Weekly Bible Studies Archives - Page 8 of 11 - Fellowship Church of Winter Springs

Bible Study-43 (Deuteronomy 7-11)

The Bible section for this week contains some interesting revelations about God, His people and His land. I will start with His land.

If we return to the book of Genesis and with God’s interactions with Abraham, it is evident that God chose the Land before He chose the people, i.e., Abraham. He commanded Abraham to go where He would show him. God brought Abraham to the area that we know today as Israel. Therefore, we conclude that the Land itself has special significance to God and to His plan of redemption. God described the Land as:

“a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year.” (Deuteronomy 11:12)

The word translated as “cares” means: to go to a place, to frequent it, to trample with the feet. So we might say that God walks about in the land of Israel. When you have the privilege to visit Israel you will most probably note this if you are a discerning person.

Moses declared that if Israel would keep the commandments and the statutes and the judgments that God would “love you and bless you and multiply you”. (Deuteronomy 7:13a). We might say today that this would define a “biblical” lifestyle. Our Israeli friends would, I suppose, call it a “Torah” lifestyle. At any rate it is a lifestyle whose fruit is produced over a lifetime, i.e., not instantaneously. Such a lifestyle produces fulfillment, contentment, success and the feeling of accomplishment. In contrast to this is a “worldly” or a “sinful” lifestyle. The “worldly” lifestyle produces instant fun and is exhilarating but eventually produces death in one form or another. The lifetime result of such a lifestyle is death. Hollywood always portrays the exhilaration of sin but seldom portrays the death that follows.

God warned Israel to destroy all of the false gods of the Canaanites as they took possession of the Land. (Deuteronomy 7:25-26) The Holy One of Israel was in the midst of Israel revealing His nature not only to Israel but to the whole world. Idols represent man’s concept of god and therefore are wholly inadequate representations of the true God. Therefore they are to be destroyed. In the Biblical era, idols were made of such things as stone, wood, silver and gold. They were material objects. Today, idols are philosophical or intellectually devised and are therefore more difficult to discern. Our challenge today is to discard intellectually devised gods and experience or know the name of the one true God. The Hebrew verb translated as “know” is Yadah and it means much more than an intellectual knowledge. It means to experience firsthand. Everyone who experiences the true God in this manner is transformed. Frequently, in the Biblical era, a person’s name was changed as a result of such an encounter with God.

Finally, from time to time as we study the Bible, we discover a summarization of God’s commandments. One such summary is recorded here:

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13) And, “Circumcise then your heart, and stiffen your neck no more.” (Deuteronomy 10:16)

This reminds us of Psalms 15, Micah 6:8 and Mark 12:28-31. In contrast to many exhortations heard today, Moses later emphasized that these things were not too difficult for us to do (please see Deuteronomy 30:11-14).

After the original settlement in the land, the people of Israel remained for about 800 years. In this period of time, God acted through the Hebrew prophets to reveal His plan of redemption. As a result of the failure of the people to follow the commandments of the Lord, the people of Israel were separated from the land of Israel. However, the promise of the ingathering of the people to the land was repeated by virtually every prophet. That fulfillment has been happening during our lifetime.

From the late 1800’s the Jewish people have returned to the land of Israel and established settlements there. This is one of the most important fulfillments of Bible prophecy in the modern era. The land was formerly dominated by Islam and Moslems has struggled to retard Jewish immigration and to eliminate those already living in the land. Traditionally the U.S. has been supportive of Israel or, at least, neutral in this struggle. Today, that policy has changed. The present nuclear deal with Iran insures that Iran obtains nuclear capability. They have repeatedly vowed to destroy Israel. The U.S. has become complicit in an effort to destroy Israel.

In order to understand this struggle, please see my recent book entitled “Israel: God’s Interdimensional Portal” available at Amazon. Note, in particular, chapter 3 entitled “The Oldest War”.

By Ken Garrison, B.S., M.S., Th.M.

