Repentance

I would like to find out something more about repentance. I don't think I understand enough about it. As I looked into it, I found some things that made me realize I have only a superficial understanding of repentance, and there is even more that I will have to learn in the future.
My starting place is usually word meanings, and so it is also for this. I found something surprising. There are two sides to repentance, two things going on at once.
In the Greek, it is fairly simple: a change of mind, purpose, or in something done.
However, in the Hebrew, there are two words used meaning repentance, racham and shuv, and this is where things get interesting.
Racham comes from a root dealing with breath. So it means to pant, or groan, to breathe heavily because of sorrow and regret. However, at the same time it means to be consoled, comforted, pitied, receiving compassion, ease, and even to avenge! The act of sincere repentance moves God at the same time to pour out comfort to us, and even to avenge us.
Shuv, the second Hebrew word for repentance, means to turn, turn back, turn away. At the same time, it means to bring back, allow to return, draw back, restore, refresh, to be brought back. So, at the same time that we are turning away from our evil, God is drawing us back and restoring us, refreshing us in Himself. We see this in 2 Chron. 7:14- when God's people repent, God pours  out forgiveness and healing, not just on individuals, but upon the whole nation.
There are some other things about repentance that I found very interesting.

• Repentance is a calling:

"But go and learn what this means: "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."    Mt. 9:13, Mk. 2:17, Lk. 5:32
The word "call" in the above verse means to call aloud, to call by name, to receive the name of, to give a name to one, to bear a name or title, to be so named.
The call to repentance is specific, with the Lord calling each of us by name. As He calls us by name to come to Him in repentance, He also gives us a name. We also bear the name of the LORD (Isa. 62:2, Jer.14:9, Dan. 9:19, James 2:7).

• Repentance is something that is granted (bestowed, permitted, supplied, furnished) and led by God:

"When they heard these things, they became silent; and they glorified God, saying "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life."      Acts 11:18
"Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads (by laying hold of, accompanying, bringing) you to repentance?"     Rom. 2:4
"...if God perhaps will grant them repentance so that they may know the truth..."  2 Tim. 2:25
Not only is repentance a gracious gift from God, from His goodness, but, again, at the same time as repentance begins, life is given in return.
A man cannot repent unless God grants him repentance. We should rejoice at the graciousness of God Who has allowed us to repent. It shouldn't surprise me to find that the love, and unlimited goodness of our Father is included in His principle of repentance, as with everything else concerning His dealings with us. He ends up giving me far more than I give Him.

• The sorrow of repentance is a godly sorrow:

"Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death,"                    2 Cor. 7:9-10
The source of even the sorrow that makes us repent is from God, and is not the same as the sorrow known by the world. This godly sorrow and repentance leads to salvation, even for those who already know Christ (Paul was writing to those who were already believers).

• Repentance is a place:

"For you know that afterward, when he (Esau) wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
                                                                  Heb. 12:17
The place of repentance referred to here is "a space marked off from surrounding space". It also means a "Rock". Not everyone who seeks "a" place of repentance can find it. You can't create a place of repentance with tears and striving, and self-flagellation. The place of repentance can only be found at the place of the Rock, Jesus of Calvary, the place that is  set apart from all other places. Esau never found that place. Aren't we glad that we have been shown that place, and can go there freely?

• God will never grant repentance to His great enemy: Death.

"I will ransom them from the power of the grave;
I will redeem them from death.
O Death, I will be your plagues!
O Grave, I will be your destruction!
Repentance (pity) is hidden from My eyes."    Hosea 13:14
For our sakes, God has cut off Death and the Grave from ever being able to repent before Him. He has cut them off from Himself forever, and they cannot live.

• Repentance produces specific fruits (harvest):

"Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father." For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones."    Mt. 3:8-9, Lk. 3:8
Jesus is reminding the people of God that repentance applies to them. We cannot have the spiritual pride of our own salvation, the pride of self-righteousness. These are the worst of the prides.
Scripture also says that we shall be known by our fruits:
"You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? ...Therefore by their fruits you will know them."     Mt. 7:16, 20
One of the fruits that God's true people will be known for, and identified by, are the fruits of repentance.

Considering all of the wonderful benefits to us that can be found in repentance, I should be searching myself continually, and taking every opportunity to partake in it. I should be running to that place of repentance as often as my Father calls me. I need to change my knowledge and attitude about repentance.

Our Father calls us to, and grants to us, repentance.


