Unbelief

      This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled B'shallach meaning "When he let go". The title comes from Ex. 13:17: "Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, 'Lest perhaps (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt." The LORD led the Israelites by the longer route around the Red Sea instead of the direct route through the land of the Philistines. The LORD did not think that they had the faith (in Him) to face battle at that time.

     The LORD knew His *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega people well, because when, shortly thereafter, they appeared to be trapped between the Red Sea and the pursuing Egyptian army, God's *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega people said to Moses: "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, 'Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness." (Ex. 14:11-12).

    The Israelites had just witnessed and participated in one of the greatest and most dreadful encounters with the power of God exhibited on their behalf - the death of the first born of Egypt, and the Israelites' escape from the angel of death by the blood of the lamb applied to the doorposts and lintels of their homes, which is the Passover. However, they did not believe that the LORD could deliver them from the Egyptian army.

     As we know, the LORD would again rescue the Israelites from the Egyptian army by parting the waters of the Sea, allowing Israel to pass through it on dry land, and then drowning the chasing Egyptian army as the waters of the Red Sea closed upon them. Of this miraculous escape the LORD said, "Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen." (v. 18).

     It is almost inconceivable to us how millions of Israelites could repeatedly lose faith in God after seeing these miracles and many others in the wilderness, yet they did.

     Right after the Red Sea was divided and the Israelites crossed safely, Moses and the Israelites sang a song celebrating the greatness of God. Miriam, a prophetess and sister of Moses, led the women in a dance of victory. However, about 2 months later, the Israelites were in a panic because they had no meat nor bread. They said to Moses and Aaron: "Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) whole assembly with hunger." (Ex. 16:1-3). It didn't take long for their celebrations of God to turn into a "pity party".

     Again, God heard the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) murmurs of the people and sent quail and manna flakes of grain from heaven with the dew for the Israelites. (Ex. 16:9-12). The LORD fed His people in such a manner that they would know that He is the LORD their God. As we see from the above verses, when the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega people of God murmur and complain, those complaints become *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega murmurs and complaints. That is a shame upon God's people. Do we think that our complaints do not reflect upon the character and being of Messiah/Christ Jesus, the Alpha and Omega? The written Hebrew says that they do.

     Moses revealed this truth when he said to the complaining Israelites: "...for the LORD hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) complaints/murmurings are not against us but against the LORD." (Ex. 16:8). Our murmurs and complaints, and we have many, are not against flesh and blood but against God Himself, who has charge over us.

     Another reading portion from this B'shallach, "when he let go" Sabbath from Psalm 78 describes the generation that had been delivered out of slavery in Egypt as: "A stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God...And forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them...they did not believe in God, and did not trust in His salvation...they still sinned, and did not believe in His wondrous works. Therefore their days He consumed in futility, and their years in fear...their heart was not steadfast with Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant." 

     These verses tell us that this rebellion and faithlessness is a heart and spirit problem. We will also see this later in verses from the New Testament.

     Psalm 78 also reminds us of the command that we saw previously from the LORD to tell the new generation of the greatness of God: "That the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children, that they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments." (V. 6-7). Faith begins to be built into our children's hearts as we glorify God to them.

     We see another form of unbelief in a different reading portion from this Sabbath. In Judges 4, the Judge and prophetess of Israel, Deborah, sends for Barak (baraq - lightning, flash of lightning, the brightness of a sword, a gleam, swift brightness, swift destruction, cast forth lightning) and said to him: "Has not the LORD God of Israel commanded, 'Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor; take with you ten thousand men...and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin's (king of Canaan) army, with his chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand?" And Barak said to her, 'If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go." (Judges 4:6-8).

