We were looking at the actIONs of the apostles and the attributes noted in the scriptures which identified them as: little christs/christians/disciples/apostles.
These are words that should also describe us, and be evident in our lives for the world to see as we follow Messiah Yeshua/Jesus.
Chet/Chen is represented by the fence and describes a protected garden (Eden), private place, an inner room or a sanctuary…
Recall the pictograph depicting grace as a place, the place of our hiding and the womb where we are conceived and develop before birth. We are in His grace now also and in ‘a womb’ waiting to be reborn into a new resurrected glorified body; then we know we shall be like Him.
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Romans 8:19
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. 1John 3:2
And we will become aware of a new desire in our hearts placed there by our Fathers’ Spirit.
A new direction maybe?
New instructions?
New Fire for His Word?
and the Lord He gives the increase.
Hearing about Him is insufficient.
Reading about Him is not enough.
Thinking we know is not fullness.
We have to be doers,
this is ACTions of the sent ones.
Not readers, talkers and thinkers, but doers of His word.
Just reading will not benefit, especially speed reading! We have to take it in, like real food, chew it and digest it for it to give any benefit of its’ nutrients into our bodies; both physical and spiritual.
We are told to Consider Our Ways in Haggai 1:5-7
Not Make Excuses.
The people were saying, and giving reasons not to act.
“ The time has not come, even the time for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt ” (Haggai 1:2).
We Must Get Our Priorities in Order.
The people said that it was not time to rebuild the temple
(Haggai 1:2). …
Remember Our Dependence Upon God. …
Obey the Word of God… Not what people are saying!
5 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. 6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. 7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts;Consider your ways.
Acts 5:36 and 2:39
The CALL is by His spirit and we have the choice to accept or refuse it.
By doing nothing we have refused and usually go on to live a life just like our peers saying to ourselves, ‘this is Gods’ plan for me’…is it because its an easier more comfortable and familiar way?? Four decades ago our Heavenly Fathers’ call came to this life and the message He gave for this servant to share has not changed… Repent… Turn around …come out from the world be saved, delivered, healed, filled with His spirit and make disciples; teaching them to do the same.
Imagine, if we, all of our generation had done this, just think how many would be in the Kingdom today…but we always think it’s someone else’s job… we just want to live a nice, comfortable life….BUT… It’s not too late, we have today to share freely what we freely received.
The mission field of a ready harvest is right where you are…
We are not man appointed (vs. 38, 39) and if it’s not by His Spirit, it will fail.
The anointing of His spirit of holiness
by His grace brings the power
manifest through boldness
to witness and to DO
what God has called us to do in His Word.
Obedience in the name of Yeshua/Jesus and by His power we work the works of Him who sent us Yeshua/Jesus.
And by His power to destroy the works of the devil… this is what the power is for and why He came.
Acts 4:13 Holy BOLDNESS it was obvious they’d been with Yeshua/Jesus…. do people see that in us?
5:29Obey God rather than man OBEDIENCE
29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.
Then Peter . . . answered.
1 that God must be obeyed rather than earthly rulers;
2 God raised up Jesus whom they hanged on the cross;
3 exalted him to his right hand;
4 to be a Prince and Savior, to grant Israel the opportunity to repent, and to obtain forgiveness;
5 that they were witnesses of these facts, and so was the Holy Spirit.
To Hear and Obey
are the essence of the
shema
with which they were all familiar.
6:6,7 Brought INCREASE and BLESSING 6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. 7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
6:10 7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. 8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. 9 Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen 10And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.
the POWER of His Spirit of Holiness is IRRESISTIBLE brings anointing /POWER
BOLDNESS attracts GLORY/anointing.
Prov. 28:1+12
The Boldness of the Righteous.
1 The ungodly man flees when no one pursues: but the righteous is confident as a lion
Proverbs 28:1 doesn’t have in mind that kind of boldness when it says the righteous have it and the wicked don’t. The boldness here is the boldness required for a just/righteous cause. What is it about the wicked that makes them so often flee (in the presence of justice) when no one is pursuing?
מְשִׁיחָה. More Hebrew words for anointing. noun מְשִׁיחָה. unction, band, cord, strand, thread
The high priest’s anointment is otherwise designated by the verb kadesh ( qaddesh; “to sanctify”). Indeed, the anointment “sanctifies” the high priest by removing him from the realm of the profane and empowering him to operate in the realm of the sacred, i.e., to handle the holy items.
Thus the Hebrew word mâshach that means to rub with oil also, by implication, means to consecrate. Mâshîyach (a derivative) is translated into the English adjective ‘anointed’ and thus means a consecrated person or thing.
Anointing stands for greatness (Sifre, Num. 117; Yer. Bik. ii. 64 d ): consequently, “Touch not mine anointed” signifies “my great ones.” All the vessels of the tabernacle, also, were consecrated with the sacred oil for all time to come (Num. R. xii.).
From chrio; an unguent or smearing, i.e. (figuratively) the special endowment (“chrism”) of the Holy Spirit — anointing, unction.
The sick were healed, miracles were wrought, demons cast out…
Boldness with great power and grace and obedience
they were told to leave serving tables and give themselves to prayer.
We too must put the Word first place!
Josh 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Acts 6:4 4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. 2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
Our Heavenly Father has a due time and season.
Be ready to do, or to stop doing, that which He is telling you.
Be open to change, to move on and serve in a deeper way.
Be a doer of His Word – not a hearer only…
ACTS of the apostles and disciples they ACTED.
מעשי השליחים
The Apostles were Hebrews.
Born and raised Jewish/Hebrew
so they were taught the language of their families. When Messiah appeared to Paul on the Damascus road, he said that Yeshua/Jesus spoke to him in Hebrew.
Acts 21, it is written about Paul, “He spoke to them in the Hebrew language.” And on his way to Damascus, Paul says, Jesus spoke to him in Hebrew: “I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’”
We need this same anointing now and its as available to us today as it was 2000+ years ago.
WHY?
It’s to work the works of Yeshua/Jesus and by so doing, destroy the works of the devil; which is why He came.
All we have to do is ask and receive
because we are to work while it is still day
for the night is coming
and very soon
when no man can work.
John 9:4
Grace
Boldness
Obedience
Power
Glory
Yeshua/Jesus told them in His own words when the promise of the power was given in v8;
to receive the power
to be witnesses
unto Him
not
for Him
but of Him about Him.
Gk. dunamis – authority
We can read in the following verses:
The call is by His spirit v. 39 43
signs and wonders done 3:7
vs 42 43 means 100% commitment
47 praising God
3:12 not by our own power or holiness
4:7 by what power
4:12 bold declaration by Peter vs. 13 & 29 & 19
Acts 4:13: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and” Acts 4:29: “unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,” Acts 4:31: “the word of God with boldness.“
v. 5:29 obey God not man
boldness with actions
v.v31 spoke the word of God with boldness
v.v33 great power they gave witness of the resurrection
and great grace was upon them
v. 5:12 power also manifests in unity of one accord
v. 15 Peters’ ‘shadow’/anointing.
The door of grace is closing, the end of the opportunity for salvation is coming close and then it’s over.
Choose today… will we be counted in that number?
6:8 Stephen was one of His Disciples,
he was full of faith and power;
he did great wonders and miracles
and loved not his life unto physical death.
Most significantly…Jesus/Yeshua stood up for him as he transitioned.
Deliverance brings Joy.
8:8 6-8
In the cities where they ministered. 9:27 and 29
Boldness in v.34 Aeneas had palsy and was raised up.
40 Tabitha was raised from dead.
10:38 anointed with His Holy Spirit POWER there were
healings,
deliverances
and salvations.
Their obedience and His grace brought power from their boldness, giving glory to the Father in Jesus/Yeshuas Name.
