Rowing Backward into the Future

Joseph Herrin (12-31-2011)

I have concluded that my vision is much better in hindsight than it is at gazing into the future. There is an interesting fact relating to how the ancient Hebrews understood the concept of time. To the Hebrews the future was depicted as behind a person’s back, while the past was in front of the person. This is because the past is known. The past is something we can see clearly, being open before our eyes. The future is unknown, as if hidden behind one’s back.

I believe the Hebrews had the right idea about time. Someone has likened the Hebrew concept of time to a man rowing a boat.

As one rows a boat they are facing backward while moving forward. This is the experience of mankind. If you had asked me a year ago what experiences 2011 would bring, I could not have told you. I did not know that I would spend 74 days of the year in jail. Neither did I foresee that on September 6th I would post an article titled “Why Does God Require Christians to Suffer?” or that a few hours after posting it I would be lying alongside the road with multiple fractures, having been struck by a car.

As I think of this, I am glad that I did not know what the year would bring. God has designed things this way. Christ told His disciples, “Take no thought for tomorrow. Sufficient for each day is the trouble thereof.” We are given just enough grace to walk in the moment. I can testify that as each event entered my life in 2011, whether facing a judge in a courtroom, being led in handcuffs off to jail, or experiencing multiple surgeries to repair fractured limbs, Yahweh’s grace was always sufficient. There was not a single event in the past year that was too much for me to walk through, and to do so in peace. I am reminded of the promise of God contained in Paul’s letter to the saints in Corinth.

I Corinthians 10:13
For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.
[Amplified Bible]

This I can attest to be true. I have received all necessary aid from the Father to bear up under the trials of this past year patiently. I fully anticipate that the coming year will be no different. Yahweh has promised that He will not subject me to anything greater than my ability to bear. This includes temptations to sin, as well as trials. I need not be overmastered by anything. Yahweh’s grace is proffered to His saints. We need only to avail ourselves of it.

Although I do not know what the year 2012 will bring, there is much indication that it will be a year of difficulty for the nations. Financial systems continue to sink lower, teetering on collapse. Political turmoil has been rampant in 2011, particularly in the Middle East, and it looks to continue, and perhaps escalate. Each year recently has been filled with natural disasters; earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, floods, droughts, and the like. No doubt this will continue for we are approaching the end of the age. The Lord is soon to appear (in His saints) and the earth must experience birth pangs.

I believe this year will see more Christians being led into experiences where they will be cast upon God for all their needs. Although some will turn to the arm of the flesh (government welfare programs, credit cards and other forms of debt, etc.) to deliver them, a remnant will know that Yahweh is calling them to look to Him alone for every necessary thing. Though their faith will be greatly tested, it will also be greatly rewarded.

II Chronicles 16:9
For the eyes of Yahweh move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.

Psalms 34:15
The eyes of Yahweh are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry.

As I look back over the past year I see clearly Yahweh’s faithfulness. I have not worked a single day this year at secular employment. I have continued to minister through writing as Yahweh has directed me. I began the year with no more money on hand than would supply my immediate need, yet like the widow’s cruse of oil and jar of meal, this supply has never run out. Yahweh continues to renew it.

On the first day of this year I moved into my converted bus (The Dreamer). Yahweh graciously supplied all material to outfit it, through the functioning of the body of Christ. I drove the bus to an RV park, and every month of this past year Yahweh has sent what was needed to pay the park fees, to supply me with groceries, and to meet every personal and ministry need. In an hour when millions are out of work, and have exhausted their unemployment benefits, I have found that there is no exhausting God’s supply.

Matthew 6:31-34
"Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?' or ‘What will we drink?' or ‘What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

If we are seeking first the will of God (His kingdom), we need not worry about our daily supply. Yahweh has not promised to give us all the things our hearts might covet. If we are seeking those things, then we are not truly seeking first His kingdom. However, He has promised to meet all of our necessities, to provide us with food, and covering.

I Timothy 6:8
If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

I am more than content. I am joyful for the Father’s provision and care in my life. He truly has cared for my needs this past year. I am confident that 2012 will prove His faithfulness even more.

Brothers and sisters, undoubtedly many will find themselves without jobs, or employment income this year. There will be increases in food prices, and scarcity of supply for many. The news reveals that these things are of great concern to the world. Christ said that the Gentiles, that is to say “the nations,” “eagerly seek after these things.” They are greatly focused upon them. Their attention is arrested by the need to acquire daily provision. Many schemes, and much thought and effort, is evident among the people of the nations regarding the procuring of food and covering.

The attitude of Christ’s disciples should greatly contrast with that of the world. We should be without worry. Our attitude should be one of faith and rest. It is enough to let the Father know our needs, and then look expectantly to Him to meet them.

Matthew 6:11
Give us this day our daily bread.

Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Yahshua.

For some years the Father has had me dependent upon Him for all of my needs. I know that He has not called all His sons and daughters to the same experience. He has not told all to quit their jobs and trust Him for daily provision. Yahweh has provided jobs and good employment to many. But experiences change.

Yahweh has told me that He has had me walk through many experiences as a pioneer and explorer, and He would use me as a guide to others He will lead down similar paths in coming days. I have heard from a number of saints who testify that God has told them they will soon be looking to Him for every necessary thing. As I look at my past experiences I can assure these ones that as they follow where Christ leads, they can rest in Him. He will provide for their needs.

Some have foolishly asked me on occasion, “Joseph, if we all quit our jobs like you did, then who would there be to send support?” Have you not read that God cared for 600,000 men, plus women and children and a mixed multitude, for forty years in the wilderness. They were in a closed system. They had only God to supply their needs. He sent them bread from heaven, and caused water to flow from the rocks. He sent a wind and caused quail to fall all around the camp.

Do you have faith that this is your God? He is the one who caused the widow’s cruse of oil and jar of grain to never run dry in a time of great famine. Elijah was fed by the Brook Cherith as ravens were instructed by God to bring him his daily bread. Christ fed 5,000 with five loaves and two fish. Another time He fed 4,000 with seven loaves of bread and some fish. We serve a God who can put a coin in a fish’s mouth to pay the Temple tax, and who turns pitchers of water into fine wine.

There was once a widow of a prophet who was in desperate need. She and her children were about to be sold into slavery to pay off a debt. Elisha instructed her to gather as many empty vessels as she could find, and to take the little oil she had in a container and pour it into the empty vessels. She was told to gather many jars. This she did. When she began pouring oil into the jars it continued to flow. When there were no more vessels left, the flow of oil stopped. She returned to Elisha and he told her to sell the oil to pay her debt and to live off of the remainder. This it the God I serve. His arm is not shortened where it cannot save.

When people ask me “What would happen if we all quit our jobs like you did?” they need to consider how I quit my job. I did not leave work of my own initiative. Yahweh instructed me to do so. When we are following Him in obedience, God will be the guarantor of every need.

