because of Your Son, Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You established His royal line down through many generations, assuring us all that we have a King who has been given all power and authority, who will return to rule and reign over all the earth. Help me, Father, to serve this Kingdom and to establish it in my own heart and in all of the places upon which I set my feet. I declare that the Kingdom of God is here. It is in each of us, dwelling within me and manifesting through me until the moment when our King's feet will touch upon the Mt. of Olives in Israel. Let Your Holy Spirit guide me to follow my King and let Your Word shine as a lamp unto my feet. I ask this in the name of my coming King, Jesus. AMEN.

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13. 

RoyalMothers

This week's Sabbath reading portion seems to speak a great deal about the importance of mothers, not just as biological parents, but as spiritual determiners. The Book of Proverbs begins: "The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel." (Prov. 1:1). While kings inherit the throne through their fathers, as we see here, the kings are often identified specifically in scripture by their mothers, as well. Further along in the first chapter of Proverbs, Solomon writes about attaining wisdom, knowledge and understanding. He wrote: "My son, hear the instruction (musar/yasar - discipline, chastening, correction, restraint, warning, reproof, rebuke, instruction, doctrine (see also 2 Tim. 4:1-2)/reform, chastise with blows, punish) of your father, and do not forsake (natas - leave, cease, abandon, cast off, let fall, lie fallow) the law (torah/yara - law, direction, human or divine instruction and direction, body of prophetic teaching, precept, law of sacrifice/shoot arrows, teach, point out, flow as water) of your mother (em - mother, point of departure or division, mother of the way, a parting of the road, source and head of the way, leading city, to set an example, to teach, she who bestows benefits on others); For they will be a graceful (hen - favor, grace, kindness, good will) ornament (livya/lava - wreath, garland/to be joined to, cleave, abide, to unite by twining, joined closely) on your head, and chains (anaq - necklace, stature, adorn with neck ornament, liberally furnish, supply, carried on the neck by a shepherd) about your neck." (v. 8-9). We can see here that the role of the mother who sets the direction, is to be related to the Torah, the Word of God. As a result of the influence of both parents, the child's life will be full of the honor, grace, and favor of God. This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled Chayyei Sarah, or "The life of Sarah". It covers Gen. 23 through 24, and actually begins with Sarah's death! So why is it called "The life of Sarah"? Sarah's death will create a new direction, a point of departure from current circumstances (see above Hebrew meaning of "mother"), as Abraham sends his servant out of Canaan to find his son, Isaac, a wife from Abraham's relatives. Sarah's name plays a very important role in this new direction. Her original name, Sarai, means "princess, nobility/prince, captain, ruler, governor, keeper, leader, commander/to have power, prevail over, reign, dominion". The LORD earlier said to Abraham: "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah (sara - noblewoman or lady, princess, queen, wife of a nobly-born king) shall be (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega: see Rev. 1:8, 21:6, 22:13) her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her; and she shall be a (mother) of nations; kings of peoples shall come from her." (Gen. 17:15-16). Eve was called "the mother of all living", but, as we can see from this, Sarah could be considered to be "the mother of the royalty of God's covenant people", as God renamed her. Before we leave the generation of Sarah, we can look at another mother of kings, which was Hagar, the Egyptian maid of Sarah, and the mother of Abraham's first born son, Ishmael. Isaac would be the son of the covenant with God, but Ishmael would be blessed by God also for Abraham's sake. The LORD said to Abraham: "And as for Ishmael, ...Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you..." (Gen. 17:20-21). How did Hagar, Ishmael's mother, play a role as a royal "point of departure" (see definition of "mother", above)? Sarah had Hagar and Ishmael cast out of Abraham's camp because Ishmael had mocked the covenant heir, Isaac. Hagar and Ishmael were in the wilderness, out of water, and dying of thirst (Gen. 21:9-14), but God had made a promise. Hagar threw (salak - throw, hurl, fling, cast away, cast forth) her (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) child, Ishmael, under (tahat/toah - beneath, at the foot of, under subjection/humble, lowly) a bush (siah - bush, shrub, meditation, speak, commune, pray, declare, ponder, to bring forth). (v. 15). Hagar didn't place her son under the shrub, but threw him under it. The word for "shrub" is siah, which is part of the word "Messiah", who is also called The Branch. At this moment, God opened Hagar's (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) eyes to see a well of water, and she and her (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) son filled their (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) skins or bottles with the water of the well: "So God was with the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) child." (v. 19-20). Hagar established the life of her son under the covering of the yet-to-be-born Messiah, Jesus. This makes Hagar the Egyptian a "mother" in the spiritual sense as well as an instructor in the Torah, the prophetic teaching, the law of sacrifice, flowing like water, as defined above, as she threw her son at the feet of the prophesied Messiah. She had learned well while in Abraham's household. The LORD spoke twice into Hagar's life, giving her direction, and she listened to the LORD, and both she and her son were preserved, prospered, and the kings came forth from Ishmael as promised. We read about another woman who walked in the life or manner of Sarah in this Sabbath reading. Abraham sent his servant back to his family to find a wife for his son, Isaac, after Sarah died. Abraham assured his servant that the angel of the LORD would be sent before him to help him (Gen. 24:7). The servant asked the LORD's help in identifying the right one for his master's son. The servant waited by a well because the women of the town would come to draw water (v. 10-11). The servant prayed: "Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, "Please let down your pitcher (kad - earthen vessel) that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink' - let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant, Isaac..." (v. 14). Rebekah approached the well, and did all that Abraham's servant had prayed. She gave the servant water, and watered the ten camels (v. 18-20). We see here in Rebekah the qualities of a mother by God's definition: she was quick to bestow benefits upon others, and she exhibited the Torah, the Word of God, as flowing water. This is the one whom the LORD had appointed for Isaac. She ultimately agreed to go back to Canaan to marry Isaac. As they approached the area of Isaac's tent, which had been his mother, Sarah's, tent, "Then Rebekah lifted her (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) eyes, and when she saw (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Isaac, she dismounted from her camel.." (v. 64). She asked the servant who the man was who was walking to meet them. The man was Isaac, the servant answered. We have discovered before that when the expression "lifted the eyes and saw" is used, the person is seeing by nasa resurrection, or spiritual, ra'a sight. Rebekah was a comfort to Isaac in the loss of his mother, Sarah (v. 67). We know that in the future, Rebekah will hear from the LORD regarding the twins she is carrying in her womb, and she will "set the point of departure or division, the parting of the road" between the two sons, according to the direction and election of the LORD. One of the sons, Jacob, who is named in the genealogy of Jesus, will later be renamed "Israel" by the LORD who said to him: "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel (yisrael/sara - "God prevails"/ have power as a prince, contend, persevere, leader, commander, prince, to set in order): for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed." (Gen. 32:28 KJV). It is also interesting to note that scripture makes sure to tell us that Rebekah is the granddaughter of Nahor and his wife Milcah, whose name means "queen"! (Gen. 24:15). In another portion from this Sabbath's reading, Chayyei Sarah, from 1 Kings 1, another mother, Bathsheba, will heed the words of the prophet, Nathan, joining herself to that part of the Torah that is the "body of prophetic teaching" (see above), and will insure that the Kingdom of Israel will pass from King David, who at this time was very old, to his tenth son, Solomon, Bathsheba's son, who is named in the genealogy of Jesus (see Mt. 1:6-7). David's fourth son, Adonijah, had tried to take the throne before his father's death, saying, "I will be king." (1 Kings 1:5). Scripture tells us that David had not rebuked Adonijah at any time for this (v. 6), which is part of the instruction of a father, as we saw above in Proverbs. Because of the intervention of Nathan and Bathsheba, David commanded that Solomon be anointed king while David was still alive (v. 32-35), to be king in David's place, a remarkable thing for a sitting king to do. Again we see that a mother in the Spirit will point to the royal path appointed by God, in addition to other attributes. Finally, in the last reading portion from this Sabbath, we see another mother who will stand at the head of the way, at the fork of the road. She will establish the line that will lead to David, a future king, and forefather of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, the greatest King in heaven and earth. Ruth's mother-in-law, Naomi, was