Category Archives: Bible, General

Natan’s Commentary on Psalms 15 to 17

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Psalm 15

Psalm 15:1, Dwell in your holy kill.(cp. Ps 24:3) Mountains and hills are often a biblical metaphor for seats of governments whether of men or of Elohim, and humans “go up” to or ascend them. This is because they are above or over humans. To come into the presence of Elohim, one must always go up.

For example, YHVH spoke to the Israelites from Mount Sinai and Moses went up onto that mountain to meet Elohim and receive much of the Torah. Later, Jerusalem, located on a mountain, was where YHVH had the Israelites build the Temple of Solomon, and when traveling to that city, Scripture always speaks of “going up to Jerusalem.” 

The reason we must go up to Elohim is because heaven is above the earth and Elohim who dwells there is above humans both in terms of authority, power as well as in holiness and righteousness. To come to him, humans must “go up.” 

On the other hand, “going down,” or descending is a biblical metaphor for moving in the opposite direction or away from Elohim, that is, moving toward wickedness, unrighteousness, death or the grave, and toward Satan, the archenemy of Elohim, who will eventually find his dwelling place in the bottomless pit. 

Therefore, to go up or to ascend is to move closer to Elohim or to heaven where he dwells. This was theme of Jacob’s dream of the ladder to heaven (Gen 28:12), and to which Yeshua likened himself in John 1:51, which humans must climb as the way to his Father in heaven.  

Even to this day, humans often place their seats of civil or religious governments or power on hills or mountains (e.g. Capital Hill in Washington D.C., or Vatican Hill in Rome, or the Acropolis in ancient Athens, to name a few). Men often build churches and hospitals on hills to project power, authority, prominence, or to inspire awe and  respect. Rich and powerful people like to construct their huge homes on hills, which are often monuments to their own pride, for all to see and to be in awe of. 

It is humans’ nature to want to be like God in some way or the other. Even Satan desired this when he rebelled against Elohim and when he declared, “I will ascend  into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven, I will sit on the mount of the congregation…I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High…” (Isa 14:12–14).  

It is in man’s nature to want to ascend and be over others. The problem is that there is a legitimate way to ascend and an illegitimate or illegal way to ascend. Man’s way to power is through malevolent force, by hook or by crook, so to speak, or by whatever means necessary to gain the advantage over others whether legal or illegal. The ends justify the means. However, this is not the biblical to ascend to positions of power and prominence in the kingdom of Elohim; rather, it is the opposite way. Man’s way is the way downward in Elohim’s spiritual economy. In the kingdom of heaven, the way down is the way up. Man must die to himself, become a servant to all, submit to Elohim, and accept the way of the cross as Yeshua did and was subsequently exalted to the highest position in heaven at the right hand of his Father (Mark 10:42–45; Phil 2:5–11).

Similarly, Psalm 15 present to us the way to ascend “the holy hill” to the tabernacle or throne room in heaven where Elohim dwells. YHVH’s way is that  of holiness,. righteousness and love toward one’s fellow man by following the Creator’s road map or ways, that is, his instructions in righteousness or the his Torah-Word. This is diametrically opposite to that of man’s way of ascension which ultimately leads downward to sheol or death and the grave and eternal darkness and damnation. 

Psalm 16

Psalm 16:4, Nor take up their names.Satan, the god of this world, has so woven the names of his demonic underlords into the fabric of our society and language (e.g. the names of our holidays, months, days of the week to name a few) that it’s almost impossible not to say the name of the heathen’s gods on a daily basis. On the other hand, the names of Elohim have become curse words that roll off people’s lips without even a thought. As much as possible, we need to do our best not to mention the names of pagan deities—especially in the context of set-apart (holy) convocations where the saints gather to praise and worship Elohim.

Psalm 16:4–5, Drink offerings of blood.Some Satan worshippers drank blood (human and animal) as part of their worship rituals to their demon gods. This practice still goes on today. Sometimes human and animal sacrifice is involved. Purportedly, the purpose for drinking blood is to empower oneself by taking in the soul-energy of the victim and or to appease the demon spirit’s blood lust. Sometimes the blood drinking coincides with sexual rituals. Some modern blood drinkers do so believing that it promotes health and youthfulness by the reversing aging process. Whatever the case, the Word of Elohim strongly forbids the drinking of blood (Lev 17:10), which is why the saints must insure that blood is removed from meat before eating it. There are other psychological and spiritual reasons for not drinking blood as well, but this gets into the esoteric, so we will leave the discussion here for now.

In verse five, David declares that YHVH is his cup. Perhaps he is alluding to the fact that his life sustenance and blessings come from the Creator, not the created (i.e. by drinking human blood).

Psalm 16:5–6, Lot…lines.The English word lot means “a portion that is assigned to someone” and may refer to the idea of randomly drawing lots as part of a decision making process. Likely, our English word lot as in a piece of land, or a land lot, derives from these concepts. 

In ancient Israel, the tribal land allotments were determined by the casting of lots once the children of Israel came into the Promised Land (Josh 13:6; 14:2). Part of this ancient process of surveying land involved measuring parcels of land with a cord (Manners and Customs of Bible Lands, pp. 245–246, by Fred H. Wight; also Ps 78:55; Amos 7:17). When lots were cast for land allotments, pebbles were placed in a bag with marks on each stone to represent each parcel of property. Pebbles were drawn, and each man received his lot. Each individual soon discovered whether his portion of land was desirable or not. 

