Category Archives: Bible, General

Natan’s Notes on 1 Samual 4 to 6

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1 Samuel 4

1 Samuel 4:3, When it comes among us it may save us. The ark of the covenant had become little more than a religious talisman or a good luck charm to the spiritually destitute Israelites. The fact that it symbolized the presence of Elohim among his people thus signifying how his people should act in the presence of their Creator, Benefactor and Protector mean nothing to them. The ark had become nothing more than a religious icon similar to a statue of the virgin Mary or some other saint, or a crucifix, a cross hanging somewhere or a picture of “Jesus.” These type of items give people a warm, fuzzy religious feeling and makes them feel spiritual, yet, beyond that, it held no significance in their lives, and certainly did not mitigate their irreligious lifestyle. You have no doubt heard the saying that Christianity is about relationship, not religion. Well, the Israelites certainly found this out the hard way when the Philistines shockingly captured the ark of the covenant. Wooden boxes, like crucifixes, church buildings, paintings of biblical characters, a cross worn around the neck, a Christmas tree, a statue of Saint Francis or the Buddha or some other religious paraphernalia mean nothing to the Almighty. Rather, it is the heart of man and obedience that matters. That does not mean that there is not a place for religious items, for the Tabernacle of Moses was full of them. The difference is that these items where vehicles to bring the religious person into a personal relationship with their Elohim, and not an end in themselves as the ark had become for the Israelites.

1 Samuel 4:15, His eyes were so dim…he could not see. Eli suffered both from physical and spiritual blindness. It is true that one’s eyes grow dim with age as the body wear down. But the sad fact is that Scripture reveals that Eli had lost his spiritual eyesight because of his spiritual complacency and tepidness. Sometimes how we are on the outside—our physical ailments—mirror what is going on in the inside—our spiritual condition. This is why when we are afflicted or experience trials, we need to pray for wisdom and discernment, so that we can ascertain why we are going through these difficulties and so that we many overcome and grow spiritually (Jas 1:1–4).

1 Samuel 4:22, The glory has departed. Again, the Israelites were focusing on a wooden box—the ark of the covenant, and had missed its deeper significance. The glory of Elohim’s presence had not been in Israel because of a box, but because Israel was YHVH’s set-apart, kadosh or holy nation that diligently hearkened unto his voice and obeyed him. Israel, like the blind Eli, had lost sight of this and had corporately become spiritually blind and destitute. It is for this reason alone that the glory of Elohim had departed the nation. It had little or nothing to do with a wooden, gold plated box.

1 Samuel 5

1 Samuel 5:3–4, Dagon, fallen on his face. This is undoubtedly ranks as one of funniest passages in the entire Bible. The idea of a stone statue falling down and “worshipping” the piece of furniture that represented the Elohim of Israel is hilarious. As serious a book as it is, the Bible contains at least one other passages that stands out as being extremely comical. These is the story of Balaam’s talking donkey. What’s so funny here is that Balaam was so out of his sense that he actually answered his donkey’s questions as if it were an every day occurrence, which it obviously was not. In both of these stories, truth is stranger than fiction, and it would be hard to make up these stories.

Dagan was among one of the pagan gods that the  Philistines worshipped. Some Bible scholars think that Dagan was a fish god because the Hebrew word for fish is dag. More likely, Dagan is the god of the grain harvest (from the Hebrew word dagan meaning “grain”) and was a principal deity in the middle Euphrates region. The pagans believed that various deities controlled difference aspects of nature, and that by worshipping a particular deity they would gain its favor  and thus experience physical well-being.

The moral of the story of Dagan twice falling down before the ark of the covenant, and finally, the second time, having its head and hands broken off is clear: the Elohim (God) of Israel was superior to the chief god of the Philistines, which struck fear into Israel’s adversaries.

1 Samuel 5:6, 9, Tumors (Heb. ophel; emerods, KJV, The Catholic Bible; hemorrhoids, NASB). The basic meaning of the Hebrew word ophel is “tumor”and refers to some loathsome skin disease. In the fourth century, in his Latin Vulgate, Jerome translated ophel as “swellings of the secret parts,” which would suggest the idea of either a hemorrhoid or some sexually transmitted disease. In pagan cultures, the idea existed that to appease the wrath of a god one needed to present gifts as a trespass offering to it. The fact that to presumably to appease the wrath of the God of Israel, the Philistines made golden images of tumors and mice may suggest that whatever the cause of the tumors was, it was brought on by mice or rats (1 Sam 6:4). This points to the bubonic plague which is caused by flees from small animals such as rats. The word bunonic derives from the Greek word meaning “groin”. Whatever the nature of the disease that broke out among the Philistines, it caused the fear of Elohim to come upon them and they wanted to be rid of the ark of the covenant post haste.

