Dedicated

This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled Naso, meaning "Elevate, Lift Up". I have always enjoyed Naso because it holds a wealth of new information everytime I study it. This Sabbath also falls around the LORD's Feast of Weeks/Shavuot/Pentecost. The reading begins in Num. 4, where Moses has been commanded to number the Kohaths, who were a family among the Levite priesthood. This is the very important command, given to Moses by God, from which we also get the title, Naso: "Take a (aleph-tav) census/sum of the sons of Kohath from among the children of Levi, by their families, by their fathers' house, from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting." (Num. 4:2). These "Kohaths", a separate group from out of the Levites, will be commanded to carry the covered most holy furnishings from the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle. These furnishings would include, the ark of the Testimony (edu/ed/ud - witness, revelation/evidence of a thing, a witness of a people, a recorder a prince/return, restore, turn back, affirm, warn, exhort, admonish) with the Mercy Seat atop it, the table of showbread, the lampstand of the light, and the altar of incense. All of these items are of gold and have a direct connection to Christ. They would have previously been covered with cloths of blue, scarlet or purple, and badger skins. The Kohaths must carry these most holy furnishings with poles, and could not see nor touch the furnishings directly (see verses 4-15). Just in the two verses quoted above, there is so much important detail to be found in the Hebrew words used here, that I will have to summarize it for you. Let's start with the idea that from among the Levites, there is a group that is being separated out, or dedicated, by counting, to carry the most holy items found in the tabernacle, or Tent of Jehovah. The colors of cloth used to cover these items, blue (violet), scarlet and purple are the colors used in the tabernacle in general. These colors are found in a particular color spectrum, produced by a single wavelength of light, or a narrow band of light wavelengths, that goes from brilliant red through deep purple. The root meaning in Hebrew for this blue color spectrum (tekelet/sehelet) also relates to a concussion of sound. Another distinguishing characteristic of blue noise is that each successive octave increases by three decibels — this results in each octave packing as much energy as the two octaves below it combined. So we have light and sound waves going on here that create some serious energy output. We read an example of this concussive and colorful release of energy when the LORD descended on Mt. Sinai on Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks/Pentecost, and gave the Torah, His Word, to His people. The ground shook so hard with concussive lightnings and thunderings on the Mount that the people were terrified. Now let's look at the meanings of the Hebrew words used concerning the Kohaths in the verses above, who are to carry the most holy items. First Moses must take (nasa - bear up (continuously), carry, forgive, pardon, accept, lift, desire, long for, love, rise up, endure, lift up the head of a prisoner, lift up the voice, to offer a gift) an aleph-tav count/sum (ros- chief, head, beginning, first, company, division, captain, rulers, highest, supreme, prince) of them. [The aleph-tav connected to a Hebrew word, as mentioned in previous posts, is the Hebrew equivalent to the Greek "Alpha and Omega" by which Jesus refers to Himself in Revelation.] Why does God number His people in this fourth Book of the Torah? By numbering them, God is setting them apart, or dedicating them, for a speific purpose or identity in Him. They are sons of Kohath (meaning "assembly"). These are a set apart assembly of the sons of God, the sons of the King. They are from among (tavek - within, in your midst, the middle of a thing from its being divided) the Levites. The Kohaths are to be separated out from the Levites by their families (mispaha/sipha - family, clan, people, nation, kind, aristorats/female bond servant that is an extension of a family or household). These Kohaths, or assembly, are to range from thirty years old (selosim/salos - age of royal duty/three, triad, stones) upward even until (ad - as long as, eternity, perpetuity of time, everlasting, evermore) fifty (grace x completion). The Kohaths are "all (kol/kalal - whosoever/made perfect, complete, to put a crown upon) who enter the service (saba - host, warfare, army, battle, service, assembled, mustered, warred, appointed time) to do the work (melaka/malak - workman/ambassador/messenger of the prophet, teacher, priest, king) in the tabernacle of meeting (ohel/ahal moed/ya'ad - the clean, shining, bright tent or covering of the congregation, conspicuous from a distance (see Mt. 5:14-16) of the vision of the espoused assembly appointed to a certain time to come with Him to such a place) ". To me, considering the meanings of all of the Hebrew words used in these two verses, this smaller group of Levites, the Kohaths, being separated out and dedicated here as the carriers of the golden furnishings of the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, sounds very much like the called out assembly (ekklesia/church) of Christ, who carry Him in their hearts. Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 4:7-10: " But we have this treasure in earthen vessels...always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our body." The Kohaths carried these most holy things for generations, without ever being able to see them. Jesus said to a disciple who had to see Him to believe: "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (Jn. 20:29). In another part from this week's Sabbath Naso reading, there is a different dedicated group set apart according to the Law of Moses as given by God. This type of group will have an unusual role to play in Israel's future. These dedicated people of God are called Nazirites (nazir/nazar - undressed, separated, consecrated or devoted one, untrimmed as a Sabbath-year vine: see Lev. 25:3-5, a prince as being consecrated to God). A Nazarite, according to the law of the Nazarite, could be either a man or a woman. The individual would make a vow, sealed with an offering, "to separate himself to the LORD". He/She would abstain from any product of the grape vine, from applying a razor to his head (hair), or from touching the unclean dead (Num. 6:1-8). This Nazarite vow of separation is not necessarily a lifelong commitment, and can be for a specified period of time. Others in scripture who were Nazarites include Samuel, possibly John the Baptist, and, as we will see, Samson. Believers in Christ are also told in scripture to be spiritual Nazarites: "...For you are the temple of the living God...Therefore 'Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty." (2 Cor. 6:17-18 from Isa. 52:11, see also Rev. 18:4-5, Jn. 17:14-17, Rom. 12:1-2). In the verse from Isa. 52:11, from which Paul was quoting above, the prophet also added: "Be clean, you who bear the vessels of the LORD", which also brings us back to the Kohaths above. I think we can also find another very important connection between the believer in Christ, and the Nazarite, in another portion of this week's Sabbath reading from Naso. It is found in Judges 13 and 16, involving the birth and life of Samson. Samson was a very unique individual in scripture, who was born under a Nazarite vow. His previously barren mother and father were to raise him as a Nazarite, and he was to remain one his whole life. His parents received the Word of the LORD from an Angel, as called in scripture, whose name is Wonderful, and whom the parents believed was God Himself (Judges 13:2-5, 17-22, see also Isa. 9:6-7). This child, who even while still in the womb, was under the Nazarite vow of separation or dedication, would have a very special purpose: "...and he shall begin to deliver aleph-tav Israel out of the hand of the Philistines (pelisti/palas - "immigrants"/to roll in ashes or dust)." (v. 5). It is noted above that the Hebrew word for Philistines, pelisti, means "immigrants". This is significant because we then have to ask, "Where were they from originally?" They were descendants of Mizraim, meaning "fortress, besieged, distress, adversaries, bulwarks, hemming in", a very oppressive spiritual stronghold (see Eph. 6:12, 2 Cor. 10:3-4), which is also known as Egypt. This is not about the ethnicity of a people, but the spiritual strongholds that rule over a region or nation. The Philistines did continually attack and oppress Israel at that time. Let's find out more about how Samson, whose (aleph-tav) name (Jud. 13:25) means "like the sun", sunrise, brilliant, shining shields, battlements", handled this, and how it applies to us. Samson had tremendous, supernatural strength that came out of his Nazirite vow, which included not taking a razor to his hair (se'ar/sa'ar - bristling up/bristle with horror, hurl as a storm, take away as a whirlwind, horribly afraid, sweep away as God's actions against the wicked). In another portion from this week's Sabbath reading, Samson went into the enemy territory of Gaza (Gaza/Azzah/az/azaz - strong, fortified/harsh, fierce, cruel, greedy, impudent, shameless/powerful, prevail). Gaza was also a royal city, and the greatest city in Syrian territory. When the Gazites heard that Samson was coming to see a woman (issa), they set up an ambush to capture and kill him in the morning (Judges 16:1-2). However: "...Samson lay low till midnight; then he arose (qum - rise up, continue, become powerful) at midnight (hesi/hasa/hasas - arrow of dividing/cut short, cut in two/cut off in the midst, shoot arrows, curtail), took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts (mezuza/ziz - gateposts/wild beasts, abundance, conspicuous), pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron (third son of Kohath and grandson of Levi/heber/haber - in league with magical charms, spells, incantations) ." (v. 3). Samson, who, by his name, shone like the sun, pulled those heavy royal city gates right out of the ground, including the bar that locked them. Those gates of Gaza (powerful, fierce, cruel, impudent, shameless, prevail) did not prevail against him. This reminds me of what Jesus said about His church: "...on this rock (petra - rock, cliff, ledge, a man like a rock because of firmness and strength of soul) I will build My church, and the gates of Hades/Hell (abode of the wicked dead) shall not prevail against it." (Mt. 16:18). We also know that the wicked plans of the Gazites were cut off or curtailed at midnight, when Samson arose. Jesus told us in a parable that the cry went out that the