David used the analogy of lots as an illustration of Elohim’s goodness to him when he makes the praise declaration in verse 6 that “the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places” (ibid.). No doubt, David is referring to the spiritual inheritance of the righteous, for he proclaims that YHVH is his portion and his inheritance (v. 5).

Psalm 16:7, Reigns/heart/kidneys instruct me.Is this a reference to our “gut feelings” and our need to trust them? Night seasons is a biblical poetic way of saying “difficult time of darkness, confusion, indecision, and uncertainty.” This may be one way the Set-Apart Spirit directs us is through our inner or deep conscience. In reference to the Set-Apart Spirit, Yeshua said that out of our bellies will flow living waters (John 7:37–38). The Hebrew word navi often translated as “prophet” can, according to some lexicologists (e.g. Gesenius), mean “to bubble up” in an almost ecstatic sense, presumably under the influence of the Spirit of Elohim. If this is the true meaning of the word, then perhaps there is some connections between the gut instructing one, living waters flowing from one’s belly, and the word of YHVH bubbling up prophetically out of one’s belly. 

Psalm 16:10, Leave my soul in Sheol. This verse reads, “For thou wilt not leave my soul [nephesh] in hell [sheol]; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy [chaseed or faithful, kind, pious, devout, saint, godly] One to see ­corruption [shakhath or decay of the grave.” (The meanings in brackets are according to The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament.)

To whom is this verse referring? Who is YHVH’s Holy One? This is obviously not a reference normal humans whose bodies and souls go into the grave at the time of death (so says this verse) to await the resurrection, and where they will decay into dust. Who in Scripture but Messiah Yeshua resurrected after three days before his body could corrupt (start to decay)? According to Jewish thought, bodily decay starts after three days.

Psalm 17

Psalm 17:3, In the night. That is, in times of trials, afflictions and difficulties. During times of adversity, YHVH tests us by viewing our reactions to difficulties to determine the true state and contents of our heart. The true mettle of a person, that is, the contents of their heart is revealed only during times of duress and when things are not going well. The question is this: When tested, will we walk in the Spirit of Elohim and manifest the fruit of the Spirit or react carnally and manifest the works of the flesh (Gal 5:16–26)? The times of darkness and testing that befall each of us from time to time is often referred to colloquially as “the dark night of the soul.” Such times either make or break us. Jacob encountered such a time when he wrestled with the Messenger of Elohim in Genesis 32 and came out a changed man with a new spiritual identity. Yeshua went through a similar experience in the Garden of Gethsemane just prior to his crucifixion. Will the similar fires of adversity that you will experience destroy the wood, hay and stubble in your life, while, at the same time, refine gold, silver and precious stones therein? (Read and ponder on 1 Cor 3:11–15.)

Psalm 17:4, The destroyer. This can be a reference to Satan who comes to kill, steal and destroy. The Hebrew word for destroyer is pereets and taken in context with its verbal root means “one who destroys by dividing violently and then robbing, that is, one who divides and conquers.” The tactics of this enemy and his human minions have never changed from then until now.

Psalm 17:8, Apple of your eye. In Hebrew, this verse literally reads “Guard [Heb. shamar] me like the little man or the pupil daughter [Heb. bat] of the eye.” Apple is the Hebrew word ‘ıyshôn literally meaning “little man of the eye [according to Gesenius and The Artscroll Tanach Series Tehilim/Psalms Commentary] or pupil.” This is because when one looks at another person, the image of a little person is visible on the pupil like a reflection in a mirror. Eye is the generic Hebrew word ayin. The idea of the little man in the eye is beautiful and poetic imagery that captures the desires of the psalmist that the Creator would keep his image in his eye (i.e. the Big “Man” or Elohim is keeping the little man or the saint in is eyesight) continually or that Elohim would guard him as he goes through life as a father does his own daughter. 

The expression “the apple of his eye” is now an English idiom meaning “to view a person favorably, to care deeply for them and to cherish them in one’s heart.” 

This same expression is also found in Deuteronomy 32:10 where YHVH views the people of Israel as the apple of his eye. Although Elohim loves the whole world in a generic sense (John 3:16), and desires that every person be saved (1 Tim 2:4; 2 Pet 3:9), he refers to no other people but Israel as the apple of his eye. 

It can also be presumed (as Matthew Henry notes) that Elohim will tenderly keep or protect those as the apple of his eye who keep or guard his commandments as the apple of their eye (Prov 7:2). That is to say, when we obey YHVH’s commandments, we automatically put ourselves under his protection or under the shadow of his wings as Psalm 17:8 suggests (see also Ps 91:4 and Matt 23:37).

Psalm 17:14–15, Men of the world…When I awake. Here the psalmist juxtaposes those who make material achievements their chief goal in life as opposed to those who seek first the kingdom of Elohim and his righteousness. The former have their reward in the physical life, while the latter have a greater reward to come in the next life when they awaken from death in the likeness of Elohim as possessors of immortality.

Belly…hidden treasure. The belly here is a reference to the womb, and hidden treasure literally means “that which is hidden, covered over or protected.” This is a clear reference to babies in the womb, which are a treasured gift that heaven gives to both the wicked and to the righteous alike. Those who murder their children through abortion or neglect or abandon these little divinely granted treasures are literally spurning or rejecting Elohim’s gift to them—a grave affront to the Almighty and his generosity to be sure!

Psalm 17:15, When I awake. This is one of the most notable passages in the Tanakh proving the validity of the concept of the resurrection of the righteous dead. Here David expresses his faith in the hope of the dead saints to eternal glory in the Presence of YHVH’s in his eternal kingdom. Corollary scriptures to this include Ps 16:10–11 and 1 John 3:1–3.

