NOTES on ISAIAH 55:1-4 (The cry of Jesus in Isaiah 55. Living Water that Satisfies the Soul)

NOTES on ISAIAH 55:1-4 

(The cry of Jesus in Isaiah 55. 

Living Water that Satisfies the Soul) 

(See the PDF File of this document here.)

Isaiah 55:1-4 

“[1] Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money ; come ye, buy, and eat ; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

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

[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.

[4] Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.” [End quote]


Some Notes on the above passage from Isaiah 55 


 ➽ Verse 1 notes. Come to Jesus who gives the water of life freely. There is no price for His gift of the Holy Spirit, Who meets all our needs, both Spiritual and otherwise.


 ➽ Verse 2 notes. Why do people look to things which do not satisfy their souls and spirits? We need to diligently listen to and heed what Abba Father God says in His Word and to our spirits. Let us eat of what God gives us so that we will be filled with God and His goodness. In doing so, we will be satisfied. His goodness is an abundance. Let us delight (take great pleasure) in God’s Spirit, Who is abundant and life-giving. (Note: Fatness is abundance, in the King James Bible.) In John 7:37-39, Jesus said:

How Satan Is Like Joab in 2 Samuel 19 -- Applications from 2 Samuel 19 // FALSE ACCUSATION (David Weeps Over Absalom)

How Satan Is Like Joab in 2 Samuel 19 -- 
Applications from 2 Samuel 19

(King David weeps over Absalom.)

A short civil war erupted between men loyal to Absalom, a son of King David, and those loyal to his father. Absalom, using deceptive techniques, powerful public relations tricks, and charisma, drew many people in Israel into his goal of replacing King David with Absalom. David and many of his most loyal followers fled from Jerusalem and dwelt in the wilderness. 

Absalom sought counsel and then determined he would to fight against his father, and slay him. After King David crossed the Jordan river and entered a fortified city, Absalom, accompanied by thousands of armed men, crossed the river and attacked David's men in a forested region. 

The battle went poorly for Absalom and his men, and most of them were slaughtered or died due to falling into deep pits or chasms. Absalom, who had long hair, rode past an oak tree and his hair was ensnared in its branches. His mount, a mule, left him literally hanging. Joab, the captain of David's army, saw the king's son hanging in the tree and unable to escape. Ignoring David's orders not to kill Absalom, Joab brutally killed him in cold blood and Joab's armor bearers finished him off. It was not the first time Joab disregarded the king's wishes. 

Secret Message in the Name Meanings in Romans Chapter 16 (Part 2)

(A painting of Jesus with a child. Click for source.
Note: We do not endorse the religious views of the painter, who is a Mormon.
But, this painting does show God's love for us.)

Secret Message in the Name Meanings in Romans Chapter 16 (Part 2)

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Romans 16:10-15 mentions the names of people Paul personally met. These names have important meanings in Greek. In this article, we will show the name meanings from Romans 16:10-15 along with some other nouns. Amazingly, these name meanings,* when placed together in the order in which they appear in the Bible, form a secret message: a message from God. (*Note: These are name meanings which God revealed to me based on concordances and Bible dictionaries.) 

At the very end of this article, we have placed a secret message which was formed out of Greek name meanings from Romans chapter 16, verses 10 through 15.

Now, let's look at each Greek word of significance and see what dictionaries and concordances have to say about them. After we give each word meaning from reference works, we will include a spiritual meaning, revealed by God. I encourage anyone reading this to seek God about this message and about these words, if he or she would like to.

The words we will look at are arranged in the exact order found in the Bible in Romans 16:10-15. We list them below as they appear in the Bible, starting with Aristobulus:

Aristobulus, Herodion, Narcissus, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis, Rufus, 
Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, Philologus, Julia, Nereus,  Olympas, and saints.

The Word Meanings of the Above List

Name: Aristoboulos (Aristobulus)
Strong's Number: 711  
Name Meaning: "From the same as ariston and boule; best counselling;..." Ariston means "the best meal" or "dinner". Boule means "advise, counsel." 

Spiritual Meaning: ("The best counsel")

Hidden Message in the Name Meanings in Romans Chapter 16 (Part 1)

(A bald eagle. Click for source.)

Hidden Message in the Name Meanings in Romans Chapter 16 (Part 1)

Click to see Part 2.

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Romans 16:1-10 mentions the names of people Paul personally met. These names have important meanings in Greek. In this article, we will show the name meanings from Romans 16:1-10 along with some other nouns. Amazingly, these name meanings,* when placed together in the order in which they appear in the Bible, form a secret message: a message from God. (*Note: These are name meanings which God revealed to me based on concordances and Bible dictionaries.) 

