Defense

We were once very confident that the defense systems of our nations, especially those that were the most elaborate, sophisticated, and powerful in the world, were perfectly able to protect us against foreign attack...until the bright, clear morning of September 11, 2001. The world found out that no army, navy, or air force, no matter how advanced, was able to defend any nation in every circumstance. We were vulnerable then, and we remain vulnerable now. However, there is a Defense that IS sure, and cannot be shaken. In the Book of Numbers, or B'Midbar in Hebrew, which means "In the Wilderness", we read that the LORD divided the hundreds of thousands of Israelite men, whom the LORD called His armies, into divisions for war. Each tribal division, and in the case of the Levites, the priests, divisions within the division, camped under an identifying banner. The LORD armed His people with His Word, given to them from Mount Sinai, and the LORD covered His people, and enforced the placement of His anointed and appointed covering, Moses and Aaron. We saw last week that the people of God rashly rebelled against this covering the LORD had provided for them. The LORD's presence was strategically positioned in the midst of His people, in His Tabernacle. Sometimes the Israelite armies would go into natural battle against an enemy, but the greatest enemies they faced were not natural, but spiritual. However, the LORD had set in place a powerful defense system over His people. It is the title of this week's Sabbath reading portion, Chukkat, meaning "Ordinance of". The Hebrew letters that compose the word chukkat, or "ordinance of", are cheth, vaw, qoph, tav. Each of these letters have an individual meaning that, when joined together in this word, can mean "The fence, the tent wall, that separates and protects is joined together into a circle from the head and behind by a nail and a cross, the sign of the covenant". Chukkat, the ordinance of God, is the defense system for His people. The very first verses of Chukkat, this week's reading beginning in Numbers 20, reveals a wealth of information for us in order to study this defense system: "Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was burried there. Now there was no water for the congregation..." (Num. 20:1-2a). The people were not journeying and encamping according to their own whims. They were being led by the Pillar of Smoke during the day, and the Pillar of Fire by night, and following the Ark of the Covenant (see. Num. 10:33-36). The people are now in the Wilderness of Zin, which means "a low palm tree, desert, to prick". They were staying in Kadesh. The root word of Kadesh in Hebrew, Qadas, means "holy, sanctify, be hallowed, be separate, sacred, purify, clean, the Sabbath, consecrated as a priest, to declare holy". As the people of God, we can understand the nature of holiness found in this word qadas. From this holy root word, qadas, we will move closer up towards our word "Kadesh" with the next root word, qades. However, something has happened to corrupt the holiness of qadas. Qades, contrarily means "unclean, male devotee to licentious idolatry of Venus or Astarte, consecrated prostitute to an idol". Finally, the word of the place mentioned in the above verse, Kadesh, means "holy, sanctuary, libidinous worship of Astarte or Venus, harlot". Why had God directed His people to such a place? The people of God were encamped in a place of spiritual warfare. Their enemy is a spirit that twists and perverts the idea of the holiness of God. Holiness is attacked by corrupting the principle of consecration, and twisting it into depravity. The people have arrived in "the first month", yet there is no mention of Passover, which was last mentioned in Num. 9, during another first month, when the people were in the Wilderness of Sinai. The LORD had to command them then to keep the Passover, even though the Feasts of the LORD had been established earlier as an eternal ordinance of God (Num. 9:1-5). Miriam, Moses' sister and prophetess, died at this time in the Wilderness of Zin. Also there was no water in the land. However, the people did not turn to their defense system. Instead, they turned against it: "And the people contended (rib - grapple, wrangle, debate, strive, seize one another by the hair, rend each other's garments, contend with blows, defend) with Moses and spoke, saying: 'If only we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! Why have you brought up the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) assembly of the LORD into this wilderness that we and our animals should die here? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place?" (Num. 10:3-5a). Of course, Moses didn't choose to be the one to deliver the people out of Egypt, or to determine their path to the Promised Land. This was done by God. We have additional information that this account was taking place at the time of the appointed Feasts of the LORD that were an ordinance for the first month, because the people were looking for grains, figs, vines and pomegranates (v. 5), which are the fruits of the Feast of Tabernacles. They could not find those fruits in this Wilderness of Zin at Kadesh. Because of the contention of the people against them, Moses and Aaron left the congregation and went to the door of the Tabernacle where they fell on their faces, and the glory of the LORD appeared (v. 6). The people had tried to defend themselves against the evil of that place by contending with Moses and Aaron. Moses and Aaron, on the other hand, would receive an ordinance of defense from the LORD: "Then the LORD spoke...'Take the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) rod: you and your brother Aaron gather the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; and you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) congregation and their animals..." (v. 7-8). In this "evil" place where the idea of the holiness of God has been defiled, leaving the land a barren, waterless desert, the LORD answered His complaining people with His glory, and with the Rock of His Salvation. It is a Rock filled with enough water to provide not only for the hundreds of thousands of numbered males plus women and children, but for their flocks and herds as well. Jesus spoke of Himself as an infinite supply of living water: "Whoever drinks of this water (a well established by Jacob) will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." (Jn. 4:13-14). Jesus gave this revelation promise to a woman whom many would have considered to be immoral, and her land, Samaria, was also despised by the religiously minded, for worshipping God in an unacceptable manner. The New Testament also clearly identified this Rock at Kadesh as Christ: "...all our fathers...drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ." (1 Cor. 10:4). In the Wilderness of Zin, the LORD did not deal with the spirits of darkness by contending with them, but by overcoming them with the glory of His holiness, and with the provision of His Son, the Messiah, as water to His rebellious people. In the same way, the LORD did not manifest His Son to us because we deserved Him. Scripture says that while we were yet sinners and enemies of God, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8-11). However, not only is this the Rock of Salvation, but it is a Rock of defense, as we read in the Psalms: "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength (rock), in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies...He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved...the LORD has been my defense, and my God the rock of my refuge." (Ps. 18:2-3, Ps. 62:2, 6, Ps. 94:22). As Moses was given the command to take the rod and speak to this rock before all of the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) congregation, The holiness of the LORD was again profaned by bitterness in this place of Kadesh. Moses, in His outrage, did not speak to the rock, as he was commanded, but struck the rock twice with the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) rod, saying: "Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?" (Num. 20:10-11). For this error, Moses and Aaron were told by the LORD that they would not be bringing His (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) congregation into the (eres) land/earth/world which the LORD had given them because "...you did not believe Me, to hallow (qadas - see above root of Kadesh) Me in the eyes of the children of Israel..." (v. 12). The LORD brought His (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) congregation to this forsaken place, made desolate by the perversion of holiness, in order to be enthroned in His qadas holiness. However, this would now be known as "the water of Meribah (meaning strife, contention, provocation)" because the children of Israel contended with the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD (Yehovah) here (v. 13). The LORD had brought His people to this desolate place for a reason and a purpose - not to punish them, but to exalt Himself and establish His holiness over the spirits of darkness in this place. Psalm 99 is also assigned reading for this Sabbath of Chukkat or "Ordinance". It says in part: "The LORD reigns...Let the earth be moved...He is holy (qados/qadas)...Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His footstool - He is holy (qados/qadas) ...You were to them God-Who-Forgives, though You took vengeance on their deeds. Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His holy (qados/qadas) hill; For the LORD our God is holy (qados/qadas)." (v. 3, 5, 9). This is something for us to keep in mind today also as we see darkness twist the holy character of the LORD before the people. As God's people left Kadesh, they traveled to Mount Hor, where Aaron would die by the Word of the LORD, and his son, Eleazar, would become high priest in his place. Mount Hor in Hebrew means "mountain mountain". It is also referred to as "the everlasting mountains" and "the eternal hills". The LORD said that this was the place where Aaron shall be gathered to his people and die there" (Num. 20:26). It is south of the Dead Sea, and the local people have referred to it as "the Mountain of Aaron the prophet". Aaron would be gathered to his people at this place and time, "for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) word at the water of Meribah." (v. 24). Here the LORD gives us an idea of what He intended to accomplish with the Rock at Kadesh. It is not something that we would immediately be able to see and understand without looking at the Hebrew words involved. Moses rebelled against the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) "word" of the LORD regarding the Rock. The Hebrew used for "word" is not dabar, as we usually see, but pe. Pe/pa'a means "mouth, lip, commandment, blowing, breathing/splitting, cleaving, break in pieces, shatter, blow away, scatter with wind". This (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) "word" was going to blow , scatter, shatter, those perverse spirits of darkness that had tried to rule over that area. Psalm 68:1-2 describes how God's enemies are scattered (pus - shake, break, or dash to pieces, scatter abroad) and driven away (nadap - diffused, dispersed, driven about especially by wind) like smoke. The Chukkat ordinance or command of God regarding the Rock at Kadesh was like a blowing of holy wind from the mouth of God in order to break His enemies to pieces and scatter those pieces in the wind. Unfortunately for Moses and Aaron, they did not keep this "blowing" pe word from the mouth of the LORD. We can learn from this lesson, can't we? If you would like to know more about God's perfect plan of defense on behalf of His people, you can pray with me: "Lord, You are my Rock of defense and Salvation (Yeshua/Jesus). The breath of Your mouth scatters Your enemies, and the throne of Your holiness will never be overcome. The whole earth is filled with the glory of the LORD, and we shout, "GLORY!" to the LORD who reigns in holiness. Guide me by Your Holy Spirit, and use the steps of my appointed journey with You to establish Your holiness in the earth, as it is in heaven. Let me not lean on my own understanding, nor be subject to the spirita of this world, but to trust in You only as my defense. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Covering

For me, this week's Sabbath reading portion deals with an issue that may still challenge each of us, which is "spiritual covering". Our spiritual covering is an even more powerful protective force than a natural covering such as the roof of a house. Imagine what damage can be done to the inside of a house if its roof is removed. Jesus described the Kingdom of God as a great tree that grew from a small seed, and the covering of that tree serves as a shelter and haven for the smallest and most defenseless of God's creatures (Mt. 13:31-32). If He covers the birds, how much more will He cover us? As God, in His grace, establishes His covering of salvation, peace, favor, protection, and provision over each of us, why would anyone attempt to remove it? Yet we do, as we will see, and we have done so since the divinely created (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Adam (Gen. 2:8) threw off the glorious covering of the royal dominion given to him by God in the Garden of Eden (meaning "delight, pleasure, dainty, finery, sumptuous, softly, to luxuriate"). This Sabbath, we are still in the fourth book of the Bible, which we call "Numbers", but is properly known in Hebrew as B'Midbar, meaning "In the wilderness" as mentioned in Numbers 1:1. Up to this point in our studies in Numbers, God has described His people as armies being set in order for war (see Num. 1:2-3). In the midst of this great army encampment, sat the Tabernacle of God. Encircling the Tabernacle, the Levites were encamped. They had been set apart in specific divisions within their tribe, depending upon their work of service in the Tabernacle before God. Outwardly from the Tabernacle and Levites in the center, the tribal divisions of the armies of God encamped to the north, south, east, and west in the form of a cross. This week's reading, which includes Num. 16-17, is titled Korach, which means "Bald, or to make oneself bald"! There is also a meaning associated with Korach having to do with ice and hail. From this we can get a picture of ice and hail, both being destructive forces, beating upon a surface until the covering, or hair, has been worn away. Korach also happened to be a man's name, Korah, who was one of the Levites (Num. 16:1). Korah and a handful of others led a rebellion against the leaders whom God had appointed to cover His people, Moses and Aaron. These same rebels convinced 250 of the most renowned elders of Israel to join them. It is a strategy of the spirit of rebellion to try to cover its intentions behind a facade of honor and respectability in men's eyes. Shakespeare wrote about this kind of strategy in his play based upon historical fact, "Julius Caesar". In this play, the group of assassins recruited Rome's most highly honored and respected citizen, Brutus, to join their plot by cloaking it in terms that would appeal to such an honorable man. Jesus prophesied our own vulnerability to liars and imposters in the time before His return (Mt. 24:23-25). More than ever, we will need the protection of the spiritual covering in our lives that God has provided, won't we?. In the situation involving the rebels in the Israelite camp in the wilderness, there was a bitterness, envy and resentment behind their voices as the rebels said to Moses and Aaron: "You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?" (Num. 16"1-3). Bitterness, resentment, and envy sound like hot emotions, but they are really very cold, like the "ice and hail" that can "make bald" and destroy a covering. Moses' reaction was to fall on his face before the LORD (v. 4). The rebels against Moses and Aaron then stirred the whole congregation of Israel against them, and the glory of the LORD appeared and told Moses that He was about to consume in a moment all of the people. Moses immediately began to re-establish a covering over the people before the LORD (Num. 16:19-24). The LORD then only dealt with the rebels and the 250 renowned elders who initiated the rebellion in a terrifying manner. The earth opened under Korah and his conspirators, and they went down alive into the pit, and the 250 elders were consumed by fire that came out from the LORD (v. 31-35). The people around them were horrified by the sight. Strong action had been necessary for God to re-affirm His appointed leaders, and to re-establish His covering over the Israelites. Amazingly, this may not have been the end of Korah's story. There is a deep mystery here involving God's covering. We can view this important mystery that will have wider implications in Psalm 88. It is a Psalm of the sons of Korah, as it is revealed in the introduction to the Psalm. The sons of Korah were Levites who sang in anointed worship in the Temple. However, Korah and his whole household went alive down into the pit (see Num. 16:23-27, 31-33). So how are there sons of Korah to sing to the LORD generations later? There are various guesses as to how this could have happened, but none of those guesses consider a miracle of the LORD. The Psalm is a desperate cry from someone alive in the lowest pit (v. 6-7). Part of that cry to the LORD is: "Will You work wonders for the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise You? (Selah). Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?" (v. 10-11). Did you know that God can hear your cries and cover you even in your lowest pit? David knew that (Ps. 139:5-12). David called this knowledge of God's covering "too wonderful" for him. Jonah knew it, as he cried out from the Sheol pit (place of the dead) in the belly of the fish (Jonah 2:1-6). It is even based upon this mystery of Jonah that Christ declared the sign of His own resurrection from death (Mt. 12:38-41). A man named Heman wrote Psalm 88. The name Heman/aman means "faithful/believe, assurance, bring up, nurse, to be carried by a nurse, support, foster mother/father". Heman, grandson of Samuel, who was also a miracle son of Korah, stood in and wrote for this person who was in the hopelessness of the pit. I will leave this mystery of the covering of God in Psalm 88 here. Back to the Israelites in the wilderness. The spiritual forces of ice and hail that make one bald, and had tried to destroy the covering of God over His people for their survival, were not done yet. The very next day, after the earth had swallowed up the rebels, all the congregation of Israel accused Moses and Aaron saying: "You have killed the people of God." (Num. 16:41). It seems that lies always rise up in an instant, but are slow to die. Again, because the people were rejecting His appointed covering for the people, God told Moses that He would consume this congregation in a moment, and a deadly plague broke out among the people (v. 44-45). Again, Moses fell on his face, not for his own sake, but to cover a people who kept trying to throw off their divine covering. Following Moses' instructions, Aaron then took his priestly censor, and ran into the midst of the people making atonement for them: "And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped." Over fourteen thousand people had been killed by the plague (v. 46-50). God did not stop here, however. In order to further make clear the importance of the prophetic and priestly covering that God, not man, had appointed in order to preserve His people, God caused Moses to collect all of the rods that represented the leaders of the twelve tribes, or armies, of Israel, including Aaron's rod representing the tribe of Levi, the priests. The rods represented the names of the fathers and identities of each tribe, and the authority of the leader of each tribe. The rods were collected and placed within the Tabernacle before the Ark of Testimony. The next day, as the rods were collected, Aaron's (aleph-tav[Alpha and Omega]) rod had not only budded in flowers (sis/sus - blossom, flower, shining gold plate on high priest's turban, a wing gleaming in the air/blossom, shine, sparkle, gleam, show forth), but had also produced ripe almonds (saqed/saqad - almond tree, earliest bloom, first to awake from winter/watch, wake, remain, hasten) (Num. 17:1-9, see also Mt. 24:42-44, Mt. 25:13, Lk. 21:29-36, 2 Peter 3:10-12, 1 Thess. 