TheSublime

This Sabbath's reading portion is called CHOL HA MO'ED SUKKOT. In English this title would translate as "the interim days of the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)". The Sabbath reading portion comes during the middle of the feast, which lasts seven days, plus an eighth day called Simchat Torah, which is a celebration of the Torah, the Word of God. Briefly described, the Feast of Tabernacles is observed by the Jewish people by building a small shelter, called a sukkah, traditionally made from tree branches, in which they take their meals. It is a joyful feast celebrating the abundance provided by God, especially when His people dwelt in tents in the wilderness after their exit from Egypt. The word "tabernacles", refers to a dwelling, shelter or tent. This feast also celebrates the fall harvest of dates, pomegranates and grapes for wine. The Feast of Tabernacles, though, has great spiritual importance apart from this. Zechariah wrote: "And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left by the LORD (meaning the survivors of the LORD's plague brought against those who fought Jerusalem (see Zech 14:12-13) of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles." (Zech. 14:16). Another interesting thing happens in this prophecy of Zechariah's. A transformation has taken place in which even the most commonplace things will have become "HOLINESS TO THE LORD" (see v. 20-21). There is a change that takes place. In the Book of Revelation, as God's heavenly tabernacle, the New Jerusalem, descends from heaven to the earth, "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband", all things have been made new, including the heavens and earth, because the former things have passed away. (Rev. 21:1-5). As we saw in the prophet Zechariah, a complete transformation has been accomplished. Here the change is again connected to "the King": "...the Alpha and the Omega (the Aleph-Tav in Hebrew) the Beginning and the End". This King is the Son of David, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, as He identified Himself in Revelation (see Rev. 1:8, 21:6, 22:13). This kind of miraculous transformation mentioned in these verses from Revelation and Zechariah and connected to "Tabernacles" is what we will be looking at in this Sabbath reading. From the first portion of this Sabbath's reading, we discover that the Feast of Tabernacles is first called "the Feast of Ingathering (asip/asap - harvest [of fruit]/together, assemble, gather, collect, take [away, into, up], remove, fetch) at the end of the year (sana - year, change of season, whole age, second time, alter, to be changed, transmute, to be other, transfer to another place, return, repeat), when you have gathered in the fruit of your (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega in Greek: title of Jesus Christ in Rev. 1:8, 21:6, 22:13)) labors from the field (sage - country, soil, meadow, land, spread out, empire of a king)." (Ex. 23:16). This is one of the three feasts at which all of the men of Israel must gather together before the LORD every year (v. 14, 17). Looking at the Hebrew words used in the verse above regarding the Feast of Ingathering (Tabernacles), we can see a direct relationship with the end of the age harvest of souls, or fruit, from our aleph-tav labor for the kingdom of the King, the return or second time of Christ, and the "change", or transmutation, and "taking away" that will accompany it. The apostle Paul wrote about this change, in connection to what has been called the Rapture, from the Latin word rapturo/rapio, which means "snatch, seize, caught up, being carried away" to describe the removal of God's people in Christ from earth to heaven: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." (1 Thess. 4:16-17). These verses mention a trumpet (of God). Trumpets, or shofars, were used during the Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles and other feasts to call the people of Israel to assemble together. For the Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles, the priest would blow the shofar with all his might from a mountain top for the seven-eight days of the feast. Paul was not finished writing about this "catching away" event, also called harpazo in Greek, that he spoke of in Thessalonians. He also wrote: "...flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God...Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality...then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." (1 Cor. 15:50-54). Not only are we "caught up" to the Lord, but we must be changed in order for this to happen. the commonplace must become "HOLINESS TO THE LORD", as Zechariah wrote in connection to the Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles. I call this change as going from the commonplace to the sublime. This is one of the definitions of sublime: "to elevate to a high degree of spiritual purity or excellence; of such excellence, grandeur or beauty as to inspire awe". What institutes this miraculous change in our physical form and spiritual substance? We will see an answer as we contnue in our Sabbath portion for this week. In the next reading, as Moses and the people were told by the LORD to leave Mt. Sinai and continue onward through the wilderness, Moses requested a change to the sublime through grace from the LORD. Moses said to the LORD: "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 might find grace in your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.' And He (the LORD) said, 'My presence (panim - face, faces, presence, in the face of) will go with you, and I will give you rest." (Ex. 33:12-14, see also Ex. 34:8-9). Moses continued: "...So we shall be separate (pala - sever, separated, set apart, be distinguished, wonderfully, marvellously), Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.' So the LORD said to Moses, 'I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name." (v. 15-17). From his position of having found grace with the LORD, Moses had persuaded God to be present among His people, who had just sinned grievously by worshipping the golden calf idol, and to cause Moses and the people to be separated and distinguished from all of the other people on earth. They would become "different". However, Moses wasn't done seeking the sublime from God through His grace. Moses said to the LORD: "Please, show me Your glory." (v. 18). The LORD granted the request of Moses, but it would only be possible to accomplish as God pronounced His grace and mercy to and upon (aleph-tav) whom He chose (v. 19), and as Moses (aleph-tav) stood on a rock and sheltered in a cleft in a rock, with God's (aleph-tav) hand (v. 23) covering him. Then Moses would be able to see the glory of God's (aleph-tav) back (v. 20-23). This shelter in the rock's cleft became a kind of tabernacle or tent in a way. As we will see, the tabernacle becomes a touching place between heaven and earth, between God and man. It is a place where the commonplace becomes the sublime. In another reading selection for this week's Sabbath, King Solomon, in the Book of Ecclesiastes, used all of His wisdom and knowledge to contemplate what under heaven may exist that rose above the commonplace, or vanity, into the sublime. In Hebrew, this book is called Qoheleth from the root word qahal, which means "assembly, congregation, gathering". The Greek title of the book, Ecclesiastes, comes from the root word ekklesia, meaning "called out assembly, congregation, church". So Solomon's words are for a gathered people, which is appropriate for the Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles. This is how Solomon described his search through his gift of wisdom: "I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I set (aleph-tav) my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised (ana - humble, afflict, troubled, become low, bow down, be humbled, chasten oneself). I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed all is vanity, and grasping for wind." (Eccl. 1:12-14). Solomon wrote that men knew that there was a difference between the commonplace and the seemingly unattainable sublime: "All things are full of labor; man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied, nor the ear filled with hearing." (Eccl. 1:8). Men knew that there was something more that was needed. Solomon acknowledged how he had been gifted in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, more than all others in Jerusalem. He acknowledged that he had accomplished great works, great riches and great pleasure - all that he had set his hands to do, yet, all of these things had not lifted him from the commonplace into the sublime. All of these things would disappear or just pass to someone else when he died. It was all therefore vanity (v. 16-17, 2:4-11). Solomon in his gift of wisdom considered the dark days that were to come, a description that matches the prophesied tribulation of the end times (Eccl. 12:1-8). All he could say was "Remember now (aleph-tav) your Creator...before the difficult days come" (v. 1). He said, "The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright - words of truth. The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars (meaning masters of assemblies) are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd...Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: "Fear (aleph-tav) God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil." (v. 10-14). The wisest man on earth could not find a way in his own strength to change the commonplace into the sublime, except to "Fear (aleph-tav) God". There is no method, including philosophies, or various religious practices of the world, by which man can attain the sublime under heaven. However, it is possible and already accomplished though our (aleph-tav) Lord, who joined heaven and earth in Himself. (see Col. 1:19-20, 2 Cor. 5:16-19). In another Sabbath reading portion for this week, a younger King Solomon called a gathering or assembly of all of the (aleph-tav) elders and people of Israel for the Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles (see 1 Kings 8:65-66), where the (aleph-tav) Ark (aron/ara - chest/pluck [grapes from the vine], to collect, gather, a manger, a lamb) of the LORD would be brought up (ala - ascend, to meet, to be made to go up, be brought up, be taken away, draw up, train, be carried away, be taken up into, to lift oneself, exalt, excel, go from a lower region to a higher, to be made to depart, go up to the sanctuary) from the city of David, Zion, and placed in the newly constructed temple in Jerusalem. (1 Kings 8:1-6). As the priests set the Ark, the glory cloud of God filled the Temple, so that the anointed, set-apart priests could not continue ministering (v. 10-13). According to the prayer of Solomon, the Temple became a house of prayer where all people could come, seek the LORD, and God would hear and answer. As a result of prayer in this Temple/Tabernacle, repentance would be received, sins could be forgiven, plagues and judgments could be stopped, and lands could be healed. The sublime became accessible, and change manifested in the earth and people. We are not talking about a religious building, however, when we speak of Tabernacles. We are talking about a spiritual place where the commonplace becomes the sublime, where heaven touches earth, and God shares His presence with men. Some examples of this kind of tabernacle: the sojourner in a strange land, Abraham, sat before his tent, where God visited him, and prophesied the miraculous birth of a son of promise to elderly Abraham and his wife, childless Sarah; the fugitive on the run for his life, Jacob, laid on the ground with his head on a rock, and saw a ladder that reached between heaven and earth. He saw angels ascending and descending the ladder. Jacob called the place, Bethel, the House of God, because the commonplace faded away into the sublime; the miracle son of promise, Isaac, brought his new bride, who was a sign and an answer to prayer, into his tent, and their descendants became the nation of Israel; in a common stable near Bethlehem, a Savior was born, and the heavens opened and the angels declared the glory and good will of God to all the people of the earth. The commonplace became the sublime. There is another tabernacle of God's dwelling where heaven and earth touch and the commonplace becomes the sublime. It is in the hearts and bodies of believers in Christ (1 Cor. 3:16-17, 1 Cor. 6:19-20). There is one more definition of sublime that would be interesting to look at, and that definition comes from science! True science, unlike false science, never contradicts the Word of God, but confirms and bears witness to it. What can science tell us about the sublime? Here is the scientific definition from chemistry and physics: "of a solid changing directly into a vapor, skipping the liquid state". The example of solid carbon dioxide, or dry ice, is given, as the solid that seems to "disappear" as it turns to carbon dioxide gas. However, sublimation is considered a rare phenomenon. It only takes place in solids that have a very different kind of molecular structure. The change from solid to vapor is not achieved by heat, but by the solid's vapor pressure being equal to applied atmospheric pressure. These sublime solids have a much higher vapor pressure than most other solids. Their internal molecular structure is different from other solids. We will see how the creation mirrors the truths of its Creator in this case. When Paul wrote about our change into the sublime, as it is with these rare solids, it involves a change in the atmosphere. In his verses regarding the raising of the dead in Christ, and the catching away of the living saints, this occurs when Jesus descends into the atmosphere, into the clouds. We are then instantly changed in form and nature. This is very similar to the atmospheric pressure's effect upon the internal vapor pressure of the sublime solids. Sublimation among solids is rare. Jesus told us that salvation is also rare: "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way which leads to life, there are few who find it." (Mt. 7:13-14). Although God desires all to repent and be saved (2 Pet. 3:9), not all do. Sublime solids are also created differently from the start. Their rare and different molecular structure allows them to skip liquid form, and transition directly to gas. Scripture indicates that believers in Christ are also created differently: "But as many as received Him (Jesus as Savior), to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (Jn. 1:12-13). Jesus also said regarding a believer's different creative substance: "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born (gennao/genos/ginome - begat, born, fathered, bring forth/kindred, offspring, individuals of the same nature/come into existence, arise, appear, of miracles, wrought, be fulfilled, be married to) again (anothen/ano - from above, from a higher place, of things which come from heaven or God,from the beginning, again/up, above, on high, of heaven), he cannot see (herao - see, perceive, know by experience) the kingdom of God...Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." (Jn. 3:3, 5-8). Notice that the meaning of the phrase "born again" is very deep, and perhaps differs from our usual understanding. These verses of Christ speak to our very origin and structure. The scientific definition of sublime solids, which we saw earlier, creates an interesting picture for us as we consider these words of Jesus. Jesus also added that He knew these things because, as One who both ascended to heaven, and came down from heaven, He is a witness to this Himself (v. 11-13). The Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles has a great deal of meaning to us, as do all the feasts of the LORD. It is the covering, the dwelling, and the Presence/Face of the LORD, and the transformation from old to new, and from the commonplace into the sublime. It is the joining of heaven and earth, and God and man. There is also more information on the Feast of Tabernacles, if you are interested, in the Featured Post column on the right side of this page, in a post titled "Culmination". If you would like to learn more about this very special time for God's people, you can join me in my prayer: "Heavenly Father, You sent Your own Son, Jesus, to earth so that I can become one of Your children, and through Him, to reconcile all things to Yourself. Through Your Son and Holy Spirit, You have made me Your tabernacle where heaven and earth touch, and all things, including myself, are transformed. Teach me more about what it means to be born from the Water of Your Word, Jesus, and Your Spirit, so that I may walk in that knowledge of You, especially as we grow nearer to the harvest of souls and that great ingathering into Your heavenly kingdom from the four corners of the earth. Write Your Words in my heart and upon my mind. I ask these things in the name of Jesus. AMEN."

