The Glory of the LORD Fills His Tabernacle! | Parashat Vayakhel-Pekudei | By His EVERY Word

Parashat Vayakhel

פרשת ויקהל 

The Glory of the LORD Fills His Tabernacle! 

Torah: Exodus 35:1 - 38:20
Haftarah: 1 Kings 7:40 - 50 
B’rit Chadashah: 2 Corinthians 9:6-11

Shabbat Shekalim

Shabbat | 2 March 2019 | 25 Adar 5779

In Hebrew, Vayak’hel וַיַּקְהֵל literally means “and he assembled,” as our parashah begins with Moses assembling all the “congregation of the sons of Israel” for instruction from the LORD regarding the Sabbath, the Tabernacle, and congregational life.

Pekudei פְקוּדֵי is translated “accounts," "sum” or “records.” This portion is added some years ass a double portion. It opens with an accounting of all the materials gathered for building the Tabernacle—and a record of the stunning generosity of the assembly.

With these final portions we complete the book of Exodus. Adonai has formed His congregation of the sons of Israel, who have devoted their resources, gifts, and talents to preparing a dwelling place on earth for His Divine Presence according to the heavenly blueprint shown Moses. 

Upon completion of this holy enterprise, their efforts are rewarded as His awesome Shekhinah filled the Tabernacle, a celestial acceptance of their labor of love.

Adonai is still building His congregation until the final redemption when we will at last see the Heavenly Tabernacle, which is created by His eternal presence. 

As we take the time to read through the Torah, Haftarah, and B'rit Chadashah, we see His plan and pattern—lovingly, painstakingly, and oft times heartbreakingly, wrought in flesh through the millennia—generation to generation.

Join us now at the Father’s table as we keep the rhythm of Israel for more than two millennia, anticipating fresh manna from our God and King. As followers of Messiah we have added a corresponding New Covenant portion reflecting the fulfillment and crown of the Torah.
 

Exodus 35  The Holy Congregation—Assembled for a Holy Purpose

vv. 1-3 “Then Moses assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and said to them, 'These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do: For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, a sabbath of complete rest to the LORD; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the sabbath day.'” 

The Hebrew word assembled is 'kä·hal קהל, meaning to assemble, to gather, to call together.

From kahal is derived the word kehillah, the Hebrew word for ASSEMBLY, SYNAGOGUE, or CONGREGATION. Kahal is also the Old Testament Hebrew equivalent of the Greek word ἐκκλησία or ekklēsia. 

Most are familiar with its English usage in the New Testament: CHURCH—an assembly or gathering of “the called” among the Jews or Gentiles who believed in Yeshua.

Most are familiar with the admonishment in James 2:2-4, regarding treating the wealthy better than the poor:

“...if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?”



However, very few realize that the described scenario—involving believers in Yeshua—takes place in a synagogue.

The word assembly in James 2:2 is συναγωγή synagōgē. It is the Greek word for kehillah from the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Tenakh, the Old Testament). 

In the B’rit Chadashah/New Covenant/New Testament, synagogue generally refers to the assembling of the Jews, and ekklesia or church generally speaks to the assembly of believers—Jews and Gentiles. However, in first century lingo, ekklēsia and synagōgē were used interchangeably.

We find another very familiar verse in Hebrews 10:25 that most can quote by heart. Yet it may surprise some to find out it utilizes the word synagogue, not church:

“...not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” 


This is ἐπισυναγωγή episynagōgē, which also occurs in 2 Thessalonians 2:1: “Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him...”

Many have a myopic view built around the word “church.” Even those who know the word church does not mean a building that people go to on Sunday, but rather the people who are called [out of the world, together for worship] assembling together, often have somewhat of a skewed or narrow view. This view paints a picture of the glorious church, birthed at Pentecost as an entirely new and unique thing, as contrasted with "the corrupt synagogue of the Jews," an idea graphically portrayed on the edifices of some of the grand cathedrals of Europe in the characters of Ecclesia and Synagoga.

There is no dispute that “the church,” the Body of Messiah, the assembly of believers is a glorious thing! 

Entirely new, however? Not entirely.
For thousands of years, 

Adonai has been forming His Congregation. 

As we take the time to read through the Torah and Haftarah,
we see His plan and pattern—lovingly, painstakingly,
and ofttimes heartbreakingly,
wrought in flesh—generation to generation.

Israel in the wilderness at Mt. Sinai is referred to as "the church" in Acts 7:38 in the KJV, again using the Greek word for church/assembly/congregation: ἐκκλησία ekklēsia.


Something Old, Something New


The believers were together “in one place” on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, oft noted as the “birth of the church.” The reason they were together was not a new thing—this was the ancient practice of the “congregation of the sons of Israel.” Exodus 35:1

In the New Covenant, Shavu’ot is called by the Greek word, Pentecost, but it is the pilgrimage festival from Leviticus 23:15-22, when the men of Israel were called by Adonai to come up to Jerusalem fifty days after Passover. Paul continued to observe this rich festival as noted in Acts 20:16 and I Corinthians 16:8.

The believers were “...continuing with one mind in the Temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Acts 2:46-47

The life of faith is meant to be shared, as exemplified in this week’s parasha. Each member, alone being limited, contributes an essential piece for the vitality of the “...whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” Ephesians 4:16

In Exodus 35, we see Moses assembling the congregation together to hear the Word of the Lord:



Observe the Sabbath, Do Not Create Fire

vv. 2-3 “For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy day, a sabbath of complete rest to the LORD; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the sabbath day.” 

The issue of the Sabbath seems to be one of extreme importance to Adonai, as often as He revisits the subject! Embodied in the Sabbath observance is a weekly demonstration of TRUST for provision, thus recognizing and testifying to the world that the LORD God is a faithful provider. How many times do the Scriptures entreat, exhort, and admonish those who fear the LORD to trust the LORD, as in Psalm 115:11? 