"I Repent"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vw71-oDK4M

"Come Let Us Return to the LORD"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWrHSH_zfDc&list=PL1AC19848DC3D2AEF&index=2

Tried

Jesus had strong words for the church of Laodicea in the Book of Revelation:
"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
Because you say "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing" - and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked- I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see."               Rev. 3:15-18
Laodicea had a tremendous spiritual calling. Its name means "Justice of the People". "Justice" here means more than right, justice, or a judicial decision. It has to do with causing something to be seen. Its root means "to show, to expose to the eyes, to give evidence or proof of a thing, to teach or exhibit, something presented to one in a vision, to bring to pass, of miracles performed in the presence of others to be seen, spoken of God as the author of Christ's visible return".
What an awesome purpose this church had been given. They were to be signposts for the return of Christ, and vessels to bring the invisible miraculous into manifestation, or visibility. However, their "lukewarmness" prevented the zeal for the "justice" of their name.
Jesus told them to buy from Him "gold tried in the fire". This gold is something that we can only get from Him. It is the everlasting victory over all things (Rev. 3:21) that He won for us, because He went through the "fire" on our behalf.
Why does Jesus say that this church must "buy" it from Him? Why doesn't He just give it to them? We are said to be buying this gold tried by fire from Him, because it costs us something. Following Christ as His disciple must come at a cost, with trials and testing of our faith:
"Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it."    Lk. 9:23-24 (Mt. 16:24, Mk. 8:34, 10:21)
"And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it- ...
So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."
                                                                              Lk. 14:27-28, 33
"If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you....If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you..."                       Jn. 15:19-20 (excerpt)
"Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you."       1 Jn. 3:13

 To buy that gold tried in the fire from Christ, is to our advantage. It costs us something, but we gain so much more:
"I will bring the one-third through the fire,
will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
and I will answer them.
I will say, "This is My people";
and each one will say, "The LORD is My God."            Zech. 13:9

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of you faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love."         1 Peter 1:6-8a
"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings...If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part, He is blasphemed, but on your part, He is glorified."                              1 Pet. 4:12-14
At the same time that the trial condemns those who are blaspheming, the Spirit of glory is resting upon us, and glorifying both us, and God, because we also share in Christ's sufferings. This glory (gold) comes at a cost-the sharing of His suffering. The resurrected Christ says to buy this gold from Him.

Laodicea was known as "the seat of the Christian church", yet this church was very self-satisfied and complacent, according to Christ in His prophetic word to John. Their purpose, revealed by the meaning of their name, was to show and exhibit to others the miracles and the blessings of the salvation, and the return of Christ, but they were more concerned with enjoying those blessings themselves. They took more pleasure with their riches and comfort, their success, than with their purpose in Christ.
They enjoyed the blessings of Christ, but they had not been tried. When we experience Christ, we also experience or share a portion of His sufferings. When we live and believe the Word of God, that Word in us is tested and tried. This testing produces that gold tried by fire, the pure gold that does not perish that Jesus mentioned. Without attaining that gold tried by fire, we are really "poor" in the Spirit (reduced to begging, destitute, powerless to accomplish an end), as was Laodicea.
The experiencing of Christ in the testing fire, is valuable to ourselves, and for our testimony to others. In the ultimate challenge to come, because we have joined Christ in that fire of experience, and we have been tried, even if our trials in no way compare to His, and have been delivered out of all (Ps. 34:19, Isa. 43:2), we are able to overcome by the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony, and the fact that we love not our lives unto the death (Rev. 12:11). Our overcoming faith, which is the faith of the Son of God, has been purified and sealed in the fire of testing.
Instead of leading others to spiritually "see" Christ and His return, the church of Laodicea was call "blind" by Christ. This word means to be wrapped in a cloud of smoke or a mist that prevents sight, and as a result, to be puffed up with pride and haughtiness. He urged them to anoint their eyes with eye salve, to clear their spiritual vision.
Jesus also described them as "wretched". This refers to a pair of balancing scales, as in our symbol for justice, but by this definition, these scales are weighted down with a burden, instead of weighing out liberating justice.
He said they were "naked". Instead of exposing others to the truth in Christ, their own nakedness was revealed. They were showing and exposing their own flesh and shame, and not His glory, nor the clothing of glory, which is righteousness, the white raiment, that He had attained for those who believe. He urged them to attain this spiritual raiment.
However, Jesus did not leave them with only these harsh words. He told them that He was correcting them because He loved them. He was knocking at their spiritual door because He wanted them to intimately experience and fellowship with Him (Rev. 3:19-20). You cannot stay lukewarm after you experience Jesus. You cannot stay lukewarm when you have seen the wounds of His suffering, and have been delivered from your own trials by His victory.
Jesus said that if they would heed His words to them, and repent, they would sit with Him on His throne, which is the throne He shares with His Father (Rev. 3:21). They would be overcomers, as He is. What an incredible promise and blessing to a church that was missing its calling so completely. It was still possible for them to walk in their calling and purpose.
This was a very timely word to the comfortable, complacent, lukewarm church of Laodicea. We can only hope that they received that prophetic warning, and heeded it. Shortly after they would have received this word, Laodicea was destroyed by an earthquake in 66 A.D., and was not re-built until almost 100 years later by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who was a persecutor of Christians. Not only this church, but many other lives had been hanging in the balance when this prophetic warning from Christ was issued to them.
Christ is also warning the modern church, because many of us have become very much like the Laodiceans of Revelation. It is very tempting to compromise, or remain silent with the truth we know, in order to keep our comfort and wealth, to be accepted by the world and its views, and to avoid the trials that come with the truth of Jesus, and the Word of God. Again, as in the time of Laodicea, there are many lives in the balance, not just our own. We also have a vital End-Time calling and purpose. We also are called to bring the miraculous salvation and soon return of Christ into visibility for all around us. It is time to repent of our lukewarmness, and to become "hot" again, and to buy from Jesus that gold tried in the fire.

Our Father is a refiner's fire Fire.

"Have You Been Tried in the Fire?"  by Macedonia Youth Choir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J6Ry0b_E6s

Man

Man was a wondrous creation. There were three stages to his creation by Elohim, the Ruler, the Judge, the plurality of God.
Stage 1 was "Adam":
"Then God said, "Let Us make man (adam) in Our image (resemblance, representative figure), according to Our likeness (similitude, like manner, to be like, comparable); let them have dominion (rule, reign, prevail against, tread down as a wine press)....over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."    Gen 1:26
At this point, in Stage 1, the man is referred to as adam. The Hebrew word refers to a reddish complexion. The root word, dam, means blood. The first stage is the blood.
This man was created to be a representative figure of God, with like manner, even comparable manner, and his purpose was to rule and prevail against.
Stage 2 was "Nefesh":
"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed (blow, kindle, give up life) into his nostrils the breath (spirit) of life, and man became a living soul (nefesh)."   Gen. 2:7
First of all, God's name has changed for this stage of the creation of man. He is LORD God. His name reflects that He is existing, and He brings forth, and sustains or continues all existence.
As the breath left LORD God and entered into man, man received the life force, the spirit and the soul (heart, mind, will) of God, and became a soul (nefesh) himself. "Nefesh" also means life, to refresh, take rest, cease from working. LORD God gave up a portion of His life breath into the man He created.
Stage 3 was "Iysh":
The iysh stage of man came into being upon man's marriage:
"And Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called "Woman" (iyshah), because she was taken of man (iysh)."
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one (echad) flesh."        Gen. 2:23-24
The Hebrew meaning of iysh (man) here is husband, servant, champion, great man, high-degree. The root includes a plurality- mankind, or a part of a greater number.
So this man, created from the blood, a representative of God, comparable to God, filled with LORD God's own breath, soul and spirit, was meant to be both a servant, and a champion, containing the great number of others called "mankind".
However, this man, who was created to be a champion, instead became a co-conspirator with a creature who only wanted to see man die. It is almost too pitiful to bear.
With great and eternal thanks for the mercy and loving kindness of the LORD God, our Father, the story doesn't end there. Out of the iysh-man's future multitudes, and from the work of the Holy Spirit, LORD God redeemed us through His only begotten Son, Jesus, and re-created us anew: Ber-i-yah. Let us look at this new creation:
Stage 1- The Blood:
As with Adam, our Father started this new creation with the blood, in this case, the blood of Christ:
"For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
                                                                                           Mt. 26:28
"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."                                                                               Eph. 2:13
Stage 2-The Breath:
As LORD God breathed into Adam to create Nefesh, a living soul, we also have received the breath of the Holy Spirit as Christ did the new work in us:
"And when He (Jesus) had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."                     Jn. 20:22
Stage 3- The Marriage:
"Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."     Rev. 19:7
When Adam recognized his wife, and God defined marriage, man became "iysh", champion.
We also have been called into a marriage with Christ. While we are not the champion, we have the "Champion" in us:
"To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."      Col. 1:27
"You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."         1 Jn. 4:4
As Adam became aware of his plurality upon marriage, we also are plural in nature. Not only, does the plurality of the Trinity dwell in us, and we in them, but we are a city on a hill (Mt. 5:14), having many members(1 Cor. 12:20), a New City come down from heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband, as the Bride, the Lamb's wife (Rev. 21:2,9-10). As this city, we contain the Tabernacle of God (Rev. 21:3), and the throne of God and the Lamb (Rev. 21:5, 22:1), the light of the Lamb and the glory of God (Rev. 21:13, 22:5), the river of life flowing through us, and the healing of the nations contained within this city that is the Bride (Rev.22:1-2). This New City, created by marriage to the Lamb, is the home of countless numbers:
"(You) have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth."                    Rev. 5:9-10