5:1-6). This miraculous event fulfilled the prophecy that the LORD made in v. 5. We can see in the Hebrew meanings that the appointment of Aaron, and God's re-affirming of Aaron as Israel's priestly covering, also pertains to the Messiah's or Christ's covering over God's people. The LORD said that the budded and fruited (aleph-tav) rod of Aaron the high priest was to be kept in the Tabernacle, before the Ark of the Testimony" as an (aleph-vaw-tav = "God nailed to the Cross") sign (ot - sign, mark, evidence, miracle) against the rebels (meri/mara - bitter, bitterness/to stroke or lash with a whip, to resist, oppose), that you may put their complaints away from Me." (v. 10). We see again in the meaning of the Hebrew word for "rebels" the cold ice and hail of bitterness. In another portion from Korach/Bald, this week's Sabbath reading in 1 Samuel 11, an enemy, Nahash (meaning "serpent, dragon, snake, serpent idol, divination, enchanter, whisper"), king of the the Ammonites ("tribe, kindred, people together, to grow dark, held dark, overshadow, eclipse"), laid siege to Jabesh (yabes - dry, dried up, utterly withered, ashamed, confounded, wither away) in Gilead (meaning "hard, stony region") in Israel. From the Hebrew meanings here, this is about the worst enemy, the serpent, the dragon himself, Satan, that anyone can have. This enemy, named here as Nahash, brought spiritual darkness upon the land, and in that vein, he threatened to put out the right eyes of all the men of Jabesh so that all Israel would suffer reproach (1 Sam. 11:2). The forced removal of an eye was considered cruel and degrading punishment when a people were conquered. The town that this enemy came against, Jabesh, had become a (spiritual) withering, dry place that had drawn this powerful enemy's attack. How had this city fallen into this withered condition which caused them to become vulnerable to this enemy? The people of Israel, had just rejected God's appointed prophet/priest Samuel, who judged them righteously (see 1 Sam. 7:2-6), as a covering over them. They instead demanded a king like the other nations around them (see 1 Sam. 8:4-7, 21-22). God chose Saul to be anointed king over Israel (1 Sam. 9:15-16, 1 Sam. 10:1), even as He warned the people that they would regret rejecting Him as their covering and King, in exchange for a man like themselves to rule them. However, even as the LORD commanded that Saul be made king: "...some rebels said, 'How can this man save us?' So they despised him (Saul), and brought him no presents. But he (Saul) held his peace." (1 Sam. 10:27). The "rebels" spoken of in this verse are also called "the sons/children of Belial" meaning "worthless, wicked, vile, ruin, destruction, destroyer, ungodly". Again there were those who rejected first God, and then Samuel as the covering that the LORD had appointed over His people, and then they rejected the king who had been ordained by God to cover His people. A king like Nahash, who is named to represent Satan himself, would understand the significance of God's people rejecting their supernatural covering. Satan was described in scripture as "the anointed cherub who covers...perfect...", who had been established on the holy mountain of God. This covering angel became filled with violence and pride, and had to be cast out from the mountain of God (Ezek. 28:13-17). King Saul would eventually prove out the warning that God gave the people about the oppression of having a king, but he also, being moved by the Spirit of God, mustered an army of 330,000 from all of Israel on this occasion, crossed to Jabesh on the eastern side of the Jordan River, and defeated the serpent king, Nahash of the Ammonites, rescuing the people of Jabesh Gilead (1 Sam. 11:8, 11). At a later date, David would walk in the understanding of God's covering when King Saul relentlessly chased him in order to kill him. David refused to do harm to Saul when given the opportunity, understanding the danger of removing the covering which God had put into place over His people (see 1 Sam. 24:4-7). As Saul became more and more corrupt, God eventually dealt with him, ending his life. In another example of the glory of God's covering of His people, Psalm 91 praises Him: "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust." (Ps. 91:1-2). The Psalm continues, with great power, describing the covering and protection of the LORD. So important is the concept of the covering of God, that God makes sure to tell us that He even covers Himself (see Ps. 97:2, Ps. 18:11, Ex. 19:9, Deut. 4:11-12). The Messiah, Jesus, as the ultimate Anointed covering (for sin), was sent to God's people. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, prophetically seeing the consequences of their rejection of His covering: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate (eremos - lonely, deprived of aid and protection, bereft like a flock deserted by the shepherd, or a woman rejected by her husband); for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'" (Mt. 23:37-39, see also Lk. 19:41-44). Imagine also the moment when Pontius Pilate, a Roman governor within Caesar's empire, offered Jesus to the people as their king, but the people of God again rejected this anointed and appointed covering, shouting, "Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!...We have no king but Caesar!" How dangerous it was for Pilate personally to call Jesus a king of the people, when he knew that the only kings approved to rule Israel by the Roman Emperor, were the Herods! Yet Pilate called Jesus "Your King". (Jn. 19:13-16). This was not the way for a Roman governor to live long and prosper in the Roman Empire. However, even Pilate knew the importance of the One whom the people of God refused to receive. Perhaps we think that we, the Church of believers, would never reject the covering that God has set into place over us. However, everyday we make the choice to receive or reject His covering. All of these lessons recorded in scripture above, were recorded for our benefit and learning, not only for the benefit of the generation that had to learn it the hard way (2 Tim. 3:16-17). In one example of falling into the temptation of rejecting God's covering, Paul wrote to a church of "foolish" Galatians, because they had rejected faith in the covering of grace achieved by the death of their Savior, and chose instead legalistic doctrines of seeking righteousness by man's own efforts (Gal. 3:1-9). The covering of God is something that cannot be bought, nor established by men's own efforts. This covering is sovereignly anointed and appointed in and by the LORD. The Lord is looking for us to receive His covering joyfully and thankfully in faith, and the trusting obedience that accompanies faith. To enter into the covering of God, or to learn more about it, you can join with my prayer: "Father of all creation, from the beginning, You provided Your covering to man, so that he wouldn't be destroyed. You covered Your people in the wilderness, as You established their purposes in You. You provided the ultimate covering of Your Kingdom in the atoning blood of your Son, Jesus, that alone delivers us from death. I receive Your covering over my life with thanks. Help me by Your Holy Spirit to remain under the shadow of Your covering, so that I do not wander from it. Cleanse me of the pride and self-will that might rise up in my heart against Your covering. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

SilverTrumpets

This week's Sabbath reading portion is from the Book of Numbers, or B'Midbar in Hebrew, which means "In the wilderness". The title of this week's reading portion is Bha'alot'cha, meaning, "When you step up/go up". In this Book of Numbers so far, God has already numbered, or set apart, His people as armies. He has numbered His priesthood, and set them apart in groups, depending upon the specific service they were to perform before Him in His house, the Tabernacle. Each priestly group, named after their fathers, had a purpose in the glory of the tabernacle, which was God's dwelling in the midst of His people. They were set apart in divisions of purpose, but they were not divided against one another - a good lesson for the Church of believers in Christ! As God continued to appoint and set apart His people according to His will and His Word, He presented them with what I consider to be a gift: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 'Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work; you shall use them for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the camps...The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and these shall be to you as an ordinance forever throughout your generations. When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the LORD your God, and you will be saved from your enemies. Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God: I am the LORD your God." (Num. 10:1-10). The two trumpets mentioned here are not shofars, or rams' horns. They are in Hebrew, hassosra/hasar, meaning "straight trumpet, clarion/sounding, blow, to surround with a stockade in order to separate from open country". These were two straight trumpets, and were to be made (asa - prepare, accomplish, appoint, bestow, create, produce by labor) from a whole piece (miqsa/miqse/qasa - beaten from one whole piece/turned rounded work/tough, severe, severe labor of a woman, endure, struggle against) of hammered silver (kesep/kasap - price, pieces of silver, money/yearn for, long for). There were to be two of these trumpets. The number "two" plays a significant role in this week's reading. The number "two" is senayim/seni/sana in Hebrew, with the meaning: "two, twice, twelve, twenty, both of them, double/again/change, alter, to transfer to another place, to be changed". We are reminded immediately of the verses in the New Testament: "Behold, I tell you a mystery (hidden truth): We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (1 Cor. 15:51-52, see also 1 Thess. 