In the days ahead, others will be directed to leave jobs and look to God for their provision. Some will have the experience thrust upon them as businesses fail and new jobs are not to be found. No matter how God leads His saints into such experiences, He will prove Himself faithful to those who trust in Him. Don’t be presumptuous and foolishly put God to the test, but neither should you hesitate to follow where He leads. Above all things, Yahweh is faithful. He has promised to never abandon nor forsake His sons and daughters.

On a personal level, I have much anticipation for the year ahead. I have often shared that vehicles represent ministries. The bus Yahweh provided for me has an identification plate that says “Body by Carpenter.” The bus was manufactured in 1972. It will be forty years old in 2012. Forty is a very significant number. It is closely related to wilderness experiences, and to the life of Moses.

Moses’ life is divided into three forty year periods. The first forty years Moses lived as the privileged son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He had the best education, and all that the greatest nation on earth could provide. At the age of forty his heart turned to his kinsman, and he longed to deliver them. He slew a single Egyptian and then fled for his life.

For the next forty years Moses dwelt in the wilderness. His life was as humble as it had once been grand. He tended the sheep of his father-in-law. Instead of the bounty of the Nile River delta, he experienced the barrenness of the wilderness.

When Moses was eighty years old, Yahweh appeared to him in the burning bush. He revealed to Moses that he was God’s chosen instrument to deliver His people from bondage in Egypt, and to guide them to the land of their inheritance. For the last forty years of Moses’ life, he led the people of God through the wilderness. Moses had spent forty years being humbled of God in the wilderness, and now he would serve as a guide as Yahweh led a much larger group through similar experiences.

Deuteronomy 8:2-5
“You shall remember all the way which Yahweh your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahweh. Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. Thus you are to know in your heart that Yahweh your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.”

I believe these words reveal a pattern for the days ahead. Many are about to be led through wilderness places. Yahweh will humble them, and test them, revealing what is in the heart. He will care for them, and keep them in these wilderness experiences. There will be occasions when He lets them know hunger and thirst, or some form of lack to prove whether obedience to Yahweh is more important than their natural appetites and human fears. Those who continue in faith will be made ready to enter into their inheritance in Christ.

With my bus turning forty this year, is the Father indicating that the ministry of guiding and encouraging His people in the wilderness is at hand? Is it time to take the “Body by Carpenter” and fashion it into a fit habitation?

II Corinthians 6:16
For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people."

I cannot say with certainty what 2012 will bring. The future is behind me. (Yes, you read that right.) At the end of 2012 I will be able to tell you with much greater assurance what the year holds. The past will then be before my eyes.

End Note: Thank you for all those who have written words of encouragement and have assured me of their prayers regarding the revision of the book Sarah’s Children. The outpouring of encouragement has been abundant. I broke through the impasse yesterday, and I am now making good progress in writing. I was led to begin again anew. Rather than being a revision, it will be a completely new book. I believe that which comes forth will be to the glory of God and the edification of His saints.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

The Jezebel Spirit

Joseph Herrin (12-30-2011)

II Kings 9:30
When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it, and she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out the window.

I want to share somewhat further regarding yesterday’s post where I spoke of facing much resistance and oppression while trying to revise the book Sarah’s Children. I appreciate those saints who wrote words of encouragement, and those who are praying for me. A number of people have written with words of exhortation. It has become evident to me that I was not clear in making known what it is that is hindering my writing on this subject. In truth, I did not see the matter clearly myself until after further reflection today. I am confident that the prayers of the saints are accountable for this clarity.

Of all the topics I have taught upon, there has been none that has been met with greater resistance than the subject of godly womanhood. Back in 1999 the Father made it known to me that I was to follow Christ down an afflicted path. He directed me to leave my job as a computer manager at a local hospital and to begin a ministry of writing and teaching. He said I was to follow wherever He led, and to trust Him for the care and provision of my family.

As I mentioned in a recent post, this walk was difficult for my entire family. The way of the cross is not easy. My wife had many fears, and her struggles were exacerbated by ministers and their wives in the church we attended who were under the influence of a strong matriarchal spirit. The head minister invited each of the minister’s wives to attend pastoral meetings. At the time, such an occurrence was very rare. All of the women were very reserved, and spoke little, except for the head minister’s wife. She was very brazen, and would even get up in the men’s faces and tell them what they were doing wrong. This woman had very short hair, and dressed in men’s clothing, and had a very outspoken manner. This contrasts greatly with the pattern God has set before Godly women in the Bible.

I Peter 3:1-6
In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. Your adornment must not be external - braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.

The ministers and their wives, knowing that my wife was struggling with following me down the path I was called to walk, being frightened by many fears, told us that it was wrong for me to make any decisions that affected my wife without her being in agreement. They said marriage was a democracy and all decisions were to be shared equally. This counsel came primarily from the head pastor and his wife. I was told that I could not follow where Christ was leading me apart from my wife’s agreement.

I shared with these ministers and their wives what the Bible teaches, that Christ is the head of man, and I had to follow Christ’s leading.

I Corinthians 11:3
But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.

If I was held captive to my wife’s will, then I had two heads. If Christ’s counsel conflicted with the will of my wife I would be forced to choose one over the other. In effect, to follow the counsel of these ministers and their wives I would have to place my wife in a higher position than Christ, for my wife would ultimately determine whether I could do what the Spirit was directing me to do.

I knew the counsel being given by these men and women was un-Biblical, and contrary to the governmental order of Yahweh.

Ephesians 5:22-24
Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

I Timothy 2:12-13
And I do not permit a woman to teach or to usurp authority over a man, but to be in silence.

I spoke openly with the ministers about these things, but they would not be persuaded. They encouraged my wife to speak forth her opposition to me, and emboldened her to manifest resistance to my leadership in the home. Things eventually came to a head, and the ministers asked to meet with me one morning after church. The Father spoke to me and said I would be put out of the body by these ministers, and that I was not to resist it. It was His way of bringing me out of Babylon. That same week I had received a pre-release copy of a book by Charles Newbold titled The Harlot Church System.

The sub-heading of this book cover says, “Come out of her, My people.” This is a quotation from Revelation 18:4. The Father used this book, which arrived unannounced in my mailbox, to indicate to me what was coming. I would be put out of the church by my fellow ministers, but the Father would use this event to bring me out from Babylon.

That final meeting was very difficult. The ministers asked me if I would recant my position, and adopt theirs. I explained to them patiently that I could no in good conscience do so, and shared again the Scriptures with them. After I had spoken, for the next hour, the four ministers and the head pastor’s wife, excoriated me. At one point, the head pastor’s wife jumped up from her seat and stood right in front of me. She pointed her finger in my face and said, “You think your words are prophetic, but I tell you they are pathetic!” The ministers then all gave their judgment that they could not continue in ministry with me.

In the years since, I have had repeated run-ins with this matriarchal spirit. When I wrote the book Sarah’s Children in 2002 I had a great deal of hateful correspondence, and many dropped off of my mailing list. Even men wrote to tell me that I was wrong, offering various reproaches. No one, it seemed, wanted to confront this spirit, or teach the crucified life of the disciples of Christ.

The world walks in support of this spirit. It is especially prevalent in Western nations, and so-called Christian nations. I feel the oppression of this spirit whenever I teach on this subject. On two different occasions in 2010 as I traveled across the country, the Spirit revealed to me a domineering female spirit in the home. In one place I asked the host couple for permission to teach on the subject, and they permitted me. Two women who had previously been excited and eager about the things I taught were in attendance. They both were greatly offended, and have not had any communication with me since.

In another home, I was led to speak to the host couple privately regarding what I was perceiving in their home. I shared with the woman that she needed to relinquish the leadership of her family, and the husband needed to step up into that role. The man was very passive when I spoke with them, and the woman very vocal and extremely emotional. After a while I could see that no progress could be made, so I prayed with them. The woman was eager and excited when she contacted me to arrange the meetings in her home, but has not spoken with me since.

In the intervening years since 1999 I have encountered frequent and fervent resistance on this subject. My wife divorced me, being encouraged by a wealthy Christian woman from another church to not walk with me down an afflicted path of God’s choosing. I have been reproached in the courts, and put in jail twice over this same issue. I have found that everywhere, the message of Biblical womanhood is rejected, and the Jezebel spirit is supported both by the weight of societal opinion, by the laws of the state and nation, and by the practices of the churches.

When I have recently sat down to write on this subject, I have sensed the oppression from spiritual forces of wickedness. These forces have made known that the message is unwelcome, being rejected even by the majority in the churches, and the many things I have suffered at the hands of this spirit sit as a threatening menace seeking to influence my mind and drive me into silence.

The battle between this spirit and the ministers of God is shown forth in the history of Elijah’s encounter with Jezebel. This spirit is unusual in its power to intimidate even the most godly and courageous of Yahweh’s servants. Jezebel could hear of God's miracle of sending fire from heaven, consuming the altar, the sacrifice, and the water; she could hear of the prophets of Baal and Asherah slain by the hundreds, and with absolute brazenness be un-cowed and speak reviling words and threats against God's chosen minister. Elijah had never backed up before. He had never shrank from a fight. But before this spirit he was daunted. Responding to Jezebel’s threats, this great prophet’s arms hung down weakly, he had no will left to fight. He fled in discouragement to the wilderness and sat down under a tree to die.

Elijah Flees from Jezebel

The Jezebel spirit seeks to cast the righteous works of Yahweh’s servants into a dark light. It calls good evil, and evil good. This spirit is intractable. It will not submit, but seeks to make the spiritual man to submit to it. This spirit can shake even the most devoted servants of God. Jezebel waged war against the prophets of God, and slew many. Elijah knew this and was intimidated.

I Kings 18:4
Jezebel destroyed the prophets of Yahweh...

Yahweh appeared to His chosen prophet, Elijah, and sought to strengthen him. However, He did not ask Elijah to face this intimidating foe again. Instead, Elijah was instructed to anoint another man who would face this spirit and conquer it. This man was Jehu. Jehu was exceedingly bold, and he was zealous to perform the will of God. Jehu did not run from Jezebel, but sought her out. He found her in a high tower, which is a parable revealing the manner in which the Jezebel spirit seeks to elevate itself over others, rather than to submit, or to take a low and humble position of service. Yet, the very transgression of elevating herself became the instrument of her death. Jehu ordered any who were in the tower with her who were on his side to cast her down.

II Kings 9:32-33
And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down.

Jezebel Cast Down

It is significant that it was eunuchs who cast Jezebel down. Those men who are attracted sexually to this spirit in a woman (or in the church) will not lift up a hand against it. Some men find a dominant feminine spirit to be seductive, even attractive, but it is repugnant to the Spirit of God for it is a spirit of pride and self-exaltation. Yahweh will cast down the proud, but He honors those of a humble and contrite spirit.

In writing this book there are spiritual forces I am coming up against. It has been difficult to make headway. The enemy would discourage with ignoble thoughts and suggestions. He says, “No one wants to hear this message anyway. Why trouble yourself? Why expose yourself again to enmity and reproach and even threats?” Some have written to me suggesting that my writing on this subject is not the will of God. I invite all who offer counsel to consider carefully whether they have apprehended the mind of Christ lest they be found to offer discouragement to Christ's ministers when they should be praying for them to be strengthened.

Some time back I became aware that there is even a website called Jezebel that has posted a mocking and scathing article about me. They did this after I posted a prophetic word relating to the Gulf oil spill and the spirit of abortion in Houston and in the church.

http://jezebel.com/josephherrin


When Jezebel begins to attack the ministers of God, the result can unintentionally confirm that the man is on the right track. A man is known by his enemies, as well as his friends. If I must have enemies, let it be Jezebel, the enemy of all that is pleasing to the Father.

Revelation 2:20
“But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray...”

Yahshua would not have the church to even “tolerate” Jezebel. Many have gone much further than this. They have committed acts of adultery with her.

Revelation 2:22
“Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.”

It is my heart’s desire to speak forth truth, and not be daunted by any threat. Although the majority will never receive the words of truth, there is a small remnant who will. I ask once again of those who are willing to please pray for me as I set my face to complete this task. There are real adversaries, both in the natural and spiritual realms. I can sense the oppression, but God has given us a promise.

Isaiah 59:19
When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of Yahweh will lift up a standard against him.

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.


Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Wrestling

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I have experienced much spiritual wrestling of late.I have sat down to continue writing on the current book revision day after day, but have come up against a wall. I believe this is largely due to the great spiritual resistance there is to the message being set forth.

I am reminded of times when I taught classes at a technical college. Occasionally I would have a class composed of students that did not want to learn. They took the course I was teaching because they needed the credit to complete their degree program, but had no real interest in the lesson. These students were clock watchers. They were always wanting to be let out of class early. Teaching such a class was akin to wading through wet sand. There was continual resistance as if the lesson had to be be pushed forth with great effort. At the end of the night I would feel depleted, exhausted.

I ask those who have found truth and encouragement in those things posted to this blog to pray that the impasse might be broken. Your prayers are greatly needed.

I am sharing here two prophetic words that were sent to me recently by a sister in Christ. These words were spoken by Glynda Lomax, and I believe the Spirit of Christ is speaking through them.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

The Time Has Come to Promote My People

I  was in my evening prayer time before going to bed and I began feeling anticipation in my spirit, when the Lord began to speak this word to me.

A time of promotions has come. The time has come to promote My people who have walked in My ways. Those who have truly laid down all to serve Me will now see clearly My hand of blessing upon their lives. Those around you shall also see it and know it is My hand.