Bible Study-42 (Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11)

In this Torah section, Moses rehearses the encounter between God and Israel at Mt. Sinai. Here we learn about the intent of God concerning the commandments. If Israel obeyed His commandments it would make them “wise”. They would prosper and live long lives in the land that He was giving to them.

God declared,

“You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that) you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2)

It appears to me that both Israel and the Church have ignored this commandment. In Israel, the Oral Tradition evolved as an interpretative body of work of the commandments. This was eventually written in the form of the Mishnah. Commentaries were added to the Mishnah to form the Talmud. For all practical purposes, these added to the commandments by being more restrictive than the original commandments.

In Christianity, it is acceptable to simply ignore any commandment which does not fit into Christian theology. One of the best examples of this is Shabbat. The Shabbat as well as others of the Lord’s festivals (Leviticus 23:37) are ignored and new festivals have been developed in their place.

The commandments define a lifestyle which is pleasing to the Lord. We might call it a “Biblical Lifestyle”. In Israel this would be seen as a “Torah Lifestyle”. Christianity denies the use of the word “Torah”, so it would be called a “Biblical Lifestyle”. God declared that this is wisdom.

“So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’” (Deuteronomy 4:6)

In the animal kingdom, the creatures act for their own survival and well-being. This is classified as instinct. I believe what we call instinct is God speaking directly to animals. This process is confused in mankind due to the confusion introduced at the time of the fall. This confusing communication comes from the evil one who challenges every commandment given by God. The Torah becomes our “instinct”. As we live lives in the pattern of Torah, we appear to be wise because we are following the pattern defined by God consistent with His original design for human existence. There is a multiplication of knowledge today, but wisdom is a rare commodity.

At Mt. Sinai, Israel was fearful due to the awesome presence of the Lord on the mountain. Each heard God speak what we call the “ten commandments”. I believe that they each experienced the same phenomena later experienced by Elijah at this same place – the small, silent voice of the Lord. As a result, they feared for their survival and asked Moses to interact directly with the Lord on their behalf. Moses assumed the position of Messiah, effectively interacting with God on behalf of the people. He was a Messiah.

“All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. Then they said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.’” (Exodus 20:18-19)

God heard their request and declared that they had done well.

“The Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken.” (Deuteronomy 5:28)

Finally, one of my favorite activities is to speculate about the nature of heaven.

“And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the very heart of the heavens; darkness, cloud and thick gloom. Then the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form – only a voice.” (Deuteronomy 4:11-12)

“Out of the heavens He let you hear His voice to discipline you; and on earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire.” (Deuteronomy 4:36)

If we think of heaven as a multi-dimensional universe distinct from the space-time continuum, then this event reveals a coupling of these two universes at Mt. Sinai. Note the term, “to the very heart of heaven”. This means something like “deep within the region of heaven”. Israel experienced this at Mt. Sinai and recorded it. Please see my book “Israel – God’s Interdimensional Portal” (available at Amazon) for more development of this subject.

By Ken Garrison, B.S., M.S., Th.M.

Bible Study-41 (Deuteronomy 1:1-7:11)

I will continue my discussion of the books of Moses this week. Included in this section is some revelation concerning the connection between heaven and earth. I have developed this theme in my book “Israel – God’s Interdimensional Portal“ available at Amazon.

The Book of Deuteronomy (Hebrew “Devarim”) was recited to Israel on Mt. Nebo just before Israel entered the land. Moses’ work in this age has been completed. Joshua would lead Israel into the Promised Land. Since the specific date was given, the 1st day of the 11th month of the 40th year, it would be only 70 days before Israel crossed the Jordan River and began the conquest.

God commanded Israel to “go in and possess” the land. To do this they would have to dispossess the Canaanites who were already there. Moses declared,

“Do not fear them, for the Lord your God is the one fighting for you.”

God would do this by,

“This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples everywhere under the heavens, who, when they hear of you, shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.” (Deuteronomy 2:25)

God would also harden their hearts as He had done to Sihon, king of Heshbon (Deuteronomy 2:30). Finally, we know from the book of Joshua that God entered the battle directly as needed. I believe that these commands are as applicable today as they were when Moses spoke them.

