Who?

In 1998, in the City of David, Jerusalem, a cistern was discovered that many archeologists believe was the dungeon into which the prophet Jeremiah ("whom Jehovah has appointed") was lowered by the princes of Judah. This is how scripture describes that event:
"So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon (a well, cistern, pit) of Malchiah the king's son, which was in the court of the prison, and they let Jeremiah down with ropes (also meaning pain, sorrow, travail, destruction, to bind, to spoil, to destroy, to ruin, to writhe, to twist, to be broken). And in the dungeon, there was no water, but mire. So Jeremiah sank (to sink down, pierce, drown) in the mire."   Jer. 38:6
The princes of Judah, Shephatiah, meaning "Jehovah has judged", Gedaliah, meaning "Jehovah is great", Jucal, "Jehovah is able", and Pashur, or "freedom", had made clear to the king, Zedekiah ("Jehovah is righteous/just"), that their intent was to kill Jeremiah, and the king had told them to do what they wanted (v. 5).
Jerusalem at this time was besieged by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar. There was very little food left in the city, and they were in dire straits. Jeremiah had prophesied, even directly to the king, that the Babylonian king would indeed prevail against Jerusalem, and the people would be taken into captivity. He was even accused of being in league with the enemy because of these prophecies.(Jer. 37:14). Jeremiah had also prophesied that after the captivity, the LORD would turn and heal Judah, and bring them revelations of peace and truth with the Messiah, bringing them to a greater glory in Him (Jer. 33:6, 15-16). The LORD affirmed His covenant with the House of David in these prophecies (33:17).
When I started this entry, I thought it was going to be about poor Jeremiah, the prophet appointed by the LORD, lowered into the miry pit to be destroyed, but it became about something else. This is about the people around this incident. Jeremiah was indeed suffering in the pit for prophesying the true Word of the LORD, when other prophets of the day were prophesying a false word of comfort. Of course, all of the people, including the highest leadership, preferred the comforting, reassuring words that all would be well.
While the idolatrous enemy was indeed at the gates, it was Jeremiah's own people, God's people of covenant, who decided that he should die. It was those who had "Jehovah" all over their names who preferred the lie over the truth. They took those ropes of torment, and lowered Jeremiah into the sticky clay of the pit, abandoning him there. How Jeremiah must have suffered for bringing the truth!
However, there was one person who intervened, interceded. This entry is about him.
This man, Ebed-Melech ("bondservant/slave of the king"), an Ethiopian (from Cush in Africa, meaning "black"), was a eunuch who served in the king's palace. On the rungs of society of that day, he would probably be considered of the lowest. The only name he was allowed was one which meant, "the king's servant". However, when he heard what had been done to Jeremiah, the eunuch approached the king as the king was sitting in the gate of the city. Here, a king would sit to hear and judge the concerns of the common people, who would be given this rare access to him, and he would grant petitions. The eunuch, who would probably never be allowed to approach the king in the palace, was able to approach  him here at this gate, the gate of Benjamin ("Son of the right hand"), and said:
"My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon, and he is likely to die from hunger in the place where he is. For there is no more bread in the city."   Jer. 38:9
It is very possible that Ebed-Melech was reminding the king of a previous command the king had given regarding Jeremiah when the prophet was being kept in prison:
"...they should give him daily a piece of bread from the baker's street, until all the bread in the city was gone..."  Jer. 37:21
I'm sure the king had listened to many petitions from the suffering people of Jerusalem that day. He must have had to try to mollify them with those lying words of reassurance the false prophets had brought. However, upon hearing the request of the eunuch, the king told the eunuch to take thirty men from the gate, and lift Jeremiah up before he dies. Can you imagine? It would take thirty men to physically pull one man from that sticky, sucking mire. They even had to gather old torn clothes and rags so Jeremiah could cushion his armpits from the stress of the pulling ropes. This is how strong the suction was in the bottom of that pit or cistern.
To us now, there are those who have been appointed by God, as Jeremiah was, to bring the sure Word of truth to the people. They have been thrown into miry spiritual pits, abandoned, by a people who have preferred to hear the smooth, convenient word that allows us to remain comfortable, and at ease. In reality, an alarm and a call to repentance is the true prophetic message being sounded by the LORD, and delivered by these God-appointed ministers. We need to intercede with our heavenly King, crying to Him on behalf of our Jeremiahs saying, "An evil has been done!" Is there an Ebed-Melech among us who will petition the King, by the Son of the Right Hand, for our Jeremiahs?
Our Jeremiahs will then be able to be pulled from the pit, declaring with the Psalm:

"I waited patiently for the LORD;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.
He has put a new song in my mouth-
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the LORD."   Psalm 40:1-3

Our Father has appointed Jeremiahs to us.

