Above&Beyond

      The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is Sh'mini, meaning "the eighth." The title comes from Leviticus 9:1: "It came to pass on the eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel." It is taught in Judaism that "the eighth" is "one step above/beyond the natural order". The Hebrew word for the eighth, semini, includes this meaning: "eighth, plumpness, plenteous, rich, robust, cover with fat." In other words, there's more to "the eighth" than meets the eye. There is something bigger held within it. There is so much more existing in the meaning of "the eighth" that it is almost full to bursting with fatness! We will see this in the Sabbath reading portions of this week.

     This week's Sh'mini Sabbath portion also includes the recognition of the upcoming anniversary of Israel's modern statehood which was re-established in 1948. This anniversary is called Atz-ma-ut. Within minutes after David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the establishment of the state of Israel in May 1948, the President of the United States, Harry S. Truman, recognized the new state of Israel, making the U.S. the first nation to do so. As with the meaning of sh'mini stated above, we will see that the nation of Israel's purpose goes above and beyond what men might think or expect. Let us begin to reveal this hidden pattern of Sh'mini.

     As Leviticus Ch. 9 begins, Moses instructs Aaron and his sons about the offerings which must be brought to the altar in order to make atonement for themselves and the Israelite congregation. These offerings from the animals must contain the hidden inner fat (heleb - fat, fatness, best, finest, the richest or choice part, the best or most excellent of any kind) from the specified sacrificial offerings (see Lev. 9:9-11, 19-20). Even the grain offering had to be mixed with the fatness of oil (semen/saman - fat, oil, richness, fatness of the earth). The description could stop there, but these sacrifices that included the fatty portions would yield a result above and beyond what an observer might expect. Moses said: "...for today the LORD will appear to you" and "...the glory (kabod - glory, honor, glorious, abundance, riches, splendor, copiousness) of the LORD will appear to you." (Lev. 9:4, 6). The fatness of the glory of the LORD would be appearing (ra'a - look, behold, show, appear, seer, foresee, perceive, discern, to be visible) to His people. Not only would the LORD be visible, but the word ra'a appear also has a prophetic application. Many generations later, the LORD also became visible to us in the appearing of Jesus Christ, "and we beheld His glory". (see Jn. 1:14, Jn. 14:9-11, Col. 2:9). As Moses had prophesied, the LORD did appear after the offerings had been completed: "And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the people, and fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces." (Lev. 9:23-24). This was "the eighth" day above and beyond wonder from the LORD.

     We see another example of a kind of Sh'mini "the eighth" above and beyond work of God in another reading portion from this Sabbath. In 1 Chron. 17, King David tells Nathan the prophet about his desire to build a house for the Ark of the Covenant. The King reasoned that since he dwelt in a fine house of cedar, why shouldn't the Ark be housed in a fine house as well instead of a tent? The prophet Nathan told David to do what was in his heart to do because the LORD was with him. However, that night, Nathan was given a prophetic Word from the LORD for David. Nathan told David the prophetic Word. David would not be building a house for the LORD..."Furthermore I tell you that the LORD will build you a house....I will set up your (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build me a house, and I will establish (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) his throne forever. I will 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. 10-14).

     While this prophetic Word from the LORD was partially fulfilled as one might expect it to be through David's son, Solomon, who did build a house for the LORD, this prophetic Word goes above and beyond in the Spirit of Sh'mini "the eighth" what anyone would have expected.

     The LORD was prophesying that the eternal King, the Messiah/Christ, who would rule forever, would be a seed of David, and David understood this prophetic meaning. After receiving this above and beyond covenant promise of God, King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, O LORD God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?...And now, LORD, You are God, and have promised this goodness to Your servant. Now You have been pleased to bless (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You have blessed it, O LORD, and it shall be blessed forever." (v. 16, 26-27). The LORD poured out His spiritual fatness and goodness towards the house and seed of David, above and beyond what David ever could have expected, and we have Jesus, the Son of David (Lk. 18:35-43), the Messiah/Christ, as our Lord today.

     Both of these blessings from God came as a result of offerings. The first instance included the offerings of the choicest kinds through Moses' Word to Aaron, and this led to the appearance of the LORD and His glory before all of the people. In the second example, David desired to give God an offering from his heart - a cedar house for the Ark of the Covenant, which would be a house like David's, fit for a king. This led to the promise of the Messiah/Christ from David's house, who would rule forever. David described this above and beyond promise as the goodness of God towards him.

     From another reading portion from this Sh'mini "the eighth" Sabbath, David's son King Solomon wrote about an evil which he has seen under the sun. This evil is summed up this way: "If a man begets a hundred children, and lives many years...but his soul is not satisfied with goodness...even if he lives a thousand years twice - but has not seen goodness. Do not all go to one place?" (Eccl. 6:3-6, excerpt). The above and beyond goodness of God is needed, and even hungered for, by the human soul, for those things which are above and beyond the natural order (see the meaning of "the eighth above), no matter how naturally well off that person is. Solomon said that a man's life is a failure without that above and beyond goodness of God.

