GreatSabbath

      The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is Tzav, meaning "Command." This is also a special Sabbath called HaGadol, or Great Sabbath, in this case because it is the Sabbath before Passover. The title, Tzav, comes from Leviticus 6:8-9: "Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying 'Command (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-Aaron ('aharon - "light bringer", mountainous) (*vaw-aleph/tav)-and-his-sons, saying, 'This is the law of the burnt offering...". The word "command” is the Hebrew word sav meaning: command, charge, appoint, order, ordain of divine act, to set up.

     What is being ordained by the LORD to the priest is the atonement (kapar - atonement, purge, reconciliation, forgive, merciful, cleansed, pardon) for a person's trespasses against the LORD regarding a (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-neighbor. These trespasses are described in earlier verses 1-6 KJV in the chapter. The trespasses are against the LORD for the acts done against the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-neighbor. Now a "neighbor" is specifically used here instead a "person". The Hebrew word for neighbor is 'amit meaning: neighbor, another, an associate, fellow, kindred, companion. This is not a stranger, but one who is known to the person committing the trespass. This neighbor is also identified with Messiah/Christ because it is preceded by the written *aleph-tav. The Messiah/Christ would be born from among them, be kindred to them, would live among them and with whom they would become acquainted.

     It is appropriate that this reading is connected to the Sabbath before the Passover, a Great Sabbath, when the Passover lamb, who had been brought into the household, was killed and its blood was used to cover the doors of the houses of the Israelites in Egypt in order to protect those households from the last plague of Egypt - the death of all first born. Jesus is identified as our Passover Lamb who takes away the sins of the world by three apostles in the New Testament: Paul in 1 Cor. 5:7-8, John in John 1:29 and Rev. 5:6, and Peter in 1 Pet. 1:18-19.  We will see that the trespasses committed against the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega "neighbor" deeply resemble the suffering, crucifixion, burial, descent into Hell, and resurrection of Jesus Messiah/Christ. It is a timely Sabbath reading because, not only is Passover approaching, but also Resurrection Sunday. We will also see that the LORD commanded the provision of Atonement that would cover and pardon the trespasser.

     The portrait of the suffering and death of the Messiah/Christ (Jesus) is found in the very particular language used to describe the trespasses against the LORD by the abuse of the *aleph-tav- "neighbor". Therefore, I will look at the Hebrew word meanings found in these uniquely worded phrases from Lev. 6:4-11 from the King James version.

     From verse 4, there are four phrases which describe the trespass against the neighbor which the trespasser must restore to him:

1.  ...(*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-that-thing which he took violently away: (gazal - rob, consume, force, torn, seize, take away by force, flay, strip, tear, strip off skin from flesh). Jesus was seized forcibly in His arrest, and His skin was flayed from His body with the Roman scourge/whip.

2.  ...(*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-thing deceitfully gotten: ('oseq/'asaq - injury, cruelly, oppression/oppress, violate, be crushed, injustice, roughness, do violence, wrongly). Jesus, who was innocent of the contrived allegations against Him, as even Pontius Pilate attested (see Lk. 23:14), was nevertheless wrongfully violated, cruelly mocked and violently injured.

3.  ...(*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-that-thing which was delivered to him [the trespasser] to keep: (paqad - attend to, care for, pay attention to, observe, to seek, to be visited, to be appointed, to be watched over, be caused to miss, trust). Jesus was the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega "thing" that was given by God into the care and keeping of man. Jesus told the people to follow Him, to seek Him, to receive His visitation, but, as was God's plan from the beginning, Jesus was instead delivered up violently (see Acts 2:22-23) by the sins of all (both Jew and Gentile because all have sinned) to be executed. (see Isa. 53:3, Mt. 27:24-25, Acts 2:23, Rom. 4:24-25, Rom. 8:31-32).

4.  ...(*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-lost-thing which he (the trespasser) found: ('abeda/'abad - lost thing, place of destruction, Hades, abyss/perish, broken, destroy utterly, vanish, kill, exterminate, to blot out, no escape, cut-off, lost and wandering sheep, houses laid waste) and (found/masa' - encounter, detect, recognize, discovered). Jesus was treated as lost and consigned to extermination and Hades/Hell (see 'abeda/'abad above) even though He had told them, and us, that they should detect and recognize (see masa' above) Him as being part of His Father in heaven for His works' sake, if for no other reason. (Jn. 14:10-11). Jesus overcame death, Hell and the grave as He entered into them. (Rev. 1:18, Acts 2:24-28).

     Let's look at verse 6 from this chapter of Leviticus for our next depiction of Messiah/Christ: "And he (the trespasser) shall bring (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-his-trespass-offering ('asam - sin, trespass, guiltiness, to do wrong, do injury, desolate, perish) unto the LORD, a ram ('ayil/'ul - ram, door post, door jambs, mighty tree, lintel, ram as a sacrifice, as yielding wool, door surround, leaping, skipping [as the pascal lamb]/noble leading man) without blemish (tamim/tamam - without blemish, perfect, upright, complete, full, innocent, what is complete or entirely in accord with truth and fact/end, finished, spent, done, accomplish, perfect, to be completely crossed over, make whole, be upright) out of the flock...for a trespass offering, unto the priest."