"Psalm 40" KJV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRE9uDZTH7Y

Immanuel

The prophet Isaiah gave us a name for the coming Messiah. He was the only one in scripture to use this name, and he only used it twice. It is the name, "Immanuel", and means "God with us". The name's meaning goes even deeper than that simple interpretation, as we will see.
Enemies came up against Jerusalem. Rezin (firm, stable, pleasure, delight, self-will, goodwill), king of Syria had joined with the king of the northern kingdom of Israel, named Pekah (open the eyes), to plan the attack. These kings even planned to replace the weak king of Judah, Ahaz, with a man who was the son of Tabeal (God is good, pleasing to God, to be better). Sounds good, right? But their plans were not God's plans. The names of the kings are interesting in this account. Scripture uses the term "open the eyes" to describe two kinds of events. In the first, Satan is beguiling Eve to eat of the fruit of a forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He assures her  "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God knowing good and evil." Not only did Eve eat, but Adam did as well. "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings." (Gen. 3:5, 7)
Adam and Eve were drawn to a way to open their own eyes, with their own strength and self-determination. As a result, they saw only the natural circumstances, and self. Seeing these things, they tried to make for themselves their own feeble natural coverings, which can never substitute for the omnipresent covering of the Almighty. They also determined to hide themselves from God.
The other way for the eyes to be opened, is if God opens them (Gen, 21:19, Num. 22:31,    2 Ki. 6:17-20, and many more). When God opens your eyes, you see saving truth. You see beyond the natural circumstances, and into the greater spiritual reality.
In this case, we may be able to say that the king of Israel, Pekah, chose to open his own eyes, and saw the king of Syria as pleasing, firm, and stable, and therefore joined with him against Jerusalem, and assured himself that by so doing, Judah would end up with a better king. The king of Judah, Ahaz (to be caught, to be affrighted), was not a spiritually strong man, and he was involved in idolatry. The prophet Isaiah goes before King Ahaz to inform him of the approaching danger, and to give him a promise from the LORD. The LORD promised that the attacking kings' plans would not stand, and would not come to pass (Isa. 7:7, 8:8-10). However, Isaiah warns Ahaz, "If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established." Because the defeat of the attacking kings hinges on Ahaz' belief of the prophetic promise, Isaiah tells Ahaz to seek a confirming sign from the LORD, no matter how large or difficult, but Ahaz refuses to do so, perhaps in some religious self-righteousness, but really in fear, as his name implies. Isaiah, fed up with such reticence, prophesies the sign himself. However, Isaiah isn't just dealing with one king. What happens to this king, even though he is a weakling, will affect God's elected Messianic bloodline that God has chosen from out of David, by His own covenant promise. So Isaiah prophesies in this manner: "Hear  now, O house of David!..." (Isa. 7:13). Isaiah reaffirms the Messianic promise to David as the sign:
"Therefore, the LORD Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."  Isa. 7:14
God also warns the prophet Isaiah that the prophet was not to conform to the ways and ideas of the people, but should remain faithful to the revelation of Immanuel (Isa. 8:11-12).
This prophesied child, Immanuel: God with us, will eat "curds (intoxicating power, to join, a wall of protection, even double walls) and honey (stickiness, gumminess)", and "shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good". The stickiness of the honey is like the power that will join God to men. Through Immanuel, He will be joined to them in power, and be double walls of defense around them.
The meaning of the word "Immanuel" itself, comes from el, God as the ram of sacrifice, even whose very skins are used to cover the tabernacle, and im and amam meaning "with, among, near, communion, together, at the same time, join together, gather together, to overshadow, to shut, to hide, to conceal".
Jesus revealed Himself as "Immanuel" several times:
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem...How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks (brood) under her wings, but you were not willing!"  Mt. 23:37, Lk. 13:34
"...that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one...Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am...the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."
                                                                                                    Jn. 17:21-26 (excerpt)
All of these words of Jesus reveal His identity as Immanuel. In the Concordance, the commentator likens the concept of the word "Immanuel" with the German word, "zusammen". Zusammen literally means "to the same", usually translated as "all together".
What does Immanuel mean to all of us today? It is in the idea that God is not only "with us", but He has made us a part of Himself through Messiah, Christ. He has placed us together with Him, in Him. Where we are weak, He is strong. Where we are poor, He is rich. Where death has claimed a hold on us, He is the overcoming life, and so forth. Paul also stressed our inseparability with Christ (Rom. 6:5, Eph. 2:5-6, 1 Thess. 5:10). All of this is the manifestation of Immanuel. And so we are also therefore joined together with each other as Paul taught (1 Cor. 1:10, 5:4, Eph. 1:10, 2:22).
To me, personally, Immanuel has special meaning. Several years ago, I had a serious illness, and required surgery. In the world's "open eyes", the odds were against me. As I awoke from the surgery, I could only think and say aloud repeatedly one phrase, "Immanuel, God with me". Those who were there probably thought the drugs had dulled my mind, but the Lord set my identity with His, and placed that confession in my mouth, before I could even "reason" it out, or decide it myself. And I am healed.
Let the same belief and confession of Immanuel also be in your heart and mouth.

