Covenant

This sabbath's reading portion is again a double title: Acharei Mot (after the death) and K'doshim (holy ones). It covers Leviticus chapters 16 through 20. The first title, Acharei Mot, or "after the death", begins after the death of Aaron's two sons, who had offered profane fire before the LORD (Lev. 16:1). The LORD begins to give the law of His covenant regarding atonement and forgiveness of the sins of His people - sins that would mean their destruction otherwise. The law given in this sabbath reading portion reflects a Law based upon justice, decency, life, and love, including, "You shall not hate your brother in your heart...You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD." (Lev. 19:18). This verse is sometimes referred to as "the heart of the Law". It was so important that God signed it with His name and being: "I am the LORD". Jesus taught the same (Mt. 22:37-40, Mt. 5:22-24). Jesus said that along with our whole-hearted love of God, love towards our neighbor makes up all the Law and the Prophets. They are so vital that even though heaven and earth may pass away, none of the Law will pass away until all of it is fulfilled (Mt. 5:18-19). Jesus said that these very scriptures, as well as all of the scriptures in the Tanakh (Old Testament), testify directly of Him, the giver of eternal life (Jn. 5:39). Paul also wrote that the love of our neighbor is the fulfillment of the Law (Rom. 13:9-10). Whenever we view the law, we must keep in mind that it is not about acting holy, but being holy as the LORD is holy. (Lev. 19:1-2). Even the double title of this week's sabbath reading begins after a death from a self-righteous work, which is profane before the LORD, and then raises us up into the true meaning of holiness. We get from one point to the other by the blood of the atoning sacrifice (Lev. 16). Outward acts of "holiness" are worthless without the inner work of the Word and the Holy Spirit within each heart. Jesus pointed this out when He compared the religious people of His day to whitewashed tombs that look clean on the outside, but are filled with the corruption of death on the inside (Mt. 23:27-28). We invite the Holy Spirit when we read sripture to bring the truth of God's Word to do a work of change in our hearts (Ps. 119:11). We learn in the New Testament that the Word is not just the legalism of letters on a page, but it is living, and it is a Person, Jesus Christ. The LORD spoke often of His people keeping His statutes as they enter the land that He was giving them, according to the covenant promise He had made to their forefathers: "Therefore you shall keep every commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the (aleph-tav) land which you cross over (abar - march over, pass through, overtake and pass, impregnate, perish) to possess (yaras - drive out previous and possess in their place), and that you may prolong your days in the land which the LORD swore (saba - 7X oath, to seven oneself) to give your fathers, to them and their descendants, 'a land flowing with milk and honey'. For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot as a vegetable garden; but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the LORD your God cares (daras - requires, demands, seeks with care, to beat a path); the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end (aharit/ahar - last, latter times, future, remnant/afterwards, delay, tarry) of the year (sana - year, whole age, do again, transmute)." (Deut. 11:8-12, see also Deut. 4:1-2, 5:29-33, 6:17-19, 7:12-15). "The land" is mentioned often in connection with the covenant made with the forefathers and the covenant of the Law. Why was this connection of the Law to the Land so important? The word "land" in Hebrew is eres, but it not only means a nation or specific territory, but the whole earth. The Hebrew letters that make up the word "land" are aleph, reysh, and tsadhe, which, when their meanings are put together may say, "God (Adonai) the Highest inescapably pulls toward Himself a harvest of the righteous". As we can see in the verses above from Deut. 11, and the Hebrew words used in scripture, this "aleph-tav land" is not being treated as only a natural land by the LORD, but a special land, and He wants His people to understand that there are greater and wider spiritual implications involved in their keeping His Word in the aleph-tav land. [note please: aleph and tav are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, with which Jesus described Himself in Revelation, as translated into the Greek language, the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.] We will see, in the following portions from this week's sabbath reading, the importance of the Word and commandments of God "in the aleph-tav land" as the prophetic and spiritual key to renewal, not just for Israel, but for THE WHOLE EARTH. We will see that the quickening or resurrection power of the Word of God, including the Law, which became flesh in Jesus (Jn. 1:14, Jn. 11:25), as well as the Spirit of God (Rom. 6:10-11, Rom. 8:11), revived a man, a nation, and will change, revive and renew THE WHOLE EARTH. First, a man was revived: "Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king (Josiah), saying, 'Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.' And Shaphan read it before the king. Now it happened that when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes (sign of repentance and mourning). Then the king commanded...'Go, inquire of the LORD for me, for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us." (2 Kings 22:10-12). As a result of hearing the Book of the LAW, that had been previously lost, the king of Judah gathered all the inhabitants of Judah from great to small, and he personally read to them the words of the Book of the Covenant. (2 Kings 23:1-2)."Then the king stood by a pillar (ammud/amad - pillar, upright, platform/take one's stand, endure, become servant of, be steadfast, arise, appear, come on the scene) and made a (aleph-tav) covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments and His (vaw [nail]-aleph-tav) testimonies and His (vaw [nail] -aleph-tav) statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the (aleph-tav) words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant." (v. 3). The king then commanded that all places of idolatry be destroyed, and all idolatrous, occultic activity and abominations cease, "...that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book...Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him." (v. 4 - 25). The words of the Book went right through Josiah's soul and heart when he heard them, and he brought a renewal to his nation as well. Josiah's name means "whom Jehovah heals". In another sabbath reading portion, the scripture says that in the latter days: "...out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem." (Micah 4:2). Not only will this be in "the land" of Israel, but the Word will affect the nations: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore...and no one shall make them afraid." (v. 3-4). The Word (who is Jesus) will come out of Jerusalem, and from there to THE WHOLE EARTH. If you thought "world peace" was impossible, read the promise of the LORD written in His Word! The LORD reveals the glory that He has commanded for "the land" and its inhabitants in another sabbath portion: ",,,your people shall all be righteous; they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified." (Isa. 60:21). All of the nations of the world will come to them bringing their wealth (v. 11). The supernatural blessing of eternal light will replace natural light (v. 19). "The land" and its people are commanded by God to "Arise, shine!" (v. 1). This supernatural shining light is the glorious light that accompanies resurrection, or "the brightness of your rising"...And they shall call you The City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel...You shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob...in your land...you shall call your walls Salvation (Yeshua, which is the Hebrew name of Jesus), and your gates, Praise (root word halal - includes "to shine, to flash forth light, give light").(v. 3, 14, 18). The Words of the Covenant, which Jesus is and fulfilled, bring resurrection newness and glory, peace and wealth, Salvation and Praise, to "the land", with its effects going out to THE WHOLE EARTH. This is the will and plan of God, for God so loved the world, that He gave His Son. This may start with the individual, as it did with King Josiah, but it is not meant to remain limited to the individual (see Mt. 28:19-20, Mk. 16:15-18). Unfortunately, the opposite is true also. When the Words of the Covenant are not kept in the land, the false gods fill the land, and the land becomes desolate: "Then the LORD said to me. 'Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying: 'Hear the words of this covenant and do them...." (Jer. 11:1-14). This is the covenant of the Word, and it is joined to the covenant of "aleph-tav the land". If you would like to know more about this covenant of glory, meant to fill THE WHOLE EARTH, you can join me in my prayer: "Heavenly Father, You have commanded Your people to keep the words of Your covenant. Jesus embodies and inhabits every Word, every jot and every tittle of the Your Word, and the Holy Spirit quickens it to touch, pierce, and transmute the hearts of men. Help me, Lord, to keep Your covenant in the land, and bring it to all the nations of the world, as Jesus said. Let Your resurrection light and glory be seen upon my life, and the land, as I keep Your Word in my heart, in order to be part of the fulfilment of Your eternal plan in the earth. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Cleansed

This week's Sabbath reading portion from the Book of Leviticus is double-titled: Tazri'a - M'tzora, and covers Lev. chapters 12 through 15. This double title is translated as "She bears seed" and "Infected one". The priesthood was given the ordinances dealing with uncleanness among the people in these chapters. This uncleanness manifested physically as leprosy. The priests were given, by the Word of the LORD, steps to be taken to both determine the kind of infection involved, and the cleansing process to minister to the infected ones. There was also a cleansing ritual to be ministered by the priesthood for women who had just given birth also. Mary, the mother of Jesus, kept this ordinance for atonement and cleansing in the temple after she gave birth to her Son (Lk. 2:22-24/Lev. 12:1-5). The LORD recognizes the spiritual and physical vulnerability of women during and after giving birth, and He provided a ministry to them through His priesthood. Women who had issues of bleeding were considered unclean under the law, and lived in separation until that issue was resolved. Jesus healed a woman who had this problem for twelve years, and had spent all that she had seeking medical help, but had not found the relief that would allow her to resume her life. On the day of her cleansing, the woman came from behind (opisthen/optanomai - behind, back, backside/to look, behold, see, to gaze with wide open eyes at something remarkable, perceive) Jesus, so He did not see her approach. However, she found her healing by touching (haptomai/hapto - to fasten one's self to, to adhere to, to cling to, to touch/to fasten to, to kindle a fire) the hem (kraspedon - fringe or tassel at the end of a mantle to remind Jews of the law) of His garment as He passed by while the crowd pressed in upon Him. He knew immediately that someone had been healed and sought the person from among the crowd. The woman knew that her issue of blood had immediately been healed. Jesus could have just continued on His way, and the woman could have quietly withdrawn from the crowd and returned home healed, but more was needed in this encounter, and Jesus was determined to minister it. After Jesus had discovered who the person was, and listened to her