4:15-18)). These two silver trumpets of Num. 10:2 were to be used for certain purposes. The Hebrew word for "use" here is haya/hava, which is not about the use of something. This Hebrew word and its root have a prophetic meaning of "come to pass, become, accomplish, happen". These two trumpets may be used in the present, but they also have the prophetic sound of future events as we will see. We have already seen above the connection of these trumpets to "the change" which shall occur to all who believe in Christ, those who are dead, and those who are alive. In Num. 10 above, we see that the two trumpets are for the calling out (migra/qara - called out, called together sacred assembly, rehearsal/loud sound, summoned, named, chosen) of the assembly (eda/ed/ud - company, congregation/witness, testimony, prince/restore again, testify, bear witness), and the journeying (massa/nasa - journey, departure, pull up stakes/removing whole stones from a quarry, pulled up, plucked up, cause to spring up, remove) of the aleph-tav camps (mahane/hana/hanan - host, tents, armies, battle/rested, grows to an end, lay siege against, lie, dwell/favor, gracious, merciful). After these two silver trumpets were created, the people of God moved out on a prophetic journey from Mt. Sinai: "Now it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year...the children of Israel set out from the Wilderness of Sinai on their journeys; then the cloud settled down in the Wilderness of Paran." (Num. 10:11-12). The journey would take three days. The people had received God's Word on Sinai, meaning "thorny", and the Word in the form of the Ark of the Covenant, carried by and accompanied by God's people, would travel three days to a place of caverns (Paran/Pa'ar). The meaning of this place of abundance of caverns, which are beneath the earth, also includes "to boil up, to be hot, to examine the boughs in order to glean them". However, also included in the meaning of this place of Paran/Pa'ar is "glorify, beautify, adorn, to gleam". Here, prophetically, we can see in this prophetic journey in the wilderness, called out by the silver trumpets, the three day journey of Christ, and those who belong to Him, from thorns and suffering to the underworld place of boiling heat, but ultimately, the place that will produce His (and our) glorification and beauty as He overcame it. It was absolutely necessary for the people to prophetically accompany the Word of God (which is Jesus: Jn. 1:1-3) in the Ark of the Covenant through this wilderness journey, because we accompanied Jesus on His journey from the cross, through death, and His resurrection by the glory of God. Paul wrote this: "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly, we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection...Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him." (Rom. 6:3-8, excerpt, see also Col. 2:12-13, 2 Tim. 2:10-11). There is also a meaning above to Paran/Pa;ar, the place of abundance of caverns, that refers to "examining the boughs in order to glean the fruit". Again, we find this concept of the fruit of our death and resurrection with Christ, Who is the Word: First we become dead to the Law through the death of Christ, and then we become "married...to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God". (Rom. 7:4). God is examining the boughs, looking for the fruit that comes from our being joined to the death and resurrection of Christ. I call these two silver trumpets a gift from God, because they move God's people, not only in the "now", but into the prophetic future. God's people not only "are", but they are changed, and they "become" on their journey. Moses also declared the prophetic purpose of the Ark of the Covenant, the first time this term is being used for the Ark in Num. 10:35-36: "And it came to pass (haya/hava - see above), when the ark set out, that Moses said: 'Rise up (qum - rise up, become powerful, rouse up, raise up one fallen down (Jesus fell down carrying the cross, but stood up again), preserve alive), O LORD! Let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You.' And when it rested (nuah/Noah), he said: 'Return (sub - come back, return again, deliver, recover, refresh, restore), O LORD, to the many thousands of Israel." The Hebrew letter "nun", which normally means "Heir to the throne, offspring, descendant, fish), is written in reverse, both before, and after these two verses. It is rare in written Hebrew scripture to find letters reversed. There are various opinions about why this happened here, but in general, it can be agreed that the two reversed nun letters would cause anyone reading these verses in Hebrew to pay special attention to them, and so should we. When I read these verses from Num. 10 regarding the Ark of the Covenant and the people's three day journey to Paran, I see the resurrection of "the Heir to the throne" in v. 35, and the return , or coming again of the "Heir to the throne", Jesus, in v. 36. The "rising" of the LORD scatters His enemies in these verses from Num. 10. The last enemy to be defeated by this rising of the Lord is death itself (1 Cor. 15:25-26). As Moses called for the Ark to return to the people of Israel, the Church is commanded to call for the return of the Lord, Jesus Christ (Rev. 22:12, 17, 20). The prophetic promise of Christ's return was made by Jesus Himself (Jn. 14:1-4), and that same prophetic promise runs through both Old and New Testament scriptures (ex. Zech. 12:10-14, 13:1). Again, with the return of the Lord (Num. 10:36 above), wickedness is consumed with His breath, and destroyed by the brightness of His appearing (2 Thess. 2:8). As with the two silver trumpets, the sound of prophecy has been brought to the people in this chapter. This is not the only prophetic incident in this week's Sabbath reading of Bha'alot'cha, or "When you step up/go up". In Num. 11, the people were complaining, the anger of the LORD was building because of it, and Moses was begging the LORD to deliver him from this multitude of demanding people, which numbered over 600,000 counting just the males (Num. 11:21-22). They were getting on Moses' last nerve (v. 11-12). Where was the wonder of prophecy now for Moses!? After dealing with this latest situation, the LORD supplied relief to Moses. Moses gathered the seventy elders of the people around the tabernacle. The LORD came down and took of the Spirit that was upon Moses, and placed the same upon the elders. When the Spirit of God rested upon them, they began to prophesy that one time. Two of the elders who had remained in the camp, also began to prophesy there. The two elders who had remained in the camp, and yet received the Spirit and prophesied, were named Eldad ("God has loved", well beloved), and Medad (love, friend, loved one). (v. 24-26). Joshua, one of Moses' choice men, told Moses to forbid those two men, who had not come to the tabernacle, from prophesying (v. 28). "Then Moses said to him, 'Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put His (aleph-tav) Spirit (ruho - to breathe, to blow, smell, scent, perceive odor, accept, of delight, understand, touch) upon them!" (v. 29). The Spirit that Moses identified here is the Spirit that is sent by the Messiah, Jesus. The aleph-tav is connected to the written word for "Spirit" here in Hebrew. Jesus called Himself "the aleph-tav" in the Book of Revelation when He referred to Himself as The Alpha and Omega translated into Greek. Also, The Hebrew word used here for "Spirit" means to breathe, to blow. This brings to mind what Jesus said to His disciples after His resurrection: "So Jesus said to them again, 'Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit." (Jn. 20:21-22). We see Jesus in the giving of the Spirit to the two men who remained in the camp, whose names relate to the love of God. Jesus came back again after His resurrection, for the specific purpose of appearing to Thomas, His disciple, who had not been with the others when Jesus had appeared to them earlier (Jn. 20:24-25). Jesus appeared again eight days later and spoke directly to Thomas, telling Thomas to touch Him (see ruho Spirit above) in the piercing wounds that Jesus had suffered. Jesus did this in order to help Thomas' unbelief in the resurrection (Jn. 20:26-29). This was an act of love for one man, and to pronounce a blessing upon all of those who would believe in Jesus without having seen and touched Him. We might question the fact that there were two men who remained in the camp of the Israelites, yet received the Spirit and prophesied, while Thomas is one man. However, Thomas' name means "the twin", twins (plural), coupled together, to be double". Again, we see the gift of the silver trumpets that prophesied and brought the gift of prophesy to the people of God in this episode. It was not just for that time, but for a time to come. Prophesy brings God's people from being anchored to the earth in the "now", to being able to "go up" into the eternal realms. This is where God's people get the direction for the journey. The prophetic promises and pictures given to us from this realm, change lives, and generations, and bring the Kingdom of God to the earth. Before closing this Bha'alot'cha, "When you step up/go up" Sabbath reading, I would like to share a beautiful revelation of dream and prayer from a servant of God named Fran. She wrote this for all of us: For the intercessor// who looks to the One Who sits on the Right Hand of the Father, Who holds the keys to death, hell and the grave// shall by His Spirit// pray and intercede for the one// and the ones of many// who have put on the garments reflecting the glories and the lights...// Those who by Strength of God and His Christ, who by Wisdom and Knowledge, Truth and Humility...// those who have chosen the narrow path of the seas, the way of trial and suffering// the way of the Cross...// those taking on the warfare of the Heavenly Mind against the flesh, the evil, the attacking ones of the world who appear as brethren, as of like kind, but are of devilish, treacherous ways and spirits, bodily demonics// For those shall ye pray and stand firmly// that they be uplifted and continued in their transformations and their fight of the good fight// That they keep pressing on in the waters and seas of life on earth that is awaiting the final and triumphant rising up of the sons to glory// For even when they weaken am I still bringing forth the Strength of My Righteous Right Arm// to usher them into the calm of the Deep, the purity of the River, the Wellspring// from which My Life of Forever// shall enrich them as One...// for they and you are My Kingdom and My Pattern of Heaven in Amen.// If you would like to know more about the gift of the Spirit of the LORD, and the love of the Lord from which He flows, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, out of love, You sent Your Son. Out of love, You poured out Your Spirit for Your people. Out of love, You prophesy through Your servants, not only to guide a current generation, but to lay the path of the Will of God for future generations. It is the way of Glory. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, so that I may understand, touch, and be enveloped in the fragrance of Christ who breathes on me. Let me prophesy, in Word, in prayer, in Spirit, so that I may speak the things of You that cause us to ascend, go up, and be raised up. Let me be a part of the answer to Moses' prayer when he said, "Oh, that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!" I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Jealousy

