Is This forum working? [Link removed] Asaph was a prophet.
King Hezekiah would have been very interested in and would have known that Asaph was a prophet, because among the confederacy that Asaph talks about in Psalm 83 is a member called Assyria. At the time that Asaph wrote, Assyria wasn't even in the picture. They weren't even really one of Israel's enemies until many decades later. But, they were an enemy of Hezekiah. Assyria had come into the fray with Israel during Shalmaneser II around 850 BC, and Hezekiah was around 701 BC. Assyria was already interacting with Israel problematically as they destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC. So Hezekiah around 701 BC had to deal with King Sennacherib of Assyria. Hezekiah would have been very concerned about what is going on with Assyria and he would have known that Asaph had spoken about Assyria in a prophecy.
Another thing when we talk about this prophecy, among the confederacy of nations aligned against Israel that Asaph talks about in Psalm 83, he talks about a place called Gebal, along with Assyria. Now with Gebal, you don't even hear about them until Ezekiel 27. Ezekiel wrote long after Asaph. Asaph wrote about 1,000 years BC. Ezekiel wrote about 500-600 years BC, so he wrote well after Asaph had died. Therefore, Psalm 83 has to be a prophecy because Asaph was not just saying, "God help us with these enemies around us." Asaph listed the very specific group of ten groups, though of course Israel has many more than ten enemies in today's point in time. But, he listed a specific ten, and two of them weren't even in the fray at 1,000 BC. Asaph was talking about a future scenario.
Asaph also talks about these enemy peoples as in a habitation condition. He's talking about a confederacy. He calls the very first member the "tents of Edom." He's listing some population, some people group, in a habitation condition. Now, biblically speaking, that would even be military encampments or refugee conditions. The Edomites the descendants of Esau have ethnical representation in the Palestinians today. I do believe what Asaph was trying to tell us which became a reality in 1948 would be a Palestinian refugee crisis and they would play a part in this overall confederacy. I think the Palestinians find their face in prophecy today.
When Asaph mentions Assyria, we find they actually help the children of Lot. So, you have a confederation member who is assisting another confederation member. The children of Lot would represent Jordan for the most part today. At no time in Jordan's history did Assyria ever help Jordan until they were involved in wars with Israel in 1948 and 1967. Jordan was not one of the stronger members in that war. So, I think that as well is a prophecy, from that perspective. Asaph was a prophet.
King Hezekiah would have been very interested in and would have known that Asaph was a prophet, because among the confederacy that Asaph talks about in Psalm 83 is a member called Assyria. At the time that Asaph wrote, Assyria wasn't even in the picture. They weren't even really one of Israel's enemies until many decades later. But, they were an enemy of Hezekiah. Assyria had come into the fray with Israel during Shalmaneser II around 850 BC, and Hezekiah was around 701 BC. Assyria was already interacting with Israel problematically as they destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC. So Hezekiah around 701 BC had to deal with King Sennacherib of Assyria. Hezekiah would have been very concerned about what is going on with Assyria and he would have known that Asaph had spoken about Assyria in a prophecy.
Another thing when we talk about this prophecy, among the confederacy of nations aligned against Israel that Asaph talks about in Psalm 83, he talks about a place called Gebal, along with Assyria. Now with Gebal, you don't even hear about them until Ezekiel 27. Ezekiel wrote long after Asaph. Asaph wrote about 1,000 years BC. Ezekiel wrote about 500-600 years BC, so he wrote well after Asaph had died. Therefore, Psalm 83 has to be a prophecy because Asaph was not just saying, "God help us with these enemies around us." Asaph listed the very specific group of ten groups, though of course Israel has many more than ten enemies in today's point in time. But, he listed a specific ten, and two of them weren't even in the fray at 1,000 BC. Asaph was talking about a future scenario.
Asaph also talks about these enemy peoples as in a habitation condition. He's talking about a confederacy. He calls the very first member the "tents of Edom." He's listing some population, some people group, in a habitation condition. Now, biblically speaking, that would even be military encampments or refugee conditions. The Edomites the descendants of Esau have ethnical representation in the Palestinians today. I do believe what Asaph was trying to tell us which became a reality in 1948 would be a Palestinian refugee crisis and they would play a part in this overall confederacy. I think the Palestinians find their face in prophecy today.
When Asaph mentions Assyria, we find they actually help the children of Lot. So, you have a confederation member who is assisting another confederation member. The children of Lot would represent Jordan for the most part today. At no time in Jordan's history did Assyria ever help Jordan until they were involved in wars with Israel in 1948 and 1967. Jordan was not one of the stronger members in that war. So, I think that as well is a prophecy, from that perspective. Asaph was a prophet.
- When Israel became a nation again in 1948, the Palestinians for all intents and purposes became a people. They became the refugees of Palestine as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The surrounding Arab nations protested the reestablishment of the nation Israel and confederated in a war effort against the returning Jewish people. They instructed the Arabs residing within Israel at the time, to vacate temporarily until the Jewish nation was destroyed, at which time these departing Arabs could return into the land.
Amongst the Arabs who left Israel at the time were some of those who had descended from Esau, i.e. the Edomites. History reports that the Jewish people were victorious, and these Edomites became numbered among the refugees of Palestine. Hence at the time they became refugees residing in tents. The Edomites were for all intents and purposes at the time the “tents of Palestine”, or as they are called today, the Palestinian people.
The present plight of the Palestinians is, in large part, the result of the failed Arab war against Israel and therefore primarily the responsibility of the surrounding Arab nations. These Arab nations have done little to absorb and assimilate them into their lands, but have done much to use them as pawns against the developing nation of Israel. Hence we see Israel aspiring to become “My people Israel” again, which is prophesied to successfully occur, and Edom wanting to become greater than the tents of Palestine, which will likely never occur!
Edom will never be great among the nations, as they were permanently “made small among the nations” and that is the best condition they will ever experience. In fact, because of their present attempt to curse the developing nation of Israel, the Edomites will be extinguished as a people according to Obadiah 1:18. In other words the Palestinians of today will likely never nationally ascend much beyond a refugee condition.
