Isaiah 17:3
3 The fortress [mibtsar] also shall
cease [shabath] from Ephraim ['Ephrayim], and the kingdom [mamlakah]
from Damascus [Dammeseq], and the remnant [sha'ar] of Syria ['Aram]: they
shall be as the glory [kabowd] of the children [ben] of Israel [Yisra'el], saith
[na'um] the LORD [Yahovah] of hosts [tsaba']. KJV-Interlinear
3 "The fortified city will
disappear from Ephraim, And sovereignty from Damascus And the remnant of Aram; They
will be like the glory of the sons of Israel," Declares the Lord of hosts.
NASB
When the nation of
Israel split, the northern portion called itself Israel, but was sometimes
referred to as Samaria or Ephraim or the northern kingdom. Splitting away from
Judah and in opposition of Gods chosen line of David, the northern kingdom was
cursed and eventually destroyed.
Judah, being the line of
the chosen will of God, was the southern portion of the split nation.
Here we have Ephraim
being numbered along with Damascus and Syria, in that they are all condemned
and destroyed.
Damascus representing
the capital of opposition, and Syria representing the organized opposition
against Gods people, and Ephraim representing Gods people that have rebelled
against Gods plan, then all three will follow the path and destiny of Babylon which
we have already studied. They will all
be destroyed.
Wherever there is opposition
to God, who is truth, then there is opposition to truth. And all opposition to truth means the
embracing of lies for ones foundation for life.
Lies get you nowhere and thus opposition to God will find you at the
short end of the short stick and doomed for certain.
Even the children of
Israel, which is a reference to the people of the northern kingdom, are
condemned because they oppose God and Gods plan. Calling yourself something spiritual is
certainly not enough to make you spiritual.
Phony is as phony does, and those people represent all believers who
claim God, claim to know God, but in fact reject Gods plan in favor of doing
things their own way.
The bible makes it very
clear that right things done in the wrong way, are wrong.
Wrong things done in
the right way, are wrong.
Wrong things done in
the wrong way are certainly wrong.
Only when right things
are done in the right way, are they right.
Gods plan, Gods
mandates, Gods defined process, Gods defined procedures are all the right
things, ant they must be done as Gods specifies in order to be of spiritual
benefit.
Doing things your own
way, are a huge waste of time. Presuming
your way is also Gods way, is a fools assumption.
In order to know what
is right, and how to do it right, must be learned, lest you follow in the path
of Ephraim, Damascus and Syria, and end up in failure and a wasted life.
