Mercy&Humility

      The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion is Eikev, which means "Because". It may also be expressed "as a consequence of". The chapters from Deuteronomy that are part of this reading portion are chapters 8-11. Moses was recounting the history of the relationship between the Israelites and God up to that point, and it had been a contentious relationship.

     This reading portion begins with Moses saying to the Israelites: "Every commandment which I commanded you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) land of which the LORD swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test/prove you, to know (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) what was in your heart (lebab - inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding, conscience, inclination, mode of thinking and acting), whether you would keep His commandments or not." (Deut. 8:1-2). There is a consequence or result to observing the LORD's commandments here: to live, to multiply, to go into the promised land. 

     The way that the LORD had led Israel through the wilderness was not an arbitrary way. It was the way that was connected to the prophesied Messiah, designated by the written Hebrew letters aleph-tav (see * explanation at the bottom of the entry). The first purpose of the wilderness was to humble the people according to the verse above. These were former slaves, treated as lowly servants of Pharaoh, yet it was still required that they be humbled before the LORD. This is also the way of the Messiah/Christ: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant (doulos/deo - slave, bondman, servile condition, one who gives himself up to another's will, devoted to another to the disregard of one's own interests/to bind tie, fasten, fasten with chains, to be bound to one), and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He 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....and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ (Messiah) is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:5-11). This is the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega way of the Messiah/Christ.

     God's second purpose of the forty-year way through the wilderness was to test the Israelites. This is an interesting word in Hebrew. It is the word nasa, which in this case means "to test, to put to the proof, to try by the smell." Yes, there is a smell test! There is a fragrance that results, or is a consequence of, our love and service to God. There is an expected fragrance to those who follow the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega way of the Messiah/Christ: "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." (2 Cor. 2:14-15). What is the fragrance of Messiah/Christ? It is the fragrance of one humbled and obedient, as a servant bound to the will of His Father in heaven. All four Gospels give the account of this fragrance. It is like the fragrance of the most precious and costly anointing ointment (spikenard: nardo + pistikos - East India plant yielding juice of delicious odor used in the most precious ointment + pertaining to belief, faith, assurance, producing belief) poured out upon Jesus six days before His death on Passover that marks one as walking humbly but powerfully in death to self (see Mt. 26:6-10, Mk. 14:3-9, Lk. 7:36-50, Jn. 12:1-8).

       The LORD also that the humbling and proving that He did with the Israelites in the wilderness was "to do you good in the end (aharit/ahar - latter time, future, the last or end, end time/afterwards [of time])." (Deut. 8:14-17).  As we are in the latter times, the end times, before the return of the Messiah/Christ, it becomes most important that we are humble, and that we pass "the smell test" in this regard as our faith is tried and proven.

     Moses defined our humility before the LORD: "And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love (ahab - beloved, to desire, to breathe after, long for, to produce fruit, germinate and shoot forth) the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD (Hebrew letters yod, hey, vaw, hey: "Behold the hand, behold the nail") your God and serve (abad - serve, servant, worship, to serve as a subject, slave, bondman) Him with all your heart, and with all your soul, then..." (Deut. 11:13, see also Deut. 6:4-6, Mt. 22:37-40). This command to love the LORD totally and serve Him was the command that Moses was leaving with the Israelites. Jesus said that the whole law and the prophets were contained in this command (Mt. 22:36-40). 

     Moses explained to the Israelites that even if they are flourishing and living in wealth, it is still necessary to humble oneself before the LORD. The humility is in the understanding that the LORD supplies the air that we breathe, the rain in the proper season that's necessary to grow the food that we eat and that our animals eat (Deut. 11:13-15). We cannot supply these necessary things to live, but the LORD supplies them for us. Money and possessions are enjoyable, and to some unfortunately they are the most important things in life, but those things cannot buy the air that you need to breathe: "Therefore you shall lay up these (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes...Then your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth." (Deut. 11:18, 21).

