Psalm 64:2,Secret plots of the wicked. When in human history have the wicked—those who hate YHVH—not been hatching up secret plots and conspiracies in an attempt to overthrow YHVH plans and laws and to destroy those who represent his rule of law and kingdom on this earth?
Satan, YHVH’s arch enemy and the one ultimately behind these plots, kicked off this cosmic struggle between the forces of darkness and light, good and evil in the Garden of Eden at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, when he enticed the first humans to join him in rebellion against haven’s mandates.
This never-ending tug of war between heaven and hell for world domination will culminate in the end times when “rulers [will] take counsel together [i.e., a conspiratorial plot] against YHVH and his Anointed [i.e., Yeshua the Messiah]” (Ps 2:2) in an effort to “break their bands [of YHVH’s rule of law as expressed in the Torah and the Prophets of the Bible] in pieces and cast their cords from us,” (Ps 2:3). Of course, YHVH will laugh in derision or mock and ridicule them for their hubris, and pour his wrath out upon them (Ps 2:4) prior to Yeshua’s second when heaven will place King Yeshua on his holy hill in Zion (Ps 2:6) to rule over the world as King of kings. The book of Revelation prophetically chronicles how this struggle will culminate, even as Psalm two predicts.
All this is to say that the secret plots of the wicked have been going on since man has been on this earth, and they continue to go on to this day. The government-media complex propagandistically derisively refers to this devilish plots as “conspiracy theories” as if to obfuscate their existence and to divert the masses’ attention away from them, but this does not change the fact the wicket of been hatching secret plots to overthrow YHVH and his people since the beginning, even as the Bible clearly shows.
What Does the Bible Say About So-Called“Conspiracy Theories”?
For as long has humans have been on earth, people have formed groups and conceived plans to consolidate resources and riches to rule over other people, forcefully if necessary, for the love of money, power and sexual gratification. It was true when the Bible was written, and it is true today because human nature has never changed from then until now.
The notion that governments and many other organizations are always open and transparent with the people that they supposedly represent or oversee is a belief only for the naive and ignorant. If this were so, then why do governments possess “intelligence agencies” and why do secret organizations exist whose membership is reserved only for certain privileged people and which have elaborate initiation rituals along with penalties if the organization’s secrets are revealed?
1 Samuel 16:5,Then he sanctified/consecrated. Heb. qadash/שﬢק meaning “prepare, dedicate, be separate, be set apart, to be honored, be treated as sacred. According to the TWOT, qadash connotes that which belongs to the sphere of the sacred, and is thus distinct from the common or profane. As a verb, it refers to the act which this distinction is made.
What was involved in this process of sanctification? We may gain a clue from Exodus 19 where YHVH tells the Israelites to sanctify themselves at the foot of Mount Sinai in preparation for their encounter with him as they receive the ten words/commandments and enter into a spiritual marital relationship with him (Ezek 16:8–12). As part of the sanctification process, Moses instructed the people to wash their clothes and to restrain from sexual relations with their wives (Exod 19:10,15,22), and to establish strict protocols with regard to approaching YHVH (verses 12, 13, 21, 23, 24). In addition, YHVH established elaborate ceremonies for consecrating or sanctifying the Levites and priests in preparation for service in to him in the tabernacle (e.g., Exod 28:41; 29:44), the offerings (e.g., Exod 29:27, 36), the tabernacle furnishings (e.g., verse 37, 44; Lev 8:11) and the people (verse 44).
In brief, to become sanctified involves a process by which an individual or object is made ready and then set-apart to enter into the presence of or service to YHVH Elohim. When something or someone is made qadash, they are brought out of the sphere of the mundane or earthly and into that sphere which belongs to the divine or sacred.
1 Samuel 16:7,Outward appearance … heart. Scripture instructs the saint to make judgments on the basis of two things: the fruits or actions that proceed from one’s life (Matt 7:15–20) and on righteousness (John 7:24). Fruits involve analysis based on the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:16, 22–25), which is the evidence of one’s spiritual walk. Righteousness is defined by one’s obedience to YHVH’s Torah-Word (Ps 119:172). One’s outward appearance may be spectacular, but his heart may be dark and the fruits and actions of his life may be anything but good.