Boldness, Power, Grace, Glory, Obedience,
they are essential
ingredients for a walk/halak bearing much fruit.
The GRACE of His Spirit of Holiness infused them with the BOLDNESS to preach in POWER and demonstration bringing GLORY to the father by their OBEDIENCE.
The BOLDNESS came through the GLORY
and the POWER of His spirit of GRACE,
anointing them
to be OBEDIENT to their CALLing.
10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth.
Let’s shake ourselves out of complacency;
let’s deliver ourselves from the spirit of entitlement which gives us ‘self time’ we think we deserve.
Procrastination will kill the anointing of the spirit of God in us.
They were all
changed
unto
obedient, bold, witnesses,
full of grace, power and truth
bringing glory to the Father...
we can be too…simply accept His call and
receive ALL that He has for you…
These words may assist you..
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua. I truly desire to be obedient to your call on my life, so I lay down my life right now and dedicate the remaining time you grant me on this earth to work in and for your Kingdom. I desire to work the works of Jesus/Yeshua and be a witness unto Him and humbly ask for You to equip me, in order to fulfill that which You have for me to do. Forgive me for procrastinating and putting off what I know has been in my heart. Strengthen me to make the step of faith that I need to take to be right in the center of Your will for me. Thank you for doing abundantly above all I can ask or even think and showing me the direction to take so I too can be changed. Thank you for the grace to be obedient so that the boldness and power of Your Spirit can bring glory to your Name through my life.
May His true Shalom/Peace
rest upon each one in Jesus/Yeshuas’ Name.
‘Mishpachah’ ‘Family’
משפחה
Mish-pa-KHa Mish-pa-KHa
you are greatly loved and prayed for daily..
NOT SURE if you are part of His Family?
YOU CAN BE..
Say the following and mean it from your heart…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He came in the flesh and He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life.
Because your word is truth, I say that I am now forgiven and born again in my spirit and by faith I am washed clean with the Blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.
the location was so significant for the reason that it was where Joshua, a type of Mashiach/Messiah, had brought the children of Israel to reaffirm their covenant now they had entered into the promised land; the same covenant that Moses originally made with God for the Israelites on Sinai.
Joshua separated the tribes onto the mountains of blessing and curses.
These blessings and curses would follow their obedience or disobedience to the statutes and requirements of that covenant.
Mount Ebal and Mt. Gerizim looking west.
According to tradition the Mountains represented Good and Evil, Mount Gerizim was lush and fertile, while Mount Ebal was rocky and barren, clearly portraying the ramifications of our choices. We may choose the good path, cleaving to God and following in His ways, leading to a rich, fruitful life. Alternatively, we can embrace evil and negativity, which leads to an empty and barren life, devoid of all things good.
The higher portions of Mount Ebal are barren rock—the name means: bald stone, where only thistles and shrubs grow.
Gerizim’s lower slopes are abundant in fountains and are beautifully cultivated with much olive and fig trees.
So here we step back in time…
to the days following the children of Israels arrival in the promised land – they had crossed over the Jordan River and had had their first victory at Ai.
Then, Joshua took the people to Ebal and Gerizim.
He placed the Ark of the Covenant between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. The people then divided themselves on the two mountains and listened to Joshua.
After Joshua gathered the people together he read the Book of the Law to them.
Now Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel in Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings. And there, in the presence of the children of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. Then all Israel, with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger as well as he who was born among them. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel. And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them. – Joshua 8:30-35
Mt. Ebal
It is often easy for us as believers to get proud at what marvelous people we have become. Joshua gives us all a good reminder: Remember where you’ve come from. God would later tell King David:
“I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be ruler over My people Israel” (2 Sam. 7:8).
In the New Testament Paul writes:
“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth” (1 Cor. 1:26).
What made the difference?
God’s grace.
Joshua goes on to say, whatever good there is in us now, remember who is doing it. It is not ours, but God working in and through us. Joshua does not just remind them of Israel’s history but also of God’s grace in Israel’s history.
As the 6 tribes were on Mt. Gerazim and the other 6 tribes were on Mt. Ebal – standing in the valley between the 2 mountains were the elders, the kohanites/priests, the priests assistants.
He placed the Ark of the Covenant between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim.
The people then divided themselves on the two mountains and listened to Joshua.
Hebrew: אָרוֹן הַבְּרִית , Modern: Arōn Ha’brēt,
Joshua stood beside the ark.
The 12 tribes were present and also the High Priest and the priesthood, who stood in the valley with the container of that marriage agreement – ark of the covenant.
Located between Mt. Gerizim (left) and Mt. Ebal (right), Shechem
Given the history that the Israelites had with this area, as well as the geographical features that allowed for a large group of people to be gathered…
with this in mind..it is no wonder that Joshua chose this location to remind the people of the Law with God had given to them.
The 6 tribes on Mount Ebal
listened to God’s curses for disobedience;
the remaining 6 tribes on Mount Gerizim
listened to God’s blessings for obedience.
In the hearing of all the people, together with all sojourners, Joshua and the Levites read the whole Book of the Covenant “with a loud voice” (Deut 27:14), and the people responded with their vows.
Mt. Gerizim, the modern Jebel et-Tur, stands on the South, Mt. Ebal on the North, of the narrow pass which cuts through the mountain range, opening a way from the sea to the Jordan. In the throat of this pass to the West, on the South of the vale, and close to the foot of Gerizim, lies the town of Nablus, the ancient Shechem.
Mt. Gerizim was the other mountain on the south and its top was 1 2/3 miles distant from that of Ebal. Ebal is 3077 ft. and Gerizim 2849 ft. above the sea. The valley between them is about 1900 ft. above the sea and in this valley is the town of Shechem which is 5/8 of a mile in length.
Mt. Gerizim – Jebel et-Tur. Deut. 11. 29; 27. 12; Josh. 8. 33; Judg. 9. 7. See also Ebal, Mt. Gerizim was later the holy mountain of the Samaritans, John 4. 20)
Deuteronomy 11:29 – And it shall come to pass, when the LORD thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal. Deuteronomy 27:12 – These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are come over Jordan; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin:
Joshua 8:33 – And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal;
This ceremony was like a second Mattan Torah ( a second giving and acceptance of Torah). Before these two mountains, they are to renew their vows to God, because now they were physically in the promised land and because they, as a generation, had not known anything but the wilderness and had not experienced Sinai as had the previous generation.
Now they had become IVRI the ones who had crossed over the Jordan, recall this as the meaning of Hebrew and according to:
Deut. 27:12. These will stand upon Mt Gerazim to bless the people when YOU CROSS OVER THE JORDAN. Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph=(Ephraim + Manasseh) and Benjamin
Mt. Ebal to speak out the curses Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebukun, Dan, Naphtali and the Levites will speak and say to all Israel.
The list of tribes is in Deuteronomy 27:12-13
Those on Mount Ebal, the mount of cursing, are the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali, sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, slave women of Jacob’s two lawful wives.
Those on Mount Gerizim are Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.
Those on Gerizim, the mount of blessing, are children of Jacob’s lawful wives, Leah and Rachel (Gen 35:23-26). Reuben is the exception—though he was one of Leah’s legitimate sons, he was cursed because he had forbidden relations with Bilhah, his father’s concubine (Gen 35:22; 1 Chron 5:1).
In Deuteronomy 11, God gives His people the choice to obey or disobey his commands. To obey brings about the blessing while disobedience brings on the curse.
The two mountain peaks of Gerizim and Ebal represent the fundamental consequence of fallen human nature; the struggle between what we should do and what we should not do.
Nablus, which is the site of ancient Shechem, lies in the valley between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal. These two peaks represent our moral dilemmas. God commanded Joshua upon taking possession of the Promised Land to set the blessing on Mt. Gerizim and the curse on Mt. Ebal (Deut. 11:29). After conquering Ai, Joshua built an altar on Mt. Ebal; the mountain of the curse (Josh. 8:30).
