Remember

The sabbath readings continue in the Book of Exodus, and as we have found out, the word exodus is a Greek-Latin word meaning "the way or road out of". In the Book of Exodus, the LORD miraculously leads His people in the way out of the bondage of Egypt. We will see another element of exodus, valid both then and now, in this week's reading. The title of this sabbath's reading portion is B'shallach, which means "when he let go", and refers to Pharaoh having finally agreed to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt. The Torah portion of this sabbath's reading covers Exodus chapters 13 through 16. Egypt had just been through the terrible tenth plague, the death of the firstborn (Ex. 12:29-32). Israel had been spared from this plague by the blood of an unblemished lamb applied to their doorposts and lintels, which is called the LORD's Passover (Ex. 12:21-27). Not only did Passover involve the blood of the lamb, and its complete consumption, but it also included the eating of unleavened bread. This also became an appointed Feast of the LORD to be told to, and remembered by, all future generations (Ex. 12:15-17). The Feast of Unleavened Bread is to last seven days. The unleavened bread was to be a sign before Israel's eyes always, even taking a prominent position in the Holy Place of the tabernacle, and in the two temples that would come later. The phrase "unleavened bread" in Hebrew is the word massa/masas, meaning "without leaven, something greedily devoured for sweetness, sweetness (not soured or bittered with yeast), specially sweet, to draw out or suck out with pleasure as one would with a sweet like milk, sweet and pleasant to the taste". There is a scripture that says: "The Angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who fears in Him!" (Ps. 34:7-8). We are to know the sweet, good taste of the LORD. What is the nature of this sweetness found in the bread of Passover? Jesus solved the mystery of the unleavened bread as He observed the Passover meal with His disciples before His death. He took the unleavened bread of the Passover "...gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is My body which is given/broken for you; do this in remembrance (anamnesis/anamimnesko - remembrance, recollection, call to mind, admonish, weigh well and consider, put in mind) of Me." (Lk. 22:19, 1 Cor. 11:24). As the LORD led the Israelites out to the border of Egypt by a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13:21), there was no mistaking His presence with them. It may surprise us to find out that the LORD purposefully led His people into a "dead end". They ended up positioned within three fortified cities of Egypt: Pi Hahiroth ("the mouth of caverns"), Migdol ("fortified tower"), Ba'al Zephon ((sacred to the lord destroyer"), and the Sea (roar") before them, making four obstacles. The LORD did this in order to cause Pharaoh to believe that the Israelites were trapped because of their unfamiliarity with the wilderness territory, and consequently chase after the "helplessly" trapped Israelites. The LORD said to Moses to tell the children of Israel: "For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, 'They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.' I will harden Pharaoh's heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so." (Ex. 14:1-4). Though there appeared to be four immovable obstacles around and ahead of the Israelites, the LORD previously repeated four times that they were to remember and pass to their children the knowledge that He had delivered them out of bondage by His "strong hand" and "strength of hand" (Ex. 13:3, 9, 14, 16), even telling them regarding this knowledge: "It shall be as a sign on your hand, and as frontlets between your eyes..." (v. 16). As the Egyptian army advanced to the location of the Israelites, who were facing the Sea, the Israelites began to panic (they had forgotten to remember already!) and God commanded: "...Tell the children of Israel to go forward (v. 15)." Go forward?! Into the Sea?! However, as we know, the LORD instructed Moses about how he was to divide the waters of the Sea (Ex. 14:16, 21-22). As the Israelites crossed the dry land of the sea bed after the waters were divided, the Egyptians who chased them did not make it across before the waters closed over them. The LORD had caused their chariot wheels to fall off in the middle of the crossing. The stuck Egyptian army drowned in the returning waters (Ex. 14:24-29). The same "way or road out of" bondage for the Israelites through the roaring Sea, became the road or way into death for their oppressors as they tried to follow. The Israelites saw miracle upon miracle as the LORD delivered them out of the bondage of the Egyptians. As they crossed to the other side of the Sea, Moses and the Israelites sang a song of praise, but also a song meant for remembrance. Several parts of the song will appear many generations later in the Psalms and the Prophets, and into the New Testament. This is one example: "The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is my God and I will praise Him; my father's God and I will exalt Him." (Ex. 15:2, Isa. 12:2, 25:1). However, the song of Moses did not just celebrate an accomplished miracle of God, but it also contained prophetic events. The defeat of Canaanite nations, which the Israelites had not yet encountered, were included (v. 14-16). The knowledge that the LORD was not only leading them to a land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but to a holy habitation in God: "You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation...You will bring them in and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which You have made for Your own dwelling, the sanctuary, O LORD, which Your hands have established. The LORD shall reign forever and ever." (v. 13, 17-18). Not only could this be referring to the tabernacle and temples yet to be built, but this moreso refers to a dwelling and sanctuary of God, built, not with human hands, but with God's own hands. We see this revelation taught in the New Testament also (Acts 7:48-50, Acts 17:24-25, 2 Cor. 5:1-3, Heb. 11:9-10). Remembering the mighty works of the LORD is not only about the past, but carries within it the proclamation of the future, and eternity. Sometimes our understanding limits this power and importance of "remembering". Our exodus today is empowered in part by our remembrance of the exodus from the past. We have another example of an exodus from this week's sabbath reading, and the important part that remembering played in it. From Judges 4 and 5, Israel is delivered from their enemy's oppression by King Jabin of Canaan and his general, Sisera (meaning "battle array, a field of battle"). This enemy had been allowed to overcome Israel in the first place because Israel "had done evil in the sight of the LORD" (Judges 4:1-3). The prophetess/judge Deborah later described that "evil": "They chose new gods; then there was war in the gates; not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel." (Judges 5:8). They had forgotten their God, and these new gods had so deceived them with a false sense of security that they had dis-armed themselves. The deliverance of the LORD would come through two women this time. The first woman, as mentioned above, was the prophetess and judge, Deborah. She is strangely described in scripture. She sat under the palm tree (tomer - palm tree, post, column) of Deborah in Ephraim, meaning doubly fruitful from the root word Ephrath which is another word for Bethlehem. Deborah was the wife (issa - wife, woman, married) of Lapidoth, whose name means "torches, lamp, to shine, flame". As written in the Hebrew, the word for wife or woman, issa, is repeated twice in this verse as "issa Deborah issa Lapidoth". In her song of victory, Deborah describes her calling this way: "Village life had ceased in Israel, until I Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel." (Judges 5:7). Again, in Hebrew but also in English, a word is repeated: arose (qum - raise up, be raised up, establish, confirm, be proven, set, fixed, again). In the Hebrew it is "qum Deborah qum". Deborah, because of the special use of Hebrew words concerning her, sounds to me like a New Testament kind of prophet and judge who had been set in the time of the judges for the purpose of deliverance. In another verse of her song (Judges 5:9), Deborah said that her heart (leb/lebab/labab - heart, mind, understanding, soul, seat of emotions, passions and courage, knowledge, reflection, memory) is with the haqaq (cut, cut into, strike with a sword, stamp violently, encounter violently, to beat, engrave letters, carve out a sepulchre, law giver, leader, sceptre), who offered (themselves) willingly ((nadab - freely, willingly offer, given willingly). Again, from the meanings of these words, Jesus, beaten violently, cut with whips, who willingly gave His life, comes to mind as the place where Deborah has placed her heart (see Jn. 10:11, 17-18). Her husband was a "Lamp", and she sat under a tree (column), which reminds me of the cross. Deborah said that she was raised up to be a "mother" in Israel" in the verse above. Mother is the Hebrew word em, which means mother, but also means "point of departure or division, "mother of the way", a parting of the road, a great and leading city". Being a "point of departure", a "mother of the way", she established a road for a different kind of exodus from oppression. In her song, Deborah orders all judges in Israel: "Speak...you who sit in judge's attire, and who walk along the road...among the watering places, there they shall recount/rehearse (tana - tell agsin, celebrate, commemorate [officially remember and give respect], distribute gifts) the righteous acts of the LORD..." (Judges 5:10-11). The judges were to bring to remembrance to Israel all of the righteous acts of the LORD on behalf of His people. As well as remembering the events of that battle, Deborah concludes her song prophetically: "Thus let all Your enemies perish, O LORD! But let those who love Him be like the sun when it comes out in full strength." (v. 31). Jesus also said this many generations later: "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear!" (Mt. 13:43). This week's sabbath reading concludes with Psalm 78. In it the psalmist repeatedly states the necessity of remembering the works of the LORD: "...our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done...That they should make them known to their children...that they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments." (v. 4-7). Sadly, the Psalm continues by speaking of those who saw these wonderful works that we have read about above, but "forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them...They did not remember His power: The day when He redeemed them from the enemy..." (v. 11-42). We do not want to be a people who forgets; a people who have experienced the wonderful works of the LORD, but then are turned away by new cares, fears, desires, and events, and forgetting an essential part ot the exodus then and now - to remember. If you would like to learn more about our own way or road of exodus in the LORD, you can join me in my prayer: "Heavenly Father, I remember how You delivered Your people out of bondage and the oppression of enemies by the work of Your strong hand. I will recount and rehearse these paths of deliverance again and again, so that when trying circumstances arise in my life that are meant to tempt me to forget, I will instead be prepared, believing, and following the way and the road out of the house of bondage. I will prepare my children in the same manner, telling them about the miracles of deliverance that you have done. I remember Your Son, who was and is our deliverance. I remember the Holy Spirit, who has been my pillar of cloud by day, and my pillar of fire by night. I remember and praise You in the name of Jesus. AMEN." **There is a free ebook now available that was written by a well-respected author on the subject of the fascinating Shroud of Turin titled: "The Shroud of Turin- A Perfect Summary". You can get this free ebook by going to www.The ShroudofTurin.org/freebook.**

BATTLE!

These last few weeks, we have been learning from Sabbath readings in the Book of Exodus. As mentioned previously, exodus is a Greek-Latin word meaning "the way or road out of". Therefore, as we read through this Book, we will be looking at how an exodus of God's people through the work and name of the LORD was and is accomplished. This week's sabbath reading is titled Bo in Hebrew, meaning "enter". The individual Hebrew letters in the word Bo have the meaning "House or family of Adonai (Lord), the First". Within these chapters of Exodus 10 through 13, there will be a showdown between the LORD and Pharaoh, king of Egypt. As a result, during the events of one night the enslaved Israelites will be freed and removed from Egypt. Not only will they be delivered from oppressive slavery and Pharaoh's repeated attemps at genocide, but they will also leave with flocks, herds, and Egyptian wealth (see Ex. 11:2). One Jewish teaching refers to this night as "The Battle of the Firstborn". We read previously that the LORD had said to Moses: "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD: Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me.. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed, I will kill your son, your firstborn." (Ex. 4:22-23). The LORD used the word "son", in the singular, and used the pronoun "he", in the singular even though the Israelites numbered at least in the hundred thousands at the time, if not in the millions including the women and children - yet the LORD spoke in the singular of His son, His firstborn. Jesus, the Messiah not yet born but within the future generations of the Israelites, is also the Son, the firstborn of God, "...the firstborn of many brethren" (Rom. 8:29, see also Col. 1:15, 18, Heb. 1:5-6, Rev. 1:5-6). The Book of Proverbs asked this question for all of us to consider: "Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if you know it?" (Prov. 30:4, see also Jn. 3:11-13, Jn. 6:62, Eph. 4:8-10). In this week's sabbath reading, the LORD has been releasing plagues upon Egypt, although those plagues never affected the enslaved Israelites dwelling in Goshen, meaning "Drawing near". Pharaoh would promise Moses to do as God commanded and let His people go if Moses would entreat the LORD to stop the plague. When the plague would be stopped as a result of the intercession of Moses, Pharaoh would then go back on his promise (see Ex. 9:33-35, 10:16-20). The word "Pharaoh" is from the Hebrew word paro meaning "Great House", therefore under this Pharaoh, the "Great House" has become a house of lies. The LORD also refers to it as "a house of bondage" (Ex. 13:3). The LORD told Moses that He was about to release the tenth and last plague upon Egypt: "...Afterward he (Pharaoh) will let you (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive/thrust (garas - drive away, expel, thrust out, cast out) you out of