Our Father has sent Immanuel, God with us.

Excerpt From Charles Spurgeon's Sermon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc9Z43YPF-Q

"Jesus, Name Above All Names"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEBAHFFJdW8

"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCDvc4G7EgI

Table

I am about to have communion here at home. If you would like to join with me, you can prepare a cracker, or piece of matzoh, and juice, wine, or even just water, if that is all you have. I take communion here as often as it is brought to my mind. To me, communion is not just a memorial ("Do this in remembrance of Me.") of the sacrifice of Christ, but like the Passover Seder, which the communion was, it is also prophetic. Passover was not just to be kept as a memorial of God's miracle of deliverance from the plague of death, and the exodus from Egypt, but it was also a prophetic picture of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus, who would come to take away the sins of the world.
In the same manner, communion not only memorializes Christ's sacrifice, but it also has a prophetic declaration attached to it concerning the return of Christ, and His marriage supper with His Bride. Let's look at those prophetic declarations.
Paul directs the church:
"For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes."  1 Cor. 11:26
Paul connects the spiritual significance of communion, not only to the past sacrifice, but to the future coming of Christ.
Connected to the sharing of communion, Jesus also declared:
"...for I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."
"But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."   Lk. 22:18, Mt. 26:29
As I partake of the communion, whether at church or here at home, it not only offers me the chance to connect with my Savior, and His atonement for me, but also to connect with my coming Bridegroom and soon returning King. It opens a door of prayer for me that allows me to stand in the prophetic promise of His return, as I actively intercede concerning it. It is my opportunity to participate in the call of the Spirit to the Lord, which is "Come":
"And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely."   Rev. 22:17
Not only am I agreeing with the Holy Spirit when I make my prophetic declaration, "Come!", but those who hear that declaration also join and say, "Come!" And then the invitation goes out even further to "whoever" has a spiritual thirst. Once the prophetic call to Jesus goes forth, the effects are multiplied. Communion is another way for me to make that call, or demand, in the spirit.
So, if you have your bread and "wine" ready, let us begin our communion:
"...the Lord Jesus, on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks (let us take a moment to hold our bread and offer a prayer of thanks), He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
In the same manner (let us also say a prayer of thanks for the cup) He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."   1 Cor. 11:23-25
Lord Jesus, I remember Your sacrifice for me, and the new covenant that You established according to the promise of the Father. I also, in eating the bread and drinking the wine, express to You my hope and my anticipation of Your soon return, and for the marriage supper of the Lamb. In Your name, I believe Your prophetic promises to me. Amen.
Perhaps you have never before viewed communion as prophetic, as I have proposed here. However, I can assure you that you will experience this when partaking of the Table of the Lord. Because of who Jesus is, whose testimony (witness, including testifying concerning future events) is the spirit of prophecy, there cannot help but be a prophetic meaning to this signature expression of our relationship with Christ, in my opinion.