Located in the Hill Country of Ephraim, the city of Shechem played a vital role in the history of Israel. This location, in the middle of the nation, provided the most important crossroads in central Israel. The city lay along the northern end of “The Way of the Patriarchs.” This road, also called the “Ridge Route” (because it followed a key mountain ridge stretching 50 miles south), traveled from Shechem through Shiloh, Bethel/Ai, Ramah, Gibeah, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Hebron. This route appears continuously in the Biblical text.
After they arrive at Mount Ebal, Joshua was to build an altar for burnt and peace offerings to the Lord to atone for their sins and to thank God for his blessings. But God added a command about the building of the altar,
“You shall wield no iron tool on them; you shall build an altar to the Lord your God of uncut stones” (Deut 27:5-6).
Why uncut stones?
God is saying that the Israelites should not think that they could make the worship of God better by making an elaborate altar and even one mark of a cutting tool would corrupt the worship of God. Further meaning to the stone the builders would reject would become the cornerstone and that His promise that His gospel shall be as the stone cut out of the mountains without hands; the Rock of our salvation.
In the history and drama of redemption, these places and the ceremony itself are significant in their symbolism. Shechem is the place where God first repeated His promises to Abraham when he arrived in Canaan (Gen 12:6-7). Under the leadership of Moses and Joshua, God again makes His promises of blessing to Israel, Abraham’s descendants.
Gerizim is also the site of the temple that the Samaritans built as their counterpart to the Jerusalem temple. They believed that Joshua built the altar on Gerizim and not on Ebal.
When the Samaritan woman mentioned that her people worshiped on this mountain, she was probably including Abraham and Jacob who built altars in the same region.
But Jesus/Yeshua countered by declaring that:
the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. (John 4:21-24).
But what does Mt. Ebal represent?
It represents our disobedience.
Obedience to the commands of the Lord, then, is to give up our disobedience; for it is the disobedient heart that brings on the curse.
But the terror and misery of the curses on Israel as a result of God’s wrath for their disobedience was just a foretaste of the terror and anguish of hell that our Lord Jesus Christ/Adonai Yeshua HaMashiach suffered in His life and death on the cross.
On Mount Ebal, Israel sacrificed burnt offerings for their sins, a foreshadow of the final sacrifice that God Himself in Messiah has offered for our sins: Christ/Mashiachs’ death on the cross.
We are an accursed people because of our disobedience. Like the tribes on Mount Ebal, we are children of slaves, and we ourselves are slaves of sin. The altar of good works that we build is not a sacrifice that rises as a pleasing aroma to God, because without faith in God’s final sacrifice of His only-begotten Son, our good works are filthy rags, a bad taste, and a repulsive stench before God.
BUT
Yeshua HaMashiach/Jesus Christ’s
sacrifice removes the curse from us:
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (Gal 3:13), a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Eph 5:2).
Our own Mount Ebal is the hill of Calvary in Jerusalem where our sacrifice was offered once for all, hanged on the cross for our disobedience.
So how shall we escape from these curses and receive God’s blessings when we can never perfectly obey God’s law?
We are to -(spiritually)- walk the narrow WAY
through the valley from Ebal, the Mount of Cursing
to Gerizim, the Mount of Blessing,
through the perfect obedience of another Man-
through Jesus/Yeshua – the Dalet/the door –
the mediator of the renewed covenant and our ark of salvation;
paid for in His Blood.
We pass through the valley
Shechem
-(Ps. 23 of the shadow of death-the wages of sin) –
through His Blood on the Mercy seat of the ark/Messiah –
and to the Mount of Blessing
where the children become His stewards/servants/priests –
now a royal nation – 1Pet.2:9 – called out of darkness into His marvelous Light.
At Mount Gerizim, the blessings are introduced in Deuteronomy 28:1-2:
And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.
Obedience is really the nature with which God has created us. This is our true state and thus what we truly desire. True spiritual healing is not so much to cultivate a life of striving to follow God’s commands, but to put to death our disobedient nature.
Jesus/Yeshua preached repentance not morality:
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matt 4:17”
Thus to repent –
to turn from disobedience –
is to come naturally into obedience.
It is in a WAY, to build an altar of sacrifice on Mt. Ebal.
Ariel view of Joshuas Altar.
In the new Mount Gerizim where Jesus/Yeshua preached a long sermon on another Mount – in Matthew 5-7, Jesus/Yeshua pronounced His blessings on kingdom citizens as long as they were:
poor in spirit,
mourn over sins,
meek, righteous,
merciful, pure in heart,
had peace with God, and
persevere in persecution for righteousness’ sake.
Our reward is not earthly, but heavenly (Matt 5:2-12).
These are commands that even the holiest of believers can only begin to obey as they are very difficult words.
But in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus/Yeshua challenges us with practical ethics to live by in our life in this imperfect world; while we await the perfect one that He will give us when He returns.
Without the Law, they will not comprehend their sin and misery and their absolute need for a Savior.
And without Christ/Mashiach being sacrificed on the Mount of Calvary to remove the curse from us, we can never receive any blessing from God…
Why?
Because in ourselves, we can never obey God’s law perfectly and be righteous before God, our only hope for blessing is through Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach, who gives His perfect obedience to us- obedience all the way to an accursed death.
Only by trusting Christ/Messiah can we be redeemed from the curse of the Law and then receive blessings from God.
At Shechem in the valley between the two mountains,
Joshua brought the Ark of the Covenant,
which represented the Presence of the Lord Himself.
Here also after the conquest of Canaan Joshuatook a great stone, and set it up there under the oak in the sanctuary of the Lord (Josh. 24:24).
While the altar on Mt. Ebal represented a sacrifice – a relinquishing – of their disobedience,
the altar at Shechem was a witness to their obedience to the commands of the Lord.
Shechem means shoulder probably because the city was built mainly on the slope or shoulder, of Mt. Ebal. Some scholars say it means saddleback.
A saddleback is curved in 2 directions – indicating a place of decision.
(Think multitudes in the valley of decision עֵ֖מֶק הֶֽחָר֑וּץ, valley of strict decision or judgment, in Joel 3:14 )
Understanding Hebrew Language:
OBEY OR DISOBEY
The words KEEP and BREAK are usually interpreted as:
OBEDIENCE and DISOBEDIENCE
The Hebrew word for KEEP is: SHAMAR
רמש
ש מ ר
RESH MEM SHEEN
R – MA – SHA
Literally means: GUARD, PROTECT/PRESERVE and CHERISH
It’s the same verb that described Adam in Eden: to cultivate it and keep it.
KJV: of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
Genesis 3:24
Malachi 2:7 Guard – The Hebrew verb šāmar means to watch over, to guard, to keep, to preserve and to care for.
It is from the word SHEMA
שְׁמַע
A Hebrew word meaning:
To listen intently with willing anticipation and readiness to DO what is heard.
It is used in the most important statement of the Hebraic faith…
Shema Inscription on the Knesset Menorah Jerusalem, Israel.
SHEMA YISRAEL
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל
Strongs #8086 shema: to hear
Original Word: שְׁמַע Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: shema Phonetic Spelling: (shem-ah’) Definition: to hear
Here in Deut. 27:9 is the one line prayer called:
the SHEMA – Listen/Hear O Israel and obey!
It is the directive for them to Keep the words of the covenant and do them.
Shema Israel or Sh’ma Yisrael;
Hebrew: שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ;
Hear, O Israel
Shema (hear/listen) is the Hebrew word that begins the most important prayer in Judaism.
It is found in Deuteronomy 6:4, which begins with the command to Hear.
