Judges

 

   The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is Shoftim, meaning "Judges." The Hebrew title comes from the word sapat, which means "to judge, defend, condemn, avenge, execute, plead, govern, vindicate, punish, reason, rule."

     In Deuteronomy 16:18-20, we read about judges: "You shall appoint judges and officers in all your gates, which the LORD your God gives you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-people with just judgment. You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. You shall follow what is altogether just, that you may live and inherit (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-land ('eres - land, country, nations, earth, world, the whole world and its inhabitants) which the LORD your God has given you." 

     We can see above that the standard for judges and judging is absolute justice, not influenced or determined by favoritism nor reward. The judgment of the judge is to be of such absolute and unbiased justice that failure to heed a judge's ruling can result in death. (see Deut. 17:9-13). Failure to follow absolute justice in judgment can affect your life and prosperity or well-bring in the earth.

     As we can see from the Hebrew meaning of judge, sapat, above, the judge not only may condemn in judgment, but can also vindicate, avenge a wrong, or plead a case for an individual.

     Several scriptures speak of God and Messiah/Christ Jesus as Judges. Abraham called God "the Judge of all the earth..." and called upon His perfect justice. (Gen. 18:25, Acts 17:30-31). Paul, who was unfortunately familiar with being judged by men, wrote that He who judges him is the Lord. (1 Cor. 4:2-4). Solomon and Paul both wrote that God is the One who judges all of the secret things, good or evil. (Eccl. 12:13-14, Rom. 2:16). Jesus said that His Father in heaven has given all judgment into His hands. (Jn. 5:21-23). Paul wrote this eye-opener regarding judging how each believer esteems or observes the things of God: "But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: 'As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.' So then each of us shall give account of himself to God." (Rom. 14:10-12). We often see the Body of Christ divided because of the rendering of judgment regarding who is serving the Lord correctly, and who is not, as Paul warned about above. 

     For those who choose to take on the responsibility of judging what the Lord has reserved for His judgment, which is the whole earth, these are huge and perfect shoes (and absolute standards) to fill, with consequences to pay if not done perfectly justly as Deuteronomy 16 above reveals.

     Jesus had said the same precautionary words as Paul above: "Judge (krino - determine, resolve, decree, examine for judgment, to separate, put asunder, decide, condemn, punish, damn, to sentence) not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." (Mt. 7:1-5). If you are considering taking on the responsibility of judging, especially concerning the brethren, be careful to remove the plank out of your own eye first. The Lord doesn't have any planks in His eye.

     

     The authority of the judge is not only to condemn and administer punishment, but it is to establish godly justice on behalf of God's people as we see in the meaning of sapat, judge, above. It was the judges of Israel who were called to judge the oppressors of Israel in the Book of Judges at the time appointed by the LORD, and pull them down, bringing deliverance to God's people.

     In another reading portion from this week's Shoftim, "Judges", Sabbath, we see the powerful justice of God acting as the Judge in turning circumstances completely around for His people who had experienced desolation, destruction, famine and sword. In an excerpt from Isaiah 51, the LORD declared to His people: "Listen to Me, My people; and give ear to Me, O My nation: For law will proceed from Me, and I will make My justice rest as a light of the peoples. My righteousness is near, My salvation (yesa/yasa - deliverance, salvation, rescue, safety, welfare, prosperity, victory/Savior, help, preserved, salvation, defend, avenge, victory, saved in battle, open wide, free, opulent, liberty) has gone forth, and My arms will judge the peoples...My salvation (yesua - salvation, deliverance, prosperity, welfare, victory, save, saving; also the Hebrew name of Jesus) will be forever, and My righteousness (sedaqa/sadaq - righteousness, justice, righteousness of a judge-ruler-king, the vindication-justification-salvation of God/just as of God, justice, justify, just cause, bring justice, vindicate the cause of) will not be abolished....Awake ('ur - stir up, lift up, awake, raise, be roused, be triumphant, open the eyes), awake! Stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk at the hand of the LORD (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-cup of His fury; You have drunk (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-dregs of the cup of trembling, and drained it out...Therefore, please hear this, you afflicted, and drunk, but not with wine. Thus says your LORD, the LORD and your God, who pleads the cause (also see sapat meaning above) of His people: 'See, I have taken out of your hand (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-cup of trembling, (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-dregs of the cup of My fury; you shall no longer drink it. But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, who have said to you, 'Lie down, that we may walk over you.' And you have laid your body like the ground, and as the street, for those who walk over." 

     God had previously judged His people, but, when that judgment was satisfied, the LORD turned and placed the same judgment on oppressors who had taken advantage the affliction of His people in order to trample upon them.

 We notice above that the means by which the LORD administered perfect and absolute justice was His salvation, both the condition, yesa/yasa, and the Person, who is Yeshua/Jesus, and His righteousness.

     In Isaiah 52, another reading portion assigned for this Shoftim, "Judges" Sabbath, again the LORD proclaims over Zion and Jerusalem: "Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall not longer come to you. Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds on your neck, O captive daughter of Zion!...How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings good tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation (yesua - see meaning above), who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns!" 

     Again we see the revealed knowledge of yesua salvation proclaimed in order to break the bondage of God's people. At the end of this Chapter 52 of Isaiah, and continuing into Chapter 53, God's suffering, sin-bearing Servant is revealed who will justify (sadaq - to do or bring justice in administering the law, to be or do justice, to be right, be justified) many. Paul wrote that we have been justified by God through our faith in Jesus, and this even before the beginning, by the foreknowledge of God. (see Rom. 5:1-2 and Rom. 8:29-30).

