Elisa, part 28. Numbers 6 verse 27 And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them. 1 Peter 2 verse 9: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people. We stayed at the big woman, the Shunamite in 2 Kings 4 verse 13, an image of the people of Israel, for she lived in the midst of the people. When her son dies, dies her future expectations. But God raised his son, just as Elisha did, in verse 35. But, there is still more to do, we read of a man from the Old Testament, which saw the distress of Israel wrong, he also saw the need, after so long wanderings, and therefore, came with firm and immediate help . Barzillai, we read of him, he has helped, King David, with all that, needed the king. The set of goods, which he gave as a gift to David, was huge, we can read it in 2 Samuel 17, read it for yourself, what I want to mention is his motivation to do this, verse 29 : for they said , The people is hungry , and weary , and thirsty , in the wilderness . Later, we see that King David wanted to reward him for it, in 2 Samuel 19, from verse 31, he was allowed to go to Jerusalem, but Barzillai, told the king that he is very old, 80 years, and that its ability to distinguish good from evil, is not optimal, even the song, which is sung there sounds to him, not too clear in the ears. All his physical abilities, to enjoy thereof, are no longer sufficient to do fun for the king. Actually, here is established that the person who disposed towards Israel, a warm heart, can only accompany the king to the Jordan, but thats it. Because our senses, to be able to enjoy the real value of the King, are weakened by the long history of the gospel. The most striking, is the expression of Barzillai that his diet is different than that of David, 2 Samuel 19 verse 35, Can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink ? To live, Barzillai had other food as David, but that was not the only problem, the food of Barzillai was getting boring, bland and gray, he tasted no longer, the freshness of the food, (spiritual ?). Yet, Barzillai, has a special place in this story, because Barzillai means of iron, and he came from Rogelim, from the fuller-town, he knew how clothes could get white, Mark 9 verse 3. The Bible, also listed in 2 Samuel 19 verse 32 : for he was a very great man . We can say this today too , from the church. This comparison is not plucked out of the air, because the age of Caleb was 85 years old when he comes into the promised land , along with Joshua, and Barzillai too says that he has little time left . We have here to do with a time just before David can settle in Jerusalem, he is not driven away by his family. We saw the significance of the name Barzillai of iron. Also, Ezekiel uses this phrase in chapter 4, when he speaks about the clay tablet, there also is discussed, an iron pan, along with the clay tablet, as a sign of Israel (verses 1 till 3) . Let this sign of giving, good and generous, be a fixed and recognizable sign for the people, of those who know that they can not bring Israel to the promised land, but to leave a message for David, (because ) he became with him , Chimham, which means, desire. Not Barzillai went along, but a fruit, (son) of him, not before Barzillai , kissed and blessed , King David. Barzillai does not have lived long then , as we read of him, that there be hanged, five grandchildren, along with a few, descendants of Saul. But perhaps, is present here, an increase (or inclusion) of the fruit of Barzillai. Tomorrow , part 29 .
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 07:53:08 +0000