Bible Book Profiler Blog

Do numbers count?

Numerology is the world’s counterfeit of the biblical and spiritual meaning of numbers.

The mathematical accuracy of God’s word is breathtaking.

This adds another unique and enriching dimension to its credibility as the greatest book ever written and God’s most magnificent masterpiece.

In the context of the healing of the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8:48, the previous section has an important piece of the puzzle of our biblical understanding of numbers.

It’s interesting that in Luke 8:8, it says that the seed that lands on the good ground will mature and bear fruit 100 times.

5 x 20 = 100.

5 in the bible is the number of God’s grace, which is unmerited divine favor.  All healing is ultimately a gift from God.  Thus, healing is by God’s grace also.

20 is the number of expectancy.

The woman with the issue of blood, by continually holding onto God’s promise of healing, was expecting to be healed, a gift by God’s grace, and received it.

Although chapter headings, verse markings, notes in the center margin, etc are all added by man, it’s still interesting that the bearing of fruit one hundredfold is mentioned in verse 8 of Luke 8.

8 is the biblical number of a new beginning, so Luke 8:8 is a new beginning doubled and established.

Healing was certainly a totally new beginning for her!

The remarkable numerical and spiritual precision of the word of God.

Below are just a few illustrations of the remarkable precision of God’s word in regards to the biblical meaning of numbers in the unique distribution pattern of the root word “physician”, which is used 12 times in the bible in 11 verses.

1. Genesis 50:2 is the first usage of the root word “physician” in the bible.

1 in the bible signifies God and unity.

Genesis 50
1 And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.
2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel.

The original Godly design of the medical system was to perform necessary services, such as embalming [funeral] services or emergency services.  This was a blessing and resulted in Godly unity among those present or treated.

However, over time, it became corrupted, as most other systems in the world do.  This inevitably led to division which the number 2 explains.

2. Genesis 50:2 is also the second usage of the root word “physician” in the bible.

2 in the bible indicates establishment or division, depending on the context.

Genesis 50
1 And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.
2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel.

Here it can mean the establishment of the original Godly design of performing necessary medical services, such as embalming and funeral services.

As the medical system became corrupted with the love of money and bribery for example, the consequence is division.  When somebody is harmed or dies of iatrogenic [medically induced] treatments, it causes division in people’s lives.

3. II Chronicles 16:12 is the third usage of the root word “physician” in the bible.

3 in the bible indicates divine perfection and completeness.

II Chronicles 16
12 And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians.
13 And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.

In verse 12, the number 39 is mentioned in the same sentence that it says Asa “sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians” in the height of his disease.

• Multiplication: Besides 1 and itself, 3 and 13 are the only other factors of 39.  3 is the number of completeness.  39 = 3 x 13, the number of rebellion, so Asa was guilty of complete rebellion against God.
• Addition: Asa’s rebellion is evident in the number 39 because the digits 3 + 9 = 12.  In the least common denominator, 12 is the number of rulership.  The adversary certainly ruled Asa’s life at this time.
• Subtraction: If you subtract the digits 9 – 3, you get 6, the number of man as he is influenced by the adversary.  How appropriate for King Asa!
• Division: 9 ÷ 3 = 3, the number of completeness again, which is what we started with: complete rebellion against God completed!  9 in the bible is the number of judgment and finality.  Asa’s death was the final consequence of his rebellion.

Whether we add, subtract, multiply or divide the digits of the number 39, we get congruent and appropriate spiritual meanings regarding Asa the king.

Referring back to verse 12, figuratively speaking, feet in the bible represent the action center of a person’s will.

The fact that Asa got a foot disease at the age of 39 emphasizes the consequence of his action to violate an oath he made to God in II Chronicles 15.

Immediately after it’s mentioned that Asa did not seek the Lord in his affliction, he died.

Jeremiah 17
5 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.
6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

That is why II Chronicles 16:12 is the 3rd usage of the root word “physician”.

Furthermore, the gospel of Luke is the only book of the bible that has the root word “physician” 3 times: Luke 4:23, 5:31 & 8:43.

That makes sense because Jesus Christ’s identity in this gospel is that of a perfect man, in contrast to the natural man and all his imperfections, who needs the services of a physician the most.

Luke 4
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Jesus Christ brought a 3-fold healing:

1. Physical:  by his bruises we are healed [I Peter 2:24]
2. Psychological:  accepted by God, forgiveness and the mind of Christ [Ephesians 1:6, 7;  Philippians 2:5]
3. Spiritual:  [we have been redeemed and have been born again with incorruptible spiritual seed [Ephesians 1:7;  I Peter 1:23]

That gives us complete healing and wholeness.

Colossians 2:10
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

The name of Luke is also only used 3 times in the bible, who was a physician as well.

4. Job 13:4 is the 4th usage of the root word “physician” in the bible.

4 is the number of creation and man in relationship to God’s creation.

Job 13
3 Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.
4 But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.

Four is the number of material completeness.  That makes sense: God’s creation is materially complete.

It is also the number of the world and of cities.

The devil is the god of this world who has corrupted the kingdoms and systems of the world.    The devil is the originator of lies and has the power of death.

The current medical system kills more people than any other industry because it’s based to a large degree on lies.

This is why Job 13:4 is the 4th usage of the root word “physician”.

5. Jeremiah 8:22 is the 5th usage of the root word “physician” in the bible.

5 is the number of God’s grace, which is unmerited divine favor.

Jeremiah 8:22
Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

Chapter 8 of Jeremiah talks about the deceit, greed, idolatry and remorselessness of the people of Jerusalem.

They had been captured and taken away to Babylon because of their idolatry.

Gilead [an area east of the sea of Galilee and the Jordan river], was a place of refuge and known for its ointments and spices.  The balm of Gilead was a medicinal substance taken from plants used for healing.

“Is there no balm in Gilead?”  Of course there was.  It was well known for that.

“Is there no physician there?” There certainly was because that’s who applied the balm and bandages.

So then the reason why the question “why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?” was asked is simple: the people, like Asa the king [mentioned in the previous usage of the root word physician] trusted only in the knowledge and abilities of their physicians instead of trusting in the Lord.

Furthermore, the word “physician” [singular] is used 6 times in the bible and six is the number of man as he is influenced by devil spirits.

There is also only 1 of the 9 manifestations of holy spirit [I Corinthians 12] that is called a gift: the gifts of healing because healing is a gift of God’s grace.

6. Matthew 9:12 is the 6th usage of the root word “physician” in the bible.

6 is the number of man as he is influenced by our spiritual adversary, the devil, who has corrupted the medical system with greed, bribery and lies.

Matthew 9
11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?
12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

In verse 12, check out the definition of sick!

Definition of the word “sick” in Matthew 9:12.

“Sore-misery related to experiencing grievous harm (affliction)”.   This implies an evil and external source!

Furthermore, the word “physicians” [plural] is used 6 times in the bible.  This represents the corrupt medical system, and is not an accurate reflection of those good, well-meaning individual workers within it.

Again, we see the remarkable, faithful and trustworthy precision and appropriateness of God’s word.

7. Mark 2:17 is the 7th usage of the root word “physician” in the bible.

7 is the number of spiritual perfection.

Mark 2
16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Look at the definition of “whole” in verse 17!

Definition of “whole” in Mark 2:17.

This Greek word ischuo is used 28 times in the New Testament: 28 = 4 x 7, the number of spiritual perfection again.

This Greek word ischuo is also used twice in the seventh section of the book of Acts!

Acts is divided up into 8 different sections.  The 7th one is Acts 16:6 – Acts 19:19.

The 7th section of Acts has many many examples of “getting into the fray”, “engaging the resistance” and “combative, confrontive force” as the spiritual competition heats to its peak!

Acts 19:16
And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed [ischuo] against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

Acts 19:20
So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed [ischuo].

Many of the events in the 7th section of Acts involve discerning of spirits, which is listed as the seventh manifestation of the gift of holy spirit in Corinthians!

I Corinthians 12:10
To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

Below are just a few examples of the spiritual competition in the 7th section of Acts:

• A woman who harassed Paul and Silas had a devil spirit cast out of her
• They were beaten and locked in the stocks of the inner prison
• The jailer almost committed suicide, but got born again instead
• There was an earthquake, the prison was broken open and they were set free
• Paul preached the word for 3 days in Thessalonica, but the unbelieving Judeans incited the entire city into an uproar and Paul had to escape in the middle of the night
• Paul had a magnificent teaching on Mars hill, stirring up many people to consider God’s word

Mark 2:17 has both words “whole” [ischuo] and “righteous” in the context of sickness and healing.

So does James 5:16!

James 5
15 And the prayer of faith [believing] shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Below is an excellent example of the “effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”.

17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

In James 5:16, the word “availeth” is the same Greek word ischuo!

Jesus Christ was [and always will be] a perfect man of God who perfectly carried out the perfect will of God.

II Timothy 3
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

8. Mark 5:26 is the 8th usage of the root word “physician” in the bible.

8 in the bible is the number of a new beginning.

Mark 5
25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

It was a new beginning for the woman with the issue of blood when she got healed after enduring tortuous levels of pain for a dozen years.

9. Luke 4:23 is the 9th usage of the root word “physician” in the bible.

9 in the bible is the number of finality and judgment.

Luke 4
22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?
23 And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.
24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.

During his short ministry on earth, Jesus judged and condemned 3 cities: Bethesda, Chorazin, and Capernaum.

Matthew 11
23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell [hades = the grave]: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

In Luke 4, Jesus Christ taught his first teaching and healed a man with a withered hand.  The response from the religious leaders was a failed attempt to murder him.

Once he escaped, the very next place he went to was Capernaum, one of the 3 cities he judged and condemned!

So the 9th usage of the root word “physician” in Luke 4:23 is most fitting.

10. Luke 5:31 is the 10th usage of the root word “physician” in the bible.

10 is the number of ordinal perfection.

It signifies the perfection and completeness of divine order and that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.

Luke 5
30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Talk about perfect order, look at this.

Luke 5
18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.
19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.
20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?
22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?
23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?
24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.
25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.

In some cases of illness,  there needs to be forgiveness first in order for the healing to take place.

The reason is very simple: if a person is overwhelmed with guilt or condemnation, then they don’t have the proper mindset or attitude of heart in order to believe to be healed.

I John 3
20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

I John 5
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Psalms 103:3 is just one of thousands of examples of the perfect order of the words within the word of God.