     We see another example of justice through God's salvation and righteousness in another Shoftim, "Judges," Sabbath reading portion. The prophet Jeremiah wrote the Word of the LORD: "Behold, the days are coming,' says the LORD, 'that I will raise to David a Branch (semah - branch, sprout: of the Messiah/Christ from the Davidic tree) of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and justice/righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved (yasa - see above), and Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." (Jer. 23:5-6). 

     We recognize here in the above prophecy the Messiah/Christ Jesus, who is the King of kings and a descendant of David (see Mt. 9:26-31 and Mk. 10:46-52). His reign is made of salvation, righteousness and just judgment.

     The LORD commands us to do justly in His Word: "He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justly (mispat/sapat - judgment, lawful, law, justice-right-rectitude, a verdict pronounced judicially/ see sapat above), to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8). Choosing to do the first, "do justly", requires for us also to do the other two: love mercy, and walking humbly with God.

     We have seen that just judgment is so important to the LORD that He pulled out "the big guns" to secure it. The first being His Salvation (yesua, see above) as Isaiah told us, and secondly, His King of Righteousness, as Jeremiah revealed above. Both of these powerful agents of justice were in the form of one: His Son, Messiah/Christ, Yesua/Jesus, the Lord our Righteousness. 

     Judgment and justice can make the difference between bondage and freedom, salvation and condemnation, and life and death. These things are not to be handled so carelessly in words that flow so recklessly from our hearts and mouths. Isaiah told us what we should be saying and proclaiming. Jeremiah gave us the proclamation of the LORD regarding the King of Righteousness, which we are to believe. Jesus told us what we should be teaching and preaching to all nations: The Gospel of salvation (see Mt. 28:18-20, Mk. 16:15-18, Lk. 24:46-49). There is no greater or more beautiful just judgment that can be spoken than this.

     If you would like to learn more about the LORD as the Judge of all the earth, you can join my prayer: "Dear Father, Just Judge of the earth, You sent your Son, Jesus, who is Salvation and Righteousness, to announce the just judgment of God to all living. Help me, LORD, by Your Word and Spirit of Truth, to proclaim the Day of Salvation that saves men from condemnation and declare the installment of Your Kingdom of Justice through Your Son, Jesus, the King of Righteousness. Lord, forgive me, and remove from my heart and mouth words of unjust judgment, made from my own will and understanding. Let everything in my being point towards You instead. I ask this in the name of Your Son, 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. 

LifeAndLight

      This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled R'eh, which is translated as "Behold". The Hebrew title comes from the word ra'a meaning: "behold, see, look, consider, perceive, foresee, seer, inspect, learn about, discern, distinguish, give attention to, to see the face of a king, to see the face of God, enjoy the light, to live, to be taught in visions divinely brought, to care for what is seen, to choose for oneself, to see for oneself." As we can see, the meaning of ra'a is very deep and is an essential element in our relationship with God. It includes seeing with the eye, but it is more about seeing with our spirit, the inner eye which God has given to all of us by which we may discern God and the things of God. In Jn. 1:1-5, and 14 scripture says that all men have been created in the life of the Word, who is Jesus, and the life is light in each of us (see the meaning of ra'a above also). There is a basic knowledge of God that has been infused into all people. The Creator doesn't leave us blind but gives us the spiritual sight to behold and discern His face if we choose (see ra'a above) to do so.

     Relating to this Sabbath's reading portion, "Behold" or r'eh/ra'a, appears in Deut. 11:26-28: "Behold, I set before you today (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-a-blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known." The LORD doesn't just ask for blind obedience but wants us to r'eh/ra'a, to discern with our inner spiritual vision, the truth regarding the blessing, which we can see is associated with the knowledge of *aleph-tav, the Messiah/Christ, and the curse of which He is speaking here. As we can see from the meaning of r'eh/ra'a, "behold", above, there is also a choice that comes with this special vision, just as God offered a choice above to His people of the blessing or the curse.

     As we will see below, several reading selections from this week's R'eh/Ra'a, "Behold" Sabbath reading reveal the awesome blessing of choosing His Word and choosing to live in the light of the LORD.

     The great blessings of the LORD in this R'eh/Ra'a, "Behold", Sabbath reading also come with the obedient observance of "The LORD's Release" (semitta/samat - release from debt, remission of debt, suspension of labor/shake, release, throw down, overthrow, let loose, rest, fling down, to smite, to strike, to thrust), also called Shemitah, as revealed in Deuteronomy 15. The meaning of the word also includes a shaking up and an overthrow. The oppression of debt is cast down. Jesus taught His disciples to pray for the LORD's Release, or Shemitah, in what we call The LORD's Prayer: "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." (see Mt. 6:9-13). We all carry a debt of one form or another, physical or spiritual, and we all need the release from that debt.

     The LORD's Release was to occur in the seventh year when all debts owed by (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-neighbors and (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-brethren were to be forgiven. This "Release" was to be done out of a heart of love and joy for one's brethren and God's will, and not with resentment or manipulation. The blessing that accompanies Shemitah Release is stated: "...for the LORD will greatly bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance - only if you carefully obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe with care (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-all-these-commandments which I command you today. For the LORD will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you." (Deut. 15:4-6). Looking at the blessings that follow the Shemitah Release of the LORD, the economy and banking system of the world can be overturned and shaken as a result. This is the power and authority within the LORD's Shemitah Release. Jesus Messiah/Christ is the Person who fulfills the Shemitah Release for us. All of our debts to God are "Paid in full" through Him as He said, "It is finished (teleo - to finish, to end, to pay)" while on the cross. (Jn. 19:30).

