Day 212-11

2Ch 32:8  With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

I liked that phrase, the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah.

rested - H5564 - A primitive root; to prop (literally or figuratively); reflexively to lean upon or take hold of (in a favorable or unfavorable sense).

Genesis 27:37 - sustained; Exodus 29:10 - shall put (their hands upon the head of the bullock); most of the usages have to do with the laying or laid hands upon someone or something.  Intriguing.  In Judges 16:29 it refers to the pillars which borne up the building which Samson took down.

Psalm 3:5 - I laid me down and slept; and I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.

Psalm 37:17 - For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.

Numerous other references to God upholding...one usage in the Song of Solomon.

Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.  (Isaiah 26:3)

This one was ticklish...who is the *him* references...all God?

And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.  (Isaiah 59:16)

If I try to substitute the word God or Lord...

And God saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore God's arm brought salvation unto (who?) God or man; and God's righteousness, it sustained (who?) God or man?

Isa 36:2  And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field.

What is a fuller's field?

H3526 - A primitive root; to trample; hence to wash (properly by stamping with the feet), whether literally (including the fulling process) or figuratively.

That helped not at all.  Well...almost all of the 51 times the word is used it is translated in relation to wash or washing clothes.

Gill's commentary was quite enlightening:

and he stood by the conduit of the upper pool, in the highway of the fullers' field; where they spread their clothes, as the Targum, having washed them in the pool, of which see Isa_7:3. Ben Melech thus describes the pool, conduit, and highway: the pool is a ditch, built with stone and lime, where rainwater was collected, or where they drew water from the fountain, and the waters were gathered into this pool; and there was in this pool a hole, which they stopped, until the time they pleased to fetch water, out of the pool: and the conduit was a ditch near to the pool, and they brought water out of the pool into the conduit, when they chose to drink, or wash garments: the highway was a way paved with stones, so that they could walk upon it in rainy days; and here they stood and washed their garments in the waters of the conduit, and in the field they spread them to the sun. This pool lay outside the city, yet just by the walls of it, which showed the daring insolence of Rabshakeh to come so very nigh, for he was in the hearing of the men upon the walls, Isa_36:12, this Rabshakeh is by the Jewish writers thought to be an apostate Jew, because he spoke in the Jews' language; and some of them, as Jerome says, will have him to be a son of the Prophet Isaiah's, but without any foundation, Procopius, in 2Ki_18:18, thinks it probable that he was a Hebrew, who either had fled on his own accord to the Assyrians, or was taken captive by them.

Not much online to give me more details and/or background.  I found this, which gave a little more information.

The word 'fuller' is only used 4 times...the last instance:

Mar 9:3  And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.

Made me think of how we are washed by HIS blood...whiter than snow.

Isa 1:18  Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Day 211-11

Mic 5:5  And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. 

The numbers caught my attention...seven shepherds and eight principal men, what is that?

JFB - 

seven shepherds, and eight — “Seven” expresses perfection; “seven and eight” is an idiom for a full and sufficient number (Job_5:19; Pro_6:16; Ecc_11:2).

principal men — literally, “anointed (humble) men” (Psa_62:9), such as the apostles were. Their anointing, or consecration and qualification to office, was by the Holy Spirit [Calvin] (1Jo_2:20, 1Jo_2:27). “Princes” also were anointed, and they are mentioned as under Messiah (Isa_32:1). English Version therefore gives the probable sense.

Gill was a tad lengthy:

seven shepherds, and eight principal men; that is, many, as the phrase is used in Ecc_11:2; to which passage Aben Ezra and Kimchi refer us; these are, as the last mentioned writer and others say (b), the princes of the Messiah; and, according to the ancient (c) Jewish Rabbins, the seven shepherds are particularly these, David in the midst, Adam, Seth, Methuselah, on his right hand (Kimchi has it, Seth, Enoch, and Methuselah), and Abraham, Jacob, and Moses, on his left hand; and the eight principal men are, Jesse, Saul, Samuel, Amos, Zephaniah, Zedekiah (in Kimchi and Rabbot it is Hezekiah), Elijah, and the Messiah; but, as Aben Ezra, not fifteen persons are designed, at most but eight, according to this form of speech in Pro_30:15; &c. Calmet (d) takes those seven or eight shepherds to he the seven princes confederate with Darius the son of Hystaspes, who killed Smerdis the Magian, who had possessed himself of the empire of the Persians, after the death of Cambyses; but Smerdis was not an Assyrian, nor is the kingdom of Persia here meant, but the land of Judea; and the prophecy respects the times of the Messiah, who should appear there, and where would be raised up men to support his interest: and if conjecture may be allowed, as this may be understood of the apostles and first preachers of the Gospel, the princes of the Messiah, who were raised up, at the prayer and request of the church, to oppose Satan and his emissaries, in the first times of the Gospel; by these may be meant the writers of the New Testament, the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and the Apostles Peter, James, and Jude, which make the seven shepherds; and if you add to these the Apostle Paul, they will make eight principal men; or rather I should think the seven angels are pointed at, that shall pour out the last plagues on the antichristian states; to which, if another angel is added, that will proclaim the fall of Babylon, the same number will be made up; see Rev_16:1; and who will assist the Jews against the Turks, when they shall attempt to dispossess them of their land, they shall again inherit. 