It is also a reminder and testimony of His magnificent work of Creation. Why would Adonai command us not to kindle a fire on the Sabbath? 

Making light is an act of creation. God rested from His work of creation on the seventh day, and sanctified it for man to rest with Him. Therefore observant Jews prepare for the Sabbath, lighting their candles before sunset, turning on lights, preparing foods, etc., that they may rest with their Creator on this blessed day—His first appointment with His beloved in the Leviticus 23 list of mo’edim, or "appointed times."

No Fundraising Schemes ... Receive from Those Who Had a Heart to Give

vv. 5-9 “Take from among you a contribution to the LORD; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the LORD'S contribution: gold, silver, and bronze, and blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goats' hair, and rams' skins dyed red, and porpoise skins (or tanned skins), and acacia wood, and oil for lighting, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense, and onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece.” 

Adonai must have had faith in His People and His plan, as He didn’t employ persuasive or clever fundraising principles to raise the resources needed to build His Tabernacle!

Let Each Joint Supply Accordingly and Liberally

vv. 10-29 “Let every skillful man among you come, and make all that the LORD has commanded: the tabernacle, its tent and its covering ... the ark and its poles, the mercy seat ... the table and its poles ... the lampstand also for the light ...the oil for the light ... the woven garments for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests. 

“Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel departed from Moses' presence. Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the LORD'S contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments. Then all whose hearts moved them, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and bracelets, all articles of gold; so did every man who presented an offering of gold to the LORD.” 

Skins—cloths of Tekhelet blue and scarlet were brought by every man who had them in his possession, and all who could contribute silver, bronze, and acacia wood brought it forth. 

Women whose hearts were stirred, spun fine linen, goats’ hair, and materials in Tekhelet blue, scarlet, and purple. The onyx stones, and precious stones for the ephod and breastpiece were contributed by the rulers. All that was needed, was given by a “freewill offering to the LORD.” v. 29

vv. 30-33 Moses proclaimed that the LORD had called by name, Bezalel of the Tribe of Judah, filling him “with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in all craftsmanship; to make designs for working in gold and in silver and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings and in the carving of wood, so as to perform in every inventive work.” 

vv. 34-35 Not only was Bezalel gifted to do the work, but Adonai “also has put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan,” filling them with “skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer...” 

Here we see a practical application of the Congregation working together—each one utilizing his skill, and teaching and equipping others—to build the earthly dwelling place for the LORD. Isn’t this an apt picture of Ephesians 4:16 where, “...every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part?”

This is the Body, formed by Adonai to build a habitation for His Divine Presence on earth ... then and now. In the time of Moses, His Glory would reside in the Tabernacle and then the Temple crafted by human hands—“the congregation of the sons of Israel.” Today, Adonai dwells in tabernacles of flesh and blood, who together form His Body for His Kingdom purposes on earth.

Exodus 36  Sufficient Unto His Purpose

Just as in verse 1, where we are told, “Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skillful person in whom the LORD has put skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work in the construction of the sanctuary, shall perform in accordance with all that the LORD has commanded,” each member of His Body performs an essential function for Adonai's eternal purposes.

There are those who seek to know what God has for them to enhance their own life, and those who conform the Scriptures to what is comfortable, palatable, culturally relative, or popular. There are those who “go to church” on Sunday and then live the rest of the week for themselves—although they may pray for theirs’ and others’ needs, and seem very "spiritual." 



God, however, is forming a Body for His purposes. A body that only puts forth a foot or an eye for service—on its own terms—and even then, only one day a week is seriously handicapped.

God is seeking a Holy Tabernacle from which His Holy Presence may penetrate this dark world as a beacon, exposing the deadly deceptions of wickedness, compromise, and rebellion. He is defining the Way that leads to Life. If we are conformed to the darkness of this age, we have dimmed that light. “If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” Mark 6:23

As we are yielded to HIS purposes, HIS desires, and seeking HIS will—not ours, we will be sufficiently supplied to fulfill His purposes through us. 

And that chief purpose is this: that God be glorified—in His people ... in the earth.

Dayeinu! It is Sufficient!

v. 7 As suspected, Adonai knew what He was doing in taking an offering from His People “as stirred by their heart.” 

They gave ... and gave ... and gave! In fact, they gave sufficient materials for the entire Tabernacle, and even “more than enough for all the work, to perform it.” 

Have you ever heard of such a thing? Without a fundraising strategy or clever gimmicks—the people gave more than was needed! 

Moses had to issue a command and a proclamation to circulate throughout the camp, saying, “Let no man or woman any longer perform work for the contributions of the sanctuary” (v. 6) to restrain the people from bringing any more!

The Passover Seder (traditional supper) contains a song called Dayeinu (pronounced die-ā-noo), a Hebrew word דַּיֵּנוּ, meaning “it would have been sufficient.”

The song has 14 verses recounting the many wonderful things Adonai did for our people in the Exodus story, “If He had brought us out from Egypt, and had not carried out judgments against them ... Dayeinu! It would have been sufficient! If He would have supplied our needs in the wilderness for forty years, but not given us manna ... given us the Shabbat, but not brought before Mount Sinai, etc., etc. ...Dayeinu!”

Dayeinu is formed from the Hebrew word dai די in verse 7: “they gave sufficient materials...” This is the same word translated as overflows in Malachi 3:10: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.”

Exodus 37-39  The Tabernacle Constructed

According to Adonai’s meticulous instructions, with the over-abundant supply of

materials and willing craftsmen, the Wilderness Tabernacle is constructed.

An interesting insight from the Jewish commentaries on Exodus 38:8: “Moreover, he made the laver of bronze with its base of bronze, from the mirrors of the serving women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting.”