story, including how she had just been healed, He said: "Daughter (thygater - daughter, daughter of God, acceptable to God, rejoicing in God's peculiar care and protection, descendant, inhabitant), be of good cheer (tharseo/tharsos - comfort, cheer/courage, confidence, boldness, daring); your faith has made you well/whole (sozo - to save, to rescue, to save a suffering one from perishing or from disease, to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, safe). Go in peace (eirene - includes the meaning "of Messiah's peace - the way that leads to peace, which is salvation")." (Lk. 8:40-48). From these words of Jesus', although the woman had been physically healed instantly, there was spiritual healing that needed to take place as well. Perhaps having had to live twelve years as an unclean outcast from family and community, the Lord knew that she needed to be saved from another kind of destruction - the destruction of being rejected, of losing everything, of feeling unloved, unwanted and condemned. She had received the revelation of Who Christ was, and she reached out to the hem of Christ's garment in a last-ditch effort of hope, and she found the comfort and safety of a daughter of God. In this example, Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of the ministry of the priesthood of Leviticus, as we will see. As priests of God in Christ (1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10), perhaps we also can learn and apply the wisdom and provision that God established in the ministry of the priesthood in Leviticus, and its fulfillment in Christ. Although we may not frequently see the disease of leprosy in our time, we can see that many people are "infected" both spiritually and physically, and in need of the ministry of the priest. The LORD referred to the manifestation of leprosy as a plague of leprosy. The Hebrew word meaning "plague" is nega/naga meaning "plague, stricken, stripes, wound, mark, spot, stroke, blow/beaten, smite, touch, befall". Christ took those stripes, wounds and beatings so we would no longer have to. "Leprosy" is the word sara'at/sara meaning "malignant skin disease, mildew, mold/to scourge, to strike down". I can again see our ministry from Christ in the Hebrew meanings of the words involved. Isaiah used some of these same words to describe the Servant of God who would suffer these same things on the behalf of others (Isa. 53:4-6). When John the Baptist, who was in prison, sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus whether Hs was the One, meaning the Messiah, Jesus answered them: "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." (Mt. 11:1-6, Lk. 7:18-23). These miracles that Jesus mentioned here were considered recognizable signs that would identify the Messiah/Christ sent by God, and the cleansing of lepers was one of those signs. John's disciples were not to report what someone else told them. They had witnessed these things being done by Jesus: "And that very hour (when John's two disciples had come) He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight." (Lk. 7:21). When Jesus cleansed a leper, He would instruct him to "show yourself to the priest and offer the gift/offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them", who, according to the law would then declare the leper "clean". However, Jesus was also revealing to the priest that the Messiah of Israel had come, because He had done this specific miraculous healing sign (Mt. 8:1-4, Mk. 1:41-44, Lk. 5:12-14). Jesus even brought cleansing to ten lepers at one time! They did not see their healing manifest until they were walking away. Only one of the ten turned back to Jesus, "...and with a loud voice, glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan." (Lk. 17:11-16). The only one who returned was not a Jew, but a Samaritan, a people who were generally despised by the Jews at that time, who considered the Samaritans to be a "mixed" people, who did not worship God in the correct and proscribed manner. Yet the Samaritan was healed, AND he returned to Jesus in thanks. Even Jesus asked, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner? And He (Jesus) said to him, 'Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well/whole." (v. 17-19). There's certainly another kind of lesson in this comment for all of us. Why did Jesus tell this leper "your faith has made you well/whole"? As in the case of all the lepers who were healed by Jesus, when they saw Him, they knew He was the Messiah who could cleanse them, and they cried out to Him for cleansing. This is where they placed their faith - in Who He was. The Book of Hebrews described this faith: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him (God), for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Heb. 11:6). It is interesting to note from Jewish tradition that the rabbis have no record throughout their history up until the time of Christ of any priests carrying out the cleansing ritual commanded for a healed leper. They think that this is the case because, except in special isolated incidents which occurred outside of the established priesthood, lepers just did not get healed. The rabbis concluded from this that the cleansing of lepers was a miraculous sign that would be attributable to the Messiah, as Jesus also noted (see above). If this is correct, then the priests were holding and preserving this cleansing ministry as a prophetic promise of Someone who could heal and cleanse the lepers and the unclean, who was the Messiah or Christ to come. I think that we will be able to see the image of Christ in the offerings that were required to be made for discerning, cleansing and atoning regarding leprosy according to what the LORD called "the law of the leper for the day of his cleansing". (Lev. 14:1-2). In order to discern the leprosy, time was marked off in seven day increments, or sabbaths, to check the progression of the affliction. Jesus described Himself, the Son of man, as the Lord of the Sabbath and