1 Samuel 16:11,The youngest…keeping the sheep. The youngest children in the biblical family often was consigned to tending the sheep. Once he grew older and stronger, his help was needed along side the father in more physically demanding work of tilling, sowing, and harvesting the crops (Manners and Customs, p. 148; Social World of Ancient Israel, p. 41).
1 Samuel 17
1 Samuel 17:26, 36.Uncircumcised Philistine. This was not an ethnic slur. Rather, to refer to someone as uncircumcised was a Hebraism that simply meant that one did not have a covenantal relationship with YHVH Elohim, and thus was out of relationship with him and not under his divine protection.
1 Samuel 17:34–35,When a lion…struck it. The shepherds rod was like a policeman’s club. It was made of hard wood with a knob at the end, or it had knob nails driven into it to make it a better weapon (Manners and Customs, p. 149).
1 Samuel 17:40,Five smooth stones. Goliath had four sons (2 Sam 21:22). David had a stone for Goliath and each of his four sons. Moreover, Israel is an extremely rocky land, thus “bullets” for slings are abundant.
1 Samuel 17:45–47,I come to you in the name YHVH of hosts. David recognized that this was more than a physical battle; it was a spiritual one. The Israelites were fighting the enemies of Elohim. As such, David summoned heaven’s help in defeating Goliath, and pitted the forces or hosts of heaven against the legions of demons that were empowering the Philistines by lifting up and having faith in the name or reputation of YHVH to help him to fight the enemy.
1 Samuel 18
1 Samuel 18:1,Jonathan loved him. Some perverted minds have attempted to see in this a homosexual relationship between Jonathan and David, thus justifying, in their minds, the sin of homosexuality. This is not only sad, but it is a sick twisting of the Scriptures. What these lost and lonely souls seem to miss is that there is a level of love that is totally altruistic, selfless and a self-sacrificing that can exist between two people that is totally non-sexual, and that can even far surpass sexual or romantic love. This is similar to the love that Elohim had for the world when he gave his Son as a sin sacrifice for it (John 3:16), and the love that he had for each of us while we were yet sinners (Rom 5:8), and the same love that one has when he lays down his life for another person (John 15:13). This is the same love that Yeshua had when he went to the cross for each of us (John 10:11, 15; Rom 5:6–8; Eph 5:2).
1 Samuel 18:10,The evil/distressing spirit from Elohim. As a form of judgment against his backslidden servants, YHVH at times sends out deluding evil (demonic) spirits in hopes to torment them (2 Thess 2:11; Ezek 14:3; Isa 66:4). In that they have rejected him and turned to rebellion (which is as the sin of witchcraft, 1 Sam 15:23), he will turn them over to the powers of the dark side where they can experience the full expression and corresponding consequences of their evil passions and sinful appetites. Under the spiritual delusion of tormenting spirits, perhaps the rebellious backslider will awaken to the reality of his fallen state and will repent and return to YHVH. Similarly, Paul turned over to Satan the man in Corinth who was engaged in sexual immorality “for the destruction of the flesh” resulting in the man’s eventual repentance and restoration to the body of believers in that city (1 Cor 5:1–13 cp. 2 Cor 2:5–13).
Saul…prophesied. Saul prophesied (Heb. naba). Naba can refer to the prophetic utterances of both true and false prophets. When Saul was under the influence of the Spirit of Elohim he prophesied by the Spirit. When under the influence of an evil spirit, he “raved” (NAS). Saul may be a picture of modern Torahless prophets in the Christian church who sometimes prophesy and sometimes rave out of their own emotions and carnal mindedness or from the influences of an evil spirit.
1 Samuel 19
1 Samuel 19:13,Image. Heb. terephiym is an idolatrous image.
1 Samuel 19:20–24,Saul and his servants prophesy. Though Saul and his servants were under the influence of an evil spirit, when they came under the influence of the Spirit of Elohim, they would prophesy by the Spirit. Many people in the Christian church claim to be prophets, though they are only walking partially in accordance with YHVH’s Torah-Word and partially following the rudiments of this world or pagan church traditions that violate the Torah-word of Elohim. These prophets are like Saul, who was at times under the influence of the spirit of this world or the dictates of their own hearts and at other times under the influence of the Spirit of Elohim. Like the carnal prophets who are condemned by Jeremiah, they prophesy a mixture of truth and error.