     In the meaning of the Hebrew words noted above, there is a connection of "the ram" to the blood smeared doorposts and lintels of the Passover deliverance (Jesus is our Passover - see above) and protection from the plague of death. As we look at the meaning of "without blemish" above, we can understand the words of Jesus on the cross when He said, "It is finished." He was and is perfect in His innocence and in full accord with truth. (see Jn. 1:14).

     This same image is to continue in us, the believers in Messiah/Christ. Paul wrote that the end goal of God for the Church was to the "perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." (Eph. 4:13). In another place, Paul wrote that Christ wanted to present us to Himself "a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." (Eph. 5:26-27). We are also to have the same quality as Messiah/Christ as the *aleph-tav-the-burnt-offering for trespass: tamim - without blemish. If it is the purpose and will of God that we are to be built into this perfect man and fulness of Christ, then we should understand the image into which we are being conformed. It includes the image of the *aleph-tav-burnt-offering. (see Heb. 13:13-14). We will see this again later.

     In this Lev. 6 chapter, the LORD commanded (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-Aaron-and-his-sons to take the trespass burnt offering and burn it upon the altar, whose fire is to be kept burning continually. After (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-burnt-offering has been consumed, the priest shall take off his priestly garments, put on other garments, "and carry forth (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-ashes without the camp unto a clean place (taor/taher - shine, uncontaminated, to be bright, empty)." (v. 9-11).

     After Jesus Messiah/Christ had been consumed on the cross as our trespass offering (see Isa. 53:5, 8, 10), His body was taken and placed in the clean, unused tomb carved out of the rock, owned by Joseph of Arimathea (from rama/rum - birthplace of Samuel, high place/to raise, rise, rise up, exalt, set on high, lift up, raise, heave offering), "...where no one had ever lain before. That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near." (see Lk. 23:50-54). The tomb was located in a garden, "in the place where He was crucified." (Jn. 19:41-42). This meant that the tomb was located outside of the city just as the *aleph-tav ashes of the *aleph-tav burnt offering were to be placed outside the camp. (see Heb. 13:10-14, Jn. 19:17-20). Being a new, never occupied tomb meant that it was "a clean place", undefiled previously by a corpse. The "clean place" mentioned in Leviticus for the deposit of the ashes of the offering is also a place that means "bright, shining" (see taor/taher above). Paul wrote that Jesus was raised by the glory of the Father, as we are also (see Rom. 6:4-5), and the tomb was left "empty" (see again taor/taher above).

     Before we leave Lev. 6, there is another interesting point to make, which will also take us into another reading portion from this Tsav Sabbath. In Lev. 6:12-13, the fire of the altar must always be kept burning: "...The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out." What is this fire that shall always be burning and never quenched? Is it the fire of God's wrath? Is it the fire of Hell? The word "ever" used in the above verse is the Hebrew word tamid. Notice that this Hebrew word is very similar to the Hebrew word that means "without blemish", that is tamim/tamam, referring to the *aleph-tav-burnt-offering for trespasses. 

     Related to this, from another Tzav "Command" Sabbath reading from this Ha-Gadol or Great Sabbath before Passover, we also read of the Refining Fire that is the LORD: "Who can endure (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire...He will purify (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-sons-of-Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer the LORD an offering in righteousness." (Mal. 3:2-3). This refining fire then has the effect of leaving the sons of Levi "without blemish", purged of all unrighteousness. This same ever-burning tamid refining fire of the altar is continually available to purge us as well.

     The baptism of the Holy Spirit upon and within the believer in Messiah/Christ Jesus is a baptism of spiritual fire. (see Mt. 3:11-12). The manifestation of this promise indeed appeared as "tongues of fire" upon each believer waiting upon the Lord in Jerusalem on the Feast of Pentecost/Weeks. (see Acts 2:1-4).

     The LORD spoke directly clarifying that the animal sacrifices that were commanded to the Israelites and the Levitical priesthood were not for the pleasing of God by shedding animal blood for the Atonement of sins and trespasses but as a prophetic shadow of better and perfect things to come. These animal sacrifices were pointing instead to obtaining the true knowledge of the will of God and what He has prepared for man, namely an eternal and holy Atonement through the blood of His Son, Jesus. (see Ps. 40:6-8, Isa. 1:11, Jer. 7:21-23, Hos. 6:6, Heb. 10:1-4).  Jesus' identity is "hidden in plain sight" in the Hebrew language of the Torah as noted above, and in confirming New Testament scriptures. It is into this same identity and image, the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega-burnt-offering, that we also are being transformed. (see Rom. 12:1-2).

     It you would like to know more about the burnt offering that is the Son of God into which image we are also being transformed as believers, you can join my prayer: "Heavenly Father, You have sent Your Son to be our burnt offering sacrifice for sin. You established the prophetic pattern which You fulfilled with the perfect, innocent and upright sacrifice beyond the greatest imaginations of men. You told Your prophets that we were to look for this knowledge of You even beyond the proscribed sacrifices of the Law. Lord Jesus, not only were You gracious to become my sacrifice, but You have also called Your followers to be conformed into this same image. By Your Word and Holy Spirit, give me the understanding needed to offer myself, conformed to the fulness of the stature of Christ, as a living sacrifice proving the good, acceptable and perfect will of God before all creation. Let this Passover/Resurrection season witness to the world the wonder, love and forgiveness found in Your Atonement provision for all, Your Son, Jesus. I ask this in the name of Jesus, Son of God, Savior and Lord. 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. 