In keeping with the theme of consecration for the service of the LORD, it is thought these women sacrificed their mirrors—essentially renouncing their vanity—as a demonstration of their devotion to Adonai and His service. 

“So the sons of Israel did all the work according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses. And Moses examined all the work and behold, they had done it; just as the LORD had commanded, this they had done. So Moses blessed them.” Exodus 39:42-43

Moses had been given a view of the Heavenly Tabernacle—the Divine Blueprints for Adonai’s dwelling place among His People. (Exodus 25:9) He was able to bless the congregation for their zealous dedication to the sacred task of preparing God’s Tabernacle in the Wilderness.

Exodus 40  The Glory of the LORD Fills His Tabernacle
































vv. 1-16 “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.’ ...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 Tabernacle had been scrupulously prepared for the Almighty.
The priesthood is now to be prepared with holy garments.

Holy garments represent consecration unto Adonai, being undefiled, and separated unto Him for His service and glory. 

“Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
And who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood
And has not sworn deceitfully.”
Psalm 24:3-4

vv. 17-34 “Now in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected. ...He erected the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the veil for the gateway of the court. Thus Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” 

Some may say that God is too demanding.

Why so many details?

But this was the reward for the generosity and months of dedication
 in the desert for the congregation of the sons of Israel—the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle they had built for Him!

The awesome Divine Presence was His seal of approval on their completed work.

How many long to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Matthew 25:21

v. 35 “Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.”

Shekhinah

The Hebrew sages spoke of the manifest Divine Presence as the Shekhinah שכינה (Pronounced: sheh-kee-nah), which has been adopted by Christianity. 

The word Shekhinah does not appear in the the Bible, but is likely derived from the word, shakhan שכן, translated as settled in verse 35. Shakhan is also translated abide, dwell, tabernacle. 

Thus, in Judaic tradition, Shekhinah is defined as the Divine Presence of the Almighty.

Follow Me!

vv. 36-37 “Throughout all their journeys whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up.” 

Thus the congregation of the sons of Israel would learn to follow the LORD in the wilderness. Again, we find  a parallel—something old, something new. 

And much like Israel, who had to learn to follow Adonai so many generations ago, we too, are called to follow. For Yeshua entreats us: “follow me!” “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27) “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” (John 12:26) Do you hear His voice today?

v. 38 For throughout all their journeys, the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.”

When we finally see the Heavenly Tabernacle, which is the LORD Almighty Himself, we will finally walk perfectly by His Divine Light...

“The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.” Revelation 21:27

With This We Complete the Book of Exodus!

Chazak! Chazak! Be strong, be strong! And let us strengthen one another! These are the words of the ancient warrior paraphrased from 2 Samuel 10:12, and are customarily  proclaimed upon completing each of the five books of the Torah.

To be continued...

Haftarah Vayak’hel Kings 7:40-50

Well, here we are again with more information on the Tabernacle being given in our Torah portion of Scripture. That which we have already seen in Exodus is a preliminary to what God is going to do when He has Solomon build the first permanent Temple. In the Exodus 35:1-38:20 portion there are some things of note that reflect upon this week’s Haftarah and B’rit Chadashah. First though, some dissimilarities between the Torah (Tabernacle) and Haftarah (Temple) passages.

The first is that the opportunity to contribute to the construction of the Tabernacle was extended to all of the congregation. (Exodus 35:4-5) That’s everyone. “Moses spoke to all the congregation...”(v.4) With Solomon’s Temple there was no contribution of wealth from the people. David had either provided it prior to his death or it came from taxation. 

The second is that the giving for the Tabernacle was done willingly and not out of compulsion. “...whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring...” (v.5)  Moses was quite clear on both of these points when he spoke to the people. “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded, saying, ‘Take from among you a contribution to the Lord; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the Lord’s contribution: gold, silver, and bronze...’” (Exodus 35:4-5) Significant here is that the laborers on Solomon’s Temple were not voluntary, but conscript.

And the third dissimilarity is that this giving to the Tabernacle's construction seemed to just pour out of the proverbial horn of plenty. It just never stopped. “They received from Moses all the contributions which the sons of Israel had brought to perform the work in the construction of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning.” (36:3) This could be summed up by saying that with the Tabernacle God’s children were invited to participate and willingly did so; whereas with the building of the first Temple they were commanded to. They had no choice in the matter. Ouch, that must have hurt. And so...

I Kings 7:40-50 is the Haftarah selection of Scripture to which we are comparing the Torah. While these verses deal solely with some construction issues of Solomon’s Temple there are unspoken points of similarity. What might some of them be? Why would the Sages have chosen these verses as a compliment—or substitutionary reading—to the Torah portion?

Perhaps the most obvious link the Sages saw between this and the Torah portion is that both speak of the collection of materials for, and the construction of God’s House. But beyond that, this process was to make a place for God to meet His people, and be a place from which God’s people would offer their sacrifices to Adonai.

We must not forget as well that both the Tabernacle and Temple reflected the best that could be given to the task of creating these structures at that time.

At this point, let’s hold off making any application for now and move on to our B’rit Chadashah portion. I think we’ll see the application there.

B'rit Chadashah Vayak’hel
II Corinthians 9:6-11

As we move into our B’rit Chadashah passage of II Corinthians 9:6-11 we are introduced to a portion of the doctrine concerning New Testament giving. As you read these verses see if your able to find similarity and contrast with the previous Tabernacle and Temple passages. Here we go.

“Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written, ‘HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER.’ Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.”