1 Samuel 20
1 Samuel 20:5, 18, 24, 27, 34. New moon.How did David know that the next day was new moon day? Was this because he was able to calculate ahead of time when the new moon was going to occur? No. The answer is quite simple. A lunar cycle lasts for 29.5 days. This means that some months will be 29 days long and some will be 30 days long, since it’s impossible to have half-days. How did David know that the next day would be the new moon day? Simply this. Biblical months are based on the lunar cycle. A lunar cycle can’t have more than 30 days. A lunar cycle month is either 29 or 30 days long. If one has reached day 30 of a month and the new moon still isn’t visible because the sliver is too faint to see, or because there’s cloud cover or haze blocking it from being seen, then the observer automatically knows that the next day, by default, will the first day of the next month. Sometimes one sees the new moon after 29 days. Sometimes it is seen after 30 days either because they sited it, or because, even though it wasn’t visible and since a month can’t have any more than 30 days, the next day (day 31, if you will) becomes the default start of the new month. Obviously, in the story of David, the new moon hadn’t been sited on day 30, and so he knew that the next day was, by default, the beginning of the new month.
The idea that, because the time between conjunction and visible sliver can last one to three day, proves that Saul was feasting or celebrating the new moon during this interval is speculation. Nothing in any Jewish historical sources that I have studied state either that the ancient Hebrews calculated the new moon from the conjunction, or that if they did they celebrated the interval time between the conjunction and the sliver. So when 1 Sam 20:27 and 34 speak of the second day of the month, we have to believe that they were feasting for a couple of days after the sliver was first spotted.
1 Samuel 20:41,Kissed [Heb. nashaq] one another. Nashaq means “to put together, kiss, to touch gently.” This is the same word used in Proverbs 27:6 referring to the deceitful or superficial kisses of an enemy (like the kiss of Judas, Yeshua’s betrayer), as well as the tender or affectionate kisses of lovers (Song 1:2; 8:1; Prov 7:13). The concept of touching gently can be seen in the use of this word where the wings of cherubim kiss or touch each other in Ezekiel’s vision (Ezek 1:3). Kissing as special sign of affection was common among family members (Ruth 1:1) and among fellow countrymen (2 Sam 15:5). It was also done as a sign of respect (1 Sam 10:1; 2 Sam 19:39). Even today in many parts of the world, friends greet each other with a kiss on the cheek. On four occasions, Paul closes his epistles with instructions for the saints who will be reading his letters to greet each other with a holy kiss (Rom 16:16; 1 Cor 16:20; 2 Cor 13:12; 1 Thess 5:26). If there is a “holy kiss”, then logic demands that there must be an unholy kiss as well. Because of the deep loving friendship and spiritual relationship that David and Jonathan shared, their kiss would have been one of mutual respect and affection, and not an unholy kiss.
Psalm 59:9,I will wait for you. When a righteous person suffers for righteousness sake (and not because of any sin he has committed, vv. 3–4), the saint, because of his strong scruples and sense of right and wrong, desires immediate justice upon his enemies. Yet because his life is in YHVH’s hands, he looks to the courts of heaven to render justice when the all wise and all knowing Almighty, who sees the end from the beginning and lives outside of time, determines is the best time to do so. For this reason, the saint must learn to wait on YHVH to avenge him for the wrongs committed against him.
Waiting to see one’s desire upon one’s enemies (v. 10) is an aspect, though a difficult one, of the faith walk. Through it all, the saint never takes his eyes off of his merciful Elohim, who is his defense. He never loses his spiritual, heavenward focus and never ceases to sing praises his Creator every day (vv. 16–17).
The act of praising Elohim and expressing faith in the knowledge that heaven will ultimately render justice, even while one is in the midst of persecution at the hands of the wicked is a major differentiating factor between the saint and the heathen.
All humans suffer, but not all have the faith and hope that heaven will reward them in due time by seeing justice served on one’s enemies.
Never forget that the concept of “enemies” may encompass more than just other humans; it may include such things as suffering because of material and financial privation, trying circumstances, ill health and ultimately death, generational curses or simply the stress and duress of living in a fallen world that is under the control of the devil and his sinful minions.
