EternalSoul

      

                                                                         Genesis 2:7 God breathes into man

     This is the Sabbath that occurs this year before/on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which is one of the fall Feasts of the LORD. The title of this Sabbath reading portion is Ha'azinu, which means "Listen/Give ear." This Sabbath is also called Shabbat Shuvah, a Sabbath of Return/Repentance (to the LORD). 

     Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, is treated as a very solemn and pivotal feast that the LORD commanded repeatedly for all (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-souls to keep. This is the only feast of the LORD in which He specifically and repeatedly commands "souls" to observe and keep (see Lev. 23:26-32). The Hebrew word translated as "souls" is the word nepes, which means "soul, life, person, mind, will, emotions, desires, heart, body, that which breathes, inner being, living being with life in the blood, to take breath, to breathe, to be breathed upon, refreshed." The soul with the blood, as mentioned in the definition of nepes above, is the life in a person, rather than their physical body. The soul is created by the breath of God, which gave the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-man life (see Gen. 2:7). Therefore the outer body may die, awaiting resurrection, but the inner soul cannot die. In the New Testament Greek, "soul" is the word psyche meaning "breath, breath of life, the soul as an essence which differs from the body and is not dissolved by death."

     We can see the meaning of the soul as mentioned above in the Hebrew and Greek definitions in these verses from scripture. 

     Regarding the soul as life: 

"O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive that I should not go down to the pit (bor - pit, cistern, dungeon, prison, pit hole)." (Ps. 30:3). And: "For You have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?" (Ps. 56:13, also Job 33:29-30).

     The LORD's redemption of the soul:

"The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned." (Ps. 34:22). And: "Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed upon them...And their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me. Selah." (Ps. 49:14-15). And: "He keeps back his soul from the Pit (sahat/suah - pit, snare, trap, destruction, cistern of mud/to sink down, sunk into mire, sink down into Hades) and his life from perishing by the sword....He will redeem his soul from going down to the Pit, and his life shall see the light." (Job. 33:18, 28).

     The LORD shows mercy upon the soul:

"I said, 'LORD, be merciful to me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against You...But You, O LORD, be merciful to me, and raise me up..." (Ps. 41:4, 10).

     The soul of man was not created from the breath of God in order to sink down into the mire and quicksand of sin into the place of death. The snare of sin are the hands that pull what was meant to be the glorious and divinely breathed soul of man into the pit. This feast of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, deals with the Atonement (kipur/kapar - atonement, sin offering, redemption/atonement, purge, reconciliation, forgive, merciful, cleansed, pardon, to cover, be covered) of the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-soul of man. The Feast of Yom Kippur/Atonement occurs ten days after the Feast of Trumpets, during which repentance and return to the LORD are solemnly sought. 

     As believers in Jesus Messiah/Christ, we must know that His blood, given in sacrifice for us, is our Atonement covering and the cleansing from our sins. Jesus asked us all this question: "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36-37). There is not enough money on the whole earth or in any earthly power or authority that can redeem even one soul. The richest man in the world today, whose wealth is currently valued at 950 billion USD, cannot redeem his own soul nor anyone else's with even all of his wealth.

     Billy Graham said this regarding the value or redemption price of a soul: "God places the value of the soul at an incalculable price, for by the blood of His only Son, Jesus Christ, are sins forgiven and souls cleansed."

     This solemn and serious Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur, when we bow down our souls before God, from whose breath the soul was created, comes before, and in its way is the pre-requisite of, the Great Feast, which is the Feast of Tabernacles. That feast takes place five days after Yom Kippur. We will hopefully get a chance to study that feast next time. It is the Feast of the LORD in which the redeemed soul of Yom Kippur, Atonement, becomes one with God and His habitation in His realm of glory.

     The title of this Sabbath's reading portion, Ha'azinu, "Listen/Give ear," comes from Deuteronomy 32:1 as (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-words sung by Moses: "Give ear O heavens, and I will speak; And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth." It is a song commanded by God to be taught to all of the assembly of Israel detailing the perfect goodness of God extended towards them, and their resulting rejection of Him. The song ends with the promise of God's mercy and kapar atonement being extended towards Israel. (see Deut. 32:43).

     In another scripture portion from this Ha'azinu, "Listen/Give ear" Sabbath, we read Psalm 78, which describes the rebellious hearts of God's people towards Him even though He had on many occasions miraculously delivered them from harm. These words were to be told to the generation to come, the children who would be born: "that they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God...and may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God...And they tested God in their heart...they spoke against God...they did not believe in God, and did not trust in His salvation...they flattered Him with their mouth, and they lied to Him with their tongue; for their heart was not steadfast with Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant." (excerpts Ps. 78).

     This rebellious condition of God's people described above stemmed from issues of sin in the heart (see also nepes "soul" above). The rebellion against God began in the soul, the very living breath given to man that had come from the Almighty.

