Category Archives: Bible Study

Vision

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Vision in the Bible has two means, the first is human sight and the other refers to prophetic messages.  The word chizzayown (Strong’s 2384) is one of the Hebrew words for prophecy especially if it is delivered through dreams.  Just for the record there are other words that are used for messages from God through dreams.  Chizzayown is used nine times in scriptures.  It is used the most in the book of Job but this study started in Isaiah 22 where Jerusalem is referred to the “Valley of Vision.”  Only two of the nine are actually messages (visions) while the others talk about who, what, and how of a vision.

VALLEY OF VISION  Isaiah 22 carries a message of destruction, not because Jerusalem did not prepare their defenses to defend the city but because they did not seek God and repent of their sins.  Instead they threw a party and said, “Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die (verse 13).”  Once again Jerusalem choose to ignore God even though they had been told the problem and that destruction was coming.

MarsavaThe word here for valley is gahee and its root word means arrogance and pride.  It is a very steep-walled valley and would present a formable challenge to either climb up or down.  Where you are in this kind of valley certainly would influence your thinking about the circumstances you are in.  If you are at the bottom of a gahee the thought of climbing out or up those steep sides would be daunting.  The reverse is true if you happen to be at the top of the valley defending your position; it would be easy against anyone trying to come up the sides but I would not want to have to escape by climbing down those cliff walls.  (See Valleys)

Being called a “Valley of Vision” is an indictment against them because by Mark’s Translation it would be a “Steep Arrogance From Dreaming Up a Prophecy.”

THE TWO VISIONS  Only twice does chizzayown actually relate a vision.  The first time is in 2 Samuel 7, Nathan got the word at night (v.4) and it is referred to as a revelation in verse 17 (NIV).  This word is telling David he will not build the Temple and that his family would endure as rulers of Israel.  The second vision is a satanic vision that was given to Eliphaz in Job 4:17 – 21.  It really dictates the conversion in the rest of the book and is even quoted again by Bildad in Job 25:4 – 6.  Vine’s Dictionary comments that it was just an ordinary dream but I think it is clear that it had a spiritual origin just the wrong spirit.

VISION IN JOB  Even though Eliphaz’s vision dominates the dialogue it is Elihu (33: 14,15) who actually defines and tells us about chizzayown; it is God speaking to man through a vision of the night.  The other two uses are Job telling about terrifying visions (7:14) and Zopher (20:8) talking about the fleeting nature of night visions.

ASHAMED AND A PROMISE   The other times chizzayown is used is in Zechariah 13:4 when prophets will be ashamed of their gift because of the spiritual cleaning the Lord will do.  The last use is a promise in Joel 2:28 that when the Spirit is poured out in the last days that young men will have visions.

Valleys

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In Christianese (yes, we have a language) mountains and valleys carry a lot of symbolism.  I have heard sermons where valleys are hard places to be but a mountaintop is a place of freedom.  Then other ministers will tell you that valleys are where you grow and that it is a struggle to go over a mountain.  I suppose in our Christian walk we are always going through valleys and over mountains or in non-Christianese you will have your good times and your hard times.

I was reading Isaiah 22 and Jerusalem was referred to as the “Valley of Vision.”  The picture that is painted in Isaiah 22 is not a nice one and the “Valley of Vision” term is obviously not a compliment.  But it made me wonder about the meaning and types of valleys and visions that were being talked about.

In my Strong’s Concordance, there are five terms for valleys but only four of them are used in Isaiah.  Shephelah (8219) is the one not used and it refers to the Judean hill country.  The other four are emeq (6010) and it is a vale or broad depression,elahvalley-from-azekah-t2 wadi (5158) this has a seasonal stream that flows during the rainy season, gahee (1516) is a gorge with lofty sides, and a biqah (1237) is a wide level valley between mountains.  In Isaiah, the gahee and wadi carry negative things with them while the emeq and biqah are places that are valued or are at least have a positive context.

The Valley of Vision is a gahee and its root word is gevah (1466), which means arrogance or lifting up with pride.  While watching an IMAX movie about Jerusalem they showed a version of this picture and I knew that must be a gahee. Marsava

Imagine standing at the bottom of the gahee looking up, I can see why the root word deals with arrogance and exaltation.  It would take serious skill and desire to climb out of that valley.

Vision in the phrase is chizzayown (2384) and refers to prophesy.  It is used nine times in Scripture and one of those is Joel 2: 28 were young men will see visions.

