December 2002

Christ:
The Landscape of Life

Part Forty-five

“LO and BEHOLD”

“Guarding our garments” (J)

As stated in recent episodes, the Dict. root for the word, garment, means: “EQUIP” that is defined: “To prepare, array, furnish for service or action.” What weapons would a Loving God use to equip His ARMY OF LOVE? The answer is in Ca 1:1-2 as Solomon’s lovesick soul cries:

“Let Him (Christ) KISS me with the KISSES of His Mouth; for Your Love is better than wine! Your OILS have such a pleasing fragrance; and Your Name is like a precious OIL that is poured out; therefore, the VIRGINS LOVE YOU!”

What does this passionate declaration of love have to do with furnishing arms for an army? Behold a great revelation! Heb 5401 defines “kiss/kisses” as: “TO EQUIP WITH WEAPONS; TO ARM, BE ARMED, OR ARMED MEN!” Consider the following passages:

“The mighty men, and helpers in war, that came to the aid of David were ARMED with bows, and could sling stones or shoot arrows with both right and left hands!” (1 Chr 12:23)

“Of the tribe of Benjamin Eliada came [Heb 450 “God knows all”]! This mighty man of valor was attended by 200,000 men ARMED with bow and shield! ” (2 Chr 17:17)

“The proud ostrich paws the ground in the valley, rejoicing in his strength; for he is ready to engage in battle with the ARMED MEN!” (Jb 39:21)

“Although the sons of Ephraim [Heb 669 “Double-fruit”] were ARMED with bows, they turned back in the day of battle!! Also they did not keep the Covenant of the Lord, and refused to walk according to His Laws! They forgot the Works and Wonders He had shown them!” (Ps 78:9-11)

What is symbolized by warriors being ARMED with bows and arrows, slings and stones?!

Jer 9:3- 8 says, “They bend their TONGUES [Heb 3956 “The instrument of speech”] like BOWS...and their SPEECH [also Heb 3956] is as an ARROW that is shot forth!”

The fact that God typifies mouths and words as bows and arrows, is supported by Pr 18:21, “DEATH AND LIFE are in the power of the TONGUE; and they shall eat the fruit of whichever they LOVE!” It has long been established that words are vessels of good and evil! The serpent’s words that aroused evil in the heart of the first Adam didn’t sound evil to his flesh; on the contrary, they appealed to his: “lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and pride of life” (1 Jn 2:16)! Nevertheless they brought DEATH TO THE WHOLE WORLD! The Holy Spirit’s Words that aroused good in the heart of the Last Christ-Adam, didn’t sound good to His flesh, nevertheless, they brought LIFE TO THE WHOLE WORLD! What leviathan or goliathan warrior did the Omnipotent God send to defeat death? What master war-plan did He devise?

“GOD SO L-O-V-E-D THE WORLD, HE SENT HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON...
NOT TO CONDEMN THE WORLD, BUT, THROUGH HIM, THE WORLD
WOULD BE SAVED!” (Jn 3:16-17) And who was this “WORLD SAVIOR”?

“His Name is called the W-O-R-D OF GOD!””(Rev 19:13)

How could words rescue a lost world from its sin and death? It was a WORD OF DEATH that first enslaved the world to doom and destruction! Therefore, the only fitting adversary to release and redeem the world from obscurity was the WORD OF LIFE! (1 Jn 1:1) God calls His Word, His “Son”, since the spoken word is the fruit, or offspring, of the heart that forms it! Appropriately the phrase, “power of speech”, is used to describe this physical capability! Man is elevated above the beasts of the earth by this “power of speech”. With our words, “We bless God the Father and we also curse men who are made in the likeness of God! The very same mouth renders blessings and cursings; but, brethren, this should not be so!” (Jas 3:9-10) Then why is it so? Jas 3:8 says:

“NO MAN CAN TAME THE TONGUE [referring to both the instrument of speech and speech, itself]!! IT IS AN UNRULY EVIL, FULL OF DEADLY POISON!! THE TONGUE IS A FIRE, A WORLD OF INIQUITY, THAT DEFILES THE WHOLE BODY, AND SETS ON FIRE THE COURSE OF NATURE; AND IT IS SET ON FIRE BY HELL!” (Jas 3:6)

Wow! Such a little body member; yet the tongue has produced six millenniums of misery and mayhem in the earth! As natural Adam “Suffered his mouth to cause his flesh to sin” (Ec 5:6), the universe was set on fire with hellish sin and death! But God only had to release ONE WORD to extinguish the unbridled blaze of the carnal mind’s hatred and enmity toward God (Ro 8:6); and that one powerful Word is “L-O-V-E”!!

DEAR HEAVENLY FATHER, THE TIME IS COME FOR THE
TAMING OF OUR TONGUE WITH YOUR WORD OF LOVE!!
EQUIP YOUR ARMY OF SONS WITH THE FIERY KISSES OF
YOUR HOLY MOUTH, THAT THEY MAY SET ON FIRE THE
WHOLE WORLD WITH YOUR PERFECT LOVE! LET YOUR
NAME BE EXALTED IN THE EARTH! AMEN AND AMEN!

[TO BE CONTINUED]