Before and After...

Read Exodus 25:10-22

Shittim wood was an essential wood used in the making of the Tabernacle of Moses; it was part of the furniture of the holy place and the holy of holies. We know that wood and trees in the word of God speaks of humanity (i.e. tree's of righteousness) and so it is interesting that the part of the ark that speak of deity (the mercy seat above the ark) is solid gold but the part that housed the commandments, the manna and Aaron's almond rod that budded was made of shittim wood and overlaid with solid gold. 








This is very interesting once you see the shittim tree (the before picture on the left); of all the wood to use it seems the most unlikely candidate for use in the Holy Tabernacle of God. It is very very hard and it is very twisted and contorted, almost a tormented wood. Here is a quote from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) - SHITTAH; TREE "...They are most picturesque trees with their gnarled trunks, sometimes 2 ft. thick, their twisted, thorny branches, which often give the whole tree an umbrella-like form...) Yet this twisted, contorted wood was what God commanded Moses to use to make the very ark of of the covenant which speak of the literal presence of God. It is a quite beautiful wood once proceesed (the after picture on the right).

There is a distinct message here and it is one of reclamation and being straightened for use; this wood speaks to us of the contorted and even twisted nature of man (even after salvation) and yet God uses man in His plan and to be a part of His holy dwelling place. This wood must have been very difficult to work with and required someone with a long suffering nature as it would have to be painstakingly straightened for use (this process of straightening wood usually requires heat, moisture and pressure) . This process tells us what God does to deal with mankind in the construction of His temple, He takes the crooked and makes them straight. God was the one who made it this way (He planted the Shittah tree at Sinai and required Moses to use it). Now the intent of this little commentary is to encourage us all; we all have twists and turns in our nature and have to be straightened out for use. This process is illustrated for us in people like Jacob who was deceitful with his brother and his father and yet he was so straightened out by the dealings of God that at his end he reflected the nature of God. We might think that Jacob was unique but he represents us all to a certain degree because we all have fallen short of the glory of God and we all have turned to our own way and the iniquity of of us all was laid upon Christ. He had to atone for every man woman and child. 

You may feel at times like this: "O' God, I have so many flaws in my nature and in my character, how can you ever use me?" But, in actual fact God seems to have indicated to us that we all have natures that need straightened and issues that need to be dealt with and we must conclude that He has committed to work with such people because He told us so in the Tabernacle of Moses through the use of the shittah tree . So be encouraged, yield to the workings of the Holy Spirit, cry out for grace as God brings you through His straightening process because in the end you will reflect the nature of Jesus Christ.

Hosea 10:14 - Therefore Shall A Tumult Arise...

Therefore shall a tumult arise... This is the fruit of the last verse (Hosea 10:13 - they have done wickedly), because they have done wickedly there will be turmoil. This is the fruit of wickedness, tumultuous situations arise and people end up in turmoil. Troubles arise, relationship are destroyed, enemies arise and people are in turmoil over it all because they have forsaken the Lord and have turned their back on Him. This battle that is referred to in this verse is unclear; some feel it was a battle Shalmanesser fought against this place but the real point is that there was great cruelty and turmoil (mother and child were not pitied and were slain with brutality). The Assyrians were merciless. The enemy of our soul is merciless and when people turn against the Lord, break His commandments and walk contrary to His ways many times they open themselves up to "enemy invasions". Like Gomer they do not appreciate the protection of her husband (a type of the Lord) and now she is at the mercy of her enemies and they will cause turmoil (eventually Gomer said, it was better for me with my husband...turmoil led her to this conclusion).


Hos 2:6-13 KJV "Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths. And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now. For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal. Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness. And now will I discover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and none shall deliver her out of mine hand. I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts. And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me: and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them. And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the LORD."


Some, who leave the protection of their loving Lord, say "Why is God letting this happen to me" or "God is punishing me for disobeying Him". I am not sure that is always correct, perhaps what has happened is that they have left themselves exposed, as did Gomer, when they departed from His protection. Because they have left Him He no longer intervenes and allows them to eat of the fruit of their doings. I know there are some reading this who can relate to what is being said because they have departed; please take time to seek the Lord and ask Him to once again bring you under His wing. The enemy will not stop until you are destroyed but with God there is respite, there is forgiveness and there is mercy. Remember Hos 10:12 KJV "Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you."

