"And Women Rule Over Them" by Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2016, all rights reserved. Chapter 1 As for my people, children are their oppressors, AND WOMEN RULE OVER THEM. O my people, those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths. (Isa 3:12) Many lessons can be learned from ancient Israel. And which of the ancient nations has had its history so well documented as Israel, the main nation in the Old Testament part of the Bible? It was through Israel that God gave the world the Ten Commandments. (Exo chapt 20) It was through Israel that God the Father sent us the Messiah, the Savior, God's Son, Jesus. The passage quoted above from Isa 3:12 is from a time when God was showing to Israel their errors, and the results of their errors. Many evils befell ancient Israel due to their disobedience of God. One of those evils was the Babylonian captivity of seventy years duration. And so, in the early chapters of the book of Isaiah, God speaks through the Prophet Isaiah to Israel about their problems. ___Isaiah chapter 3 1 For see, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water, 2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the senior citizen, 3 The captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counselor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. 4 And I'll give children to be their princes, and babies shall rule over them. 5 And the people shall be oppressed, everyone by another, and everyone by his neighbor, the child shall behave himself proudly against the senior citizen, and the lowly against the honorable. 6 When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, "You have clothing, you be our ruler, and let this ruin be under your hand," 7 In that day he'll swear, saying, "I won't be a healer, for in my house is neither bread nor clothing, don't make me a ruler of the people." 8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah has fallen, because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory. 9 The show of their facial expression witnesses against them, and they declare their sin like Sodom, they don't hide it. Woe to their soul! For they've rewarded evil to themselves. 10 Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. 11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given to him. 12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, AND WOMEN RULE OVER THEM. O my people, those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths. 13 The Lord stands up to plead, and stands to judge the people. 14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the senior citizens of his people, and the princes of them, for you have eaten up the vineyard, the spoil of the poor is in your houses. 15 What do you mean that you beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? Says the Lord God of hosts. 16 Also the Lord says, because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched out necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet, 17 Therefore the Lord will strike the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion with a scab, and the Lord will uncover their secret parts. 18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments around their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, 19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, 20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, 21 The rings, and nose jewels, 22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, 23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the veils. 24 And instead of sweet smell, there'll be stink, and instead of a girdle, a torn place, and instead of well set hair, baldness, and instead of a stomacher, clothes of sackcloth, and burning instead of beauty. 25 Your men shall fall by the sword, and your mighty in the war. 26 And her gates shall lament and mourn, and she, being desolate, shall sit on the ground. Chapter 2 Someone might ask if I'm a hater of women. No. I had a good Mother who taught me the ways of the Lord. I had good Aunts and Grandmother. I married a Christian woman and begat two daughters. One of my best Teachers was Mrs. Rosen, Geometry Teacher. I don't hate women. But you see, in God's order of things, when a nation is living properly in the fear of God, men are the rulers. But in Isa 3:12, God makes reference to the fact that women were ruling to show that things were not in proper order in Israel. Not in proper order because of their disobedience to God. Things go haywire when people depart from the fear of God. This year of 2016 is an election year in the U.S. We will vote for the new President, who is to take office in Jan, 2017. One of the front runners in the Presidential campaign is Hillary Clinton, wife of the disgraced President Bill Clinton, who misbehaved sexually with Monica Lewinsky, and apparently with other women also, such as Kathleen Wiley, Paula Jones, Gennifer Flowers, to name some of them. Bill Clinton lied, and said, "I did not have sex with that woman." (Lewinsky) But later, it was confirmed that his semen had been found on her dress. DNA doesn't lie. Where there is semen, there was sex. The King James Bible calls it "the seed of copulation." (Lev 15:16) The House of Representatives voted to impeach President Bill Clinton, but the Senate voted along party lines and wouldn't throw him out of office. Surely God will punish those Senators. After the Lewinsky scandal, I would have thought it appropriate for Hillary Clinton to have divorced her husband, Bill Clinton. But apparently, even at that time, Hillary had political aspirations. And, under Obama, Hillary became Secretary of State, where she allowed four Americans, including the American Ambassador, to be murdered in Benghazi for failure to provide proper security. And there had previously been, with Bill and Hillary, the Whitewater scandal. Then there was also a murder where the murdered man was found rolled into a carpet and left in a D.C. park, which murder was investigated by the Park Police. Apparently, the murdered man had been on the staff of either Bill or Hillary Clinton. I don't remember that there was ever a trial for that murder. But dead men certainly don't roll themselves into carpets. Bill Clinton has been campaigning for the election of his wife, Hillary, to the office of President. Do the Clintons not read the Bible? Do the Clintons not understand that in the order of things that God set up, the men are to be the rulers, not the women? I remember David Letterman saying one time on his show, "We were Presbyterians." Until what, Dave? Until you graduated to wealth and prosperity, and no longer felt you needed God? Are the Clintons, Bill and Hillary, in the same category as Dave Letterman? And we've heard on the news about the apparent mishandling by Hillary of emails, some of which apparently contained classified information. There might be some who would argue that regarding Hillary's bid for the Presidency, we ought not to focus too much on her husband, Bill Clinton. I believe that argument is wrong. If Hillary were to get elected, would Bill not move into the White House when she does? It's a package deal. If you get the one, you also get the other. Both of those people would be back in the White House. And clearly, Bill Clinton is a person of bad character, as we have seen by his repeated sexual misbehavior. And this guy's supposed to be a Rhodes Scholar? Apparently, one of the subjects emphasized for Rhodes Scholars