OnTheMount

     This week's Sabbath reading combines two titles: B'har, meaning "on the Mount", found in Leviticus 25:1, and B'chukkotai, meaning "in My statutes", found in Leviticus 26:3. The two titles would seem to have a connection to each other anyway because the LORD delivered His statutes to Moses on the Mount: "And the LORD spoke (dabar - speak, declare, command, commune, promise, warn, sing, to arrange in order, to subdue, to lead and guide flocks or herds to pasture, to follow behind, the hinder part) to Moses on Mount Sinai ("Thorny"), saying ('amar - speak, say, utter, intend, say in one's heart, desire, to avow, appoint), 'Speak (dabar - see above) to the children of Israel, and say ('amar - see above) to them: 'When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the LORD. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-its-fruit; but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the LORD..." (Lev. 25:1-4).

      As was often the case when the LORD was uttering His statutes, He would start with a concept connected to the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a powerful foundation to the Kingdom of God, which should not be ignored. It is not about religious designation of this day or that day, but it is a set-apart day, week or year(s) that renews, restores and revives life in the LORD.

     It is also interesting to see that the meaning of "say", or 'amar in Hebrew (see above), includes the truth that the things or desires that we say only in our own hearts carry the same weight as if we have spoken them aloud. Jesus proved this many times when He knew by divine insight and addressed what others were thinking in their hearts but had not spoken aloud. (see Mt. 9:1-4, Mt. 12:22-28, Lk. 6:6-10, Lk. 9:46-48, Jn. 6:64). It is a warning to us that although we may hold our tongues against speaking something, it still manifests in the Spirit as we only think it. In a good way, this is also the power found in godly prayer spoken in the heart. We can't have it one way and not the other as well.

     The LORD orally gave His statutes as He continued His discourse with Moses on the mount. He also said: "If you walk in My statutes (huqqa/haqaq - statute, ordinances, limit, enacted, something prescribed, appointed, manner, that which is established or defined, a right or privilege/cut out, cut into, cut upon, engrave, to stamp violently, portray, lawgiver, justice, truth, decide to be just, necessity, obligation) and keep (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-My-commandments, and perform them, then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit....You shall...dwell in your land safely. I will give peace in the land...and none will make you afraid; I will rid the land of evil + beasts (ra' + hay/haya - any evil or wickedness that brings hurt, trouble, affliction, distress, calamity, evildoer that comes against life, against sustained life, prosperity, restoration to health or life, or against revival from the dead) , and the sword...You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall...I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-My-covenant with you....I will set My tabernacle among you...I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people...I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright." (Lev. 26:3-13, excerpt). On the other hand, ignoring the statutes of God will bring the opposite of these blessings.

     Between chapters 25 and 26 in Leviticus, from which these two combined Sabbath reading portions, B'har, "On the Mount", and B'chukkotai, "In My statutes", are taken, the LORD spoke to Moses on the mount about the Sabbath of the land in the seventh year, and the Jubilee of restoration that was to come after seven sabbath years (in the fiftieth year after at the completion of forty-nine years). The LORD gave His statutes regarding the redemption of property from debt, the redemption of those forced into indentured servitude by debt, or their release from debt at Jubilee ("Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" [Mt. 6:8-13]), and the merciful treatment of those who have become slaves. These statutes are about mercy and restoration and the release of yokes and burdens, both physical and spiritual. These are statutes of the Kingdom of God and His *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega-covenant.

     Jesus preached the Kingdom of God and signs, wonders and miracles followed His preaching to confirm its truth: "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel (euangelion - good tidings, glad tidings of the Kingdom of God, glad tidings of salvation through Christ, the proclamation of the grace of God, a good message, to bring good news, the joyful tidings of God's kindness) of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people." (Mt. 4:23, see also Mk. 1:14-15, Lk. 4:43, Mt. 24:14). He taught the statutes of God His Father, in a way that amazed the people who heard because God's statutes had never been taught to them in this manner. (see Mt. 7:28-29, Mk. 1:21-28, Jn. 7:14-17 and 44-46). The statutes came to life through His Words and parables.

     As Moses was changed by his experience on the Mount with the LORD, his face shining with light afterwards (see Ex. 34:29-30), the disciples of Christ were changed inwardly when Jesus would lead them into an "On the Mount" experience.

     These are some examples of the experiences that the disciples had with Jesus "On the Mount":

     "And seeing the multitudes, He (Jesus) went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them the statutes of God, saying: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven." (Mt. 5:1-12, see also Micah 6:8).

     There are several instances when it is recorded in scripture that Jesus would go up on a mountain by Himself to pray, or with His disciples, to rest away from the crowds. (Mt. 14, Lk. 6, Jn. 6). As His disciples saw that the way that Jesus prayed was different from what they were used to seeing, as Jesus ceased praying, one of the disciples asked Him: "Lord, teach us to pray..." (Lk. 11:1). Jesus told them not to pray as the hypocrites do, with great public show, but to find a private "alone" place to speak to their Father in heaven, who dwells in the secret place. He then taught His disciples what we call "The Lord's Prayer". (Mt. 6:5-15). We will see, as Jesus knew, that general crowds are not found on mountain tops. You may find yourself alone there with Him, but that's alright.

     In Mt. 14:22-33, Jesus had sent His disciples ahead by boat, while He stayed on the mountain to pray all night. A wind storm broke out on the sea, and Jesus came, walking on water, to get to His disciples. Peter got out of the boat and walked on the stormy water to get to Jesus. When they entered the boat, the wind quieted. Those on the boat said to Jesus, "Truly, You are the Son of God."