     From Isaiah 54-55 of this week's reading, the prophet wrote the word of a tremendous blessing from the LORD to His people who had suffered affliction: "Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of crystal, and all your walls of precious stones. All your children shall be taught by the LORD (see ra'a meaning above), and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear...No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me...Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you - the sure mercies of David." The house of David, who at the writing of Isaiah had been dead for over two hundred years, is the line from which Messiah/Christ (Jesus), the Son of David, would be born. Isaiah also wrote that other nations would run to this people "because of the LORD your God, and the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you." (Isaiah 55:5). Jesus also prayed, saying to His heavenly Father that He, Jesus, has given those who believe in Him the same glory as He has with the Father from the beginning. (Jn. 17:22-24).

     The meaning of r'eh/ra'a, or "Behold," as given above includes "to see the face of a king", as well as being associated with light and life. From another section of this Sabbath we read in Proverbs 16:15-16: "In the light of the king's face is life, and his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain. How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver." As we saw above, life and light mentioned in ra'a and in John 1 are connected to "the king's" face. The Messiah/Christ Jesus is the King of kings. Of His Kingship, He has also made us to be kings or royalty of the Kingdom of light in service to God. (see 1 Pet. 2:9-10 [Ex. 19:6], Rev. 1:6, 5:9-10).

     Isaiah again in this Sabbath's readings, speaks the Word of the LORD to the land of Judah who will sing this song: "We have a strong city; God will appoint salvation (yesua - salvation; the Hebrew name of Jesus) for walls and bulwarks. Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in." (Isa. 26:1-2). The prophet directed the Word of the LORD to "the land of Judah", which is the southern part of Israel including Jerusalem. The Hebrew word 'eres used here is referring to the land, but also means "earth, world, nations." Judah is one of the twelve tribes of Israel, but the Hebrew word itself is yehuda/yada/yad which means "praised/thanksgiving, confess, make confession (see also Rom. 10:9-10)/hand, consecrate, power, strength, sign, monument." Those who believe in Messiah/Christ Jesus are also a consecrated/sanctified people (see Heb. 10:10) through Messiah/Christ who make confession by mouth of the belief in their hearts, and signs follow the believer. (Mk. 16:15-18). Our testimony is a living monument to the salvation, power and glory of God. (see Rev. 12:10-11, 1 Pet. 3:15).

     Within the language is not only a surface understanding, but also a deeper or wider understanding that can be found within it. God's vision, even as expressed to Abraham and others, is not small or limited.

     From this same Sabbath reading selection, Isaiah 26 also promises us further blessings in our God. Those blessings include perfect peace, an everlasting covenant, justice, righteousness, grace, increase, glory, expansion, perfect judgment, and the raising of the dead.

     This R'eh/Ra'a Sabbath reading portion also brought mention of "a curse" from Deut. 11:26-28 as written above. The curse follows the turning away from God to go after other gods. The LORD also warned that after (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-nations of the promised land were cut off from the land by the LORD before the Israelites, the Israelites were not to follow after or inquire after the gods of those people: "You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-their-sons and (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-daughters in the fire to their gods. (*Aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-Whatever-thing I command you be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it." (Deut. 12:29-32).

     The previous people who inhabited the land had knowledge of the Messiah/Christ as we can see by the presence of the *aleph-tav designation. Even their children were appointed to belong to the *Aleph-Tav/Alpha and Omega Christ. However, those people chose to turn away from that knowledge and were even willing to burn their children to death in order to worship demon gods with abominations. Paul wrote in Romans of those who knew God, who had manifested Himself to them since the creation, but they chose (see ra'a meaning above) to deny that knowledge. They knew God but did not glorify Him as God. Therefore: "...they became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened....Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts..." (Rom. 1:18-24). Their abasement grew worse, even "knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death..." (v. 26-32). We see the same today. Many people have chosen to turn away from their inner knowledge of God and to turn away from His life and light. The Lord repeatedly says to them, "Behold (the face of God, the face of the King)!" We have the freedom that God has given each man to choose, to see, to behold, to discern, and to enjoy and live in the light of life which exists only in Him.

     However, there exists a most powerful and overcoming truth for all mankind: Jesus became a curse, and suffered the death of it, so that we may be set free from the power of the curse and to receive the blessings: "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree'), that the blessing of Abraham (see Gen. 12:3, Gen. 22:15-18) might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." (Gal. 3:13-14). 

     Messiah/Christ Jesus, the righteous and innocent, both divine and man, inseparable from His Father in heaven, became a curse to Release us from the debt of the curse contained in the Law. What must the righteously divine Jesus have felt by becoming a curse, and all of the abominations of the curse, separated or cut off from the light and life of God His beloved Father? He suffered this and then overcame it on our behalf. He shook and overthrew the spiritual debt economy of the spirit of this world.

      Again, God says to man: "Behold!"