     From another Sh'mini Sabbath reading portion, the LORD had broken out against and killed one who had touched the Ark of the Covenant while it was being incorrectly moved to the City of David (Jerusalem). After that event: "...David would not move the ark of the LORD into the City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the LORD blessed (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Obed-Edom and all his household." (2 Sam. 6:6-11, excerpt).

     Obed-Edom was faithful in allowing the Ark into his home and among his family, even though the previous mishandling of the Ark had just caused the death of a man. His offering of obedience and reverence was rewarded.

     This is a very interesting example of an above and beyond blessing of God as associated with Sh'mini, "the eighth". Obed-Edom's name means "servant of Edom" or "servant of the flesh". The fact that he is called a Gittite means he is from the Philistine city of Gath, also the hometown of Goliath the giant whom David killed. Perhaps this was not the expected place where one would leave the Ark of the Covenant. However, Obed-Edom must have treated the Ark with the special reverence that it deserved because the LORD blessed his house. There is a hint for us in the fact that the written Hebrew places an aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega prefix before Obed-Edom's name, which associated him with the (fore)knowledge of the identity of Messiah/Christ (see *note below). Obed-Edom would also be named later with the Levites as one of the doorkeepers for the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Ark. (1 Chron. 15:23-25).

     From this Sh'mini "the eighth" Sabbath reading portion, we also have the Atz-ma-ut scriptures to be read for the coming anniversary of Israel's statehood as mentioned above. We will also see that these reading portions fulfill the above and beyond meaning found in Sh'mini, "the eighth". The LORD shows us that Israel is more than just a nation in the earth. Its purpose is above and beyond what one might expect of a geo-political state. The LORD reveals this abundance of meaning: "Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it. Many nations shall come and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.' For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And He shall judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off; 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...So the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion." (Mic. 4:1-7, excerpt, see also Isa. 2:1-4).

     Regarding this nation of Israel, the LORD promises His/Messiah's/Christ's reign of peace, judgment of the nations, and the end to all war. The nations will come to Israel to receive and learn the Word of the LORD. This above and beyond purpose is prophetically hidden in one of the smallest nations on earth, but it is the nation of God's covenant people, and the LORD intends to rule all of the nations from this place upon which He has written His name.

     In Isaiah 60, another reading portion this Sabbath for Atz-ma-ut anniversary, the LORD describes the glory that will bring all of the nations of the earth to Israel. It is resurrection glory: "Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you...The Gentiles/nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising...You shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob...Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; But you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise...Also 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, excerpts).

     It is fitting that the anniversary celebration of the re-establishing of the nation of Israel, and the above and beyond prophetic vision of the LORD towards this nation, be included this year with the Sh'mini, "the eighth", Sabbath reading portion. Let us understand the LORD's miraculous vision for that nation.

     There are many mentions of "the eighth" in scripture that are connected to meaningful and amazing events. However, except for the mention of "the eighth" in Lev. 9:1, above, there are no specific mentions of "the eighth" in the other reading portions from this Sabbath. This leads me to question the Lord as to why none of the other reading selections gathered together under this scheduled Sh'mini Sabbath portion have a specific mention of "the eighth"? For me, this is an example of the wisdom and revelation to be found in the schedule of Sabbath reading portions in general. "The eighth" is not just a specific ordinal number, but it contains a truth that surpasses above and beyond a literal connection to "the eighth". "The eighth" does not express only a physical reality, but the very vision and will of God for man and for the earth. It is an above and beyond vision that man could never have imagined. The New Testament gives us this clarity by saying: "...that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Eph. 3:17-21). Paul was revealing "the eighth" realm to us in this set of verses. As a Jew, he would have studied this Sh'mini Sabbath reading portion.

     As I read these verses written by Paul, above, I can see where he is trying to pull us into the realm of "the eighth", a realm beyond natural knowledge and expectations, and exceedingly abundantly above what we now think and ask of God. It is said that man uses only 10% of his available brain capacity. Perhaps we have kept our understanding of God to the same limitation - 10% of His capabilities and plans for each of us and beyond us, into future generations. That would be a shame. Paul is telling us that we need to be filled with the knowledge of, and the belonging to Christ in order to truly comprehend the above and beyond contained in God, expressed here as "all the fullness of God", and its accessibility to us through Christ, who was the perfect, choicest offering that was provided for us. As believers in Christ, we can begin to desire and reach forth for this above and beyond understanding of the fullness of God meant for us. It is part of our purpose. This is especially important for us to know while living in these turbulent times before the return of Christ. 