In line with I John 3:21 and the record of healing in Luke 5, Psalms 103:3 has forgiveness before healing.

Psalms 103:3
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

11. Luke 8:43 is the 11th usage of the root word “physician” in the bible.

11 in the bible is the number of disorder, disorganization, disintegration and imperfection.

Again, this fits perfectly.

Luke 8:43
And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,

She had financial and physical imperfection, disintegration, disorder and ruin as a consequence of the physician’s treatments that were based on lies.

Although Colossians 4:14 is the 12th usage of the root word “physician” in the bible, remarkably, it’s the 11th verse in the bible of that word usage.

Colossians is a book that corrects doctrinal error = lies, which dominate the medical system and cause disorder, disorganization, imperfection, and disintegration in people’s lives.

12. Colossians 4:14 is the 12th and final usage of the root word “physician” in the bible.

12 represents governmental perfection and in the least common denominator represents rulership.

Colossians 4:14
Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.

The sun rules the day.

The moon, stars and planets rule the night by their passage through the 12 signs of the zodiac, which is a circle of 360 degrees, which = 30 degrees x 12 degrees.

Thus they also govern or rule the year.

The medical system rules our lives in several different ways, such as in the form of medical tyranny, where [often harmful] treatments are forced upon us, against our will.

The pharmaceutical companies fund and control:

• Drug manufacturing, clinical trials, publication of results and sales
• A large portion of the media
• Medical schools in universities
• They have been referred to as the medical mafia by several credible sources

Medical Tyranny: forced vaccinations in California by S.B. 277

Look what else the article reveals!!!

Senator Pan of California was bribed by the pharmaceutical companies to do their dirty work resulting in forced vaccinations, which temporarily satisfied the drug companies greed at the expense of the population.

Exodus 23:8 [Amplified bible]
You shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the testimony and the cause of the righteous.

Every bribe involves a devil spirit.  That is what blinds and undermines the people involved.

I Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

The third definition of “peddle” from dictionary.com is “to sell (drugs) illicitly”.

Although bribery is illegal, the lobbying efforts of industries is 100% legal, which hypocritically is legalized bribery.

Opensecrets.org has an eye-opening chart about the pharmaceutical companies.

Pharmaceutical industry largest lobby group.

This is yet another reason why we can trust and believe in the bible as the God-breathed word and will of God.

Why didn’t she just commit suicide?

The woman with the issue of blood suffered:

• Torturous levels of pain
• Debilitating levels of pain
• Was totally broke
• Shunned by society
• For a dozen years

Leviticus 15 [amplified bible]
19 When a woman has a discharge, if her bodily discharge is blood, she shall continue in her menstrual impurity for seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening.
25 Now if a woman has a flow of blood for many days, not during the time of her menstruation, or if she has a discharge beyond that period, as long as the impure discharge continues she shall be as she is in the days of her [normal] menstrual impurity; she is unclean.

26 Every bed on which she lies during the time of her discharge shall be to her like the bed of her menstrual impurity, and whatever she sits on shall be unclean, like the uncleanness of her monthly period.
27 And whoever touches those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.

Imagine living like this for 12 years!

Unfortunately for many people, this more than justifies suicide.

They’ve been blinded to the spiritual side of life and don’t have a heart-to-heart connection with God or a true knowledge of his son Jesus Christ.

This also applies to suicide bombers and terrorists.

John 16 [amplified bible]
1 I have told you these things so that you will not stumble or be caught off guard and fall away.
2 They will put you out of the synagogues and make you outcasts. And a time is coming when whoever kills you will think that he is offering service to God.
3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father or Me.

Unless you’ve been living in a deep dark cave your entire life, verses 2 & 3 have already come to pass, just as God’s word said it would, almost 2 thousand years later!

So if somebody kills a christian because they believe they are doing it in service to God, then they must be deceived and deception takes the form of lies.

Now we are beginning to see a pattern develop:

• Terrorists and suicide bombers accomplish their evil deeds because they have believed lies
• Well-meaning people in the medical system often apply treatments that do more harm than good because they were taught lies also
• It’s impossible to know that a lie is a lie by only studying lies
• You must compare a lie to the truth in order to see the difference and make an informed decision

Considering the woman with the issue of blood’s circumstances, what would you have done?

So why didn’t she succumb to the temptation to end her life?

Word Origin and History for succumb
v.  late 15c., from Middle French succomber, from Latin succumbere “submit, sink down, lie under,” from sub “down” (see sub-) + -cumbere “take a reclining position,” related to cubare “lie down” (see cubicle).

Originally transitive; sense of “sink under pressure” is first recorded c.1600. Related: Succumbed; succumbing.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Because she wouldn’t accept being spiritually screwed by the adversary, the God of this world.

I John 4:4
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

I Corinthians 15:26
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

If the devil can prevent somebody from getting born again by his lies, then he has succeeded because death will have the ultimate victory.

But when a christian dies, death is only temporary.

Nothing can stop Jesus Christ from coming back and raising the fallen believers from the dead and giving them a brand new spiritual body!

All the Christians alive at the return will get one too!

What an incredible hope!

Another major reason the woman didn’t commit suicide is because she had hope and suicide assumes that there is no hope = hopelessness.

Ephesians 2:12
That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

Once you believe there is no hope, you give up because it’s hope that gives us endurance to make it through the tough times.

Logically speaking, there are only 3 types of hope in existence:

1. True hope:  the return of Christ
2. False hope: reincarnation, being rescued by flying saucers, life after death experiences, etc
3. No hope: ideally, life is 80 or 90 years and a hole in the ground.  Make the best of it.

Romans 8
24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

In verse 25, the word “patience” is the Greek word hupomone and literally means to remain and endure under.   Hope is the foundation of endurance and steadfastness.

When times are tough, we need the safety rope of hope
to hang onto.

Hebrews 6 [amplified bible]
18 so that by two unchangeable things [His promise and His oath] in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled [to Him] for refuge would have strong encouragement and indwelling strength to hold tightly to the hope set before us.
19 This hope [this confident assurance] we have as an anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whatever pressure bears upon it]—a safe and steadfast hope that enters within the veil [of the heavenly temple, that most Holy Place in which the very presence of God dwells],
20 where Jesus has entered [in advance] as a forerunner for us, having become a High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

God’s hope anchors us into his word and all the blessings he brings.

What was her secret to getting healed and avoiding suicide?

Mark 5
27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

Now to really get the details of verse 28 and see the huge impact it had on this woman, we learn a little about Greek grammar.

We can see from the screenshot of a Greek interlinear of Mark 5:28 a small red rectangle, highlighted by a large red arrow.

This little red box in the corner of this screenshot gives us the secret code to the grammar mystery.

When we click on it, we get our answer, which meant everything for the woman with the issue of blood.

First off, we are dealing with a verb, which by definition means some kind of action is taking place.

The imperfect tense in Greek grammar refers to the present tense that has been shifted into the past.  It was an on-going action in the past since the gospel of Mark was written many years after the actual incident.

The active voice means that the subject of the verb [the woman] is performing the action.

28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

According to the Greek grammar in Mark 5:28, this woman was continually saying to herself that she would be healed if she just touched Jesus’ garment.

The gospel of Matthew adds an important detail…

Matthew 9 [amplified bible]
20 Then a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the [tassel] fringe of His outer robe;
21 for she had been saying to herself, “If I only touch His outer robe, I will be healed.”

Ever since she had heard of Jesus Christ, after such severe suffering for so long and with no other answers in sight, she fastened her mind on virtually nothing else.

It takes commitment and perseverance to achieve important goals.

Proverbs 23:7
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

Romans 10
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
17 So then faith [believing] cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The woman with the issue of blood was able to believe for healing and prevented suicide because she heard the word of God and continually kept it in her heart.

Did the seed land on good ground?

Prior to the woman getting healed in Luke 8:44,  Jesus Christ taught the parable of the sower and the seed in Luke 8: 5 – 15.

What does that have to do with the woman with the issue of blood?

5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

In verse 8, the word “hundredfold” is used 7 times in the bible.

7 is the number of spiritual perfection.

When we apply the perfect principles of the word of God, we can get the same results.

From verse 8, check out the definition of good below.

The woman’s name Agatha comes from this Greek word agathos.

The top 3 most published literary works of all time are:

1. The bible
2. Shakespeare
3. Agatha Christie [1890 – 1976], the best-selling novelist of all time

What is good?

Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

II Timothy 1:13
Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith [believing] and love which is in Christ Jesus.

By holding fast to sound words, the woman insured she would see sound results.

Luke 8:47
And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.

From verse 15, check out the definition of “honest” below.

The woman with the issue of blood definitely fits the definition of the virtuous woman in proverbs 31 whose price is far above rubies.

The woman with the issue of blood was a great example of the good ground that the seed fell upon in the parable of the sower and the seed.

Why is it so important to keep the word in our heart?

Proverbs 4:23
Keep [guard] thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

I Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Matthew 13:19
When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

It’s critical to not only have a knowledge of the word, but to understand it also, which is best accomplished by researching the word with sound principles and taking ownership of it.

Medical checklist to separate truth from lies

I Thessalonians 5:21
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Since there are so many lies in the medical system, how are we going to hold onto the good things?

We must first determine what things are good and what ones are lies.

There must be a standard of truth with which everything is to be compared.

Here is a partial checklist of principles and resources we can use to separate medical truth from error:

• Matthew 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits.   If a treatment makes somebody worse or kills them, then it’s not the right treatment.  You must look at the effects of the treatment, both short-term and long-term.
•  James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first:
  • 1) Pure
    2) Peaceable
    3) Gentle
    4) Easy to be intreated
    5) Full of mercy
    6) Full of good fruits
    7) Without partiality
    8) Without hypocrisy

Make sure the treatment follows the pattern of God’s wisdom.    If your gut reaction is to not accept a certain treatment, you should wait and research it more until you get a verifiable answer.