 

Natan’s Commentary on Psalms 16 to 19

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Psalm 16

Psalm 16:4, Nor take up their names.Satan, the god of this world, has so woven the names of his demonic underlords into the fabric of our society and language (e.g. the names of our holidays, months, days of the week to name a few) that it’s almost impossible not to say the name of the heathen’s gods on a daily basis. On the other hand, the names of Elohim have become curse words that roll off people’s lips without even a thought. As much as possible, we need to do our best not to mention the names of pagan deities—especially in the context of set-apart (holy) convocations where the saints gather to praise and worship Elohim.

Psalm 16:4–5, Drink offerings of blood.Some Satan worshippers drank blood (human and animal) as part of their worship rituals to their demon gods. This practice still goes on today. Sometimes human and animal sacrifice is involved. Purportedly, the purpose for drinking blood is to empower oneself by taking in the soul-energy of the victim and or to appease the demon spirit’s blood lust. Sometimes the blood drinking coincides with sexual rituals. Some modern blood drinkers do so believing that it promotes health and youthfulness by the reversing aging process. Whatever the case, the Word of Elohim strongly forbids the drinking of blood (Lev 17:10), which is why the saints must insure that blood is removed from meat before eating it. There are other psychological and spiritual reasons for not drinking blood as well, but this gets into the esoteric, so we will leave the discussion here for now.

In verse five, David declares that YHVH is his cup. Perhaps he is alluding to the fact that his life sustenance and blessings come from the Creator, not the created (i.e. by drinking human blood).

Psalm 16:5–6, Lot…lines.The English word lot means “a portion that is assigned to someone” and may refer to the idea of randomly drawing lots as part of a decision making process. Likely, our English word lot as in a piece of land, or a land lot, derives from these concepts. 

In ancient Israel, the tribal land allotments were determined by the casting of lots once the children of Israel came into the Promised Land (Josh 13:6; 14:2). Part of this ancient process of surveying land involved measuring parcels of land with a cord (Manners and Customs of Bible Lands, pp. 245–246, by Fred H. Wight; also Ps 78:55; Amos 7:17). When lots were cast for land allotments, pebbles were placed in a bag with marks on each stone to represent each parcel of property. Pebbles were drawn, and each man received his lot. Each individual soon discovered whether his portion of land was desirable or not. 

David used the analogy of lots as an illustration of Elohim’s goodness to him when he makes the praise declaration in verse 6 that “the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places” (ibid.). No doubt, David is referring to the spiritual inheritance of the righteous, for he proclaims that YHVH is his portion and his inheritance (v. 5).

Psalm 16:7, Reigns/heart/kidneys instruct me.Is this a reference to our “gut feelings” and our need to trust them? Night seasons is a biblical poetic way of saying “difficult time of darkness, confusion, indecision, and uncertainty.” This may be one way the Set-Apart Spirit directs us is through our inner or deep conscience. In reference to the Set-Apart Spirit, Yeshua said that out of our bellies will flow living waters (John 7:37–38). The Hebrew word navi often translated as “prophet” can, according to some lexicologists (e.g. Gesenius), mean “to bubble up” in an almost ecstatic sense, presumably under the influence of the Spirit of Elohim. If this is the true meaning of the word, then perhaps there is some connections between the gut instructing one, living waters flowing from one’s belly, and the word of YHVH bubbling up prophetically out of one’s belly. 

Psalm 16:10, Leave my soul in Sheol. This verse reads, “For thou wilt not leave my soul [nephesh] in hell [sheol]; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy [chaseed or faithful, kind, pious, devout, saint, godly] One to see ­corruption [shakhath or decay of the grave.” (The meanings in brackets are according to The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament.)

To whom is this verse referring? Who is YHVH’s Holy One? This is obviously not a reference normal humans whose bodies and souls go into the grave at the time of death (so says this verse) to await the resurrection, and where they will decay into dust. Who in Scripture but Messiah Yeshua resurrected after three days before his body could corrupt (start to decay)? According to Jewish thought, bodily decay starts after three days.

Psalm 17

Psalm 17:3, In the night. That is, in times of trials, afflictions and difficulties. During times of adversity, YHVH tests us by viewing our reactions to difficulties to determine the true state and contents of our heart. The true mettle of a person, that is, the contents of their heart is revealed only during times of duress and when things are not going well. The question is this: When tested, will we walk in the Spirit of Elohim and manifest the fruit of the Spirit or react carnally and manifest the works of the flesh (Gal 5:16–26)? The times of darkness and testing that befall each of us from time to time is often referred to colloquially as “the dark night of the soul.” Such times either make or break us. Jacob encountered such a time when he wrestled with the Messenger of Elohim in Genesis 32 and came out a changed man with a new spiritual identity. Yeshua went through a similar experience in the Garden of Gethsemane just prior to his crucifixion. Will the similar fires of adversity that you will experience destroy the wood, hay and stubble in your life, while, at the same time, refine gold, silver and precious stones therein? (Read and ponder on 1 Cor 3:11–15.)

Psalm 17:4, The destroyer. This can be a reference to Satan who comes to kill, steal and destroy. The Hebrew word for destroyer is pereets and taken in context with its verbal root means “one who destroys by dividing violently and then robbing, that is, one who divides and conquers.” The tactics of this enemy and his human minions have never changed from then until now.

