Bible Study “The Stranger that is Within Thy Gateâ€Â

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“The Stranger that is Within Thy Gateâ€Â

Exodus 20:10. But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

What is the “gate�

Psalm 141:3. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

Psalms 39:1. I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me. 2. I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred. 3. My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,

James 3:5. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! 6. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. 7. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: 8. But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. 10. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. 11. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? 12. Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. 13. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.


Who is the “stranger�

Matthew 13:27. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28. He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29. But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

2 Thessalonians 2:3. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin (demonic “tareâ€Â) be revealed, the son of perdition; 4. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, (human body) shewing himself that he is God. 5. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

Revelation 13:5. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.


Works done by “strangers within human gates (mouths)â€Â

A. The rise of false ministers and false doctrine

Isaiah 61:5. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

2 Corinthians 11:13. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Matthew 15:7. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8. This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

B. Errors in judgment and reasoning

Habakkuk 1:4. Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.

Isaiah 55:7. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 9. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Romans 7:15. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

C. Strangers’ words in the mouths of disciples

Matthew 16:22. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

Luke 9:52. And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. 53. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. 54. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? 55. But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

D. Strangers (devils) teaching in the churches

Jeremiah 17:5. Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. 6. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

Psalm 31:19. Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!

Matthew 24:4. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 24. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25. Behold, I have told you before.

Trusting men is dangerous because of the stranger working in human gates!


E. Blocking the “stranger in YOUR OWN GATE (mouth)â€Â

2 Corinthians 10:4. (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6. And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. 7. Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.

Isaiah 55:7. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his (the stranger’s) thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Isaiah 58:13. If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: 14. Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth


Matthew 4:4. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Psalm 119:100. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. 101. I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. 102. I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me. 103. How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104. Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

John,
ourfamily1 : :

 

[cyberjosh]

I hope this doesn't put a damper on your interpretation as the mouth as a gate, but consistantly in the OT the "gate" is the place of the city where everyone met to decide legal matters, justice was carried out at the gates where often a large square was for such matters. We have been able to deduct that Job was a leader or judge among his people, based on several things he says in the book about his high position among the people, how he was held in high esteem, and especially where he talks of matters "in the gate".

"When I went out to the gate of the city, when I took my seat in the square, The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the old men arose and stood." (Job 29:7-8) Job had a seat that he sat in for judging matters at the gate square, where cities often had their courts. Further more Job said, "If I have lifted up my hand against the orphan, because I saw I had support in the gate, let my shoulder fall from the socket, and my arm be broken off at the elbow" (Job 31:20-22). Here Job talks about not opressing the orphan (parallel to other commands for the alien & stranger in the land throughout the Bible) by legal injustice ("lifting the hand against") in the gate (in the place where legal matters are decided). Thus the overall idea is that the gate is the courts where justice was to be carried out, and the Bible has a consistant theme of not perverting justice in it (especially the proverbs, like where it says "The Lord hates dishonest scales" etc.). Ruth chapter 4 also has a more played out instance where Boaz goes to the gate to sit (for a judicial matter) for Naomi to buy a piece of land, in which the story illuminates an important piece of their culture back then then of how they went about legal affairs.

I hope that sheds light on the topic some.

God Bless,

~Josh

 

[cyberjosh]

As for your specific verse which you quoted in Exodus, the key idea for the Israelites in connection with the strangers staying among them was, "You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the heart of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 23:9). This once again brings up the idea of showing justice to the stranger. As long as they sojourn among them they are to be treated with the same rights as the Israelites, no perversion of justice just because they are aliens in the land, and likewise they are to observe the Sabbath rest like the Israelites, since they must respect the ways of the land of Israel (and God) in turn for Israel's cooperation and extension of justice and fairness to the alien. It is thus a mutual relationship, that actually foreshadowed God's desire to bring the Gentiles in to the covenant of promise as well (which was fulfilled by the New Covenant in Jesus' blood). We see the echo of Exodus 23:9 in the NT again in Ephesians 2:12 which says, "You were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world", thus reminding us that we too were strangers at one point. God's gracious plan for bringing all people into covenant with him is why there are so many verses in the OT that talk about the stranger, and how the stranger should be treated, and how in turn the stranger should act in the land of God's Promise. That is what the whole meaning of/reason for that verse you quoted was.

God Bless,

~Josh

 

[ourfamily1]

An analogy or a parable is a story or situation that stands for something else not easily seen. Spiritual matters cannot be viewed with the natural or carnal mind.

Mark 4:11. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: 12. That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. 13. And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

If I show you a human being and say, "This man is the temple of God", what would you say? If you were in Jerusalem and showed you a Jewish synagogue and said, "This is a temple of God", how would you respond? Because there are known scriptures that resolve both issues, an astute answer would incorporate them. I have shown you another analogy and the resolution. Blessed are all those with eyes that see and ears that hear. Thanks.

John,
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