ForgivingtheUnforgivable

     

     

     "Then Jesus said to him, 'Away with you (hypago - bring under, lead under, sink out of sight, drive back), Satan (satanas - adversary of God and Christ, one who opposes, inciter of sin and apostacy towards God, prince of evil spirits, controls idol worshippers, the accuser, the devil, Satan)! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve. Then the devil left (aphiemi - send away, forsake) Him, and behold, angels came (proserchomai - draw near to, worship, visit, assent to) and ministered (diakoneo - to serve, to wait upon, the servant of a king) to Him." (Mt. 4:10-11). 

     The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is Ki Tissa, meaning, "When you take/lift up/carry out", and the title is from Exodus 30:11-12. These verses say: "Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 'When you take (nasa - bear up, lift up, take up, carry, forgive, exalt, rise up, support, endure, to cause one to bear, hold up, raise up, be high) (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-census (ro's - sum, head, top, beginning, captain, highest, supreme, prince, height, chief) of the children of Israel for their number (paqad - number, visit upon, punish, appoint, judgment, reckon, lay upon as a charge), then every man shall give a ransom (koper/kapar - ransom, satisfaction, price of a life, henna plant [red-brown dye], atonement ordered by the LORD/atonement, purge, reconciliation, mercy, pardon, forgive) for himself to the LORD, when you number (paqad - see above) them, that there may be no plague (negeb/nagab - blow, striking, plague, infliction, stumbling, fatal blow/smite, slain, struck, beaten, plague, hurt) among them when you number (paqad - see above) them." 

     In the verses above, we see an atonement "ransom" commanded by the LORD to provide pardon and forgiveness for His people, Israel. This atonement "ransom" from the fatal blows of plague is connected to the lifting up/raising of a Prince who is the highest supreme, the Beginning. In the Hebrew word meanings above, I see a prophetic picture of the Messiah/Christ Jesus as this Prince who was lifted up on a cross, and then lifted or raised up from the dead. It is the atonement mercy and forgiveness commanded and provided by God by the blood (reddish-brown coloring - see henna above) of Jesus so that we do not have to suffer the fatal blow of plague which He suffered for us.

     This provides a powerful foundation to events that we read in this week's Sabbath portion, Ki Tissa. We will see God forgive the unforgivable.

     

     In Chapter 20 of Exodus, the LORD verbally gives The Ten Commandments to Moses to tell to the children of Israel, including the commands that they shall have no other gods before Him, and that they shall not make for themselves a carved image, nor bow down before them, nor serve them. "For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God..." (v. 3-5). Later, the LORD will repeat this to Moses to tell the people: "...Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. You shall not make anything to be with Me - gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves." (v. 22-23).

     Later, Moses wrote all of the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) words of the LORD in the Book of the Covenant and read them to the people. The people said to Moses: "All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient." (Ex. 24:4-7). 

     Again, the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai and "He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God." (Ex. 31:18). Now these same *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega words of the LORD would be written again, this time in stone, and by the hand of the LORD Himself. This brings us to Exodus 32. 

     While Moses was still on the Mountain with the LORD: "...when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, 'Come, make us gods the shall go before us; for as for this Moses...we do not know what has become of him." (Ex. 32:1).  Aaron then collected all of the gold earrings that the people were wearing in their ears, "...and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, 'This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!' So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it...Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." (v. 2-6).

     How can God forgive the unforgivable that we see taking place above? He sent an intercessor.

     The LORD said to Moses: "Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted (sahat - destroy, corrupt, ruin, mar, be rotted, injured, pervert, decay, perish, act wickedly) themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them....Now, therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation. Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God...'Turn from your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (meaning Jacob), Your servants to whom You swore...'. So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people." Ex. 32:7-14, excerpt). The LORD had seen the people as rotting corpses because of their destroying sinful act, according to the meaning of the Hebrew noted above.

     As Moses' anger broke out upon the Israelites for what they had done, he broke the tablets of stone upon which the LORD had written His word, and burned (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-calf of gold that had been made and made the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-children-of-Israel drink it. Three thousand lost their lives that day to the swords of the sons of Levi, the tribe of priests. Why is the calf identified with *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega, or the Messiah/Christ (see *note below)? Perhaps because they made the golden calf idol their substitute man-made savior, their deliverer, their Messiah in their eyes. It still happens today, even with believers in Christ, that gold, money, the work of our hands, our families, our government, our military power, science, the visible things of the world rather than the invisible things of the Spirit, become our answer, our dependence, and the receivers of our faith instead of the One who truly died for us. Paul rebuked the church for turning away from the Gospel truth of Jesus Christ that they had learned and for believing a falsehood instead. (see Gal. 1:6-7). Jesus, through His revelation to John, rebukes a worldly rich church that doesn't even realize that it is really "wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked", and urging the church to buy from Him "gold refined in the fire, that...the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed." (Rev. 3:17-18). Satan, the opponent of God and Christ (see above), is always dangling this deception in front of our eyes in order to turn faith away from God.