This is a continuing look at the Sabbath reading portion titled Naso, meaning "to elevate, lift up". The first part of this study began last week, and is posted on an entry just below this one. We will start our story in the New Testament this time to see an example of the elevation of naso. The Pharisees and the chief priests, who were the religious leaders at the time, "...sent officers to take (piazo/biazo - take, caught, apprehend, lay hold of in order to imprison, arrest/apply force, inflict violence upon) Him (Jesus)...Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him. Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, 'Why have you not brought Him?'. The officers answered, 'No man ever spoke like this man!" (Jn. 7:32-45, excerpt). The Pharisees told the officers that they too were deceived like the ignorant crowd, saying, "....this crowd that does not know the law is accursed." (v. 47-49). The Pharisees were very confident that they, unlike the ignorant people, knew the law. One of their members, a secret disciple of Jesus, spoke up against the arrest action: "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?" (v. 50-51). So the law was to fairly handle accusations, and not judge someone guilty without a hearing. What had Jesus said that had caused the temple officers to come back empty-handed? One thing He said during this time was at a Feast of the LORD: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." (Jn. 7:37-38). On another occasion, Jesus said to the Samaritan woman by the well who had had several husbands, and "not-quite husbands": "...whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." (Jn. 4:13-14). Then these debates of the religious leaders concerning Jesus broke up, and they returned to their homes. Meanwhile, Jesus had headed in a different direction. He went to the Mount of Olives, and early the next morning, He went to the temple in Jerusalem. There all the people came to Him, and He sat down and taught them (Jn. 8:1-2). We can imagine how these same Pharisees felt when they saw all the people going to Jesus in the temple, and Him teaching them instead of themselves, as "the experts". Many times in Scripture, the religious leaders were described as jealous, envious, and enraged at the Words and miracles of Jesus (see Mt. 27:15-18, Lk. 6:9-11, Lk. 11:52-54, Jn. 11:47-53, 57). In their resentment of Him, the scribes and Pharisees immediately brought a woman before Jesus there in the temple that they said had been taken/caught (katalambano - apprehend, lay hold of, seize, come upon, perceive, to make a trial of) in adultery. From the meaning of the Greek word used here, this does not necessarily mean that the woman had already been proven guilty, but she had been seized under the allegation of adultery. However, they told Jesus that the woman was caught "in the very act" (Jn. 8:1-4). Were they telling Jesus the truth? These leaders had already proven that they had no problem bending the religious rules for their convenience, and Jesus had often condemned them for it. Jesus, who was without blame, had Himself been the victim of their false accusations many times. Jesus was about to give these religious leaders a demonstration of His superior, even omniscient knowledge of the Scriptures (He is the Word of God), as He applied the Law of Jealousy from Numbers 5, which is one of our Sabbath reading portions. This is the law of jealousy as given by the LORD to Moses: The spirit (ruah - breath, wind, spirit, mind, blast, vain, anger, seat of emotion, bitter, discontented, an unaccountable uncontrollable impulse) of jealousy (qinah/qana - jealousy, envy, zeal, ardor of anger/jealous anger) has entered into a man. Either his (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) wife has indeed committed adultery (defiled herself), but it was done in secret with no witnesses, having not been caught (tapas - taken, surprised, caught, seized, captured), or his (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) wife has not defiled herself, but is an innocent accused by the spirit of jealousy that has entered her husband. He is to bring his wife to the priest, and along with bringing a jealousy offering "for bringing iniquity to remembrance", she will be given holy water brought in an earthen vessel to drink in which dust (apar - dust, earth, powder, ashes) from the floor of the tabernacle has been mixed (Num. 5:11-.18). The priest would then have the woman swear an oath that if she is guilty of this iniquity, certain physical curses would come upon her (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) thigh/loins, and her (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) belly (womb) that would prevent her from having children, and cause her to be a curse among the people. The priest would write these curses in a book, "and he shall scrape them off into the bitter water. And he shall make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter her to become bitter." (v. 23-24). The LORD concluded His command saying: "This is the law of jealousy...". (Num. 5:29). This law, as we can see, is not about adultery, which has its own specific place in the law. It is about a spirit of jealousy that holds both the man and his wife in bondage. The husband cannot prove his wife's guilt, and the wife cannot prove her innocence. God provided a way in which an innocent may be supernaturally proven innocent, and both husband and wife may be delivered from the effects of this destructive spirit. Otherwise, there is no remedy for this situation which cannot be proven either way. Let's look at what Jesus did with this law of jealousy, and these religious leaders, whose motivations of jealousy, envy and rage, He was already very familiar with. The scribes and Pharisees said of the woman: "Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?' This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up (nasa/naso in Hebrew - lift up, rise up, bear, carry in the arms, support, forgive, aid, assist, help, hold up, pardon, spare, to lay sin upon oneself) and said to them, 'He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first. And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest, even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up (nasa/naso in Hebrew: see above meaning) and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, 'Woman, where are those accusers (kategoros - "against" + "the assembly", accuser, name given to the devil, as against one in the assembly) of yours? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said to her, 'Neiither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." (v. 5-11). We see the elements present here from the law of jealousy. The woman is accused of adultery. Jesus, had just taught that HE is the source of "the holy water", the living water of everlasting life of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 7:39). He wrote on the ground (ge - ground, earth) of the temple (tabernacle). Many believe that Jesus was writing the sins of her accusers in the ground. That's a good conclusion. Remember, though, that the law of jealousy required that the curses of that law be written. Jesus would know if the accusation against her was false, but He didn't say that it was. If the accusation was true and proven, why hadn't the men already stoned her before this? It was very convenient for them to come with this accused woman at that very moment when they were so angry with Jesus, in order to test Him. Jesus "raised Himself up" twice during the incident. Was He exercising the true meaning of nasa/naso in which the law of jealousy is found? The true meaning in "elevating or lifting up" of nasa/naso includes forgiveness, pardon, help, to spare, to lay sin upon oneself, as we saw above. We like the idea of ourselves being elevated, but the true elevation comes when we elevate others with us. All of these things are food for thought as we read and meditate upon naso, to elevate, to lift up. If you would like to know more about the grace of naso, you can pray with me: Heavenly Father, You made a provision to vindicate the innocent, and righteously judge the guilty. However, we are all guilty in our hearts, and need the forgiveness, pardon, and help of Your naso Son, Jesus. He said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me." (Jn. 12:32). Fill me with Your Spirit, so that I can walk in the truth of elevation in Christ. You sent Your Son, so that I might be raised up with Him (Eph. 2:6). Let me be slow to accuse, and quick to elevate in forgiveness and prayer. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

Dedicated

This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled Naso, meaning "Elevate, Lift Up". I have always enjoyed Naso because it holds a wealth of new information everytime I study it. This Sabbath also falls around the LORD's Feast of Weeks/Shavuot/Pentecost. The reading begins in Num. 4, where Moses has been commanded to number the Kohaths, who were a family among the Levite priesthood. This is the very important command, given to Moses by God, from which we also get the title, Naso: "Take a (aleph-tav) census/sum of the sons of Kohath from among the children of Levi, by their families, by their fathers' house, from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting." (Num. 4:2). These "Kohaths", a separate group from out of the Levites, will be commanded to carry the covered most holy furnishings from the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle. These furnishings would include, the ark of the Testimony (edu/ed/ud - witness, revelation/evidence of a thing, a witness of a people, a recorder a prince/return, restore, turn back, affirm, warn, exhort, admonish) with the Mercy Seat atop it, the table of showbread, the lampstand of the light, and the altar of incense. All of these items are of gold and have a direct connection to Christ. They would have previously been covered with cloths of blue, scarlet or purple, and badger skins. The Kohaths must carry these most holy furnishings with poles, and could not see nor touch the furnishings directly (see verses 4-15). Just in the two verses quoted above, there is so much important detail to be found in the Hebrew words used here, that I will have to summarize it for you. Let's start with the idea that from among the Levites, there is a group that is being separated out, or dedicated, by counting, to carry the most holy items found in the tabernacle, or Tent of Jehovah. The colors of cloth used to cover these items, blue (violet), scarlet and purple are the colors used in the tabernacle in general. These colors are found in a particular color spectrum, produced by a single wavelength of light, or a narrow band of light wavelengths, that goes from brilliant red through deep purple. The root meaning in Hebrew for this blue color spectrum (tekelet/sehelet) also relates to a concussion of sound. Another distinguishing characteristic of blue noise is that each successive octave increases by three decibels — this results in each