Tuesday 6 March 2018

The Standard

Your standard or mine?

We all like to think that in life we are keeping high standards ... at least of something. This is no different when it comes to what we believe.

Religion, and how well you stick to your doctrine, is usually the measure-stick when it comes to what you believe. It will ask of us - How much we do. How well we do it. How often we get busy. How much we give. How spiritual we are. How much we attend. How good we behave. How well we obey ... and on and on ...

However, when it comes to a standard there is only one way to go.
Jesus!

So, the Holy Spirit took me back to a verse in Isaiah with regards to the Standard of God.

The word Standard

If you should google the word standard (the word several Hebrew words in the Bible were translated into) you would come up with the following:

Standard:
As a noun it means: 
1. a certain level of quality or attainment. Like "their restaurant offers a high standard of service" or "the standard of work is very good". Synonyms include quality, level, grade, degree, worth, calibre, merit, excellence

2. Something used as a measure, norm, or model in comparative evaluations.
"the wages are low by today's standards"

As an adjective it means:
1. A word used or accepted as normal or average. Like "the standard rate of income tax". Synonyms include normal, usual, typical, stock, common, ordinary, customary, conventional, habitual, accustomed, expected, wonted, everyday, regular, routine, day-to-day, daily, established, settled, set, fixed, traditional, quotidian, prevailing.

So, let's get into the Word

The way the word is used in the old covenant is also highly prophetic.

In the old Hebrew the word mostly used for a standard or banner is the word degel. It was used as an instruction for the tribes of Israel when they were led out of bondage out of Egypt to camp in a specific pattern around the tabernacle. Taking into account the numbers under each tribe, you will find the aerial picture of this to be none other than a perfect picture of the cross of Jesus Christ. How prophetic? And detailed the Word of God is. Obviously, looking at the banners under which each tribe had to camp, has a lot more prophetic peculiarities that we won't be sharing in this post.

In this post I am going to turn to another word that was translated as Standard, but the prophetic significance to us is enormous.

We find this word in Isaiah 59. Let's look closer.

In prophesying what God will do to His enemy (the devil and his friends), the prophet concludes in verse 19 When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

Some Hebrew now

But the word translated here as standard is the Hebrew word nûs or נוּס which can be much better translated as to cause to disappear, hide or to put to flight, make to vanish.

The word is a Hebrew root word used 160 times in the old covenant and in all instances used within the context of fleeing, and also translated in all those instances as flee, fleeing, fled, etc., except here in Isaiah 59. Strangely peculiar, indeed!

The word nûs has a linguistic close cousin in another Hebrew word, but from different root word. The cousin word is nês or נס which is the word used for something to be lifted up, a standard, signal, signal pole, ensign, banner, a flag, a sign

Now the prophetic picture gets a little clearer

And get this!

The root word whence the word nês comes from is the Hebrew root word nâsas or נסס which basically means to wane, that is, be sick.

The pictograph for this word depicts life turned around around. It is thus the opposite of nûs or נס that depicts life turned around thus turned around and not turned around again - without the second around. Simply put, if you turn something 180 degrees it goes in one direction (say health). If you turn it around again, it goes into the opposite direction.

So, let's bring the whole thing together 

When the nation of Israel were about to meet God at Mount Sinai they suddenly retreated and sent Moses with the word everything that God says we shall do (Ex 19:8). So, God gave them His Perfect Standard, the law. The law was later completely fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus is God's Standard.

Look at the pictograph. You should be able to see that God provided His Standard in Jesus, Whom was lifted up on high for all to see and by which He turned around sickness. That which the enemy inflicts, He provides for in that by the Name of Yah'shua the enemy shall flee. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess Jesus!

Then there is a comma

Also, in verse 19 we find an odd place for a comma that does not exist in the original Hebrew. The strategic placement of this little comma attributes way to much prominence to the actual ability of the enemy, especially since he had been completely defeated by the Standard Himself. We'll do well to move it to just before the word "like" if we still want it.

Let's read it with the comma placed before the "like":

When the enemy shall come in, like a flood the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

It changes the meaning totally, doesn't it?

Let' read the prophecy now 

So shall they fear [reverence] the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in, like a flood the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

And then look the next verse still continuing in the very same prophetic context.

And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. 

And the promise that shakes the whole doctrine of the institutional church to shambles:

As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever. Isa 59:19-21

It is all about the Spirit of the Lord! Not about the enemy.

Promise fulfilled 

But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach Rom 10:8
Get Twitter Fan Box Widget
- See more at: http://www.techtrickhome.com/2013/02/floatting-twitter-fan-box-for-blogger.html#sthash.RumcxfhG.dpuf