Comments for June 8

4 v.21 - This well-known incident is acclaimed in ch.5:24-27 as an act of great heroism which brought her 'blessing above all women', a higher accolade even than Mary had, being 'blessed among women' (Luke 1:28,42).

4 v.2 'sold them into the hand ...' is a refrain in the book of Judges which is found once also in 1 Samuel. Judges 2:14 3:8 here 10:7 1Samuel 12:9 and marks chastening from Yahweh to cause Israel to repent and turn to him. In the book of Judges this happens every time the chastening comes. This is a mark of the long suffering of God. He knew how His people would respond and knew that they would turn away but He still loved them. A wonderful comfort for ourselves.
4 v.4 There are only two references to prophet / prophetess in the book of Judges [Judges 4:4 6:8]

Ch. 5 - Whereas chapter 4 gives little detail of the way in which Yahweh discomfited Sisera the song of Deborah in this chapter, if we are willing to take the languages she uses as describing literal events, provides great insight into what happened.
5 v.6 There are only two mentions of Shamgar in Scripture. It seems almost as if the mention of his being a judge is to provide an explanation to the words of Deborah. [Judges 3:31 5:6] It seems that despite Shamgar's exploits Israel were in dire straits until Deborah arose. See also verse 7.

ch.5:14-18 - Was it the case that the members of each tribe kept themselves to themselves so much that such generalised statements as this could be made? Was it also the case that different tribes practised different arts? Does v.14 tell us that those of Zebulun were specialists in writing - scribes? or just that their scribes were used on this occasion?

Chapter 4
The circumstances surrounding Deborah and Barak are used elsewhere in Scripture

So this Psalm draws on the Deborah and |Barak incident to speak of a future deliverance.

Chapter 5
Here are a couple of interesting links with Proverbs

Whilst Proverbs was written after Judges the sentiments of Proverbs marks exactly the mind of Sisera's mother. He was seeking to pervert Israel in a similar way that the strange woman of Proverbs was seeking to seduce Israel.

4:3 We noticed (1:19) that Israel saw the chariots of iron something they could not contend with - so they failed. On this occasion confidence is placed in Yahweh - and Israel overcame their enemies. Surely a powerful warning to us as to where we should place our confidence.

5:12 The leading of 'captivity captive' draws on Deut 21:10. However it also forms the basis for Psa 68:18, Eph 4:8). The deliverance by Deborah forms a pattern of the work of Christ in delivering us from sin and death.

4:15 The Lord discomfited Sisera with a terrific rain storm and floods 5:21 so his chariots of iron were of no value to him. Hence he flees 'on his feet' 4:15,17

5:27 We noticed the emphasis on Sisera's feet yesterday. Notice again the mention of 'feet' twice in this verse. The mighty man, with bruised feet arrives at Jael's tent and his head is wounded by the woman at whose feet he is subdued.

5:28-30 In these verses we have a transition made to the mother of the Canaanite general, and a striking picture is drawn of a mind agitated between hope and fear....impatient of delay, yet anticipating the news of victory, and the rewards of a rich booty.

A very simple comment today.  The whole of Judg 5 is a "Thank You" song to God for His deliverance. It's vital that WE remember to thank God for our blessings.

4:15,16  Barak had ten thousand men, from Naphtali and Zebulun, who went against Sisera who was well-armed with iron chariots. The men of Israel routed them and slew them with the help of Yahweh.  They were slain by the edge of the sword. The term sword (Heb. chereb) can signify a knife, sword, axe or any other sharp implement.

Ch.5 is Deborah's song of victory.  It is reminiscent of other victory songs, e.g. the Song of Moses after Israel's deliverance through the Red Sea (Exo 15:1-19).  Here, Miriam, another prophetess, celebrated Yahweh's triumph (Exo 15:20,21).  However, Deborah is critical that other tribes did not offer to help Zebulun and Naphtali (5:16,17). 

We too must remember that we are one body and must be ready to help our brethren (1Cor 12:14-26).

4:21 We have here a bible "echo".  Going back to the promise made in Eden, pointing forward to Christ. Christ was bruised on the heal, but here we have the blow to the head of Sisera, which was fatal.

I saw Mt Tabor in Israel a few years ago, and the view I had of it has really made these chapters live in my own mind.  Mt Tabor, when viewed from a distance, can be seen as the only mountain in a vast and completely flat plain.  It stands out as a single table in the midst of a large floor.  The top of the mountain is completely flat, almost like a platform, and the sides are steep.  There is room on the top, I guess, for ten thousand men.

The scene we come to is of the army of Barak huddled on top of this vast plateau, with almost a thousand steel chariots gathering below like a menacing cloud.  All at once, the heavens open, rain deluges down, and the army rushes town the sides of the mountain.  In panic at the advancing, crazy hordes of men leaping down the mountain, the chariots turn to gain more space between them and the mountain.  At this point the chariot wheels start sticking and sinking in the mud caused by the deluge (see Peter's comment above).  In the panic and confusion, the chariots are overrun by the thousands of foot soldiers, who suddenly find themselves at an advantage (for the first time) against these iron death machines wallowing in the mud.

The chariots on the periphery are starting to make good their escape just as the river Kishon bursts its banks (5:21) and cuts them off.  The rest of the chase is on foot, and the men of Sisera are vastly outnumbered.  They flee towards the city which had housed their chariots, Harosheth Hagiom at the foot of Mt Carmel, and the mouth of the Megiddo plain, but are beaten back by the water and picked off one by one by the advancing soldiers of Israel.  Sisera, seeing what's happening, turns away from the water and flees on foot across the Galilean hills towards Hazor, to the North where his king lives.  For some reason, he chooses not to turn in there, possibly because he would have been executed for losing the kings chariots (and ultimately causing the downfall of the kingdom 4:23-24) but flees further North to Jael's tent.

