Being A Priest

 

Leviticus 6:1-8:36, Tzav, “Command”

Over the last several weeks I have come to see the pattern of how these sections of the Torah were prepared by Moses.  First, he shares with us what the Lord shared with Him, then he tells us about what he did in following all that the Lord had told him.  I really like how this pattern has unfolded in the preparing of the priestly garments, the preparing of the tabernacle, the preparing of the tabernacle coverings, and ultimately, here, in the starting of the sacrificial system.

In previous readings I kind of missed the impression that this was the first time that any of this, all of this, had ever been done.  This time through it really hit me.  This is the first time.  God just gave this all to Moses, and Moses, for the very first time, is showing Aaron and his sons what to do.  All the people have been gathered to observe, and they too are observing all of this for the very first time.

As I moved into chapter 8 of the reading, I started coming into the significance of some important aspects of what was taking place.  The chapter starts out with the Lord speaking to Moses and having him “take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread, and the assembling all the congregation at the doorway of the tent of meeting.”  Leviticus 8:2-3 (NASB).  After telling the people that he was doing what the Lord commanded him to do, he washed Aaron and his sons with water.  Then he dressed Aaron in the priestly garments.  After that, he “took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them.  He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times and anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, to consecrate them. (Leviticus 8:10-11 NASB)

As I read these lines, I started considering just how serious Moses was in all of this.  This led me to understanding just how serious he took his relationship to be with God.  I started thinking about how deeply Moses must have loved God and how intent he was to trust Him and follow His commands.  As I read these verses, I began to see just how holy Moses saw God to be, and how deeply Moses understood to respect Him, honor Him, and uphold Him with the reverence He deserves.  As I read these verses I began to wonder how much of these understandings and attitudes were meant to be passed along to Aaron and his sons through this very process. 

As I got to this point in the reading, I started considering how sometimes I hear people talking about how the veil was torn when Yeshua was on the cross.  I started thinking about how this is represented as being all about giving each of us direct access to Hashem in the Holy of Holies and how we can approach Him “just like we are”.  This led me back to where I was in the last paragraph and into wondering how many of those understandings and attitudes were meant to be passed along to us through what Yeshua did on the cross 2,000 years ago.

As I moved deeper into the reading, I discovered how Moses went on to anoint Aaron and consecrate him.  Then Moses dressed Aaron’s sons in the priestly garments just as he had dressed Aaron.  From there Moses had Aaron and his sons lay their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering as he slaughtered it.  I found it interesting that all that Moses allowed Aaron and his son’s to do was to lay their hands on the bull and that from there, Moses did all the slaughtering, he is the one who put the blood on the alter and “purified” it, and he is the one who poured the blood at the base of the alter and consecrated it, “to make atonement for it”. (Leviticus 8:14 NASB).

Again, this was a reminder that something new was taking place.  The alter was being purified, consecrated, and being atoned for.  Aaron and his sons were not yet acting as priests, and Moses, not even dresses as a priest, was doing all the work.  I began to realize that this was all about discipleship. 

Moving deeper into the reading takes us through Moses performing the sacrifices for the burnt offering, the offering of ordination, his ordaining Aaron and his sons with the placing of blood on the lobe of their right ear, on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot.  We then read about Moses preparing Aaron and his sons for the wave offering and having them perform the wave before taking the unleavened cakes and oil from their hands and offering them up to the Lord again as a part of their ordination.

From there Moses took the breast of the offering, waved it before the Lord, and offered it up as his portion of the ordination sacrifice.  From there Moses mixed anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the alter and sprinkled it on Aaron, his sons, and on their garments.  This consecrated them and their garments.  Then Moses told them to boil the remainder of the meat from the ordination sacrifice along with the unleavened cakes and oil and eat at the doorway of the tent of meeting.  Once they had eaten and been satisfied, they were to burn what was left of these things and not save them.

The final stage of their ordination was to remain in the doorway of the tent of meeting for seven says.  Moses told them to remain there day and night, and that if they left for any reason, they would die.  He concluded in saying that through this “ordination” process, the Lord would be making atonement on their behalf.

Moving a little beyond this reading and going into the first 9 verses of chapter 9 helps bring what I am seeing to a proper closure.  In these first 9 verses of chapter 9 we see Moses commanding Aaron and his sons to do for the children of Israel just as he had done for them.  Maybe not to the same extent, but to a very particular degree and to the degree that led me to seeing things with a prophetic eye.

In these verses we find Moses telling Aaron and his sons how to perform the sacrifices for their own atonement and then move into the various sacrifices for the people.  This all took place on the 8^th day of the sacrificial process.

Going back to the veil being torn when Yeshua took his final breath on the cross has led me to a very important concept that I believe we all should take into consideration when thinking that the veil was torn so that we all have access to the Holy of Holies.  One of the points that we fail to consider when thinking about this is that the veil that was torn was the veil that separated the Holy Place, from The Most Holy Place.  The Most Holy Place is also known as the “Holy of Holies”.  The “Holy Place” is the room that is portioned off from the rest of the tabernacle with another veil.  Furthermore, the rest of the tabernacle is still separated from the people with another set of curtains through which they were only allowed through for the point of offering sacrifices. 