     Then the Psalm says: "But He (God), being full of compassion, forgave (kapar - see "atonement" above) their iniquity and did not destroy them...." (v. 38).

     It is important that we look at the meaning of God's "compassion" used in the verse above. It is the Hebrew word rahum/raham, which means "compassion and mercy only used of God/to love deeply, have mercy, have tender affection, show compassion, to be soft and soothing and cherishing in a gentle emotion of the mind, to behold with tenderest affection, the love of parents towards their children, to obtain mercy." Looking at this meaning, we can say that the LORD ministered His kapar atonement forgiveness and cleansing to the souls of His people from His soul, the seat of His heart (see nepes soul above) or strong emotions.

     We also know that God would provide His eternal kapar Atonement covering of sin through His Son, Jesus, from the realm of His heart, His soul: "For God so loved (agapao - to love dearly - see also rahum/raham above) 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 (sozo - keep safe and sound, rescue from danger or destruction, to save from perishing, to heal, restore to health, to deliver from the penalties of judgment, to preserve, make whole)." (Jn. 3:16-17).

     Do we have a moment, an hour, a day (yom - day, time, daily, ever, year, continually, always, whole, lifetime, yesterday-today-tomorrow), to bow our souls before the Lord, as David did, with love, gratitude and the repentance renewal that comes in knowing that "He (the LORD) restores (sub - return, turn back to God, repent, bring back, restore, relieve, refresh, recover, circumcise, rescue) my soul (nepes - see above)" (Ps. 23:3)?

     Heavenly Father, You poured Your soul into my soul with Your breath of life in my nostrils. I lift my hands, dear Lord, and I lift up my soul, to magnify You, to turn to You with all my heart, to ask and receive Your forgiveness, Your pardon, and Your Atonement covering and cleansing by the blood of Your Son, Jesus, my Savior and the Redeemer of my soul. Rescue, restore, renew, and revive my soul within me so that I may love You with all my heart, mind and strength, with all my soul. Circumcise my heart anew within me. Purify my heart, purging it of sinful ways. You appointed the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, as a holy convocation, to call me to bring my heart and soul back to Your heart and soul, which have always awaited my return to You. I ask this in the name of Jesus. AMEN.

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

Return&Reward

                                                                    Blowing the Shofar 

(click link above to listen)

      This week's Sabbath reading is a continuance of last week's title Va-yelech, meaning "Then he went out" from Deuteronomy 31, as well as being the time of Shuvah, meaning "Repent/Return." It is Shuvah because this Sabbath is also the Feast of Trumpets, in Hebrew: Yom Teruah, also know as Rosh Hashanah. This Feast of the LORD is known for the blowing of the shofar trumpet. This date of the Feast this year also coincides with the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, which impacted not only one nation, but the world.

     In Deuteronomy 31, the LORD gives Moses a song which he must teach to the Israelites who are about to enter the Promised Land. The LORD told Moses that the purpose of the song is to lead the people back to Him because, the LORD prophesies, "Behold, you (Moses) will rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-My-covenant which I made with them. Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured...Now therefore, write down this (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-song for yourselves, and teach it to (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the children-of-Israel; put it in their mouths, that this (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel...Therefore Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel." (v. 16-22, excerpt).

     This song was an *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega son for the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega children of Israel. It is a song that calls upon heaven and earth to testify of the truth that the LORD found Jacob/Israel in the wilderness, taught him, encircled him, instructed him, kept him as the apple of His eye. The LORD carried them on His wings to the heights of the earth and supplied them with every good thing. Then they forsook the LORD and scorned the Rock of their salvation. They worshipped demon gods. The LORD turned away from them and hid Himself because they were children of no faith. They would suffer disasters: arrows, hunger, pestilence, beasts, serpents, the sword. Their vine was of the vine of Sodom and Gomorrah. However, the LORD will judge His people with compassion. He will turn His anger on their enemies instead. Then there will be rejoicing instead of calamity: "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement (kapar - atonement, reconciliation, forgive, purge away, merciful, cleansed, pardon, to cover over) for His land ('adama - ground, land, whole inhabited earth/red/blood) and His people." (Deut. 32:1-43, excerpt).

     We can see that the purpose of this *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega-song is to cause the *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega-children-of-Israel to return to the LORD, even from the most corrupt sins, where the LORD provides His merciful atonement (see kapar above) healing and restoration. We understand that Jesus Messiah/Christ is the blood Atonement covering that purges, cleanses and pardons us of sin and causes us to return to the Shepherd of our souls. (see 1 John 2:2 and 1 Pet. 2:24-25). John wrote: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." (1 Jn. 1:9-10).

