merchandise

May 27, 2017

The coastland towns are upset (Ezek 27:33-27:36)

“When your wares

Came from the seas,

You satisfied

Many people.

You enriched

The kings of the earth

With your abundant wealth,

With your merchandise.

Now you are wrecked

By the seas,

In the depths

Of the waters.

Your merchandise,

With all your crew,

Have sunk with you.

All the inhabitants

Of the coastlands

Are appalled at you.

Their kings

Are horribly afraid.

Their faces

Are convulsed.

The merchants

Among the people

Hiss at you.

You have come

To a dreadful end.

You shall be no more

Forever.”

Many people benefited from the various goods that Tyre brought from the different towns on the Mediterranean Sea. Their wealth and merchandise enriched many kings. Now they have been wrecked by the deep sea. Both the merchandise and the crew are gone. Now all the inhabitants of the coastland towns were appalled at Tyre. In fact, their kings were horribly afraid as their faces convulsed. The merchants from these towns now hissed at the name of Tyre because they had come to a dreadful end. Tyre would not exist anymore.

May 27, 2017

The sinking of everything (Ezek 27:26-27:27)

“Your rowers

Have brought you

Into the high seas.

The east wind

Has wrecked you

In the heart

Of the seas.

Your riches,

Your wares,

Your merchandise,

Your mariners

Your pilots,

Your caulkers,

Your dealers

In merchandise,

All your warriors

Within you,

With all your company

That is with you,

Sink

Into the heart

Of the seas

On the day

Of your ruin.”

The rowers of the Tyre ships brought them into the high seas. The east wind then wrecked them in the heart of the sea. All their riches, goods, and merchandise sank. Their sailors, pilots, caulk workers, trade merchant dealers, their warriors, and all their company would sink into the heart of the sea on the day of their ruin. Tyre, its ships, its people, and all its goods would sink into the choppy Mediterranean Sea.

February 20, 2016

The good wife works hard (Prov 31:16-31:19)

Zain

“She considers a field.

She buys it.

With the fruit of her hands,

She plants a vineyard.

Het

She girds herself with strength.

She makes her arms strong.

Tet

She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.

Her lamp does not go out at night.

Yod

She puts her hands to the distaff.

Her hands hold the spindle.”

The good wife does not sit around all day and gossip. She goes out and buys fields, just like men do. She plants a vineyard, just like other workers. She has strength with strong arms. She buys and sells merchandise like her husband. She stays up late figuring things out. She even knows how to handle the spindle. She is like a super woman. She even has contact with others in business doings. Thus she is not a stay at home wife, but really a business partner.

February 16, 2015

Close the gates during the Sabbath (Neh 13:19-13:22)

“When it began to be dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut. I gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. I set some of my servants over the gates to prevent any burden from being brought in on the Sabbath day. Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem, once or twice. But I warned them. I said to them.

‘Why do you spend the night in front of the wall?

If you do so again I will lay hands on you.’

From that time on, they did not come on the Sabbath. I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves. They should come and guard the gates, to keep the Sabbath day holy.

‘Remember this

Also in my favor,

O my God,

Spare me

According to the greatness of thy steadfast love.’”

Apparently Nehemiah must have some royal authority. He ordered that the gates of the city be closed during the Sabbath, from the sunset of Friday to the sunset on Saturday. He even put guards on the gates. The merchants stayed outside the gates in the hopes that they could conduct business just outside the gates. He scared off the merchants by saying that he was going to lay hands on them. He then commanded the Levites to stand guard at the gates during the Sabbath to keep it holy. Then he once again uttered a prayer to God to spare him out of his great love.

February 16, 2015

Profaning the Sabbath (Neh 13:15-13:18)

“In those days I saw in Judah people men treading wine presses on the Sabbath. They were bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys. I saw also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. I warned them at that time against selling food. Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of merchandise. They sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I remonstrated with the nobles of Judah. I said to them.

‘What is this evil thing that you are doing?

You are profaning the Sabbath day.

Did not your ancestors act in this way?

Did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city?

Yet you bring more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.’”

Nehemiah was astonished to see that the Sabbath was no longer being observed. Everything that he had set up was falling apart. He could not believe his own eyes when he saw what was happening. They were working the wine presses on the Sabbath. They were bringing in grain on the Sabbath. They were bringing wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of stuff on donkeys into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. He warned them against selling food on the Sabbath. The people from Tyre, who lived in Jerusalem, also brought in fish and merchandise to sell on the Sabbath. Then Nehemiah told the nobles of the city that they were profaning the Sabbath. This was the very thing that made God angry. This was the reason that disaster had hit Jerusalem.

 

February 13, 2015

The Sabbath (Neh 10:31-10:31)

“If the peoples of the land bring in merchandise or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. We will forego the crops of the seventh year and the exaction of every debt.”

They would do no business on the Sabbath. They would keep holy the Sabbath, which was Saturday. They would not buy from the peoples of the land any grain or merchandise on the Sabbath or holy days. They would forgo crops on the 7th year, the Sabbath year. Finally, they would forgive debts. This was based on Leviticus, chapter 25. This was the beginning of the new Sabbath day regulations.