Go!

Last week, we saw how God established His elect people. This week, we will see how God established, through a covenant with Abram/Abraham, the land promised to His elect people. This will be important in the end times before the return of Christ, as it has been throughout history. It started with a command from the LORD to "Go!...Get out!" That is also the title of this week's Sabbath reading portion, Lech L'cha, which covers Gen. chapters 12 through 17. Last week we saw that the Hebrew people (Eber) descended from Noah's oldest son, Shem. Continuing down the line of Shem's descendants, we eventually come to Abram, who would later be renamed "Abraham" by God. Abraham would be a spiritual earthquake, changing the course of history forever. However, first, the LORD had to move Abram from the Chaldean (Babylonion) city of Ur, to the territory of Canaan, which was inhabited by the descendants of Noah's second son, Ham. Abram's father had earlier relocated his family, including Abram and his wife Sarai, from Ur to Haran, an Assyrian city (Gen. 11:31-32). However, this was not where God wanted Abram to dwell. He commanded Abram to "get out" of his father's house, and "go" (yalak, yalak [2X] - to go, walk, to die, live, manner of life, to lead, bring, carry, cause to walk, flow, take away, vanish, lead away) to a land that God would show (ra'a - reveal, be made visible, discern, perceive, be exhibited to, have vision, cause to see) him (Gen. 12:1). We think that God wished to establish from Abram and his descendants the land that would be called "Israel", and that is true, but the plan of God is not limited to that, and does not end there, as He revealed to Abram: "I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curse you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (v. 2-3). From the Hebrew words used above, Abram's departure was not just for himself, but to lead or bring others "out" as well. Abram did as the LORD commanded and departed (yasa - exit, come out, go forth with purpose, lead out, to deliver, break out) from Haran (haran/harar - dried up, parched/to burn, be scorched, charred, melt, dry up, be angry, destroyed by heat) (v. 4). Abram is leading others out of a place that destroys by an angry, burning heat. This is not just about Abram, but Abram as a symbol of deliverance for others. Abram did indeed bring others out: "Then Abram took (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Sarai (sarai/sar/sarar - princess, nobility/ruler, commander, governor, chief, leader, task master/have power, rule over, prevail over, to hold dominion, act as a prince) his wife and Lot (covering over face making sad, veil, wrap tightly, hide, do secretly, incantation) his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people (nefes/napas - souls, life, living creature/to breathe, refresh, breathe upon, current of air) whom they had acquired (asa - make, wrought, keep, commit, prepare, accomplish, act with effect, celebrate, ordain, bring about) in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan (meaning merchant, traffick, bring down, subdue, vanquish, depressed, bow down). So they came to the land of Canaan." (v. 5). The command given to Abram to "get out" will change the spiritual landscape. While God was establishing new boundaries for the inhabitants of the land, He was also pulling down old spiritual boundaries. The people that Abram established were not only his physical descendants, but many spiritual descendants also, as a hero of faith in the Word of the LORD to him, just as the LORD prophesied (Heb. 11:8-10). One of Abram's descendants was Jesus, who blessed all of the people of the world with the promise of everlasting life through Him. One of the things that Abram believed God for was a heavenly city built by God (Heb. 11:10, see also Rev. 21:1-6, 22:1-5). Jesus, although He was physically born approximately two thousand years after Abram, knew Abram, and Abram knew Jesus, as Jesus revealed to those who questioned Him: "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham...Your father, Abraham, rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad...Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." (Jn. 8:52-58). If you accept Abraham as a father of your faith, than you must accept all that Abraham knew by the revelation of God, and by which he walked the physical and spiritual land. The LORD told Abram: "Lift (nasa - be lifted up, exalted, lift oneself up, rise up, to carry or bear continuously, endure, forgive) your eyes now (na - pray, please, in entreaty or exhortation) and look (ra'a - look, behold, perceive, inspect, foresee, have vision, learn about, distinguish, consider, discern, to be visible) from the place where you are - northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever...Arise (qum - raise, establish, bring on the scene, confirm, perform, stand, become powerful, be fulfilled), walk in the land through its length (orek/arak - physical length, forever in length of time/to be causitive, long of time, extend, stretch, lengthen) and its width (rohab/rahab - width, expanse, great breadth of heart and understanding/to grow wide, be enlarged), for I give it to you." (Gen. 13:14-17). Abram was being asked by God to "see" from a heavenly perspective, not necessarily from an earthly one. He was to "see" prophetically, supernaturally, from this spiritually raised position. He was to bear and carry this vision from the LORD, inspect it, discern it, study it, or meditate upon it, according to the meanings of the Hebrew words used. God entrusted His vision to this man. This land was promised to Abram, and his (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) seed, or descendants (see Gen. 13:15-16 in Hebrew). The walk with which Abram was to walk the land was a walk through time, and heart and understanding, as well as physical length and width. We sometimes view Abraham as an "Old Testament" figure only, but God viewed Abraham as having presence and spiritual influence throughout time. In other readings from this Lech L'cha, or "Go!", Sabbath portion, the prophets wrote about the eternal importance and meaning of Abraham's life. And this eternal presence of Abraham was to be a comfort to God's people: "Comfort, yes, comfort My people!' says your God. Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned..." (Isa. 40:1-2). One of these comforts, a word which also includes the meaning "to repent", lies in the fact that the LORD called the generations of Abraham: "Who has performed and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, am the first; and with the last, I am He...you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob (Abraham's grandson), whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham My friend. You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you, and not cast you away...Those who war against you shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing." (Isa. 41:4, 8-9, 12). The LORD remembers Abraham and His many and diverse descendants forever, and is committed to them. This is their continual comfort. In another Sabbath reading for this week, the Word of the LORD calls upon His people to look to Abraham: "Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness; you who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; for I called him alone, and blessed him and increased him." (Isa. 51:1-2). What does the LORD expect His people to see as they "look to" and reconnect with their patriarch, Abraham? As Jesus said above, the same thing that Abraham discovered: the One who leads to comfort, joy, gladness, thanksgiving and justice (v. 3-4), the One who is righteousness and salvation, the One whom Abraham knew in his walk with eternity and the enlarging of his heart and understanding: the Messiah/Savior/Lord Jesus. The LORD continues: "My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth...But My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not be abolished...But My righteousness will be forever, and My salvation from generation to generation." (v. 5, 6, 8). Here's a hint regarding the connecting to Abraham. The LORD also says to His people: "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, the earth will grow old like a garment, and those who dwell in it will die in like manner." (v. 6). When God tells His people to lift up their eyes, it is the same word, nasa (see above), with which Abram was instructed to "see" - with a supernatural, prophetic sight from the realm of the heavens: to carry and bear that vision received from heaven until it is manifested in the earth. It is no coincidence that as the signs of the end times before Christ's return become more and more difficult, Jesus told His disciples to "...look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near." (Lk. 21:28). Peter wrote that "we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." (2 Pet. 3:13). How many of us are "looking" in this manner, and how many of us have our eyes fixed instead on the things which are here, now, natural and passing away? If Abraham is a father of your faith, you must "see" what he saw. If we are counted as Abraham's children, both natural and by faith and Spirit, then we must do the works of Abraham, as Jesus said (see above). We have seen here that Abram saw both a natural and supernatural (the City of God mentioned above) land. In another reading selection from this Sabbath lesson, Lech L'cha, or "Go!", the prophet Jeremiah reveals a powerful image as he calls God's people to repent, turn from their own sinful ways, and return to the LORD. By doing so, the LORD will transform them. The LORD also said: "At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne (kisse/kasa - seat of honor, throne, dignity, authority, power, canopied [covered] throne, royal throne, the tribunal of a judge, the seat of the high priest/cover, conceal, hide, to cover over sins, to pardon) of the LORD, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD (YHWH - "Behold the hand, Behold the nail"), to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their own evil hearts." (Jer. 3:17). Nations shall be transformed as well by the Throne of the LORD. The supernatural vision of the land, as well as the natural vision, contains the Throne of the LORD. Ultimately, it is from this Throne that the Lord, who is the Lamb, says: "Behold, I make all things new...It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega (aleph-tav), the Beginning and the End..." (see Rev. 21:5-6). Abraham was not just an "Old Testament" patriarch. He carried the vision of God that extends into our time, and all time into the future. It is the same vision that made a way of salvation for all, both physically, as Jesus is a descendant of Abraham, and spiritually, as Abraham removed from Haran the people (souls) who belonged to him, and obediently lifted up his eyes to see, and walk the length and width of the land. If you would like to know more about our forefather of faith, Abraham, and his works, you can pray with me: "Father in heaven, You elected Abraham to receive Your prophetic promises, Your vision, and Your walk for my sake. As I seek a closer relationship with You, I look back to Abraham, whom You called, "My friend". Jesus called His disciples His friends as well. Teach me by Your Spirit, to lift up my eyes, and see in the way that You would have your people to see. Teach me to walk the land carrying the prophetic vision of the new things promised in Your Word. Let me do the works of Abraham of which Jesus spoke, works of faith in the One Abraham knew outside of time, Jesus, my Savior. I ask this in the name of Jesus. AMEN."

