Spirit

Reminder: Beginning in July, Google will stop sending automatic notifications of new postings for blogs such as this one that are published under "blogspot.com". If you have been receiving notifications, or would like to receive them, please enter your email address in the box in the upper right corner of the blog page before July. These email addresses will be retrieved hopefully, and you will be sent a notification directly when there is a new post available. These email addresses will not be used for any other purpose. You will receive the "new blog post" notifications from "the disciple". If you choose not to enter your email address, I would recommend that after June 2021, check the blog regularly for new posts. Thank you for your patience and faithful readership. Part of this week's Sabbath reading deals with three men. The three men, Moses, Joshua the High Priest, and Zerubbabel, the governor, were faced with great challenges. Although Moses is considered by us to be a deliverer and law giver, in Psalm 90, part of the haftarah reading portion, he is referred to simply as "the man of God". In Numbers 11, Moses has just seen the fire of the LORD's anger break out on those who were on the outskirts of the camp, because the people of God were complaining. The fire was not quenched until Moses interceded with the LORD. This must have been a very stressful situation for the people and for Moses as their leader. The children of Israel looked to Moses as the man who talked to God. In this week's Sabbath reading from Numbers 11, something very disturbing takes hold of the children of Israel. It began within the "mixed multitude" (asapsup- promiscuous assemblage of people, rabble) who were with them. These were the first to be driven into a severe craving (lust) for "flesh" (basar- of the body: of humans, of animals, flesh, nakedness, skin, mankind)). The language used here suggests that something intense and wicked was going on among the "mixed multitude". Then the children of Israel also felt an overwhelming craving. They were so distraught with the craving that they were weeping. They stood in the doors (petah- entrance, gate; root: to loose, to let go free, to unstop, to break forth) of their tents (ohel- dwelling, covering, tabernacle, sacred dwelling of Jehovah; root: to be clear, to shine) crying with this craving. These Hebrew words tell us that from the spiritual position of the "doors of the tents", something was being loosed by the people in their cries. The spiritual attack that had begun with the "rabble", had taken hold of, and was escalated by the actions of the children of Israel. They were crying desperately for meat, and had disdain for the daily manna that the LORD miraculously provided for them. The people of Israel yearned instead for the food that was available to them in Egypt, even though the cost of that food was their hard bondage and oppression. Imagine what the LORD would think and do about this latest round of complaining! I'm sure Moses was thinking about that also: "Moses heard the people weeping...and the anger of the LORD was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased (Num. 11:4-6, 10). What started with the "rabble", had infected the people of God, and now, it would affect Moses, their leader. The word "displeased" used in our Bibles to describe Moses, does not reflect the Hebrew word used. That word is ra'a, which means "evil, evil doer, hurt, wickedly, harm, sad, injurious, to do evil or wickedly, to break, shatter". Moses reacted in anger against God: "So Moses said to the LORD, "Why have you afflicted your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child' to the land which You swore to their fathers? Where am I to get meat to give all these people? For they weep all over me...I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now..." (Num. 11:11-15). The spiritual attack on the camp had just been escalated again by the reaction and words of their leader, Moses. As the LORD prepared to deal with the intense craving of the people, Moses again spoke out against the LORD as he demanded to know of the LORD how the craving would be satisfied (Num. 11:21-22). The Lord answered Moses: "Has the LORD's arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not." (v. 23). To provide assistance to Moses, the LORD took of the Spirit that was upon Moses, and placed the same upon seventy elders, and they began to prophesy on that occasion (v. 24-25). As for the craving that came upon the people, they had so much meat in their mouths, which the LORD had prophesied and provided, that they were struck with a very (mehode- exceedingly; root: firebrands) great (rab- many, abounding; root: multiplied, ten thousands) plague (makkaw- wounded, beaten, stripes, stroke, blow). With the Tabernacle of God in their midst, which represented Christ, the Messiah, inside and out, and all of the wonders of God that the people had witnessed up to this point, the LORD expected them to have the knowledge of Him as their Savior. That place was called "Kibroth Hattahavah" or "Graves of Craving/Lust", because they buried there the people who had yielded to the craving (Num. 11:33:34). The people and Moses had sought a natural solution to a spiritual attack. The attack wasn't about a lack of meat, or even about complaining, but about the unnatural craving/lust that came upon the people, and drove them to despair. God didn't expect Moses to find a way to feed meat to hundreds of thousands, but to