the widow of Elimelech ("My God is King"). (Ruth 1:1-2). We are speaking here of the royalty of God, Himself. Not only was Naomi's husband dead, but so were her two sons. Would the royal line of God end here? No! Naomi accepted the Moabitess Ruth's plea to return with Naomi to Israel, near Bethlehem, even as Ruth accepted the God of Israel, Naomi's God, as her God also (Ruth 1:16). There lived an older unmarried (therefore also having no descendants) relative of Elimelech, Boaz (meaning "fleetness"). Boaz first saw Ruth gleaning in his field after the reapers had gone through to harvest the main crop. Ruth sought to feed Naomi and herself in this manner. She valued every blade of grain, even those left behind from the larger harvest. She and Naomi, being widows, had no other source of provision. Boaz made sure that Ruth would come to no harm (Ruth 2:8-9). Ruth asked Boaz why she had found such favor with him, and he answered: "It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge." (v. 11-12). Naomi lived in the manner of a spiritual mother, who bestows benefits on others (see above). Boaz made haste, as his name "fleetness" tells us, to clear the way for him to marry Ruth. Her mother-in-law, Naomi assured Ruth: "...the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day." (Ruth 3:18). Their son, Obed (meaning "servant, laborer, worshipper [of God]"), was the grandfather of David. Ruth was well deserving by her character to have become a mother to the royalty of God. To me, all of these examples of spiritually appointed mothers of the royalty of God is what is meant as following after "Chayyai Sarah", the life of Sarah. Man has its set idea regarding the meaning of "mother", considering only the natural condition, and many limit themselves to, and are directed by this understanding. However, God expects us "to lift up our eyes and see" His revelation in the Spirit. The believers in Christ are called to be kings and priests, and a royal priesthood, serving after the royalty and priesthood of Jesus. If you would like to know more about the call of royalty of God in Christ, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, You have provided spiritual mothers and fathers for us, and have called us to be spiritual mothers and fathers to others, to direct the way to the royal household and calling of God. Teach us through Your Word, Jesus, and by Your Holy Spirit, to understand and to walk in this by the examples that You have given to us in this Sabbath reading. I ask this in the name of Jesus, AMEN."

Good/Evil

We are living in times when we see a prophecy of Isaiah coming to pass:
"Woe to those who call evil (wickedness, giving pain, unhappiness, misery, malignant, unkind, distress, injury, calamity, wrong. Root word- to break, to be broken, crushing, raging, tumultuous) good, and good (pleasant, excellent, merry, valuable, prosperous, kind, benefit, bounty, delightful, act rightly) evil; who put darkness (misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness, dark place/prison/Hades) for light, and light (bright, clear, illumination, daylight, light of life, brightening of countenance, light of teaching. Root word-to become light, glorious, to make shine) for darkness; who put bitter (the end that comes from wickedness, pain, angry, discontented, sorrowful, the bitterness of death, fierce, powerful, raging, destructive, having a harmful effect especially in a gradual or subtle way) for sweet, and sweet (sweet, pleasant) for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!"  Isa. 5:20-21
It is difficult to imagine how man could become so lost, so far from God as to be in this condition. We can see it all around us, but we don't have to look far to see it, because it is sometimes no farther than our own hearts and minds. It is a trap into which we can easily and quickly fall. There is an example in scripture.
There was a great and blessed king. On a day when he was in a place where he was not supposed to be, at a time when he shouldn't have been there, this king spotted a beautiful woman. Unfortunately, she was the wife of one of his trusted soldiers, who at that time was away fighting in battle on behalf of his king. The king began an affair with the soldier's wife, and she became pregnant. Wanting to prevent discovery, the king arranged a leave for her husband, and brought him back from the battlefield for a short visit with his wife. However, the soldier was a noble man, and felt he should not enjoy a visit with his wife while he was home on leave, because his fellow soldiers were still suffering away from home. The soldier, therefore, was not intimate with his wife on the visit. The Plan A cover-up was not successful. The king moved to Plan B. This plan had the soldier reassigned to the front line of battle upon his return to duty, where the likelihood increased that he would get killed. This plan is successful. The only person who would know besides the king and the soldier's wife that the child was not the husband's, had been killed in action (2 Sam. 11:1-17, 26-27).