     If you would like to learn more about r'eh/ra'a, and the blessing of looking upon the life and light of the face of God and the King, Jesus, you can join my prayer: "Gracious and blessed Lord, You have poured out a blessing too great for me to contain. You have released me from all debt, and You have delivered me from the curse through the sacrifice and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus, my Savior. You allow me to stand in Your light and life, and have said that I may see Your face through spiritual ra'a sight. Lord, Your face is the only face that I desire, and I never want to turn away from Your face. Blessed be the Holy One of Israel who is LORD of all of the nations and people of the whole earth. All of the families of the earth are blessed within Your covenant, including all of my family, as You promised Abraham. I praise You, Lord, and offer my thanksgiving and my love to You in the name of Jesus, my King. 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. 

 

HeartTablets

                                                      Tablets placed inside of the Ark of the Covenant/Testimony

       The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is Eikev, which means, "Because/As a consequence of/following after." The title comes from Deuteronomy 7:12-13, as Moses spoke to the Israelites: "Then it shall come to pass because ('eqeb/eikeb  - because, end, consequence, gain, reward, result, the latter part, wages) you listen to (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-these-judgments, and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-covenant and (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-mercy which He swore to your fathers. And He will love you and bless you and multiply you..." 

     For this study, we should pay special attention to the use of the words "the judgments", "the covenant", and "the mercy", and that all three are preceded by the *aleph-tav in the written Hebrew, which Jesus identified as being Himself (see *note below).

     In the readings for this Sabbath from Deuteronomy chapters 8, 9, and 11, Moses continually stresses, not just the law, but the kind of personal and intimate relationship that Israel should keep with the LORD and with His Word. Let us look at some of these instructions of Moses.

     Moses said: "Therefore you shall love (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-LORD your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always." (Deut. 11:1).

     "And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul (see also Deut. 6:4-5), then I will give you the rain for your land in its season...". (Deut. 11:13-14).

     "For if you carefully keep (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-all-these-commandments which I command you to do - to love (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him - then the LORD will drive out (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-all-these-nations from before you..." (Deut. 11:22-23).

     We can see that the keeping of the commandments is "the consequence of" or "follows after" (see 'eqeb/eikeb above) the love for the LORD. There are blessings that will also be "the consequence of" or "follow after" the keeping of God's Word in our love of Him as mentioned in the above verses. The LORD through Moses emphasizes the necessity of loving Him with all of our hearts.

     Moses gives even deeper instructions to the Israelites: "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart." (Deut. 6:6). Also, "Therefore you shall lay up (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-these-words-of-mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes." (Deut. 11:18).

     The Words of the LORD are not only to be obeyed, but they are to be internally placed upon/within our hearts.

      These things brought to my mind a visualization that I had not considered before. Let us go to the next step in the vision that the LORD will present to us through His pattern established with Moses.

     Moses received the first set of stone tablets which contained the Ten Commandments which the LORD Himself wrote on the mountain. The LORD then told Moses to hurry down from the mountain because the people below were committing a great sin. Moses hurried down from the mountain with those tablets to find that a golden calf idol had been molded and the people were raucously worshipping it. He threw down the stone tablets and broke them before the eyes of the people. He took their (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-sin, the golden (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-calf, and burnt it with fire, and then crushed and ground what was left of it into fine dust. He then threw (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-dust into the brook (nahal root- inherit, inheritance, heritage, give as a possession, receive anything as a possession) that descended from the mountain. (see Deut. 9:12-21).

     We have heard of this above account in scripture, but seeing the written *aleph-tav's connected to this event is very thought provoking.

     However, the LORD was not done. He would write again upon a new or second set of tablets, telling Moses: "...Hew (pasal - cut out of a quarry, to carve, building stones, hew off boughs to create a shape) for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to Me on the mountain and make yourself an ark ('aron/'ara - ark, chest, coffin/to gather, to reap, to collect together) of wood ('es/'asa - tree, wood, gallows, carpenter/ to shut, fasten, shut a door). And I will write on the tablets (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-words that were on the first tablets, which you broke; and you shall put them in the ark...And He wrote on the tablets according to the first writing, the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-Ten Commandments...Then I turned and came down from the mountain, and put (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-tablets in the ark which I had made; and there they are, just as the LORD commanded me." (Deut. 10:1-5, excerpt).

     As Moses described above, he was instructed to create an ark for the second set of commandments. We know that this ark containing the tablets of the Ten Commandments would later be placed in the innermost chamber of the tabernacle, the Holy of Holies. An additional item would be added to the construction of the ark: a gold covering around the wooden chest of the ark, and a special solid piece of gold for the top of the chest, called the Mercy Seat (kapporeth - to cover, atonement covering), that would also include as one piece two covering angels with wings. Jewish teaching also refers to the space above the ark of the covenant/testimony as the Throne of God. 

     Therefore, the Words are carved on the tablets of stone, which tablets are kept or concealed within the wooden ark, which is directly under the Mercy Seat covering and, at the same time, under the covering wings of the two angels. For me, this is a visualization of our relationship with Jesus Messiah/Christ.

     There are many scriptures that instruct us to write the Word of God on/in our hearts, some even say specifically "the tablets of our hearts": "Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet (luah - of stone or wood on which anything is carved) of your heart." (Prov. 3:3). Also: "My son, keep my (the father's) words, and treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live, and my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart." (Prov. 7:1-3). Other references to the Words of God being in our hearts can be found in Prov. 6:21, Prov. 4:20-21, Ps. 119:11.

