Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
By reading these Old Testament chapters, we see justice of God and we see that God has a plan and executes that plan. When it suits God, HE will raise up someone to cause HIS plan to come to pass.
And we see that what we do in this life matters.
When they did right in the sight of God, they were blessed by God.
When they did wrong in the sight of God,
justice came, though it might not come to them immediately. But it did
come. By this we can see the truth of the following which was spoken by
the apostle Paul.
Romans 12 ... 17 Recompense to
no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all
men. 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place
unto wrath:for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the
Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give
him drink:for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
These OT scriptures give us an inner understanding that God will judge the wrong doing. We have peace when we know this.
We see so many examples in these OT passages of God dealing with the wrong that was done and how God dealt with the wrong.
God will deal with the wrong done. These passages clearly show us this.
I Cor. 10 ...
11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples:and they are
written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
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Here
is a brief outline which is helpful in understanding the nation of the children of Israel. (and later the kings of the people of God)
Abraham, his son Isaac, and Isaac's son Jacob who bore the 12 sons who were the 12 tribes of Israel...
Jacob (renamed Israel by God):
Leah: Reuben
Simeon
Levi
Judah
Issachar
Zebulun
Zilpha: (Leah's maid)
Gad
Asher
Rachel: Joseph
Benjamin
Bilhahi: (Rachel's maid)
Dan
Naphtali
Rachel was the great love of Jacob's life. Jacob was deceived into marrying her older sister Leah so Jacob had two wives, Leah and then Rachel ... (this was common practice in OT.)
Men had multiple wives and concubines but women never had multiple
husbands (while the husband was living) unless they were harlots. So
long as their husband lived they had one husband and sex with one man
unless forced against their will into sex with another. (NT men were to have one wife and women were to have one husband until death of that husband... Read: Divorce/remarriage: What the Bible teaches)
Rachel
was barren. So she gave her maid to Jacob so she could have child by
her maid. The maid had two children. (see above chart)
Leah had 4 sons, then she gave her maid to Jacob. The maid had 2 sons by Jacob. Then Leah had 2 more sons.
After
many children were born by the other women, God opened Rachel's womb
and she had her first son Joseph. Then as they traveled, Rachel had her
second son, Benjamin. And Rachel died in childbirth. (Jacob, renamed Israel by God, loved these two sons for they were by Rachel, his love.)
When Jacob (Israel) returned by the word of God, to Esau's land, Jacob was greatly afraid for Esau had planned to kill Jacob before he fled. Now God has told him to return. When he grouped the people, he put Rachel and Joseph at the back of the group (Benjamin was not yet born), thinking if Esau attacked them, he might kill the ones in front but maybe not those in back. This showed how much he favored Rachel and Joseph. (and later Benjamin)
Thus we have the 12 tribes of Israel ... sons of Jacob who was renamed Israel by God.
Leah: 6 sons
Zilpha: 2 sons
Rachel: 2 sons
Bilhahi: 2 sons
If
you have ever seen a family where there are 1/2 brothers, you will know
there is often a difference made between the brothers according to
their mother (in case of 12 tribes of Israel.)
Joseph was sold into slavery by the sons of Leah, Zilpha, and Bilhahi.
When
Joseph ruled in Egypt and his 10 brothers came for food, who did Joseph
want to see? He wanted to see his full brother Benjamin. And when
Joseph gave raiment to the brothers, he gave 5 times more to Benjamin.
Not because of the worthiness of Benjamin but because Benjamin was
Joseph mother's son, his full brother.
Later when Jacob
(renamed Israel by God) blessed the 12 sons, the 12 tribes of Israel, we
see there was a penalty on Simeon and Levi for "they killed a man". (Gen. 49)
Simeon
and Levi took it upon themselves to execute vengeance against wrong
doing done to their sister Dinah. And as a result, there was a penalty
cited against them in the blessing when Israel blessed his 12 sons.
Genesis 34
1
And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to
see the daughters of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the
Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her,
and defiled her. 3 And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob,
and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel. 4 And Shechem
spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife. 5 And
Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter:now his sons were
with his cattle in the field:and Jacob held his peace until they were
come.