The Apostle Paul was on a mission. The believers in the Jerusalem church were in financial need and Paul was committed to meeting that need through offerings from other churches. So he writes to the Corinthian church regarding a commitment they had made to contribute to this circumstance. “So I thought it necessary to urge the brethren that they would go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised bountiful gift, so that the same would be ready as a bountiful gift and not affected by covetousness.” II Corinthians 9:5

With the thought of an impending collection in mind Paul pulls out some of those Tabernacle giving principals. 

• First of all, the opportunity to contribute was extended to all the saints in Corinth. In 8:1 Paul addresses the “brethren.” Paul has been speaking to the whole church in this letter and goes right on doing so as he launches into this portion on giving. No one was to be excluded from this opportunity. All were invited to share in the blessing.

• Secondly, Paul wanted only what was going to be given willingly and not because one felt they had to. In 9:7 he says, ”Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

As the Holy Spirit brought these points to Paul’s thinking for the process of the divinely inspired act of pen to paper, this educated Pharisee’s mind had to leap back to the process whereby the Tabernacle was “funded.”  Both of these points must have reminded Paul of Exodus 35:4-5. Remember how... “Moses spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This is the thing which the LORD has commanded, saying,  'Take from among you a contribution to the LORD; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the Lord’s contribution: gold, silver, and bronze...’ ” And 35:21 then goes on to say, “Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the Lord’s contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments.”

• The third point could be no different in the Apostle’s thinking. He must have recalled how Moses, in recounting this Tabernacle event, wrote of those giving, “They received from Moses all the contributions which the sons of Israel had brought to perform the work in the construction of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning.” Exodus 36:3

These giving Israelites, one and all, were first, offered the opportunity to give. Then they were, instructed how to give. It had to be out of a willing heart. And lastly the fruit of this was that they just didn’t stop giving.

What a contrast we see when we consider the construction of Solomon’s Temple. Let’s first understand though, that the building of the Temple was of the Lord. God had instructed King David to prepare much of what would be needed. He just could not do the building himself. Solomon, his son and the next King, was to use what had been assembled along with other materials acquired largely from a foreign country. This was God’s plan. It was a blessed and divinely led endeavor. But there were major differences.

These differences centered around the interaction of the Jewish people with the project of building the Temple. 

• First, there was no offer made to them to contribute goods or wealth to the project. 
• And so, secondly, there could be no giving out of that willing heart so openly seen in the construction of the Tabernacle. 
• This meant that, third, there was no continual giving and no consequential blessing in their lives which would have come as a result of that giving.

As we move on in the story of the Temple building we see that it was successfully finished and it was the grandest of structures. Not only had David planned and then Solomon erected the Temple, but they completed many other building projects in each of their respective reigns. 

The Temple itself was seven years in the making and then after that there was another thirteen years to build Solomon’s house. And after that there was more building.  

II Chronicles 8:1-6 tells us that Solomon built city after city. How this was accomplished was warned of by Samuel. Let’s visit that.

It is in I Samuel 8 that the children of Adonai come to Samuel and ask for a king to  rule over them. Up until then they had what would be called a theocratic kingdom. In other words, God was their King. He ruled over them through appointed representatives. But these Israelites wanted to be like all the other folks and do things the way everyone else did, the world’s way. Samuel warned them of the bad consequences of this desire. We find it in I Samuel 8:1-22, especially verses 9 and 16.

Here God says to Samuel, “Now then listen to their voice; however you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the procedure of the king who will reign over them” (v.9). And then Samuel says to the people speaking of these kings they want, “He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work.” v.16

The people would be used to serve the king. But they insisted, and so God allowed the institution of the monarchy. This system was oppressive and was abused. When Israel finally divided into two separate  kingdoms the specific reason given for initiating its division was the oppressive labor forced on the people by Solomon.

You’ll see this in I Kings 12:1-16. In verse four, Jeroboam, soon to be the first king of the new Northern Kingdom, says to Rehoboam, at that point the next king of Israel after his father Solomon, “Your father made our yoke hard; now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you." Ultimately this agreement was not reached and Israel was thus divided into two separate kingdoms.

Suffice it to say that where the Tabernacle was concerned there was much blessing. Where the Temple was concerned that blessing which comes from giving did not exist. Two ways of building, two different outcomes when it comes to the blessing of giving or not giving. The way of blessing came because the process of building the Tabernacle was done under God’s rule, done His way. The missed blessing happened because the people were under a King’s rule and things were just done differently.

So where does all of this lead us? Hopefully as believers in Yeshua and therefore members of the Body of Messiah, it impresses upon us the necessity of giving in a Biblical way.

There are many gimmicks, schemes, programs, rallies, and the like to get believers to give.  Let's recognize them for what they are; man-made substitutes for giving God’s way. But God’s way, the right way, is found in Scripture—a bit of it in our II Corinthians passage.

Why don’t we just stick with that. The opportunity to give is open to all. Those that give willingly and not out of compulsion will be blessed. 

And our God will supply the need, even meet it with excess.

Have a blessed Shabbat!

In Messiah's Love,
His EVERY Word Ministries

The King’s “High” Way | Parashat Chukat | By His EVERY Word

Chukat פרשת חקת

“Statute”

Torah: Numbers 19:1-22:1

Haftarah: Judges 11:1-33

B’rit Chadashah/New Covenant: John 3:17-21

Shabbat | 23 June 2018 | 10 Tamuz 5778

The King’s “High” Way

A Holy God Can Be Served Only By a Wholly Holy People

Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD 

for His goodness,

 And for His wonderful works to the children of men! 

Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, 

And praise Him in the company of the elders.

He pours contempt on princes, 

And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;

Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, 

And makes their families like a flock.

The righteous see it and rejoice, 

And all iniquity stops its mouth.

Whoever is wise will observe these things, 

And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.