In essence, if we want to really understand what Hashem may have been implying with the tearing of the veil, we must keep in mind which veil was torn and to whom access to that veil was extended.  In short, the average people of the “nation” were only allowed through the curtains of the outer court for the purpose of offering sacrifices.  Even then, they were not allowed to move beyond the alter and toward the Holy Place or that veil.  This area was set aside for the priesthood.  The priests were then allowed perpetual access in the remainder of the outer court area.  During set times they were allowed through the veil of the Holy Place to minster to the various articles that were kept there.  This included the access to the show bread, the morning and evening burning of the incense, and the other various tasks that were performed on a regular schedule.  From there, there was the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.  Only once a year was the High Priest allowed to move through this veil and into the area where the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat were to be found.

What I am getting at here is this; Yes, when Yeshua took His last breath something very important shifted in the heavenly realms.  When this shift occurred, Hashem gave us a sign through the tearing of the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.  In interpreting this I do believe that Hashem was telling us that Yeshua Himself, from that day forward, would forever be our one and only High Priest and that as His People, we would have access to Him.  At the same time, I think it is very important to note that the veil that stood between the Holy Place and the outer court did not tear.  Furthermore, the walls of the temple did not fall down.  In other words, was Hashem attempting to communicate that from the beginning, His intent has been to create a nation of people who would become a royal priesthood that would ultimately be His bride and through whom the world would be blessed?

This concept is supported in Exodus 19:3-6: “Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself.  ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.” (NASB)

Within the context of the New Covenant, I think Peter really captures what I am attempting to communicate in 1 Peter 2:9-11 when he says: “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.  Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.”  (NASB)

Before I go too far, I want to cut off any concept of the gentile church replacing Israel as God’s chosen people.  The above verse is a direct reference to Deuteronomy 32 where Hashem gave Moses the “song of Moses”.  This is a prophetic song that, together with Deuteronomy 28-30, provide the entire prophetic image of the journey of Israel from that time through the return of the Lord and the setting up of the millennial kingdom.  Paul references this song when he speaks of how Hashem will use the gentiles to move the people of Israel to jealousy in Romans 11.  In this section of scripture Paul clearly states ultimately “all of Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26) and that it is through this partial hardening of Israel’s heart that gentiles would be grafted into the very olive tree through which the people of Israel come.  This is a grafting in, not a replacement.

With that said, going back to the point and the prophetic implications I will share what I am seeing.  Moses, following God’s commandments, ordained Aaron and his sons to serve as the priests to the “nation of Israel”.  They spent seven days going through a process of ordination.  I would argue, as I will substantiate next week, that this was intended to be a time of deep contemplation, reflection, and repentance.  I would argue that the blood of the animals and all the physical things that Moses did, unto themselves, did nothing for the atonement.  The true atonement came, and was to come, through the heart felt repentance and getting right before God in harmony with the sacrificial system that He instructed Moses to facilitate.  At the end of the seven days, Aaron and His sons were presumably “ordained” and ready to be the priests they were called to be.  As such, moving into their 8^th day, they began something new.  They were now to be priests for the people. The first thing they were to do in this new role was to start the sacrificial journey for the people in the same way as Moses had done for them.  This was to sacrifice an animal for sin.  From there, it was only after the sin offering that Moses could move into the sacrifices associated with the ordination. So too was the process for Aaron and his sons relative to the people.

As I contemplated this, I saw that, in accordance with Exodus 19 and 1 Peter chapter 2, the entire nation is called to be priests.  As such, I got the image of Aaron and his sons “ordaining” the people in the same way that Moses had “ordained” them.  This leads me to seeing Yeshua’s blood as the “ordination” of the grafting of the elect gentiles into the “nation” through the New Covenant. 

In the end, I have no choice but to recognize that Peter was clearly speaking to the gentiles who had grafted themselves into the “nation”.  I have to accept that he was calling them to embrace the calling of living priestly lives.  I have to allow this to speak deeply into my soul.  I have to ponder what this means and I have to share what I believe I am being called to share.  All of these implications help me understand what God may have been attempting to communicate when He tore the veil between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. 

Maybe what He was saying should be more understood as Him saying that atonement would no longer be offered once a year through a physical High Priest as our only representative but instead would be offered perpetually through Yeshua being our spiritual, and more perfect, High Priest.  At the same time, only priests are allowed access into the Holy Place, and as such, this may be why it is so important to see ourselves as such.  Maybe, we should see what He did on the cross and the blood that He spilled as our ordination.  Maybe if we approached Him with this understanding, we would tend to approach Him with the same reverence that Hashem was calling Aaron and his sons to as He spoke through Moses and the protocol He established through their ordination.