intercede in the Spirit for the people, and to seek a Word of deliverance from the LORD. The second example from this week's Sabbath reading, deals with Joshua the High Priest. It is from Zechariah Ch. 3. The prophet Zechariah has a vision from the Spirit of God of Joshua the priest. In this vision, Joshua is standing before the Angel of the LORD, but Satan (satan- superhuman adversary, one who withstands) is at his right hand to oppose (satan- lie in wait, resist, accuse, attack) him. Again, as with the account above, we are dealing with a spiritual attack. In the vision, instead of standing before the Angel in his beautiful priestly garments, Joshua was clothed in filthy (tso- as with excrement) garments. The LORD, Who has chosen Jerusalem (v. 2), rebuked Satan on Joshua's behalf (Zech. 3:1-3). The LORD then commanded, with the Angel looking on, that the filthy garments be removed from Joshua, and be replaced with clean garments: "See I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes." (v. 4-5). This work was seen in the Spirit by the prophet, and it was performed in the Spirit. This prophetic work of the Spirit was a confirmation that the LORD would once again take and choose Judah and Jerusalem (Zech. 2:12-13), and Joshuah and his companions would serve as a wondrous sign of His Servant the BRANCH (semah/samah- sprout, bring forth, shoot (of Messiah from Davidic tree), whom the LORD was bringing forth (v. 8). What started as a spiritual attack by Satan himself, became a great work of prophetic restoration and forgiveness that would cover the land. From beginning to end, this was a work of the Spirit of God by the Messiah, the stone upon which are seven eyes (v. 9). As we rely upon the Word and Spirit of God, instead of becoming "graves of craving", as did the children of Israel, we become like Joshua the High Priest, "a wondrous sign" of restoration affecting the whole land (see also Joel 2:15-27, another Sabbath reading portion for this week). The third leader in this week's Sabbath reading portion is Zerubbabel the governor. Zechariah the prophet is wakened by an angel who shows him a lampstand of solid gold. This lamp of light is fed a continuous supply of olive oil directly from two olive trees that stand on either side of it. Immediately the Word of the LORD is given to Zechariah concerning the governor of Judea, Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel had been appointed to be governor of those who had returned to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon. He had begun the rebuilding of the foundation for the temple in Jerusalem that had been destroyed. Zerubbabel's name means "offspring of Babylon". His name (zarab) also comes from the idea of a flow of water that grows more and more narrow until it eventually dries up. In fact, like Zerubbabel's name, the progress in rebuilding the temple seemed to have come to a standstill. There was much opposition to the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple by the local inhabitants of the land. Perhaps Zerubbabel grew discouraged by this slow progress, and the constant opposition. So the vision given to the prophet was not of a narrowing stream that eventually dried up, but of an unending supply of olive oil (the Holy Spirit and the anointing) that keeps the lampstand lighted. This was identified as a spiritual problem that had a remedy in the Spirit. Then the LORD delivered these words to Zerubbabel: "'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit', says the LORD of hosts" (Zech. 4:6). A great spiritual mountain of opposition stood in front of Zerubbabel, but it would become nothing but a flattened plain, and the rebuilding of the temple would be completed within the Spirit of the LORD, and the words of "Grace, grace". The great Building Stone, the capstone, would be brought forth by Zerubbabel by the Spirit of God. The Spirit of the LORD had anointed Zerubbabel to build the Temple of God regardless of the obstacles set against it. The title of the Sabbath readings for this week is B'ha'alot'cha, which means "In your making, go up!". In Psalm 90, Moses asked God to end His anger with His people, and "Let Your work appear to Your servants, and Your glory to their children. And let the beauty (na'om- kindness, favor, delightfulness, splendor, grace) of the LORD our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands." (v. 16-17). We have just observed the Feast of Pentacost in the church, which remembers the fulfillment of the promise of God to endue believers with power from on high. This took the form of pouring out the Holy Spirit in tongues of fire upon believers in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. This outpouring continues, and is unending as in Zechariah's vision concerning Zerubbabel. It never dries up. It is in this "beauty", this provision of God, that establishes His works through the work of our hands. Our Father overcomes by His Spirit. If you would like to know the Messiah, Jesus, and receive the Spirit of Grace Who overcomes, you can pray: "Lord Jesus, I believe that You died for me, and that You were raised from the dead by the Spirit. You baptize me with the Holy Spirit, so I will be able to overcome all obstacles and attacks of the enemy. Your anointing destroys every yoke, and makes all things possible in God. Teach me not to rely on my own strength but on the anointing that never runs dry. I give You thanks, and receive this promise from the Father. In Jesus' name, AMEN."