Regardless of who our “enemies” may be, the saint is promised deliverance from them all in due time. This is because YHVH promises to “keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on [him], Because he trusts in YHVH]” (Isa 26:3).
Psalm 60
Psalm 60:12,Through Elohim. Sometimes YHVH avenges our enemies through us. If this is the case, we must make certain that we are fighting his wars, his way and on his terms, and not our way often out of our own impetuosity and wounded egos using our own methods and strength to accomplish our desires upon our enemies (see Zech 4:6; Ps 127:1).
Psalm 61
Psalm 61:2,Rock that is higher. When our heart affections and spiritual focus is on something that is higher, loftier and more solid and substantial than ourselves, then our focus will naturally be higher than ourselves and we will be elevated in all areas of our lives as a result.
Conversely, when our focus is on something that is at the same level or lower than ourselves, then we will sink to that level.
This is a fundamental difference between following or worshipping Baal (the world, flesh and the devil) versus following or worshipping Elohim: the former is the downward path that leads to spiritual death and separation from Elohim, while the latter is the upward path that leads to Elohim and eternal life in his presence.
The choice is ours as to which path we will take. Every day we are faced with many small and sometimes large decisions as to which direction we will go. Choose wisely and do the right thing by choosing the path that will bring blessing and life!
Psalm 61:4,Tabernacle…shelter of your wings. Over the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant were the over-shadowing wings of the two cherubim, which was the representative of Elohim’s throne and glorious Presence on earth (see Isa 37:16; Ezek 10:1–22; 11:22–23). It was in this place of intimate worship before the “Rock that his higher than me” (verse 2) that David sought shelter or refuge and deliverance from his enemies (verse 3).
Biblical phrases such as, “under the shadow of your wings” is a Hebraism meaning “before YHVH in the place and state of worship” (also see Pss 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 63:7; 91:1, 4).
It was also in this place—between the cherubim—that Moses heard the voice of Elohim (Num 7:89), and that David would see the power or might strength and glory or manifest presence of Elohim in a prophetic, ecstatic or spiritual vision (Ps 63:2).
As saints of YHVH Elohim, we can come into his presence, that is, into this actual throne room (as represented by the holy of holies in the Tabernacle of Moses through our spiritual relationship with Yeshua our Messiah, Master and Savior.
Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Yeshua, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of Elohim, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Heb 10:29–22)
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb 4:16)
Psalm 62
Psalm 62:1,Salvation [Yeshua]. To the delight of disciples of Yeshua the Messiah, his appears several times in this chapter some 1,000 years before his birth. What does this psalm teach us about his cameo appearance in these prophetic references?
Verse 1—We learn that Yeshua (the Hebrew word meaning “salvation” comes from Elohim). The source of salvation is not from this earth or men—only from heaven. Yeshua is coming, and in the mean time, his people must wait silently or in quiet trust for him.
Verse 2—Elohim is a rock (or boulder) and our salvation. Here we learn that Yeshua is Elohim and that he is not only our spiritual rock, but is like giant rock or actually a boulder to his people. He is their only rock and salvation; there is none other.
Verse 6—As we wait patiently or silently for Elohim alone (and not on anything or anyone else), who is our salvation, our expectance or hope is only on him (v. 5). Only he is our rock (not anything else including money, other people, power, position, influence, material goods, good health, physical strength, education, our mental abilities, philosophies of men or occult powers), for only he is our rock or boulder or the source of our solidity, our salvation (or Yeshua) and our defence from everything or everyone that comes against us.
Psalm 58 like many of the other imprecatory (from imprecation meaning “a spoken curse”) psalms expresses the extreme and overwhelming frustration, nay, the animus or antipathy that the righteous child of Elohim often viscerally feels toward the wicked evildoers that surround him, and the strong and yearning desire that one has for heaven to render judgment against those who hate all that is good. Is it a bad thing for righteous people to hate wickedness?
Is it sinful for YHVH’s saints to desire justice from the heavenly courts for the wrongs committed against them by their wicked, evil-doing and God-hating enemies? More importantly, are the imprecatory psalms opposed to Yeshua’s teaching to love one’s enemy? While this may appear to be the case, and many Christian Bible teaches aver this to be so, we will answer these questions, and upon closer examination, see that these imprecatory psalms express some deeper spiritual truths that are consistent with the totality of Scripture and are actually in line with the teachings of Yeshua. In analyzing this subject, we will use Psalm 58 as our launch pad into examining a larger subject suggested by the imprecatory verbiage found in biblical psalmic literature.
