Ephod

Today is Purim. We can read about Purim in the Book of Esther. It is the day that an enemy of God's people had planned for their condemnation and destruction, but those plans were exposed and overturned, and God gave, instead, complete victory and favor to His people. As Esther was implored by Mordechai to intercede with the king on behalf of the Jews, she told Mordechai that the Jews were to fast for three days, as she would do also, before she entered the king's presence. Fasting is a form of repentance and consecration before God. When she then entered the king's presence uninvited, he looked upon her with favor, and extended his scepter to her. He listened to her and agreed to banquet with her. It was at this banquet that the enemy's plans were revealed to the king, and the king acted on Esther's behalf. Esther had consecrated herself, and went before the king, and he heard her petition. This week's Sabbath reading has much in common with Esther in a way. It begins in Ex. 27 and 29 in the Torah. Here we read the description of the high priest's garments that were to be prepared according to the pattern that Moses was shown on the mountain by God. One of the parts of the high priest's garments was called the ephod .Ephod, in general, means "an image". These were God's instructions: "And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. So you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to me as priest...They shall take the gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, artistically worked...And the intricately woven (ingenious work) band of the ephod, which is on it, shall be of the same workmanship, made of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen." (Ex. 28:2-8 excerpt). God gave Moses a very detailed description of the ephod that the high priest would wear over his tunic. It would cover his chest and back. It would also contain gems representing the twelve tribes of Israel. An interesting point to note is that the LORD said that these garments would "consecrate", or set apart and treat as holy, the high priest. The garments were to be made by only the most gifted of the artisans, not just gifted with talent, but with wisdom as well. From the detailed description of the ephod, or breastplate worn by the high priest, this item meant a great deal to God. Through the ephod, God would communicate with, and guide His people. The stones on the ephod would light up, these lights being called the Urim and Thummim (meaning lights and perfections, or perfect light), when His people sought guidance from Him. Can we see how lovingly God placed His guidance and voice among His people in the pattern of the ephod? It was also important to God because of the prophetic fulfillment of the ephod that we will see later. Many centuries after the time of Moses, the ephod will save David's life. In this Sabbath's haftarah reading from 1 Sam. 23, Saul is the king of Israel, although he was informed by Samuel the prophet that God has rejected him from being king. David has already been chosen by God and anointed to replace Saul as king, and therefore, Saul has sought to kill David. In fact, Saul had by this time killed all of the priests of God (1 Sam. 22:20-21). Only one priest, Abiathar (meaning "my Father is great"), has escaped with the ephod of the high priest, and fled to David. At this time also, the Philistines were attacking the city of Keilah (meaning "fortress"), to rob it of its grain. David sought the LORD to ask if he and his men should go to fight the Philistines at Keilah. The LORD answered, "Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah." (1 Sam 23:2). David's men, however, were afraid even in Judah, because they were hiding from Saul. It was too risky to show themselves at Keilah, they told David. David inquired again of the LORD, and the LORD again confirmed that he was to go: "I will deliver the Philistines into your hand." David and his men did defeat the Philistines at Keilah, and saved the city (v. 5). King Saul indeed heard that David was going to save Keilah, and "called all the people together for war" (v. 8). He planned to trap David there. David called the last surviving priest, Abiathar, to him and said, "Bring the ephod here." (v. 9). He inquired of the LORD through the ephod, and the LORD confirmed that Saul intended to trap David there in Keilah. David and his men fled that city and were spared. Saul, unlike David, did not value either the prophetic Word, or access to God's counsel through the high priest's ephod, seeing that he killed the priests of God. Eventually, Saul was killed in battle, and David did become the new king of Israel, as God had prophesied. David would later say of the importance of the ephod in his life, "One thing I have desired of the LORD, that I will seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple." (Ps. 27:4). The glory and beauty of the ephod are refleted in these revelations of Jesus, our Perfect Light: "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." (Jn. 14:13-14). Speaking to His disciples about His going to the Father after His death, Jesus said, "And in that day, you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now, you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." (Jn. 16:23-24). Hebrews says: "Seeing we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession...Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb. 4:14-16). In another place, "...continue to believe in the name of Son of God. Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him." (1 Jn. 5:13-15). Not only does the Father desire to listen, but He made the provision of His Holy Spirit, so we may hear from Him in return. Jesus said, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truuth; 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 glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you." (Jn. 16:12-15). God still wants to communicate with His people. There is a living High Priest, a living Ephod, who enables our petitions to our Father: "In that day, you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God." (Jn. 16:26-27). We are represented among the precious gems that Jesus wears on the breastplate over His heart as our High Priest. We need have no hesitation to bring our thoughts, hopes, prayers, questions and troubles to our Father, and He will answer. The title of this week's Sabbath reading is T'tzavveh, which is translated, "you shall command". May we understand the heart of our Father, who sent His Son to be the Perfect Light for us - a Son who opens the Holy of Holies to us through His own flesh, and asks us to inquire of His Father regarding all things, and He will answer. Our Father wants to communicate with His people. If you would like to know Jesus, you can pray: "Lord Jesus, I come to You as my High Priest. You gave Yourself so that I could have access to our heavenly Father, who is perfect and holy. You died for my sins, and You rose from the dead and went to be with the Father on my behalf. Fill me with the Holy Spirit, according to Your promise, so I can walk with You in wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and truth. I thank You that You hear my prayer, spoken in Your name, and You have answered it. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Sanctuary

This week's Sabbath reading deals with establishing the tabernacle, and is titled T'rumah, or "offering". The tabernacle account brings us insights about God, His Son, and our relationship with them. God made no secret to Pharaoh of His purpose in bringing His people out of Egypt: "Let My people go that they may serve Me." (Ex. 3:18, Ex. 7:16, Ex. 8:1, Ex. 9:13 Ex. 10:3). The word "serve" used here is the Hebrew word abad. It means slave, bondservant, worshipper, labor, serve, serve as a subject. The same Hebrew word used to describe service to God is used for Israel's slavery to Pharaoh (Ex. 1:14). The people who had once been in service to Pharaoh would now be in service to God. God illustrated this service to Him through the tabernacle. In Exodus 25, which is part of this Sabbath's reading, the revelation of the tabernacle is brought forth. Its very beginning is in a free will offering from the hearts of the people. Only those who had the sincere desire to give, would be called upon to contribute to the supplying of the tabernacle: "Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering." (Ex. 25:2). Then the LORD told Moses, "And let them make Me a sanctuary (holy place, consecrate) that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern (likeness, image, similitude) of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it." (v. 8-9). The tabernacle was to follow a specific pattern which God showed to Moses. We know now that the tabernacle and each of its unique furnishings represent Christ: the brazen altar, the lamp, the table of bread, the altar of incense, etc. There is a book titled, "Gem of the Tabernacle" by Rev. B.R. Hicks, which goes into great detail concerning the furnishings of the tabernacle and the image of Christ created by them. The placement of the furnishings associated with the tabernacle is in the shape of a cross. I believe there is also another image that pertains personally to us as believers that we can learn from the tabernacle, which we will see later. The tabernacle and its furnishings were designed by God to be transportable. Its parts were to be borne (carry, carry away, lift up, exalt, sustain, bear continuously, forgive, pardon, marry, magnify) upon the Israelites' shoulders wherever they went (Ex. 25:14). Jesus also told us "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up (raise up, elevate, lift up, bear, to carry, to carry away with one) his cross, and follow Me." (Mt. 16:24). We can see that the same idea of carrying the tabernacle, is reflected in the command of Jesus to "take up" our cross. Exodus 25 also gives the details of constructing the ark, which would be placed in the innermost part of the tabernacle, called the holy of holies. It was to be made of shittim/acacia (thorns, a scourge, a flog, scourging thorns, to pierce) wood, but completely covered inside and out with pure gold. The ark would contain the testimony (witness, revelation, evidence, say again and again, restore, relieve) which God gave to Moses, the tablets. Exodus 25 also describes the construction of the lamp, which was also to be covered with gold, and whose seven lamps were to be arranged so as to give light in front of it (Ex. 25:37). This description seems to differ from the traditional image we have of a Menorah, whose arms spread to either side, rather than frontward. Another Torah reading for this week is from Ex. 27. It deals with the construction of the brazen altar to again be made of shittim/acacia wood (see above), but this time covered with bronze/brass/brazen (fetters, chains, filthiness, lust, money; root meaning: to shine, the red throat of a serpent). The brazen altar, according to its Hebrew meaning here, deals with sin and its roots. It