This whole plot is evil at its worst. The king involved, King David, had an intimate knowledge and relationship with God, probably more so than most of us. He sought, loved and treasured God so much that God had called him, "A man after His own heart" (1 Sam. 13:14). David received revelation knowledge from God, yet in this case he did not recognize the evil that he had done until a prophet of God showed it to him in a parallel example (2 Sam. 12:1-15). God sent His prophet because He needed David to face this evil in order to bring David to repentance, so David could live:
"So David said to Nathan ("Gift"), "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away ("abar"- put away, pass over, pass beyond, cross over, vanish, become invalid) your sin; you shall not die."  2 Sam. 12:13
God's great plan of redemption required that David live. David wrote Psalm 51 out of that repentance. However, there would be more to this picture than our minds could ever anticipate, which we will see later.
Our perception of good and evil gets twisted, because we tend to judge good and evil based upon appearances. We see with our eyes, hear with our ears, taste, touch and smell using our senses. We analyze the information that our senses receive with our natural minds. We are then judging these spiritual things using our flesh. Scripture says that no good thing dwells in the flesh:
"For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find."   Rom. 8:17
The above is what apostle Paul spoke of himself. It is no different for you or me. Using the flesh, including the natural mind and its reasoning, is not the way to identify good and evil. It is a trap for failure.This is the same as eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which Adam and Eve were forbidden to do. As Eve observed the Tree and its fruit, this is what happened:
"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate."   Gen. 3:6
After hearing the convincing argument of the Serpent, although it was a lie, Eve looked at the Tree and found that it didn't look any less beautiful than the other trees in the garden. The fruit of it looked fine also. The commandment of God not to eat of it didn't make sense considering the evidence she saw with her eyes, and the deductions being formed in her mind. Adam was with her, and he didn't see the evil of the situation either. Good and evil are spirit, and it is defined by what God says, not by what man sees and thinks. When Adam and Eve chose to rely upon their flesh to make the determination between good and evil, rather than by the revelation of God, it meant the death of them. Are we eating of this same Tree every day? If so, is it bringing us death, or death to others? This might very well be the case.
The greatest Good the world has ever received, the birth, atonement death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, could not and cannot be perceived by the natural senses and mind of men. Jesus said that the knowledge of Him could only be revealed to someone by the Father, Who is Spirit:
"And He (Jesus) said to them (His disciples), "But who do say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father, who is in heaven."   Mt. 16:15-17
Paul said the same: the Gospel of Christ is foolishness to the wisdom of man, and can only be revealed by the Spirit (1 Cor. 1:21-24,  2:10, 14-15). If we cannot perceive this greatest Good, which is Jesus, by our flesh, what makes us think that we can perceive any other good, or by extension, any evil by our flesh?
Both Jesus and Paul warned of judging by the flesh (Jn. 7:24, 8:15-16, 1 Cor. 4:5). Yes, as Paul said, we will judge angels (1 Cor. 6:3). However, it won't be by appearance or the use of natural knowledge and understanding. Yet we judge and analyze people and situations, good and evil, every day by incomplete information and natural understanding. It happens so quickly, and so "naturally", we don't realize that we have fallen into the trap.
We may feel confident that we can judge good and evil by the Word of God. This is true, as far as the extent of our knowledge of the Word goes. What we lack, however, is the omniscience of God, the knowledge of the eternal plan of God concerning any individual, even ourselves, unless He specifically reveals these things to us. This brings us back to our story of David.