• Consistency:  Is the treatment or information consistent?  If not, something is wrong somewhere.   For example, in dentistry, we are told that the metal, silver or amalgam fillings embedded into your teeth are totally safe.   Yet the metal filling material coming into the dental office is classified and handled as hazardous waste, as is the amalgam debris after its drilled out of your teeth, but somehow it’s safe in your mouth!  Not coincidentally, the ADA [American Dental Association] makes over $50 million dollars per year on them.  Furthermore, “silver” filings are 15% tin and copper, 35% silver and 50% mercury, one of the deadliest materials known to man, so how come they aren’t called mercury fillings?!  It would be more accurate, but would scare everybody away, making them lose millions of dollars annually.
• Confusion:  If you are confused, then you need to slow down, step back, take a deep breath and gain clarity and understanding before moving forward.  Confusion is a psychological and spiritual weapon of the adversary and won’t end with a good decision.
• Hypocrisy:  The CDC [Center for Disease Control] pushes vaccines on the public as being safe, but the employees in the dept of the CDC that regulate vaccines have admitted that they refuse to have their own children vaccinated.   In another example, most doctors who were terminally ill with cancer would AVOID aggressive treatments such as chemotherapy – despite recommending it to their own patients.
• Follow the money:  The love of money is the root of all evil [I Timothy 6:10].  For example, whoever funds a particular drug trial determines the outcome.  Pharmaceutical companies routinely suppress negative data on drugs or skew the results in their favor.
  • Is there bribery, blackmail, or coercion involved?   The answer won’t be on the surface!  This takes time to research, often from numerous sources.
  • Many drugs have profit margins that measure into the thousands of percent!  So if extreme profits are involved, then expect other evils to follow.
• Lawsuits: Are there multiple lawsuits or, worse yet, class-action lawsuits, against this particular drug, treatment, device, doctor, hospital, or company that is providing it?  If so, then you may be gambling with your health, finances or even your life.  Just google “lawsuit” and the other terms you want to look into.
• Lawlessness: For example, the mfg label for drug A says do not take with drug B or drug C.   Drug B says to not take with drug A or drug C.  Drug C says do not take with drug A or drug B.  Yet I have seen several times where BOTH the pharmacist AND the doctor said the standard practice is to take drug A, drug B and drug C all at the same time!!  When proven and valid laws, principles, practices, etc are deliberately violated, this is lawlessness = defiance or rebellion. This originates from the adversary who is called the lawless one in the bible.  This is just one reason why over 100,000 people die each year from properly prescribed and properly administered prescription medications. 
• Motivation: Is your health care practitioner concerned about what’s in your best interest, or are you being manipulated or motivated by fear?  God only motivates us by his perfect love, grace and wisdom.  The world wants to instill doubt, worry and fear to get you to do what they want, often involving threats or domination.
• Banned: is the treatment banned in other areas, such as other states, countries, etc?  If several different countries have banned a particular treatment, then there is good reason to investigate before you become a guinea pig. On the other hand, due to the love of money, many of the best treatments are banned because of their effectiveness, which reduces the income the corrupt medical system would otherwise get.
• Proverbs 11:14
  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

In other words, get different opinions from multiple, objective authorities.

Here is a partial list of resources of vital information that will get to the root of the problem and change your life for the better:

• www.mercola.com  One of the most popular health-related websites on the internet, this site has thousands of researched-based articles that can benefit you.
• www.greenmedinfo.com  Thousands of articles and many how-to tools to enlighten and enrich your understanding of health issues.
• www.drugs.com  A great site to research everything about drugs
• https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/   this site lets you know who got paid when and how much
• https://www.cms.gov/openpayments/  “Open Payments is a national disclosure program that promotes a more transparent and accountable health care system by making the financial relationships between applicable manufacturers and group purchasing organizations (GPOs) and health care providers (physicians and teaching hospitals) available to the public.”
• https://kellybroganmd.com/  Natural medicine and psychiatry the right way!
• https://www.cchrint.org/  Restore Human Rights to the Field of Mental Health
• http://www.cochrane.org/  Trusted evidence. Informed decisions. Better health.
• https://www.nvic.org/  National Vaccine Information Center
• https://www.ewg.org/ Know your environment.  Protect your health.
• https://askdrnandi.com/dr-partha-nandi-md/  Holistic health practitioner, M.D., advocate, and leader.
• http://drjaydavidson.com/  Let us help you regain control of your health and customized lyme coaching.
• https://drpompa.com/  The #1 Website for Real Natural Health Solutions
• https://www.evanbrand.com/  I’ll actually listen to you. Let’s address the underlying causes of your health symptoms with Functional Medicine and Nutritional Therapy.
• https://www.drbenlynch.com/  Research your genetic potential
• https://drhyman.com/  Your fork, the most powerful tool to transform your health and change the world – Mark Hyman md
• https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/  In 2013 and 2014, Ben was named as one of the world’s top 100 most influential people in health and fitness, and by 2015, Ben was coaching the world’s top CEO’s, chefs, biohackers, poker players, tennis, motocross and endurance competitors, and professional athletes from the UFC, the NHL, the NBA, the NFL and beyond – all while advising and investing in top companies in the health, fitness and nutrition industry.
• https://draxe.com/  Dr. Josh Axe, DNM, DC, CNS, is a certified doctor of natural medicine, doctor of chiropractic and clinical nutritionist with a passion to help people eat healthy and live a healthy lifestyle. In 2008, he started a functional medicine center in Nashville, which grew to become one of the most renowned clinics in the world.
• http://www.abundantlifechiro.com/  Reach your full God-given health potential.

The truth is often suppressed, distorted or discredited.   Consider the source.

We must do a tremendous amount of research using God’s wisdom, grace and sound principles of logic and science in order to get to the bottom of something.

Despite the adversary making the world a spiritual wilderness, the Lord still led the Israelites through it, so how much more can he help us to succeed?

I Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ecclesiastes 7:19
Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city.

INTRODUCTION

How ironic!

Our medical system, which is supposed to heal us, is the deadliest industry of all.

If this isn’t the most massive and open rebuke of the Hippocratic oath [to first do no harm] I’ve ever seen,  then I don’t know what is.

This also represents the lawlessness of the medical system, another problem we’ll address later.

From the back cover of the book:

“The number of people who die each day because of medical errors: physician mistakes, hospital-related illness and reactions to FDA-approved medications, is the equivalent of six jumbo jets falling out of the sky.   More Americans are dying each year at the hand of medicine than all American casualties in WWI and the civil war combined.

The medical environment has become a labyrinth of interlocking corporate, hospital, and governmental boards of directors, infiltrated by the drug companies.  Pharmaceutical corporations are paying [translation: bribing] our legislators, television and radio stations, schools, and news outlets to keep this information from you.

Drug company representatives write about new medicines in glowing articles, which are then signed by physicians who are paid handsomely for their cooperation, though they may not even know the adverse side effects of the drugs they promote.  The most toxic substances are often approved first, while milder and more natural alternatives are ignored for financial reasons.

It’s death by medicine.”

God is not to blame for all this greed, chaos, and death.

Job 1:22 [amplified bible]
Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

I John 1:5 [amplified bible]
This is the message [of God’s promised revelation] which we have heard from Him and now announce to you, that God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection].

However, there is a root cause of the chaos that is spiritual in nature.

I Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Since there is a spiritual cause, there is a spiritual cure.

II Peter 1
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

The word of God has the wisdom and knowledge to escape the corruption and the power to overcome the world through the accomplished works of Jesus Christ, the son of God.

Proverbs 22:3 [amplified bible]
A prudent man sees evil and hides himself and avoids it, but the naive [who are easily misled] continue on and are punished [by suffering the consequences of sin].

Proverbs 4 [amplified bible]
5 Get [skillful and godly] wisdom! Acquire understanding [actively seek spiritual discernment, mature comprehension, and logical interpretation]!
Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

6 Do not turn away from her (Wisdom) and she will guard and protect you;
Love her, and she will watch over you.

7 The beginning of wisdom is: Get [skillful and godly] wisdom [it is preeminent]!
And with all your acquiring, get understanding [actively seek spiritual discernment, mature comprehension, and logical interpretation].

So where do we go from here?

I am not a doctor, PA [Physician’s Assistant], pharmacist, etc.

Just a concerned citizen who needs to share the biblical record of truth about how to separate truth from error using God’s wisdom and knowledge and how to apply critical thinking skills in the health field.

DISCLAIMER: This series of articles is not intended to prevent, diagnose, treat or cure any disease and it is for educational purposes only.  You must seek a qualified health care professional for treatment of any medical condition.

I recognize that the vast majority of people working in the medical system are good, well-meaning people who just want to help.

Therefore, the death & destruction must come by deception, which takes the form of lies.

In other words, the workers in the medical system are taught lies, which are passed onto the naive and trusting patient, who pays the consequences with their lives.

I’m thankful for the good in the system and the emergency care facilities that have saved so many people’s lives.

We must realize that it is the system that has been compromised.

The few rotten apples near the top that have infiltrated, contaminated, saturated and dominated the rest of the barrel are the source of problem.

The information in this series will not be without controversy though, as many people are hopelessly blinded by and glued to the medical system and will defend it to the day they die from their 13 prescription medications!

Why was she so sick and broke?

Mark 5
22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him [Jesus], he fell at his feet,
23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.
24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.
25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29 And straightway [immediately] the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

What was her plague?

From a medical perspective, although we can make some fairly educated guesses, we don’t know conclusively.

What we do know for certain is that she suffered horribly, as the red rectangle describes.

Sound too familiar for comfort?

The sad reality of our modern life is that virtually everybody has either walked in this woman’s shoes or know someone who has.

• Their 8-year old child is going through his second round of chemotherapy
• A sister is getting her daily dialysis treatment
• A co-worker is recovering from triple bypass surgery
• A parent, who no longer even recognize their own children, had to be put in a nursing home because of Alzheimer’s.

And now, the $64,000,000 question is:

WHY did the woman with the issue of blood:

• suffer many things?
• from many physicians?
• who wasted all her money?
• not get better?
• but got worse instead?

Doesn’t God have the answer?!

Of course he does.

We just have to know how to cut through the fog of confusion, lies and darkness.

Hard to see, the dark side is…

But with God’s light-saber of truth, there is hope, power and deliverance.

Hebrews 4:12 [Amplified bible]
For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.

WHAT ARE THE 3 WAYS THE BIBLE INTERPRETS ITSELF?

To find our answer, we must first know the 3 ways how the bible interprets itself.

1. In the verse
2. In the context
3. where it was used before

Upon reading Mark 5:26, it is self-evident that this verse does not interpret itself: we still do not know why the woman got worse and lost all her income because of the physician’s treatments.

Therefore, this verse must either explain itself in the context or where it was used before.

If you read all of Mark 5, and even the entire gospel of Mark, it still does not explain why the woman lost all her money AND got worse.

Although this record of the woman with the issue of blood is mentioned in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, none of them explain this mystery medical mess either!

Therefore, Mark 5:26 does not interpret itself in the context.

