May 4, 2005

• REVISED, MORE ADDED INCLUDING THE ANSWER TO THE PUZZLE.

  
  

  TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY (I am going to start typing it. If I don’t finish the Bible study before 10, consider it a cliffhanger because the end is so awesome…..hmmm maybe I will leave the cliffhanger anyway -just kidding, but I figure if I begin it will good to give the background) If you like puzzles, look up the Word “still” in Strong’s and figure out if you can solve the punch line…..it will blow your mind.

  
  

  Here are the texts and Bible verses we used.

  
  

  Psalm 46 is the text. It is an end times Psalm written by the sons of Koran (also spelled Kohath). This prophetic scripture is not only written for their day, but for us as well.

  
  

  Number 4: 15 (If you read 1-14 you get a detailed description of how the ark of the Testimony was to be packed up for moving, and that it was to be moved by carrying the poles that pass through the various rings on the pieces) then you get to verse 15: “And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.“….verse 18: “Do not cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites.” This was so that there would be no distinction between the two. As it is the Kohathites were sons of Levi.

  
  

  1 Chron. 6:31-33 “Now these are the men whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the Lord, after the ark came to rest. They were ministering with music Berne the dwelling place of the tabernacle of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they served in their office according to their order. And these are the ones who ministered with their sons: Of the sons of the Kohathites were Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel…“

  
  

  (My note- what a name, Heman, sounds like a great character for a superhero comic book, Heman the worship singer….)

  
  

  So, once the tabernacle had been moved to whatever spot God directed the Israelites to, then the sons of Korah were instructed to be worship leaders, praise, worship, songs, Psalms.

  
  

  1 Chron 6:48 “And their brethren, the Levites, were appointed to every kind of service of the tabernacle of the house of God.”

  
  

  2 Chron 20 recounts a battle Jehoshaphat faced when surrounded by a bunch of ites – Ammonites, and Moabites. The Israelites were surrounded, and it looked grim. Jehoshaphat did the wise thing and prayed. And God told him, v. 14-19 …..v.17 “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

  
  

  Everyone bowed down and worshipped God. and then v. 21 “And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: Praise the Lord for his mercy endures forever.”

  
  

  So the singers, the sons of Korah were sent out BEFORE the soldiers to praise God.

  
  

  God told Jehosephat that the battle was God’s, that they just had to stand still and do nothing.  Their position was to STAND STILL and see the salvation of the Lord, to not fear or be dismayed. So the Levites and Kohathites praise God with a voice loud and high.

  
  

  They get on their faces and give glory to God.

  
  

  When they did not have to fight, it meant that they did nothing on the external, but that does not mean that they did nothing on the inside. Inside they praised God, they had to stop their fear and dismay.

  
  

  When we are beset with problems it is important to cease, to stop, to praise God and not have fear. Often we are so busy in our personal lives that we do not have time to stand still and wait on God.

  
  

  The end result of the Jehosephat situation was that God sent ambushments against the enemy, the enemy got confused and killed each other and themselves. The Israelites did not raise one sword in battle.

  
  

  Sometimes the hard part is to NOT end up doing what God doesn’t want us to do. Sometimes we have to wait and watch God work in a person’s life even if it means that they may crash and burn for a bit until they learn the lesson that God needs them to learn.

  
  

  There are only two positions mentioned in the above account.

  
  

  1. bow with face to the ground, bowed before the Lord and worshipping the Lord.

  
  

  2. The Levites and Kohathites stood up and praised the Lord with voices loud and high.

  
  

  Sometimes when we worship God we do it with quiet meditation, but that is usually when there is no battle. When there is a battle you had better get loud and give God loud praises. He needs the shout of the people so that he can act on the earthly realm, for he cannot violate the covenant and act without our asking. He will not force Himself on us.

  
  

  If you are quiet during a battle, you leave room for doubt and fear and dismay. If you fill your mouth with loud praises, fear and dismay does not have room to manifest.

  
  

  v, 20 – they went early in the morning, BELIEVING IN THE LORD.

  
  

  Faith in God will establish you. You can’t establish yourself alone. Your belief in God gives Him permission to bring stuff to our lives. If people grumble, complain, doubt, speak negatively to a situation, their words will tie God’s hands.