     In another reading portion from this Eikev, "Because" Sabbath, a Psalm was written in thanksgiving for the mercy (hesed - goodness, kindness, faithfulness, desire, ardor, love, eager and ardent desire) of the LORD towards us that endures forever: TO HIM who does great wonders, TO HIM who made the heavens by wisdom, TO HIM who laid out the earth, TO HIM who made the great lights in heaven, TO HIM who struck the slave masters of Egypt, TO HIM who divided the Red Sea, TO HIM who led His people through the wilderness, TO HIM who struck down great kings on behalf of His people...it is to Him whom we give eternal thanks. (see Ps. 136). Only the LORD can do these things, and He does them out of faithful, ardent love which is His mercy.

     There is another side to the meaning of the hesed mercy of the LORD. Hesed also contains the meaning: "reproach, wicked thing, revile, shame, put to shame." There is nothing more shameful than to refuse to return the ardent love, goodness and kindness of God when considering the supernatural mercies that have been extended to us. Shame falls upon us when we forget the hesed mercy of the LORD.

     From another reading portion of this Eikev Sabbath, Psalm 19 wants us to consider "The Perfect Revelation of the LORD" according to the notation in my Bible. In this Psalm, David wants us to consider the heavens that declare the glory of God (v. 1-6). We know that the LORD has arranged the heavens into perfect gravitational balance and revolution so that the earth can support abundant life. The sun cannot pull the earth into its burning heat, and the outer planets cannot pull us into the cold darkness of space, but rather, we hang in the perfect balance between those powerful forces. The LORD maintains this balance by calling the heavenly bodies by name into their set places: "He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our LORD and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground." (Ps. 147:4-6). Is the LORD not to be loved, thanked and glorified above all else for this brilliant mercy towards us? It is indeed shameful to walk in the benefits of these great mercies of God, but to refuse to continually love and acknowledge Him for them.

     One of the greatest expressions of the LORD's hesed mercy, ardent love, and desire for us is found in these words spoken by Jesus: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (Jn. 3:16-17). Here is the shameful side of that mercy: "...And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." (Jn. 3:18-19). Rather than the humble, grateful acceptance of the sacrificial hesed mercy and avid love of God, it is refused in the pride and self-righteousness that dwells in men's hearts to their shame. Why refuse His great hesed mercy?

     Moses had a warning about the development of self-righteousness in the hearts of God's people when they see God remove the Canaanite nations from the promised land before them: "Do not think in your heart after the LORD God has cast them out before you, saying, 'Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) land (eres also means the whole world)'; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out from before you. It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land..." (Deut. 9:4-6). These verses also say that God will dispossess those nations "that He may fulfill the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) word which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." It is very easy to lose our humility and become self-righteous before the LORD when He does wonders and shows favor on our behalf. Moses' serious warnings to the Israelites had to do with the issues of their hearts towards the LORD. Their fall, he warned, would not come from the actions of outward enemies, but from the sinful nature of their inward hearts.

     Jesus warned of the religious pride and self-righteousness that are traps into which we can so easily fall. He spoke of those who were religious "elite" who thought they deserved the greatest honors, titles and recognition, and did things to be impressive in men's eyes rather than for the love of God. However, the truth of the kingdom of God is this, Jesus said: "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Mt. 23:1-12). Jesus said that God is spirit, and the Father was seeking those who worship Him in spirit and in truth. The Holy Spirit, of whom we are to be filled as believers in Christ, is of the humblest character, never exalting Himself, but only revealing the glory and truth of the Father and the Son. We should be of the same heart and character.

     The apostle James wrote: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble...Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." (James 4:6, 10). Peter wrote similarly: "Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (1 Pet. 5:5-7).