The whole Shema prayer, which includes verses 4-9, is spoken daily in the Jewish tradition: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
The Complete Shema – Hear O Israel, the LORD our God is One LORD.
Shema: the First Passage.
In the recitation of Deuteronomy 6:4-9, special emphasis is given to the first six Hebrew words of this passage:
Shema Yisrael, Adonai eloheinu, Adonai echad
and a six-word response is said in an undertone
barukh shem kevod malkhuto le’olam va’ed.
and focus is on the meaning:
HEAR – LISTEN and DO
It was the answer Jesus /Yeshua gave in Mark 12:29-30 to the question as to which of the commandments is the most important of all….
“The most important one,”
answered Jesus, “is this:
‘Hear, O Israel:
The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
Further reiterated by Jesus/Yeshua many times, when He spoke with the Hebrew understanding of
HEAR – LISTEN also means to DO
James 1:22 reminds us to:
פָּרַר PARAR
The Hebrew verb here is פרר – parar,
Strong’s #6565 and means:
to trample underfoot.
Literally means: TO TRAMPLE UNDERFOOT
Hence the meaning behind Hebrews 10:29trample underfoot is break and disobedience
Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath
trodden underfoot
the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing
κοινὸν, a word commonly denoting things unclean; Mark 7:2; Acts 10:14, 28; Acts 11:8; Romans 14:14; and Hebrews 9:13
How much worse (sterner and heavier) punishment do you suppose he will be judged to deserve who has spurned and [thus] trampled underfoot the Son of God, and who has considered the covenant blood by which he was consecrated common and unhallowed, thus profaning it and insulting and outraging the [Holy] Spirit [Who imparts] grace (the unmerited favor and blessing of God)?
verse 29: they have trampled under foot the Son of God. The Son of God laid his life down for them to receive as their substitute, and instead of receiving him as their life and hope, they paused, got some religion, and then stepped on him and went on to other things. Verse 29b: they regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant.
The ancient Hebrew understanding of these words:
The keeping or breaking of the commandments of God…
is not about mechanical obedience and disobedience of His commands
but rather
our attitude towards them.
Will we cherish His commands or will we throw them on the ground and walk on them?
Heavenly Father/Avinu in Jesus/Yeshuas’ Name may we have a heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear.
Conclusion coming in part 3..
Shalom shalom mishpachah/family and cheverim/friends!
Time is running out please don’t leave this page…until you
Know for certain you are His…
You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read the posts. If they have been a blessing and if you haven’t already, please sign up for free email notification, like, share and subscribe, it all helps to freely spread the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth and reaches others with His Truths.
Meanwhile let’s remember to stay alert and ready, be in prayer and in His Word for in an hour we think not He is coming… and…
it’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
NOT SURE?
YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen
Due to winter storms the internet connections were interrupted. To make up for a lost week here is a special post on this beautiful topic. Obviously there is always more to be discussed on every subject and time often prohibits in depth research, however some of the hidden mysteries and meanings are presented here.
God commanded His people to wear sacred fringes on the corners of their clothing throughout the generations. This was in reference to what we now call Prayer Shawl or Tallit.
What is a tallit?
A tallit (tal-LEET, literally “little covering”) is a rectangular prayer shawl with four fringes – tzitzit – one attached at each corner.
Most tallits have a neckband, called an atarah, that often has a blessing written across it which is spoken when putting on the tallit.
TheTallitactually inspired the design of the Israeli flag:
In Biblical times, in obedience to the book of Bamidbar/Numbers 15:38 – 41, men would attach the tassels to the four-corneredtallit, (cloak or gown), that was customarily worn.
ציצית
zitzit (tzee-tzeet)
(Hebrew plural is ziziyyot:fringes,or decoration).
“Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: They shall make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments… And this shall be tzitzit for you, and when you see it, you will remember all the commandments of God, and perform them.” (Numbers 15:38–39)
The Hebrew words Yevovah Echad, meaning “God is one;” are numerically formed by the number of knots and wrappings in the tzitzit or fringe, which God said to “look at,” and remember His laws and not to sin against Him.
The knots and windings are also considered symbolic of the Shema (shem-ah): Shema Yisrael Adonai Elohenu Adonai Echad — Hear Oh Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One [Deuteronomy 6:4]
In prayers, “Israel” refers to the Jewish people. It is shorthand for “Children of Israel.” “Eretz Yisrael” or the “Land of Israel” refers to the country.] The Shema is commonly referred to as the watchword of the Jewish faith. The recitation of this line is a important part of the morning and evening prayers.
Messiah Yeshua, God manifest in the flesh, is the garment or tallit of our souls. In Romans 13:14 we read: “…Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
When we receive His forgiveness, and obey His commands we are wrapped in the shekinah glory of God. We are sons of light, filled with God’s “light.” Yeshua said: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father…” John 14:9
“Make tassels for yourselves on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.” (Deut. 22:12)
Deuteronomy 6:4–9 and 11:13–21 as a daily reminder of His plan for us and what He requires of our lives.When the SHEMA was said, the fringe was grasped in the hand.The SHEMA was a declaration of the nature of God. God is one. He is not like the heathen concept of a plurality of deities in the Godhead. This focus upon God’s nature and obedience to His commandments, kept the heart “fixed.”
The numerical value of the knots and wrappings literally spelled out SHEMA. This was an additional reminder that God is one, and He will never change.
The five knots can be viewed as representing the first five (Hebrew) words of the Shema. The last word, Echad, is represented by the windings between the knots. Echad means “one.” The windings bind the knots into a single unit.
Each Tzitzit is made from 8 strings, 7 white and one blue. ‘Seven’ is the number representing perfection in the physical realm. ‘Eight’, therefore, transcends the physical realm and symbolizes a direct link to the spiritual realm.
Each group of 8 strings is knotted 5 times to form a Tzitzit. There are five books in the Torah.
Each of the 4 tzitzit have 8 strings, making a total of 32 strings. Thirty-two is the numeric value of the Hebrew word for “HEART”. The tzitzit’s loose strings represent God’s ‘heart strings’.
The tzitzit with it’s blue thread represents first of all that God is one!
Messiah is not separate, God clothed/robed Himself in the flesh of Messiah.
Through the atoning of Messiah Jesus, God’s precious Lamb, the sins of the world were taken away, (Romans 3:23-26, Romans 6:23, Acts 2:38, 2 Cor. 10:3-7, I John 2:2, I John 2:1, 4:10, ) and now through right relationship with Him, we can walk in His power and authority.
The garment now made to these specifications is the tallit, also spelled taleth, talet, tallis, talleisim, tallism or tallithim in Hebrew and Yiddish; and called a prayer shawl in English. The purpose for it is for everyone, including the wearer, to look at it and remember all the commandments of the Lord from Torah, the Five Books of Moses,
This list of 613 commandments picture includes the promises of God, so in Jesus day people would see all the power of God in that Fringe, called tzizit / tsitsit in Hebrew, when the prayer shawl was worn by an anointed man of God.
613 mitzvot (or 613 Commandments. Hebrew: תווצמ ג”ירת transliterated as Taryag mitzvot; TaRYaG is the acronym for the numeric value of “613”.) In Judaism there is a tradition that the Torah (i.e. the “Pentateuch”) contains 613 mitzvot (mitzvot in Hebrew means “commandments”, from mitzvah – הוצמ — “precept”, plural: mitzvot; from הוצ, tzavah- “command”).
According to the main source, of these 613 commandments, 248 are mitzvot aseh (“positive commandments”) and 365 are mitzvot lo taaseh (“negative commandments”). 365 corresponded to the number of days in a solar year and 248 was at that time believed to be the number of bones or significant organs in the human body.
We may think 613 Instructions for living a life before the Lord was too many, however although we are under grace there areand Jesus said
The laws concerning sacrifices are null and void because Jesus was the sacrifice.