So here we have God's remedy to Judges 1:19 and 34.  With men, iron chariots were impossible to overcome, but with God all things are possible.

4:11     In introducing Heber thus we see that he had a sort of loose familial connection with the children of Israel  by marriage. It seems that he had now associated himself with Israel..

5:6    The reference to how things were in the days of ‘Shamgar’ make reference to the Judge of Judg 3:31.  Whilst the record about him is very sparse this comment indicates that travel throughout the land was difficult – doubtless because of oppression.

4:11 Historians tell us that the Kenizzites and the Kenites were probably related.  They were nomadic metal workers who lived in the Negev.  Kenaz was a descendant of Esau (Gen 36:12,15). 

The Kenizzites were absorbed by either Judah or Edom before the conquest of the Promised Land.  We know that Caleb's father Jephunneh was a Kenizzite (Num 32:12).  Scripture tells us that some of the Kenites were also absorbed into Israel.  Rechab, for example, is considered from the tribe of Benjamin (2 Sam 4:2; 1 Chron 2:55). 

However, we see that Heber chose to separate himself from other Kenites. Nevertheless, Yahweh used his wife Jael (whose name means wild (mountain) goat or ibex), to subdue His enemies. 

4:21 Unfortunately Sisera had not understood that Heber had now associated himself with Israel 

4:2    In saying that Jabin was king in Hazor we must realise that Hazor must have reverted to Canaanite control as Joshua had conquered it earlier – Josh 11:10

4:4 The prophetess Deborah is described as being the wife of Lappidoth.  The meaning of Lappidoth is torches.  Some commentators suggest that this was not a proper name but indicative of Deborah's character - a woman of fiery spirit.  She certainly was a no-nonsense character, the first recorded woman leader of Israel.  She was not shy to lead her troops into battle, although, as a prophetess, her role was essentially to direct (4:8-10). 

This reading describes another woman of character - Jael (means mountain goat).  She became a national hero by killing Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army (4:21; 5:24-27).  Jael was not a woman with whom to butt heads!

5:4 The way in which ‘the heavens dropped’ is one of many allusions to this area in the life of Deborah and Barak which is used in Psalm 68. This one in verse Psa 68:8

4:3The Canaanites had had 900 chariots of iron (ESV).  The scary thing about these chariots, for Israel, was that they had iron blades protruding from the axles of both wheels.  As the chariots were driven, the blades would act like horizontal blenders, chopping up foot soldiers on either side of them.  And, of course, Israel’s army comprised infantry.

4:4 Deborah means honey-bee.  She was the queen bee in Israel at this time, and known as a mother in Israel (5:7).  As a judge in Israel, people flocked to her home for advice.  Deborah was a prophetess, and so her leadership was more directive than hands-on.  She appointed Barak as commander-in-chief of the army (4:6).  And so, the two functions of a judge in Israel - military leader and administrator - were split between Deborah and Barak.  Thus, the two could be considered as the fourth co-judges in Israel.  It is interesting that Barak is mentioned in the Hebrews' faith chapter, but not Deborah (Heb 11:32).

4:11 Hobab was probably Moses brother-in-law, as Jethro (also called Raguel) was his father-in-law (Num 10:29).  Moses had asked Hobab to join him on the wilderness journey.  Evidently, he did as his progeny is mentioned here.

5:6,7 Shamgar was the third judge in Israel who was under the subjugation of Moab.  The commentary here is that the country was in such chaos that the roads were unsafe to travel because of bandits.  For this reason, some villages were cut off and ceased to be.  

The following is perhaps a parable foreshadowing Christ's victory over sin and death:

1. The fruit of Mary's womb, Christ, was the fleshly tabernacle. "blessed shall she be above women in the tent" (Judg 5:24), in this we have a possible echo of Elizabeth's words to Mary "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb" (Luke 1:42). John when describing the birth of Christ adds "And the Word was made flesh, and 'dwelt' [Grk. "skenoo" (4637) means "to tent, to tabernacle, encamp, dwell, a symbol of protection and communion"] among us, (and we beheld his glory...)..." and later John adds, "...he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell (4637) among them" (John 1:14;Rev 7:15). A Heb. word for "tabernacle" is "ohel" (168) and the Grk. equivalent "skenoma" [(4638) means "body, temple, encampment, tabernacle"] can refer to the fleshly body as a tabernacle (2Pet 1:13-14;2Cor 5:4).   2. Sin was destroyed in the tabernacle of Christ's flesh (Judg 4:18,21;Heb 2:14;Rom 8:3).   3. The seed of the serpent (sin - represented by Sisera) was dealt a blow to the head (mortal blow) by the seed of the woman (Christ - Jael represents Christ's tabernacle of flesh) which suffered a bruised foot (nonfatal blow - note Sisera fell at Jael's feet) by sin (Judg 5:26-27;Gen 3:14-15); this hammering of a stake reminds us of the crucifixion; as "Jael" (3278) means "wild goat" she may also represent the "scapegoat" (Lev 16:6-10) which lives on and is a symbol of the resurrection; we may even have an echo of Christ's fleshly body thirsting for natural water (Judg 5:25;John 19:28-29); perhaps we have an echo of baptism which is essential for deliverance and salvation yet buries, washes away sin (Judg 4:10,13-15;Judg 5:4,19,21;Exo 15:4,10,19;1Cor 10:2;Mark 16:16;John 3:5).

The following is perhaps a type of the last day Armageddon battle and Christ's return:

Judg 4:14;5:19 - "mount" [Heb. "har" (2022)] Tabor and the waters of Megiddo perhaps echoes "Armageddon" (Rev 16:16).  Judg 4:14 - the 10,000 called out ones perhaps echo the saints that execute judgment (Jude 1:14-15);  Judg 5:4 - When the Lord marched out of Seir the earth trembled, the heavens poured, the clouds poured water perhaps echoes the last day battle (Deut 33:2;Zech 14:2-4;Eze 38:22-23).  Judg 4:14 - "Tabor" [(8396) means "broken region"] and perhaps echoes the stone (Christ) that breaks into pieces the kingdoms of man (Dan 2:45);   Judg 4:14 - "This is the day in which the Lord hath delivered"... perhaps echoes that latter day of the Lord believers eagerly await (Psa 118:22-26).