1 Samuel 6

1 Samuel 6:3–6, So they said. The heathen Philistine priests, diviners and diviners had a much greater sense of spiritual reality than nearly all of our modern post-Christian and secular humanist social leaders and our lukewarm and apostate spiritual leaders. The Philistine leaders understood that their sin had brought YHVH’s judgment upon their nation, which is more than can be said for most of our modern social and spiritual leaders who are so arrogant and blind spiritually that they have lost touch spiritually with everything except what will keep their manmade kingdoms going.

1 Samuel 6:4, Five golden tumors…rats. See notes at 1 Samuel 5:6, 9.

1 Samuel 6:7, 9, Milk cows. The Philistines put YHVH to the test. If the cows returned to their calves (according to their natural instincts), then there was nothing supernatural about the ark. However, if the cows went against their natural instincts and headed for Israel, instead of returning to their calves, then this would be a sign from YHVH that his hand was upon the ark.

1 Samuel 6:19, Fifty thousand and seventy men.This is likely a copyist error, since the LXX and Josephus state the number as being only seventy. The marginal references in many Bibles note this as well. The ArtScroll Rubin Edition Commentary on 1 and 2 Samuel state that according to Jewish tradition, the number of Israelite men killed was 70, while the number of Philistines was 50,000 (page 43). (See note at 2 Sam 15:7.)

 

Natan’s Commentary on 1 Samuel 1 to 3

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1 Samuel 1 

1 Samuel 1:1, An Ephraimite. Although Samuel was born in the territory of Ephraim, he was actually a Levite (1 Chr 6:1, 16, 28). This is because the Levites had no distinct territory of their own but were scattered throughout the land of Israel, so they would teach the Israelites the Torah, lead in religious services, act as judges and fulfill other ecclesiastical duties.

1 Samuel 1:11, No razor shall come upon his head. To this phrase, the LXX and Dead Sea Scrolls add “he shall drink no wine or strong drink.” This means that Hannah vowed to consecrate Samuel to be a Nazirite to be holy or set apart unto YHVH (Num 6:8, see vv. 1–21 for context). Thus, Samuel was both a Levite and Nazirite.

1 Samuel 1:24, House of YHVH in Shiloh. The Tabernacle of Moses (also called “the temple of YHVH”, see v. 9) remained in Shiloh for more than 350 years before the Temple of Solomon was built in Jerusalem.

1 Samuel 2

1 Samuel 2:1, Your salvation [Heb. Yeshua]. Although Hannah prayed this prayer, she also wrote it down as a psalm for posterity even to our day in her moment of victorious joy because had YHVH and answered her prayer—her deepest heart’s desires. Have you ever transcribed one of your prayers into written form, so that others, perhaps your children or grandchildren, could see your faith and joy, be encouraged and uplifted by it even years later?

1 Samuel 2:12,The sons of Eli were corrupt. Corruption in high places—even in the church—was rife then even as it is now. And the issues were the same. The sons of Eli “did not know YHVH.”That is, they did not have a personal relationship with YHVH. They were born into the ministry; therefore, it was something they took for granted. It was merely a job, a source of financial gain, a cush position with a full compliment of fringe benefits including the choicest food at the people’s expense (vv.13–16), a position of prominence in the land, and lots of sex with the women as well (v. 22). Sadly, in the whole Bible, there are few examples of children remaining true to the faith of their parents. Most went the way of the world and forsook Elohim. Sadly this even happened to Samuel’s sons (1 Sam 8:1–5) no doubt to the consternation of their righteous father.

1 Samuel 2:18, 26. But Samuel ministered…grew in stature, and in favor. Even as the house of Eli was falling due to spiritual lassitude, at the same time YHVH was raising up another individual to carry on his work. What this teaches us is that despite the failings of individual, his purposes will go on, even if he has to raise others up to take the place of those who once did his work, but either they or their offspring have strayed from his paths of righteous ness.

1 Samuel 2:27, Then a man of Elohim came to Eli. YHVH always warns his lukewarm and backsliding servants an opportunity repent of their errant ways before he brings judgment upon them. This is his mercy and grace in action, it is also so that no one can accuse ever Elohim of acting unjustly.

1 Samuel 2:29, Honor your sons more than me. Eli placed loyalty to his sons over loyalty to Elohim. As much as righteous parents want to see their children serve and obey YHVH, if they refuse to do so, especially if they hypocritically claim to be ministers of Elohim, while dishonoring him by their actions, parents cannot condone their children’s actions. Tough love demands that parents lovingly correct their children, even adult ones, and if they refuse, then parents must choose to obey Elohim over acquiescing to the unrighteous actions of their offspring. Eli failed to stand up to his sons, and to relieve them of their Levitical duties, and this brought the judgment of Elohim upon both Eli and his sons.

Make yourself fat. To many modern pastors are like Eli in that they live off the fat of the land—off of people’s tithes and offerings, and many do very little work for it. YHVH elsewhere condemns these fat shepherds (see Ezek 34). In fact, may of today’s pastors are literally are obese just like Eli (1 Sam 4:18). YHVH will not tolerate false, hireling shepherds (1 Sam 2:36 cp. John 10:12–13).

