Written By: Rosie Ebaugh thompson | first published: July 2016
Directions.
Can I have directions?
If I only knew which way to go…what to do… who to talk to…where to go?
North, South, East, West
Have you noticed how many times those last four words are in the Word of God?
They are not there by mistake. He knows what He’s talking about.
[Gen 28:14 KJV] 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
As an extremely simplified interpretation: North represents law/jealousy, South represents promise/inheritance, East represents past/refuge, and West represents now/future/trembling. Glory is everywhere, just like God!
All four directions work together. They cannot exist apart from each other. But, it seems peculiar because they don’t seem to be opposites or fit together in any way at all. And yet, they do.
[Rev 21:13 KJV] 13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.
Generally speaking, all buildings need four walls to support the entire structure. This holds true for the New Jerusalem that comes down out of Heaven, Moses’ Tabernacle, Ezekiels’ Tabernacle, and all the other biblical structures I know of.
[1 Ki 7:25 KJV] 25 It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea [was set] above upon them, and all their hinder parts [were] inward.
All of the directions, North, South, East, and West have good and bad in them. It is interesting to me, to see what comes from where.
North: [Eze 44:5 KJV] 5 And the LORD said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of
the sanctuary.
Listen up! Take note. These are the laws of the doors.
[Psalms 48:2 KJV] 2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, [is] mount Zion, [on] the sides of the north, the city of the great King.
[Pro 7:2 KJV] 2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
[Eze 8:3-5 KJV] 3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where [was] the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy. 4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel swas) there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain. 5 Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.
Gosh Abba, help me learn this lesson so that you don’t have to pick me up by my hair! The North door is Jealousy.
[Eze 40:39-40 KJV] 39 And in the porch of the gate [were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to slay thereon the burnt offering and the sin offering and the trespass offering. 40 And at the side without, as one goeth up to the entry of the north gate, [were] two tables, and on the other side, which (was) at the porch of the gate, [were] two tables. The north is where we present our offerings to fulfill the law.
[Jer 4:6 KJV] 6 Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
Evil comes from the North.
[Isa 41:25 KJV] 25 I have raised up [one) from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as supon) mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay.
If it’s heavy, like clay or mortar; it might be evil.
[Jer 15:12 KJV] 12 Shall iron break the northern iron and the steel?
I got it. Cold, hard, heavy, thick…not good.
[Eze 8:14 KJV] 14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD’S house which (was] toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
[Eze 26:7 KIV] 7 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people.
Crying and war are from the north. But What does that have to do with law?
[Eze 9:2 KJV] 2 And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them (was] clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar. We strive to keep Moses’s laws, but we can’t because we are human. That’s why The Most High sent Jesus. God in the flesh. He fulfilled the law, and blots out our sins.
[Psa 51:9 KJV] 9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
[Eze 48:22 KJV] 22 Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city, [being] in the midst [of that] which is the prince’s, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince. (NE)
Here’s something interesting: Are you looking for a promotion? Job? Award?
[Psa 75:6 KJV] 6 For promotion [cometh] neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. Promotions come from the North. That means you need to follow the law (hand book) of your company. Every jot and tittle. That is how to get the promotion you’re looking for.
Let’s turn around now, 180′ to the South: Promise/inheritance.
[Num 34:2 KJV] 2 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this [is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, seven the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:)
[Num 33:40 KJV] 40 And king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.
Canaan is an inheritance, and Canaan is in the South.
[Gen 12:9 KJV] 9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. Before Abram became Abraham he traveled South to receive his land.
[Gen 24:62 KJV] 62 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country
Abraham and Isaac, his son, dwelled in the promise.
[Num 13:22 KJV] 22 And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, [were]. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
[Num 13:29 KJV] 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.
So, our enemies are in the South. In order for us to receive our inheritance/promise, our enemies must be defeated.
Whereas North and South represent law and promise, East and West represent something completely different. They represent timing. East represents the past, and West represents the future. The sun came up in the east, it happened. The sun will set in the West. It will happen.
[Psa 103:12 KJV] 12 As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
You can go West forever, you can go East forever. That is the distance He has removed our sins! As far as you can go to the East, turn around, go as far as you can to the west; that is how far he removed our sins. Blotted out. Forgiven.