was to be placed in the court of the taberncle before the entrance to the two inner chambers. We know from the scriptures that the tabernacle consisted of its court, which contained the brazen altar (and also the bronze laver for washing). The first inner room, called the holy place, contained the lamp, the table of bread, and the altar of incense for prayers. The most inner room, called the holy of holies contained only the ark of the covenant, covered by the mercy seat and the two cherubim angels. The glory and presence of God was located above the mercy seat. The high priest could only enter this innermost chamber once a year to apply sacrificial blood upon the mercy seat (Yom Kippur, the Feast of Atonement). We can easily see how the tabernacle reflected Christ, His sacrifice, and His work of salvation. I believe the tabernacle is also meant to be the pattern for our own purpose and walk with God. The taberncle consists of three parts, as we do: the court to deal with sin or the flesh, the holy place to deal with the transforming and joining of our souls to Christ, and the holy of holies to deal with the spirit of man joining eternally with the Spirit and covering glory and presence of God. In our case, the testimony of Jesus Christ, or the witness, the revelation, dwells within us, as it dwells within the ark of the covenant in the tabernacle. I also find this in Rom. 12:1-3: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that your present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service/spiritual worship (see abad, above). And do not be conformed (patterned) to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (soul), that you may prove (in other words: witness, evidence) what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." God is Spirit. In another place, Paul tells us that we are the living temples or tabernacles of God, for God to dwell within (1 Cor. 3:16-17, 2 Cor. 6:16). There is a song, "Sanctuary" that includes the lyrics: "Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true. With thanksgiving, I'll be a living sanctuary for You." We don't just visit the sanctuary of God, we are to BE the sanctuary of God, following the same pattern, which is Christ. The brazen altar of our outer court is where we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice. The sins of the flesh and the world are burned and washed away there. We then become the holy place when we are transformed by the Light, the Word, and the intercessory prayers of Christ, so that we are no longer conformed to the world, but we allow ourselves to be transformed according to the pattern of the Son of God (1 Cor. 11:1, Eph. 4:13). If we will continue on our sacrificial journey through the tabernacle, we will become the holy of holies, where we are one with the will of God, where the Word or testimony of Christ has been written into our hearts in the same way that the testimony was placed into the ark: "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them." (Heb. 10:6). Jesus said that not everyone who claims to know Him will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of the Father (Mt. 7:21). Jesus also said that whoever does the will of His Father is His true intimate family member (Mt. 12:50). Most of us are content to say that we know Jesus, but Jesus said that more was required of us. There was another chamber to enter: the holy of holies. This is the same will of God that Paul mentioned above in Romans 12. We become the holy of holies when we fulfill the purpose that God intended for us from the beginning when He brought us out of bondage to sin to serve Him. The haftarah reading for this Sabbath comes from 1 Sam. 15. It carries the notation "Zachor", meaning "Remember". God's purpose for His tabernacle is so that He can dwell with us. It is not just about the religious sacrificing of animals, but the sacrificing of self to become an abad bondservant/worshipper. This reading is a reminder to us to consider Saul, who convinced himself that his purpose was to keep the people happy, and to do his own will to please the LORD, even against the specific Word of the LORD that had been given to him by Samuel. God rejected Saul that day as king of His people because of it. Although Samuel cried to the LORD all night on behalf of this first king of Israel, the LORD's judgment would stand: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king." (1 Sam. 15:22-23). The LORD wasn't looking for a religious sacrifice from Saul in order to please the people, but a sacrifice of self in order to please God. God was looking for an abad servant. May the LORD show us the pattern of His tabernacle in our own lives, so we may be His servants and worshippers in Spirit and Truth, and so we may be His living tabernacles after the pattern of His Son, Jesus. Our Father establishes a sanctuary with His people. If you would like to begin your walk as the sanctuary of the Lord, you can pray: "Heavenly Father, by the living pattern of Your Son, Jesus, I want to fulfill Your plan for me to be Your living sanctuary. I believe that Jesus died for my sins, and rose from the dead for me. As Your Son, Servant and King, I believe He is coming back. Fill me with the Holy Spirit so I can be the living sacrifice that You desire. Transform me, so that I will do Your will in the earth. Let Your Word, Jesus, dwell in my heart and mind. Your word, LORD, I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You. I give You thanksgiving in the name of Jesus, Amen."