The following names perhaps echo the great deliverer, Christ. Deborah means or comes from a derivative meaning bee or speaker (1Cor 15:54-57;Luke 22:33) and (Heb 1:1-2). With Deborah was Barak and his name meant lightning which is associated with the manifestation of the glory of God (Eze 1:1,13,15,28;John 17:1,3-6;Luke 10:17-18;Matt 24:27).

Some of the above gleaned from The Gospel in the Book of Judges by Ian Giles, pps. 67-79.

5:13 The dominion that God gave Israel typified the overcoming of the power of the serpent of Gen 3:1 and restored, typically, Israel to the position of dominion that Adam was given – Gen 1:26,28.

4:11    Verses 11-12 really seem unnecessary to the record. However the mention of Hobab reminds us of Num 10:29 In Numbers Hobab decides not to continue with Israel – separating himself from Moses and the nation. Here his descendants seem to have now associated with Sisera. Once one dissociates from the people of God the only place one can go is to associate with God’s enemies.

Chapter 4 verse 5. The tree was named after Deborah. Do you think Deborah, the prophetess would have named the tree after herself? Why would she?

Question: Maybe the tree wasn't named after this Deborah at all. Can you find any other women by this name in the Bible who might have had something to do with this tree?

4:21 So the enemy of Israel was bruised in the head – typical of the bruising of the seed of the serpent Gen 3:15

Judg 4:4 - "Deborah" (<1683> means bee, perhaps "bee" echos Christ in that he's sweet as honey, and has a stinger to pierce the enemy with a mortal blow to the head). The root word for Deborah (<1696> means "speak, promise, arrange as in an orderly fashion, subdue, speaker - Christ spoke the Word of God, arranged with his sacrifice to be a perfect sacrifice as he subdued sin, Christ promised his resurrection and second coming that gives his faithful followers hope of freedom from sin and death to reign on earth Matt 5:5).

5:1-2    Whilst we are now reading a poetical song we should not presume that the things said are symbolic. The willingness of the people which is spoken of should be seen against the background of the severe oppression Israel were experiencing. Deborah along with Barak inspired the people by their enthusiasm.

5:11    The word translated “rehearse” here is only found twice in Scripture. The other occasion being Judg 11:40possibly indicating a relationship between the two events

5:6     The way in which the highways were unoccupied is a fulfilment of the curses that God would bring on unfaithful Israel as Moses said – Lev 26:22

5:2 The way in which Deborah speaks of the way in which the people offered themselves is the pattern of the faithful savants of God as can be seen when David, under the power of inspiration, speaks of both his and Jesus’ commitment  God – Psa 40:6-8

judg 5     The song in this chapter actually adds literal descriptions of events that took place in the battle which is briefly described in Judg 4:1-24. Piecing together the narrative and the song gives a fuller picture of the events associated with Barak and the battle.

5:5 When Deborah, in her song of joy, speaks of the mountains melting we have the basis for the words of a later prophet – Mic 1:4

5:31   The way that Deborah speaks of the sun is seen in a similar way in 2Sam 23:4

4:21 It might seem that going in softly was the obvious way that Jael would go into he tent to kill a sleeping man. However there is a greater significance in the phrase than that. Sisera was seeking to disinherit Israel from their inheritance. Jael was stopping that act. When we read a very similar phrase –Ruth 3:7 – we see a woman going softly to a man who would be a redeemer and ensure that the inheritance would remain in the family. We should remember that the events of the book of Ruth fit in early in the time of the Judges.

5:6 the way the highways are described as unoccupied is telling us that people were afraid to move around for fear of being attacked by the inhabitants of the land.

5:30 “damsel” in the KJV is a poor translation. He Hebrew word is the word for “womb” <7356>>. What Sisera’s mother was talking about was rape and the subsequent birth of children to the representative of the serpent in Genesis 3.

g 4:14  Notice what Deborah says to Barak. “The Lord hath delivered Sisera …” If Israel had always realised that it was their God who gave them control of the land we can imagine that the inhabitants of the land would soon have been overthrown.

5:6-8  The reason for the oppression in the days of Shamgar, which is not spoken of when he is mentioned as the judge – 3:31 – us clear. Yahweh had been forsaken as they chose “new gods”.

We should be alert to additional information being given about earlier Judges as we  read thought the book of Judges.

PRINCES

In her song, Deborah mentioned the princes in Israel twice. This is what she said, "When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves—praise the Lord!" (Judg 5:2). The second instance was this: "My heart is with Israel’s princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the Lord!" (v.9).

From these two verses we can see how important it was to Deborah, and to the LORD, that there are leaders among the people. We all need people whose godly and courageous values we can follow.

The interesting thing is that there was no royal family in Israel at the time. There were no kings and no princes. So who was Deborah talking about? The language here suggests that Deborah was calling the willing volunteers, those who willingly offered themselves, princes. They were not princes by birth or noble title, but they were men who showed themselves to be princes by their actions. Since Deborah's song was inspired by the LORD, we can be sure he saw those willing volunteers as princes in Israel too.

We might not have been born with the title of Prince or Princess, but let us show in our actions and attitude that we are truly princes for the LORD our God.

v. 15 - The times we find in Isaiah's prophecy that the condemnation is followed by the view of the everlasting kingdom to give the people something to work towards. We all need this sort of encouragement, so let us take these opportunities for ourselves.

v. 3 - the seeing eye and hearing ear shows that the time when ‘a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment’ is the kingdom. The ‘princes’ reigning with the ‘king’ are the glorified saints.

v.20 - Remember that though we sow it is God that gives the increase (1Cor.3:6,7). This idea is developed further later in the book (Isa.55:10,11) to make us sure that it is by the action of God that we each live, and not our own labour.