     Viewing the people, Moses had seen them as "unrestrained/naked," ((para' - uncover, bare, naked, perish, expose). Telling the people that perhaps he could make atonement (see kapar above) for them with the LORD, Moses returned to the presence of the LORD on the Mountain and said: "Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! Yet now, if You will forgive their sin - but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written." (v. 31-32). Seeing that the people had been uncovered or made spiritually naked before their enemies because of their sin, Moses sought God's kapar atonement covering for the people, even offering the removal of himself from God's book. The apostle Paul also said that he would have offered his own salvation if he could on behalf of the salvation of his Jewish brethren who did not believe Messiah/Christ Jesus. (see Rom. 9:1-5).

      I offer the following as food for thought only regarding nakedness and the atonement covering, and not as any kind of doctrine. This is the connection that I am seeing in my spirit. There is another instance of "nakedness" in scripture. It is from the Book of Genesis, when Adam and his wife, Eve, after their choice to rely upon themselves rather than the LORD, having believed the lies of the serpent (see Gen. 3:1-6), discovered that they were naked ('erom/'aram - nakedness, naked and helpless/to make bare, make naked, to be subtle, shrewd, crafty, cunning, smooth, impudent, spiteful as manifesting one's malevolent mind) (see Gen. 3:7). The Hebrew root meaning of "naked" above, 'aram, leads us directly to the serpent who is described as being subtle or cunning in Gen. 3:1. The Hebrew word and root word for "serpent" are 'arum and 'aram. We see the connection between the serpent and the nakedness of man through the Hebrew language here. We can see then that it is Satan's strategy for man to remove his kapar atonement covering, leaving him naked and helpless. How could Adam have had the atonement covering many generations before Jesus Messiah/Christ was slain on the cross? Scripture describes Jesus as the Lamb slain before the foundation of the earth. In Isaiah 53, the prophet saw the Servant of God already beaten and slain for the iniquity of us all because the prophet writes of this in the past tense even though Jesus wouldn't be born until 750 years after Isaiah wrote his prophecy. David saw and prophesied of the crucifixion as if it was occurring to him in his present time even though he lived 1,000 years before the birth of Christ and never suffered crucifixion himself (see Ps. 22:1-18). This is the nature of prophecy and the things of the Spirit, as well as the nature of God and His Son: He is past, present and future all at the same time. (see Jn. 1:1-2, Rev. 1:8, Rev. 4:8). It is also interesting that the name "Adam", which is usually translated as meaning "man", has a deeper meaning of "dyed red, be red, to show red, to look red". A related Hebrew word dam means "blood, bloody, wine". Perhaps we can say that Adam's name could mean "a man of the blood". Paul called Jesus the "last Adam" and the "second man" in scripture. (see 1 Cor. 15:45-49).  In Rom. 5:14, Paul wrote that Adam was "a type of Him (meaning Christ) who was to come." When the LORD created "Adam" and his wife, they were naked then also, but scripture says that they were not "ashamed" (bus - ashamed, confounded, troubled, disconcerted, disappointed or delayed, to fail in hope and expectation). If they were not ashamed, then they were in hope and expectation - hope and expectation of what or Whom? Jesus Messiah/Christ is our hope and expectation, our assurance. (see Ps. 62:5-7, Prov. 23:18, Ps. 5:7, Mt. 24:30-31, Rom. 15:12-13). Adam "wore" the atonement covering of the Lord through faith, and he was not ashamed - until he rejected the faith in the atoning blood covering. They then attempted to cover themselves with 'ale/'ala raised-up branch(es).

     In another reading portion of this week's Ki-Tissa Sabbath, we find that the whole nation of Israel, including their royal family, had turned from the worship of God to the worship of the false god, Ba'al.

     How can God forgive this unforgivable thing? He again sent an intercessor, the prophet Elijah: "So Ahab (King of Israel) sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-prophets together on Mount Carmel. And Elijah came to all the people, and said, 'How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.' But the people answered not a word." (1 Kings 18:20-21).

     Elijah took twelve stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel and built an altar in the name of the LORD. (v. 30-32). Elijah faced off against the prophets of Baal who were to offer a bull on an alter to their god, while Elijah prepared an offering of a bull on the altar that he had built to the LORD. The prophets of Baal could not get their god to answer them, and Elijah began to pray to the LORD: "LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Jacob), let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-all-these-things (dabar - thing, matter, commandment) at Your word (dabar - see above). Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-their-hearts back to You again." (v. 36-37).

     The fire of the LORD fell and consumed Elijah's (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-burnt-sacrifice, including (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-stones of the altar: "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). The LORD had turned the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega hearts of the people back to Himself.

     It is no surprise that God has also provided for us the perfect Intercessor - Jesus Messiah/Christ. The Book of Hebrews says of Christ: "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." (Heb. 7:25). Paul wrote of those who remain in the justification of God through Christ: "Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" (Rom. 8:34-35). John wrote to the church so that we may not sin. However: "... if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation (meaning atoning blood covering sacrifice) for our sins, and not ours only but also for the whole world." (1 Jn. 2:1-2). We also are to pray and intercede continually for all of the saints in the same manner. (Eph. 6:18).

