Exodus 27:20-30:10, Tetzaveh, “To Command”
All I can say is WOW. What an amazing week this has been. As I sit here and contemplate where I started with my concepts of what this blog would be about, and where I am today, I simply can’t believe that only a week has passed. Not even a week, five short days. Sadly, I really had to have my world rocked a bit to get to the point to where I have come. But, as is the case, true to God’s form, it is in these moments of our greatest trials that He shows up and shows off. Today has proven to be one of those days. Praise God with an Amen Amen!!
As I look at the title of this weeks parsha and consider where I saw myself going at the beginning of the week, everything fit nicely into a neat little box with a really cute red bow. Simply put, we are God’s priests, He calls us to look like priests, act like priests, walk like priests, and live like priests. To say that He commands us to do this is an understatement. Torah isn’t about telling us how to act. Torah is about telling us who we are to become. Torah defines the very purpose of our existence and the reason that we have been given life. Torah tells us about who we are, who we are to identify with, and what our destiny is. Within this week’s parsha and the description of the priests garments all the imagery of this comes flowing out through the astounding creativity of God and His Word. It is all right there. Last week I shared what I call the first great commission. It is found in Deuteronomy chapter 4. It reads:
“See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it. “So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ “For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the LORD our God whenever we call on Him? “Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today? (Deuteronomy 4:5-8 NASB)
Simply put, our calling, our identity in the world, and our purpose is to become the priests that God can use in this way; to lead the world to seeing His statues and judgements as righteous, our wisdom, and our understanding with Him as the source of all that we are, all that we believe, and all that we do. With this concept in mind, I moved into the reading. Right at the beginning we read “You shall charge the sons of Israel, that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually. (Exodus 27:20 NASB)
My mind immediately made the connection that the quality of the “light” that we emanate is directly proportional to the “purity” of the spiritual influences that we allow to drive our thoughts, words, and actions. The next verse that really stood out to me was Exodus 28:2 where we read, “You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.” (NASB)
With this I thought, “Yes, for glory and for beauty”!! Amen Amen. Praise God, this is our calling and of course, living Torah is beautiful, it is attractive, and it does give off a magnificent light. This is what it is to be a priest. This goes beyond commandments; this is about identity. We are to be beautiful, inside, outside, in our words, in our actions, in our thoughts, and in every aspect of our lives. This is what it is to live in the Holy Spirit and truly trust in Him. This is what brings Him the glory; when we can become the priests that He has called us to be”.
And so, it went, each element got a concept that fit nicely into my little box with the cute red bow.
Each element…..glory and beauty…..the breastpiece, the ephod, the robe, the tunic, the turban, the sash, the holy garments!!!! All of this on the coat tails of the light of the lamp burning from the most PURE and CLEAN perfect first beating of the most virgin of the olive oil.
Then the gold, the blue, the purple, and the scarlet, and the fine linen. All used to make up what the priest were to wear. Can you imagine what these garments looked like? To say glory and beauty is almost an understatement. They must have been radiant!!
Then comes the addition of precious gems. On the shoulders, two onyx stones. And if the stones aren’t enough, they were to be engraved with the names of the sons of Israel in the perfect cut of a jeweler engraving a signet!! Then these stones were to be set in pure gold. Can you feel it? Glory and beauty!! The calling, the identity, the destiny of what it is to be His. Simply amazing, isn’t it?
As I continued to read and “listen”, I was reminded that this is what we are called to look like, to have the Holy Spirit so deep in us that all the world sees is the most perfect light. No other spiritual influences, nothing but pure Holy Spirit, shining through all the time, holy, Torah observant, following the commandments, and trusting them. To be priests so in tune with God that we are not just following Torah, we are Torah.
Just as the priests carried the names of the children of Israel on their shoulders, we carry the names of our wives, our children, and all those that God brings into our sphere of influence on ours. It even goes beyond that; we are even entrusted with the names of the hurt and lost of the world; those that don’t even know we are praying for them. Yes, this is what it is to be a priest. To see all those people as fine gems, to know them by name, and knowing that simply being who we are called to be is the answer. Glory and beauty. What an amazing plan to lead the world out of the death of sin and into the glorious light of being His.