remarked that the sabbath (as a blessing) was made for man and not man for the sabbath (Mk. 2:27-28). So the journey to cleansing started with the sabbath. The items to be brought by the healed leper for his cleansing and atonement included lambs without blemish, small clean aleph-tav birds, which were probably sparrows, cedar wood, scarlet, hyssop, an earthen vessel, and running or living water, grain and oil (see Lev. 14:3-7, 12-18). We can easily see Jesus, the Messiah, in the lamb without blemish, our Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, who possesses the Book of Life. The small birds or sparrows used in the cleansing are sipor/sapar in Hebrew, meaning that they depart early and return (see Acts 1:9-11). All birds are biologically defined as creatures having wings and feathers, and Jesus described Himself in these terms also (Mt. 23:37-39). Jesus preached using sparrows and birds as examples (Lk. 12:6-7, Mt. 13:31-32). God keeps special watch over the life of the smallest sparrow, Jesus said, so how much more does a person's life mean to Him? The Holy Spirit is also represented as a gentle bird, a dove. The cedar wood required for the cleansing offering is the Hebrew word es/erez, meaning "timber, tree, staff, carpenter, gallows". Some have suggested that Jesus was crucified on a cross made of cedar, but that is not known for sure. Cedar also has a strong, pleasant aroma, and is a deterrent to destructive pests. Christ has a fragrance, which we also carry as His believers. It is a fragrance of life that brings life to those who are being saved, but it is the fragrance of death to the dead who refuse life in Christ (2 Cor. 2:14-16). The scarlet required for the offering of cleansing is the Hebrew word tola, which is a worm that attaches itself to a tree, and gives its life, both as a covering and food for her offspring. A costly scarlet dye was produced from this process, and was used in the tabernacle. We can see Jesus in this picture of the sacrificial life cycle of the tola worm (1 Pet. 2:24). You can read more about the tola worm in a previous post titled "theWorm" (go to the heading "Blog Archive" found on the right side of this page ----->, and look for the entry dated April 15, 2022). Hyssop (ezob) was required in the cleansing offering, which is a medicinal plant used for Jewish religious purposes in sacred purification. Hyssop was used to apply the blood of the Passover lamb in a cross-shaped pattern upon the door posts and lintels of their homes to save the Israelite slaves in Egypt from the plague of death (see Ex. 12:22). There was an earthen (heres - eruptive disease, scrape, itch) vessel (keli/kala - weapon, armor/end, finish, accomplish, fulfilled) used in this Levitical cleansing. Jesus, who came into the earth in the flesh (earthen), was appointed by God to finish the work that God had given Him to do (Jn. 4:34). When that work was ended, Jesus said on the cross, "It is finished (teleo - to finish, to end, to perform, complete, fulfil, accomplish)." (Jn. 19:30). Running ((hay) or living water was also needed for the cleansing offering. Jesus clearly identified Himself centuries later as the source of this living water, which was the water of everlasting life (Jn. 4:10, 13-14, Jn. 7:37-39). The grain and oil required for the cleansing and atoning offerings were mixed together forming a kind of unleavened bread or cake. Jesus called Himself the Bread of life, and said that whoever eats of this Bread will not die, but live forever (Jn. 6:34-35, 47-51). The olive oil was also used to anoint the healed leper. Both the Hebrew word from which we get "Messiah", and the Greek word that we translate as "Christ", have the meaning of "the anointed one". We also, as the priests of God in Christ, minister with the anointing oil: "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven." (James 5:14-15). God's cleansing and healing promise hidden in the Levitical priesthood was precious, and its fulfillment was, and continues to be, even more precious. In other events to take place during this special month, Jerusalem and Israel will celebrate Rosh Chodesh Iyar, the second month of their calendar, as Atz'ma'ut, which is Israel's Independence Day, and Jerusalem Day, when Jerusalem was rejoined to the nation in 1967. Because of this, special selections from scripture are included in this sabbath's reading portion prophesying the radiance and light that the LORD has ordained for Israel in these last days that will impact the whole world (see Micah 4:1-7, Isa. 60:1-22). In this second month we also observe Second Passover in remembrance of God's great deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt. If you would like to know more about Jesus' cleansing ministry, which is also our ministry in His name, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, You gave Moses "the law of the leper for the day of his cleansing", not only as a physical ministry appointed to Your priesthood, but as a promise of the Messiah who was to come. I can see Your Son, our healer, cleanser, and deliverer, in aspects of these ordinances. Jesus healed the lepers and the unclean, and other sicknesses and infirmities, saying, "Nothing is impossible with God." I am made whole by this faith in You, Father, and in Your Son. Cleanse me, purify me, and cover me in Your atoning blood, and fill me with Your Holy Spirit so I can minister the same to others. Your priests preserved these ordinances in the Books of the Law for me so I would have the promise fulfilled and accomplished. Bless Jerusalem and Israel as they celebrate in this Rosh Chodesh Iyar, with Atz'ma'ut, which is Israel's Independence Day, and Jerusalem Day, and the radiance and light that You have ordained for them in these last days. Bless those who will be observing the Second Passover in remembrance of Your great deliverance from slavery by the blood of our Passover Lamb. In all of these things, we look forward to the return of the King, the Messiah, Jesus. We ask these things in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Eighth