Psalm 17:8, Apple of your eye. In Hebrew, this verse literally reads “Guard [Heb. shamar] me like the little man or the pupil daughter [Heb. bat] of the eye.” Apple is the Hebrew word ‘ıyshôn literally meaning “little man of the eye [according to Gesenius and The Artscroll Tanach Series Tehilim/Psalms Commentary] or pupil.” This is because when one looks at another person, the image of a little person is visible on the pupil like a reflection in a mirror. Eye is the generic Hebrew word ayin. The idea of the little man in the eye is beautiful and poetic imagery that captures the desires of the psalmist that the Creator would keep his image in his eye (i.e. the Big “Man” or Elohim is keeping the little man or the saint in is eyesight) continually or that Elohim would guard him as he goes through life as a father does his own daughter. 

The expression “the apple of his eye” is now an English idiom meaning “to view a person favorably, to care deeply for them and to cherish them in one’s heart.” 

This same expression is also found in Deuteronomy 32:10 where YHVH views the people of Israel as the apple of his eye. Although Elohim loves the whole world in a generic sense (John 3:16), and desires that every person be saved (1 Tim 2:4; 2 Pet 3:9), he refers to no other people but Israel as the apple of his eye. 

It can also be presumed (as Matthew Henry notes) that Elohim will tenderly keep or protect those as the apple of his eye who keep or guard his commandments as the apple of their eye (Prov 7:2). That is to say, when we obey YHVH’s commandments, we automatically put ourselves under his protection or under the shadow of his wings as Psalm 17:8 suggests (see also Ps 91:4 and Matt 23:37).

Psalm 17:14–15, Men of the world…When I awake. Here the psalmist juxtaposes those who make material achievements their chief goal in life as opposed to those who seek first the kingdom of Elohim and his righteousness. The former have their reward in the physical life, while the latter have a greater reward to come in the next life when they awaken from death in the likeness of Elohim as possessors of immortality.

Belly…hidden treasure. The belly here is a reference to the womb, and hidden treasure literally means “that which is hidden, covered over or protected.” This is a clear reference to babies in the womb, which are a treasured gift that heaven gives to both the wicked and to the righteous alike. Those who murder their children through abortion or neglect or abandon these little divinely granted treasures are literally spurning or rejecting Elohim’s gift to them—a grave affront to the Almighty and his generosity to be sure!

Psalm 17:15, When I awake. This is one of the most notable passages in the Tanakh proving the validity of the concept of the resurrection of the righteous dead. Here David expresses his faith in the hope of the dead saints to eternal glory in the Presence of YHVH’s in his eternal kingdom. Corollary scriptures to this include Ps 16:10–11 and 1 John 3:1–3.

Psalm 18

Psalm 18:20, 24, Reward me according to my righteousness. The Bible not only teaches that there is a righteousness that is imputed to the saints, that is, the righteousness of Yeshua, but that there is also a works-based righteousness that is a result of the good works of the saints himself that will form the basis for his eternal rewards. Yeshua alludes to this in Matt 5:19–20 as does John in Rev 19:8 (see also Matt 16:27; Rom 2:6; 2 Cor 5:10; EWph 6:6; 1 Pet 1:17; Rev 2:23; 19:12 22:12).

Psalm 18:25–27, With the merciful. To one degree or another, Elohim responds to humans in the same manner they respond to him both positively and negatively. Our relationship with him has a cause and effect component to it—we reap what we sow. This is a form of heaven’s reality discipline upon humans to ultimately bring them to Elohim.

Psalm 19

Overview of Psalm 19

This psalm contains three sections that shows a wonderful and logical progression from the greater (Elohim) to the lesser (man), from the macro downward to the micro. At first appearance, these three sections may seem unrelated, but upon second glance, each section actually flows logically to the next revealing some deep mysterious truths about YHVH Elohim’s plan of redemption for humans.

Section one (vv. 1–6) describes the creation of Elohim, which points to the glory of Elohim, the Creator. It concludes by describing the sun, which is the physical light of the world, which is like a bridegroom in his full glory emerging from his private chambers about to marry his bride. Moreover, the physical universe is governed by physical laws, which keep it functioning in an orderly manner.

Section two (vv. 7–11) describes the glorious attributes of the Torah-law of Elohim, which reveals the character of the Creator, and it shows man what his response should be to the Almighty upon viewing the glories of his creation. Man is to worship the Creator, not the creation. When followed, the Torah helps to keep man’s life structured in a way that brings order, blessing and causes his life to function smoothly, even as the universe is structured and ordered by Elohim’s and functions smoothly because of his physical laws. A Torah lifestyle is also how the saint of Elohim is a spiritual light to the world (Deut 4:6).

Moreover, as the sun’s light pierces the physical darkness of the world, the light of the Torah brings the spiritual light of Elohim into the world along with many benefits for a blessed life.

Section three (vv. 12–14) explains what happens when the light of Elohim’s Torah shines into the darkness of a one’s life; it exposes the hidden dark areas of sin in one’s life. It also shows man how to walk blamelessly before and in a right relationship with Elohim. 

This psalm then ends by stating that YHVH is man’s strength and redeemer. This is another way of saying that man is morally and spiritually weak and needs redemption from the consequences and the power of sin. 

Thankfully, YHVH has the answer to this problem: he is man’s strength and Redeemer. Yeshua the Messiah is man’s Redeemer and as the sun is the physical light of the world, Messiah is the spiritual light of the world (John 1:6–9; 8:12). Elsewhere, Scripture even calls Yeshua the Sun of Righteousness (Mal 4:2), and, in his glorified state, his face shines like the sun in its full strength (Rev 1:16). When a person follows the Torah through a relationship with Yeshua the Redeemer, one will eventually be raised to glory and shine like the stars in heaven (Dan 12:3; Matt 12:43), for they will be like Yeshua (1 John 3:2). HalleluYah!

