Standing?

   

Peanut Butter Sandwich

     Above is an image of a peanut butter sandwich. I hope that the meaning of this image will be made clearer later in this entry. 

       This Sabbath reading portion, Nitzavim, meaning "are standing," is the Sabbath before the Feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah, which occurs next week. It is the last Sabbath of the sixth month (according to the religious calendar) of Elul, the month of repentance. Many people associate the number six with man. The number six is also associated with the Hebrew letter vaw, which has a deeper meaning. The letter vaw has the meaning of "a nail, a tent peg, a hook, joining together, making secure, becoming bound or nailed to." Jesus was nailed to the cross. The cross is also represented by the Hebrew letter tav, which means "a mark, a sign, 'x' or cross, ownership, to seal, covenant, join two things together, the last."

     Our  Nitzavim Sabbath reading portion to me has more to do with man being joined to God, as this sixth month of repentance comes to an end before the first fall Feast, the Feast of Trumpets. The Sabbath title comes from this verse containing the words of Moses: "All of you stand (nawtsab(v)- stand upright, appointed, deputy, take one's stand, stand firm, to establish, to be fixed, to be set over, to be ready, to be planted) today before the LORD your God: your leaders and your tribes and your elders and your officers, all the men of Israel, your little ones and your wives - also the stranger (gar/gur - stranger, alien, guest, foreigner, sojourner, foreign shepherds/gather together, assemble, stand in awe, remain, stranger, to remain in the temple, to receive under protection) who is in your camp, from the one who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water - that you may enter into covenant with the LORD your God, and into His oath, which the LORD your God makes with you today, that He may establish you today, as a people for Himself, and that He may be God to you, just as He has spoken to you, and just as He has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I make this (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) covenant and this oath, not with you alone, but with him who stands here with us today before the LORD our God, as well as with him who is not here with us today..." (Deut. 29-10-15).

     As we can see, no one is left out of this occasion of taking a stand and being joined together with the LORD. Wives, children, even foreigners (see gar/gur, above) and those who are not physically present are included. This covenant is described in written Hebrew with the modifier of the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega. This identifies the covenant as being associated with Messiah/Christ Jesus (see *note below).

     The use of the Hebrew word nawtsab(v) in connection with the idea of standing is used powerfully in other verses in scripture as well. When Moses asked God to show him His glory, the LORD said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock (sur - includes the meaning of the identity of God, and 'to bind together')." (Ex. 33:21). David wrote of his relationship with the LORD: "By this I know that You are well pleased with me, because my enemy does not triumph over me. As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, and set/stand me before Your face forever." (Ps. 41:11-12). In a section describing the excellence of Wisdom, Prov. 8:2 says: "She (referring to Wisdom) takes her stand on the top of the high hill (root word: rum - exalt, extol, lift up, lofty, to rise, to rise up), beside the way, where the paths meet."

     The purpose of standing before the LORD and being joined to Him in covenant is also stated in Deut. 29: "...so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root (seres - deep permanent root, cause to take root) bearing bitterness (ro's/ro's - gall [see Mt. 27:33-35], venom, poison, poison from the poppy, hemlock, bitter) or wormwood (la'ana - hemlock, to curse, be accursed, poisonous, bitter herb)..." (v. 18). Those who become separated from the LORD would be separated from the tribes of Israel and the curses of the Book of the Law would come upon them, and their names would be blotted out from under heaven. (see v. 19-22). It was the desire of the LORD through this occasion to impress upon His people a warning they would remember not to worship other gods or commit the vile abominations of the Canaanite tribes before them. It was to be a joining of hearts. He did not want them to suffer the curses of the Law, and, as we will see below, the LORD made a personal provision to remove the curse.

     The Law of Moses carried both blessings if perfectly followed, and curses if broken. Paul, a Pharisee of the tribe of Benjamin, explained Messiah/Christ's role in covering the curse of the Law: "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree'), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." (Gal. 3:13-14).  Earlier, the apostle Paul quoted the prophet Habakkuk, who wrote: "...the just (sadiq/sadaq - righteous, just, lawful, as justified and vindicated by God/cleansed, put or made right, justify, save, to absolve, to acquit, purge oneself, cause to prevail) shall live (haya - live, revive from sickness or death, quicken, preserve alive, restore to life) by faith (emuna - faith, truth, truly, stability, faithfulness)." (Gal. 3:10-11, Hab. 2:4).