     If you would like to know more about the work in our lives of humility before the LORD, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, give me a humble heart to love You and serve You, even as Your Son, Jesus, humbled Himself to serve Your will and way. It is because of this humility that Your raised Him up and exalted Him for Your glory. You are magnified and glorified in the hearts of the humble. Be glorified in my heart today, LORD, and forgive me when I think more highly of myself than I ought. Change my innermost thoughts to conform to Your Word and Spirit. I thank You for the hesed mercy that You show to me daily. I pray in Jesus' name. AMEN."

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

Listen

"Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me...He will provide atonement for His land and His people." (Deut. 32:39, 43). This is from the Song of Moses, given to Israel as a way to return to God, and His promise of atonement. Moses knew that after his death, the people would turn away from the LORD who created and delivered them. Today, as I am writing this, it is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, one of the appointed feasts of the LORD. Some Christians don't observe this day, thinking that it only applies to Jewish people. However, the Day of Atonement is also a basic New Testament truth as well, having been fulfilled by Jesus in His sacrifice. For those who do observe this day in the traditional manner and understanding, both Jew and Gentile, I would like to offer an additional thought that emerges from this Sabbath's reading. We are in the appointed season where God is calling His people to return to Him. He has provided first the prophetic promise of this feast day, and then the fulfillment of that promise in the atoning blood of Christ, placed upon the Mercy Seat of God on our behalf: "But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption...how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Heb. 9:11-14). These verses refer to Christ's fulfillment of the prophetic command of God under the law of Moses that the high priest was to enter the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement to sprinkle the blood of sacrifice on the Mercy Seat for the yearly covering of the sins of God's people. It is interesting that the verses from Hebrews Ch. 9 not only show us the fulfillment already accomplished by Christ, but "of the good things to come" in the greater and more perfect tabernacle not of this creation (the Feast of Tabernacles is soon to begin after Yom Kippur). Christ sealed this future for us in the Spirit as He fulfilled the Atonement. These verses also talk about the atoning work of Christ as cleansing our conscience from "dead works". The phrase, dead works, in the Greek is translated as "lifeless (as a corpse), spiritually dead, destitute of force or power in that which any one is occupied". The LORD describes the Day of Atonement as a day to afflict our souls (Lev. 23:27, 29, 32). According to the Hebrew meaning of that phrase used in these verses from Leviticus, this means for us to humble, stoop, bow down, become low, to submit (to God) our soul, our person, and the activities of our mind, will and character. In addition to our understanding of the traditional practices of the observance of Yom Kippur, we should also seek to include this instruction from God in our observance of the Day of Atonement. Therefore, entering Yom Kippur we should remind ourselves of Who God is, and what God has done, and humble ourselves before Him as a result. This was Moses' vision of the atonement of God, which he incorporated into a Song to teach Israel. Moses brings us this point in this week's Sabbath reading from Deut. 32 titled Ha'azinu, or "Listen". As we read the Song of Moses in this chapter, Moses is attributing the future spiritual fall of His people to the fact that they have forgotten Who God is, and what He has done for them. The pathway to their return to God and His atonement provision (v. 43) that Moses has given to Israel in his Song is not in religious acts that seem good to do, but in remembering the truly awesome greatness of God. The people, Moses prophesied, would become puffed up in their own efforts, or "dead works", and would become continually dissatisfied, constantly wanting more, eventually serving other gods to attain what they want, because they have forgotten Who God is. Moses begins his Song of Return for Israel by telling the heavens and the earth to "listen" to his proclamation: "Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth...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." (Deut. 32:1-4). Moses reminds Israel in his Song, that God had chosen and created Israel from the beginning "when He separated the sons of Adam..." (v. 8). At this same time, the LORD assigned boundaries to these separated sons of Adam and their descendants, always keeping in mind ahead of time the inheritance that He was reserving for the children of Israel not yet born. Of Israel, Moses wrote in his Song that the LORD found them in the wasteland, the howling wilderness,encircled them, instructed them, kept them as the apple of His eye, hovered over them as an eagle, spreading His wings over them and carrying them on those wings (v. 10-11). However, they would forget God, and grow (spiritually) fat, even obese (v. 15), and yet still be dissatisfied: "Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, and have forgotten the God who fathered you." (v. 18). Our remembrance of Who God is, and what He has done brings us into a humbling, and a repentance before Him, and before the One who paid the price for our atonement in order to reconcile us back to our Father. Dead works won't do it, no matter how good they seem to us. In Isa. 58, God mocks Israel as they ask Him: "Why have we fasted," they say, "and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?" (Isa. 58:3). While their works impressed themselves, they didn't impress God, because the people had no reverence for Him, or for His precepts towards others. Dead works take something exalted and powerful and turn it into something that is all about us, and what we are doing. That road, however, is the road to "Fat City"! Let's go back instead to the root of the root: Let's remind ourselves Who God is, and be humbled by it. Remember when the thought of God used to humble us? Our remembrance would cause us to bow our heads. Yes, we have forgotten, I think. We have forgotten our beginnings, and what our Father miraculously and sovereignly did to bring us this far, and the price He paid to ensure the "good things to come" for each of us. When we are often easily discouraged and dissatisfied, and run to anything or anyone that might "feed" us, even if it satisfies for only a little while, then we have forgotten our God, and we have become "fat". In the haftarah portion for this Sabbath lesson, "Listen", David offers a similar declaration of exaltation to the one that Moses gave to the people of Israel in his Song: "Then David spoke to the LORD the words of this song, on the day when the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. And he said, 'The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength in whom I will trust; My shield, and the horn (strength; of rays of light) of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies...In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry entered His ears." (2 Sam. 22:1-7). Besides keeping the beloved traditions and observances of the Day of Atonement that have been established over many generations, I think that the power of the Day is also in our return to Him, reminding ourselves of, and humbling and bowing ourselves to, Who God is, and what He has done. This is the Song of our Return, and the provision given in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. This is what brings us back to our Father. If you would like to return to the LORD through the atonement of His Son, you can pray: "Heavenly Father, how great and merciful You are! You have provided the way for me to return to You through the atoning blood of Your only Son, Jesus. From the beginning, You separated me out from many people, and provided my place in Your inheritance. You set the boundaries that would allow me to have a place and a future among those who belong to You. You found me in the wasteland, encircled me, instructed and kept me, hovered over me, and carried me on Your wings as an eagle's. You have brought me to Your side by Your atonement provision for me. You have also sealed the good things to come for me by the atonement of Your Son. You have heard my cry, and rescued me countless times. Father, I remember and declare Who You are to me, and I humble myself in thanks, and in service, before Your wonder and graciousness. I return to You in the name of Your Son, Jesus, who died and rose again for me, and who sprinkled His blood in atonement for me. AMEN."