     Deborah is not giving Barak the instruction to go into battle. She is confronting him with the fact that the LORD had already commanded Barak to gather an army and go into battle with Sisera, a Canaanite general. Barak refused to obey the LORD's command the first time and refuses again to Deborah unless she goes with him into battle. We can see from the meaning of Barak's name (see above) that he was destined and appointed by the LORD for this task. However, Barak's faith was not in God but in the physical presence of the prophetess. Do we also place our faith in man rather than God? The apostle Paul challenged the idea that the churches placed their faith and identity in a man, including himself, rather than God. (see 1 Cor. 3:3-7).

     Although the battle against Sisera and his army would be won, Deborah said that because Barak did not honor God, he would get no glory from the victory. Instead, Deborah said, a woman, Jael, who was not even an Israelite, would kill the enemy general Sisera in her tent.

     Jesus told His followers that faith and belief would be seriously challenged in the times before His return. The challenges would come in all forms from natural disasters, wars, disease, famine, persecution and earthquakes to false prophets and false Messiah/Christs who would come to deceive and rob the faith of others. The danger would be so extreme that even the elect could be deceived and unless the days were shortened no flesh would be left on the earth. The apostles who wrote the epistles of the New Testament warned of the same. As Jesus said, "I have told you beforehand." (Mt. 24:21-25). He told us beforehand so that we would be prepared for the troubles.

     Before He suffered on the cross, Jesus also promised His believers that He would send them the Holy Spirit to teach them and to bring them peace as He goes away to His Father in heaven and returns again. As Jesus said above about the trials and tribulations coming, He also said of the promise of the Holy Spirit: "And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe." (Jn. 14:25-19). Jesus wanted us to believe.

     How much of the above-mentioned catastrophes the believers in Christ will experience before Jesus calls us away (see 1 Cor. 15:51-55, and 1 Thess. 4:15-18) is unknown, but we are seeing at least the beginning of these challenges now. Will we be able to hold onto faith? Jesus wondered if He would find any faith on the earth when He returns. To His disciples who saw miracles daily in their walk with Jesus, including the raising of the dead, Jesus still had to say to them: "O ye of little faith." (see Mt. 8:25-26, Mt. 14:29-33, Mt. 16:8-12). 

     Instead of having a false confidence in our own faith, our prayer should be as the father prayed to Jesus while seeking a miracle healing for his child: "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief." (see Mk. 9:22-24). This desperate father revealed a subtle truth to us here. Faith is not generated by us, but it is a spiritual gift given to us by God (see 1 Cor. 12:7-11, Eph. 2:8-10). Faith and faithfulness are also a fruit of the Holy Spirit (see Gal. 5:22-25) meaning that it multiplies. So our first mistake is in thinking that we generate our own faith rather than God. This mistake causes us to walk in spiritual pride which is carnal and hardens our hearts. All good and perfect gifts, including faith, come down to us from our Father of lights. (James 1:17-18). God's faith is perfect and unaffected by any circumstance. Why do we not pray for faith? Faith is part of the armor of God and the power of His might that He has provided for us (Eph. 6:10-18). Why do we insist on wearing our own armor against spirits of wickedness and darkness?

     Daniel wrote that the people who know their God will do great things in the coming trials of the latter days. Do we know our God as intimately as we think we do?

     Do we think that our self-generated faith is far superior to the faith of the Israelites in the wilderness? or superior to Barak's faith above? That is the first sign of a hardened heart: "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil (poneros/ponos/penes - evil things, labors, hardships causing pain and troubles, hurtful, degeneracy, diseased, derelict/great trouble, pain, anguish/poor, starving, to toil for daily sustenance) heart (kardia - the heart as an organ and as a center and seat of physical and spiritual life of the soul) of unbelief (apistia - faithless, unbelief, disbelief, withholding belief in the divine power) in departing (ephistemi - draw away, fall away, depart, remove, withdraw, become faithless) from the living (zao - to live, breathe, be among the living, not dead, true life, life as active, blessed and eternal in the kingdom of God, life as active, powerful and effective producing the desired or intended result) God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called, "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers (metochos/metecho - partner, sharing in, an associate/take part, belong to, of the thing hoped for) of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence (hypostasis - firm foundation, real being, substance, assurance, confidence, resolution, firm trust, essence, support) steadfast to the end, while it is said: 'Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion (of the Israelites)." (Heb. 3:12-15).