32:2 This verse develops 4:6. Isaiah 4:6 has a 'tabernacle' for a shade. Here Isaiah explains that the tabernacle is actually a 'man' - It is the risen Lord Jesus who is the one who opens the house of David to men and women of faith.

:9 The contemporary prophet Amos (6:1) speaks in more details about the warning to those 'at ease' - From Amos' comment it would appear that those in Judah were looking to the northern kingdom for support.

32:10 Even though Isaiah has spoken of deliverance he is concerned to let Israel know that it will not be soon - even though they were delivered from the Assyrians. There was still to come punishment in fulfilment of Lev 26 and Deut 28 because of their continuing rebelliousness.

V.1-8 These verses of the prophesy show the times of freedom from foreign influence, and the happiness which shall follow the defeat of those who are against Israel.

Whenever we read of thorns and briers, there is usually a reference back to the Garden of Eden, and Adam’s punishments. Isa 32:13 speaks of the punishments of Eden coming upon the “joyous city”. But that will end when “the spirit be poured upon us from on high” (Isa 32:15).

32:4  Jesus’ miracles fulfil Scripture showing him to be Messiah. The stammerers speaking plainly is fulfilled in Mark 7:32

V.1,3,4,5,17,18 - Jesus gave us a glimpse of healing the blind, deaf and dumb during his 3 year ministry but there will be a greater fulfilment when he comes again and is king over the earth during the millennial day of rest when the saints will rule as princes, there is peace and justice, there will be true wisdom and full understanding 1Cor 13:9-12

Isaiah intersperses visions of the kingdom and its blessings with warnings of impending invasion.  He urges the people of Judah to snap out of their complacency because the Assyrians will be at their doorsteps in about one year's time (vs.9,10). 

Sennacherib did arrive (in 701 BC) and devastated Judah.  Although Jerusalem was spared, Sennacherib destroyed many Judean cities (2 Kin 18:13).  According to his own records, he destroyed 46 cities and captured over 200,000 inhabitants.

Before the kingdom is finally established, Israel will again suffer a devastating invasion from Gog, another northern host (Eze 38:16).

32:13 The ‘thorns and briers’ echoes the judgement that Isaiah has already spoken against Jerusalem – Isa 5:6

32:2 Peter was a ‘rock’ for his name means ‘rock’ and when his ‘shadow’ passed over the sick – Acts 5:15– the sick were healed.

REAL FRIEND

Isaiah begins to describe the coming kingdom of God, saying, "See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the dessert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land." (Isa 32:1-2)

We often think about the role of Jesus in God's kingdom, so let's think for a moment about the picture of "each man" in God's kingdom. This could be you or me, and we need to practice having this attitude now.

"Each man will be like a shelter from the wind." It is the wind that gives us the chill factor. Sometimes the chill factor comes from other people and their unpleasantness or even nastiness. Are we the type of friend who can give warmth when others are feeling the cold shoulder?

"Like a refuge in the storm." Some people's lives seem to be in constant turmoil. We need to be the friend that can give comfort when things are not going well.

"Like streams of water in the desert." At times all of us go through low spiritual periods where it is hard to pray, read and keep in touch with God. Our role is to be a friend to those people by being a source of spiritual water, giving them encouragement and lifting up their faith.

"Like the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land." Here he describes us as a friend in whom someone can find life, though there is a spiritual drought all around. Water and life are found in the shadow of a great rock.

Let's be the sort of friend and the sort of person God wants in his kingdom. Let's be a real friend, a friend like Christ.

32:14-15 Just a little point. Here is one example where the term ‘forever’ is qualified. Useful to help us to understand that God does not always talk about absolutes in the way that we might when speaking of time periods.

Vs.1-8 These verses describe prosperity that was realized under Hezekiah.  However, their secondary function is to describe the prosperous condition under Jesus in the kingdom.

V.8 the word liberal (KJV) is better translated noble (ESV).

Vs.11-14 This scenario of fear will be repeated Israel when is devastated by Gog and his confederates in the end time (Eze 38:16; Zech 14:2).

Vs.15-18 Yahweh saved Jerusalem from attack by Sennacherib. The angel of Yahweh destroyed the Assyrian troops (2Kin 19:35). Sennacherib went home and peace ensued. The same shall happen when the Lord Jesus saves Israel from the clutches of Gog (Eze 39:3-5). 

V.19 Sennacherib went home. Twenty years after his affront to Jerusalem, Sennacherib was murdered by his sons (2Kin 19:37; Isa 37:38).  Nineveh, the Assyrian capital, was destroyed by the Babylonians in 606 BC. It was Nimrod who built Nineveh, after he built Babel. 

In Babylon, Nimrod and his wife Semiramis produced a blasphemous and pernicious system of worship.  The Babylonian system of worship is alive and well today in the Orthodox Churches.  When Jesus returns, He will destroy this Babylon just as surely as Yahweh destroyed Nineveh (Rev 14:8; 18:21).

Isa 32:1 First Principles>Sure Mercies of David>Government
This verse shows that others besides Jesus and the twelve apostles will rule in God's Kingdom.
For more about the government of God's Kingdom on earth, go to Matt 19:28.

32:1 The ‘princes’ that are to ‘reign in righteousness’ (with Jesus) are the princes spoken of in Psa 45:16

32:5-6  There had been a time when evil men flourished. This was certainly true in the days of Ahaz, the wicked king who preceded good king Hezekiah. But such evil was to cease.

32:4   When we read of ‘stammering lips’ we should realise that Isaiah is returning to the theme he has, by inspiration, spoken of in Isa 28:11.

