Isaiah 22:10
10 And ye have numbered [caphar] the houses [bayith] of
Jerusalem [Yaruwshalaim], and the houses [bayith] have ye broken down [nathats] to fortify [batsar] the wall [chowmah]. KJV-Interlinear
10 and you counted the houses of
Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall. ESV
What do these
verses have to do with our life? What do
we learn if anything, from them? Since
all scripture is from the source of God, and all scripture is for the purpose
of instruction, then we have to look beyond the superficial meaning, and into
the spiritual depth of the message being given.
It is very easy
to get bored and conclude that this type of information is only good for the
curious, but seems to have no application to any of us, since these events will
not occur until the end of human history.
\
And most folks
generally believe that the end time is, well, some time in the future and does
not apply to us. But that is a false
conclusion.
Even though
these events will not occur until the end of the Tribulation, we do not know
when the Tribulation will begin, because we do not know when the Rapture will
occur. And even if it is a century further
into the future, we still have an obligation to read and learn and understand
the why’s and the how’s of history, especially as to how these principles apply
to us.
The setting is
the final days of history. The city of Jerusalem is surrounded and being
bombarded continually. It is in a
shambles. And they are in this situation
because they have been negative in their attitude toward Jesus Christ.
There are some
who are trying to defend the city against terrible odds. And miraculously they are succeeding to some
degree. But they are losing ground.
We can peek
inside of their thinking as they retreat from defensive position to defensive
position.
Here, they are
taking inventory and determining the damage that has occurred to the homes and
buildings on the outer perimeters all around the city. This is for the purpose of repairing or building
up a defensive wall. Not necessarily to
keep anyone out, for that would be impossible, but to slow the enemy down and
make them vulnerable to counter attack, sniper fire, or whatever defensive
actions that might be available for the defenders.
So in their evaluation
process they will put up road blocks of rubble or whatever material that is at
hand, in order to slow down the enemy or make their advancement more difficult and
costly.
The spiritual
principle in all of this, is that we in this world are surrounded by the enemy
of evil and worldly viewpoint. Our defense
is Bible doctrine. We build up our wall
or defensive position by learning doctrine and letting God construct a fortress
within our soul, using that doctrine that we have learned.
Our
understanding and usage of that doctrine enhances and strengthens our fortress,
our wisdom, our faith, which is the power of Gods word, in us.