Psalm 107

When did you last consider where you kept the deeds you produced? Are they deeds that must be hidden, and thus you have kept them in darkness so as not to be made known? Or are they deeds that our righteous God would approve of, that would meet the standard that Yeshua set, and thus you would not be ashamed to bring them into the light for their proper future reward? 

In this week’s Parsha we will see each ~ deeds that warrant hiding in darkness, and those that would bring reward when exposed to the light. Both ungodly and godly men produce these deeds. We will again see the Congregation of Israel grumble against Moses and suffer terribly for their deed ~ an act I’m sure they would have rather hidden in that darkness. And we will see a godly man, Jephthah, produce acts “wrought in God,” acts that would bear up under the light of the righteous standard yet to be set by the Messiah to come.  

Our Journey continues along our King’s “High” Way, as He reveals mysteries and tries men’s hearts, ever paving the way of righteousness. In this week’s Parsha we ponder perplexing prophetic symbols: The Red Heifer, the  seeming idolatry of the bronze serpent, and the rock of contention at Meribah, which we find to be a picture of the Messiah ... all intriguing pictures in the midst of rebellion and failure. All challenges to examine our own hearts. Are we walking in faithfulness? Does our life bear the fruit, “wrought in God?” 

It is unfortunate that today, evil deeds need not be hidden, for evil is exalted. Yeshua told us that His return, "will be just like the days of Noah.” (Matthew 24:37) What did He mean? What peculiar signs Characterize the days of Noah? How close are we? A quick glance at the news headlines over the past few months is chillingly prophetic!

Join us now at the Father’s table as we keep the rhythm of Israel for more than two millennia, anticipating fresh manna from our God and King. As followers of Messiah we have added a corresponding New Covenant portion reflecting the fulfillment and crown of the Torah. 

                           

Numbers 19:1-22  The Red Heifer~The Enigmatic Cow

A Mysterious Statute

“Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come. You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him; and Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood seven times directly in front of the tabernacle of meeting. And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer. 

Then the priest shall wash his clothes, he shall bathe in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; the priest shall be unclean until evening. 

And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe in water, and shall be unclean until evening. 

Then a man [who is] clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and store [them] outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for the water of purification; it is for purifying from sin. And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening.’” vv. 1-9

The statute regarding the Red Heifer has been regarded as one of the most mysterious in Scripture. While its purpose was purification from sin, paradoxically, it defiled all who were involved with the preparation of its ashes and the water of purification. “It purifies the impure, and at the same time, renders the impure the pure!” (JH Hertz) 

It is noted in Hebraic commentaries that the other items used in the curious service all have symbolic significance: 

• The majestic cedars of Lebanon represent the pride of man 
• Hyssop represents humility, sin, uncleanness, and death 
• Scarlet was a special color, necessary for the garments of the High Priest—the linen and the breastplate of judgment, as well as the Holy Tabernacle textiles.

The Red Heifer and the Golden Calf

“You shall give it to Eleazar the priest...” 

The sages of old considered the ordinance of the Red Heifer to be connected to the grievous sin of the Golden Calf, thus requiring a remedy for this particular sin brought into the world—the water of purification. As Aaron had been involved in the idolatrous incident at the foot of Mount Sinai, he could not be the one chosen to carry out this important sanctifying rite.

“...the ordinance of the law...” 

In Hebrew, Chukat haTorah חֻקַּת הַתֹּורָה, refers to  statutes or ordinances ordained by Adonai, which are perhaps understood by Him alone, such as the prohibition against eating pork and shellfish. Beyond our reasoning or vision, we are asked by the Divine to trust and honor Him as we display our devotion and lift His glorious Name before a perishing world.

Perhaps these “chukkim,” ordinances, inexplicable as they may be, serve as powerful object lesson, teaching the profound truth that a Holy God must be served wholly by a holy people.

“Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD. That person shall be cut off from Israel. ...And for an unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and running water shall be put on them in a vessel.” vv. 13, 17

Another Dichotomy

In Hebrew, “running water”  is actually “living water,” mayim chayim מַיִם חַיִּים. The picture is another dichotomy: the ashes of the dead cow, which defiles the living, mixed with living water, cleanses the unclean who touched the dead!

Watching for the Tenth Red Heifer in Our Time

There is a promise given to Israel that is believed to depend upon the ashes of a future Red Heifer:

"Then I shall sprinkle pure waters upon you, and you shall be clean, from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. I will also give you a new heart, and I will place within you a new spirit... " Ezekiel 36:25-26

The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has been dedicated to “every aspect of the Biblical commandment to build the Holy Temple of G-d on Mount Moriah” since 1987. A deeply religious and reverent Orthodox Jewish organization, they have reconstructed the Temple vessels and vestments to biblical specification, and are training a holy Priesthood for Divine service, identified by DNA testing. They firmly believe in the imminent coming of the Messiah to rebuild the Holy Temple and the restoration of the Tabernacle of David.

An important aspect that is missing, however, is the Red Heifer. “For without it, the Divine service of the Holy Temple cannot be resumed.”

The Red Heifer is not just any reddish cow—it has to be perfect—no blemish, infirmity, or white hairs. Every possible Red Heifer born is watched over and scrutinized. So far, every one has sported a few white hairs, rendering it ritually imperfect, and signaling it is not the special cow provided by God for this purpose. Perhaps because the final sacrifice for sin was already provided—the One who said “rivers of living water” will flow from the hearts of those who believe in Him... John 7:38

It is believed that the Tenth Red Heifer will be prepared by the Messiah

The Mishna (the earliest Rabbinic writing) records the ceremonial burning of nine Red Heifers through Israel’s history: the first by Moses; another by Ezra, and seven others. In the Mishna, Maimonides relates this ancient tradition with the coming of the Messiah: “... and the tenth red heifer will be accomplished by the king, the Messiah; may he be revealed speedily, Amen, May it be God's will.”