     As snares are set for the people of God, and troublesome times increase in severity, let us reconsider what we need to know about faith. It is not foolishness but humility of heart that asks the Lord to gift us with His faith, for without that faith it is impossible to please God.

     If you would like to learn more about the importance of godly faith in your walk, you can join me in prayer: "Heavenly and Gracious Father, through Your Son, Jesus, and through Your Holy Spirit, help my unbelief. Pour out Your perfect gift of faith into my heart so that I might please You, and walk with You in the days ahead. Help my prayers to be filled with Your faith and show me how to walk in Your armor. Help me not to rely on my own understanding and strength, but in Your might, which You freely and lovingly provide for me. 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.

Ordinance

     Our Sabbath reading portion for this week is titled Chukkot, meaning "Ordinances of", and begins in Numbers Ch. 20. The Hebrew title Chukkot comes from the words hukka/hoq/haqaq which mean "statute, ordinance, limit, law, that which is established or defined/ordinance, bounds, commandments, boundary, decrees/decree, cut out, engrave, inscribe, govern, law giver, cut upon, mark out, cut in stone, a scepter, carve out like a grave or sepulcher in a rock." The ordinances of God are "set in stone" as the meaning of the word in Hebrew describes above. They are immutable (unchanging over time, unable to be changed-see Mal. 3:6, Heb. 13:8) by any natural means. We should keep in mind when considering the ordinances of God that there are two powerful and prophetic precedents that were established before the law was given to Israel from Mt. Sinai through Moses: covenant and grace. Covenant promises kept the LORD from completely wiping out the children of Israel, although they broke His ordinances (Mal. 3:6-7). Noah found grace in the eyes of God even though "all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth" and "every intent of the thoughts of his (man's) heart was only evil continually." (Gen. 6:5-13). However, neither of these two preceding conditions were intended to encourage the breaking of God's ordinances, and that without consequence (Rom. 6:1-2, 15-16). Neither covenant nor grace, however, means that we can continue to sin against the ordinances of God. These ordinances are to become written in our hearts so that we can live them as a testimony of God before men.

     In our Sabbath reading portion, Chukkot, or "Ordinances of", the children of Israel, the whole congregation (eda/ed - appointed meeting/witness, testimony, evidence), were in Kadesh (qades - holy, consecrated to God, consecrated to licentious idolatry) in the Wilderness of Zin (flat, to prick), a desert region. So God has directed His people to this specific place for an appointed meeting, to testify of His ordinances as witnesses. This place, Kadesh, can either be a place of holiness before the LORD or a place for the worship of idols by sexual uncleanness and soul-demeaning and soul-destroying perversion according to the meaning of the name. Imagine the spirits of wickedness that were to be found in this place, but God's assembly had been specifically brought to this dry place to witness and testify of Him, of His ordinances that limit and set boundaries against wickedness in the spirit. Not only do God's ordinances set boundaries against spirits of wickedness, bringing judgment to them, but we will see that there is a prophetic declaration hidden in these ordinances that would speak to generations ahead. However, because this place was such an important spiritual battleground, there would be serious challenges to the testimony of God's people here.

