Honor

      The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is Korach, meaning "Bald." The reading portion found in Numbers 16 centers around an attempted mutiny, a rebellion, an overthrow. The protagonists of the rebellion are led by a Levite named Korah, which is where this Sabbath's title comes from. Korah, with a small group of fellow rebels, convinced two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation of the Israelites, who were men of renown, to challenge the authority of Moses and Aaron, who had been appointed by God to lead His people. God had shown His appointment of Moses through signs, wonders and miracles, including the judgments against Egypt that led to the liberation of the Israelites from slavery. There was just no doubt that Moses walked in the authority that he had not taken upon himself but was appointed to Him by God. Moses warned the rebels that "the LORD will show (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him." (Num. 16:4-5). In this rebellion, the LORD did show that Moses was His appointed servant, and the rebels were destroyed by God using consuming fire and earthquake, as the earth opened her (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) mouth and swallowed the rebels alive. (v. 31-35).

     The meaning of Korah's name is related to baldness. The spiritual baldness of Korah was in his removal of the covering of God, through His servant Moses, from off of himself and off of the people of Israel. Korah had declared that he and the people of Israel were just as holy as Moses, so why should Moses have the leadership? (v. 3). It is the LORD, however, who makes one holy, and it is the LORD who decides who He will allow to come near to Him, as we read in the above verse. (see also Ezek. 44:15-16). It is not dependent upon man's opinion, nor a popular vote.

     Korah and the rebels who stood with him couched their own envy and covetousness of power and leadership by misapplying and misstating before the people the intentions of the LORD in calling an individual to come near to Him. And the leader of the rebels, Korah, was a Levite, who was graciously allowed by the LORD to minister in the tabernacle and claim God as his inheritance. Moses asked Korah the Levite if this honor wasn't enough for him? (Num. 16: 8-11).

     Look at these terrible words from Proverbs about never being enough: "There is a generation that curses its father, and does not bless its mother. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation - oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and whose fangs are like knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. The (horse)leech (aluqa - leech, vampire-like demon, monster or specter that is an insatiable sucker of blood) has two daughters - Give and Give! There are three things that are never satisfied, four never say, Enough!": The grave, The barren womb, The earth that is not satisfied with water - and the fire never says, "Enough!" (Prov. 30:11-16).

     Moses asked Korah if being a Levite in service to God was not enough for him. As Proverbs tells us above, no, it was not enough for someone like Korah. The comparison to a leech above also has a demonic or monstrous connection in Hebrew to the demand of not having or being "enough."

     Korah and his rebels had a contempt for the leadership or spiritual covering of Moses. The "leech" spoken of in Proverbs despises the covering of mother and father. The apostle Paul warned that those who "did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting...". Some of those things include unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, being full of envy, covetousness, murder, strife, backbiters, haters of God, violent, disobedient to parents, unforgiving, unmerciful, etc. (Rom. 1:28-32, excerpt). The disobedience towards parents is included in the same group as murder! This gives us much food for thought.

     God's command to honor our parents is found in the center of The Ten Commandments. Placing this command in the center of the commandments is as if the LORD is making a connection or bridge between the honor that we are to give Him as God, expressed in the first half of the Commandments, and the honor which we are to give our fellow man, expressed in the second half of the Commandments. The word "honor" used is the Hebrew word kabad, which is the root of the word kabod, referring to the glory of God. The word kabad includes a duality of meaning. While kabad, honor, means "honored, be glorious, glorify, be rich, abounding, prevail, show oneself great, numerous," it also means "burdensome, severe, dull, heavy, unresponsive, make insensible, grievously afflict, harden the heart or mind, enormity of wickedness." There is both a blessing of glory and a curse of wickedness attached to the word kabad honor. It pays to be on the good side of God's glory.

     There are many mentions in scripture warning against being disrespectful and disobedient to parents. (see Ex. 20:12/Deut. 5:16, Lev. 20:9, Deut. 21:18-21). Jesus warned against this also in Mt. 15:3-6/Mk. 7:9-13. Jesus, Himself, was noted as being obedient to His parents. (Lk. 2:51-52). Paul later wrote for children to obey their parents in the Lord and to honor them. (Eph. 6:1-2). The principle of honoring (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) parents was so important to God that He attached a blessing and a promise for those who followed this commandment: "...that your days may be long upon the land (adama - land, country, earth, ground, sustenance and substance yielded by the whole inhabited earth) which the LORD your God is giving you." (Ex. 20:12, link above). Deuteronomy 21:21 (link above) describes the person who rebels against his parents as committing a ra evil, a misery or wickedness that breaks something into pieces and is worthy of death. As Paul wrote in Romans 1 (see above), it is an evil that comes from men's hatred and rejection of God.

     The disrespect for parents is so widespread today that we almost take it for granted and accept it as a "normal" occurrence. Because of this, the death sentence that Gods assigns to this issue seems very harsh to us. However, The LORD understood that this kind of rebellion was a kind that spreads with consequences to a whole nation. All of the people of Israel would be in danger and should be in fear of the LORD because of it as noted in Deut. 21:21 (link above). The LORD treats it as a malevolence that has a spiritual or demonic root, as we saw in connection to the "leeches" mentioned in Proverbs 30 above. While we as a society would never execute someone for despising his/her parents, we should examine it as a spiritual evil that requires repentance and spiritual warfare in prayer. Our warfare is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness in high places - the spiritual "leeches." (Eph. 6:12-13).

     From another reading portion of this Korach, "Bald", Sabbath, the people of Israel decided to reject the leadership of Samuel, the great prophet and judge of Israel, in order to demand a king instead. They wanted to be like the nations around them: "Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, 'No, but we will have a king over us, that we may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) our battles." (1 Sam. 8:19-20). The LORD had told Samuel to do as the people demanded: "...for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected (ma'as - reject, despise, destroy, refuse, become loathsome, [treat as an] utterly vile person) Me, that I should not reign over them." (v. 6-9, excerpt). When the faithful servant of God is rejected, it is really the rejection of God. The people even desired to place their protection and defense, not in God's hands, but in the hands of a man, an earthly king. Samuel reminded Israel that God had raised up Moses and Aaron to bring them out of Egypt and into the land. He reminded them that God also had raised up judges to deliver them from oppressors, yet the people said they wanted a king instead. (1 Sam. 12:6-15).

     Generations of God's people were impacted by good godly kings and terrible kings. Their nation even became divided into two kingdoms for about five hundred years as men struggled for thrones. Some kings even led Israel into the worship of demonic gods that demanded the sacrifice of children and other degenerate and depraved practices. However, Israel still clung to its kings until they were taken away into captivity to Babylon (babel/balal - confusion by mixing, confusion of speech/to mix oneself, to go from being poured over with oil [anointed] to being poured together in a confusing mixture, to be given as food for animals).

     Later in time, when Jesus, the anointed and appointed King and Lord, came to the earth, people still chose the earthly kings Caesar and his puppet Herod to rule over them instead of Him. As the time approaches for Messiah/Christ's return as King of kings and Lord of lords, the people of earth will again have chosen Babylon and its beast instead of God. Those people will also find themselves on the wrong side of God's kabad honor and glory as the Lord tears those spiritual and natural strongholds down.

     We are used to the idea of expressing opinions, choosing for ourselves, voting for men and women to represent us in government, which are the rights of a free society. However, there are some things so important to our welfare that the LORD, who is all seeing and all-knowing, has appointed them, rather than ask for our opinion and vote.

     When we ma'as reject those who have been appointed by God to be our spiritual covering and exchange them for those who listen to and answer to men and not God, we leave ourselves "bald."  

     When we decide that the servants of God whom He appointed to cover us are imperfect, while we ourselves are also imperfect, or when we consider them to be not "enough", we leave ourselves "bald."

     In these perilous times, we do not want to find ourselves on the wrong side of the kabad honor and glory of God. I see the message of this Sabbath's Korach reading portion to be a timely flashing light of warning and reminder.

     If you would like to learn more about the covering of God, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, I treasure Your covering over my life. I thank You for caring enough for me to set Your covering over me and my household. I want the words out of my mouth to always be "not my will but Yours, Lord, be done." Let the voice of Your Holy Spirit, and not my own voice or the voices of others, determine my steps and my future. Your plans for me are for good and not for evil, and to bring me a hope and a future. Let my soul never say that it is not "enough", but let my spirit say, "Your grace, Lord, is sufficient for me." Father, You see the end from the beginning, and of all of my days and of all that concerns me, You have written in Your Book. I trust in You, Lord, for myself and my household, for the Church and for the nation and unto the ends of the earth. 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. 

Glorified

       A song begins with the question: "Whose report will you believe?" The response in the song is, "We will believe the report of the Lord!"

     This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled Sh'lach L'cha, meaning "Send for yourself." The title comes from Numbers Ch. 13: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Send men to spy out the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader (nasi/nasa - one lifted up, prince, captain, leader, rising mist, clouds, exalted one, chief man/bear up, lift up, carry, forgive, exalt, rise up, support, sustain, endure) among them." (v. 1-2).

     The LORD stated His plan for the land of Canaan: "...which I am giving (natan - deliver, grant, yield, bring, appoint, recompense, bestow, permit, devote, consecrate, dedicate, be provided) to the children of Israel." There is no guesswork involved here, no grey area of possible misunderstanding. Why is this specific piece of land to be entrusted, as promised from the days of Abraham, into the hands of the children of Israel? We see the designation of the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega attached to this land which connects the land to the prophesied Messiah/Christ to come, including His birth, death, resurrection, His return and coming kingdom rule. (see Micah 5:2-5, Ps. 22:1-21, Lk. 24:46-48, Zech. 12:10, Zech. 13:1, Ps. 2:6-12, Isa. 2:1-5, Zech. 9:9-10, Jer. 3:17). The plan of salvation of our God for the whole earth has gone forth and will continue to go forth, and the physical land given to the children of Israel had and will have everything to do with it.

     The spy mission was not just for anyone to carry out, according to the LORD's command. The Hebrew word nasi/nasa  (see above meaning) is used to describe the men to be sent. Only the leaders of each tribe were to go on this mission. This leadership position was elevated both physically and spiritually according to the meaning of the word. These men were walking in a Messianic and resurrection revelation, calling and anointing. Their words carried weight in the eyes of God and of the people. And because of the report that most of these spiritually elevated men brought back, the children of Israel were doomed to wander forty years in the wilderness until the generation who believed the fearful report of the spies would die. The LORD said: "The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. Except for Caleb...and Joshua....you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised...According to the number of the days in which you spied out the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) My rejection." (Num. 14:29-34, excerpt).

     Not only would Caleb and Joshua still be allowed to enter the land with the younger generation, but scripture tells us that Joshua discerned the reason that the Israelites would have been able to take the land regardless of how strong the dwellers in the land appeared to be. Of the dwellers in the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) land, Joshua told the people: "The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights (hapes - be pleased with [see Mt. 3:17], delight, please, favor, desire) in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection (sel/salal/selem - shadow, shade/the idea of hovering over/image likeness, resemblance, empty image, idol) has departed (sur - depart, remove, turn, turn aside, come to an end, retract, reject, abolish, pluck away, withdraw) from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.' And all the congregation said to stone them with stones..." (Num. 14:7-10, excerpt).

     The people of the land were identified above in written Hebrew as being *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega people. Perhaps we can gather from the meaning of the Hebrew word for "protection", sel, that they exchanged the prophetic image of the Messiah/Christ for an empty image of an idol, and the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega presence turned away from them. These people of the land were descendants of Adam, and then Noah, and would have had knowledge not only of the LORD God of their ancestors, but of the promised Son, the Messiah/Christ. The promise of the Son was made to the serpent back in Genesis in the presence of Adam and Eve, and therefore also to those who would come from them in future generations. (see Gen. 3:14-15). Jesus gave us an example of the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega turning away from those who do not retain their knowledge of Him: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." (Mt. 7:21-23).

     Joshua, truly walking in the nasi/nasa (see above) calling as an appointed leader of God's people, discerned that the people of the land no longer had the spiritual protection to defend themselves against the Israelites, who were called to walk in the "delight" (see hapes, above) of the LORD. The word of Joshua and Caleb would only be a confirmation in the ears of the people of the plan that the LORD had already disclosed to Moses before the spies were sent out: "...the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel..." (Num. 13:2)

     This is how important this moment was in the future of the children of Israel. It was a matter of life and death. The only ones who would enter the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) land out of the spies would be Caleb and Joshua who saw and reported the LORD's vision of the land, and the younger generation of Israelites who had been too young to choose to believe the false report of the majority of the spies.

     The title of this Sabbath's reading portion, Sh'lach L'cha, "Send for yourself," comes from the Hebrew word salah, which means "send/go out, send/go forth, stretch out, extend, let loose, sow, loose, set free, shoot forth, appoint, to inform by messenger." We can see that the word means much more than just "to send." Something spiritual is being let loose, set free, extended and stretched out, shot forth like an arrow. The LORD's purpose was to extend, stretch out and loose the kingdom, Word and will of God into this land with His people. However, the LORD made it plain that what was to be "shot forth" was to extend even further than the immediate land, as He said: "...but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD..." (Num. 14:21).

     We can see the similarity in the purpose of being salah sent as nasi/nasa leaders in the words of Jesus who told His disciple, Peter, who recognized Jesus as the Messiah/Christ, the Son of the living God by revelation from God: "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth, will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Mt. 16:17-19). These words were not just for Peter, because later, Jesus repeated these words again for all of the disciples. The source of this spiritual authority was His name. (see Mt. 18:18-20).

     The question is, what are we binding and what are we setting free or loosing? The nasi/nasa leaders above who were sent to spy out the land loosed doubt and fear among the Israelites that caused them to miss God. The doubt and fear were so strong that even the revelation words of Caleb and Joshua could not convince the people.

     Like the nasi/nasa leaders of the tribes of Israel, we also are being sent: "So Jesus said to them (the disciples) again, 'Peace to you! As the Father sent Me, I also send you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive (aphiemi/hiemi - to send away, to send forth, forgive, keep no longer [loose], lay aside/to send, to go) the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain (krateo/kratos - continue to hold, not let go, be master of, to rule, to seize/power, dominion) the sins of any, they are retained." (Jn. 20:21-23). Our being "sent" in the same manner that Jesus was "sent", is an issue of life and death - the forgiveness or retention of the sins of others.

     As a parallel to the scriptural account of the spies above, after His resurrection, Jesus sent His disciples to go forth as witnesses of Him first in Israel (Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria), the same land of promise as mentioned above, but then also beyond Israel "to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:7-8). The LORD had said the same to Moses when He declared that the whole earth would be full of His glory (see above, Num. 14:21). Specifically Jesus said: "Go (poreuo/peran - depart, go forth, to lead over/beyond, on the other side, to pierce through) into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature...And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover...And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen." (Mk. 16:15-20).

     When we are obedient to the command of the LORD to salah send out or go forth, more is involved than just the immediate goal, which in the case of the nasi/nasa leader spies was to enter into the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) land. The spiritual effect of that obedience goes far wider until the whole earth is impacted. However, we must go only at the command of the LORD.

     Upon hearing of their error, and the resulting sentence of forty years in the wilderness and death, the Israelites decided then to go up into the Promised Land on their own. Moses warned them, however, that it was too late. They had just been forbidden by God to enter the land. Moses said: "Now why do you transgress the command of the LORD? For this will not succeed. Do not go up lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the LORD is not among you....you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.' But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed from the camp." (Num. 14:41-44). The enemy Amalekites and the Canaanites attacked them and drove them back. (v. 45).

      We cannot send ourselves, although it seems like a good thing to do. We must be sent by the LORD. Jesus assured His disciples as He sent them that He would be with them as they obediently went out. (see above, Mk. 16:20). He also said as He sent them after His resurrection: "...and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Mt. 28:20, excerpt).

     If you would like to learn more about being sent by the LORD, you can pray with me: "Father, You determine each one of my days. You direct my steps. You give me the words that I speak by Your Holy Spirit. In doing this, You make even my smallest steps to be more effective than I could ever think. Help and direct me, Father, that what I pray, do and say would spread Your glory in all the earth. Be glorified, Father. Be glorified Jesus. Be glorified Holy Spirit on earth as in heaven, for You desire to pour out Your salvation upon the world. You desire that we should live and not die, that we should choose life. Be glorified in Israel, the land where our Savior Jesus Messiah/Christ will return and reign, and in all the nations of the earth, 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. 

ArmyofLight

      The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is B'ha'alot'cha, meaning "When you step up" or "When you go up." Last week's Sabbath portion, Naso, also dealt with lifting up and elevating. The beginning verses of this week's reading are: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 'Speak to Aaron, and say to him, 'When you arrange (ala - come up, ascend, light, offerings, burn, raised, arose, exalted) the lamps, the seven (seba/saba - to swear an oath seven times) lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand." (Num. 8:1-2). The Hebrew word ala used in these verses also gives us the B'ha'alot'cha title for this week's Sabbath reading portion.

     Further instruction given to Moses from the LORD regarding the lampstand: "Now this workmanship of the lampstand was hammered gold (zahab - gold, to shimmer, the golden splendor of the heavens); from its shaft to its flowers it was hammered work. According to the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) lampstand." (v. 4).

     The rabbis have written that the lampstand of the Holy Place in the tabernacle was quite tall. In order to reach the wicks to light the lamp, the high priest or his sons would have to climb up three steps placed in front of the lampstand. These also were made of gold. Aaron would have to "step up" or "go up" (see our Sabbath reading title B'ha'alot'cha and its translation above) in order to light the seven lamps daily. The lighting of the lamps of the lampstand is a spiritual work of ascendency. 

      Previously, we also learned that the Hebrew words saba/seba used here to mean "seven," also have the meaning, "warfare, battle, war, appointed time, soldiers, company, go out to war, a mass of persons organized for warfare, army/go forth as soldiers to war, as a soldier against an enemy, wage war, fight, serve, mustered, assemble, wait upon." There is always a battle for the ascended position. It is recorded that Satan desires to ascend to God's heavenly place: "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!...For you said in your heart: I will ascend (ala - see above) into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God...I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High!" (Isa. 14:12-14, excerpt). Satan's attempts will always fail, and the LORD promised that Lucifer would be brought down (yarad - go down, descend, sink down, sent down, fall) to the lowest depths of the Pit. (v. 15). Lucifer is named for light, and he covets light, but because of his prideful desire for the position of God, his appointed destiny is the eternal darkness of the Pit.

     There is a struggle or warfare between darkness and light, although we are assured that the darkness will never overcome/comprehend (katalambano - lay hold of to make one's own, attain to, take possession of, to seize upon, of evil overtaking something, perceive) the light. (Jn. 1:5). The Greek meaning definitely alludes to a power struggle between the light and the darkness, although it is a futile one. The darkness can never hope to overcome the light because Jesus IS the Light (Jn. 1:6-9). Every person coming into this world is given light by The Light, Jesus. That light became life in every man, yet there continues to be a challenge from the darkness for the souls of men. David also wrote of the connection between light and life that we read of in John 1: "For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light." (Ps. 36:9).

     David also wrote about the warfare struggle between darkness and light: "The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked come against me to eat up (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident...And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me..." (Ps. 27:1-6, excerpt).

     Let us look more deeply into the divine quality of the golden lampstand constructed for the tabernacle in Numbers Ch. 8, as mentioned above. The lampstand was to have seven (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) lights/lamps (nir - lamp, to glisten, a light, progeny that continues forever, a family line that remains on the throne, the guidance of God's Word [ref. Prov. 6:23, Ps. 119:105], to shine or gleam like a freshly plowed furrow of soil).

     The lamps of the lampstand were to give light in front of the lampstand. The Hebrew word for the phrase "in front of" is mul/mol, meaning "circumcise, let oneself be circumcised, cut in pieces, cut off, destroy, to purge/forefront, before it, in the presence of."

     Circumcision is not just meaningful in the flesh, but it is spiritually meaningful. We have seen that the LORD connects His lampstand of light with ascendency. In this verse above, He also connects His light with not only an outward circumcision, but more importantly, with an inward circumcision. Moses wrote about this inward circumcision: "Indeed, heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it...Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart (lebab - heart, mind, will, soul, understanding, thinking, inner man, inclination, conscience), and be stiff-necked (qasa - hard, severe, fierce, harsh, make difficulty, make burdensome, make grievous, dense, stubbornness) no longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe." (Deut. 10:14-17, excerpt).

     Jeremiah, the prophet, wrote the word of the LORD: "Circumcise (mul, see above) yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart (lebab, see above), you men of Judah and Jerusalem, lest My fury come forth like fire, and burn so that no one can quench it, because of the evil of your doings." (Jer. 4:4).

     Paul, a Jew, a Pharisee, trained under the great teacher, Gamaliel (Acts 22:1-3, Phil. 3:3-8), understood the truth of these scriptures and wrote: "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God." (Rom. 2:28-29, see also Col. 2:11-12). What was commanded by God to be observed in the flesh was a foreshadow, that separated and designated one flesh in covenant from all of the other flesh on the earth, so that an even deeper spiritual understanding could later be revealed.

     The Light represented by the lampstand of the tabernacle pre-dated the Patriarchs and also the Law, having been the first work of creation, and as a result, God declared the separation warfare between darkness (hosek - darkness, obscurity, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness, Hades, underground prison, adversity, sadness) and light (or - light, shine, give, glorious, kindle, light of lamp, light of life, light of prosperity, light of instruction, bright, illumination in every sense.) (see Gen. 1:1-5). That Light is the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians: "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor. 4:6, and see Prov. 16:15).

     Evil plans, intentions and acts that are hidden in darkness, even the evil in the hearts and lives of His own people, are exposed in the light of God. (Ps. 90:8, Eph. 5:13-14). Paul wrote of our former spiritual condition: "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." (Eph. 5:8).

     So great is the power of the light of God that it is the power of resurrection: "Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, the darkness (hosek, see above) shall cover the earth, and deep darkness (arapel - heavy thick cloud of darkness or gloom drooping down) the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles/nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising." (Isa. 60:1-3).

     We can see in the above verses that darkness continues to try to overstep the bounds that the LORD set for it. However, it cannot overtake, overpower, or overset the light of God, and in fact, shrinks away before it. That same light is within us as Isaiah wrote above, and as Jesus commanded, saying, "You are the light of the world..." (Mt. 5:14-16). Jesus said of Himself: "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life (see meaning of or above)."

     Also in this Sabbath's reading portion, the LORD commanded the construction of two silver trumpets. (Num. 10:1-2). The purpose of these trumpets, which were different from shofars made from rams' horns, was for the calling of the congregation of Israel together, and for the directing of the movement of the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) camps of Israel. The silver trumpets were also to be used "...when you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you..." and "in the day of your gladness..."(v. 9-10). Rabbis have written that the silver trumpets are symbols of God's guidance as a light illuminating the path in the journey of faith.

     Even the shofar ram's horn trumpets, the rabbis write, are compared to the light of God's presence, influence and holiness, and the light associated with divine revelation as occurred from Mount Sinai, when the Torah Word of God, also described as light, was delivered to His people.

     One event told in scripture involved a strange army of three hundred Israelites assembled to go into battle against the unjust oppression of the Midianites (midyan - strife, contention, brawling, discord, quarrel). These three hundred men were armed with a trumpet in one hand and a lamp (lapid - lamp, firebrand, flame, torch, lightning, burning, to shine) in the other hand. Considering what we read above about the trumpets, they were then, in effect, an army of light. The enemy destroyed itself by killing each other with swords as they panicked and fled. (Judges 7:19-23). Darkness must flee before light.

      We also have been called into God's army of light: "Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God's holy people) in the Light. [The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in Whom we have redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins." Col. 1:12-14 AMPC, and also see 1 Pet. 2:9)

     If you would like to know more about God's army of Light, you can join me in prayer: "Lord, You are Light and You are the Father of Lights. You sent Your Son as the Light of the world, and He called me to join Him in being the same kind of Light. It is the Light of Christ that overcomes darkness. It is that Light of Christ that draws men out of darkness. As darkness tries once again to flood the earth and its people, help me to "arise and shine" and be the Light that You have called me to be. Your Word is the Lamp that lights my path, and Your Spirit is the Light of Truth with which You have baptized me. I give You all praise and glory because You did not leave me in the darkness. In the name of Jesus I pray. 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. 

     

TakeUp

      The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is Naso, translated as "Elevate/Lift Up." This reading portion follows Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks, or in the Greek of the New Testament, Pentecost. Pentecost is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the power from heaven, onto the disciples of Jesus who waited for it as they had been directed by the Lord before He was taken up (epairo/airo - to lift up, raise up, raise on high, hoisted up/to raise up from the ground, to bear up, to take upon one's self and carry what has been raised up, to bear away what has been raised, carry off) and was received by a cloud (root word: nephos - a cloud, a large dense multitude, a throng). (see Acts 1:4-9, Acts 2:1-4).

     We see the Greek root word, airo, used in the above verse in connection with Jesus' ascension into heaven. We see it again when Jesus, in Luke 9:23 and 26, says: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up (airo -see above) his cross daily, and follow Me...For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels." 

     The words in Greek that we see above, we will also see the Hebrew counterpart in the Naso Sabbath portion for this week. We begin the story in Numbers Ch. 4: "Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 'Take (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) a census of the sons of Kohath (qehat - assembly, to ally oneself with) from among the children of Levi (levi/lava - joined to, attached/to twine together, to unite, to remain, abide with, cleave to, adhere, be joined closely to anyone), by their families, by their fathers' house, from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service (saba/seba - host, war, army, battle, service, appointed time, warfare, company/assemble, mustered, wage war, fight, serve) to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting." (Num. 4:1-3).

     As with the Kohath family of the Levites, the other two families that make up the tribe of Levi, Gershon and Merari, were numbered by Moses and Aaron in the same manner. We found out from last week's Sabbath reading portion, that the other tribes of Israel were numbered in order to be counted as armies. The Levites who served (saba/seba - see meaning above) in the tabernacle were also numbered as an army, according to the meaning of the Hebrew word for "service" above.

     As an army of the LORD, besides serving in the tabernacle, this portion of Numbers specifies the Levites as the ones appointed to carry (root word: nasa (Naso, our title)- bear up, lift up, take, carry away [see also Greek root airo above], armorbearer, forgive, exalt) the contents and structures of the tabernacle when the tribes of Israel were commanded by the LORD to move camp.

     The Kohath division of the Levites would nasa carry, bear up, lift up, the most holy items of the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) sanctuary, which includes the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. The Gershonite Levites would nasa carry the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) curtains of the tabernacle. The sons of Merari of the Levites would nasa carry the pillars, boards, hardware and (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) instruments/furnishings (keli/kala - vessel, instrument, weapon, jewel, furniture, armorbearer, prepared items/accomplish, cease, end, be complete, destroy, exterminate, perish, expire, consume, wholly reap) of the more outer areas of the tabernacle.

     It is interesting that part of the meaning of the furnishings that the Merari Levites must nasa carry also includes the idea of destruction, extermination and to consume. The pictographic Hebrew letters that make up the word naso/nasa in our Sabbath title are nun, shin, and aleph. Combined, the individual meanings of these letters might express the thought "The Son, the Heir to the throne, is the sharp, consuming, destroying Rock of the Lord, Adonai. In Revelation, we are given the prophecy that all men, from the greatest to the least, will hide themselves in the caves and rocks of the mountains, and say to those mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" (Rev. 6:15-17). In that day, they would rather the natural rocks fall on them than to have to face The Rock of destruction, the One who sits on the throne, the Lamb of God, Jesus Messiah/Christ. We don't usually think of Christ in this way, but He will come in all of His heavenly glory to judge and to rule the nations with a rod of iron.

     The (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) instruments/furnishings that the Merari Levites carry, take, or lift up also contain the meaning to cease, end and complete. On the cross, Jesus said, "It is finished," referring to His work of redemption and forgiveness of our sins. Nasa also contains the meaning of forgiveness. God does not want to destroy anyone, but to save and forgive those who seek Him and will come to Him with a humble heart of repentance. (2 Pet. 3:9). So what is the nature of the consuming destruction associated with both nasa/naso and the holy furnishings of the tabernacle?

     We see the source of the destruction in what the first group of Levites, the Kohaths, are to nasa carry, take, bear and lift up: The furnishings of the two chambers of the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) sanctuary are so holy, that only Aaron and his sons may enter to cover them with various layers. If the Kohaths touch the furnishings uncovered, they will perish: "And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry (nasa - see above) them; but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry...Do not cut off the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites; but do this that they may live and not die when they approach (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the most holy things..." (Num. 4:15, 18-19).

     It is the pure holiness of the LORD that can destroy those who have not been covered. The Book of Hebrews tells us that those who are forgiven and covered by the atoning blood of Jesus Christ may draw near and enter the Holy of Holies with boldness (parresia - openly, with free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage and assurance), rather than in fear of death. (see Heb. 10:19-25).

     Scripture tells us how the lawless one/lawlessness/wickedness will be destroyed: "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord (Jesus) will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness (epiphaneia/epiphanes/phos - brightness of glorious manifestation/illustrious, terrible/the pure brilliant light of God) of His coming." (2 Thess. 2:8).

     Sometimes we may forget the destructive power of God's holiness against any and all wickedness, against anything that is not as holy as He is. When Aaron's two sons came before the LORD with "profane fire" in their censors: "...fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. And Moses said to Aaron, 'This is what the LORD spoke, saying: 'By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.' So Aaron held his peace." (Lev. 10:1-3).

     In another example, the LORD was about to deliver the Law, the Ten Commandments, to the Israelites from Mount Sinai. He warned Moses: "Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the LORD and many perish. Also let the priests who come near the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them." (Ex. 19:21-22).

      Later, Moses would ask the LORD to show him His glory. The LORD had to make special provision in order to protect Moses from destruction. The LORD said to Moses: "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live." (Ex. 33:18-23). One of Jesus' disciples also asked Him to show them the Father (God). Jesus answered him: "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father...Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me..." (Jn. 14:8-10). Earlier Jesus had said to them: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (v. 6).

     Jesus has done this for us. He has become the way by which we can approach the holiness of God and live. Jesus did this by making us, both Jew and Gentile believers in Him, into a new single creation: "...so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity...For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father." (Eph. 2:15-18, see also 2 Cor. 5:18-19). God has reconciled us back to Himself through the blood of His Son, Jesus: "...to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight." (Col. 1:19-22). We receive this reconciliation of ourselves with the pure holiness of God through our steadfast faith in the salvation work of Christ. (v. 23). It is Jesus Messiah/Christ who accomplished this for us, and only Christ, and not we ourselves. He is the grace, mercy, goodness and reconciling peace that makes us acceptable to the holiness of God.

     From another reading portion from this Naso Sabbath, we can also see the warfare power of naso/nasa in the story of Samson (simson - like the sun, to be brilliant). The people of Gaza ('azza/'az/'azaz - the strong, fortified city of the Philistines/strong, mighty, fierce, power, greedy, harsh, cruel/make strong and secure, impudent) sought to capture and kill Samson, who was a judge of Israel. They must have thought that if they could kill the judge appointed by God, they could escape the judgment of God against them that afflicted them. Not so. They were waiting to capture Samson in the morning, but Samson knew their plans: "And Samson lay low till midnight; then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, pulled them up (nasa) bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron." (Jud. 16:1-4).

     The Gazites were cruel and greedy in their power, becoming impudent in strength and security, according to the meaning of their name, above. In a moment, by the nasa power of God in Samson, the first line of their defense - the gate of their city - was ripped up and carried away.

     There is no power in the hands of men that can withstand the nasa power of God that appears when men least expect it. The Gazites expected Samson to walk into their trap in the morning, but Samson rose at midnight instead. Jesus told His listeners: "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (Lk. 12:40, see also Mt. 25:6-13).

     Naso/nasa is glorious in its ascension power, as in the ascension of Jesus Messiah/Christ, but it also carries, lifts up, the holiness of God in all of its consuming nature. In order to lift up and carry the holy instruments of the LORD, the Levites were taken from among the children of Israel and cleansed with the sprinkling (naza - to spurt, spatter, sprinkle especially in expiation [atonement, making amends or reparation for guilt] from sin) of the water of purification. (Num. 8:5-7).

     We will see this same idea expressed in Isaiah 52:13-15 in a prophecy about the yet-to-be-born Messiah/Christ: "Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled (nasa - see above) and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men; So shall He sprinkle (naza - see above) many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; for what had not been told them they shall see, and what they had not heard, they shall consider."

     We can say that the Levites foreshadowed those who would one day be sprinkled by Jesus, set apart to nasa carry, take, lift and bear up the holy things of God. We carry this treasure, the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, in earthen vessels, "that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us." (2 Cor. 4:6-7). We carry or take up these things as the tabernacles or holy temple of the Lord, filled with His Holy Spirit. (Eph. 2:19-22).

If you would like to know more about our purpose in carrying and taking up the holy things of God, you can pray with me: "LORD of all, You entrusted Your most holy things of Your tabernacle that represent the Person of Your Son into the hands of men, into my hands. Help me to understand through Your Word and by Your Spirit how this is to be present and manifested in my life. You are Most Holy, and You have made a way through Your Son for me to approach the glory and beauty of your holiness. Keep me from treating this as a common thing, or as "profane fire", but with the reverent awareness of what it cost You to bring me into your Presence through the sacrifice of Your only begotten Son, Jesus. I ask this in the name of 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.