God declared,

“You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2)

The commandments define a lifestyle which is pleasing to the Lord. We might call it a “Biblical Lifestyle”. In Israel this would be seen as a “Torah Lifestyle”. Christianity denies the use of the word “Torah” so it would be called a “Biblical Lifestyle”. God declared that this is wisdom.

“So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’” (Deuteronomy 4:6)

In the animal kingdom, the creatures act for their own survival and well-being. This is classified as instinct. I believe what we call instinct is God speaking directly to animals. This process is confused in mankind due to the confusion introduced at the time of the fall. This is really communication from the evil one who challenges every commandment given by God. The Torah becomes our “instinct”. As we live lives in the pattern of Torah, we appear to be wise because we are following the pattern defined by God consistent with His original design for human existence.

Finally, one of my favorite activities is to speculate about the nature of heaven.

“And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the very heart of the heavens; darkness, cloud and thick gloom. Then the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form – only a voice.” (Deuteronomy 4:11-12)

If we think of heaven as a multi-dimensional universe distinct from the space-time continuum, than this event reveals a coupling of these two universes at Mt. Sinai. Note the term, “to the very heart of heaven”. This means something like “deep within the region of heaven”. Israel experienced this at Mt. Sinai and it is recorded. Please see “Israel – God’s Interdimensional Portal” for more discussion on this subject.

We could add discussions about the beginning of the office of Messiah (Deuteronomy 5:22-28), the Shema and following commandment quoted by Jesus (Mark 12:29-30) and the origin of the use of “Tifillim”. But I will save that for another day.

By Ken Garrison, B.S., M.S., Th.M.

Bible Study-40 (Numbers 30-36)

At the close of the account given in Numbers, Israel has spent 38 ½ years wandering about in the wilderness. This resulted from their unbelief in response to the majority report brought by the spies which had entered the land. That generation had died off and a new generation was prepared to enter the Promised Land. Moses was nearing the end of his ministry and gave his parting exhortation in what we know as the book of Deuteronomy.

As Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, God instructed Moses saying,

“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images and demolish all their high places;…” (Numbers 33:51-52)

And,

“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land in which you live. And it shall come about that as I plan to do to them, so I will do to you.” (Numbers 33:55-56)

Of course, Israel failed in this commandment and God’s judgment fell upon them. This dominated Israel’s history for about 800 years during the First Kingdom Era (~ 1447 – 586 BC/BCE). Do you suppose that this could still be a problem in Israel?

Representatives of the tribes of Reuben and Gad (and evidently a portion of the tribe of Manasseh) sought Moses and requested to receive their inheritance on the East Bank of the Jordan River. Moses interpreted their petition as rebellion in the likeness of that of the spies that had brought an evil report earlier in the journey. It appears that Moses reluctantly agreed to their request with the provision that the armed men from these tribes cross over the river with the others and participate in the battle to conquer the land.

The conduct of these tribes demonstrates an important truth that we need to comprehend. Reuben, Gad and portions of the tribe of Manasseh saw what they wanted and went for it. They obviously were not seeing themselves in terms of God’s greater plan. They could find everything that they thought they needed on the East Bank of the Jordan but God’s plan was for all the tribes to conquer and inhabit the land between the Jordan and the western sea. This was the land that God had chosen for His redemptive purposes and was first identified as such to Abraham some 600 years earlier. (Note! Please see my new book – “Israel: God’s Interdimensional Portal” for a discussion of why this area is so important to God’s plan – available at Amazon.) Israel, at least these tribes, had little understanding of a greater plan or they simply didn’t care.

Many believers today have done the same thing. Sometimes they are referred to as “carnal Christians”. I don’t believe this is a Biblical concept; nevertheless, I hear the expression used today. I believe that God has a specific plan for each believer who confesses that Jesus is Lord and for each local congregation that makes the same confession. Unfortunately, many are grazing their cattle on the hills of Gilead rather than living a bold, fruitful life on the mountains of Israel. They can see God’s will from a distance but are not really entering into it. This is also true of many of our Jewish brethren. The settlements of Reuben, Gad and portions of the tribe of Manasseh are in America today. Israel can be seen at a distance through Arutz Sheva or the Jerusalem Post, yet most are not fully engaged in the redemption process that is taking place in the land of Israel.