     If you would like to learn more about intercession and forgiveness of God and Jesus Christ, you can join my prayer: "Heavenly Father, when I didn't know you and had no hope in eternity, Your Word gave the promise of intercession on my behalf, and of an atonement covering for my spiritual vulnerability. You fulfilled these promises through Your beloved Son, Jesus. You forgave me of the unforgivable as I was determined to live a life without You. Your Son became not only my Intercessor, but my hope and expectation when I had none. Jesus poured out His blood in order to cover me when I didn't know I needed His covering. Father, I ask You to keep me from the temptation of the evil one and direct my steps so that I never leave the atonement covering Jesus provided for me. Fill me with Your Spirit so that I can pray and intercede for others as Your Son intercedes. I ask these things in the name of Jesus. AMEN."

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

GiveEar

      

Words like rain...

     We have seen the LORD tell us to ra'a see, which means not only to see naturally, but to see and perceive spiritually, to have revelation, to perceive, to have a vision, to foresee, to be a seer. It is a powerful and wondrous thing to ra'a see and perceive the spiritual realm as the LORD desires to show us. Many times the scriptures will say, "Lift up your eyes and (ra'a) see...". This Sabbath reading portion is titled Ha'azinu, which means "to give ear to" or "to listen." We see this title used in the first reading portion of this Sabbath in the Song of Moses, Deuteronomy 32:1: "Give ear ('azan - give ear, listen, hear, hearken, perceived by the ear, be obedient, to hear in the same way that God hears and listens to prayers) O heavens, and I will speak; and hear (sama - hear, hearken, obey, understand, discern, perceive, publish, declare, to listen to and consent to and agree with, to yield to), O earth, the words of my mouth."

     This kind of 'azan and sama hearing and ra'a seeing is to hear and see/perceive as God hears and sees. From the beginning, Adam identified the presence of the LORD in the Garden of Eden by hearing (see sama above) His voice. (see Gen. 3:8-10 KJV). All creation still hears the voice of the LORD in this manner (see Ps. 29:3-11) except for man, who in his rejection of God, becomes one who is as the LORD spoke to Isaiah: "Go and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return (shub(v) - return, repent, restore, recover, refresh, repair, be brought back) and be healed." (Isa. 6:9-10). Are we able to "see" from this Word to Isaiah, that during this time when the LORD has set aside the fall feast season and the Day of Atonement for repentance and return to Him, that unless we have eyes that "see", ears that "hear", and hearts that "understand" as the LORD sees, hears and understands, return and restoration to the LORD is not possible? Repentance and all of the healing that comes with it is not a religious term and obligation, as some treat it, but a time to find the ears, eyes and heart of God that the LORD put within us when He created us. It is the time to seek and find the Person who is the Atonement of God, His Son sacrificed for us, and His blood that covers and cleanses sin poured out for us, Jesus Messiah/Christ. Are we truly perceiving Him in the Day of Atonement? We will see more about this later.

     Moses was addressing both heaven and earth in his Song, and commanded that they listen to his words. The following was his declaration (see sama above) to those elements: "Let my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, as raindrops on the tender herb, and as showers on the grass. For I proclaim the name of the LORD: Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He." (v. 2-4).

     The words of Moses' Song are to touch and cover every part of the creation like rain and dew descend and cover, and that creation is to hear, perceive, understand and obey them. These words will be imprinted on the creation. They are indelible: making marks that cannot be removed nor forgotten, enduring eternally. We can say also that the Word became a flowing liquid that covers.

     This Ha'azinu, "give ear", Sabbath also falls between Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. On the Day of Atonement, we humble ourselves and repent before the LORD because we understand the cost of the blood of sacrifice that was needed to cover our sins. A life was given on our behalf. However, the Atonement is not just a day, but the prophetic promise of a Person, the Son of God, Jesus Messiah/Christ who is our Atonement as prophesied by Isa. 53:5, declared (see sama above) by Jesus to His disciples, saying: "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Mt. 26:28) and foundationally set by the apostles. (see Rom. 3:23-26, 1 Pet. 2:24-25, 1 Jn. 2:1-2). This same provision of covering also has a special place during these latter days before the return of Messiah/Christ, as Moses will show us.

     The Feast of Tabernacles contains the joyful promise (Ex. 25:8-9, Lev. 26:11-12, Ezek. 37:24-28) and fulfilment of a place prepared for us with God and Christ (see Jn. 1:14, Jn. 14:1-6, 1 Cor. 3:16-17), and the dwelling of God among us. (see Rev. 21:1-6).

     As we continue with the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32, the prophetic declaration that began with exalted praise of the LORD to the heavens and the earth, now turns to great heaviness. The Song contains a warning to Israel, and also to all of us, about their/our continual rejection of the LORD who had delivered them from Egypt and exalted and blessed them mightily in their own land, including providing them with "the pure (hemer/hamar - pure, red wine/seal up, cover or seal with pitch [see Gen. 6:14 - kapar: atonement] blood (note: the sprinkling of the blood is for the atonement for sin) of the grape.". (v. 10-14 KJV). Part of the provision that the LORD had given to Israel was the revelation of the atoning blood, as we see above)

     Moses' Song cried out that if only God's specially chosen and sanctified people would understand and consider their latter end. (v. 28-29). Their latter end will contain tribulation that we also see in the Book of Revelation: disasters heaped upon them, being wasted with hunger, devoured by pestilence, the teeth of beasts, the poison (hema - venom, rage, anger, wrath) of serpents (zahal - crawl into the earth to hide, fear), the destroying sword, and terror within. (v. 23-25, see also Rev. 6:1-8).