Justice

As we have seen recently, justice is imperfect in our system. Some people get more justice than others. The figure that represents justice is a blindfolded woman, holding a balance scale. Sadly, many have found that rather than being "blind", modern justice is very much influenced by an individual's outward appearance and circumstances. Our current system of laws has a long history. Many say that our present laws go back to Roman law, and then later the Code of Justinian. Our laws certainly have their roots in English Common Law. However, there is a system of justice which is much older than that. It dates back to the time of Moses, and it was given to the children of Israel, whom God redeemed out of slavery from Egypt and its Pharaoh. This Law was given in a time in history when nations were ruled by kings, and the law was whatever the king decreed it to be. The Law given by God was very different in nature and purpose from the law systems of the world. Jesus said that it is based upon two tenets: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind". This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Mt. 22:37-40). Our present justice system is supposedly based upon doing equity, which is sometimes successful to an extent, and sometimes not. "Equity" can be very subjective. God's system of laws, on the other hand, is based upon doing and being love, according to Jesus. This week's Sabbath reading from the Torah, and the haftarah, is titled "Mishpatim", which means judgments or ordinances. The Torah readings come from Ex. 21-24. Overall, we can see reflected in these ordinances of God, His demand for truth, justice, mercy, kindness and liberation from servitude: LOVE. It requires not equity, as our law does, but beyond what would be considered equity. Some examples: Those who have become your servant because of a debt owed, must go out free after six years owing you nothing more (The seventh year is the Jubilee year of freedom from all debt) (Ex. 21:2). If a thief steals an animal, he must restore four or five times the number of animals stolen (Ex. 22:1). If someone allows his animal to graze in another man's field, he must make restitution from the very best of his own field, and from the very best of his own vineyard (Ex. 22:5). We can see in this that we are not to harm a neighbor in any way. God's law also says that we are not to circulate a false report for any reason or advantage to us, or to pervert justice (Ex. 23:1-2). He equates the spreading of falsehoods to the killing of the innocent and the righteous, and He will not excuse that, or justify it, in any way. (Ex. 23:7). These ordinances also say that if you see an ox or a donkey of even your enemy, that has gone astry, you must rescue it and restore it to him, and if you see your enemy struggling with a heavy burden on his animal, you must help him with it (Ex. 23:4-5). It's not about animals, it is about kindness even to one you consider to be an enemy. Not only is kindness to be extended to your neighbor, but even to a stranger (Ex. 23:9). This kindness to a stranger or foreigner is to come from the same place in your heart that knew what it was like to be a stranger yourself, alone and unaccepted by others. The following is an interesting first mention in scripture. The LORD provides the office of judges to determine what shall be done if there is a failure to arrive at an agreement between parties. The judge is mentioned in Ex. 21:6 for the first time, and also Ex. 22:8-9. The word written in these verses as "judges" is the Hebrew word elohim. The judges are called by the very name of God. What is required of them in that name is to judge by the Spirit of God, by the wisdom of God, by the Word of God. We have already heard that the basis of all of these things is love. How does this apply to the present, and to the Church today? Paul wrote, "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life?...do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!" (1 Cor. 6:1-6). Paul is asking for one who has wisdom to be placed in the position of elohim judging. It sounds like wisdom was a rare commodity in the Church of Corinth. It is even more rare today. Paul said it is better to accept the wrong, to allow yourself to be cheated, than to go to (secular) law against one another. Are many of us willing to do that? Capricious "equity" sought in secular law is not justice. Justice is superior to equity in every way: "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face." (Ps. 89:14). God is not equity. He is sacrificial love. If He were equity, none of us would be here anymore. However, before we go running to fulfill the office of the elohim, or judges, we had better read the fine print first. Let us remember the nature and the purpose of the law of God fulfilled in Christ, and taught by Him. Jesus told us, "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." (Mt. 7:1-2). The word translated in these verses as the verb "judge" has a wide variety of meanings in the Greek word used, krino. It can mean "condemn, esteem, to be of an opinion, to deem, to determine, to decree, to judge, to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong, to rule". The word "judgment" or krima, means "the decision which one