With all this said, we must remain in balance.  We must keep in mind is that being a priest is about heart attitude, repentance, transformation, faith, dedication, trusting Him, intercession, sacrificial service to others, and walking in His strength and not our own.  We have to remember that it was only a year earlier that Aaron built the golden calf and lied to Moses about it.  We have to accept that Aaron and his sons did not instantly transform overnight or even in the course of seven days.  We have to accept and trust that the Lord is the one who is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin” Exodus 34:6-7 NASB.

When we remain in balance we walk in faith, allow Him to be Lord, seek to grow daily, and understand that we belong to Him for a purpose in what He is doing in the lives of others.  As we walk out this journey there will be times where He will have to show us our selfishness, our self-righteousness, our lusts, and our destructive patterns.  At the same time, it is in His strength that we grow and we must embrace the journey and the process.  I believe this is what it is to be a priest.  Afterall, if we can’t apply this balance to our own lives, how will we ever be tolerant of the very people Hashem has called us to represent?  I guess it is no wonder that before the high priest could go into the Holy of Holies to meet with God on behalf of the people, he first had to get right with God himself, and then intercede for his family.  Maybe there is something to be learned just in that.

I pray that this has been a blessing, that it has been challenging yet not weighty, I pray that it has been revealing and encouraging.  I pray that in and through the time you have dedicated to what I have shared that the Holy Spirit has quickened something into you soul that will lead to greater freedom, growth, and transformation.  Amen amen

Feeling Guilty?

Leviticus 1:1-5:26, Vayikra, “And He Called”

When given the opportunity, one of the things that I like to share, is that we will never fully understand the New Covenant if we do not have a full understanding of the Mosaic Covenant.  This week’s parsha leads us right into the center of what I mean when sharing this concept.

First of all, it is kind of interesting to me that this book, the book of instruction, begins with the sacrificial system.  Before Hashem even tells us how we are supposed to live, and what His instructions are, He immediately tells us how He has set up a system of atonement so that we enter into our reading seeing His mercy, grace, compassion, and understanding.  The first three chapters are dedicated to this aspect of the instructions.  With this understanding, we should know that we are not judged based on performance, that He is on our side and not against us, and that there is no condemnation in failure.  We should be able to see Him as a loving father who is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin” (Exodus 34:6-7 NASB).  We should see that this is not something new in the “New Covenant” and that this is the foundation of who He is and has always been.

The next thing that really hits me is what is found in the very next chapter.  Again, before He even gets into the do’s and do not’s of the instructions, in chapter 4 He takes a pause to explain the difference between sin and guilt.   The concept of unintentional sin, guilt, repentance, rebellion, and blaspheme are absolutely foundational in our understanding of the Mosaic Covenant.  If we do not fully comprehend what Hashem is saying in these verses, we will totally miss one of the most important aspects of this covenant.  If we do not understand the differences between these concepts, we will never understand verses like “yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” (Exodus 34:7 NASB) If we do not understand these concepts within the context of the Mosaic Covenant, we will never understand their context within the “New Covenant”.

The problem comes in when we assume that when we are in sin, we are also in a position of guilt.  This simply is not the heart of God nor is it the foundation of how He parents us.  I would argue that this is the point that Hashem was attempting to make to Cain when Cain did not bring Him a proper sacrifice.  The reality is, when we discover that we are in sin, we are the ones who bring condemnation upon ourselves.  He is a loving father who is true to His Word.  We can trust what He says.  And as such, it is important to understand these concepts so that we know that the only thing that moves us out of a right standing with Him is when we move into active rebellion.  This is what Cain failed to understand, it is why his countenance fell, and why He ended up falling into deeper sin.

In developing this concept, let’s take look at one of Yeshua’s teachings as He explains to His disciples how this concept can be applied.  In this passage, Yeshua is explaining to His disciples that they will be persecuted just as He had and would continue to be.  Within the context of this discussion, He points out that Hashem had used the religious leaders’ observations of Him to move them from a place of innocent sin into a place of fiduciary guilt.  Speaking of those who will persecute Him, He tells His disciples “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have guilt, but now they have no excuse for their sin.  “He who hates Me hates My Father also.  “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have guilt; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.  “But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.’ (John 15:22-25 NASB)

In Numbers 15:30-31 (NASB) we are given a better understanding of the concept of guilt and what the ramifications of guilt are.  Here we read, “‘But the person who does anything defiantly, whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from among his people.  ‘Because he has despised the word of the LORD and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt will be on him.’”

In these verses it is critical to note that the concept of guilt is connected to “defiance” which is very different from sinning unintentionally.  I would even argue that there is a difference between “defiance” and backsliding.  When a person backslides, their heart is truly in the right place. They are not in active rebellion or acting in defiance.  Instead, they are working on moving into a place of full repentance, seeing truth, and attempting to change.  I would also argue that a person who has been in defiance or active rebellion who moves into a place of repentance and a true heart desire to change, is no longer subjected to the conditions of “rebellion”.  There are many New Testament writings that support this claim. 