1 Samuel 2:30–34, Then YHVH Elohim of Israel says. This passage contains one of the worst condemnations and judgments from YHVH of any minister in the Bible. YHVH warned Eli again and again to repent and to take a strong stand against the evil going on in his family, but he was too complacent in his secure ministerial position to heed the warning of Elohim from the prophet of Elohim and from the young Samuel (in the next chapter). The spiritual sloth and the lack of fear of Elohim on Eli’s part was especially grievous, since he was not only the high priest, but the judge or leader of Israel for 40 years (1 Sam 4:18), and, thus, his lifestyle and actions influenced the whole nation of Israel for good or for bad. Elohim holds to a higher level of accountability those to whom he has given greater positions of power and influence. If they obey him, they will receive a greater reward, but if they disobey him, they will receive a great condemnation.

1 Samuel 2:35, A faithful priest. Samuel was an Ephraimite (a resident of the territory of Ephraim, but also a Levite; see 1 Chr 6:1, 16, 28) and a priest (cohen).

1 Samuel 3

1 Samuel 3:1, The word of YHVH was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation [open, prophetic vision]. Into this environment of spiritual laxity in Israel, YHVH introduced Samuel, a man who was single-handedly responsible for the spiritual revival of that nation.

The regime of Eli and his wayward sons can be likened to the state of the church in these last days in America. Eli was a weak, ineffectual, compromised, lukewarm, fat and blind leader spiritual leader. The modern church is filled with leaders who, like Eli, have little or no backbone to stand up to evil, to denounce sin, to refuse to toy with spiritual compromise, to stand up to false leaders, and to call the people to repentance. Rather, they are in the ministry simply for their own personal gain and physical gratification. 

On the surface, Eli looked good. He sported the title of High Priest, along with all the trappings and regalia that came with that exalted office including a glorious church building, ceremonial accoutrements and ecclesiastical attire. He even had “throne.” Yet at the same time, he was blind and grossly fat. This is the spiritual state of many leaders in the church today. For their own benefit, they have plundered the people they lead becoming financially well off in the process. YHVH denounces these phony and carnal shepherds in Ezekiel 34, who feed themselves at the sheep’s expense caring little or nothing for them. This was the sin of Eli’s sons who not only forcefully plundered the people for their own gain (1 Sam 2:2–17), but fulfilled their sexual appetites, as well, at the people’s expense (2 Sam 2:22–23). 

Yeshua rebukes these same hireling shepherds who put their own interests ahead of the sheep they are supposed to care for (John 10:1–13). Likewise, the apostles of Yeshua who literally laid down their lives for the sheep and the spreading of the gospel had no use for counterfeits who profited at the people’s expense. Paul denounces those who peddle the word of Elohim (2 Cor 2:17), and who are greedy for money (Tit 1:11 cp. 1 Tim 3:3, 8; Tit 1:7; 1 Pet 5:2).

Is it any wonder that the word of YHVH was rare in the days of Eli and his sons? How can a righteous and holy Elohim endure dealing with such a people? Remember his aversion to those in Laodicea who viewed themselves as quit well off, thank you very much, but were in reality, from Elohim’s perspective, miserable, wretched, naked, poor, deaf and blind. Unless they repented of their sin, he was ready to vomit these lukewarm believers from his mouth (Rev 3:14–21).

But in the middle of the spiritual morass of Eli’s leadership in Israel, YHVH raised up a pure and innocent vessel in Samuel. YHVH started moving powerfully in the little Samuel’s life, when he began to speak to him audibly and by vision. This small start was the beginning of national revival in Israel that eventually led to David becoming king and a temple being built in Jerusalem—the pinnacle of Israel’s glory days as a nation. 

In reality, it all started with a faithful, praying mother who, after having her prayer answered for a son, willingly gave up that son, as a thank offering, to YHVH’s service. What is the lesson here? Even in the midst of the hopelessness of spiritual societal darkness, YHVH can raise up a Hannah and a Samuel who will take the nation by storm for him! All YHVH needs are a few committed, praying, faith-filled servants, who are sold out for him, and who remain pure and undefiled from the spiritual pollutions around them. Are you willing to be such a person?

 

Natan’s Commentary on Psalms 48 to 50

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Psalm 48

Psalm 48:2, Sides of the north. (See notes at Dan 11:6.) Zion here has the expanded meaning of referring to the Temple Mount where the temple stood, which laid in the northeast corner of the ancient city of Jerusalem (Keil and Delitszch). Technically, Zion refers to the ridge on which the city of David was situated, which is southeast of the modern old city of Jerusalem laying on the ridge above (west of) the Kidron Valley just east of the Tyropoeon Valley (which as since been filled in). When Solomon built the temple on Mount Moriah, the word Zion, took on the expanded or poetic meaning of referring also to the Temple Mount (Pss 2:6; 48:2,11–12; 132:13). Later the meaning of Zion was expanded further to include the city of Jerusalem, the people of Israel and the whole land of Israel (Isa 40:9; 60:14 Jer 31:12; Zech 9:13) and later even of the heavenly New Jerusalem (Heb 12:22; Rev 14:1).

