Bro. Nicholls said at Bible school this year, that the first use of a word in scripture was important and helped us to understand this word in the passages that followed. Thinking of a subject for our sister’s class to study this fall, and thinking of what bro. Nicholls had said, I looked in Strong’s concordance for the first word (not counting names) and its first use. Then I turned to the Hebrew concordance and did the same.
The first word in Strong’s was ‘abased’ and the first usage of this word translated in many ways) is in Lev. 13:20, 21. The word is here translated as ‘lower than’ in connection with diseases of the skin, particularly leprosy. Adam as we know, was created ‘very good’, but when he sinned he became subject to death ’til he was finally ‘lowered’ into the grave. Christ came to heal the lepers, to release man from sin and death and to lift up those who recognize their state and in lowliness and humility of mind accept his saving work of redemption from the grave.
The word translated abased is used of a tree (Eze. 17:24) (brought down) the high tree, have exalted the low tree; of a mountain (Dan. 2 Isa. 40:4) every mountain and hill shall be (made low).; of a wood (Isa. 10:33) Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror; and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be (humbled.); and of a city (Isa. 32:19 and the city shall be low in a low place; and finally of a wall (Isa. 25:12) thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.
All of these things, trees, mountains, wood, city and walls are used as types of the redeemed of the Lord. The Hebrew word contrite means “flat on the face on the ground” and it is to the lowly and contrite man that God sent Christ to raise up. When man is low in his own sight, he can look up, lift up his eyes and see the greatness of God, his father.
The first word in Hebrew concordance is “Abba,” Father. So God must be first in our lives, He must be exalted. The first reference in the Bible to abba is in Gen. 2:24 “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh.” This becomes both a prophetic statement and an enacted parable for us to take lessons from.
Adam did leave God, his father and cleave to his wife, but in sin. Turning to Ezekiel 16 and the nation of Israel, we see the Father looking down and seeing a naked baby, unclean, unsalted, unswaddled and unpitied, polluted in its own blood and he adopts and causes this girl child to live, to grow, and v. 8 when full-grown and beautiful, he takes her for his wife, anointing, clothing and feeding her . . . Israel was perfect in beauty Through God’s comeliness. (The word comeliness is used of God’s majesty, of holy ornaments and adorning and of the beauties of holiness.) Unfortunately this beautiful wife fell (as did Eve,) and became an adulterous wife.
Christ Redeems and Pities . . .
Christ came (Lk. 8:48) and the woman polluted in her own blood reached out to touch him and be healed. As Hosea pities and redeems his fallen wife, so Christ redeems and pities this woman and first calls her “Daughter”; but at his return, when she is full grown and made beautiful in the comeliness of God, he will take her and all the faithful to be his bride. The Father/child relationship is followed by husband/wife as they are joined to become one flesh and cleave together.
The bride will be adorned with the majesty of God and in the words of Psalm 45:13,-17 “The King’s daughter is all glorious within; her clothing is of wrought gold (faith). She shall be brought unto the King in raiment of needlework; the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought; they shall enter into the king’s palace. Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth. I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.”
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner,’ will be justified and made part of the beautiful bride, for everyone that humbleth himself (herself) shall be exalted (Luke 18:13-14).
God who was Fretted (Ezek. 16:43) = (to be moved or disturbed with anger or grief) with his disobedient wife, will be pacified (Ezek. 16:63) =to pitch, to cover over, to overspread as with wings, to make atonement, to pardon, to purge and make clean, to forgive sins: and finally all Israel shall be saved!
I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband, and I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God.—Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One