This week we resume the Sabbath readings in Leviticus, which is from the Latin, meaning "of the Levites". The Hebrew name of this third book of scripture is Va-yikra meaning "and He (God) called". In this third Book, the LORD is establishing something new. He commanded Moses to construct a tabernacle and furnishings for worship which would follow a pattern that God had shown to Moses on the mountain. Also established at this time would be a priesthood, led by Aaron, Moses' brother, as the high priest. The priests would be accepting and offering specific sacrifices for the atonement for their sins and the sins of the people, and for their forgiveness. Why was God establishing this new pattern? Sacrifices had been offered to God since Genesis, including Abel, Cain, Noah, Abraham, and so on, all done without the mediation and reconciliation ministry of the priest. While only the tribe of Levi could form the priesthood, the LORD had previously said to Moses in scripture regarding His people: "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you will be a special treasure to Me above all people; for the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Ex. 19:6). We can see here a prophetic promise of a priesthood that goes beyond the tribe of Levi, and extends to all of Israel. Long after this Levitical priesthood was established, Isaiah prophesied: "But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, they shall call you the servants of our God." (Isa. 61:6). This prophecy comes in a section that begins: "The Spirit of the LORD God is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed (masah - to rub with oil, to anoint, to consecrate, to spread out and expand (like a liquid)) Me..." (v. 1). As Jesus read this passage from Isaiah in the synagogue, He declared that part of the prophecy was fulfilled in that moment by Him. This prophecy is considered to be connected to the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ. Over a thousand years after Moses, the apostles Peter, and also John in the Book of Revelation, wrote about a royal priesthood, and of kings and priests, who are connected to the Messiah, Jesus. This priesthood consists of people who do not seem to be directly connected to the Levites: "His own special people...who once were not a people but are now the people of God..." (1 Peter 2:9-10). Perhaps this week's Sabbath reading will help us to understand more about the formation of the priesthood, and its ordained transformation to our present day. The title of this week's reading portion is Sh'mini, which means "eighth" in English. This portion covers Lev. chapters 9 through 11. Aaron and his sons had completed the seven days of their consecration as priests. Then, on the eighth day, their priestly ministry began with offerings for both Aaron and sons, and the people of Israel: "... make atonement for yourself and the people." (Lev. 9:7). Something unusual would happen, as Moses prophesied the Word of the LORD, as a result of the atonement made on this eighth day: "...for today the LORD will appear to you...This is the thing (hadabar) which the LORD commanded you to do, and the glory of the LORD will appear to you." (Lev. 9:1-4, 6). The glory would come as a result of obedience to "the thing" which the LORD had commanded them to do. "The thing" is dabar in Hebrew, or "the word, speech, voice, command, song" of God. The meaning of the individual letters in the word dabar, which are daleth, beth, and reysh, with the letter he added to the beginning of them, could also mean "Behold, the door to the house/family of the Highest". The glory and presence of God that comes from the service of the priesthood is a result of obedience to the Word of the LORD. That Word of creation, salvation, deliverance, life, abundance and holiness would be wonderful enough just as it is written, but even greater is that the glory of the Word is of such a nature that it became flesh, and dwelt among us. It is light, it is living, it is Spirit, it is truth and grace, and it is the Person of Jesus Christ, who possesses the glory as of the only begotten of the Father (Jn. 1:1-5, 14). The priests followed the hadabar command of God, and the glory of the LORD did indeed appear to all. We see the opposite of this in the second reading portion for this Sabbath from Lev. 10. Two of Aaron's sons, who were consecrated priests, put fire in their censers, added incense to it, and "offered profane/strange (zur - another place, strange, foreign, enemy, loathsome, falsehood, turn aside, depart) fire before the LORD which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD." (Lev. 10:1). Aaron's other two sons had to go and carry out the bodies of their brothers from before the sanctuary. Some may think that this seems harsh of God, but we can find out why this action of seeming worship cost the two brothers their lives. One thing we know for sure that made this fire "profane" in God's eyes is that He did not tell them to do it. If it is not of the Spirit and the Word (of God), then it is of corrupted flesh. Let's look and see how Paul explained this: "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace...So then those who are in the flesh cannot please God...For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God." (Rom. 8:5-8, 14). We can get more understanding perhaps in the names of the two sons who offered this "profane fire". One was named Nadab, which means "generous, spontaneous, freely offered, incite to anything, to impel oneself". It is good to be generous, but giving by the flesh rather than by the Word and the Spirit is like bringing death before God. Our "good ideas", or "good intentions" mean nothing if they have not been birthed by the Spirit of Truth. The second son ws named Abihu, meaning "he is my father". A son of God, as Paul wrote, is led by the Spirit of God. It is not enough to say, "My father is Aaron, or