Psalm 49

Psalm 49:1–14, An evangelistic message to the unsaved. This entire psalm is a good basis for a sermon to the unsaved or spiritually lost.

Psalm 49:4, Dark sayings [or riddles] on the harp. Harp is the Hebrew word kinor from an unused root word meaning “to twang.” Poetic music is a thought provoking way to “preach” the gospel; it touches the heart of man in a special way. This is because music is capable of bypassing the innate defensiveness of the mind and can go straight to the heart.

Psalm 49:7, None…can…redeem his brother. In that all men are of equal value before Elohim, a man can’t redeem his brother from the penalty of sin, which is death. One can only atone for his own sins by dying, and once dead, there is no more possibility of living, since the wages of sin is death. So there is no possibility for a man to atone for his own sins, much less those of another; this verse makes this truth clear. 

Even if a man could live a sinless life, he could, at best, save only one other individual—that is, give his life in exchange for only one other sinner. Only Yeshua, who was the Creator of all humans life (Col 1:16; Heb 11:3), could exchange his sinless life for all humanity. This is because common logic tells us that the one who creates something is of more value than the sum total of all that he creates. This is why verse eight states that the redemption of men’s souls is costly, since it cost the life of the Son of Elohim, the Creator of all things. Only this costly sin sacrifice could redeem men from the pit of the grave and give men the gift of eternal life (verse nine).

Another point to consider in this discussion is that since Yeshua was born of a virgin and not of the seed of man, his nature wasn’t polluted or defiled by Adam’s sin nature. If he had not been born of a virgin, this would have disqualified him from being the perfect and blemish-free Passover lamb sin offering for the remission of men’s sins before the judgment seat of Elohim. Since the life of man is in his blood (Lev 17:11), and man’s blood was defiled by Adam’s sin nature, and since Yeshua’s blood didn’t derive from man, but from his Father in heaven, Yeshua’s blood was acceptable to a holy Elohim as the required atonement for the redemption men’s souls (Lev 17:11 cp. Isa 53:10). No man except Yeshua has ever met these criteria, thus no man other than Yeshua is qualified to atone for another man’s sin. 

Because Yeshua was the blameless and sin-free Passover lamb, those who spiritually identify and unite with his atoning death through faith in him and via the ritual of baptism for the remission of sins can now be presented as blameless before Elohim in heaven (Col 1:21–23).

Psalm 49:8, The redemption of the soul is costly. Indeed it is, for it cost Yeshua his life.

Psalm 49:9, Continue to live. In other words, the soul is not immortal.

Psalm 49:10–20, The senseless person. That which the world esteems is an inversion of the truth and reality and is, therefore, anathema to and enmity with Elohim (Jas 4:4). The redeemed are those who have come out of the confused mixture of light and darkness or good and evil (called Babylonianism) of what worldly people esteem (1 Cor 6:17; Rev 18:4). They no longer esteem that which the unsaved foolish or senseless people esteem (i.e. wealth, the houses and monuments they create to last forever to honor their memory, as well as the lands they name after themselves, v. 11). This is the way of the senseless and foolish person (v. 12). The wise person knows that death comes to all humans, and all die like common animals (vv. 11, 20). Only Elohim has the power to redeem our non-immortal soul from the grave (v. 15), so that a person will see the light of life again (v. 19) at the resurrection of the righteous dead.

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Digging for Treasure in Psalm 46

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Amidst geo-political turbulence, divine protection and a heavenly lifeline exists for the saints.

What is the overall message of this psalm? Even though the chapter subheading of my NKJV Bible, for example, describes this psalm as “God the refuge of his people and conqueror of the nations,” there is a deeper, more inspiring message to be discovered here that this title misses. Let’s dig into this precious morsel of the Word of Elohim to discover what this life-changing message is.

When it comes to discovering the hidden, golden nuggets in Scripture, one must be willing to become a spiritual hardrock miner, who is not averse to the difficult work of picking away at the seemingly unyielding and implacable rock and soil to uncover the mother lode of hidden treasure underground. Like digging for gold, the deeper one digs into Scripture and the more time and effort one invests in the process, the more likely one is to pull the unspeakably valuable treasures out of the spiritual bedrock of the Bible. I have been digging into this Rock of Ages daily for more than fifty years, and my heart and mind still tingle and pulsate with enthusiasm (please look up the meaning of the word enthusiasm for a cool nugget of truth that reveals why I purposely chose this word) when I discover new treasures buried therein.