With this understanding, we can now gain a better insight into what Yeshua was teaching when He said “And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.” (Luke 12:10 NASB)

To better understand this key verse, let’s bring in one more scripture.  This concept is repeated on several different levels in Leviticus chapter 4 and in Numbers 15 as well as in a few other locations throughout the scripture.  When given, the context is specific for a priest, for a leader, for a member of the community, for an alien, and even for the entire congregation as a group.  Furthermore, this even gets broken down further for when the entire congregation becomes unaware of some of the things, or, as noted in Numbers 15:22-24 for when the entire congregation becomes unaware and sins against the TOTALITY of scripture.  In the following verse we find Hashem’s provision for atonement for when the entire congregation turns away from aspects of what He has provided.  Notice that guilt is specifically defined as “when the sin which they have committed becomes know”.

“Now if the whole congregation of Israel commits error and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly, and they commit any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and they become guilty; when the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer a bull of the herd for a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting.”  (Leviticus 4:13-14 NASB)

The question then becomes, why would speaking a word against the Son of Man not carry the same fiduciary responsibility as speaking out against the Holy Spirit? 

We need to make a few connections for this to all make sense.  If we look at all these scriptures, we discover a common theme.  The common theme is that guilt is connected to knowledge.  At the same time, sin is not connected to knowledge.  Sin is sin even if we are unaware of it.  When we remain actively in sin even after it has become made known to us, we are in rebellion which is defined as blasphemy against the Lord or the Holy Spirit.

From here, I want to go to Deuteronomy 19:15 where we read “A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.” (NASB)

This is restated in the Matthew 18:15-16 where Yeshua, tells us that “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.  “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED.” (NASB)

With this, I think it is reasonable to consider that when we have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit speaking the same thing to us, we have no excuse and are moved into a place of having “every fact confirmed”.  For me, the Word of God and the Holy Spirit are the only two truly creditable witnesses.  Someone telling me something does not quicken that fact into my soul.  Even if they can show me in the bible where it supports what they are saying. 

On the other hand, when the Holy Spirit speaks into our soul, we have no excuse and the facts of our sin are confirmed and we can no longer claim to be in a place of ignorance.  At this point we have a choice to repent, let our hearts be changed, and allow our restored heart to lead us into a transformation of the mind, which leads to a change in behavior.  The other choice would be to call good evil and evil good and continue pressing forward with the sinful behavior “despising” the ways of God and moving forward in “defiant rebellion”.

In this context we can understand why “speaking a word against” Yeshua does not carry the same fiduciary responsibility as speaking out against the Holy Spirit.  I am not going to attempt to explain exactly what Yeshua was communicating relative to accepting Him as Lord and savior in what He is saying here.  At the same time, understanding how sin and guilt are different relative to forgiveness helps us understand why Yeshua was making this point.  If we can accept Yeshua’s teaching on even the sin of “speaking a word against” Him as being a forgivable sin, so too must we accept the forgiveness of sinning against other aspects of Torah observance, for what else could carry a greater weight than “speaking out against” Him.

Now, the concept of being forgiven for “speaking a word against” Yeshua opens a can of worms within our traditional theology if we consider what could be implied in this statement.  For me, the simplest answer is that the entirety of scripture supports two major beliefs.  The first is that a person’s spiritual journey continues into the heavenly realms.  The second is that forgiveness does not imply protection from ramifications or the rod at the hand of a loving father. 

We are told that in the end, all people will be judged. Some will be destined for the lake of fire, and others for the new heaven and the new earth.    From how I see it, between now and then, He will continue to parent each of us as a loving parent who properly balances ramifications and guidance in harmony with how He created us, who He knows us to be, what He understand we are and are not aware of, and as He sees best for His plan of salvation for not only us, but for the world in general.  I am not saying that people who “speak a word against” Yeshua will have the same fate as those who embrace Him just because scripture tells us that they will be forgiven.  What I do believe He is attempting to communicate in all this is that how He interacts in our lives and how He choses to parent us will change based on where we stand in what He knows to be true relative to our awareness of sin.

Ultimately, the point is, that Hashem is a loving father.  He wants to be in relationship with us, and just like Cain, He does not want our countenance to fall every time our sin is made known to us.  Just as He said to Cain, “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” (Genesis 4:7 NASB)

One of the greatest sins against ourselves is to reject His forgiveness, not learn from our mistakes, and fall into a mindset where we feel like we lost His love and are no longer welcomed in His house.  When we feel like His children and that we are fully loved and forever welcomed to stay in His house we are protected from the attacks of the enemy.  Sadly, when we don’t understand the depths of our Father’s love we can tend to start believing that we are no longer welcomed in His home.  In this state we leave the protection of His home where the enemy is crouching just outside the door.  This is the image of where self-loathing and condemnation lead us into deeper sin.

Understanding that Hashem is a loving father who does not see us as “guilty” just because we sinned is really important.  Understanding what we are to do when we find ourselves in a place of guilt, when our sin has been made known to us, is also really important.  Understanding how repentance and true heart felt change impact our accountability to guilt is foundational to our relationship with Him.