theRock

This Sabbath's reading portion is titled Ha-azinu, which means "Listen". This portion is read on the Sabbath before the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. The Day of Atonement is different from all the other feasts that the LORD commanded His people to keep. It is the only feast in which the LORD commands: "...you shall afflict (ana - humble, bowed down, weaken oneself, submit self, oppression and sorrow, to furrow the ground, to bring the earth into cultivation; hear, answer, bear, cry, respond as a witness, pay attention, to make answer, to give account, speak, shout, sing) (aleph-tav) your souls..." (Lev. 23:26-32). The afflicting of one's soul is interpreted to mean that God's people should pray, confess, and repent with fasting. It is a most solemn day. Under the Law of Moses, the atonement for sin took place in the deepest part of the tabernacle, the Holy of Holies, where the High Priest could enter only once a year on this appointed day to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice of atonement upon the Mercy Seat that covered the Ark of the Testimony. The tablets containing the Ten Commandments were inside the Ark. This atonement blood would cover the sins of the people for one year only. Jesus fulfilled this prophetic appointed feast by entering the Holy of Holies in heaven with His own blood as the atoning sacrificial covering for our sins. His sacrifice is not made yearly, as under the Law, but was made once, for all time. (Heb. 9:11-15, 23-26, 10:1,3-4). As I read the Sabbath portion for this week, I saw something about the Day of Atonement, and its fulfilment accomplished by the atoning blood of Christ, that I had not considered before: it was this Atonement that was the very foundation of all creation. We already know the scripture from Revelation calling Jesus "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (Rev. 13:8). In another example, if we look closely at the Hebrew in Genesis 1:1, which starts "In the beginning...", God is written as Elohim aleph-tav. The individual pictographic Hebrew letters, aleph and tav, the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, can individually mean "God + cross". Jesus referred to Himself as "Aleph-Tav" when He said "I am the Alpha and the Omega (as translated into the Greek language), the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Rev. 1:8, 21:6, 22:13). We will see more of the connection between the Atonement and the Foundation of the world in this week's Sabbath reading portion as well. This week's reading includes Deuteronomy 32, which is a song that Moses was commanded by God to teach to all of the people of Israel. His song begins with the phrase "Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; And hear O earth the words out of my mouth." (Deut. 32:1). Moses was singing a declaration of witness to all creation (see above definition of "afflict"). In this song, the LORD prophesies that Israel will turn away from Him, including the offering of sacrifices to demons (v. 17), and the many evils, like war, famine, pestilence and beasts, that would fall upon the children of Israel because of that. He also sang: "They are not His children, because of their blemish...children in whom there is no faith." (v. 5, 20). In describing the anger that is therefore created in God, the song of Moses said: "For a fire is kindled in My anger, and shall burn to the lowest hell; it shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains." (v. 22). Who or what could possibly save His people from such holy and righteous burning anger? It is an anger that will descend to, and set on fire, the very foundations of the earth. At the end of his song, Moses revealed this promise of the LORD: "He will provide atonement (kapar - cover, purge, make atonement, make reconciliation (see also Col. 1:19-20), expiate, cancel, cleanse, forgive, be merciful, pardon, overspread, free from legal charge) for His land and His people", which the people and the Gentiles would receive with rejoicing (v. 43). The promise said that God will provide the covering atonement. Although Israel already had the yearly atonement of animal blood by the Law, this atonement is spoken of in the future tense. God will provide it, rather than the sacrifices of men. As Abraham promised his son, Isaac: "God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." (see Gen. 22:6-8, 13-14). The word translated "provide" here really means much more. Don't let traditional knowledge of men rob you of the depth of the Word of God. As a student of Hebrew scripture brought to my attention, the word translated as "provide" is the Hebrew word ra'a, which really means: "behold, show, appear, foresee, look at, present oneself, to be visible, to be pleased with the sight, approve, look one upon another, present, cause to see, to be taught in visions divinely brought, provide". In these verses from Genesis, Abraham lifted up (nasa - bear/lift up, carry, accept, pardon, forgive, bring forth, extol, exalt, magnify, respect, rise up, desire, marry) his aleph-tav eyes and took (laqah - take, receive, fetch, bring, married, infold, send for, mingle, take for oneself, to receive for care and protection, to receive with the ears) the aleph-tav ram and offered it instead of his son. We who believe in Jesus Christ understand and believe that, as prophesied and promised, the future Atonement that God would send in order to cover His people from the fire of His anger that burns to the bottom of hell, would be His own Son, Jesus. In this song, which is read before the Day of Atonement, Moses refered to the "rock/Rock" seven times, including: "He is the Rock, His work is perfect"; "honey from the rock"; "oil from the flinty rock"; "forsook God... and scornfully esteemed the Rock of His salvation"; "of the Rock who begot you"; "their Rock"; "our Rock". This is the first time in scripture that God is described as a "Rock". This Rock in the Song of Moses is specifically identified as "the Rock of God's salvation". The Hebrew word for "rock" is sur, which means "rock, cliff, block of stone, boulder, refuge, beauty, strength, sharp, a sharpened tool made of rock used to circumcise, also to bind, distress, lay siege, fortify, adversaries". The same "Rock" that is a refuge and salvation for some, is war against another. We take it for granted now that God is our Rock, but it must have seemed strange when, for the first time, Moses repeatedly referred to the LORD in this way. Why would God identify Himself to Moses as the Rock, and what did it have to do with atonement? Moses and the people had already had two special experiences with "a rock" in the wilderness that provided enough water for all the people, and their flocks and herds (Ex. 17:1-7, Num. 