And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary. Hebrews 10:18.
The Corner Knots
Notice that the four corners are decorated with longer threads and with more knots than the remainder of the fringe. These longer fringes of this garment are identical and unique.
The names of God are recalled by the wearer utilizing the prayer shawl in the proper way.
Some of the names rendered by these knots are said to be:
The Names of God
Yahweh Jireh – Yahweh will see, or provide.
Yahweh Ropheka – Yahweh will heal thee.
Yahweh Nissi – Yahweh is my banner.
Yahweh Mekaddishkem – Yahweh Who shall sanctify you.
Yahweh Shalom – Yahweh (send) peace.
Yahweh Tz’vaoth – Yahweh of hosts.
Yahweh Shammah – Yahweh is there.
The symbolism of all this has been variously interpreted. On one view, the Hebrew word tzitzit has the numerical value of 600 (tzaddi = 90; yod = 10; tzaddi = 90; yod = 10; tav = 400; = 600 in total).
Also of interest is the fact that the hem of the high priest had bells and pomegranates hanging from it.The pomegranate is said to contain 613 seeds which was a reminder of the Torah.
Jesus our Messiah, Yeshua haMashiach, wore a prayer shawl, (tallit). Prayer shawls were worn at all times and not just when in prayer. Jesus /Yeshua demonstrated to us the pattern for us to follow, dependence upon His Heavenly Father, Messiah’s nature was two-fold, as the God-Man.
For verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham.” Hebrews 2:14-16.
As a humble man, dependent upon His Father, He established a pattern for us to walk in. It is us who must be dependent upon the Lord. God often speaks using human “terms” which are familiar to us, such as “the right hand,” which is a phrase speaking of the position of power and authority.
The term tzitzit is related to the word “hatzatzah,” or “Looking at.” For God said:
“You will make these garments, and put fringe on the borders, and you will look at this, and remember that you must not do what your own heart and desires dictate, but remember that I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and I am the Lord your God.”
Like the 9 branched Chanukkah Menorah,
(see https://www.minimannamoments.com/who-lights-up-your-life/ for more details on Chanukkah.)
the Tallit also has a Shamesh/Shamash
The blue thread of the fringe, is called the SHAMESH / SHAMASH meaning servant. This is similar to the tallest servant candle that stands in the midst of the other candles, and is used to light the menorah.
In this “SHAMESH thread,” we see Messiah, our King; as the “Suffering Servant.” It was necessary that He suffer as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
It was as He humbled Himself, becoming obedient, even to on the cross, that God highly exalted Him, giving Him a name above every name.” (Phil. 2:9)
Meditate on the picture of Messiah Jesus praying at Gethsemane, see Him praying earnestly there, wrapped in His tallit as He prayed long into in the night.
He sweated great drops of blood, agonizing in prayer, the blood mixing with those tears that fell, rolling onto the rock at which He prayed, saying: “Father: If you be willing, remove this cup from Me…nevertheless, not My will but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)
As He grasped the fringe of His tallit, He knew within Himself: I am not alone in this. The father stands with Me. I and My Father are one.
When you make His soul an offering for sin, He will see His seed, He will prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.” (Isaiah 53:10)
Wrapping His tallit around Him, He asked His disciples to stay awake watch with Him and pray.
Everything about the tallit commands us to be “watchers,” who stand by day and by night….
Watchmen, whom God has set on the walls of Jerusalem; which shall never hold their peace, day nor night. Those that make mention of the Lord shall not keep silent! We will give Him no rest, till He establishes, and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in all the earth. (Isaiah 62:6) “Son of Man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them a warning from me, says the Lord.”
Not once since the Rock of Israel was born, had He experienced separation from His Heavenly Father. From the beginning that night in Bethlehem, when that same star filled sky that Abrahamlooked into and was shown descendants as the sands of the sea…was suddenly filled with angels, crying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and good will toward men. He had known constant and uninterrupted connection to His Father.
Returning to the tassels or tsitsit that the Israelites were commanded to wear, they can be understood as extensions of the hem. The tassels, as shown in the illustrations, are part of the hem; they are simply extended threads of the embroidery of the hem. A tassel may hang free or it may be decorated with a flower head or bell at the end.
Understanding the significance in ancient cultures to the hem of the garment and the status of the wearer, we can understand its association with the glory, or rank of the individual. There are accounts in the New Testament of people being healed as they merely touched the hem of Yahshua’a garment. Symbolically, they touched His glory. When the woman with the issue of blood touched Christ’s hem and was instantly healed.Yahshua did not immediately know who had touched Him, but He sensed that “dunamis” or “miraculous power” had gone out from Him at her touch. Such marvels were prophesied of the coming Savior in the Old Testament, though the fullness of the message is obscured due to some poor translations.
Malachi 4:2 But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings (kanaph – literally “borders”)…
Malachi prophesied that the Son of God would have healing in His “borders,” which is to say, the hem of His garment.Strong’s Concordance defines this word in the following manner.
Kanaph (kaw-nawf’); from OT:3670; an edge or extremity; specifically (of a bird or army) a wing, (of a garment or bed-clothing) a flap, (of the earth) a quarter, (of a building) a pinnacle.
Although this word is appropriately understood as a reference to a bird’s wings in some passages, this is not always the case.
Exodus 19:4-5 “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings (kanaph) and brought you to Myself.”
Malachi 4, believed by the Jewish People to be about the coming of the Messiah, also contains a promise of healing: “…to you who fear My name, The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings.” (Malachi 4:2)
“It shall be a tassel (Hebrew, tzitzitציצת) for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, so as to do them and not follow after your own heart and your own eyes…” (Numbers 15:39)
The aspect of the tallit, with it’s wings or extensions representing “prayer covering,” is crucial, as the one praying extends this “prayer covering” over individuals, and nations.
In speaking of the tallit, or four-cornered garment with fringe, the outer edge is called in Hebrew, “kanaf” or kanaph,” which is usually translated as “hem,” this term carries the more accurate meaning of “corner or wing.”
The fringes or tassels of a man’s robe, were symbolic of his authority. There is a lovely illustration of this in Ezekiel 16:6, in which God speaks of entering into covenant with Israel:
I spread my skirt over you and covered your nakedness: Yes I sware to you and entered into covenant with you; says the Lord God and you became mine.”
With His arms He will cover you, and under the corners of His tallit you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart.” (Psalm 91:4)
Jesus prayed for His beloved Jerusalem, even as He rode into Jerusalem on the city on the little donkey’s foal. As the people strewed their garments in His way, and they cried: Blessed be the King that comes in the name of the Lord! Peace, in heaven, and glory in the highest!
Wrapped in His talit, He rode, wiping tears from his eyes. With one hand on the donkey’s mane, and one holding those fringes in His hand. And he said:
If you had known, even in this your day; the things which belong to your peace! Now they are hid from your eyes! (Luke 19:38f)
Again, this phrase “skirt of him that is a Jew,” speaks of the “wing” of the tallit. This phrase “God is with you,” is similar to the concept of Immanuel, meaning “God with us.” It shows us that God will work powerfully through Yeshua haMashiach’s and the redeemed sons and daughters of Israel in the last days. The days will come when so great shall be the spiritual understanding concerning Messiah, that the very shadow of these passing by will produce healings, as we see in the days of the early Jewish apostles. (Acts 19:12)
Originally, the tallit may have appeared as an outer garment bearing the fringes commanded by God. It probably resembled the abayah, the blanket worn by Bedouin to protect them from the elements, which has black stripes at the ends.
It was finer, however, and similar also to the pallium (rectangular cloak worn by Greek and Roman men).
The Hebrew word for corners of a garment or the bottom hem is kanaph, it is the same word used in the book of Job for the ends of the earth.