Understanding that all of this was available within the context of the Mosaic Covenant helps us to understand how Yeshua did not change the nature of the God-man relationship.  This helps us reconcile that Hashem does not change, and it helps us see that His promises of love, grace, and forgiveness have extended across all the generations of His people.

I pray that this blog has helped you see things in a new way.  I pray that what you have discovered will encourage you in your relationship with Him.  I pray that what you have read will help you understand the New Covenant in a new way.  In and through all this, I pray that your relationship with Him will grow and that each day you will come to receive His love in a new and powerful way.  I pray that in receiving this love you will continue to become freer, more accepting of yourself, and more accepting of others.  Amen Amen

Taking Inventory

 

Exodus 38:21-40:38, Pekudei, “Inventory of”

There are a few things that stood out to me in this week’s parsha.  One was that we have been on the subject of the priestly garments and the explicit directions for the building of the tabernacle for several weeks now.  The other is just how many times in this week’s parsha the term “just as the Lord had commanded” is used.  Believe it or not, this term (or a derivative thereof) is used 19 times.  The next thing that hit me is how the dyes for the various fabrics and even the skins from some of the coverings for the tabernacle come from unclean animals.  Finally, Aaron putting on the priestly garments just kind of hit me.  Here is how it reads:

Exo 40:12-16 (NASB) “Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.  You shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may minister as a priest to Me.  You shall bring his sons and put tunics on them; and you shall anoint them even as you have anointed their father, that they may minister as priests to Me; and their anointing will qualify them for a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.”  Thus Moses did; according to all that the LORD had commanded him, so he did.

The reason that this hit me like it did, is that in Aaron’s life, it had only been one year since the following events had taken place:

Exodus 32:2-24 (NASB) Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt." Now when Aaron saw [this,] he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow [shall be] a feast to the LORD." ……….. Then Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you, that you have brought [such] great sin upon them?" Aaron said, "Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil.  "For they said to me, 'Make a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.'  "I said to them, 'Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.' So they gave [it] to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf."

Even before coming to what I was drawn toward in the above, I was using the other images to lead me into a place of personal introspection.  What I was beginning to see is that “we are the temple” on earth, and that just as the tabernacle coverings were made of a multitude of materials, fabrics, colors, textures, and elements of a varying degree of properties, so to are we.  Again, I can look at this on the micro scale of us as individuals and on the macro scale of the body of Yeshua in general.

With this concept in mind, I started looking at those aspects of myself that I have been less than accepting of, less than loving toward, and even downright judgmental of.  I don’t know about you, but sometimes, I can be my own worst critic.  At the same time, I think it is very easy to treat others in the same way we treat ourselves.  So, if we are the kinds of people who are always “taking an inventory” of ourselves, are we also the kinds of people who are always “taking an inventory” of others?

I think this is why this verse hit me so hard.  What do you think it was like for Moses to “do just as the Lord commanded” concerning Aaron and his sons just one year after such a gross sin against God?  Not only did Aaron sin against God in the making of the golden calf, he was about as far removed from the image of a priest any man could possibly be.  First, when the people came to him with their fears, he became a people pleaser and gave them what they wanted.  Then he added to what they requested and multiplied the sin by holding a feast day that led them into even greater sin and debauchery.  Ultimately, when challenged by Moses, he deflected the responsibility, blamed the people, and lied about how the golden calf had come into existence.  One year later, God is asking Moses to wash him with water, anoint him with oil, and robe him in the priestly garments.  How much humility do you think it took for Moses to step into “doing just as the Lord commanded”?  Do you think you would have been able to do the same?  How about if you were Aaron?  Knowing what you did just a year ago, do you think you would have been able to let Moses wash you with water, anoint you with oil, and put the priestly garments on you?  Could have you worn the turban with the gold head band that read “Holy to the Lord” across your forehead?  Then what about the people?  If you were one of the people, what do you think you would have thought watching all this take place?  I mean, it was just a year ago that this guy, for all intensive purposes, didn’t appear any less prone to sin than the rest of them?

Well, the truth is, every single day we are asked to do these very things.  We are asked to do it with fellow believers, with our loved ones, and yes, even with ourselves.  Ultimately, the question comes down to our ability to stop “taking inventories” and simply do as the Lord has commanded us.

When I think about some of the key concepts of the New Covenant, one of the biggest that jumps out at me is one where the scriptures are somewhat ambiguous unless we truly understand how the scribes understood the base scriptures concerning what we are given in the New Testament writings.

In Galatians 3:16 (NASB) we read “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”—

In the context of dispensation theology that believes that the Jewish people were under a judgement of condemnation and that we are now in a time of grace, we can be led into believing that the “curse” referenced here is something imposed by God like the curses referenced in Deuteronomy 27-30.  However, when we understand that God does not change, and that He is parenting us today in the very same ways as He parented the people of Israel prior to Yeshua’s coming, we are forced to look at this scripture in a new way.

