All posts by JLB

Ezekiel 44:6-16

A. (6) And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations, (7) In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, THE FAT AND THE BLOOD, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations.

B. (8) And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set KEEPERS OF MY CHARGE in my sanctuary for yourselves.

C. (9) Thus saith the Lord GOD; NO STRANGER, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, SHALL ENTER MY SANCTUARY, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel.

D. (10) And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols; THEY SHALL EVEN BEAR THEIR INIQUITY.

E. (11) Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house: they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them.

D’. (12) Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore have I lifted up mine hand against them, saith the Lord GOD, and THEY SHALL BEAR THEIR INIQUITY.

C’.(13) And THEY SHALL NOT COME NEAR UNTO ME, to do the office of a priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, in the most holy place: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed.

B’. (14) But I will make them KEEPERS OF THE CHARGE of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.

A’.  (15) But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me THE FAT AND THE BLOOD, saith the Lord GOD: 16 They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.

Ezekiel 13:10-16

A. 10 Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, PEACE; AND THERE WAS NO PEACE;

B. and one built up a WALL, and, lo, OTHERS DAUBED IT with UNTEMPERED MORTER:

C.  11 Say unto them which DAUB it with UNTEMPERED MORTAR, that IT SHALL FALL:

D. There shall be an OVERFLOWING SHOWER; and ye, O GREAT HAILSTONES, shall fall;

E. and a STORMY WIND shall rend it.

F: 12 Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?

E’. 13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will even rend it with a STORMY WIND in my fury;

D’.  and there shall be an OVERFLOWING SHOWER in mine anger, and GREAT HAILSTONES in my fury to consume it.

C’. 14 So will I break down the wall that ye have DAUBED with UNTEMPERED MORTER, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and IT SHALL FALL, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

B’.  15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the WALL, and upon THEM THAT HAVE DAUBED IT with UNTEMPERED MORTER, and will say unto you, The WALL is no more, neither THEY THAT DAUBED IT;

A’.  16 To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of PEACE for her, AND THERE IS NO PEACE, saith the Lord GOD.

Psalm 147:1-7

From Lucy

A. 1 Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to SING PRAISES (zamar) unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.

B. 2 The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. 3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

C. 4 He telleth the NUMBER (micpar) of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

D. 5 Great is our Lord, and of great power:

C’.  his understanding is INFINITE (micpar).

B’.  6 The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.

A’.  7 Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; SING PRAISE (zamar) upon the harp unto our God:

2 Samuel 11-12

A: 10:1-11:1 Conflict with the Ammonites.

B: 11:2 – 11:5 David and Bathsheba’s initial sin and her pregnancy

C: 11:6 – 11:17 David’s manipulation and eventual murder of Uriah

D: 12:1 – 12:15 YHWH sends Nathan to David

C: 12:16 – 12:23 Their child dies – the first consequence of the sin

B: 12:24 – 12:25 The birth of Solomon, the son YHWH loved

A: 12:26 – 12:31 Ammonites defeated.

I find this very interesting particularly as Solomon’s birth seems to be out of chronological order. 

Psalm 44:1-8

Here is an idea for Psalm 44

A. 1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us,
what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

B. 2 How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.

C. 3 For they got not the land in possession by their own SWORD, neither did their own arm SAVE them:

D. but THY right hand, and THINE arm, and the light of THY countenance,
because thou hadst a favour unto them.

E. 4 Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.

D’. 5 Through THEE will we push down our enemies: through THY name will we tread them under that rise up against us.

C’.  6 For I will not trust in my BOW, neither shall my SWORD SAVE me.

B’. 7 But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.

A’.  8 In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever.
Selah.

There seems to be a clear turning point at v4 – the focus for the first three verse is on “the times of old”, but after this it is about God’s help to the psalmist at the time of writing. v1 links to Exodus 12 v 26, where the children of Israel were commanded to tell their children about the meaning of the passover, and what God had done for them, then v8 talks about the psalmist telling about God’s works in their lives.

Psalm 41

A. 1 Blessed is he that considereth the poor:
the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.
2 The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive;
and he shall be blessed upon the earth:
and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
3 The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing:
thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.

B. 4 I said, LORD, be merciful unto me:
heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.
5 Mine enemies speak evil of me,
When shall he die, and his name perish?

C. –a singular enemy 6 And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity:
his heart gathereth iniquity to itself;
when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.

D.- plural enemies 7 All that hate me whisper together against me:
against me do they devise my hurt.
8 An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him:
and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.

C’. – a singular friend! 9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted,
which did eat of my bread,
hath lifted up his heel against me.

B’. 10 But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me,
and raise me up, that I may requite them.

A’. 11 By this I know that thou favourest me,
because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.
12 And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity,
and settest me before thy face for ever.

13 Blessed be  the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.

 

Ezekiel 38:8-12

A. 8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the LAND that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered  out of many PEOPLE,

B.  against the mountains of Israel, which have been always WASTE (H2723):

C.  but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall DWELL SAFELY all of them.

D.  9 Thou shalt ASCEND (H5927) and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the LAND, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.

E. 10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:

D’. 11 And thou shalt say, I will GO UP (H5927) to the LAND of unwalled villages;

C’. I will go to them that are at rest, that DWELL SAFELY, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,

B’. 12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the DESOLATE places (H2723) that are now inhabited,

A’. and upon the PEOPLE that are gathered  out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the LAND.

Ezekiel 36:6-15

A. 6 Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne THE SHAME OF THE HEATHEN:
7 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the HEATHEN that are about you, they shall bear their SHAME.

B. 8 But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to MY PEOPLE OF ISRAEL; for they are at hand to come. 9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown:

C. 10 And I WILL MULTIPLY MEN UPON YOU all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded:

C: 11 And I WILL MULTIPLY UPON YOU MAN AND BEAST; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings:
AND YE SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD.

B’. 12 Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even MY PEOPLE ISRAEL; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men. 13 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations: 14 Therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord GOD.

A”. 15 Neither will I cause men to hear in thee THE SHAME OF THE HEATHEN anymore, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 30:20-26

A. 20 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 21 Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; 

B. and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword.

A’. 22 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms,

B’. the strong, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand.

2A.  23 And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries. 

2B. 24 And  I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon,

2C. and put my sword in his hands:

2D.  but I will break Pharaoh’s arms.   and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man.

2B’. 25 But  I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon,

2D’. and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down;

2C’. and they shall know that I am the LORD,  when I shall put my sword in the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt.

2A’.  26 And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and scatter them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Lamentations 2:8-17

A. 8 The LORD hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together.

B. 9 Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars: her king and her princes are among the gentiles: the law is no more; her PROPHETS also find no vision from the Lord.

C.  10 The elders of the DAUGHTER OF ZION sit upon the ground, and keep silence: they have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves with sackcloth: the VIRGINS OF JERUSALEM hang down their heads to the ground.

D: 11 Mine eyes do fail with tears,
my bowels are troubled,

my liver is poured upon the earth,
for the destruction of the daughter of my people;

because the children and the sucklings swoon
in the streets of the city

D’. 12 They say to their mothers,
Where is corn and wine?

when they swooned as the wounded
in the streets of the city,

when their soul was poured out
into their mothers’ bosom.

C’. 13 What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee, O DAUGHTER OF JERUSALEM?
what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O VIRGIN DAUGHTER OF ZION? for thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal thee?

B’. 14 Thy PROPHETS have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.
15 All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?
16 All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.

A’.  17 The LORD hath done that which he had devised; he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old: he hath thrown down, and hath not pitied: and he hath caused thine enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath set up the horn of thine adversaries.