Another one to study further, later.  :-D

Day 210-11

Isa 60:5  Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

The forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee?  Hmmmm.

Gill's commentary interesting:

The forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee; or their armies, every army of them; the soldiery will be converted, as well as the seafaring men, who are for the most part also exceeding wicked; not only kings will become real Christians, but their armies will be so too, their generals, officers, and common soldiers; and when this is once the case, woe to the whore of Rome! these will hate her, and burn her flesh with fire; these are the seven angels that shall come out of the temple, the church of God, to whom they have joined themselves, with the vials of God's wrath, and shall pour them upon the antichristian states; see Rev_15:7. 

It almost sounds like he holds to a Post-Millennium position.

JFB's commentary (whole verse)

- see — (Isa_60:4), namely, the bringing back of thy sons.

flow together — rather, “overflow with joy” [Lowth]; or, from a different Hebrew root, “be bright with joy” [Gesenius] (Job_3:4).

fear — rather, beat with the agitation of solemn joy at the marvelous sight [Horsley] (Jer_33:9).

be enlarged — swell with delight. Grief, on the contrary, contracts the heart.

abundance of ... sea — the wealth of the lands beyond the sea, as in Solomon’s time, the type of the coming reign of the Prince of peace.

converted — rather, “be turned,” instead of being turned to purposes of sin and idolatry.

forces — rather, “riches.”

They seem to be taking the position that forces are wealth or riches of the Gentiles?

converted - H2015 - A primitive root; to turn about or over; by implication to change, overturn, return, pervert.

(Genesis 3:24) which turned every way

(Genesis 19:21) overthrow

(Nehemiah 13:2) turned

(Zephaniah 3:9) turn

forces - H2428 - From H2342; probably a force, whether of men, means or other resources; an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength.

• H2342 - A primitive root; properly to twist or whirl (in a circular or spiral manner), that is, (specifically) to dance, to writhe in pain (especially of parturition) or fear; figuratively to wait, to pervert.

I read both Matthew Henry and Matthew Poole's commentary...one of those verses which needs to be taken in context (a given) and studied far more than the brief glimpse/touch I have given it.  Be blessed as you study.

Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 

Isa 61:2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 

Isa 61:3  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. 

AMEN!  AMEN!  AMEN!

I went looking for something on the Year of Jubilee and came across this article.  Was a rather interesting read, until the end, unsure of the authors positions and beliefs.  Be discerning saints of God.

Isa 65:17  For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. 

Not remembered, nor come to mind.  Nothing that was of our former life shall be mentally retained.  Intriguing.  Nothing from my former physical life will be retained.  No sorrow over the times I fell short.  This does not give me license to sin, but consoles me during those times when I lament over having given a proper estimate of Him in word, deed or thought.  Great is His mercy.

Day 209-11

Isa 55:2  Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

What a thought provoking and convicting verse.  Why do I spend money on that which is not for bread?  If I have food to eat, clothes to wear and shelter, I am indeed rich.

Isa 55:3  Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. 

An everlasting covenant.  We are currently studying covenants in our Ladies 1st Peter Bible Study.  One of the nuggets that I gleaned and am meditating upon:

God's relationship with man is always mediated through one or more Biblical covenants.

Every single solitary person from Adam, until the last person is born, is in a covenant relationship with God.  There are several covenants mentioned in Scripture.  There are several which are alluded to by the nature of what and how a covenant establishes and maintains a relationship:

Basis ~ Governs ~ Mediates

The covenants mentioned in Scripture are:

Noahic ~ Abrahamic ~ Mosaic ~ Priestly ~ Land of Israel ~ Davidic ~ New

• Noah - But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.  (Genesis 6:18)
• Abraham - In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:  (Genesis 15:18)
• Moses - And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.  (Exodus 6:4)
• Priestly - And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.  (Numbers 25:13)
• Land of Israel - These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.  (Deuteronomy 29:1)
• David - And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.  (2 Samuel 7:12 - though the word 'covenant' is not specifically mentioned.)
• New -  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:  (Jeremiah 31:31)

This is NOT an exhaustive list, in any way, shape or form.  Please, please, spend time looking and researching all the other times the word covenant is used.  To whom the Lord is speaking, what the parameters are of the covenant, etc. etc.

So an everlasting covenant is mentioned now...in Isaiah.  What does that mean?  Everlasting.  Never to be broken.  BTW, God NEVER breaks HIS covenant.  Ever.