This scripture specifically references us back to Deuteronomy 21:22-23 (NASB) where we read ““If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.”

Doing a bit of research led me to an understanding of this scripture that I believe to be the real heart and soul of what God is getting at in this commandment.  The thing we must understand is that in the context of the commandment, the person is not being hung as a mode of their being put to death.  Instead, the commandment centers on the intentionally of hanging a person who has already been put to death upon a tree as a display.  There are many reasons that an entity would hang the one they executed up on display.  The reasons could include instilling a sense of fear or shame.  Neither of these two are the heart of Torah or what it is to be the people of God.  Ultimately, yes, we are to have a healthy fear of God, but this does not include a fear of death or a fear of shame.

In Romans 8:12-15 (NASB) we read: So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"

In Hebrews 2:14-15 (NASB) we read: Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

In Galatians 5:1 (NASB): It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Finally, in Romans 8:1 (NASB): Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

So, here is what I am getting at.  The curse that comes upon the land, that God is referencing in Deuteronomy 21 starts with shame and extends into fear.  These are the “curses” of the law when we approach the law from works instead of faith.  I would argue that these two mentalities, rooted in pride, are the two most challenging thought process that must be overcome in our desire to walk with Him in the true relationship He desires us to live.  The first way this “shame/fear” based mentality manifests is in a form where we attempt to earn God’s favor by being “good enough”.  The struggle is that the letter of the law along with the spiritual reality of it is far to great to ever fully walk in.  In the end, we always come up short, and the impact of the shame and fear drive us away from the law and from God.  On the other hand, when looked at the law through the lens of a works-based mentality, there is the chance we may recognize we will never meet its righteous standards, give up on it before we ever even start, and again push away from the law and God leading us into the same demise.

As an analogy, I like to look at a typical husband/wife relationship as an example.  All of us know that we will never meet the full righteousness of being a “perfect” spouse.  If we approach our marital relationship based on the faith that our spouse will appreciate us for who we are in our effort to be the best spouse we are capable, we are forever motivated to grow in our likeness of that unreachable perfectly righteous standard.  At the same time, all of us know it would be catastrophic to the relationship to not even try to be a good spouse simply because we know we will never meet the standards of the perfectly righteous model.  If we could simply apply this understanding to our relationship with God, we could easily move out from under a slave relationship to the law, and live with it as a foundation to a greater relationship with Him as sons and daughters.

In the end, the point is, Yeshua came to take the curse of the shame, condemnation, and fear of death that these emotions lead us to.  He nailed those responses to His perfect law to the cross and provided for us a way to enter into a relationship with Him where we no longer feel like slaves, but are set free to be His friends.  In and through this we are free to see ourselves how He sees us, see others as He sees them, and support and encourage each other in spite of the apparent flaws that we each still walk in.

The truth is, the body of Yeshua is made up of a lot of people who started out a whole lot less holy than they are today.  Just like the coverings of the tabernacle are made up of, to a certain extent, the skins of unclean animals and/or clean materials dyed from inks taken from unclean animals, we are His temple also made up of some stuff that was transformed from some less than clean events.  We could even say that those things are what we “died” to, and in and through that “dying” process, we gained a testimony that will bring Him glory and reveal His beauty. 

The truth is, this is the journey of Israel, the church, and each of us individually.  So, as we stop and look at each other and the state of the church at large, let’s slow down for a minute and remember that it is the very testimony of those death experience that make us approachable, that give credit to who He is, and that prove He is trust worthy.  Let us always remember where the color comes from in our testimony, and that without the “dye” of our “death” experiences, what we have to show the world just wouldn’t be that attractive.  Let’s slow down and remind ourselves to see ourselves and each other as whole beings, to stop taking inventory, and stop being so critical.  In and through this we can break the curse of fear and death, step into a new relationship with Him, and embrace our successes and learn from our failures.  In the end, this will help us to love ourselves and in so doing, love each other.

I pray that his has been a blessing to you.  I pray that these words have revealed something deep within your walk with Him, and in and through what I have shared, an opportunity has been created to step into a new form of freedom in your relationship with Him.  Amen Amen

All Stitched Up

Exodus 35:1-38:20, Vayak’hel, “And He Gathered Together”

Over the last few days, I have been thinking back over the last few weekly readings and thinking about how they link together.  I have been trying to hear from the Holy Spirit and move confidently into writing on what I have been thinking.  Then I read the meaning of this week’s parsha.  “And He Gathered Together”.  I am taking this as a confirmation to where I was being led because this is exactly what I have been thinking about doing, gathering together some key concepts from the past few parshas.

Going back a few weeks, when we were discussing the priests’ garments, the concept that kept coming up was “glory and beauty”.  From there, in last week’s parsha, we find Moses moving up onto the mountain and asking HaShem to show him His “glory”.  This week, we move into the description of the coverings for the tabernacle.  As I read the description of the coverings my mind took me back to the priestly garments.  It seems to me that the image of the “coverings” for the tabernacle are an image of the garments or “coverings” that were meant for the priests.  As I thought about this, I considered that the priests’ garments were meant to reveal His “glory and beauty”.   So, with this, I started pondering if the “coverings” that were meant for the tabernacle were designed to reveal the same attributes.  The concepts of the “glory and beauty” came to mind, and this led me back to Moses asking HaShem to reveal to Him His “glory”.