here altogether'...Thus says the LORD: 'About midnight (see also Mt. 25:6) I will go out into the midst of Egypt; and all of the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again." (Ex. 11:1, 4-6). Pharaoh would not just let them go, but, the LORD promised, Pharaoh would drive them out. This is exodus, "the way or road out of", in the extreme! A stiff-necked, stubborn enemy of God is ordained as the one who will give the order to send God's people out. Before this final plague was set in motion however, the LORD had to provide a special protective covering over His own people against this coming plague of death. The LORD had promised Moses that not one of the children of Israel would be harmed, so that it would be seen that "...the LORD does make a difference (pala - sever, separated, make wonderfully, set apart, show marvelous, put a difference, to be distinct or distinguished, marked out) between the Egyptians and Israel" (v. 7). The LORD commanded Moses that the Israelites must apply the blood of an unblemished young lamb upon the doorposts (mezuza/ziz - door post upon which the hinges turn/conspicuous, fulness, abundance) and lintels (masqap/saqap - overhanging, lintel/lean over, look down, appear, overlook from on high, God looking forth from heaven) of their houses (Ex. 12:5-7). This horizontal-vertical pattern of blood also reminds us of the cross of Christ, and Jesus is also referred to as "the Lamb of God...slain before the foundation of the world......Who takes away the sin of the world" (Rev. 13:4, 8; Jn. 1:29-30). He is also called by Paul "our Passover", as he also tells us to "keep the feast" (1 Cor. 5:7-8). Moses was told by God that the Israelites were to eat the Passover in haste, being ready and dressed to leave immediately because: "It is the LORD's Passover" (Ex. 12:11). This is what the battle would look like, as the LORD described it to Moses: "For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn...both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. Now the blood shall be a sign (ot אוֹת- sign, ensign, mark, miracles, banners, proof, evidence, monument, beacon) for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting (olam/alam - ever, perpetual, old, ancient, always, hidden time, long past antiquity, eternity) ordinance." (Ex. 12:12-14). The blood applied is to be a "sign", or a token, to the Israelites of a powerful meaning. The Hebrew letters that make up the word ot, or "sign", are aleph, vaw, and tav. These letters carry a meaning "Adonai (Lord), the First, the nail and the cross". This blood was to speak to Israel throughout all future generations forever. The enslaved Israelites who dwelled in Goshen, were miraculously spared all of the other plagues brought against Egypt, but this time, only the line of separation formed by the lambs' blood would spare their firstborn sons from the plague of death. The lamb's blood caused them to be distinguished from the Egyptians, whose gods could not save them. It is the verses concerning Passover, and the following Feast of Unleavened Bread, as well as verses from Deuteronomy, that the Jewish people were to keep on their foreheads and on their hands. They began to wear them in phylacteries or tefillin (meaning "prayers"), and eventually, when they entered the promised land, the verses were to be placed on the doorposts and gates of their houses (Ex.13:9, 16, Deut. 6:8-9). When during their history, Israel neglected to observe and remember the Passover, or when circumstances prevented them from observing the Passover, the LORD would raise up a leader to restore the observance of this first of the LORD's feasts as we see in other portions of this sabbath's reading (Ezra 6:15-22 and 2 Chron. 35:16-19). The Passover was not just a one-time event, but it has an eternal and on-going message regarding the moment of deliverance or exodus for every generation. Only those who were circumcised (see Rom. 2:28-29) and part of the people of God's covenant could participate in Passover observances (Ex. 12:43-45). As current events in the world become more dire, the revelation and deeper consideration of the Passover, and our Passover Lamb, becomes even more important for God's people, both Jews and Gentiles. "The Battle of the Firstborn" was not just executed against Pharaoh, and the Egyptians, but also as judgment against their gods (Ex. 12:12). We read about some of the gods of Egypt in the previous blog post titled "LORD". In another portion from this sabbath's reading, the LORD again speaks judgment against Egypt, Pharaoh, and their gods. The prophet Jeremiah prophesied that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, would strike Egypt: "Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol (a fortified city on the Egyptian border); proclaim in Noph (also known as Memphis, the capital of Egypt) and in Tahpanhes (a fortified city in Egypt); Say, 'Stand fast and prepare yourselves, for the sword devours all around you...They cried there, 'Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is but a noise. He has passed by the appointed time!' O you daughter dwelling in Egypt, prepare yourself to go into captivity! For Noph shall be waste and desolate, without inhabitant." (Jer. 46:13-14, 17, 19). The LORD also prophesied again against Egyptian cities in Jer. 43:10-13, promising to "kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt...He (Nebachudnezzar of Babylon) shall also break the sacred pillars of Beth Shamesh (later called Heliopolis, House of the Sun, a city in Egypt) that are in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians he shall burn with fire." There are additional Egyptian cities prophesied for destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in Ezek. 30:13-19. All of the cities mentioned to be burned with fire are not just mentioned arbitrarily, but they are associated with the worship of specific gods and goddesses of Egypt. All of these gods and goddesses are a pagan religion's attempt to overcome death without acknowledging the LORD. These Egyptian gods include a false creator figure, an underworld god of the dead, "the head of the age", "the beginning of the world", "the lord of the resurrection", and many others. In ancient Egypt, even Pharaoh was considered a god-like figure himself, with a divine connection by birth to the sun god. These gods both represent and, at the same time, conceal evil spiritual powers and principalities. However, the LORD God, with His mighty hand and the blood of the Passover Lamb, showed these false gods and half-gods and those who worshipped and relied upon them that He alone is The LORD. He alone has overcome the power of death, and has given that as a sign for us to wear for all generations. If you would like to know more about the LORD of Passover and exodus, "the way or road out of", you can pray with me: "LORD and Father, I will remember the blood of the Passover Lamb, Your Firstborn Son, Jesus, which broke the power of death for those who dwelled under it. Nothing could hold back Your hand of deliverance that brought Your people out of the House of Bondage in one night. I rely on You only, and the provision of salvation that You have made for me by Your own power. You lead me out of the bondages of sin and death. I pray that Your Spirit teaches me how to walk the way of exodus, not by pagan counterfeits that cannot save anyone, nor by customs that have lost their true meaning and power, but by a living faith found as I search Your Word. I ask this in the Name of Jesus. AMEN."