Over hundreds of years, the tribes who received their inheritance on the East Bank of the Jordan appear to have become less and less significant in terms of Biblical revelation. The main prophetic, priestly and royal lines would come through their brethren to the West specifically from the tribes of Judah and Levi. In other words, Reuben, Gad and portions of the tribe of Manasseh had an opportunity to be participants in the most important events in human history but settled for something far less significant.

Are we doing the same thing today? Are we just looking for plush pastures for our cattle or are we seeking to understand and do God’s will? A famous rabbi once said,

“My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish his work.” (John 4:34b).

By Ken Garrison, B.S., M.S., Th.M.

Bible Study-39 (Numbers 25-29)

Rather than focusing on the account of Pinchas in Numbers 25, I would like to reflect on the related Scripture recorded in I Kings 18 and 19. This is the account of Elijah fleeing to Mount Sinai while being pursued by Jezebel. We think of Elijah as an awesome and fearless prophet of God, but we see that he possessed very common human traits.

After the powerful confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel, he was threatened by Jezebel, wife of King Ahab. Now we tend to expect our hero to stand up to this threat, but, instead, he ran for his life. Later James would write that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours (James 5:17). This we understand all too well. Indeed, Elijah ran something like 200 miles south to Mt. Sinai. We recall the Word of the Lord to Joshua ben Nun saying;

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

Evidently, Elijah had forgotten this exhortation. Nevertheless, Elijah was sustained by angels along the way so we know that the Lord had not deserted him.

Eventually, Elijah arrived at Mt. Sinai. At this point, the Word of God came to the mighty prophet; words that I’m sure he did not want to hear. God asked His prophet, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah’s excuses did not satisfy the Lord, yet, we see that God’s grace was still extended to him. He commanded him to “Go forth and stand on the mountain”. God would reveal Himself to Elijah in a very important way.
We know the account concerning the “great and strong wind”. After the wind, an earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire. These are some of the manifestations which had occurred at Mt. Sinai some 700 years earlier when God revealed Himself to Israel in the days of Moses. Yet now, God was not in any of these manifestations. At this point Elijah heard what is translated as a “sound of a gentle blowing”. Another version translated it as a “still small voice”. The Hebrew expression is still more instructive – “kol demamah dekah” or a “small, silent voice”. This was the Word of God in the heart of Elijah. Again, God asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah’s career in this space-time frame was ending. He was commanded to anoint the next generation of leadership; Hazael in Damascus, Jehu ben Nimshi in Israel and Elisha as a prophet in his place. But his earthly ministry was ending. We are not told if this was due to his fear of Jezebel or perhaps his incorrect assessment of his countrymen in that he thought he was the sole remaining man faithful to God in Israel. Whatever the case, his career was ending.

Yet, God had a place for Him in the future. God declared to Malachi,

“Behold, I am going to send to you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” (Malachi 4:5)

We read in the Gospels the account where Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus and revealed God’s plan for His death in Jerusalem. I expect to see Elijah functioning in an awesome way when the Kingdom of God is finally established.

This should bring hope to each of us who are aware of our human shortcomings. God’s mercy still prevails in spite of our weaknesses. We have a hope for the future. Paul wrote,

“If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” (I Corinthians 15:19)

The Psalmist wrote,

“Before the Lord, for He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth, He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.” (Psalm 96:13)

God will yet rule (judge) over the “unruly” human community.

Bible Study-43 (Deuteronomy 7-11)

Bible Study-42 (Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11)

Bible Study-41 (Deuteronomy 1:1-7:11)

Bible Study-40 (Numbers 30-36)

Bible Study-39 (Numbers 25-29)

Who We Are

Connect with Us

Looking for something?