Those of us who know Messiah Yeshua, may rejoice that Adonai did not tarry, nor leave us without a High Priest or a sacrifice for sin. Still, we await His return, as the remnant of Israel awaits His first appearing. Even so, come! “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’  And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:17

The Temple Institute notes that this is a time of “spiritual renaissance” for Israel. Notwithstanding the amazing number of Jewish followers of Messiah—the greatest number in the world since the first century—there is a reawakening among the Jewish People to seek Adonai and learn the Hebrew Scriptures.

The Temple Institute believes this heralds a great revival. Perhaps they are right. Perhaps we can pray for Israel and her love relationship with Adonai with more fervency, for He promises to be found by those who love Him and those who seek Him earnestly:

“I love those who love me, 

And those who seek me diligently will find me.” 

Proverbs 8:17

“And you will seek Me and find Me, 

when you search for Me with all your heart.” 

Jeremiah 29:13

Tradition records the Levites worshiping in prophetic song as the destruction of the Holy Temple in the Jerusalem took place in 70AD. The Temple Institute takes inspiration from this: “They sang not of destruction, or revenge, but of promise and continuation, renewal and rebirth. The Levites saw that Jerusalem and the Temple Mount would stand desolate for nearly two millennia... but they would be regathered to Israel once again ... June 7th, 1967, was the day they saw this come to pass. This day could be considered the first step towards the rebuilding of the Holy Temple. For this day marked a turning point in Jewish history, and began a new era, which progresses in our own time, and moves towards the great destiny of the Jewish people, to be a light to the nations and a people who walk with God in their midst.”

June 7, 1967 was indeed a prophetic day. The liberation of the Temple Mount and the Western Wall by Israeli Defense Forces punctuated the stunning and miraculous victory of the Six Day War. Israel prayed at all that remained of the Holy Temple in the Jerusalem for the first time in nearly two thousand years!  

“We are now walking on one of the main streets of Jerusalem towards the Old City...” The recordings of soldiers, generals, and rabbis, weeping as they trod the ancient streets of the city, prayed for daily and dreamed of for millennia, are riveting. 

And with this amazing event, God’s prophetic clock leapt forward ... “And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). 

Something shifted. Revival broke out—the “Jesus Movement” of the late 1960s. But this revival was different. 

For the first time since the first century, Jewish People—in great numbers—were coming to faith in Yeshua, Israel's Messiah! And they weren’t disappearing into the local church. They were inspired by Adonai to embrace their heritage and restore lost riches to the church—the Hebraic roots of the faith. It was a sign to the Body of His faithfulness! And perhaps a sign of the “time.”

Numbers 20:1-29  Moses’ Outburst and Edom’s Malevolence

Kvetching Again  (From Yiddish: kvetshn, to complain, whine...)

The waters of Meribah

“Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there. Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: ‘If only we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! Why have you brought up the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink’.” vs. 1-5

Does this not sound familiar?! Obviously the longer they are away from the horrible conditions of slavery in Egypt, the dimmer their memory grows. It’s easy to understand why Moses would feel angry and be tempted to lose his temper with this ungrateful bunch! Yet, Moses knew he had only to turn to Adonai, YHVH Yireh יהוה יראה “The-LORD-Will-Provide.” Genesis 22:14 for the provision 

“So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them. Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.’” vs. 6-8

So Moses took the rod—the rod which had wrought miracles in Egypt, and blossomed with fully ripened almonds, exhibiting the favor of Adonai, “from before the LORD as He commanded him.” v. 9

And then, did Moses proclaim to the people how gracious, faithful, and longsuffering is their God, as he raised Aaron’s rod, so that water would miraculously gush forth from the rock, sating the thirst of all, including the animals?

If only...

No, Moses was angry. 

And, gathering the congregation of Israel together, he railed at them: “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” v. 10

The waters of Meribah will ever stand as an iconic symbol of warning. The word “rebel” used here, is marah מרה, expressing Moses’ disgust with their reprehensible “disobedience toward God,” which is ironic considering his own behavior to follow.  

Marah is related to the word, Meribah, in Hebrew, Mer-ee-vah, מריבה, which means strife or contention. “Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the LORD, and He proved Himself holy among them.” v. 13 

The incident at Meribah is used repeatedly throughout Scripture; cautioning, admonishing—teaching, against unfaithfulness and hardening our hearts to God. It's a stern caution against rebelliousness, disparaging His holiness, and testing the grace of the LORD. (Ex. Psalm 95:8-9, 106:14, Hebrews 3)

“Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank." v. 11

Moses was carried away by anger and didn’t stop with his verbal outburst. Instead of speaking to the rock as Adonai had commanded, he struck it ... twice.

 “Had he merely spoken to the rock, the miracle would have been undeniable, and God’s Name would have then been sanctified in the eyes of the unbelieving multitude.” (JH Hertz) We are tempted to identify with Moses, but he carried the Name, the reputation of God in the sight of men...

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, 

‘Because you did not believe Me, 

to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel,

 therefore you shall not bring this assembly 

into the land which I have given them.’” v. 12

What a tragedy! This was a heavy price to pay for an angry outburst and what may seem like a little dramatic embellishing on God’s Word... We just don’t comprehend how jealous God is over His Name, His Sovereignty, His Holiness, His Truth.