     The first challenge to the souls of Moses and the people of God that we find out about in Num. 20:1 is the fact that Miriam, Moses' sister died and was buried there in Kadesh. Miriam played an important role in preserving Moses' life when he was a baby, and she was a prophetess to the congregation (Ex. 15:20-21).  Then the congregation rose up against Moses and Aaron because there was no water in that place: "And the people contended (rib - strive, contend, debate, quarrel, wrangle, grapple, rebuke, to pull, to rend each other's garments, to contend with the hand in blows) with Moses and spoke, saying: "If only we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! Why have you brought up the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? And why have you made us to come up (ala- ascend, come up, offering, light, increase, raised, arose, go up, be exalted) out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place (maqom/qum - standing place, station, office, habitation, condition/to arise, stand up, become powerful, raise up)? It is not a place of grain (zera/zara  - seed, sowing, fruitful, seedtime, harvest/sow seed, yielding seed, to become pregnant) or figs (te'ena -tree having large leaves for shade covering, comfort) or vines or pomegranates (rimmon/raman - pomegranate fruit or tree/to be exalted, be lifted up, to be high, rise up); nor is there any water to drink." (v. 3-5). Contrary to what the congregation spoke, we know that it was not Moses who directed the congregation of Israel to this place, Kadesh, but the pillars of fire and smoke of God. The LORD instructed Moses to gather the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) assembly, and take the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) rod, and He said: "Speak (dabar) to the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) rock before their eyes, and I will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock..." (v. 7-8). However, instead of speaking to the rock, Moses lifted his (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) hand and struck (naka - smite, slay, kill, beat, slaughter, wounded, stricken, stripes, scourge, give a thrust, ravage, chastise, send judgment upon, punish, destroy, to pierce through, to pierce into) the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) rock twice with the rod. Water did come out of the rock abundantly. Psalm 78:16-17 describes the water that came from this rock: "He also brought streams out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers. But they sinned even more against Him by rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness."

     It is revealed in the New Testament that this rock which carried abundant water was Messiah/Christ in their midst (1 Cor. 10:4), and it is "the Rock of our salvation" that is mentioned in connection to the rebellion in the wilderness in Ps. 95, which is another reading portion from this Chukkat Sabbath. We can also see the same wounds and death that were inflicted upon Christ expressed above in the word for "struck", which is naka. This rock had been "struck" earlier by God's command (Ex. 17:6), but was not meant by God to be struck again. It is an ordinance of God as revealed in the New Testament that Christ was to die once for sin for all time (Rom. 6:9-11, Heb. 9:25-28, Heb. 10:12-14, 1 Pet. 3:18).

     Considering this, the Book of Hebrews also revealed the understanding of the importance of this act of Moses by saying that one's unbelief, after having already seen and experienced the enlightenment of God and the Holy Spirit through Jesus, crucifies Jesus again, and puts Christ to open shame (Heb. 6:4-6). The LORD said the same thing to Moses: "...you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) assembly into the land which I have given them." (Num. 20:12). It is possible that Moses must had some understanding of who the rock truly represented, but if he did not, his failure to follow the ordinance of God given to him, caused him to lose entrance into the promised land. This seems a severe consequence, but Moses did not lose his life for breaking this ordinance. God's people were brought to this place of Kadesh to shame the spiritual strongholds of wickedness through the (prophetic) ordinances of God, not to shame the LORD!

     Some people say, "If I ever saw a miracle, I would believe in God." However, the congregation of Israel, anointed and appointed to carry the testimony of God both within the Ark and within their hearts and mouths, saw miracles too many to count, yet they contended against Moses and the LORD repeatedly in unbelief (see also Num. 21:4-9). We look at these accounts and wonder how Israel could have failed to trust the LORD, yet we, who have been miraculously given the gift of salvation through the knowledge of Christ, often speak unbelief and contention, although we may deny it. As with Israel, this is our biggest challenge, and this is where the spirits of wickedness succeed in the spiritual battle against us. However, the scripture says: "...the accuser (kategoros - incl. Satan) of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." (Rev. 12:10-11).

     If you would like to learn more about the ordinances of God and their application in our lives, you can pray with me: "LORD God, Your Word is bread for me that feeds my life. Forgive me when I speak thoughtlessly or in unbelief. Forgive me when my testimony is weakened by unbelief and rebellion. Jesus urged us to be overcomers by the Word and the Spirit, to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches, and I want to be that living testimony of Your glory. All things are possible with You, Lord, and as You direct me, let my mouth speak, and my feet walk. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit who will give me the Words I am to say and pray, and will direct my testimony. I ask these things 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 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.