     As part of this Shuvah (Return/Repentance) Sabbath, the reading portion includes the Word of the LORD from the prophets Hosea and Micah. From Hosea 14: "O Israel, return (sub - return again, turn back, revive, restore, refresh, recover, deliver, recompense) to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity; Take words with you and return to the LORD." (v. 1-2). As a result, the LORD promises to heal them, to love them, to make them fruitful and beautiful. Also: "Those who dwell under His shadow shall return; they shall be revived like grain, and grow like a vine. Their scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon." (v. 7).

     From Micah 7, the prophet proclaims that he will arise out of darkness and the LORD will be a light to him. Even though the prophet has sinned against the LORD, the LORD will plead his case for him and execute justice for him. Also: "He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness." (V. 8-9).

     As we can see in the Hebrew word sub above, meaning "return", the return is directly connected to reward: miraculous revival and the restoration. The concepts cannot be separated. One must follow the other. There is a reward received upon the sub return to the LORD.

     We can see from the presence of *aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega above that the provision for return and reward is not limited to the "Old Testament", also called the Tanakh. Jesus applies the same concept to His Churches in the Book of Revelation, Chapters 2 and 3 as He calls those Churches to return to Him and repent and promises the rewards they will receive as a result of following the voice of repentance and the voice of the Holy Spirit.

     There are several interpretations as to what these seven churches of Revelation mean or represent, but, at face value, we can perhaps agree that Jesus chose to speak to these churches because the challenges, successes and failures that had beset them also besets many churches and believers today. He reminds several that they are sitting in the middle of the place of Satan's throne. These churches were in danger of falling under the challenge of evil and darkness rather than standing against it in Christ and in His works, His Name, His Word and the Spirit. This same challenge is eternal and present with us today. This time of the holy fall Feasts of the LORD is accompanied by the call of the shofar trumpet to repentance, return to the LORD and the receiving of His rewards for us if we will hear and obey.

     According to articles written by rabbis, the sound of the shofar trumpet calls to God's people as a loud voice - a prophetic voice and the voice of the LORD Himself. (see Isa. 58:1, Rev. 1:10, Rev. 4:1-2). It's a call of warning and judgment, of gathering together, of return to the LORD and repentance. The sound of the shofar, the rabbis wrote, is the voice of heaven forming a bridge between heaven and earth. The voice of the shofar leads to revelation and causes closed hearts to be opened and repentant. The sound of the shofar stirs God's compassion and mercy. The sound of the shofar stirs Jewish hearts to call for the appearance of Messiah/Christ. The shofar proclaims the birth of creation and man and is the sound of rebirth and new life that comes forth from repentance and a changed or transformed heart. The breath of the shofar joins with the breath of the Spirit of God bringing forth divine breath into the world. The breath going forth from the shofar becomes spirals of light in the world, and darkness flees.

     In the Book of Acts, the disciples said that they were compelled to speak forth (laleo - to utter a voice or to emit a sound) the Name of Jesus when religious leaders tried to silence them. They were compelled to make the sound. (Acts 4:18-20).

     If you would like to learn more about the return to the LORD and His awaiting rewards, you can join my prayer: "Heavenly Father and Great King above all the earth, Your voice goes forth like a trumpet summoning me to return to You and to repent through Your Son of Atonement and Forgiveness, Jesus. Lord Jesus, Your voice as a trumpet is calling me to return to my first love - a love and devotion to You. I hear the shofar trumpet of Your Holy Spirit. Lord Jesus, please give me a heart to obey what the Spirit is saying to me. Although You are a Rewarder of those who diligently seek You, Lord, I return to You because You are worthy. I return to You because You have not forsaken me, nor lost me out of Your Good Shepherd's hand. Even when I have been in the darkness of iniquity and worldly cares, You have been a Light to me, showing me the way back to You and beckoning me into Your Presence. Especially in this season, I pray that the whole earth would hear the voice of the shofar trumpet and would return to their Creator, to their Savior, because this is the season of great harvest. I ask this in the Name of Jesus. AMEN."

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

AWE

This Sabbath falls on the Feast of Trumpets, or Yom Teruah. Trumpets have a special significance to the LORD, and to His people. Trumpets announce a warning, a call to battle, a time to rejoice, and they are a call to assemble together before the LORD. For believers in Christ, trumpets also signify the sound of the return of the Lord Jesus to gather His people, both the living and the dead, to meet Him in the clouds, and to be with Him from that moment forever forward (1 Cor. 15:51-57). From the day of the Feast of Trumpets until the Day of Atonement, which is also signified by a great trumpet, there are ten days that are referred to as The Days of Awe. The appointment of the ten days interim by the LORD was not an accident. These ten days are set aside as a time of prayer, self-examination, and repentance. The Hebrew word for the number "ten" is eser/asar, which means "ten, 10x/tithe, tenth, enrich, wealthy, prosper, happy, to be straight". The number ten also represents the complete congregation, body, kingdom, gathering, union. Ten, in the pictographic Hebrew alphabet, is represented by the letter yod, which means "hand", and "a finished work". The number ten also portrays the time of judgment when men either receive rewards or receive divine justice against themselves. So spiritually speaking, something of great importance in the eyes of the LORD is accomplished and finished in these ten interim days between the two feasts. The blessing said to one another on the Feast of Trumpets is "May you be inscribed (in the book)". A believer in Christ understands the "book" mentioned as "the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world", as mentioned in Rev. 13:8-9. The title of this week's Sabbath reading is Va-Yelech, a kind of "part 2" to last week's reading. This week's Sabbath is also called Shuvah, which means "to return". This is a tine to return to the LORD, which is the goal of the Ten Days of Awe also. I know that we feel many things for the LORD, but do we feel AWE? One definition of the word awe is "a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder". Do we reverence Him with the reverence which He deserves? It seems to me that we treat our Great God more with familiarity than reverence. Do we enter church or synagogue in a spirit of reverence knowing we are about to open His Word, and stand before His Presence in worship and praise? When we come before our God in prayer, is it with reverence and wonder, or is it instead with a shopping list of our needs and desires? Do we fear our heavenly Father in the same way that we might fear or dread disappointing our earthly fathers? Are our hearts and days filled with wonder (a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration caused by something beautiful, unexpected, or inexplicable) at His words and works? Most of us, being honest, may admit that the answer to these questions is "no", or perhaps "sometimes". We too then need a shuvah return to our Lord, our first love, our primary focus and reason for being (Rev. 2:4-5). Do we feel reverence and wonder when we consider how Jesus fulfilled the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, for us as our High Priest, sprinkling His own sacrificed blood upon the Mercy Seat of God in heaven in order to cover the curse of the Law that comes against those who break it? (Heb. 9:11-15). It is Christ's fulfilment of this Feast that became the redemption for our transgressions because "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (see Heb. 10:28-31). We cannot treat this as "a common thing" (v. 29). The reverence, fear, and wonder of this finished work of God should be with us every day. If it is not, then, again, we need a shuvah return to our Lord. In the readings from the prophets for this Sabbath, the Word of the LORD calls God's people to return to Him. Hosea wrote: "O Israel, return to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled (kasal - waver, tottering, stumble, stagger, feeble, made weak, bereaved, overthrown, wearied, fail) because of your iniquity; Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to Him, 'Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, for we will offer the sacrifices of our lips. Assyria shall not save us, we will not ride on horses, nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, 'You are our gods'. For in You the fatherless finds mercy." (Hos. 14:1-3). Often in scripture, the LORD must deliver judgment upon His people because they have left Him, and have chosen the ways of evil and wickedness, including the harming of others. However, I do not hear this kind of judgment when I read these words in Hosea. I hear God being concerned because He sees His people stumbling and falling, growing weaker because of the iniquities which they carry. They have relied upon other men, and the work of their own hands instead of Him. The LORD tells them to return to Him, and He makes it very simple for them: "Take words with you". They need only bring Him "the sacrifices of our lips". Immediately, the LORD promises: "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him. I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall grow like the lily...his beauty shall be like an olive tree, and his fragrance like Lebanon." v. 4-6). The beauty and reviving pleasure of the LORD awaits us in our shuvah return to Him. Just take your words with you as you turn to Him. In another portion from this Sabbath's reading from the prophet Micah we can read: "Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me...He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness...Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." (Mic. 7:7-9, 18-19, 2 Cor. 5:21). Psalm 25 says: "The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way...For Your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity for it is great. For who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses." As we saw above, the number ten is associated in part with the completed, unified body or congregation. With all of the divisions that exist within the congregation of the God of Israel, the Ten Days of Awe are a perfect opportunity, given to us by God, for the complete congregation, both Jews and Gentiles, to be unified in returning to the LORD our God. There is a time when God will judge all unrighteousness, and scripture tells us that the judgment begins in the House of the LORD (1 Peter 4:17). These Ten Days of Awe, which the LORD has provided for us, calls His people to assemble together in order to bring our words and return to Him. He will revive us in the beauty of His holiness, as the prophet saw, and He will revive our reverence, fear, and wonder of Him. If you would like to know more about returning to the LORD, you can join with me in prayer: "LORD God, I bring my words to You, to return to You, to have reverence, fear in honor and wonder towards You, and Your mighty works. . The trumpet will sound, and I will remember and proclaim the atonement that was made for me by the blood of the Lamb of God. The trumpet will sound, and I will rejoice that my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life- the Lamb who was slain for my salvation, and redemption, from before the foundation of the world. The trumpet will sound, and I will call upon Your mercy and pardon. The trumpet will sound, and I will fall to my knees in reverence and AWE. The trumpet will sound, and I will be taken up to meet Jesus, to remain forever with Him. In Jesus' name, I pray this. AMEN."