“For the Lord, whose name is jealous, is a jealous God.” Exodus 34:14

“Brethren, the whole history of the human race is a record of the wars of the Lord against idolatry. The right hand of the Lord hath dashed in pieces the enemy and cast the ancient idols to the ground. Behold the heaps of Nineveh! Search for the desolations of Babylon! Look upon the broken temples of Greece! See the ruins of Pagan Rome! Journey where you will, you behold the dilapidated temples of the gods and the ruined empires of their foolish votaries. The moles and the bats have covered with forgetfulness the once famous deities of Chaldea and Assyria. The Lord hath made bare his arm and eased him of his adversaries, for Jehovah, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” Rev. CH Spurgeon

“Judaism teaches that the greater the man, the stricter the consequent guilt and punishment, if there is a falling away from that standard.” (S.R. Hirsch) 

The New Covenant also warns, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.” James 3:1 

This ought to give us pause. The world reveres (perhaps “idolizes” is more apt) leaders and “great men,” granting them greater latitude and grace, often winking at sin. Even among believers we often do the same thing. 

The way of the LORD, the King’s Way, is “utterly-other-than” ... and those who carry His Name need always remember that what we do and say either sanctifies or diminishes that Divine Name in the eyes of the world.

Here’s the key: 

• Moses didn’t lose the great blessing of leading Israel into her Promise as much for his momentary disbelief, as for robbing God of the opportunity to sanctify His Holy Name in the midst of His People
• Moses did not represent Adonai truthfully or accurately. Adonai was to be glorified through His chesed (lovingkindness), and the life-giving water miraculously flowing from the rock at His Word. Instead, the Children of Israel heard Moses’ rage, and witnessed the physical violence of him striking the rock. How woefully he robbed the LORD of glory. 
  Let us pray that we never so misrepresent God, robbing him of his honor before others in like manner.

The New Covenant opens this passage for us further, relating the rock that was stricken as the Messiah, the Living Rock who was stricken for us. I Corinthians 10:4

The Unbrotherliness of the Edomites

JH Hertz comments on the Edomites’ cruelty to Israel during Israel’s hardship in the wilderness: “The sufferings which the Israelites had undergone should have filled the Edomites (sons of Esau) with brotherly sympathy, and induced them to help their kinfolk. The unnatural hostility towards Israel at a later period is the subject of the Book of Obadiah:

"The Prophecy of Obadiah is directed against Edom, the nation descended from Esau. It thus connects with the Sedrah, reflecting the opposition between two brothers in the story of Jacob and Esau. The bitter enmity of the Edomites to Israel was particularly inexcusable because of their common descent. The Prophet Obadiah instances the cruelty of the Edomites in the day of Israel’s ruin. Apart, however, from the denunciation of unbrotherliness wherever exhibited, the book has a wider application.  

"Other nations in later times played the cruel role of Edom towards Israel. Against these, too, according to our commentators, Obadiah prophetically inveighs and predicts Israel’s triumph over them. The forces of evil will never destroy Israel, because Israel’s Faith and Truth enshrined in it, are eternal.”

“Now Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. ‘Thus says your brother Israel: “You know all the hardship that has befallen us, how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers. When we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice and sent the Angel and brought us up out of Egypt; now here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border. Please let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; we will go along the King's Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory’.” vv. 14-17

“Then Edom said to him, ‘You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with the sword.’” v. 18

“So the children of Israel said to him, ‘We will go by the Highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, then I will pay for it; let me only pass through on foot, nothing more’.” v. 19

“Then he said, ‘You shall not pass through.’ So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand.” v. 20

Israel appealed to her brother to simply be allowed to pass through the land—to stay on the highway, not veering off of it—and to pay for anything, even water that they may consume. 

The King’s Highway was the safest and most direct route into Canaan. But Edom not only refused, but came after them!

In the sight of Adonai, it is a shameful thing not to care for your brother in need. The Torah has much to say on this subject. Consider: 

“If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall surely open your hand to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need [in that] which he wants.” Deuteronomy 15:7,8

Really? Open our hand WIDE? 

Give not only to the need, but what he “WANTS?” 

Can’t you just hear that crafty serpent from Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden): “Surely God didn’t really say…”

Yeshua gave much more than a tithe. 

He gave not according to our worthiness. 

He surrendered the whole of His being to the cruelest of subjugation that we who deserve nothing would have life. 

Where did we get this idea that money is more precious than human beings? 

That “stewardship” of money means to safeguard our bank balances while our brothers and sisters go without daily needs or live in grinding insufficiency?

Do we think that we will stand before the Bema Seat of Judgment and not have to answer for stockpiling our wealth and building palaces for ourselves while closing our hearts and hands to our brothers and sisters? (Does this mean Adonai expects us to give to those who flagrantly squander their resources on ungodly living? There may be times the LORD will move us to bless someone so He may move them to repentance through His goodness, but generally speaking, no.)

Deuteronomy 8:12-17 challenges us not to forget generosity and kindness in times of abundance. “When you have eaten your fill, and have built fine houses to live in, and your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold have increased, and everything you own has prospered..." beware lest your heart grows haughty and “you forget the Lord your God—who freed you from the great and terrible wilderness...and you say to yourselves, ‘My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me.’”

It’s a challenge. When faced with abundance, is personal success taken for granted? In the face of comfort, will God be forgotten? Will hands filled with riches close over the open hands of the destitute and the homeless poor?

“Chesed” (lovingkindness) is called the backbone of Torah. Adonai desires that His love, mercy, grace, and faithfulness be known through the acts of His Children. A wise Talmudic saying teaches that the Torah begins with chesed and ends with chesed.

Numbers 21:1-35  The Bronze Serpent

Again with the Kvetching!

“Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. 

And the people spoke against God and against Moses: ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.’ 

So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. 

Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us.’ 

So Moses prayed for the people. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.’ So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.” vv. 1-9

This is such a stunning example of the frailty of mankind, having been forever affected by the venom of the ancient serpent. He doesn’t trust his Creator and turns on Moses, his brother as well. It’s a deadly wound that inflicts the children of Adam.

Moses has regained his composure and returns to the high road—the King’s High Way—readily forgives his wayward brethren, and intercedes as always, when they appeal for relief from the fiery serpents that are biting them, causing death.