     Because of the crookedness and lack of faith found within His people, Moses sings this prophecy of the LORD: "For a fire is kindled in My anger, and shall burn to the lowest hell; it shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains." (v. 22). A fire that burns the whole earth all the way down to its foundations will be released. Ezekiel later prophesied of judgment fire. (Ezek. 19:10-14, 20:45-48). Malachi prophesied of the Refiner's fire coming to purify Israel. (Mal. 3:2-3). The Book of Revelation prophesies destroying fires (Rev. 8:7-11), and the apostle Peter wrote of a melting fire (2 Pet. 3:10-13).

     We have been given the living blood atonement kapar covering to keep us from flood and fire judgment. However, Moses sang that Israel preferred to save themselves by their own strength and gods. These things will fail to save them. The Song turns again at this point: "For the LORD will judge His people and have compassion on His servants, when He sees that their power (yod - hand, power, strength, direction, force) is gone ('azal - gone, fail, spent, used up, evaporated, exhausted, go to and fro, disappear), and there is no one remaining, bond or free....Rejoice, O Gentiles/nations, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, and render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide mercy/atonement (kapar - atonement, purge, reconciliation, forgive, cleansed, merciful, pardon, atone for sin, make atonement for, cover over with pitch, be covered over, overspread) for His land and His people." (v. 36, 43).

     When Israel has exhausted all other ways to save itself, the LORD will have mercy and show them the way back to His (kapar) atonement provision. We see today that nations, including Israel, are relying on their military strength or the strength of their alliances with other nations, to provide them with safety in this dangerous time. We see millions of people running "to and fro" to other nations in order to escape the famine, pestilence, warfare, poverty, persecution and misery in their own countries. The LORD will remove these false safety nets in order to provide for His people, as He promised the forefathers: the true and living safety net that saves them out of all their troubles. (see Ps. 34:4-7, 18-20). Moses, who loved and interceded before God on behalf of the children of Israel, spoke in the 'ozen/'azan hearing ears of Joshua and all of the congregation that they should learn the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) words of his Song and teach their (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) children so that the prophetic warning therein and the kapar Atonement deliverance provided would be perceived with eyes that ra'a see, ears that sama hear and hearts that understand. 

     As Moses prophesied, this will be a terrible time for Israel and the world in these latter days. Jesus described these times: "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days be shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened." (Mt. 24:21-22). I know that this is a difficult message, however, we need to understand the Atonement provision of God, which Moses spoke of to the children of Israel in his Song, in the deepest way - with eyes that see, ears that hear, and hearts that understand. Israel needs to understand Atonement in its truest sense. This is something that goes beyond a day of fasting. The Atonement is God Himself in the flesh, offering Himself and His covering blood for our sakes. Jesus said: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!" (Mt. 23:37-39, see also Ps. 91). Jesus, as our living Atonement, felt the strong purpose and desire to cover.

     Moses was not alone in this warning message. From other selections in this Ha'azinu, "Give Ear," Sabbath reading, Psalm 78 is included. It begins: "Give ear ('azan - see above), O my people...incline your ears ('ozen - see above)...we have heard (sama - see above) and known (yada - know, understand, consider, acknowledge, declare, teach, perceive, discern, to know by experience, confess, be revealed)..." (Ps. 78:1-3). The Psalmist wrote that they would not hide this revelation knowledge from their children, even children yet to be born, "That they may set their hope in God..." (v. 7). The Psalmist recounts all of the times that Israel rebelled against the LORD who provided so miraculously for them in the wilderness. Although they were not faithful to Him: "...He being full of compassion, forgave (kapar - atonement, purge, reconciliation, cleansed, pardon, merciful, to cover over, atone for sin, be covered over, to overspread) their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath. (v. 38). Again, the kapar Atonement that covers came to the rescue, saving them from God's destruction! The Psalmist then points to David, from the tribe of Judah, the place of Mt. Zion, who came for the purpose of shepherding Jacob (Israel), God's people: "So he (David) shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands." (v. 68-72, excerpt). David also represents the house from which the Messiah/Christ Jesus would later come, who was also called "the Son of David."

     The prophet Joel wrote of a people who come against Israel as being "great and strong, the like of whom has never been; Nor will ever be any such after them, even for many successive generations. A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns...surely nothing shall escape them. Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; and like swift steeds, so they run...like the noise of a flaming fire that devours stubble, like a strong people set in battle array. Before them the people writhe in pain; all faces are drained of color...They (the strong people who look like horses) climb into the houses, they enter at the windows like a thief." (Joel 2:2-9, excerpt). This "army" has an appearance as horses. Revelation refers to the four horsemen of the apocalypse, describing the horses they rode and the death that they brought in different forms, but they could not touch the oil (the anointing, Messiah/Christ) and the wine (the blood). (Rev. 6:1-8). These carriers of death cannot touch the blood of the anointing.