The requirement of fringes was and is to wear sacred fringes called tzizit / tsitsit which are tassles that hang down from the corners of their outer garments. This outer garment which was larger than the current prayer shawls and looked like a poncho with tzizit / tsitsit.
A poncho was similar to a sheet with a hole in the middle for the head. The front piece was tied behind the back, then the back was lapped over and tied in the front. This is the seamless garment in John 19:23.
Recent archaeological digs have found a number of these from biblical times. This garment served as a blanket as stated in Exodus 22:26
After the Jewish People were exiled from Israel, their style of dress was influenced by their Gentile neighbors, and the tallit became a garment worn for prayer instead of a garment worn daily.
Under garment or robe was called a HALUK it was lighter weight.
Outer garment was the Tallit (prayer shawl) it was heavier weight.
Psalms 61:4 Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
The Tallit (prayer shawl) as a ‘closet’
The tallit is prayer shawl which when used to cover the head also creates a personal isolated space for prayer shutting out the world around you. The name Tallit comes from the two Hebrew word TAL meaning tent and ITH meaning little.
So we have talith as a LITTLE TENT and it is this that Jesus was referring to when He said:
Matt 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
The Greek term PERIBOLAION, meaning “a covering,” carried with it the connotation of “Something thrown about one, such as a mantle or veil.”
By wrapping yourself in it, or by covering your head with it, you can create an individual tent for yourself to converse with God.
Greek word for closet is (tameion), which means “an inner chamber, or a secret room.” The closeting of oneself in the covering of the Tallit (prayer shawl) was a symbolic separation from the world around the Jewish man.
The tzitzit of the tallit katans of two Jewish men are worn outside, while the third man has tucked in his tzitzit.
Although you perhaps cannot see it, underneath their clothes is a poncho called the tallit katan which takes the form of a small poncho and is worn under the shirt, often over an undergarment so as not to actually touch the skin; and with the tzitzit coming out from beneath the shirt, Other ultra-Orthodox Jews also wear the tallit katan, and sometimes the tassels visibly dangle from under a regular button down shirt, sweater, and even a Tshirt.
Because Yeshua wore his tallit, the border or hem of Yeshua’s garment had a particular appearance to it, due to the way in which the tallit was folded. This caused the corner tassels of the fringe to hang down. Taking hold of the “skirt” of him that is a Jew, speaks of taking hold of this outer or extended “wing” of the garment, which holds such deep significance. This is because it speaks of prayer.
Yeshua haMashiach as our Messiah, was a man of prayer. He prayed with “all manner of prayer.” He spent entire nights in prayer. His life was characterized by what many today call “prophetic prayer.”
As He prayed He saw things prophetically before they actually happened. He did the things which God commanded Him to, as they were seen through the eyes of His spirit.
Messiah praying prior to ministry to the crowds of people.
“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place and there prayed.” (Mark 1:35)
Yeshua always prayed prior to praying for the sick. “And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” (Luke 6:12)
He prayed after healing the sick. “And when he had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when evening was come, He was alone.” (Matthew 14:23)
And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. Mark 6:46 Luke 22:45
These times of prayer refreshed Him. in the outstretched wings or extended talit, we see the concept of the extending of God’s authority, enfolding the believer, and the ministering of healing.
Those who understood it’s significance, and touched Him were made whole. The power of Messiah’s tallit, was in the authority of His divine person.
For us today, it’s in the shed blood of Yeshua, as the Lamb of God.
The word “salvation” speaks of healing for the whole man, body, soul and spirit. In Isaiah 53:4-5, we learn that Messiah took our sicknesses in His own body AND He bore our sins.
Lets continue living by the fringe of a wing and a prayer.
Ecclesiastes 3 tells us there are different times and seasons. This is a time to be serious and to put away, to cast down and throw from us all that would distract and keep us from the One to whom we owe EVERYTHING.
We will sing of your love for ever, we will declare your faithfulness and mercy to the generations.
This is the pen-ultimate appointed time of the Hebrew calendar year. The 6th of 7 specific dates the Lord set into the annual cycle of life, incorporating the harvest seasons of the grains and fruits. Times chosen when The Lord God wanted to spend time with His people.They were all a prophetic type and shadow, a fore-telling of the coming Savior. A rehearsal for the future Messiah, JESUS who came a little over 2000 years ago and literally fulfilled the words of the prophets concerning God’s plan of the ages.
In Hebrew,Jesus was the burden removing, yoke destroying answer, redeeming mankind and all who will believe and trust in His atoning sacrifice of substitution at Calvary.
There His Blood has paid the price for ALL our transgressions. The wages of sin is death, meaning eternal separation from God’s presence. Because of Jesus, we will never have to experience that or have to personally pay the price for our errant ways. Ezekiel 18:20 ‘the soul who sins he shall die..’
Yom Kippur is all about the sacrificial offering of a pure unblemished innocent life, freely and willingly given to cover for sin, through the shedding of its blood. (For the life of the flesh is in the blood. Lev. 17:11) Yom haKipuriym/day of the Atonements, falls on the 10th day of the 7th month. It is not a feast day but rather a Holy convocation, an opportunity to deny ourselves, a time for self examination. A perfect opportunity for a heart (spiritual) check-up.As the High Priest performs the atonements for himself, the altar, the Tabernacle, and the whole community in Israel, we are encouraged to stop and think. To turn those thoughts to our own lives and allow an inner conviction to lead us to true repentance and then to the acceptance of the blood sacrifice of Jesus as a means of cleansing and forgiveness.Jesus our Messiah has clearly fulfilled both the position of our High Priest and that of our personal sacrifice, He atoned for us once and for all and is continually making intercession for us before the Father.He does not need to make sacrifices for Himself and for us year after year in order to atone for our sins–it has already been accomplished for ever. Hebrews 9:6–12
The weight and penalty of the sins, was symbolically transferred to the animal sacrifices for that year, so that forgiveness could be attained.
Our willingness to deny self on this day does not cause, aid or enhance our atonement, however it allows us to become acutely aware of our own mortality, our sin, our continuing need for atonement, and our desire for life. At the same time it causes us to appreciate on some minute level, the sacrifice the Master made as He denied His own life on our behalf and to re-evaluate our own commitment to walk in the way, the truth and the life, by obeying and keeping His commandments.
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Matt.5:17-20
The sanctity and holiness of this day cannot be understated.
Though we may find great joy in our eternal atonement in Jesus the Messiah, this is a day for remembering the atonement in such a way that it should be very hard to forget in the busyness of daily life.
Although we are saved by grace and live by faith, we are still accountable for our individual lives and for changing our ways in compliance of being a ‘doer’ of the things Jesus taught and not a ‘hearer only’.
We are to be contemplative, repentant, humble and dead to ourselves because the self sacrifice necessary to atone for our sins is far beyond what any of us are able or willing to do. It would take every drop, every ounce of blood in our bodies to cover even our own sins, much less the sins of another.
However we can rejoice for the Messiah has come! Atonement has been made and He has obtained age enduring redemption, which is available for us! Justice is satisfied and Mercy fulfilled, once and for all!On Yom haKipuriym, day of the Atonements, we are also to remember that we live and breathe only because the Father so chooses, and that by His choice, He has the right and the power to take it away as well. A sobering reality.
Lk. 12:20; Mk. 13:44.
Hard though that is for some of us to admit, once born again and redeemed, it means that God through Jesus bought and paid for us and we belong to Him. Our life is no longer our own to live as we please and our destiny is His hands. At this time the story of Jonah is appropriate, teaching that sincere repentance can reverse even the harshest heavenly decreeand the prevention of Jonah’s flight shows that no one can escape from God.There is such an abundance of revelatory instruction around the 7th appointed time, it is prohibitive to attempt to include everything in one post, so some aspects are not mentioned below due to space and in an attempt to curtail longevity, however it is not out of ignorance or neglect.