So, with all this, I started contemplating what exactly did HaShem reveal to Moses when Moses asked to see “His glory” and how these attributes are revealed in the priests’ garments and again in the coverings of the tabernacle.  Ultimately, here is where I am going with this.  Is there something particular about HaShem’s nature that He wants us to see, that Moses sought, and that is specifically revealed in the priests’ garments and the tabernacle coverings.  In other words, is there something about HaShem’s “glory” that He knows is particularly important to our relationship with Him and that He wants us to see as “beautiful”?  And is this revealed in these coverings? 

The point is these “coverings” were the first things that the people would see each morning when they gazed upon the tabernacle.  It is what they would see all day when they looked toward it. It is the last thing they would see each night if they took the time to look toward the tabernacle and thank HaShem for His presence amongst them.  And it is what they would see as they stood in line waiting to see the priests and offer their sacrifices.  At the same time, each time they would take a sacrifice up to the priest they would see the priests’ coverings and be reminded of the same imagery as the coverings of the tabernacle itself.  

I believe that ultimately, when we gaze upon Yeshua, we are to see the same things.  However, is there a chance that something is being lost that maybe through the imagery of taking ourselves back in time and joining the children of Israel in the desert, and gazing upon the tabernacle ourselves, that we might discover something about His “glory” that we might be missing?

What I am seeing, is that all of this was created to reveal particular aspects of His nature.  More specifically, the very nature of how He views His glory and what He wants us to see as beautiful about it.    First on the macro scale of the tabernacle as being the image of His presence amongst His people and the work He is doing on us cumulatively.  Then on the micro scale of the personal relationship that He offers each of us individually as He takes us on our own personal journey with Him as His priest.

With this in mind, I sought to consider what He might be attempting to communicate that He specifically references as His “glory" that He sees as "beauty”.  I have to believe that what these garments were intended to communicate go well beyond a physical concept of “glory” or a physical concept of “beauty”.

This led me to taking a little deeper look into the word “glory” from the Hebrew perspective.  In the Hebrew, the word for “glory” is translated as glory, honor, or abundance. It gets a bit more interesting when we look at the root word that “glory” is made up from.  The root word leads us to seeing something as being heavy and weighty.  When we put the two together, we get a form of “glory” that is found in the heavy or weighty aspect of being in relationship with Him.  From here, let’s take a look at what HaShem said to Moses when He was revealing His “glory” to him to see if we find this concept repeated in HaShem’s words. 

In Exodus Exo 33:19, after Moses asks HaShem to show him His glory, HaShem responds with “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” (NASB)

From there, the next thing we find HaShem saying to Moses about Himself is in Exodus 34:6-7 “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” (NASB)

I find it interesting to see that this is the way that HaShem chose to speak into Moses during this most intimate moment when Moses asked to “see” His glory.  The thought of this led me back to the priests’ garments and the concept that they were to reveal both “glory” and “beauty”.  With this in mind, I felt that I had been given what I was called to share in this week’s summary. 

What I am seeing is that Moses was able to see a beauty in this “heavy” side of what it is to be in relationship with God, and that in and through the process of being in relationship with Him in this way, we will bring Him glory.

The questions then become, do the priests garments and the coverings for the tabernacle reveal these same characteristics of His nature?  Taking this one step further, how does this connect to the concept of this week’s parsha title “And He gathered together”.

Let’s start with the title.  The concept of “gathering together” is repeated on so many different levels when considering what we are discussing.  First, the materials had to be “gathered together” from the people.  Once the materials were gathered together, they had to be “put together” with some form of intentionality.  Once put together under the intentionality of the one for whom they would represent commanded, the people became capable of “putting together” an image that was intended to be seen.  Specifically, the image of Him in all of His glory and beauty.  Now it is our turn to use this same process and “gather together” for ourselves a complete image of His relationship with us individually, and His relationship with His people cumulatively.

From here, let's go back to what I believe to be the real key of what HaShem was attempting to reveal as He “gathered together” the elements that would best represent His “glory” and that which He desires for us to see as “beautiful”.  I believe we can find this in the words that He spoke to Moses in response to his asking to see His glory and from the Hebraic understanding of the word "glory".

Once we take the Hebrew understanding of “glory” into the context of what HaShem is saying we gain a greater ability to understand the last few lines in each of the two sections of what He spoke to Moses.  Sure, it is easy to see the beauty in the first half of each section of what He shared.  He will “make His goodness known (pass before him)”, and He will be gracious to whom He chooses to be gracious, and compassionate to those whom He chooses to show His compassion.  But wait a second, what happens to those that He doesn’t chose to be gracious toward?  Or those that He chooses not to show compassion to?  Where is the glory and beauty in that?