Just when I thought the imagery was deep enough, I read that the breastpiece was made up of more fine gems, twelve in total, each bearing the name of one of the tribes of the children of Israel. As the verses came alive, and the words so precise, it is apparent that carrying those we are entrusted with on our shoulders isn’t enough. God knows that we simply can’t carry anyone on our shoulders who isn’t also in our hearts.
Exodus 28:30 “Aaron shall carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually.”
YES…..this is the truth. As priests, this is our calling. We are to be all of this, and we are to carry the judgments of those that God has entrusted us with in our hearts. This is what keeps us humble. And the prayers of the humble are heard and answered. This is what it takes to be intercessors, spiritual leaders, and spiritual covers for those that God has entrusted us with.
The more I meditated on these things the more excited I got. Nothing but glory, nothing but beauty. The light of lives exhibiting nothing but the perfection of the Holy Spirit’s exclusive presence, emanating from our mouths words that are as pure as the sounds of tiny bells nestled in the midst of the sweetness of pomegranates. Never any evil speech. Never any course talk, never anything said in anger, frustration, or bitterness. Above our mouths and upon our head we are to wear a plate of pure gold engrave with “Holy to the Lord”. Amen Amen
From here my mind went through the process of sacrifice, of dedication, and of consecrations. I contemplated how each of these stages exemplified the journey of our lives as God takes us through the trials and tribulations that refine us. I heard Yeshua’s words “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25 NASB). Again, the image of glory and beauty.
Then I got to the incense and I started to get a little uncomfortable. I’m not sure why. Each of the other images should have been equally intimidating, but here, in the sweet smell of the perfect aroma I stopped dead in my tracks. I didn’t spiritualize the fragrance of the incense into the image of perfect prayers. I could have. It would have been easy. But the Holy Spirit didn’t let me. All of a sudden, I came to something that didn’t fit into that nice little box with the cute red bow. Something ugly was happening and I didn’t like it.
I called out to God and I said: “God, I can be all that other stuff, but I can’t make myself smell good all the time. I work, I play, I live life, and (excuse me for being curt) but sometimes my digestive system embarrasses me. What am I to do with this one God? What am I supposed to say? How can I write a blog holding people accountable to forever, day in and day out, emanating nothing but the smell of perfect holiness? It just isn’t possible.”
As I started allowing myself to see myself for who I truly am I started letting my self-image slide into the abyss. I heard myself saying; I am not a suitable spiritual cover, I am not a suitable spiritual leader, I am not holy, my words are not those of a priest, and my actions fall short, I stink, and I’m not convincing anyone of anything any different.
Then, just as fast Romans 8:1 was quickened into my spirit. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (NASB)
And just that fast I was led into what this blog is really all about. The truth is, I will never be able to walk in the holiness of what the priests’ robes imply they are covering. I just can’t do it. You can’t either. None of us can. That is why we need Him. Yeshua is our covering. He is the one that makes us beautiful and in being the garment that covers us, He gets the glory. It simply isn’t ours to take.
The questions we must each ask ourselves are these:
- Do we have the grace to accept ourselves when we don’t “smell” as pleasant as we think we should?
- Do we have the grace to live with people who “stink” from time to time?
- Can we look at ourselves and those that God has surrounded us with and see each other as the priests we have been called to be; priest who are in the process of “becoming” and not priests who haven’t yet “arrived”.
You see, I have come to accept that this is who I am. The truth is, as a man of God, I chose to live every single day to please Him and to become the priest that He has called me to be. But in that process, I know there will be times that I blow it. I will make mistakes, and I will fall short of the Glory of God. Simply put, I just won’t be that darn beautiful and from time to time, my actions, words, and thoughts might even “stink”. That’s just the way it is, but it won’t be hypocritical about it. My failures will be in the image of a man broken by the reality of the truth. I need Him, and He is what the world sees when I am “holy and set apart”. It is for His glory and it is Him who is beautiful. My job is to simply let Him transform me as much as I can each and every day knowing that I will never be capable of being seen as Him when I let myself be seen without Him.
I pray that this has been a blessing to you and that if you have been too hard on yourself, that you always remember, there is no condemnation in Yeshua. At the same time, if you have struggled with being too hard on others, I pray that the brokenness that I have been taken through this week be a path to a place of brokenness for you. I pray that in this brokenness you find peace, and in and through this, maybe we can all “smell” just a little more holy. Amen Amen
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