Our Father calls us to the table of His Son.

"Come to the Table"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXXxLwxfo0U

Will

Today I would like to discuss the incredible, magnificent, life-changing, mind-renewing, saving, healing, delivering power of the will of Almighty God. This is what the apostle Paul had to say about the will of God:
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service (doctrine, word of ministry and worship of God). And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."  Rom. 12:1-2
Let's start by seeing how Paul described God's will, since it is by this is that we are to "prove" ourselves. In these verses, God's will is described by three adjectives:
good: good, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy, excellent, distinguished, upright, honorable
and acceptable: well pleasing (Root 1-prosper, well off) (root 2-pleasing, fit)
and perfect: finished, perfect, wanting nothing to completeness, full grown, adult, mature.
             (root- termination, end, last in a series or succession, the aim, the purpose, the goal
              or point)
There does not appear to be one adjective describing God's will here that is more important, or desirable than the others. His will encompasses all three adjectives. In fact, this description of God's will might have come right out of Jeremiah:
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope (KJV: to give you an expected end)."  Jer. 29:11
God's provision of Christ to us is the very essence of His good will for us. The angels declared it at Christ's birth, when the babe could not yet express it Himself. However, Christ would, of course, express this good will of His Father with every fiber of His being, with every drop of His blood:
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will (kindly intent, benevolence, delight, pleasure, satisfaction) toward men!"  Lk. 2:14
We acknowledged and accepted God's good will for us in Christ when we made that choice for His salvation. Why wouldn't we accept that His will is good towards us in all things?
Knowing God's will for us is so powerful, that it transforms the mind. It is completely opposite of what the world believes regarding the purpose and achievement of a successful life. The world does not rely on God for their joy, their prosperity in all things, or their life's goal, or completion. The world says that man chooses or creates his own success and fulfillment of purpose. The world's hope is not in a future that God has ordained for the individual, but instead, whatever efforts and results that man can achieve by, and for himself.
God's will, on the other hand, speaks to the very foundation of our reason for being. Understanding God's will for us affects our choices, our very direction in life. Paul is begging us to understand it, to allow it, to prove it, to exhibit it, to be it, to submit our lives to it. This is our reasonable service, the manner of our worship: we sacrifice our lives, our own plans and the efforts to achieve those plans, our own will, thoughts, religious ideas, our own desires, cravings, demands, even self, the hardest thing to sacrifice. We put them to death in favor of something better, something greater, something that will accomplish in us more than we could ever hope or dream to accomplish for ourselves:
"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."   1 Cor. 2:9 (Isa. 64:4)
I don't think these verses from Romans 12 are meant to be used to condemn ourselves or others, but by its revelation, to give us a glimpse of something far greater and far more wonderful than we even want for ourselves. These verses are meant to relieve the burden of the world's thoughts and ways from us, rather than to place a new burden upon us:
"...we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing, but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory."1 Co. 2:6-7
These verses free us, and make us shout, "Hallelujah!!" to the God Who knows the end from the beginning, to the God Who knows the thoughts and plans He has for us, if we would just let Him have the kingship over our lives that we try to keep for ourselves:
"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven."  Mt. 6:10
How can we pray for God's will to be done in earth, if we refuse His will for ourselves? We are to be the "proof" of how good God's will is in every way.
What a heavy burden it is to devise and carry our whole purpose in life, our future, our striving for success, whether material or spiritual, on our own shoulders. His will for us is JOY, PLEASANTNESS, HAPPINESS, UPRIGHTNESS, PROSPERITY, FULL DEVELOPMENT AND MATURITY IN CHRIST, and more.
Some of our ideas of happiness and pleasantness match the world's ideas more than God's. The joy and happiness found in God's will are not found in sin for a season. They are not found in things that cause harm to our own souls, or to the souls of others. They are not fleeting pleasures and joys that change with the circumstances. The prosperity of God is not rooted in the ways of the world, but deals with the prosperity of the soul, first:
"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, even as your soul prospers."  3 Jn. 1:2
Our responsibility in this is to show forth how our submission to God's will, our living sacrifice, has transformed our minds and lives. Paul says that our attitude towards ourselves, and our relationship with the whole Body of Christ, is affected by how we understand and exhibit God's will in ourselves (Rom. 12:3-21).
How we understand God's will affects our attitudes about the things of the world as well:
"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God".  Rom. 13:1
We could go on and on in Romans, as Paul exhorts how to live in the will of God in this world, but not of this world. Everything that he says follows his revelation of the will of God for us.
Let us see God's will for us as the joy and miracle that it was meant to be. We will rush to sacrifice ourselves to the will of God with thanksgiving and joy, as we begin to receive the revelation of it. I dearly want to do this with my life.