32:17 This verse is the origin of the idea – James 3:18 – that James gives us. The two ideas of righteousness and peace are encapsulated in the Melchisedec priesthood which is Jesus’ priesthood.

V. 17 And the work of the righteous shall be peace.     We see a lovely link he with v15, it is an interesting study to follow through scripture the need for us as Yahwehs trees to produce fruit in order to give glory to God. Prov 11:30 tells us that producing fruit comes with righteousness and we become a tree of life, but not just for ourselves but for those reasons also we saw in V2 and 3 for our "friends".  The word winneth in Prov 11:30 is to "stir someones thoughts".  

However here in Is 32:17 we see it is the "work" of the righteous rather than fruit which brings peace or better translated "tranquilty of mind". So we as righteous ones are to give "peace or tranquility of mind to each other".

In John 20:19 we see Jesus greeting his "friends" with PEACE! Here was the true righteous one that tree of life stood in the midst, not just giving fruit to his father or himself but offering tranquility of mind to his disciples who naturally were very frightened at this time.

And so we are exhorted Ps 37:37 Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace!

32:1  The reigning in righteousness and judgment is an echo of the way in which Psa 72:1-2 speaks of the Christ who will come. 

The women in Isa 32:9-11 have already been mentioned before in Isaiah. They appear to have been ruling the city of Jerusalem and largely responsible for its moral decline: Isa 3:12, 16-22

32:4 The stammer who would be able to speak plainly is prophetic of Jesus’ healing work – see Mark 7:32-35

1. Isa 31:8-9;Isa 32:1;Luke 1:30-33 - with the latter day Assyrian/Gogian host having fallen by the sword of the Lord, the way will be opened for the reign of Israel's righteous king with his princes/saints (Mark 10:24;Matt 5:9,45;Psa 45:16).

2. Isa 32:2 - a millennial saint, perfected, protected, and hiding from the winds of false doctrine and being rock-like and a shadow of the great rock Christ to people who need spiritual refreshment from living water (John 7:37-39;John 4:14;John 6:63).

3. Isa 32:3 - then eyes and ears will see and hear (1Cor 13:12;Zech 12:10;Isa 2:1-3).

4. Isa 32:4 - the mind will understand and the tongue will be understandable.

5. Isa 32:5 - "the 'vile person<5036>' shall no more be called 'liberal<5081>'

6. Isa 32:6 - the fool has a mind busy with evil, he practices ungodliness, and spreads error concerning the Lord; the hungry and thirsty he leaves without nourishing.

7. Isa 32:7 - the scoundrel destroys the poor with lies.

8. Isa 32:8 -  "liberal<5081>", "liberal things<5081>".

9. Isa 32:9-11 - the women (of Judea), well satisfied with their self-indulgent way of life, are warned of the dramatic change in life-style that is to befall them; V10 as Peter Forbes noted in his 2004 comments, the ultimate deliverance would not be soon.

10. Isa 32:12 - they shall lament for that which nourishes or sustains life.

11. Isa 32:13 - thorns and briers (the curse of Eden Gen 3:18) coming upon all the joyous houses of in joyous Jerusalem.

12. Isa 32:13-18 - the fall and rise of the joyous city and land; Vs 13-15 (Luke 13:34-35;Luke 21:24); Vs 13-15 God's land shall be a waste...till the spirit is poured upon us from on high; Vs 15-18 fruitfulness and peace during the millennial 7th day of rest; V16 "judgment<4941>" will dwell in the desert; V17 the work of "righteousness<6666>" will be peace; V18 my people will live in peaceful dwelling places...places of rest.

13. Isa 32:19 - the city appears to be brought low, but is this Jerusalem or another rival city (Rev 18:1,2,18,21)?

14. Isa 32:20 - Christ and the apostles were the epitome of this; during the millennium there will also be much sowing and teaching (Isa 2:1-4).

32:3 The seeing eyes here are to be contrasted with the blinded eyes of Isa 6:10

32:3     The way that the eyes will see and not be dimmed – closed – contrasts with Isa 6:10

A KING FOR TODAY

Is this a kingdom prophecy?"Behold a king will reign in righteousness and princes will rule in justice. Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dark place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land." (Isa 32:1).

Isaiah's prophecy continues speaking about eyes and ears being opened to hear God, and hearts responding to him. Yes, it sounds a lot like a prophecy of the future in God's kingdom to me.

But perhaps there is more to it. Perhaps it can apply more to us now that we ever thought possible. You see, we don't have to wait for Jesus to return to be our king. He can be our king right now. He can already reign in righteousness in our lives if we let him. And when we are his subjects, he will make sure justice is done on our behalf.

With Jesus as our king, and when we place our trust in him, we don't have to be battered about by life's storms, pressures and temptations. He is our shelter. Tell him your troubles, run to him and you will have nothing to worry about, like a hiding place from the wind or an overhanging rock to shelter us from the sun. And to top it all off, we will be given open eyes, ears and hearts to respond to him in love.

There is no need to wait. Let Jesus be your king today.
 

32:19Isaiah speaks of the things David was told – 2Sam 7:18– when the promise of 2 Samuel 7 is fulfilled in Jesus ruling from Jerusalem.

32:20 this is rather like the instruction given  by Solomon –Ecc 11:1

32:17 Righteousness is not a quality that is held in high esteem today. Peace is often achieved through compromise and blurring distinctions. But this is not to be the way that the faithful behave. The only peace that will last in our lives is that established through putting into practice in our lives the principles of God. James teaches us this – James 3:18

32:5-8  Whist Isa’s words are set against the background of the evil in the land of Israel in the days of her kings such as Ahaz a Divine principle is set out here. That which man values and extols in this immoral age will be swept away and those in need of God’s support will receive it at the hand of a righteous king – the risen lord Jesus Christ.