"I Will...Be Thou Clean"

Matthew 8:1-4 - "When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them."

This poor soul sought out Jesus with one hope, the hope that Jesus could remove his leprosy and make him clean again. He came worshipping and with a single prayer he got his wish; note the prayer, "if it is Your will, You can make me clean." The Lord's response was marvelous: "It is My will; be thou clean". How splendid and how amazing that God did will to make this poor man clean. This illustrates to us one of the secrets of prayers and miracles; this should be our focus in prayer. First of all, what is the need and secondly what does God will to do about it? In this instance He wanted to remove it.

To further illustraate this point let's consider again the miracle of Peter walking on the water in Matt 14:28 (we focus, at times, too much on his sinking but the man walked on water!) Peter who said, "Lord if it be you [implied, Lord, if it be your will] then bid me to come" and Jesus said only one word; He said "come [implied, Peter, It is my will so come]." Peter found the expressed will of God and walked into his miracle by faith; so too this poor leper was able to find the expressed will of God when Jesus said "I will, be thou clean". Within those words "I will" or "come" is contained such power (through faith which comes by hearing the Word of God; Romans 10:17); it is something that if embraced with tenacity will compel one into the miracle they need. It does not matter if it is an issue of blood, leprosy, walking on the water, calming the sea or one a of a thousand different scenarios. Once God has given a word that reveals His will you reach out and take it!

And so it was that Peter walked on water and so it was that this man was made clean by knowing and believing the words of Christ; they had a one on one meeting with God and His word made everything different. We have struggles and cares, dont we? What is it really that we need? Do we need counseling? Do we need phone calls of encouragement? Perhaps, these things have their place but what we really need is a one on one encouter with the risen Christ where we ask Him one very focused question and He answers us in a word such as "I will" or "come". And so what happened to this man? He was made clean of his death sentance of leaprosy. "...Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean And immediately his leprosy was cleansed..."

Where are you at today, my friend? We are coming into a time in the history of the church where God is about to release His power as never before. Having you been like the man at the pool of Bethesda waiting thirty eight years for a miracle? Have you been like the woman with the issue of blood who inspite of her efforts in twelve years grew worse and not better? Are you like this poor man who was gripped with a leprosy that threatened his very existance? Well, let me say this, take heart because God is about to move and when He does He is going to speak into areas that have been bound for years, areas that have kept people in bondage for years and when He does the prison doors are going to swing open and the captives will be set free. Don't faint, keep your ears and you heart open because God is about to move!!

Let me conclude with the following old chorus:

"Got any rivers you think are uncrossable?

Got any mountains you cannot tunnel through?

God speciaizes in things thought impossible

And He can do what no other power can do..."

When being a Christian is like being an ant!

Col 2:11 KJV "In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:"

Rom 8:20 KJV "For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly..." Striving against sin can be like the ant trying to climb out of a indentation in the sand dune; it is very precarious and he has to progress carefully and just when you think he has reached the top and will escape then the unstable ground gives way and he tumbles all the way to the bottom again. For many, this is the normal everyday Christian experience The reason this is so is that the heart itself is sinful, it wants to do the wrong thing and to go the wrong way; only as Christ comes forth in us in a greater measure and gives us holy desires (a truly transformed heart desires holiness) can we beat this cycle (Col 2:6). The traction we need in order to get ahead of this vicious process is a circumcised heart. It all begins in the desire realm, the desire to do the right thing, the holy thing, this needs to exceed the desire to sin. We cascade down to the bottom of the dune as it were because our foundation is still on sin, the core of our heart is still sinful and bent on sinning. However, once the operation of God is completed in us (Romans 6:6) our very desires are changed and we have the traction to get out of sin.

Rom 6:12 KJV "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof."

Rom 6:16-22 KJV "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."