(Further details regarding insights on the sacrifices and Temple proceedings followed at Yom Kippur will be posted on more mini manna moments/ deeper dig.)
Now for the Main Meal of the day! Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement (Lev. 25:9)
The Biblical name for the day of Atonement is Yom HaKippurim, meaning ‘the day of covering, canceling, pardon, reconciling.’ Occasionally, it was called ‘the Day of the Fast’ or ‘the Great Fast’ (Lev. 23:27-31; 16:29-34).It is a unique ceremony which took place on the ancient Hebrew calendar for the children of Israel, it was the holiest day of the year and still is for believers and the Jewish community today. ‘Kadosh’, often translated as ‘Holy’, it also has a deeper meaning and conveys an understanding of being separate and set aside for Adonai /The Lord and not as the world and the things of the world are.Deut. 7:6, We are to be His own unique treasure.
This day marks the end of the Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe) and falls on the 9th/10th day of Tishrei (Tishri), the seventh month in the Jewish calendar.It’s not a feast like the others that we have looked at. It is a day of repentance and it’s still of great significance for Christian believers, because not one of us is perfect. It’s a time for us to make a decision to be better in the coming year than we were in the past year.Paul makes mention of Yom Kippur when he refers to it in Acts 27:9 saying that the fast had already gone by, as the main focus of this day is to fast before the Lord.Names used are:
Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement)
Face to Face
The Day (or the Great Day)
The Fast
The Great Shofar (Shofar HaGadol)
Neilah (the closing of the gates of heaven as the festival concludes and the judgment was set for another year.)
UNDERSTANDING THE PRIESTLY SERVICE FOR YOM KIPPURLev. 16, specifies the 10th of Tishrei as the date on which the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) shall conduct a special ceremony to purge defilement from the sanctuary and from the people. The heart of it is that the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) shall bring a bull and two goats as a special offering. First, the bull is sacrificed to purge the sanctuary from any defilements caused by misdeeds of the priest himself and of his household (Lev. 16:6). Secondly, one of the goats is chosen by lot to be sacrificed, to purge the sanctuary of any similar defilement stimulated by misdeeds of the whole Israelite people (Lev. 16:7-8). Finally, the second goat is sent away, not sacrificed, to cleanse the people themselves. The goat is marked for Azazel and is sent away to wander in the wilderness (Lev. 16:10).Before the goat is sent out, the high priest lays both his hands upon its head and confesses over it all the iniquities and transgressions of the Israelites, whatever their misdeeds, and so putting them on the head of the goat. Thus, the Torah adds, ‘The goat shall carry on it all their iniquities to an inaccessible region…’ (Lev. 16:20- 22).
AZAZEL: THE SCAPEGOAT
The Hebrew word for scapegoat is ‘Azazel’. Azazel was seen as a type of satan (Ha satan). The sins of the people and thus the punishment of the people were laid upon Azazel the scapegoat. Azazel being sent into the wilderness is understood to be a picture of satan (Ha satan) being cast into the lake of fire (Rev.19:20).The sins of the people were laid upon the scapegoat (Lev.16:21-22).
ADDITIONAL ASPECTS TO THE HIGH PRIEST CEREMONY
In order to enter the Holy of Holies, the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) was first to bathe his entire body, going beyond the mere washing of hands and feet as required by other occasions. The washing symbolized his desire for purification (Num. 19). The washing was of his clothes and his flesh (Num. 8:5-7;19:7-9).
This was done in conjunction with taking the blood of an animal with the finger and sprinkling the blood upon the altar (Num. 19:1-4; Lev. 8:13-15 and in Num. 31:21-24.)
‘And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering.’
The priest dipping his finger in the blood and placing it on the horns of the altar represents that the sin is recorded. The mark of a finger print in blood is evidence a death had taken place to pay the price for the sin.By this action, the altar had in a sense, become defiled until on the Day of Atonement when the pure blood of the Lord’s goat was placed on the altar to purify it.
The blood is shed for the sinner’s life and to satisfy the demand of the law, on the Day of Atonement the redemption is finalized. So too, is the process in the heavenly sanctuary on the day when our sins are blotted out.
The spiritual understanding of this is given in Heb. 9 -10:19-22. The sprinkling of blood upon the altar is also mentioned in Ex. 29:1-4,10-12, 16,20-21; and Lev. 1:3-5,11; 3:1-2,8; 4:1-6; 5:4-6,9. The spiritual understanding is found in Heb. 9:11-14,23-25, and 1Pet. 1:2.
FACE TO FACE
The high priest (Cohen HaGadol) could only go into the Holy of Holies once a year (Lev.16:2; Heb. 9:6-7).(God issued a warning that no man could see His face and live (Ex.33:20). But because on the Day of Atonement the priest could be in God’s presence (Lev.16:2), another term for the Day of Atonement is ‘face to face.’ At that point, the high priest was ‘face to face with the mercy seat of God.’
Face in Hebrew: panim or paneh פָּנִים (paw-neem’)When the high priest (Cohen HaGadol) entered the Holy of Holies, he saw the Lord’s presence as a brilliant cloud hovering above the mercy seat (Lev.16:2).The word for mercy seat in Hebrew is kapporet. It comes from the root word kaphar, which is the same word used for atonement. The mercy seat can also be translated as the seat of atonement. The mercy seat is described in detail in Ex. 25:17-22 and 37:6-9. This is the place where Moses (Moshe) met and spoke with God face to face (Ex. 25:22; 30:6; Num. 7:89).The themes are:
Yom Kippur is a day of fasting and affliction of the soul.
The incense of the golden censer represents the prayers of Bible believers.Repentance Repent (Teshuvah) return to the Lord.
Hear (Shema) the calling (Shofar) for our lives.
Yielding ourselves to God so we may live every day (face to face – al paneh – פָּנִים) in His Presence.Furniture of the Tabernacle
Atonement
At the moment the atonement was made on the Day of Atonement, those being atoned for were sinless and blameless before God.
The congregation of believers (kehilat) in the Messiah is being presented before God without spot or blemish (Eph. 5:27) because of the blood of Jesus/Yeshua (1 Pet. 1:19).Messianic Fulfillment; Jesus/Yeshua is the sacrifice of God for us who believe on Him (Heb. 9:26-28; 10:1-10).
Forgiveness
Messianic Fulfillment: Aaron the high priest typifies the ministry of mediator and intercessor. Jesus/Yeshua is our High Priest (Heb. 3:1) and Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 12:24). He lives to make intercession for us (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:22-27).Spiritual Application (Halacha): By the death of Jesus/Yeshua, we are free to enter into the veil every day not just once a year. (Matt. 27:50-51; 2 Cor. 3:14; Heb. 4:16; 6:13-19; 10:19-22).
More about the Goats
Lev. 16:7–10. the high priest would stand before the people in Jerusalem with two identical goats.He would then put his hand into an urn where there were two lots, each one with a different Hebrew word carved into it. The High priest would then remove them both, one in each hand. He then placed the lot in his right hand on the head of the goat to his right the other to the goat on the left.One of the lots decreed that one of the goats would live and be set free, the other that it would die as the sacrifice for the sins of the people on Yom Kippur. This is where two goats (or lambs) were chosen annually to represent the sins of Israel, one was sacrificed as the usual sin offering and the other released into the wild, bearing the sins of the people on it.The fate of each goat was determined by the drawing of the lots.The black lot signifying the scapegoat and the white lot, the goat for sacrifice. When the lots were drawn, if the black stone was found in the priest’s left hand when the stones were revealed it was an indication that the offering was unacceptable to the Lord. White meant yes, black meant no.