At the outset of this discussion, let’s establish one important fact. The author of the fifty-eighth psalm knows a basic Bible truth that is found in both the Old and New Testaments. It is that judgment against one’s enemies is ultimately in the hands of Elohim (Deut 32:35, 43; Ps 94:1–2; Rom 12:19; Heb 10:30); it is the Almighty who will arise and tread down and scatter one’s enemies (Ps 60:12; 68:1). In the mean time, however, while waiting for Elohim to act, the earth reels and struggles under the heavy and constant attacks of the wicked, and the psalmist cries out to Elohim to render judgment against the ungodly (Ps 58:6), which Elohim will eventually do. At that time, the righteous will rejoice (Ps 58:10). The time when heaven will balance the scales of justice cannot come soon enough for the oft persecuted and downtrodden saints, for it will be then when YHVH will reward the righteous and judge the wicked when he comes from on high (Ps 58:11).
Psalm 57:1,In the shadow of your wings. Other Scriptures that refer taking shelter under the shadow of YHVH’s wings in times of trouble (and all the time for that matter) include Psalms 17:8; 61:4 and 91:1. The wings of Elohim is an example of an anthropomorphism which is “the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal or object.” Obviously, Elohim is not a Bird-God, for he does not have wings like a bird. This is an example of a poetic or literary device that the writer employs to help us to understand difficult spiritual concepts using physical analogies.
Author’s note: At the end of this article, I will address the false concept that the earth is flat, which I refer to as “flat earth foolishness.” Those who believe that the earth is flat base this notion on a twisted understanding of the Scriptures. A basic, 101 level comprehension of the rules of logic, biblical interpretations (called hermeneutics) and understanding the literary devices and cultural contextual background of the biblical authors will summarily dispel this false notion, as this article will point out.
Furthermore, I am not open to debate about this issue. If you want to argue with me that the earth is flat, then take your nonsense and peddle it somewhere else, but not on MY blog. Your comments will not be allowed to be posted and they will be immediately deleted. So don’t waste your or my time trying.— Natan Lawrence
The Bible is full and running over with literary devices. This is because much of the Bible is poetry or literary prose. Understanding these many and varied literary devices will help one to correctly interpret Scripture, find the deeper meaning of a Scripture, understand the richness found therein, and enables one to better understand the true message and intent of the author.
But why does the Bible employ so many literary devices from Genesis to Revelation as we are about to see from the examples below? There are specific reasons why YHVH Elohim inspired the writers of Scripture to employ various literary devices besides for the sake of making the Bible more interesting to read. There are definite and deep spiritual reasons for this that relate to our gaining a deeper, personal relationship with our Creator. We will discuss these reasons later.
In the mean time, having an understanding of the literary devices that YHVH inspired the biblical authors to employ will insure that one does not derive errant understanding from Scripture by, for example, understanding something in a literal sense that was meant to be figurative, symbolic, metaphorical or hyperbolic. Much of biblical prophecy, for example, has been written using literary devices and one can easily misconstrue something to be literal when it is figurative and end up with all sorts of bizarre interpretations and twisting of the Scriptures engendering false doctrines and heresies.
The following is a list of literary and figurative devices found in the Bible with definitions and examples:
Acrostic: A composition usually in verse in which sets of letters (such as the initial or final letters of the lines) taken in order form a word or phrase or a regular sequence of letters of the alphabet. An example of this is Psalm 119 in which the first words in successive units of the poem start with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In Psalm 145, the first word in each verse starts with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
Allegory: A story in which the characters and events are symbols that stand for ideas about human life. Parables are form of allegory where symbols are used to teach biblical principle. Yeshua employed this teaching method to convey deep spiritual truths by using everyday examples from life that his listeners, with a little reflection, could understand. Examples of this include:
The mustard seed in Matt 1331–33 and the leaven in Matt 13:33 are symbols for the kingdom of Elohim.
In the Parable of the Prodigal son represents believers who backslide and come back to Elohim (Luke 15:11–32).