Much difficulty lies ahead in the coming year, My children. Difficulties of many kinds are approaching, a time like none you have seen before. A time of great difficulty when many shall not know where to turn for help or hope.

You are My voice in the earth, My little ones, and I desire you would speak My love and mercy and hope to those who shall be afflicted in what is soon to come.

Arm yourselves. Arm yourselves with My word and My wisdom. Know it well for it shall benefit not only you but all those around you as well. Do not fear what is coming, but stand ready to do all I have called you to do. Know you are My chosen for this time and be glad, My children. Be very glad for great is your honor in heaven and great shall be your reward.

Some of you have felt the changes taking place in the unseen realm. Much is being readied in preparation for the battle soon to come. Angelic beings surround My people on the earth ready to carry out My commands. The enemy also has forces ready in an attempt to stop the work of My kingdom, but he shall not succeed. Prepare for battle, My children. Prepare well for the battle soon to come.  

I shall raise up some among you to be great leaders in this time. They shall seem to come out of nowhere for I have kept them hidden for such a time as this. I have prepared them well and made them strong and mighty in battle. They shall not be moved by what they see or what they feel, but only by their Master's voice calling to them.

The year that lies ahead will be difficult for many but it shall be a joyous one for many of My children who have walked in obedience to Me, for now they shall begin to see the rewards of their much obedience. 

Psalm 75:6-7: For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. (7) But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

Jude 1:2: Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.

Matthew 20:16: So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

Zechariah 10:5: And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.

Posted by Glynda Lomax at 9:00 PM   http://wingsofprophecy.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Which Is More Important?

Times are coming soon when you will not understand what is happening or why certain things are taking place in the world, My people. Some of you have decided in your minds how the end of days shall play out but you are mistaken. There are things coming you know not of that will confuse you. No man knows the day or the hour. He also does not know My whole plan for I did not reveal every detail to you in My word.

To those who are watching and praying continually for Me, it will not matter. You await My Son's return with great joy and you have learned to be abased or abound in your present state and so you are happy either way, and this I desire.

I desire you would be about my work and loving My people each day. I desire you would be increasing the unity among you each day. I desire you would be learning more about My word and My ways and avoiding the evil one each day, for these things are more needful than your trying to guess the day of My Son's return. Sufficient for each day is the evil thereof.

Do you not see the lost are dying every day? Do you not know how My heart grieves for them when this happens and My people are busy talking about My return when I have pleaded with them to spend time in prayer for the lost?

Which is more important? When I will return or what I will find upon My return?

Luke 21:36: Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Psalm 133:1: Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

John 13:34-35: A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. (35) By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Matthew 6:34: Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Posted by Glynda Lomax at 2:03 AM 3 comments   http://wingsofprophecy.blogspot.com/

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:

Joseph Herrin

P.O. Box 804

Montezuma, GA 31063

Woman, the Glory of Man - The Honored Servant

The Honored Servant

The role of the woman in bringing forth One who would save mankind was foretold by God immediately after man fell into sin. When Yahweh pronounced the curse upon the serpent, He said:

Genesis 3:15
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”

It is interesting to note that God speaks in this verse of the woman’s seed. Yahweh does not say that Adam’s seed will bruise the serpent’s head. A woman, however, does not produce seed. She receives the seed from another. The Savior must come from holy, divine seed, implanted in a virgin womb. The woman became man’s helper by bringing the Savior into the world, breaking Satan’s hold on man. Through the seed of the woman, God and man were reconciled.

The role of bringing forth life is so central to the woman’s purpose that Adam named his wife Eve. The name Eve means “life spring.” As important as the role of childbearing has proven to be, bringing forth the Savior, and continuing the life of Adam, there is much more included in the idea of woman being man’s helper.

After the man and woman transgressed in the Garden of Eden, Yahweh spoke to them indicating what life would be like for them going forward. The man was consigned to a life of toil. He was driven out of the garden where he had been able to eat freely from the trees there, and he was told that he would now have to eat that which grew in the fields. The earth would no longer bring forth an abundance with ease, and there would be thorns and thistles to make his labor increase. By the sweat of his brow man would have to work until he returned to the dust from which he came.

To the woman God spoke the following:

Genesis 3:16
"I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

There are many today who would overturn the meaning of these words. I have had numerous women tell me that God was simply warning the woman that man would try to rule her, but that it was not really Yahweh’s will for the man to do so. Some have argued that these words are part of the curse, and a curse is something that should not be embraced. With such reasoning many women have adopted an attitude of pride and rebellion. Oftentimes I have heard  such ones proclaim that they will not become a doormat for the feet of man. These women do not realize what it is they speak, nor how displeasing their attitude is to the Father.

A doormat is a lowly instrument for cleaning the feet. Did not Christ wash His disciples’ feet, setting before them an example of service to one another? If the Son of God was humble enough to fulfill the role of a doormat, to wash others feet, then how can any man or woman who aspires to godliness refuse that service Yahweh calls them to?

Yahweh has given us examples of many godly women in the Scriptures. He has set these women up as examples to be emulated by Christian women today. One such woman is Sarah.

I Peter 3:5-6
For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.

Yahweh told Eve that her husband would rule over her. Sarah called Abraham “Lord.” Sarah is set before all women as a pattern of godliness. Sarah did not reason in her heart that she would not make herself a servant to her husband. Sarah obeyed Abraham. She honored her husband by calling Abraham “lord,” while submitting to him.

Because the narrative of Abraham’s life focuses primarily upon himself, I think that few today consider Sarah’s struggles. Yahweh appeared to Abraham and commanded him to leave his father’s home, his family, and all that was familiar behind.

Genesis 12:1-5
Now Yahweh said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you...” So Abram went forth as Yahweh had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan.

When Yahweh calls a man to some act of obedience, everyone around the man is affected. The closer the person is in relation to the man, the greater the effect is felt. There was no one closer to Abraham than his wife. Everything Abraham did greatly impacted Sarah. When Abraham heeded the command of Yahweh, and uprooted himself from his father’s house, Sarah was cast into the unknown along with her husband.

Undoubtedly there were fears in Sarah at that time. She would reasonably have asked of her husband “Where are we going?” He could tell her no more than that they were traveling to a land none of them had ever seen. There would be dangers along the way. They were few in number and there were strange lands and foreign people whose territories they would have to pass through. When they arrived at their destination they were not to find some safe fortress to make their home, they would dwell in tents as aliens and strangers in the land.

The fears and objections within the heart of Sarah must have been many, but we do not read of Sarah offering any resistance to the path her husband took. Twice in their sojourning in foreign lands Abraham asked his wife to say she was his sister. Sarah was beautiful, and Abraham feared the men of the land would kill him to take her for themselves. There was no protest in Sarah when Abraham requested this of her. She yielded obediently, acting to protect the life of her husband. To obey Abraham, fears had to be overcome, her own desires and concerns set aside.