Sharing Gill:

And I will make an everlasting covenant with you; which is to be understood not of the covenant of works, nor of the covenant of circumcision, nor of the Sinai covenant; but of the covenant of grace, which is an "everlasting one"; it is from everlasting, being founded in the everlasting love of God, is according to his eternal purposes; Christ is the Mediator of it, who as such was set up from everlasting, and the promises and blessings of it were so early put into his hands; and it will continue to everlasting, sure, firm, unalterable, and immovable. This, properly speaking, was made with Christ from all eternity, and his people in him; it is made manifest to them at conversion, when they are shown it, and their interest in it; when God makes himself known to them as their covenant God, and Christ as the Mediator of it is revealed to them; when the Lord puts his Spirit into them, and makes them partakers of the grace of it; shows them their interest in the blessings of it, and opens and applies the promises of it unto them; and these are made manifest in the ministration of the Gospel, and in the administration of ordinances: even "the sure mercies of David"; that is, the Messiah, the son of David, and his antitype, whence he is often called by his name, Eze_34:23, and so Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and others (h), interpret it. The blessings of the covenant are called "mercies", because they spring from the mercy of God, as redemption, pardon of sin, regeneration, salvation, and eternal life; and they are the mercies of David, or of Christ, for the promises of them were made to him, and the things themselves put into his hands, and are ratified and confirmed by his blood, and through him come to his people: and these are "sure", firm, and steadfast, through the faithfulness and holiness of God, who has given them to Christ; through being in a covenant ordered in all things and sure; and also being in the hands of Christ, in whom the promises are yea and amen, and the blessings sure to all the seed; see Acts 13:34. 

God help Your people to fully understand and grasp the magnitude of Your covenants, who is in them, which ones apply to all of mankind, to just Your chosen people, to Israel.  Lord, help Your people, those redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb from the foundation of the World to be united in doctrine, in love and holiness to and for You.

Day 208-11

Called....still focusing on that word...it literally leaps off the page.

Isa 51:2  Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

called - H7121 - A primitive root (rather identical with H7122 through the idea of accosting a person met); to call out to (that is, properly address by name, but used in a wide variety of applications).

What else did God call?

Light, day ~ darkness, night ~ firmament, heaven ~ dry land, Earth ~ gathered waters, Seas ~ called their name Adam ~ called unto Adam ~ 

Adam called:  Named the animals ~ Woman ~ wife's name Eve ~ 

There are 736 usages of H7121 - and I have only begun to browse through Genesis.  Definitely worth the time to research and study.  May the Lord bless and strengthen us to be diligent to study HIS Word.

Isa 54:16  Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

The phrase 'created the waster to destroy' is what captured my attention on this verse.

Gill:

and I have created the waster to destroy; military men, soldiers that use the above weapons of destruction for that purpose; these are God's creatures, and he can destroy or disappoint them, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. Some understand this also of the devil, who is by way of eminence the waster of mankind; others of tyrannical princes; I should choose to interpret it of the Romish antichrist, that waster and destroyer of the souls of men, and of the antichristian states that destroy the earth, and shall be destroyed themselves; or of the Turk, the locust, whose king is called Apollyon and Abaddon, which signifies a waster and a destroyer, Rev_11:18. These are said to be "created" by the Lord, not only because they are his creatures, the work of his hands, but because they are raised up by his providence, according to his secret purpose, as Pharaoh was, to show his power in them; and are permitted by him to continue for awhile to fulfil his will, being entirely dependent upon him, and subject to his influence, direction, and overruling providence; and therefore his people had no reason to be afraid of them.

Thought provoking...definitely need more study!

This verse:

Isa 54:17  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. 

Reminded me of this passage:

2Co 10:3  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 

2Co 10:4  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 

2Co 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 

2Co 10:6  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Are you *armed* and ready for the battle saint?  Have you donned your armor?

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 

Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 

Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 

Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 

Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 

Eph 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 

Eph 6:19  And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 

Eph 6:20  For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. 

For the sisters:  Study to show thyself approved, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed...an apt exhortation to all the saints, regardless of gender.

Day 207-11

Isa 46:3  Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: 

I need to research this further, it is intriguing to me that God (through Isaiah) keeps referring to Jacob/Israel.  As a whole?  Or the fragmented portion that had been taken into captivity?

The remnant of Israel, does HE mean Judah which is still in the land?

Gill - Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob,.... The Jews, the descendants of Jacob: 

and all the remnant of the house of Israel; those that remained of the ten tribes that had been carried captive long ago. These may, in a spiritual sense, design those who are Israelites indeed; the household of the God of Jacob; the chosen of God, and called; the remnant according to the election of grace: 