20:2-11). As we will see, so great was this miracle, that it was still being praised as a specific wonder of God on behalf of His people centuries later in the Psalms (Ps. 105:41, 114:8). The New Testament reveals that this Rock in the wilderness was Christ (1 Cor. 10:2-4). Jesus Himself told of how He was the source of the living water of everlasting life that never runs out (Jn. 4:10, 13-14, Jn. 7:37-3). Here is an interesting scientific point that bears witness to the idea of rock as water found in the natural creation (true science, as opposed to false science, always bears witness to the Word of God). Water can be locked inside of two minerals: ringwoodite and wadslyite. These minerals are found only in the earth's mantle, the foundational rock of the earth. The depth of this mantle rock extends to 250-410 miles below the earth's surface. The amount of water contained in this mantle rock may be more than in all of the oceans combined. Steve Jacobsen, a geologist at Northwestern University said that because of the depth of this mantle rock, "It is not accessible. It's not a resource in any way." (as reported by NBC News). Man cannot access this impossibly deep foundational rock by any human means, yet the Rock followed Israel in the wilderness, and gushed forth abundant precious water when there was none to be found. In another reading portion from Ha-azinu, or "listen", Sabbath lesson before the Day of Atonement, we are again brought to the Rock: "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence...For who is God except the LORD? And who is a rock except our God?...and He makes my way perfect...The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, the Rock of my salvation!" (2 Sam. 22:2-3, 32-33, 47, a Psalm of David). Now, in this Psalm, instead of the fire of God's anger being directed at His people, it is directed at the enemies of His people: "Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of heaven (samayim - firmament spread out like a vault over the globe as supported on foundations and columns) quaked and were shaken, because He was angry. Smoke went up from His nostrils, and devouring fire from His mouth; coals were kindled by it...the foundations of the world were uncovered, at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of His nostrils." (v. 8-9, 16). This duality, Savior to some and Burning Breath of Fire in anger against an enemy, is included in the meaning of the Hebrew sur Rock as we saw above. Another reading from this week's Sabbath before the Day of Atonement recalls the rock known to Moses that yielded water for the people of God, as mentioned previously: "He split the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink in abundance like the depths (tehom/hamam - deep, depth, deep places, primeval ocean, abyss, deep hollows in the earth, subterranean water supply/break, consume, crush). He also brought streams out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers. Behold He struck the rock (see Isa. 53:4 - "stricken... smitten") so that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed...In spite of this they still sinned, and did not believe in His wondrous works...they returned and sought earnestly for God. Then they remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God their Redeemer...(He) chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved...He also chose David His servant...to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance." (Psalm 78, excerpt). David and Judah were named in connection to this. From both Judah and David, Jesus was descended in flesh as prophesied, and called Himself "the Good Shepherd" of His flock (Jn. 10:11, 14-16). As the assigned reading for this Sabbath before the Day of Atonement indicates, the atonement to be sent by God in the Song of Moses is also mentioned in connection to the foundational Rock of His salvation. Did you ever wonder why man was formed from the dust (apar - dust, earth, powder, ore, pulverize) of the ground? (see Gen. 3:19). I can't say for sure, but it is interesting that dust is the product of Rock that has been crushed by weathering, and we know that man was created in God's own image. Perhaps it is the image of the crushed (daka - bruise, break in pieces, beat in pieces, crushed, shattered, crumble, crush to pieces) Christ mentioned in Isa. 53:10. Here is yet another hint that the Atonement was the foundation of the world and creation. Man, it can be argued, was created from the Atonement sacrifice of Christ "from the foundation of the world". Let's look at some more verses that refer to the connection of Jesus to the (atonement) foundation of creation: John 1:1-4 - "All things were made through (dia - the channel of an act, by, through, with, because of) Him (The Word, Christ)..."/ 2 Tim. 1:9: "(God) who has saved us and called us...in Christ Jesus before time began"/ Heb. 1:1-2: God who...by His Son...through whom also He made the worlds...purged our sins"/ 1 Pet. 1:18-20: "You were...redeemed...with the precious blood of Christ, was of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you...". Before God, Elohim aleph-tav, created the world, the Lamb of God was slain for our salvation and atonement, and all things were made through Him, the living Word. I hope that I have been able to express the vision of the Atonement blood of Jesus Christ for the purging of our sin as a foundational work from the beginning, and before the beginning, of all creation, including the creation of man. Worthy is the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world! If salvation and atonement through Jesus Christ are indeed the foundation upon which all of creation was established, the LORD insists in Lev. 23 that we cannot disregard it in favor of our own self-righteousness. The Day of Atonement is a Day appointed by the LORD to allow us to humbly confess and acknowledge His foundational sacrifice of Atonement for our benefit. He saw our need even before we knew that we needed it: "But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." (Rom. 5:8-10). If you would like to know more about the priceless Atonement covering and purging our sins, you can join with me in my prayer: "Father of heaven and earth, You sent Your Son, Jesus, as the Atonement for my sins. His own blood has been sprinkled on the Mercy Seat for me. He was the Lamb sacrificed for this purpose from and before the foundation of the world. Moses sang of this Atonement, and taught all of the children of Israel his song. Not only Atonement, but also the living waters of salvation and eternal life are poured from the Rock of our Salvation. By Your Word and Spirit help me to build my house of faith dug deep with its foundation laid on the Rock (Lk. 6:47-48). I ask this in the name of Jesus. AMEN."