     If you would like to learn more about this above and beyond fullness of God in us and for us, you can join me in my prayer: "Almighty God, Heavenly Father, how wonderful are Your thoughts towards me and towards the whole earth! You desire for me to understand the depth and heights of Your fullness as I deepen my joining with Jesus Messiah/Christ, Your beloved Son, and as I seek out the knowledge of Your Holy Spirit. Forgive me for the many times that I have limited Your power and Your will by not understanding that You are absolutely limitless. My Lord, I want to live in the fullness that You have intended for me so that I may walk in Your Ways and draw others to You with that rising light. Renew my mind and create a right spirit in me so that I can know and show others the above and beyond of my Lord. I pray for Your vision for Israel, for Your glory to appear in the midst of it, for Your peace to secure it, and Your rule to reign from it, and the awesome, earth-changing things You have in store for the whole world through that nation and its Messiah/Christ. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.

Kaddish

      This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled Pesach (the seventh day), which means that this Sabbath is also the seventh day of Passover. This year on our calendar it so happens that Sunday, or Pesach (the eighth day), is Resurrection Sunday, the day when Jesus Messiah/Christ rose from the dead three days after His crucifixion. That eighth day of Passover, occurring on Resurrection Sunday this year, is also designated as Yizkor in Hebrew, which is a public memorial service done four times a year in the synagogue for deceased close relatives like parents, children and siblings, and also includes martyrs. A prayer called Kaddish is said, which has existed for approximately two thousand years and is written in the Aramaic language, which was the language of the Jewish people at the time of Jesus Christ. One of the prophets prophesied of a profound mourning period in Jerusalem for an only Son: "And I will pour on the house of David (the house of the Messiah/Christ) and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there shall be great mourning in Jerusalem..." (Zech. 12:10-11). We know from scripture that there was deep mourning for Jesus on the day of crucifixion. (Lk. 23:27-31). Zechariah told us that this deep mourning for the pierced One was not going to be officially mourned in synagogues but would be observed within each household by itself. (v. 12-14). We can see the description of Messiah/Christ in these verses as an only Son (of God), and One who is pierced. We can also understand why there might be no public mourning or memorial in the synagogues but private mourning only for this pierced One for fear of retribution from religious leadership at that time. This prophetic word from Zechariah above struck me in this manner although it will also have a continuing fulfilment in these end times as well.

     However, the traditional Kaddish prayer said in mourning is very interesting because it does not express mourning for the lost loved one, but the exaltation of God instead. In synagogues all over the world this Yizkor memorial Sunday, which is also Resurrection Day this year, this prayer will be said:

     "May the great Name of God be exalted and sanctified, throughout the world, which he has created according to his will. May his Kingship be established in your lifetime and in your days, and in the lifetime of the entire household of Israel, swiftly and in the near future; and say, Amen. May his great name be blessed, forever and ever. Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled, honored, elevated and lauded be the Name of the holy one, Blessed is he – above and beyond any blessings and hymns, praises and consolations which are uttered in the world; and say Amen. May there be abundant peace from Heaven, and life, upon us and upon all Israel; and say, Amen. He who makes peace in his high holy places, may he bring peace upon us, and upon all Israel; and say Amen."

     Similarly, the reading portions of this Pesach, the seventh day Sabbath also declare and exalt God as LORD.

     It has never been God's intention to hide Himself from man. Many of the wondrous works that He has done in scripture are so that His own people, the heathen and the nations would know His identity as the only God and LORD. In this week's Sabbath Pesach/Passover reading portion, The LORD spoke to Moses saying: "...I will harden Pharaoh's (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) heart, so that he will pursue them (the Israelites who have left Egypt); and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD..." (Ex. 14:4). As the LORD instructed Moses to lift up his (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) rod and his (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) hand to divide the Red Sea so that the Israelites could cross through it on dry ground, the LORD said again: "And I indeed will harden the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen." (v. 15-18).

     The great parting of the Red Sea was not just to provide the Israelites a miraculous means of escape, but to leave the Egyptians with no doubt that God is the LORD. He was not an idol that they could see, but His mighty works could be done by no other god. The Egyptians were left with no excuse for their unbelief. By this deliverance of His people, the LORD also made an open show of judgment against the gods of Egypt. (see Ex. 12:12).

     Although the Israelites had scorned Moses for getting them caught in a position between the Sea and Pharaoh's pursuing army (see Ex. 14:10-12), their attitude changed after the miraculous delivery through the Red Sea and the destruction of Pharaoh's army as it was written: "So the LORD saved (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Israel that day out of the hand of the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant, Moses." (Ex. 14:30-31). The victorious song that they sang after this miraculous deliverance said in part: "The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation (yesua/yasa - the Hebrew name of Jesus, salvation, welfare, prosperity, victory, health/savior, avenging, defending, preserved); He is my God, and I will praise Him; my father's God, and I will exalt Him. The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is His name...The LORD shall reign forever and ever." (Ex. 15:2-3, 18).