     How should Israel be saved? Shall it use its wealth to assemble for itself the world's greatest army? Shall it align itself with, and depend upon the power of the world's strongest nation? Neither of these things will provide the kapar Atonement covering they will need. The LORD will arrange events so that they will have to find that true kapar covering that cannot be killed or destroyed because He promised that He would provide it for them.

     The Law of Moses commands that the Day of Atonement was to be observed as a sabbath wherein God's people "afflict your souls." (Lev. 23:26-32). Those who do not do so will be cut off from his people - perhaps because there is no covering? What does it mean to afflict one's soul? It is often interpreted in part as fasting. However, we need to look more deeply. The soul is the seat of the emotions, the thoughts of the mind, and the will, the desire for self-determination. Joel gives us this look into Atonement: Now, therefore,' says the LORD, 'Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.' So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm." (Joel 2:12-13). 

     Tear down the useless things that we have built within our own souls. Tear open our hearts, and ask the LORD to rebuild and restore those things that He created in our souls when He breathed His own breath into us: eyes that see, ears that hear, and a heart that understands so that we may perceive our Atonement, Messiah/Christ Jesus, and receive Him.

     If you would like to learn more about the Atonement covering of the LORD, you can join me in my prayer: "Blessed LORD over all the earth, "God of Israel" is one of Your names in scripture. You have promised with Your own life and blood to cover, and save all of Israel, and all who believe Your Son, Jesus. Help me to search my own heart, to rend it so that You may restore, renew and rebuild my heart that I may walk in understanding. Heal my eyes, as Jesus did with the blind, so that I may "see." Heal my ears, as Jesus did with the deaf, so I may "hear." I pray this same mercy for all of Israel and the descendants of Abraham, including his descendants by faith, for we have inherited Your promises through our Atonement, Jesus. I trust in You, LORD, and I will declare it to future generations. I ask these things in the name of Jesus. AMEN."

