I originally wrote and posted this blog entry 4 days ago. Interestly, in 4 days it’s had 0 (zero) views but 1 “like.” I’m not too sure how that can work. The pic below say “Private” because I set it to private to revise the post.
After what I learned in studying God’s Word of the 1st scripture of the day I read this morning, I believe God was saying “this blog post isn’t finished yet.” I have revised what I wrote with what I learned only moments ago. The original post will follow below the, Jesus Is The Aleph & The Tav, The Alpha & The Omega, The First & The Last, banner.
The scripture of the day that added light to this post is from my You Version app,
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
II Corinthians 12:9 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/2co.12.9.NKJV
In the KJV Bible it has, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” in RED letters. This is Jesus Himself speaking these words directly to the Apostle Paul.
I have spoken of this Bible verse many times in my posts because of the wrong way I had understood to interpret it. I had took it to mean that the Apostle Paul had a sin, “thorn in the flesh” that he did not want but that Jesus had told him that “God’s Grace” would be “sufficient” for it. In it’s “sufficiency” for it was the thought that God would overlook a habitual sin if it was a way of keeping me humble by allowing me think, “I’m not perfect so I can’t make any righteous judgments of anyone or anything.” Nobody wants to be a hypocrite if they have a desire to be like Jesus Christ. So after I read that bible verse I thought to look it up in the Greek interlinear and study it. The first word I looked at was “sufficient.”
Sufficient – G714 – Transliteration: arkeó
Phonetic Spelling: (ar-keh’-o)
Definition: to assist, suffice
Usage: I keep off, assist; I suffice; pass: I am satisfied.
As I read further about “arkeó – suffice” I read something I had not heard mentioned before. It was that some had taken this word to a “radical” level, their words, not mine. I added “bold text” to bring it out.
Thayer’s Greek Lexicon – STRONGS NT 714: ἀρκέω
ἀρκέω, ἄρκῳ; 1 aorist ἠρκεσα; (passive, present ἀρκοῦμαι); 1 future ἀρκεσθήσομαι; to be possessed of unfailing strength; to be strong, to suffice, to be enough (as against any danger; hence, to defend, ward off, in Homer; (others make this the radical meaning, cf. Latarceo; Curtius, § 7)): with the dative of person, Matthew 25:9; John 6:7; ἀρκεῖ σοι ἡ χάρις my grace is sufficient for thee, namely, to enable thee to bear the evil manfully; there is, therefore, no reason why thou shouldst ask for its removal, 2 Corinthians 12:9; impersonally, ἀρκεῖ ἡμῖν ’tis enough for us, we are content, John 14:8. Passive (as in Greek writings) to be satisfied, contented: τίνι, with a thing, Luke 3:14; Hebrews 13:5; 1 Timothy 6:8; (2 Macc. 5:15); ἐπί τίνι, 3 John 1:10. (Compare: ἐπαρκέω.)
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
G1981 – Strong’s Concordance
Original Word: ἐπισκηνόω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: episkénoó
Phonetic Spelling: (ep-ee-skay-no’-o)
Definition: to tent upon, abide
Usage: I raise a tent (over), dwell, spread a tabernacle over.
1981 episkēnóō (from 1909 /epí, “on” and 4637 /skēnóō, “to dwell in a pitched tent“) – properly, to pitch (live in) a tent; (figuratively) power radiating from Christ as He comes upon (Gk epi) someone, so that He dwells in the committed believer.
I have to repeat that last sentence: 1981 episkēnóō (from 1909 /epí, “on” and 4637 /skēnóō, “to dwell in a pitched tent“) – properly, to pitch (live in) a tent; (figuratively) power radiating from Christ as He comes upon (Gk epi) someone, so that He dwells in the committed believer.
Genesis 26:23-28 NKJV
Jesus Is The Aleph & The Tav, The Alpha & The Omega, The First & The Last
א ת Jesus Α Ω א ת Jesus Α Ω א ת Jesus Α Ω א ת Jesus Α Ω א ת Jesus Α Ω א ת Jesus Α Ω
1 Chronicles 15:1 David built houses for himself in the City of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tent for it.
In the last week or so, while reading through my daily devotionals, a theme in it kept getting my attention. In 1 Chronicles 13, it speaks about how King David desired to bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem and what a learning opportunity that turned out to be for David and Israel, and even the priests.