Enter

    

     "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:19-22).

     The above verses from the Book of Hebrews speaks about entering into the House of God, because of and through the way that has been made for us to enter, the flesh of Jesus Christ, torn open for us. Jesus also referred to Himself as "the Door" by which the sheep of God enter into His sheepfold of safety: "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture....I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (Jn. 10:9-10).

     This truth of "entering in" is also reflected in this week's Sabbath reading portion titled Bo, meaning, "Enter." The Hebrew letters that comprise the word bo are beyth and aleph. The individual meanings of these Hebrew letters are "house/family/within" and "the first, or Adonai/Lord." Therefore, just within the word bo itself is the meaning "the house of the Lord," as we saw in the top verse from Hebrews 10, in addition to the word meaning, "enter."

     The title "Bo", is found in Exodus 10:1-2, the first verses of this Sabbath reading portion: "Now the LORD said to Moses, 'Go in (bo' - enter, go in, lead in, come in) to Pharaoh; for I have hardened (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-his-heart and (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the hearts-of-his-servants, that I may show these signs ('ot - signs, miracles, distinguishing mark, banner, proof, beacon, monument, evidence, token/consent, agree, consent to any one) of Mine before him, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son's son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and (*vaw-aleph-tav)-My-signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD." Moses would enter into the house of Pharaoh again in order to repeat the LORD's command to let His people go to serve Him. (v. 3).

     Entering into the house of God as mentioned in the verses from Hebrews at the top of the page is connected with the way of entrance that Jesus made for us by the sacrifice of His own body and blood. As Jesus also said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through (dia - through, with, by, by the means of) Me." (Jn. 14:6).

     It is very interesting that the concept of entering in this Bo Sabbath reading portion also contains three mentions of Passover, the sacrifice of the spotless lamb and the application of its blood upon the doorposts and lintels of each Hebrew home. Entering their homes through that blood-soaked doorway would assure their safety from the coming tenth and final judgment/plague of death to the first-born in Egypt. Therefore that sacrificed blood upon the door has a direct connection to the concept of "entering." into the salvation provision of God. The meal in which the Hebrews were to partake was within that blood-painted door: "Now the blood shall be a sign (see 'ot above) for you on the houses where you are. And when I see (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt....and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning (boker/bawkar- end of night, coming of daylight, beginning of the day, bright joy after the darkness of distress/inquire, seek out, search for, look for, consider, admire, care for, inspect diligently, discern, contemplate, to cleave, to open, breaking forth and arising of light)." (Ex. 12:13, 22). 

     Up until this point, the earlier plagues of Egypt did not strike the territory of Goshen (meaning "drawing near") where the Hebrew slaves lived. However, against the plague of death, physical territory would not save them - only the lamb, sacrificed and eaten (Ex. 12:8, see also Jn. 6:53-58), and its blood painted on the doorposts and lintels of their homes would save them from the destroyer. For this protection, they would have to dwell or abide inside the body of the LORD. Jesus also said to abide in Him as branches abide in the vine. (Jn. 15:4-8).

 Isaiah also wrote the word of the LORD telling His people to enter (bo - see above) into their chambers (heder/hadar - within, inward or innermost parts, inner chamber, bedchamber, private chamber/encompass, surround, enclose as a room) until the indignation (za'am - foam at the mouth rage, anger, abominable, angrily indignant) has passed. (Isa. 26:20).

     In Exodus Ch. 12, which is also part of this Sabbath's Bo "Enter" reading portion, scripture says that "on that very same day" (v. 41 and 51), on the night of Passover, and as prophesied to Abraham generations before (v. 40, and Gen. 15:13-14), "that the LORD brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies."  In Ex. 13, another part of this Sabbath's reading, Moses told the children of Israel to "Remember (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-this-day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this place...On this day (which is Passover) you are going out, in the month of Abib ('abib - fresh young ears of barley, green ears of corn, tender young ear)." (v. 3-4). In this same chapter, Ex. 13, Moses tells the children of Israel that when the LORD brings them into (bo -see above) the land of the Canaanites and other Canaanite tribes "that you shall keep this service in this month." Passover would then be immediately followed by the seven-day feast of Unleavened Bread. 

     The image that I am seeing here is one in which the same (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) day, meaning Passover, and consequently the same blood-painted door, that was their way of exit out of Egypt will be the same door by which they will bo enter into the land that the LORD promised to their forefathers by covenant. With the same sweet, striped, pierced and without the leaven-of-sin Bread that they ate on Passover, they would also remember, observe and eat for a Sabbath week (seven days) in the new land which they would enter. Both the exit and entrance were mentioned in the same context of Passover.

     Jesus prayed to the Father before His arrest and death, praying for His current believers, and those believers who would come in the future: "I do not pray for those (His present disciples) alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me." (Jn. 17:20-22). We become one with past believers, with current believers and with future believers because we are all in the Father and Son. We convince the world that Jesus Christ was sent by the Father, not only because of our faith, but because we are in the Son and also then in the Father, and it shows. It is a sign (see 'ot above).

