What is the Kingdom of God, according to the Bible, the Word of God?

[Lees]

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God is creating His Kingdom on earth. It involves the nation of people, the land, the King, and the blessing. With Israel out of Egypt, God has the nation He wants. Descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God has a leader, Moses, by whom God gives this nation His laws to govern them. God's presence is there with Israel, most notably in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. Thus God's Kingdom is present on earth. But at this stage it is still in preparation. It is not complete. The land has not yet been possessed. The King has not yet come.

The nation of people, Israel, is important for that Kingdom to exist. No less important is the land. The promised land. It is specifically God's land. And God's Kingdom on earth will be exercised and implemented from that land. Some may ask, why does God choose that area? I don't know. I just know He has. (Deut. 11:12) "A land which the LORD thy God careth for; the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year." (Lev. 25:23) "The land shall not be sold forever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me." And now God gives it to Israel. (Deut. 11:14) "That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season...."

When the people of Israel are not in the land God has given them, then the Kingdom of God on earth is not functioning as it is supposed to. We have seen the warnings God has given Israel to not forget the LORD your God when you come into the land. God can and will expel them from the land. And we are told prophetically that will occur. (Deut. 29:26-28) "For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them: And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book. And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day."

But, though Israel shall be cast out of the land for her disobedience, it is not forever. God's judgement will fall on those disobedient ones, but His promise remains sure. And with these warnings of judgement upon Israel, come also the promises of the restoration of Israel, which is dependent on their repentance back to God. (Deut. 30:1-5) "And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse...and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the LORD thy God....That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. ....And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it....."

A repentant Israel, turning back to God, will always result in a return to the land. God must have them in the land. Israel today has in part returned to the land, but has not returned to God. But she will.

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[Lees]

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The one who will replace Moses as leader to take them into the land, will be Joshua, one of the 12 original spies that spied out the land 40 years ago. And the event, where God gives Joshua a charge in order to change the leadership from Moses to Joshua, is recorded earlier back in the book of (Numbers). (Num. 27:18-23) "And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient....And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses."

In (Deut. 31:14-30) is given God's call to Moses to present both he and Joshua before Him in the Tabernacle. Whether this is the same time as recorded in (Num. 27:18-23), I don't know. It could be, or it could be another distinct time when God called them just before Moses died. But, irregardless, in (Deut. 31:14-30) God reveals the future apostasy of Israel after they enter the land. "...And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation. And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle. And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land...and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them....and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?....And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them...for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware." And then Moses gave the charge to Joshua. (Deut. 31:23)

Moses later addressed Israel now with this knowledge of their future rebellion and apostasy. (Deut. 31:27-29) "For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck...For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days...."

God already knows the imaginations of this people. He knows what will occur in the future with them. Yet He remains and will remain true to His promises to them. And it appears no amount of warnings will change anything. Man can make an appearance of being good and moral. But God knows his imaginations. God knows his heart. Man's appearance of being 'good and moral' may carry respect before men. But it adds nothing to his obtaining eternal life before God. To we who are believers, we can know that God is faithful when we are not. Israel will not be completely cast off or destroyed because God is faithful. The Kingdom has been removed from Israel at this present time. But there will come a day, and possibly not all that far from now, that she will turn back to her God. And when she does, He will receive her...because He is faithful to His promises.

Lees

[Lees]

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As Israel prepares to enter and possess the land promised them, and Joshua given the leadership role, God records the death of His servant Moses. And so should we give just recognition. Critics and doubters of the Bible come in many sizes. You can find them in Israel, in the Church, in the secular world. I would like to say first, it is common today for these critics of the Bible, to attack both the Divine and human authorship of the Bible. They attack the Divine by saying, 'it's not really God's words. It's just man trying to find God'. They attack the human authorship, when a human writers name is given, so as to cast doubt upon the credibility of the Bible. And we should not be surprised. Satan's first attack upon man was to cast doubt on the Word of God. (Gen. 3:1) "Yea, hath God said"

My point is this, many today deny Moses as being the writer of (Deuteronomy) or for the Pentateuch as far as that goes. But then the Bible says, (Deut. 31:24) "And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished," Thus for one who believes the Bible is the Word of God, there should be no problem. And if there is a problem, it's not with the believer. It's with those who doubt.