Adam attained a greatness of number, stature and purpose when he married and became "iysh". We, also have attained a great destiny through our marriage to the Lamb.

We have been created again, miraculously, and anew, by the atoning work of Jesus.
That creature in Gen 2, who only wanted to see man die? He's still around (Mt. 10:28, Jn. 10:10).
Let's not make the same mistake twice.

Our Father has made a new creation, Ber-i-yah.

"A New Creation"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DhpPJdd9vo

Testify

Jesus said, "You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me."           Jn. 5:39

When saying the above, Jesus was speaking to Jews in the Temple in Jerusalem, who were angry with Him because He had healed a man on the Sabbath. Jesus told them that their beloved Torah bore witness to who He was. References to Him, and to His life, were promised and prophesied in those scriptures.
The word "testify" is edut, עֵדוּת, made up of the letters ayin (see, reveal, know), daleth (door), vaw (nail), and tav (cross, covenant, sign of the covenant). So the word "testify" in Hebrew can also be expressed: "See the door of the nail and the cross (covenant)".
It is said that there are 353 verses in the Torah which testify to Jesus. We can only look at a few here.
In Gen 3:15, the LORD God prophesied to the serpent the following:
"...And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel."
The one who would deal the blow to the rulership (head) of the serpent, would be born of a woman, but would not come out of the encounter with the serpent's seed unscathed.
To Abraham, the LORD promised:
"....because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son-...In your seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."        Gen.22: 16-18
As Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, Isaac, the Angel stopped him, and Abraham discovered a ram caught in a thicket (of thorns), to be sacrificed in place of Isaac. We have a shadow of a sacrifice of a son, and  the principle of a substitute (ram) to become a sacrifice on our behalf. All nations, not just Israel, would be blessed and benefitted by Abraham's obedience that day that he was willing to sacrifice his son. Abraham was confident, however, that the LORD would provide for Himself, that lamb for the sacrifice (v.8), and he was right.
Proverbs 30:4 would confirm that there would be a "sonship" relationship between the Creator, and the Messiah:
"...Who has established all the ends of the earth"
What is His name, and what is His Son's name
If you know?"
Why would the writer of Proverbs ask "What is His name?" and "What is His Son's name?"
Surely the people of Israel know the LORD's name, so why this question? It is there because there is a name of the LORD that they did not yet know. This name of the Creator is directly connected with His Son's name. Jesus told the Jews, "I have come in My Father's name..."  (Jn. 5:43)
The prophet Isaiah writes about this child, this son:
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace."           Isa. 9:6
This Son to be born would carry the name of God, Himself.

King David writes prophetically about the scene of the crucifixion of Christ in Psalm 22, although David lived 1,000 years before Jesus' birth:
"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
...All those who see Me ridicule Me...
Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him (said by those who mocked)...
I am poured out like water,
And all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It has melted within Me...
You have brought Me to the dust of death.
They pierced My hands and My feet;
They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots."
David as king, though he faced many challenges, was never crucified, yet he writes a witness account, as though he was on the cross at that scene 1,000 years later. The Psalm concludes with the great victory of the LORD that causes all nations to worship Him. The dead will live to worship. Even those yet unborn will hear about this great thing He has done.
Isaiah writes about the servant who was despised and rejected by men. This servant bore our grief (sicknesses), and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions, not His own. He was bruised, chastised and whipped for our iniquities and healing. He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isa. 53).
The above Servant wasn't punished for a crime He committed. He took the punishment on behalf of others. Isaiah  writes about this Servant, whose sacrifice is an exact prophetic account of Jesus' purpose approximately 750 years before Jesus was born.