Psalm 19:7–9, The Torah of YHVH. Listed here are the seven attributes of the Torah and the corresponding blessings for Torah-obedience.

Psalm 19:13, Great [much] transgression. Is this to be contrasted with “small or little transgression”?

 

Natan’s Commentary on Joshua 15–21

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Joshua 15

Joshua 15:63, Jerusalem…the children of Judah. The city of Jerusalem was located in such a place as to be easily defended and nearly impossible to capture, even for the powerful and venerable armies of Israel. It was only by stealth and creativity that David finally captured it some four hundred years later (2 Sam 5:6–7). Much later, both the Babylonians and finally the Romans captured it but only with great effort and difficulty.

Joshua 18

Joshua 18:1, Shiloh…tabernacle of meeting. Shiloh became the center of Israel’s spiritual activity some four hundred years before David captured Jerusalem and made it the center Israel’s spiritual and political life.

Joshua 18:3, How long will you neglect. The children of Israel had grown weary and lax in fulfilling the mission that YHVH had given them to conquer and possess the Promised Land. They had become content to accept only half the victory and half the promise YHVH had made to them. When YHVH gives his people a mission, they must be faithful to complete it to the end all the while trusting him to give them the strength and resources to do so. Sometimes, one generation will start the work of YHVH, but the next generation becomes complacent with the successes of the previous generation the looses the passion to pick up the mantle and to continue the vision forward to completion. This is not the fault of YHVH, nor necessarily that of the first generation, but that of the subsequent generation.

Joshua 18:18, Arabah. This Hebrew word literally means “desert plain, steppe, desert, wilderness,” and derives from the Hebrew word arab meaning “to become evening, grow dark.” Often arabah is translated in the KJV as “in the plains of” and relates to the desert area adjacent to Moab, by the Red Sea (probably referring to the Gulf of Aqaba), as well as the desert near Jordan, Jericho, Gilgal. The specific area in these references is referring to the rift valley area running along the Jordan River south of the Sea of Galilee and all the way past the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is believed that King Solomon mined copper in the Timna Valley where to this day there exist some 9000 ancient copper mines and hundreds of smelting sites. This area was also home to the Edomites and Nabateans.

Joshua 19

Joshua 19:9, Simeon. The tribal allotment of Simeon was contained within the tribe of Judah. Some Jewish sages suggest that this is because of Simeon’s vengeful spirit when avenging the rape of his sister, Dinah, in Genesis 34. This assumes that this the descendants of Simeon had inherited a similar disposition to wreck vengeance upon the enemies. Contained with in Judah, they would be less likely to take matters into their own hands and to break out recklessly and to take matters into their own hands in avenging themselves against Israel’s enemies.

Joshua 21

Joshua 21:43, All the land. This is another example where the word all in the Bible does not necessarily mean “all” in the sense that it means in English. Here all means “all that the land that the Israelites were to possess at that point in time,” but not all the land that Elohim had ultimately promised to the patriarchs from the Nile to the Euphrates rivers. That promise is yet to be fulfilled, and will not be so until the return of Yeshua when he establishes his millennial kingdom.

 

Natan’s Commentary on Psalms 8–14

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Psalm 8

Psalm 8:5, A little lower than Elohim/the angels. The Hebrew says elohim. Is this referring to Elohim (“God”) or to elohim (gods); that is, to the sons of Elohim or beney Elohim (hosts of heaven or angels)as mentioned in Job 1:6 and 2:1? The KJV assumes the first interpretation, while the NKJV assumes the second translation. The second translation seems preferable, since man is not a little lower than Elohim, but is light years below him. By contrast, man is a little lower than the angels. The writer of Hebrews assumes that elohim in this verse is referring not to Elohim but to the sons of Elohim when in Heb 2:7 he quotes this verse and uses the Greek word angelos instead of theos.

Psalm 9

Psalm 9:16, Higgaion. Meditation, resounding music, musing; from hagah meaning “ to moan, growl, muse, mutter, meditate, devise, plot, speak, groan.” See also Pss. 5:1, 19:14 (meditation), and 92:3 (with a solemn sound).

Psalm 11

Psalm 11:1, Flee as a bird. When the enemy attacks, fleeing to a mountain—escapism—seems tempting, yet it’s not the solution, for the arrows of the wicked can reach one there also. So what can the righteous do (v. 3)? They must trust in YHVH (v. 1) to defend the righteous against the wicked. YHVH will bring judgment against the enemies of the righteous (v. 6), for he loves he righteous (v. 7).

Psalm 11:3, If the foundations are destroyed. We have seen the moral, ethical and spiritual foundations of the West and America destroyed, and our societies are now in chaos; we have lost our way, and are destroying each other because of conflicting values. The righteous sigh and cry for the abominations that are committed and the spiritual darkness that has descended upon the land like a led blanket, and for the evil that is overtaking us like a tsunami.

Psalm 11:3–7, What can the righteous do? So what can the righteous do when evil is overtaking them like a tsunami? The psalmist doesn’t answer this question directly. Perhaps there is no answer, at least in the immediate future. Certain things in the course of human events simply have to play out to fulfill the larger, global purposes of Elohim. But the righteous can be assured of several things. Elohim is in heaven ruling, and nothing man can do will change undermine much less destroys the sovereignty of Elohim (v. 4). Moreover, YHVH hates violence and the wicked (v. 5), and he will eventually pass a fiery judgment upon them (v. 6). This is an allusion to the lake of fire, which is the ultimate fate of the wicked. Through it all, the righteous can be assured that YHVH loves them and he keeps them in his sight through all the perils and evil machinations of the wicked (v. 7).