The Parable of the Vine and Branches symbolizes the believer’s relationship with Yeshua (John 15:1–8).
Paul compares of Hagar and Sarah in Galatians 4:21–31 to represent salvation by works versus salvation by grace.
Ezekiel uses two sisters to represent apostate Judah and Samaria (Ezek 23:1–49).
In Psalm 80, Israel is likened to a grape vine.
In Ezekiel 16, Israel is likened to a virgin bride and then an adulterous woman.
Alliteration: The use of the same initial consonants in a line. This biblical literary device is only noticeable in the original languages.
Allusion: An indirect reference to something else. The referent and meaning are understood from cultural, personal context, or inside knowledge. Examples of this include:
The great sign in heaven in Revelation 12:1 refers back to Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37:9. In John 8:58 when Yeshua declared, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM,” his listeners knew that he was telling them that he was the I AM of Exodus 3:14.
While hanging on the cross and Yeshua declared, “My Father, my Father, who have you forsaken me,” he was signalling to his hearers that he was fulfilling the Messianic prophecies of Psalm 22.
Anthropomorphism: This is a type of personification where human characteristics (physical form, human-like emotion, or other human characteristics) are attributed to Elohim, in order to make his spiritual qualities more understandable to finite and limited human understanding and linguistics. An example of this is found in Genesis 6:6 where YHVH is grieved, or in Jeremiah 3:12 where YHVH is angry. Other examples from Scripture include
So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. (Exod 33:23)
For thus says YHVH of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. (Zech 2:8)
Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications. (Ps 130:2)
…[N]o one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. (John 10:29).
Aposiopesis: The leaving of a thought incomplete usually by a sudden breaking off in mid-sentence. Examples include:
Then the YHVH Elohim said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—therefore the YHVH Elohim sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. (Gen 3:22–23)
Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written. (Exod 32:32)
But if we say, “From men”—they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed. (Mark 11:32)
And if it bears fruit—but if not, after that you can cut it down. (Luke 13:9)
Apostrophe: The addressing of a usually absent person or a usually personified thing rhetorically. This is a type of indirect type of personification where the speaker addresses an inanimate object including him or others who cannot respond to the statement or question. For example, sometimes a psalmist addresses his soul or commands mountains and rivers to praise Elohim. Examples of this include:
Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? (Ps 43:5)
Sing, O heavens, for YHVH has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! (Isa 44:23)
Then he cried out against the altar by the word of YHVH, and said, “O altar, altar! Thus says YHVH…” (1 Kgs 13:2
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! (Isa 1:2)
Open your doors, O Lebanon, That fire may devour your cedars. Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen, because the mighty trees are ruined. Wail, O oaks of Bashan… (Zech 11:1–2)
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! (Matt 23:37)
Assonance: This is poetic literary device where the internal sounds of words are repeated. This biblical literary device is only noticeable in the original languages.
Chiasmus: A figure of speech in which two or more clauses are related to each other through the reversal of the lines of a poetic structure in order to make a larger point. Examples of this include:
Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed. (Gen 9:6)
But many who are first will be last, and the last first. (Matt 19:30)
Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart… (Isa 6:10)
1 Samuel 15:3,Utterly destroy.Here YHVH was instructing Israel to commit genocide against Amalek—an action that does not set well with our modern Western mindset. Because of things like this found in the first three-fifths of Scripture, some Christians have even gone so far as to label the so-called “God of the Old Testament” as being cruel, vindictive, harsh and judgmental, while the “God of the New Testament” is, antithetically, loving, gracious and forgiving. First, such a characterization is a false one, since the God of both sections of Scripture are the same Being, for as both the Old Testament or Tanakh as well as the New Testament or Testimony of Yeshua tell us, YHVH does not change and is the same yesterday, today and forever. Therefore, if he is gracious and loving now, then he was then as well. Any characterization to the contrary is not only a misreading of Scripture, but a blasphemous accusation against the Creator on the part of those who make it.
Second, when YHVH tells a person to kill someone, it is neither murder nor genocide, for it is merely exercising divine will on the part of the Just Judge and Creator of all things to execute his righteous judgments upon whomsoever he chooses. He gives life and it is his right to take it away.
