2Ki 21:13 And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down.
Note: Many say “I do not want to wash the dishes. That’s a woman’s job!” But the Bible says, “I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish”. God says it is manly for a man to wash dishes.
What instructions did Jesus give on the subject of washing dishes?
Mat 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Mat 23:26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
Mat 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
Mat 23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Note: Clean your dishes on the inside and outside. Sometimes we think “no one is going to eat on the outside of the dish”. But let’s wash it anyways. Our Lord and Savior said “cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” A poorly washed dish represents a hypocrite. What does the quality of your work say about your character?
2Ki 21:13 And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down.
Note: God’s work is illustrated by a dish being thoroughly washed, inside and out.
Ecc 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
Col 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
According to this text, washing dishes is a religious duty “as to the Lord, and not unto men”. Our work is representing Christ.
How well thuroughly should we wash our dishes?
“We need to understand that imperfection of character is sin.” {COL 330.2}
Lev 6:28 But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken: and if it be sodden in a brasen pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water.
Note: Leviticus gives instruction in regards to washing cooking vessels with running water. Other vessels were to be burned or broken when they got contaminated. We should avoid cooking with Aluminum potware. Aluminum is a heavy metal that is poison to our system. When we heat up Aluminum cooking pots we are scraping small amounts of Aluminum shavings into our food. It’s better to use cast iron or stainless steel potware than Aluminum.
Lev 14:50 And he shall kill the one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water:
Lev 14:51 And he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times:
Lev 14:52 And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet:
What did God form man out of?
Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
God represents our bodies as being earthen what?
2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
2Ti 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
2Ti 2:20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
2Ti 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.
God is not going to take a bunch of regular earthen vessels and bring them to heaven. God is looking for holy vessels, pure vessels, vessels that have been emptied of self and filled with the Holy Spirit.
When Christ comes the second time, in what condition will the church He is returning for be found?
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Note: God’s vessels (the church) will be without spot, blemish, or any such thing. Likewise when we are washing dishes “as to the Lord” He is not looking for dirty dishes or half-hearted work.
Isa 52:11 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.
Ezr 8:28 And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the LORD; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the LORD God of your fathers.
What was the weight of the vessels found in the sanctuary?
How many chargers (large dish), bowls, and spoons were used in the dedication of the sanctuary?
Num 7:84 This was the dedication of the altar, in the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Israel: twelve chargers of silver, twelve silver bowls, twelve spoons of gold:
Num 7:85 Each charger of silver weighing an hundred and thirty shekels, each bowl seventy: all the silver vessels weighed two thousand and four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:
Note: There were 3 types of vessels. Two of them were silver. One (the spoons), were gold. All of the silver chargers and silver bowls together weighed 2400 shekels according to verse 85.
Num 7:86 The golden spoons were twelve, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary: all the gold of the spoons was an hundred and twenty shekels.
Note: All the silver vessels together weighed 2400 shekels. The 12 golden spoons together weighed 120 shekels. The weight of all 3 vessels together is 2520 shekels. Bellow you can find a more detailed breakdown of the math involved in these verses. If you would like to know more about the 2520 time prophecy you can view our Bible studies this topic.
12 Chargers Silver 130 shekels * 12 = 1560
12 Bowls Silver 70 shekels * 12= 840
12 Spoons Gold 10 shekels * 12 = 120
36 chargers, bowls, spoons = 2520 Shekels
Many children go about their home duties as though they were disagreeable tasks, and their faces plainly show the disagreeable. They find fault and murmur, and nothing is done willingly. This is not Christlike; it is the spirit of Satan, and if you cherish it, you will be like him. You will be miserable yourselves and will make all about you miserable. Do not complain of how much you have to do and how little time you have for amusement, but be thoughtful and care-taking. By employing your time in some useful work, you will be closing a door against Satan’s temptations. Remember that Jesus lived not to please Himself, and you must be like Him. Make this matter one of religious principle, and ask Jesus to help you. By exercising your mind in this direction, you will be preparing to become burden bearers in the cause of God as you have been caretakers in the home circle. You will have a good influence upon others and may win them to the service of Christ. {AH 300.2}
As far as possible, it is well to consider what is to be accomplished through the day. Make a memorandum of the different duties that await your attention, and set apart a certain time for the doing of each duty. Let everything be done with thoroughness, neatness, and dispatch. If it falls to your lot to do the chamber work, then see that the rooms are well aired, and that the bed clothing is exposed to the sunlight. Give yourself a number of minutes to do the work, and do not stop to read papers and books that take your eye, but say to yourself, “No, I have just so many minutes in which to do my work, and I must accomplish my task in the given time.” . . . {CG 124.6}
Children and youth should begin early to seek God; for early habits and impressions will frequently exert a powerful influence upon the life and character. Therefore the youth who would be like Samuel, John, and especially like Christ, must be faithful in the things which are least, turning away from the companions who plan evil and who think that their life in the world is to be one of pleasure and selfish indulgence. Many of the little home duties are overlooked as of no consequence; but if the small things are neglected, the larger duties will be also. You want to be whole men and women, with pure, sound, noble characters. Begin the work at home; take up the little duties and do them with thoroughness and exactness. When the Lord sees you are faithful in that which is least, He will entrust you with larger responsibilities. Be careful how you build, and what kind of material you put into the building. The characters you are now forming will be lasting as eternity. {AH 297.1}
Note: I am building a house. My youth is the foundation of my character for the rest of my life. If I begin my youth with rotten wood and Elmer’s glue at the beginning of my life by choose poor habits, and poor character traits, when I get towards the top of my building it will be much more difficult to change my imperfect foundations as the years continue. I need to redeem my time while I’m young. Lord help me…