Our Father's will for us is the most wonderful thing in the world, and beyond the world.

"How Can It Be?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ben2wwGyOk

Battle

Scripture tells us of a battle, and it was not an easy battle to win. It was long and protracted, going back and forth, wearying and challenging the people of God. This battle, related in Exodus 17, involved Moses, the children of Israel, and the Amalekites, who attacked them at Rephidim, meaning "rest, refresh, support". During the battle, as long as Moses raised up his rod/staff in his hand, the Israelites prevailed. However, if Moses did not keep his hand raised, the Amalekites prevailed. Moses grew weary, so two of the elders of Israel sat Moses on a stone, stood on either side of him, and held up his hands. The battle lasted all day, until the sun went down, and finally, Joshua, who was leading the Israelites in battle, was able to weaken (discomfit) the enemy enough to overthrow Amalek. The LORD told Moses that He would have war with Amalek from generation to generation. This victory was not final, but the warfare with this nation would be a continuing thing. We would read of another campaign against the Amalekites in the future under King Saul, that would not be a complete success because of Saul's disobedience. Also, Haman, the persecutor of the Jews in the Book of Esther, was a descendant of Agag, a king of the Amalekites (Est. 3:1).
If we look more deeply into this battle with Amalek, we find some interesting things.
First of all, it must have shocked Moses to find that holding out his rod did not produce the immediate result that he had come to expect. This is the same rod that the LORD told Moses would be used to do signs in the authority of God (Ex. 4:17). It is the same rod that Moses used to  bring forth the plagues against Egypt (Ex. 7-10). It was this rod, outstretched in the hand of Moses, that parted the Red Sea, and allowed Israel to cross on dry land (Ex. 14:16, 21). Yet during this battle, Moses had to extend this rod of signs and wonders for hours, before seeing the eventual great victory. Who was this enemy, Amalek, and why was he so hard to defeat?
Amalek was Esau's grandson. Esau had despised his birthright as first born, and felt it had no value to him in the "now", as he expressed. He traded his birthright to his brother for a meal, because he was hungry. As firstborn, he would have carried the seed of promise (of the Messiah) inherited from His grandfather, Abraham, and from his father, Isaac, who was a prophetic type of the sacrificed Christ, but this covenant promise from God meant nothing to Esau. God in His foreknowledge, sovereignly had elected Jacob, the younger twin, instead, to carry this inheritance (Rom. 9:11). Esau even sought to murder his brother.
Esau had a son with his concubine, and named that son "Eliphaz", meaning "my God is pure gold". Eliphaz had a son named Amalek, meaning "valley, or depths". The Amalekites, the descendants of this son, attacked Israel in a place that means "resting place". They attacked the weakest stragglers at the rear of the Israelites. Amalek is described as not fearing God (Deut. 25:17-19). Amalek does not just represent a person, or even a nation, but also the eternal evil, who hates, persecutes, and seeks to murder those whom God has chosen for His own, especially when they are at their weakest.
The mention of the combination of resting place, a rod, and a valley mentioned in this account of the battle with Amalek, brings to mind Psalm 23:
"...He makes me to lie down in green pastures ; He leads me beside still waters (waters of rest). He restores my soul...Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."
Also, as Moses had two to support his weary hands, David had two supports in this Psalm-goodness and mercy.
Moses (meaning to draw out of water, to save, to preserve) grew weary, and sat upon a rock (Christ, and the revelation of Him). Aaron (light bringer), Christ as the Light and the Word, which brings light (Ps. 119:105, 2 Pet. 1:19, 2 Pet. 1:19), and Hur (hole, crevice of a serpent, a cell of an abominable subterranean prison; root meaning: white cloth, fine white linen), held up the tired hands of Moses. Joshua ("Jehovah is Salvation") led the Israelites in battle. The fine, white linen, connected to the name "Hur", represents the righteousness of Christ. Christ as righteousness, delivered out of Hell. The righteousness of the saints, also, is founded in faith (Rom. 1:17, 3:22, 4:5, 9, 13, and many more), that faith being that Christ has delivered us from the power of sin, death, and Hell. This righteousness that begins in faith in Jesus, also produces works, or fruits of righteousness in the believer, and the wedding garments of the Bride of Christ for her marriage to the Lamb ( Rev. 19:7-9 ).