There are many fears that assault women. This has ever been the case. Women are rightly concerned that their husbands might make some mistake that will result in harm to themselves or their families. Yet, the godly woman will show honor to the husband, not being ruled by these fears. This is Peter’s message when he states to the women of the church, “You have become [Sarah’s] children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.” It is right in the sight of God for the woman to be subject to her husband, to honor and obey him.

Ephesians 5:22-24
Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

These words reveal that the will of Yahweh for the woman has not changed in the past six thousand years. The same thing God spoke to Eve in the Garden is being spoken by the Holy Spirit today. The woman is to subject herself to the rule of man.

Adopting a servile role before man appears as an evil thing to many women, even those who are Christians. The rebellion and pride of this fallen world system has infected all mankind. Those who are truly disciples of Christ, following the pattern of His life, are a mere remnant in the earth.

What God requires of the woman is not unique to her. Everything in the creation is under authority. There is a realm of service, subjection, and obedience, appointed to every created being. The apostle Paul shows us the pattern in his letter to the Christians in Corinth.

I Corinthians 11:3
But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of woman, and God is the head of Christ.

Not even Christ lived to please Himself. He lived to do the will of the Father. He shows us by His example what perfection looks like. Yahshua has revealed by His actions and words what is pleasing to the Father.

John 4:31-35
 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?" Yahshua said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”

John 6:38
"For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

In the life of Christ we see the example of one who was a perfect servant. Christ understood God’s purpose for Him, being content to have the Father rule over Him. Even when the will of God led to great suffering, Christ did not shrink back. He always remembered that it was His place to serve the Father. Christ had taken the Father as His head, and He would not be frightened by any fear, nor turned aside by any selfish motive. Christ refused to put self on the throne, to become His own head, His own authority and source of rule. Yahshua is our pattern man.

Christ’s greatest wrestling came in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was there that His soul was crushed unto death that He might do the Father’s will and not follow His own soul’s desires.

Matthew 26:37-39
And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me." And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will."

Here is the perfect servant. Yahweh has called the man and woman to manifest this same servant spirit. To His disciples Christ delivered a potent message just before His crucifixion.

John 13:12-17
So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”

One day all will stand before God in judgment. It will be a remnant who hear the words, “Well done good and faithful servant... Enter into the joy of your Lord.” Yahweh will honor none as faithful servants who did not manifest a servant’s heart. Those who sought their own will, who refused to humble themselves and honor those Yahweh placed in authority over them, will not be met with pleasure. Shame and dishonor will be their portion. There will be weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth as great multitudes realize too late that they spurned that opportunity they had been given to walk humbly and contritely before God and man.

There was a woman many years ago who was most remarkable in the attitude she displayed. Although this woman was the wife of a very wealthy man, and had servants of her own, she never lost the sense of her own call to serve. This woman’s name was Abigail, and David made her his wife.

I Samuel 25:39-42
Then David sent a proposal to Abigail, to take her as his wife. When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, "David has sent us to you to take you as his wife." She arose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, "Behold, your maidservant is a maid to wash the feet of my lord's servants." Then Abigail quickly arose, and rode on a donkey, with her five maidens who attended her; and she followed the messengers of David and became his wife.

Like Sarah with Abraham, Abigail referred to David as “lord.” This was before David had been made king. Abigail’s honor toward David was not due to his position as ruler over Israel; it was an acknowledgment of Yahweh’s design that the husband rule over the wife. Abigail referred to herself as “your maidservant.” Do not the words “maid” and “servant” evoke thoughts of lowliness and servitude? Today, such titles and positions are spurned and met with derision.

Abigail manifested a humility that Yahweh could honor. Her name, her actions, and her words, have been preserved for thousands of years. It was the Spirit of Yahweh that inspired holy men of old to record the words of Scripture. The story of Abigail’s life has been read by millions. The testimony given is that here is one whom God will honor. Here is that rare woman who will freely make herself a servant to others.

Abigail had no objection to performing the role of a doormat. She said, “Behold your maidservant is a maid to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.” When teaching those gathered to Him, Christ declared:

Matthew 23:11-12
“But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”

What does it mean to exalt oneself? Was this not the error of Satan when he despised the role God had given to him, desiring instead to be like God? We exalt ourselves when we choose a role higher than the one God has given to us. When a man seeks to follow his own counsel, rather than being led by the Spirit of Christ in all things, he is exalting himself. He is taking to himself the headship role that belongs to Christ. Such a man is a usurper.

It is not hard to see that the woman who seeks to rule her own life is also exalting herself. The woman was created for man. Yahweh said to the woman that man would rule over her. To cast off the headship of man is an act of pride and rebellion, and Yahweh has promised to humble such ones.

The pattern of God established throughout the creation is that humility must always precede honor (Proverbs 15:33, 18:12). Yahweh has established a governmental order among the creation that gives everyone an opportunity to humble themselves. Christ humbled Himself before the Father, even to the point of death. Man must humble himself before Christ. The woman must humble herself before man.

When Yahweh finds one who has proven themself faithful in the role of a servant, He will bestow honor and glory on that one. The reward of God is seldom seen in this present life. It is for the coming ages.

Revelation 22:12
“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”

God will judge with fairness. He is no respecter of persons. Every man and woman will reap according to what they have sown. If you are a woman, I do not doubt that God will esteem the very things the holy apostles said were characteristic of those widows who were to be considered worthy of honor; “having been the wife of a man, having a reputation for good works; and if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work.”

Inescapable in these words is the call to servanthood.

Philippians 2:5-7
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Yahshua, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant...

In the kingdom of God it is the branches that bend lowest that bear the most fruit.


Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Woman, the Glory of Man - Created for a Purpose

Created for a Purpose

I Corinthians 11:8-
Man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; for indeed man was not created for the woman's sake, but woman for the man's sake.

One of the great questions asked by mankind throughout the ages has been “Why am I here?” There is great value in knowing the answer to this question. For those who believe in the God of the Bible, it is exceedingly important to arrive at the knowledge of the truth. Success in the kingdom of God is defined as knowing the will of God, and doing it.

If we are to be successful as disciples of Christ, we must know the purposes of Yahweh. Christ ever lived to do the will of His Father, and so too must all who follow in His steps. It is a marvelous thing to discover the purposes of God for one’s life. We are thereby enabled to evaluate whether we are fulfilling God’s purpose.
In the passage above, the apostle Paul speaks of Yahweh’s purpose for the woman. Woman was created for the man’s sake. What does this mean? These words reveal that God saw some need present in man that called for a solution. The answer to man’s need was realized in the creation of the woman. We find the truth of man’s need proclaimed in the second chapter of Genesis.

Genesis 2:18-20
Then Yahweh God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." And out of the ground Yahweh God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. And the man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.