     The song of Moses and the Israelites was very like the Kaddish prayer written above in the exaltation of God and of His reign. The LORD proved to His people repeatedly by His mighty works that He only was God, LORD and King.

     From another reading from this week's Sabbath, Isaiah also exclaims in the same way as the song of Moses and the Israelites. Isaiah wrote: "Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For YAH, the LORD is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation. Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." (Isa. 12:2-3). What has caused Isaiah's great prophetic Kaddish (see above) exaltation of the LORD God? Isaiah had received the Word of the LORD regarding the Messiah/Christ to come, and of His glorious Kingdom of peace, saying: "For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD." The whole earth shall have knowledge of God through this miraculous Kingdom reign of Messiah/Christ. (see Isa. 11:1-10).

     Later in scripture, from another passage of this week's Pesach/Passover, the seventh day Sabbath reading portion, Moses again reminded the children of Israel of how the LORD made Himself known as God to them: "To you it was shown that you might know that the LORD Himself is God; there is none other besides Him. Out of heaven He let you hear (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) His voice, that He mighty instruct you; on earth He showed you (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire....He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence, and with His mighty power...Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the LORD Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other." (Deut. 4:35-39, excerpt).

     One of the reasons that God wants His people to know that He is God and LORD and that there is no other, is so that they will seek Him and will cry to Him in the latter days as severe trials come upon them knowing that He will answer them and not forsake them. (see Deut. 4:29-31). It would be imperative for their survival that they know exactly who He is and what He can do, and that they keep His commandments so that they may live. (Deut. 4:1).

     Scripture prophesies that there is great trouble coming to the earth before the return of Jesus Messiah/Christ, and the LORD said that we must know our God. (Dan. 11:32). 

     From another reading passage of this Sabbath, Ezekiel brings forth one of the great prophetic visions from the LORD of the resurrection to take place in the Valley of long dead dry bones as the LORD prophesies that He will open the graves of His people and bring them up out of them. In the vision, the dry bones came together with a rattling noise and flesh came upon them. Then Ezekiel prophesied to the breath to breathe on the slain that they may live. The slain stood on their feet and became a great army. This is the army of resurrection. The LORD gave Ezekiel this vision to tell His people in captivity who were saying at the time: "Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!" (Ezek. 37:11). There is a God, the only God, who is not stopped by any kind of death, but overcomes it by His power.

     His people had lost hope and forgotten who the LORD God is and what He can do. With this vision given to Ezekiel came these declarations of the LORD: "Then you shall know that I am the LORD"...."Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) your graves, O My people, and brought you up from (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) your graves...."Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it,' says the LORD." (see Ezek. 37:1-14). The Hebrew word for the opening of the graves also has the meaning of the opening of the mouth, even as the LORD notes that He has spoken it. We will see below the importance of the connection between resurrection and the opening of the mouth.

     The LORD is not willing that His people ever forget who He is or what He can do.

     We must look at Pesach/Passover, the eighth day, Yizkor, which, this year is Resurrection Day as Messiah/Christ rose from the dead for all of us. He fulfilled Ezekiel's prophecy above not just for Himself, but for all who believe on His name. Many graves were opened in Jerusalem on that Resurrection Day two thousand years ago. (see Mt. 27:51-53). And graves will be opened again. This Yizkor, which occurs on Resurrection Sunday, the Kaddish will be said in the synagogues. Jesus told those in Jerusalem: "...for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD." (Mt. 23:37-39, see also Ps. 118:14-29). This feels to me as if Jesus was telling Jerusalem and New Jerusalem, the City of God which descends from heaven, to say Kaddish for Him "from the house of the LORD", as He deserves it to be said not only as the only Son of God whose Kingdom of peace shall reign over all the earth but also as a martyr who gave His life to serve the will of His Father in heaven. (Ps. 118:25-26).

      As mentioned above, the opening of the graves in Ezekiel is the same Hebrew word used to mean the opening of the mouth. The resurrection of Christ is included in the great works of God to testify that God is LORD and there is none like Him: "...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." (Rom. 10:9-10). Paul also noted that scripture says, "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart." (v. 8). The raising of Christ was a work of power of God in order to assure all people of who He is and what He can do.

     On Pesach/Passover the eighth day, or Yizkor in that year of crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection. The doors had been shut, but Jesus stood in the midst of them. Jesus told His disciple, Thomas, who had been absent when Jesus first appeared to the others and had doubted their report that they had seen Jesus, to bring his finger and hands to the nail piercings on His hands, and the spear wound in His side. Jesus said to Thomas: "Do not be unbelieving, but believing.' And Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!" (Jn. 20:26-28). Then Jesus said to Thomas: "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (v. 29). John then wrote in his Gospel report: "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." (v. 30-31). God, the LORD, raised Jesus from the dead so that those who hear of it could believe and live also.