At the very end of this article, we have placed a secret message which was formed out of Greek name meanings from Romans chapter 16, verses 1 through 10 (a).

Now, let's look at each Greek word of significance and see what dictionaries and concordances have to say about them. After we give each word meaning from reference works, we will include a spiritual meaning, revealed by God. I encourage anyone reading this to seek God about this message and about these words, if he or she would like to.

The words we will look at are arranged in the exact order found in the Bible in Romans 16:1-10(a). We list them below as they appear in the Bible:


Phebe, Cenchrea [a place], Priscilla, Aquila, Christ, Jesus, church, Gentiles, church, house, Epaenetus, Achaia [a place], Christ, Mary, Andronicus, Junia, Christ, Amplias, Urbane, Christ, Stachys, Apelles, Christ.

The Word Meanings of the Above List

Name: Phoibé (Phebe) 
Strong's Number: 5402  
Name Meaning: "Feminine of phoibos (bright; probably akin to the base of phos);" Phos means fire, light, rays, "to shine or make manifest". ["Bright and shining."]

Spiritual Meaning: (Name meanings God gave me: "One who walks in the light." Or, "One who is of the light.")

Name: Kegchreai (Cenchrea)

Strong's Number: 2747

Name Meaning: "Probably from kegchros (millet)". Kegchreai was "a port of Corinth".

Spiritual Meaning: (God showed me: "A place of buying and selling grain." "Spiritually, a place of much fruit.")

Name: Priskilla (Priscilla)

Strong's Number: 4252

Name Meaning: "Diminutive of Priska; [acc. to Strong's]". "Feminine form of Priscus, a Roman family name which meant "ancient" in Latin [acc. to behindthename.com]."

Spiritual Meaning: ("Ancient")

Expounding Colossians 2:8-9

Expounding Colossians 2:8-9 [Print Document]

Colossians 2:8-9

“[8] Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. [9] For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

Paul, the apostle, wrote about men who would take people by way of carnal reasoning and worthless deception (which is not based on God’s Word). They will mislead people about Who Jesus Christ is and about what He said.

“Beware lest any man spoil you…”

Let’s look into the meanings of some words. The Greek word for spoil is esomai. It means: “may have” as in: ‘He may have that item.’ Spoil is defined by Webster’s 1828 dictionary as: “1. To plunder;...” [and] “2. To seize by violence; to take by force; …” [and] “4. To corrupt; to vitiate; to mar.” (Note: Vitiated means: “Depraved; rendered impure; rendered defective and void.” [Webster’s 1828 dictionary])

Paul is saying that false teachers can take you or seize you, with the idea of corrupting you, by way of their philosophies and deception.

“...lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit...”

In Greek, philosophy is called philosophia. It refers to the love of wisdom (i.e. worldly wisdom). Philosophy is defined by Webster’s 1828 dictionary as: “3. Reasoning; argumentation.” The philosophies false teachers promote are really just their carnal reasoning, which is contrary to God’s Word (See Romans 8:5-8).

Expounding the Meaning of Deuteronomy 10:8 (PART 3 of 3)

Expounding the Meaning of Deuteronomy 10:8 (PART 3 of 3) [Print Document]

This is the third part of a short series on expounding the meaning of Deuteronomy 10:8. There is a lot of depth in this verse that Abba Father God put on my heart to read.

In part 1 of this series, we looked at how bearing the Ark of the Covenant means that we are bearing God’s holy Word (which is based on the Ten Commandments) in our heart. We do this by meditating on God’s Word and by delighting in it (Psalm 1:2). In part 2, we learned how one ministers to God. We discussed what ministering to God is, and what it isn't. And, we learned that it is about fellowship with Abba Father God (Galatians 4:6-7), and not just doing works.

In this part (part 3), we will discuss and expound on what it means to “... bless in his name, unto this day.”

Deuteronomy 10:8, says: “At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.”

How to Bless in God’s Name

God separated us from the world so that we may “...bless in his name, unto this day.” What does this mean, though? God showed me that blessing in His Name includes praising God, giving Him glory, and speaking blessings over people with the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s look first at praising God. What does praising God look like? King David gave us an example of praising God and giving God the glory in Psalm 103.

Psalm 103:1-5

“[1] Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

[2] Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: [3] Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; [4] Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; [5] Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.”

David is speaking of what Abba God had done for him (and also for us). He is thanking God for His mercy and goodness. When we go through a difficult time (and I need to be reminded of this), we need to look to the holy Scripture for inspiration. David praised God even when he was going through difficulty, but after he first gave his troubles to God.

Praising God Even in the Difficulties

We we go through difficulties, we find it hard to praise God for what He will do or for what He already has done for us. It is often hard to thank Him when times get tough. But, David wrote that we ought to cast our burdens on God because God cares for us and will sustain us. In the beginning of Psalm 55, David wrote:

[Psalm 55:4-5]

“[4] My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. [5] Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.”

After describing how a former friend betrayed him, David writes:

[Psalm 55:22]

“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

Casting our burdens on God is just talking to our loving Abba Father God about our problems and giving them into His caring hands. 1 Peter 5:6-7 says: “[6] Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: [7] Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

 

Once we have done that, we are more free inside to give God praise for what He will do and for what He has already done for us. This honors and pleases Him. But, don’t let this become a legalistic system of performing for God’s love. Abba God loves us with everlasting love (Jeremiah 33:3). Now, since God loves us so much, we “... ought also to love one another.”

1 John 4:11-12

“[11] Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. [12] No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”

Blessing Other People Honors God.

Expounding the Meaning of Deuteronomy 10:8 (PART 2 of 3)

Expounding the Meaning of Deuteronomy 10, Verse 8 (PART 2 of 3) [Print Document]

This is the second part to a short series of articles expounding Deuteronomy 10:8, which says: “At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.”

In the first part, we looked at how bearing the Ark of the Covenant means that we are bearing God’s holy Word (which is based on the Ten Commandments) in our heart. We do this by meditating on God’s Word and by delighting in it (Psalm 1:2).

In this second part, we will look at how one ministers to God. We will discuss what ministering to God is, and what it isn't. And, we will show that it is about fellowship with Abba Father God (Galatians 4:6-7), and not just doing works.

Ministering to God

Deut. 10:8 (in part) says: “At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, … , to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, …”

Often, when we think of ministering, we think of ministering to people. But, ministering to Abba God is different than ministering to people because you could be praying to God and praising Him in your closet, and God’s heart would be honored. You could be called by God to go somewhere to minister to people, but because you are being led by God’s Spirit and are not doing it out of selfish reasons, God would be honored. You would be ministering to God’s Spirit by doing what He leads you to do.

In contrast, if one were to minister to people, but his (or her) heart was focused on how many points he could earn in Heaven, and about how much God would be pleased with him for doing “extra” for the Kingdom of God, he would be mistaken. Abba God doesn’t want our works. He had shown me that, time and time again, when I would perform for His love and acceptance.

God led me to placed in the Bible, such as the following, to help me understand that performing for God’s love and blessing was against His Word.

Galatians 5:1 says: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

Expounding the Meaning of Deuteronomy 10:8 (PART 1 of 3)

Expounding the Meaning of Deuteronomy 10:8
(Part 1 of 3) [Print Document]

Deuteronomy 10:8

“At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.”

This is a verse Abba Father God showed me to read. I feel that He would like His Church to understand more about this particular verse. I don’t claim to know anything except what God showed me. He will reveal things to any who ask Him (Jer. 33:3). In Jeremiah 33:3, God said: "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."

Now, let's look at the first part of the Deuteronomy 10:8. It says:

“At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD,...”

God separated us Christians from the world, like the children of Israel being separated from Egypt in Exodus. God may have separated us from people we were close to so that we could fulfill God’s purposes and calling in our lives. When God calls you to do something for His Kingdom, there will be people that will naysay it, without having anything doctrinally sound to say against it.

Some people may want to keep us from doing God’s best will. They may say that being a missionary to China is “dangerous,” or that leaving a church is “unbiblical,” or that choosing to not take a certain job offer is “foolish.” But, doing God’s best will may look foolish from the point of view of the carnal mind (Romans 8:5-8).

It looked “foolish” for Paul to join the first Christians. After all, Paul (Saul) was on his way to becoming a Pharisee, and would have been looked up to by the upper crust Jews in Jerusalem. Though he was strongly opposed by those Pharisees, Paul did not cave in to them. He was willing to die for the sake of God's best will, if it came to that. Being separated from the world, unto God, is necessary to have fellowship with Him and to be in Abba God’s best will.

What did God separate Christians for? There are three things Deuteronomy 10:8 speaks of. We will discuss them in this series of articles. In this article we will look at what it symbolically means to bear the Ark of the Covenant.

Bearing the Ark of the Covenant