After God created all things, He evaluated what He had fashioned. In the first chapter of Genesis we find Yahweh rendering a judgment about those things created. Repeatedly we find the testimony that what God created He saw as good.

Genesis 1:4
God saw that the light was good...

Genesis 1:10
God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:12
The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.
   
Genesis 1:14, 18
Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years... , and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:21
So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:25
And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

The last thing God created was man. In the first chapter of Genesis we find the creation of man described in compressed form. Mankind’s creation is expanded upon in chapter two. Thus we read in the first chapter that God created man “male and female.” Yet, this is not the full description of the event. In actuality, Yahweh created Adam on the sixth day of creation, and after some period of time had passed God created woman. It is interesting to note that in the compressed description of mankind’s creation in chapter one that God calls the creation of the man and woman together good.

Genesis 1:27, 31
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them... Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.

When God saw everything He had created he judged it to be “very good.” As we pass on to chapter two of Genesis we see that this judgment of God that all is very good was not declared prior to the creation of the woman. When God looked at the man He had formed He testified “it is NOT good for the man to be alone.” There was something lacking in the creation. Yahweh could not rest until He had made all things “very good.” Yahweh determined that man needed a helper, a companion that was “suitable to him.” This helper was not formed in the same way that Adam was formed. Adam was fashioned from the dust of the earth, but of the woman’s creation we read:

Genesis 2:21-23
And Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which Yahweh God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."

Every word of Scripture is important. Yahweh does not waste words. He has told us that which we need to know. He has given (disclosed to) us all things necessary for life and godliness (II Peter 1:3). In order for the woman to live a life pleasing to the Father, a life of godliness, there are certain things she needs to know. Among those things is the purpose of her creation. Woman was made for man. God judged man to have a deficiency while he remained alone. Man needed a helper. Yahweh therefore created woman to be man’s helper.

It is beneficial to look at the Hebrew word that is interpreted as “helper.” This word is translated from the Hebrew word ezer (pronounced ay-zer). We find this word used in numerous places throughout the Old Testament. Moses named one of his sons Eliezer.

Exodus 18:4
And the name of the other was Eliezer (for he said, "The God of my father was my help (ezer), and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh").

This Hebrew word occurs most often in connection with the idea of salvation, or deliverance from an enemy, or peril.

Psalms 20:1-2
Yahweh hear you in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend you; Send you help (ezer) from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion...
   
Psalms 70:5
But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: You are my help (ezer) and my deliverer; O Yahweh, make no tarrying.

I do not doubt that the description of woman as the helper of man was intended in large part as a reference to her role in bringing the Savior into the world. It was from the womb of the woman that the Son of God was born. This act was accomplished quite apart from the effort of man. Christ was not born of the seed of Adam, nor of Adam’s descendants. The Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary, and the child was born from holy seed.

Isaiah 7:14
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”

Due to Adam’s transgression all men were made sinners. The seed of fallen man could never produce a Savior. God in His mercy and grace implanted in the woman a holy seed. Through that divine seed Yahweh provided a Savior for mankind. The woman became the vessel through which the Savior entered the world, bringing salvation to helpless man. Woman in this role has been an extraordinary helper to man. Through the role of childbearing, the woman man has brought deliverance to man.

The apostle Paul speaks of the interdependence that exists between the man and woman.

I Corinthians 11:11-12
However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as the woman originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God.

It is important to note the distinctions revealed in the statements above. Woman originates from the man. Man was created first. Woman was created after man, out of the man, and for man. Man, however, is not independent of the woman, for “the man has his birth through the woman.” There is a difference described here. Paul does not say that the man originates from the woman, rather man has his birth through the woman. Although man does not originate from the woman, he is dependent upon the woman for his continuance.

God’s word reveals a profound truth about man. In a very real sense, there have been only two men who have ever lived. The word Adam means “man.” The apostle Paul tells us there have been two Adams, two men.

I Corinthians 15:45-49
And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

Every man born of the first Adam, the natural man, is merely a continuation of that first man. The life of the first man is contained in his seed. This seed is given to the woman that the life of man might continue. The first Adam was not born of woman. He was created from the dust of the earth. All other men have been a continuance of the first man God created. As the woman has received the seed of man, and given birth to Adam’s offspring, she has continued the life God created.

Apart from the woman, man would have perished when the first Adam died. Woman enables the life of Adam to continue by acting as fertile ground for his seed. As woman gives birth to Adam’s offspring she delivers man from death. This is cause for rejoicing.

John 16:21
A woman when she is in travail has sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembers no more the anguish, for joy that man is born into the world.

Most of our English translations today make alterations to the text to make it more readable, and easier to understand. Yet, there are many instances where in doing so the translators actually obscure the truth. You will find in your Bible that in the verse above it says that the woman has joy because “a man,” or “a child” is born into the world. In the original Greek, there is no definite article preceding the word “man.” What Christ actually said is that through the woman “man” is born into the world. The life of Adam is renewed. Adam is able to continue due to woman.

In these words of Christ it is revealed that this action of the woman is a source of great joy. In the context of Yahshua’s words we understand that this is both right and proper. Why is this so? It is because by continuing the life of man the woman is fulfilling her role as man’s helper, man’s ezer. The woman fulfills a costly role. She endures much pain to continue the life of man. As she fulfills this purpose for which she was created, the woman is a channel through which salvation comes to man.

There is a very interesting passage found relating to the woman in Paul’s first letter to Timothy. I believe a great mystery is contained in the words. We need to look deeper than the common and natural understanding that most perceive in these words.

I Timothy 2:14-15
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

As I have studied this Scripture in the Interlinear Bible which shows the original Greek alongside the English translation, it is apparent that certain words have been added, while others have been translated according to the understanding of those producing the English text. I will provide an alternate translation that I believe brings out some of the mystery of what Paul is conveying.

And Adam was not deceived, but the woman. In the transgression, salvation shall come through childbearing, if they continue in faith and love and holiness with soberness.
   
Seeing that Adam was not deceived, while Eve was, who had the greater transgression? The one who knows his master’s will and does not do it will receive many stripes, while the one who did not know the master’s will shall receive but few. In the transgression (of Adam) salvation shall come through childbearing. However, Adam cannot bear children. Adam is a seed producer. He is not a seed nurturer, nor can he give birth to that seed.

When we consider the consequences of Adam’s sin, we see how very necessary it was that he not dwell alone. Adam truly needed a helper, one to bring to man salvation in a time of need. The woman was created to be this helper. Not only has the woman continued the life of the first Adam to this day, but she has brought into the world the Savior of mankind that Adam and all his descendants might be delivered from sin and death.

Is it any wonder that Yahweh observed the man and said “it is NOT good for the man to be alone”? Man was helpless by himself. He would have died in his sins, and there would have been no salvation for him.
Let me be clear in stating that woman is not man’s salvation. She is one who helps man by being a channel through which God’s salvation might come. Neither the man, nor the woman, can save themselves, much less any other, from spiritual death. Christ alone is the source of salvation. Yet, God has given to the woman a very honored role. The word helper seems hardly sufficient to describe woman’s purpose.

