Lamb

Tonight is the beginning of Passover, and it is also "Good Friday" of the Resurrection season. Good Friday marks the death of Jesus on the cross. It also is the Sabbath tonight.
For Christians, I think we lose a great deal of the depth of the accomplishment of the crucifixion of the Lamb of God, when we do not know the meaning of the Passover.
Something very deep occurred on the night of the Passover, as God brought the plague of death to the households of Egypt, in order to force Pharaoh to release His people, Israel, from slavery.
Moses had warned the enslaved people of Israel to prepare their houses for the coming plague of death. They had to sacrifice a lamb, and cover their doorposts and lintels with its blood, and they had to be ready to leave Egypt suddenly. The LORD promised:
"...and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt."   Ex. 12:13
The LORD was not only doing battle with a man, Pharaoh, but with the spiritual principalities that ruled over Egypt (v. 12). Only the blood of the lamb would separate God's people from the judgment that was about to fall on every household in Egypt:
"And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne, unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead."   Ex. 12:29-30
Not only did the night of the Passover deliver the Israelites out of slavery, but it was a prophetic portrait of the deep work of the blood of Jesus, whom John the Baptist identified as the Lamb of God, shed to deliver us all. Passover was not limited to a look into the future sacrifice of Christ, but was a depiction of God's provision of the sacrifice that was already accomplished in the spirit before man was created:
"And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship Him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."  Rev. 13:8
Passover was not a one-time event, but reached from before creation to the cross of Calvary (meaning "skull", root: horn, particularly as the apex of an altar: see also 1 Ki. 1:49-51). It will reach into the eternal future, as well, as each one of us must apply Christ's blood to ourselves in order to receive deliverance from slavery and death.
That Passover night in Egypt, each family had to collect the lamb's blood in a basin (meaning goblet, cup for holding wine or blood; root meaning: door or gate-see Jn. 10:7-9), and dip it (to plunge, to immerse oneself) with hyssop, and strike the doorposts and lintels with it (Ex. 12:22). Hyssop was an herbal bush that was used for healing, and in spiritual purification. Striking it upon the doorframe would release its aromatic fragrance. The Jews even understood that the aroma of the hyssop could actually do a transformative work involving one's thoughts and emotions*. Hyssop, because of its healing and cleansing property, was also associated with "the divine voice". The cleansing is not only for the outside of a man, but for an inner work as well. David, guilty of adultery and murder, pleaded before God:
"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me and I shall be whiter than snow."    Ps. 51:7
Also, the action of "striking" those doorposts must have caused the blood on the hyssop branches to splatter and splash onto he who was applying it. Applying the blood was not a "hands off", neat process. One had to have an intimate contact with it. We can't have a distant knowledge of that precious Lamb's blood, but must experience it, immerse ourselves in it.
The blood of the Lamb is still doing its work. Each one of us must collect that blood from the foot of the cross, and apply it to ourselves in order to be cleansed from our sins, and to be delivered from evil's oppressive slavery. We are delivered from bondage and into the freedom of the Son of God. There is a reason why we, like Jewish children around the world tonight, should be asking the question, "Why is this night different from all other nights?"


Our Father has commanded us to observe the Passover.

Scene from "The Ten Commandments"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW2EMthD56E