K & D - (Verses 3-5 - I tried to capture just the commentary on 3) From this approaching reduction of the gods of Babylon to their original nothingness, several admonitions are now derived. The first admonition is addressed to all Israel. “Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel: ye, lifted up from the womb; ye, carried from the mother's lap! And till old age it is I, and to grey hair I shall bear you on my shoulder: I have done it, and I shall carry; and I put upon my shoulder, and deliver. To whom can ye compare me, and liken, and place side by side, that we should be equal?” The house of Jacob is Judah here, as in Oba_1:18 (see Caspari on the passage), Nah_2:3, and the house of Israel the same as the house of Joseph in Obadiah; whereas in Amo_3:13; Amo_6:8; Amo_7:2, Jacob stands for Israel, in distinction from Judah. The Assyrian exile was earlier than the Babylonian, and had already naturalized the greater part of the exiles in a heathen land, and robbed them of their natural character, so that there was only a remnant left by whom there was any hope that the prophet's message would be received. What the exiles of both houses were to hear was the question in Isa_46:5, which called upon them to consider the incomparable nature of their God, as deduced from what Jehovah could say of Himself in relation to all Israel, and what He does say from הָעֲמֻסִים onwards. Babylon carried its idols, but all in vain: they were carried forth, without being able to save themselves; but Jehovah carried His people, and saved them. The expressions, “from the womb, and from the mother's lap,” point back to the time when the nation which had been in process of formation from the time of Abraham onwards came out of Egypt, and was born, as it were, into the light of the world. From this time forward it had lain upon Jehovah like a willingly adopted burden, and He had carried it as a nurse carries a suckling (Num_11:12), and an eagle its young (Deu_32:11). In Isa_46:4 the attributes of the people are carried on in direct (not relative) self-assertions on the part of Jehovah. 

Hearken, echoing in my mind...to give heed, attention, detail.

H8085 - A primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively to tell, etc.).

I know I have looked at this word before...repetition is good...I wanted a tad more than my usual resources.

From Vines:

"Hearing" can be both intellectual and spiritual.  Spiritually, one may "hear" God's Word (Num 24:4), or "learn" it from god.  Conversely, God told Abraham that He had "heard" his prayer and would act accordingly (Gen 17:20).  In this context, to "hear" means not only to hear what is said, but to agree with its intention or petition (c. Gen. 16:11).  In the case of hearing and hearkening to a higher authority, shâma‛ can mean to "obey."  In Abraham's seed, all nations would be blessed because he "heard" (obeyed) God's voice (Gen. 22:18).

Another nuance of intellectual "hearing" appears in Gen 11:7, in which we are told that God planned to confuse human language, "that they may not understand one another's speech."

To have a "hearing heart" is to have "discernment" or "understanding" (1 Kings 3:9).  Certainly when Moses told Israel's judges to "hear" cases, he mean more than listening with one's ear.  He meant for them to examine the merits of a case, so as to render a just decision (Deut. 1:16).

Which makes me reflect on the message we had yesterday, Mary Models the Meditative Mind.  God expects us to be reflective, inquisitive, wisdom seekers.  One can not grow in godliness without spending time in His Word.  A leisurely walk through Proverbs gives credence again and again to the necessity of seeking wisdom.  Which in my mind translates into "hearing" Him.

Being conformed, not to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1-2).

Day 206-11

Isa 43:20  The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

Isa 43:21  This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.

Isa 44:2  Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.

That phrase I have chosen is used in 24 verses, a few to share:

Isa 44:1  Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:

Mat 12:18  Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

Joh 13:18  I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.

Joh 15:19  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

Sovereign Grace

How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.

Day 205-11

Isa 40:12  Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? 

I thought the different terminology for measuring was intriguing.

Day 204-11

Isa 35:9  No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:

redeemed - H1350 - A primitive root, to redeem (according to the Oriental law of kinship), that is, to be the next of kin (and as such to buy back a relative’s property, marry his widow, etc.).

First usage of the word is found in Genesis 48:16 - where Jacob/Israel affirms that he was redeemed from all evil.  Exodus 6:6 - God affirms that HE redeemed Israel from Egyptian bondage.

Psalm 19:14 - Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Psalm 119:154 - Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word.

Used only 1 time in Proverbs:

23:11 - For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.

Total usages 104x in 84 verses.  Used 21 times in 10 verses in the Book of Ruth.

I had to chuckle...out of 10 verses, it would have to be in each one about twice, right?  LOL...not.  The verse with the most usages is:


Rth 4:4  And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.

Yet he does not...he was not a true kinsman.  I did a bit of research on Kinsman Redeemer while going through the Book of Ruth which you can find here.

Isa 35:10  And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

ransomed - H6299 - A primitive root; to sever, that is, ransom; generally to release, preserve.

Also translated as redeemed - used 3x in the first usage of the word in Exodus 13:13 -

Rescued in 1 Samuel 14:15.

Interestingly there are double H6299 H6299 in some passages.

In Job 33:28 translated as deliver.

Psalm 49:7 - None of them can by any means (H6299) redeem (H6299) his brother, nor give God a ransom for him:

I liked this one:  I will ransom them from the power of the grave, I will redeem (H1350) them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.  (Hosea 13:14)

Day 203-11

Isa 25:8  He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

Day 202-11

When O Lord, when?  Jews only, or chosen people?


Isa 11:11  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 

Isa 14:2  And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors. 

Say what?

Isa 14:23  I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.

besom - H4292 - Apparently a denominative from H2916; a broom (as removing dirt (compare English ‘to dust’, that is, remove dust)).

Used only 1x...

• H2916 - From an unused root meaning apparently to be sticky (rather perhaps a denominative from H2894, through the idea of dirt to be swept away); mud or clay; figuratively calamity.

Isa 14:26  This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. 

Purpose is...?