Kingdoms

The title of this week's Sabbath reading is Sh'lach L'cha, or "send for yourself". The LORD commanded Moses to send the leaders of each tribe of the children of Israel ahead into the promised land from their current camp in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh (Numbers 13 and 14). They were to spy out the land and bring back a report of what they found. The spies who were being sent from each tribe were called "leaders" (nasi/nasa - prince, chief, governor, captain, ruler/to lift, to bear up, support, sustain, forgive, to be exalted)) and "heads" (ros - chief, top of a mountain, principal, choicest, best, highest, supreme) by the LORD. These heads of the tribes that would be sent to spy, or search out the land, were not "errand boys", but the most respected men of the children of Israel. These leaders would be leaving from the current camp and setting of the tabernacle in Paran at Kadesh (Num. 13:26) to go to Canaan (Num. 13:2), the new land. If we look at the meanings of these two places, we might see the beginning of an attitude problem. Paran (pa'ar) at Kadesh, their current location, means "glorify, beautify, adorn, proud, honored" at "holy, sanctuary, sanctify, dedicate, purify". Canaan (kana) means the opposite: "traffickers, merchants, depressed, bring low, bring down, brought into subjection, humble oneself, to bend the knee". The best and the brightest were being commanded to leave their place of exaltation and sanctity, and travel to a place of subjection and humiliation. The season in which they were to make this journey was the season of the Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles because it was "the season of the first ripe grapes" (v. 20). The Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles is a most joyous feast celebrating the sweetest of the harvests - the harvest of grapes, figs, pomegranates and dates, very soon followed by the harvest of ripe olives. This is what the leaders of the tribes found in the promised land of Canaan also: "Then they came to the Valley (nahal - valley, stream, flood, torrent; inheritance, possession, to bequeath) of Eschol ("cluster of grapes"), and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs." (v. 23). Again, we see the Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles represented in these ripened fruits. This timing, and the evidence of abundant harvest shouldn't have been difficult for these exalted men to figure out! However, after forty days, when they returned to camp after spying out the land, they reported to the people the giant descendants of the corrupted Anakim, the strong, fortified cities, and the violent tribes of Canaan that they had seen: the Amalekites, the Hittites, the Jebusites and the Amorites (v. 27-29). These four tribes of Canaan represented evil activity. Amalekites, according to the Jewish writings from the Midrash, were sorcerers. The Hittites were descendants of Heth, son of Canaan. Heth means "terror, break in pieces, be afraid, be discouraged, break by violence, cause confusion and fear". Jebusites inhabited a territory that included what would later be called Jerusalem. The word Jebusites includes the meaning "threshing place, trodden down, polluted, loath, desecrate, trample". Finally, the Amorites, the most powerful of the tribes in Canaan, included the meaning "publicity, renown, to boast, act proudly, avow, challenge, speak, command". Their mouths were used for threats and curses. These tribes sound like the same evil that is currently occupying my land. Although Caleb, the leader of the tribe of Judah, tried to assure the children of Israel that they should go at once and take possession, "for we are well able to overcome it", ten of the twelve respected leaders who had spied out the new land gave this report: "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we...the land is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature...we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." (v. 30-33). The children of Israel cried and wept, complained against Moses, and refused to go into the land because of what had been reported to them. They even wanted to select a new leader to take them back to Egypt! (Num. 14:1-4). Another of the leaders who had spied out the land, Joshua, tried to intervene saying: "The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land which flows with milk and honey...do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them." (v. 7-9). Joshua discerned that their defence or covering had withdrawn from these tribes who practiced evil. He called them "our bread". Bread has an interesting meaning. It is the Hebrew word and root lehem/laham and means "bread, food, meat, feast, provision/make war, overcome, devoured, prevail, do battle". Jesus called Himself "the Bread which came down from heaven", and "the Bread of life" (Jn. 