     Whether we are Jewish or Gentile, the LORD told His prophet Jeremiah that it was never His original intention that His people should live under a religious system (see Jer. 7:22-26, Jer. 11:6-10). The LORD said that previously His only commandment to His people had been to hear His voice and obey it, however, His people had refused to hear from Him directly at Mt. Sinai. They wanted someone else, in that case Moses, to hear for them. It requires a personal knowledge of, and relationship with, the LORD in order to hear His voice. Many Christians also do not have a personal relationship with either God or our Savior, Jesus. It is the pitfall of the religious system of man.

     The LORD says in His Word to seek His face until we find it. (See Ps. 27:7-8, 2 Chron. 7:14, Rev. 3:19-22). The LORD says that He has carved each of our names into the palms of His hands so that He can never forget us. Not only has He engraved our names on His hands, but He tells us to see our names there. (See Isa. 49:15-16). It doesn't get more personal than that! Jesus addressed even the thoughts of those that He spoke to because He knew them. (See Lk. 5:22-26, Jn. 2:23-25). The LORD doesn't just see the outer appearance that we like to present to the world, but He sees every thought of our hearts. (See 1 Sam. 16:6-7). The LORD sees and knows our hearts. Do we see and know His heart?

     When fixed ideas or doctrines begin to make me feel distanced from the Person of the LORD, these Sabbath reading portions help me to once again adjust my focus upon the LORD who created me and sent His Son to save me. It is most wonderful to learn about the LORD through the Sabbath that He gave to man. If you have never considered the LORD of the Sabbath, He is beautifully expressed by David in the familiar and beloved Psalm 23.

     Even Moses, the lawgiver, tried to convince the people of God to draw nearer to Him in the Nitzavim, "are standing" Sabbath reading portion: "...return to the LORD your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you, and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul,  ..And (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the LORD your God will circumcise (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off...But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it." (Deut. 30:2-14, excerpt).

     This is the same Moses who told the children of Israel this command of the LORD: "Hear O Israel, the LORD is one! You shall love (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart." (Deut. 6:4-6).

     If we want to get closer to the LORD, we do it with the common language that He established between Himself and man - the language of love. 

     It is taught that this past month, Elul, was a month of repentance in preparation for the coming Feast of Trumpets, but Who were we repenting to? Why were we repenting? Out of what did our repentance flow? Obligation? Religion? Because someone told us to? If we repented because we love the Person of the LORD dearly, and not just the idea of Him, then that is a powerful repentance indeed. It is a repentance that can change us as individuals and change whole nations. Do we want to turn back to the LORD whom we have left behind, run to Him crying "Abba, Father!" and fall upon Him and kiss Him? Clap our hands and praise Him for the great things He has done - for when He kept loving us even when we forgot to love Him or when we forgot to trust in Him? What Father would not be pleased to receive this repentance joined with love? Trying to feed the LORD a repentance that does not come from the place in my heart of love and adoration for Him, but comes from a religious understanding or obligation, is like trying to feed the LORD a peanut butter sandwich without the jelly - He might find my repentance to look unappetizing, very dry and extremely difficult to swallow.

     In other reading portions from this Sabbath, the prophet Isaiah declared his feeling for God after receiving the salvation and deliverance Word of the LORD (see Isa. 61:1-7). The prophet then wrote: "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels. For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes things that are sown in it to spring forth, So the LORD God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all nations." (v. 10-11). Isaiah was overwhelmed with worship. When Jesus read the same words from Isaiah 61:1-2a in the synagogue on the Nitzavim Sabbath, and pronounced them fulfilled on that day, the listeners in the synagogue "...all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth." But then they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?" (Lk. 4:16-22). They knew that they had just heard and been greatly affected by words of grace, but then turned away and discounted those words based upon what they thought they knew about Jesus.

     This also brings us to another reading portion from this Nitzavim, "are standing", Sabbath from Isaiah 63. Isaiah again exalts the LORD with words that flow from the LORD's habitation within the prophet's heart: "I will mention the lovingkindness of the LORD and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD has bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies, according to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses. For He said, 'Surely they are My people, children who will not lie.' So He became their Savior (yasa - save, savior, deliver, help, preserved, salvation, avenging, defend, rescue, safe, victory, save from moral troubles, be or live in abundance, ample, be spacious, liberty, to set free, conqueror). In all their affliction He was afflicted (see also Isa. 53:6-7, Rom. 4:24-25), and the Angel of His Presence saved them; In His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bore them and carried them all the days of old. And they rebelled and grieved His Holy (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Spirit (see also Eph. 4:30); So He turned Himself against them as an enemy, and He fought against them." (Isa. 63:7-10).