     Like that Pesach/Passover of Moses and the Israelites when the LORD God executed judgment "against all the gods of Egypt", saying "I am the LORD", the LORD God made an open display again against all other gods with the resurrection of Christ: "...you were...buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead...Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it." (Col. 2:11-15, excerpt). The same spiritual powers that were represented by the false gods of Egypt at the first or former Passover were again revealed, made to look foolish, and overcome by the LORD God at the second or latter Passover, which was the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus.

     As many times as the invisible LORD God worked wonders and miracles so that we might know that He only is God, there are still some who decide to ignore the evidence with which He has graciously supplied us. Paul wrote that there was no longer any justification for their unbelief: "...what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse..." (Rom. 1:18-20). God does these things, including the raising of His Son Jesus from the dead, "so that they may know that I am the LORD/God and there is none other."

     This is the time of year when the great deeds of God against Egypt are remembered in the Pesach/Passover, including the death, burial and resurrection of His only Son on our behalf. Let us understand and say the Kaddish prayer of exaltation of the Lord and His eternal Kingship. 

      If you would like to know more about the demonstrated power of the LORD God, you can join me in prayer: "Father, how gracious and merciful You are to show me the "footprints" that You have left around me, and in my life, just so that I will know that You alone are God and LORD of all. Jesus said, "With God, nothing shall be impossible." Without the knowledge of who You are and what You do, my life would be without hope. You raised Your Son, Jesus, from the dead so that I may know, believe, and be raised also with Him. Who is like our God? There is none like Him! Increase my knowledge of You, Father, every day through Your Word, which is Jesus, and by Your faithful and powerful Holy Spirit. I ask these things in Jesus' name. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.

AltarFire

   

      The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is titled Tzav, meaning "Command", and comes from Leviticus 6 which says: "Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Command Aaron and his sons, saying, 'This is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it...And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out...A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out." (Lev. 6:8-13, excerpt).

     The word Tzav צָוָ  is made up of two Hebrew letters: Tsadde and Vaw. These two letters when joined together could have the pictographic meaning: "Joined together to the journey pulling toward a righteous harvest." The commands of the LORD always pull us toward and join us to the way of His righteousness, and to the One who fulfills the Law for us. The way of righteousness is not made up of our own failing attempts, but the commands of God pull us toward the Gift of Righteousness, God's own Son, Jesus Christ: "For Christ is the end (telos - termination, the last, purpose, the end to which all things relate, to set out for a definite point or goal) of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." (Rom. 10:4. See also Rom. 3:21-23, 2 Cor. 5:21, 1 Cor. 1:30-31, Rom. 5:17). Jesus said that He came to fulfill the law and the prophets. (Mt. 5:17-18).

     Some of the Jewish interpretations of the always burning altar are that God desires to accept what is offered to Him as He desires to accept us. His arms are always open and awaiting us when we come to Him. This truth was also taught by Jesus in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The younger son took his inheritance and left his father's house, eventually falling into dishonorable ways and hard times. When the son remembered his father's house, he returned home to find that his father had been watching for him and saw him coming from a great way off and received him with a feast and great joy, as if he had received his son back to him from the dead. (see Lk. 15:11-32). In another part of scripture, the LORD also said: "I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good." (Isa. 65:2, Rom. 10:20-21). It is not surprising to know that Jesus died on the cross in a position of outstretched arms and hands. The Lord was and is still ready to receive any and all who would come to Him.

     Another thought from Judaism is that the eternally burning altar is a symbol of the ongoing purification, transformation, refining and elevating that God's people find at His altar. From another reading portion of this Tzav Sabbath, the LORD promises to send His Messenger of the covenant who will suddenly come: "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like launderers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness." (Mal. 3:2-3, see also Lk. 21:34-36 of Jesus prophesying His return, also Rev. 3:18-20). The LORD also said from our Sabbath reading: "...It shall be a statute forever in your generations concerning the offerings made by fire to the LORD. Everyone who touches them must be holy." (Lev. 6:18).

     To me, there is also a duality of meaning to the eternally burning fire of the altar.  Jesus quoted Isaiah when He spoke about the worm that doesn't die and the fire that is not quenched, describing Hell (Isa. 66:24, Mk. 9:42-49). This eternally burning fire is fed by sin until, eventually, the whole earth will be consumed in fire, to be replaced by new heavens and a new earth. (2 Pet. 3:7, 10-13). This is terrible to think about, but the good news is that there is an eternal sacrifice that was made on that burning altar of fire, of much greater power than the sacrifice of animals. This sacrifice given for all of us is the eternal nature of Messiah/Christ's offering of Himself. His sacrifice was made once for all time and that sacrifice will be our righteousness into eternity: "For by one offering He (Christ) has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." (Heb. 10:1-4, 10, 14). Simply by walking into His outstretched arms, we will never have to face the "second death" (Rev. 21:6-8) and the fire that is never quenched, because we have received "the fountain of the water of life." In the same way, the blood of the Passover lamb applied to the doorposts and lintels of the households of the Israelites, spared them from the Angel of Death that struck Egypt. (Ex. 12:21-25). We will see below how the foundational truth upon which the sacrifice that appeases God was revealed.

