Tag Archives: prophecy

Isaiah, Chapters 17-23

“Jehovah will strike Egypt, striking and healing it; and they will return to Jehovah, and he will respond to their entreaties and heal them.”
~Isaiah 19:22

In this prophetic context, Egypt represents the nations of the earth in general. (Re. 11:8)
God will strike them on his judgment day. (Re. 16:14,16)
Throughout the earth, individuals set apart for salvation will then be “healed” in every sense of the word: spiritually, morally, physically, mentally and emotionally. (Re. 22:1,2)
Who will be their deliverer? None other than God’s own son.
(Is. 19:20; He. 2:9,10,14)
In the mean time, there is ‘an altar in the midst of Egypt’ and a ‘pillar on its boundary’ in the sense that God’s servants can be found throughout the nations and yet conduct themselves differently than most of the world around them. (Is. 19:19; Joh. 17:15,16)
God’s servants worship him united and peacefully, regardless of their national origin. (Is. 19:23)

If you would like more details on the minor and major fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecies, you can find it in the online book “Isaiah’s Prophecies” Volume 1 & Volume 2.

Isaiah, Chapters 6-10

“Look! The true Lord, Jehovah of armies, Is chopping off branches with a terrible crash; The tallest trees are being cut down, And the lofty are brought low.”
~Isaiah 10:33

God has the power to bring down whomever he chooses.
Although he has for the most part left humanity to follow its own course, there are times when he has decided to remove or limit power from certain governors. (Eccl. 8:9)
For example, in ancient Israel, God’s angel put to death the Assyrian regime that had camped outside of Jerusalem. (2 Chron. 32:21; Is. 37:36)
God’s Word states that in the future, he will do away with all imperfect governments and only Christ will rule the earth from heaven. (Is. 9:6,7; Da. 2:44)
It does not matter how powerful a ruler thinks he is; in God’s eyes he is just a person who will eventually be put in his place. (Is. 7:9b; 8:12,13)

Proverbs, chapters 12-16

“[…] ​A faithful envoy brings healing,”
~Proverbs 13:17

Christians have been commissioned to declare the good news of God’s kingdom (Matt. 28:19,20; Mark 13:10).
We should cherish the privilege of sharing hope with others through dispersing knowledge of God’s Word (1 Tim. 2:3-6).
It is exciting to take part in a living prophecy (Dan. 12:4; Matt. 24:14).
Still, we are not immune to apathy, opposition, negative responses or the daily pressures of life.
It is important to meditate on the benefits God’s message brings and to not undermine what it accomplishes.
While most will respond unfavorably, the meek will truly experience healing upon learning of God’s will for them (Isa. 52:7).

1 Chronicles, chapters 5-7

“[Reuben] was the firstborn, but because he defiled the bed of his father, his right as firstborn was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel […]”
~1 Chronicles 5:1

The “sons of Israel” totaled 12, but the first born was supposed to receive double the inheritance portion of the others.
Israel’s first-born, Reuben, slept with his father’s concubine, thereby forfeiting his right to his double portion of inheritance (Ge. 35:22).
Joseph was Israel’s favorite son, long believed to have died before reappearing in Israel’s life as savior and provider for their entire household (Ge 45:25–46:4).
Also, he was the first-born son of his favorite wife, Rachel (Ge. 29:30; 30:22-24).
Joseph had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and Israel prophesied that the younger would dominate the older (Ge. 48:13-20; Jos. 14:4).
The distribution of tribal land was to be divided among twelve tribes (Ge. 49:2-28).
This significant number worked out well when we take into account that the sons of Levi, whose jobs were directly related to the worship of Jehovah, would not receive their own territory (Nu. 18:20).
Therefor, there were thirteen total tribes of Israel, twelve of which had territories.
Israel’s prophecy that the tribe of Ephraim would grow more than his brother’s began to materialize in chapter seven of this week’s reading.
In fact, Ephraim grew so large as a tribe that it eventually came to represent the northern nation of Israel, after the original nation divided in two (Ho. 13:1).
From Ephraim came both spiritual people inclined to serve God, while other Ephraimites became apostates (1 Ki. 12:25-30; 2 Chron. 15:9).
The point I wish to highlight from this reading is that while God can decide our future in general terms, as he did with the tribes of Reuben, Manasseh and Ephraim, it is up to us as individuals to decide whether or not we want to serve him.

2 Kings, chapters 19-22

“Go, inquire of Jehovah in my behalf, in behalf of the people, and in behalf of all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found […]”
~2 Kings 22:13

Josiah was a 26 year old king who had an earnest interest in doing things God’s way (2 Ki. 22:2).

When his scribe, Shaphan, brought him the book of the Law (evidently the original book written by the hand of Moses), he formed a committee to find out what God’s words meant in terms of Judah’s future (De. 31:9).