"Watch the Lamb"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNT1AThOgME

*Hyssop Information

Journey

This is the story of a man whose actions almost destroyed a country. He was also a man with whom God created a covenant.
Abraham (Abram) was a man who had been called out of his homeland by God to journey to a place that He would show him. His home city of Ur, and his family's later dwelling city of Haran/Harran were both centers known for their temples dedicated to moon worship, particularly to a god called Sin, who was associated with that form of worship. The most common symbol of this moon worship was a crescent moon.
"Now the LORD had said to Abram: Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse (bitterly curse) him who curses (make light of, trifle, dishonor) you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."   Gen. 12:1-3
The two mentions of "curse" in the above verses, while the same in English, are two different words in  Hebrew. The first mention, for those who dishonor Abram, is much more severe. In a certain way, I would also think that this puts an even greater onus on Abram (and us). Imagine if Abram's own behavior caused others to disrespect or slight him?
The above verses are the first mention of the covenant that God made with Abram. Abram did go into Canaan with his wife, and his nephew Lot. Abraham left most of his family in the pagan city of Haran, but brought with him the possessions, and people (souls) that he had acquired there, and journeyed to the land to which God was directing him.
Abram journeyed through Canaan until he got to Shechem (to load a burden on the back or shoulder), and the terebinth tree (strong tree, ram as food and sacrifice, pillar, door post, lintels) of Moreh (teacher, early rain, watered, to direct or instruct, to shoot arrows). The LORD appeared to Abram here, and promised to give this land to Abram and his descendants (v. 7). From all of the meanings of the places in Canaan to which Abram journeyed, we are perhaps given a portrait of a humble, crucified Christ, who subjected Himself to the will of His Father. Even the Hebrew meaning of the word "Canaan" makes it a place of either humbling oneself, a place of bowing the knee, to bring oneself into subjection, or to be severely humbled by God, or by others, even vanquished.
Abram continued his journey and pitched his tent (ohel:covering, tabernacle, to be clear, to shine) between Bethel (House of God: ram for food/sacrifice, doorpost and lintel) and Ai (heap of ruins, overturned, iniquity, perversity, crooked, wicked). In this place, Abram built an altar, and called upon the name of the LORD. Could it be that Abram was positioned between these two places, between the place of iniquity and perversity, and the house of the ram's provision and sacrifice, in order to act as an intercessor?
However, Abram journeyed again to the south (negev: parched), where he found extreme famine conditions. Because of these conditions, he journeyed on to Egypt. Abram was evidently familiar enough with Egypt to know that the Egyptians at that time coveted beautiful women, and collected them, like other people collect stamps. Abram instructed his wife, Sarai, that as they enter Egypt, she should pose as his sister, instead of his wife, so the Egyptians wouldn't kill him to get to her. Sure enough, the princes of the land spotted Sarai, and told Pharaoh about her. Pharaoh then took her into his house. Abram was treated well by Pharaoh in return, and given servants and animals in exchange for his "sister" (v. 16). This could not have been Abram's finest hour (yet he would do the same thing again at a later date with a different king: Gen. 20). Because of Abram's deception, Pharaoh will now be "cursed", as the LORD had promised Abram in the beginning:
"But the LORD plagued (nagah: to reach violently, to strike) Pharaoh and his house with great (gadowl: great in intensity and magnitude, even as God Himself) plagues (negah: wound, sore, stripes, disease, mark) because of Sarai, Abram's wife."  Gen. 12:17
These terrible things must have puzzled Pharaoh. What had he done to deserve it? He  eventually found out:
"And Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, "She is my sister"? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife. Take her and go your way."  Gen. 12:18-19
Pharaoh had his men "escort" Abram and his wife away, again with all of the possessions that Abram had.
Abram wisely returns to the place between Bethel and Ai (see above), to the place where he had been before, where he first built an altar to the LORD, and called upon His name (Gen. 13:3-4). He would find, however, that the people and goods that he had brought with him, both from Haran, and additionally from Egypt, would cause a great deal of strife for his household (v. 6-7). This would bring Abram to other turning points in his journey in the future.
Learning from Abram's example, I think that we must give great thought to how we act, the choices we make, and the "stuff" we bring with us on the journey that God has assigned us. Our choices will make the difference in our own walk, and will have repercussions, good or bad, for those we meet along the way. The manner in which we, God's people, make our journey, will also impact our nation, bringing possible bitter cursing, or honor and blessing, destruction and ruin, or salvation and revival. Like Abram, we have been placed between those two different places for a purpose. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit bless us, guide us, and help us as we make our journey through Canaan land.

Our Father has a journey for us.

"Strength for the Journey"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqvmopOBUZY

Hearing

       "I can't hear You!"