So the only option left is that this verse must interpret itself by the third principle of interpretation: where it was used before.

Where was what used before?

Physician.

This word comes from the Greek word iatros [Strong’s #2395] and is used 7 times in the new testament.

7 the number of spiritual perfection in the bible.

True healing is first spiritual, then physical.

The root word of iatros is iaomai [Strong’s #2390] and is used 27 times in the new testament and is usually translated “healed” and is defined below.

British Dictionary definitions for iatrogenic:

adjective

• med (of an illness or symptoms) induced in a patient as the result of a physician’s words or actions, esp as a consequence of taking a drug prescribed by the physician
• social welfare (of a problem) induced by the means of treating a problem but ascribed to the continuing natural development of the problem being treated

This certainly makes sense!

The woman with the issue of blood:

• suffered even more because of the physician’s iatrogenic treatments
• became broke in the process, adding salt to the wound

Based on the definition of words, the phrase “iatrogenic disease” is a contradiction of terms, causing confusion to any thinking person.

dictionary.com has the modern definition of physician:

noun
1. a person who is legally qualified to practice medicine; doctor of medicine.
2. a person engaged in general medical practice, as distinguished from one specializing in surgery.
3. a person who is skilled in the art of healing.

Based on the fact that the modern medical system is the leading cause of death in the US, there is obviously a serious disconnect between the physician’s good intentions and the negative consequences of their treatment.

Since the devil is the one who steals, kills and destroys [John 10:10], he is the one who is ultimately in charge of the medical system therefore responsible for the consequences.

Except for a few bad apples, I do not blame the well-meaning individual physician, but rather the corruption of the entire system.

How did it get like this?!

What can an ancient book teach us about our modern medical system?

Although the book of Job is roughly 3,600 years old, it has more enlightenment for our lives than the most modern and advanced sources of information available today because God is its author.

If you go to www.biblegateway.com and do a search for the English root word “physician” in the KJV, you can see that it’s used 12 times in 11 verses of the bible:

1. Genesis 50:2 – physicians used twice
2. II Chronicles 16:12 – physicians
3. Job 13:4 – physicians
4. Jeremiah 8:22 – physician
5. Matthew 9:12 – physician
6. Mark 2:17 – physician
7. Mark 5:26 – physicians
8. Luke 4:23 – physician
9. Luke 5:31 – physician
10. Luke 8:43 – physicians
11. Colossians 4:14 – physician

After reading all of them, it’s self-evident that only one verse has the answer – Job 13:4.

Job 13
3 Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.
4 But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.
5 O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom.

The Companion Reference bible says the name of Job comes from the Hebrew word iyyob and means “afflicted”!

The only book of the bible with the answer as to why the woman with the issue of blood suffered from the physicians comes from the book of Job, whose name means “afflicted”.  Both Job and the woman were afflicted with disease.

In Job 13:4, who is the “ye” referring to?

Job chapters 4-11 mention Job’s 3 friends, who later turned into miserable comforters.

• Bildad the Shuhite
• Eliphaz the Temanite
• Zophar the Naamathite

Since they were his friends, he expected them to help him, which they did at first, but sometime later, they turned against him and spoke lies about him.

That is why he called them “forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value”.

That’s pretty strong language, isn’t it?

Yes, but it was the truth.

Although why Job’s friends turned against him is the subject of another deep and advanced teaching, we can still get our answer just from researching Job 13:4.

• It’s interesting to note that the first usage of physician chronologically is in the book of Job [the 1st book of the bible written], which highlights the dark side of the medical system
• The first usage of physician canonically [Genesis to Revelation] highlights the good in the medical system
• This demonstrates the adversary’s parasitic nature and most effective strategy: mix in the bad with the good.   He feeds off of the good to gain usefulness and credibility while corrupting the whole system with the bad from within

WHAT ARE AT LEAST 2 BENEFITS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT?

I Corinthians 10:11
Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

This is in reference to the old testament, which was written directly TO the Israelites and NOT to us, the members of the body of Christ, which came into existence on the day of Pentecost in 28A.D..

The old testament was written for our admonition, so what does that mean?

In light of the effects of our modern medical system, this is very appropriate advice.

From this Greek word nouthesia, we get our English word nouthetic.

Nouthetic counseling [wikipedia]

“Nouthetic counseling (Greek: noutheteo, to admonish) is a form of Evangelical Protestant pastoral counseling based solely upon the Bible and focused on Christ. It repudiates mainstream psychology and psychiatry as humanistic, fundamentally opposed to Christianity, and radically secular.

Its viewpoint was originally articulated by Jay E. Adams, in Competent to Counsel (1970) and further books, and has led to the formation of a number of organizations and seminary courses promoting it.

The viewpoint is opposed to those seeking to synthesize Christianity with secular psychological thought, but has failed to win them over to a purely Biblical approach”.

The woman lost her health and all her money because of treatments from the medical system.

Wouldn’t you like to know why and how this happened so that you could avoid the pain, suffering and bone-crushing debts?

According to a study at Harvard University, 75% of all bankruptcies are due to medical debt.

Besides teaching us how to avoid things that might harm us, the old testament has another benefit.

Romans 15:4
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Definition of learning below.

So now there are at least 2 benefits of the old testament:

• Warn us of evil so we can avoid it
• Learn how to apply its instruction [wisdom].

Definition of warn [from dictionary.com]:

verb (used with object)
1. to give notice, advice, or intimation to (a person, group, etc.) of danger, impending evil, possible harm, or anything else unfavorable:

They warned him of a plot against him.

She was warned that her life was in danger.

What does the word say about how to deal with evil?

Proverbs 22:3 [amplified bible]
A prudent man sees evil and hides himself and avoids it, but the naive [who are easily misled] continue on and are punished [by suffering the consequences of sin].

Proverbs 27:12 [amplified bible]
A prudent man sees evil and hides himself and avoids it, but the naive [who are easily misled] continue on and are punished [by suffering the consequences of sin].

Definition of naive
[nah-eev]
adjective

• having or showing unaffected simplicity of nature or absence of artificiality; unsophisticated; ingenuous.
• having or showing a lack of experience, judgment, or information; credulous: She’s so naive she believes everything she reads. He has a very naive attitude toward politics.
• having or marked by a simple, unaffectedly direct style reflecting little or no formal training or technique: valuable naive 19th-century American portrait paintings.
• not having previously been the subject of a scientific experiment, as an animal.

God has told us not once, but twice that the wise will clearly see the evil coming from a distance and avoid it, but the naive will not see it and pay the consequences.

Based on consequences, the woman with the issue of blood was naive, not using the knowledge and wisdom of the old testament to her advantage.  Although she paid dearly for it, she was still able to believe for complete healing by Jesus Christ.

Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…

God’s word is the spiritual searchlight that enables us to see the evil coming and take wise actions.

The essence of the woman’s problems in Mark 5:26 can be summarized below:

• She had her health stolen away from her
• She had all her money stolen away from her

This is an exact contradiction to the word & will of God:

III John 2
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

How did this happen?

Like it was said at the beginning of this article, the root problem is spiritual.

John 10:10 [amplified bible]
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].

Matthew 7
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Based on John 10:10 & Matthew 7:16, the thief, who worked through the medical system, was behind the woman’s loss of money and health.

Since the effects of the treatment from the physicians contradicts III John 2, then they cannot be based on the truth and therefore must originate from the world, which is run by Satan, the God of this world.

In John 8:44, Jesus Christ was confronting a particular group of evil Pharisees [religious leaders] in the Jerusalem temple.

John 8:44
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The usage of the word “father” is a figure of speech called a Hebrew idiom of origination. Whenever it is said that somebody is a father of something, in the Hebrew culture it meant he is the originator of it.

That makes sense since it’s the father who has the seed.

This corroborates what Job 13:4 says: forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.

For the third time, we have a confirmation of lies:

• Job 13:4 – forgers of lies
• III John 2 – the lie of directly contradicting this verse in effect
• Matthew 7 – false prophets’ rotten fruit

In contrast to God, who can only tell truth, Job’s friends were “physicians of no value” because they were “forgers of lies”.

Hebrews 6:18
That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

Therefore, God could not and was not the one who inspired Job’s friends to lie.

Therefore, their lies ultimately originated from the adversary.

CONCLUSION

The purpose of the old testament is to warn us of evil in order to avoid it and to teach us wisdom, which is the application of knowledge.

Job 13:4
But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.

Although Job was referring to his 3 friends, the general principles of this verse and their application to our lives in light of the purpose of the OT is obvious: our modern medical system is full of lies because it’s run by our adversary, the devil.

That’s verified by the fact it kills 800,000 people annually in the U.S..

Hebrews 2
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

There are always spiritual realities behind the physical ones.

Ecclesiastes 1:9
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

The woman with the issue of blood was blessed just to be alive.

Many things change over the centuries, but 3 things in our lives do not:

• God and his word
• The devil
• Human nature

In terms of general principles, this is why our modern medical system is no different than ones that existed hundreds or thousands of years ago.

The woman with the issue of blood got worse and became broke because her physician’s treatments were based on lies.

If the first physician she saw told her the truth, she would have been healed and she never would’ve seen all the rest.

That started the downward cascade that stole her health and money, one lie at a time.

I Timothy 6 [amplified bible]
9 But those who [are not financially ethical and] crave to get rich [with a compulsive, greedy longing for wealth] fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction [leading to personal misery].
10 For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows.

The fact that all of their treatments were based, at least in part, on lies suggests a common source: the adversary, the originator of lies and the author of death.

All this explains the problems the woman with the issue of blood had with so many different physicians.

In my next article, we’ll dig even deeper into Job 13:4 and find out how deep the rabbit hole goes…

Whew!  That was a long journey.

I never saw that one coming, but then again, I should have.

It seems like every interesting little thing in the word that you want to look up turns into a massive research project that is tied into hundreds of verses, concepts, and other teachings.

Which brings us to Psalms 107 – nine long, in-depth pieces of biblical research on only 1 chapter out of 1,189 chapters, which makes this less than 1/10 of 1% of the bible.

And we’ve only covered part of it.

Maybe this is just one reason why the word of God is God’s greatest work.

Enjoy just some of the highlights of each article, arranged in chronological and numerical order below.

This way we can better grasp the scope of this chapter and see from God’s 360-degree spiritual vantage point.

It’s important to gain closure on a subject before moving on to other concepts.

Part 1

In part 1, we saw the big picture of the Psalms as a whole and drilled down to the structure of Psalms 107 and what that means to us.