To uncover these nuggets that lay below the surface words of Scripture, it is critical to understand an important fact: There are at least four layers of understanding to be found buried in the Word of Elohim. Let’s discover and briefly explore what these are. 

Laying on the surface of Scripture, we find the peshat or literal meaning of what has been written. For example, a literal man named Noah built a literal ark of wood that floated on a literal flood of literal water, Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, and Yeshua was a carpenter’s son from Judea who lived in the first century. On a moral or philosophical level, the ten commandments, for example, are literal rules of righteous conduct that apply to our daily lives.

Digging deeper, we come to the next level as we drill down deeper into the Word of Elohim. This is the remez or suggested or hinted at meaning of a scriptural passage. For example, the Torah talks about “an eye for eye” when it comes to criminal justice. This may be taken literally to mean that if you injure someone’s eye, your eye is to be similarly injured as payment for your crime, thus evening the scales of justice. Moreover, an injured eye does not require the death penalty, and the crime of murder requires more than a slap on the wrist. So what this verse is really saying or hinting at beyond its literal or peshat level meaning is that the punishment must fit the crime.

Drilling down deeper into the bedrock of Scripture, we next come to the drash (the Hebrew word meaning “search”) level of Scripture. This often involves understanding a biblical passage from an allegorical or homiletical level. For example, even though Noah built an ark and survived divine judgment against men’s wickedness in it, there is an allegorical understanding to this story as well. Noah can be viewed as a Messianic figure who saves those who believe his message of repentance and righteous living, and are thus accorded an escape from divine judgment, even as Yeshua the Messiah does the same for those who believe him and place their trust in him. 

At this point, it must be noted that although many scripture passages that have a peshat-level meaning can also be translated allegorically, some scriptures were written only with an allegorical meaning. For example, Elohim in several Scriptures is described as a having wings under which the saints can take refuge, or as a rock or fortress for his people. Similarly, Yeshua is likened to a door, and the saints are to be the salt of the earth. Obviously, these descriptions are not to be taken literally, but to be viewed as similes and symbolic metaphors.

The fourth or final level of scriptural understanding is the sod or hidden or mystical level. The book of Revelation, for example, contains many drash and sod level passages. The 666 mark of the beast passage of Revelation chapter thirteen is such an example. To this day, biblical scholars are still trying to unveil the meaning of this mysterious verse. Is it literal or symbolic? Is there a numerological meaning to 666? If so, how and what does it apply and to whom? Many theories have been proffered, but the exact meaning still remains a mystery.

This has been the briefest introductory overview to the four levels of biblical interpretation. Suffice it to say, when one reads the psalms (or any scripture passage for that matter), to better discover the deep treasure hidden therein, it is beneficial to keep these principles in mind.

To my mind, as in hardrock mining in search of a vein of gold, only after hours or even days of quiet, prayerful, meditative reflection, while at the same time keeping the principles of peshat, remez, drash and sod in mind will such a psalm as this one yield its priceless treasures of divine revelation—its manna from heaven, so to speak.

The writers of the psalms were deeply thoughtful and reflective; they didn’t just fling words indiscriminately like mud up against a wall hoping that something would stick. Although the different sections of Psalm 46 my seem disjointed and disconnected, the psalmist’s juxtapositioning of seemingly unrelated topics invites or even begs the reader, like all thoughtfully constructed poetic literature, to reflect on, ponder and dig deep to discover the author’s hidden often enigmatic or verbally encrypted message.

So now let’s see what heavenly treasures we can uncover from Psalm 46.

In the first section or block of thoughts in Psalm 46 (vv. 1–3), the psalmist-artist paints a picture in the reader’s mind. He presents us with the solidity of Elohim and the idea, as disconcerting as it may be, that earth may not be as immobile and permanent as it seems and we may wish it to be. Anyone who has lived through an earthquake, a volcanic eruption, a typhoon or hurricane, flood, mudslide, forest fire or such knows this to be true. Those of us who witnessed the eruption of Mount Saint Helens in 1980 know this fact well. As a teenager, I stood on the top of that pre-eruptive mountain that was subsequently blown to smithereens and scattered as fine dust across the face of the globe. Twelve hundred feet of the mountain’s summit is now missing, whole glaciers are gone, melted into water and mud, and there is now a gaping gouge in the mountain’s north and northeast sides. Nothing on earth seems as permanent and unmovable as it seems—even a giant mountain like Saint Helens, but now a good section of it blew away in an instant. Only Elohim and his Word are immovable rocks that neither the slow forces of erosion or sudden cataclysmic events like  volcanic eruptions can dislodge and change.

In the opening verses of this psalm, the author contrasts the permanence of Elohim with the impermanence and transitory nature of the earth. Even though to the average person’s thinking the earth itself and the mountains that sit thereon seem immovable and permanent, they really are not. And this is the point the psalmist is making here. The remez or hint level of this idea is that if we view the mountains as permanent, then how are we to view the governments and nations of this earth? After all, elsewhere in Scripture, mountain are metaphors for the governmental systems and nations of men. Neither are as permanent or immovable as the Creator of the universe and the spiritual dimension at which he exists.