      This is a level of intimacy that is more than "knowing" Him or even believing Him. This calls for being in Him. Many know of Jesus Christ. Many even concede that He is the Lord, but how many dwell inside of Him? The following verses reveal the importance of being "in Christ": 2 Cor. 5:16-17, Rom. 8:1-2, Eph. 1:3, and Eph. 2:4-10, 13, Gal. 3:27-28. As we read these verses listed here, what have we previously thought as regarding their meaning? Perhaps we thought that they mean for us to enter into faith in Christ? However, perhaps they mean as they say - to enter through and into the Person of Christ. We often think that being saved means to ask Jesus to come into (see bo above) our hearts, but perhaps salvation also means for us to desire and seek to enter into His heart.

     Finally, from another reading portion of this Bo "Enter" Sabbath, in 2 Chron. 35, we read about how King Josiah (meaning "the LORD is the foundation support"): "...kept a Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem." (v. 1). On this occasion, the king restored the ministry of the priests and Levites in the house of the LORD. The king also restored the holy ark into its proper place in the temple. The king gave the people all of the lambs that would be necessary to offer for Passover, tens of thousands of them from the king's own possessions. They also kept the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread. (v. 17). There hadn't been a Passover kept in Israel since the days of Samuel. (v. 18). Imagine what this event must have meant to Jerusalem and Judah - the healing and restoration of their relationship with the LORD. It is also written of Josiah: "Thus Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-all-who-were-present in Israel diligently serve (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-LORD their God. All his days they did not depart from following the LORD God of their fathers." (2 Chron. 34:33). When King Josiah died, "...all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah." 

     As I read these passages, the message for me this Sabbath and forward is to seek out and enter into the Lord Jesus in a new and deeper way, to have a deeper understanding of the meaning of the blood-painted doorway through which Israel exited and entered. We know Jesus as this Door of entrance into that innermost chamber, which is Himself.

     If you would like to learn more about entering into Christ, you can join me in my prayer: "Heavenly Father, You provided a holy, consecrated Door for us to enter into Your house and Your presence, a Door which is soaked with the blood of Your precious Son, Jesus. Show me Father, by Your Word and Spirit, the way to live, move and have my being in Christ, our Passover. Let me be one of those who dwells and abides in my Lord, Messiah/Christ, and in You, which is a miraculous sign to the world that You have indeed sent Your Son. Give me a greater understanding of the need to abide in Christ. 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. 

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.

Unleavened

      The title of this Sabbath's reading portion is Bo, meaning "Enter." The title comes from Ex. 10:1-2: "Now the LORD said to Moses, 'Go in (bo - enter, come in, come or bring to pass, bring in, bring near, to enter as a bride into the house of a husband, attack an enemy, bring against, enter into judgment, bring before a tribunal) to Pharaoh; for I have hardened (kabad - to be heavy, be grievous, be hard, be insensible, be dull, make unresponsive, make oneself dense)  (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son's son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD."

     As we can see from the meaning of bo, above, there is a double understanding within the Hebrew word. We can come into or enter the presence of the LORD like a bride entering into her husband's house, or to enter into the judgment of, or the attack against an enemy.

     We can also see that while Pharaoh had had an *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega heart, he had deliberately turned his back on that purpose and consequently the LORD made it impossible for Pharaoh to enter into the knowledge of the LORD again. Judgment therefore had come to Pharaoh and his house. Proverbs tells us that the heart of the king is in the hands of the LORD, and He turns it whichever way He wills, and the LORD weighs the hearts. (Prov. 21:1-3). Beware kings and rulers on the earth. Don't resist the leading of the LORD.

     We also see that the purpose of this powerful dealing with Pharaoh and Egypt was to be an account to be passed down the generations of the Hebrews as an everlasting ordinance. There was something vitally important in this encounter never to be forgotten.

     Within this Bo Sabbath reading portion is the account of the night of the Passover of the LORD, when the Hebrews were told to enter into their homes, the doors, the doorposts and lintels of which had been covered by the blood of the sacrificed Passover lamb, were shut, while the death of all of the first born of Egypt swept across that land, and anguished cries sounded outside the closed doors of the Hebrews. From the beginning, the LORD had told Moses that Pharaoh would harden his heart against the command of the LORD to let His people go out of the slavery of Egypt. In the verses above, the LORD reveals that it is He who hardened Pharaoh's heart.

     The death of all of the first born of Egypt was the tenth plague brought against the Egyptians and their gods (Ex. 12:12), and the most severe. However, as for the Hebrews: "Now the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) blood (on the doorposts and lintels) shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt." (v. 13). Even Pharaoh's own first-born son died that night (Ex. 12:29). As a result of this plague of death: "...Pharaoh rose in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. Then he (Pharaoh) called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, 'Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD as you have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also." (Ex. 12:30-32).

     A very strange thing was noted as the Israelites quickly left their slavery and Egypt behind: "So the people took (nasa - lift up, bear continuously, carry, forgive, support, sustain, accept, exalt, pardon, spare, desire, hold up, raise up, bring forth)  (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) their dough (baseq - unleavened dough, dough before rising) before it was leavened (hames - leavened, be sour, grieved, cruel, be imbittered, oppress, be ruthless, harsh, blood-stained, scarlet mantle of a ruler, to act violently, unjust, to injure, to be afflicted with pain), having their kneading bowls (root word sa'ar - remnant, left over, remain, left alive, survive, the rest) bound up (sarar - be in straits, adversary, bound up, tied up, cause distress, make narrow, shut up, birth pangs, to persecute [see 1 Sam. 25:29]) in their clothes (simla/semel - apparel, a covering assuming the shape of the object beneath, a covering in sleep/image, figure, likeness, resemblance) on their shoulders (shekem/shawkam - shoulder, back, portion, place of burdens/to rise or start early, rise up early). Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles/jewels (keli/kala - vessel, arms, weapons, jewel, armor, ornaments/fulfill, accomplish, finish, end, done) of silver, articles (see keli/kala above) of gold, and clothing. And the LORD had given the people (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they spoiled/plundered (nasal - deliver, recover, escape, rescue, take out, snatch away, draw out, preserve, deliver from sin and guilt, to deliver from death or enemies) the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Egyptians." (Ex. 12:34-36).