Lifted

Please note: Beginning in July, Google will stop sending automatic notifications of new postings for blogs such as this one that are published under "blogspot.com". If you have been receiving notifications, or would like to receive them, please enter your email address in the box in the upper right corner of the blog page before July. These email addresses will be retrieved hopefully, and you will be sent a notification directly when there is a new post available. These email addresses will not be used for any other purpose. You will receive the "new blog post" notifications from "the disciple". If you choose not to enter your email address, I would recommend that after June 2021, check the blog regularly for new posts. Thank you for your patience and faithful readership. This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled Naso!, meaning "to lift" or "elevate". All of this week's Torah readings, which are from Numbers Chapters 4 and 6, and the haftarah readings from Judges Chapters 13 and 16, have to do with God lifting up His people into positions for the work of the tabernacle, and, in one case, for a work of deliverance. The LORD numbered and called out individuals and families by name as He assigned them their places. Isaiah also wrote of the LORD calling us by name: "But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are mine." (Isa. 43:1). In Judges 13 and 16, God calls a barren woman to bear a son, who would be named Samson, meaning "brilliant and gleaming like the sun". Samson is lifted up to be a Nazirite, one who takes a vow of separation and consecration for service to God, and to be a deliverer of God's people from the oppression of the Philistines. This miracle birth and calling was prophetically ordained by the appearance of the Angel of the LORD to Samson's mother and father. This Angel told them that His name was "wonderful" (Judges 13:17). The prophet Isaiah revealed later that the same name, "Wonderful", is the name of the Messiah (Isa. 9:6). Though he was to be a Nazirite from the womb, Samson struggled with this calling. He appeared to be separated and consecrated outwardly because of his uncut hair, but inwardly, Samson mixed with the unclean, and the unholy. Though his calling as a Nazirite lifted him into the heavenly realms, his soul was drawn to those who were brought low: Delilah means "brought low, laid low, not equal". As he left the lifted realm of the Nazirite Deliverer, Samson became vulnerable to fierce, harsh, greedy powers represented by the Hebrew meaning of the city of Gaza. However, as Samson was Himself brought low, he understood the calling of God upon him, and prayed for God to lift him once again: "O LORD God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes! (Judges 16:21, 28). The Philistines had bored out Samson's eyes, and placed him in chains. Could there be any hope that the once mighty champion and judge of Israel, now blinded and chained, be restored to his former glory, and deliver Israel from the Philistines as God had prophesied? God indeed heard Samson's prayer, and restored his strength one last time. Samson destroyed the Philistines in the stronghold of Gaza that day, fearlessly giving his own life to do it. Although we do not generally take Nazirite vows, as believers in Christ, Paul wrote that we also have been called to a type of dedicated Nazirite life: "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?...And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.' Therefore, 'Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." (2 Cor. 6:14-18, referring to Ezek. 37:26-27, Isa. 52:11, 2 Sam. 7:14). Spiritually we are called to inhabit the high places with Christ, even though we are physically still tethered to the earth. God made a provision to lift His people back up should they fall low, as we will see. Also from the Torah portion, the LORD commanded the priests of the tabernacle to lift their hands and speak a blessing over all the children of Israel. The purpose of this blessing was to speak God's possession of His people, and to place His name upon them: "And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 'This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: "The LORD bless you and keep you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace." So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them." (Num. 6:22-27). The Jewish rabbis wrote that within the context of this blessing, God has set forgiveness, grace, and the way back to peace, as a way to lift His people back up. The promise of the LORD is to call back everyone who is called by His name, no matter how far they have roamed, even to the ends of the earth (Isa. 34:5-7). As a priesthood belonging to Christ, shouldn't we also speak this prayerful blessing over the children of God? Though appearances may lead us to mistakenly think that we, or another person, has fallen too low for God to reach, this blessing required by God to be said over His people, is a ministering virtue that lifts up. May we speak the blessing of God that is intended to lift His people. Our Father has lifted us, and placed His name upon us. If you would like to know your place in Christ, or if you need to be lifted back up from a low place, you can pray: "Dear Lord Jesus, You ascended with us in order for us to be seated with You in the heavenly places. Lift me, I pray, Lord, from this low place by the quickening of the Holy Spirit. You have accounted for me by name, and Your blessing spoken over me made a provision for me by which I may be restored to You. Cleanse me and renew me, lift up Your countenance upon me this day, and bring me back to the way of peace in You. In Jesus' name, I ask. AMEN."

