We Are Part of God’s Host And Sent to Speak the Word of God.
NOTE: This is posted as a DRAFT to illustrate reflections and thought processes if wird studies in the Bible. This POST is under research, editing, and additions. It is a work in progress begun on 2-23-2022. It is expected to be finalized May 2024.
Introduction.
Yes this is a bold declaration not often heard! … However as you will read from the Scriptures provided; we are part of God’s Host and we are sent to speak the Word of God. When were we created as part of the Host? The sequence of Genesis chapter 2 is not lost upon a careful reading. Readers will soon discover God reveals the timing of this creation of the Hosts actually occurred from the foundation of the world; witnessed by Genesis 2 verse 1. The Hebrew meaning of Host discussed below in detail is anticipated to engage deep critical thinking. And readers will also soon discover in this Post that our individual appointed time of arrival on this earth was also created next in Genesis 2, verse 4; where the word generation first appears. The Hebrew signification of this word generation also discussed below reveals another one of the “deep things of God.”
And finally, we see it is not until 3 verses later in Genesis 2; that is, in verse 7; where man is actually formed from the dust of the earth, then afterward, God’s Spirit is breathed into this lifeless form, (i.e. a jar of clay) and only afterward, then a living soul is next created.
Nothing in God’s Word is random. Sequence and timing are a critical part of His revealed truth throughout the Scripture, and both are foundational for establishing a context for what is being revealed. Both are also highly important and relevant to this deeper question of: Who am I … and how does God see me? Throughout this Post, God is is spoken of as one with Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and our Father indwelling each of us.
“6. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 8. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 10. Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?” (John 14.6-10, KJV) (Emphasis added).
The Father, Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit Indwell in Each of Us.
Every Christian? I do not know the hearts of men, so the question cannot be answered in the abstract. Many students of the Bible in present times assert at the time of Jesus’ teachings His follower were referred to as those of The Way. (See this short video: The Way - The First Christians HD)
In my personal walk with Lord Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit, I can only answer with my deeply personal experience. The Holy Spirit has gently counseled and continues to counsel me:
Turn to Him for every decision to be made in my life,
Submit to Him as Lord and Savior, and confess this openly at any time the Holy Spirit guides me to do so,
Live out this walk always knowing Jesus was crucified, died and rose from the dead, ascended back into Heaven, and now sits on the throne at the Father’s right hand as King of kings, Lord of lords with all things in heaven and earth placed beneath His feet.
That stated and confessed as an immutable truth, the Holy Spirit is given to all who know and have confessed this as immutable truth. We each also know what Jesus says about the role of the indwelling Holy Spirit speaking personally to and through us.
Now you may have heard some of this, or some part of it before; but, perhaps you may have thought; until now, that God’s Word about His Holy Spirit speaking to and through us just for prophets such as: the Elijahs, the Samuels, the Jeremiahs, the Isaiahs … and other prophets such as when they uttered: “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me” to say this revealed Word from our Father. Some readers may have also heard of the doctrine of cessationism from Christians and others stating the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including everything Jesus reveals in John’s gospel dispensationally ended in the 2nd century (Apostolic Age) with the death of the last apostle.
I have done significant research into this subject including it origins in the 1500’s AD in preparation of writing an historical novel, which includes it in the storyline. Desiring to keep this Post brief, those with interest can listen to a good overview of cessationism in this video: The Heresy of Cessationism 1 (The Scriptures) Daniel Kolenda: Off The Record.
What Does Jesus Say?
So what does our Lord say? Jesus tells us a number of times he only speaks what our Father says: “… 49. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. 50. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.” (John 12..49-50, KJV) (Emphasis added).
As a second witness Jesus also teaches us:
“… 26. I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. 27. They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. 28. Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. 29. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. (John 8 26-29, KJV) (Emphasis added). Additional passages include: (John 8.26, 28, 43; John 10.3-4, 27; 12.49-50; 14.10, 12,17, 20, 26; 15.26-27; 16.13, 23, 26-28; 17.14, 17, 21)
To come to a better contextual understanding of Jesus’ words, we must now continue together with a diligent search of His Word, and turn to a word study of what is meant by some relevant words (phrases) in both Hebrew and Greek; that is, in the minds of those who actually heard the Holy Spirit speak to and through the prophets; as well as, those who actually heard Jesus speak.