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

Eighth

This week we resume the Sabbath readings in Leviticus, which is from the Latin, meaning "of the Levites". The Hebrew name of this third book of scripture is Va-yikra meaning "and He (God) called". In this third Book, the LORD is establishing something new. He commanded Moses to construct a tabernacle and furnishings for worship which would follow a pattern that God had shown to Moses on the mountain. Also established at this time would be a priesthood, led by Aaron, Moses' brother, as the high priest. The priests would be accepting and offering specific sacrifices for the atonement for their sins and the sins of the people, and for their forgiveness. Why was God establishing this new pattern? Sacrifices had been offered to God since Genesis, including Abel, Cain, Noah, Abraham, and so on, all done without the mediation and reconciliation ministry of the priest. While only the tribe of Levi could form the priesthood, the LORD had previously said to Moses in scripture regarding His people: "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you will be a special treasure to Me above all people; for the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Ex. 19:6). We can see here a prophetic promise of a priesthood that goes beyond the tribe of Levi, and extends to all of Israel. Long after this Levitical priesthood was established, Isaiah prophesied: "But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, they shall call you the servants of our God." (Isa. 61:6). This prophecy comes in a section that begins: "The Spirit of the LORD God is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed (masah - to rub with oil, to anoint, to consecrate, to spread out and expand (like a liquid)) Me..." (v. 1). As Jesus read this passage from Isaiah in the synagogue, He declared that part of the prophecy was fulfilled in that moment by Him. This prophecy is considered to be connected to the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ. Over a thousand years after Moses, the apostles Peter, and also John in the Book of Revelation, wrote about a royal priesthood, and of kings and priests, who are connected to the Messiah, Jesus. This priesthood consists of people who do not seem to be directly connected to the Levites: "His own special people...who once were not a people but are now the people of God..." (1 Peter 2:9-10). Perhaps this week's Sabbath reading will help us to understand more about the formation of the priesthood, and its ordained transformation to our present day. The title of this week's reading portion is Sh'mini, which means "eighth" in English. This portion covers Lev. chapters 9 through 11. Aaron and his sons had completed the seven days of their consecration as priests. Then, on the eighth day, their priestly ministry began with offerings for both Aaron and sons, and the people of Israel: "... make atonement for yourself and the people." (Lev. 9:7). Something unusual would happen, as Moses prophesied the Word of the LORD, as a result of the atonement made on this eighth day: "...for today the LORD will appear to you...This is the thing (hadabar) which the LORD commanded you to do, and the glory of the LORD will appear to you." (Lev. 9:1-4, 6). The glory would come as a result of obedience to "the thing" which the LORD had commanded them to do. "The thing" is dabar in Hebrew, or "the word, speech, voice, command, song" of God. The meaning of the individual letters in the word dabar, which are daleth, beth, and reysh, with the letter he added to the beginning of them, could also mean "Behold, the door to the house/family of the Highest". The glory and presence of God that comes from the service of the priesthood is a result of obedience to the Word of the LORD. That Word of creation, salvation, deliverance, life, abundance and holiness would be wonderful enough just as it is written, but even greater is that the glory of the Word is of such a nature that it became flesh, and dwelt among us. It is light, it is living, it is Spirit, it is truth and grace, and it is the Person of Jesus Christ, who possesses the glory as of the only begotten of the Father (Jn. 1:1-5, 14). The priests followed the hadabar command of God, and the glory of the LORD did indeed appear to all. We see the opposite of this in the second reading portion for this Sabbath from Lev. 10. Two of Aaron's sons, who were consecrated priests, put fire in their censers, added incense to it, and "offered profane/strange (zur - another place, strange, foreign, enemy, loathsome, falsehood, turn aside, depart) fire before the LORD which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD." (Lev. 10:1). Aaron's other two sons had to go and carry out the bodies of their brothers from before the sanctuary. Some may think that this seems harsh of God, but we can find out why this action of seeming worship cost the two brothers their lives. One thing we know for sure that made this fire "profane" in God's eyes is that He did not tell them to do it. If it is not of the Spirit and the Word (of God), then it is of corrupted flesh. Let's look and see how Paul explained this: "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace...So then those who are in the flesh cannot please God...For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God." (Rom. 8:5-8, 14). We can get more understanding perhaps in the names of the two sons who offered this "profane fire". One was named Nadab, which means "generous, spontaneous, freely offered, incite to anything, to impel oneself". It is good to be generous, but giving by the flesh rather than by the Word and the Spirit is like bringing death before God. Our "good ideas", or "good intentions" mean nothing if they have not been birthed by the Spirit of Truth. The second son ws named Abihu, meaning "he is my father". A son of God, as Paul wrote, is led by the Spirit of God. It is not enough to say, "My father is Aaron, or My Father is God, so I can do this". An anointed son obeys his Father (see Phil. 2:5-11), who is Spirit. We see this in what the LORD spoke after this sad event: "By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people, I must be glorified." (Lev. 10:3). We, the priests of the LORD, cannot come so disrespectfully into the presence of God in the rotting death of flesh. By doing so, we rob all of the people of the glory of God. Scripture says in an earlier part of Leviticus that if an anointed priest sins, it brings guilt on all the people, and he must make a burnt offering sacrifice for his sin (Lev. 4:3). In another portion from this Sabbath's reading, we see another example of seemingly "good intentions" gone horribly wrong. In 2 Sam. 6, David wants to bring the Ark of God up to Jerusalem, to be placed in a tabernacle there. However, they did not transport the Ark as the LORD commanded Moses to do, carried on poles by the priests, but they placed the Ark on a new cart pulled by oxen. As the oxen stumbled, and the cart shifted, the Ark began to slide off the back of the cart. Uzziah (meaning "strength") put his hand forward to steady the Ark. God struck Uzziah there, and he died by the Ark of God. David was angry at the death of Uzziah (v. 1-8). Later, David would make a second attempt to bring up the Ark to Jerusalem, but this time, they would do so according to the Word that the LORD had commanded Moses: "And so it was, when those bearing the Ark of the LORD had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep." (v. 13). This time, the Ark was carried, as it was commanded by God generations before. "New" ideas, like new carts, and the strength of men, if they break the Word of God, will not result in the blessings and life of the Spirit, but in the death found in the flesh. In another portion from this Sabbath's reading, King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes: "All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the soul is not satisfied." (Eccl. 6:7). He wrote that if a man seems to have everything, "but his soul is not satisfied with (he-behold) goodness (he-behold)...I say that a stillborn child is better than he...Though it has not seen the sun or known anything, this has more rest than that man, even if he lives a thousand years twice - but has not seen (vawhe - behold)..." (v. 3-6). In these verses, "goodness" is greatly emphasied by the addition of Hebrew letters not normally part of the word "goodness" that translate to "behold!" and "nail". This emphatic goodness required by the soul of men cannot be satisfied by the desires or comfort of the flesh, as Solomon wrote. As mentioned earlier, there is a ministering priesthood connected to the obedience and sacrifice of the Messiah, our Savior Jesus, revealed openly in the New Testament (1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10, Rev. 1:5-6). There is also a connection to Messiah, the Son of David, Jesus, mentioned in this week's Sabbath reading portion which deals with the ministry of the priests. In 1 Chron. 17, David was given a promise from God, later called the Davidic Covenant, in which the LORD promised that David's Son would rule on the throne forever: "He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. I shall be his Father, and he shall be My son...and I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever." (v. 12-14). David understood very well what God had just promised him - that the Messiah would come from David's house, and would rule on an eternal throne. Because of this understanding, David was overwhelmed and humbled exceedingly (v. 16-20). Now knowing all of these things, what does the Sabbath title Sh'mini, or "Eighth", have to do with this? The eighth day in this Sabbath portion from which we get the title, marks the end of the seven day sanctification period of the priests, and the beginning of their ministry in the tabernacle before God on behalf of themselves and the people. The eighth day also memorializes the end of one day of Passover plus the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and it is a special Sabbath commanded by God (see Lev. 23:5-8). The meaning of the "Eighth Day" in rabbinical teaching is expressed this way: seven days mark the completion of the natural order, but the eighth day signifies a step above/beyond the natural order. The priesthood of God in Christ is to bring all of the people up to a higher level, beyond the natural realm and into the spiritual realm of God. This is not done by ruling over the people by natural understanding and strength, nor by approaching God in any way we please, but in leading the people into the way of the sacrificial atonement of Christ, and God's forgiveness (Lev. 4:26,31, 35). Jesus, our great High Priest who has passed through the heavens (Heb. 4:14-16), is also the atoning sacrifice that we minister to all people as God's priests: "...these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate (parakletos - comforter, advocate, one who pleads another's cause before a judge, an intercessor) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." (1 Jn. 2:1-2). If you would like to learn more about this special priesthood in the atoning sacrifice of Christ, you can pray with me: Dear Father, You established a priesthood that followed a specific pattern of atonement and forgiveness. You fulfilled that pattern through Your dear Son, Jesus, and You have made us priests and kings before You on behalf of all people through Him. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can minister the atonement and forgiveness in a manner that upholds Your holiness and glory before the people. Help me to walk in obedience to Your Word and Spirit, and not in my own flesh. Forgive me for those occasions when I have relied on my own understanding and strength, rather than Your hadabar commands. Let my life glorify You, and lift all people into the heavenly realm of Your presence. I ask these things in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Leviticus