octave packing as much energy as the two octaves below it combined. So we have light and sound waves going on here that create some serious energy output. We read an example of this concussive and colorful release of energy when the LORD descended on Mt. Sinai on Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks/Pentecost, and gave the Torah, His Word, to His people. The ground shook so hard with concussive lightnings and thunderings on the Mount that the people were terrified. Now let's look at the meanings of the Hebrew words used concerning the Kohaths in the verses above, who are to carry the most holy items. First Moses must take (nasa - bear up (continuously), carry, forgive, pardon, accept, lift, desire, long for, love, rise up, endure, lift up the head of a prisoner, lift up the voice, to offer a gift) an aleph-tav count/sum (ros- chief, head, beginning, first, company, division, captain, rulers, highest, supreme, prince) of them. [The aleph-tav connected to a Hebrew word, as mentioned in previous posts, is the Hebrew equivalent to the Greek "Alpha and Omega" by which Jesus refers to Himself in Revelation.] Why does God number His people in this fourth Book of the Torah? By numbering them, God is setting them apart, or dedicating them, for a speific purpose or identity in Him. They are sons of Kohath (meaning "assembly"). These are a set apart assembly of the sons of God, the sons of the King. They are from among (tavek - within, in your midst, the middle of a thing from its being divided) the Levites. The Kohaths are to be separated out from the Levites by their families (mispaha/sipha - family, clan, people, nation, kind, aristorats/female bond servant that is an extension of a family or household). These Kohaths, or assembly, are to range from thirty years old (selosim/salos - age of royal duty/three, triad, stones) upward even until (ad - as long as, eternity, perpetuity of time, everlasting, evermore) fifty (grace x completion). The Kohaths are "all (kol/kalal - whosoever/made perfect, complete, to put a crown upon) who enter the service (saba - host, warfare, army, battle, service, assembled, mustered, warred, appointed time) to do the work (melaka/malak - workman/ambassador/messenger of the prophet, teacher, priest, king) in the tabernacle of meeting (ohel/ahal moed/ya'ad - the clean, shining, bright tent or covering of the congregation, conspicuous from a distance (see Mt. 5:14-16) of the vision of the espoused assembly appointed to a certain time to come with Him to such a place) ". To me, considering the meanings of all of the Hebrew words used in these two verses, this smaller group of Levites, the Kohaths, being separated out and dedicated here as the carriers of the golden furnishings of the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, sounds very much like the called out assembly (ekklesia/church) of Christ, who carry Him in their hearts. Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 4:7-10: " But we have this treasure in earthen vessels...always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our body." The Kohaths carried these most holy things for generations, without ever being able to see them. Jesus said to a disciple who had to see Him to believe: "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (Jn. 20:29). In another part from this week's Sabbath Naso reading, there is a different dedicated group set apart according to the Law of Moses as given by God. This type of group will have an unusual role to play in Israel's future. These dedicated people of God are called Nazirites (nazir/nazar - undressed, separated, consecrated or devoted one, untrimmed as a Sabbath-year vine: see Lev. 25:3-5, a prince as being consecrated to God). A Nazarite, according to the law of the Nazarite, could be either a man or a woman. The individual would make a vow, sealed with an offering, "to separate himself to the LORD". He/She would abstain from any product of the grape vine, from applying a razor to his head (hair), or from touching the unclean dead (Num. 6:1-8). This Nazarite vow of separation is not necessarily a lifelong commitment, and can be for a specified period of time. Others in scripture who were Nazarites include Samuel, possibly John the Baptist, and, as we will see, Samson. Believers in Christ are also told in scripture to be spiritual Nazarites: "...For you are the temple of the living God...Therefore 'Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty." (2 Cor. 6:17-18 from Isa. 52:11, see also Rev. 18:4-5, Jn. 17:14-17, Rom. 12:1-2). In the verse from Isa. 52:11, from which Paul was quoting above, the prophet also added: "Be clean, you who bear the vessels of the LORD", which also brings us back to the Kohaths above. I think we can also find another very important connection between the believer in Christ, and the Nazarite, in another portion of this week's Sabbath reading from Naso. It is found in Judges 13 and 16, involving the birth and life of Samson. Samson was a very unique individual in scripture, who was born under a Nazarite vow. His previously barren mother and father were to raise him as a Nazarite, and he was to remain one his whole life. His parents received the Word of the LORD from an Angel, as called in scripture, whose name is Wonderful, and whom the parents believed was God Himself (Judges 13:2-5, 17-22, see also Isa. 9:6-7). This child, who even while still in the womb, was under the Nazarite vow of separation or dedication, would have a very special purpose: "...and he shall begin to deliver aleph-tav Israel out of the hand of the Philistines (pelisti/palas - "immigrants"/to roll in ashes or dust)." (v. 5). It is noted above that the Hebrew word for Philistines, pelisti, means "immigrants". This is significant because we then have to ask, "Where were they from originally?" They were descendants of Mizraim, meaning "fortress, besieged, distress, adversaries, bulwarks, hemming in", a very oppressive spiritual stronghold (see Eph. 6:12, 2 Cor. 10:3-4), which is also known as Egypt. This is not about the ethnicity of a people, but the spiritual strongholds that rule over a region or nation. The Philistines did continually attack and oppress Israel at that time. Let's find out more about how Samson, whose (aleph-tav) name (Jud. 13:25) means "like the sun", sunrise, brilliant, shining shields, battlements", handled this, and how it applies to us. Samson had tremendous, supernatural strength that came out of his Nazirite vow, which included not taking a razor to his hair (se'ar/sa'ar - bristling up/bristle with horror, hurl as a storm, take away as a whirlwind, horribly afraid, sweep away as God's actions against the wicked). In another portion from this week's Sabbath reading, Samson went into the enemy territory of Gaza (Gaza/Azzah/az/azaz - strong, fortified/harsh, fierce, cruel, greedy, impudent, shameless/powerful, prevail). Gaza was also a royal city, and the greatest city in Syrian territory. When the Gazites heard that Samson was coming to see a woman (issa), they set up an ambush to capture and kill him in the morning (Judges 16:1-2). However: "...Samson lay low till midnight; then he arose (qum - rise up, continue, become powerful) at midnight (hesi/hasa/hasas - arrow of dividing/cut short, cut in two/cut off in the midst, shoot arrows, curtail), took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts (mezuza/ziz - gateposts/wild beasts, abundance, conspicuous), pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron (third son of Kohath and grandson of Levi/heber/haber - in league with magical charms, spells, incantations) ." (v. 3). Samson, who, by his name, shone like the sun, pulled those heavy royal city gates right out of the ground, including the bar that locked them. Those gates of Gaza (powerful, fierce, cruel, impudent, shameless, prevail) did not prevail against him. This reminds me of what Jesus said about His church: "...on this rock (petra - rock, cliff, ledge, a man like a rock because of firmness and strength of soul) I will build My church, and the gates of Hades/Hell (abode of the wicked dead) shall not prevail against it." (Mt. 16:18). We also know that the wicked plans of the Gazites were cut off or curtailed at midnight, when Samson arose. Jesus told us in a parable that the cry went out that the bridegroom was coming (meaning the return of the Lord) at midnight (Mt. 25:6). "Midnight" also, by its meaning in Hebrew, means something has been divided, cut off, curtailed. Jesus used the same idea of curtailing (koloboo in Greek) when He said of the terrible times of the last days before His return: "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's (elektos/eklegomai - chosen by God/chosen out) sake, those days will be shortened." (Mt. 24:22). By rising at midnight, the shining Samson curtailed the plan of the murderers of Gaza, which also saved his life and flesh. Why did he go to Gaza in the first place? He went to visit a woman. Although our translations calls her a harlot, the Hebrew word issa means "woman, wife, female". He "went in unto her", meaning that he "entered, went in, attained, gathered, brought, carried" her (see Judges 16:1). Jesus spoke about the bridegroom, which is Himself, entering in to the wedding: "...the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut." (Mt. 25:10). From this Naso Sabbath reading in the Book of Numbers, which also comes at the time of the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, I can see God numbering and setting apart or dedicating His people in His purpose for them. I can also see us, the believers, in these scriptures, prophetically being included in that numbering and dedication. If you would like to know more about being separated and dedicated to the LORD, you can pray with me: "Father, we are celebrating Your Feast of Weeks, when the Torah was given to Your people on Mt. Sinai. The energy released at that time was so great that the ground shook, and the people feared. It is also on this Feast that the Holy Spirit was given to the believers in Christ on Pentecost (Acts 2), and again with such great power, that the world was turned upside down (Acts 17:6). You have called me to separate myself, and dedicate myself to You through Christ. On Pentecost and always, fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can walk in the dedicated path that You have set for me. Help me to continue in the revelation which the gates of Hell cannot prevail against - that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, the Son of God, to the glory of God the Father! In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN."