Once we got the overall structure of the 5 books of Psalms, we then got a more detailed look at the 5th book, the Deuteronomy book.

Then it was time to get into the meaning and structure of Psalms 107.

This illustrates the power of precision, order, and structure of the word of the Lord.

Part 2

Proverbs 28:9
He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.

This is why the Israelites in Jeremiah’s time didn’t get deliverance in their time of trouble: they rebelled against his word.

But the Israelites in Psalms 107, in spite of going through a phase of rebellion, ultimately, they came back to the Lord and got complete deliverance.

God’s deliverance is:

• Past
• Present
• Future

That covers all eternity!

What are some the wonderful works of God?

Psalms 107
8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

“Wonderful works” is the Hebrew word pala: to be surpassing or extraordinary.

Below are just 2 of the things in the bible I know of that have surpassing excellence: the love of Christ and the peace of God.

Ephesians 3:19 [amplified bible]
and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].

Philippians 4:7 [New English Translation]
And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

God has done so many great things:

• Created the universe that is so vast and advanced that even after studying it for thousands of years, we still haven’t even scratched the surface and nobody can fully comprehend even a tiny fraction of it
• Made the human body, which is the most advanced physical being ever; we will never fully understand how it all works, especially the brain
• How God works in our daily lives, who can do things that we will never figure out how it all worked together

According to NASA, the latest astronomical data reveals that there are at least 2 trillion galaxies in the universe, each containing several hundred billion stars and planets, and God has designed, created out of nothing, counted and named all of them!!

Psalms 147
4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is INFINITE.

In the old testament, when you read verses about God doing evil things to people, it’s the figure of speech called a Hebrew idiom of permission.  It means that God isn’t actually doing the evil thing, but is allowing it to happen because people reap what they sow and have freedom of will.

Part 3

The Israelites experienced spiritual darkness and imprisonment as a consequence of their rebellion against God’s word.

Although we don’t know what the prisons of Babylon were like, we can get a general idea from this image of the Mamertine prison in Rome, 12 feet underground right next to the city’s sewer system where the apostles Paul and Peter were captured and killed.

Yet the worst prison of all is psychological and spiritual.

It’s living in such things as darkness, bondage and fear.

Hebrews 2
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Yet the Lord is merciful and gracious and will still deliver all those who are meek and humble enough to have a change of heart.

Acts 26:18
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Look at the unfathomable mercy of the Lord!!

Despite all the Israelites repeated rebellion, he still saved them!

No wonder all 26 verses of Psalms 136 end with the phrase “for his mercy endureth for ever“!   Verse 24 is particularly relevant to the Israelites.

Sometimes our worst enemy is in the mirror.

Such was the case with the Israelites, for not all their woes were from external attacks, but deceptions from within.

That is why we must stick to the word of God daily to keep the love and light of the Lord burning brightly in our hearts.

Part 4

Psalms 46
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

Both Psalms 107 and Psalms 119 are in the last book or section of Psalms with the main context being the word of God.

The distracted mind is the defeated mind.

Hebrews 4:12 [amplified bible]
For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Let’s clarify and summarize the Hebrews chain of deliverance:

1. Hebrews 4: We start with the rightly-divided, living and energized word of God
2. Hebrews 4: Mix it with a tiny mustard seed of believing
3. Galatians 5: Which is energized by God’s infinite and perfect love
4. Hebrews 11: Believing without actions is dead [James 2].  Believing = speaking the words of God, either by our 5-senses knowledge of the word or by operating the manifestations of holy spirit
5. Hebrews 13: While keeping idolatry at bay, we can boldly say the Lord is our helper and we receive deliverance from all our troubles.

Hebrews 4:2
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith [believing] in them that heard it.

The word “faith” in verse 2 comes from the Greek word pistis, which is better translated believing.

Look at this definition of “mixed”!

HELPS Word-studies
4786 sygkeránnymi (from 4862 /sýn, “identified with,” intensifying 2767 /keránnymi, “mix into a new and improved compound”) – properly, mix together into a superior compound – “a holistic blend” (unified whole) where the parts work together synergistically [the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements].

Part 5

In verse 13, it says that God had saved them out of their distresses [plural].

Although distress is on the lower end of the intensity scale, the fact that the  Israelites were surrounded by multiple distresses multiple times multiplies their effect.

Not a good place to be.

God’s order of deliverance:

1. God’s light leads them in the right way
2. Out of the darkness
3. Breaks their bondage
4. Heals them with his word
5. Delivered them from their destructions
6. Gives them peace, safety and gladness, the opposite of multiple distresses

The truth is that human behavior is more influenced by spiritual sources than anything else.

This is just one reason why modern psychology has failed us: it totally ignores the spiritual factors in human behavior.

Religious legalism often drives people into bondage and darkness, mentally and spiritually enslaving them.

Acts 21:20
And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:

However…

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

Man’s ways vs God’s ways

Proverbs 12:15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

Proverbs 10:17
He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.

Jesus Christ is the true and living way.

There are 2 Babylons:  the physical city that was in the middle east that had the Euphrates river running through the middle of it and the other represents the spiritual realm of the devil.

What do history, metallurgy, and nutrition have in common?

There are 3 different metals known as the red metals:

• Copper
• Brass [copper + zinc]
• Bronze [copper + tin and other materials]

Copper is one of the few metals that occur in nature in directly usable metallic form [native metals] as opposed to needing extraction from an ore. This led to very early human use.

It’s interesting that in both Psalms 107:16 and Isaiah 45:2, brass [bronze] is mentioned first, then iron second.

This is historically accurate since the bronze age occurred before the iron age because extracting iron from iron ore is much more complex and expensive than just using copper directly.

Furthermore, if only 2% to as low as 0.002% carbon is combined with iron, they make steel, which is a metal alloy that has different characteristics than iron.

From a nutritional point of view, copper and iron are essential minerals.

Without copper in the diet, iron cannot even be absorbed, so copper is a prerequisite for iron absorption and that is why its listed before iron.

Thus, from historical, metallurgical and nutritional viewpoints, the order of the words bronze [which is almost all copper] and iron in Psalms 107:16 are perfect.

Part 6

This section has a lot of great information on God’s wisdom.

Psalms 107:17
Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.

What does the bible say about foolishness?

The root word “fool” is used in 189 verses in the kjv, and in 78 verses in Proverbs alone [41%!], more than any other book of the bible by a wide margin.

Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Proverbs 1:7
The fear [reverence] of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Forms of Foolishness

Matthew 23
17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
33 Ye serpents, ye generation [offspring] of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Selling your soul to the devil tops the list of foolish things to do.

Not doing the will of God is foolish also.

Matthew 7
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Not being prepared for known needs is foolish.

Matthew 25
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

These virgins knew the lamps needed oil, so why didn’t they take some extra with them?

One of the many ingredients of homosexuality is foolishness since Romans 1 lists it twice!

Romans 1 [amplified bible]
21 For even though they knew God [as the Creator], they did not honor Him as God or give thanks [for His wondrous creation]. On the contrary, they became worthless in their thinking [godless, with pointless reasonings, and silly speculations], and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

One of the consequences of the love of money is falling into many foolish and hurtful lusts.

When you are falling, you lose control, knowing there is injury and pain to follow.

I Timothy 6
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

You must decide which is greater: the pain of your problem or the pain of discipline that is necessary to fix it.

This sounds like the Jepardy game!

“I’ll take Characteristics or Consequences for $200.”

Finally, we must have both the milk and meat of the word of God in order to grow.

Hebrews 5
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age [spiritual maturity], even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Part 7

The word “word” is used 1,179 times in the bible.

Its first usage in Genesis sets a very important foundational principle.

Genesis 15:1 [amplified bible]
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying,
“Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; Your reward [for obedience] shall be very great.”

If we are to get healed and delivered by the Lord, the first thing we must do is identify our fears and eliminate them with the love of God.

Why?

Job 3
25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

Job’s fear is what broke open a hole in the spiritual fence of protection around him and allowed Satan, the adversary, access to Job and his life and wreak havoc.

The new testament reveals why Job, full of fear, had no rest or peace.

I John 4
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him, because he first loved us.

Verse 18 says “fear hath torment”, the opposite of peace.

Why is peace so important?

Romans 15:13 [amplified bible]
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises.

Speaking of fear, when Gideon set up his army, the first thing he did was eliminate all the men with fear, then he removed all the idolaters.  After that, Gideon and his laughably small army of 300 decisively won a battle where:

• They were outnumbered approximately 450 to 1
• They used no weapons
• No casualties
• No injuries
• The enemy was completely annihilated.

Isn’t that the God you want fighting for you?

This is the exact same God that healed the Israelites and delivered them from all their distresses.

The old testament is the new testament concealed.

The new testament is the old testament revealed.

Anytime there is an apparent contradiction in the bible, the answer will always be in a wrong and/or incomplete understanding of scripture and/or a wrong translation of the bible.

Psalms 107:20
He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from all their destructions.

This is Jehovah Rapha, the Lord our healer.

Because Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten son, he was a great healer as well.

Luke 4:18
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

This is a quote from Isaiah 61:1, which Jesus Christ fulfilled.

Part 8

Luke 17:19
And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith [believing] hath made thee whole.

Look at the definition of the word “whole” in verse 19!

This is exactly what the Lord did for the Israelites in Psalms 107 multiple times!

Psalms 107:20
He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

There are 3 parts of Psalms 107:20 and they are all in perfect order – his word, healing, and deliverance.

• They put God and his word first by doing his will, which is the love of God [Matthew 6:33 & I John 5:3]
• Then the Lord healed their hearts, which is where believing originates [Proverbs 4:23 & 23:7].
• This enabled them to believe God for his deliverance 5 times in a row!  [Psalms 107:6, 13, 19, 20, 28].  5 in the bible is the number of grace = unmerited divine favor.

As Psalms 19 says, the heavenly bodies [planets, moons, stars etc] taught people the word of God long before the written word ever came around.

God so perfectly arranged the planets in our solar system, the stars in our galaxy and the trillions of galaxies in the universe to teach us his word so that the spiritual lessons in the night sky can only be seen and understood from the vantage point of earth, the only planet mentioned by name in the bible.

How could this have happened by accident???

Look at all these biblical maritime terms and concepts!