Other references of valleys in Isaiah:

  • Emeq – 17:5, 22:7, 28:21, 65:10
  • Wadi – 7:19, 57:5
  • Biqah  – 63:14, 41:18
  • Gahee – 22:1 +5, 28:1 + 4, 40:4

So the next time someone starts talking about being in a valley ask them what kind?

gahee – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Marsava.jpg ,  the wide valley http://ferrelljenkins.wordpress.com/2008/08/22/the-valley-of-elah-and-the-shephelah/  This blog is excellent and Ferrell Jenkins is an excellent photographer, you should take a moment and check out some of his other blogs.

HYSSOP, CEDAR WOOD, SCARLET WOOL

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Numbers 19: 6  The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet wool and throw them onto the burning heifer. (NIV) (See my post-Jesus Asked for a Drink )

Cedar Wood  If you do a search on what wood was used as Jesus’ cross you get the basic answer that no one knows.  Some answers are curt and use verses like Numbers 19 to make their point that it was cedar; a nice American tradition is that the cross was Dogwood.  The problem with that is I could not find a species that grew in the Holy Land area.  I would probably throw my vote for cedar as the cross just because the type and shadow needed to be fulfilled.  The Hebrew for cedar is erez and it refers to the tenacity of the root of the tree.  My idea of cedar is the Eastern Red Cedar just because I grew up in the south and that is only one I know but I know that the Cedars of Lebanon are not like that.

Hyssop – Please see

https://ificouldteachthebible.wordpress.com/2014/03/21/crucifixion-thirst/

It is a post from God as a Gardener and is very informative on the topic of hyssop.  Like many words that are describing plants and animals in the Bible, we have a general idea of what is there now and infer what the Bible could have meant.

Scarlet Wool  This part of the verse was fun to search through.  Scarlet is tolaatha in Hebrew and deals with a crimson grub or maggot.  It mainly refers to the color that is gotten from the animal but a few times it refers to the animal itself:   Examples:

  •       Psalm 22:6  “I am a worm and not a man.”  David prophesying about how the Messiah would feel.
  •       Isaiah 66: 24  “their worm will not die” – A picture of an agony in Hell.
  •      Jonah 4:7  “God prepared a worm” the one that ate his vine and made him mad.

I will offer this as a fulfillment of the shadow of the scarlet wool, it was Jesus’ outer garment that they cast lots for.  It would have been stained red with His blood.  The cedar was the cross and the hyssop was the “pole” for the sponge with the drink for Jesus.

Jesus Returned

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The_Resurrection016

I know it sounds simple but unless Jesus had returned and showed Himself to people, Palm Sunday through Good Friday would have made no sense at all.  According to Matthew Jesus had been preparing the disciples for His returning after His death by telling them to meet at a certain mountain in Galilee.  Jesus however knew His disciples and without a little pushing they would not go to that mountain.  They seem to hunker down in the upper room and probably would have stayed there confused instead of going back to Galilee.  Mary’s encounter in the garden with the added instructions, “Go back to Galilee” was a faith and obedience builder.  When they did not leave he met the disciples on the road to Emmaus and finally had to show Himself.  I think He wanted them to leave Jerusalem and go to friendly territory to make them move.  According to Matthew even with all of the visits there were still doubters when they did go to Galilee.

Easter saw several groups “returning” from various places.  Mary Magdalene and the group of women seem to have gone to the tomb several times before she/they saw Jesus.  The disciples even though it was dark returned from Emmaus to tell the Eleven (Ten – no Thomas) that they had seen Jesus.

Jesus’ concern for the disciples had Him return to them even before returning to the Father.  John 20:17 is the phrase, “ I am returning to my Father and my God.”  I have heard several explanations as to why this had to happen but I think our sin that Jesus took on Himself and separated Him from the Father and that had to be corrected.

I guess I wish someone would have chronicled all of the next forty days but some things are just not for us to know.  The bits and pieces we have make them sound amazing and that the Disciples did move around quite a bit from Jerusalem to Galilee and back again.

Matthew 28:1-15, Mark 16: 1-14, Luke 24:1-49, John 20:1-23

http://clipart.christiansunite.com/1395484861/Easter_Clipart/The_Resurrection_Clipart/The_Resurrection016.jpg 

Jesus Preached

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Raising_Lazarus001

They sealed the tomb as best they could.

He was not there He had an appointment to keep.

Descended to preach, they had to hear.

Ascended to fill the heavens to bring us to God.

Matthew 27:62 – 66, Ephesians 4: 7-10, 1 Peter 3:19

See Saturday of Holy Week