In the next block of thought in this psalm (vv. 4–6), the author suddenly switches gears and paints another word picture for the reader to consider. On the surface, this tableau seems totally unrelated to the first. But is it really? 

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Natan’s Commentary on Judges 17 to 20

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Judges 17

Judges 17:3, I had wholly dedicated. Micah’s mother made a foolish and unlawful vow to YHVH, as did Jephthah in chapter 11. Vows to YHVH are a serious thing and should be made in a righteous manner to righteous ends. 

Judges 17:10, Be a father. For ten shekels, a suit of clothes, food and lodging, Michah hired an out of work Levite to be his own personal minister of his own manmade religion. Hireling ministers are a dime a dozen. Religious systems of men produce hirelings. This is a false spiritual paradigm that is self-sustaining and self-perpetuating. 

Judges 17:13, Now I know. Michah cared nothing about serving YHVH and obeying his commandments. His only concern for religion was for self-gratification.

Judges 18

Judges 18:30–31, Manasseh…carved image. The son of Manasseh [Moshe/Moses]. The MT reads ﬣשׁמ/Moshe (Moses) with a hanging nun/נ‭ ‬inserted by the Jewish sages between the mem מ and the shin שׁ to make it read Manashe in an effort to hide the fact that the direct descendants of Moses became idol-worshippers. Jewish scholars readily admit this, and acknowledge the fact that the word Moshe is in the original (The Artscroll Rubin Edition Joshua-Judges Commentary, p. 223). Various versions of the LXX translate it either way. The Targums and the Syriac have Manasseh. (See Keil and Delitzsch, Adam Clarke and Bullinger in his Companion Bible for a more detailed discussion of this. The NIV, NRSV, RSV and ASV have Moses instead of Manasseh, while the NAS and NKJV have the latter, but add a footnote indicating that Moses as an alternate rendering. 

Judges 19

Judges 19:24–25, Here is my virgin daughter…his concubine.This is nothing more than the degradation and abuse of women. This incident speaks volumes about the status of women in the ancient world. Even though the Torah uplifts and upholds the status of women, the neighboring pagan cultures, which the Israelites tended to follow, obviously did not. Islam and the Koran still follow these ancient practices viewing woman as property, chattel and second class citizens. 

Judges 20

Judges 20:1–48, A lesson in warfare.Israel took a stand for righteousness against the sin of homosexuality. They did the right thing by inquiring of YHVH whether to go up against the Benjaminites who were harboring the sexually deviant brothers. 

Twice YHVH told the Israelites to go up against Benjamin and that he would give them victory. Twice Israel was defeated losing thousands of soldiers. Each time afterwards, Israel did the right thing by humbling themselves, weeping and seeking YHVH’s counsel. The third time, Israel was victorious against Benjamin. 

This begs an important question. Why wasn’t Israel victorious the first two times? Perhaps there was sin in the camp as was the case with Achan when the Israelites were defeated at Ai. The Israelites were right in punishing the unrepentant tribe of Benjamin, yet the rest of Israel wasn’t without sin either. After all, the Levite who had a concubine (a type of sex slave) in the first place, and then gave her to the mob of bisexual deviants to abuse and murder was also a guilty party. Not only that, the rest of Israel had failed to hold the Levite accountable for his sin. 

What was the Levite’s sin? First, he should not have had a concubine sex slave. Second, he should have protected her from the mob. Obviously such practices were common among the Israelites—even among the Levitical leaders who YHVH had commissioned to be the guardians and teachers of the Torah—YHVH’s standard of righteous and set-apart living. 

If the leaders of nation are morally and spiritually compromised, what is to become of the rest of the nation? Moreover, how is YHVH to bless such a nation by delivering them from their enemies when they themselves are sin-laden? 

When expecting YHVH’s help and deliverance from our enemies and before engaging our enemies, we must clean our own house spiritually by repenting of sin. If not, we shouldn’t expect victory, or at best, only a partial victory, which is also a partial defeat. When a nation is not serving and obeying YHVH completely, and as a result, there is sin in the nation’s camp, and everyone in that nation is doing what’s right in his own eyes, and there is no strong, righteous central leadership in that nation (Judg 21:25), the fate of that nation will be what Israel experienced in this story. YHVH will be with them, but only up to the level their obedience to him merits it. This is a result of the divine law of cause and effect—the law of reciprocity. One reaps physically and spiritually what one sow.

Judges 20:28, Phinehas the son of Eleazar.Either Phinehas was hundreds of years old, or this story is an anachronism, or out of chronological order. Adam Clarke in his commentary on this verse suggest that this event occurred shortly after the death of Joshua. If this is the case, then the book of Judges is not written in chronological order.