A host on a national talk show came to the conclusion that a public figure who had recently said that he both talked to God and heard from Him, must be suffering from mental illness, including the hearing of voices.
This host later apologized for the comment, saying that she was taught to be "tolerant" of others' faith, and she had failed to remember this.
Many people, including those who attend church or temple, would say that they also have never experienced hearing from God, and don't understand it, nor relate to it. They might even go so far as to hold the same derogatory opinion concerning it as the talk show host.
However, for as long as man has been on the earth, God has spoken to him. God has eyes, ears, and mouth, and uses all of those things. He specifically contrasted Himself with the idols that men make with their hands:
"They have mouths, but they do not speak;
Eyes they have but they do not see;
They have ears, but they do not hear;
Noses they have, but they do not smell."   Ps. 115:5-6
God created by speaking (Gen. 1). God then spoke to Adam, and even Adam's murderous son, Cain (Gen. 3, 4). Not only did He speak, but He listened to their responses, and had dialogues with them. He spoke to each generation that followed. During Jesus' ministry, God spoke audibly to the disciples on occasion. As Jesus was baptized, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, God spoke:
"And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."   Mt. 3:17 (Lk. 3:22)
As Jesus was transfigured on the mount, with His disciples as witnesses, God spoke:
"And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!"   Mk. 9:7 (Lk. 9:34-35)
John's Gospel describes Jesus as being the spoken Word, or *Logos in Greek (Jn. 1:1-3), that created all that was created by the Godhead.
As Jesus was praying and giving His last instructions to His disciples before He was arrested and crucified, He told them that He was sending the Holy Spirit, who would speak:
"However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come...He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."   Jn. 16:13, 14:26
The Holy Spirit both hears, and speaks, according to the above verses, He has direct contact and communication with, and from within, the believer. This is a provision that Jesus left for His followers, and expected them to experience: "He dwells with you, and will be in you." (Jn. 14:17). The Spirit, like Jesus, cannot be separated from God. If you have heard from Him, you have heard from the Son, and from our Father, God.
Jesus also warns that there will be those who do not hear the Holy Spirit:
"....the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him, nor knows Him..."  Jn. 14:17
However, when we seek Christ, when we desire to follow Him, He will indeed send His Holy Spirit to us:
"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter), that He may abide with you forever-..."  Jn. 14:16
It is not the case that God does not speak, but it is often the case that we refuse to hear. Does your earthly father speak? So does your heavenly Father! Perhaps we indeed hear, but we refuse to accept or heed Him, because His Word goes against our own desires. There are many references in scripture to man refusing to hear or heed what God is saying:
"Thus says the LORD of hosts...To whom shall I speak and give warning that they may hear? Indeed their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot give heed. Behold, the word of the LORD is a reproach to them; They have no delight in it."   Jer. 6:10
"But they did not obey nor incline their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear nor receive instruction."   Jer. 17:23
"But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear."   Zech. 7:11
"For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them." 
                                                                               Acts 28:27, Mt. 13:15, Isa. 6:9-10
"...according to their own desires...they will turn their ears away from the truth..." 
                                                                                                2 Tim. 4:3-4
It is not God who does not speak, but we who refuse to hear.
To that talk show host, and others of her same opinion: apologizing to a man is not the solution. A far greater, wiser, and richer solution is to seek God's voice for yourself. There is a prayer below that will, I believe, help to begin your journey**. Find out what wonders, what truth, what love, what tender caring, you have been missing!

Our living Father speaks to us.

* "Logos": http://biblehub.com/greek/3056.htm

"Word of God Speak"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8cJQMU9Q-U

** "Lord Jesus, You are the living Word of God. I want to find out about You, and I would like to hear Your voice in my life. I ask that You send the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth to teach me, and tell me those things that You and my heavenly Father have to say to me. Circumcise my ears, that they are not dull of hearing, and my heart so it is not dull of receiving. Set Your name upon me so that the only voice that has power in my life is Yours.
I believe that You have heard my prayer, and that I will hear You. With thanks and praise, AMEN."