     The prophet Jeremiah connects the writing of God's Word in our hearts to a new covenant: "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-house of Israel and with (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-house of Judah - not according to the covenant that I made with (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-their-fathers...(*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-My-covenant which they broke (parar - to break to bits, shatter, split, crack through, break apart, crumble, destroy)...But this is the covenant that I will make...I will put (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-My-law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people...For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (Jer. 31:31-34, also Heb. 8:8-12).

     For me, according to this spiritual pattern and vision, the tablets of stone upon which the LORD wrote His commandments represents the hearts of His covenant people, particularly His new covenant people represented by the second set of tablets. Why would our hearts be shown in this vision pattern to be of stone? The prophet Ezekiel wrote the Word of the LORD regarding stony hearts that are transformed: "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-My-Spirit within you and cause you to walk (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-in -My-statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them." (Ezek. 36:25-27, see also Ezek. 11:19-20). Paul followed this same vision pattern, writing: "...clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart." (2 Cor. 3:3).

     Why two tablets according to scripture? Perhaps because the Body of Messiah/Christ and the inclusion of the nations as spoken by God prophetically, is of two peoples: Jewish and Greek/Gentile who become as one man through faith in Messiah/Christ. (see Rom. 1:16-17 and 1 Cor. 12:12-14).

     The ark of wood (see meaning above) in this vision pattern that I am seeing, into which the tablets are placed, hidden, or gathered, is Messiah/Christ. The Hebrew letters that make up 'aron, or ark in English, are aleph, reysh, vaw and nun. The individual meanings of each letter, when joined together can mean: "The Lord Adonai who is the highest, the head, the first and the beginning, is joined to or nailed to, the son, faithful and continual, who is heir to the throne." Paul also wrote of this vision pattern: "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above....Set your minds on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." (Col. 3:1-4). Jesus told us to abide in Him, rather than just "with" Him. (see Jn. 15:4-5).

     I am saying that the vision pattern has us, as living tablets, permanently inside the Ark of the Covenant/Testimony, which is Messiah/Christ, and inside the Holy of Holies, where no flesh was allowed to go, except once a year by the high priest on the Day of Atonement. The Book of Hebrews says that we now have full, bold, and unlimited access to the Holy of Holies, because of the work of Christ on the cross and His atoning blood that was shed. (Heb. 10:19-23).

     The vision pattern does not end there, but continues.

     So far, the Word of God is written on/in the tablets of our hearts. The tablets, our hearts, are gathered and hidden within the ark, Jesus. The ark is positioned under the solid gold Mercy Seat, which receives the atoning blood of the sacrifice (Messiah/Christ: see Heb. 10:19-23 above). Above the Mercy Seat, and hammered from the same piece of solid gold, are the overspreading wings of the covering angels. Let us look at some scriptures pertaining to this place of the mercy and wings of Elohim (the name of God meaning the exceedingly great God and His angels):

     The Book of Hebrews again teaches: "Let us therefore (through our sympathetic High Priest, Jesus) come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb. 4:15-16).

     "For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide (gur - dwell, abide, gathered, gather together [see 'aron/ark above], stand in awe) in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter (seter - secret place, hiding place, covering, carefully hidden) of Your wings." (Ps. 61:3-4). David wrote this Psalm referring to the tabernacle of God as his dwelling place forever, specifically in the hiding place of God's wings.

     "He (the Most High) shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler." (Ps. 91:4).

     "Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul (nehfesh - soul, life, breath, mind, heart, tablet) trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by." (Ps. 57:1 by David).

     "How precious is Your lovingkindness (hesed - mercy, goodness, merciful, kindness, love, favor), O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings." (Ps. 36:7 by David).

     David wrote of this same vision of the spiritual pattern that Moses presented to Israel, and which was later fulfilled in Messiah/Christ, Jesus. David also referred to this place under the mercy and wings as a refuge, as a place of our trust and hope. It is also written in the Book of Hebrews: "...it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil (referring to the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle), where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek (meaning "King of Righteousness")." (Heb. 6:18-20).

    The idea of our eternal home in the Holy of Holies, within Messiah/Christ, is not far-fetched, but is confirmed in scripture, both by pattern, as Moses gave, and by written Word, as we see above. We are in the world, but not part of the world, as Jesus said, although it seems that we often leave the privilege of our awesome and glorious dwelling in the holy Presence in order to become entangled in the cares of the world which are passing away. However, our position in the Holy of Holies, hidden in Messiah/Christ, is a powerful position - remember the Word of God that is written in our hearts? That Word contains all of God's promises to mankind. That Word contains the plan and provision of God's Kingdom of salvation through His Son. By our position in the Holy of Holies, we bring this Word before God's throne of mercy every moment, every day, and from every corner of the globe.

     I want to always dwell in Messiah/Christ Jesus under the mercy and wings of God.

     If you would like to know more about dwelling in the Holy of Holies in Messiah/Christ, you can join my prayer: "Dearest Father, let Your Word always be written on the tablets of my heart. Let me desire to dwell in the tabernacle of the LORD all the days of my life. Help me by Your Holy Spirit to understand more about ministering Your Word from this exalted and holy place within Christ Jesus, and under Your blood atonement mercy and the refuge of Your wings. I didn't understand the holy place that Jesus went to before us in order to prepare for us, so that where He is, we may be also. Through our Savior, Jesus, we have received this glorious honor, and I thank You, Father, for this awesome purpose in You. I bless and exalt My Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit 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. 