32:2  On two earlier occasions – 25:9, 26:8 – we read of “waiting” for God to intervene. Probably the hardest thing for us to do. We want instant solutions to our problems. Waiting should develop patience and trust.

v.6 - To despise the poor is a very human tendency. There are a number of scripture passages warning us against this course of action. e.g. Psa.14:6, Prov.14:31, 17:5, Ecc.9:15-16. Let us remember that our Lord was poor Isa.53:3.

v. 8 - That we should implement the commandment 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour' is seen extensively in Scripture. Here are some occasions. [Leviticus 19:18 Matthew 5:43 19:19 22:39 Mark 12:31 Romans 13:9 Galatians 5:14] As the second command which is like unto the first we can see that if we can get this one right all the rest will fall into place. Hence the importance of this commandment.

2:12-13 Another reference to the law of the year of release and the Jubilee. Notice that we are to be judged according to how we treat others. Under the law the faithful Jew was to have an open hand (Deuteronomy 15:8) - that is a generous spirit. How do we fare?

MERCY TRIUMPHS OVER JUDGEMENT
George Speight, the leader of the coup in Fiji a few years ago has since been sentenced. He was tried and found guilty of treason. The judge ruled that he should be hanged. News reports said that in hearing this, George Speight hung his head and cried. However, in the face of this judgement mercy prevailed, and now, instead of facing a death sentence, he now faces life imprisonment. This is a clear case where mercy triumphed over judgement.

God decreed that we should all face death. In Romans 6 v 23 we read that, "the wages of sin is death." Because we all sin we all deserve death. But God in his mercy has offered us a gift - not because we deserve it but because he loves us. "But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6 v 23). It is God's mercy that allows us to have our sins forgiven. God's mercy will triumph over judgement.

We too are told that we need to show mercy to those people that we have association with. We need to let mercy triumph over judgement from us to our neighbour. Then God will show mercy to us.

:25 The inclusion of Rahab as one who was justified by faith is a powerful testimony to the truth that observance of the law of Moses is not a pre requisite for pleasing God. A powerful lesson for Jews.

PROVE YOUR FAITH

"But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.'" (James 2 v 18).

James gives us quite a challenge. How do we show our faith without actions? The answer is simple: we can't. As James says a little later on, "Faith without works is dead." The only way to prove that we have faith is to put it into action - put it to the test. We might think that we have the faith to stand up in certain situations, or to do certain deeds, but we can even surprise ourselves when it comes to doing it. Peter said he would never deny his Lord, but he did! And yet Peter also doubted he could walk on water, but he stepped out and proved his faith wrong. It is not until we test our own faith that we know how strong it is.

The chapter we call the Faith Chapter, Hebrews 11, is full of examples of faithful people, yet they all had one thing in common. They all showed their faith in their actions. Hebrews 11 is, to coin a phrase, Action Packed!

So it is up to us to make sure we put our faith into action. It's not just something to talk about - faith is something we do. Let's step out in faith, put our trust in God, obey him even against our better judgement and prove our faith by the things that we do.

James 2:22. “Wrought” sunergeo (4903) Means to be a fellow-worker, (helps in the work of) The faith in the promise of Gen 17:19, was the motivating force of Abraham’s faith in being willing to offer Isaac on the alter. This is an example of faith being made perfect (complete) by works.

2:2-3 I suppose that none of us would think we are partial in the way that we treat others. Doubtless James' readers were of the same opinion - so James gives a real life example. How do we stand up to this one?

Vs.1-4 The world plays favourites.  It is influenced by those who are good-looking, rich, or influential.  They are given pre-eminent positions and special attention.  On the other hand, the ugly and poor are shunned because they are not marketable and have no influence.  The world makes these judgements in the absence of any moral consideration of justice, right or wrong. 

Disciples of Jesus must be extremely careful not to show favouritism.  They must not let worldly values (or lack of them) dictate how we treat their brothers and sisters. 

Do we give more favoured consideration to influential families in our meeting; good speakers; those who have contributed more money etc?  If so this is wrong.  Instead of concentrating on looks, clothes, money, fine speech etc. perhaps we should lower our gaze and focus on feet (John 13:5-16).  

2:1 That the way in which we hold our faith should be ‘without respect of persons’ follows a long Biblical precedent - starting in Lev 19:15. How easy it is to form judgements about others, maybe even thinking that such a person would not be interested in our faith.

V.5 Possessions can blind us to spiritual values, but while in the single hearted seeking of the Kingdom we often lose opportunities to become rich in worldly goods, such poverty constitutes true riches (Rev 2:9), and our poor condition is no indication of our standing in the sight of God.

V.14,17 - faith without works is not a true faith, it is essentially dead. We should also keep in mind that we are saved by grace lest anyone should think too highly of themselves, their works, or their knowledge Eph 2:4-10; Rom 12:3,16; 1Cor 8:1

2:7 Notice that the finely dressed that James speaks of persecute the brethren. They also’ blaspheme’. Doubtless in the context in which James is writing they would have been Jews. Paul describes his former behaviour thus, linking persecution with blasphemy – 1Tim 1:13

2:14 James is not in any way knocking faith in the general sense. Like Paul, he believed that justification was by faith. By speaking of "that faith", he speaks of that which is not a living principle within a person, but is the assertion of a belief in a set of doctrines, that say that faith can (or will) save anybody. Faith involves more than believing.

2:1     Here and in 1Cor 2:8 we find the term ‘lord of glory’. On both occasions it is a reference to the risen Christ. On both occasions the term is used to emphasise the status of the risen Jesus.  The implication on both occasions is that an appreciation of the status of Jesus should modify one’s behaviour.