     According to the Hebrew meanings of the words used in the above verses, there is a wealth of information connected to the Israelites exit out of Egypt on the night of Passover. The LORD commanded that immediately following Passover, there would be a seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread. Along with Egyptian gold, silver, and raiment, the Israelites carried out on their shoulders dough bowls filled with the unleavened bread dough that did not have time to rise because of their hasty exit from Egypt. As we see above, leavened bread is associated with suffering, oppression, injustice, bitterness, blood-stained, violence, injuries, affliction and pain. We also see a picture of the evil of leavened bread in the suffering of Christ in these terrible afflictions as He was "raised up" on the cross. The unleavened bread celebrates the absence of or deliverance from these terrible things which the Israelites had suffered during bondage in Egypt. It also represents our spiritual liberty found in the sacrifice of the Messiah/Christ. 

     As we incorporate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, including the Hebrew meanings of the verse above from Ex. 12 in our lives as believers, the apostle Paul wrote this to the church: "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness (pikria/pikros/pegnymi - bitter gall [see Mt. 27:33-34], bitter hatred, poison, extreme wickedness/bitter, harsh, virulent, to pierce, to cut/to fasten by peg [see also Col. 2:13-14]), wrath (thymos/thyo - passion, fierceness, indignation, wrath, inflaming wine that kills or drives drinkers mad/slaying or sacrifice of the paschal [Passover] lamb), anger (orge/orego - violent passion or emotion, agitation of the soul, angry infliction of punishment/to stretch one's self out, covetous love of money), clamor (kraugo/krazo - cry, crying in tumult or grief/cry out for vengeance, shriek, scream), and evil speaking (blasphemia - slander, detraction, abusive injurious speech to another's good name, impious speech injurious to divine majesty) be put away from you with all malice (kakia - maliciousness, ill will, desire to injure, wickedness, depravity, without shame, evil, harm, worthless). And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." (Eph. 4:30-32).

     Jesus told His listeners to beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees (Mt. 16:6), which He described as hypocrisy (Lk. 12:1). This must have shocked His listeners, because these two groups were viewed and feared as being the most "religious". While being confident in and prideful of their own self-righteousness and expert adherence to scripture, the Pharisees and Sadducees did so through a spirit of meanness, mercilessness and accusation, which blinded them to their own Savior and Redeemer, Jesus, whom they accused most viciously and rejected.

     From another reading portion of this "enter" Sabbath from Ezra 6, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was observed with joy: "And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy; for the LORD made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel." (Ezra 6:22). In fact, the house of the LORD was finished in Jerusalem as a result of the commands of three foreign kings: Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. (Ezra 6:14-15).

     It is also interesting to see that according to the Hebrew meaning of "spoil or plunder" of the wealth of the Egyptians, it had more of a meaning of a redemption price for the Egyptians, a pardoning of sin and guilt, a deliverance from death for the injustices they had heaped upon the Israelites. The wealth of the Egyptians, in part, came from the free labor and broken backs of their slaves. This restitution paid carries the meaning of being pardoned for that injustice. The lives of the Egyptians were spared from death as a result as found in the meaning of nasal (see above) in Hebrew. This redemption price also would build the tabernacle or house of God in the wilderness. We can say that the house or temple of God is built from the redemption price paid. In fact, after paying this redemption price, which is the rescue or deliverance from deserved death, the Egyptians are then noted as being the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega Egyptians, the title associated with the Lord/Messiah/Christ Jesus, the Redeemer.

     Scripture says that our lives were also bought with a price paid by our Redeemer with His blood: "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's...You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men." (1 Cor. 6:19-20, 7:23). We are living temples also built by the redemption price paid by Christ for us. Peter also wrote: "...knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot [see the Passover lamb of Ex. 12:5]." (1 Pet. 1:18-19). Our redemption price was the blood of Jesus, the unblemished Passover Lamb of God.

     Again, the LORD commanded that this remembrance of Passover was to be passed to all future generations: "So this day shall be to you a memorial (zikaron/zakar - memorial, remembrance, records, reminder, a memorable thing/mention, recorder, bring to remembrance, call to mind, think on); and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance." (Ex. 12:14).

     There are many important accounts in scripture of the miraculous deliverance of the LORD when His people were under the oppression of their enemies.  However, this particular event, the Passover, is of such significance that the LORD commanded that it always be remembered and observed as a memorial.

     Not only was Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread to be kept forever through all generations, but the Israelites were commanded to wear the Feast of Unleavened Bread as a sign: "Unleavened Bread shall be eaten seven days. And no leavened bread shall be seen among you in all your quarters. And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, 'This is done because of what the LORD did for me when I came up from Egypt.' It shall be as a sign (ot - sign, signal, distinguishing mark, banner, remembrance, miraculous sign, warning, miracle, proof, evidence, mark, monument, flag, beacon, a prophetic portent, a sign of a future fulfilment, to consent, to agree) to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the LORD's law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt. You shall therefore keep this (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) ordinance in its season from year to year." (Ex. 13:7-10).