One of the thoughts it brought up was how did the priests not know the instructions God had given to Moses about handling the Ark of God and the Tabernacle Moses built. Another thing that brought questions is why was the Ark of God not in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle Moses built after it had been returned by the Philistines. After having it seven (7) months, they had enough of the power of God bringing curses and defilement to their false gods (yep, little g). They didn’t want it No More!!!
As I looked into that question I read that when the Philistines returned the Ark of God to Israel, the Israelites didn’t know how to reverence or handle the Ark of God in the ways God had instructed Moses to teach the people. That mistake caused God to strike 50,070 Israelites dead.
1 Samuel 6:19-21 Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter.
The Ark at Kirjath Jearim (City of Woods)
20 And the men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall it go up from us?” 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord; come down and take it up with you.”
1 Samuel 7:1 Then the men of Kirjath Jearim came and took the ark of the Lord, and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord.
As I looked into Abinadab, who’s house the Ark of God was taken, I found out that he was a Gibeonite and that the Gibeonites occupied Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath Jearim.
That information only added more questions to my mind. Why was it that God allowed His Ark to be taken to a “gentile” people and region of Israel. The Gibeonites were the people that tricked Joshua to make a covenant of peace with them in a very deceptive way. They deceived Israel to believe that had traveled from very far to find Joshua so as to make this peace covenant with Israel. Read about it here in Joshua chapter 9.
The Ark of God stayed at Abinadab’s house for about 30 years. It was brought there before Saul was made the first king of Israel when David was only a boy. Later David becomes king and reigns in Hebron for 7 years before moving and reigning from Jerusalem for another 33 years. Isn’t it amazing that the priests of Israel left the Ark of God out of the tabernacle for that long?
After David had built his new house in Jerusalem, he decides to bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem also.
1 Chronicles 15:1 David built houses for himself in the City of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tent for it.
As most Christians and Bible readers know, David’s 1st attempt to bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem didn’t turn out to good. As I looked into that I found that David and the priests tried moving the Ark of God in the same way that the Philistines used to return the Ark of God to Israel.
1 Samuel 6:1-2, 7-8 Now the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it to its place.”
7 Now therefore, make a new cart, take two milk cows which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home, away from them. 8 Then take the ark of the Lord and set it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go.
I think God let the Philistines get away with that because they weren’t the people of God and were not expected to know His ways of doing things concerning the Ark of God. God DID hold David, the priests and all the people accountable for knowing His ways.
Luke 12:48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
Afterward, David leaves the Ark of God with Obed Edom
1 Chronicles 13:13-14 “So David brought not the ark home to himself to the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite. And the ark of God remained with the family of Obededom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obededom, and all that he had.”
It could be wrong to assume that Obededom was a Philistine only because he is called a “Gittite” as was Goliath. In Joshua 19 there is a place in the tribe of Dan called “Gath-rimmon.” Just as the people of Philistine Gath were called “Gittites,” so were the people of Gath-rimmon. Furthermore, in Joshua 21 Gath-rimmon became one of the cities of the Levites. The tribe of Levi were given specific cities throughout the nation so that they could lead Israel spiritually from within the nation. And even more specifically, it was that part of Levi, called the Kohathites, who took up residence in Gath-rimmon. And to the Kohathites was given the responsibility of caring for the furniture of the Tabernacle. The deposit of the Ark of the Covenant in Obededom’s house was very appropriate – He was supposed to have been trained in the care and treatment of this valuable religious article.
Doing Bible things in Bible ways is ALWAYS the best option for children of God. Trying to adopt the ways of the world, especially it’s pagan practices and trying to “Christianize” them is NEVER found in the Bible.
If we want to believe it or not, there are times in the Bible where God shows us that for our own protection from utter destruction, God will withdraw from us to a safe distance from His Glorious Presence. In my opinion, people, pastors and priests that have a flippant attitude about God and His Glory walk on thin ice or more appropriately behind a thin firewall.
Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”
Exodus 33:3 NKJV
That’s a not so good 333 scripture if you know why Jeremiah 33:3 is my blogs scripture reference verse.
Anyhow, as the days in my devotionals continued and the Ark of God was moved to a “tent that David pitched” another question arose. Why didn’t David bring the Tabernacle Moses built from Gibeah where it too had been separated from the Ark of God for many years. And how many years was the Tabernacle of God without the Ark of God?