 

Foundation

 

                                                                       The LORD speaks from Mount Sinai

     The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is Va-etchannan, meaning "And I besought the LORD." This title comes from the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 3:23-24: "Then I pleaded (hanan/hana - have mercy, be gracious, implore favor, be pitied/abide, dwell, encamp, rested, grows to an end) with the LORD at that time, saying: 'O LORD God, You have begun to show (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-Your-servant (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-Your-greatness and (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-Your-mighty-hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds?"

     Moses was pleading above with the LORD to allow him to cross over the Jordan River and see the land to which the Israelites would soon enter. The meaning of Moses' pleading indicates that Moses has placed himself or dwells in the mercy and grace of God and knows that the LORD will bring him to a perfect end. The LORD will show Moses mercy and satisfy his plea, but in a way that will be different from what Moses is specifically requesting. The qualities of the LORD that Moses is relying upon, His greatness and His mighty deeds, are connected with the written Hebrew *aleph-tav (see *note below) and are therefore connected to the identity of the Messiah/Christ. The Hebrew scriptures indicate that Moses himself is also connected to Messiah/Christ because of the same *aleph-tav before his name, above.

     The New Testament describes this truth perfectly: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him (God), for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder (one who pays wages, to recompense, give, perform, reward) of those who diligently seek (seek carefully, search for, crave, worship) Him. (Heb. 11:6).

     No one asks the LORD for anything in prayer unless that person is confident that the Lord, in His mercy and favor, will hear that prayer, and has the power to answer that prayer in a manner that brings the situation to a perfect end according to His good and perfect will for us and for others involved.

     Moses also reminded the Israelites of how the LORD spoke His commandments and wrote them on tablets: "These (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-words the LORD spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice..." (Deut. 5:22). How could His people forget the power and majesty that the LORD displayed by His presence as He delivered the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega Word to His people? We will see that it is sadly an easy thing for God's people to forget even their most principal knowledge of Him.

     The words that the LORD commanded were to live in the hearts of the people: "Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD God of your fathers has promised you - a land (land, country, nations, the whole earth) flowing with milk (as abundance and fatness, the richest and choicest part, most excellent) and honey (honey, syrup, concentrated sweetness). Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart." (Deut. 6:3-6).

     The Word of God was never meant to remain simply words on a page. The living Words were meant to be seeds planted in the good soil of our hearts where it can live, thrive, multiply, and bear fruit abundantly. (see Mt. 13:23). The Words of God are to become an inseparable part of our being. As we also know, Jesus is defined as the Word of God become flesh (see Jn. 1:1-2, 14), and He is in the same manner to be part of our innermost being as we are to be in Him.

     Moses pleaded with God's people to understand the vision of God and to walk in it, reminding them how the LORD had delivered them with His great power. 

     From another of this Va-etchannan, "And I besought" Sabbath reading portion, the prophet Isaiah also calls God's people to perceive how immense the LORD truly is: "Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning (head, chief, beginning, first, captain, ruler, the top, highest, forefront)? Have you not understood from the foundations (the act of laying a foundation, a foundation that remains, founded, established, appointed, sure, ordain) of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He brings the princes (king, prince, ruler, weighty, commanding) to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless...'To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?' says the Holy One. 'Lift up your eyes on high, and see (see, consider, behold, foresee, perceive, have vision, look intently at) who has created these things, who brings out their host (host, war, army, sun, moon, stars, go out to war, organize for war, appointed time) by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; Not one is missing....Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." (Isa. 40:21-31, excerpt). The beginning and the foundation that Isaiah asks us about not only established the beginning, but also the middle, the end, and all things forever.

     Isaiah is asking God's people several questions above about their knowledge of the LORD. It is a knowledge that they should have already known: "Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?" Isaiah expected us to know what was revealed from the beginning, and from the foundations of the earth. Have we forgotten it? Is there an effort to keep this knowledge from us? We today must also answer Isaiah's questions. Do we know? Have we not heard? The beginning and the foundation of all creation, including the earth, was built upon one truth, and one substance. Let us look at some verses:

     "In the beginning (beginning, first fruits, first, chief, principal thing, choice part/head, chief, beginning, top, captain, best) God created (create, form, of new conditions and circumstances, of transformation, of birth, of miracles, of something new, choose, carve out, cut) (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-heavens (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-and-the-earth." (Gen. 1:1)

     The beginning was not a moment in time, but it was contained in a Person - the Head, the Chief, the Captain. By the Person, God brought forth something new, a birth, a transformation, a miracle, the chosen (see also Eph. 1:4). All that which would be created, which were the heavens and the earth, belonged to the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega Messiah/Christ as designated in the written Hebrew (see also Jn. 1:1-3 and Rom. 11:36). Hebrews 1:1-3 also confirms: "God...has in these last days spoken to us by His Son (Jesus), whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the worlds/ages; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high...". We know that the beginning was Messiah/Christ, and was in and through Messiah/Christ.

     We also read: "He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn (see "beginning" above) over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist." (Col. 1:15-17). There is nothing that was created without Him or outside of Him. Is this truth being robbed from our knowledge by religions, fables and theories of men?

     The foundation (see meaning above) that Isaiah also asked us about above was built, we will read, upon and as the result of something that happened prior to the foundation, as a prerequisite to the foundation. We read in these verses:

     "...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. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God." (1 Pet. 1:18-21). Revelation also tells us of a "...Book of Life of the Lamb (Jesus) who was slain from the foundation of the world." (Rev. 13:8).