Gill:  This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth, &c. Or, "counsel that is counselled". The Targum is, 

"all the inhabitants of the earth;'' 

and the Septuagint version, "the whole world", meaning the Assyrian empire, and all states depending on it; as the Roman empire is called, Luk_2:1 for this purpose respects not the end of the world, and the judgment of it at the last day, as some have thought; but the preceding prophecy, purpose, or counsel, concerning breaking and trampling under foot the Assyrians, and delivering the Jews from subjection to them...

Has this already taken place?

Day 201-11

Isa 20:2  At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.

Naked?  Literally?

Gill:  and he did so, walking naked and barefoot; Kimchi thinks this was only visionally, or in the vision of prophecy, as he calls it, and not in reality; but the latter seems most probable, and best to agree with what follows; for he was obedient to the divine command, not regarding the disgrace which might attend it, nor the danger of catching cold, to which he was exposed; and hence he has the character of a servant of the Lord, in the next words, and a faithful obedient one he was.

When will the remnant of the Jews be saved?

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.  For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.  (Isaiah 10:20-22)

Day 200-11

Flying serpent, same as seraphim?


Isa 14:29  Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.

Day 199-11

Hos 13:9  O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.

When O Lord?


Hos 13:10  I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes?

What does that mean?  Literally?  Figuratively?

2Ki 17:23  Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.

Day 198-11

Hos 10:12  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.

Could this be said about the United States?

Hos 10:13  Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men. 

Day 197-11

They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened.  In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners.  For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire.  They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges; all their kings are fallen: there is none among them that calleth unto me.  Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned.  (Hosea 7:4-8)

Day 196-11

2Ki 18:4  He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

Nehushtan - H5180 - From H5178; something made of copper, that is, the copper serpent of the Desert.

• H5178 - For H5154; copper; hence, something made of that metal, that is, coin, a fetter; figuratively base (as compared with gold or silver).
• H5154 - Feminine of H5153; copper.
• H5153 - Apparently passive participle of H5172 (perhaps in the sense of ringing, that is, bell metal; or from the red color of the throat of a serpent (H5175, as denominative) when hissing); coppery, that is, (figuratively) hard.

Intriguing, H5180 is only used 1x in all of Scripture (well, in Hebrew = Old Testament).

Mic 3:1  And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment? 

Interestingly this was in the *Judah* column, and I misread Jacob as Judah and was pondering that Micah spoke to both kingdoms...then realized it said Jacob and Israel.  So now my question becomes...to whom was Micah sent?  The northern or southern kingdom or both?

Backtracking...

Mic 1:1  The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. 

Samaria was in Israel (northern kingdom) and Jerusalem was in Judah (southern kingdom).

Mic 1:5  For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem? 

Jacob is considered Israel, so does that equal out to just the northern kingdom?

Micah seems to be prophesying against both:

Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof.  And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.  Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls.   (Micah 1:6-8)

Mic 1:9  For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem. 

I went to my Word Study Book to see if it had an intro into Micah which would give me information one way or another.  It holds that Micah was contemporary with Isaiah, prophesying about the same time to the southern kingdom (Judah).  It also compared him to Amos, both speaking out strongly against immorality, social injustices and the oppression of the poor by the rich.

Tried another resource I had, Through the Bible Book by Book, authored by Myer Peralman and enjoyed the information he had on Micah...and lo and behold, it is available online!  So for those who would like a little more information (all of his overviews are brief), check out this link.

I particularly liked this:

(a) Universal administration. "The mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains."

(b) Universal visitation. "The people shall flow into it."

(c) Universal education. "He will teach us of His ways."

(d) Universal legislation. "The law shall go forth from Zion."

(e) Universal evangelization. "The word of the Lord from Jerusalem."

(f) Universal pacification. "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation.

(g) Universal adoration. "We will walk in the name of our God."

(h) Universal restoration. "And I will make her that halted a remnant; and her that was cast off a strong nation."

(i) Universal coronation. "And the Lord shall reign over them."

I find that comforting and encouraging.  The reminder is that no matter what is going on in whatever land Father has providentially placed us, we are to continually look for HIS coming and return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Which put me in mind of this verse:

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.  (Hebrews 10:25)

Day 195-11

Hos 6:6  For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

I have always enjoyed this verse...in my mind it balances how man *tries* to use works to be right with God, versus the internal regeneration that happens at the moment of justification, giving one the ability to truly offer mercy and to desire the knowledge of God.

desired - H2654 - A primitive root; properly to incline to; by implication (literally but rarely) to bend; figuratively to be pleased with, desire.

Used 76 times in 72 verses - First used in Genesis 34:19 - of Shechem and the delight he had in Jacob's daughter.

Ezekiel 18:23 - Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God; and not that he should return from his ways, and live.

Ahhh...and a companion verse from Psalms:

Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. (40:6)

The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it withersoever he will.

mercy - H2617 - From H2616; kindness; by implication (towards God) piety; rarely (by opprobrium) reproof, or (subjectively) beauty.