Psalm 14

Psalm 14:1, The fool has said in his heart.Atheists and Elohim haters often don’t verbalize their true belief, but their actions reveal what is really in their heart as the next several verses go on to show. By one’s fruits, the real beliefs of the heart are evidenced.

The modern alternative to believing in a Divine Creator is to credit our existence to evolution, to aliens, or some unknown and undefined spiritual entity somewhere. This is utter idiotic foolishness because it require leaps of faith to believe such, even though there is not a shred of evidence to support such a belief.

 

Natan’s Commentary on Joshua 8–14

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Joshua 8

Joshua 8:14, When the king of Ai saw it. Pride as a result of over-selfconfidence is folly and can result in disastrous as the people of Ai discovered. Pride creates blind spots preventing one from viewing circumstances realistically and objectively.

Joshua 9

Joshua 9:14, Did not ask counsel of YHVH. In the wake of his success in defeating and destroying Jericho and Ai, Joshua became over confident in his own abilities and failed to consult YHVH, and thus fell to the deception of the Gibeonites. We must consult with YHVH over every major move that we make in our lives. Even though YHVH commanded the Israelites to kill all the Canaanites, allowances were made to spare those who chose not to fight Israel but to submit to and join themselves with Israel. This was the case with Rahab and Caleb. 

On the other hand, the Gibeonites surreptitiously wormed their way into the nation of Israel through deceit. This teaches us that the saints are to be ever vigilant against ungodly interlopers who, for one reason or another, seek to become a part of their company. When the saints allow this to happen, they risk being pulled down from a high position spiritually to a lower one, which can lead to apostasy. As Paul states, “Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits,”(1 Cor 15:33), or as he declares elsewhere, “Do you not know that little leaven [i.e. sin] leavens the whole lump?” (I Cor 5:6). YHVH’s people are not to assimilate with the world, nor to allow the world to assimilate with them. The saints are called to come out of the world and to be separate and to not touch that which is unclean (2 Cor 6:17). To become like the world is a slippery slop downward toward what the Bible refers to as apostasy or the abandonment of divinely revealed Truth. On the other hand, to require the world to come up to the level and biblical standards of righteousness is the biblical definition of evangelism and can result in spiritual conversion of the heathen from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light or Elohim.

It appears that the Gibeonite people gradually assimilated into the nation of Israel and did not contribute to that nation’s moral decline, for we hear nothing more of them as being a distinct people group. 

This story is an example of YHVH’s mercy triumphing over his judgment vis-à-vis both the Gibeonites (who were not killed) and the Israelites (who had failed to obey YHVH).

Joshua 10

Joshua 10:1, Jerusalem. This is the first mention of Jerusalem in the Bible, a city of the Jebusites and also called Jebus (Josh 19:10). There are different opinions as to the meaning of the name Jerusalem. The traditional view is that it means “city of peace, wholeness, well-being” (ayr rHG and shalom OKA). It may also mean “to teach peace, wholeness or well-being” (yareh/ vrH and shalom OKA).

 Jerusalem is mentioned 767 times in the Scriptures and is called by seventy different titles according to Menashe Har-El (Golden Jerusalem, p. 24). Although Jerusalem seems to be an atypical place for a city in that it is located inland away from rivers, coasts and ports, it is strategic in that it was the junction of several ancient regional highways and international trade routes that linked three continents.

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Commentary on Joshua Chapters 1 to 7

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Joshua 1

Joshua 1:21–18, A New Leader; A New Beginning

The children of Israel have come to the end of their forty year wilderness journey. Now YHVH’s people must go forward in possessing the land and the inheritance that he has for them. This is a new beginning for the Israelites. They must go forth and carry with them into the Promised Land YHVH’s teachings or instructions in righteousness—the Torah—as well as the lessons they have learned in their wilderness experience. This principle applies to us as much as it did to the ancient Israelites, for as Paul said, “these things happened to them for examples [or types] and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world [or ages] are come” (1 Cor 10:11).

The saga of YHVH dealing with Israel did not end with the death of Moses. Similarly, the life of a believer does not start and end at the work of Yeshua at his first coming (whom Moses foreshadowed, see Deut 18:15–18). No, as the death of Moses signaled a new beginning for Israel, so Yeshua’s death on the cross marks a new beginning for redeemed believers as they make their way into their spiritual Promised Land. As Joshua (in Hebrew, Yehoshua meaning “YHVH saves”) led Israel into their physical Promised Land, so Yeshua (the Hebrew word for salvation) at his second coming will lead the saints into the “Promised Land” of his millennial kingdom, and then eventually into the spiritual kingdom of the New Heaven and Earth and the New Jerusalem 1000 years later. Read Hebrews chapters three and four for insights and understanding into how Moses and Joshua were prophetic shadow pictures of Yeshua at his two advents.

Joshua 1:1, Joshua … Moses’ servant. For how long was Joshua Moses’ servant before he became the leader of Israel? What does this teach us about YHVH’s discipleship program? How many other servants of YHVH’s does Scripture reveal spent years in training for the ultimate mission YHVH had for them as leaders of his people? How long was Joseph, Moses, Samuel, David, the disciples of Yeshua and Paul in training, to name a few, before YHVH was ready to use them for his special purposes? As Matthew Henry says in his commentary on this verse, “Those are fittest to rule, who have learned to obey.”