     In Luke 6:12-17, Jesus had gone to the mountain alone to pray. He then called all of His disciples to Him there and chose the twelve, whom He called apostles. They all came down with Him and Jesus healed the multitude.

     In John 6:3-14, Jesus and His disciples together went up on a mountain. Jesus looked and saw a great multitude of people coming to them. He then told His disciples to feed all of the multitude, which they had no way of doing. It is here that Jesus then miraculously fed the multitude with the five loaves and two fish that they had on hand and which He miraculously multiplied to fully feed all.

     Being on the Mount in the Spirit with Jesus is a place to experience Jesus, the Word or statutes of God, and to be transformed by it. Isaiah wrote that in these last days, many, even nations, would come to the mountain of the LORD, where His house is, to be taught, and those nations would be transformed. (see Isa. 2:1-5).

      Jesus took only three of His disciples to a certain place: "Now after six days Jesus took (paralambano - to take with or join to one's self, to receive something transmitted, to associate with oneself in any familiar or intimate act) Peter, James, and John, and led (anaphero - to bear, carry, bring or lead up [to a higher place], to bring up to the altar, to offer up) them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured (metamorphoo - to change into another form, to transform) before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses and they were talking with Jesus." (Mk. 9:2-4). The three disciples who were present on this mountain with Jesus did not understand what was happening before their eyes at the time, but I'm sure that they came to understand later on.

     Apostle Paul later wrote of the importance to the believer of being both spiritually and physically transfigured in Jesus Christ: 

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Cor. 5:17).

"Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep (sleep/die), but we shall all be changed (allasso - change, change form, make different, exchange one thing for another) - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (see allasso above). For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." (1 Cor. 15:51-53).

     There was another mount where Jesus did one of His greatest works, but according to the scriptural account, only one of His appointed disciples was there with Him. That great work was on Mount Calvary, or Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified and died, until three days later, when He was resurrected in the tomb. Only John from among the appointed disciples, who profoundly referred to himself in this account as "the disciple whom (Jesus) loved", as well as several of the women who followed Jesus, were present that day with Him on that mount. (Jn. 19:25-27). Although Jesus invites us to follow Him there (see Mt. 16:24-27), as we can see above with the lack of disciples present, Mount Calvary is not a popular destination. There are no seats of honor there, nor the blowing of trumpets before men to commend our works, nor the religious honors of men to be found there. However, it is important to note that it is the perfect viewing place of the Garden of Resurrection, which is very nearby. (see Jn. 19:41-42).

     There is another mount, The Mount of Olives (elaion/elaia - olive orchard, Mount of Olives/the fruit of an olive tree), from which Jesus ascended into heaven before the eyes His disciples whom He had gathered there, and is the same mount upon which Jesus will descend to the earth upon His return, and where He spoke to His disciples/apostles and gave them direction. (Acts 1:4-14, also Zech. 14:3-4).

     The Body of Christ has many eyes, seeing different things from various positions and locations. However, from this Sabbath's B'har ("On the Mount") and B'chukkotai ("In My statutes") reading portions, I learned that there is something very special and particular about the view and Presence found on the spiritual Mount of Messiah/Christ. The mountains tended to be lonely places as we saw, but Jesus was there. These mountains were not a place to be seen and praised by men, but Jesus was there. These mountains, that in history were used by men for purposes of idolatry and false worship, were transformed into places that became the ground under the feet of Jesus Christ and His disciples for the glory of God, rather than men.

     If you would like to know more about being with Messiah/Christ on the Mount, you can join my prayer: "Father, Your Son, Jesus, my Lord and Savior, brought His disciples to the various mountains of His Presence: in prayer, in the life-giving statutes of God, in miracles, in transformation, in death to self, in ascension and return. Your Word says: "I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth." Lord Jesus, give me spiritual eyes to see from this place on the mount. Give me a heart that desires to follow You to this place on the mount because You are leading me there. Lord, give me ears to hear the voice of the statutes of God coming to life on the mount of Your Presence. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. AMEN."

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

Redeemed

  "The earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness (melo/mala - that which fills, entire contents, multitude, full length/fill, fulfill, consecrate, confirm, complete, accomplish, replenish, gather, overflow, abundance), the world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded (yasad - founded, foundation, ordain, appointed, established) it upon the seas, and established (kun - establish, prepare, fixed in place, set, directed, provide, confirmed, be secure, be enduring, be securely determined, be ready) it upon the waters (nahar - a flowing, river, stream, to flow together, to sparkle, be cheerful, to shine, give light, be glad, rejoice, brightness)." (Psalm 24:1-2).

And

     "And He (Lord of heaven and earth) has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord...though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being..." (Acts 17:26-28, and Deut. 32:8).

     From Deuteronomy 32:8, cited above, we find out that the LORD set the boundaries of all of the people of the nations "according to the number of the children of Israel." Deuteronomy 32 continues: "For the LORD's portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance." (v. 9).

     The Psalms narrow down the ownership of the earth: "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. 2:7-8). The Creator has given all of the nations to His Son, the Messiah/Christ, Jesus, a descendant of His people, Jacob (see above). They are His to rule and to judge (see. v. 9).

     The LORD goes on to say: "Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and You perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are those who put their trust in Him." (v. 12).

     These excerpts above from the scriptures completely refute the understanding that most of us have of the world, its economics, and the true ownership rights to it. However, as this week's double Sabbath reading portion shows us, it is better to have things the LORD's way. In fact, the LORD's way is more to our benefit or advantage than our own understanding, as we will see.

     The double reading portion for this week's Sabbath are B'har, meaning "on the Mount," and B'chukkotai, meaning "In My statutes".