     The first time the word "altar" is used in scripture was in the account of Noah in Gen. 8. After the flood waters had subsided, Noah, his family and the living creatures left the ark: "So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark. Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a soothing (nihoah/nuah - satisfaction, soothing, quieting, pleasant, restful/to rest, ceased, give comfort, give rest, quiet) (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, 'I will never again curse (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) living thing as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease." (Gen. 8:18-22).

     The sacrifice burned upon the altar that Noah built brought a certain fragrance up to God. Because of the fragrance of the sacrifice, the LORD was appeased and promised never to utterly destroy the living things of the earth, or the cyclical climate courses of the earth again. The aroma that the LORD smelled is noted in written Hebrew as being associated with Christ, (and with His believers) by the presence of the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega (see note below). According to the meaning of the Hebrew words above, the aroma causes the LORD to enter into a kind of Sabbath rest.

     We see this connection between the aroma of sacrifice and Messiah/Christ revealed in the New Testament: "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? (2 Cor. 2:14-16).

     How do we become this fragrance of Christ? Paul wrote in Romans: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice (thysia/thyo - slay and immolate as of the paschal (Passover) lamb, blow, smoke), holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Rom. 12:1-2). Paul is not recommending that we physically die as a sacrifice, although many believers have been and continue to be martyred. Living our lives in a manner that is dedicated to God creates the sacrificial fragrance of Christ as He came in the form of the Passover Lamb of God. Not only is it soothing to God and testifies of God's good and perfect will for mankind, but we are changed or transformed as well. The LORD has allowed us to become this sacrifice and aroma through Messiah/Christ that soothes Him while we are still alive.

     According to another reading portion from this Tzav Sabbath, one fragrance that did not please the LORD at all, but broke His heart, was when the Israelites sacrificed their own sons and daughters on the fires of demon gods. (Jer. 7:30-31). They sowed abomination and they reaped slaughter to themselves. (v. 32-34). 

     This Sabbath is also HaGadol Sabbath, meaning that it is a Great Sabbath. This Sabbath receives this designation because it is the sabbath before Passover. Scripture calls Jesus our Passover Lamb, and the Lord's Table, or Communion, was taken by Jesus from the elements of the Passover meal He shared with His disciples, specifically the bread and the wine, as we will see. The reading portion that is used during this HaGadol Great Sabbath is from Malachi 3, part of which we read above.

     After the refining, purging and purifying of the priesthood so they might "offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness," in Mal. 3, the LORD made this prophetic promise: "Then those who feared the LORD spoke (dabar - commune, pronounce, utter, tell, declare, be spokesman, teach, tell) to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance (zikaron/zakar - reminder, memorial, remembrance/remember, remembrance, mention, record) was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name. 'They shall be Mine,' says the LORD of hosts, 'On the day that I make them My jewels (segulla - possession, peculiar treasure, valued property, closely shut up), and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him." (Mal. 3:16-17).

     Immediately before His death, our Passover Lamb, Jesus, told His disciples at the Passover dinner to take the bread and the wine in what we recognize as Communion (see spoke:dabar, above). He also said, "...do this in remembrance of Me." (Lk. 22:14-20, and 1 Cor. 11:23-26). Our Communion is a living Book of Remembrance before the LORD, as prophesied in Mal. 3.

     The LORD desires to give us the saving gift of His own righteousness, a gift that we cannot buy nor earn, through His Son, Jesus.

     If you would like to know more about the open arms of God, you can pray with me: "Father and God of all, You provided a way for me to be spared from the consequences of the sin in my life. Your Son, Jesus, died for me even while I was still in my sins. Help me, by Your Holy Spirit, to be a living sacrifice, the fragrance of Christ, the sacrifice that appeases Your holiness. I thank You that You have made a way for us to run into Your outstretched arms of forgiveness and acceptance. This is Your desire for all mankind. As we remember Your great deliverance and salvation this Passover, and remember Your Son's sacrifice and victory over death on this coming Resurrection Sunday, write our names in Your Book of Remembrance as those who think upon Your holy name with heart-felt thanks and praise. I ask this in Jesus' Name. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.

          

 

PriestlyCalling

      The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is Va-yikra, which means "And he called". Va-yikra is also the name of the third book of the Torah, which we call "Leviticus", which is about the priesthood and the sacrificial offerings of the tabernacle. The title Va-yikra comes from the first and second verses of Leviticus Ch.1: "Now the LORD called (qara - call, cried, proclaim, named, preach, bidden, invited, utter a loud sound, call and commission, call and endow, appoint, weeping, to encounter, to meet) to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) offering of the livestock - of the herd (baqar - young, cattle, ox, to seek, enquire, consider, search, look for, reflect, admire, care for, discern, associated with ploughing stripes in the ground) and of the flock (son - sheep, goats, lamb, shepherd, sheepfold, multitude, wool-producing, flock)." 

     These first few chapters of Leviticus, or Va-yikra, deal with the various offerings and the specific purposes given to these offerings that were to be made before the LORD. We see from the Hebrew meaning of the words "herd" and "flock" in the above verses that the person of Jesus and His flock are within. The children of Israel were to seek out, discern, consider, search for their Shepherd, to care for Him even before He physically manifested to them later in time. He was prophetically pictured for them as an offering for atonement (kapar - atonement, purge, reconciliation, forgive, pacify, to be covered, be merciful, cover over with pitch, make propitiation, obtain forgiveness) of sin (Lev. 1:4). These (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) offerings to be brought to the LORD were to be burnt offerings, the Hebrew word ola/ala, which means "ascent, stairs of ascending, going up in smoke/ go up, climb, rise, excel, be exalted, be taken away, fetch up." We know that Jesus rose from the dead to ascend to His Father when He asked Mary Magdelene, "Whom are you seeking?" (Jn. 20:14-18) and later ascended into heaven, received by a cloud, before the eyes of His disciples. (Acts 1:6-11). Jesus ascended like the smoke of the burnt offering.

     The fact that this reading portion comes at the time when Passover and Resurrection Sunday are approaching is important for our understanding. In these first verses of Leviticus, the LORD was establishing a calling - commissioning and endowing the prophetic system of offerings administered by the priesthood. These burnt offerings for sin, trespass and peace were considered to be "most holy" by the LORD, and were to be ministered by the priests as atonement to prevent the people from suffering the curses caused by sin: "And he (the anointed priest) shall do with the bull as he did with the bull as a sin offering; thus he shall do with it. So the priest shall make atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them." (Lev. 4:20). This is also the purpose of Jesus Messiah/Christ as our atonement for sin by His blood of sacrifice. (Isa. 53:5-7, Rom. 3:23-25, 1 Jn. 4:9-10). Not only is He our burnt offering, but He is also our High Priest who presented the burnt offering of Himself before the Father on our behalf. (Heb. 4:14-16, Heb. 5:1). After His death and resurrection, Jesus said to one of His followers: "Do not cling (haptomai/hapto - fasten one's self to, touch, cling to/to fasten fire to a thing, set on fire, light a fire to) to Me. for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God." (Jn. 20:17). It is also the case that by the command of the LORD, the lamb sacrificed on Passover must be "roasted in fire." If any of the lamb is left until morning, it is to be burned with fire. (see Ex. 12:8-10). Paul called Jesus "our Passover". (1 Cor. 5:7-8).

     Reading these Sabbath verses above, I also consider the following things: 1) We are entering the Passover/Resurrection season. 2) Jesus is expressed in the burnt offerings and became our eternal burnt offering. 3) We also have been commissioned and endowed by God as Priests (see 1 Pet. 2:9-10, Rev. 1:5-6, Rev. 5:9-10). Not only are we called to be priests, but royal priests according to the scriptures, ministering The Atonement, which is Jesus Messiah/Christ, that restores the relationship between God and His people and wipes out the curse of sin. We are the people of The Sacrifice, partakers of the altar (see 1 Cor. 10:18) as priests. The Burnt Offering which we minister not only overcomes sin, but death, Hell and the grave also. This Burnt Offering, who was Jesus, was meant not only for a select few but for the whole world. (Jn. 3:16-17). 

     One way that we administer both the Passover and the Atonement of Christ is through the Table of the Lord, also called Communion (koinonia/koinonos/syn - intercourse, fellowship, intimacy, association, joint participation/companion, of the altar in Jerusalem on which the sacrifices are offered, be one's partner in shedding the blood/denoting union, resemblance, completeness). Paul warns that we are to discern the Lord's body in this administration and receiving: "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep." (1 Cor. 11:28-30).

     The Communion which we observe was taken directly by the Lord Jesus from the Passover meal that He celebrated with His disciples before He suffered and was crucified. (see Lk. 22:7-8, 14-20). Of the Passover cup from which Jesus gave to His disciples to drink, He said: "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many (polys - multitude, numerous, great, abundant, plenteous, the harvest to be gathered, a large part of mankind, the rest of mankind)." (Mk. 14:24). The blood of the Passover Lamb, who is Jesus, has expanded from applying to a household to "the harvest to be gathered, the rest of mankind."

     As Paul wrote of the revelation regarding Communion that he had received from the Lord, he said in conclusion: "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim (katangello - preach, show, declare, teach, speak of, announce, to make widely known, to put a law or decree into effect by official proclamation, proclaim publicly/from the root word kata: motion or diffusion or direction from the higher to the lower + root word angelos: to bring tidings, a messenger: especially an angel, one who is sent to execute God's purpose) the Lord's death till He comes." (1 Cor. 11:26).

     As part of Passover, the story of the deliverance of God's people from slavery was to be told to the children of the household (Ex. 12:24-27). The Passover Communion of the Lord Jesus Christ is, according to Paul's revelation above, to be made widely known, beyond the individual and household, to "the world", as ones sent in order to execute God's purpose in it. We are to make known His death, Paul wrote, as what we now know to be a covering atonement burnt offering to God for the sins of man. Passover was the prophecy given by the command of the LORD God to His people, and the Table of the Lord, or Communion, is the execution of that prophetic proclamation or decree by His messengers - us. 

     We often view Communion as an intimate and personal joining to the Lord, which it is, but it also accomplishes widely and much more in the Spirit as we can see.

     How are we ministering as priests this powerful gift that we have been given by Messiah/Christ for our joining with Him in His atonement sacrifice? Has it become just a ritual to us, not discerning the depth of purpose in it? Every stripe on the Lord's broken body and every drop of His blood unites the participant/partaker to Himself, and testifies farther beyond to the world. Paul wrote: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion (see meaning above) of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread...Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers (koinonos -see above) of the altar?" (1 Cor. 10:16-18). 

     Paul wrote that we were to examine ourselves as we partake of the Burnt Offering Sacrifice which is the Savior, Jesus. As His priests, are we handling the Body and Blood of Jesus with holy hands and a reverent heart? This week's Sabbath reading portion also asks God's people, Israel, to examine themselves.

     In Isaiah 43, we read of how the LORD feels towards His people as He pleads with them to examine themselves, especially in how they think of Him: "But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called (qara - see above) you by your name; You are Mine...Since you were precious in My sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you; therefore I will give men for you, and people for your life. Fear not, for I am with you...Everyone who is called (bara - to create, shape, form, choose, of transformations, of birth, of miracles, of something new, of heaven and earth) by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him." (Isa. 43:1-7, excerpt). This is how God thinks of His people. 

     However, the LORD also spoke in this same reading portion from Isaiah of how His people thought of Him: "But you have not called (qara - see above) upon Me, O Jacob; and you have been weary of Me, O Israel. You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings, nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices....But you have burdened Me with your sins, you have wearied Me with your iniquities...Therefore I will profane (halal/hala - pollute, wounded, sorrow, make common, violate the honor of/be weak, be diseased, wounded, grieved, infirmity, pain) the princes of the sanctuary; I will give Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches."  (v. 22-28, excerpt). The condition of the princes of the sanctuary became as Paul warned in 1 Cor. 11 above, when he cautioned us to examine ourselves as we think to become partakers of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus.

     From another reading portion of this "called" Sabbath, Solomon warned: "Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few...Do not let (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) your mouth cause (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error..." (Eccl. 5:1-6, excerpt). It is true that we go into the house of God to talk, and sometimes rashly, rather than to hear His voice. We value our own words very highly, but sometimes our words would be better left not spoken, especially before God. As priests, our ears should be attuned to the voice of the LORD rather than to our own voice. Do we enter the House of God expecting to hear His voice?

     We have read above of how the people of The Sacrifice, the partakers of the altar, should reverence the LORD. Isaiah 33 brings us the Word of the LORD regarding our integrity towards others: "He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil: He will dwell on high; his place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; Bread will be given him, his water (mayim - waters, washing, watering, watersprings, wells, purification, streams, living water, rest and peace) will be sure. Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; they will see the land that is very far off." (Isa. 33:15-17).

     As priests, we are privileged not only to partake of the atoning sacrifice of Christ ourselves, but to minister it on behalf of others. The Passover lamb was to cover not only the individual but the whole household. The Passover Lamb, Jesus, was sent to cover not only the individual but the whole world, as He is received as our sacrifice. Are we ministering this covering atonement burnt offering for sin, transgressions and peace? If we who are called don't do it, who will? If we who are called don't treat the covering atonement burnt offering with the reverence its holiness deserves, then who will? The LORD said of the burnt offering: "...it is most holy." (Lev. 6:25). The inhabitants of the world need to hear from the royal priests of the Lord.

     If you would like to learn more about the power of God in the priestly ministering of His burnt offerings, including, His Son, Jesus, you can pray with me: "Dear Lord Jesus, You became my Burnt Offering, my Atonement covering my sin, my Passover Lamb who delivers from death. As You did this, You called me to be a royal priest in ministry before God on behalf of the people. You have allowed me to handle the sacrifice of Your body and Your blood in Communion, and to be a partaker of the altar of God. Fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I can "show/proclaim" Your death as a sacrifice for my sin and the sins of the world until You come. I ask this in Your holy name, Jesus. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.