In (Deut. 33:1-25) Moses blesses the tribes and children of Israel just prior to his death. And in closing he says, (Deut. 33:26-29) "There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun...The eternal God is thy refuge...he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say Destroy them...Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD...thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places." The enemies of God are dwelling in God's land and God is ready to throw them out. And He will use His people, Israel, to do it. This is spiritual war as it is God moving into His land, and Satan is contesting. It is physical because God is using the nation Israel to do it. And Satan uses his people in the land to contest it.

God judged Moses for his sin at Kadesh-Barnea, and will not let him go with Israel into the land. But He allows him to see it. (Deut. 34:4-6) "And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day." What a man of God this man Moses was! To have God so lovingly and Personally, alone, burying him. (Ps. 116:15) "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." (Deut. 34:10) "And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face."

The Spirit of God now rests upon Joshua. Moses has done his work, and it's time for Joshua to do his. (Deut. 34:9) "And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses." God's work in establishing His Kingdom on earth continues because He is doing it. And it's accomplishment will involve many physical men because earthly man is temporary. All eventually die. The baton is always passed because God is working.

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[Lees]

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God spoke to Joshua and said, (Josh. 1:1-2) "...the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses." See (Deut. 11:23-25) where God told Moses that.

The land belongs to God, as has already been shown. He gives it to whoever He desires. He desires to give it to His people, Israel. The enemies of Israel, and not just of Israel, but the enemies of God, are in the land. And though the land is a gift, it is a gift wrapped up in warfare. Only the place where your feet shall tread will be given. In other words, you have to take it because you will be met with enemies.

See (Jos. 5:13-14) to show that the Canaanites were the enemies of God. Joshua met a certain man, "...behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come...." Joshua recognized this was no mere man. It was either the angel of the LORD, which is the LORD in human form, or a leading angel over the angelic host. And because Joshua fell down and worshipped Him, and such worship was not denied, I am inclined to believe it was the LORD. The point here is this, the angel didn't say he was for Israel or for Canaan, when asked. He said he was for the LORD. In other words, that question needs to be answered by Joshua. Are you for the LORD, or are you for someone else, even Israel. If you are for the LORD, the angel of the LORD is with you. If you are not, the angel of the LORD is against you. This destruction of the Canaanites is not done in Israel's power. It is by God, for these are the enemies of God. Yes, you who are Israel are going to go to war, but recognize Who controls the battle. Recognize God. Recognize that you are but a tool, a weapon, in the hand of God.

In many, if not most, Christian circles, it is common to consider the promised land and Canaan as Heaven. And I am Christian. But, this is a mistake. The promised land does not represent Heaven. It represents the place where the Kingdom of God will be ruled from on earth. And once the Jordon is crossed, there is constant warfare. Why? Because the enemies of God are in the land. For the Christian, he will all his life be involved in warfare. (Eph. 6:10-20) And we can use the examples given in the Old Testament to reflect upon that warfare. (1 Cor. 10:6) The place God gives to Israel is a real geographical area on earth. It is God's land. It is where His Man will rule from over the earth in a future day. And here in it's beginning, Israel will go to war with the enemies of God which dwell in the land, to possess it as God's people.

Lees

[Lees]

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Joshua had been one of the 12 spies sent to spy out the land 40 years earlier. He and Caleb alone tried to convince the people that they could take the land because God was with them. Instead, the evil report given by the other 10 spies caused Israel to recoil in unbelief and refuse to go into the land. Now, as Israel is ready to go into the land again, Joshua remembers all that. And he sends two spies to go into the land to gain information. But he does so without the rest of Israel knowing about it. He does it in secret. He fears the same thing may happen this time as did last time. (Josh. 2:1) "And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying Go view the land even Jericho...."