God sent His prophet to bring David to a recognition of his evil, and to a place of necessary repentance, God also had something else in mind that was not indicated by appearances, and that no human reasoning could have deduced. As David pressed into the LORD in repentance, seeking forgiveness, God revealed something greater to David. God planned to redeem something good out of this evil. What David caught a glimpse of spiritually, was too precious and miraculous to imperil with other men's faulty, natural judgment. David said that this matter was between David and God only (Ps. 51:4). David determined that he must depend upon the righteous judgment of God, not the flawed judgment of men. On another occasion David had said,
"I am in great distress. Please let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man." 1 Chron. 21:13
David came to understand that not only was there cleansing in bringing to God the offering of repentance, there was also a redemption available that would result in renewal and restoration (Ps. 51:10-17). The words of revelation David used regarding this redemption were: create ('bara"- of new conditions and circumstances, of transformations, of birth, of something new, of miracles), renew ("chadash"- be new, renew, repair, make anew), and restore ("shuv"- turn back (from evil/to God), restore, refresh, repair, bring back, reverse).
Can we blame David for not trusting this work into the understanding of men?
It is only in the righteous, spiritual judgment of God, that good could possibly come from this evil situation of adultery and murder. Man could not have guessed that from this same couple, David and the soldier's widow Bathsheba, a second child would later be born (the first child had not survived). That second child, Solomon, David's tenth son over all, would become the next, and great king of Israel, known world-wide for his wisdom. Solomon built the temple of God in Jerusalem, following the plans left for him by his father, David. Solomon also wrote three books of the scriptures. Proverbs is a book of seemingly simple wise sayings, which are not simple at all, but deep truths, including the following, which pertains to our discussion here:
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death."  Prov. 14:12
Solomon also wrote the deep book of Ecclesiastes, so named after the Greek translation of the word "Preacher", which Solomon called himself in the first verse of this book. This "Preacher", or kohehleth, is by the Hebrew meaning of the word, addressing an assembly of God's called out people, the Ekklesia.
The third book of scripture written by Solomon is the Song of Songs, sometimes called the Song of Solomon, or Canticles, meaning a hymn or chant based on scripture. This is another book that is not as it seems on the surface, but embedded within it is an astounding prophetic allegory of the Messiah.
Shortly before this terrible sin entered David's life, God had made a covenant with him. He prophesied of David's future generations, and the eternal kingship which would come from David's house (2 Sam. 7:12-19). This referred to the everlasting reign of the Messiah. A man might assume that this line could descend from one of David's already-born sons. However, God knew that the Messiah would descend from David's line through that yet-to-be-born son, Solomon. Solomon carried the seed of the coming Messiah, Jesus. From the genealogy of Christ as recorded in scripture comes this entry: "...David the king begot Solomon by her (who had been the wife of Uriah)." (Mt. 1:6).
This evil was placed in front of David's face for his repentance, to save David's life, and to continue the line of Messiah. God also showed s this example from David's life to show forth to all of us His redeeming power to fulfill His word, despite what was meant for evil, by the grace of the Passover Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. God knows the end from the beginning, as He did in this case. We, on the other hand, do not. Could anyone have foreseen, anticipated, understood this redemption of good from the evil that David had committed?
The Psalms sing:
"O Israel, hope in the LORD; for with the LORD there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all His iniquities."  Ps. 130:7-8
Most people do not choose evil, darkness, and bitterness because they want them in their lives. It is often a trap we fall into because man prefers to rely upon and exalt his own will, desires, observations, and reasoning, rather than the Word and Spirit of God. The Breastplate of Judgment worn by the priests of God contained Urim ("Lights") and Thummim ("Perfection, Righteousness") to be consulted in all things (Ex. 28:30). We are also commanded to wear our breastplate of righteousness (Eph. 6:14, Isa. 59:16-17). Isaiah said that this is the breastplate worn by our Salvation, the Right Hand of God, Who eternally lives to make intercession for us, even when no man will intercede.
Let us learn from David's struggle. In the face of evil, we can pray for God's redemption. Let us ask God to "create, refresh, and restore", to turn for good what is meant for evil for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Our Redeemer lives, and He redeems good from evil to fulfill His plan for us.