The second discussion doesn’t go much different.  Again, He starts out by telling Moses how compassionate and gracious He is.  He goes on to share how He is slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.  He goes on to share that He keeps lovingkindness for thousands.  He even goes on to describe His glory as having the capacity to forgive iniquity, transgression and sin.  But then He adds in that He will “by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

Just like in the first section, right there at the end of the second, things seem to go astray.  Is it really to His glory to “visit the iniquity of the fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations”?  And how is this “beautiful”?

Let’s take a look at another example that might help us relate.  Proverbs 23:13-15 “Apply your heart to discipline and your ears to words of knowledge.  Do not hold back discipline from the child, although you strike him with the rod, he will not die.  You shall strike him with the rod and rescue his soul from Sheol.” (NASB)

From the child’s perspective, are we capable of seeing the “glory” and “beauty” of how HaShem is calling parents to parent?  The same principle can be applied when looking at Deuteronomy 28-30 where we read about the blessing and the curse as relative to the children of Israel as a whole.  Again, can we see the “glory” and “beauty” in what HaShem tells us about how He will parent His children as a nation?

The question then becomes, is it possible that these coverings were intended to lead the children of Israel into reflective meditation whereas they could ponder this aspect of His sovereignty relative to the desert journey that He was about to take them through?  From there, the question becomes, are we capable of moving into the same place of meditative contemplation as we reflect on our own journey with Him?  When I think about the various materials that the tabernacle, its covering, the priests’ garments, and the various utensils were to be made of, the list is quite diverse.  Let’s take a look at the list:

• Gold, silver, and bronze metals
• Blue, purple, and scarlet material
• Fine linen, goats’ hair, rams’ skins dyed red, and porpoise skins
• Acacia wood, oil for lighting and consecrating
• Spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense
• Onyx and other fine gems for the ephod and for the breastpiece.

Without going into all the detail of what each of these materials could have represented, I think we can all agree that the various colors can easily represent different moods and emotions.  Additionally, the different materials can represent different feelings and lead us into remembering different life experiences that may have felt soft and comforting or hard and unbending.  The same can be realized when looking at the various metals and how those metals are refined and how the greater the refinement, the greater the value. 

It is interesting to me to note how the various elements were set in gold, held together with gold, and even stitched up with fine gold thread that had been beaten flat and precisely cut into thin enough strands to sew with.  This takes me back to the title of this parsha and forces me to think about the gold and what has to be done when transforming raw gold into a precious metal of the highest quality.  Considering all this and knowing that the gold was at the center of the “bringing together” truly helps me make sense of my life and the journey of the nation as a people in the context of a loving father whose ways are truly “beautiful”.

As I think about Yeshua speaking to Nicodemus and telling him that we must be born of the water and of the spirit, I tend to think about how HaShem didn’t tell us what each of these elements stand for or what they represent.  I think much of Torah is meant to simply lead us into a personal journey were the spirit leads us into a revelation that is unique to us and our own personal journey with Him.

With this in mind, I will cut my writing off before I impose too much, lead too far, or share too much of what the Holy Spirit is speaking into me.  What I am seeing in these things, and how they reveal His “glory” and how I see this side of His relationship to the creation of a nation as a whole as “beautiful” is unique to my relationship with Him.  At the same time, as I reflect on the dynamic of the unique journey of my life with Him, I again find His “glory” to be quite “beautiful” in the context of the diversity of the journey with all its ups, downs, joys, and hardships.

In the end I am left considering that a rainbow of a single color just wouldn’t be that darn special.  Similarly, a life of nothing but joy wouldn’t be that joyous.  A diet of nothing but sweets isn’t healthy.  And, a life of never being challenged to grow would become boring.

With this said, I trust that the point has been made, and that each of you will, in your own time, and in your own way, meditate upon these things and allow Him to reveal to you how the various elements come together as an expression of who He is to you and who He is to the “nation” that He is creating.  

As we close, I ask you to pause, take a moment, and put yourself out in the desert with the nation of Israel.   Can you picture yourself gazing upon the tabernacle?  Can you see all the colors, textures, materials, and metals?  Can you smell the burning fire and the giving of the sacrifices?  Can you see all the people around you and relate to their journey and how they are relating to Him?  With all this in mind can you slow down and look at each element individually and consider how that element might be there to remind you of one aspect of your life journey with Him?  Can you see your emotions in the colors?  Can you relate to the gold, the silver, or the bronze?  Are you able to see the various elements as an expression of who He is, and gain an appreciation of the diverse nature in which He chooses to interact in our lives? 

I pray that as you allow yourself to go down this road that you can see His presence with you throughout all the transitions of your life, that you can appreciate the times that were a bit weightier, and that in this you see a new aspect of His glory.  I pray that as you see the glory in these more difficult aspects of your journey with Him you have the ability to see the beauty found therein.  In and through this, I pray that you are set free in one way or another, and that you grow in your relationship with Him.  Amen