  
  

  Isaiah 7:9 – is the reverse of the above “…If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.“

  
  

  Sometimes in retrospect we can look back and see where we were not still and missed the blessings passing us by.

  
  

  When we first begin we have knowledge of the situation, but knowledge without wisdom because we have not asked God for His guidance. With wisdom, we will know what to do with what we have. We gain this wisdom from sitting and waiting on God, sometimes we find God’s word in the Bible, sometimes from a fellow Christian, our pastor, a prophet, our Holy Spirit.

  
  

  Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you, and you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.“

  
  

  The work of being still occurs on the inside, usually with repentance. For the Prodigal son came to his senses and got a plan from God. Jehosephat worshipped God humbly and got a plan from God.

  
  

  In a tough situation (no matter what the external says) get still, get quiet, and see what possibilities God will show you.

  
  

  2 Chron 6:38 They are praying from the land of their captivity, and maintained their prayer and supplication, and God delivered them.

  
  

  David was one to wait on God, he knew how to pray and worship. He knew how to be still and so he achieved many victories.

  
  

  Now back to Psalm 46:

  
  

  The Bible says that we are priests and kings of the Lord. Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It is good to remember that we are the Kings and Lords that Jesus is King over.

  
  

  Ps. 46 v. 1-2 sounds very much like the orders given to Jehosephat, but also very much like end times, Revelation prophesies. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea..”

  
  

  In Revelation it talks about earthquakes, shaking of earth, mountains moving. The climate is unstable. With the last tsunami the earth’s axis was shifted a bit. Zach 14 talks about the Mount of Olives being split in two.

  
  

  v. 4 “There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.”

  
  

  Revelation 22:1-3 “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.”

  
  

  So the river mentioned in Psalms will make glad the city of God for it brings healing to the nations (the people of God).

  
  

  Psalm 46:8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.”

  
  

  Some think God is very vengeful for the desolations he is working on the earth, but he is really destroying what was already dying. If people have not come to the Lord, if they have given way to sin, they are dead in sin. In a sermon a few years ago, Pastor Don once mentioned that if he came into his yard and saw a rabid dog, he would have to kill it. It would be dying from the rabies and would be dead in a matter of time, and the dog would be a danger to his children, so to protect them he would ease the suffering of the dog.

  
  

  Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

  
  

  Now comes the answer to the puzzle I gave you. If you look up still in Strong’s for Psalm 46:10 it’s number is 7503. No other reference to the word still has the number 7503, just this one in this one verse. Raphah, It means to hang limp, sink down, be lazy, weakened, abate, cease, give respite, wax feeble. And in the definiton, it gives reference to 7495 which is the exact same word, Raphah which means to mend by stitching, to cure, to cause to heal, to repair thoroughly, to make whole. And God who heals is called Jehovah Raphah. It is very rare, according to Pastor Don, to have double entries in Strongs for the same word, spelled the same way.

  
  

  So this sort of describes the be still which seems inactive, which is really an inward seeking of God, the God who will heal the situation. When we get hurt, it is important to rest, for it is in rest that the healing of our body occurs.

  
  

  Also it is important for us to enter into the Sabbath rest, for it is when we are resting that God comes in to heal us.

  
  

  So the verse Be still – Rapha and Know (acknowledge and recognize) that I am God.

  
  

  What was Jesus arrested for, disobeying the Sabbath. It was during the Sabbath times that Jesus did his healings of many people. Sometimes when we are resting on our Sabbath is when God comes in to do his work in us.  By creation, God established the Sabbath (when he rested on the 7th day). If we resist the Sabbath, we are out of order. But the Sabbath does not have to be a particular day, just one day were we rest in, delight, and search out God.

  
  

  In our lives, there are things that we have in order, and we can act on those, but rest on those situations that are difficult or need God’s help.

  
  

  God also says that we are to Exalt Him, praise his name. God is our refuge. If we rest in Him, praise Him, and be still, he has the room to work on our situation.

  
  

  I tried to explain this as best I can. And I did confirm the Strong’s reference, but not all editions are as detailed as the one Pastor Don uses.

  
  

  I hope this blesses you. I tried to explain it as best I could from my notes. If there are any ambiguities it is because it was very hard to write fast.

  
  

  What blows me away is that this is the third time this week the message of being still has come my way. I suppose God is trying to tell me something.

  
  

  Have a blessed day.

  
  

   

  • 10:07 am
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