PortraitofSin

     The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is D'b(v)arim, meaning "Words." This title refers to the first verse in Deuteronomy: "These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain opposite Suph, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab." (Deut. 1:1). D'b(v)arim is also the Hebrew title of the fifth Book of the Bible, which we call Deuteronomy, or Deuteronomion in the Greek. Both the Hebrew and the Greek also refer to this Book as "Second Law," and also the "Book of Remembrance," or "Repetition of the Law" as Moses reminds the new generation of the importance of obedience to the laws of God. As the Book of Deuteronomy begins, we find out that Moses is speaking in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month "...according to all that the LORD had given him as commandments to them...". (v. 3).

     Moses will repeat the Law to Israel and also elaborate upon it in more detail in this Book. He will review the history of the Israelites as they began their journey through the wilderness. The end of the life of Moses is near as the LORD will appoint his successor to bring Israel across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land.

     The physical location of the Israelites as mentioned above, according to the Hebrew meanings of the words used, seem to reflect the history, not just of the Israelites, but of mankind, including God's plan of salvation and redemption. It starts out in a place of abounding foliage - beautiful and glorious, adorned with every need met which sounds like the Garden of Eden (see Paran). Then there follows the insipid foolishness (of man), smeared in a quagmire of slime, untempered or left weakened and tasteless: unsalted (Tophel/tapel). Man then becomes purified or made white (see Laban). He is enclosed in a court, even the court of the tabernacle, and, at the sound of a trumpet he is separated from his surroundings, which sounds like the Catching-away of the believers (see Hazeroth/haser/hasar). Finally, he is in a place abounding with gold, brilliant and splendid, shimmering like oil, like the golden splendor of the heavens (Dizahab/zabab).

     As the older generation has passed away in the wilderness during the forty years of journey, (a journey that would have taken eleven days if the people had been willing to go up and take the land as the LORD had commanded them to do earlier (see Num. 13:31-33 and Num. 14:1-4), Moses is giving his warning words to the younger generation who will soon enter the Land. 

     We live in a time when the younger generations have been raised in societies where the law of God, His truth, His principles of life and well-being, are being systematically deconstructed from our framework. Even some in the Church/Assembly of believers have clouded the understanding of sin and its resultant death, not only physical death, but the dying of the soul, which is the mind, the will and the emotions. We are now seeing whole societies debilitated by the spiritual sickness caused by sin.

     Sin is not just about breaking "meaningless" rules that the LORD has randomly created as some may think. Sin is a condition of man that falls short of God's own holiness, perfection, righteousness and glorious state. This is why scripture says, "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23). Our Father in heaven sent His Son, Jesus, to sacrificially pay the price of sin, which includes death.  We all have the sickness of sin and we all need the healing and deliverance of Messiah/Christ. His body absorbed all of that sickness of sin and became the resulting death. However, death could not hold Him in its power, and He rose again to eternal life for our sakes. This is the good news of salvation life, given by God to all people. Scripture says of sin: "What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 6:21-23).

     This D'b(v)arim ("Words") Sabbath reading portion will give us a deeper glimpse of the sin of God's people, and all people.

     Many have seen depictions of Jesus' battered and tortured face and body from the abuse He endured before the cross and from the crucifixion itself. We have also read in the Gospel accounts of the type of wounds that He received. We see the evidence of the wounds as accurately shown on the Shroud of Turin. Isaiah prophetically describes the Messiah/Christ Servant of God who was wounded and bruised for our transgressions and iniquity. (see Isa. 53:5), and as having a "visage ...marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men." (Isa. 52:14). 

     When we consider sin, we view it as hidden from sight, something within the hearts and minds. We only "see" it when it becomes an outward action. However, God sees sin in a different but compelling manner. Isaiah wrote the "Words" (dabarim) of the LORD as God describes the sin of His people: "Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-LORD, they have provoked to anger (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-The-Holy-One of Israel, they have turned away backward....The whole head is sick (holi/hala - sickness, disease, grief, anxiety, calamity, sadness/be weak, wounded, sore, pain, entreat-pray-beg), and the whole heart faints (dauay/dave/dava - sick, troubled, of sorrow, distress/unwell/miserable, to languish). From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds (pesa'/pasa' - bruise, wound/to wound by crushing, to split) and bruises (habura/habar - stripe, wounds, blueness, bruise, blow/join together, have fellowship with, be allied with, a spell, to tie a magic charm to) and putrefying (tari - new, moist, fresh, dripping, raw wound, not healed nor attended to) sores (maka/naka - wound, slaughter, beaten, stripes, stroke, blow, smote, sores, scourging, the blow of a flail/stricken or smitten, scourge, give a thrust, ravage, punish, destroy); They have not been closed or bound up, or soothed (rakak - to soften, be penitent, break anyone's heart) with ointment (semen/samam - oil, olive oil for anointing, spiced oil/to cover)." (Isa. 1:4-6).

      (*Aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-LORD sees the sinful condition of His people as if they are covered with wounds, bruises and sores from head to foot. As we see the Hebrew meanings above for these afflictions, we also see the head-to-foot wounds of Messiah/Christ. It is as if (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-LORD is showing us a portrait of His own wounds that He would suffer. They are the wounds of sin.