     We view the natural foundations of the earth as rock and molten rock, but the eternal spiritual power upon which the foundation was established is not only the Son/Word of God, but more specifically, the foundation was built upon the preceding event in eternity of the sacrificed perfect Lamb of God, Messiah/Christ Jesus, and His redeeming blood.

     Since ancient times and up to today, there has been an effort to erase this knowledge that Isaiah asked us about from mankind, and to erase the resulting faith and hope of mankind.

     Scripture asks the question: "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Ps. 11:3). However, the victory is already won. It was won from the beginning. The LORD has already set His eternal and ordained King in place: "Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.' I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession." (Ps. 2:6-8). AMEN!

     If you would like to understand more about the beginning and foundation in Jesus Messiah/Christ, you can join my prayer: "Heavenly Father, how great You are! Though the heathens rage, You have already won and set Your King, our Savior, the Lamb of God over all the ends of the earth. Father, I will declare the holy Beginning and the sacrifice of Your Son upon which You have set the foundation of all creation. I will declare the knowledge so that it is not forgotten or lost. I will declare the hope in God that was established for us before anything made that was made. Your Word says that at the name of Jesus, all that is created must bow their knees before the King of heaven and earth. I ask, Lord, that the memory of this power and truth be restored and revived to all creation. The plans of the wicked to destroy this knowledge from our hearts has already been overcome by Your Son. Help me, Lord, to keep Your Word within my heart as Moses taught. I ask these things in the name of Your Son, 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. 

PortraitofSin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RoshChodesh

 

                                                             Phases of the Lunar Cycle

     This Sabbath reading portion has a double title: Mattot, meaning "Tribes/Staffs", and Massei, meaning "Journeys of." Numbers 32 through 35 are included in this portion in which Moses writes a record of the Israelite tribes' journey through the wilderness with all of its arrivals and departures along the way. This is also a special Sabbath designated as Rosh Chosesh because during the next week, the new moon phase of the lunar cycle will usher in the new month on the Hebrew calendar called Av, which is the Hebrew word for "Father". This is what I will be studying for this entry. The Hebrew calendar is based upon the lunar cycle rather than the solar cycle upon which our calendar is based. Although many tragic events occurred for the Hebrews during the month of Av throughout history, the fact that this month is named "Father" brings focus back upon the divine compassion, comfort and sureness, not just of God, not just of Creator, but of our "Father."

 

     Rosh means "head, highest, most important, beginning, first" and Chodesh means "month" or "new." Just as the Sabbath is observed weekly, Rosh Chodesh is observed as each new moon/month occurs. The new moon is not usually visible to the naked eye from earth. If you look at the chart of the lunar phases at the top of the page, the new moon is depicted in the middle on the right side of the image. If you look closely, you can see that there is only a very obscured depiction of the moon in the new moon phase. You can hardly see it. It is dark because, as we look from earth, the moon appears to be positioned between the earth and the sun, so the light of the sun is not reflected off of the side of the moon that faces us. NASA says that the moon rises and sets with the sun in this phase.

     Although the moon in the new moon phase is not generally observable from earth, it is still there. It does not cease to exist as a celestial body. In the same way, the LORD asks us to perceive the new things that He is doing based upon His assurances that they are there, even if they are not yet evident to the human eye. 

     

     With the new moon comes a whole new cycle of the phases of the moon. In one of this Sabbath's readings, the prophet Isaiah mentions observances of the new moon. In Isaiah 66, the LORD asks His people, "Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?..." and also saying that (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-all-these-things already exist. (v. 1-2). The LORD then goes on to describe a very lackluster, careless, disrespectful worship by His people. The LORD even says that He is being brought abominations: "...and their soul delights in their abominations." (see v. 3). They treat the LORD in the same way that they would treat one of their useless idols according to this Word from Isaiah.

  

     Isaiah also wrote here that what the LORD is looking for is the establishment of His home within the human soul: "But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word." (v. 2). The idea of a physical building as being the dwelling place of God is "the way things have always been," which removes the newness of the LORD from man's perception and expectation, saying, "This is where we worship, this is how we worship, this is what we do, this is what we understand, this is what we are comfortable with, this is the way it has always been done." Jesus challenged this old way of understanding by bringing a new and revolutionary revelation based upon the promises of the scriptures. Jesus did not bring the revelation to a Jewish religious leader, nor to a respected or honored citizen of Jerusalem where the temple of God dwelt in impressive glory, but He brought this new thing to a Samaritan woman of scandalous reputation. This is not what one would usually "expect." This is not how it is "supposed" to happen. Jesus had sent His disciples away because He knew in the Spirit that the Samaritan woman would be coming to the well, and He was waiting for her arrival. He not only identified Himself clearly as the Messiah/Christ to her, but Jesus also revealed the heart of God: "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father (Av in Hebrew) in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (Jn. 4:21-24). 

    

     As the Samaritan woman expressed her understanding that the coming Messiah (Christ in Greek) would teach all things, Jesus said to her: "I who speak to you am He." (v. 25-26). We don't even know this woman's name, but Jesus purposefully waited for this woman to reveal new things to her, previously unimagined in traditional religious thinking of the time.

     Later, the disciples would be shocked as Jesus prophesied to them that the magnificent temple in Jerusalem, which they reverenced and admired, would be totally destroyed. (Mt. 24:1-2). Jesus does say in His continuing prophetic message to His disciples: "...the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light." (Mt. 24:29). It is possible that Jesus was speaking of a new moon in this part of His prophecy. Soon after, Jesus would be arrested, tortured and crucified during Passover.