AWE

This Sabbath falls on the Feast of Trumpets, or Yom Teruah. Trumpets have a special significance to the LORD, and to His people. Trumpets announce a warning, a call to battle, a time to rejoice, and they are a call to assemble together before the LORD. For believers in Christ, trumpets also signify the sound of the return of the Lord Jesus to gather His people, both the living and the dead, to meet Him in the clouds, and to be with Him from that moment forever forward (1 Cor. 15:51-57). From the day of the Feast of Trumpets until the Day of Atonement, which is also signified by a great trumpet, there are ten days that are referred to as The Days of Awe. The appointment of the ten days interim by the LORD was not an accident. These ten days are set aside as a time of prayer, self-examination, and repentance. The Hebrew word for the number "ten" is eser/asar, which means "ten, 10x/tithe, tenth, enrich, wealthy, prosper, happy, to be straight". The number ten also represents the complete congregation, body, kingdom, gathering, union. Ten, in the pictographic Hebrew alphabet, is represented by the letter yod, which means "hand", and "a finished work". The number ten also portrays the time of judgment when men either receive rewards or receive divine justice against themselves. So spiritually speaking, something of great importance in the eyes of the LORD is accomplished and finished in these ten interim days between the two feasts. The blessing said to one another on the Feast of Trumpets is "May you be inscribed (in the book)". A believer in Christ understands the "book" mentioned as "the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world", as mentioned in Rev. 13:8-9. The title of this week's Sabbath reading is Va-Yelech, a kind of "part 2" to last week's reading. This week's Sabbath is also called Shuvah, which means "to return". This is a tine to return to the LORD, which is the goal of the Ten Days of Awe also. I know that we feel many things for the LORD, but do we feel AWE? One definition of the word awe is "a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder". Do we reverence Him with the reverence which He deserves? It seems to me that we treat our Great God more with familiarity than reverence. Do we enter church or synagogue in a spirit of reverence knowing we are about to open His Word, and stand before His Presence in worship and praise? When we come before our God in prayer, is it with reverence and wonder, or is it instead with a shopping list of our needs and desires? Do we fear our heavenly Father in the same way that we might fear or dread disappointing our earthly fathers? Are our hearts and days filled with wonder (a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration caused by something beautiful, unexpected, or inexplicable) at His words and works? Most of us, being honest, may admit that the answer to these questions is "no", or perhaps "sometimes". We too then need a shuvah return to our Lord, our first love, our primary focus and reason for being (Rev. 2:4-5). Do we feel reverence and wonder when we consider how Jesus fulfilled the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, for us as our High Priest, sprinkling His own sacrificed blood upon the Mercy Seat of God in heaven in order to cover the curse of the Law that comes against those who break it? (Heb. 9:11-15). It is Christ's fulfilment of this Feast that became the redemption for our transgressions because "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (see Heb. 10:28-31). We cannot treat this as "a common thing" (v. 29). The reverence, fear, and wonder of this finished work of God should be with us every day. If it is not, then, again, we need a shuvah return to our Lord. In the readings from the prophets for this Sabbath, the Word of the LORD calls God's people to return to Him. Hosea wrote: "O Israel, return to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled (kasal - waver, tottering, stumble, stagger, feeble, made weak, bereaved, overthrown, wearied, fail) because of your iniquity; Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to Him, 'Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, for we will offer the sacrifices of our lips. Assyria shall not save us, we will not ride on horses, nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, 'You are our gods'. For in You the fatherless finds mercy." (Hos. 14:1-3). Often in scripture, the LORD must deliver judgment upon His people because they have left Him, and have chosen the ways of evil and wickedness, including the harming of others. However, I do not hear this kind of judgment when I read these words in Hosea. I hear God being concerned because He sees His people stumbling and falling, growing weaker because of the iniquities which they carry. They have relied upon other men, and the work of their own hands instead of Him. The LORD tells them to return to Him, and He makes it very simple for them: "Take words with you". They need only bring Him "the sacrifices of our lips". Immediately, the LORD promises: "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him. I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall grow like the lily...his beauty shall be like an olive tree, and his fragrance like Lebanon." v. 4-6). The beauty and reviving pleasure of the LORD awaits us in our shuvah return to Him. Just take your words with you as you turn to Him. In another portion from this Sabbath's reading from the prophet Micah we can read: "Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me...He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness...Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." (Mic. 7:7-9, 18-19, 2 Cor. 5:21). Psalm 25 says: "The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way...For Your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity for it is great. For who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses." As we saw above, the number ten is associated in part with the completed, unified body or congregation. With all of the divisions that exist within the congregation of the God of Israel, the Ten Days of Awe are a perfect opportunity, given to us by God, for the complete congregation, both Jews and Gentiles, to be unified in returning to the LORD our God. There is a time when God will judge all unrighteousness, and scripture tells us that the judgment begins in the House of the LORD (1 Peter 4:17). These Ten Days of Awe, which the LORD has provided for us, calls His people to assemble together in order to bring our words and return to Him. He will revive us in the beauty of His holiness, as the prophet saw, and He will revive our reverence, fear, and wonder of Him. If you would like to know more about returning to the LORD, you can join with me in prayer: "LORD God, I bring my words to You, to return to You, to have reverence, fear in honor and wonder towards You, and Your mighty works. . The trumpet will sound, and I will remember and proclaim the atonement that was made for me by the blood of the Lamb of God. The trumpet will sound, and I will rejoice that my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life- the Lamb who was slain for my salvation, and redemption, from before the foundation of the world. The trumpet will sound, and I will call upon Your mercy and pardon. The trumpet will sound, and I will fall to my knees in reverence and AWE. The trumpet will sound, and I will be taken up to meet Jesus, to remain forever with Him. In Jesus' name, I pray this. AMEN."