Yahweh has put within the woman an intuitive sense of her purpose. The godly woman desires to fulfill the purpose for which Yahweh has created her. In the Old Testament we read numerous accounts of women who were barren. These women were not physically able to bring forth man into the world. These godly women wrestled greatly with God and man due to their barrenness. They saw their inability to bear sons as a source of great shame. Their lives seemed to them not worth living if they could not bring forth sons.

Genesis 30:1
Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no son, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, "Give me sons, or else I die."

Among those women who experienced this dilemma, whose stories are recorded for us in Scripture are Sarah, the wife of Abraham; Rachel, the wife of Jacob; Tamar, who bore Zerah and Perez to Judah; and Hannah, the mother of Samuel. The shame and discomfiture of these women was so great that they went to extremities in their passion to bring a male child into the world.

Sarah, and Rachel (as well as Rachel’s sister Leah) all gave their handmaidens to their husbands that they might raise up sons by proxy through them. Rachel was advanced in years and died giving birth to her second son, Benjamin. Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute in order to receive the seed of Judah that she might bear sons. Hannah writhed in such agony of prayer before God, entreating Yahweh for a son, that the High Priest observing her thought she was drunk. Never, do we observe any censure from God relating to the efforts of these women who wanted so desperately to bring sons into the world.

Beyond this, we also have the story of Moses, whose mother risked her life to keep her son alive(Hebrews 11:23). We have an entire book of the Bible, Ruth, in which the story of Naomi’s bitter life is related. Naomi lost her husband and both sons. She changed her name to Mara, which means bitter, for her life appeared to her empty and desolate. Yet, God used Naomi’s daughter-in-law to bring forth a son for her through the action of a kinsman redeemer. Boaz married Ruth, and their firstborn became Naomi’s son that the lineage of her husband would not perish from the earth.

Seeing that God has provided such a wealth of testimonies in Scripture of women wrestling mightily with the shame of barrenness, the understanding woman should recognize that a very deep purpose is touched upon here. There is a reason these particular stories were included in the canon of Scripture. Yahweh has a profound message for all women who aspire to godliness. You were created to be a channel of life for man. Man needs a helper.

Satan has accomplished a terrible work in altering the attitude of women today regarding their creation purpose. Rather than seeking to be an abundant channel of life for man, woman has given herself to the destruction of the seed of man. Through abortion, contraceptives, and other devices, the woman has adopted an attitude of death. Satan comes only to kill, steal and destroy. What greater thing could he kill, steal, or destroy than the life of man? Many women have become Satan’s willing accomplice in this act. (I do not deny the role of man in these things as well. I am emphasizing the woman’s actions here, as this book is intended primarily for the woman.)

The very thought of destroying life is contrary to Yahweh’s purpose for the woman. Nevertheless, multitudes of Christian women take contraceptives, or practice other means of birth control, that they might prevent the natural development of the life that is found in the seed of man. No longer is there a passion among women to pay any cost to bring forth life into the world. With evil they little understand, millions of women employ birth control measures that they might participate in the pleasures of sexual intimacy while seeking to subvert Yahweh’s purpose for their creation.

The woman who aspires to godliness must carefully consider her ways. How can a woman be esteemed righteous and holy by God when she adopts the diabolical practices of Babylon? It is the corrupted wisdom of Satan that leads a woman to question, “Why should I make my life a drudgery by giving myself to raising children, or staying home, when I can have a career, and pursue my own fulfillment and pleasure?”

James 3:15
This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.

The kingdom of God operates on very different principles from the kingdom of this world. The greatest in the kingdom of God is the servant of all. In Yahweh’s sight a woman is not throwing her life away by choosing to stay home, to bear children and teach them righteousness and honor. It is the woman who spends her life in service to her husband, to her children, and to others, that is praised by God. The humble will receive promotion, while those who have chosen the path of selfishness and pride will be debased. The first shall be last, and the last shall be first.

The apostles established customs and traditions among the churches. When considering which widowed women to honor by meeting their regular support, the following criteria were established.

I Timothy 5:9-10
A widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of a man, having a reputation for good works; and if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work.

Regarding younger widows the apostle’s teaching was equally clear.

I Timothy 5:14
Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no occasion for reproach...

The apostle Paul was not being chauvinistic. He discerned the purpose for which God had created the woman. He knew that which would result in the greatest honor and praise before Yahweh. He sought always to lead the saints in the path of life. Woman was created to be man’s helper. To pour out one’s life for the benefit of others is the pattern observed in Christ’s life. There is no higher calling.



Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

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Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063

Woman, the Glory of Man - Chapter One

Woman, the Glory of Man

Joseph Herrin (12-22-2011)

I Corinthians 11:7
A man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.

The apostle Paul declares a profound truth in the words above. All of his teaching, and that of the other apostles, relating to the role, behavior, and character of women in the church are founded upon this truth. The woman is the glory of man.


It is necessary at the very beginning of this book to define what this statement means. In the Greek language in which Paul wrote the word “doxa” serves as the counterpart to our English word “glory.” Thayer’s Greek Lexicon states that the word doxa in this application denotes “splendor, brightness.” Other Bible resources relate this word to the sense of “shining forth,” or “out-raying,” as well as “beauty,” “splendor,” or “majesty.”

I believe all of these words describe various aspects of the word glory. A man or woman may observe a spectacular sunrise or sunset and describe it as “glorious.” That is to say, it was beautiful to behold. The Sun certainly is radiant, shining forth, and it has a particular splendor and majesty to it. There are glorious sunrises and sunsets.

What makes the spectacle of a sunrise or sunset glorious? The glory comes from the radiance of the Sun being reflected by the earth, either in the clouds, or some body of water, or a terrestrial landscape. As the Sun rises and sets it is near the horizon and its rays cause all that they fall upon to glow with vibrant color. Clouds that were moments before ordinary in appearance become spectacular as they are bathed in hues of deep red, fiery orange, and brilliant yellow.

Paul states that man was created to be the glory of God. I want to look at an experience in the Old Testament in which a man who beheld the glory of God became transformed so that his own face glowed with the shining reflection of that which he had beheld. In this same book to the church in Corinth, Paul uses this same Greek word for glory when he describes the appearance of the face of Moses.

II Corinthians 3:7
The children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses for the glory (doxa) of his countenance.

This event is described in greater detail in the book of Exodus.

Exodus 34:29-30
And it came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses' hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.

Moses had spent forty days in the presence of Yahweh on the mountain. Yahweh had revealed to Moses His glory. As a result, the face of Moses shone with the reflection of that glory. It is remarkable that even the reflection of God’s glory in the face of a man caused those who observed it to fear. This is all the more remarkable in that Yahweh did not show Moses His face, but only His back.