LORD

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

Exodus

The sabbath reading for this week begins the Book of Exodus for us. We have finished the Book of Genesis, which is B'reshiet in Hebrew, and "The Beginning" in English, and we discovered several important "beginnings" in it. The word Exodus traces its roots back to Greek and Latin, and means "the road or way out of". As we go through the readings in this second book of the Torah, we will be looking for how the LORD is revealing to us "the road or way out of". This sabbath reading is titled Sh'mot, or "names", and is what the Jewish people call this second Book of the Bible in Hebrew. This week's reading is from Exodus Chapters 1-4, as well as portions from the prophets. As the Book of Exodus opens, the Hebrew people's presence in Egypt had numbered under one hundred, including Jacob/Israel, his sons, and their children. "But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty (like a firebrand that stirs the burning coals to increase a fire); and the land was filled with them." (Ex. 1:7). The new king, or Pharaoh, and his court were "in dread" of the children of Israel, even after imposing hard bondage and bitterness upon them to try and stop their increasing numbers, which did not succeed (v. 8-14). The king feared that if an enemy tried to come against Egypt, the Hebrews would join with the enemy from their location inside Egypt. Pharaoh, the most powerful king on earth at this time, feared man, and the plans of men, and especially feared these foreigners who had never done Egypt harm, but good. Then Pharaoh had another idea since the hard labor imposed upon the Israelites had not reduced their numbers as hoped. He brought the Hebrew midwives before him and commanded them to kill all the male children that were born in their service to the Hebrew women (v. 15). In the Hebrew writing, the boy children of these verses is related to an untranslated "aleph-tav", or "Alpha and Omega" in the Greek, the name of Christ, the Messiah, in Rev. 1:8, 11, 21:6, and 22:13. The Lord had/has placed His Messianic name upon these children of Israel. This is another key to exodus, "the way or rod out of": "...for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:11-12). It is no coincidence that we now see a determined effort to kill children in our era as well. "But the midwives (yalad - beget, born, delivered, to cause or help to bring forth, declare pedigrees, to be created, to declare one's self to be born/pedigree) feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive...Therefore God dealt well with the midwives (that He provided households for them, or gave them families), and the people multiplied and grew very mighty..." (v. 17-21, excerpt). Pharaoh feared what man might do, but these women, who had been called into the presence of the most powerful king in the world, and had been given a direct command from him, feared God rather than man. The names of the midwives were Shiph'rah (supra/sipra/sapar - fair, brightness, beauty, adorn, most splendid, like the heavens that are made to be brightness by the Spirit of God, cleanness, to glisten) and Pu'ah (pua - splendid, to glitter, brilliancy). The names of the midwives are associated with the beauty, brightness and brilliance of the heavens as made by the Spirit of God (see Dan. 12:3). There is an interesting reference in Job: "By His Spirit He adorned the heavens; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent." (Job 26:13). The meanings of the names of these midwives are very significant, and have particularly special meaning to believers in Christ. Back to our story in Exodus: Pharaoh, not being satisfied with the non-efforts of the midwives on his behalf "...commanded all his people, saying, 'Every son who is born (yillod/yalad-see above) you shall cast into the river (ye'or - almost exclusively used to mean The Nile River in Egypt), and every daughter you shall save alive." (v. 22). The Nile River, referred to only as the River in the Old Testament, is the longest river in the world at over 4,000 miles long. It also played a major role in the ancient Egyptian pagan religion. It was considered to be the river way to be taken from life to death and to the afterlife beyond. God has a different and true "way out of", however. The Nile was also called "the Father of Life" and the "Mother of all men" by the Egyptians. The ancient Egyptian "Book of the Dead" was used to supposedly guide a soul through death. This is not the exodus or "way or road out of" bondage and death provided by our God, however. Our LORD God is the author of The Book of Life, or Sefer HaChaim, for He is the God of the living, and not the dead (Rev. 3:5, 20:12, Phil. 4:3, Lk. 20:37-38). Our God IS life, and He is living (Deut. 5:26) according to His Name, as we will read later. It is His desire to show us exodus- the true way out of bondage and death, and into life in Him. Roads not only lead out of somewhere, but into somewhere as well. The LORD would later prophesy against the nation of Egypt using their all-important river, the Nile (see Isa. 19:3, 5-15). It is amazing to know that the same river that Pharaoh meant for mass genocide, became, instead, the source from which a "deliverer" of God's people would be drawn, Moses. So far we have learned that "the way or road out of" (exodus) slavery in Egypt begins with the fear of the LORD, rather than the plans of men, even the most powerful of men, even of Godly men (see also Job 40:6-14). In order to save her son, when the mother of baby Moses could no longer hide him, she placed him in an ark of bullrushes sealed with asphalt and pitch and laid the child in the reeds of the Nile River (Ex. 2:1-3). Eventually, the ark was seen in the reeds by the Pharaoh's daughter, who had gone to the river to bathe. When she opened the ark, the baby cried, and she had compassion upon him, and claimed him as her own, and raised him: "So she called his name Moses (mose/masa - draw, to pull out, to save, to preserve) saying, 'Because I drew him out of the water'." (v. 10). Because of Pharaoh's daughter, we can also say that Moses was pulled out of death and into life. This is also a prophetic picture of what God would do for the Israelites, and what He still does for us. It is interesting to learn more about Pharaoh's daughter at this point. Although she is unnamed in this section of Exodus, the historian Josephus recorded that her Egyptian name was Thermouthis, meaning "first mother". She would probably have been named after the half-snake, half-woman goddess, Isis-Thermouthis. The Hebrews credit her with inadvertently being responsible for the redemption of Israel because she saved the baby Moses from the river. She was embraced and "adopted" by the Hebrews and given a new name, Bithia or Bityah, which means "daughter of God (YAH)". She is recorded again as Bithiah, the daughter of Pharaoh, in 1 Chron. 4:17-18, listed as part of the tribe of Judah. Outside of scripture, rabbis in the Midrash include Bithia, the daughter of Pharaoh, in the list of special converts to faith in God who entered Paradise while still alive. Along "the way or road out of", as we saw with the Hebrew midwives who shine like the heavens, God places those who divinely facilitate the way out for others by their obedience to Him. This is the meaning at the root of "Zion" (siyun - waymark, sign, monument, signpost, conspicuous guiding pillar), to be a waymarker or guiding pillar along the route of exodus, and to the City of David. This also should ring awareness "bells" for those who follow Christ. As a man, Moses was forced out of Egypt by death-threats from Pharoah, because Moses had delivered a Hebrew out of the hands of an Egyptian oppressor. While Moses was in exile, he met a man named Jethro, or Reu'el ("friend of God", pasture, shepherd, friend, brother, companion, special friend of God), a priest of the Midians, after having delivered Jethro's seven daughters out of the hands of abusive shepherds (Ex. 2:15-19). Moses was content to dwell with Jethro, and married one of Jethro's daughters, Zipporah (v. 20-21). While Moses was tending to Jethro's (aleph-tav) flocks, he led the (aleph-tav) flocks to the back of the desert, to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God (Ex. 3:1). Again, a name will have special meaning regarding exodus, "the way or road out of". Jethro (yeter/yatar) means "a cord, rope, string, remnant, other part, reserved, preserved, save over, preserve alive, excellence". As we saw previously, Reu'el/Jethro is a special friend or companion of God according to his name. We know that Abraham previously had this same kind of relationship with God (2 Chron. 20:7, Isa. 41:8, James 2:23). There is another group in scripture who were/are called the friends of the Lord. These are the followers of Jesus: "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you." (Jn. 15:14-15, see also Gen. 18:17-19). Moses took the (aleph-tav) flocks of Jethro to the backside of the desert. "Backside" is the word ahar, meaning "afterwards, besides, following after, defer, delay". The believers in Christ came after the Israelites in natural time, but Paul taught us that we were foreknown by God and completed (Rom. 8:28-30). As it is written in scripture about David and the prophet Jeremiah, God knows us before we are physically formed and born (Ps. 139:15-16, Jer. 1:5). It is amazing to know this about our "beginnings". We are here now, but we were also there, in spirit, then! Let's finish our story of Moses for this week. Moses took the (aleph-tav) flock of Jethro to Mt. Horeb (a lower summit of Mt. Sinai, meaning desolate, destroyed, destroyer, decayed, slay, smite down, kill). According to the meaning of the word, this place is associated with death, destruction, decay, and hopeless desolation. However, it is about to become a place of a miraculous sign of deliverance and life, and where God will reveal His saving name: "And the Angel of the LORD appeared to (Moses) in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So (Moses) looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed." (Ex. 3:2). When Moses turned to see this great sight, the LORD called to him, "Moses, Moses!" The LORD said: "I am the God of your father - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look upon God (v. 4-6). God said that He had seen the oppression of His people in Egypt, and heard their cries because of their taskmasters (nagas - oppressor, ruler, king, tyrant, exert pressure, harass, driver, tyrannize). The flames and fire that appeared from the middle of the bush were likened in Hebrew to the gleam on the tip of a spear, or a sharply polished blade of a sword. The Hebrew also includes the idea of the fiery wrath of God in this burning flame. This burning was a sign of war from God against the oppressive tyranny over His people. The bush that appeared to be burning was sene in Hebrew - a thorn bush. For Abraham in Genesis, the thorn bush held a ram for sacrifice. Here in Exodus, regarding the oppression of His people, the thorn bush contained the fire of the wrath and sword of God (see also Isa. 27:1). Then God said to Moses: "I have come down (yarad - descended, sink down, to be prostrated, brought down) to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey..." (v. 7-8, see also Eph. 4:8-10)). Not only would the exodus way bring God's people out of Egypt, but it would also bring His people into a good and large land flowing with milk and honey. The fire that burned (ba'ar) was kindled by the "dull-hearted, stupid, brutish, and barbarous", according to the Hebrew meaning of the word. At this time, Moses was commanded by God to return to Egypt to confront Pharaoh, and bring about the delivery of God's people, with the help of, and by the judgments of God. Moses was very reluctant, but God said to him: "I will certainly be with you..". (Ex. 3:12). A sign to Moses that God would do this was the promise from God that after the people have been brought out of Egypt, they will serve God on the very mountain where Moses was now standing, Horeb/Sinai. The message Moses was to give to Pharaoh from God was: "...'Thus says the LORD: Israel is My son, My firstborn...Let My son go..." (Ex. 4:22-23). Moses asked what God's name was in order to tell the Israelites if they asked. "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM' (haya/hava - was, has been, become, to be, exist, abide, continue, to be finished/to be, to breathe, breath). And God said, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent (salah - let loose, send, stretch out, shoot forth, be impelled) me to you.' Moreover God said to Moses, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.' (Ex. 3:13-15). That name of God given here is written with the four Hebrew letters Yod, Hey, Vaw, Hey. These individual pictographic letters carry the meaning, "Behold the hand, Behold the nail". This is the name of the Deliverer of Israel Who "comes down". There is only one exodus, and one Name, that is the "way or road out of' bondage to spiritual tyrants, rulers and death. Jesus said: "I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (Jn. 14:6). It is also written: "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is His own flesh..." (Heb. 10:19-20). The exodus is not by the power of an earthly ruler, nor by the power of any man, nor pagan religion, but by the Way that the LORD has made for us. As we continue our sabbath readings in the Book of Exodus, we will see more of that Way out of death, and into life. If you would like to know more and walk in the Way of exodus, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, and Great I AM, You have provided Your people with a Way out of bondage and death, and into Your promise of life. I can see the identity of Your Son throughout the Way, and I want to remain faithful to follow and remain on this road that You have made for me through the body of Your Son, Your firstborn Son. You are our Deliverer Who sees our bondage, and hears our cries, and comes down. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so I can learn more about the Way that You have made for me. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Resurrection

This week's sabbath reading portion is titled Va-y'chi, which means "and he lived". The title is interesting because these readings deal with the deaths of two men, Jacob and David. Because we are in the Book of Genesis in the Greek language, which is B'reshiet in Hebrew, or "Beginning" in English, we know that we will find the beginning of something important occurring in this reading portion. In Genesis 47, the time of Jacob's death at the age of 147 was approaching. He made his son, Joseph, take a special oath, the placing of Joseph's hand under Jacob's thigh, promising that Joseph would bring Jacob's body back to Canaan to be buried in the same place as his fathers: Abraham, and Isaac, with Sarah and Rebekah, their wives. Joseph swore that he would do this for his father, Jacob, upon Jacob's death. (Gen. 47:29-31). Why was Jacob so insistent upon being buried in Canaan rather than Egypt? Hundreds of years later, when the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt, they would also carry Joseph's bones with them into Canaan. Both Jacob and Joseph understood that the promised land also held the promise of Messiah, and resurrection from the dead, which we will see later. Before he died, Jacob did two important and eternal things. He blessed Joseph's two sons, with the younger son, Ephraim, getting the right-hand blessing. This blessing was the blessing of pre-eminence that should have gone to the older brother. Jacob also claimed those two grandsons as his: "And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon (two of Jacob's sons), they shall be mine. Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance." (Gen. 48:5-6). Those two grandsons of Jacob were now to have the same inheritance rights as if they were sons of Jacob. Those inheritance rights include the covenant promise of God to Jacob of the land of Canaan: "Then Jacob said to Joseph: 'God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession." (Gen. 48:3-4). This land was called an "everlasting" (olam) possession, given to Jacob and his descendants, which means it is from the ancient, or antiquity to the futurity. It is perpetual from the "hidden time", as a secret concealed. This isn't just an ordinary piece of land. Joseph's two sons', and their descendants' inheritance would no longer be in Egypt, but in Canaan, the promised land, with the rest of Jacob's sons. In an interesting fact, someone who studies the Hebrew scriptures showed me that after Jacob's blessing of Joseph and his two sons in Gen. 48:15-16, the Hebrew letters "aleph-tav" ( את ) became included with them. The Aleph-Tav, the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, is the name of Jesus, as He revealed when He referred to Himself as "The Alpha and The Omega", the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet used in the New Testament (see Rev. 1:8, 1:11, 21:6, 22:13). The descendants of these half-Gentile sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, (their mother was Egyptian) would become two half-tribes within the twelve tribes of Israel. Their identity would no longer be Egyptian, but they were now included in Israel, and the promise and people of Messiah. This is one of the two beginnings that would hold eternal importance. The second is in the prophecies that old Jacob said over each of his sons before he died: "...that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days." (Gen. 49:1). To his son, Judah, he prophesied kingship, and the rulership in the hands of the Messiah: "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's whelp (see also Rev. 5:1, 5); from the prey (terep/tarap - prey, ravening, tear in pieces (see Ps. 22:1, 16, 20-21), my son, you have gone up (ala - offer(ing), raised, arose, rise, ascend, be exalted, to lift oneself, to be high and lifted up (see Isa. 6:1)....the scepter (sebet - rod, symbol of royal authority, shepherd's staff, branch (off), used for punishing) shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh (meaning "that which belongs to him", tranquility, safety, prosperity, a name given to the Messiah) comes, and to Him shall be the gathering/obedience (yekaha - obedience, cleansing, purging, blamelessness) of the people. Binding his donkey to the vine, and his donkey's colt (see also Zech. 9:9, Mt, 21:1-9, Lk. 19:28-38) to the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes (see Rev. 19:13). His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk." (Gen. 49:8-12). Generations later, David, from the tribe of Judah, would become king of Israel, and his descendant, the Messiah or Christ, as promised by God, would reign on his throne forever (see 1 Chron. 17:11-14, 2 Sam. 7:16-18). Jesus was, and still is called by the Messianic name, "Son of David" (see Lk. 18:35-42). If you look up the references that I have provided within Jacob's prophecy regarding Judah, you will see the fulfillment by Jesus in scripture. David, in one of this week's sabbath readings, also referred to Jacob's prophecy before the gathering of the people of Israel: "...the LORD God of Israel chose me above all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever, for He has chosen Judah to be the ruler. And of the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father, He was pleased with me to make me king over all Israel." (1 Chron. 28:4). David referred to Jacob's prophecy over his son, Judah, as a beginning point in the royal line of Israel, and David himself as king, as well as the eternal throne of David held by the Messiah (in Hebrew), or Christ (in Greek). As he promised, Joseph and family travelled back to Canaan to bury Jacob with Abraham, and centuries later, Joseph's bones were also carried out of Egypt and then buried elsewhere in the land of Canaan at Shechem, in the plot of land that Jacob had purchased hundreds of years before (Josh. 24:32). Later in scripture, Jeremiah would prophesy: "Behold, the days are coming,' says the LORD, 'that I will raise to David a Branch (see "scepter" above) of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days, Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." (Jer. 23:5-6, 33:14-16). Israel was to be the land of promised resurrection, and the visitation of the Messiah (see Lk. 19:41-44), not Egypt. No wonder Jacob, and later Joseph, exacted promises to be returned to Israel after their deaths. In fact, scripture tells us that when Jesus was raised from the dead, many others were also, and were seen in the holy city (see Mt. 27:50-53). Jesus explained the resurrection power that was part of the faith and knowledge of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob this way: "But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'. For He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to Him." (Lk. 20:37-38, Mt. 22:31-32, Mk. 12:26-27). Jacob was considered one of "the living", even though he had physically died and was buried in Canaan long before God spoke to Moses from the burning bush! If you would like to know more about the beginning promise of resurrection, and its fulfillment through Jesus Christ, you can join in my prayer: "Heavenly Father, through the fathers of faith, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, You made beginning promises that carried through the ages, and will carry into "futurity". One of those beginning promises was Messiah the King, and the resurrection from the dead. You have fulfilled Your promise as You sent and gave Your Son as an offering for us, that whoever believed and received Him, to the same You would give everlasting life. Jacob and Joseph believed and received Your promise, and so do I. You are the God of the living. Fill me with the knowledge of Your Son, the Messiah, Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit, so that I can grow in resurrection life. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

DrawNear

The sabbath reading scheduled for this week is titled Va-yiggash, meaning "and he drew near". For the third time in scripture, a severe famine has come upon the land. Both Abraham and Isaac were sustained through famine, and now Jacob and his family will be kept through a famine as well. The nature of a famine is strange. Pharaoh's dreams revealed that in a famine the abundant and healthy are devoured by the blighted and ill-favored. The prophet Joel also describes this same "devouring" by worms or locusts and grasshoppers (Joel 1:16-20 and 2:25). Jo-el makes clear that these devouring creatures are the LORD's army. In Joel, the famine comes before the day of the LORD (1:15), and the outpouring of His Spirit (2:26-27, 3:28-29), which is important to note. Another portion from this week's sabbath reading tells us that the LORD sent the famine during Joseph's time in Egypt in order to raise up Joseph: "Moreover He (God) called for a famine in the land; He destroyed all of the provision of bread. He sent a man before them - Joseph - who was sold as a slave. They hurt (ana - afflict, oppress, humiliate, stoop, mishandle, cry out, testify, witness) his feet (regel/ragal - feet, footstool/slander, make false statements about, defame) with fetters, he was laid (bo - bring into, enter, fall upon) in irons (barzel/birzot - iron, harshness, oppression/to pierce, holes, aperture, wounds, choice olive, "well of olives"). Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him." (Ps. 105:16-19). We can see a connection between Joseph and Jesus through the meanings of the words used to describe Joseph's slavery above. Before the return of Jesus, the Messiah, famine will play a major role in prophetic events (Mt. 24:3, 7, Rev. 6:8). In another of this sabbath's readings, one of the prophets wrote of a different kind of famine, not of food, but of the Word of the LORD: "Behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord God, 'That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; They shall run to and fro seeking the Word of the LORD, but shall not find it." (Amos 8:11-12). In this case, great greed had been attached to the purchasing of food, as well as contempt for the provision of God (v. 1-2). The feasts and sabbaths of the LORD that interfered with the selling of anything and everything, including people, were also treated as an inconvenience (v. 5-6). This situation threw Israel into bitterness and mourning "...like mourning for an only son". (v. 9-10). The prophet Zechariah wrote something very similar: "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a first-born." (Zech 12:10). There was a famine for the hearing of the prophetic Word of God, as Amos wrote above, for four hundred years, which covered the period from the end of the Book of Malachi, the last book of the Tanakh, to the birth of Christ, and the announcement by the prophet of God, John the Baptist speaking of Jesus at Bethabara (meaning "House of Crossing over, passing over, passing before, passing through"): "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!...I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.' And John bore witness saying, 'I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He (the Spirit) remained upon Him....this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." (Jn. 1:28-34). The prophetic word given to a prophet of God was back after four hundred years of silence, and it was a life and history changing Word! As Christ broke the famine for the hearing of the Word of God, Joseph also broke or ameliorated the famine for bread that had spread across Egypt and Canaan. The prophecy of Amos may see a second fulfillment in the time before Christ's return. The apostles Paul and Peter wrote that in the last days before Christ's return, many will despise the hearing of the Word of God, and prefer lies and fables instead, which we are seeing now (see 2 Tim. 4:3-4, Mt. 24:23-24, 2 Pet. 2:1-2). God said in Psalm 105 above that He brings famine in order to bring forth a chosen servant, like Joseph, and also like Christ, to save the lives of His people, even a remnant. However, Joseph will not only provide for Israel during a famine, but he will seek a reconciliation with his brethren - the same brethren who despised and betrayed him, and sold his life into slavery for twenty shekels of silver. Joseph was so overcome by the sight of his brothers standing before him, as he was now the leader of Egypt under Pharaoh, that Joseph wept aloud. He said to them, "I am Joseph; does my father still live?' But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. And Joseph said to his brothers, 'Please come near to me.' So they came near. Then he said, 'I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here.; for God sent me before you to preserve (sum - set, appoint, set or make for a sign) life....And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity (seerit/sa'ar - remnant, escaped remainder of wrath/be kept alive) for you in the earth, and to save (haya/hava - save alive, be restored to life, revive from death/breathe (see Jn. 20:21-22), declare, show) your lives by a great deliverance (peleta/palit/palat - escape, escaped portion/deliver(er), to bring into safety or security, to cause to escape, slip away, deliver from danger). So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt." (Gen. 45:1-8). Jesus also said that He was not sent by men but by God, His Father in heaven (Jn. 7:28-29). As Joseph told his brothers that he was sent to Egypt by God to preserve them, according to the meaning of the word (see above), this was also set to be a sign. This encounter between Joseph and his brothers, and their preservation through him, was to be a sign declaring something to all of us. We are in the Book of Genesis, or B'reshiet, "Beginning", and a beginning principle of God is being revealed through this sabbath's reading selection. Not only do we have a prophetic image of Christ in Joseph as one who "preserves, saves, and brings a great deliverance" to God's people, Israel, but we also see a prophetic reconciliation that will carry the promise of God for thousands of years, even to this present time. The title of this sabbath's reading is Va-yiggash, or "and he drew near". Upon seeing his brothers standing before him, Joseph was overcome with emotion. and said to them, "Please come near to me." (Gen. 45:4). Joseph, a leader of Egypt, had the authority and every reason to judge and condemn his brothers for their betrayal of him years before (see Gen. 37:4, 8, 18-28). However, Joseph "...fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brother's talked with him." (Gen. 45:14-15). Joseph provided food and safety for his father, Jacob, and his brothers' families in the best land in Egypt, Goshen, meaning "drawing near" (v. 10, 18). Even Pharaoh and all of his servants were pleased that "Joseph's brothers have come" (v. 16), and Pharaoh wanted to meet and speak with them, and told Joseph: "Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen..." (Gen. 47:5-6). The fact that Joseph held an almost kingly position of authority in Egypt plays a large role in the reconciliation. This beginning principle of God regarding the reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers, who despised and abused him, will have far-reaching prophetic significance concerning the joining of Israel and the half-Gentile children of Joseph under the subsequent rulership of a kingly figure, and later still, the reconciliation and restoration of Jewish and Gentile branches in the olive tree, in faith, by the Word of God. We also must remember that the Joseph/Jesus figure in our reading immediately, and with tears of joy, received back his brethren who had despised, abused and unjustly treated him. In another reading portion from this sabbath, the power and eternal significance of Joseph's reconciliation with his brothers is seen again in Ezek. 37. By the prophetic Word of God, the two separate sticks that represent Judah/Israel and Joseph/Ephraim (half-Gentile son of Joseph), are joined together in the hand of the prophet, as the LORD declared: "...and I will make them one nation...and one king shall be king over them all...nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. They shall not defile themselves anymore...but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them, and I will be their God. David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd...My servant David shall be their prince forever." (Ezek. 37:22-25). Because King David had already been dead for many centuries when this prophecy was given, the reconciling factor between Joseph and his brethren in this prophecy is the Messiah, the eternal David, the Son of David, and King forever (2 Sam. 7:12-13, 16, 25, 29, Isa. 9:6-7, Lk. 1:30-33, Lk. 18:35-43, Lk. 19:35-38, 1 Tim. 6:14-16, Rev. 19:16), the one Shepherd and King of the one reconciled people. Paul also wrote of this miraculous but again prophetically guaranteed reconciliation between the Jewish branches and the Gentile branches into the same holy root, the Olive Tree representing the olive oil of anointing, or the Anointed One, the Messiah, Christ (Rom. 11:5, 15-18, 23-27, 29). In fact, the Word and ministry given to the Church of believers is the Ministry of Reconciliation, through Christ, between men and God, and between all creation and its creator (2 Cor. 5:17-21). We see in this Ministry given to us the ultimate manifestation of the Genesis principle of kingly preservation, salvation, great deliverance and reconciliation introduced to us in this week's sabbath reading. Finally, as we look again at the title of this week's sabbath reading portion, "and he drew near", various scriptures tell us to "draw near" to God (incl. Heb. 10:19-22, James 4:8-10, 1 Peter 2:3-4). Often, when Jesus healed and blessed, the people drew near, or came near, to Him (see Mk. 3:7-8, Mk. 10:13-15, Lk. 18:40-42). So great was His desire to draw Jerusalem near to Him in reconciliation, that Jesus wept over that city, because without that reconciliation and His preservation and deliverance into safety, terrible destruction awaited that city (Mt. 23:37-39, Lk. 19:41-44). History noted that this destruction occurred in 70 AD by the Romans. God has raised up His King and Deliverer if we will draw near to Him. If you would like to learn more about our King and Deliverer, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, I draw near to You through the preservation and reconcliation provided by Your Son, Jesus. He is the ever-reigning King over all creation. He is the Author and Finisher of all life. He, like the example provided to us by Joseph, desires above all things for His brethren to be reconciled to Him, and through Him, I am kept from destruction by His great deliverance. I pray also for the reconciliation of Judah/Israel and Joseph/Ephraim together into one, under one King and Shepherd from the line of David, and the restoration of the Jewish and the Gentile branches united together in our Messiah, Yeshua, Jesus. I ask these things in Jesus' name. AMEN."

AppointedTimes

The title of this sabbath's reading is Mikketz, meaning "At the end of", from Genesis Chapters 41-43. Genesis is the Book of Beginning, or B'reshiet in Hebrew. We have read about many beginning principles of God so far in this first Book of the Bible, and we have another beginning principle in this sabbath's readings also. TThis week's readings are timed to take place during the Feast of Dedication, the Festival of Lights, or Hanukkah. This year, the sabbath also falls on Christmas Eve. Our reading begins with Joseph who was forgotten in Pharaoh's prison: "Then it came to pass, at the end (qes/qasas - extremity, border, end/cut off, hew off, chop off, cut in two) of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river." (Gen. 41:1). We read here that two full years had passed since Joseph was forgotten by the man whose dream Joseph had interpreted while the man was imprisoned with Joseph. Suddenly, Pharaoh had a strange set of dreams. In the first dream, seven fat, healthy cattle arise from the river. Then seven thin, ill-favored cattle rose up after them and "ate up" (akal - eat, devour, consume, burn up) the healthy cattle. In the second dream of Pharaoh, seven plump and good heads of grain appear on one stalk. However, seven thin heads, blighted (sadap - scorch, burn up) by the east wind sprang up afterwards. The blighted heads then "devoured" (bala - swallow up, engulf) the good heads of grain. We should keep in mind that at the end of a two year time period, the time is "cut off" or "chopped off", according to the Hebrew meaning. Joseph's life is about to change dramatically. Pharaoh was troubled by his two dreams, and called in both his magicians, and the wise men of his realm to interpret these dreams, but no one knew the meanings. Both man's natural knowledge and wisdom, and the dark "knowledge" of the occult, were insufficient. Then Pharaoh was told about a Hebrew in his dungeon named Joseph, who had the proven ability to interpret dreams. Joseph was brought up out of the dungeon, shaved and given clean clothing in order to appear before Pharaoh. Pharaoh told Joseph that he had heard about his ability to interpret dreams, and that his magicians and wise men had not been able to help him (Gen. 41:15). Pharaoh had the power to throw Joseph right back into the dungeon, or set him free, yet Joseph answered him: "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace." (V. 116). Pharaoh told Joseph the dreams he had had, and Joseph began to bring the interpretation saying: "The dreams of Pharaoh are one. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do." (v. 25). Joseph told Pharaoh that the seven fat cattle and the seven full heads of grain signified seven years of abundance. However, a seven year severe famine, represented by the ill-favored cattle and blighted heads of grain, would follow the seven years of plenty. (v. 29-31). He concluded by saying to Pharaoh: "And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass." (v. 32). Joseph advised Pharaoh to appoint a wise man to set aside part of the abundance Egypt would experience, and store it away for the time of the famine to come (v. 33-36). "So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said..."Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?' Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.' And Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.' Then Pharaoh took (sur - depart from, come to an end, put aside, be removed, withdraw from) his signet ring (taba'at/taba - signet ring of authority used for sealing/sink down, pierce, to impress a seal, dip into, immerse, plunge) off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen (ses/sayis - linen, marble, bleach, white/alabaster, bleach, white, marble) and put a gold chain (rabid zahab - golden, shimmer, brilliance, splendor of the sun and heavens/ bind a neck collar) around his neck." (v. 37-42). Instead of wearing the yoke of slavery on his neck, Joseph now wore a golden neck piece instead. The signet ring mentioned is the seal of authority, and by the Hebrew meaning of the word, it is also associated with a plunging, or immersion, such as baptism. Paul wrote this concerning the anointing of the Holy Spirit in the believer: "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed (sphragizo/sphragis - to set a seal upon, mark by the impression of a seal or a stamp in order to prove, attest, confirm, authenticate, place beyond doubt regarding a thing/a signet ring) us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee." (2 Cor. 1:21-22, see Eph. 1:13-14, Rev. 7:2, Rev. 9:4). The fine linen given to Joseph to wear by Pharaoh (meaning "great house") is like the fine, white linen given to the saints, representing the righteousness of God (Rev. 19:5-9). In this Book of Genesis, we are seeing a beginning teaching of the changing role that the Holy Spirit played in Joseph's life, not just to bring Joseph glory, although He does, but to bring God glory out of Pharaoh's own mouth. The purpose of the Holy Spirit is not to exalt a believer for his own sake, but to bring God glory. The appointed time had come to make a shift in Joseph's life, s well as Egypt's future, and for the survival of Israel, which was able to be buy food in Egypt from Joseph in the middle of the terrible famine when it arrived (see Gen. 42-43). This was about so much more than Joseph's personal destiny. It also set the precedent of beginning in our lives as believers. The appointed time arrived in which the Holy Spirit came into our lives, sealed us, and changed our garments, neck-yokes, lives and destinies, and the destinies of those with whom our paths cross. Again we will see the connection of the Holy Spirit with the abrupt changing of time. In Zechariah 4, the prophet is awakened by the return of an angel "as a man who is wakened out of his sleep". (Zech. 4:1). The Hebrew meanings of the key words in this phrase can also mean "like a man raised from the dead", or "like a man stirred up after a long, old, dry period of time". The angel is about to show Zechariah something that will affect a work in the prophet's present time, but also the eternal meaning of the work. As with Joseph, the appointed time had come. During the prophet's time, Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah, after the people of God returned to Israel from their captivity in Babylon. Zerubbabel was overseeing the rebuilding of the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the work was not progressing well. It had taken many years just to complete the foundation of the temple. The appointed time to break through the spiritual darkness that was impeding the work had come. The angel gave Zechariah a vision of the eternal golden Lampstand, from which the lampstand of the earthly temple had been copied. This golden Lampstand had a perpetual supply of oil attached to it in the form of two olive trees directly feeding their oil into the bowls of the Lamp. This Lamp of the angelic vision represented a message for Zerubbabel, the governor: "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts. 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone/headstone (eben rosa - top most, highest stone of the corner), with shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!'" (v. 6-7). Zerubbabel was concerned with building a work - the Temple of God. However, God was building an eternal connection in this moment of time between the Kingdom of heaven and a living temple on earth through His Salvation, according to the Hebrew meanings found in verses 8-14 of this same chapter. We know that Jesus is described as "the chief cornerstone" (see Ps. 118:22, Mt. 21:42-44). Paul explained: "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." (Eph. 1:19-22). These sabbath reading portions were about Joseph and Zerubbabel, but they were also about the stirring force of the Holy Spirit Who begins, continues, and completes the eternal work of God in us and through us. We cannot force it to fruition ourselves. We cannot force a beginning ourselves, nor change the times ourselves. It is by His Spirit. How can we apply these things to Christmas? The eternal work accomplished through the birth of Jesus Christ only happened by the Spirit, at an appointed time. Mary conceived the holy Seed of Christ, not by the will of man, but by the Spirit of God: "And the angel answered and said to her (Mary), 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God." (Lk. 1:34-35). Knowing this, Paul also wrote: "Even so we...were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!'" (Gal. 4:3-6). Zerubbabel was to bring out the capstone shouting "Grace, grace" to it by the Spirit of God. We, by the Spirit, cry out "Abba, Father!". The birth of Christ was determined by "the fullness of time", according to Paul. Not only His birth, but His death was determined by the Holy Spirit: "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit Who was given to us. For when we were still without strength, in due time/at the right time Christ died for the ungodly...But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:5-8). Jesus did not die according to the timing of a hateful mob. He died, as He was born, at the appointed time, by the eternal work of the love of God through the Holy Spirit. Even Christ's resurrection, and ours, was accomplished by the Holy Spirit! (see Rom. 8:11-14). Paul wrote again regarding our appointed time: "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Cor. 6:1-2). When will your appointed time, like Joseph's, come to accomplish God's work? God has the answer: "...humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time (kairos - a fixed and definite time, opportune and seasonable time, the right time), casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6-7). Have a blessed Hanukkah and Christmas, for they come at the appointed time of God. If you would like to learn more about the Lord's appointed times, and the work of His Holy Spirit in our lives, you can pray with me as I pray for myself: "Heavenly Father, I see in Your Word that events are not by the power or might of man, nor by the will and knowledge of man, but by Your Spirit. All of the events in the life of Jesus were quickened and accomplished by Your Holy Spirit. Baptize and fill me with Your Spirit, and arrange the days of my life according to Your appointed times. I thank You for the birth of Your precious Son and our Savior, Jesus, who is the Light, the Menorah, of the world, and has called me to be the light of the world in Him. I ask for these things in His name. AMEN."