The committee, despite being made up of prominent men, did not visit any well-known male prophets of the time, despite their vicinity (Jeremiah, Nahum and Zephaniah).

Instead, the committee inquired of the prophetess Huldah. (2 Ki. 22:14).

Huldah’s insight into the reading of the prophecies was never questioned but rather, taken as God’s word (2 Ki. 22:20-23:3).

King Josiah’s humility was hence blessed as he was spared seeing Jerusalem’s destruction or having it collapse under his reign (2 Ki. 22:18-20).

How do I react when given sound advice by a spiritually mature woman?

Do I think she is overstepping her role in the congregation by personally giving me suggestions that typically only congregation elders or overseers give?

When a person delivers God’s message to me, it should not matter that they are male or female, so long as it is God’s word that they are relating.

Other women who prophesied on behalf of Jehovah:

1 Kings, chapters 15-17

“When Zimri saw that the city had been captured, he went into the fortified tower of the king’s house and burned the house down over himself, and he died.”~1 Kings 16:18

Zimri was a chief warrior, overseeing half the forces of Israel (1 Ki. 16:9).

He betrayed his king, slayed him, then sat on his throne (1 Ki. 16:10).

Zimri then proceeded to exterminate the entire house of his predecessor (1 Ki. 16:11)

Although this was in alignment with Jehovah’s prophecy, Zimri was not motivated by a desire to carry out God’s will (1 Ki. 16:1-3; 12).

He was an idol-worshiper and an opportunist, greedy for power, who, in a transient display of bravery, acted purely out of self-interest (1 Ki. 16:19,20).

A few days later, the ten-tribe nation of Israel opted to make another one of their army-chiefs king.

This new king’s name was Omri (1 Ki. 16:16).

Omri besieged the palace where Zimri was hiding himself (1 Ki. 16:17).

Up to that moment, Zimri had solely relied on his own power and not God’s.

Thus, it played out that he caved in to his fears and killed himself before his enemies could grab a hold of him.

How long did Zimri’s rule last?

Seven days.

Any satisfaction he had derived out of his corrupt actions was extremely short-lived.

Zimri’s actions are a lesson in loyalty and lack of faith.

Judges, chapters 11-14

“Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor should touch his head, because the child will be a Nazirite of God from birth, and he will take the lead in saving Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”
~Judges 13:5

When reading about Samson and how he scraped honey out of a lion carcass and how he killed 30 Philistines and then took their garments, I wondered if this was not in direct conflict with his being a Nazirite (Jud. 14:8,9,19; Nu. 6:1-7).

Nazirites were individuals who vowed special dedication to Jehovah during certain periods of their lives, and they had a set of restrictions governing their conduct .

One such restriction was that they were not to come in contact with a dead body (Nu. 6:6,7).

In Samson’s case, however, those restrictions did not apply.

Because he was divinely appointed a Nazirite since before his birth, his conduct was only governed by the restrictions the angelic harbinger had indicated to his parents (Jud. 13:3-5,13,14).

 

Deuteronomy, chapters 28-31

“But if you will not listen to the voice of Jehovah your God […] Jehovah will cause the disease to cling to you…”

~Deuteronomy 28:15,21

Did God punish Israel’s unfaithfulness by striking them with disease?

In isolated cases, God did intervene and directly punished some people with health problems in order to get them to change their course of action.

Examples of this are the story of Pharaoh in Abraham and Sara’s day, or the case of Miriam, Moses’s sister (Ge. 12:17; Nu. 12:9,10).

In most cases, however, the diseases the Israelites suffered were not a direct blow from God, but rather a result of bad decision-making and straying away from God’s high moral and hygienic standards (Pr. 7:21,27; Rom. 1:26,27; Gal. 6:7,8).

Another factor contributing to Israel’s physical ailments came to be the constant wars that were waged against it.

Jerusalem was besieged for several years before being burnt down by the Babylonians in 607 b.C.E. and then again by the Romans in 70 C.E.

The attacks Judea suffered fulfilled God’s warning that if his People constantly disobeyed him, he would not protect them from their enemies.

As a result, they suffered terrible famine and pestilence, just as Jehovah had warned them through Moses (De. 28:25-44).

Jesus foretold of future world-spread disease when asked about the Last Days:
“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in one place after another food shortages and pestilences…” (Luke 21:10,11).

Although we cannot avoid the fulfillment of these prophecies, we can be sure they point to a time when Christ does away with physical suffering, for he promised “your deliverance is getting near,” (Luke 21:28).

In the mean time, we can protect ourselves from many avoidable diseases by simply following God’s high moral and hygienic standards and living a healthy lifestyle.

Numbers, chapters 26-29

These were the ones registered by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they registered the Israelites in the desert plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. But among them there was no one who had been registered by Moses and Aaron the priest in the census of the Israelites taken in the wilderness of Sinai.
~Numbers 26:63,64

After 40 years of roaming the desert, the amount of male Israelites had actually decreased instead of increased.