Law&Spirit

The Apostle Paul walked in revelation from the Lord, and preached the Gospel of salvation in synagogues and among the Gentiles in various nations. His writings comprise most of the New Testament. He was trained in the Law of Moses under one of the most respected and honored rabbis of his time, Gamaliel the elder, who was a Pharisee as Paul was, and who also held a chief position in the Sanhedrin, the ruling Jewish Council during the first century. Gamaliel is still known today as one of Israel's greatest teachers of scripture. Gamaliel is mentioned in the New Testament in Acts 5:33-42. Early in the history of the Church, the apostles were brought before the Council for judgment, and Gamaliel, one who was respected by all, said of their forbidden preaching: "...I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it - lest you even be found to fight against God." This advice was accepted by the Council, and the apostles were ultimately released. Later in time, Paul would have an encounter with Christ in His glory speaking to him from heaven, and Paul would become a dedicated believer and then teacher to the churches he founded. Paul said of his own Torah background before he personally encountered the glorified Jesus: "I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city (Jerusalem) at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictures of our fathers' law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today..." (Acts 22:3). The high priest and Council of elders of Jerusalem could attest to Paul's zealousness for the law (v. 5). With these credentials, as well as having been a student of Gamaliel, Paul was welcomed to teach in any synagogue. If someone was looking for a Torah expert, one probably could not find a greater expert than Paul. Yet Paul said of himself: "...I was formerly a blasphemer, persecutor, and an insolent man...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." (1 Tim. 1:13, 15). Paul said that he found mercy with the Lord, because the persecution that he did, he did in the ignorance of unbelief (v. 13). Even as an apostle, Paul acknowledged in a letter to the Church in Rome what many of us would have difficulty admitting: "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice....For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (rom. 7:18-25). Because of his very personal understanding of this struggle, and his deep study of the Word of God, Paul never lost his great gratitude and zeal for what Christ had mercifully achieved for him. Paul is an example of someone who studied the Law and the Prophets, but still missed God in the time of His visitation (Lk. 19:41-44), and severely persecuted those who did receive Him. How did Paul account for this duality? He marked the difference between those who worship God in the Spirit, and those who worship God in the flesh (in which dwells no good thing -Rom. 7:18 above). This is what Paul wrote to the Church at Philippi in Greece: "For we are the circumcision who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin,, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things (of fleshly identity and accomplishment) were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ." (Phil. 3:3-7). Jesus also spoke of the time when true worshippers would worship God, not according to their natural circumstances and characteristics or religious dogmas, but "in spirit and truth", because God is Spirit. Jesus spoke this revelation to a Samaritan woman of immoral reputation, the last kind of person with which the religious Jews would discuss spiritual matters (Jn. 4:23-24). However Jesus waited alone at a well just for the purpose of encountering her in order to reveal this life-changing truth. Paul said that all of his ethnic and "religious" identity and strict observance really meant nothing when contrasted with his faith and life in Christ. Yet we may argue that our flesh keeps us alive, moves us through work and life. However, the Word of God disagrees: "...they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being..." (Acts 17:27-28). We do not live because of our flesh, but we live in Him, the Lord God, who is Spirit. Our minds fight against this idea, but even our minds need to be washed and regenerated in the Word of God (Rom. 12:1-2, Eph. 5:25-27). Even this must be a work of Word and Spirit together. What does all of this have to do with this week's Sabbath reading portion? Hopefully, we will see! This week's portion is a double portion titled Nitzvarim (meaning "are standing", from Deut. 29:10) - Va yelech (meaning "Then he went out", from Deut. 31:1). In this Sabbath reading portion, Moses speaks with great concern about the Israelites understanding of God: "Now Moses called all Israel and said to them: 'You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes...Yet the LORD has not given you a heart to perceive (yada - see below) and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day." (Deut. 29:2-4, excerpt). They were eyewitnesses, and had experienced the miracles of God, but spiritually, they didn't have a clue as to who God was because the LORD had withheld this from them. Moses knew that he would die soon, and he dreaded what would become of the people of the LORD because they were without this spiritual revelation of God. Moses as a prophet even saw the time, almost a thousand years in the future, when the Israelites would go into captivity because they had turned away from the LORD. (Deut. 30:1-4). After returning the Israelites from this prophesied captivity: "And the LORD your God will circumcise your (aleph-tav [same as Alpha and Omega Jesus in Rev. 1:8, 21:6, 22:13]) heart and the (vaw [nail]-aleph-tav) heart of your descendants, to love the (aleph-tav) LORD (YHWH - yod, he, vaw, he - "Behold the hand, behold the nail") your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live (hay/haya/hava - life, live, revival, renewed, sustenance/live, save, revive, quicken, restored to life and health, revive from death/to breathe, to show, declare)." (Deut. 30:6). This is a work of transformation by the Spirit , as we see the Hebrew word for "life", accomplished by the aleph-tav LORD, not by man's determination or flesh. The end result is a circumcised aleph-tav heart of love for the LORD, rather than a religious observance of the flesh. This is what leads to life, a life revived from the dead. Moses said to them: "...for I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. If today, while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the LORD, then how much more after my death?" (Deut. 31:27). He wanted to impress upon the Israelites that the Word of God is not just words written on a tablet or page, to