Once the spies got into Jericho, they went to the house of Rahab, the harlot. (Josh. 2:1) "...And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there." We have no way of knowing why the spies went to her house. We are not told their reasoning. One can easily suspect it being for the wrong reason. But we are not told. They may well have known they were found out, as they were. (Josh. 2:2) "And it was told the King of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country." And certainly they had no one to take them inside a place where they could hide from view. But a prostitute could take them in and hopefully hide them from view. But again, we just don't know as Scripture is silent.

What we do know, is that God had a purpose for sending them to the harlots home, irregardless of what their reasoning was. How the spies were found out, we are not told. We only know they were, and they knew it. And it was known that they went to Rahab's house. (Josh. 2:3) "And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country." If anyone else had let the spies into their place they would immediately be suspect also. But not so a harlot's house. She would be seen as only applying her trade. Thus they had no reason to suspect her. But they knew they had come to her place.

Instead of turning the men over to the authorities, she hid them, and lied about where they were. (Josh. 2:4-5) "And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were. And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them." In other words, she didn't know who they were or where they went, but if you hurry you can catch them.

This historical account of Rahab the harlot is too important to go over in general. Too many truths here to pass up quickly. So, I won't. The first of which was already mentioned. God's providence. God moving without any outward miraculous cause or direction. Joshua sent the spies out for one reason. God sent the spies out for another reason. He had a woman and her family that He would save, not just physically, but forever, with eternal life.

Lees

[Lees]

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Rahab's lie. My, my, how she has suffered many a Christians pen for telling a lie. And as a new believer, I am sure I was one of them. Had she turned the spies over to the King of Jericho, what would have happened to them? No doubt they would have been killed. Would that make her guilty of murder? Some would say, 'of course not, she would just have been a good moral person and was telling the truth as she should'. Oh...please! Rahab was not a good moral person. Not even an Israelite. She was a harlot, a prostitute, a whore. A simple lie was the least of her sins.

Could God have saved the spies if she had not lied? Yes, of course He could have. But through Rahab's lie He could also save Rahab and her family. Some try and say that God approved of and blessed Rahab's faith, but not her lie. I suppose they think they are protecting God from blessing a lie. But what saith the Scripture. (James 2:25) "Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and sent them out another way?" Rahab could not have sent them 'another way' without lying about the way in which they would go. So, no. Rahab's lie and her faith were intricatly involved and cannot be separated. Don't worry, God's nature is not discredited. He deals with sinners all the time.

Let's look at Rahab's faith. (Josh. 2:9) "And she said unto them, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you." The news of this people coming out of Egypt had spread far and wide. And this news involved the LORD Who was with this people. (Josh. 2:10) "For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed."

Such news made an impact upon the people. (Josh. 2:11) "And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you...." But with Rahab, this fear resulted in faith. (Josh. 2:11) "...for the LORD your God he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath." Note she said 'your God'. The God of Israel. As opposed to all the other gods that these other nations worshipped. All who heard, heard the same things. But only in Rahab and her family did that result in faith.

Some may say that sounds so crazy that all knew of Israel and what God had done miraculously for them in Egypt and in the wilderness. Why wouldn't more have believed? Well, why don't more believe on Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour? All have the same message there also. Miracles and fear don't determine ones belief. It will certainly cause it to rise to the surface, become evident, but it alone does not create it.

Lees

[Lees]

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Rahab was a believer before the spies ever got there. She already said she believed because of what she heard of God and Israel. (Josh.2:11) She already exercised believing faith. She was a child of God. And because she was a child of God, her faith and actions would be for the people of God. Thus she hid the spies and lied about it to the authorities...her faith in action. And she is included in what is known as the great faith chapter in the Bible. (Hebrews 11:31) "By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace."