Married

This is the Sabbath before Shavuot, the Feast 0f Weeks, which has been a topic in recent posts. It is on this feast that the Holy Spirit was poured out in Jerusalem in the Upper Room upon believers in Christ (see Acts 2). In Greek, this feast is called Pentecost, because of the timing of the feast - fifty days from the Feast of Unleavened Bread. To the Jewish people, Shavuot also memorializes the receiving of the Torah from God on Mount Sinai by Moses on behalf of the congregation of Israel. The Torah is the first five books of the Bible. The receiving of the Torah by Israel was also, according to their teaching, the receiving of a marriage covenant between God and His people. Because of this understanding, people of the Jewish faith use these days before Shavuot to prepare themselves for this marriage to God. We also, as Christians, have a marriage relationship with the Word of God, who is Jesus (John 1:1-5): "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (v. 14). Revelation 19:6-9 announces from heaven the marriage of the Lamb saying, "His wife has made herself ready". The New Jerusalem coming down from heaven, is a bridal city adorned for her husband (Rev. 21:2). Paul defined earthly marriage as representing Christ and His church: "'For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church." (Eph. 5:22-33, excerpt). Paul described the relationship of Christ and the Church as a marriage with "the two becoming one flesh". We are not called to know Jesus as Lord and Savior only, but also as "Husband", which is a more intimate and inseparable relationship. Paul said of that relationship: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?...Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 8:35-39). It is the marriage relationship between Christ and each one of us individually as believers, and with the Church corporately, that overcomes all created things, even death. On one memorable occasion, Jesus kept repeatedly asked Peter if Peter "loved" Him. Peter didn't understand what Jesus was trying to draw from him, perhaps being a little uncomfortable with the question also, and answered that he had a fondness for Jesus, a brotherly affection. Perhaps we can say that because Jesus knew what manner of death lay ahead in the years to come in Peter's life, and what would be ordained for Peter as an apostle, Jesus also knew it would require Peter to have more than the bond of fondness or friendship with Himself to get him through (Jn. 21:15-19). The same is true for the Church of the latter days. We will need to know that we are bone of His bone, and flesh of His flesh to get through. We will need to know Jesus with more than a brotherly affection. Do we understand this, and are we preparing ourselves for the depth of a marriage relationship with Christ, as the Jews are preparing themselves during this time of year for marriage to God? Is it possible for us to understand all that is entailed in a marriage relationship with Christ in an era when marriage is not taken seriously at all, when marriage is profaned and easily disposed of even in the Church? If because of this worldly view, marriage has become less in our eyes than what God intended, our spiritual enemy's relentless, strategic attack on marriage in general has therefore also been effective in negatively impacting our view of a marriage relationship with Christ. Part of the Sabbath reading for this "wedding preparation" time before Shavuot is from the haftarah. It is from the Book of Hosea. Hosea was a prophet who was instructed by God to marry a prostitute. Hosea had to continually go and buy back his wife from the men who had purchased her for illicit use. God used this sad marriage of Hosea's to prophesy about the condition of His own marriage to Israel. The LORD says about His marriage: "Say to your brethren, Ammi ("My people"), and to your sisters, Ruhamah ("Mercy is shown"). 'Bring charges against your mother, bring charges; For she is not My wife, nor am I her Husband! Let her put away her harlotries from her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts...' I will punish her for the days of the Ba'als (bloodthirsty false gods) to which she burned incense. She decked herself with her earrings and jewelry, and went after her lovers; But Me she forgot, says the LORD." (Hos. 2:1-2, 13). The LORD is angry here with His people, His wife, who has turned her back on Him to chase after others who don't even love her. However, because of His marriage relationship with Israel, the LORD seeks to reconcile with her: "Therefore, behold, I will allure (pata- entice, persuade, be open, seduce) her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her. I will give her her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor (trouble, calamity, to disturb) as a door of hope...And it shall be in that day, says the LORD, that you will call Me 