My Father is God, so I can do this". An anointed son obeys his Father (see Phil. 2:5-11), who is Spirit. We see this in what the LORD spoke after this sad event: "By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people, I must be glorified." (Lev. 10:3). We, the priests of the LORD, cannot come so disrespectfully into the presence of God in the rotting death of flesh. By doing so, we rob all of the people of the glory of God. Scripture says in an earlier part of Leviticus that if an anointed priest sins, it brings guilt on all the people, and he must make a burnt offering sacrifice for his sin (Lev. 4:3). In another portion from this Sabbath's reading, we see another example of seemingly "good intentions" gone horribly wrong. In 2 Sam. 6, David wants to bring the Ark of God up to Jerusalem, to be placed in a tabernacle there. However, they did not transport the Ark as the LORD commanded Moses to do, carried on poles by the priests, but they placed the Ark on a new cart pulled by oxen. As the oxen stumbled, and the cart shifted, the Ark began to slide off the back of the cart. Uzziah (meaning "strength") put his hand forward to steady the Ark. God struck Uzziah there, and he died by the Ark of God. David was angry at the death of Uzziah (v. 1-8). Later, David would make a second attempt to bring up the Ark to Jerusalem, but this time, they would do so according to the Word that the LORD had commanded Moses: "And so it was, when those bearing the Ark of the LORD had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep." (v. 13). This time, the Ark was carried, as it was commanded by God generations before. "New" ideas, like new carts, and the strength of men, if they break the Word of God, will not result in the blessings and life of the Spirit, but in the death found in the flesh. In another portion from this Sabbath's reading, King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes: "All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the soul is not satisfied." (Eccl. 6:7). He wrote that if a man seems to have everything, "but his soul is not satisfied with (he-behold) goodness (he-behold)...I say that a stillborn child is better than he...Though it has not seen the sun or known anything, this has more rest than that man, even if he lives a thousand years twice - but has not seen (vawhe - behold)..." (v. 3-6). In these verses, "goodness" is greatly emphasied by the addition of Hebrew letters not normally part of the word "goodness" that translate to "behold!" and "nail". This emphatic goodness required by the soul of men cannot be satisfied by the desires or comfort of the flesh, as Solomon wrote. As mentioned earlier, there is a ministering priesthood connected to the obedience and sacrifice of the Messiah, our Savior Jesus, revealed openly in the New Testament (1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10, Rev. 1:5-6). There is also a connection to Messiah, the Son of David, Jesus, mentioned in this week's Sabbath reading portion which deals with the ministry of the priests. In 1 Chron. 17, David was given a promise from God, later called the Davidic Covenant, in which the LORD promised that David's Son would rule on the throne forever: "He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. I shall be his Father, and he shall be My son...and I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever." (v. 12-14). David understood very well what God had just promised him - that the Messiah would come from David's house, and would rule on an eternal throne. Because of this understanding, David was overwhelmed and humbled exceedingly (v. 16-20). Now knowing all of these things, what does the Sabbath title Sh'mini, or "Eighth", have to do with this? The eighth day in this Sabbath portion from which we get the title, marks the end of the seven day sanctification period of the priests, and the beginning of their ministry in the tabernacle before God on behalf of themselves and the people. The eighth day also memorializes the end of one day of Passover plus the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and it is a special Sabbath commanded by God (see Lev. 23:5-8). The meaning of the "Eighth Day" in rabbinical teaching is expressed this way: seven days mark the completion of the natural order, but the eighth day signifies a step above/beyond the natural order. The priesthood of God in Christ is to bring all of the people up to a higher level, beyond the natural realm and into the spiritual realm of God. This is not done by ruling over the people by natural understanding and strength, nor by approaching God in any way we please, but in leading the people into the way of the sacrificial atonement of Christ, and God's forgiveness (Lev. 4:26,31, 35). Jesus, our great High Priest who has passed through the heavens (Heb. 4:14-16), is also the atoning sacrifice that we minister to all people as God's priests: "...these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate (parakletos - comforter, advocate, one who pleads another's cause before a judge, an intercessor) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." (1 Jn. 2:1-2). If you would like to learn more about this special priesthood in the atoning sacrifice of Christ, you can pray with me: Dear Father, You established a priesthood that followed a specific pattern of atonement and forgiveness. You fulfilled that pattern through Your dear Son, Jesus, and You have made us priests and kings before You on behalf of all people through Him. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can minister the atonement and forgiveness in a manner that upholds Your holiness and glory before the people. Help me to walk in obedience to Your Word and Spirit, and not in my own flesh. Forgive me for those occasions when I have relied on my own understanding and strength, rather than Your hadabar commands. Let my life glorify You, and lift all people into the heavenly realm of Your presence. I ask these things in Jesus' name. AMEN."