Were the Canaanites great sinners before God? Oh yes. Their iniquity was just now coming to the full measure, as we have already seen. But what is said here of these enemies of God? "They believed not" (Heb. 11:31) And yet Rahab's 'harlotry' is stated with her name, with her faith. Faith and the lack of faith are the key. And such a 'faith' is a miracle itself. (Eph. 2:8) Rahab's faith was miraculous and so will be her deliverance from the destruction of Jericho.

Rahab demanded the spies remember her and her family, and swear by the LORD that they would. And they agreed. (Josh. 2:12-14) Rahab then let the spies down the wall with a 'scarlet thread', which would be some sort of rope. And the spies told her that when they come, to have the scarlet thread in the window to designate her house, and all in her house would be safe. But if any leave the house, they would not be guilty of their deaths. (Josh. 2:15-19) Does this not resonate with the Jews Passover out of Egypt. The blood upon the doorpost of the house protected all inside. The scarlet thread in the window protected all inside.

Plus, there must have been another miracle of God in protecting Rahab and her family. We are told that the Israelites were to walk around Jericho once every day for 6 days. Then on the 7th day, they were to walk around Jericho 7 times and shout and the walls of Jericho would fall down flat. (Josh. 6:1-5) Which is what they did, and the wall fell down. (Josh. 6:20) It is of interest that Rahab's house was built upon the wall, and it was from there that she let the spies down through her window. (Josh. 2:15) "Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall." So a portion of that wall, where her house was, must not have fallen because Rahab and all her family were in it. What a picture of grace Rahab is.

Lees

[Lees]

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Note also that Rahab is included in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. (Matt. 1:5) "And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;" The spelling is different here due to method of translation. Just like Boaz who married Ruth is spelled 'Booz'. But it is the Rahab of Jericho whose faith saved the spies in the book of (Joshua).

Now, many oppose this truth, due to the spelling and that the name 'harlot' is not included. But behind this opposition, I believe, is just the desire to try and keep the lineage of Jesus Christ 'pure and holy', as though that would do it. Everyone in that line, except Jesus, were sinners. Not just Rahab. Roman Catholicism goes to the extreme position making Mary also sinless. Ridiculous. That which protected Jesus from being born in sin was the virgin birth alone. Not the sinless or holy nature of those in His human lineage. All were sinners.

In fact, the Holy Spirit seems to want to emphasize that point in this genealogy. In the genealogies of the Bible it is usually the man that is mentioned. (Matt. 1:2) "Abraham, begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas, and his brethren;" But here in Jesus genealogy, four women are listed.

1.) Tamar: Spelled 'Thamar' in (Matt. 1:3) "And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar...." And Tamar was one who played the role of a harlot and had sexual relations with Judah. (Gen. 38:13-30)

2.) Rahab: Spelled 'Rachab' in (Matt. 1:5) "And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab...." This is Rahab the harlot.

3.) Bath-Sheba: This is she who David had an adulterous affair with. (2 Sam. 11) From her would later come King Solomon. (1 Kings 1:11) (1 Kings 2:19)

4.) Mary: The mother of Christ. (Matt. 1:16) "And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." Though Mary was not guilty of any sexual sin, she would be often times blamed for it concerning Jesus birth. This is why the Pharisees accused Him in (John 8:41). " Ye do the deed of your father, Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication...." The accusation was that Jesus was. No doubt Joseph had voiced to others concerning Jesus birth. And their only conclusion would be 'fornication'.

Point being, all these women carried the stigma of immoral acts. Yet the Holy Spirit included them in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Their sin, or appearance of it, did not affect God's love for them, nor did it exclude them from His purpose with them. The same can be said of all who are in that genealogy.

Lees

[Lees]

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Well, I see I mistakenly left out Ruth in the previous post. She is listed in the genealogy of Jesus also. Ruth was from Moab. (Ruth 1:6) And Moab was under a curse from God. (Deut. 23:3-4) And she would be the great grandmother of King David. (Matt. 1:5-6). (Ruth 4:17) This is, no doubt, why David when pursued by Saul sent his mother and father to Moab to hide them lest Saul kill them also. (1 Sam. 22:3-4) My point again is this. All the women listed in Jesus genealogy had some stigma attached to them.