     The Israelites were to wear the Feast of Unleavened Bread as a sign. The Hebrew definition of "sign" also includes "beacon". The definition of beacon is "a light/fire set up in a high or prominent position as a warning, signal, or celebration". While the Church of believers as a whole does not observe either Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread or any of the other Feasts of the LORD, Jesus told us to be "beacons", with our lights set in a high place on a lampstand for all to see. (Mt. 5:14-16). We need to understand the importance of wearing and being the mark or sign of salvation life.

     The Feast of Unleavened Bread was to last seven days: "Seven (seba/saba - seven, seven-fold/swear, oath, charge solemnly, adjure, curse, "seven" oneself) days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread ...that person shall be cut off (karat - cut off, cut down, destroy, to permit to perish, to covenant to perish) from Israel." (Ex. 12:15). The seven days represent an oath. It is either an oath to be partakers of the unleavened bread, or it is a covenant made to perish by the curse that accompanies what is represented in leavened bread. 

     The Passover Lamb has redeemed and delivered us from slavery and death. It is a very serious thing to follow that sacrifice by turning back to the bitterness of leavened bread

     After the Israelites left Egypt, they took the unleavened dough they had carried on their shoulders and baked it: "And they baked (apa - to bake, to be complete or whole) unleavened (massa - without leaven, sweet, not soured by yeast) cakes of the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened (hames, as above - cruel, grieved, sour, embittered, ruthless, oppress, harsh), because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions (food, meat) for themselves." (Ex. 12:39). 

     Not only was it important to eat the unleavened bread after they had dwelt in Egypt, but it was also important to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread when they would eventually dwell in the Promised Land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and the Jebusites dwelt (Ex. 13:5-7). These tribes of the land would be dispossessed as their wickedness became full. As the people of God eat the unleavened bread, it sets a difference between them and those who are "leavened".

     It is the completed work of God in us through Jesus Messiah/Christ as He removes us from Egypt, the house of bondage (Ex. 13:3) and commands us to eat the unleavened bread of, and following, Passover.

     If you would like to know more about living as unleavened bread, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, You brought me out of the house of bondage to sin through Your Son, Jesus, and brought me into Your house of Redemption. By the power and truth of Your Word and Holy Spirit, teach me how to walk as unleavened bread, to be a sign or beacon for others to see. Remove from me all leaven and hypocrisy, and cause me to be covered with the resemblance and image of Jesus Messiah/Christ. Help me to show others the sweetness of Your living Bread that came down from heaven. 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.

Tabernacles&Passover

      This week's Sabbath reading portion will cover two weeks and is titled Acharei-Mot in Hebrew, which means "After the death". It covers Chapters 16 through 19 in Leviticus. This Sabbath is also the Sabbath after Passover, and it also occurs during the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread. This special timing is important to keep in mind as we seek to learn the Word of the LORD for us this week. As I read the Torah and haftorah portions, I thought that much of this reading dealt with the tabernacle and, later in history, the temple of God. The title, "After the death" comes from Lev. 16:1: "Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered profane fire before the LORD and died;" (see also Lev. 10:1-3). The bottom line of that severe lesson involving Aaron's two sons is that we cannot come before the holy God any way that we deem to be good and right. The LORD said that when we do that, we are not acknowledging His holiness, nor glorifying Him before the heathen. 

     In this Sabbath portion, the LORD commanded Moses to tell Aaron following the death of two of his sons not to come into the Holy Place inside the veil just any time, "lest he die". He was to come with his (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) flesh washed, putting on the holy linen tunic and trousers on his body and coming with the blood of sacrifice (Lev. 16:3-4). The LORD then described the practice that must be followed for the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. Not only was Aaron to make atonement for himself and his household, and for the people, but for the Holy Place and tabernacle as well because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel. (v. 16). The LORD added: "There shall be no man in the tabernacle of meeting when he goes in to make atonement in the Holy Place, until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself, for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel. (v. 17). Aaron even had to make atonement with the blood sacrifice for the altar to cleanse it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. (v. 18-19). The uncleanness of God's people defiles not only us but the tabernacle of God as well.

     This Sabbath reading portion also follows Passover this year, so we should consider this as we study this Sabbath lesson. Not only were the Egyptians plagued with the death of their first born that first Passover night, but the LORD judged the gods of Egypt as well (Ex. 12:12). What a dire calamity from which His people were separated out and spared by that blood on their doorposts! This is what Passover (pesah) means in Hebrew: "the feast of Passover or the sacrifice; a sparing immunity from penalty and calamity; the paschal lamb as the sacrifice of sparing [passing over]." You cannot separate the meaning of the day from the sacrifice that defines that day. Considering that the Lord Almighty is about to judge the gods and the nations of this world (Ps. 118:10-14), how should we, the spiritual tabernacle/tent/dwelling or temple of God (see 1 Cor. 6:19-20, Eph. 2:19-22), be thinking of that separating/sanctifying/saving Blood of our Passover Lamb, Jesus (see Jn. 1:29-30, 1 Pet. 1:18-21)? We will see another connection to Passover later in this Sabbath's reading portion.