      The LORD fought His own people on behalf of His Holy Spirit! Have we also underestimated the importance of the Holy Spirit to the Father in heaven? We have the Holy Spirit in a doctrinal box and do not understand His utmost importance within the children of God, in the redemption and judgment of the world, and the return of Messiah/Christ Jesus. Jesus said to His disciples that it was to their advantage if He goes to be with the Father so that He can send the Holy Spirit to them. It is also by the Holy Spirit that the ruler of this world is judged. (see Jn. 16:5-11, Rev. 22:17).

     The LORD poured out/shed everything from within Him in lovingkindness towards His people. (See also Mt. 26:26-29, Mk. 14:23-25). He even afflicted Himself when they were afflicted (see above). However, His people neglected and turned from Him. Even though He became angry with His people for their rejection of Him, the prophet Jeremiah, in another portion from this Nitzavim Sabbath, wrote that the LORD had not finished the selfless and loving shedding or pouring out of Himself on behalf of His people. The LORD promised that He would establish a new covenant with His people, (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Israel: "I will write (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) My law in their minds/inward parts (qereb/qarab - inwards, midst, within, the seat of thought and emotion/draw near, come near, approach), and write it on their hearts (leb/labab - understanding, heart, wisdom/ravishment of my heart); and I will be their God, and they shall be My people...they all shall know Me...For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (see Jer. 31:26-34). We need to draw near to the LORD from our most inward parts.

     As we can see, this "are standing" Sabbath has much more meaning than the standing position of our physical bodies. It has to do also with being firmly fixed and established with and in the LORD. The fall Feasts of the LORD are quickly approaching, and it is time to draw near to Him from the deepest parts of our beings. It is time for us, for me, to return to the cross and look upon the Savior who poured everything out so that I may be saved to the uttermost. Repentance should be more than a peanut butter sandwich. It is the tears and the gratitude, the love and the adoration, from that part of us that is not expressed by religious words but is beyond words.

     To learn more about standing before, with and in the LORD, you can join me in prayer: "Most gracious and loving Father, how can I begin to express the love and gratitude I feel for You, who gave everything to save me? How can I express the sorrow of my heart at the knowledge that I have said, thought, and done things that have brought You sorrow and disappointment? I draw near to You, as closely as I can get, and call upon Your lovingkindness to me that You continue to look upon me with Your eyes of mercy and forgiveness and teach me how to live a life that brings You joy and glory. Thank You for sending Your beloved Son to me. Thank You for the priceless gift of Your Holy Spirit, and increase my understanding and reverence for Both. Be blessed and exalted my Father and be glorified and enthroned by Your people. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