Army

This week's Sabbath reading portion takes us to the beginning of the fourth Book of the Bible. We call this the Book of Numbers, but the Hebrew title of this Book is B'midbar, meaning "in the wilderness", which is taken from the first verse of Chapter 1. So the first four books of the Torah in Hebrew are: B'reshiet, meaning "In the beginning", or Genesis, Sh'mot, meaning "Names", or Exodus, Va'yikra, meaning "And He called", or Leviticus, and now B'midbar, "in the wilderness", or Numbers. From the beginning of Numbers, the LORD ordered Moses, while the Israelites were in the Sinai wilderness, to take a census of every male twenty years old and over: "...all who are able to go to war in Israel. You and Aaron shall number them by their armies (saba - host, war, army, battle, appointed time, soldiers, go out to war, organized for war)." (Num. 1:3). The Israelites, who had been slaves in Egypt for over four hundred years, and certainly without having been trained to be warriors during their slavery, had faced enemy kings, and the trained armies of those kings, both before, and after they would enter the Promised Land of Canaan. The name and character of the LORD is as the Leader of warfare, Jehovah Sabaoth, the LORD of hosts, the LORD who commands armies as Scripture says: "The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is His name...Your right hand, O LORD, has dashed the enemy in pieces. And in the greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You." (Ex. 15:3, 6-7). The LORD revealed Himself to Joshua, who would lead the Israelites after the death of Moses, as "a Man...with His sword drawn in His hand", saying, "...as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.'...Then the Commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, 'Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." (Josh. 5:13-15). When Jesus returns, He doesn't come alone: "...His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean (see Rev. 19:7-8), followed Him on white horses...He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." (Rev. 19:11-16). Did you think that we, as believers in Christ, are not called to war? Paul wrote: "...Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us..." (Rom. 8:36-39). However, our warfare, as well as our armor and weapons, are not physical, but spiritual, and not against flesh, but against spiritual powers (2 Cor. 10:3-6). However, the LORD's armies in the Book of Numbers have much to teach us, even as the LORD taught them. Each tribe, or division (Num. 1:16), had its own leader specifically appointed by the LORD, and each tribe was to camp under its own identifying standard and emblems (Num. 2:1-2), yet it was to be a unified army under the LORD as its Commander. As the divisions of the armies encamped, they were assigned placement to the north, south, east, and west, with the tabernacle of meeting at the center. The Levites were to encamp nearest to and surrounding the tabernacle (Num. 2:17). From above, the configuration of the camp would be in the shape of a cross, and they would move out from camp in this same configuration. Even the furnishings within the tabernacle were placed in a cross formation, so it became a cross within a cross. The LORD positioned Himself right in the middle of His armies. The greatest challenge to these armies, was not any physical enemy, but the knowledge of, and obedience to, the LORD as their Commander and their only source of victory. The same is true for us today, I think. In another reading from this Sabbath, David, who was a great warrior himself, prayed to the LORD to be saved from the wicked and the workers of iniquity (Ps. 28:3). David declared in his spiritual warfare: "Blessed be the LORD because He has heard the voice of my supplications! The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped...and with my song I will praise Him. The LORD is the strength of His people, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed. Save Your people...shepherd them also, and bear them up forever." (v. 6-9). David was a soldier/king who understood that it is the LORD who delivers the offense and defense in warfare. In another portion from this week's sabbath reading, the LORD prophetically calls upon a new kind of army. Can you guess who they are? The reading is found in the prophet Hosea, whose name means "salvation". Hosea ministered prophetically in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, also called Ephraim, when the nation was divided into two kingdoms. At the beginning of his prophetic ministry, the LORD told Hosea to take a harlot for a wife, which would prophetically reflect Israel's harlotry in her marriage relationship with God. Hosea took (aleph-tav) Gomer for his wife. Her name means "complete, finish, to end either in completion or failure". Her father was named Diblaim, which means "two cakes, press together a cake of figs, conjoined with, dwell with, dwell together". We can see that the prophet is marrying a harlot, but from her name, and the name of her father, we can also see that something is being established here. Two things are being joined or pressed together to make something complete. Ezekiel prophesied of two sticks being joined together into one also (Ezek. 37:15-20). Then Hosea, "salvation", had three children with his harlot wife, Gomer, meaning "completion" as mentioned above. The "completion" meant here may, on one hand, signify the fullness of the judgment that God was ready to bring to the northern kingdom of Israel because of its faithlessness to Him. In another way, the meaning of the "completeness" of Gomer's name may point to the special work that God was planning to bring a restoration and completeness to Israel, as the LORD prophesied later in Hosea, as we will see. One child was to be named (aleph-tav) Jezreel, which means "God will sow/scatter". Jezreel refers to the place where Jehu had King Ahab's seventy sons killed in Samaria (2 Kings 10:11). When Jehu became king in Ahab's stead, he was as wicked as Ahab had been, and here in Hosea, God promises to end his family's reign in Israel, which was fulfilled when the northern kingdom of Israel went into captive exile to the Assyrian conquerors. Their sins, violence and idolatry caused them to lose the battle with the enemy. They forgot that the LORD is the center of their victory. As the meaning of Jezreel is "God will scatter", the LORD would scatter the inhabitants of northern Israel from off of their land. The LORD said of Jezreel: "I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, and bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel....I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel." (Hos. 1:4-5). As the LORD promised to break their bow, He was removing their own military power from them, and leaving them defenseless before their enemy. Jezreel and the valley it occupies played a role in many battles throughout Israel's history, and is believed to be the valley in which Armageddon, the prophesied end-time war, will occur. Both battle, bloodshed and judgment are associated with this place. Next, an (aleph-tav) daughter was born to Hosea and Gomer. The LORD told the prophet to name her Lo-Ruhamah, meaning "not having obtained mercy". The aleph-tavs connected to some of the words in these verses are, as the first and last Hebrew letters, a form of The Alpha and Omega in Greek, by which Jesus identified Himself in the Book of Revelation. Whenever we see the aleph-tav combination of Hebrew letters associated with a written word, it brings a special significance. Finally, a third child, a son, is born who was to be named Lo-Ammi, meaning "not a people". As the LORD judged northern Israel to Hosea, He then prophesied its great restoration. Instead of "Not a people", and "not having obtained mercy", the LORD said: "Say to your brethren, 'My people', and to your sisters, 'Mercy is shown'. Plead (rib - plead a cause, strive, contend, grapple, to pull) with your mother, plead;...Let her put away her harlotries from her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts." (Hos. 2:1-2). The meanings of the children's names are changed, and they are to plead and contend with their mother, Israel, represented by Hosea's wife, Gomer, pulling on her to turn from her harlot ways, and go back to her first husband, the LORD her Salvation. (Hosea 2:7). Because of this, the LORD will "allure" His harlot wife into the wilderness (midbar: see above) to remove her from those things that draw her away from Him. The LORD planned to get His wife, Israel, alone. The LORD prophesied to Hosea that He would restore Israel to one who is His faithful betrothed (Hos. 2:14, 20). The LORD will answer the heavens, and cause the heavens to answer the earth. "The earth will answer with aleph-tav grain, with aleph-tav new wine, and with aleph-tav oil (yishar/sahar - oil, anointed, fresh new oil, to shine/press oil, glisten). They shall answer Jezreel ("God will sow/scatter"). Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, and I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were not My people, 'You are My people!' And they shall say, 'You are my God!" (Hos. 2:21-23). The three things mentioned in the verses above: the grain, the new wine, and the oil, not only represent the LORD's renewed blessing and favor upon the land, but the spiritual blessing of restoration and communion, salvation and the glory of the anointing, and the Anointed One of God, the Messiah, or Christ in Greek. There was a prophetic warfare (pleading, contending, pulling) entered into through the naming of the three children of Hosea, but their names also represented another hidden participant in this spiritual warfare for the restoration of Israel. As we look at the names of these children, we are reminded of a scripture from Peter regarding those who have received salvation in Christ: "But 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; who one were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." (1 Peter 2:9-10). Paul referred directly to the verse above from Hos. 2:23 when he wrote: "...that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy...even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As He says also in Hosea: 'I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved. And it shall come to pass where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' there they shall be called sons of the living God." (Rom. 9:23-26, Hos. 2:23, Hos. 1:10). We have a warfare role to play, as Hosea's children did, in the restoration of their mother, Gomer, who represented the wife of God gone astray, Israel. As believers in Christ, we do not replace Israel or the Jewish people, but we are spiritually joined with them as brethren, which completes both of us. One is incomplete without the other. As God promised, "All Israel shall be saved...that through the mercy shown you (meaning the Gentiles) they also may obtain mercy." (Rom. 11:26-31, Isa. 59:20-21). Paul makes a direct connection here between our salvation through Christ, and Israel's. This also is the spiritual warfare to which we have been called. The joining of Jews and Gentiles together in salvation will be nothing short of "...life from the dead...remember that you do not support the root (the Jews), but the root supports you." (Rom. 11:15,18). Although Jesus stated clearly: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," He then also ministered to a Gentile woman who cried out to Him in desperate need of a healing miracle for her daughter (see Mt. 15:21-28). From the double presence of the Cross within, and encamped around, the tabernacle "in the wilderness" that was set in the middle of the "armies" of Israel, to the prophetic warfare children of Hosea, to the spiritual warfare written of by the apostles, to the armies that accompany the return of Christ, the scarlet thread of salvation joins Jews and Gentiles together, as is the will of God through Christ. If you would like to learn more about this very special purpose in the "army" of God, you can pray with me: "Father, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God of Israel, lead us in the restoration and salvation work that You have established through Your Son, Jesus, for Jews and Gentiles alike to be joined together into one new man (Eph. 2:12-18). Bring this completeness to Your Body, Your army in the earth, as it is written in Your Word. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, because as always, You are our victory, You are our strength, and we praise You. We ask these things in Jesus' name. AMEN."

BlessedMother

The following is a reprint of a post from May, 2018 for this Mother's Day. The newest Sabbath study titled "Restoration" immediately follows this reprinted entry. Be blessed this Mother's Day! Now, from May, 2018, the entry titled "Wife": The Book of Proverbs is a book of wisdom written by King Solomon. At the conclusion of this book, Solomon recounts the advice that his own mother gave him. His mother told him that one of the most important decisions he would make would be his choice of the woman who would become his wife, and the eventual mother of his children. So important a role does a wife and mother play in a household, even the household of a king, that his choice would make the difference between success and failure, between an everlasting godly legacy, or a descent into historical oblivion, between honor and dishonor. There is a great depth to the description in chapter 31 of the woman that the king, or any man, should marry. First in the description is that the woman should be virtuous (v. 10). In Hebrew, the word used here is different from what we might think. It means strength and might, especially in a warlike way. It means to be valiant and to show oneself strong. The root meaning includes travailing, writhing, to bring forth, to wait longingly. Her warfare is to bring something forth. The man has to "find" this woman. It means he has to detect or recognize her, discern her. Her price, meaning betrothal or marriage price, because she is so valuable, it is greater than the rarest gem on earth-the ruby. The word for "ruby" also signifies a corner, or turning point. Finding this woman is so spiritually powerful, that it becomes a turning point in the man's life. Her husband's heart can safely trust in her (v. 11). Her spiritual quality is such that she affects her husband's inner most mind, will, understanding, and seat of courage. He becomes "enheartened". His soul is productive enough "to make cakes". He becomes so inwardly confident and hopeful because of her presence in his life, that he fears nothing. He neither feels he has to offer himself as spoil, nor spoil others. She will do (deal bountifully, reward, benefit) him good, and not evil all the days of her life (v. 12). She seeks wool and flax (v. 13), which means that she inquires into and studies the makings of white garments (spiritual righteousness), even to the individual threads of which they are composed. Not only does she study it, but she puts these things into practice. She works (fashions, produces, puts in order) willingly (with delight) with her hands (open hands, or palms, of humble strength). This wife and mother does not just look to dress herself, but her whole household, in righteousness. Spiritually, she is like a conveyance that goes back and forth bringing spiritual bread: waging war, doing battle, overcoming, prevailing, and bringing that bread from and to distant places (v. 14). She stands, establishes, and fulfills, even in gloom and adversity, and consecrates and devotes prey, and spoil torn in pieces for all in her household, including future descendants. She establishes the statutes and decrees of the law to the younger members and servants (v. 15). She meditates and envisions wide spiritual places, an expansive future, and lays hold of these visions and establishes them for her progeny. The fruit that she establishes from these meditations is noble and worthy of kings (v. 16). This wife surrounds her waist and back (the weakest parts of the body) with prevailing strength and boldness, and with courageous strength, with military force, she produces and sows spiritual seed. She is pregnant with it (v. 17). She tastes (experiences) and understands her value in pleasing and producing beneficial results, and therefore, her light and glistening shine are not extinguished by adversity (v. 18). She is not idle. With a powerful stretched out hand, she sows rightness, direction, success, and advantage, and with the other open, humble hand, she seizes, impacts and lays hold of the environs or district around her (v. 19). She spreads and scatters with her humble hand to the poor, and wretched, and stretches out and looses her hand of power and strength to the oppressed, and abused in need of God's deliverance (v. 20). This wife is not terrified of the idea of white corpses or linens of the slain regarding her household as others are, because her household is arrayed with the bright, shining crimson (of the Blood). She creates (and as a wife, IS) larger coverings that spread out, containing many colors from fine alabaster white to purple and blue tinged with red. These colors of the coverings reflect her works and character of strength, honor, splendor, adorned with glorified majesty that she rejoices in now, and to the uttermost last of times (v. 21, 22, 25). Her husband is covered with respect. He has become known at the entrance of the city, also at the entrance of the temple, and the temple in heaven. Because of this respect, he dwells (as in a marriage dwelling) in the place of the older men who have authority and governing power over the earth and its inhabitants, over the land of the living (v. 23). In this wife's mouth is the wisdom that opens graves, commandments that dash them to pieces. Her language is from the Word of God, the instruction and teaching of scripture with a spirit of loving kindness, faithfulness, favor, beauty, goodness and even pity. She is diligent to keep watch closely over her household-their ways, doings, and walk. Even as she keeps watch over them, she shines and looks up. She does not slack in her vigilance (v. 26-27). Because of this diligence, her children of several generations become powerful, set, fixed, established, fulfilled, and her husband (lord) praises her ecstatically. (v. 28). This was a long entry, but so important regarding the spiritual value of a Godly woman, not only to her own household, but to all the vicinity around her. She is powerful in wisdom and influence, while remaining humble in her strength. Jesus dealt amazingly with women as the Spirit directed Him, often confounding and offending others, including His own disciples, by so doing. He revealed powerful truths to women, and even lost (on purpose) an argument with a woman, as she contended that even a Gentile could receive healing from the Messiah to Israel (Mt. 15:22-28). Jesus welcomed women engaging with Him in His ministry, and He even positioned Himself purposefully to encounter them, changing their lives, and the lives in their community (Jn. 4:5-30). Jesus even told one woman to come out of the kitchen!! (Lk. 10:38-42). However, this chapter of Proverbs not only speaks about an individual woman and wife, but about a wife of a king. We, collectively, are the wife of the King of Kings, the Bride of Christ. This chapter of Proverbs is the spiritual standard for all of us. Our Father has prepared a bride for His Son, the King.