2:1 Talking of ‘the lord of glory’ and ‘brethren’ James highlights why we should not have respect of persons. ‘The Lord of glory’ – the risen Christ has condescended to us that we might be called ‘brethren’ so who are we to judge whether another is fit to spend time with!

a) Do you want a good illustration of Faith and works? asks James. Right, here’s Abraham and Rahab. In James 2:20-26 he picks one man and one woman from the Old Testament. Abraham is an obvious example, but fancy picking Rahab! She is always referred to in the new Testament as “the harlot”. But what a woman of faith she was! Check her comments to the spies in Josh 2:9-13. She recounts how the Canaanites had followed Israel’s passage through the wilderness for the last 40 years, and she stated that she knew that the LORD (she even uses the Yahweh Name) had given them the land (Josh 2:9).
b) Another fascinating point from today’s chapter is that it says in James 2:23, “The scripture was fulfilled which said…” When you read Gen 15:6 you would not know that that verse needed any fulfilment. But James’ point is that we must have faith AND works. God called Abraham righteous in Gen 15:6 when he showed his faith in God’s promise that he would have a great nation born from him. But faith needs works to be complete. Abraham’s “works” are recorded in Gen 22:1-19, where he as good as killed his son. God had promised in Gen 17:19-21 that Isaac would be the line of his descent, but still he was prepared to offer Isaac for a sacrifice, being totally assured that God would raise him up, so that he, Isaac, could father a son. So Abraham’s faith is recorded in Genesis 15, and his works in ch 22.

a) Do you want a good illustration of Faith and works? asks James. Right, here’s Abraham and Rahab. In James 2:20-26 he picks one man and one woman from the Old Testament. Abraham is an obvious example, but fancy picking Rahab! She is always referred to in the new Testament as “the harlot”. But what a woman of faith she was! Check her comments to the spies in Josh 2:9-13. She recounts how the Canaanites had followed Israel’s passage through the wilderness for the last 40 years, and she stated that she knew that the LORD (she even uses the Yahweh Name) had given them the land (Josh 2:9).
b) Another fascinating point from today’s chapter is that it says in James 2:23, “The scripture was fulfilled which said…” When you read Gen 15:6 you would not know that that verse needed any fulfilment. But James’ point is that we must have faith AND works. God called Abraham righteous in Gen 15:6 when he showed his faith in God’s promise that he would have a great nation born from him. But faith needs works to be complete. Abraham’s “works” are recorded in Gen 22:1-19, where he as good as killed his son. God had promised in Gen 17:19-21 that Isaac would be the line of his descent, but still he was prepared to offer Isaac for a sacrifice, being totally assured that God would raise him up, so that he, Isaac, could father a son. So Abraham’s faith is recorded in Genesis 15, and his works in ch 22.

Vs.17,18 Works alone cannot save, neither can faith alone save. First must come faith. It is gained by reading the Word of God and understanding its message of salvation (Rom 10:17).  After that understanding, baptism must be undertaken to come into a covenant relationship with Yahweh through His Son Jesus (Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12).

Then, this disciple of Jesus continues his/her life in obedience to His commands (John 15:14).  Continuous reading of scripture is necessary for the disciple to advance spiritually (2Tim 3:16). This action is faith-building.  But, other actions are also required to demonstrate faith (James 1:22). A good place to start is by obeying the royal law (v.8).  But, don’t forget about the greatest commandment (Matt 22:37-39).

The Royal Law Of Love (v.8)

This wonderful law, called "the royal law", or the"over-ruling law", is so called because it reigns over all other laws. In the kingdom of God, there are no big "I's and little "you's", but the family of God is knit together in love.

Three little verses tie this concept nicely together:

Col 3:14 - "And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness"

1Pet 4:8 - "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins"

John 13:35 - "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another "

2:16 James’ comment about speaking and not doing is picked up and re presented by John – 1John 3:18 indicating that this sort of practice was not uncommon in the first century – what about today?

2:6   Partiality is so difficult to overcome.  Human beings form judgements based on what we see and hear in the first few moments of a meeting with someone. Those judgements are also based upon our prejudices. Hastiness in forming judgements about anyone is rash and foolish.

2:14   The age old debate that some engage in – are we justified by faith or works – is shown to be a false debate. Neither can be present without the other. Biblical ‘works’ are a consequence of biblical ‘faith’ and anyone who has that ‘faith’ inevitably will demonstrate that ‘faith’ by his ‘works’.

2:13    That we will be judged according to how we view others draws onProv 21:13. We are being taught that we cannot expect better than we show to others.

V23  of course this verse takes us back to Rom 4:20-22 where a little more of Abrahams faith is revealed. Not only did Abraham have great faith but he "Staggered not".  Abraham knew without doubdt "he believed" and "staggered not" that being bought out of a rich land was needed for Abrahams development into one who could give glory to his maker.

We often overlook Abrahams faith by simply saying he was a man of faith, but Abraham knew without doubt that his God was with him and this bringing out was for Abrahams good, he was to be worked with and developed so he may glorify Yahweh in fully realising this and "staggering not" he became a friend of God.

We should remember as those who have been called should continue to develop in the truth, we are not simply called to be baptised and carry on as we were, we are to develop further and further to glorify God.

So we too maybe accounted for or imputed as righteous ones.

James 2:19.

2:20  So the one who only speaks about his faith without showing it is “vain” – that is empty. 

Treating a poor man well

Where does James get the idea that to "respect persons" in v9 is a sin under the law?

It appears from the chapter that the brothers and sisters had neglected the poor in their number, so when it talks in v2 about the man in "vile raiment", it's not just his clothing that is suffering but he must also be hungry. See in v15 the context of what James is talking about:

"If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?" James 2:15-16

The law always did provide for the poor, for example:

Exo 23:3,6 don't treat a poor man different

Deut 15:7-11 people commanded to lend to the poor
 

So in not providing for the poor brother, James is saying that they are behaving worse than those who were under the law of Moses.

2:10   James’ comment here about breaking one element of the law makes one guilty of breaking all the law reflects Jesus’ teaching in Matt 5:19.