• H2616 - A primitive root; properly perhaps to bow (the neck only (compare H2603) in courtesy to an equal), that is, to be kind; also (by euphemism (compare H1288), but rarely) to reprove.

sacrifice - H2077 - From H2076; properly a slaughter, that is, the flesh of an animal; by implication a sacrifice (the victim or the act).

• H2076 - A primitive root; to slaughter an animal (usually in sacrifice).

knowledge - H1847 - From H3045; knowledge.

burnt offerings - H5930 - Feminine active participle of H5927; a step or (collectively stairs, as ascending); usually a holocaust (as going up in smoke).

I was feeling slightly lazy...and did not research each of the words listed above.  **sigh** Prayers appreciated.

My thoughts on the next verse?  Dangerous!

2Ch 30:10  So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them.

Then I highlighted the tribes which DID decide to be obedient.

Asher

Manasseh

Zebulun

Ephraim

Issachar

Though some came without being properly purified (2 Chronicles 30:19), Hezekiah prayed "The good Lord pardon every one."

And...

And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.  (2 Chronicles 30:20)

healed - H7495 - A primitive root; properly to mend (by stitching), that is, (figuratively) to cure.

Used of God healing Abimelech (after Abraham prayed); translated physicians (embalmed Jacob/Israel); when Elisha put salt in the water it was healed; and used in my life verse:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.  (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Day 194-11

2Ch 28:23  For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. 

Intriguing.  They have the true God to worship, help and defend them, yet they turn to the *gods* of those who which smote them. 

Those chosen of God have such a rich history of God and HIS impact and deliverance, yet when difficulties and trials beset, where did they turn?  Where do we?

Could or can we be as guilty of relying on something or someone other than the Lord?  O' Father, search the hearts of Your people, show us where we transgress in trusting in our own strength or abilities.

Gill's commentary on the verse:

For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him,.... As he foolishly imagined, that they might do him no more hurt; as it is said of the Indians, that they worship the devil, that he may not hurt them; but that a king of Judah should do this is monstrous stupidity; rather therefore the meaning may be, that he worshipped the gods of those that smote him, those of the men or soldiers of Damascus (m) see 2Ch_28:5 for the Spirit of God would never ascribe the smiting of him to idols, though he himself might: 

and he said, because the gods of the kings of Syria help them; which looks as if this was before Damascus was taken by the king of Assyria, and when Rezin king of Syria prevailed over Ahaz: 

therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me; against the Edomites and Philistines; wherefore rather to this, his idolatry, respect is had in 2Ch_28:22, 

but they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel; the worship of them was the cause of all the calamities that came upon that part of Israel of which he was king.

Henry's commentary:   (3.) He cast off God himself; for he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus (2Ch_28:23), not because he loved them, for he thought they smote him; but because he feared them, thinking that they helped his enemies, and that, if he could bring them into his interest, they would help him. Foolish man! It was his own God that smote him and strengthened the Syrians against him, not the gods of Damascus; had he sacrificed to him, and to him only, he would have helped him. But no marvel that men's affections and devotions are misplaced when they mistake the author of their trouble and their help. And what comes of it? The gods of Syria befriend Ahaz no more than the kings of Assyria did; they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. This sin provoked God to bring judgments upon them, to cut him off in the midst of his days, when he was but thirty-six years old; and it debauched the people so that the reformation of the next reign could not prevail to cure them of their inclination to idolatry, but they retained that root of bitterness till the captivity in Babylon plucked it up.

The words wine and strong drink captured my attention in the next verse:

Isa 28:7  But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. 

And made me think of this passage:

This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;  Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;  One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;  (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.  (1 Timothy 3:1-6)

And while I was searching, this one came up...Luk 1:15  For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

This one intrigued me:

Isa 28:20  For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it. 

I appreciated Gill's commentary on this:

For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it,.... When a bed is short, a man cannot lie at his full length, and at ease: 

and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it; when the bedclothes are narrow a man cannot cover himself with them, so as to be warm and comfortable. These proverbial expressions are interpreted by Kimchi of Jerusalem, when besieged by the Assyrian army, when the inhabitants of it were much straitened, distressed, and made uncomfortable; perhaps it may be better understood of the same city when besieged by the Romans, to which the Jews flocked from all parts, in such numbers, for shelter, that there was not room enough for them, at least not provision, and which was the cause of that great distress and miserable condition they were reduced to: in general, the design of the words may be to show that all refuges and shelters, all means made use of for safety and protection, by which they endeavoured to cover and secure themselves, would be insufficient; and particularly such that laid themselves at ease on the bed of their own righteousness, not submitting to Christ and his righteousness, and covered themselves with the rags of their own doings, and not with the garments of his salvation, would find themselves in a very uncomfortable and unsafe state.

Specifically liked the application to those who trust in something other than Christ.  Works based religion versus the grace of God.

Day 193-11

Isa 1:2  Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

By far I liked Keil and Delitzsch's commentary on the above verse.  However, it is quite lengthy, if you are using E-Sword and have their commentary download, it is an interesting read.  If not, you can view it here, you will have to scroll down to their section.

I appreciate the comments made about hear and give ear and decided to track back to the Hebrew.  I am guessing that hear is shema, give ear...I do not know, yet.