There were prophetic references to the resurrection of Jesus also:
"For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption."   Ps. 16:10

"Your dead shall live;
Together with My dead body they shall arise.

Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust;
For Your dew is like the dew of herbs,
And the earth shall cast out the dead."    Isa. 26:19

"I will ransom them from the power of the grave;
I will redeem them from death.
O Death, I will be your plagues!
O Grave, I will be your destruction!
Pity is hidden from My eyes."      Hosea 13:14

Those who have rejected this "Suffering Servant", this Son who bore His Father's name, will see Him, and see the truth regarding Him, during a very trying circumstance involving an attack against Jerusalem. The prophet Zechariah has prophesied in 12:10:
"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."
The chapter goes on to describe the extensive grief and mourning over this Son of every individual and household when they see Him, in a similar manner to the national mourning that took place previously in HadadRimmon (the place where King Josiah was mourned in Megiddo).

There are so many verses that testify, prophesy, or mirror, the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus that can be found in the Torah, as Jesus said-too many to record here.
Below, you will find links to free information available, written especially to the Jewish people, regarding the discovery of Jesus in the Torah.

Our Father testifies of His Son, Jesus, in His word.

"For Unto Us a Child is Born"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owcn6fgYwpw

Additional Sources:
"They Thought for Themselves"
http://sidroth.org/articles/they-thought-for-themselves

"Isaiah 53 Explained"
https://isaiah53.com/main/

Advocate

This is the 100th post to this blog.
Jesus describes the Holy Spirit to His disciples as the Comforter.
"And I will pray the Father and He will give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever-the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him for He dwells with you and will be in you."   Jn. 14:16-17

The word used for "Comforter" in Greek is "Parakletos". As much as this word means to give succor, comfort, and help, it also means one who pleads another's cause before a  judge, a counsel for the defense, an advocate, an intercessor.
Jesus is our Advocate with the Father as well:
My little children, these things I write to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for our sins only, but also for the whole world."   1 Jn. 2:1-2
                                                             and
"But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore, He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."         Heb. 7:24-25

While I had been familiar with the scriptures about Jesus being our Advocate with the Father, I had not thought much about the Holy Spirit being an Advocate, according to the meaning of the term "Comforter".
King Solomon wrote of those who had no "comforter", no one on their side:
"Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun:
And look! The tears of the oppressed,
But they have no comforter-
On the side of the oppressors
there is power,
But they have no comforter."            Eccl. 4:1

I considered that as a believer. I have received the Holy Spirit. However, I do not spend much time as an advocate, pleading the cause of one before a judge. I don't give much thought or spend time as a counsel for the defense. While I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ, I can't say that I advocate for those who are not. I pray for their repentance, and salvation, but I do not "advocate" for their defense.
Defense counsels do not always have an innocent for a client. Sometimes they defend the undefendable. That is sometimes difficult for us to accept, because our hearts cry out for justice. However, Jesus said, "They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick." How can I advocate, or make a defense for the guilty?
At His own crucifixion, Jesus was an advocate for the guilty:
"Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."    Lk. 23:34
After He had said this they mocked and ridiculed Him.
Whether they had knowledge of who Jesus was, or not, they certainly knew they had railroaded an innocent man to death on false charges. It doesn't get more undefendable than that. Yet Jesus advocated for them before the Father. What possible fruit could come of such advocacy?  Well, Christ's disciple, Joseph of Arimathea, sat upon the Sanhedrin, that Council of men who had falsely accused and judged Jesus (Mt. 27:57, Mk. 15:43). Jesus' secret disciple, Nicodemus, was also part of that Council (Jn. 3:1). The Centurion, partaking in the execution of Christ, ended up declaring, "Truly, this was the Son of God." (Mt. 27:54, Mk. 15:39). Many priests, who were the main accusers of Christ, would come to salvation after the resurrection (Acts 6:7). And we also, were just as guilty as they were, before we came to a saving knowledge of Jesus. When Jesus advocated for them, He was advocating for me. Shouldn't we advocate for others? Isn't that the very meaning of the Holy Spirit, Parakletos, in us?
When His disciples were clamoring for Him to judge those who had rejected Him, Jesus rebuked them and said, "You know not what manner of spirit you are of". (Lk. 9:55)
Before the time of the judgment, there is first the time for advocacy on behalf of the accused.
Moses advocated before God, pleaded with Him, on behalf of the rebellious children of Israel, when God was prepared to render judgment against them. Moses didn't defend them based upon their innocence, which was non-existent, but he defended them based upon upholding the glory of the name of the LORD before the other nations, and reminding the LORD of His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. The LORD relented from the harm He said He would do to His people. (Ex. 32:11-14).
The Spirit of Wisdom delights in the creation of God, including man:
"Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman;
And I was daily His delight.
Rejoicing always before Him,
Rejoicing n His inhabited world,
And My delight was with the sons of men."        Prov. 8:30-31