Joshua 1:6, 7, 9, 18, Be strong and of a good courage. Four times in the first chapter YHVH encourages the Israelites with this phrase. Why the fourfold repetition of this admonition at this juncture in Israel’s sojourn? Be strong is the Hebrew word chazak/קזח meaning “to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, and be resolute.”According to The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, the majority of times chazak is used in Scripture it refers to “being strong in battle.”This word can also mean “to harden one’s heart”against YHVH’s purposes as was the case with Pharaoh twelve times between Exodus chapters 4 and 14. Good courage is the Hebrew word amats/ץמא‭ ‬meaning “to be strong, alert, courageous, brave, stout, bold, solid, hard.”The aspect of this word that means “to harden one’s heart” can have both a good and bad connotation. One can harden or secure one’s heart with the resolve to obey YHVH, or contrariwise, choose to disobey him with an obstinate heart as well. Examples in Scripture where amats is used in the negative sense are Deuteronomy 2:30 and Amos 2:14. These two words, chazak and amats almost appear to be synonyms. Why would YHVH use two words with only slight variation in meaning in admonishing the Israelites as they were about to enter the Promised Land? Was he trying to emphasize a point? Perhaps he anticipated that eventually they would grow faint and weary battling the onslaught of evil around them and succumb to the influences of the surrounding pagan nations leading to their apostasy. Perhaps the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews had these two Hebrew words in mind when he wrote the following:

12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living Elohim. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Messiah, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, “Today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.” 16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. 17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom swore he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. (Heb 3:12–19)

The Israelites crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land.

What can we learn from our ancient forefathers in this regard as we face the challenges of remaining faithful to YHVH in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation?

Joshua 1:8, Make your way prosperous…you shall have good [Heb. sakal] success.The expanded meaning of the word prosperous is literally “to press through, to break out”or “to accomplish satisfactorily what is intended” (according to The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament). The TWOT continues, “Real prosperity results from the work of God in the life of one who seeks God with all his heart (2 Chr 31:21; Ps 1:3, vol. 2, p. 766). The word success literally means “understanding, prudence, good sense, insight, prosperity.” An alternate rendering of this last phrase of Joshua 1:8 reads, “Make your way successful, and then you will act wisely” (The ArtScroll Stone Edition Tanach).

But how is that prosperity and success achieved? The answer is to be found in the first part of verse eight where four keys to success are given. They are:

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Commentary on Genesis 1:1 to 6:8

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My commentary on the first five chapters of Genesis is 67 pages. There is no way this can be shared in a blog. So I will give you some hopefully salient snippets from my commentary.

Genesis 1

Genesis 1:1, Elohim created the heavens and the earth. The process of creation lasted for a literal six days as stated in Exodus 20:11.

Heavens. The Bible reveals that there are at least three heavens: the heaven of earth’s atmosphere, the heaven of the sun, moon, planets and stars, and the heaven of YHVH Elohim’s abode.

Genesis 1:16, Greater light…lesser light. Elohim made two great lights to shine in the darkness—the sun (the greater light) and the moon (the lesser light). The sun is a spiritual picture of Yeshua whom the Bible calls the Light of the world (John 1:9; 8:12), the Sun of Righteousness (Mal 4:2), whose face shines like the sun (Rev 1:16), and who will be the light of the New Jerusalem replacing the physical sun (Rev 21:23). But who does the moon represent in this spiritual picture? If the sun is a picture of Yeshua, the Light of the World, then who has been tasked with the responsibility of reflecting Yeshua’s light into the spiritual darkness of this world? Of course, this is the job of the saints who Yeshua called to be a like light on a hill (Matt 5:14), or a menorah lamp stand (Rev 2:1).

Now think about this. Although the moon is a quarter of a million miles from the earth, and because it has no atmosphere to absorb the sun’s light, it is able to reflect the sun’s light to this earth, so that a person is able to see in the darkness of night. The amazing thing is that the moon’s surface isn’t a polished mirror. Rather, it’s a dull rocky surface. Not only that, it’s not even flat. It’s pockmarked—covered with huge craters, mountains, valleys and canyons. With such an uneven, gray and nondescript surface, it seems miraculous that it’s even able to reflect any light at all, much less all the way to the earth! This speaks to the unimaginable power of the sun to throw its light such a great distance through space and then to ricochet it off the moon earthward even though the moon’s surface is anything but reflective.

The moon is a perfect picture of each of us. We are nondescript in appearance, possess rough natures, stoney hearts, gray dispositions, barren of spiritual fruit, possessing no power of our own, pockmarked by sin, covered by mountains of human pride, and etched with canyons of guilt and shame. In truth, YHVH has not chosen many wise or noble people to reflect the light of his Son, Yeshua, the Sun of Righteousness, but instead he has chosen the weak, foolish, despised and base things of this world to put to shame the things that are wise (1 Cor 1:26–28). As the lesser light, like the moon is to the sun, YHVH has called the saints to be his sons of light (Luke 16:8; John 12:36; Eph 5:8; 1 Pet 2:9) to shine the Light of Yeshua into the midst of crooked and perverse world (Phil 2:15). 

Since Yeshua has called us out of spiritual darkness into his marvellous light, let us embrace and demonstrate the fact that he calls us a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and his own special people by being ready and quick to proclaim his praises to everyone everywhere every time (1 Pet 2:9)!

