"I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp."
What does this verse have to do with the Sea of Galilee? you say. Good question. I'm glad you asked!
The land of Israel is not only God's favorite place on earth, amazingly the topography, the agriculture, the wind, even the people and their customs teach us about Jesus and spiritual truths. The two principle bodies of water, the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, are no exception.
When you read the above verse it's only natural that a picture of a musical instrument comes to mind right? Like David's harp, perhaps. It had 22 strings and there are 22 letters in the Hebrew aleph-bet. This is no mere coincidence!
Hebrew, being a language of picture writing like Chinese, has othe interesting characteristics as well. Every letter is also a number, as they don't use the same system we do in the West. Each has a corresponding color. But, even more interesting, every letter also has a designated musical note! David could literally play the music of the Psalms on his harp!
No doubt there are many mysteries, dark or "hidden sayings," in the Psalms but this verse is also pointing to events in the life of Jesus while He walked this earth. If you're interested in how this and many other Psalms are also prophetic of these last days, follow this link: http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-19th-book.html
Jesus spoke to the Jewish people in parables, which you might call "dark sayings," since parables were meant to hide the truth not reveal it. He didn’t always do so until after a certain point in His ministry. In fact, it became absolutely essential.
The Sea of Galilee stays fresh because it has both influx and outflow of fresh water and is full of life as a result. The Dead Sea on the other hand, has water flowing in but NO outlet. It is dead for that very reason, kinda like someone who takes and takes and takes but gives nothing back.
Take a moment sometime and Google the subject, "Music of the Scriptures." There are some really cool websites you can check out.
No doubt there are many mysteries, dark or "hidden sayings," in the Psalms but this verse is also pointing to events in the life of Jesus while He walked this earth. If you're interested in how this and many other Psalms are also prophetic of these last days, follow this link: http://emmausrevelations.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-19th-book.html
Jesus spoke to the Jewish people in parables, which you might call "dark sayings," since parables were meant to hide the truth not reveal it. He didn’t always do so until after a certain point in His ministry. In fact, it became absolutely essential.
(For more on this subject and to find out why Jesus switched to parables, follow this link:
Very often as He taught the people He sat in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. In modern Israel the Jewish people call it "Lake Chinneret," which comes from the Hebrew word, "kinnor." Kinnor means "harp!" Take a look at the map of the Sea of Galilee below. It is kinda shaped like a HARP! Jesus really did reveal many "dark sayings" on The Harp!
Isn't that cool?
Several rivers feed into Lake Chinneret which is full of life. It is teeming with fish, particularly tilapia also known as St. Peter's fish. It was here that the miracle of the net-breaking, boat-sinking load of fish occurred.
Streams from the north flow in, the Jordan river flows out and empties into the Dead Sea, the lowest place on planet earth at 1,407 feet below sea level.
It ain't called "dead" for nothing. This body of water is 9.6 times saltier than the ocean. Absolutely NOTHING can live in it.
The Jordan river, "Yarden" in Hebrew, is derived from the word "yarad," which means "descend or flow down." It literally means "river of judgment."
The Sea of Galilee stays fresh because it has both influx and outflow of fresh water and is full of life as a result. The Dead Sea on the other hand, has water flowing in but NO outlet. It is dead for that very reason, kinda like someone who takes and takes and takes but gives nothing back.
These two bodies of water showcase the stark contrast between Law and the Gospel: Grace. People who understand the gospel are like the Sea of Galilee: supply-minded. They give freely because they know how much they are loved by God. Such knowledge helps them to receive freely. The flow is effortless. That is why they are so full of life. You see, unless God first fills up you have nothing to give. We are bankrupt, remember. Without Him we can do nothing....and I do mean NOTHING.
The "River of Judgment," which ends up in the Dead Sea, kills everything. All "Jordans" end in dead seas in fact. This body of water also is surrounded by miles of barren desert. If it rains 5 times a year you're lucky. Just as the Jordan ends at the Dead Sea so this typifies the end result of the law, of the judgment it brings. The letter truly does kill.....EVERYTHING.
A judgmental attitude will kill a relationship quicker than anything. The lowest form of Christian living, preaching or ministry, if you can call them that, is judgmental or law-centric. It amounts to so much pinger pointing.
If that typifies your life or ministry, you will just as surely end up like the Dead Sea: surrounded by lifeless desert. Your church or ministry may just shut down or dry up.
There are two sides to Grace: Giving and receiving. You've heard it said that "it is more blessed to give than to receive?" While that is true, we have not been told the whole story. Let's look at the verse in it's proper context.
Acts 20:35.
"I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must SUPPORT THE WEAK. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Jesus is referring in this verse to helping our fellow man, in particular those who are weak. That doesn't mean that we don't give to God, of course. But are you giving out of a sense of guilt or duty as if you owe God?
Church, we don't owe any debt to God. Jesus OVERPAID ALL OUR DEBT. We HAVE...not trying to get it...we already HAVE PEACE WITH GOD. The war is over.
So why do we give to Him? Precisely because we know we don't owe Him. It isn't a gift if you believe you're repaying a debt. There is no blessing in it. Your giving can only be a gift if your debt is PAID IN FULL!
Most churches seem to beg you to give money or to serve in their ranks, witness for Christ or bring others to church without first sowing the seeds that will yield the fruit. In order to have something to give, be it money, Christian service or whatever, you must first have received from God.
That's the lesson of Mary and Martha.
Jesus had come to their home in Bethany, no doubt hungry and tired. Though God never gets tired, Jesus as 100% man does.
Martha only saw the human side and sought to serve Him. He had the twelve disciples with Him, don't forget. There was a lot of work to do. She saw only the Man. But Mary sat at Jesus' feet and took from Him. All she wanted was to be near Him and hear Him speak. She saw Him as God.
Well, Martha got so ticked off at Mary that she complained to Jesus about it, blaming them both in one shot. Who did He defend? The one who took from Him: Mary. She chose the good part which would not be taken away from her. Mary made Him feel like God. He was refreshed by her taking.
Martha was concerned only about serving. But when you try to serve the Lord without first being filled you are trying to pour out of an empty vessel. It makes you bitter, angry and judgmental. That's what she was.
It is more blessed to give than to receive where it concerns our fellow man but between us and our Daddy, it is more blessed to RECEIVE from Him than to give.
Isn't God AWESOME to hide little treasures like this? He even using His land to teach us things; places like the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee.
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