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

End/Beginning

This is the last Sabbath reading of this Jewish calendar year. In two days, a new year begins with the arrival of the Feast of the LORD called Yom Teruah, the Feast (Day) of Trumpets. It is also known as Rosh Hashanah. In this Sabbath reading titled Nitzvarim - Va-yelech, meaning "(you) are standing" - "then he went out", we see the ending of one thing and the promise of a new thing. The leadership of Moses, who is 120 years old, is coming to an end, and Joshua has been appointed to become the leader who will take the people into the Promised Land (Deut. 31:1-3). Although the leadership will change, the Word of God will not change: "All of you stand today before the LORD your God...your leaders...your tribes...your elders...your officers...all the men of Israel, your little ones and your wives - also the stranger who is in your camp = that you may enter into covenant with the LORD your God, and into His oath,, which the LORD God makes with you today, that He may establish you today as a peaople for Himself, and that He may be God to you, just as He has spoken to you, and just as He has sworn to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." (Deut. 29:10-13). The Word of God was so vital to the Israeites' survival as a people that Moses instructed them to read aloud all the book of the law every seventh year, the year of the LORD's Release, on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles (Deut. 31:10-11). This Word of God would remain alive and active, even, Moses told them, returning them back to the LORD, and His voice, from where they will have been scattered among many nations, and bringing them back to the land from captivity, a captivity that would not take place until well over one thousand years later (Deut. 30:1-6). This Word preserved a people from the annihilation that the world had planned for them. This Word restored a nation to them in our time that had been destroyed in ancient conquest. The scriptures preserved a language, Hebrew, which was "dead", but is now resurrected as the language of a nation. The only way that these miraculous things could have come to pass is by the never-changing, constant, living Word of God spoken to them, and treasured by them. However, those events are not the end of the story! This same Word, Moses said, would circumcise their hearts to love God with all their hearts and souls so that they may live. There are blessings and cursings in the law, depending upon whether one loves God and His Word, or walks away from Him and His Word, but God was calling His people to love and obey Him: "But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways...that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess...I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling (dabaq - follow hard, keep fast, joined together, pursue closely, adhere firmly, glued together) to Him, for He is your life, and your length of days..." (Deut. 30:14-16, 19-20). The LORD called His people to "cling" or cleave to Him. In Hebrew, we see that this choice of words calls His people to become so close to Him that they are physically attached to Him. The reason for this is not only their immediate and future safety, but because He is going to walk them right into a new and greater covenant, as we will see. The apostle Paul quoted the words from Deuteronomy as they pointed to the way of salvation: "But what does it (the law) say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart' (that is the word of faith, which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Rom. 10:8-10). Paul followed closely after the LORD and took his readers from the law right into the new covenant of salvation, which came through the Messiah, Jesus. Jesus also told His listeners to "cling" to Him, become inseparable from Him, as He instructed them to follow Him, and abide in Him and His Word as the branches abide in the vine (see Jn. 17:21, 24, Mt. 4:18-20, and Jn. 15:4-7, Jn. 14:23). The apostle Paul wrote that we were to cling so closely to Jesus as to make him a physical part of us: "...that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith..." (Eph. 3:17). Within the Sabbath readings for this week, we see the Word of the LORD move into the new covenant, and all that the new covenant entails. In fact, the LORD said that He will not rest, and His watchmen should not let Him rest, until He establishes it: "For Zion's sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness (nogah - shining, brilliancy, as of fire), and her salvation as a lamp that burns." (Isa. 62:1, see also Jn. 8:12, Mt. 5:14-17). Again from this week's Sabbath reading, Isaiah wrote: "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in My God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom bedecks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels...you shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD will name." (Isa. 61:10, Isa. 62:2 - see also Rev. 2:17, Rev. 21:1-2). The prophet Jeremiah wrote of the new covenant: "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Judah - not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers...My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them...But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days...: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people...For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (Jer. 31:31-34). The fulfilment of the law was not an outward work only, but more importantly, an inward work of salvation. Jesus said, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law until all is fulfilled." (Mt. 5:17-18). As we saw in this week's Sabbath reading portion, leadership was passing from Moses to Joshua, who would bring their journey to its completion. We can see the progression of the Word of God in this picture of the change of leadership. Moses, or Moshe, in Hebrew, means "drawn, rescued or saved from the water". The root word, Masa, means "to draw, to clean the face and wash the hands". In Joshua 1:1, Moses is desribed as a servant (ebed/abad - slave, bondservant, servant) to the LORD. The new leader is Joshua, who has the same name as Jesus in Hebrew: Yehosua - Jehovah is Savior/Salvation. In Joshua 1:1, Joshua is described not as a servant, but as a minister to Moses. This is the Hebrew word sarat meaning "to minister, to serve". Jesus said that He came as a minister: "...just as the Son of Man did not come to be ministered unto, but to minister (diakoneo/diakonos - serve another's interest, supply necessities of life, execute the commands of another), and to give His life a ransom for many." (Mt. 20:28). Finally, in this Sabbath's reading in Isa. 63, Isaiah prophesies of the LORD coming from an easterly direction, glorious in apparel, in the greatness of His strength, whose robe is sprinkled with the blood of His enemies.: "For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed has come." (Isa. 63:1-4, see also Isa. 61:2 and Rev. 19:11-16). The Sabbath readings for this week, like the coming Feast of Trumpets, brings us right up to the point where the ending of the old becomes the beginning of the new. If you would like to know more about the inward working of the Word of God in our lives, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father of us all, You have drawn me out of the waters, and You have made me new in the salvation of Your Son and Minister, Jesus. Your Word and You purpose all along was to bring me into Your new covenant, and the new covenant that You have given to me, gives me an eternal future, and an assurance in You. Your Word is near me, in my heart, and in my mouth to preserve me, and You are with me as I cling to You. Your promise to me is that You will never leave me. Help me by Your Holy Spirit to love and trust You, Lord, with my whole heart, soul, and strength. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Statutes

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