At the successful conclusion of this battle, Moses built an altar (sacrifice), and called the place "Jehovah-nissi", or The LORD my Banner (something lifted up, a signal pole, lifted up to be seen far off), like Jesus lifted on the cross of Calvary. An account of the battle was to be written in a book, which was to be read repeatedly to Joshua. "Joshua" would be a form of the name that we know as "Jesus". The memorial of this battle was for the use of Joshua.
To me, this battle represents not only Jesus, and His sacrifice, but also what the battle must have been like that Jesus fought in the three days that He descended into Hell. While there, He preached "to the spirits in prison" (1 Pet. 3:19). He was able to lead those captives (root meaning: precious stones in the high priest's breastplate) out of that captivity (Ps. 68:18-20). Jesus entered Hell in the same manner as He died, as the Son of Man, while also being the Son of God. During those three days, in what we refer to as Hell or Sheol, Jesus, I believe, must have had to do intense spiritual warfare in order to escape the bars of death for Himself and the captives. I base this thought on what Jesus said about Jonah. Jesus told an "evil and adulterous generation" that the only sign that would be given to them was the sign of the prophet Jonah (Mt. 12:39-40, 16:4, Lk. 11:29-30). Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and nights (Jonah 1:17). He cried out to the LORD from that terrible place of death:
"Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice...The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; the deep closed around me...I went down to the moorings of the mountains; the earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD, my God."  Jonah 2:1-6 (excerpt)
In the Psalms, there are also many references of the psalmist crying out to the LORD to rescue him from death, the pit, the grave, the mire, deep waters, darkness, Hell/Sheol, etc. Here are some examples:
"The pangs of death surrounded me...The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress, I called upon the LORD, and cried out to my God..."
"I am counted with those who go down to the pit; I am like a man who has no strength, adrift among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave...Will You work wonders for the dead? Shall the dead rise and praise You? Selah. Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or You faithfulness in the place of destruction?...But to You I have cried out, O LORD..."  Ps. 18:4-6, Ps. 88:4-13 (excerpt)
Jesus, the Word, must have earnestly prayed all of these many verses on our behalf while He battled the hold of death in the depths of the earth. If death on the cross was unimaginably torturous, why would we think that the battle to break the bonds holding Him in death and Hell would be any less difficult?
This battle between Moses and the Amalekites to me, especially because of the meanings of the names and places involved, is a prophetic type of Jesus' warfare in the pit-to come out of it alive, in resurrection: not only for Himself, but for the other captives there, and for us, the generations who followed. He descended into the depths, and He who lives and was dead, and alive again forever, has the keys of Hades and of Death (Eph. 4:9, Rev. 1:18).
Why is the war ongoing then, according to what the LORD spoke to Moses? The victory is already assured and won for those who believe Jesus' atonement for them, but death, hell, and the grave for all others, will exist until after the  reign of Messiah on earth. At that point, there will be a final warfare. At its conclusion, the devil, those who refused the salvation of God, who were not written in the Book of Life, also Death and Hades, will be cast into the lake of fire, the second death (Rev. 20). Paul says that at Christ's coming, "Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death."  1 Cor. 15:24-26
Similarly, the Amalekite enemy in Exodus 17, is described as one with whom the LORD will have war for many generations because the LORD has sworn it (v. 16). He swore that promise to Abraham when Abraham obediently offered his son Isaac, a type of Christ, on the Mount:
"By Myself, I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son...your descendants shall posses the gate of your enemies. In your seed (Messiah, Christ) all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."   Gen. 22:16-18
Included in the reference to the enemies' gate above, are also the gates of Hell: "...on this rock (the revelation of the person of Christ-Moses was sitting on a rock) I will build My church (called out assembly-called out of the darkness and into His marvelous light), and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."  Mt. 16:18
How powerful and awesome is Christ's accomplishment for us!
There are so many more things that can be revealed in this account of the battle against the Amalekites, but even if we stop here, it is more than enough to think about!

