Bringing a sword signifies that in the church there will be fightings among the brothers (Gal. 5:15; James 4:1). Sending pestilence signifies that in the church there will be some kind of contagious spiritual disease (cf. 1 Tim. 6:4; 2 Tim. 2:17). Delivering the people into the hand of the enemy signifies that the believers in the church will be taken over by the enemy (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8).

Lit., break your staff. Cutting off the supply of bread so that it will be returned by weight and people will not be satisfied signifies that in the church the spiritual supply will be cut off to a greatly reduced amount, so that there will be no satisfaction for the believers.

I.e., in rationed amounts.

In the chastisement on the fifth level the people are disciplined sevenfold again (vv. 27-39).

The people eating the flesh of their children signifies that the church becomes so poor that it is unable to satisfy its members but bereaves them of their food supply, there being nothing to eat except the “children,” i.e., what the church members produced in the past.

The heaping of the dead bodies upon the bodies of the destroyed idols signifies that the fleshly churches place themselves as carcasses upon goals that are other than God, which they sought as idols and which God destroyed.

The chastisement in this verse signifies that the churches are laid waste and their worship is desolated, and there is no satisfaction as a fragrance to God.

The land being made desolate and being inhabited by the enemies signifies that the church’s enjoyment of Christ as the rich land is made desolate and is stolen by the enemies.

The people being scattered among the nations and chased by the unsheathed sword signifies that the church is scattered among the Gentiles and driven by the death judgment of God.

The chastisement on the fourth level is a matter of striking sevenfold (vv. 24-26).

Wild animals bereaving people of their children and destroying their cattle, reducing their number and making their roads desolate, signifies that in the church fierce people (Acts 20:29) will rise up to bereave the believers of their life produce, to destroy their spiritual possessions, to reduce their number, and to desolate their communications.

The chastisement on the third level brings in plagues sevenfold (vv. 21-22). These plagues signify troubles among the believers in the church (1 Cor. 1:11; 2 Cor. 12:20).

The chastisement on the second level is sevenfold, i.e., intensified. The sky being made like iron and the earth like bronze, yielding no produce (vv. 19-20), signifies that the Spirit will not come to us from the heavens, and we will have no spiritual produce for our spiritual food.

The chastisement on the first level (vv. 16-17) signifies that we will be sick in the spirit and even in the body (cf. 1 Cor. 11:29-32; James 5:14-16; 1 John 5:16) so that we lose our eyesight and our life (cf. Rev. 3:1, 17), and the enemy will enjoy what we in vain have done. Furthermore, we will become so weak that we will not be able to stand before the enemies but will flee from them.

Those who disobeyed God’s commandments (vv. 14-15) would be chastised, disciplined, on five levels that they might repent (see vv. 16-39 and notes). This signifies that the believers who do not walk according to the Spirit but according to the flesh (cf. Rom. 8:7-8) will suffer chastisement, not just once but on many levels with a number of punishments, that they may be forced to repent.

That those who obeyed God’s commandments would be blessed signifies that we, the New Testament believers, are blessed by walking according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:4), with six issues:
1) Rains in their season (v. 4a) signify that the Spirit, typified by rain (Deut. 11:14; Jer. 5:24; Joel 2:23), is given to the church or to the individual believers in due time.
2) The land yielding its rich produce that the people may eat the new food always and dwell securely in the land (vv. 4-5, 10) signifies that we dwell in Christ as our good land and enjoy the riches of Christ for our satisfaction and security (Eph. 3:8; Col. 1:12).
3) Peace being given in the land without threats, wild beasts, and the sword (v. 6) signifies that the church is normally in a peaceful situation, having no “wild beasts” (cf. Acts 20:29) or fightings among the saints (James 4:1).
4) Chasing the enemies, five chasing a hundred and a hundred chasing ten thousand (vv. 7-8), signifies that the church will chase the enemies (Eph. 6:12) in the coordination of the Body.
5) Fruitfulness in multiplication (v. 9) signifies that the church will be fruitful and multiply (John 15:8, 16).
6) God setting His tabernacle among the people (v. 11) signifies that God’s dwelling will be built up in the church for God’s delight that He may dwell among His people (cf. 2 Cor. 6:16-18).

In vv. 1-2 the basis for our obedience to God is:
1) the processed and consummated Triune God Himself as our unique goal (no idols),
2) God’s work accomplished for our enjoyment and our rest (His Sabbaths),
3) the issue of God’s work — the church as the Body of Christ, the mingling of the processed Triune God and His chosen and redeemed people as one entity, to be the enlargement of the consummated Christ as God’s dwelling, God’s embodiment, God’s expression, and God’s eternal manifestation (His sanctuary).
To obey God is to honor Him as the processed Triune God, to agree with all that He is and with all that He has accomplished. By obeying Him we receive His rich blessing (vv. 4-13).

Revering God’s sanctuary signifies that we regard with reverence all that God is and has accomplished in Christ as His dwelling, embodiment, and expression (John 1:14; Col. 2:9) and in the church as the enlargement of Christ for God’s dwelling and eternal manifestation (1 Tim. 3:15-16; Rev. 21:10).

Keeping God’s Sabbath signifies that we know that the work of God was done entirely by Him that we might enjoy it and that there is no need for us to do any work (see note Exo. 20:8^1a).

Not making idols or bowing down to them signifies that besides the processed Triune God, we have no other goals that we are seeking after, that we may not lose the position to enjoy our divine possession. See note 1 John 5:21^3a, par. 1.

The land enjoying its Sabbaths during the people’s captivity (vv. 34-35) signifies that the church’s enjoyment of Christ as the rich land lies waste after the believers are scattered among the Gentiles.

The chastisements in vv. 36-39 signify that the church in its captivity is under suffering and is eventually consumed by the enemies.

God’s people confessing their iniquity, humbling their uncircumcised heart, and accepting the punishment of their iniquity (vv. 40-41) signifies that the church in its captivity under the enemies repents, confesses its sins, and accepts God’s punishment for its sins.

God remembering His covenants and the land signifies that for the church in captivity God remembers His new covenant (Heb. 8:10-12) and Christ as the rich land (Col. 1:12).

2 Kings 13:23