bridegroom was coming (meaning the return of the Lord) at midnight (Mt. 25:6). "Midnight" also, by its meaning in Hebrew, means something has been divided, cut off, curtailed. Jesus used the same idea of curtailing (koloboo in Greek) when He said of the terrible times of the last days before His return: "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's (elektos/eklegomai - chosen by God/chosen out) sake, those days will be shortened." (Mt. 24:22). By rising at midnight, the shining Samson curtailed the plan of the murderers of Gaza, which also saved his life and flesh. Why did he go to Gaza in the first place? He went to visit a woman. Although our translations calls her a harlot, the Hebrew word issa means "woman, wife, female". He "went in unto her", meaning that he "entered, went in, attained, gathered, brought, carried" her (see Judges 16:1). Jesus spoke about the bridegroom, which is Himself, entering in to the wedding: "...the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut." (Mt. 25:10). From this Naso Sabbath reading in the Book of Numbers, which also comes at the time of the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, I can see God numbering and setting apart or dedicating His people in His purpose for them. I can also see us, the believers, in these scriptures, prophetically being included in that numbering and dedication. If you would like to know more about being separated and dedicated to the LORD, you can pray with me: "Father, we are celebrating Your Feast of Weeks, when the Torah was given to Your people on Mt. Sinai. The energy released at that time was so great that the ground shook, and the people feared. It is also on this Feast that the Holy Spirit was given to the believers in Christ on Pentecost (Acts 2), and again with such great power, that the world was turned upside down (Acts 17:6). You have called me to separate myself, and dedicate myself to You through Christ. On Pentecost and always, fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can walk in the dedicated path that You have set for me. Help me to continue in the revelation which the gates of Hell cannot prevail against - that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, the Son of God, to the glory of God the Father! In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN."

Lifted

Please note: Beginning in July, Google will stop sending automatic notifications of new postings for blogs such as this one that are published under "blogspot.com". If you have been receiving notifications, or would like to receive them, please enter your email address in the box in the upper right corner of the blog page before July. These email addresses will be retrieved hopefully, and you will be sent a notification directly when there is a new post available. These email addresses will not be used for any other purpose. You will receive the "new blog post" notifications from "the disciple". If you choose not to enter your email address, I would recommend that after June 2021, check the blog regularly for new posts. Thank you for your patience and faithful readership. This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled Naso!, meaning "to lift" or "elevate". All of this week's Torah readings, which are from Numbers Chapters 4 and 6, and the haftarah readings from Judges Chapters 13 and 16, have to do with God lifting up His people into positions for the work of the tabernacle, and, in one case, for a work of deliverance. The LORD numbered and called out individuals and families by name as He assigned them their places. Isaiah also wrote of the LORD calling us by name: "But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are mine." (Isa. 43:1). In Judges 13 and 16, God calls a barren woman to bear a son, who would be named Samson, meaning "brilliant and gleaming like the sun". Samson is lifted up to be a Nazirite, one who takes a vow of separation and consecration for service to God, and to be a deliverer of God's people from the oppression of the Philistines. This miracle birth and calling was prophetically ordained by the appearance of the Angel of the LORD to Samson's mother and father. This Angel told them that His name was "wonderful" (Judges 13:17). The prophet Isaiah revealed later that the same name, "Wonderful", is the name of the Messiah (Isa. 9:6). Though he was to be a Nazirite from the womb, Samson struggled with this calling. He appeared to be separated and consecrated outwardly because of his uncut hair, but inwardly, Samson mixed with the unclean, and the unholy. Though his calling as a Nazirite lifted him into the heavenly realms, his soul was drawn to those who were brought low: Delilah means "brought low, laid low, not equal". As he left the lifted realm of the Nazirite Deliverer, Samson became vulnerable to fierce, harsh, greedy powers represented by the Hebrew meaning of the city of Gaza. However, as Samson was Himself brought low, he understood the calling of God upon him, and prayed for God to lift him once again: "O LORD God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes! (Judges 16:21, 28). The Philistines had bored out Samson's eyes, and placed him in chains. Could there be any hope that the once mighty champion and judge of Israel, now blinded and chained, be restored to his former glory, and deliver Israel from the Philistines as God had prophesied? God indeed heard Samson's prayer, and restored his strength one last time. Samson destroyed the Philistines in the stronghold of Gaza that day, fearlessly giving his own life to do it. Although we do not generally take Nazirite vows, as believers in Christ, Paul wrote that we also have been called to a type of dedicated Nazirite life: "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?...And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.' Therefore, 'Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." (2 Cor. 6:14-18, referring to Ezek. 37:26-27, Isa. 52:11, 2 Sam. 7:14). Spiritually we are called to inhabit the high places with Christ, even though we are physically still tethered to the earth. God made a provision to lift His people back up should they fall low, as we will see. Also from the Torah portion, the LORD commanded the priests of the tabernacle to lift their hands and speak a blessing over all the children of Israel. The purpose of this blessing was to speak God's possession of His people, and to place His name upon them: "And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 'This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: "The LORD bless you and keep you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace." So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them." (Num. 6:22-27). The Jewish rabbis wrote that within the context of this blessing, God has set forgiveness, grace, and the way back to peace, as a way to lift His people back up. The promise of the LORD is to call back everyone who is called by His name, no matter how far they have roamed, even to the ends of the earth (Isa. 34:5-7). As a priesthood belonging to Christ, shouldn't we also speak this prayerful blessing over the children of God? Though appearances may lead us to mistakenly think that we, or another person, has fallen too low for God to reach, this blessing required by God to be said over His people, is a ministering virtue that lifts up. May we speak the blessing of God that is intended to lift His people. Our Father has lifted us, and placed His name upon us. If you would like to know your place in Christ, or if you need to be lifted back up from a low place, you can pray: "Dear Lord Jesus, You ascended with us in order for us to be seated with You in the heavenly places. Lift me, I pray, Lord, from this low place by the quickening of the Holy Spirit. You have accounted for me by name, and Your blessing spoken over me made a provision for me by which I may be restored to You. Cleanse me and renew me, lift up Your countenance upon me this day, and bring me back to the way of peace in You. In Jesus' name, I ask. AMEN."

Samson/Delilah

We have entered the season of Lent, and for many Christians, this is marked by a vow to give up something that they enjoy during the 40 days before Resurrection Sunday. According to the doctrine taught, this vow is also to be accompanied by prayer, penance, mortifying of the flesh, self-reflection and spiritual preparation. As the Cardinal of New York explained, the outward activities are only an indication of an inward change. It is what goes on in the heart that has the true importance, he said.
Whether you observe Lent in this traditional manner, or not, it is a good time to examine our own hearts as the remembrance of the atoning crucifixion, and the celebration of the resurrection of Christ approaches. For me the story of Samson and Delilah has an important message for us.
Samson was a Nazirite. Nazir in Hebrew means consecrated. An angel appeared to Samson's mother, who is unnamed in scripture, which is interesting. She and her husband, Manoah ("rest"), had no children because she was barren. Manoah was from Zorah (hornet, wasps; root meaning:to be leprous, to scourge, to strike down, stricken and smitten by God-see Isa. 53:4). The angel told the woman that she would have a son, and she was to refrain from wine or any product of the grape, for her child was to be a Nazirite from the womb. Yes, God knows us and destines us before we are even formed in our mother's womb. In spite of what some may believe, the life of man is divinely created and ordained (Ps. 139:13-16), and it is created with the light and life of Christ. That light and life in each of us is meant to overcome the darkness. (Jn. 1:4-5). Back to our story.
When the woman's son was born, he was never to take a razor to his hair, according to the instructions of the angel. This would be his Nazirite vow. He was to remain in that vow his until his death (Judges 13:1-7, 13-14). Although he was identified as an angel, the person who appeared before Samson's mother might well have been Christ, because when asked his name, he replied, "Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?" Isaiah tells us that one of the names of the Son, the Christ, would be "Wonderful" (Isa. 9:6). Also, Manoah declared regarding the "angel", "We shall surely die, for we have seen God." (Jud. 13:22).
It would be through Samson's consecration that he would be able to judge Israel.
The judges of Israel were an office provided by God. They were raised up when an enemy would overrun the land and afflict God's people. The enemy was often able to overrun the land because God's people forgot Him, and lived in sin. This certainly reflects our time also. We have forgotten God, and the spiritual enemy has overrun our land.
The judges were gifted by God in ways that would allow them to lead the unarmed people to miraculous victory over those oppressors, and bring deliverance to God's people. In Samson's case, his Nazirite vow of consecration endowed him with great strength. He destroyed many Philistines and their sources of wealth-their vineyards, grain, and olive trees- which made the Philistines determined to destroy Samson (Jud. 15:5). Samson's life and calling were impacted by his obsession for Delilah. Delilah was from the Valley ("to divide for a possession") of Sorek ("choice vines, choice grapes; root word: to hiss, to whistle as a signal used to call, bright red as piercing to the sight"). Everything about her was a challenge to Samson's consecration. Delilah pestered him into telling her the secret of his strength, which was his consecration, or Nazirite vow. As a result, the enemy found out his secret, and they thought they had at last found the way to rid themselves of Samson's interference. They cut off Samson's hair and his eyes were gouged out. He lost his strength, and he spent his days blind, grinding at a millstone, and in chains. That is not the end of the story, but more later.
The name Samson in Hebrew is Shimshon, which means "like the sun, glittering, shining upon pinnacles and shields"; it refers to the rising of the sun rather than its setting because it is associated with the eastern direction (which is also associated with antiquity or eternity). The meaning of his name is associated with openings such as windows, that allow the sunlight to enter. It is also associated with the notched battlements of a fortress. As we can see from his name, Samson represented a great ascending light, the light of battle and defense.
Delilah's name in Hebrew means "to make feeble, pining with desire, weak". The root meaning is "dried up, brought low, not equal, emptied, impoverished, made thin, languish, hang down, to be oppressed, also to hang down like a bucket that removes water from a well".  
As we consider the names of the two people involved, the great promise of Samson's life, his purpose as a light of deliverance, was challenged by something that was specifically purposed to draw something away from him, to enfeeble him, to draw him low, to oppress him, as it also impoverished and oppressed God's people and the land.
The judges of Israel were a fascinating lot, but they are not only relegated to the Old Testament. Isaiah wrote that the judges would be restored by God:
"I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.”  Isa. 1:26-27
The impact of judges in their office, as you can see above, has a wide sweeping effect on peoples and cities. Just as the judges of old were equipped by God for their calling, Jesus told us, "Behold, I have given you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Lk. 10:19). However, this is made possible because of our connection with Christ in the fact that our names are written in heaven (v. 20). Again, this shows us our divine creation and purpose. We are from above, in Christ, not beneath (Jn. 8:23, 1:12-13). How does our New Testament judgeship, ridding the land of the enemy, work?
 Paul tells us that our warfare is not carnal against flesh. Our weapons also are not carnal, but spiritual. We have indeed been called into a deliverance warfare against the enemy, but that warfare begins in us. It begins in our own minds and with our own obedience:
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when our obedience is fulfilled."  2 Cor. 10:3-6
The importance of victory in that spiritual warfare is not just for our benefit, but for the benefit of many. There is a song entitled, "Making War in the Heavenlies", and it's a great song, but the victory in the heavenlies begins on a much smaller scale- within us. Just as the enemy put Delilah across Samson's path to destroy his consecration and derail his judgeship, so also the enemy places similar disruptions in our path, disruptions that appeal to us. Those distractions and disruptions "pester" us, returning again and again. How do we overcome the continual challenge to our New Testament judgeship?
The accuser of the brethren is cast down, and salvation and strength comes as,
"... they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death".  Rev. 12:10-11
In understanding this scripture in the context of the story of Samson, the blood of the Lamb is our consecration. The Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8), and we were consecrated in Him before we were formed in our mother's wombs:
"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
                                                                                                           Rom. 8:29-31
The word of our testimony, which is the Word of God in us, is our Nazirite vow. Concerning our not loving our lives unto the death stated above, as we will see, to Samson, his purpose as a deliverer and his service to God as a judge in Israel was more important to him than his own life.
Though captured, blinded and enslaved, Samson's hair grew back. His Nazirite vow was of the type that, like the re-growing of hair, would continue until his death. In the last moments of his life, Samson's strength returned as his hair grew, and he asked God to let him move in his Nazirite consecration and purpose once again. Samson pulled down a whole stadium containing the enemies who had come to mock him, and the God he represented. Samson destroyed more of the enemy in his death than he had during his whole life (Judges 16:28-31).
Our judgeship is not about destroying flesh enemies as it was in the Old Testament, but in the pulling down of spiritual strongholds through our obedience in Christ. We cannot allow those things that the person of Delilah represents to abort our purpose, trying to cut off the ascending light of Christ in us, or to hold God's people in captivity to impoverishment, oppression and enfeeblement.

Our Father has called us to be part of His Light of Deliverance.