Exodus 33:18-23
And Moses said, "Please, show me Your glory." Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live." And Yahweh said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen."

Moses saw the outshining radiance of the goodness of God. This is what Yahweh declared. “I will cause all My goodness to pass before you.” The goodness of Yahweh was so pure, so brilliant, so pure and magnificent, that it shone with a brightness that was terrifying to man. In seeing the goodness of God, Moses realized that he fell short of the holy character of God. Those born as descendants of Adam are sinful. They have become corrupted with evil. When in God’s presence, man’s condition is laid bare. In his nakedness man sees that he falls short of the glory of God, and he is ashamed.

Throughout the Scriptures, whenever a man saw the glory of God, or even beheld the face of the angels that stand in God’s presence, they were filled with fear and trembling. They immediately fell on their face, prostrating themselves. This was Moses’ response when Yahweh showed him His glory.

Exodus 34:5-8
Now Yahweh descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of Yahweh. And Yahweh passed before him and proclaimed, "Yahweh, Yahweh God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation." So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped.

In this brief moment as Moses beheld the glory of God, his own face was transformed. Moses’ face reflected the glory of Yahweh so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at him. This man who had appeared ordinary a moment before, became spectacular to behold as the out-raying splendor and majesty of God transformed his appearance.

This, I believe, is what is meant when the apostle Paul states that man was created to be the glory of God. Mankind was formed to be a reflection of all that is good in his Creator. In turn, the woman was created to be a reflection of all that is good in man.

At this time the goodness of God is present in those who have received the Spirit of Christ. The apostle Paul writes to this same church the following words:

II Corinthians 4:6-7
For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves...

Man became darkened when he sinned. Like the earth under judgment described in Genesis chapter one and verse two, man’s sin caused him to become formless, void, and covered in darkness. Yet Christ has come that the glory of God might be seen in man once again. The light of God shines forth out of the darkness of man.

At this time, the goodness of God in man is veiled. The veil that covers the glory of God in man is the flesh. The flesh is described as a veil in another of Paul’s writings.

Hebrews 10:19-20
Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Yahshua, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh...

Even among those who have become partakers of the Spirit of Christ, the glory of God in man is largely hidden. Only in rare moments has God caused this glory to emerge beyond the veil to appear as a radiance upon the face of man. One such experience was observed in the face of the first martyr, Stephen.

Acts 6:15
And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel.

The glory of God is not to be fully revealed in man as long as he is clothed in sinful flesh. It is only after this corruption has put on incorruption, and after this mortal has clothed itself with immortality, that the glory of God will be unveiled in man (I Corinthians 15:53-54). John looked forward to that day, and spoke of it to the saints.

I John 3:2
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.

John was present when Christ prayed that His disciples might share His glory. The glory in Christ was itself veiled while He was “in the image of sinful flesh.” The body God had prepared for Yahshua hid the glory of God in Him from man. Only on the mount of transfiguration was the glory of Christ observed by His disciples.

Christ has now passed through the veil. The flesh has been set aside and He has received a new, glorified body. His appearance is now such that the beloved disciple, John, fell down as a dead man at His feet when he saw Him.

Revelation 1:12-17
And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle. And His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire; and His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been caused to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. And in His right hand He held seven stars; and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man.

This same disciple of Christ was not afraid to lay his head on Christ’s chest as they reclined at supper, for then the glory of God in Christ was veiled. One day soon, a firstfruits group of men will appear with Christ on Mount Zion. These ones will share in the glory of the firstborn Son of God. In them will be fulfilled the prayer of Yahshua.

John 17:5, 22-23
And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was... And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one...

It is God in Christ that makes Him radiant, and it is Christ in man that is the source of man’s glory. Can we not by extension declare that it is the goodness of man in woman that makes her glorious? I believe this is what is intended when the apostle states that man “is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.”

It is important to note that woman was formed prior to the fall of man. When Adam was still in his innocence, having not yet been corrupted by sin, God took a remnant portion of the man’s body and with it He formed the woman.

Genesis 2:21-23
So Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh at that place. And Yahweh God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. And the man said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."

God did not form woman from the sinful flesh of man, but from man in his innocence. Innocence is arguably the highest manifestation of the spiritual woman. This is why the Scriptures place such a great emphasis upon a woman being chaste. Before she is wed she is to remain a chaste virgin. The word virgin means “pure, undefiled.” After she is married the woman is to be a chaste wife, avoiding the sexual defilement that adultery would bring. The word chaste bears a similar meaning to the word virgin. It is defined as “undefiled, stainless.”

The innocence of the man and the woman were lost after they both sinned in the Garden. Immediately their eyes were opened and they perceived that they were naked. Shame drove them to make coverings for themselves of fig leaves, but this covering was insufficient in God’s eyes. Yahweh made for the man and woman garments of skins. An animal had to be slain to cover the nakedness of mankind. This animal that was slain served as a type of the Lamb of God who would one day be slain to become a propitiation (a merciful covering) for the sins of man.

Through Christ the innocence that was lost in the Garden can be regained. We live in an hour where innocence is derided. Those who are sexually pure are scorned as unsophisticated, backward, or socially deficient. We live in a world that calls evil good, and good evil. It is the pure, and innocent man and woman that God esteems.

Romans 16:19
For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good, and innocent in what is evil.

It is the will of God that the saints be full of His goodness, while being innocent in what is evil. Many women have transgressed grievously. They have cast away their innocence, embracing great impurity, and uncleanness. Some have reveled in their defilement, putting on a brazen face, glorying in their shame. If this has been your experience in the past, you need not despair. The innocence lost can be regained in Christ. He is the One who makes all things new.

I Corinthians 6:9-11
Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Yahshua Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.

As we will see in the following chapters of this book, the work of God among women is two-fold. Yahweh seeks to restrain the woman from casting away that which is pure and innocent in them. He is also at work to help them gain back that meek, holy, and innocent nature that has been lost. Even as man was created to be a manifestation of all that is good in God, woman is to be a reflection of the goodness of the spiritual man. The goodness of the spiritual man is observed in untarnished form in the life of Yahshua. Of Him, we read:

Matthew 11:29
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart...
   
Isaiah 42:2-3
"He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish...”

The qualities of a gentle, quiet and humble spirit that were observed in Christ are particularly singled out as attributes of the woman who aspires to godliness.

I Peter 3:3-5
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.
(NIV)

That which is esteemed by God is despised by mankind today. It is my hope that as you read this book you might be inspired to pursue that which finds favor with God. May you be a reflection of that goodness Yahweh intends to be revealed in the life of the woman. One day soon the presence of Christ will be observed in unveiled form through the lives of all men and women. To the degree that each one has had Christ formed in them, to the same degree the glory of Christ will be revealed through them.

Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws    

Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com    

Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063