After Eli and his sons died when the Philistines captured the Ark of God, the Tabernacle was moved to Nob. We are told that David and his men went there and ate the Holy bread while fleeing from king Saul. After Saul killed all the priests at Nob, at some point the Tabernacle was brought to Gibeah. It was still in Gibeah when Solomon became king of Israel because it says that Solomon went there to make offerings to God until the Temple was built.
1 Chronicles 21:29 For the tabernacle of the Lord and the altar of the burnt offering, which Moses had made in the wilderness, were at that time at the high place in Gibeon.
2 Chronicles 1:3-6 Then Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for the tabernacle of meeting with God was there, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness. 4 But David had brought up the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim to the place David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem. 5 Now the bronze altar that Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the tabernacle of the Lord; Solomon and the assembly sought Him there. 6 And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord, which was at the tabernacle of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.
Isn’t it amazing to consider how long Israel left the Ark of God separated from the Tabernacle of God? Perhaps, NO certainly, all this is done by “design” by our loving Heavenly Father because Holy scripture has no errors in it, only our interpretation of it. Jesus chastised the Pharisees, a group of “self righteous Bible scholars,” of then and those of today with these words,
John 5:39-45 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
41 “I do not receive honor from men. 42 But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 44 How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
Today many pulpits want to divorce themselves from the “Herbisms” of the Bible. They want only a “New Testament” approach. The scriptures Jesus is talking of are ONLY the Hebrew Old Testament, the New doesn’t exist yet. After rejecting the Old Testament scriptures what’s next? Oh, maybe the “new revelations” that the New Apostolic Reformation prophets are bringing forth will “out weight” the New Testament scriptures in the near future too some day soon. And isn’t it interesting to see how this “click” of new prophets and apostles band together “who receive honor from one another” in support of each other no matter how grievous or wicked the sins their comrades get caught in?
It takes people in search of the heart of God as King David is so often described to know where to look to draw near the presence of God continually. Where was God sitting out this religious, self righteous period of Israel’s priesthood but in a place that would point to Jesus Christ, in the “woods,” Kirjath Jearim (City of Woods).
Psalm 132:1-6
1 Lord, remember David
And all his afflictions;
2 How he swore to the Lord,
And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 “Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house,
Or go up to the comfort of my bed;
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes
Or slumber to my eyelids,
5 Until I find a place for the Lord,
A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
We found it in the fields of the woods.
As “You search the Scriptures,” notice how wood, branch and tree often have the hint of a future tree. Or that the fruit God approves of come from branches growing from the Stump of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1)
Jesus came to die on a tree for the sins of mankind, for those that would accept Him as Lord and Savior but He didn’t stay in the woods or on the tree. Jesus came to do what David wanted to do with the presence of God, to “dwell” in it. Jesus through the flesh and now through the Holy Spirit came to “tabernacle” with those who truly love Him.
John 1:1-3, 10-14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
The Word Becomes Flesh
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Unless you have sat under teachers of God’s Word that study it or have studied it for yourself, you will miss something of value in John 1:14
KJV Dwelt: G4637 – to fix one’s tabernacle, have one’s tabernacle, abide (or live) in a tabernacle (or tent), tabernacle
Ellicott’s Commentary – …this Presence brings back to the writer’s (John) mind the days and weeks and months they had spent with the Word who had pitched His tent among them.
MacLaren’s Expositions – THE WORD IN ETERNITY, IN THE WORLD, AND IN THE FLESH, ‘THREE TABERNACLES’ John 1:14. – Revelation 7:15. – Revelation 21:3.
The word rendered ‘dwelt’ in these three passages, is a peculiar one. It is only found in the New Testament-in this Gospel and in the Book of Revelation. That fact constitutes one of the many subtle threads of connection between these two books, which at first sight seem so extremely unlike each other; and it is a morsel of evidence in favour of the common authorship of the Gospel and of the Apocalypse, which has often, and very vehemently in these latter days of criticism, been denied.
The force of the word, however, is the matter to which I desire especially to draw attention. It literally means ‘to dwell in a tent,’ or, if we may use such a word, ‘to tabernacle,’ and there is no doubt a reference to the Tabernacle in which the divine Presence abode in the wilderness and in the land of Israel before the erection. In all three passages, then, we may see allusion to that early symbolical dwelling of God with man. ‘The Word tabernacled among us’; so is the truth for earth and time.