After creating man, God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. (Gen. 1:31). Shouldn't we advocate for what Elohim called "very good", and for what Wisdom delighted in?

Out of this very rejoicing and delight over the creation of man, comes the heart of advocacy and defense, which is the name and character of the Holy Spirit.

Our Father has given us the Spirit of the Advocate.


"Father Forgive Them"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX5GyVOW2ws

Oracles

"So Aaron shall  bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the LORD continually. And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron's heart when he goes in before the LORD. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually."      Ex. 28:29-30
The Hebrew meaning of the word Urim is lights, light of fire, to become light, shine, to be made light, light of revelation.
The Hebrew meaning of Thummim is perfection, complete truth, innocence, integrity, uprightness wholeness, fullness, welfare, safety, prosperity, to be finished, completed, done, to be completely crossed over (as a river).
The Breastplate of Judgment, also known as the Breastplate of Decision, was worn by the High Priest. Inquiries made of God were brought to the High Priest by the king, or by another priest. Only these were permitted to make inquiries regarding God's will. The High Priest was the only one who could wear the breastplate, because, according to Jewish tradition, "it could only be read by the guidance of the Spirit of God, by one upon whom the Shekkinah (glory of God) rested. Only one question was allowed at a time."
In Psalm 27, David speaks of going to the House of God:
"One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek;
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to inquire in His temple."                Ps. 27:4
This Psalm begins by David declaring:
"The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?"
Rabbinical teaching holds that this is a Psalm about David going to the House of God to inquire of the Urim and Thummim in the Priest's Breastplate of Judgment. He describes this experience as beautiful, and he expresses the desire that he could remain in the LORD's house this way forever. He describes the inquiry as seeking God's face. He describes God as "light" and "safety" ("Of whom shall I be afraid? The LORD will take care of me; He shall hide me"). He then encourages us to "Wait on the LORD. Wait, I say, on the LORD". David is saying to wait there in the House of the LORD before the Urim and Thummim, until you get your answer from God.
Jesus also told His disciples to "wait" for the baptism of the Holy Spirit which occurred on the Feast of Pentecost (Acts 1:4). He described it as the promise from the Father.

Believers may see the connection to Jesus, and also, to those who follow Him, in the meanings of Urim and Thummim noted above.
We have the Holy Spirit, and Jesus the Living Word, within our hearts. Jesus, our High Priest, described Himself as Light and Truth (Jn. 8:12, 9:5, 14:6), Urim and Thummim. Jesus declared that we, His followers, were also the light of the world. The Holy Spirit in us is described as the Spirit of Truth:
However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come."       Jn. 16:13
We, as His disciples, are also described as being, or having, light and truth:
"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden...Let your light so shine before men..."       Mt. 5:14,16
"You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness."
                                                                                       1 Thess. 5:5
"...proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."
                                                                                       1 Peter 2:9
"...the truth of Christ is in me..."       2 Cor. 11:10
"For you were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness and truth)."     Eph. 5:8-9
"...the church of the living God, the pillar and mainstay of the truth."    1 Tim. 3:15
"Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first- fruits of His creatures."       James 1:18
"...that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."      1 Jn. 5:20

Light and Truth, Urim and Thummim, are the nature of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, who both reside within us, as His living temples or tabernacles:
"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?        1 Cor. 6:19
"...what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?....And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
I will dwell in them and walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people."                            2 Cor. 6:14-16

The breastplate of righteousness (Eph. 6:14), containing the Urim and Thummim, is worn by us, and within us, as witnesses of Christ's presence in the world, and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. We are also called "kings and priests", who, as noted above, are the only ones who can handle, and inquire of the Urim and Thummim:
".you also as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ...you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."    1 Pet. 2:5,9
"To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God, and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever."
                                                                                                     Rev. 1:5-6
"And have made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth."
                                                                                                     Rev. 5:10

The world needs us to be that Urim and Thummim witness to them of Christ in us.