6:32-41). Not only is He our Bread of spiritual and natural nutrition, but from the Hebrew meaning of the word, He also is the Bread of prevailing in battles on our behalf. In this case with the words of Joshua, however, the congregation picked up stones to stone them. The glory of the LORD then appeared in the tabernacle, and the LORD was prepared to destroy the Israelites who were ready to stone His faithful servants who spoke the truth. Moses had to greatly intercede before the LORD in order to spare the people (v. 10-19). The LORD then said to Moses: "But truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD..." (v. 21). The plan of the LORD for this Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles in Numbers had been to fill the earth with His glory by overthrowing the evil powers ruling the promised land. God's people had refused to participate. However, God swore that He would do so. That was and is His purpose. This Feast of Tabernacles of this Sabbath's reading portion was about the dispossession of the kingdoms and powers of darkness, and the establishment of the Kingdom of God. When I spy out the land in which God has placed me as a physical and spiritual inheritance, am I seeing the fulfillment of the Feast of Ingathering/Tabernacles of grapes, pomegranates, figs, dates, and olives (oil of the Holy Spirit), the harvesting of souls for His Kingdom, and the dispossession of the kingdoms of darkness, or am I seeing and reporting the strength and evil of the enemy? The new covenant speaks to this replacement of kingdoms, and it wasn't by violent revolution against governments or people. The Lord Jesus spoke about this great change that was at hand ("Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand", Mt. 4:17), and taught His disciples how to bring about this replacement of kingdoms saying: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen" (Mt. 6:9-13). Do we view the Lord's Prayer as an outline and tool to dispossess the giants, the fortified cities, and kingdoms of darkness from the land? If not, perhaps we should be taking another look at it. Paul also spoke about the dispossession of the evil kingdoms, not by natural weapons, which are completely ineffective, but by our spiritual weapons, which are mighty through God. One version of the scripture says: "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." (2 Cor. 10:4). Daniel prophesied that one of the greatest kingdoms of darkness to come that "shall devour the whole earth", will be dispossessed: "But the court (din - judgment, justice, penalty) shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him." (Dan. 7:22-27). As the LORD guaranteed Moses: "All the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD. "The Book of Revelation reports the triumph of the Kingdom of God: "Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" (Rev. 11:15). According to the scriptures, just some of the spiritual weapons we have with which to participate in this miraculous change of power are: forgiving and seeking God for and treasuring our forgiveness Mt. 6:12), our obedience (2 Cor. 10:4-6), and our salvation (Lk. 10:18-20). The remaining portions of this Sabbath's readings deal with Israel's entrance into the Promised Land, finally, forty years later, under the leadership of Joshua (Josh. 2:1-24), and the distribution of the land by allotments to the tribes of Israel (Josh. 14:6-15). The LORD also made this promise to His Son in the Psalms: "Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me and I will give You the nations (heathen) for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession." (Ps. 2:6-8). I have to ask myself what I see and believe when I look at the land of my inheritance and possession through Christ? I will bear in mind that the kingdoms of evil ended up having an additional forty years of power in the land of covenant promise, because the Israelites did not obey the voice and the appointed time of the LORD. I want to be instead an obedient participant in the glorious deliverance and harvest work of the Lord in this time before His return. If you would like to know more about the Kingdom of God, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, through Your Son, Jesus, the Messiah, You have given us an inheritance in heaven, a harvest or ingathering for Your Kingdom, and a possession here on the earth. Through Your Word, and by Your Holy Spirit, teach me to see, believe, pray, speak and live, not according to the kingdoms of this world, but according to the Kingdom of God. Show me Your fields white with the harvest of souls in this time. Use me in a way that establishes Your Kingdom, and disposseses the kingdoms of darkness from the land. You have won the victory, as Jesus said, "...I have overcome the world" (Jn. 16:33). We ask these things, and bless and honor You in Jesus' holy name. AMEN."