     The reading begins in Leviticus 25:1: "And the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount (see B'har above) Sinai, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the LORD. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) fruit; but the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the LORD. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard." (Lev. 25:1-4). Everything concerning the land falls under the authority of the LORD. Even the fruit of the land which they gather still belongs to the *Aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega Lord, as noted in the written Hebrew. The seventh year sabbath of the land belongs to the LORD. They will not do with the land as they see fit, but as the LORD commanded.

     We can see in the verses above that the LORD was not speaking from heaven but speaking His statutes on the mount, a physical place on the earth, as our two combined Sabbath portion titles reflect. The LORD retains His possession of the physical earth, and His authority over the land which He gives to Israel. His statutes are to rule the land. Of this land given to Israel, the LORD commanded: "The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me. And in all the land of your possession you shall grant redemption of the land. If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold." (Lev. 25:23-25).

     From this foundation of ownership and authority of the physical earth and everything in it, especially the land of Israel, the LORD establishes something called "the year of Jubilee". 

     The year of Jubilee is directly connected to the Sabbath and to the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), which is one of the Feasts of the LORD. This feast is also important to us because we understand that the blood shed by Jesus Christ in His suffering and death was for the atonement (kapar - covering) or propitiation of our sins. Every seven sabbath years, or a total of forty-nine years, on the Day of Atonement the trumpet of the Jubilee is sounded throughout all of the land to announce the fiftieth year, which is the year of Jubilee. In this fiftieth year, the LORD again announces His ownership and statutes of authority of the earth and everything in it, by turning upside down everything that man has bought, sold, traded, bartered, enslaved. The unredeemed house or land that was taken or purchased, the unredeemed debt owed, the unredeemed servitude/slavery are all overturned. Land or house goes back to the original family who received it from the LORD, as He originally divided the land among the tribes of Israel. Those who sold themselves into servitude are repaid the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) price of his redemption. Those whose debts remain unredeemed by a family member are set free anyway at the year of Jubilee: "For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God." (see Lev. 25:47-55).

     Today's thinking might declare that this is economically unfair and even disastrous, but it is the year of Jubilee by which the LORD retains authority by His statute to set His people free. These Torah statutes of the LORD, which are contrary to the thinking and ways of the world, paved the way prophetically for our spiritual redemption as we will see.

      The obedience to the statutes of the LORD affected the land: "If you walk in My statutes (see B'chukkotai above) and keep My commandments, and perform them, then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield its fruit...I will give you peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid; I will rid the land of evil (ra - evil, wickedness, trouble, affliction, grievous, malignant, vicious) beasts (hay - living, beast, creature, animal, appetite), and the sword will not go through your land." (Lev. 26:3-6). If the statutes of the LORD are not kept, then the land is affected in the opposite manner. (v. 19-20).

     The statutes of the LORD, including the statute of redemption, in the hand of the prophet Jeremiah assured that Israel would return from their prophesied captivity in Babylon. Jeremiah redeemed the field of his cousin, Hanamel (meaning "God is gracious"), as his cousin said to him: "...for the right of inheritance is yours, and the redemption yours; buy it for yourself." Jeremiah wrote of this request: "Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD. So I bought the field from Hanamel...weighed out to him the money - seventeen shekels of silver. And I signed the deed and sealed it...according to the law and custom..." (Jer. 32:6-11). The LORD then instructed Jeremiah: "Take these deeds...and put them in an earthen vessel that they may last many days (yom - day, time, year, continually, yesterday, today and tomorrow)...Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land." Jeremiah then praised the LORD who has "made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You." (v. 13-17).

     The verses from Jeremiah, above, contain eleven instances of the use of *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega, including its connection to "the price of redemption", "the field" of Hanamel, "the money", "the purchase deed", "that which was sealed", "deed/deeds", "the heaven", "the earth".

     Earlier, the LORD had given Jeremiah this prophetic Word: "Thus speaks the LORD God of Israel, saying: 'Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you. For behold, the days are coming,' says the LORD, 'that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,' says the LORD. 'And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their forefathers, and they shall possess it." (Jer. 30:2-3).

     Even though Jeremiah completed this prophetic redemption of the land of Israel while being detained in the king of Judah's prison dungeon, and even though the most powerful kingdom (Babylon) was about to lay siege to Jerusalem, Jeremiah knew, based upon the previous spoken Word of the LORD, and confirmed by the use of the written statutes given from the LORD from on the mount, that the LORD had just assured Israel that they would return to the land which He had given them.

     The captivity in Babylon and the Babylonian command over the land of Israel lasted for seventy years. Then, as the LORD promised Jeremiah, the Israelites were freed from captivity and allowed to return to their land...and the ruling king at that time paid the restoration money needed to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem that had been destroyed during the siege, and for the re-building of the temple of God that had been ruined. 

      But wait! We're not done yet with Jeremiah's fulfilling of the statute of the LORD in regard to the redemption of the land. The LORD had told Jeremiah to place the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) deeds into an earthen vessel so that the deeds could last many days. (v. 14). The Hebrew word for "days" is yom, as we see above, meaning: "day, time, year, continually, today, yesterday and tomorrow." These (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) deeds of redemption were to last not only for the seventy years of Babylonian captivity, but "continually". I believe that these same (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) deeds hidden in earthen vessels not only provided the way back home from Babylonian captivity, but provided for the return of the Jewish people to the land again in 1948, after Israel had ceased to be a nation approximately two thousand years ago when Rome destroyed it. I don't know if even Jeremiah foresaw what the LORD would accomplish by Jeremiah's obedience to His statutes.

     Not only did this prophetic action of Jeremiah guarantee the land of Israel to the descendants of Abraham through his son, Isaac, but it also became part of our spiritual guarantee and covenant with the Lord Jesus. Our covenant with God through Jesus is not a covenant regarding possession of the physical land of Israel, but the new covenant which assures us of life forever in Christ, who rose from the dead, and our inheritance through Him in the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. Our inheritance is not limited to a physical city on earth, but even greater, to the City not made with human hands, but whose Maker and Builder is God. This inheritance was always promised as Abraham also waited for this City. (see Heb. 11:8-10, Rev. 21:1-4, Jn. 14:1-6, Eph. 2:4-7). Jeremiah also had a prophetic understanding of this as he received the Word of the LORD related to this. In our Sabbath reading, we see: "A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place (maqom - locality, standing place, home, country) of our sanctuary. O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake You shall be ashamed...." (Jer. 17:12-13).

      The apostle Paul refers to our guarantee of this spiritual redemption in the New Testament: "...But we have this treasure (thesauros - a casket or coffer in which valuables are kept) in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not ourselves...always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." (2 Cor. 4:6-10, excerpt). Paul also wrote elsewhere: "...you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee (arrabon - earnest money, purchase money) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." (Eph. 1:13-14). And: "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Eph. 4:30).

      We can hear the echo of Jeremiah's prophetic Word, faith and obedience in these revelations of Paul, above. When Jeremiah had the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega deeds to the field belonging to "God is gracious" (Hanamel) sealed in earthen vessels for many days to come, he also prophetically sealed our guarantee, the Holy Spirit, to all of the riches in Jesus Messiah/Christ in these earthen vessels - us. 

     If you would like to learn more about the gracious redemption commanded by the LORD on the mount, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, the whole earth belongs to You, and You have not only redeemed the land of Israel for Your people, but You alone have also provided our Redeemer Kinsman, Jesus Messiah/Christ, to redeem and retore what was lost - our souls. What a great inheritance You have given and guaranteed to me through Your Son. I had lost all, but Your statutes of redemption and Jubilee in the flesh, Jesus, guaranteed my restoration, my life, and my salvation. I give You all thanks and praise in Jesus' name for Your eternal promises to me and to all who will receive them. 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.

     

Statutes

      This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled B'chukkotai which means "In My statutes". The title comes from Lev. 26:3-4: "If you walk in My statutes (huqqa/haqaq/hoq - ordinance, prescribed, appointed, manner, enactment, right or privilege/laws being cut into stone, engrave, to beat, strike, cut into or on, sceptre, lawgiver, appointed time, that which is established/limit, portion, statute, boundary) and keep My commandments, and perform them, then I will..." Let's consider the Hebrew root meanings behind the word huqqa, or statutes. Scripture says that the LORD cut His statutes into (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) tablets of stone (eben - includes the meanings head stone, plummet stone, foundation stone, sling stone) with His own hand (see Ex. 24:12). Believers in Christ can find the image of Messiah/Christ in these Hebrew root meanings. Jesus said that the scriptures, including the LORD's huqqa statutes and the prophets, testify of Him (Jn. 5:39). Huqqa statutes, according to the Hebrew root word, also set limits and boundaries, not just for man, but for rulers and spiritual powers, and for all creation: "...the hidden wisdom of God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory..." (see 1 Cor. 2:6-10). The crucifixion: the beating, striking, cutting and engraving of God's huqqa statutes in Messiah/Christ's body, set unshakeable boundaries forever for death and hell (see Rev. 1:18, 1 Cor. 15:54-57, Hos. 13:14) that no other powers in heaven or on earth can change. 

     We see a great example of the limiting or boundary power of the statutes of God when the LORD told Job: "Or who shut in the sea (yam - from the root meaning "to roar, boiling, foaming") with doors, when it burst forth and issued from the womb; when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band; when I fixed My limit (hoq -root for "statute" see above) for it, and set bars and doors; when I said, 'This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!" (Job. 38:8-11). When the people of God despise the statutes of God, we are removing the limits and boundaries that He has set that hold back destructive power. Aren't we seeing the results of that today?

     In Lev. 26, the LORD decreed that the keeping or breaking of His statutes would bring about either blessing or destruction. The LORD speaks of His consequential actions by stating, "I will...". For those who do walk and perform His huqqa, statutes, the LORD promises:

• "...then I will give you rain...the land shall yield its produce...the trees of the field shall yield their fruit." (v. 4-5).
• "I will give you peace in the land...I will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword..." (v. 6).
• "...I will look on you favorably..." (v. 9)
• "I will set My tabernacle among you..." (v. 11).
• "I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people." (v. 12).

     However, if His people despise the LORD's huqqa statutes, the LORD says:

• "I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever..." (v. 16).
• "I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies." (v. 17).
• "I will punish you seven times more for your sins." (v. 18).
• "I will break the pride of your power...I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze." (v. 19).
• "I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins." (v.21).
• "I will also send wild beasts among you..." (v. 22).
• "I also will walk contrary to you..." (v. 24).
• "...I will bring a sword against you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant." (v. 25).
• "...I will send pestilence among you..." (v. 25).
• "I will destroy your high places...incense altars...idols." (v. 30).
• "I will lay your cities waste...your sanctuaries to desolation." (v. 31).
• "I will bring the land to desolation..." (v. 32).
• "I will scatter you among the nations..." (v. 33).
• "I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies." (v. 36).

     These are terrible consequences, but if we reject the huqqa statutes, we are also rejecting the limits and boundaries that keep these things from overrunning us - "all Hell breaks loose" when the LORD turns His face away from His people because of their sins of despising. However, the LORD also promises to turn back again and remember His covenant if His people will sincerely humble themselves and confess their unfaithfulness (v. 40-42, 45, see also 2 Chron. 7:14). Those who know Jesus Christ may think that these are "Old Testament" penalties, but we need to remember that Jesus identified Himself with these scriptures saying, "...these are they which testify of Me." (see Jn. 5:38-40). He also said that they would never pass away (Mt. 24:35). John Ch. 1 tells us that He is the Word (of God) that became flesh (Jn. 1:14). As we look at the Hebrew meaning of huqqa statues, we can see that Jesus became our grace as these statutes were engraved upon Him, cut into Him and beaten into Him for our sakes as He took upon Himself the penalty for our despising of the huqqa statutes of God (Isa. 53:3-6). These huqqa statutes are supposed to become written within us, on our hearts as we know the LORD and walk in His ways (Jer. 31:31-34).

     From another of this week's Sabbath reading portion from B'chukkotai, or "in My statutes", we see the consequences of despising the LORD's statutes as they fall upon His people, and the land. Amos 8:2b-3 says: "The end has come upon My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore. And the songs of the temple shall be wailing in that day', says the Lord GOD - 'Many dead bodies everywhere, they shall be thrown out in silence." His people despised the feasts and the Sabbath, cheated to gain a profit and preyed upon the poor and needy (v. 5-6). The LORD said to Israel (the northern kingdom): "Hear this, you who swallow up the needy, and make the poor of the land fail..." (v. 4). The LORD said that He would also remove His Word from them in this time when they would need it the most (v. 11-12), for they despised the prophets like Amos whom the LORD sent to them and forbade him from prophesying in the king's sanctuary and court (see Amos 7:10-13).

     It is interesting as we read the above from Amos 8 that in this assigned reading chapter of Leviticus 26, the LORD brings up three specific statutes:

• "You shall not make idols for yourselves...for I am the LORD your God." (v. 1).
• "You shall keep My (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Sabbaths..." (v. 2).
• "...and reverence (yare - fear, revere, be afraid, honor, respect, be in awe, to tremble, wonderful illustrious deeds, terrible acts) My sanctuary: I am the LORD." (v. 2).

     For the last two Sabbath reading portions, we have studied the powerful, prophetic and miraculous aspects of the Sabbath that perhaps we had not considered before. Here in Lev. 26:2 is the mention of the Sabbath again. Truly, I cannot help but think because of its prominence in the Word of God, that the foundation of the LORD's relationship with man and the rest of creation is based upon the Sabbath, and Jesus, the Son of Man, is Lord (even) of the Sabbath (Mt. 12:7-8). The true meaning and observance of the Sabbath results in benefits and blessings for us, as well as for all creation: our own delight in the LORD, our own spiritual elevation in the LORD, and our own inheritance in the LORD (see Isa. 58:13-14). We can see from the above reading from Amos 8 that Israel (the northern kingdom) was judged in part for despising the Sabbath.

     Another statute that the LORD brings up in Lev. 26:2 is to "reverence My sanctuary." The word "sanctuary" is the Hebrew word and root miqdas/qadas, and means "hallowed part, holy place, sanctuary, asylum/hallow, dedicate, prepare, set apart, purified, clean." We often view the LORD's sanctuary as a physical place only. However, part of the meaning of miqdas sanctuary is "asylum". The definition of asylum is "a place of refuge and protection, a place providing care and protection to the needy." In the verses from Amos above, we can see that the king had his own miqdas sanctuary, but the poor and needy were left to be victims of the greedy (see Amos 8:4-6). Israel did not reverence the miqdas asylum sanctuary of the LORD, neither the physical place nor the spiritual place, according to His statutes. 

     The spiritual miqdas sanctuary of the LORD, His asylum for the poor and needy, is very precious to Him. We see this as Solomon honored the idea of the miqdas sanctuary as asylum for his wayward brother, Adonijah, who had had himself crowned king, and then took hold of the horns of the altar in fear of repercussions from the rightful (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) King, Solomon. He asked Solomon to swear that he would not put his (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) servant to death. Solomon had his brother removed from the altar and promised him safety if he proved himself to be a worthy man (1 Kings 1:50-53). When there is nowhere left to run, we can run into the asylum sanctuary of the LORD.

     In another example of miqdas asylum sanctuary, Isaiah the prophet had been threatened and hated because of the prophetic Word that he had obediently brought to the people. The LORD said to Isaiah: "...nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. The (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD of hosts, Him you shall hallow (qadas, see above); Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. He will be as a sanctuary (miqdas, see above)." (Isa. 8:12). The LORD added that while He would be an asylum sanctuary for Isaiah, He would also become "a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense" to both of the houses of Israel (v. 14). The terms "a stone of stumbling" and "a rock of offense" are also used to refer to Jesus in scripture (see Mt. 21:42-44, 1 Cor. 1:22-25, 1 Pet. 2:6-8). While it is a gracious God who will be our asylum sanctuary when we are in times of need, the idea of it is often offensive to others and causes them to stumble, because that sanctuary may be extended to those who, like Isaiah, are not accepted by the self-righteous. Jesus was criticized because He ate with "tax collectors and sinners". Jesus answered them saying, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (see Mk. 2:13-17, Mt. 9:9-13).  The huqqa statute of the LORD commands us to reverence His miqdas sanctuary. The miqdas sanctuary cannot help but change the life of the one being saved from destruction. Jesus didn't join the others in their sin, but His presence brought them into the miqdas sanctuary of the Lord, their only hope. The miqdas sanctuary is not just a holy physical place, but a hallowed Person, the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD. There is a song called "Lord Prepare Me to be a Sanctuary". We cannot lose the truth of the miqdas sanctuary of the LORD, and our being that asylum in His image and walking in the statutes that He has written on our hearts for those who are in need.

     In a final example of the miqdas asylum sanctuary of the LORD, He promised the Israelites whom He had dispersed among the Gentile nations: "...yet I shall be a little sanctuary (miqdas/qadas - see above) for them in the countries where they have gone. Therefore...I will gather you from the peoples...where you have been scattered, and I will give you the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) land of Israel." (Ezek. 11:16-17). The people were scattered by the LORD, but He still offered to be their little sanctuary while they were in exile. Part of that little miqdas sanctuary carried the promise of "return".

     If you would like to know more about keeping the LORD's statutes, you can join me in my prayer: "Dear LORD of all, write Your statutes and all of Your Word in and upon my heart, even as the Living Word, Jesus, dwells within me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit whom You have sent to guide me into all truth and to declare to me what is the Lord's. Help me to walk in Your statutes and to love Your Word. Let them become my manner of living because You have exalted even them above even Your own name (Ps. 138:2) for my sake. Forgive me when I have not observed Your statutes, and cleanse me from sin. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as 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.

     

Restoration

Do you need restoration from God? We live in an age that cries out day and night for the restoration work of God. As the priesthood of Christ, we are to know that there is a pathway to restoration, which we will read about in this week's Sabbath reading portion. Again we see a double title for this week. The two titles are B'har, meaning "on the mount" and B'chukkotai, meaning "In My statutes". Both of these titles have the addition of the Hebrew letter Beth placed before the words of the titles. The letter Beth, means house or family. The picture that this creates for me is of God building a house. That house is being built on the highest mountain of God, and it is a house built out of His Word (which is Jesus), which includes His statutes (see also Isa. 2:1-3). Jesus said: "In My Father's house are many mansions (mone/meno - dwellings, Holy Spirit indwelling believers/abide, endure, to continue, not to perish) ...I go to prepare a place (topos - space marked off from surrounding space, inhabited place, a passage in a book) for you." (Jn. 14:1-4). Jesus said that this truth that He was revealing also served as a guarantee that He would "come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am , there you may be also." This house is a dwelling place for the Father, the Son, and His people filled with His Holy Spirit of Truth. This house that the Father is building is further described by Paul: "...you are...members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." (Eph. 2:19-22). So, as we study this Sabbath's reading portion, we can keep in mind that a dwelling in the Spirit is being constructed. Both of these titles include readings from Leviticus, the Book of the priesthood, in chapters 25 and 26. These chapters deal with a very powerful form of restoration called the Jubilee. During the Jubilee year, all losses are cancelled, and all is restored back to the original owner. It is the year of liberty. The foundation for the year of liberty, or the Jubilee, is the Sabbath: "And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven tmes seven years...forty-nine years. Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to your possession, and each of you shall return to his family. That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee to you." (Lev. 25:8-11). Jesus, as the Messiah of Israel, identified Himself in the Sabbath and the Jubilee. First of all, He told us that He is the Lord of the Sabbath, the building block of Jubilee, as He added: "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." (Mk. 2:27). The Sabbath is not a legalistic or religious obligation, but a powerful blessing provided by God for His miraculous ways, as Jesus explained to a people who only knew the religious burden of the Sabbath (Jn. 5:17-18). The Word of the LORD to Isaiah was to reveal the truth of the Sabbath: "...call the Sabbath a delight (oneg/anag - pleasant, exquisite delight/delicate, dainty, soft, to be pampered, luxurious, be glad), the holy day of the LORD honorable...Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father The mouth of the LORD has spoken." (Isa. 58:13-14). The Sabbath is to be an exquisite delight - what a concept! That delight multiplies times itself (7 x 7) into liberty and total restoration (Jubilee). Jesus announced Himself as the fulfillment of the Jubilee while reading scripture aloud in the synagogue on a Sabbath (Lk. 4:15-19, Isa. 61:1-2a). The year of Jubilee is announced on the Day of Atonement, as mentioned in the above verses. Again we have the connection to Jesus, who is the fulfillment of our atonement (1 Jn. 2:2, 4:10). The Jubilee is a year of return - return to our possession, and return to our family, according to the above verses. To what possession do we return in Jubilee? God says that we are His possession, His treasured possession (Deut, 7:6-7, Ex. 19:1-8, 1 Pet. 2:9). To what family are we to return? God has told us that we belong to His family, and are named by His name (Jn. 1:12, Eph. 3:14-15, Rom. 8:14-17, Rev. 22:4). In the promise of Jubilee, we are guaranteed to return to our possession and family, which is God, not only after our death, but while we are alive, and also when we are changed and caught up to Him at the sound of the trumpet (1 Thess. 4:15-18, 1 Cor. 15:50-57). This last is the ultimate fulfillment of Jubilee. If God can open up heaven for our sake, caught up to Him in this amazing way, there is nothing that is impossible for Him to restore to us. The law of redemption is also given in Lev. 25, by which a loss of land to debt may be redeemed by a kinsman on behalf of the debtor, again bringing restoration. The LORD will use this concept of restoration provided by the law in the Book of the priests in order to restore a devastating loss to His people. First, here is the law as the LORD gave it to Moses: "The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine...and in all the land of your possession you shall grant redemption of the land. If one of your brethren becomes poor (muk - poor, low, depressed, sink down, pine away as in poverty), and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold." (Lev. 25:23-25). This is the law of the Kinsman Redeemer. The LORD used this law to establish the line of David as was told in the Book of Ruth, and ultimately the line of the Messiah, the Son of David, Jesus, who would be born centuries later. Jesus is our Redeemer as well, paying the price to buy back what we sold away, which was our souls, to darkness, sin and resulting death (1 Cor. 7:23, Gal. 4:4-5, Eph. 1:7, Titus 2:11-14, Heb. 9:12). In this week's Sabbath portion, the LORD used the law of the kinsman redeemer to make a prophetic promise of mercy to His people. Jeremiah, whose name means "whom Jehovah has appointed", was not only a prophet, but he was also a priest, born into the priestly line of his father, Hilkiah (meaning "my portion is Jehovah"). They came from one of the cities designated as belonging to the priests, which was Anathoth, meaning "answer to prayer" (see Jer. 1:1). Because the sins of God's people had polluted the land, God sent a mighty enemy, King Nebuchadnezzar of Assyria/Babylon, to lay siege to Jerusalem. This foreign king would eventually conquer Jerusalem and take its inhabitants a thousand miles away back to Babylon. He would also loot and destroy the temple of God. Jeremiah had been warning and prophesying that God would not give Judah the victory over this enemy. The people and their king would go into exile in a foreign land, according to the prophetic Word brought by Jeremiah (Jer. 32:1-5, Jer. 17:4). While Jeremiah was imprisoned by his king because of the prophetic Word that he spoke, his cousin, Hanamel (meaning "God is gracious"/mercy, favor), the son of Jeremiah's uncle, Shallum (meaning recompense, restore, repay, peace, covenant of peace), asked him to redeem his aleph-tav field (see Mt. 13:44) in Anathoth: "...for the rght of inheritance is yours, and the redemption yours; buy it for yourself." (v. 6-12). Jeremiah did exercise his right of redemption under the law, and bought the field. He redeemed the field even knowing, by the prophetic Word which the LORD had given him, that Judah and Jerusalem were about to fall to the Babylonian king. After Jeremiah redeemed the field, the LORD told him the prophetic significance of what he had just done: "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Take these deeds...and put them in an earthen vessel (see 2 Cor. 4:6-7), that they may last many days.' For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land." (Jer. 32:13-15). The redemption of the priest's field became the prophetic promise of the redemption of the land of Israel. Although the people would be exiled, and the land forced into a Sabbath rest of seventy years, the LORD did not leave His people without a promise of restoration. In another of our Sabbath readings, the prophet Amos spoke of the widespread destruction and death that would come upon Israel. Amos was not a priest like Jeremiah, but, instead, was of humble status. He was a herdsman of sheep (noqed - marked with identifying punctures) from Tekoa (root meaning - drive a nail, strike, smite, thrust a weapon), which was near Bethlehem (see Amos 1:1). Although he was from the southern kingdom of Judah, Amos was called by the LORD to prophesy to the northern kingdom of Israel. A priest went before the king of Israel and accused Amos of being a conspirator because he prophesied that the king would be killed, and the people would be led away into captivity (Amos 7:10-11). One of the reasons that the LORD was bringing this catastrophe upon the land and people was because they resented His Sabbaths, His exquisite delights of restoration. They resented the Sabbaths because the Sabbaths interfered with their buying and selling (Amos 8:5-6). Leviticus 26 from this week's Sabbath reading recorded the blessings that would be received for forsaking idols, and observing and honoring the Sabbath, concluding: "I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright (qommiyut/qum - uprightness, elevation, as a freeman/raise up, arise, establish)." (v. 1-13). The LORD is building a house, and it is a house that inhabits the highest mountain in the Spirit, and is established in His Word (statutes), Jesus. If you would like to know more about what the LORD is building, you can pray with me: "Father in heaven, You are full of grace and mercy to those who love You, and seek You. You call me into Your house, where Jesus, my Kinsman Redeemer, has prepared a place for me. I praise and thank You for Your Sabbaths, made for man, and full of Your restoration glory. Teach me Your Word, and fill me with Your Holy Spirit, so that I can learn and understand Your paths (Ps. 25:4-5). They are paths that will lead me to green pastures of Your righteousness in order to restore my soul (Ps. 23:1-3). I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Statutes

This week's Sabbath reading portion is called B'chukkotai meaning "In My statutes" in English. In Leviticus 26, the LORD's Word to Moses to deliver to the children of Israel includes, "If you walk (yalak - proceed, manner of life, to live, to die) in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them..." (Lev. 26:3). The LORD then describes all of the blessings that will fill the land as a result of walking in His statutes: "I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit...you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely...I will give peace in the land...none will make you afraid; I will rid the land of evil beasts...." (v. 4-6). I would like to interrupt the listing of blessings to look more closely at the phrase "I will rid the land of evil beasts". The word "rid" is the Hebrew word sabat, which has to do with the Sabbath. It is the part of the meaning of the Sabbath that has to do with warfare, and means "to cease, away, remove, exterminate, destroy" (see last week's entry below this one titled "Jubilee" for more information regarding the Sabbath). The word "beasts" is the Hebrew word hay/haya which means alive, living thing, creature/to revive, quicken, save, life, recover, to live prosperously, restore to life". It is a powerful word. It is used in these examples from scripture: "O LORD, you brought my soul up from the grave; You hae kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit." (Ps. 30:3). And, "The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth." (Ps. 41:2). The word "evil" used in the phrase is the Hebrew word ra, which means "evil, trouble, wickedness, afflictions, mischief, adversity, harm, distress, injury, calamity, grief, hurt, sadness, to break". So God will exterminate all of the evil that works the opposite of life, and restored life, as defined above. The list of blessings that result from observing God's statutes continues: "...the sword will not go through your land...your enemies shall fall by the sword before you...I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm (qum - to raise up, rise up, arise, accomplish, bring (come) on the scene) My covenant with you...I will set My tabernacle among you...My soul shall not abhor you...I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people..." (Lev. 26:6-12). There is also another promise in v. 10 about clearing out the old harvest because of the new. However, in the Hebrew word meanings, there is a much deeper thing going on: "the slack and sleeping will be brought out, will come out, in the face of, in the presence of, a new, unheard of thing, having been renewed, repaired, and made anew". To me, this brings to mind the scripture: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Cor. 5:17). As we can see, the resulting blessings from walking (see above) in the statutes of God are many and deep in meaning. The statutes are are manner of life, for a whole lifetime. Couldn't our nation and our people benefit from the beautiful blessings above that come from walking and living in the statutes of God, especially in these troubling times? We often think of the LORD's statutes as a set of rules. It is a good time to find out that the meaning of "statute" in Hebrew is more encompassing than our initial impression. The word for "statute" in Hebrew is huqqa, which, including its root word, means "that which is established or defined, limit, boundary, appointed, to cut into, engrave, stamp violently, encounter violently". The statutes are like an appointed boundary line violently cut into the spiritual ground. Something exists on one side of that boundary line, while something else exists on the other side of the line. The individual pictographic Hebrew letters of the word, cheth, qoph and heh, which make up the word huqqa, or statute, also combine to form a similar meaning: Behold the revelation -to be cut off, separated, fenced and protected from the past, from what is behind. Walking in the statutes of God keeps us within a spiritually protected area. Adam and Eve had dwelled within a fenced or enclosed garden that we call the Garden of Eden. When they broke the statute of God, they ended up forced out of that protected area (Gen. 3:23-24), and became subject to "the manner of life" that existed beyond that boundary - sweat, hardship, troubles, pain and ultimately, death (Gen. 3:16-19). At that point, all the LORD could do for them after they broke the statute was to send them out with one of the greatest promises in scripture, a promise of restoration through the Messiah to come (Gen. 3:14-15). As part of that promise, God also clothed the old or fallen man with tunics of sacrificed life (Gen. 3:21). Proverbs 30:5 says, "Every word of God is pure (sarap - tested and proved true, refined like gold); He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him." The tried and proven nature of the Word of God is a shield of protection for us. Even in trials and trouble, it is still fencing and drawing the line of separation that sets a boundary. Regarding the written statutes of God, Jeremiah received an amazing prophetic Word from the LORD: "Behold the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah - not according to the covenant I made with their fathers...My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them...But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts (inward parts); and I will be their God, and they shall be My people...I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (Jer. 31:31-34). A time would come, prophesied by the LORD, when His statutes would be internalized within His people, not just to be read only, but "to become" within us. Although it is a powerful prophecy, I doubt that it was received enthusiastically by the religious minds of the time. Perhaps they said, "A new covenant? We like the old one! What kind of blasphemy is this?" Jeremiah was not popular even before he gave this specific Word of prophecy - he spent a lot of time in prisons and pits! However, the LORD proved Jeremiah to be a true prophet by fulfilling the prophecies He gave to him. We will see the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy of a new covenant, this internalizing of the statutes of God, and the continuing spiritual boundary line or fence of protection from the past things that they provide. As Jesus brought the new covenant to us in His blood (Lk. 22:15, 19-20), He was identified as the Word of God that became flesh (Jn. 1:1-3, 14). He said that He did not come to destroy (katalyo - dissolve, disunite (what has been joined together), overthrow, deprive of success) the law and the prophets but to fulfill them (pleroo - to cause to abound, to consummate, to complete in every particular, to carry through to the end, to bring to realization) (see Mt. 5:17-19). This is how Jesus described how He would accomplish that by saying, "He who has sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him...I do nothing of Myself: but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things...If you abide (meno - not to depart, remain in a place, stay, live, dwell, not to become another or different) in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free...Most assuredly I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death...I do know Him (the Father) and keep His word." (Jn. 8:26, 28, 31-32, 51, 55). Jesus urged His disciples to remain in the Word which He had delivered to them from His Father in Heaven. Jesus also said, "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me and I in you...He who abides in Me and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing...If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit..." (Jn. 15:3-8, excerpt). We see again clearly the role that the Word of God, in Christ, in us, changes life. Before His arrest and death, Jesus prayed to His Father concerning God's Word and His disciples then, and those who would become His disciples in future generations: "I have given them Your word...Sanctify (hageeadzo - to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, to make holy, purify by expiation, purify by renewing of the soul) them by Your truth. Your word is truth." (Jn. 17:14, 17). Here the work of truth, which is the Word of God, acts as a separating or dividing force that purifies and renews. Through this new covenant prophesied by Jeremiah, and fulfilled in Christ, where the LORD places His Word in our inward parts, the statutes of God have gone from being the letter on the page to being a life giving Spirit in us, as Paul wrote (2 Cor. 3:6-9). Now it is written of us: "...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 it, of the heart." (2 Cor. 3:3). We can see the progression of the statutes of God as He promised. They have gone from stone to living hearts as we abide in Christ. If you would like to learn more about being an epistle of Christ, you can pray with me: "Lord Jesus, I pray that the Word of God, the statutes of God, are written in my heart, and incorporated in my life in a way that all men may read them. By the Holy Spirit, I want to abide in Your Word, the same Word of the Father, that it may become abundant and everlasting life in me and others. You sanctify me in the Word and statutes of God because they are truth. I believe and receive this in Your holy name, Jesus, AMEN."