Again, God’s Words are inerrant; and, as we know His Words do not change. They are not void. And accomplish that to which they are sent. His Words are immutable, unchangeable from the beginning to the end of Scripture truth. Our earthly circumstances may appear to change, but His Words do not.
In ordinary discourse between ourselves are we generally speaking to one another and our families what are idle words? When does this judgment take place?
Follow me Greek
These things and greater
Why is this not spoken plainly in Jesus teachings in the New Testament? First, I would simply respond that it is right in front of us; if we have eyes to see and hears to hear. Yet there is more to Jesus’ teachings revealed clearly in John’s gospel. There are two examples.
you cannot handle it
more
And Paul tells us he received direct teaching from the Holy Spirit. He did not read the gospels and then go out as an apostle. Consistent with the Holy Spirit speaking to and through Jeremiah in Chapter 31, Paul, like you and I, are under the New Covenant as adopted sons (daughters) of God)
What does this mean to us?
Let’s unpack this more together through Scripture and some relevant word studies in Hebrew.
The promises of Jesus in giving us His Holy Spirit to speak through us is spoken of by Paul in this manner:
10. But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11. For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12. We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13. And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. (1 Cor. 2.10-13, KJV).
So what might we discern together for Paul’s direct revelations here?
First, the Holy Spirit speaks one-on-one … to and through each of us of the deep things of God. And Paul’s personal experiences require some context, for they relate to each of us. From his letters we know Paul was not directly present during Jesus’ teachings, nor do the Apostles state they taught him. Paul does state affirmatively “…4. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5. That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. … 7. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 8 none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Cor. 2.4-5,7, KJV). (Emphasis added).
Second,
Jesus confirms Paul’s testimony in this manner:
11. And when they bring you before the synagogues, and the rulers, and the authorities, be not anxious how or what ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: 12. and the Holy Spirit shall teach you what you ought to say. (Luke 12.11-12, KJV).
13. It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. 14. So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; 15. I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. (Luke 21.13-15, KJV).
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4. Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, 5. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations. 6. Then I said, “Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because I am a youth.” 7. But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And all that I command you, you shall speak. 8. “Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD. (Jer. 1.1-8, KJV).
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The deeper Hebrew meaning of “prophet.”
Hebrew is a rich language and all nouns such as “Hebrew” itself and “prophet” have deep meanings not necessarily revealed in our English language and usage. All Hebrew words are formed from trilateral (3 letters) verbs where prefixes or suffixes are added to create nouns.
So “Hebrew” transliterated “eber” is from “abar,” the verb root. They are the exact same three letters but with a different pronunciation.
Strong's Concordance abar: alienate
Original Word: עָבַר Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: abar Phonetic Spelling: (aw-bar') Definition: to pass over, through, or by, pass on
Brown-Driver-Briggs עָבַר verb pass over, through, by, pass on
And “prophet” transliterated “nabi” is from “naba,” the verb root signifying:
[Brown-Driver-Briggs
[נָבָא] verb denominative prophesy (in oldest forms, of religious ecstasy with or without song and music; later, essentially religious instruction, with occasional predictions); — … under influence of divine spirit:…
So you might reasonably ask, how might this relate to your last text? First, perhaps it’s about remembering our identity here and our mission of being sent to speak His word, which He places in our mouths as Jesus reveals in both Luke and Jeremiah and Isaiah 6. “Here am I … send me.”
Next it is perhaps about realizing modernly only Hebrew is widely understood to be a language and a nationality. But according to God’s Word “Hebrew” and the Akkadian (Sumerian) Habiru is a verb of action signifying “crossing over.” But from where to where one might ask?
I asked that question, and I am sure others have as well. Over the years, the Holy Spirit led me to Genesis 2 and the sequence of each verse in that chapter. First He led me to the word “hosts.”
1. the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2. on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
What does this word “host” signify? Were you and I created in the hosts when the heavens and the earth were finished and the hosts of them? God reveals this to be an affirmative. But what are the host; for we do know the Lord of the Hosts is Jesus.