This cycle can be broken if we begin to seriously cry out to God to meet with us in this realm of desires. There are practical things we can do (Study His Word, Prayer, Seeking His face, etc...) but the operation is of God and the Holy Spirit, let's cry out afresh to be truly changed at the desire level!

O' the cost of backsliding, there is no joy.

Hosea 9:1 "Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor."


Rejoice not for joy as other people do... In other words, they did not increase themselves honorably but rather instead of trusting the Lord and leaning on Him they sold themselves out to other nations, other idols so their joy is diminished and is turned into shame.


 When saints get off the good path to mix with the world and cast off the good things of God they are worse off than those who never knew the way; they may try but they cannot joy as others do, it is because they know they are in violation of everything sacred and holy. They try and they try but deep down they know they have departed from the good path and their joy will never be complete. Those who never knew the good way do not know any better and since they have never tasted anything better they think they have joy and success. Those who once knew a better way know what could be so the result it that their joy is greatly diminished. 


In the good and holy path there are pleasures and joy that the sinner never knows. For the modern believer he will experience the true joy Jesus was talking about when He declared "I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly." and "That my joy might remain in you and that your joy be full." as they continue on the good path. But the way of the transgressor is hard and fraught with many difficulties and they cannot joy as do other men. Dear reader strive for the good path, preserve the sanctity of the way and good conscience in order to maintain a blood washed conscience and true peace and joy.

The King, His Authority and His Commandments!

4 “Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?”

The arrogance of fallen man questions leadership, even God Himself is questioned; he ascribes to God sin and casts dispersions on everything He does questioning His very judgment. However, the power of life and death are in the word of the king; Proverbs 14:35 and the wise servant entreats His favor while the wicked are destroyed. Proverbs 20:2 whoso provoketh the king sinneth against his own soul. One must nourish the fear of the Lord and respect the office of those who have been appointed to His leadership. Even in cases when a natural king’s judgment was off track (as was the case with king Saul), the wise (king David) fear to touch him. How much more should one fear to stick their finger in Gods eye by questioning His judgments? Mankind too quicky criticizes the judgment of leadership; one who is wise will be careful in this realm.

5    “Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment.”

Proverbs taught us that the curse causeless shall not come (Proverbs 26:2); he that keepeth the commandments shall not experience the curse (Duet 28 - the curse and blessings reside in our relationship with His commandments, to obey or not to obey them). Mankind tries to study and educate to roll off the effects of a curse. They try and compensate for the effects of the curse by programs and "sensitivity" training. In reality, however, no evil befalls one who keeps Gods commandments and if there are areas that have been cursed because of previous conduct before ones salvation, as one endeavors to walk in His commandments then these too can be broken and removed (Dan 4:27 Breaking off your sins with righteousness). My dear reader, if there are areas of your life where you feel you are bound by sin from your former lifestyle because it has been contrary to the commandments of God why not cry out two things:

 1) O' God, show me that area and the commandment(s) that might be being violated by this area of my life. Josiah was seeking the Lord as the young king and yet was walking contrary to Gods commands but he was ignorant to it. There was a curse prescribed because he and his people were breaking the commandments (albeit through ignorance). But when the revelation of Gods law came to him he was enlightened and wept bitterly for forgiveness. Even though the curse of God still came upon the land for their violations, Josiah was spared because he took the sins of his heart against the commandments seriously and because of his tenderness towards Gods laws he was delivered.

2) O’ God, Let the fear of the Lord overtake me in that very area and grip me at my core until I come to Heb 5:7 and have a holy crying and mourning for sin. When we meet with God in these area’s He will break off our sins with righteousness and set us free.

Pure Dublin Crystal

Eccl. 8:3    “Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.”