read and know with the head, "But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it...I command you today to love the (aleph-tav) LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land...that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life, and your length of days..."" (Deut. 30:11-20, excerpt). When Moses referred to the Word being in their mouths, which is profession and confession, and in their hearts, which is faith or belief, it brings to my mind the way of personal salvation that Paul wrote of in Romans 10:8-11: "But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." This is directly from the command of Moses to the people of God. The transforming Word resides in our hearts and mouths because we love the LORD God, as Moses said. Jesus also said that this is the great commandment of the law (Lk. 10:25-28, Mt. 22:35-40). Moses stressed that the LORD Himself was with them, and would cross over before them into the Promised Land to defeat the nations inhabiting it: "The LORD your God Himself crosses over before you...He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you...do not fear nor be dismayed." (Deut. 31:3, 6,8, see also Mt. 28:18-20). The people had already seen the LORD and His mighty miracles, and Moses told them that the LORD went with them, but He was still far from their hearts. Moses wanted the people to know God by the Spirit, as he knew God. How could he communicate this vital thing to a people who had declared that they did not want to hear directly from God? (Ex. 20:18-21, Deut. 5:23-27). Yet, it was knowledge that was necessary for them to understand if they were to live, and Moses was running out of time. In another reading portion from this Sabbath in Isaiah 61, the prophet wrote: "The Spirit of the LORD God is upon Me..." (v. 1). We know that Jesus proclaimed this same prophecy fulfilled as He read it in the synagogue (see Lk. 4:16-21). It is by the Spirit of the LORD that miraculous transformation occurs in this chapter of Isaiah. There is, by the Spirit of the LORD, a relationship between the LORD Messiah and His people, who are made priests and ministers of God, that is compared to a Bridegroom and a Bride (v. 10). It also says: "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in My God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness." (v. 10). The earth and the nations will witness this revival and transformation in God's people by the Spirit of God (v. 11). We can see that we do not clothe ourselves, according to Isaiah's prophecy, with these spiritual garments, but the LORD clothes us as He pardons our sins. It is a spiritual transformation, not achieved by the flesh. In a similar example from scripture, the prophet Zechariah records a vision in which the High Priest Joshua has his filthy garments removed from him as the Angel of the LORD says: "See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes." And then the Angel of the LORD tells Joshua to keep the LORD's commands, and walk in His ways. (Zech. 3:1-10). In Isaiah 63, another Sabbath reading for this week, regarding mention of the love, lovingkindnesses and mercies by which the LORD redeemed His children who had turned from him, the (aleph-tav) Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of the LORD, is mentioned three times, including, "But they (Israel) rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit" (v. 10). It is interesting to note that Isaiah also prophesied in this chapter of a people who call God their "Father", but of whom Abraham was ignorant, and Israel does not acknowledge, yet the LORD their Father from everlasting redeemed them (v. 16). The term "everlasting" is connected to the Father" in only one other place in scripture. It is found in the prophecy of the birth of the Messiah, the Savior (Jesus) and His titles and names in Isa. 9:6-7. The concept that Paul taught regarding the importance of the Spirit of the Lord in the life of the believer has its roots in Moses and the Prophets. It is by the Spirit of God that the people of God are revived and restored. The Word of God (Jesus: Jn. 1:1-3) and the Spirit of God were never meant to be separated from each other. Jesus, the Word, is in fact the Baptizer or Sender of the Holy Spirit upon man (Mt. 3:11, Jn. 15:26). Scripture was not written by men's beliefs, but is given by inspiration of God (theopneustos/pneo - divinely breathed in/to breathe, to blow, breeze) (2 Tim. 3:16). Scripture is not subject to man's (flesh) interpretation, but must be joined with the same Holy Spirit breath by which it was created: "...knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of any private (idios - his own, part, pertaining to self) interpretation (epilysis/epilyo/lyo - unloosing, interpretation, application, explanation/unloose, untie,/to loose, break, destroy, dissolve, break down, to do away with), for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (2 Pet. 1:20). In another reading portion from this Sabbath, Jeremiah wrote the Word of the LORD concerning the true and ultimate disposition of His Word, and it just happens to repeat what Moses had told the people of Israel that they must understand: "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the (aleph-tav) house of Israel and the (vaw-aleph-tav) house of Judah - not according to the (aleph-tav) covenant that I made with their (aleph-tav) fathers...My covenant which they broke (see Deut. 29:25), though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the (aleph-tav) house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My (aleph-tav) law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his (aleph-tav) neighbor and every man his (aleph-tav) brother, saying, 'Know (yada - know, perceive, distinguish, confess (see Rom. 10:8-10), admit, acknowledge, revealed, know by experience) the (aleph-tav) LORD', for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (Jer. 31:31-34). This, the LORD said, He promised with love out of His everlasting love, and loving kindness (v. 3). If you would like to learn more about the work of the Spirit of the LORD in our obeying, and living by the Word of God, and His essential transformational work in us, you can pray with me: "Dear Everlasting Father, I ask that You show me the work of truth by Your Spirit in my life, and by Your Spirit, put Your Word in my heart, mind, and mouth, so that I can be changed by it, and conformed to it. Help me not to rely on my flesh or my own understanding in order to walk with You and in Your ways, but guide me by Your Spirit. Deliver me from false confidence in my own righteousness, and clothe me with the salvation and righteousness of my Savior, Jesus. I ask these things in the name of Jesus. AMEN."