Shield

At a certain point in Abram's life, the LORD came to him in a vision. Before this point, Abram had heard the voice of the LORD, but this is one occasion when he sees Him:
"After these things, the word (dabar) of the LORD came (root: to bend, to turn aside, to lodge, to desire, to wait for longingly) to Abram in a vision saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."   Gen. 15:1
This vision came to Abram after he had freed the captives from the heathen kings, and had given a tithe of all to Melchizedek, king of "peace", priest of the God Most High (Gen. 14:18-20).
The Word, who had been waiting longingly, desiring to lodge, bent down, and appeared to Abram, and described Himself as Abram's shield (defend, cover, surround, also including the concept of a prince or ruler as protector) and his "exceedingly" (abundance to a great degree, showing magnitude of force and might) "great" (become great, numerous, multiply, increase) "reward" (wages, passage money, prepare a banquet, make a feast, prepare a building for a banquet, entertain as a guest).
This is the first mention in scripture of the Lord as a shield. Because of the words spoken to Abram in this vision, and for other reasons that we will see below, I believe Abram saw a vision of Jesus. In this post, however, I would like to look more closely at the idea of the LORD as a shield.
In the last words of Moses to the children of Israel before he dies, he proclaims:
Happy are you, O Israel!
Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD,
The shield of your help
And the sword of your majesty!
Your enemies shall submit to you,
And you shall tread down their high places,"     Deut. 33:29
Because the LORD is the shield and sword of Israel, Israel is happy and victorious over enemies.
When David was delivered from all of his enemies, and from Saul, he declared:
"...the God of my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation,...
My Savior, You save me from violence...
You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your gentleness has made me great.
You enlarged my path under me..."     2 Sam. 22:3, 36-37
The LORD as shield also has other qualities:
"For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous;
With favor, You will compass (surround, encircle with protection as with a crown, crown-bestower) him as with a shield."    David in Ps. 5:12
In shielding us, the LORD wraps Himself around us, like the encircling of a crown upon our heads. The encircling actually crowns us.
Not only is the LORD the shield of an individual, as David declared, and of a nation, as Moses declared, but He is the shield of the whole earth:
"God reigns over the nations;
God sits on His holy throne...
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted."   Ps. 47:8-9
The tone of the above psalm is great exultation:
Oh, clap your hands all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
For the LORD Most High is awesome;
He is a great King over all the earth..."  (v. 1-2)
Moses declared that Israel was to be happy because God is their shield and sword. This psalm above commands all peoples to clap their hands and shout in joy and triumph over the God who owns the shields of the earth.
Why is it so important for God's people to know, and to clamorously celebrate His shielding of us, our nation, and the whole earth? It is because His shielding can be removed.
The Song of Deborah celebrates the LORD's great deliverance of Israel. In her song, however, she reminds Israel of its former condition:
"They chose new gods;
Then there was war in the gates;
Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel."   Judges 5:8
As Israel turned from God, and celebrating Him, they lost their protection, and became victims of war and violence. War came to the very gates of their fortified cities. Their own defenses accomplished nothing. They had lost the Great Shield of Israel.
As King Saul turned away from God, and from celebrating Him, his shield became useless as if it had never been anointed. David proclaimed that all of Judah ("Praised", root-to confess or laud, give thanks, to cast down, to shoot arrows) should teach their children The Song of the Bow, which was recorded in the Book of Jasher (see Josh. 10:13 , recording the miraculous event when the sun was caused to stand still, so Israel could defeat its enemies).
David goes on to say:
"O mountains of Gilboa ("bubbling fountains"),
Let there be no dew nor rain upon you,
Nor fields of offerings.
For the shield of the mighty is cast away (rejected as loathsome, defiled, abhorred) there!
The shield of Saul not anointed with oil (as if he had never been anointed)."   2 Sam. 1:21
Not only was Saul destroyed at Gilboa, but the land suffered by being dried up at a place that should have been filled with bubbling springs.
Saul turned to fear and pride instead of God, but David remained steadfast. Even as David had his lowest moment, fleeing from his own son who had plotted against him, he cried out:
"LORD, how they have increased who troubled me!
Many are they who rise up against me.
Many are they who say of me,
"There is no help for him in God." Selah.
But, You, O LORD, are a shield for me (around me),
My glory and the One who lifts up my head."   Ps. 3:1-3
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul reminds us to put on the whole armor of God, and above all, taking the shield of faith, with which we will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one (Eph. 6:16). As we have seen above, that shield is a Person, and He is to be lifted up with great, effusive, thundering praise!

Praise our Father, Who is a shield around us, our nation, and the whole earth.