     (*Aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-LORD also laments that those raw and dripping wounds, bruises and sores have not been covered by repentance and the oil of anointing (Messiah/Christ = The Anointed One). The prophet of the LORD expresses this same sadness when He speaks of God's people: "For the hurt (sebar/sabar - destruction, hurt, affliction, bruise, crushing/maimed, broken, rupture) of the daughter of my people I am hurt. I am mourning; Astonishment (samma - desolation, horror, appalled, stunned) has taken hold of me. Is there no balm (sori - medicine, salve, used to heal wounds) in Gilead, is there no physician there? Why is there no recovery for the health of the daughter of my people?" (Jer. 8:21-22). What did Jeremiah see in the Spirit when he spoke above of God's people? His words suggest that he "saw" the wounds, bruises, sores and extreme suffering from sin that horrified him, and cried out to God for the Healing Physician. We also refer to Jesus as that healing Balm of Gilead that the prophet mentioned above. He is the healing of our wounds.

     We see in another part of scripture that the LORD again sees the sin that dwells inwardly, in the heart, manifesting as an outward appearance in the Spirit. In Genesis 4, both (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-Cain and (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-Abel, the sons of Adam and (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-Eve, brought offerings to the LORD. Abel's offering, a firstborn lamb from his flock, was accepted by the LORD, but Cain's offering from the fruit of the ground was not accepted: "And Cain was very angry (hara/harar - incensed, hot with anger, blaze up, jealousy, burn in vexation/to burn, be scorched, be charred, dry up), and his countenance (panim/pana - face, presence, person/look, face, to turn) fell (napal - fall down, rot, the fall of a violent death, to waste away, make to rot, slay, smite out, fall to the ground, fall into calamity). So the LORD said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?" (Gen. 4:1-6).

     The LORD "saw" the wasting away and rotting of the fall of death upon Cain's face or person caused by the sin of jealous rage within him against his brother. What Cain may have believed were the hidden thoughts and emotions within him, the LORD clearly saw as the rotting of death that manifested in the Spirit outwardly upon Cain.

      Scripture tells us that Jesus would also know immediately what was within the thoughts and emotions of those with whom He dealt. He would then reveal and confront the others' thoughts. As He looked upon the hearts of men, did He also clearly see an outward manifestation of these thoughts as horrifying unhealed wounds, bruises and sores?

     Considering what we have read here, we can now understand that our sins are not hidden, but that before the eyes of the LORD they are manifested plainly upon us outwardly for Him to see. Do we now understand the nature of the manifestation of those sins - as wounds, bruises and open dripping sores?

     Let us consider one more thing. We understand that Jesus, as that covering Anointing oil, suffered the punishment for the sin of the world in our place, as Isaiah prophesied above. However, scripture tells us something deeper still: "...we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He (God) made Him (Christ) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Jesus was not only punished for our sins, but He became our sin. Could that have been why Jesus cried out loudly from the cross that God had turned away from Him, saying: "...My God, My God, why have You forsaken ('azab - forsake, leave, depart from, to be deserted) Me?" (Mt. 27:46, Ps. 22:1). He had become the sin that causes separation from God.

     What we see on Christ's body, the wounds, bruises and sores, is what sin looks like before the eyes of God. Jesus, the Holy, the Perfect, the Glory of God became the dripping open sores of sin for our sakes. He became the sores of sin, and He became the healing. Can we better understand the portrait of sin that we have been given in this week's D'b(v)arim, or "Words", Sabbath reading portion as Moses reviewed and repeated the Law of God for Israel? Can we better understand what Jesus Messiah/Christ accomplished for us through His suffering and death? 

     We have all sinned. The Apostle John wrote: "...the blood of Jesus Christ His (God's) Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess (homologeo - to say [words] the same as, to concede, to confess, declare, admit one's guilt, to assent to covenant) our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse (katharizo/katharos - cleanse, purge, purify, to free from guilt of sin/purified by fire, a vine cleansed by pruning in order to bear fruit, to free from corrupt desire-sin-or guilt) us from all unrighteousness." (1 Jn. 1:7-9). Jesus became sin; He felt the pain of sin and the subsequent separation from God, His beloved Father, and He sees and feels our pain in sin. He is our Savior from this plight.

     If you would like to learn more about the portrait of sin and our deliverance in Messiah/Christ, the Anointed of God, you can join with me in my prayer: "Holy Father, what do You feel as You see me burdened by sin? How terrible it must be for You to "see" me in this spiritual affliction. Because of Your love for me and for the whole world, You sent Your Son, Jesus, to become my sin, to suffer the consequences of my sin, and to heal and deliver me from that sin. My Lord, cleanse me this day, heal me this day, in Jesus. Cleanse me from all unrighteousness through Your gracious, loving, impartial and all-powerful forgiveness by the blood of Jesus, which He willingly shed for me and for all who will receive it. I didn't deserve this gift. I didn't earn this gift - just the opposite, but You gave it to me anyway. Are there words that are pure enough to thank You for what You have done for me? I know that You, Father, can hear and see the words that are filling my heart. I offer up my thanks and love to You 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.