The previous generation of males had been kept out of the Promised Land because of their lack of faith, and they had all died out except for Joshua and Caleb (Nu. 14:30; 26:65).

Upon once again reaching the verge of entering the Promised Land, Jehovah commanded Moses and the new High Priest, Eleazar to take a second census.

So we are able to clearly see the effect the trials in the desert had on Israelite families.

Tribe 1st Census 2nd Census
Reuben 46,500 43,730
Simeon 59,300 22,200
Gad 45,650 40,500
Judah 74,600 76,500
Isachar 54,400 64,300
Zebulun 57,400 60,500
Manasseh 32,200 52,700
Ephraim 40,500 32,500
Benjamin 35,400 45,600
Dan 62,700 64,400
Asher 41,500 53,400
Naphtali 53,400 45,400
Total 603,550 601,730

Those trials included:

  • Israel being defeated by the Amalekites when they tried to conquer the Promised Land against God’s orders (Nu. 14:39-45)
  • Some Israelites rebelling alongside Korah against Moses’s leadership and then being miraculously executed by God (Nu. 16:20-50)
  • Many Israelites growing weary and complaining about being liberated, and then being punished with venomous snakes (Nu. 21:4-9)
  • Fornicating and tainting true worship through the young men’s association with Moabite women (Nu. 25:9)

One can only wonder what habits led some families such as the ones composing the tribe of Simeon to drastically drop to less than half of its original members while other families, such as the ones belonging to the tribe of Manasseh, increased its members by 64%.

Was it their predominant attitude? Were their household heads more inclined to support and collaborate with Moses? Did they value the privilege of forming a people to represent God more than the other tribes? Did the males organize worship in a constant, regular way? Did the knowledge that the older generation had that it was not going to enter the Promised Land not deter it from doing all it could to support its children’s future?

Today, we are living in the last days (Matt. 24:3-14; 2 Tim. 3:1-5).

Still, many grandmothers and grandfathers who have spent their lives working in favor of Jehovah’s interests may not make it alive into the promised New World (2 Pet. 3:13).

It is inspiring to see their self-sacrificing, restless effort which greatly benefits the spiritual well-being of their families and congregations.

Numbers, chapters 10-13

So all that day and all night and all the next day, the people stayed up and gathered the quail.
No one gathered less than ten ho′mers [2200 L, or 581 gall.], and they kept spreading them all around the camp for themselves.
But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it could be chewed, Jehovah’s anger blazed against the people, and Jehovah began striking the people with a very great slaughter.
~Nu. 11:32,33

Israel had traveled roughly 425 km (264 mi) when they started complaining about eating manna.

The “mixed-crowd,” or non-Israelites, “who were in their midst then expressed selfish longing, and the Israelites too began to weep again and say: ‘Who will give us meat to eat?'” (Nu. 11:4).

Moses, brought to the brink of desperation, complained to Jehovah.

“From where will I get meat to give to all this people?
For they keep weeping before me, saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ […]
If this is how you are going to treat me, please kill me right now.
If I have found favor in your eyes, do not make me see any more calamity,” (Nu. 11:13,15).

Yes, even Moses, who had confronted Pharaoh, crossed the Red Sea on dry land, spoken with God on several occasions, laid down the foundations of law and religion for millions of people, even he had limitations and came to feel suicidal.

Jehovah heard Moses out and promised to bring meat to the people (Nu. 11:18).

Moses doubted this but Jehovah reassured him that he was perfectly capable of accomplishing the task, also noting that the people of Israel had hurt God’s own feelings with their ungrateful complaining (Nu. 11:20-23).

“Then a wind from Jehovah sprang up and began driving quail from the sea and causing them to fall around the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and they were about two cubits [89 cm, or 2.9 ft.] deep on the ground,” (Nu. 11:31).

The Awake! magazine from December of 2007 draws the following lesson:

When the Israelites desired meat to eat in the wilderness, Jehovah provided an abundance of quail.
Greed caused them selfishly to abuse that gift, greatly angering Jehovah God.
God has not changed since then.
Accordingly, responsible Christians avoid needless waste, which could be a sign of greed.
Some may view the unlimited consumption of energy or other resources as their right.
But natural resources should not be squandered simply because we can afford them or there is an abundance.
After Jesus miraculously fed a large crowd, he directed that the remaining fish and bread be gathered (John 6:12).
He was careful not to waste what his Father had provided.

And just as God exterminated those who made immoderate use of resources then, God warns us of our own future through a prophecy in the book of Revelation:

“[…] Your own wrath came, and the appointed time came […] to bring to ruin those ruining the earth,” (Re. 11:18).

Food for thought. 🙂