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!