The Kingdom of God on earth is found in Israel. A people moving and directed by God. He leads them to the promised land. He miraculously parted the Jordon River, just like He did at the Red Sea. (Josh. 4) They are now in the promised land and must destroy the enemies of God in the land. And they go at God's leading. They are obedient to God and Jericho fell. And they killed all, but saved Rahab and all her family. (Josh. 6)

But immediately a problem arises. Unknown to all but God, an Israelite, Achan, took some spoils from Jericho which God had commanded them not to. (Josh. 6:18-19) (Josh. 7:1) And though unknown to Israel, all of Israel would be affected. So, when Israel is ready to move to another town, Ai, to attack and destroy, she is defeated in battle. (Josh. 7:1-5) This of course caused great distress to Joshua. (Josh. 7:6-9) And God tells Joshua, Israel has sinned. (Josh. 7:11). Achan is not immediately identified. Israel has sinned. One Israelite's individual sin is Israel's sin. And the nation is affected.

Lees

[Lees]

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Throughout the book of (Joshua) God is using Israel to destroy His enemies in His land. And God is dealing with Israel in her failures and victories at times. A list of the many kings Joshua and Israel defeated are found in (Josh. 12:7-24) From (Josh. 13-23) God tells Joshua, to divide the land up to the 12 tribes of Israel as Joshua is old and there is much land to yet take. (Josh. 13:1) "Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed." (Josh. 13:7) "Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance unto the nine tribes, and the half tribe of Manasseh." Here is mentioned only 9 and 1/2 tribes because the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of Manasseh were given their land on the east side of the Jordon. (Josh. 12:6).

The lands east and west boundaries are originally given in (Gen. 15:18). It extends from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates river. My how the enemies of Israel today hate to know that. The land where Israel exists today is just a small portion of what will eventually be hers. But it will take time. And God said that Israel will take the land a little at a time. As much as their population would allow. (Deut. 7:22) "And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee."

As Joshua is about to die, there is still much land to be possessed. And immediately in the book of (Judges) the taking of the land continues. (Judges 1:1-2) "Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand. "

God has His people in His land. They are related to Him by covenant. They have laws to obey. His Tabernacle is set up among His people in His land. (Josh. 18:1) This is where His presence is especially found in the Holy of Holies. (Ex. 25:22) This is the Kingdom of God on earth. There is much yet to do in the Kingdom. Enemies to fight. More land to possess. It is spiritual because it is God's Kingdom. It is physical because it is upon earth and implemented through man.

Lees

[Lees]

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While Joshua lived, and the elders of Israel with him, Israel maintained their relationship with the LORD. (Judges 2:7). These were those who witnessed the works God did for them. But with time, another generation rises up, one that doesn't know the LORD or His miraculous works for Israel. (Judges 2:10) And what did they do? They turned to worship the gods of the Canaanites in the land. (Judges 2:11-13) "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth." Hard to imagine that a generation of Israel would turn away from God to worship the gods of Canaan. But they did. Mankind is so fickle.

Does it surprise God? Of course not. We saw earlier how God told Moses that they would do this. And Moses told Israel they would do this. No surprise. But though it is no surprise, it does anger God. And though God knows what will occur, it doesn't by pass His feelings when it does. And God does feel. He loves, He hates, He is pleased, or He is angry. Mankind has these emotions because God has these emotions and man is created in His image. And here, after all God has done for Israel, she still goes and worships other gods. And He is angry. Just because they are Israel doesn't mean they won't come into judgement. But, they had been warned of this. (Deut. 28:15-68)

Now they will get to experience it. (Judges 2:14-15) "And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Withersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed."

Lees

[TSherbs]

Hey, Lees. Have you checked on Chuck to see if he is ok?