Carried

When the Israelites entered in to the Promised Land, they did not enter in with just themselves. They carried Joseph's bones in with them (Gen. 50:22-26, Ex, 13:19, Josh. 24:32), and they carried the tabernacle, including the Ark of the Covenant containing the Word of God, in with them. There is great significance to the carrying in of Joseph's bones with the Israelites. Joseph's name means: "Jehovah has added"; increase, to be joined, to join oneself to". Joseph's marriage to an Egyptian, and the children produced by this marriage, Manasseh and Ephraim, also represented the joining of Egyptian Gentiles to the tribes of Israel. However, in addition to these things, I think that there was a prophetic warfare that was to be accomplished as the Israelites entered in, which we will see. God's people don't just enter a place, or a situation, without bringing a type of prophetic warfare in with them. This week's Sabbath reading is titled Ki Tavo, meaning "When you come in". It comes from the first verse of Deut. 26, as God gave a command regarding what the Israelites were to do when they come in to the land that God has given them as an inheritance: "...you shall take some of the first of all the produce (increase) of the ground from your land (eres - country, land, whole earth, nations, land of the living, continent) that the LORD your God is giving you, and put it in a basket and go to the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide." (Deut. 26:2). The Israelite was to bring this basket of third year (see v. 12) first fruits of the ground to the priest, and make a proclamation over it. When the LORD used to phrase "come in" above regarding the land, it is the word bo, which does mean to come in, or enter. However, it also means "to carry in, lead in". Bo also means: "go in to war, attack an enemy, besiege". There is warfare attached to bo, "to enter in". Bo, "enter in" also includes in its meaning "a bride enters in to the house of the husband, to enter into a chamber, have intercourse". As we can see, there is a marriage meaning attached to the Hebrew word bo. There is also a prophetic meaning to the word bo: "bring to pass, come to pass, be fulfilled, come upon suddenly". So this is not only about coming in to the land. The Israelites would be carrying something prophetic into the land with them, something that is accompanied by warfare - natural or spiritual, and something that will establish a marriage intimacy, as entering into a marriage chamber. This bo warfare will be attached to taking the first fruits of the increase of the land from the third year, and offering it to the LORD (v. 2). The word "take" used here is the Hebrew word laqah, meaning "receive, take, carry away, married, take a wife, take in marriage, accept, infold". This is yet more marriage imagery given to us in this word laqah. The first fruits are to come from the ground, or adama/adam, meaning: "ground, land, the whole inhabited world/red, make red, show red, dyed red, emit redness, to show blood, red as wine in a cup". Whatever the Israelites were to spiritually carry in is not limited to themselves only, but encompassed the whole inhabited world. It is connected to marriage, and it shows the redness of blood or wine. We can't help but see the identity of Jesus, the Firstfruits of the Third Day Resurrection (see 1 Cor. 15:20-21), in this description, and the believers in Christ also referred to in scripture as first fruits (of creation) sharing in His resurrection (see James 1:18), both Jew and Gentile out of the whole earth, who are His Bride. As is included in the meaning of bo, or "enter in", nothing short of a marriage covenant relationship with the Lord is required (Eph. 5:25-28). It is all here. The Israelites were to act out, or rehearse this great prophetic promise, not just to Israel, but to all living in all the world (Jn. 3:16-17).. It was specified that the Israelite was to place the first fruits in a basket (v. 2) to be presented to the priest. The word "basket" is tene, and means "to weave, interlaced". A basket is a receptacle made of various interlacing pieces of straw or reed. It is not constructed of one piece, but of many pieces tightly woven together. This brings to my mind how Paul spoke of the branches that grow from the holy root of salvation. Not only were the Gentile branches grafted in, but the natural Jewish branches, even more so. Psul also said that the interweaving of Jewish and Gentile believers in Christ would mean "life from the dead".(Rom. 11:15-18, 24, 26). In this case, we are to be interwoven together to contain the offering of first fruits, the resurection of Christ. When this offering is brought to the priest, the LORD commanded the Israelite to say (amar - utter, promise, say, certify, publish): "I declare..." (v. 3). The word "declare" is nagad, which means "declare, show forth, messenger, avow, acknowledge, confess, announce, report, stand boldly opposite something, rehearse, predict, expose, be courageous". This was to be a declaration that would establish something prophetically. And that declaration is attached to the third year first fruits. And this declaration is not just for Israel, but for the whole inhabited earth, woven together inseparably. And this declaration is connected to the marriage chamber, and the redness of blood, and cup of wine. It is an offering to be made with rejoicing (v. 11, 14), and to be shared with the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow (see previous post titled "The Vulnerable"). This reading portion from Deut. 26 is paired with Isaiah 60 from the haftorah. Isaiah prophesied of how the Gentiles from all over the world would come to the risen light: "For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the LORD (YHWH: Yod, He, Vaw, He- "Behold the hand, Behold the nail") will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness (nogah- brilliancy, shining splendor, as of fire, as God's surrounding glory) of your rising." (Isa. 60:2-3). The darkness that covers the whole earth, and all of its people, is the hosek/hasak darkness of misery, destruction, death, sorrow, wickedness, an underground prison/Hades. The light is a light that rises up (zarah - rise up, shine, break out, come forth [see Jn. 11:43], appear) in the brilliancy of God. The prophetic picture that was to be carried in to the Promised Land included you and me, both Jew and Gentile. Paul wrote of it many times. Moses commanded it as the Word of the LORD to the Israelites. Isaiah saw the glory of it in the light of rising that overcomes the darkness of death and destruction. If you would like to know more about God's promise of salvation to both the Jew and to the Gentile, you can join in my prayer: "Our Father, You had Your people, Israel, carry Your plan of salvation with them into the Promised Land. They did spiritual warfare on my behalf as they entered in to the land, although they did not know me. They prophetically brought me the resurrection light of Christ that saved me from the overwhelming covering darkness of death. And You brought this prophetic promise to the whole inhabited world, when You miraculously caused Your people to enter in to the land that You swore to their forefathers. That land, Israel, is still the focal point of Your King, Messiah, and the whole earth. I pray for the Deliverer who comes out of Zion for the salvation of Israel and all of us (Isa. 59:20-21, Joel 2:2, Rom. 11:26-27). I ask this in the name of Jesus, AMEN."