This week's sabbath reading portion begins what we refer to as the Book of Leviticus. "Leviticus" is a Latin word meaning "of the Levites". It is about the law pertaining to the priests (hakohen/kahan - priest, prince, mediator of religious services to God/a prophet, predict, undertake anyone's cause, riches, abundance, opulence, glory, as a bridegroom makes himself splendid), who were from the Israelite tribe of Levi. The Hebrew phrase used for the Book that we call "Leviticus" is Va-yikra, meaning "And He (the LORD) called", and it is also the title of this sabbath's reading portion, which covers Leviticus chapters 2 through 5. The priesthood played a vital role in God's provision for covering the sins of His people, and forgiving them. The LORD accomplished this with a system of sacrifices and offerings. This sacrificial system and priesthood would be a prophetic image of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ that would cover our sins and destroy the power of death forever. We also have been called to be a priesthood before God, based upon our acceptance of the Chief Cornerstone of life, Jesus (1 Pet. 2:5, 9-10, Rev. 1:6, Rev. 1:5-6, Rev. 5:10). There are many specifics in the law regarding the priesthood, and the offerings to be brought before God, but one main idea repeated in this week's reading is: "So the priest shall make atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them." (Lev. 4:20, 26, 5:13, 16, 18). The idea of ministering atonement, or kapar in Hebrew, is very powerful. The individual Hebrew letters of the word for atonement, kaph, phe, reysh, carry the meaning "to be covered by the palm of the hand or wings in order to gain entrance to the Most High". The meaning of kapar, or atonement is "to overspread, to cover, to purge, make atonement, make reconciliation, to expiate, cleanse, forgive, be merciful, receive pardon, make expiation for an offender". Our priesthood before God, based upon these meanings, is an awesome responsibility. The apostle Paul wrote: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation (katallage/katallasse - adjustment of a difference, restoration to favor, atonement/to reconcile those at variance, to change mutually), that is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Cor. 5:17-21). Not only is man reconciled to God through this priestly ministry received from and through Christ, but in so doing, man is also being reconciled to "all things" which are of God, including "a new creation". A new creation is not found only in the New Testament, but in the Old Testament, or Tanakh, as well, by the prophet Isaiah when writing of priests and Levites (Isa. 66:21-24). The apostle Peter also looked at our "priestly" role in reconciling the old and new creations. As Peter wrote of the current heavens passing away, and earth being melted away by the fervent heat of the day of the Lord, he also said that we: "...in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God...according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells...looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless." (2 Pet. 3:10-14). Three times Peter wrote that we were to be looking towards with expectation, thereby hastening, the new heavens and the new earth. Again we are placed in the middle, in reconciliation, between the passing away of the old, and the manifestation of the new. There are some other unusual reconciliations to which the priesthood is connected. The Jewish rabbis have written of the "four levels of existence", and although the idea may seem unfamiliar to us on its surface, I think we can learn from it. Because I don't rely upon men's interpretations and doctrines, we will also be reading several scriptures that confirm this principle of which the rabbis wrote. The rabbis have also connected the four levels of existence to the priesthood, as we will see, which is also pertinent to our priesthood in Christ, as we will see. The first level of existence is Atzilut, meaning "near". This first level contains the presence of God. Some of the prophets also had a direct encounter with this first level of Atzilut, and so are included in it. Moses, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and in the New Testament, Paul, who was caught up to Paradise, and John the Revelator saw into, or were called up into, this first level. Regarding the priesthood, the High Priest is also included in this first level as he alone was allowed to come into the presence of God one day a year, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, to apply the blood of the sacrifice to the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle/temple. Our High Priest, Jesus, also inhabits this highest level with His Father (Jn. 10:30, Acts 2:32-35, Eph. 1:20-23). He has also joined us with Himself in this Atzilut level (Jn. 17:19-26). The second level of existence is Beriah, or "Creation", which existed before the Garden of Eden, and is associated with the archangels. The priests of God are connected to this level according to the rabbis. The third level of existence is Yetzirah, or "Formation", which would include the lower creation of the Garden of Eden, the souls of men, the realm of angels (both good and bad). It is called the "mixed realm". The Levites of the priesthood are associated with this level. Lastly is Asiyyah, or "Making", which is solely the physical realm of creation. The rabbis associated this level with the general congregation of Israelites. All four levels of existence were represented therefore in the tabernacle of Moses, as we can see. If we follow this idea of the rabbis, we can see that the priesthood is the connection that runs from the lowest level of creation, the physical realm of earth, to the highest, which is the presence of God. The rabbis also wrote that the four colors associated with the priestly garments, gold, blue, purple ("mixed" level), and red ("For God so loved the world, that He gave [the red blood of] His only begotten Son..."), represent the four levels mentioned above. We can see this same connection in the New Testament. Jesus taught His disciples to pray "The Lord's Prayer" (Mt. 6:9-13). This is very much a priestly prayer, as we can now understand: "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." We can see the priestly connection, or reconciliation, to the first level as taught by the rabbis, above, when Jesus said: "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus also said the following to His disciples, which has priestly overtones: "If you forgive/remit (aphiemi/apo - to send away, forgive, keep no longer/separate) the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain (krateo/kratos - be master of, rule over, continue to hold/strength, dominion, power) the sins of any, they are retained." (Jn. 20:23, see also Lev. 4:40, etc). In another part of scripture, Jesus brought this priesthood to mind when He said: "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth, concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." (Mt. 18:18-20, 16:18-19). We see here again the joining of the earthly, or physical, creation with the first level in heaven through the believer-priest, and the presence and name of Jesus. One more example before we move on. Paul wrote of the reconciliation achieved across the different levels: "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 8:39, Eph. 3:9-11, 17-19). Paul's affirmation sliced through all of the levels and joined us directly with the highest level of the Father through Jesus. It is the name of Jesus, in whom we have received our priesthood, that reconciles the levels of the creation with the highest level, that of the glory of God the Father, through His total humility and obedience, of which we should also be of the same mind (see. Phil. 2:5-11). This necessary humility and obedience of Christ, which should also be of our mind, is also revealed in this week's sabbath reading portion, as was pointed out to me by a student of the original Hebrew scriptures. The title of this third Book of the Bible, "and He called" in English, has a special hidden element that only becomes revealed in the actual reading of the Tanakh, the Hebrew "Old Testament". The word "called" written in Hebrew (va-yyikra) has an unexplained smaller sized aleph letter at the end of the Hebrew word. This unusual miniaturized version of the ending aleph letter does not change the spelling or meaning of the word itself, so why is it there, and in miniature size? The rabbis have this explanation: the small aleph is there to remind us that when God calls someone, he/she must decrease and become smaller, so that God may become larger in his/her life. Interestingly, John the Baptist said something similar in what appears to be a comment on the levels of existence, and their connection to his purpose. John was of the priestly order, his father being Zacharias the priest (Lk. 1:5, 8-9), as well as being a prophet. John said this: "He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony." (Jn. 3:30-32). This is the small aleph at work in John's life. As he decreased, Jesus, the heavenly level from above increased. This is very important to our walk as priests as well, if we are to be effective in reconciling all of creation to the glory and presence of God in the name of Jesus. Finally, in these first chapters in Leviticus, or Va-yikra, there is a repeated reference to the "sweet savor/aroma" to the LORD from the offerings which the priests oversaw (see Lev. 1:9, 17, 2:2, 9,12, 3:5, 16, 4:31). The Hebrew words used for the expression "sweet savor/aroma" mean "a restful, delightful, pleasing, soothing, sweet scent that breathes and touches with acceptance". We have this same idea from the New Testament: "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance/savor of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance/sweet savor of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." (2 Cor. 15-17). That sweet aroma, produced by the priests overseeing offerings in the tabernacle, that pleased, soothed and delighted God, and caused the breath of acceptance to come from Him, is the fragrance of Christ and His triumph and knowledge, the same fragrance that is diffused by us, His priests. As we continue in the Book of Leviticus (Va-yikra), we will be learning more about the priesthood, and how it applies to our walk of faith and spiritual purpose. If you would like to learn more about the priesthood of the tabernacle, and our priesthood, you can join me in my prayer: "Father of Glory, You have made us priests of Christ before You. Lead us by Your Holy Spirit as we learn more about that priesthood so that we can fulfill it as you have called us to do. Help us to be ministers of reconciliation through Christ, joining all creation to Your presence and glory, as we have been joined to You in Christ. All creation groans for this manifestation of the sons of God, diffusing the fragrance of Christ to those who are both living and perishing. Let the knowledge and victory of Jesus, fill the whole earth through us, as we become less, and Christ in us becomes more. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."