Solomon is speaking about a natural king and that it is not wise to flee hastily from his presence (but rather wait until you are dismissed). However, when considering the spiritual application of this statement which is being in the presence of the King of Kings we say "Do not be hasty to leave his presence." This excellent counsel reminds us of Joshua in Exodus 33:9-11; here was a man who was not in a great hurry to leave Gods presence. Exo 33:9-11 “And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses.  (10)  And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.  (11)  And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.”  But his servant Joshua…departed not out of the tabernacle. Isn’t it interesting to note that here Joshua is called the servant of Moses, not his successor, but in actual fact, he ended up replacing Moses. I have to wonder if maybe it was because Joshua learned how to spend time in Gods presence and loved to hear his voice. We too should linger when Gods presence is manifested to us, waiting to hear His voice. Solomon’s advice was to wait until you are dismissed to leave the kings presence and that counsel becomes even more relevant when God has come to visit us.

The second part of this verse has a more serious tone. The whole context is; do not be hasty to leave the kings presence “…to stand in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him” Do not go from His presence to participate in things He would not approve of, do not stand in an evil thing because also in the king is the power of retribution and he executes this power at his own discretion. In context what this is saying is a very serious thing; we can apply it to one who is one thing while in His presence but another thing when they leave it. We are talking about one who is not true to the Lord out of His presence. They come to church, sing the songs then when they are alone they have a different lifestyle; they are participating in sinful activities. Many times believers have forfeited the touch and blessing of God in their lives by living on both sides of the fence. Loving the Lord while in His presence and with the saints but also loving the world while outside of the influence of God presence. God will try us all in this area; therefore, let us determine to be the same when in the world as we are in His presence, true to the message, a true confession and a true lifestyle. Do not on one hand come into his presence to be holy then leave his presence to participate in evil things. Evil things offend His holiness and whilst God is gracious and longsuffering to be sure He also has the power of life and death. Life for the sincere and upright but eventually hypocrites are dealt with, sometimes with dire consequences. 

Keep the Kings commandments and honor your vows!

Ecclesiastes 8:2 “I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.”

This is wise counsel from king Solomon; “keep the kings commandments”, in other words, obey his laws. Whist this is certainly true in the natural (because if you abide by the laws of the land you will stay out of prison) it is doubly true in the spiritual. Many of us are familiar with the breakdown of Deuteronomy 28; the first half regards the blessing of keeping His commandments while the second half are the curses that ensue when one breaks them. When we obey His commands there is a blessing (Deut 28:1-15) but when we disobey there are curses (Deut 28:15-68). Mankind does not see things quite so cut and dry; they always want to find the loopholes and the mitigating circumstances. I believe that God does consider one’s circumstances, to a point; however, one must be very careful of carrying this too far and using it as an occasion to not comply with His Word because in the end we will indeed be measured by His commandments.

When making an oath [vow] before God one is accountable to those words do not take them lightly because the angels of God require it Ecc 5:4-6. “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.  (5)  Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.  (6)  Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?” God does take note when one does not keep their vows. We live in a society where oaths and promises are practically meaningless and yet the Lord takes oaths and vows very seriously. One of the titles of the Lord, which describes His character, is "Faithful and True". In other words what He says He will do! Num 23:19 "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?". God wants His people to be like this as well! 

Ecclesiastes 8:1 wisdom can set the captive free!

Ecclesiastes 8: 1 “Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.”

"Who is as the wise man? Who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? One who has the spirit of wisdom knows how to interpret a thing. The Spirit of Wisdom teaches one to know the interpretation of a thing; this was the anointing upon king Solomon. This anointing opens shut doors (prisons); bondages whose origins are hidden and unknown are revealed by wisdom. Also, the end of the choices one makes is understood by wisdom and also what is the right thing to do in a given situation, these come from wisdom. Wisdom can help shave off years of groping in darkness for answers. One can be bound in some area of their life and never know why but one with this anointing of wisdom can give a single word and open the eyes of those who will hear by giving the cause of the trouble. This may either deliver them immediately or set them on a path of prayer and seeking that will bring the ultimate deliverance.

"...a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed." Once one has received wise counsel through this gift the response many times is one of joy because of the release wisdom brings (for those who have an ear to discern it). A good example of this gift in operation would be when Jesus spoke to the woman at the well. She felt she could be fulfilled in relationships but it always eluded her (evidenced by her continual seeking it with another relationship). However, once the Master interpreted her life by the word of wisdom (that her real need was for the living water and not relationships) she was filled with joy and elation and went about telling her friends.