PassoverJourney

This Sabbath's reading breaks from the continued study in the Book of Leviticus, because it is a special Sabbath that falls in the middle of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. These two feasts cover 7-8 days, depending on where they are being observed. This Sabbath reading deals with the middle days of these two consecutive feasts. The title of this Sabbath's reading portion is Chol Ha-Moed Pesach, or "the middle days of Passover". Surprisingly, although Passover is a somber occasion, these "middle days" are treated joyously. We can understand that as believers in Christ, because while Christ died on Passover, the saddest, most somber day for His disciples, three days later, during "the middle days" period (on the later established Feast of First Fruits), He rose from the dead, which is the greatest joy that the world has ever received. Prophetically, Moses, before the first Passover, told Pharaoh that Pharaoh must let the Israelites go from Egypt on a three-day journey into the wilderness to the place where God had commanded them to assemble and worship Him (see Ex. 3:18, 5:1-3, 8:25-27). The Feast of Unleavened Bread, or massa/masas in Hebrew, means "sweetness:not soured or bittered with yeast, unfermented, greedily devoured for sweetness/suck out or press out with pleasure those things that are sweet and pleasant to the taste". Lasting seven days, it is a "sabbath rest of sweetness" in which we can dwell. Unleavened Bread is about choosing, rather than the bitterness of sin, the sweetness of God, which is the sweetest thing there is. We can rejoice and sing, "Jesus Christ is Risen Today, Hallelujah!". This week's Sabbath reading portion takes us on a kind of three-day journey in the meaning of the Passover Lamb for all of us. The first reading is from Leviticus 23, where the scripture reiterates the command of the LORD regarding the Passover, and the Sabbath: "...these are My feasts. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation...On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD's Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven days you must eat unleavened bread...you shall do no customary work (aboda/abad - work, labor of a servant, slave, or captive) on it." (Lev. 23:3-6). So we have our starting point on our Passover journey as commanded by the LORD to Moses. In the second stop on our Passover journey, we come to Ex. 33. At this stop, Moses calls upon the grace of God on behalf of himself and the people of God: "Now therefore I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people." (Ex. 33:13). This search and request for grace came immediately after the people of God had committed the grave sin of worshipping the golden calf idol. Then Moses asked God to show him His glory (v. 18). The LORD answered: "...Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by." (v. 21-22). In this verse, the Hebrew word used for "cleft" is negara/nagar, which means crevice/pierced, bore or dug (out). In the written Hebrew, the word negara has the letter beth, meaning "house", attached to it. The cleft of the rock formed a certain kind of house for Moses from which to view God's glory. Why is this chapter from Exodus included in the reading to be done during the middle days of Passover/Unleavened Bread? We will soon see if we follow the path set in this journey. If we look at the next stop on our Passover journey, which is this Sabbath's reading portion from the Song of Solomon, we wil find an important meaning to this cleft in the rock mentioned above, that was provided for Moses. The Song of Solomon, written by David's son, King Solomon, gives us a prophetic revelation into the mystery of the Passover Lamb: "The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle (sebi/saba - glory, glorious, beautiful, goodly, honor/battle, shine, be bright, glory, splendor) or young stag (ayyal/ayil/ul - meaning includes "a great ram"/ram as a sacrifice, ram skin covering the tabernacle, a pillar, doorpost, jambs/powerful, mighty). Behold, he stands behind our wall; He is looking through the windows, gazing (showing himself) through the lattice. My beloved spoke and said to me: 'Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away...O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely...upon the mountains of Bether (cleft, pierce, parts of an animal cut in half for sacrifice)." (Song 2:8-9, 14). In these verses, "the cleft of the rock" is connected to a place called "Bether", whose meaning, as noted above, is associated with preparing a sacrifice. The Beloved, the Bridegroom of this Song, inhabits a "secret place" (seter/satar - covering, shelter, hiding place/ hidden, secret, concealed, be absent) of the cliffs (madrega - stairs, a steep inaccessible place, ascend by steps or ladder), and He is obscured from easy view by a wall, and shows glimpses of Himself through windows and latices. You would have to seek out a sighting of Him. The animal He is compared