Third, in this case, he was not only judging the Amalekites for the murderous sin they had committed against Israel during the exodus, but also because they, as a people group, like all the other Canaanites, had given themselves over completely to Satanism with all of its demonic and wretched practices including child sacrifice. As a people group, they were demon possessed and totally reprobate. Similarly, at the end of this age, when Yeshua returns to this earth, he will similarly judge and destroy those who hate him along with the world’s Antichrist system that they created.
Fourth, the reason YHVH was justified in genocidally killing the Amalakites along with the other Canaanites is that he had given them hundreds of years to repent and turn to him,which they had failed to do (Gen 15:16).
1 Samuel 15:11,Not performed my commandments.Not to obey any command of Elohim that applies to us, no matter how small or large a command it may seem, is to turn away from Elohim, which is the biblical definition of sin (1 John 3:4).
1 Samuel 15:12,Set up a monument to himself.Elsewhere, Scripture declares that pride goes before a fall (Prov 16:18). King Saul was on the verge of a hard fall. In our day, there are too many Christians leaders that establish monuments to themselves. They name ministries, colleges and universities and buildings after themselves. The construct vast building projects and churches, which they claim are for “the work of the Lord”. In reality, most of these are monuments to their ego and glory. The sad reality is that many if not most of these edifices sit vacant ninety percent of the time and are not even being used for the purposes claimed. A wise use of the people’s tithes and offerings to be sure! In the end times, YHVH is going to judge and bring down the religious system that the book of Revelation calls Mystery Babylon the Great and likens to a whore along with all of these arrogant ministers. When this system euphemistically reffered to as churchianity comes down, it will be hard fall, even as Saul’s fall and destruction was hard. The reign and life of King Saul is prototypical of this end times confused Babylonian religious Christian system, which is a mixture of both good and evil. As with Saul, Scripture declares that eventually the patience of YHVH Elohim will run out and his wrath will be poured out on his so-called servants who serve Elohim, to one degree or another, as well as themselves and mammon.
1 Samuel 15:23,Rebellion. Heb. meree meaning “stubborn refusal to obey or comply with authority, especially a court order or summons.” This is how Scripture views those who refuse to obey the commandments of Elohim.
Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft/divination. (See notes at Rev 9:21.) Witchcraft involves taking or usurping authority that does not belong to you and then using it illegally to control others for personal advantage. It can also involve taking something holy and exploiting it for personal advantage. This is what Samuel accused Saul of doing when he kept the cattle he was supposed to kill, so that he could at a later time offer up an illicit sacrifices without going through the proper Levitical protocols (as well as probably keeping some of the loot for his own personal enrichment). Samuel equated this act of rebellion with witchcraft (1 Sam 15:23).
Saul had the proclivity to not fully follow YHVH’s instructions and to take matters into his own hands, for he had offered up a witchcraft sacrifice once before (1 Sam 13:9–13). Samuel rebuked him for it, yet Saul willing and knowingly repeated the same mistake again, which was strictly forbidden. Taking that which YHVH has ordained to be used legally one way and defiantly using it another way for one’s own selfish purposes is usurping the divine will or authority of Elohim, violating divine law and, as such, is an act of rebellion and witchcraft.
In a general sense, all sin (i.e. the violation of YHVH’s Torah-Word or his instructions as delineated in the Scriptures) is a form or witchcraft in its broadest sense.
From this brief analysis of witchcraft as it relates to rebellion and sin, it is not difficult to ascertain that the entire world lies in a state of witchcraft. In fact, there are only two spiritual domains in human existence: the domain of obedience to YHVH Elohim’s instructions or commandments as spelled out in the Bible, and the domain of witchcraft or Satan, the god and ruler of this world. At the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, the first humans were confronted with a choice: follow Elohim’s path of righteousness or follow the path of witchcraft as led by Satan. We all know which path they chose, which is why the world in its present mess.
Saul was like many typical “Christians”. Like Adam and Eve, he chose a path of both good and evil. When it suited him, he chose the good path of obedience to YHVH; however, when it did not suit him, and he wanted a path that would cater to his carnal lusts, he chose the path of sin and rebellion, which is witchcraft.