Our Father has won the victory over Death and Hell for us through His Son, Jesus.


"The Anthem"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkAREE-h2Dc

"10,000 Reasons"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

Touched

"Now a woman having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border (hem) of His garment. (For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.") And immediately her flow of blood stopped. And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press you, and You say, "Who touched Me?" But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceive that virtue is gone out of Me."  Lk. 8:43-46, and Mt. 9:21
Jesus was on His way to the house of the leader of the synagogue, whose daughter was very ill. His journey to heal the young girl was interrupted by this event, above.
The woman, who was not only afflicted by a physical condition, she was also considered "unclean" according to the Law of Moses. For twelve years, no one else would have been willing to touch her, because of this. She was not allowed to touch others, even her own family, because of this. Yet she reached for the part of Jesus' garment that represented the Law of Moses, the hem, or "fringes" on a prayer shawl. Why would she reach for that part of His garment for her healing, when that is the very part that condemned her as unclean according to the understanding of those around her? Isn't that interesting? Perhaps it goes to Jesus' identity as the Law, which is part of the Word, and as His identity as the fulfillment of the Law. He fulfilled the Law for her, when she, having spent all of her desire, effort and money on physicians, could not fulfill the Law for herself.
Jesus didn't ask, "Who touched My garment?" He asked, "Who touched Me?"
She needed to "touch" His hem. He felt "touched". The word, "touch/touched" here means "to fasten or attach one's self to, adhere to, cling to". The root of the word means "to fasten fire to a thing, to kindle, to set on fire". He's got the dynamite, and she's got the flame to light the fuse! Awesome!
His disciples couldn't discern the difference between the crowd pressing against Jesus, and the "touch" of a woman appealing to the King for mercy in the face of the Law. Jesus could tell the difference. He was stopped in His tracks, and would not proceed further until He found out who had "touched" Him.
He very easily felt the difference, because at her "touch", Jesus felt "virtue" go out of Him.
"Virtue" used here means "power for performing miracles, power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts". The root meaning is "might, to be capable, strong and powerful...to have power by permission of law or custom".
The woman approached Jesus "from behind" Him. Her reticence to make herself known, probably because of the nature of her affliction, seems to be apparent throughout the event. However, "behind" also has the root meaning "to see, to look at, to behold". She had some sort of revelation, or divine understanding, that she was seeing the source of her healing, which none of the others in the surrounding, "pressing" crowd had perceived. It was this revelation, or spiritual sight, that brought her the healing she had desperately wanted (v. 48).
How do we "see" Jesus? How do we "touch" Jesus? How we do so can make all the difference in the world.

Our Father has provided virtue to us in His Son.

"Break Every Chain"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2y2OPqJJag

"One Touch"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW5PjZzTz-s

Wife

 

The Book of Proverbs is a book of wisdom written by King Solomon. At the conclusion of this book, Solomon recounts the advice that his own mother gave him.

His mother told him that one of the most important decisions he would make would be his choice of the woman who would become his wife, and the eventual mother of his children. So important a role does a wife and mother play in a household, even the household of a king, that his choice would make the difference between success and failure, between an everlasting godly legacy, or a descent into historical oblivion, between honor and dishonor.

There is a great depth to the description in chapter 31 of the woman that the king, or any man, should marry.

First in the description is that the woman should be virtuous (v. 10). In Hebrew, the word used here is different from what we might think. It means strength and might, especially in a warlike way. It means to be valiant and to show oneself strong. The root meaning includes travailing, writhing, to bring forth, to wait longingly. Her warfare is to bring something forth. The man has to "find" this woman. It means he has to detect or recognize her, discern her. Her price, meaning betrothal or marriage price, because she is so valuable, it is greater than the rarest gem on earth-the ruby. The word for "ruby" also signifies a corner, or turning point. Finding this woman is so spiritually powerful, that it becomes a turning point in the man's life.