James 2:1-10,14-17 - Michael Parry in his 2004 comments notes "The world plays favorites". It manifests itself in favoring those who are good-looking, successful, influential, those thought to be intelligent/wise, favoring friends who happen to be in the 'right' clique, favoring families who are 'first', favoring those who are careful not to disagree with influential brothers or sisters, etc. What are the reasons we believers, who should know better, sometimes show favoritism to some within the body and/or sometimes have such little urgency when it comes to reaching out to our nonbelieving neighbors (2Tim 4:2-3)? Certainly some believers are full of love and care. But my grandfather as he looked around used to say, "we don't have enough love". As we examine ourselves daily, is it true of me, is it true of us (1Cor 11:28;2Cor 13:3-5;Gal 6:4;1John 1:9)? Do we have a limited love (V8;Lev 19:18), a distorted vision of love, and/or perhaps even a limited/distorted vision (John 9:39-41)? It's so easy for us to rationalize saying, "it's human nature to be this way, no place of worship is perfect" (Rev 3:14-18). But we know that God and Jesus are loving and more than fair to us, so how should we be to all our fellow believers (Phil 2:3-5) - and how should we be to the presently hopeless masses who so far haven't yet heard the good news of God's truth (Matt 9:35-38)?

And what are we to make of James 2:11-13? How do adultery (Exo 20:14;Deut 5:18) and murder (Exo 20:13;Deut 5:17) fit in with the general theme of James 2 other than showing the seriousness of violating any of God's commands? Lets first consider adultery. Adultery is unfaithfulness, be it literal unfaithfulness outside the bonds of marriage, or be it a spiritual and more figurative harlotry. It isn't true religion (James 1:27) when we don't help the afflicted and vulnerable or show an agape care/love to believers or non believing neighbors. Do we have a sincere belief and faith, or do we have a "belief" system with little more substance than a comfortable country club social? Now lets consider murder. Murder can be literal or it can be spiritual. We can kill people literally, figuratively, or be contributers to both. The word of David literally killed Uriah, but with our actions, inactions. neglect, indifference, or partiality, we can spiritually kill our fellow brothers, sisters, and/or deprive our neighbors of the hope of eternal life - thus, in effect, murdering them - and perhaps murdering ourselves as well.

James 2:10

“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

How many links in a chain need to be broken for the chain to break?

This verse elucidates the fact that if we break even one law, we are a lawbreaker. It does not teach that if we steal, we are also guilty of adultery, covetousness, idolatry, etc. and that we might as well break the others too. James addressed believers who were respecters of person (v 9). They did not think respecting persons was a sin, or maybe they just didn’t care enough. James teaches that any one offense makes us short of the requirements of God.

In Christ, we are under the law of liberty.  What is this law? It is the law of love, the summation of all laws (cf. James 2:8,12). If we are truly born again, we would do that which is right not by restraint, as it was with the law, but by constraint (2Cor 5:14) because we love God and want to always do those things that please Him and reflect in our lives the life of Christ. The law of Christ is the law of liberty and by this we will be judged.

2:17,20,25 The repeated emphasis on works being required should not lead us to think that we can earn salvation. When one has faith – a pre-requisite – then that faith is seen in the way that we behave.  Nor is it call to get involved in social activities. The examples Paul draws on are examples of individuals whose “works” were related to the faith they had in the promises that God had made to them.

2:17, 20. We need to understand that what is being is said is that there is no such thing as invisible faith. Faith that is not demonstrated in the way we live, through actions is no faith at all. Paul writes Rom_1:17  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." Therefore there is no faith where there is no demonstration (works) of it. It is not an either or situation.

2:23   In the same way that Abraham was God’s “friend” Jesus speaks of us – John 15:14. The qualification is that we, like Abraham, keep God’s word and do His will.

2:5      The one who loves his master, which seems to be what James is writing here, is the bondservant who having served his master chooses to remain with him even though he is free to leave as we see in Deut 15:16.

2:16    the idea that one might say “be ye warmed and filled” draws on Deut 15:8 where how one should behave towards one’s “brother” is outlined and the dire consequences of disregarding the command are seen.

James 2:17

“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”

FAITH AND WORKS

“LET those who have ‘become obedient to the faith’ remember that baptism into the one hope of the calling to the Kingdom and glory promised is but the first step to immortality. Henceforth they serve mammon at the peril of their lives. Friendship with the world places them in hostility to God. The Kingdom is for those only who illustrate their faith and perfect it by their works; for while the great father of the faithful’s belief of the gospel was counted to him for righteousness or remission of past sins, his faith was made perfect afterwards by his works; so that ‘Ye see how that by works is a man justified, and not by faith only.’  It is these post-baptismal works by which the saints are justified. Sinners are justified from all their past sins, and become heirs of God, by an intelligent belief of the gospel of the Kingdom counted to them for righteousness in the act of immersion into the Holy Name. Thus they become saints, and dependent upon a patient continuance in well-doing, through evil and good report, for acceptance and exaltation in the day of Christ. The way, therefore, to the Kingdom is plain, though beset with suffering, difficulties, and trials. It is a very unfrequented path; still there are a few wayfarers there. They like company, and therefore put themselves to some trouble and expense to obtain it.  This is their mission in the world till Israel’s King appears. The straight gate will then be closed; and the glory and honour, the incorruptibility and life, of the Kingdom, will be inaccessible for a thousand years.”

Brother Dr. John Thomas, Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, 1852, p. 280

I read a lot about grace and faith saving us and not works citing Eph 2:8,9, the emphasis being on grace. And, of course, the wrong kind of fruit is evident in such, being overly confident on obtaining grace. What a grave misconception of Truth! Our works ought to be firstly building character and producing fruit (Gal 5:22-26). We were created to do good works growing “unto a holy temple in the Lord” (Eph 2:10,21), a new creation (2Cor 5:17).