The Mystery of the Semikhah
Within this ceremony is also the mystery of the Semikhah. This is the sacred act that had to take place before a sacrifice could be offered up for the sins of the one offering it, or before the scapegoat could take away the sins of the nation on Yom Kippur.
It is the mystery of physical contact.
The person offering the sacrifice had to make physical contact with the sacrifice itself.
The priest had to touch it and very specifically had to place the palms of both his hands on the sacrifice.Lev. 16:21, Only after the Semikhah was performed could the scapegoat take away the sins of the nation or the sacrifice be offered up as an atonement.
The mystery is the Messiah. He is the sacrifice.
As the Semikhah must be performed and it was the priests who offered Him up and then delivered Him to His death. In accordance with Scripture, the priest had to make physical contact with the sacrifice by placing his hands on it.Mk. 14:65 records that after condemning Him to death the priests struck Him repeatedly with their hands. The description shows that they specifically struck his face and head the palms of their hands and afterwards Messiah was led away to be killed.What we need to comprehend is that what took place on earth at that moment, was symbolic of what happened in heavenly realms. That is where the reality and sovereignty of God’s intervention took place concerning the fate of mankind. In truth, it was God who performed the Semikhah when He placed our sins on Jesus, ensuring that sins are gone, Semikhah was completed and those sins can never return!
MESSIANIC UNDERSTANDING
God gave this ceremony of the casting of lots during Yom Kippur to teach us how He will judge the nations of the world prior to the Messianic age known as the Millennium. The nations of the world will be judged according to how they treated the Jewish people. Those nations who mistreated the Jews will be goat nations and they will go into the left hand. Those nations that stood beside the Jewish people will be sheep nations and will enter into the Messianic kingdom or the Millennium. Matt. 25:31-46. Jesus/Yeshua during His first coming was a type of the goat marked La Adonai. He was a sin offering to us as God laid upon Him the sins of the whole world (Is. 53:1-6; 1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 1:3-4; Heb. 2:17; 1 Jn. 2:2; 4:10).
In the ceremony of the two goats, the two goats were considered as one offering. A crimson sash was tied around the horns of the goat marked Azazel.At the appropriate time, the goat was led to a steep cliff in the wilderness and pushed off the cliff. Before there could be any sacrifice, there had to be a public presentation of the two goats before the people and the decision of which destiny would be for each goat. In the life of Messiah before his sacrificial death at Passover He too was presented before the people by pilate. For them to choose which man would live and which would die. With the goats only one could become the sacrifice, so Messiah had to be one of two lives presented to the people in order to be chosen as the sacrifice. According to the Yom Kippur decree and the requirements of the ceremony, the other life had to be let go and his name was Barabbas. Matt. 27:15–24
They had to be identical but how could that have been true? Barabbas was a sinner, bandit and murderer Jesus was sinless.
It’s all in the name.
Jesus our Messiah was also the Son of God, the Son of the Father and Barabbas name in Aramaic comes from two words. Bar which means Son and Abba which means father so therefore Barabbas means son of the father. The two men each bearing the same name son of the father. So the one who was the sacrifice and the one set free were identical in this way. Similarly, as we believe Jesus was the son of God, He was also equal to God; then it would follow that God in the flesh had to die in our place and have an equality in some way with us. (John14:9, If you have seen me you have seen the father.) He did become flesh in the form of a man, in the ‘likeness’ of sinful flesh and as such was ‘identical’ to fulfill the law.Bar Abba (Barabbas) was a symbol of the disobedient nation of Yisra’el, and he was released from prison even though he was guilty. But our Messiah, Jesus was killed in his place, because He became the scapegoat for Yisra’el!The definition for the word ‘scapegoat’ is ‘the innocent party who takes the blame for the guilty party.’ The nation of Israel/Yisra’el, (the firstborn son) was the guilty party, but the Father put on human flesh and became the Son (representing Israel/Yisra’el) by trading places with him!
(This is where we get our idiom for a scapegoat, for the one who takes the blame.)
Messiah fulfilled the pattern of the twin goats on Yom Kippur and then he also fulfilled the role of the Kohen Gadowl (High Priest) that year when He read Is.61:1-2 in the synagogue (Lk. 4:19) declaring“the acceptable year of The Lord.” We are not under the law of sin and death any more we are under the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Rom.8:2
Because of the sovereign purposes of the Lord, Israel has undergone a partial hardening until all of those whom God has called from among nations have been grafted in to the Olive tree of God. During this age of grace, those who were called not my people, are intended to provoke Israel to jealousy by means of the message. (Hos. 2:23) After the age of grace is complete all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26) and the original covenant will be fully restored and redeemed. Yom Kippur will be a fulfilled festival on that great day. Then the words of the prophets will be proven true and God will be vindicated. Israel will be adorned with honor and blessing above all the nations of the earth and they will finally be home from their long exile.
The aspect of ‘hidden, covered, veiled.’ We see ‘Yom Kippur’ typology here with the concept of being ‘covered’ or ‘veiled.’ To this day, the Jewish people have nick-named this day of ‘Yom Kippur’ as ‘face-to-face’ because it was this one time per year when the High Priest would go into the Holy of Holies ‘behind the veil’ and come ‘face-to-face’ with The Lord!As the High Priest had to intercede on behalf of Israel/Yisra’el for her sins, if he had any sin for which he had not repented, he would die in the Holy of Holies! At the future Day of Atonement, the bride who sufficiently sanctifies herself or ‘afflicts’ and prepares herself will be able to come ‘face-to-face’ with the bridegroom.Likewise on that day when Jesus returns, the veil will be removed from her face and her heart (Israel) and she will ‘see’ her Messiah (2 Cor. 3:14-16). The scales will fall away from her eyes also as she will ‘look upon’ the one whom she pierced (Zech. 12:10).
In the future, during the ‘Ten Days of Awe’ between The Feast of Trumpets & the Day of Atonement, there will also be a ‘7-day’wedding for the bride of Messiah.
Through Yeshua the atonement has been made, not just for a year but forever; not just for Israel but for all who will believe. We have been and will always be forgiven by God’s grace through faith.Jesus is not still on the cross however because of Jesus who is the heart and prophetic fulfillment of every one of God’s holy days. These are His feasts, the feasts of the Lord. Because God chose Israel to be His witness to the rest of the world, the celebrations commemorate events in Israel’s history. Through them God revealed His character and His plan of redemption through Jesus.
So the Feasts are continual reminders of God’s faithfulness and goodness. They connect us together as a community and are anchors of our souls.
The ultimate fulfillment of the year of Jubilee will take place at the second coming of Messiah.The earth will be redeemed and come into full and complete rest from the curse brought upon it by Adam’s sin. Complete restoration of man’s lost inheritance will take place. God’s people will be totally set free — set at liberty, from all sin, sickness and disease, death, and the curse. Satan (Ha satan), the source of all these things, will be bound and true rest, true shalom will be realized. The tabernacle of God will be with men and He will dwell with them (Rev.21:1-4). So, the day of Atonement speaks of the fullness of the redemptive plan of God for man.We do well to remember, liberty and freedom are NEVER really free.
Somewhere – sometime – someone...
has ALWAYS paid the price for that freedom. It would behoove us to count the cost now, today – for there will be no avoiding the inevitable day of reckoning.
Boldness
8:8 6-8
Ariel view of Joshuas Altar.
The 6th of 7 specific dates the Lord set into the annual cycle of life, incorporating the harvest seasons of the grains and fruits. Times chosen when The Lord God wanted to spend time with His people.
He does not need to make sacrifices for Himself and for us year after year in order to atone for our sins–it has already been accomplished for ever. Hebrews 9:6–12
‘Kadosh’
The sins of the people were laid upon the scapegoat (Lev.16:21-22).
Furniture of the Tabernacle
You must be logged in to post a comment.