• [God’s] wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times [Isaiah 33:6]
• The hope of Jesus Christ’s return is the anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast [Hebrews 6:19]
• Wrong doctrines can make a shipwreck of our faith [believing – I Timothy 1:19]
• Don’t be like spiritual children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine [Ephesians 4:14]
• Don’t be double-minded, or you will be unstable as a wave in a stormy sea [James 1:8]

30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

I trust this has been an enlightening journey for us all, one that strengthens us daily as we walk for God all the days of our lives.

I just realized that part 9 is the final episode of Psalms 107 and the biblical meaning of 9 in the bible is finality.

I also just realized how the theme verse for Psalms 107:

Psalms 107:20
He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

dove-tails right into my next series on the bible vs the modern medical system.

It is the application of principles of healing that we learned from Psalms 107, which is God’s wisdom.

It is finally time to expose the lies and allow people to be told the truth and be healed.

Welcome to part 8 of this series of Psalms 107!

Verses 21 and 22

21 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

This is the third of 4 times that the Israelites have praised the Lord for his goodness!

This also demonstrates their thankfulness, which the next verse mentions.

In their culture and biblical administration, that was the way to do it.

However, in our day, and in our biblical administration [the age of grace], there is a much better way to demonstrate our thankfulness.

I Corinthians 14:17
For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.

This whole chapter is about the 9 manifestations  [not gifts!]  of holy spirit as they are to be operated within the church.

Contrary to what the devil would like you to be taught, every christian has the innate spiritual ability to manifest all 9 all the time!

Speaking in tongues is giving thanks well to God and was first made available on the day of Pentecost in 28A.D..

It just so happens that speaking in tongues is also demonstrating the wonderful works of God!

Acts 2:11
Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

Another benefit of the age of grace is that we don’t have to “sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving” by sacrificing animals on the altar on a regular basis.

We are a thanks-living sacrifice because Jesus Christ already sacrificed himself to God in our place.

Romans 12
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

What is at least one benefit of thankfulness?

Luke 17
11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith [believing] hath made thee whole.

True believing involves thankfulness and glory to God who makes us whole.

Look at the definition of the word “whole” in verse 19!

Check this out – do you see the first definition?

TO HEAL.

Psalms 107:20
He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

The Lord our healer [Jehovah Rapha] healed the Israelites hearts first so they were able to believe Him for deliverance afterwards.

There are 3 parts of Psalms 107:20 and they are all in perfect order – his word, healing, and deliverance.

• They put God and his word first by doing his will, which is the love of God [Matthew 6:33 & I John 5:3]
• Then the Lord healed their hearts, which is where believing originates [Proverbs 4:23 & 23:7].
• This enabled them to believe God for his deliverance 5 times in a row!  [Psalms 107:6, 13, 19, 20, 28].  5 in the bible is the number of grace = unmerited divine favor.

Proverbs 24:16
For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

This is another biblical principle the Israelites applied to their benefit.  Seven in the bible is the number of spiritual perfection, so we don’t have to be perfect, we just have to be faithful.

The devil kept knocking them down, but with God’s grace and mercy and their thankful believing, they kept getting right back up.

They were like those plastic inflatable punching bags we get as children.

They have the weight at the bottom and no matter how many times you punch them or how hard you hit, they just keep coming back for more, like they’re mocking you, saying, “is that all you’ve got?”

When we believe God’s word with thanksgiving, we can tell the devil that.

Verses 23 and 24

23 They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
24 These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.

These sailors had the blue sea beneath them and the blue sky above.

In the bible, blue is indicative of God’s presence, so they were literally surrounded by the comforting presence of God.

What a magnificent place to be!

As Psalms 19 says, the heavenly bodies [planets, moons, stars etc] taught people the word of God long before the written word ever came around.

The Earth in its orbit around the Sun causes the Sun to appear on the celestial sphere moving along the ecliptic (biggest red circle), which is tilted 23.44° with respect to the celestial equator (blue-white).

God so perfectly arranged the planets in our solar system, the stars in our galaxy and the trillions of galaxies in the universe to teach us his word so that the spiritual lessons in the night sky can only be seen and understood from the vantage point of earth, the only planet mentioned by name in the bible.

How could this have happened by accident???

Verse 25

25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.

In this verse, it clearly indicates that the Lord is the one causing the storm, but yet verse 29 says he also calms the storm.

This is confusing and contradictory, is it not?

Why would God cause a storm on the sea to go against the maritime merchants, and then calm it down?

It doesn’t make any sense!

Unless you understand the figure of speech called a Hebrew idiom of permission.

It means that God ALLOWED the storm to happen.  He gives all entities that have freedom of will permission to carry out their will.

Thus, this storm could not have come from God, and therefore, had to have originated from the world and Satan who is the God of it.

Verses 26 & 27

Psalms 107 [amplified bible]
26 They went up toward the heavens [on the crest of the wave], they went down again to the depths [of the watery trough]; Their courage melted away in their misery.
27 They staggered and trembled like a drunken man, and were at their wits’ end [all their wisdom was useless].

This is a very bad place to be!

They feared for their lives, many of them were likely seasick, they couldn’t walk a straight line and have lost control of their ship.

All their knowledge, experience, and conventional wisdom about how to navigate the sea was thrown overboard.

How timely the word of God is!

Isaiah 33
5 The Lord is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.
6 And [God’s] wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the Lord is his treasure.

Man’s wisdom was useless against the storm, but God’s wisdom and knowledge is stability and strength of salvation.

What a contrast – man’s wisdom vs God’s wisdom!

Hebrews 6
18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

I Timothy 1 [amplified bible]
18 This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, so that [inspired and aided] by them you may fight the good fight [in contending with false teachers],
19 keeping your faith [leaning completely on God with absolute trust and confidence in His guidance] and having a good conscience; for some [people] have rejected [their moral compass] and have made a shipwreck of their faith [believing].
20 Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be disciplined and taught not to blaspheme.

Ephesians 4
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Look at all these biblical maritime terms and concepts!

• [God’s] wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times [Isaiah 33:6]
• The hope of Jesus Christ’s return is the anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast [Hebrews 6:19]
• Wrong doctrines can make a shipwreck of our faith [believing – I Timothy 1:19]
• Don’t be like spiritual children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine [Ephesians 4:14]
• Don’t be double-minded, or you will be unstable as a wave in a stormy sea [James 1:8]

Verses 28 – 31

After being healed and rescued so many times by the Lord, what a great comfort they had, knowing they had a fortress, a safe haven to run to in times of trouble.

God will always be there for you.

28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.

God can calm the storms of the adversary in your life.

Look at the example of God’s son Jesus Christ and find out why he could do so much…

Luke 8
8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?

10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Look at the heart and life of Jesus Christ!

The seed obviously fell on good ground.

How do we know?

Look at the good fruit he brought forth in a rough storm of life!

Matthew 14
22 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith [believing], wherefore didst thou doubt?

32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshiped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Psalms 107
17 Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.

19 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.
20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

21 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

Verse 17

Psalms 107:17
Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.

What does the bible say about foolishness?

The root word “fool” is used in 189 verses in the kjv, and in 78 verses in Proverbs alone [41%!], more than any other book of the bible by a wide margin.

Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Proverbs 1:7
The fear [reverence] of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

An example of this is in verse 11 that we have already covered, so foolishness was one of the downfalls of these Israelites.

11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned [despised] the counsel of the most High:

Foolishness is basically the opposite of God’s wisdom.

The word “wisdom” in the kjv is used in 222 verses, with 53 of those being in Proverbs alone [24%].

The word “wise” is used in 257 verses, with 66 of those being in proverbs [25%].

Everybody knows that the book of Proverbs is all about wisdom, but Ecclesiastes, which directly follows Proverbs, is wisdom personified, doubly emphasizing the importance of God’s wisdom.

Fortunately, God’s words of wisdom outweighs the foolishness of man!

So, the words “wise” & “wisdom” are used in 479 verses vs 189 verses for the root word “fool”.

That’s a ratio of approximately 2.5 to 1.

Forms of Foolishness

Matthew 5:22
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Raca:

HELPS Word-studies
4469 rhaká (apparently related to the Aramaic term rōq, “empty”) – properly, empty-headed. This term expressed contempt for a man’s head, viewing him as stupid (without sense) – i.e. a “numbskull” who acts presumptuously and thoughtlessly (TDNT).

It doesn’t seem right that if somebody simply calls somebody else a fool that he should be burned up in hell, does it?

Of course not!

Until you understand old testament law and see who it refers to in Matthew 23 – people who have sold their souls to the devil and have become his child.

Deuteronomy 19
16 If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;
17 Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days;

18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;
19 Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.

Proverbs 19:5
A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.

Matthew 23
17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
33 Ye serpents, ye generation [offspring] of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

So the takeaway here is that its extremely foolish to sell your soul to the devil or to falsely accuse somebody of being the devil’s child, especially under the old testament law.

Proverbs 1:7
The fear [reverence] of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

What else is foolish?

Matthew 7
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

So not doing the will of God is foolish also.

This sounds like the Israelites in Psalms 107 who despised the words and wisdom of God.

Matthew 25
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

You must prepare for the unexpected, lest your foolishness cause you trouble.

What about homosexuality and foolishness?

Romans 1 [amplified bible]
21 For even though they knew God [as the Creator], they did not honor Him as God or give thanks [for His wondrous creation]. On the contrary, they became worthless in their thinking [godless, with pointless reasonings, and silly speculations], and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

23 and exchanged the glory and majesty and excellence of the immortal God for an image [worthless idols] in the shape of mortal man and birds and four-footed animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their own hearts to [sexual] impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them [abandoning them to the degrading power of sin],

25 because [by choice] they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading and vile passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural [a function contrary to nature],
27 and in the same way also the men turned away from the natural function of the woman and were consumed with their desire toward one another, men with men committing shameful acts and in return receiving in their own bodies the inevitable and appropriate penalty for their wrongdoing.

Foolishness is one of the ingredients of homosexuality.

More Miscellaneous examples of foolishness

1 Corinthians 2:14
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The unbelieving world will see the word and wisdom of God as utter foolishness because without the gift of holy spirit within, its impossible to understand it.

Galatians 3:1
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

This is similar to the lesson in Matthew 7 where not doing the word of God, whether deliberate or out of deception, is foolish.

Ephesians 5:15
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Part of walking in God’s wisdom is not being in the dark, but having a full 360 degree view, without any blind spots.

Otherwise your foolishness will hinder you or cause you harm.

2 Timothy 2:23
But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.

Avoid foolish questions and you will have more peace.

I Timothy 6
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

If you want to avoid “destruction and perdition”, then avoid “foolish and hurtful lusts”.