Take a minute. Just think of His goodness.
Ok. Back to the lesson…
[Isa 41:2 KJV] 2 Who raised up the righteous [man) from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made [him rule over kings? he gave [them] as the dust to his sword, [and] as driven stubble to his bow.
Jesus was before the foundation of the earth.
[Mat 24:27 KJV] 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
When Jesus returns there will be a spectacular light show in the clouds, from the East to the West. And, you can’t predict the timing of lightning, neither can you predict the timing of the coming of the Son of
Man.
[Mat 24:30 KJV] 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
[Mat 24:31 KJV] 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
[Mat 24:36 KJV] 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no [man), no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
East: Refuge / Past
[Gen 3:24 KJV] 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. That was a pretty long time ago, in the East.
[Num 3:38 KJV] 38 But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, [even] before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, [shall be] Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh night shall be put to death.
I sure am glad that Jesus is the door now. He welcomes everyone! He gives everyone eternal life!
[Deu 4:41-42 KJV] 41 Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sun rising; 42 That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbor unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live:
There were three cities of refuge in the East for those who had unfortunate accidents.
[Mat 2:1 KJV] 1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaca in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Wise men are from the East. Your past gives you wisdom.
[Gen 25:6 KJV] 6 But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country. He did not send Ishmael and Ishmaels’ sons and brothers to the South, the land of promise and inheritance. He sent them East, to the land of refuge. I am sorry that land was a desert.
[Eze 8:16 KJV] 16 And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD’S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, [were] about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the cast; and they worshiped the sun toward the east.
Do not worship the Sun. Do not worship the past. Remember? God is a jealous God. Worship Him.
[Eze 11:1 KJV] 1 Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the LORD’S house, which looketh eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
[Eze 11:2 KJV] 2 Then said he unto me, Son of man, these [are) the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city:
There are wicked people in your past.
[Hos 12:1 KJV] 1 Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he daily increaseth lies and desolation; and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt. Syria? Egypt? Oil? This thing has been going on for a very long time!
[Hos 13:15 KJV] 15 Though he be fruitful among [his] brethren, an east wind shall come, the wind of the LORD shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up: he shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels.
[Eze 17:10 KJV] 10 Yea, behold, [being] planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew.
If it comes from the East, your past, it is not fruitful. Make your decisions based on hope for the future, not on wrongs committed in the past.
[Rev 7:2 KJV] 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea.
[Rev 9:4 KJV] 4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. Get God in your head!!!
[Deu 33:23 KJV] 23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south.
Well, since Naphtali gets the West and the South, let’s find out what lies to the West.
West: Trembling / Protection / Future
[Hos 11:10 KJV] 10 They shall walk after the LORD: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west.
[Isa 59:19 KJV] 19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.
When we revere (fear) the name of the LORD, He sends protection.
[Num 35:14 KJV] 14 Ye shall give three cities on this side of Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, [which] shall be cities of refuge.
He is so full of mercy. He gives even more refuge!
[Zec 8:7 KJV] 7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;
[Isa 43:5 KJV] 5 Fear not: for I [am] with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;
[Isa 43:6 KJV] 6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;
[Isa 43:7 KJV] 7 (Even) every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
[Isa 49:12 KJV] 12 Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. (China)
[Gen 28:14 KJV] 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families
of the earth be blessed.
That sounds like a big mixing bowl to me. People from the North, South, East, and West. People from all sorts of cultures: law, grace, past, and, well….us! You and me! We are blessed! Amen! The United States of America is known as “the mixing bowl” and We are considered “the West ”. The West is the future, and that is us! We are the future!
[Eze 37:9 KJV] 9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
In conclusion, This lesson should give you another way to make decisions. Consider points from the North, South, East, and West. North points such as “How does the law, or jealousy affect this decision.?” From the South we might think “Is there promise, or inheritance involved?” To add the East, we should evaluate the past. And from the West, we need to conclude “Where will this decision take the future?’.
Please, never make a decision based on fear.
[Heb 13:6 KJV] 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord [is] my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
[1Ch 28:20 KJV] 20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do [it]: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, [even] my God, [will be] with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
[Joe 2:21 KJV] 21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.
-Rosalie Thompson