When Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ in order that you may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”

“Every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians” … Egypt is a picture of the world and sinners. Jesus is the high Shepherd, although he appoints disciples/elders/etc to feed the flock as well.

The World hates the Shepherd, ultimately because they hate to be shepherded.

There are two big points in my life so far: First when I submitted to my parents, Second when I submitted to God and Jesus saved me from my sin. Both times my worldly spirit rose up with in me, my in-bred sin, and it had to die a painful death.

It hurt. The devil hated it.

However, life afterwords was free and easy. I now love the shepherd, and love to be shepherded. I follow which ever way my Jesus leads me.

Satan and his demons prowls around like roaring lions
seeking someone to steal and devour from God

When the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your heart, they steal away
and lie down in their dens.

See 1 Peter 5:8 and 2 Peter 1:19. Also be sure to read the Psalm.

Something at the end of it made stop and re-read it. This time equating the virtuous woman as a spiritual type of Jesus’ bride, the Church. A particular verse jumped out as something very meaningful to me:

She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.

Snow is cold,and stands for spiritual coldness toward God. Being clothed in scarlet stands for being both covered and cleansed by Jesus’ blood. Thus those all those in the household of God, all those in the Church, should not be afraid of spiritual coldness, because they are continually in the blood of Jesus. We should keep watch, but never be afraid or fretful about spiritual coldness.

20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, 21 nor will they say, Look, here it is! or There! for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.

Older translations read, “behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” This change came about because the “you” at the end of the sentence is plural in the Greek. Thus translators say, “Well, Jesus couldn’t have said that the kingdom of God was within the Pharisees, right?” At least, this is the reasoning I’m reading, and so they translate the Greek word “ἐντός” as “among” rather than “within” or “inside.”

Now I don’t really have a problem with this, because (in my understanding) the Kingdom of God is a multi-faceted, both physical and spiritual thing. So Jesus being in their midst is a part of the kingdom-come. I just don’t like people using the plural-argument to discard the old interpretation.

Until now I only had the sentence structure to somewhat back up my feelings for the old translation. Jesus says that the Kingdom of God isn’t something that comes with observation, or outward-show, or signs to be observed; nor can you say look here or there! So it would make sense that the kingdom is inside you.

But just last night I stumbled upon something interesting. Later in Luke, Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial — Luke 22:31–34:

Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.

Both instances of “you” in verse 31 are plural, while in verse 32 they are singular. Jesus was only talking to Peter, but nevertheless it is recorded as plural. Now, this might just be an earlier copyist error (maybe the copyist saw Jesus say two names?), or Jesus actually addressed Peter in the plural. Either way, it was interesting to see another place where a plural “you” is used where it seems it shouldn’t have been.