Many times I remember being in anxiety and frustration only to have word of wisdom from the Lord either by a brother or sister or even a word to my own heart. And O’ the joy and release that word brought as it set my mind to understand wisdom from Gods vantage point, what release and what freedom wisdom can be…from perplexity to peace with one word of wisdom!

If You Love Me Then Keep My Commandments...

Jesus was pressed; "What is the greatest commandment?" He responded in Matt 22:36-40 that it is the following: "Love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself". Then he added, "Upon these hang all the law and the prophets"  Do we appreciate what our Lord is saying here?  He is saying we, New Testament believers, are still under the constraints of the law. Wait a minute, I thought the law had passed away? I thought we were no longer under the law but we are under grace?  This is a common misconception because some fail to appreciate it was only the ceremony of the Law that passed away not the morality (the 10 commandments were never repealed). Jesus Himself said I have not come to destroy the law but rather to fulfill it! (See Matt 5:17-19).

Then we can follow that statement up with John 14:15 - "If you love Me then keep my commandments" and we understand that in our worship and service to Him He knows we love Him when we keep His commandments and He further declares in John 14:24 – "He that loveth me not keepeth not my commandments..." Also, to further emphasize the point we have John 15:9-10 – in order to abide in his love we must walk in His commandments; those who break His commandments are not abiding in His love. It has been a common practice for many who are not really familiar with the true gospel message to dismiss the morality of Gods law but in reality God is impressed with those who cry out for His commandments to be worked out in their hearts. 

I recently had the priveledge of teaching the book of Romans where it makes it clear that no man shall be justified by the works of the law and so, yes, clearly our salvation is not at all based on our ability to keep His law. This fact does not mean the law never becomes important to us; as we have established if we love Him we will keep His law so there is not a conflicting message here. The message is briefly summarized this way:  We are never justified (born again, saved) by our ability to keep the law but rather we are justified by the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ!  That being said, in order to abide in His love we must keep His commandments otherwise the relationship will wither away and die (John 15:9-10)

Hosea 4 - God had a controversy with Israel; what was it?

Hosea 4:1 No mercy towards each other and no truth as they rejected the knowledge of God. Hosea 4:2 It was that His people were breaking His commandments through swearing, lying, killing, stealing, adultery and violence. In Hosea 4:6 he mde it clear they were not remembering His law "...seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God". They were breaking His commandments in two ways: First of all, In their offending Him through lawless living and idolatry; secondly, they were offending Him in their treatment of each other, no mercy! Many times people use the law to be critical and judge others but in reality the two aspects of the Law from Gods perspective are that it deals with our relationship with God and our relationship with each other. Embracing Mercy and Truth! God is equally offended when either part is omitted, truth or mercy. Some might say, well, I don't really love my brother but at least I am keeping Gods commands but that does not work because loving your brother is part of keeping His commands, remember mercy and truth.

How does God view the breaking of His commandments?

How did God view this situation in Hosea? Their breaking of His laws and mistreatment of each other was to him as the unfaithful bride of Hosea who had treacherously departed from him; it broke Gods heart. You see here is where we must be careful about the true interpretation of the book of Hosea; it is not so much about how low God will reach to save the backslider, It is more about how God viewed Israel’s backsliding, how it greived Him the same way Hosea's wife greived Hosea. God wants a bride who is faithful to keep His commandments and to walk in His ways.

Let me finish this piece with the new covenant; the covenant God desired (as opposed to the old one that no one had the power to keep with its ceremoies and external laws). The New Covenant is neatly sumarized for us in Jer 31:31-33 "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:  (32)  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:  (33)  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people." This is the new covenant; the law (Truth and Mercy), which was written on tables of stone now are written on the tables of our hearts. Gods desire for us is that we would do by nature those things which delight the heart of God. I think one of the greatest life testimonies in the whole of the Word of God came from the Savior Himself when He testified "I do only those things which please My Father". May God bring each and every one us to this.