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In this case, in Hebrew the noun is “tsaba” is transliterated from the verb “tsaba”
As a noun tsaba signifies
Strong's Concordance 6635
tsaba: army, war, warfare
Original Word: צָבָא
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: tsaba
Phonetic Spelling: (tsaw-baw')
Definition: army, war, warfare
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from tsaba
Definition
army, war, warfare
NASB Translation
armies (23), army (79), army* (1), battle (1), combat (1), conflict (1), forced to labor (1), hardship (1), host (30), hosts (292), hosts is the army (1), most (1), service (10), struggle (1), trained (1), war (35), warfare (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
צָבָא :485 noun masculine2Chronicles 28:9 (possibly feminine Isaiah 10:2; Isaiah 40:2; Daniel 8:12, but see AlbrZAW xv (1895), 319; BevDn) army, war, warfare; — absolute ׳צ Numbers 1:3 + (מִצָּבָה Zechariah 9:8); construct צְבָא Numbers 10:15 +; suffix צְבָאִי Job 14:14; צְבָאֲךָ Judges 8:9; Judges 9:29; צְבָיָו Psalm 103:21; Psalm 148:2 (Kt צבאו; so read probably in both), etc.; plural צְבָאוֺת Numbers 20:9 278t.; construct צִבְאוֺת Exodus 12:41 2t.; suffix צִבְאֹתַי Exodus 7:4; צִבְאֹתָם Exodus 6:26 +, etc.; —
1 army, host:
a. organized for war
This is the meaning of host as a noun in Hebrew: an army organized for war. But where?
Well first in the spiritual realm. Remember the sequence of Genesis 2:
• verse 1: the host are created and finished
• verse 4: the generations are created
• And THEN verse 7: man is formed from the dust, breathed life into him and he became a living soul.
So what does tsaba signify as a Hebrew verb?
Sabaoth and sabbath
Brown Driver-Briggs also gives us this revelation under the signification of tsaba as a noun. Recall in Genesis 2, verse we are in the seventh day when God blessed it, and rested.
c. as proper name Sebaoth: צבאות ׳י, ׳י Sebaoth (Lord of hosts, Vrss, owing to Qr אֲדֹנָי, but this never construct אֲדֹנֵי; al. ׳י of hosts, but < names in apposition, since ׳י is proper name; ׳צ for earlier ׳אלהי צ; compare Σαβαωθ James 5:4; Romans 9:29): 1 Samuel 1:3,11; 1 Samuel 4:4; 1 Samuel 15:2; 1 Samuel 17:45; 2 Samuel 6:2,18; 2 Samuel 7:8,26; 1 Kings 18:15; 2 Kings 3:14; 2 Kings 19:31; 1 Chronicles 11:9; 1 Chronicles 17:7; Psalm 24:10 6t. Psalms; Micah 4:4; Nahum 2:14; Nahum 3:5; Habakkuk 2:13; Zephaniah 2:10; Isaiah 1:9; Isaiah 2:12; Isaiah 5:7,9,16,24 35t. Isaiah 6-39; Isa2, only Isaiah 44:6; Isaiah 45:13; Jeremiah 6:6,9; Jeremiah 8:3; Jeremiah 9:6; Jeremiah 9:16 26t. Jeremiah; Haggai 1:2,5 12t. Haggai; Zechariah 1:3 (3 t. in verse); Zechariah 1:4 40t. Zechariah 1-8; Zechariah 9:15 8t. Zechariah 10-14; Malachi 1:4,6,8 21t. Malachi; ׳צ ׳האדון י Isaiah 1:24 4t. Isaiah (including Isaiah 10:16 Baer Gi > van d. H. אֲדֹנָי for ׳י); ׳צ ׳אֲדֹנָי י Isaiah 3:15 + (on these phrase see אָדוֺן 1, 6); ׳אלהים צ (׳א later Qr for original ׳י) Psalm 80:8; Psalm 80:15; ׳אלהים צ ׳י (earlier ׳י + later [inserted] ׳א) Psalm 80:5; Psalm 80:20; Psalm 84:9. — compare DrHastings DB (1900), LORD OF HOSTS and references, LöhrAmos (Beiheftezur ZAW iv (1900), 38-67).
Philo all whom Moses …
If anthing in this post troubles you in any manner, please ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in all truth. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a word (a rhema) which we discussed in depth in Blog No. 1 previously. (LINK) In addition, if you have a pastor presently, feel free and encouraged to your pastor read this in its entirety and discusses your concerns.