Hear -H8085 - A primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively to tell, etc.)

I was correct on the word, just not the spelling!  :-)

Used 1158 times in 1072 verses.  Whoa...quite a bit there.  Hmmm...perhaps a sampling or two?

First usage was when Adam and Eve heard the voice of God in the garden (Genesis 3:8).  Exodus 2:15 used of Pharoah hearing about Moses slaying the Egyptian.  Moses heard the voice of one speaking from off of the mercy seat (Numbers 7:89).

I had to chuckle at this one - Joshua 1:17 - the people state they will harken unto Joshua just like they did Moses (hmmm, yeah, right).

Naomi heard that the Lord had visited His people, giving them bread.  (Ruth 1:6)  Nehemiah weeps when he hears the condition of Jerusalem.  (Nehemiah 1:4)

Psalm 4:1 - Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

A wise man will hear and increase in learning (Proverbs 1:5). Jeremiah exhorts the house of Jacob  and the families of the house of Israel to hear the word of the Lord (Jeremiah 2:4).  Melzar, the eunuch in charge of Daniel and his companions, consented to their request to have different food (Daniel 1:14).

Hosea (4:1) exhorts the people to hear the Word of the Lord, for HE has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.  God heard Jonah's voice, from the belly of the fish (Jonah 2:2).

And a delicious one to savor:

Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.  (Malachi 3:16)

give ear - H238 - A primitive root; probably to expand; but used only as a denominative from H241; to broaden out the ear (with the hand), that is, (by implication) to listen.

Used 42 times in 42 verses...still browsing and sharing:

Lamech tells his wives to hearken unto him (Genesis 4:23).  Israel could forgo the diseases which came upon Egypt if they would but give ear.  The Lord would not give ear to the people and their weeping (Deuteronomy 1:45).  Nehemiah speaks of how the people did not give ear and suffered for their rebellion (Nehemiah 9:30).  David entreats the Lord to give ear to his words and consider his meditation (Psalm 5:1).

Isa 1:6  From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.

putrifying sores - ugh!

putrifying - H2961 - From an unused root apparently meaning to be moist; properly dripping; hence fresh (that is, recently made such).

Used 2 times!  Of the new jawbone that Samson used.  That is an interesting thought.  moist, fresh.  Intriguing.

sores - H4347 - (Plural only) from H5221; a blow (in 2Ch_2:10, of the flail); by implication a wound; figuratively carnage, also pestilence.

Used 48 times in 46 verses...let's see what we have with this one.  The Lord threatens to bring seven more plagues upon Israel if they walk contrary to Him (Leviticus 26:21).

The Lord slaughtered the Amorites (Joshua 10:10).  Ahab was wounded in battle (1 Kings 22:35).  Wheat beaten in 2 Chronicles 2:10.  The Jews smote all their enemies with a stroke of the sword (Esther 9:5).

I liked this one:

Pro 20:30  The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly.

Isa 1:8  And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. 

A garden of cucumbers...Gill:

As a lodge in a garden of cucumbers: the Targum adds here also, 

"after they have gathered them out of it.'' 

A lodge in a garden of cucumbers was built up for the gardener to watch in at night, that nobody came and stole away the cucumbers, and this was also a lonely place; but when the cucumbers were gathered, the gardener left his lodge entirely; and such a forsaken place would Jerusalem be at the time of its destruction; see Luk_19:43. 

This verse made me think...isn't this a song?

Isa 1:18  Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 

Though this is not the song I was thinking of, I enjoyed the (brrr) wintry pictures.

I am heartily grateful for the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ, which sought me while I was a an enemy, purchased me by the sinless blood of the Lamb, and continually washes me in HIS Word.  Desires to make me fit and holy for HIS purposes.  Calls me HIS own.  What a wonderful savior.

Day 192-11

Psa 50:21  These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.

I initially took this verse to be a rebuke for attempting to see God as on the same level/ability as man.  Gill's take on it:

These things hast thou done,.... "These evil works", as the Targum; which they had done over and over again without remorse, with the greatest pleasure, and with promises of impunity to themselves. This is a confirmation of the charge made by the omniscient God, who saw and knew all their actions; 

and I kept silence; spoke not by terrible things in righteousness, deferred the execution of judgment, exercised forbearance and patience, and gave space to repent; which being despised, they were hardened yet more and more in sin; see Ecc_8:11. This refers to the space of time between the crucifixion of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem; 

thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself; either that he did not see the things committed by them in secret, as the things before mentioned, theft, adultery, slander, and detraction, commonly are; because they could not see such actions done by others: or that he took pleasure in them, as they did, and that he approved of their crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, and of their contempt of his Gospel, and of the persecution of his followers; 

but I will reprove thee: not verbally by the ministry of the word, much less effectually and savingly by his Spirit; nor in a way of fatherly correction and chastisement; but by sore judgments; by sending the Roman armies to burn their city and temple, and carry them captive; 

and set them in order before thine eyes; that is, their sins, and thereby fully confute their vain imagination, that either he did not take notice of them, or else approved of them. This signifies a formal process against them, as in a court of judicature; bringing in a regular charge and accusation against them, and an orderly disposition of their sins, as to time, place, and circumstances, committed by them, and a strong evidence or thorough conviction of them, so as not to be denied and gainsaid by them: or a setting them in battle array, as in Job_6:4; in rank and file; sins being what war against men, and bring upon them utter ruin and destruction; as the sins of the Jews fought against them, and destroyed them; see Jer_2:19.