is not Good Character. Two of God's Ten Commandments are: "Thou shalt not bear false witness," and "Thou shalt not commit adultery." (Exo chapt 20) In Sunday School, children are taught about the Ten Commandments. If little children can understand about the Ten Commandments, how is it that Bill Clinton has difficulty understanding them? You see, Bill, that means don't fool around with women that you are not married to. And don't tell lies. I'll bet your daughter, Chelsea, understands those commandments, Bill Clinton, why don't you? God says, "Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled, but God will judge customers of prostitutes, and adulterers." (Heb 13:4) But there was another President who allegedly had a problem with adultery, JFK. In a TV biographical documentary, the subject of JFK's adultery came up. It was said that a close friend of JFK asked him, "Why do you commit adultery while you are President of the U.S.?" JFK is supposed to have answered, "I can't stop." There could be some truth to that statement. There are demons of adultery that get into people. Demons are fallen angels that rebelled against God when Satan did. And the top demon is Satan. Demons can be behind compulsive behavior. Demons have a lot to do with why it's so hard for people to quit smoking, or to quit other addictions. And Christians can cast demons out of people. But Prophet/Teacher Kenneth E. Hagin has shown that demons can't be cast out of someone who wants to keep their demons. But I'm not aware that Bill Clinton has ever shown any remorse for his sexual misconduct, who brought shame on himself, on his family, on the White House, on the U.S. Presidency, and on our nation. He disgraced the nation. Jesus taught that we will all go either to heaven or hell. Bill Clinton has displayed the kind of behavior not of someone on their way to heaven, but of someone on their way to hell. Prior to his being President, Bill Clinton had been Governor of Arkansas. It was said that if he saw an attractive woman, he would send an Arkansas State Trooper over to ask her for her phone number. One woman said that Arkansas State Troopers escorted Bill Clinton to her house, and stood guard outside during their rendezvous. Bill Clinton has said that he's a Baptist. Bill Clinton ought to stop kidding himself. Baptists believe in not committing adultery. It seems clear to me that Bill Clinton is an adulterer. There is such a thing as guilt by association. If you hang out with bad people, you get a bad name for yourself. It seems to me a very bad decision on the part of Hillary not to have divorced that adulterer, Bill Clinton, after this Lewinsky scandal became public. There was a big scandal at one of the important companies several years ago. Someone had "cooked the books." Creative Accounting. When the authorities talked to the top guy, the CEO, he said, "I didn't know this was going on." But as the top guy, he should have known it was going on. It was his job to know what was going on. If he didn't know that was going on, then he hadn't done his due diligence as CEO. How in the world could Hillary not have known about her husband's many adulterous activities? If all of that could have gone on under her nose, and she didn't know about it, then how could she possibly do a proper job as President? Doesn't her failure to divorce him suggest some kind of complicity on her part? Is Hillary's attitude, "Well, everyone does it"? But actually, not everyone is an adulterer. Some are God-fearing people who daily make efforts to stay off the road that leads to hell. After the many blatant extramarital activities by Bill Clinton, why in the world would Hillary want him to be campaigning for her? Does she think the whole nation has forgotten her husband's misbehavior? The Bible warns us about not hanging out with the wrong people-- "Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man you shall not go, So that you don't learn his ways and entrap your soul." (Prov 22:24,25) If you hang around with an angry man, you're likely to become one. If you hang out with an adulterer, you're likely to become an adulterer. People who flagrantly disregard God, and his book, the Bible, are on the road to a fiery hell. And hell is forever. But if Hillary had been a person of sterling character, then when the Lewinsky scandal became public, why didn't she divorce him? Is it because Hillary thinks there are things more important than good character? ___Proverbs chapter 22 1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold. In this passage of scripture, God is saying that a good reputation is more important than great riches. I believe Hillary's reputation has been dirtied by her not divorcing her adulterous husband. Thus, Hillary has what is called, "Excess Baggage." Someone might say, "Well, maybe she's still deeply in love with him." Are you not aware that the Bible says, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." (Prov 4:23) We're supposed to keep ourselves from falling in love with the wrong person. And a habitual adulterer is not the right person. It seems to me that not only is Hillary going against Isa 3:12, but that also, that family apparently ranks very low in the category of good character, which is not what you want for the nation's highest office. So then, when we see this family so devoid of good character, why would we want to see that same family back in the White House? We Americans should be praying for God to help us get the best elected officials. ___James chapter 1 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are dispersed around, greetings. 2 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations, 3 Knowing this, that the testing of your faith works patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, so you'll be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God for it, who gives to all men liberally, and won't find fault, and it shall be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. 7 For let that man not think that he'll receive anything from the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. 9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted, 10 But the rich, in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he'll pass away. 11 For the sun has no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withers the grass, and the flower of it falls, and the grace of the fashion of it perishes, so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. 12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for after he's been tested, he'll receive the crown of life, that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God can't be tempted with evil, nor does he tempt any man, 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it produces sin, and sin when it's finished, produces death. 16 Do not err, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning. 18 He chose to father us with the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. 19 So, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, 20 For the anger of man doesn't accomplish the righteousness of God. 21 So, lay apart all filthiness and the unnecessary naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man seeing his natural face in a mirror, 24 For he sees himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. 26 If any man among you seems to be religious, and doesn't bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is for nothing. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. ___James chapter 2 1 My brothers, don't have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2 For if a man with a gold ring comes to your assembly in fancy clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes comes in also, 3 And you have respect to him that wears the fancy clothes, and say to him, "Sit here in a good place," and say to the poor, "Stand there, or sit here under my footstool," 4 Aren't you then partial in yourselves, and have become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, hasn't God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have despised the poor. Don't rich men oppress you, and bring you before the judgment seats? 7 Don't they blaspheme that worthy name by which you're called? 8 If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor like yourself," you do well, 9 But if you have respect of persons, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as sinners. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For he that said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not kill." Now if you don't commit adultery, yet if you kill, you've become a breaker of the law. 12 Speak in such a way, and do, as those who'll be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has shown no mercy, and mercy rejoices against judgment. 14 What does it profit, my brothers, though a man says he has faith, and doesn't have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister needs clothes, and lacks daily food, 16 And one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you don't give them the things that are needed for the body, what good is that? 17 Even so faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yes, a man could say, "You have faith, and I have works, show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works." 19 You believe that there is one God, you do well, the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But don't you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see how faith worked with his deeds, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God." 24 You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise also wasn't Rahab the prostitute justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26 For like the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. ___James chapter 3 1 My brothers, don't be many masters, knowing that we'll receive the greater condemnation. 2 For in many things we offend all. If any man doesn't offend in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. 3 See, we put bits in the horses' mouths, so they'll obey us, and we turn around their whole bodies. 4 Look also at the ships, which though they're so large, and are driven by fierce winds, yet they're turned around by a very small helm, wherever the captain wants. 5 Even so, the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things. See how great a matter a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of sin, so is the tongue among our members that it makes dirty the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of animals, and of birds, and of snakes, and of things in the sea, gets tamed, and has been tamed by mankind, 8 But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless God, the Father, and with it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be. 11 Does a fountain send out at the same place sweet water and bitter? 12 Can the fig tree, my brothers, produce olive berries? Or a vine, figs? So no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh. 13 Who is a wise man, possessing knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good lifestyle his works with meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, don't glory, and don't lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom doesn't descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be reasoned with, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is planted in peace by those who make peace. ___James chapter 4 1 Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don't they come from your lusts that war in your members? 2 You lust, and don't have, you kill, and desire to have, and can't obtain, you fight and war, yet you don't have, because you don't ask. 3 You ask, and don't receive, because you ask wrongly, so you can consume it on your lusts. 4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God. 5 Do you think that the scripture says for nothing, "The spirit that lives in us lusts to envy?" 6 But he gives more grace. So he says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he'll run away from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and cry, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he'll lift you up. 11 Don't speak evil about each other, brothers. He that speaks evil about his brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil about the law, and judges the law, but if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy, who are you that judges someone else? 13 Go on now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we'll go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and make a profit," 14 Actually, you don't know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is a puff of steam, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. 15 For you ought to say, "Lord willing, we'll live, and do this, or that." 16 But now you rejoice in your boastings, all such rejoicing is evil. 17 Therefore to him that knows to do good, and doesn't do it, to him it is sin. ___James chapter 5 1 Go on now, you rich men, cry and howl for your miseries that shall come on you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your clothes are moth eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are rusted, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire. You've heaped treasure together for the last days. 4 See, the wages of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which you've kept back by fraud, shouts, and the shouts of those who've reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath. 5 You've lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton, you've nourished your hearts, like in a day of slaughter. 6 You've condemned and killed the just, and he doesn't resist you. 7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is getting near. 9 Don't grudge against each other, brothers, so you won't be condemned, see, the judge stands at the door. 10 Take, my brothers, the prophets, who've spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11 See, we count them happy that endure. You've heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. 12 But above all things, my brothers, don't swear, not by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath, but let your yes be yes, and your no, no, so that you don't fall into condemnation. 13 Is anyone among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is anyone merry? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he'll be forgiven. 16 Confess your faults to each other, and pray for each other so you'll be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man is does a lot of good. 17 Elijah was a man subject to the same kind of passions that we are, and he prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. 19 Brothers, if any of you strays from the truth, and someone converts him, 20 Let him know, that he that converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.