Humility

I have wanted to write about the humility of our Father, but I haven't quite known the meaning of the quality of humility. I don't think we can know it, until the circumstances of life have brought us to the condition and experience of humility. We think we know how to be humble, and scripture tells us to have the quality of humility, but I don't think we truly know what it is.
The dictionary defines humility as "a way of behaving that shows that you do not think that you are better or more important than other people". Another definition is "the quality of having a modest or low view of one's importance." It comes from the Latin word humilitatem meaning "lowness, insignificance".
1 Peter 5:5-6 says in part,
"...Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble'.
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, 
that He may exalt you in due time." 
The word humility used here means "a sense of one's littleness", from a root word which means "not rising from the ground, lowly in spirit, humble."

The Proverbs tell us repeatedly the rewards of humility:
"By humility and fear of the LORD are riches and honor and life."

"The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility."

"Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, and before honor is humility."
                                                                        Proverbs 22:4, 15:33, 18:12 

Those who are entrusted with honor, are those who have the quality of humility first. In man's heart is the desire for honor and acknowledgement, the desire for eminence and respect from our fellow man. This is the exact opposite of humility. Jesus said that it was those who humbled themselves that would be the ones to be exalted (Mt.23:12). He also said as the disciples debated who was greatest among themselves, that the greater one is the one who serves, not the one who rules. He told them that He, Himself, was among them as One who serves (Lk. 22:26-27). Jesus turned down worldy kingdoms offered to Him, in order to be a servant of His Father (Mt. 4:8-10). And as we know, Jesus did as the Father showed Him to do. So if Jesus came as a servant, that same servanthood exists in the Father.


Humility is also essential in prayer before the LORD:
"If My people, who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land."                      2 Chron. 7:14

Being humble is the first requirement in the verse above. It is of the first importance.
This same quality in prayer is repeated in other scriptures:

"Because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you, says the LORD."
(Spoken by the LORD through the prophetess Huldah to King Josiah.)  
                                                          2 Chron. 34:27

"LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble;
You will prepare their heart;
You will cause Your ear to hear."
                                                          Psalm 10:17 

The highest realms of the Kingdom of God are inhabited by the humble, and the Father inhabits that place with them. The greatest spiritual heights, the most exalted of the holies, the place where the Father lives, is the place of humility. He fills it, and it surrounds Him, and in that place of humility where He dwells, revival is found:

"For thus says the high and Lofty One
Who inhabits eternity,
Whose name is holy:
I dwell in the high and holy place,
with him who has a contrite and humble spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."
                                                       Isa. 57:15   

To "revive" above means to be delivered from sickness and discouragement, from faintness and death. It means to restore and preserve. It is a place of revelation, breath, and life. To inhabit that place, to be with Him, we must be like Him. 

Luke 21:1-3 (Fran's Amplified Version)

“And Jesus, the Son of Man, the Savior, received sight, beheld, took heed of and discerned with His Spirit Eye, the rich men (the wealthy, the abundantly supplied, the ones to be completed and filled with the Holy Ghost) casting (throwing, casting out, letting go of)  their gifts (what’s supposed to be the expressions of honor for God, their supposed sacrificial offerings) without even caring where it fell or to what purpose it would be used for) into the treasury (into the place where the treasures are all kept, the special rooms in the court of the temple – the peculiar places of the Body – where all that’s needed for service is kept and where the priests of God themselves live – the place where they themselves are as a tribe, the nation of trumpets, the watched over ones).  And He also saw a certain poor  (needy person, one who toils daily for their substance, who is the image of the great gulf, the chasm fixed between those who are needy of things and of flesh and those who are needy of the Spirit of God the Redeemer in their own spirits/hearts) cast in two mites (the two, the witness of their being stripped, peeled and scaled back like a stripped husk from all the outer, meaningless, natural, temporal things; and He declared, decreed, spoke the Word over the fact that, that stripped down, humbled person, had thrown in more (a greater and more superior quality, a more excellent part as offering unto God the Father) than all the rest of them.”

The above verses are the result of Scripture study by a friend. What she discovered in the familiar verses about the widow who gave the two mites, is not just a lesson on giving, although it is that also. It is a picture of the value of a humbled individual in the eyes of God. This is an individual who has had the circumstances of her life peel away from her all pride. She lived through things that removed all the outer false glory and temporary beauty of man's self-importance. To the others giving that day, she must have seemed of no importance, her gift too small for notice. But as Jesus looked at her with the eyes of the Spirit, He saw that, in her humility, she and her gift were the greatest of them all.

Would we allow the LORD to peel back our pride through difficult lessons and circumstances? Or would we do everything in our faith and power, to escape from that peeling and scraping away? Would we, having had all things taken from us, still be willing to give the pittance we had left, because we had gained a humble, worshipping heart before God? Would we be willing to give up other people's esteem and good opinion, as we were (seemingly) diminished in their sight? If we lost all of the temporary comforts and ease of the world, would we become humble, or bitter?

Will we welcome the process of becoming humble before God and man?

                                                      

Our Father is humility.


"Humble Thyself in the Sight of the LORD"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZqv7ww-UJk