K&D:

The sinner thinks otherwise: God is like himself, i.e., that is also not accounted by God as sin, which he allows himself to do under the cloak of his dead knowledge. For just as a man is in himself, such is his conception also of his God (vid., Psa_18:26.). But God will not encourage this foolish idea: “I will therefore reprove thee and set (it) in order before thine eyes” (וְאֶֽעֶרְכָה, not ואערכֶהָ, in order to give expression, the second time at least, to the mood, the form of which has been obliterated by the suffix); He will set before the eyes of the sinner, who practically and also in theory denies the divine holiness, the real state of his heart and life, so that he shall be terrified at it. Instead of הָיֹה, the infin. intensit. here, under the influence of the close connection of the clauses (Ew. §240, c), is הֱיֹות; the oratio obliqua begins with it, without כִּי (quod). כָמֹוךָ exactly corresponds to the German deines Gleichen, thine equal.

Isa 17:10  Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips: 

Strange slips?  Gill:  and shall set it with strange slips; with foreign ones, such as are brought from other countries, and are scarce and dear, and highly valued; and by "plants" and "slips" may be meant false and foreign doctrines, inculcating idolatry and superstition, which are pleasing to the flesh (u). 

JFB:  strange slips — cuttings of plants from far, and therefore valuable.

Isa 17:12  Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! 

Isa 17:13  The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.

rushing - H7588 - From H7582; uproar (as of rushing); by implication destruction.

• H7582 - A primitive root; to rush; by implication to desolate.

Used 18 times in 16 verses.  A few samplings:

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.  (Psalm 40:2)

Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.  (Psalm 65:7)

Forget not the voice of thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually.  (Psalm 74:23)

Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. (Isaiah 5:14)

The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.  (Isaiah 13:4)

A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.  (Jeremiah 25:31)

Day 191-11

Day 190-11

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  (Isaiah 9:6)

Wonderful - H6382 - From H6381; a miracle.

• H6381 - A primitive root; properly perhaps to separate, that is, distinguish (literally or figuratively); by implication to be (causatively make) great, difficult, wonderful.

Used 13 times in 13 verses.  First usage in Exodus 15:11 of God doing wonders, in Psalms of remembering the wonders of old done by God, His marvelous things, the heavens praising His wonders.  I liked this one:

O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. (Isaiah 25:1)

Counsellor - H3289 -A primitive root; to advise; reflexively to deliberate or resolve.

Used 80 times in 74 verses.  Hmmm...first used by Moses' father-in-law to exhort Moses to listen to his counsel.  Last usage in Habakkuk 2:10.  It really is worth looking up words to see what they mean and how they are used.  This is one example of how words are translated, but can have different origins:

2Ch 10:8  But he forsook H5800 (H853) the counsel H6098 which H834 the old men H2205 gave H3289 him, and took counsel H3289 with H854 the young men H3206 that H834 were brought up H1431 with H854 him, that stood H5975 before H6440 him. 

Mighty H1368 God H410 - H1368 - Intensive from the same as H1397; powerful; by implication warrior, tyrant.

H410 - Shortened from H352; strength; as adjective mighty; especially the Almighty (but used also of any deity).

The phrase mighty God is used in 9 verses.  A sampling:

Gen 49:24  But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)

Deu 7:21  Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.

Isa 10:21  The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.  (Prophecy fulfilled?  I don't think so...not yet.)

Jer 32:18  Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name,

Everlasting H5703 Father H1 - H5703 - From H5710; properly a (peremptory) terminus, that is, (by implication) duration, in the sense of perpetuity (substantially as a noun, either with or without a preposition).

• H5710 - A primitive root; to advance, that is, pass on or continue; causatively to remove; specifically to bedeck (that is, bring an ornament upon).

H1 - A primitive word; father in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application.

The phrase everlasting father is used only 1 time.

Prince H8269 of Peace H7965 - H8269 - From H8323; a head person (of any rank or class).

• H8323 - A primitive root; to have (transitively exercise; reflexively get) dominion.

H7965 - From H7999; safe, that is, (figuratively) well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, that is, health, prosperity, peace.

• H7999 - A primitive root; to be safe (in mind, body or estate); figuratively to be (causatively make) completed; by implication to be friendly; by extension to reciprocate (in various applications).

Prince of peace only used 1 time also.

May the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the only counselor, who is and was and always will be wonderful in every attribute, the Prince of Peace surround, infuse, indwell, guide and direct you this day.  May you ever live to honor, glory, reverence and respect HIM in all areas of your life.  May HIS praise and glory be continually upon Your heart and mind.  May His peace flood and surround you like a river.

Day 189-11