 

Natan’s Commentary on Psalms 38 to 45

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Psalm 38

Psalm 38:1–40, Trials because of sin, resulting in divine judgment and followed by true repentance. This chapter discusses the nacham or sorrowing, grieving or anguishing side of repentance or teshuvah. Bible teachers seldom discuss this aspect of repentance. Verses 4–8 and 18 exemplify the Hebraic concept of nacham as it relates to repentance from sin.

Psalm 39

Psalm 39:7, Wait. Heb. qavah meaning “to twist, bind or stretch (like a rope) and the tension resulting therefrom, to be strong or robust, the tension of enduring or waiting; to look for with eager expectation, waiting with steadfast endurance., enduring patiently in confident hope.”

Psalm 40

Psalm 40:6, A Messianic prophecy. Verses six to nine are a Messianic prophecy foretelling of Yeshua, the gospel message and the canonization of the Testimony of Yeshua (or New Testament).

The passing of the Levitical sacrificial system is implied (verse 6).

  • The coming of Yeshua the Messiah, and writing of the Testimony of Yeshua Scriptures are foretold (verse 7a).
  • Yeshua is the one who did the will of his Father in heaven (verse 7b).
  • The Torah being written on the hearts one’s heart is prophesied (verse 8). Yeshua promised that the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) would do this for his disciples.
  • The same Messiah would proclaim the good news (or gospel) of righteousness (verse 9).

Psalm 40:6, Mine ears hast thou opened. This phrase in the LXX reads, “a body thou hast prepared for me” and has been quoted thusly by the author of Hebrews (Heb 10:5).

Psalm 40:7–8, Volume/scroll of the book …delight. This verse prophesies the canonization of the Tanakh, and is a messianic prophecy pointing to Yeshua who would “delight to do the will” of Elohim, which this verse equates with the Torah!

Psalm 41

Psalm 41:1–3, Blessed is he who considers the poor. This passage makes it clear that helping the poor is like a spiritual insurance policy that pays off in one’s own time of need. The old adage, “What goes around comes around” applies here. The only difference is that this law of reciprocity isn’t chance driven, but YHVH instituted and orchestrated, for verse one says that YHVH will deliver the one who blesses the poor in one’s own time of trouble.

From verse one to verse three, YHVH promises to care for those who help the poor in the following ways:

  • Protect and preserve one’s life (verse 2).
  • Deliver one from one’s enemies (verse 2).
  • Sustain and restore one who is sick (verse 3).

This is an insurance policy that pays rich dividends in YHVH’s spiritual economy.

Psalm 42

Psalm 42:1–2, As the deer pants. The Bible is full and running over with concrete analogies from everyday life that help us to understand otherwise abstract spiritual concepts. Our soul (i.e., our mind, will and emotions) dying of thirst for Elohim and longing for his refreshing presence like a deer panting for water in the hot desert is another example this. Scripture’s use of beautiful poetic imagery helps to draw us closer to Elohim by showing us what we need to do and how to act in ways that are pleasing to him. 

Psalm 42:2, When shall I appear? The hope of the resurrection and an afterlife spent with Elohim has incentivized the saints to keep seeking him from the earliest times. Other psalms that speak of the saints’ eternal inheritance include Psalms 17:15; 50:4–5; 71:20; 73:24; 90:10. Also see Job 14:14–15; 19:25–27; Prov 14:32; Eccl 3:21. 

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Psalm 37—A Good Place to Spend Your Life

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For many decades, Psalm 37 has been one of the “go-to” psalms that I turn to in my time of personal need along with Psalms 91 and 103. My next favorite “go-to” psalms are Psalms 1, 34, 119, 73, 139 and 145. What are your favorites psalms that encourage and strengthen you when you feel beaten down and overwhelmed by this world? Let’s now explore the main themes of Psalm 37 that I find so uplifting to my soul and spirit when I am down. There are several. 

As our all-knowing Creator, Elohim knows the end from the beginning, for he inhabits all time—past, present and future, therefore he knows what the outcome will be of everything in our lives. Furthermore, as an all-powerful Being, he then has the capability to direct our steps and the circumstances in our lives, so that the outcome will be a good one for those who love and wait on him. This psalm clearly lays this process out step-by-step, and, therefore, should bring great encouragement to the saints no matter the struggles they are encountering in their lives no matter when.

So what then, are the steps that lead to a blessed conclusion, no matter the circumstances in one’s life, for those who love YHVH Elohim? First, this psalm wisely counsels us to keep our eyes on Elohim and not to be overwhelmed by the storms of doubt and fear along with the seemingly answerable conundrums that plague, buffet and batter us along the path of life. The saint who will overcome the world, the flesh and the devil will be continually looking heavenward with his eyes fixed faithfully on Elohim rather than having his focus on a horizontal view with its waves and storms that continuously beat against the ships of our lives as we traverse the ocean of this physical existence (vv. 3–5, 7 cp. 1, 7, 32–34). 