passes as being the faults of others". Is our criteria for judging others different from how we would want to be judged ourselves? We would hope for a heavy dose of mercy and longsuffering for ourselves and loved ones, but do we extend it to others not so dear to us? Paul added this thought: "For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged." (1 Cor. 11:31). Being "elohim" requires having a deep understanding of God's view of justice, rather than man's. In the haftarah portion of this week's Sabbath reading, which is read with joy in this month before Passover, the prophet Isaiah includes the verses: "Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made. And all those things exist. But on this one will I look: On him who is poor (meaning poor, humble, lowly, wretched, pious) and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word...Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at His word: Your brethren who hated you, who cast you out for My name's sake, said, "Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see Your joy." But they shall be ashamed." (Isa. 66:1-2,5). When we think we have judged rightly, have we in fact cast out those whom God considers "brethren? Make no mistake, God will not justify the wicked (Ex. 23:7). Sin is the exact opposite of the two main tenets of the Law fulfilled by Christ. However, elohim are required to remove the planks from their own eyes before they attempt to remove the specks from their brothers' eyes. Elohim judge as if they were the ones being judged, and they judge themselves first. This is the spirit of justice. May we be the elohim of the earth, not as man views justice, but in the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the Living Word of God, Jesus Christ. Our Father is enthroned upon righteousness and justice. If you would like to have knowledge of God through His Son, and His Spirit, you can pray: "Heavenly Father, I come to You in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus, who fulfilled the Law for me, dying on the cross for my sins, so I would not be condemned. I believe that He rose again from the dead to deliver me from the sentence of death. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, so I can understand and live Your righteousness and justice. Quicken to me any continuing sin in my life, and wash me in the blood of the Lsmb, and the water of the Spirit, so I can speak Your justice in the earth. I give thanks to You for Your continuing mercy in my life. Amen."

Abundance

Sometimes, we read the Word of God, even experience His great miracles and deliverance, but we can still lack understanding. The Word and Person of God are not understood by the flesh, but by the Spirit. Scripture says that the things of the spirit can only be understood by the help of Holy Spirit: "But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God...no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now, we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God...But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things...we have the mind of Christ." (1 Cor. 2:9-16). We cannot even know all of the things that God has freely given to us, according to the above verses, unless the Holy Spirit reveals them to us. About this, Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." (Jn. 3:5). We can't find the kingdom of God with the best GPS in the world, unless it is revealed to us by His Spirit. Jesus again said, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (Jn. 4:24). We cannot even truly worship God except by spirit, because He is Spirit. The Sabbath readings for this week have more clearly illustrated to me the lack we suffer as the people of God when we try to comprehend Him without the help of the Spirit of God. This week's reading begins in Ex. 18. Moses received a visit from his father-in law, Jethro. Based upon outward appearances, we might not see the significance of Jethro, but the Sabbath readings are named for him: Yitro, meaning "his abundance, tent cord, that which exceeds measure or limit, eminence, remainder, to save over, to preserve alive". Jethro was a Midianite (meaning brawling, strife, discord). The Midianites were often connected to the tribes of Ishmael. Moses met Jethro when he was running away from Egypt as a young man. He married Jethro's daughter, and had two sons with her. When Jethro came to Moses, the people of Israel were encamped at the mountain of God. Jethro had brought Moses' wife and sons with him. Moses' greeting of Jethro is described: "So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and kissed him..." (Ex. 18:7). This man meant a great deal to Moses. Moses told his father-in-law all that God had done to bring them out of Egypt. "Then Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the LORD had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. And Jethro said, "Blessed be the LORD...Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they (Egypt/the gods) behaved proudly, He was above them." (v. 9-11). From Jethro's statements we can see that he rejoiced at the greatness of God that delivered Moses and Israel from the Egyptians. He may not have been a worshipper of the God of the Hebrews before that moment, but now he knew and understood: "Now I know...". In this same moment, what did the children of Israel "know" about Him? Even though they knew that God's miracles had brought them out "on the wings of eagles" to bring them to Himself (Ex. 19:4), and knew that He miraculously fed them, and gave them water, they spent every waking hour, from morning until evening, bringing their problems, disagreements and contentions to Moses to decide them. Jethro discovered God by the Spirit, but the people were still hopelessly mired in their own understanding. Jethro, whose natural cultural background meant brawling, strife and discord, only had to hear Moses' account to understand by the Spirit what God had done. The people of God, on the other hand, who had actually experienced Him, had failed to discern Him by the Spirit, and had descended into unending disagreements with each other. Jethro then gave his son-in-law wise advice on how to handle the many disagreements. Instead of standing before the people to settle their disagreements, Moses should delegate that to other "men of truth". Moses was to stand before God instead on behalf of the people, teach the people the statutes of God and show them the way to walk, and the work they must do, so they could learn for themselves. In another place in scripture, Num. 10:29, Jethro is referred to by the name Raguel, which means "friend of God". By the Spirit, Jethro had entered into the "abundance" and understanding of the free things of God given to us. In the haftarah reading for this Sabbath, which is from Isaiah 6, we see a tragic fate for a people of God who do not know Him by the Spirit, and therefore, do not know Him at all. Isaiah received a vision in the year King Uzziah of Judah died. The death of this king, I think, played a major role as an example before God's people. King Uzziah had started out being a good and godly king, but he became ruled by pride, and tried to burn incense at the altar of incense in the temple. This he was not allowed to do. Only consecrated (sanctified, set apart) priests were to burn the incense that represented the prayers of the people before God, which were considered holy by Him. The altar of incense also represents His Son, Jesus, who lives to make prayers of intercession for us before His Father. Immediately, Uzziah was struck with leprosy, and had to live the rest of his life separately. We can say that Uzziah knew of God, but didn't know Him by the Spirit. In any case, Isaiah in this vision saw the Lord in His heavenly temple. As the seraphim (fiery, burning) angels glorified Him, the pillars of the door shook, and smoke filled the heavenly temple. Isaiah immediately became aware of his own sin, and the sin of the people, and thought he was about to die being in this holy Presence. The fiery angel brought a burning coal to touch Isaiah's lips, saying, "Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged." (Isa. 6:7). As he heard the Lord asking, "Whom shall I send for Us?", Isaiah answered, "Here I am! Send me." However, what he was about to be sent to do would be a very difficult task. Isaiah is known to us as one of the greatest prophets in scripture. He had profound and wonderful revelations from God regarding the Messiah to come, and many other glorious things of God. However, even as the prophet would faithfully record the prophetic Word he received, he did so knowing that the people of God to whom he was prophesying would not understand them. Like their king, their pride made them want to know God only by their natural understanding, rather than by the Spirit. The Lord told Isaiah at the time of this vision: "Go, and tell this people: "Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive." Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed." (v. 9-10). We have been called to have the mind of Christ. We have been called to walk in the Spirit, and know God by the Spirit, and to receive from Him all the things which He desires to freely give to us by His Spirit. Jethro, or Yitro, understood more in a moment by the Spirit, than the children of Israel would understand in forty years of experiencing God in the wilderness. When the world is using their natural understanding to face the confusing and dangerous events of this time, and not coming closer to either solutions or God, we are called to be Jethros, who speak wisdom and clarity by the Spirit of God. May we never let pride in our own understanding, quench the Spirit of God. It is better to walk an inch with God in the Spirit, than a mile in our own understanding. Overflowing abundance that exceeds measure or limit is found only by the Spirit of God. If you would like to receive the Lord, who is Spirit, you can pray: "Heavenly Father, I want to know You and worship You in Spirit and in Truth. Your Son, Jesus, allows me to be born of water, and the Spirit, so I can know You. Jesus has cleansed me of my iniquity, and purged me of sin by His sacrifice for me. I believe that He rose from the dead for me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, who teaches and leads me in all things concerning You. Let me be directed always and in all ways by Your Comforter, the Holy Spirit. I ask and receive these things from You in the name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen."