MyHand

      The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is Va-eira, meaning "and I appeared." This title comes from Ex. 6:2-3: "And God spoke to Moses and said to him, 'I am the LORD.  And I appeared (ra'a - look, behold, appear, seer, perceive, regard, inspect, have vision, discern, foresee, to be visible, to look at each other) to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD (yehova/haya - Jehovah, יְהֹוָה: yad-hey-vaw-hey, 'the existing One', self-existent or eternal/was, has been, is now, to become, arise, appear, to abide-remain-continue, to be finished) I was not known (yada - know, knowledge, understand, perceive, find out and discern, recognize-admit-acknowledge-confess, to be made known or revealed) to them."

     The invisible God was made ra'a visible or seeable to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This alone is a huge revelation brought to mankind. However, there was more to be revealed.

     As the LORD is revealing this identity of "LORD" to Moses, He is indicating that the name "LORD" brings a new but absolutely necessary level of understanding to His identity than had previously been revealed. As we see above, the name LORD is spelled with the Hebrew letters yad-hey-vaw-hey, and, as has been mentioned before, the individual meanings of each of these Hebrew letters, when combined together, can mean "the hand BEHOLD, the nail BEHOLD." I chose to show the word "BEHOLD" in all upper-case letters because the Hebrew letter, hey, and its meaning is repeated twice in the phrase, emphasizing it. (note: It is also true that the idea of "hand" in Hebrew also includes the wrist, through which, the Shroud of Turin indicates, Jesus was nailed between the ulna and radius bones. This also makes anatomical sense as well.)  We are to LOOK AT and PERCEIVE that hand and nail, understanding its meaning in the naming of Himself to mankind as LORD. Millions in the world have recognized the Person of Jesus in the understanding of this name. After His death on the cross, Jesus appeared before His disciple Thomas, and told Thomas, who had not believed the report of Jesus' resurrection, to see and touch the holes in His hands and His side to assure himself of Jesus' identity. When Thomas saw them, he said, "My Lord and My God!" (Jn. 20:24-29). Jesus told Thomas, "...blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."  There are millions upon millions since who have only perceived "the hand and the nail" by their hearts, as Jesus said, while never having seen them with their physical eyes. "The hand BEHOLD, the nail BEHOLD."

     How could the name, "LORD", incorporate an identity of pierced hands before Jesus was physically born? New Testament scripture tells us that Jesus was the Lamb sacrificed before the foundation of the world. (1 Pet. 1:18-20). Jesus, whose name in both Greek and Hebrew means "salvation", was pierced and crucified in eternity before the world existed, and the promise of His overcoming salvation work was given as early as the Book of Genesis, to the serpent, Satan, (see Gen. 3:14-15), as well as throughout the Tanakh, the Old Testament (see various, including Ps. 22 and Isa. 53). In fact, the identity of this pierced LORD is hidden even earlier in Genesis in the Hebrew language used.

     Why was it important to know God's name as LORD, and to understand the meaning that is encompassed by that name? The miraculous deliverance of God's people from harsh slavery in Egypt, and the fulfilment of the covenant promise made to the forefathers to bring their descendants to a land promised by God, would be accomplished by the Person who is the LORD: "...say to the children of Israel: 'I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know (yada - see above) that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD." (Ex. 6:6-8). Moses brought this message to the children of Israel; "but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish (qoser/qasar - shortness, impatience, anguish/impatience, grief, to cut down, to reap) of spirit and cruel (qase/qasa - stiff-necked, hard, cruel, grievous, churlish, hardhearted, heavy/harden, hard, to make stubborn, dense) bondage." (v. 9). From the language used here, the Israelites, because of the harshness of their lives in slavery, were not interested in promises, and had no faith in them. They had become stiff-necked, stubborn and impatient with the God of their fathers. However, like a field that requires time to ripen before harvesting, God affects His plan at the perfect time, when conditions have ripened, and not before or after.

     The New Testament also warns believers in Christ not, through deceitfulness of sin, to harden their hearts against faith in Jesus as the rebellious Israelites did in the wilderness. It prevents us from entering into the spiritual place of rest, or Sabbath, with God: "For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end." (Heb. 3:7-14).

     As Moses did miraculous signs that affected the land of Egypt, Pharaoh's heart was hardened against the command of the LORD delivered through Moses to let God's people go. However, in a mysterious work, the LORD said that He would harden Pharaoh's heart to accomplish His purpose: "So the LORD said to Moses: 'See, I have made you as a God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. You shall speak (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-all-that I command you...to send (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-children-of-Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh's (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-heart, and multiply (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-My-signs-and-My-wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-My-hand on Egypt and bring (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-My-armies and (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-My-people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-My-hand on Egypt and bring out (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-children-of-Israel from among them...and Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them (the signs that Moses and Aaron did), as the LORD had said." (Ex. 7:1-5, 13).

     According to the presence of all of the written, but untranslated, *aleph-tav's above, we can see that the hand of the LORD that would accomplish this mighty deliverance is associated with the Messiah/Christ, as well as the name LORD (see above) and would therefore have had a nail wound in it. Even before Jesus appeared physically on the earth, He appeared spiritually in the circumstances of both Moses and the children of Israel. Isaiah would later ask the question regarding the Messiah/Christ: "Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm (zeroa - the stretched-out arm, forearm, "the strength of His hands", strength, might, power) of the LORD been revealed?" (Isa. 53:1)

     Do we understand the power in the nail-scarred hand of the LORD? Every mark that the haters of God inflicted upon the body of Jesus Christ was turned into our forgiveness, healing and liberation. It is the scarred hand of "the LORD" (see meaning above) that would bring the most powerful nation on earth at that time, Egypt, down, and, by great judgments, He would bring His people out of their bondage and into the covenant place that the LORD had prepared for them. (see above and also Jn. 14:1-6).

     In the praise/prayer of the King of Judah, Jehoshaphat, standing before the house of the LORD, he said: "O LORD, God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand you?" (2 Chron. 20:5-6). From this same hand of the LORD also comes creation (Isa. 48:12-13, Isa. 41:20, Isa. 66:1-2, Ps. 119:73), Deliverance (Deut. 7:8), favor and provision (Ezra 7:6), the rule over nations (Isa. 14:26-27), judgment (Isa. 9:12-13), mercy (Isa. 65:2), and resurrection (Mark 5:35-42).

     This nail-scarred hand of the LORD is endued with all power. We see above, however, that the enslaved Israelites did not believe the promises made to them by Moses and given by the LORD.

      Another reading portion from this Va-eira, "and He appeared" Sabbath tells us that even after He delivered the Israelites out of Egypt and showed them great miracles in the wilderness: "Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited (tava - to pain, wound, cause pain, to grieve, to mark, to imprint) the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-His-hand/power (yad, see mention above): the day when He redeemed them from the enemy." (Ps. 78:41-42). Considering the Hebrew meaning of "limited" written above in regard to the LORD's *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega hand, we can see that the word for "limited" does not have the same meaning as it does in English. Instead, we can see the connection to the nail holes, the wounds, the marks, the imprints, in Messiah/Christ's hands as representing the sin, the unbelief in, or failure to remember the LORD's great power. The New Testament uses this understanding of the Hebrew meaning of "limited" above in Heb. 6:4-6 where it is written that when those who had the full understanding of "the heavenly gift", and have come to be "partakers of the Holy Spirit", yet fall away from that understanding and faith, it becomes impossible to renew them "since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame." Christ is wounded again because of our unbelief. Paul also warned us: "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? - unless indeed you are disqualified." (2 Cor. 13:5). Most of us would feel confident that we are indeed "in the faith" and would not spend much time examining that or "testing" it. However, the prophet also wrote: "And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.” (Zech. 13:6 KJV).

     There were those in scripture who felt confident in their faith, their gifts, their positions and standing but then found out to their horror that Jesus "never knew" them because they failed to do the will of His Father in heaven. (see Mt. 7:19-23). Humility. servanthood and an obedient heart, the evidence or fruits of Messiah/Christ in us, are needed to do the will of the Father. Better to examine and test ourselves now than to find it out later.

     We can ra'a see the appearance of the nail wounds in Messiah/Christ's hands and feet and the spear wound in His side. We can believe and remember the mighty power in the touch of those (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) hands of the LORD. 

     If you would like to understand more about the hands of the LORD, you can join with me in prayer: "Heavenly Father, You revealed the knowledge of Your *aleph-ta/Alpha and Omega hands to Moses, and You have revealed them to us in the hands of Your Son and our Lord, Jesus. Lord, help my faith, so that I can please You. Help my memory so that I never forget the power of Your hands. Forgive me and help me to never "limit" the Holy One of Israel with whom nothing is impossible. Let me look upon and reach out for the nail-scarred hands of Your wonderful Son, Jesus. These are the hands that save me, redeem me, heal me, deliver me, provide for me, and resurrect me. These are the hands that fight and overcome the enemy of my soul and life. These are the hands that hold kings' hearts and rule nations. I bless You, Lord, and praise Your love for me that caused You to receive the wounds on my behalf. I pray this in the name of Jesus. AMEN."

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

     

Roads

      This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled Mattot-Mass'ei, which means "the journeys of the tribes", from Numbers 32 through 35. Last week we studied the testimony of the tribes of Israel found in their names. This testimony of the greatness of God was brought with them wherever they traveled and would be brought with them as they settled by tribes in the land promised to them by God. This same testimony was also purposed by God to be their spiritual warfare by which the Canaanite tribes and their false gods were dispossessed from the land before them. We believers in Jesus as Savior, also carry a "tribal" name and identity that carries our testimony of belonging to the Messiah/Christ Jesus. It is the testimony of His name, which in Hebrew is Yeshua or Yehoshua meaning "the LORD of/is Salvation." The whole family (patria/pater - a nation or tribe whose lineage runs back to a common origin, paternal [from the father] descent/father or founder of a family or tribe, the originator and transmitter of anything) of heaven is named for the Father God through His Son, Jesus (Eph. 3:14-19, see also Jn. 1:10-13, Col. 3:3-4).  Our tribal testimony of the name and sovereign power of God to save also serves the same purpose as the testimony of the tribes of Israel as stated above: "...the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord..." (Eph. 3:9-11). The powers of darkness are dispossessed by the testimony that we, the tribe of God in Christ, carry.

     The importance of this week's Sabbath revelation regarding the tribes, is that their journeys (massa/nasa - pulling up of stakes, breaking camp, setting out, to quarry stones/set out, journey, remove, set forward, cause to spring up, to quarry or to cut out, pluck out, bend a bow), also reveals a truth about our journey in faith. As we can see from the Hebrew meaning of the word that is translated as "journey" above, the same thing that causes one thing to "spring up" also causes another thing to be "plucked out" or "removed" spiritually speaking as well as physically speaking. The journey also includes the meaning of "bending the bow" which points to spiritual warfare.

     The track of the journey of the Israelites was recorded by Moses by the command of the LORD: "These are the journeys of the children of Israel, who went out of the land of Egypt by their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron. Now Moses wrote down the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) starting points (mosa/yasa - place of going out or issuing from, source, spring or watercourse, exit, going forth, proceed, east as the rising of the sun, a fountain of waters, a gate, promulgation of an edict, that which is produced, utterance of the mouth especially of solemn or formal speech/deliver, bring out, draw forth, go forward, to become fair and beautiful and clean, to be freed from) of their journeys at the command of the LORD. And these are their journeys according to their starting points (mosa/yasa - same as above):" (Num. 33:1-2). Part of the meaning of "staring point" in Hebrew is to proceed or go forward. We can see why the threat of the Israelites against Moses of their desire to "go back" to Egypt would be counter to the command of the LORD to record their "starting points." We can also see from the Hebrew meaning how important our "starting points" are as we follow after the Lord. Our "starting point" throughout all of our journey must be the cross of Jesus (see Mt. 16:24-26).

     The journey of the Israelites had its own first mosa starting point of their massa journey in Rameses/Ramses, Egypt (Num. 33:3) with many other "starting points" to follow, all of which were recorded by Moses in Num. 33. In accordance with the meaning, as the Israelites were issuing the proclamation of the deliverance of the LORD, they were "plucking out" the gods of Egypt: "...on the day after the Passover the children of Israel went out (yasa - root word of mosa above) with boldness (rum + yad - be lifted up, exalt, high, to rise, become powerful + hand, consecrate, power, dominion, ministry, draw with strength) in the sight of all the Egyptians. For the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had killed among them. Also on their gods the LORD executed judgments." (Num. 33:4). The city of Rameses in Lower Egypt was associated with four gods: Amon-Re (king of all gods), Wadjet (cobra goddess), Seti (god of chaos and destruction), Astarte (goddess of fertility and sexuality). The starting point of the journey of the Israelites became the place of judgment against these false gods of Egypt. The same must also be true of the starting points along our spiritual journey in Christ. 

     In another reading portion from this "Journeys of the Tribes" Sabbath, there came a moment where the road the tribes had traveled together would diverge. At a request approved of by the LORD and enacted by Moses, the tribes of Gad, Reuben and half of the half-tribe of Manasseh claimed their land inheritance on the eastern side of the Jordan River rather than the western side where the rest of the tribes would settle in the promised land. At the time, Moses had attained the promise from the three Israelite tribes that they would still fight with the other tribes in the dispossession of the Canaanites from the eastern side of the Jordan. The time came when the battles were done, and the tribes had settled in peace on the eastern side: "Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass." (Josh. 21:45).

     Joshua then called the tribes of Gad, Reuben and the portion of the tribe of Manasseh to him and told them that they had kept their promise to the other tribes to fight with them: "...now therefore, return and go to your tents and to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan. But take careful heed to do the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him with all your heart and with all your soul. So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents." (Josh. 22:1-6). The two tribes and the part of the third tribe separated from the other tribes of Israel at Shiloh (silo - place of rest, tranquility and prosperity; an expectation belonging to the kingdom of the Messiah/Christ [see Gen. 49:10]; an epithet of the Messiah/Christ: that which belongs to Him) (Josh. 22:9). This was not a divergence in the road caused by strife and division, but with the approval of God and Moses, at a "starting point" that carried the testimony of the Kingdom of the Messiah/Christ. The three tribes that would inhabit the eastern side of the Jordan River built an altar of witness to testify of their unity in identity and in the worship of the LORD with the tribes that inhabited the western side of the Jordan River (v. 10, 26-27). Roads may diverge, and tribes may separate, but their commonly held love for the LORD and faith in the Messiah/Christ Jesus will always be a point of unity among them (see Eph. 4:1-6, 11-16).

     From another reading portion from this "Journeys of the tribes" Sabbath, the prophet Jeremiah wrote that the Israelites had abandoned the road upon which God had directed them, and chose instead the spiritual roads of foreigners, who worshipped false gods: "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters (see mosa starting point above), and hewn for themselves cisterns - broken cisterns that can hold no water...Have you not brought this on yourself, in that you have forsaken the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD your God when He led you in the way (derek/darak - way, road, journey, manner, path, course of life/tread, walk, march, expressing wine or oil by tread, to bend a bow in order to string it by stepping on it)? And now why take the road/way (see derek/darak above) to Egypt, to drink (sata - drinkers, drunkards, to feast) the waters of Sihor (sihor/sahar - dark, turpid, muddy/dim or dark)? Or why take the road/way (derek/darak above) to Assyria, to drink (see sata above) the waters of the river?" (Jer. 2:13, 17-18). God's people were walking along the way of nations who worshipped idols and false foreign gods, seeking success in war, fertility and prosperity that these gods falsely promised. The aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega LORD also said to His people: "But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, if they can save you in the time of your trouble; For according to the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah." (v. 28). The LORD's way had led His people safely "...through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, through a land of drought and the shadow of death." (v. 6, see also Ps. 23:4, Isa. 9:2, Amos 5:8, Mt. 4:16). Chapter four of Jeremiah, also a part of this week's reading, tells us that remaining on the road of the LORD was not just for the sake of the well-being of the Israelites, but had even more far-reaching implications: "If you will return O Israel, says the LORD, Return to Me; And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight, then you shall not be moved. And you shall swear, 'The LORD lives, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness'; The nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him they shall glory." (v. 1-2). As Israel returns to the way, the road of the LORD in their journey, the nations will be blessed as well.

     The way that God was leading them was the way of the aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega LORD (YHWY: "Behold the hand, behold the nail"). Jesus said emphatically: "I am the way (hodos - way, road, journey, route, highway, a progress, mode or means, manner), the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (Jn. 14:6). We are told by Jesus to walk Him as a road. When we veer off of that road for any of the various reasons that the cares and desires of life create, we walk the way of foreign false gods, as the Israelites did above.

     Paul wrote about the road of our journey: "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk (peripateo - to walk, tread all around, to progress, follow as a companion, conduct one's self) in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving." (Col. 2:6-7).

     There is a poem written by Robert Frost titled "The Road Not Taken." It is about the choice a man made when the road he was on divided in the woods. He decided to take the part of the road that few if any had walked, while leaving behind the road that had been worn by the feet of many. His poem ends:

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

   

     Jesus spoke of how narrow is the gate and the way or road which leads to life, and that there are few who find it. (Mt. 7:13-14). However, that road less traveled makes all the difference. It is worth it to take that road, and to stay on that road of life.

     If you would like to know more about the importance of the road of the LORD, you can join me in my prayer: "Father, You have ordained and directed the road by which Your people are to journey. It is a road that not only builds up the faith of Your people and leads them to You, but also pulls down enemy strongholds of spiritual wickedness. This road followed by Your people also brings the knowledge of You and Your glory to all nations. Your road is the road of righteousness, and I pray that I will always walk on this road and follow its path. There are wide roads that many follow to destruction, but then there is the narrow road that few find that leads to life in You, and in Your Son, Jesus. This is the road that I desire to walk with You.  I ask this in the name of Jesus. AMEN."

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

TheOnlyGod

      The various nations, cultures and individuals around the world today have different forms of worship. Some worship God, meaning the God of Israel, the God of Scripture. Some worship a form of "God" according to their own definitions and desires regarding Him. Some worship their ancestors. Some still worship a pantheon of gods, many gods. Some worship a philosophy or a state system. Some worship a political leader as if he is a god. Some worship nature and the gods that they believe rule over each object in nature. Some worship certain animals as holy. Some worship the idea of atheism. Some worship what is called science, and others worship man's "reason". Then there are the more subtle objects of worship based upon what people view as being the most important thing/person to them such as money, possessions, career, success, power, influence over others, self, fashion, music, sports, and many more such things, ideas, and people who have been elevated into idols.     

     One of the reading portions from this Sabbath is Psalm 96. This Psalm is credited to King David because it is also recorded in 1 Chron. 16:23-33, when the Ark of the Covenant was brought up to Jerusalem by David. The psalm makes clear that the knowledge of the Hebrew God and His salvation is expected to be known by all people, by all nations: "...Sing to the LORD all the earth...Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day...Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all (kol/kalal - all, the whole, any, each, every, anything, totality/make complete, make perfect, to put a crown upon) peoples...He is to be feared above all gods, for all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens...Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, give to the LORD glory and strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. Say among the nations/heathen, 'The LORD reigns....He shall judge the peoples righteously.'...For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth." Jesus also commanded His disciples to proclaim the good news of His salvation to all nations and people (Mt. 28:19, Mk. 16:15, Lk. 24:46-47). When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) in Jerusalem fifty days after the crucifixion of Christ on Passover, the multitude who were gathered nearby heard the disciples speaking in every language of every nation (Acts 2:5-12) to their amazement. When the only God offered His gift of salvation, His Son Jesus, it was to the whole world, which He loved (Jn. 3:16-17). When scripture describes those who have become part of the Kingdom of the only God, they are from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation (Rev. 5:9, Rev. 7:9-10). When the prophet described God's house, he described it as a house of prayer for all nations (Isa. 56:7).

     Whether the nations or cultures accept the LORD as the only God or not, it is the LORD who created all, and it is He who will judge all of His creation according to the psalm above. None will be exempt from His expectation that they will have this knowledge. The apostle Paul also wrote that the knowledge of the only God, the LORD who is God as identified in the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament, is expected of all mankind without exception or excuse: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened." (Rom. 1:18-21). People may purposefully reject the knowledge of God, or try to substitute something else for God, but God knows that they know who He is, has always been, and will always be. He is the One who created us, and everything that we see, and scripture says that we all know it, regardless of what man says or chooses to believe instead.

     God has always been God of all of the nations. He has caused even the most powerful kings of various nations throughout history to proclaim Him as God: Pharaoh of Egypt was not a big fan of the LORD, commenting, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go." (Ex. 5:2). During one of the plagues of Egypt (lice), Pharaoh's magicians said to him: "This is the finger of God.' But Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had said." (Ex. 8:19).  After the plague of thunder and hail, Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron to him, and said: "I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. Entreat the LORD, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer." (Ex. 9:27). Although Pharaoh went back on his word here, after the tenth plague of death to the first born, Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and told them to leave Egypt, with the children of Israel and all of their animals, saying: "...go serve the LORD as you have said...be gone; and bless me also." (Ex. 12:31-32). Pharaoh would again go back on his word, but not because he didn't know who the LORD was. He knew.

     King Nebuchadnezzar, the great king of the Babylonian Empire, asked the prophet of the LORD, Daniel, to include in the prophet's book Nebuchadnezzar's letter to all which begins: "Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me. How great are His signs, and how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation." (Dan. 4:1-3). The king then continued to write his personal testimony of what he had witnessed and experienced with God.

     Isaiah the prophet spoke of a future king, Cyrus, who would be established by God as a great conqueror of nations, and prophesied to this future king: "That you may know that I, the LORD, who called you by your name, am the God of Israel...I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me." (Isa. 45:1-5). Centuries before Cyrus of Persia was born, the LORD was calling him forth prophetically. Cyrus' existence and success would be for Israel's, the LORD's elect's sake (v. 4), and we will see that. Later in time, Cyrus did become a conquering king of Persia (Iran/Iraq).

     In the first year of Cyrus' rule, he was moved by the Spirit of the LORD to issue a decree in order that the prophetic word of Jeremiah the prophet might be fulfilled ending the captivity of God's people (Ezra 1:1). This was the king's proclamation: "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And he has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem..." (v. 2-3). Cyrus also brought all of the captured holy furnishings and vessels of God's temple out of his treasury, had them accounted for, and gave them to Sheshbazzar (Zerubbabel), the prince of Judah, to take back to Jerusalem with the now former Israelite captives (v. 7-11).

     In this week's Sabbath portion there is a mention of Hiram, King of Tyre (Lebanon), and the help and materials that he agreed to send to King Solomon in Jerusalem for the building of the Temple for the LORD's name in 2 Chron. 2. When King Hiram responded to King Solomon's request, Hiram also wrote: "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, for He has given King David a wise son...who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal house for himself." (v. 12). There were also over one hundred thirty thousand foreigners who were living in Judah who were recruited by Solomon to provide labor and to act as overseers for the building of the Temple (v. 17-18). 

     This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled Ki Tissa, meaning "when you take" (nasa - lift up, bear up, bear continuously, take, forgive, carry, support, be lifted up, exalted, rise up, marry, magnify). The title comes from a principle in Exodus 30:11-16.  Moses was to take a (aleph-tav in written Hebrew letters, or Alpha and Omega in Greek letters which refer to the identity of Jesus Christ: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13) sum or census of the Israelites, everyone twenty years old and above. Look at how the LORD has magnified His aleph-tav people according to the Hebrew meaning of the word "take", above! However, as much as this Sabbath portion reveals that the LORD is God over all of the earth and its inhabitants, over all of the nations and their peoples, this portion also sadly reveals how God's own people chose to worship the gods of foreign nations and make idols of them.

     In one Sabbath portion from Ex. 34, while Moses was on the mountain receiving the commandments of God written by God's own finger (Ex. 31:18), the Israelites in the camp were demanding that Aaron make them a god to worship. Of these commandments of God that had already been told to the Israelites were: "I am the LORD your God...You shall have no other gods before Me...You shall not make for yourself a carved image...of anything...You shall not bow down to them nor serve them..." (Ex. 20:2-4). The Israelites had witnessed the great wonders of God, but they chose to worship a god that they could see with their eyes, saying to Aaron: "Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses...we do not know what has become of him." (Ex. 32:1). Aaron made a golden calf from the gold (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) earrings (nezem - earring, nose ring) that Aaron had told the people to "break off" (paraq - cast away, tear apart, break away, broken in pieces, rent). When Aaron presented the completed golden calf to the people, they said: "This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!" (v. 2-4). We saw in Genesis that gold nose rings and jewelry are betrothal and marriage gifts among the Hebrews (Gen. 24:22). The LORD considered Himself betrothed and married to (and jealous of) the aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega sum of His people, and they were "breaking off" this betrothal in favor of an idol of an Egyptian god, Apis/Hapi/Hep, the most popular of the three great bull cults of ancient Egypt, connected to their city of Memphis. The world is expected to know the LORD God of Israel according to scripture, but His own people rejected the knowledge of Him.

     In another portion from this Sabbath, God's people again chose a foreign (Canaanite) fertility god also in the form of a bull called Ba'al, over the LORD God. In 1 Kings 18, the prophet Elijah, in front of the king and all of the people, had a confrontation with the prophets who served Ba'al and demonstrated the omnipotent power of the LORD God. The LORD answered by fire from heaven: "Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, 'The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!" (v. 38-39).

     If you have been told that because of your nationality, race, heritage or culture, that the LORD God cannot be your God as the only God, this is not what the LORD Himself has said. History also has borne out this truth, as we have seen above. The LORD God has said that He wants to bring you to His holy mountain, and into His house and into His Kingdom with joy (see Isa. 56:7 above). His salvation, His Son Jesus, is also offered freely to all the world, to any and all who will accept and believe Him.

     If we consider ourselves to be part of the aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega sum of the LORD's betrothed people, we cannot allow the worship of false gods and idols into our relationship with Him for He is a jealous God - and anything or anyone can become an idol in our lives.

     If you would like to learn more about the only true God and the people who belong to Him, you can pray with me: "Father and LORD of All, how wonderful and welcoming You are to all of us. The world may be racist, but You are not. The world may exclude persons based upon nationality or culture, but You do not. You hold Your hand out to all of the families of the nations to become Your family. All of us, through Your Son, Jesus, and by Your Spirit, can cry out to you saying, 'Abba, Father'. Cleanse my heart of all idols, Lord, and of any desires and "self" that I have made more important than You, and all false understandings that are not founded in You. You alone are God in my life, the only God. I ask these things in the name of Your Son, Jesus. AMEN."

     

LORD

      This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled Va-eira, which means "and I appeared".  To set the stage, we find Moses in a tight spot. Moses and Aaron had gone into Pharaoh and demanded that he let God's people, who had been enslaved in Egypt, go to offer sacrifices to God. This is what the LORD had appointed Moses to do, and had equipped Moses and Arron, his brother, with signs to convince both the Israelites and Pharaoh, king of Egypt, that this command came from God (Ex. 5:1). This request made Pharaoh very angry, saying to Moses: "Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go." (Ex. 5:2). Pharaoh then added even more harsh conditions to the Israelites' slave labor as a result of his anger. The officers or leaders of the suffering Israelites even blamed Moses and Aaron for adding to the sorrows of the children of Israel (Ex. 5:19-21). As we end chapter 5, we read: "So Moses returned to the LORD and said, 'LORD, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all." (v. 22-23). Yes, Moses indicts the LORD of indifference and incompetence, Who had inexplicably and ineptly interfered in a bad situation and made it worse, and had dragged Moses into the mess too! I know these words seem awful, but this is the sound of the unbelief of God's people in His ears. 

     We may all face moments when we too are struggling with unbelief. On this subject, the Gospels give us a precious moment when a desperate father has come to Jesus for a miracle on behalf of his son: "Then one of the crowd answered and said, 'Teacher, I have brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down...So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.' Then He (Jesus) answered him and said, 'O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you...Bring him to Me." (Mk. 9:17-19). The son had another attack right there in front of Jesus, and the father said, "...if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." (v. 20-22). "Jesus said to him, 'If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.' Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, 'Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!' (v. 23-24). The father went from calling Jesus "teacher/Rabbi" to calling Him "Lord". The father was struggling with unbelief, but asked Jesus to help his unbelief, being desperate for his son's welfare. Jesus commanded the deaf and dumb spirit to come out of the son and to never come back. The son then appeared dead, and the crowd said that he was dead. "But Jesus took (krateo - to have power, strength, to be chief, master of, rule, hold fast and not let go) him by the hand (cheir - incl. symbol of God's might, activity, power: in upholding and preserving, in creating, in determining and controlling the destinies of men) and lifted (egeiro - raise up, cause to rise, arouse from the sleep of death, recall the dead to life) him up, and he arose (anistemi - raise up, to cause to rise up, to raise up from the dead, cause to appear)." (25-27). If we can admit our unbelief, and ask for help with unbelief, the LORD will help us.

     The LORD's response to Moses after his angry accusations is found in Ex. 6, part of our Sabbath reading for this week: "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong (hazak - strong, firm, mighty, impudent, stiff-hearted, hardened, obstinate, urgent, severe, grievous, rigid) hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out (garas - thrust out or away, drive away, cast out, expatriate, expel, divorce) of his land." (Ex. 6:1). The LORD explained to Moses that it is by a detail that Moses had overlooked, the revelation of His name, The LORD, that He will do this seemingly impossible thing: "And God spoke to Moses and said to him, 'I am the LORD (Yehova/haya/hava - "the existing One", self-existent or eternal/to be, become, exist, remain, continue, beacon/shall be, to breathe, blow, air, breeze). I appeared (ra'a - look, show, behold, seer, perceive, consider, foresee, have vision, discern, be visible) to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty (El-Saday), but by My name (sem - name, renown, famous, report, glory, monument, character, authority) 'LORD' I was not known to them. I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant." (Ex. 6:2-5). God's name "The LORD" was a new revelation in the knowledge of His people.

     Then the LORD revealed to Moses the significance of the revelation of His name "the LORD", of which there were seven specific characteristics mentioned, that would deal with the terrible plight of His people in Egypt: "Therefore say to the children of Israel: I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm (nata - stretch out or forth, spread out, extended, to be stretched out, coming down, to spread itself, to elongate itself) and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD." (v. 6-8).

     When we picture the "outstretched arm" of the LORD described above, and its meaning in Hebrew, it is easy to picture the outstretched arms of Jesus on the cross. The name "LORD" is spelled with the Hebrew letters yod, hey, vaw, hey, (יְהֹוָה), whose individual meanings in the pictographic letters of Hebrew mean: "Behold the hand, behold the nail". In another reading portion from this Sabbath in Isa. 42, the prophet wrote the Word of the LORD: "I am the LORD, that is My name;" (v. 8). In this portion from Isaiah, God is describing His Servant, His Elect One, which, from the details in the Chapter, is referring to the Messiah/Christ (see v. 1-4, 6-7, 16, 22). Many of the characteristics of the Messiah/Christ written here fall right into the character contained in the name of LORD.

     Continuing in our Exodus Sabbath reading portion, the LORD begins sending plagues against Egypt through Moses and Aaron in order to bring Pharaoh's capitulation, but not before Moses again struggles with unbelief: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land.' And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, 'The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?" (Ex. 6:10-12, 28-30). We also see that time and again, Pharaoh, once relieved of a plague, went back on his promise and refused to allow the Israelites to leave (see Ex. Ch. 7, 8 and 9). We shake our heads at the stubbornness and unbelief of Pharaoh, whom the LORD referred to as having a hardened heart (Ex. 7:13-1, 4) especially after Pharaoh had seen all of the signs and wonders of the LORD in both the sending of the plagues, and the relieving of the plagues through Moses. Yet the people of the LORD God exhibited the same hardness of heart and unbelief towards Him in another Sabbath reading portion from this week.

     Psalm 78 reviews God's miraculous, merciful, and faithful history with His people: "That they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments...Marvelous things He did in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt...He made His own people go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. And He led them on safely, so that they did not fear."

     This Psalm also recorded God's people's continuous struggle with unbelief: "A stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God...And forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them...They sinned even more against God...Yes, they spoke against God...Because they did not believe in God, and did not trust in His salvation ....they still sinned, and did not believe in His wondrous works...they flattered Him with their mouth, and they lied to Him with their tongue; but their heart was not steadfast with Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant...again and again they tempted God, and limited (tava - to pain, wound, trouble, cause pain, grieve, afflict, to make or set a mark, to scrape to pieces) the Holy One of Israel." Their unbelief "limited" God. However, the word used here for "limit" means more than we assume. There is physical pain inflicted on God even to scrape marks into Him. The letters of the Hebrew word used here, tava, are tav-vaw-hey. The pictographic meaning of these Hebrew letters is: "Behold the nail and the cross". In addition to this profound meaning of the word tava, which is mis-translated as "limited", above, the psalmist gives us a reference to the Messiah as he pointed out that the LORD "awoke as from sleep" to beat back His enemies, chose the tribe of Judah, chose David His servant to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance: "So he shepherded/fed (ra'a - shepherd, companion, ruler, teacher, companion, pasture) them according to the integrity (tom/tamam - completeness, fulness, innocence, perfection, uprightness/to be finished, perfect, clean, to be completed, to be at an end, to be completely crossed over, to make whole, to destroy uncleanness) of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands." (v. 65-72). David did rule Israel, but the innocence, perfection, completeness and finished work spoken of in the Hebrew also brings to mind Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the Son of David from the tribe of Judah, the Messiah/Christ.

     The LORD bore the pain, wounds, affliction and marks of our unbelief. We read in the New Testament a scripture from the Old Testament (Ps. 95:7-11): "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion...where your fathers tested Me, tried Me...so I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest." Then the writer of Hebrews concluded: "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today", lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end..." (Heb. 3:7-14).

     If you would like to learn more about the LORD, and the importance of belief, you can pray with me: Dearest LORD, by Your Spirit, help me to understand the meaning and power of Your name, "LORD". In that name is power, deliverance and inheritance. I thank You for identity of Christ in Your name, and what that means in my life. Forgive me, LORD, when I walk in unbelief, and I ask You, Lord Jesus, to "help my unbelief", and make my belief and faith as the Son of God's. Let my heart be completed and perfected by the "integrity" found in Your heart. I ask these things in the name of Jesus. AMEN."

LORD

This week's sabbath reading is titled Va-eira, meaning "and He appeared". Please bear with me, and I think that we will see that the readings for this week are very important, and reveal the power of the Name of the LORD behind the exodus, meaning "the way or the road out of". In this case, that exodus will involve the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from their hard bondage in Egypt, which was under the rulership of the most powerful king on earth at the time, Pharaoh. To me, the truth revealed here, however, applies as a precedent to all bondages and deliverances by God. In last week's readings, God told Moses His Name, which Moses was to tell to the Israelites. That name was "I AM THAT I AM", or, as written in Hebrew, yod, hey, vaw, hey- YHWH using English equivalents. Each of these Hebrew letters have an individual pictographic meaning, and in this case, the four letters mean "Behold the hand, behold the nail". This name is pronounced as Yahway or JEHOVAH, and in English is translated in our Bibles as "LORD". This week's readings will begin with a greater revealing of that Name: "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong (hazak - strong, impudent, stiff hearted, hard, obstinate) hand he will let them (the Israelites) go, and with a strong (hazak again) hand he will drive them out of his land'. And the LORD spoke to Moses and said to him: 'I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty (El Shaddai/saday), but by My name LORD I was not known (yada - known, revealed, understood, declared, taught, experienced, confessed) to them...And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Therefore say to the children of Israel: 'I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be Your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD." (Ex. 6:1-8). As we can see, it was very important for Moses and the Israelites to understand the new revelation of this Name, "LORD". The "strong hand" of obstinance of Pharaoh will be made to serve the power of "the hand, the nail" of the LORD. The Name LORD would not only become "the way or road out of" (exodus) Egypt, but also the way or road to the LORD as their God and as His people, and the way or road into the land of inheritance promised by covenant to the forefathers of the Israelites. There is something important to note about the use of the word "swore" in the above verses. In the Hebrew writing, the phrase that is translated into the English word "swore" is: "a lifted up (nasa - lift up, raise up, endure, forgive, pardon, suffer to, swear) aleph-tav hand". Aleph-tav refers to the first and the last Hebrew letters of their alphabet, and by these same two letters, Jesus identified Himself in Revelation, translated from the Greek language, as "Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last". Here, the LORD swore by His "lifted up aleph-tav hand". The LORD had also said to Pharaoh regarding the Israelites, "Let My (aleph-tav) son go...My son, My firstborn" (Ex. 4:23). We can also note that the "groaning" referred to above that the LORD heard from among His people, had moved Him to answer because it caused Him to remember His covenant with the fathers (Ex. 6:5, see also Ex. 2:24). The "groaning" as written was aleph-tav groaning , and the "covenant" as written in the Hebrew of the Torah was an aleph-tav covenant. Since the aleph-tav is physically connected to the words, could the LORD have been hearing the groaning of His prophesied, but yet-unborn Son, the Messiah, from within the Israelites? I know this is very detailed, but the aleph-tav is present in the written Hebrew, and it was specifically mentioned four times by Jesus as His identity (Rev. 1:8, 1:11, 21:6, 22:13). It must be something important for us to know, and it is a rich treasure waiting for our consideration. Imagine then how this is an example of the power of the groaning of intercession of the Son (and of the Holy Spirit: Rom. 8:26) before the Father (see Rom. 8:33-38), and what this means to our lives as, in His priestly intercession, Jesus the Son, is able to save us to the uttermost (see Heb. 7:24-27)! We saw above that this newly revealed Name, LORD, is composed of the Hebrew letters yod, hey, vaw, hey that identify the Messiah, Jesus Christ, whose hand was nailed to the cross, and in another portion from this week's sabbath reading, this connection of identity appears again as the LORD told His prophet: "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him (see Lk. 3:21-22); He will bring forth judgment to the Gentiles (goyim - nations, heathen, Gentiles, people)...I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness...I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house. I am the LORD, that is My name...Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them...I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them." (Isa. 42:1-9, 16). To me, the verses above from Isaiah, as well as the earlier verses, directly connect the identity of the Messiah that we know, Jesus, to this revealed Name of God: the LORD. Jesus also confirmed this as He told us: "I have come in My Father's name...For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me." (Jn. 5:36-37, 43, 46). So we are seeing more in this week's sabbath readings about the importance that the Name of God, LORD (YHWH), and what it has to do with the exodus, "the way or road out of" slavery for His people. Let's look at some more clues to the principle of exodus. Pharaoh, like all mighty kings, believed that the reason he was born, and his purpose in life, was to rule. However, this was not his only purpose to God as we read in another part of this sabbath's reading. The LORD said to Pharaoh: "...for at this time, I will send all My plagues to your very heart...that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth." (Ex. 9:14-16). Pharaoh, and all of his people, could have been dealt with very quickly by death, but the LORD raised Pharaoh up for a different reason - so that he and God's people, and the whole world, would know that the LORD caused the release of the Israelites by forcing this stubborn, powerful king to bend his will to God's will. In fact, Pharaoh is just a small cog in a very large wheel, as we will see. The LORD was really dealing with evil spiritual powers, or monsters, that rule over geographical areas. We can see this very thing regarding Egypt in another portion from this week's sabbath reading in which the LORD pronounces His judgments to His prophet: "Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and all of Egypt...'Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster (gadol/tannin/tan - great, mighty/dragon, serpent, land, sea or river monster/monster as supernaturally formed) who lies in the midst of his rivers, who has said, 'My River (referring to the Nile) is my own; I have made it for myself.' But I will put hooks in your jaws...I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers...I will leave you in the wilderness...Then all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD...therefore I am against you and your rivers..." (Ezek. 29:2-6, 10). We learned last week that the Nile River played a large role in the ancient pagan religion of Egypt. Here in these verses, the LORD identified and prophetically judged the supernatural monster that inhabited that river, and all of the rivers that were in Egypt. He judged it as "the LORD", or YHWH (see also Ezek 28:22). Again, we see that the LORD didn't wish to destroy Egypt or its people, but to reduce its power and influence so that His people, Israel, would not keep turning to Egypt, to their harm, for help, instead of turning to the LORD (Ezek. 29:6-7, 12-16). Going to Egypt for help was not "the way or road out of", or (exodus), from trouble for God's people, yet His people preferred Egypt. Even after they were miraculously released from their slavery by the plagues that God had poured out upon Egypt, God's people wanted to return to Egypt several times! (see Ex. 16:2-3, Num. 11:4-5, Num. 14:3-4). There is only One who makes the way out, and that is the LORD, YHWH. He is the Waymaker (Isa. 43:16-19). These evil spiritual kingdoms and monsters that inhabit geographical locations over nations are defeated, judged, and will have their sentences executed upon them. We shouldn't look to the monsters for help - they have no desire to help God's people, but to destroy them. We saw earlier in Isaiah that it is the LORD who was sending His righteous Servant to bring judgment, saying of His Servant: "...He will bring forth judgment (mispat/sapat - judgment, ordinance, lawful, order, sentence of judgment/judge, condemn, defend, avenge, deliver) for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged (rasas - crushed, grievously oppressed, broken in pieces, treated violently), till He has established judgment in the earth; and the coastlands shall wait for His law." (Isa. 42:3-4). This righteous Servant connected with justice, judgment, and truth, and identified directly with the LORD in these verses from Isaiah, is revealed to us in scripture to be Jesus, as He said: "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son....Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." (Jn. 5:22-24). Judgment has been given by the LORD into the hands of His Son, and an exodus has been created from death into life. Moses is the revered and honored deliverer of God's people in the account of the Exodus known world-wide, as he should be, but it is the name of the undefeatable LORD, YHWH, Who has sworn, and still swears, by His lifted up aleph-tav hand to appear and deliver His people. It is the name "LORD" that, as He told Pharaoh, would be declared in all the earth. If you would like to learn more about our awesome Deliverer and the Way of our exodus, you can join me in my prayer: "LORD of all, You have sent Your Son, Your Firstborn, Jesus, in Your own Name, to make the way for us. You have given Him all authority to judge, and those who believe in You by the Words of Your Son, have been passed from death to life. You have sworn by Your lifted up (aleph-tav) hand to bring Israel, and all others who believe in You through Your Son, into the inheritance You have promised, including the resurrection and eternal life of salvation. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that we can grow in the knowledge of the power, majesty and exodus found in Your Name, LORD. I ask and receive this with thanks in Jesus' Name. AMEN."

Monsters&Men

This Sabbath reading will be the first of our solar calendar year 2022. Although the LORD had appeared to Abraham generations before, the LORD had a new revelation of Himself to give to Moses and the children of Israel, who were in bondage in Egypt. God revealed His name: YHWH, or as translated in English, LORD: "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them." (Ex. 6:2-3). The four Hebrew letters of His name are yod: meaning "hand/arm, completed work", heh: meaning "behold, reveal", vaw: meaning "nail, nailed to", heh:meaning again "behold, reveal". This 4-lettered name gives us the picture of Christ: a completed work connected to a nailed hand. With the revealing of the name, YHWH, the LORD also associated this name with seven promises. In fact, the LORD bookends these promises with the statement of His name: "...say to the children of Israel: I am the LORD (YHWH); I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God...And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD (YHWH)." (v. 6-8). As well as there being seven promises spoken here, the number seven is associated with the Sabbath. Moses brought the revelation of the Name YHWH and its promises to the Israelites, as the LORD commanded him to do: "...but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage." (v. 9). The scriptures recognize that because of the anguished condition of their spirits from their cruel treatment, the Hebrew slaves were not able to receive or believe these promises of the LORD. In this case, we can see that the people of God, because of their anguished condition, would not be delivered out of Egypt because of their great faith in God, nor because they had an understanding or great knowledge of God. God would deliver them because He promised to do so. I began to see this epic account of the deliverance of the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt as an example of God's spiritual warfare over that country, but also having importance to us today, as I hope to share. Moses was given this command by God: "Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land." (v. 11). Well, the victory was not immediately seen. The LORD's first problem was not with Pharaoh, however. It was with Moses! Moses didn't like the idea that he should go in before Pharaoh with the command of the LORD (Ex. 6:12, 30). Moses didn't see anything special about himself that he should be given the task of confronting Pharaoh, and leading Israel out of Egypt. As far as he was concerned, he was a shepherd in the wilderness, working with his father-in-law, and he was happy to remain so. This is exactly what made Moses the kind of man God could use in this great story of deliverance. Finally, Moses did go with his brother Aaron before Pharaoh repeatedly to deliver the Word of the LORD to let His people go. Again, success was not immediately seen. Pharaoh did not listen to the words of Moses because his magicians, using occultic power, could duplicate the fearsome signs that the LORD had shown Moses to do, but God was not done yet. As the LORD worked on Pharaoh, eventually there were signs performed by Moses that Pharaoh's magicians could not duplicate, and they even told Pharaoh that these signs must be from God (Ex. Ch. 8, 9). At that point, Pharaoh would promise to let the children of Israel go, but then change his mind when the plagues were stopped: "And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the LORD had spoken by Moses." (Ex. 9:34-35). As we can see from this Sabbath's reading, spiritual warfare requires endurance and patience. Don't lose hope; don't give up. In another reading for this Sabbath, at a later point in time, the LORD identified Pharaoh with a monster to Ezekiel, the prophet: "Thus says the LORD God: 'Behold I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster (tannin - dragon, serpent, sea monster, venomous snake) who lies in the midst of his rivers, who has said, 'My River is my own; I have made it for myself." (Ezek. 29:1-3). This was the LORD's prophecy against Pharaoh and Egypt because, even centuries later, He remembered the way the Israelites' backs and shoulders were broken under their oppression (v. 6-7). "And the land of Egypt shall become desolate and waste; then they will know that I am the LORD, because he said, 'The River is mine, and I have made it." (v. 9). The LORD also prophesied through Ezekiel that He would give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to conquer, which He did (Ezek. 29:19). The LORD never forgets to bring justice to His people. As we can learn from this Sabbath reading from Ezekiel, when the LORD engages in spiritual warfare regarding nations, He identifies not only the leaders and people of the land, but also the demonic spirits that they have allowed to occupy and rule over their land. We see this demonic power present over kingdoms in the New Testament also. According to what Satan revealed in his challenge to Christ, the demonic realm seeks and claims the glory and power of the world's wealth: "Then the devil, taking Him (Jesus) up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, 'All this authority I will give to You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours." (Lk. 4:5-7, Mt. 4:8-9). Jesus, of course, declined the offer, telling Satan that scripture commands "You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve." (v. 8). We should know that the devil had spoken a lie to Jesus when he claimed that the kingdoms of the world belonged to him. The LORD said that He is the One who tears down kingdoms, and builds them up (Jer. 1:9-10). Although the Book of Revelation makes clear that the powers of darkness covet and seek to control the wealth of the world (Rev. Ch. 18), it also assures us: "...And there were loud voices in heaven saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" (Rev. 11:15). The LORD concedes nothing to Satan, ever. We learn from the Sabbath verses in Ezekiel, where the LORD is setting His prophetic judgment over Egypt, that in order to clear the land of the "monster", He will make the land desolate and waste (see above Ezek. 29:9). It seems that glory, power, and wealth-seeking devils have no desire to rule over desolation, dust, jackals, and vultures! The scriptures warn us that many nations, as Egypt did, will face desolation as they have submitted themselves to these princes of darkness for the purpose of getting or keeping wealth, and those nations will begin to oppress people of faith because of it, as Egypt did. Scripture teaches as it warns: the love of money is the root of all evil, "for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Tim. 6:10). We, the people of God, should not connect ourselves to the love of money, because evil lies behind it. The LORD warns His people in scripture not to be part of these systems of monsters and men built upon blood and greed:"...Come out of her My people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues..." (see Rev. 18:2-5). It is an evil with which the LORD promises to deal crushingly. Although we will see the desolation of many nations now and in the future because of the things we are discussing here, another Sabbath reading portion gives us a promise of the renewal found in the salvation of the Messiah, God's Servant, God's Elect One, who has been revealed to us as Jesus: "...I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles/nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison...I am the LORD (YHWH); and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them...The LORD shall go forth like a mighty man...He shall prevail against His enemies..." (Isa. 42:6-13, excerpt). If you would like to learn more about these things which are prophesied to come to pass, you can join me in prayer: "Heavenly Father, You have revealed Your Name, YHWH, to us, and the picture of Christ within it, and the promises connected with that mighty Name. They are promises of deliverance, of Your possession of us as Your people, the giving of Yourself to us as our God, and the inheritance You have set aside for us. As You deal with the nations of the earth, even my nation, take me deeper into Your salvation through Jesus, and fill, lead and keep me in Your ways by Your Holy Spirit. I set my faith, trust, and deliverance into Your hands, for You have promised to overcome Your enemies. I ask and receive this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

2Realms

Dickens wrote "A Tale of Two Cities", but this is a tale of two realms. On the surface, this tale involved a showdown between two men. One was a powerful king, and the other was an exiled shepherd. The king was backed by a powerful army. The shepherd seemingly came to the showdown with only his shepherd's rod. However, these two men represented a confrontation between two spiritual realms. The king was Pharaoh of Egypt, and the shepherd was Moses, a Hebrew who had been raised in the household of a previous Pharaoh. Jewish commentaries on this Sabbath's reading offer some traditional insights that are very interesting. They say that Pharaoh was not only a king, but "a master of the lower spiritual world". In Hebrew, this lower world is called "Yetzirah". This lower world was the realm of the psyche, angels (demons) and souls. We know that Pharaoh had powerful magicians who served him in his palace. Magic and occultism played a strong role in the political power of Egypt. One Pharaoh, Ramses III, was plotted against within the palace using weapons of the occult. The plot was exposed before it could be proven successful or unsuccessful. The occult played an important role in daily Egyptian life as well. The Egyptians also relied upon magic and occultic practices to bring life after death, and for this purpose, the priests used magic from "The Book of the Dead". We can understand now why Moses was reluctant to go before Pharaoh, as the LORD had told him to do. Moses was very familiar with the dark ways of Egypt and its Pharaoh. Moses, though, came in the Name of the One who authored the "Lamb's Book of Life". In this Name, again according to Jewish commentary, Moses came from, and had access to, the "upper spiritual world". This realm is called "Beriah" in Hebrew. It is the realm of Creation, and the Throne of God. The appointed Sabbath portion for this week involves this showdown between Pharaoh and Moses, and the realms they represented, and is titled, "and I appeared" or Va-eirah in Hebrew. In our previous Sabbath portion, God had told Moses His Name was "I AM WHO I AM". We write this name using the English letters YHWH, pronounced Yahway. The Hebrew letters of this Name are yod, hey, vaw, heh, and it looks like this: יְהֹוָה. Each Hebrew letter has its own meaning, and the translation of the letters would be "Behold the hand, Behold the nail". Can you see why this name is so special? One of this week's Sabbath portions begins in Exodus 6. In this reading, we can clearly see the role that the Name "LORD", YHWH, has in the story of Moses and Pharaoh. This is what the LORD said to Moses. "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them (the children of Israel) go and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land. And God spoke to Moses and said to him: I am the LORD (YHWH). I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty (see also Isa. 9:6), but by My name LORD (YHWH) I was not known to them." (Ex. 6:1-3). Up until this point, the Name YHWH had not been revealed to Israel, but as Moses was charged with confronting Pharaoh, he was sent before him in this Name of the LORD. Again in v. 6-8, God says to Moses, "Therefore say to the children of Israel: I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians...I am the LORD." We are familiar with the contest of power that occurred between Moses and Pharaoh that followed, and the increasing severity of the plagues or judgments that God brought to Egypt. We also remember that Pharaoh's magicians tried to replicate the signs that Moses performed in the Name of the LORD. Pharaoh took confidence in the fact that the magic of Egypt seemed to be equal to the wonders that Moses did in that Name. When Moses lifted his rod and struck the waters of the river, and they became blood, "Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed...as the LORD had said. And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this." (Ex. 7:20-23). Pharaoh was solely moved by power, and he felt that the occultic powers of Egypt would stand up to this God of the Hebrews named YHWH. He was wrong, as we know. As we saw earlier, the Name YHWH, or LORD, never before revealed to Israel up to this point, carries the image of the crucified Christ. It is the Name of the upper spiritual world, Beriah, and includes Creation (Jn. 1:1-3), and the Throne of God. Jesus told us of the power connected to the Name that carries His image, It is the Name of His sacrifice that gives us access to the Throne of God: "And whatever you ask in My (Jesus') name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." (Jn. 14:13-14). And, "... in that day, you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name, Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." (Jn. 16:23). The Name has superiority over all, including that "lower spiritual world": "And being found in appearance as a man, He (Jesus) humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:8-11). This Name is not just a name to be used as some sort of talisman. This name represents a Person, who in obedience to His Father, sacrificed all to bring salvation to man. This sacrifice is the power and honor of the Name. Through the Name that carries the image of Christ, YHWH, Moses was able to exhibit the power and authority from the Throne of God before Pharaoh: "So the LORD said to Moses: See I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron, your brother, shall be your prophet." (Ex. 7:1). Moses was a great servant of God, but it was the Name above all other names that made him as God to Pharaoh. You may say that Jesus wasn't crucified before Moses' time, so how could He be the Person of the Name, but He was. The crucified Christ was before Moses. He was before Abraham (Jn. 8:58). He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world! (Rev. 13:8). Did Pharaoh bow his knee to the Name, as the verses in Philippians said all would do? He did, at least for a moment: "And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and my people and I are wicked." (Ex. 9:27). Once the plague was lifted by Moses, however, Pharaoh went back to his hardened ways, but he was forced eventually to let the Hebrews go out of slavery. This lesson from the Sabbath readings for this week, and the revelation of the New Testament scriptures regarding the Name of Jesus, are very important to us today, especially as times grow more trying. Not only do we need a greater understanding of the Name in our daily walk now, but there is a prophetic importance to this understanding. In the end times, there will be another showdown between the two realms. There will come the son of perdition, or the Beast, and his false prophet who serves him, and his demonic religion, called Babylon. Like Pharaoh, they will rely for their power on the "lower spiritual world" (Rev. 13:2, 12-15, Rev. 19:20). With this demonic power, they will conquer the nations of the earth, and persecute the people of faith. Like Pharaoh, they will not win in the showdown, but the wisdom of the people who know their God will play a vital role in those coming times (Dan. 11:32-33, 12:3). Part of knowing our God is in the understanding of His Name, the LORD. May the LORD give us wisdom and understandng in the knowledge of His Name, and its direct relationship with Creation and the Throne of God. Our Father has revealed the mighty Name of His Son for us. If you would like to experience Jesus as Savior, Deliverer, and Redeemer, and LORD, you can pray: "LORD, Jesus, God has given You the Name that is above all names. I believe that You died for my sins, and rose from the dead. I believe that You rule with all authority. You have been given the authority to forgive my sins. Help me to walk in your righteousness through Your Holy Spirit. You only deliver me from the slavery and hard bondage of sin that held me in darkness. I believe that You have heard and answered my prayer to You this day, prayed in Your holy Name. Amen."

Rest

The Sabbath rest is something that is very important to God, and to man. It was so important to God that He made it one of the Ten Commandments, and also one of the feasts of the LORD, one of the holy convocations that God revealed to Moses:
"Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it."  Ex. 20:8-11
And:
"Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: "The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath  of solemn rest, a holy convocation, You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings."  Lev. 23:2-3
This very important holy day of the LORD's is associated with the rest that He entered on the seventh day, at the conclusion of the six days of creation. There is, however, something deeper here. The completion of the manifested, physical creation, and the subsequent day of rest, is really a shadow and type of an even greater spiritual work, and rest, which we will see. Unfortunately, the Sabbath became, instead, an occasion for religious legalism regarding what can or cannot be done on that day, or, even worse, it has been totally disregarded as a feast of the LORD, and removed from its proper context as such by the Church.
All of the feasts of the LORD, including the Sabbath, also have a prophetic significance, which is revealed in the Hebrew word for convocation. The apostle Paul tells the Church that there is prophetic meaning when he says that the convocations shadow "things to come", and he also tells the Church that the substance, or Body, of these convocations is Christ, Himself (Col. 2:16-17).
Jesus certainly directly connects Himself with the Sabbath by saying, "For the Son of Man is Lord, even of the Sabbath (Mt. 12:8, Mr. 2:28, Lk. 6:5). He also said, "Come to Me, all you who labor (exhausted, troubled, beaten with grief and sorrow, wailing in mourning) and are heavy laden (overburdened, carrying spiritual anxiety), and I will give you rest." (Mt. 11:28). As Paul told us, Jesus is indeed the Body of this feast.
One of the reasons given for many having rejected Jesus as Messiah at the time of His coming, was because He did not observe the man-made religious legalisms that had been loaded onto the Sabbath (Jn. 9:16). Jesus instead turns their understanding of the Sabbath on its head by telling them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." What is Jesus telling us? Why is God so insistent that we not only consider the Sabbath holy, but do no work on the Sabbath, not even our animals, nor our servants (employees), nor the stranger that might come across our household? When God talks about the six days of creation, and the seventh day of rest, what is He really revealing to us? And if the convocations are also prophetic, what is the prophetic depth of the Sabbath?
The Book of Hebrews gives us great understanding of the epic, eternal, depth of the Sabbath of the LORD. In Heb. 4:3-11, the Word reveals that although the work of the LORD was manifested and represented in the six days of creation, the actual creative work was begun and completed before the foundation of the world. The reason why the Israelites in the wilderness were not allowed to enter into God's rest (Ps. 95:11), was because they did not believe that He had completed the work regarding them, and that He had rested from it. Entering into the Sabbath rest of the LORD, the holy convocation, requires that we understand and believe that all of His work had already been begun and completed, before the physical world even existed. The past, present, and future has already been created, set into place to such a complete extent that God has rested. This is the rest that the LORD has called us also to enter: the knowledge that all has already been done, already completed:
"There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience (the Israelites' unbelief)."  Heb. 4:11
The prophet Isaiah also revealed the eternal dimension of the Sabbath:
"Remember the former things (beginning, first, before, aforetime) of old (perpetual, always, continuous existence, indefinite, unending future, eternity)  for I am God (El), and there is no other; I am God (Elohim), and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from the ancient times (before, anticipate, precede) things that are not yet done, saying "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure...I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it."  Isa. 46:9-11).
When Jesus compels those who labor, and are heavy laden to come to Him, He is talking about the place in Him of this eternal completion, that all of those efforts and burdens are gone in the knowledge that it is already finished. This is the Sabbath rest.
Jesus is the eternity of completion from the beginning to the end, or rest- the work completed before the foundation of the world:
"And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts."  Rev. 21:6
"Father, I desire that they also, whom You gave Me, be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world." Jn. 17:24
"He (Christ) indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you."  1 Pet. 1:20
The atoning work of the cross was completed before the world was physically created:
"All who dwell on the earth will worship Him (Jesus), whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world".  Rev. 13:8
We also are part of this eternal, completed work:
"...just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before Him in love..."   Eph. 1:4
Of those who were called:
"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."  Rom. 8:29
The holy Sabbath rest is not just a day for going to temple, or church as usual (most churches have changed the day, and context of Sabbath anyway), and it is definitely not a set of religious rules regarding what is allowed on the day. It is something much deeper than that. The Sabbath feast of the LORD, commanded by Him and revealed to His prophet Moses, is the place where we are to enter by the faith, with the understanding, the assurance in Christ, that everything concerning us, our household, our circumstances, our conditions, our salvation, our perfecting into His image, has been begun and completed by the Father and the Son, before the world was even manifested. Therefore, we can join Him in His rest, and accept that the work is finished. The manifestation of that creative work in us and around us, will follow. The Sabbath is not just a day, it is a picture of eternity. To believe less is to refuse to enter into His rest.

Our Father wants us to honor, enter into, and keep His Sabbath rest.

"Be Still My Soul (In You I Rest)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq59iE3MhXM

"Rest In The LORD"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiKWeK37C6Q