Waiting on YHVH—a subtheme of this psalm—literally involves wrapping oneself up with, around or binding oneself to YHVH Elohim, which is the meaning of the Hebrew word qavah translated in this three verses in this psalm as wait (see vv. 7, 9 and 34). Waiting involves faith in an unseen Elohim. It also involves exercising patience as opposed to acting impulsively or impetuously, which is not easily done when one is experiencing fear and concern and when the innate tendencies of fight or flight are pounding forcefully on the door of one’s mind and emotions. At that moment, we are faced with two options: will we take matters into our own hands and try to “work things out” ourselves, or will we wait patiently on YHVH and let him work out the perplexing difficulties we face in our lives?

Faith and waiting on YHVH do not imply inaction on our part, however. No. This psalm, as counter-intuitive as it may seem, admonishes us to demonstrate what most humans would consider to be bizarre and, perhaps, even a ridiculous behavior. That is to trust in an unseen Being and to do what is good in the face of the actions of evildoers against us (vv. 3, 7, 32–34). This is despite the compelling urge to take matters into one’s hands and going forth to confront one’s enemies and to solve one’s problems oneself. We have all been in this place, so you know what I am talking about.

Furthermore, as crazy as it may seem, not only are the children of Elohim to trust in our invisible Creator, but we are to delight in him and to be sustained by his faithfulness (v. 4), that is, to have faith in a Being that we cannot see or hear in the normal sense. So what is it to delight in YHVH? Most Christian Bibles translate the opening phrase of verse four as “Delight yourself in YHVH” (or something similar). But this fails to capture the meaning of the Hebrew words. By contrast, one orthodox Jewish Bible does a better job by translating the Hebrew as “rely on [YHVH] for your enjoyments” (ASET). Another has “Seek the favor of YHVH” (JPS). The idea here is to find joy in the delicate, soft, exquisite dainties or delights of YHVH (see The TWOT), while waiting on him, and while your heart is desiring a good outcome. To the natural mind, this may seem like a ridiculous reaction when one’s enemies are viciously pounding at the door of one’s life, but such a response is what is required to unlock the resources of heaven to come to one’s aid in the time of urgent need.

In the process of waiting for or relying on YHVH as well delighting on him to work things out, this psalm instructs us to commit or literally “roll over onto him” our cares and concerns and to trust totally in him (v. 5). This is in spite of the fretfulness that evil doers may cause us (v. 1), and the fact that wicked doers may even seek to harm or kill us (vv. 14, 32). Nowhere does this psalm give us the justification to trust in YHVH only when things are going well for us. No. For the child of Elohim, this is a mental-spiritual demeanor, lifestyle and a walk regardless of the circumstances. 

Again, regardless of the outside circumstances of life, the saint is expected to walk counter-intuitively to his natural inclinations when facing crises. Resting and waiting patiently on YHVH to act on one’s behalf (v. 7) is the pathway to ultimate victory and blessing (vv. 9, 11, 22, 29). The word rest in verse seven literally means “to be dumb, to be still or silent or to stand still.” Frankly, this is the opposite response that most of us have when facing a crisis. The natural reaction is to fight or to flee—the old fight or flight syndrome. If not that, we tend, at least, to frantically work overtime mentally to figure out what we can do to defend ourselves from the attack. It is not natural for us to stand still, be silent and look heavenward. James the apostle adds his wisdom to such a situation when he tell us,

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of Elohim, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting… (Jas 1:2–6)

This discussion begs an obvious question: Who are our enemies that are causing us the consternation that we are experiencing? The psalmist holds an expansive view as to who or what one’s enemies may be. Not all of our enemies have a human face attached to them. One’s “enemy” may be an evil time in which one is living such as a time of famine (vv. 19, 25). Famine is merely one example and an evil time. This could also include evil circumstances, health issues, demonic attacks, financial crisis as well as emotional and psychological struggles with which one has to deal. Evil can be anything that causes one to stumble along the path of live (v. 24) or to be forsaken or rejected by others (v. 25) 

So in conclusion, what are the ultimate blessed benefits of waiting patiently on YHVH Elohim and resisting the temptation to react impulsively, impatiently and impetuously by taking matters into our own hands? Simply this:

The steps of a good man are ordered by YHVH, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for YHVH upholds him with His hand. (vv. 23–24).

Moreover,

For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, but those cursed by Him shall be cut off. (v. 22)

I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. (v. 25

And finally,

Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; for the future of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is from YHVH; He is their strength in the time of trouble. And YHVH shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him. (vv. 37–40)

I don’t know about you, but this sounds like a pretty good deal to me! The fact is that you cannot lose when YHVH Elohim, the all-wise, all-knowing and all-powerful Creator of the universe, is on your side and when you follow his instructions. As for me and my household, we will put our eggs into that spiritual basket, invest in heaven’s bank, and lean our spiritually ladder up against this tree of life and keep climbing higher in our spiritual journey upward.