Since homosexuality involves being consumed by unnatural lust and the corresponding consequences, it could be classified as a foolish and hurtful lust.

These are just a few of the many forms of foolishness to avoid.

Psalms 107:17
Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.

The bottom line is that its foolish to rebel against God’s word because you are going to reap what you sow = consequences that make you cringe.

Verse 17 says they were afflicted.

Not fun.

You must decide which is greater: the pain of your problem or the pain of discipline that is necessary to fix it.

Verse 18

Psalms 107:18
Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.

There are only 2 verses in the bible that have both words “abhorreth” and “meat”:

Notice the parallel between Psalms 107:18 and Job 33:20.

This sounds like the Jepardy game!

“I’ll take Characteristics or Consequences for $200.”

Look at the very first usage of the word “meat” in the bible!

Genesis 1:29
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

The usage of the word “meat” is a figure of speech meaning nourishment.

Watch this enlightening 5-minute explanation of Genesis 1:29! [32 min – 37 min].

Exodus 29
41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.

Leviticus 2:3
And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire.

The remnants of the meat offering are the “most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire”, yet the Israelites abhorred it.

That’s not about the meat, but is symbolic of their rejection of God and rebellion against his commandments.

John 4:34
Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

The word “meat” is again used figuratively to indicate that doing the will of God was Jesus’ spiritual nourishment.

Job 23:12
Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

Job’s priorities were set right – the spiritual food from God was more important than his physical food!

Jesus Christ had the same attitude of reverence to God’s word.

Matthew 4:4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

John 6:27
Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Look at the great wisdom of the bible!

Life isn’t about money, food or work, but in knowing and doing the will of God out of our love and respect for him.

Matthew 16:26
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

This is the wisdom of the Lord.

Acts 2
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

We should have gladness, not be at death’s door.

Spiritual meat and maturity

1 Corinthians 3:2
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

The Corinthians were too spiritually immature to be able to handle the in-depth spiritual truths of God, so the apostle Paul gave them the milk of the word instead, because they were spiritual babes in Christ.

That is why they were stuck on the crucifixion of Christ instead of his resurrection and the day of Pentecost.

And why God, through the apostle Paul, didn’t reveal the mystery to them, but to the Ephesians, who could handle the spiritual meat of the word.

The Israelites in Psalms 107 got to the place where they couldn’t handle the spiritual meat of the word.  Therefore, they were babes in the word.

I Timothy 4
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

Hebrews 5
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age [spiritual maturity], even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

As we learn the lessons of life in Psalms 107, and apply them with the wisdom of God, while avoiding the foolishness of the world, we too shall be able to enjoy the thick, juicy steak of God’s word.

The meat of the word is even better than the best cuts of beef the world has to offer!

Jeremiah 15:16
Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.

Welcome to part 5 of Psalms 107!

Psalms 107
13 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
15 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.

Verse 13

In verse 13, it says that God had saved them out of their distresses [plural].

Although distress is on the lower end of the intensity scale, the fact that the  Israelites were surrounded by multiple distresses multiple times multiplies their effect.

Not a good place to be.

The 7 types of spiritual attacks against us

David was in the same place, so he went to the Lord in prayer as well.

Psalms 25:17
The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.

God delivered the Israelites from multiple distresses on 4 separate occasions.

Psalms 107
6 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.
13 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

19 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.
28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.

Isaiah 45:22
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

Nobody else can deliver us like God can.

No wonder the Israelites praised God 4 times!

Psalms 107
8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
15 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
21 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Verses 7 & 14

Psalms 107:14
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.

Look at the perfect order of God’s deliverance!

Psalms 107
7 And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.

20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

1. First, God’s light leads them in the right way,
2. Out of the darkness,
3. Breaks their bondage
4. Heals them with his word,
5. Delivered them from their destructions,
6. Gives them peace, safety and gladness, the opposite of multiple distresses.

Are you confused about which way to go in life?

Which way do you want to go in life? God’s way is best!

Compare man’s ways…

Genesis 6:12
And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

Proverbs 12:15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

Proverbs 14:12
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

with God’s ways!

Proverbs 10:17
He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.

Proverbs 10:29
The way of the Lord is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

Isaiah 55:9
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 35 [amplified bible]
7 And the burning sand (mirage) will become a pool [of water] And the thirsty ground springs of water;  In the haunt of jackals, where they lay resting, grass becomes reeds and rushes.

8 A highway will be there, and a roadway; And it will be called the Holy Way. The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for those who walk on the way [the redeemed]; And fools will not wander on it.

9 No lion will be there, nor will any predatory animal come up on it; They will not be found there.  But the redeemed will walk there.

10 And the ransomed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with shouts of jubilation, And everlasting joy will be upon their heads; They will find joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

In verse 9, the real emphasis isn’t talking about physical lions and tigers and bears, [oh my!] but rather spiritual lions and tigers and bears.

Jesus Christ is called the lion out of Judah and the devil is referred to as a lion who devours you in the bible.

Revelation 5:5
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

I Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

However, many times throughout the bible, animals are also used figuratively to represent various kinds or categories of devil spirits.

Lions, for example, would be in the animalistic and vicious category.

These are the devil spirits that incite people to commit such crimes as murder, rape, and torture.

This is where psychology missed the boat because it basically says that behavior is solely caused by things in the 5-senses realm, but that is only 1/2 the story.

The truth is that human behavior is more influenced by spiritual sources than anything else.

Even the famous French existential philosopher Jean-paul Sartre [1905 – 1980] essentially admits this by saying that to reflect on one’s own experience puts one immediately into a condition of anguish, for one is asked to give an account of [and ultimately, an account for] something elusive and unexplainable.

The “elusive and unexplainable” is the spiritual realm which consists of the word and will of God, which is the bible, and the devil’s will, which is everything that contradicts God’s word.

Deuteronomy 30:19
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Ultimately, everybody is either knowingly or unknowingly carrying out the will of the one true God or the God of this world, the devil.

The Pharisees and Sadducees, deceived and deceptive religious leaders in the first century, tried to murder Jesus and the apostle Paul several different times [the will of Satan], but the Lord protected them from their enemies.

John 16
1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

Idolatry always brings devil spirits in like a magnet.

Revelation 18:2
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

There are 2 Babylons:  the physical city that was in the middle east that had the Euphrates river running through the middle of it and the other represents the spiritual realm of the devil.

Modern-day Babylon in Iraq, about 50 miles south of Baghdad. It has been estimated that Babylon was the largest city in the world from c. 1770 to 1670 BC, and again between c. 612 and 320 BC.

There are no devil spirits on God’s true way of holiness.

The Lord’s way is spiritually clean.

Yoda version: the way of the Lord, clean is…

John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Jesus Christ is the true and living way.

God’s pure light leads us out of darkness!

I John 1:5
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Acts 26:18
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Colossians 1:13
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

 God breaks the bands of bondage!

This means that we have been delivered from the bondage of the world.

Deuteronomy 6:12
Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Romans 8:15
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

One of the many types of devil spirits are bondage spirits, which, as the name implies, puts people into various forms of bondage.

In other words, they are afraid to live for God.

Acts 21:20
And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:

Religious legalism often drives people into bondage, mentally and spiritually enslaving them.

Hebrews 2
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Bondage often leads to fear, which we can cast out of our hearts, homes, and lives with the love of God.

Galatians 2:4
And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:

Galatians 4 [amplified bible]
9 Now, however, since you have come to know [the true] God [through personal experience], or rather to be known by God, how is it that you are turning back again to the weak and worthless elemental principles [of religions and philosophies], to which you want to be enslaved all over again?
10 [For example,] you observe [particular] days and months and seasons and years.

11 I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored [to the point of exhaustion] over you in vain.
12 Believers, I beg of you, become as I am [free from the bondage of Jewish ritualism and ordinances], for I have become as you are [a Gentile]. You did me no wrong [when I first came to you; do not do it now].

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

Verse 15

Psalms 107:15
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

There are only 9 verses in the bible that contain both words “wonderful” and “works”.

Psalm 40:5
Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

4 of them [44%] are in Psalms 107, more than any other place in the bible.

Remember that Psalms 107-150 is the 5th and final section of Psalms which has God’s word as the main subject, so in context, God’s word is the Lord’s greatest work ever.

Psalms 138:2
I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

Acts 2:11
Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

Speaking in tongues is just one of the many wonderful works of God.

Praising God is a sign that we are thankful to him for what he has done for us.

As a matter of fact, being thankful can actually improve your comprehension!

The 136th psalm starts and ends with thankfulness.

Psalms 136
1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Verse 16

Psalms 107:16
For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder

Gates of brass

The phrase “gates of brass” [kjv] is only used twice in the entire bible: psalms 107:16 and Isaiah 45.

Isaiah 45
1 Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron

However, the Hebrew word for brass actually refers to bronze.  This Hebrew word is used 10 times in the bible, all in the old testament.

What do history, metallurgy, and nutrition have in common?

There are 3 different metals known as the red metals:

• Copper
• Brass [copper + zinc]
• Bronze [copper + tin and other materials]

Copper Ore

Copper is one of the few metals that occur in nature in directly usable metallic form [native metals] as opposed to needing extraction from an ore. This led to very early human use.

An alloy is a metal made by combining two or more metallic elements, especially to give greater strength or resistance to corrosion, so brass and bronze are alloys.

Bronze is harder than copper [and even pure iron!], easier to melt and pour into molds and is far more resistant to corrosion.

It was used in making weapons, statues, and ornaments.

It’s interesting that in both Psalms 107:16 and Isaiah 45:2, brass [bronze] is mentioned first, then iron second.

This is historically accurate since the bronze age occurred before the iron age because extracting iron from iron ore is much more complex and expensive than just using copper directly.

Furthermore, if only 2% to as low as 0.002% carbon is combined with iron, they make steel, which is a metal alloy that has different characteristics than iron.

From a nutritional point of view, copper and iron are essential minerals.

Without copper in the diet, iron cannot even be absorbed, so copper is a prerequisite for iron absorption and that is why its listed before iron.

Thus, from historical, metallurgical and nutritional viewpoints, the order of the words bronze [which is almost all copper] and iron in Psalms 107:16 are perfect.

Since history, metals and nutrition are either mentioned or related to this verse, this is what they all have in common.

The gates of Babylon

Gates of bronze could easily be a description of the gates holding the prisoners in a prison, but could also be a figurative description of the gates that were around the city of Babylon, since the Israelites were held captive in the city of Babylon as well.