with has the meaning of glory, splendor, shining brightness and honor. The Beloved is described as "leaping" and "skipping", and these terms are associated with the Hebrew word for Passover, which is Pesah/Pasah, and includes the meaning "to spring, skip, hop over". This picture from the Song of Solomon is the nature of the dwelling of that sacrifice that covered Moses, and covers us, in the cleft of the rock, from where the glory of God was revealed to him. Paul also wrote about this glory hidden in mystery, but now revealed to certain ones: "...the word of God, the mystery (mysterion - hidden thing, secret, not obvious to the understanding) which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Col. 1:26). There's more to the meaning of Passover than an event of thousands of years ago, or a meal to memorialize it. Our Communion, having a direct connection to the Passover meal as stated in scripture and as explained by Jesus, revealed the meaning of the hidden mystery. This Passover journey starts in a sacrificial death, but the LORD also commanded His people to eat the sweet unleavened bread. There was sweet joy that would follow the darkest event in history. We find that in one of the assigned reading portions for this special "middle days" Sabbath. In Exodus 34, After the first tablets of the covenant were broken by Moses, the LORD commanded him to cut a second set of tablets in order to receive the covenant word from the LORD again. The LORD then says to Moses: "So be ready in the morning (boqer/baqar - end of night and coming of day, early, bright joy after night of distress/search out, look for, seek, enquire) and come up (alita/ala - come up, offering, burn, ascend, raised, exalted, to lift oneself, from a lower region towards a higher) in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself (nasab - take one's stand, be appointed, be a deputy, establish, be fixed) to Me there on the top of the mountain." (Ex. 34:1-2). In the morning, Moses would come up. We will see a connection to this portion from Ex. 34, and our final stop on our Passover journey, in the last reading from this Sabbath, Ezekiel 37: "The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out (yasa - come out, to go forward, to proceed to or toward something) in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down (nuah - rest, quiet, remain, to cause to rest, be granted rest) in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones." (Ezek. 37:1) There were very many bones in this valley, and they were very dry - these had been dead a long time. Then the LORD asked the prophet if these bones could live again (v. 2-3). The LORD commanded the prophet to prophesy to the dry bones, saying, "...hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the LORD God to these bones: 'Surely I will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live...Then you shall know that I am the LORD." (v. 4-6). The prophet prophesied, and the LORD began to work, and the very dry bones were raised up in life again: "...and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army." (v. 10). Then this is the Word that the LORD told the prophet to say to His people: "Thus says the LORD God: 'Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up (alita/ala - same as above) from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves...I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it,' says the LORD." (v. 12-14). Passover and its accompanying Feast of Unleavened Bread are not just a past event, but they are a journey to bring us, if we will follow the path, to a promised and an expected end. Jesus took this journey, and it ended with an empty tomb in the early morning of the first day of the week. It is a journey from darkness to the glorious light of everlasting life in our Passover Lamb, Jesus. If you would like to know more about this Passover journey to Christ and life, you can pray with me: "Father of glory, You have given and fulfilled Your promise of Passover and Unleavened Bread, two feasts that You have made inseparable from each other. You fulfilled Your promise through the death and joyful resurrection of Your Son, Jesus, who died for my sin. I will follow the path that You have made for me in Your Word, and I will search out and see our Savior that You had once kept partially hidden in a mystery, but Who is now revealed for all who have eyes to see. You have brought me out and set me down by Your Holy Spirit to the place of resurrection. I will prophesy Your Words of life to the dry bones, and they shall live! I thank You in Jesus' name. AMEN." **There is a free ebook titled "The Shroud of Turin: A Perfect Summary" available from Dr. Kenneth Stevenson who is an expert on the Shroud of Turin, which is an amazing confirming witness to the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. You can get this free ebook by going to www.TheShroudofTurin.org/freebook. It will be a blessing to you. Feel free to pass it along to others.