Barnes Notes – And dwell among us – The word in the original denotes “dwelt as in a tabernacle or tent;” and some have supposed that John means to say that the human body was a tabernacle or tent for the λόγος Logos to abide in, in allusion to the tabernacle among the Jews, in which the Shechinah, or visible symbol of God, dwelt; but it is not necessary to suppose this. The object of John was to prove that “the Word” became “incarnate.”…To “dwell in a tent with one” is the same as to be in his family; and when John says he “tabernacled” with them, he means that he was with them as a friend and as one of a family, so that they had full opportunity of becoming familiarly acquainted with him, and could not be mistaken in supposing that “he was really a man.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary – … and dwelt—tabernacled or pitched his tent; a word peculiar to John, who uses it four times, all in the sense of a permanent stay (Re 7:15; 12:12; 13:6; 21:3). For ever wedded to our “flesh,” He has entered this tabernacle to “go no more out.” The allusion is to that tabernacle where dwelt the Shekinah (see on [1757]Mt 23:38, 39), or manifested “Glory of the Lord,” and with reference to God’s permanent dwelling among His people (Le 26:11; Ps 68:18; 132:13, 14; Eze 37:27). This is put almost beyond doubt by what immediately follows, “And we beheld his glory”
In my search yesterday morning to find a sermon about Jesus “Pitching His Tent” among men I found a this sermon and clipped off this part of it concerning this,
The full sermon by Dr. Sidney Bowers titled “God Pitched His Tent With Us,” can be found here on Youtube.
You can’t assume that every person that stands behind a pulpit, a physical one or a cyber one, is there to speak for God.
There is a HUGH Difference in speaking “about” God and speaking “for” God. It’s been a while since I mentioned this but as I’ve often said, you, the reader needs to be a “Good Berean” and know the Bible for yourself. It’s the only way you will be able to catch the subtle errors or omissions concerning the real “context” of the text and not fall for the pretext any single verse of scripture can be twisted to mean. You can’t even go by the chapter divisions that were only added much later to find the full context of a scripture.
Studying God’s Word for yourself will protect you from error and will allow you to learn the true character of our Heavenly Father. NOT the lopsided view that many churches present to fit the agenda of their doctrines and are often designed to attract a crowd by tickling ears and stroking the desires of the flesh. Be A Good Berean for yourself. Ask God to reveal Himself to you through His Holy Scriptures. I really believe it’s a prayer Father God will always hear and answer. God’s Word does not say that about all prayers.
Spend time “InTheWord” with a desire to learn the heart and character of God. Telling Him something He knew would be even before you existed is somewhat of a waste of “tent time” with God.
Instead of seeking God so that He blesses your life’s plans and hearts desire how about seeking God wholeheartedly that He would reveal His plans for you and “make them” your hearts desire.
Psalm 25:4-5 Show me Your ways, O Lord ; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.
Psalms 25:4-5 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/psa.25.4-5.NKJV
It says this of another strong and courageous man of God,
So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.
Exodus 33:11 NKJV
From Genesis, in the garden, to Revelation, God’s heartfelt desire has always been to have a relationship, “Tent Time,” with those He formed in His likeness, something said only of us humans.
Jesus Is The Aleph & The Tav, The Alpha & The Omega, The First & The Last
א ת Jesus Α Ω א ת Jesus Α Ω א ת Jesus Α Ω א ת Jesus Α Ω א ת Jesus Α Ω א ת Jesus Α Ω
Revelation 21 – International Standard Version
The Vision of the New Heaven and the New Earth
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, because the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared, and the sea was gone. 2 I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
3 I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “See, the tent of God is among humans! He will make his home with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them, and he will be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There won’t be death anymore. There won’t be any grief, crying, or pain, because the first things have disappeared.” 5 The one sitting on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new!”
He said, “Write this: ‘These words are trustworthy and true.’”
6 Then he told me, “It has happened! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give a drink from the spring of the water of life to the one who is thirsty. 7 The person who conquers will inherit these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son. 8 But people who are cowardly, unfaithful, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars will find themselves in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
Jesus Is The Aleph & The Tav, The Alpha & The Omega, The First & The Last
א ת Jesus Α Ω א ת Jesus Α Ω א ת Jesus Α Ω א ת Jesus Α Ω א ת Jesus Α Ω א ת Jesus Α Ω
In The Word 
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