     As we continue in the Sabbath reading from Isaiah 66 assigned because this Sabbath precedes a Rosh Chodesh new moon for the coming month of Av ("Father"), Isaiah speaks about a new thing the LORD is bringing to birth. The new birth will involve the delivering of a male child even before the birth pangs (hebel/habal - sorrows [see Mt. 24:8], pain, destruction, travail/destroy, corrupt, offend, take a pledge, to be ruined, to bind, to writhe in pain) begin. (v. 7). The LORD asks, "Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation (goy/geva/gev/ga'a - nation, heathen, Gentiles, people, descendants of Abraham, a body of people/the back, body/back as beaten/to rise up, risen, triumph, gloriously, be raised up) be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor (hul - pain, tremble, wounded, grievous, shake, tremble, be in anguish, to twist or writhe in pain, suffering torture), she gave birth to her (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-children." (v. 8).

     Before the appointed time of terrible sorrow, pain and destruction, a male child will miraculously be brought forth in a surprising way. A nation is born of both Abraham's descendants and Gentiles, a body of people, whose origins are from a beaten back or body, and from a glorious and triumphant raising up. These are Zion's (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-children. This is how I would summarize the powerful Hebrew meaning found in verses 7 and 8, above. What or Who do you see in these verses from the Hebrew meanings?

     When God fulfilled His prophecy here, who was able to perceive it, even though it had been obscured from sight (like the new moon), and who did not perceive it because they were happy with "the way things have always been done"? Paul described the Gospel of Messiah/Christ as a mystery of divine truth that had previously been hidden, but had now been revealed. (Eph. 3:1-7, Rom. 16:25-27, Col. 1:24-27).

     The LORD continued, saying in Isa. 66: "Rejoice with (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all you who love her; Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her. That you may feed and be satisfied with the consolation of her bosom, that you may drink deeply and be delighted with the abundance of her glory." (v. 10-11).

     What started with a people who had dishonored the LORD with indifferent worship, now reveals something new: the birth of the male child and a body of worshipers from all nations that suddenly comes forth afterwards: the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) children of Zion. Rejoice! (see Isa. 66:18-21).

     The reading from Isaiah 66 of this Sabbath before Rosh Chodesh concludes: "For as the new heavens and the new earth (see also 2 Pet. 3:10-13) which I will make shall remain before Me,' says the LORD, 'So shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,' says the LORD. 'And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses (peger/pagar - corpse, monument, ruins of men's idols/void of strength, tear down, destroy) of men who have transgressed (pasa' - transgress, rebelled, revolt, break away from just authority, expanding, spreading, multiplying, apostatize, march forward against) against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence (dera'on - eternal contempt, aversion, abomination, be repulsed) to all flesh." (v. 22-24).

     Bible Prophecy may have more than one interpretation and/or application and fulfilment. I see here, however, from the Hebrew meanings involved, the promise of the coming of the suffering yet triumphantly resurrected Messiah/Christ, and the Body of both Jews and Gentiles that would come forth from Him, provided by the Av/Father God before the terrible destruction comes. In the last-mentioned verses from Isaiah 66 above, we see the newness created in and through Messiah/Christ, the male child who was born, and the eternal destruction and burning of the old, which had rebelled against all that is God. Revelation 21 tells us the same thing: "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea...Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new.' and He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.' And He said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega (*aleph-tav in Hebrew), the Beginning and the End. I will give the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Rev. 21:1-8, excerpt).

     Not only does the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Lord Jesus make all things new to a massive extent as stated above, but He also makes us, the individual believer in His salvation and redemption, part of a new thing, a new creation, of new heavens and a new earth, as Isaiah prophesied. Paul wrote this truth: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new." (1 Cor. 5:17).

     There are twelve new moons in a year, one for the beginning of each month on the Hebrew calendar. However, only a few are noted in the Sabbath reading portion cycle. This Rosh Chodesh or new moon for the soon beginning month of Av/"Father" is one of them. As we can see, the meanings we discovered in this Rosh Chodesh reading portion are powerful, to bring us into that newness of the Father whose Word says, "Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I hope in Him.!" (Lamentations 3:22-24). Although we may not see right now all of the newness that the LORD has provided for us, like the Rosh Chodesh new moon, the newness is there and will be revealed. We enter into the newness in the assurance of our faith in our Av Father, and in His Son, Jesus Messiah/Christ. That continuing newness will keep us through the days ahead.

     If you would like to know more about and enter into the newness of our Father, you can join with me in my prayer: "Most Awesome God our Father, You have provided the Way for me to become part of Your new creation, and the newness of Your Spirit, through Your Son, Jesus, my Savior. I desire, Lord, to run into Your newness, to be covered with it, to become it. Forgive me, Lord, when I have clung to old things, old understanding, old ways, an old creation that is passing away, and failed to perceive the newness that You have made for me every day, every month, and every year. I will rejoice in Your newness! Help me, Father, by Your Word and Holy Spirit to bring Your newness through Messiah/Christ to all. The whole creation is groaning for the revealing of the sons of God. (Rom. 8:18-25). I pray for this in the name of Jesus, my 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. 

I would also like to recommend for additional reading and entry from the Mending The Breach blog, written by The Berean, titled The Blood Moon Bride.