Her husband's heart can safely trust in her (v. 11). Her spiritual quality is such that she affects her husband's inner most mind, will, understanding, and seat of courage. He becomes "enheartened". His soul is productive enough "to make cakes". He becomes so inwardly confident and hopeful because of her presence in his life, that he fears nothing. He neither feels he has to offer himself as spoil, nor spoil others. She will do (deal bountifully, reward, benefit) him good, and not evil all the days of her life (v. 12).

She seeks wool and flax (v. 13), which means that she inquires into and studies the makings of white garments (spiritual righteousness), even to the individual threads of which they are composed. Not only does she study it, but she puts these things into practice. She works (fashions, produces, puts in order) willingly (with delight) with her hands (open hands, or palms, of humble strength). This wife and mother does not just look to dress herself, but her whole household, in righteousness.

Spiritually, she is like a conveyance that goes back and forth bringing spiritual bread: waging war, doing battle, overcoming, prevailing, and bringing that bread from and to distant places (v. 14). She stands, establishes, and fulfills, even in gloom and adversity, and consecrates and devotes prey, and spoil torn in pieces for all in her household, including future descendants. She establishes the statutes and decrees of the law to the younger members and servants (v. 15).

She meditates and envisions wide spiritual places, an expansive future, and lays hold of these visions and establishes them for her progeny. The fruit that she establishes from these meditations is noble and worthy of kings (v. 16).
This wife surrounds her waist and back (the weakest parts of the body) with prevailing strength and boldness, and with courageous strength, with military force, she produces and sows spiritual seed. She is pregnant with it (v. 17). She tastes (experiences) and understands her value in pleasing and producing beneficial results, and therefore, her light and glistening shine are not extinguished by adversity (v. 18). She is not idle. With a powerful stretched out hand, she sows rightness, direction, success, and advantage, and with the other open, humble hand, she seizes, impacts and lays hold of the environs or district around her (v. 19). She spreads and scatters with her humble hand to the poor, and wretched, and stretches out and looses her hand of power and strength to the oppressed, and abused in need of God's deliverance (v. 20).
This wife is not terrified of the idea of white corpses or linens of the slain regarding her household as others are, because her household is arrayed with the bright, shining crimson (of the Blood). She creates (and as a wife, IS) larger coverings that spread out, containing many colors from fine alabaster white to purple and blue tinged with red. These colors of the coverings reflect her works and character of strength, honor, splendor, adorned with glorified majesty that she rejoices in now, and to the uttermost last of times (v. 21, 22, 25).
Her husband is covered with respect. He has become known at the entrance of the city, also at the entrance of the temple, and the temple in heaven. Because of this respect, he dwells (as in a marriage dwelling) in the place of the older men who have authority and governing power over the earth and its inhabitants, over the land of the living (v. 23).
In this wife's mouth is the wisdom that opens graves, commandments that dash them to pieces. Her language is from the Word of God, the instruction and teaching of scripture with a spirit of loving kindness, faithfulness, favor, beauty, goodness and even pity. She is diligent to keep watch closely over her household-their ways, doings, and walk. Even as she keeps watch over them, she shines and looks up. She does not slack in her vigilance (v. 26-27). Because of this diligence, her children of several generations become powerful, set, fixed, established, fulfilled, and her husband (lord) praises her ecstatically. (v. 28).
This was a long entry, but so important regarding the spiritual value of a Godly woman, not only to her own household, but to all the vicinity around her. She is powerful in wisdom and influence, while remaining humble in her strength.
Jesus dealt amazingly with women as the Spirit directed Him, often confounding and offending others, including His own disciples, by so doing. He revealed powerful truths to women, and even lost (on purpose) an argument with a woman, as she contended that even a Gentile could receive healing from the Messiah to Israel (Mt. 15:22-28). Jesus welcomed women engaging with Him in His ministry, and He even positioned Himself purposefully to encounter them, changing their lives, and the lives in their community (Jn. 4:5-30). Jesus even told one woman to come out of the kitchen!! (Lk. 10:38-42).
However, this chapter of Proverbs not only speaks about an individual woman and wife, but about a wife of a king. We, collectively, are the wife of the King of Kings, the Bride of Christ. This chapter of Proverbs is the spiritual standard for all of us.

Our Father has prepared a bride for His Son, the King.

"A Mother's Prayer"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcuMG_-159U