     What is the spiritual meaning of a tabernacle? Tabernacle is the Hebrew word and root ohel/ahal, meaning "tabernacle, tent, dwelling, covering, home, sacred tent of Jehovah (YHWH, LORD), moveable, portable tent/to be clear, shine, to be bright, so called for a shining vibrating appearance". A tabernacle is also a personal dwelling place, where we dwell with God, and God dwells with and in us (see Ps. 23:6, Rev. 21:3). That dwelling place is supposed to be special, shimmering and vibrating with the brightness of God according to its meaning above. Paul wrote that we, the believers in Christ, are the temples of the Holy Spirit, a spiritual house of God (1 Cor. 6:17-20). Just as the blood of the Passover lamb set apart the Israelites' dwellings and identified those dwellings as belonging to the LORD, or "the sacred tents of Jehovah", we also have been covered with the Blood of the Passover Lamb, Jesus, and have become holy dwelling places or tabernacles of God. In being so, Paul warned us not to defile ourselves, the holy tabernacles of God, as we have become one with Him. Applying what we learned above from Leviticus, we do not want to disparage God's holiness nor profane God's name before the heathen. Let's see when, on another occasion, the uncleanness of God's people also caused His house to be unclean. 

     In another reading from this Acharei-Mot Sabbath portion, King Josiah brought Judah back to a covenant relationship with the LORD after hearing the words of the newly found Book of the Law, which had been discovered in the temple. This Book of the Word of God, now thought to have been the Book of Deuteronomy, had been so long neglected, that it had been forgotten until it was found again. When the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) king heard the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) words of the book, he rent his (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) clothes. (2 Kings 22:8-11). The king called all of the people of Jerusalem and Judah, both small and great, to come to him at the house of the LORD, and he read to them all the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) words of the book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the LORD. The king made a (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) covenant to follow and perform the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) words of the LORD with all his heart, and all his soul: "And all the people took a stand for the covenant." (2 Kings 23:1-3). This was a blessed day for the king and Judah. However, by order of the king, all of the defiling idolatrous vessels that had been placed in the house of the LORD that were used to worship demon gods and idols had to be removed and burned. These things included articles that had been made to worship Ba'al (male divinity of the Canaanites and Philistines), Asherah (meaning groves of idol worship; a Babylonian/Canaanite goddess of fortune and happiness and supposed consort of Ba'al, associated with the planet Venus), and the articles used for worshipping all the hosts (saba - war, army, battle, wage war, angels) of heaven. He had the idolatrous priests removed that had been ordained to serve in the house of the LORD by previous kings. He tore down the ritual booths of the perverted persons that were set up in the house of the LORD. What kind of booths have we set up in the spiritual house of the LORD?

     In turn, the king had the high places defiled with the burned bones of dead men, so idolatry could no longer be practiced there. He had Topheth (topet/tapap - "place of fire" near Jerusalem, place of human sacrifice, to strike, spit upon, smite, kill) defiled in the same manner. It was the place where the people brought their children to pass them through the fire of the god Molech ("king"; chief deity of Ammonites and Phoenicians that required the sacrifice of infants). How many millions of born and unborn infants have been destroyed on our watch? There were even strange altars and chambers on the roof of the house of God that previous kings had used, which King Josiah now demolished. What kind of spiritual chambers have we set above the house of the LORD? The king also defiled the high places that King Solomon had built "for Ashtoreth ("star"; Phoenician female deity of war and fertility) the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh ("subduer"; deity of Moabites and Ammonites) the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom ("great king"; also known as Molech; god of the Ammonites and Phoenicians; demanded infant sacrifice) the abomination of the people of Ammon, as well as various other pillars and wooden images. What kind of idols have we brought into the spiritual house of the LORD with us? There had also been an idolatrous altar built at Bethel, which means "House of God", which the king had to break down, burn and crush into powder. What an abomination the worship in Israel and the house of God had become! These demonic gods and spiritual rulers of wickedness still desire to inhabit and pollute the holy places of God, the tabernacles of God, which we are also. Not only did the king set fire to Judah, but he took the spiritual battle to the high places of Samaria. These abominations are what had become of the house of the LORD and the people of God.

     After King Josiah had performed all of these things, the king commanded (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) all of the people saying: "Keep the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant. Such a Passover surely had never been held since the days of the judges who judged (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was held before the LORD in Jerusalem." (2 Kings 23:21-23). Do we keep the Passover as it is written in the Book of the Covenant?

      What we learn from this is that Passover is a time of battle and warfare, including spiritual warfare, whether against a physical Pharaoh and his house as in the first Passover, or against the false gods that try to hold God's people in spiritual bondage. Scripture says that spring, which is also the time of Passover, is the time when kings go off to battle. That time came for King David, but while he sent his army into battle, he remained in Jerusalem attaining another man's wife for himself instead. It led to the murder of the husband (2 Sam. 11). It cost David the death of his first child from that union, and David would be brought to deep repentance, asking the LORD that he be cleansed of the defiling sin (Ps. 51). We are also called to be kings and priests before God and in service to Him, as Jesus served His Father in heaven faithfully. Have we disregarded the Passover and spring call to spiritual battle in order to follow our own ways? 

     As the first Passover approached, the servants of the LORD, Moses and Aaron, went in to Pharaoh, the most powerful ruler of the greatest kingdom on earth, and threw down the spiritual battle gauntlet before him. They didn't go in their own strength but armed with the Rod and the Word, both of which are associated with the Messiah/Christ, Jesus. They didn't go in with their own words either, but with the Word of the LORD which was: "Let My people go that they may serve Me." The battle is the LORD's but He uses His servants to hear and obey His voice, to run with His vision.

     Most of the church doesn't observe Passover, and we who do, observe it amongst the pleasantness of the family and according to tradition but perhaps not as a day of great spiritual warfare in the present. Perhaps we need to change our thinking regarding this day. It was not a day of pleasantness for Jesus the Messiah/Christ. It was a day when He battled the rulers of this world, a battle that they would not win (1 Cor. 2:7-9). It was a day in which He was betrayed by a disciple. He battled spiritual rulers in the Garden of Gethsemane (meaning "oil press" or "wine press") where that battle almost did Him in. An angel had to come in order to revive and strengthen Him, while His disciples slept (Lk. 22:39-44). He battled through beatings, humiliation, mocking, scourging, and the piercing of the nails of the cross (LORD/YHWH: yod, hey, vav, hey- "behold the hand, behold the nail"). Do we think it was not a battle for Him to descend into hell after His death, leading those who were held captive in death to freedom (Ps. 68:18-20), and wresting away the keys of death, hell and the grave (Rev. 1:17-18)? 

     At the Passover Seder, from which we were given our beloved Communion, Jesus told His disciples that He fulfilled the elements of Passover. They were to take and eat the bread broken as meaning His body broken for them. They were to drink the cup after supper as meaning His blood poured out for them in a new covenant, and we were to remember His death in this way until He comes again (1 Cor. 11:23-26, Mt. 26:26-29, Mk. 14:22-25, Lk. 22:13-20). Paul wrote that we were to examine ourselves when partaking of this powerful Passover bread and cup so to assure that we are not doing it in an unworthy manner but in the discerning of the Lord's body (1 Cor. 11:27-32). Yes, there was a glorious, victorious day of resurrection and rejoicing, but it wasn't on Passover. It came three days later on the day after the Sabbath, which is a Sunday, the first day of the week, on the Feast of First Fruits as it is appointed in the Law of Moses (Lev. 23:9-12) and fulfilled by the Messiah/Christ, Jesus. This appointed date is not the same as "Easter" (what booth have we set up in the house of the LORD?) on which the church has chosen to mark the event. If we are to memorialize the resurrection of Jesus as First Fruits of the Resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20-26) according to the Words of the Book of the Covenant, then we should be observing it this Sunday, the day following the Sabbath after Passover (more on this next week). The victory of resurrection was achieved for us, but the spiritual battle in the name of Jesus is ongoing as Paul and the other apostles wrote. Look inward and look outward and see if there still are not overcoming battles to fight for the souls of our nations, for those who are still caught and held prisoners in spiritual darkness, and even for ourselves as we work out our salvation. Look and see if we, the spiritual tabernacles of God, are defiled with idolatry. 

     As we come to the Passover battle, we don't come before Pharaoh, or the other gods ruling our lands and people, or even our own flesh with its sin, in our own strength but with the Word of the LORD saying, as Moses said: "Let My people go that they may serve Me." Thank God that we are not called to fight these battles on our own, but in the name above all names, Jesus (Grk. form of the Hebrew word, Yeshua, meaning "God is salvation"), to which all creation, even the demons and false gods, must bow their knees (Phil. 2:5-11). It is the only name under heaven that has been given by which we must be saved (Acts 4:11-12).

      The LORD gave us the pattern of His tabernacle/temple and the fulfilment of that prophetic pattern, which tells the miraculous journey of our salvation and unification with the LORD through the sacrifice of the Son, and the living tabernacle which we are through Christ and the Holy Spirit within us, and the glorious tabernacle which the LORD will bring down from heaven to dwell among His people (Rev. 21:1-4). This is a three-in-one pattern. The LORD also gave us the pattern of the sacrifice of the Passover lamb in Exodus, the pattern of the spiritual warfare connected to it between Pharaoh/gods of Egypt and Moses who delivered the Word God, the judgment and the deliverance, again, a three-in-one pattern. Through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus, the Lamb of God, we see the fulfilment of the Passover with the warfare of His suffering, of His death and descent into hell, and of the judgment against death and the deliverance/ascent. We need to see the pattern and its fulfilment in order to walk in it as His servants for the sake of those who are held in any kind of spiritual or physical bondage, and of those, there are many in this world. 

     Next week we will look at part two of this two-week Sabbath reading portion, Acharei-Mot.

     If you would like to learn more about these things, you can join me in my prayer: "Heavenly Father, the LORD's Passover, and Your holy tabernacle are precious in Your sight. Both of these were accomplished through the sacrifice of Your beloved Son, Jesus, as the Lamb of God who comes to take away the sins of the world. Help me to understand the depths of Passover, which still affects with power the present and the future, and the glory of Your dwelling place, the tabernacle of the LORD, in and with us, which also still impacts the present and the future. Let me follow You according to Your Word of the Covenant, both the concealed and revealed. Cleanse me and purge me of all ungodliness and fill me with Your Holy Spirit to teach me Your Word and ways so I can walk in Your life-changing truth. 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. In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as Α Ω , 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.