6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to
commune with him. 7 And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when
they heard it:and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth,
because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter;
which thing ought not to be done. 8 And Hamor communed with them,
saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter:I pray you
give her him to wife. 9 And make ye marriages with us, and give your
daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you. 10 And ye shall
dwell with us:and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye
therein, and get you possessions therein. 11 And Shechem said unto her
father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what
ye shall say unto me I will give. 12 Ask me never so much dowry and
gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me:but give me the
damsel to wife. 13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his
father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their
sister:14 And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our
sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us:15
But in this will we consent unto you:If ye will be as we be, that every
male of you be circumcised; 16 Then will we give our daughters unto
you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you,
and we will become one people. 17 But if ye will not hearken unto us, to
be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone. 18
And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son. 19 And the
young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in
Jacob's daughter:and he was more honourable than all the house of his
father.
20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their
city, and communed with the men of their city, saying, 21 These men are
peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade
therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them; let us take
their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters. 22
Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one
people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.
23 Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs
be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us. 24
And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of
the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out
of the gate of his city.
25 And it came to pass on the third day,
when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi,
Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city
boldly, and slew all the males. 26 And they slew Hamor and Shechem
his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's
house, and went out. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and
spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. 28 They took
their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the
city, and that which was in the field, 29 And all their wealth, and all
their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even
all that was in the house. 30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have
troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land,
among the Canaanites and the Perizzites:and I being few in number, they
shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be
destroyed, I and my house. 31 And they said, Should he deal with our
sister as with an harlot?
Genesis 49: Jacob (renamed Israel by God) blesses his sons
5 Simeon and Levi are brethren;
instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret;
unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united:
for in their anger they slew a man,
and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce;
and their wrath, for it was cruel:
I will divide them in Jacob,
and scatter them in Israel.
Also you notice in Genesis 49, in the blessing of Jacob (renamed Israel by God), Joseph had a long blessing from Jacob (Israel)
22 Joseph is a fruitful bough,
even a fruitful bough by a well;
whose branches run over the wall:
23 The archers have sorely grieved him,
and shot at him, and hated him:
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:)
25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee;
and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee
with blessings of heaven above,
blessings of the deep that lieth under,
blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors
unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills:
they shall be on the head of Joseph,
and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
And
the tribe that really stands out in the blessings of Jacob (renamed
Israel by God) is the tribe of Judah. (Jesus Christ was from the tribe
of Judah)
Genesis 49
8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise:
thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies;
thy father's children shall bow down before thee.
9 Judah is a lion's whelp:
from the prey, my son, thou art gone up:
he stooped down, he couched as a lion,
and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,
nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
until Shiloh come;
and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
11 Binding his foal unto the vine,
and his ass's colt unto the choice vine;
he washed his garments in wine,
and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
12 His eyes shall be red with wine,
and his teeth white with milk.
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You
might consider going back now and re-reading all these blessings given
to the 12 tribes of Israel by their father Jacob (renamed Israel by
God). Genesis 49
As you read these chapters of the OT,
take time to absorb what you are reading. Let the words and examples
sink into you. Do not hurry through these verses. When God mentions a
previous happening such in the blessing of Simeon & Levi where the
blessing refers to such & such because they killed a man, go back
and read where they killed a man. Don't read these verses in haste. If
you don't have time to read, then don't read until you can do it
properly.
You bring a curse on yourself if you mishandle the word of God, which is the Lord's supper:
I Cor. 11 ...
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh
damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this cause
many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would
judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
This verse is speaking of eating and drinking the Word of God which is the Lord's supper. (The
Lord's supper is not crackers and grape juice. The Word of God is
power. Crackers/grape juice is not power but has been set up in the
churches by fleshly men who misinterpreted the scripture in I
Corinthians 11 which speak of the Lord's supper.)
And Paul says: 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged
We cannot judge ourselves by crackers/grape juice which many churches call "The Lord's supper".
Crackers/grape juice has no power, consequently is not Lord's supper.
The Word of God is that whereby we judge ourselves, correcting our way.
The Lord's supper is the Word of God.
But we must partake of reading the Bible correctly when we read otherwise we bring upon ourselves damnation. (I Cor. 11:29)
Some might think wrongly that they just won't read the Bible for they might misinterpret it. (Some
Catholics are taught not to read Bible. If they read Bible they would
see how wrong the doctrine of the Catholic church is and they would come
out of Catholic church. But they are trapped because they are taught
not to read Bible)
The way to prosper in all
you do has to do with the reading of the Bible correctly and taking
your counsel from God through the Word of God, doing the Word of God.
Psalm 1
Blessed is the man
that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord;
and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
his leaf also shall not wither;
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so:
but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous:
but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Joshua 1
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein:for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
But to prosper in all your ways, you must read the scriptures correctly and apply them to your lives.
Never rush through when you read Bible. If you feel you don't have time to read, then don't read until you have time.