Similarly and as regards many modern “Christians”, the tendency is to choose the commandments that appeal to them, and declare the others to have been “done away with.” This is tantamount to ripping pages out of the Word of Elohim, spitting in the Creator’s face and telling him to go pound rocks. Hard words? No! This is the hard truth. Just because pastors, Bible teachers, churches, denominations and whole sects declare something is acceptable does not necessarily guarantee that it will past muster with the Creator, Supreme Lawgiver and Just Judge of the universe. It is still rebellion and witchcraft no matter the quaint labels and shiny, or shellacked veneer humans attach to it. Moreover, the majority consensus is irrelevant if it does not line up with the Word of Elohim.
1 Samuel 11:4,Then the Spirit of Elohim came upon Saul. How do we know that this was not merely the human passion of anger that aroused in Saul causing him to take action as opposed to the moving of the Spirit? Indeed it was human passion, for this verse says that “his anger was greatly aroused.” But the fact that the fruits of his action led to YHVH’s will for the nation of Israel being accomplished indicates that Saul was motivated by the Spirit, and that this was not just a purely human reaction. Often times it is hard to determine if one’s actions are carnally motivated or they are being led of the Spirit. This is where righteous judgments must be made (John 7:24), and the fruits must be evaluated whether they be good or bad (Matt 7:16–20). When the will of Elohim is accomplished, then we can be sure that it was a Spirit-directed activity. In the case of Saul’s anger against Nahash the Ammonite, his anger led to the rallying of Israel’s troops, the defeat of Israel’s enemy, the salvation of Israel, unification of Israel under Saul and Samuel, and the renewal of the kingdom of Israel resulting in national revival (vv. 13–15).
1 Samuel 11:14,And renew the kingdom there. According to TheArtScroll Rubin Edition Prophets Commentary, Gilgal was the place where Joshua had originally set up the Tabernacle of Moses upon Israel entering the Promised Land (p. 69; Josh 5:9–10). From the time of Joshua to Samuel, Israel had fallen on hard times physically and spiritually. As a nation, Samuel was leading Israel back to the geographical spot where it was last a great nation and walking in will of YHVH. A wise person once said, “If you’re not hearing the voice of YHVH in your life and he seems to be silent, then go back to the last place where he told you to do something and you said, ‘No.’ That’s the spot where he told you to go right and you went left.” This principle applies to nations and to individuals as well. Reflect on this as pertaining to your life.
1 Samuel 12
1 Samuel 12:1ff, A king over you. The establishment of Saul as king in Israel was a constitutional or limited monarchy, unlike the kings of other Eastern nations of the time where the king had total, unlimited and absolute power. Their kings ruled by whim and fancy, while Israel’s would be subservient to the Torah; their kings placed their self-aggrandizement above the national interest, while Israel’s king was charged with upholding and safeguarding the nation’s righteousness, and with guiding Israel as the bearer of [Elohim’s]—not the king’s—majesty (The ArtScroll Stone Edition Chumash, p. 1187). “The [Israelite] king was bound to respect the liberty, honour, and the property of his subjects, and his powers were strictly limited by the fundamental laws of the Torah (Deut 17:14–20). Prophets, psalmists, and sages all conceived of the king as a shepherd of his people, whose scepter should be a scepter of peace, pity, and righteousness” (The Soncino Pentateuch, p. 649). This is the basis of a republican form of government, which, in theory, describes the American form government. As you become more familiar with YHVH’s laws it will become evident that certain aspects of the American legal code derive from the Torah. This truth underscores the fact that our society has deep Judeo-Christian roots.
1 Samuel 12:3,Whose ass have I taken? The moral integrity of spiritual leadership is essential. Most leaders in Christian church would strongly assert their probity (honesty and decency), and at the same time would deny that they are building their ministry kingdoms for personal benefit, but what is the real truth? How do they treat their children and wives behind the scenes? What is their response toward their detractors? How do they treat other “competing” ministries? Do they live off of YHVH’s sheep, or do they use tithes and offerings for the care and feeding of YHVH’s sheep? If they do receive income from their flocks, how dependent are they on that income? To what degree do they make decisions affecting the congregation in order to solicit a response that will ensure the security of their position as chief leader and beneficiary of the congregation’s largesse? To what degree do they angle their teaching and preaching to curry the favor of their constituents thus keeping the funds flowing toward them? These are questions that spiritual leaders all need to ask of themselves.