Our Father has called us, as priests and kings, to be living tabernacles of His oracles, Urim and Thummim, Christ and Spirit, in the world.


"Psalm 27:Adonai Ori-The L-RD is My Light"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMZkqhZFVqc

Cups

The Passover Seder includes drinking four cups of wine throughout the Seder. The four cups reflect the four "I will" promises that the LORD made to the Israelites in Ex. 6:6-7:
"Therefore say to the children of Israel: "I am the LORD; I will bring you our 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."

God identified Himself to Moses in Ex. 3 as Jehovah, LORD, "I AM WHO I AM". Again, in the verses above, God ties His promises to this same Name and identity: "I am the LORD." In Hebrew, this name is represented by four letters: Yod, He, Vaw, He. After the yod and the vaw, He gives the he. He means to look, to see, to be revealed, to behold. It is a pictograph of a man holding his hands up. See he below:


 So it is: yod, BEHOLD!, vaw, BEHOLD!. He gives emphasis after each of those two letters. Yod is the arm and hand. It is about power and strength, work and creation, a finished work, a leader. See yod below:

 Vaw is a tent peg, to secure, to nail, to join. It is about completion, redemption, and transformation. So, according to the meanings of the four letters, His Name can also mean "Creator Behold! Redeemer Behold!" See vaw below:


The four cups of Passover also memorialize the four-lettered Name of the LORD revealed at that time to His people, who were in bondage.

In the Seder, the first cup is the Cup of Sanctification, or Kiddush. This reflects the promise of the LORD to bring His people out from among the Egyptians, out from under their burdens. Sanctification means to be apart from, or separated from, in order to be holy. This same call is to us today:
"Such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."   1 Cor. 6:11 and
"Therefore
"Come out from among them
And be separate says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you."                             2 Cor. 6:17, Isa. 52:11
The first Hebrew letter of His Name, Yod, is the hand and arm by which He brings us out, and creates the sanctification of His people.
The second cup of the Seder, is the Cup of Judgment, Makkot. The LORD promised "I will rescue you from their bondage." The LORD did this through the ten plagues, and through the drowning of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea. Jesus said to us,
"Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out."    Jn. 12:31
"...fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water."      Rev. 14:7
The second letter of the LORD's name, He, is revealed in Ex. 14:13, when the Israelites are physically and permanently separated from the Egyptians at the Red Sea:
"And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still and see (behold) the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever."
That is a hands in the air (He) "BEHOLD", statement! Hallelujah!
The third cup of the Seder is the Cup of Redemption. It celebrates the promise of the LORD,
"I will redeem you with an outstretched arm...". To us, Jesus is the work of the LORD, who redeemed us from the bondage of sin and death, even as the LORD redeemed Israel from bondage of slavery:
"And they sang a new song saying:
You  are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth."            Rev. 5:9-10
The third letter of His Name, Vaw, is a peg, or a nail, as Jesus was nailed to the cross. Jesus referred to this cup that He would be drinking (Mt. 20:22). The vaw also means, completion, redemption, and transformation. That nail of His Name, joined us together again with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The fourth cup of the Seder meal is the Cup of Praise, Hallel. It represents the promise of the LORD, "I will take you as My own people." We also have the promise that Jesus made to us to "take us" to  be with Him:
"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of an archangel with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord."     1 Thess. 4:16-17
The fourth letter of the LORD's Name, the last He, is the BEHOLD! of praise that is revealed as God tabernacles with His people:
"And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God."        Rev. 21:3
This BEHOLD, or He, is a fulfillment of that fourth cup and promise of God, "I will take you as My people, and I will be Your God."

The four cups of wine that we share in the Passover Seder, reminds us of the LORD's four promises to the Israelites and to us. They were promised in the Old Covenant, and fulfilled in the New Covenant in Jesus's blood (Lk. 22:20, Mt. 26:28). At the same time, as we take the cups, we lift up the four letters of His great Name!

The Father's Name is in His Passover.

"Your Great Name"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXH0MjGe10s

"All Honor, All Glory, All Power"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHOM-hOi7uU