"Thou, O LORD"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aYRfUmGpmo

Divine

Treating the divine as if it were common can be an easy, but extremely dangerous trap to fall into. In the chapter which deals with communion, 1 Cor. 11:17-34, Paul brings insight and gives a warning concerning this issue:
"But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning (to esteem, approve, prefer, determine, distinguish on account of) the Lord's body. For this reason, many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged."  1 Cor. 11:28-31
The Lord's body is described within the communion that Paul was discussing in this chapter. His body spoken about here goes beyond the physical elements of the bread and wine, and instead envelopes the purpose of His coming-as the Son of God, His body broken for us, receiving the punishment that we deserve, overcoming death for us in order to create a new, resurrection body for us, and His blood covering and satisfying the lawful judgment of the Old Covenant, and creating the New Covenant. This New Covenant defeats the power of death from our sin, and provides eternal life in His righteousness. When we participate in this communion with Him, we are remembering His accomplishment for us, and in us, until He comes again. Paul tells us that every time we participate in communion, we "shew" (declare, teach, preach, proclaim publicly, root: "as an angel") that the Lord has victoriously completed His work of salvation for all (v. 24-26). A modern English form of the word, "shew" is proclaim, meaning "to publicly or officially announce, especially when dealing with a matter of great importance". Yet, there were those in the church at that time who treated the communion elements as if they were just a meal. Paul said, that when we do not discern what Christ was providing for us when He ordained the communion, we reduce the divine purpose from heaven which has been given to us, into something common. As a result, many became sick and slept, or died (v. 30).
In leaving us the instruction for communion, I don't think that Jesus' purpose was to institute a legalism, but to provide a way to continually announce and offer His salvation to the world.
I would like to take this precept of divine provision, and consider it in regard to other issues we may face in the body of Christ.
Paul goes on to describe in the next chapter, the Lord's body, that He created from His own:
"For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ....For in fact, the body is not one member, but many...But now, God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased...But God has composed the body...that there should be no schism (division, dissension, rt: to break, to cleave, to split into factions) in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another...Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually."
                                                                                                      1 Cor. 12:12-27(excerpt)
We do not place ourselves in the body, but God has done this. He specifically does this in order to prevent division, dissension, and the splitting into factions. Uh-Oh!! That's exactly what the church has become: divided, dissenting, and split into thousands of factions. So what happened? I think we took something divinely created and appointed, and exerted our own will over it, reducing it to the common.
This divinely appointed body has a head, for what good would a body be without a head?!
"And He (Christ) is the head of the body, the church..." Col. 1:18.
And, "...grow up in all things into Him who is the head-Christ-from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."                                                                                       Eph. 4:15-16
From these scriptures, we can conclude that while we are the body of Christ, the head of this body is Christ, Himself. Again, with Christ as the head, every part of the body is in its correct place, supplying the whole body, and growing. Uh-Oh!! What happened again? Could it be that we have replaced Christ's headship with our own, thereby replacing the divine with the common, again?
As the head, "...He Himself gave (furnished, appointed, endued, entrusted, committed, given to someone to care for his interests) some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping (perfecting) of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;"  Eph. 4:11-13
We are members of the body, set in our places in that body by God, with Christ as the head, who has appointed certain ones to develop us to a specific end. Have we accepted those whom Christ has divinely appointed over us, or have we rejected them in order to exercise our own choice in the matter?. These appointments are His divine provision for us that will produce unity, and spiritual growth into knowledge, perfection and Christ's fullness.
When we do not recognize these things in that manner, we do not receive the benefit of the provision, and we suffer for it. These appointments concerning the body are not a matter of chance, nor choice, but by divine ordination and decree. We have a King/Lord/Head in Christ, and a heavenly Father, who make those determinations regarding us, and gift us accordingly by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:11). If we fail to discern the divine source and connection to how, where, and under whom we have been placed in the body by God and Christ, instead thinking we can decide these things for ourselves, we reduce the divine to the common, as the Corinthian church did in the matter of communion. In this case, the ordination of the Father and the headship of the Son over the church is replaced by the realm of man's will and determination. Again, as with the communion issue, I don't think the Father's purpose, and the structure created by Christ, was to institute a legalistic demand upon us, but to provide a divine benefit for the church, the body of Christ, and each individual member thereof. At the same time, a divinely driven church would fulfill God's plan for the church-the ministry of reconciliation between God and man, by being the Body of Christ in the earth.
If we refuse Christ's Lordship over His body, including our assigned place and part of the body, we reject His and His Father's provision for us. This can bring harm to ourselves, and certainly to the church. This requires serious self-examination and prayer, regarding our views of Christ, His body, and our presence and position in that body. If we judge ourselves in this matter, we will not be judged (1 Cor. 11:31).
Not discerning the Lord's body, according to Paul's words, is very dangerous. It is a trap set by the enemy, and approved by our own flesh, in which we can so easily be snared if we are not careful.

Our Father has placed us in the body, with Christ as its Head.

"The Doxology"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQUTvMtUhw4