ArmyofLight

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     

SilverTrumpets

This week's Sabbath reading portion is from the Book of Numbers, or B'Midbar in Hebrew, which means "In the wilderness". The title of this week's reading portion is Bha'alot'cha, meaning, "When you step up/go up". In this Book of Numbers so far, God has already numbered, or set apart, His people as armies. He has numbered His priesthood, and set them apart in groups, depending upon the specific service they were to perform before Him in His house, the Tabernacle. Each priestly group, named after their fathers, had a purpose in the glory of the tabernacle, which was God's dwelling in the midst of His people. They were set apart in divisions of purpose, but they were not divided against one another - a good lesson for the Church of believers in Christ! As God continued to appoint and set apart His people according to His will and His Word, He presented them with what I consider to be a gift: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 'Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work; you shall use them for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the camps...The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and these shall be to you as an ordinance forever throughout your generations. When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the LORD your God, and you will be saved from your enemies. Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God: I am the LORD your God." (Num. 10:1-10). The two trumpets mentioned here are not shofars, or rams' horns. They are in Hebrew, hassosra/hasar, meaning "straight trumpet, clarion/sounding, blow, to surround with a stockade in order to separate from open country". These were two straight trumpets, and were to be made (asa - prepare, accomplish, appoint, bestow, create, produce by labor) from a whole piece (miqsa/miqse/qasa - beaten from one whole piece/turned rounded work/tough, severe, severe labor of a woman, endure, struggle against) of hammered silver (kesep/kasap - price, pieces of silver, money/yearn for, long for). There were to be two of these trumpets. The number "two" plays a significant role in this week's reading. The number "two" is senayim/seni/sana in Hebrew, with the meaning: "two, twice, twelve, twenty, both of them, double/again/change, alter, to transfer to another place, to be changed". We are reminded immediately of the verses in the New Testament: "Behold, I tell you a mystery (hidden truth): We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (1 Cor. 15:51-52, see also 1 Thess. 4:15-18)). These two silver trumpets of Num. 10:2 were to be used for certain purposes. The Hebrew word for "use" here is haya/hava, which is not about the use of something. This Hebrew word and its root have a prophetic meaning of "come to pass, become, accomplish, happen". These two trumpets may be used in the present, but they also have the prophetic sound of future events as we will see. We have already seen above the connection of these trumpets to "the change" which shall occur to all who believe in Christ, those who are dead, and those who are alive. In Num. 10 above, we see that the two trumpets are for the calling out (migra/qara - called out, called together sacred assembly, rehearsal/loud sound, summoned, named, chosen) of the assembly (eda/ed/ud - company, congregation/witness, testimony, prince/restore again, testify, bear witness), and the journeying (massa/nasa - journey, departure, pull up stakes/removing whole stones from a quarry, pulled up, plucked up, cause to spring up, remove) of the aleph-tav camps (mahane/hana/hanan - host, tents, armies, battle/rested, grows to an end, lay siege against, lie, dwell/favor, gracious, merciful). After these two silver trumpets were created, the people of God moved out on a prophetic journey from Mt. Sinai: "Now it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year...the children of Israel set out from the Wilderness of Sinai on their journeys; then the cloud settled down in the Wilderness of Paran." (Num. 10:11-12). The journey would take three days. The people had received God's Word on Sinai, meaning "thorny", and the Word in the form of the Ark of the Covenant, carried by and accompanied by God's people, would travel three days to a place of caverns (Paran/Pa'ar). The meaning of this place of abundance of caverns, which are beneath the earth, also includes "to boil up, to be hot, to examine the boughs in order to glean them". However, also included in the meaning of this place of Paran/Pa'ar is "glorify, beautify, adorn, to gleam". Here, prophetically, we can see in this prophetic journey in the wilderness, called out by the silver trumpets, the three day journey of Christ, and those who belong to Him, from thorns and suffering to the underworld place of boiling heat, but ultimately, the place that will produce His (and our) glorification and beauty as He overcame it. It was absolutely necessary for the people to prophetically accompany the Word of God (which is Jesus: Jn. 1:1-3) in the Ark of the Covenant through this wilderness journey, because we accompanied Jesus on His journey from the cross, through death, and His resurrection by the glory of God. Paul wrote this: "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly, we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection...Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him." (Rom. 6:3-8, excerpt, see also Col. 2:12-13, 2 Tim. 2:10-11). There is also a meaning above to Paran/Pa;ar, the place of abundance of caverns, that refers to "examining the boughs in order to glean the fruit". Again, we find this concept of the fruit of our death and resurrection with Christ, Who is the Word: First we become dead to the Law through the death of Christ, and then we become "married...to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God". (Rom. 7:4). God is examining the boughs, looking for the fruit that comes from our being joined to the death and resurrection of Christ. I call these two silver trumpets a gift from God, because they move God's people, not only in the "now", but into the prophetic future. God's people not only "are", but they are changed, and they "become" on their journey. Moses also declared the prophetic purpose of the Ark of the Covenant, the first time this term is being used for the Ark in Num. 10:35-36: "And it came to pass (haya/hava - see above), when the ark set out, that Moses said: 'Rise up (qum - rise up, become powerful, rouse up, raise up one fallen down (Jesus fell down carrying the cross, but stood up again), preserve alive), O LORD! Let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You.' And when it rested (nuah/Noah), he said: 'Return (sub - come back, return again, deliver, recover, refresh, restore), O LORD, to the many thousands of Israel." The Hebrew letter "nun", which normally means "Heir to the throne, offspring, descendant, fish), is written in reverse, both before, and after these two verses. It is rare in written Hebrew scripture to find letters reversed. There are various opinions about why this happened here, but in general, it can be agreed that the two reversed nun letters would cause anyone reading these verses in Hebrew to pay special attention to them, and so should we. When I read these verses from Num. 10 regarding the Ark of the Covenant and the people's three day journey to Paran, I see the resurrection of "the Heir to the throne" in v. 35, and the return , or coming again of the "Heir to the throne", Jesus, in v. 36. The "rising" of the LORD scatters His enemies in these verses from Num. 10. The last enemy to be defeated by this rising of the Lord is death itself (1 Cor. 15:25-26). As Moses called for the Ark to return to the people of Israel, the Church is commanded to call for the return of the Lord, Jesus Christ (Rev. 22:12, 17, 20). The prophetic promise of Christ's return was made by Jesus Himself (Jn. 14:1-4), and that same prophetic promise runs through both Old and New Testament scriptures (ex. Zech. 12:10-14, 13:1). Again, with the return of the Lord (Num. 10:36 above), wickedness is consumed with His breath, and destroyed by the brightness of His appearing (2 Thess. 2:8). As with the two silver trumpets, the sound of prophecy has been brought to the people in this chapter. This is not the only prophetic incident in this week's Sabbath reading of Bha'alot'cha, or "When you step up/go up". In Num. 11, the people were complaining, the anger of the LORD was building because of it, and Moses was begging the LORD to deliver him from this multitude of demanding people, which numbered over 600,000 counting just the males (Num. 11:21-22). They were getting on Moses' last nerve (v. 11-12). Where was the wonder of prophecy now for Moses!? After dealing with this latest situation, the LORD supplied relief to Moses. Moses gathered the seventy elders of the people around the tabernacle. The LORD came down and took of the Spirit that was upon Moses, and placed the same upon the elders. When the Spirit of God rested upon them, they began to prophesy that one time. Two of the elders who had remained in the camp, also began to prophesy there. The two elders who had remained in the camp, and yet received the Spirit and prophesied, were named Eldad ("God has loved", well beloved), and Medad (love, friend, loved one). (v. 24-26). Joshua, one of Moses' choice men, told Moses to forbid those two men, who had not come to the tabernacle, from prophesying (v. 28). "Then Moses said to him, 'Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put His (aleph-tav) Spirit (ruho - to breathe, to blow, smell, scent, perceive odor, accept, of delight, understand, touch) upon them!" (v. 29). The Spirit that Moses identified here is the Spirit that is sent by the Messiah, Jesus. The aleph-tav is connected to the written word for "Spirit" here in Hebrew. Jesus called Himself "the aleph-tav" in the Book of Revelation when He referred to Himself as The Alpha and Omega translated into Greek. Also, The Hebrew word used here for "Spirit" means to breathe, to blow. This brings to mind what Jesus said to His disciples after His resurrection: "So Jesus said to them again, 'Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit." (Jn. 20:21-22). We see Jesus in the giving of the Spirit to the two men who remained in the camp, whose names relate to the love of God. Jesus came back again after His resurrection, for the specific purpose of appearing to Thomas, His disciple, who had not been with the others when Jesus had appeared to them earlier (Jn. 20:24-25). Jesus appeared again eight days later and spoke directly to Thomas, telling Thomas to touch Him (see ruho Spirit above) in the piercing wounds that Jesus had suffered. Jesus did this in order to help Thomas' unbelief in the resurrection (Jn. 20:26-29). This was an act of love for one man, and to pronounce a blessing upon all of those who would believe in Jesus without having seen and touched Him. We might question the fact that there were two men who remained in the camp of the Israelites, yet received the Spirit and prophesied, while Thomas is one man. However, Thomas' name means "the twin", twins (plural), coupled together, to be double". Again, we see the gift of the silver trumpets that prophesied and brought the gift of prophesy to the people of God in this episode. It was not just for that time, but for a time to come. Prophesy brings God's people from being anchored to the earth in the "now", to being able to "go up" into the eternal realms. This is where God's people get the direction for the journey. The prophetic promises and pictures given to us from this realm, change lives, and generations, and bring the Kingdom of God to the earth. Before closing this Bha'alot'cha, "When you step up/go up" Sabbath reading, I would like to share a beautiful revelation of dream and prayer from a servant of God named Fran. She wrote this for all of us: For the intercessor// who looks to the One Who sits on the Right Hand of the Father, Who holds the keys to death, hell and the grave// shall by His Spirit// pray and intercede for the one// and the ones of many// who have put on the garments reflecting the glories and the lights...// Those who by Strength of God and His Christ, who by Wisdom and Knowledge, Truth and Humility...// those who have chosen the narrow path of the seas, the way of trial and suffering// the way of the Cross...// those taking on the warfare of the Heavenly Mind against the flesh, the evil, the attacking ones of the world who appear as brethren, as of like kind, but are of devilish, treacherous ways and spirits, bodily demonics// For those shall ye pray and stand firmly// that they be uplifted and continued in their transformations and their fight of the good fight// That they keep pressing on in the waters and seas of life on earth that is awaiting the final and triumphant rising up of the sons to glory// For even when they weaken am I still bringing forth the Strength of My Righteous Right Arm// to usher them into the calm of the Deep, the purity of the River, the Wellspring// from which My Life of Forever// shall enrich them as One...// for they and you are My Kingdom and My Pattern of Heaven in Amen.// If you would like to know more about the gift of the Spirit of the LORD, and the love of the Lord from which He flows, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, out of love, You sent Your Son. Out of love, You poured out Your Spirit for Your people. Out of love, You prophesy through Your servants, not only to guide a current generation, but to lay the path of the Will of God for future generations. It is the way of Glory. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, so that I may understand, touch, and be enveloped in the fragrance of Christ who breathes on me. Let me prophesy, in Word, in prayer, in Spirit, so that I may speak the things of You that cause us to ascend, go up, and be raised up. Let me be a part of the answer to Moses' prayer when he said, "Oh, that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!" I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."