'My Husband', and no longer call Me 'My Master' (Baali)...I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know (yada- to know by experience, to be able to discriminate or distinguish, to know intimately) the LORD...And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy ("lo-ruhamah"); Then I will say to those who were not My people ("lo-ammi"), 'You are My people ("ammi")!' And they shall say, 'You are my God!'" (Hos. 2:14-23, excerpt). The LORD had to bring His people into the wilderness in order to pull Israel aside from her false gods, and to draw her back to her true Husband. Perhaps that is one reason why the title of this Sabbath's reading portion is B'midbar or "In the wilderness". A marriage relationship with the Lord is different in every way from a service, or even a friendship relationship with Him. In this marriage relationship, the two become one flesh, and it is not possible to separate them. In connecting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the believers in the Upper Room in Jerusalem on Shavuot or Pentecost, to a marriage covenant, Jesus described it this way, "Behold, I send the Promise (epangelia- an announcement (for assent or pledge), to reconcile) of My Father upon you.." (Lk. 24:49). The Promise of the Holy Spirit indwelling us can be seen as part of a marriage promise making us one with Christ, as well as a promise to empower us. As Paul told us above, the victorious power to overcome all created things comes from our inseparable marriage relationship with Christ. May we prepare ourselves and accept Jesus not only as Lord, but also as Husband. Our Father is preparing a Marriage for His Son. If you would like to know Jesus as Savior, Lord, and Husband, you can pray: "Lord Jesus, I believe that You died for my sins, and rose from the dead for me. I believe that the Promise of our Father is one of a marriage with You. Nothing can separate me from You, and I become more than a conqueror joined in You. You sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within me, and to unite me with You. Let the Holy Spirit lead and teach me in the marriage relationship I have with You. In Your name, I pray. AMEN."

Hope

In this week's Sabbath reading portion, which is titled, B'har - B'chukkotai, meaning "On the Mount", and "In My Statutes", there is a guaranteed hope given to God's people. Last week, we read about the 49 + 1 days, or 50 days between the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Pentecost, and the meaning of those days, especially the 50th day (see previous post "Counting"). This week, there is a promise given regarding 49 years (seven Sabbaths of years) + 1 year, or 50 years total: "And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee (yobal/yabal- ram's horn, the signal of the silver trumpets, joyful sound, loud noise/bring forth, lead forth, carry away, to flow copiously, to bear or to carry gifts) to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty (deror- liberty, freedom, a flowing, a free run, to move rapidly, spontaneity of outflow) throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession (ahuzza- inheritance property that was seized), and each of you shall return to his family...For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field. In this year of Jubilee each of you shall return to his possession." (Lev. 25:8-13). In Israel, this meant that any property or personal service entered into to pay debt, had to be released or given back in the Jubilee year. It is no coincidence that the coming Jubilee year was announced on the Day of Atonement, which we connect directly to Jesus, who is our atonement (Rom. 5:11). As we learned last week, the number 50 in Hebrew, used again for counting to the year of Jubilee, is the Hebrew letter nun. The meaning of the letter nun relates directly to Messiah, Jesus. Nun means: "seed/sprouting seed, fish, son, heir to the throne, faithfulness". We see another interesting connection between Jesus and the Jubilee: As Jesus began His ministry, He read from Isa. 61 in the synagogue (Lk. 4:18-19). He read of the anointing of the Spirit of the LORD that Isaiah prophesied allowed One to "...proclaim liberty to the captives...to proclaim the acceptable (ratsone/ratsaw- delight, favor, goodwill/satisfy a debt, pardon, to pay off) year of the LORD...". It sounds very much like Isaiah was prophesying a spiritual Jubilee (see meaning above), and Jesus announced that He was fulfilling that prophesy that day. Also, Paul described Jesus as having fulfilled Ps. 68:18 writing, "Therefore He says: When He ascended on high, He led captivity (prisoners) captive (bring away, carry away, lead away), and gave gifts to men." (Eph. 4:8). Again, the language used here relates to the Hebrew word for Jubilee (see above). The promise in the Law of Jubilee allowed Jesus to lead the captives of death out of Sheol. In the next