Ancient biblical cities had a protective wall around them and metal gates would guard the entrances.

Herodotus, the first great Greek historian, said to be the father of history, said the walls of Babylon were 50 meters thick and 100 meters high with tunnels inside that could carry horses and chariots!

Although it has been said that there were 100 gates guarding Babylon, with 25 on each side, archeologists so far have only found 8.

Nevertheless, these gates were made of bronze and often were covered with large plates of iron, making them virtually impenetrable.

Thus when God broke these gates, the Israelites were finally freed from their bondage as prophesied in the old testament, 70 years after they were captured.

“The Walls of Babylon and the Temple of Bel (Or Babel)”, by 19th-century illustrator William Simpson— influenced by early archaeological investigations.

Welcome to part 4 of this series on Psalms 107!

Psalms 107
10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:

12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
13 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
15 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.

Help

Ironically, help for the Israelites was just around the corner, but they didn’t see it right away.

Psalms 107:12
Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.

Contrary to what verse 12 literally says, God himself didn’t bring down the Israelite’s hearts!

How do we know?

Because verse 12 has the figure of speech called a Hebrew idiom of permission which actually means God allowed their hearts to be brought down as a consequence of their freedom of will to be rebellious against the words of God.

A very important distinction.

But was there really none to help?!

There were no people to help because they were being held captive by their enemy in Babylon.

Sometimes people can’t or won’t help, but what about other sources, like God?

Psalms 46
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

Both Psalms 107 and Psalms 119 are in the last book or section of Psalms with the main context being the word of God.

The word “offend” is used 14 times in the old testament and is often translated “stumblingblock”.

Since the Israelites spiritually stumbled 4 times in Psalms 107, they apparently didn’t have God’s peace.

With God as our refuge and strength and ready at a moment’s notice to help us out, we can have such strong peace that nothing blows us out of the water;  nothing can cause us to have a meltdown.

In this world of darkness and evil and lies [oh my!], how valuable is that?

Why didn’t the Israelites see God’s help?

Because rebellion is a form of unbelief.

In the Apostolic bible [a Greek translation of the old & new testaments], the word “help” in Psalms 46:1 is the Greek word boēthos [Strong’s #998].

This word is also used in Hebrews 13:6.

Hebrews 13 [amplified bible]
5 Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!”
6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently say, “The Lord is my Helper [in time of need], I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”

Helper definition below: [this is the only place this word is used in the New Testament].

HELPS Word-studies
998 boēthós (a masculine noun) – a helper bringing the right aid in time, i.e. to meet an urgent, real need. See 997 (boētheō)

Root word of #998 above:

Strong’s Concordance #997
boétheó: to come to the aid of
Part of Speech: Verb
Phonetic Spelling: (bo-ay-theh’-o)
Definition: I come to the rescue of, come to help, help.

HELPS Word-studies
997 boēthéō(from 995 /boḗ, “intense exclamation” and theō, “run”) – properly, to run and meet an urgent distress-call (cry for help); to deliver help, quickly responding to an urgent need (intense distress).

997 /boēthéō (“supply urgently needed help”) means to give immediate aid, in time, for a great need – i.e. “to run, on a call to help” (TDNT, 1:628).

[997 (boēthéō) was originally a military word, responding to a critical, urgent need (MM). 997 (boēthéō) is also used in Homeric Greek (800-900 bc) for responding to a war-cry.]

Significantly, this root word boetheo is used 8 times in the bible.

Biblically, eight is the number of a new beginning, like for the Israelites in Psalms 107 when they cried to God for help and got deliverance several different times.

It certainly is a new beginning in our lives when God quickly responds to an urgent call for help!

Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to have access to this?

The chain of deliverance in Hebrews

• Hebrews 4: the energized word
• Hebrews 11: believing
• Hebrews 13: help is on the way!

Break free from the bondage of the world with the power of God in manifestation.

The reason we’re going into this is to understand the background of the Lord being our helper in Hebrews 13:6 a bit deeper.

The orderly arrangement of the words in the word, as well as the subjects in the word, are always perfect.

We must first understand the true nature of God’s word  [this is only one tiny aspect of it] in order to see how the whole picture works.

Once we have the living and active word of God, it must be mixed with believing in order to see the results in our lives.

Hebrews 4:2
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith [believing] in them that heard it.

The word “faith” in verse 2 comes from the Greek word pistis, which is better translated believing.

Look at this definition of “mixed”!

HELPS Word-studies
4786 sygkeránnymi (from 4862 /sýn, “identified with,” intensifying 2767 /keránnymi, “mix into a new and improved compound”) – properly, mix together into a superior compound – “a holistic blend” (unified whole) where the parts work together synergistically [the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements].

This is also very similar to the definition of God’s peace, which is one of the necessary ingredients of believing!

Romans 15:13
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost [the gift of holy spirit in operation].

Definition of peace:

Strong’s Concordance #1515
eiréné: one, peace, quietness, rest.
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Phonetic Spelling: (i-ray’-nay)
Definition: peace, peace of mind; invocation of peace a common Jewish farewell, in the Hebraistic sense of the health (welfare) of an individual.

HELPS Word-studies
1515 eirḗnē (from eirō, “to join, tie together into a whole”) – properly, wholeness, i.e. when all essential parts are joined together; peace (God’s gift of wholeness).

This is why anxiety is one of the 4 forms of weak believing that Jesus Christ corrected his disciples on.

Matthew 6
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought [merimnaō – don’t be anxious] for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment [clothing]?
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith [believing]?

Jesus’ disciples had weak believing because of anxiety.

So below is an overview of believing, peace and anxiety.

Mixed [with believing]: “a holistic blend” (unified whole) where the parts work together synergistically.
Hebrews 4:2
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith [believing] in them that heard it.

Peace: when all essential parts of our mind are joined together
Ephesians 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Anxiety: areas of our mind drawn in opposite directions; “divided into parts” = weak believing
Matthew 12
25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

The distracted mind is the defeated mind.

This is why we must guard our hearts from the ungodly influences of the world so that it doesn’t divide up our mind against itself.

Below is Psalms 119:165 again, but illuminated with the new light of understanding from the New Testament regarding believing, anxiety and God’s peace.

Psalm 119:165
Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

Philippians 4 [amplified bible]
6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.
7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].

Now we better understand why those who love the law of God [his word] can maintain their peace and fellowship with God, even during times of persecution.

The mustard seed of believing

The record below is about a man who brought to the disciples his son who was possessed with a devil spirit, but they couldn’t cast it out, but Jesus Christ did.

Matthew 17
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith [believing] as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Definition of “mustard”:

HELPS Word-studies
4615 sínapi – a mustard plant (“tree”), always used in connection with its seed (the smallest of all Palestinian seeds in common use).
[The mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds that a Palestinian farmer would sow in his field. A mustard plant reaches a height of three meters (about ten feet). This is a huge plant when fully matured and bears very tiny seeds.]

mustard-bush

Galatians 5:9
A little leaven [yeast] leaveneth the whole lump [loaf].

This principle works both positively and negatively.

The reason that only a tiny mustard seed of believing can move a mountain is because it’s energized by God’s infinite love.

Galatians 5:6
For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith [believing] which worketh by love.

“Worketh” comes from the Greek word energeo and means energized.

BELIEVING AND PRAYER

Hebrews 11:1 [amplified bible]
Now faith [believing] is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].

Below are some verses on believing that can help us individually and enable us to help others as well:

Mark 11:24
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Luke 22:32
But I [Jesus Christ] have prayed for thee, that thy faith [believing] fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

We can pray for others that their believing succeeds.

1 Thessalonians 3:10
Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith [believing]?

James 5:15
And the prayer of faith [believing] shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Believing the word = speaking the word!

Psalms 116
9 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
10 I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:

2 Corinthians 4:13
We having the same spirit of faith [believing], according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

Luke 6:45
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

This is where receiving, retaining, and releasing the word of God will cause us to grow abundantly in his grace, strength and love.

Ephesians 4:15
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Want to take your believing up to the next level by speaking the words of God?

Try speaking in tongues! [after all, there’s *only* 18 benefits!]

I Corinthians 12:3 [The Living Bible (TLB)]
But now you are meeting people who claim to speak messages from the Spirit of God. How can you know whether they are really inspired by God or whether they are fakes? Here is the test: no one speaking by the power of the Spirit of God can curse Jesus, and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” and really mean it, unless the Holy Spirit is helping him.

Let’s clarify and summarize the Hebrews chain of deliverance:

1. Hebrews 4: We start with the rightly-divided, living and energized word of God
2. Hebrews 4: Mix it with a tiny mustard seed of believing
3. Galatians 5: Which is energized by God’s infinite and perfect love
4. Hebrews 11: Believing without actions is dead [James 2].  Believing = speaking the words of God, either by our 5-senses knowledge of the word or by operating the manifestations of holy spirit
5. Hebrews 13: While keeping idolatry at bay, we can boldly say the Lord is our helper and we receive deliverance from all our troubles.

Psalms 107
13 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.

15 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.

By crying unto God, with only a mustard seed of believing left, the Israelites were speaking God’s deliverance into their lives, once again tasting how truly good the Lord’s grace and mercy is.

Now we tackle the second section of Psalms 107!

Psalms 107
10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:

12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
13 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
15 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.

What do these 3 aspects of verse 10 mean?

• Sitting in darkness
• Shadow of death
• Bound in affliction and iron

Isaiah 42

Shadow of Death

Valley of the shadow of death

Psalms 107:10
Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron;

The phrase “shadow of death” occurs 19 times in the bible [17x in the OT & 2 in the gospels].  2 of them [10.5%] are right here in Psalms 107.

This means that whatever happened from the day of Pentecost in 28A.D. and onward annihilated the shadow of death.

Although the Israelites were prisoners of war in captivity in Babylon, there are mental prisons too.

Hebrews 2
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Once again, Jesus Christ did his job right!

1 John 3:8
…For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Luke 4
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Since death isn’t a physical, tangible object, you can’t literally shine physical light on it.  Therefore, it’s literally impossible for death to have a shadow.

That doesn’t mean the bible is wrong;  it means that the phrase “shadow of death” has to be a figure of speech.

Mamertine prison in Rome.

And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord: therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake unto him.

The usage of the word lion is significant because there are physical and spiritual lions.

I Peter 5
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Amen!

This wraps up the third article on Psalms 107.

God bless you all.