Shiloh
In recently reading of the failures of Eli, Hophni, and Phineas, the forsaking of Shiloh was considered;
Psalm 78:58 – 61 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images. When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel: So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men; And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemies hand.
As you consider this, it is easy to wonder why churches today would use the name Shiloh for their building or congregation. However, the name Shiloh was first the name for the Messiah, the expected Christ;
Genesis 49:10 – 12 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
Jacob was speaking the blessings over his sons, and also prophesied of the expected promise (since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden) of Shiloh’s coming, and the gathering of the people to Him. The word Shiloh is 7886 in the Strong’s; Shiyloh, shee-lo’; from 7951; tranquil; Shiloh, an epithet of the Messiah; Checking an English dictionary, the word tranquil means ‘in an enduring state of unagitated quietness.’ Can you see the mercy of God in this enduring state?
We can easily grasp the gathering of the people to Him, but what else can be received from these scriptures? Jacob spoke this much ignored prophecy; how can it bring us to a greater knowledge of Jesus? For instance, in John 15 Jesus tells us that He is the vine, and we must understand that He is not just any vine, but … the choice vine;
John 15:4, 5 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Before moving on in our search of Shiloh, let us consider these scriptures a little deeper. In any translation some of the meaning can be diminished through language. We see the word ‘binding’ and think of being tied up to, like to an old west hitching post. The Hebrew word (681 in the Strong’s) is from 680 in the Strong’s in the sense of joining. It means a side; and as a preposition, near. Binding is not forced, or tying up, and it is not at hands or arms length, but is near and joined to. Foal (5895) is from 5782 in the sense of raising, i.e. bearing a burden. It is properly a young ass just broken to a load, hence an ass colt, translated here as foal. Vine (1612) means a vine (as twining), especially the grape. Have you become joined to, near, and twined with the vine, Jesus? Are you broken to and bearing the load He has for you? His yoke is easy, and His burden is light, Matthew 11:30.
The second comparison of binding the colt to the choice vine in this prophecy of Jacob adds to the attributes. The word ass’s (860) says it is probably from the same as 386 in the sense of patience. It means a female ass, from its docility. Colt (1121) is a son in the widest sense, as a builder of the family name. It is of a literal or figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality, condition, etc. We, the USA, used to be a nation declaring and building the name of Jesus. Choice vine (8321) is a vine stock, properly one yielding purple grapes, the richest variety. Are you patiently yielded and bound to the one and only vine, Jesus? Are you building His name?
Also, have you considered in these scriptures, what is the difference between garments and clothes? Garment, 3830 in the Strong’s, means a garment (literally or figuratively), and by implication (euphemism) a wife. Clothes in the Hebrew (5497) means covering, i.e. clothing. The word garment is a euphemism for wife; have you considered the washing and preparation and regeneration needed for the marriage of the Lamb? The scripture says … he washed his garments. It is by His washing, His blood, His atonement that we are reconciled and can become righteous. The righteousness of the saints is the clean, white, wedding gown;
Revelation 19:7, 8 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
There will be no sin, and nothing unclean at that marriage. It says Shiloh did the washing: are you allowing Jesus to cleanse and change you; are you growing in righteousness?
Moses also spoke of Him that was to come;
Deuteronomy 18:15 The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
Deuteronomy 18:18, 19 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
Acts 3:22, 23 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
From Moses there was a constant looking forward to the anointed one, the Messiah, the Christ. In the scripture from Acts, Peter was reminding them of the prophecy of Moses, and telling them of Jesus. All of the above scriptures tell us that we must hear Him. On the Mount of Transfiguration God Himself told us to hear Jesus;
Matthew 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
God had spoken through the prophets of our need to hear Jesus, but here we find God himself commanding us to … hear ye him. Will you hear Him? What greater calling could there be? In John 8:29 Jesus said … I do always those things that please him. Always pleasing the Father also resulted in Jesus saying several times in scripture that the words He spoke were from the Father;
John 12:50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.
John 14:24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
John 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
All of these scriptures tell us that the words He spoke were not His, but God’s. This was prophesied through Moses in Deuteronomy 18:18 (above); I … will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. Jesus allowed God to provide the words that He spoke, and God desires to create the fruit of your lips;
Isaiah 57:19 I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord; and I will heal him.
The Hebrew word for create (1254 in Strong’s means absolutely to create; qualified it means to cut down (a wood), select, feed (as formative processes). If you will be obedient and allow Him to purge, and lead, and direct your words and actions, God will create the fruit of your lips! There is peace, and healing, if we find this obedience to His creative work in us! Alternatively, from the prophecy of Moses in the above scriptures, if you will not hear Him, you will be destroyed! Again, John told us that all the lust of the world will pass away, but if you are part of the doing remnant, you will abide for ever;
John 2:15 – 17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
As we hear and know God in a greater measure, there is also a greater call to obedience and to doing His will and His purpose in walking with God. These will require a spiritual obedience and walk, with nothing of the natural or fleshly man. It is not in man’s wisdom, but only in God’s wisdom and in spiritual hearing (I Corinthians 2:4 – 16) that the Holy Ghost can fully be to you your teacher, comforter, guide, and the Spirit of truth, because these things are not received in the natural (I Corinthians 2:14). Seek God, and ask Him to enable you to find the spiritual walk and path in Him that He has for you, hearing and doing His will and purpose.
Before leaving this exhortation of Shiloh, let us look again at part of the verses we started with from Psalm 78; … he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men. If you will see it, the Lord Jesus was Shiloh, the tabernacle or tent that God placed among men. When He took on Him the sins of the world at the cross, God forsook His tabernacle. Psalm 22 also prophesied of this forsaking, and Jesus spoke it from the cross;
Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
God … delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand. But in His resurrection from the grave Jesus … led captivity captive (Psalm 68:18, Ephesians 4:8) and … gave gifts unto men. Do you see that all of these scriptures and the physical historical reference of the tabernacle when it was at Shiloh tie together in the spiritual prophecy of Shiloh, the Lord Jesus Christ? These are not separate and conflicting, but speak of the fulness and gifts and promises of the prophecy of Shiloh, the Lion of Judah, the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.