portion of this week's Sabbath reading, the LORD gives hope to His people in the form of the kinsman redeemer: "...if...one of your brethren who dwells by (a rich sojourner or stranger) becomes poor and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner...after he is sold he may be redeemed again. One of his brothers may redeem him...And if he is not redeemed in these years, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee - he and his children with him. For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God." (Lev. 25:47-55, excerpt). Imagine being in such desperate straits that one not only sold himself into service, but his children with him, to pay debts. However, the hope found in the principle of the kinsman redeemer provided the only hope for many who found themselves in a pressing situation of debt or poverty. In another example from the Book of Ruth, we see an impoverished Naomi, who has lost both her husband and her two sons, return to her homeland, Israel, from Moab. She has nothing except the hope that lays in the Law of Moses. She, and her daughter-in-law, Ruth, will rely on the fact that the Law of Moses commands that the edges of the fields remain unharvested so the poor and the traveler can glean from them in order to eat. In addition, Naomi, knowing the principle of the kinsman redeemer, will regain her land and a husband for Ruth when Boaz becomes their kinsman redeemer. Boaz and Ruth will have a child who will be the grandfather of David, and part of the line of the Messiah (Ruth 4:21-22). Where there was no hope for Naomi in Moab, she found hope and more in her home nation, Israel, and in the provisions of the Law of Moses. In another instance, the LORD will use the principle of the kinsman redeemer to prophetically give hope to His people that they would return from a prophesied captivity. Jeremiah has already prophesied that Judah will be conquered by the Chaldeans, and go into captivity to them. The Lord confirmed His promise to Jeremiah that He would bring Judah back from captivity by using the hope found in the kinsman redeemer. In Jer. 32, from the haftarah portion of this week's Sabbath reading, Jeremiah's cousin comes to Jeremiah while he is in the king's prison to request that Jeremiah redeem the cousin's property: "Please buy my field that is in Anathoth ("answers to prayers"), which is in the country of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is yours; buy it for yourself. Then (Jeremiah) knew that this was the word of the LORD." (Jer. 32:6-8). Jeremiah understood that this deeded land that he redeemed confirmed God's promise to return the people to their own land, otherwise there would be no purpose in it if the people were being taken into captivity forever: "Then I charged Baruch before them saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Take these deeds...and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days." 'For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land."' "... I prayed to the LORD, saying,: 'Ah, LORD God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You...' (Jer. 32:13-17). The LORD used the kinsman redeemer of the Law as a sign of His guarantee of the people's return, which seemed to have been an impossibility, but now hope had come. Job, who had lost everything, knew the power of the kinsman redeemer, and he knew Who his personal Redeemer was: "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh, I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" (Job 19:25-27). The Kinsman Redeemer was a source of hope to a destroyed Job. Although Jewish tradition holds that Job lived before Moses, the rabbis believe that Moses wrote the Book of Job. We do not know for sure, but from the above verses, we can see that Job knew the principle of the kinsman redeemer by revelation even before the Law was received on Sinai. The world's understanding would give no hope to Naomi, Jeremiah and Job, but the Jubilee and the kinsman redeemer are from eternity, not the world, and give hope and promise where there is no hope. May we understand the deliverance blessing and the Deliverer of God guaranteed in His Jubilee and kinsman redeemer. Our Father's Jubilee promises bring His people hope. If you would like to know our Jubilee and our Kinsman Redeemer, you can pray: "Lord Jesus, I know my Redeemer lives. You have become my Kinsman Redeemer, and my Jubilee deliverance. You died for my sins, and You rose again from the dead. You redeemed my soul from Hell, and ascended into heaven, leading me with You. I was in captivity, but You gave me liberty as a gift. You redeemed the inheritance of God's people before the foundations of the world. Nothing is impossible with You! As the Holy Spirit anointed You, anoint me also, so that I may understand and live in Your miraculous redemption. I believe and receive these things in your holy name. AMEN."