[dneal]

I'll take large language models for $400, Alex.

[TSherbs]

Lees, you here?

[Lees]

continued from post #(70)

In the book of (Judges) is displayed the anger, patience, and longsuffering of God toward His people Israel. They are now in the land, but there are still enemies to conquer and land to possess. God is with them. But overtime they turn away from God and serve the gods of their enemies. As a result God turns them over to their enemies. And God left their enemies in the land to chastise and prove Israel. (Judges 2:21-23) (Judges 3:4)

So instead of conquering the Canaanites, which was what God wanted, they lived with the Canaanites and served their gods. And they did exactly what the heirling prophet Balaam had advised Balak, which we saw in the book of (Numbers). They took the Canaanite women for wives and gave their daughters to the Canaanites for wives. (Judges 3:5-7) "And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites...And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves."

Overtime, because their enemies would oppress them severely, they would turn back to God and cry out for help. And God would raise up certain ones that are called 'judges' to deliver them. These were not kings of Israel, they were men and women God raised up to deliver them from a certain oppression. (Judges 3:9-11) "And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel...And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died."

Then, again, it wasn't long before Israel turned away from God as before. And as before, God turned them over to their enemies. And as before, they would cry out to the LORD. And as before God raised up a judge to deliver them. (Judges 3:12-15). This is the common theme throughout the book of Judges.

Lees

[TSherbs]

Hey, Lees. Have you checked on Chuck to see if he is ok?

So, no, you have not done this?

[Lees]

continued from post #(75)

We saw that Othniel was the first judge mentioned. (Judges 3:9) Note it says of him, (Judges 3:10), "And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel...." And though not every single judge is said to have the Spirit of the LORD come upon him, many do. Another would be Gideon. (Judges 6:34) "But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon...." Another would be Jephthah. (Judges 11:29) "Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah...." Another would be Samson. (Judges 13:25) "And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times.... (Judges 14:6) "And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him..... (Judges 14:19) "And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him...." (Judges 15:14) "...the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him....."

But Samson's life was not what it should have been. And it eventually caught up with him with his relations with Delilah. And though the Philistines and her efforts to find the source of Samson's strength continually failed, eventually they prevailed. Delilah cut his hair and the Philistines rushed upon him while he slept. (Judges 16:19-20) And note what it said in (16:20). "...And he awoke out of his sleep, and said I will go out as at other times before...And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him." It wasn't that Samson was some big strong muscle man, which is usually pictured. His strength came from the Spirit of God. And when the Spirit left him, his strength went with it. God didn't look down and say I need a strong man to use and sees there is Samson. No. God chooses for His own reasons. And Samson was no guiding light. He was either in a brothel or a bar. God didn't select him because he was so 'moral'. But his sins caught up with him. His cup of wrath became full. And God judged him. The Philistines put out his eyes abd made him their prisoner. (Judges 16:21)

But the foolish Philistines didn't pay attention to his hair growing back, and probably didn't believe it anyway. So they drag him out on one of their gods holy day to mock him and the God of Israel. (Judges 16:23-25) They place him between two pillars and Samson prayed to God that he might be able to destroy the place. And God heard his prayer and his strength returned. His strength was from God, not his human muscles. (Judges 16:26-30) And then we find Samson in the great 'faith chapter' (Hebrews 11:32)

Note the 'Spirit of the LORD' in all of this. Why? Because it is so often believed and taught that Jesus came to establish a 'spiritual kingdom' and not a physical kingdom as found in the Old Testament. These like to say the Jews didn't understand because they looked for a physical kingdom. They ignore all the verses that show the Spirit of the LORD was very active in the Old Testament. And very active in the physical at the same time. The promised land was material and real. It was spiritual in that it was God's land. The people of God's Kingdom, Israel, were spiritual, because they were of God. Yet they were physical also.

And God did not leave His people even when they would turn against Him. He was always there ready to receive them back. Over and over again.

Lees