The Sun, Moon, the Feasts and the Saints. Genesis 1:14–16 reveals that the sun is the greater light and the moon is the lesser light. The Bible reveals that the sun is a spiritual metaphor for Yeshua who is the Sun of Righteousness (Mal 4:2), the Light of the World (John 8:12) and whose face shines like the sun (Rev 1:16). The saints, like the moon, are the lesser light that reflects the light of Yeshua into this dark world. One of the ways the saints do this is through observing and teaching about the seven biblical feasts, which are the seven steps of YHVH’s plan of salvation. Seeing the visible new moon is how we determine the beginning of the months and hence the dates of the feasts. In other words, by the light of the moon we determine the feasts. The visible new moon is a visible sign (Heb. owt, Gen 1:14) to point us toward YHVH’s seasons or moedim (i.e. the biblical feasts). In the same way, by our reflecting the light of Yeshua and the truth of his feasts into this dark world, we bring the light of the gospel to the world. This analogy breaks down if the month starts when the moon is dark in its conjunction.

Genesis 1:28, Dominion over the fish…birds…[the land animals]. Elohim gave man dominion over the animals. Elohim, however, never, however, gave man the authority to take dominion over other people, which is what Cain, Nimrod and their descendants did when they started cities, states and kingdoms. 

YHVH’s government is patriarchal and tribal in nature and is built on the foundation of the family, which is something the devil and his servants have been attacking from time immemorial. 

Yeshua echoes this same divine prohibition of man ruling other men in Matt 20:25–26 where he tells his disciples that the Gentiles rule each other through oppression, but that was not how the kingdom of Elohim was to operate. Government was to be based on servant-leadership. 

Elohim created man to work the land and to live free, and he designed humans to be more or less self-sufficient and to help each other in loving service to one another when and where needed. The Scriptures decry and even pronounce woe upon those who form urban communities as they “join house to house,” so that people no longer “dwell alone in the midst of the land” on ten acre farms (Isa 5:8–10). 

Men’s cities and the hierarchial Babylonian system of government they require to operate is opposed to Elohim’s system of family farms and patriarchal servant-leadership. This is because the urbanization of men results in the collectivization of humans by other humans ostensibly for the purpose of making life easier, but in reality, it enslave them to oppressive human-led governmental systems where humans are forced to look to human leaders for their sustenance and for handouts instead of relying on the Creator. This bondage is forcibly financed through legalized extortion called taxation, and enforced through draconian government regulations that control nearly every aspect of a person’s life. 

This transferral from a rural to an urban-based society model not only reduces man’s freedom and self-sufficiency as he becomes increasingly dependent on government for his sustenance, but it also tends to facilitate spiritual apostasy, the breakdown of the family and the stratification or splitting apart of society. In other words, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, class distinctions occur, which further divide and separate people causing racism and prejudice as men slide downward morally and spiritually away from Elohim. The family on the micro and macro levels fall apart and disintegrate. 

Moreover, such a system promotes institutionalized religious systems and personally enriches those who are at the pinnacle of those systems. Out of this false, non-biblical system, religious construction projects such as temples, cathedrals and educational institutions abound allegedly to enhance the worship of Elohim, but in reality, they’re usually monuments, not unlike the ziggurat Tower of Babel, of men’s achievements as men are attempting to reach Elohim through their own humanistic efforts and turn themselves into their own self-promoting and self-adulating demigods. Elohim doesn’t require the construction of such projects for men to have a personal, spiritual relationship with him, as Paul states in his epistle to the Romans, which is a rephrasing of a passage from Deut 30, “But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?’’’ (that is, to bring Messiah down from above) or,”, “Who will descend into the abyss?”’ (that is, to bring Messiah up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach)” (Rom 30:6–8). The construction of denominations and buildings are primarily for the benefit of the ruling elite who have found a way to insert themselves as middlemen between man and his Creator largely for the purposes of money and power. 

All of these things are a result of the man’s move from a rural to an urban living environment and taking dominion over one another instead of stewarding the earth and its animals and serving one another in love as Elohim originally instructed him to do. 

Genesis 2

Genesis 2:2, The seventh day. Sabbath. Though this is not a direct command to keep the Sabbath (Heb. Shabbat), YHVH was leading his people by example when he sanctified the Sabbath and then rested from his work on this day. In Hebraic thought, one leads by example, without necessarily stating the command to do so. YHVH blessed the family first (Gen 1:28), then Sabbath next. Sabbath keeps the family together that keeps the Sabbath. The imperative command to keep the Sabbath is first found in Exodus 16–30 and then repeated in 20:8–11.

Genesis 2:4, The LORD/YHVH. This is the first mention in the Scriptures of the name of Elohim. He wants us to use his Hebrew names (YHVH, Elohim, Adonai and Yeshua). If not, then why is “YHVH” found in the Tanakh nearly 7000 times? True, we are not to use his Hebrew name carelessly as the third commandments teaches us (Exod 20:7). YHVH’s people have forgotten his name (Ps 44:20; Jer 23:27). His name will be restored and used again (Jer 23:6; 31:23; Ezek 39:7). His name was so precious to his people in ancient times that it was used in common greeting (Ruth 2:4; Ps 129:8; Jer 31:23). The Hebrew name YHVH will be applied to Yeshua at his second coming (Ps 118:26; Matt 23:39). The prohibition of the rabbinic Jews about using God’s Hebrew names is not supported biblically, but is a more recent man-made tradition. Therefore, I believe and teach that the sacred names are to be used.

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