Curiously, Adonai instructs Moses to fashion a likeness of a serpent out of bronze, and lift it as a standard on a pole. 

Isn’t this idolatry? It wasn’t meant to be. However, it did eventually become an object of veneration until centuries later, King Hezekiah “broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan.” II Kings 18:4 Nechushtan in Hebrew means “a thing of brass."

This is a common idiosyncrasy, not limited to ancient Israel or pagan religions. If we believe any religious object is imbued with supernatural power to protect or heal, we have placed it in the same category as an amulet or an idol. 

In attempting to understand the unusual remedy of looking upon a fashioned object, the sages wrote: “Did then the brazen serpent possess the power of slaying or of bringing to life? No, but so long as the Israelites looked upwards and subjected their hearts to their Father in Heaven, were they healed. But when they refused, then were they destroyed.” (Mishnah) 

“The brazen serpent was a token of salvation to put them in remembrance of the commandments of Thy Law, for he that turned toward it was not saved because of that which was beheld but because of Thee, the Saviour of all.” (Wisdom of Solomon)

In the fullness of time, the Saviour of all did arrive. And when He was yet with us, by night a teacher of Israel came to Him—Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a Jewish ruler. He recognized Yeshua by His signs, that He was from Adonai. 

Yeshua told him a mystery. He said, “...as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 

“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  

But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” John 3:14-21

We don’t know for certain if Nicodemus came to faith in Yeshua as Messiah. The last clue we have is found in John 19:39. Nicodemus brought a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes and joined Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple, who came to take Yeshua’s body to the tomb. This would be an open declaration of standing with Yeshua, and cost Nicodemus his position, at the very least. 

It seems likely that Nicodemus did come to understand the deep things Yeshua spoke of to him. If not, one can only imagine how the words must have come flooding back as he saw “the Son of Man lifted up” on that cruel Roman stake of execution, remembering that late night conversation with the only begotten Son of God...

Haftarah Chukat

Judges 11:1-33

Our Haftarah portion is Judges 11:1-33. The Bible certainly lays out the panorama of human character. We see it from the worst to the best. These thirty-three verses chosen for us to consider contain some of those human character traits and stand as guideposts for us to chart applicable areas of our lives by.

Our story begins by introducing us to Jephthah who was born of unfortunate circumstances. His father, Gilead, had had his moment of sexual weakness and had lain in the Biblical sense with a harlot. The consequence of this encounter was a child, Jephthah. Societies view point of this young man was unfortunately much the same as it is today. Of no fault of his own Jephthah was considered to be something less in social standing than those born of a traditional father and mother.

Gilead, however, did what would be considered the right thing to do. When born, he took Jephthah into his house and raised him as his firstborn, which gave him inheritance rights of a double portion. Other sons were subsequently born to Gilead and his wife after Jephthah. All our text tells us is that when the other sons grew up they drove Jephthah out of the house on the pretext that he had no right to an inheritance since he was the son of another woman. It looks as though because of his brothers greed they seized upon Jephthah’s social circumstance to fatten their own pockets. 

At the root of this tale thus far told is without a doubt the sin nature. Just look at the extended pain it caused in exchange for a a brief moment of pleasure; a child socially marked, siblings given false reason for defrauding their half brother of his rightful inheritance, and a married couple undoubtedly at odds with each other over his son and their children. 

How blinded we can be to future pain by the pleasures of lust in the present moment. Any guideposts there, perhaps marked, “Stay Clear!”

As our story moves on we find that Israel is still in that cycle we spoke of last week. It would start off with religious apostasy, then God would bring oppression to get their attention, once gotten deliverance through a judge followed, and then reform, for a time.

Jephthah has moved on now to the land of Tob. He is done with the folks back home. The entire bunch to include the elders had hated him and driven him from his father’s house. 11:7 

He has since become a noted warrior and gathered a band of warriors—worthless though they were (11:3)—to his company. Along with acquiring a reputation he is now a family man and as we will see, apparently a very good one at that.

So in the midsts of this story we see the cycle reappear:

“Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him. The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the sons of Ammon. They afflicted and crushed the sons of Israel that year; for eighteen years they afflicted all the sons of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in Gilead in the land of the Amorites.” 10:6-8

So here we have it again, religious apostasy and then oppression. And now deliverance is on the way. How strange the twists of life. The elders of Gilead, the very group that had hated Jephthah and driven him from his childhood home seek him out in Tob and ask him to be their deliverer. How did they get to this point? This must be the answer.

“...the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, ‘We have sinned against You, for indeed, we have forsaken our God and served the Baals.’  The LORD said to the sons of Israel, ‘Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the sons of Ammon, and the Philistines? Also when the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hands. Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods; therefore I will no longer deliver you. Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your distress.’ The sons of Israel said to the LORD, ‘We have sinned, do to us whatever seems good to You; only please deliver us this day.’ So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD; and He could bear the misery of Israel no longer. Then the sons of Ammon were summoned and they camped in Gilead. And the sons of Israel gathered together and camped in Mizpah. The people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, ‘Who is the man who will begin to fight against the sons of Ammon? He shall become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.’”

Our story goes on to answer this last question of who this judge shall be, that shall fight against the sons of Ammon. Jephthah is the man. A deal is struck. If he will fight for Israel and if he defeats the sons of Ammon he will rule Gilead. You know the rest of the story. Jephthah accepts the deal, gathers more men, and meets and defeats Ammon.

But something tragic happens in the personal life of Jephthah.

In his exuberance to take on this mission he believes Adonai has given him he makes a rash vow. He says: 

“If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand,  then it shall be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, it shall be the LORD's, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.” 11:30-31

So with the victory won he returns to his house and we read:

“When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, behold, his daughter was coming out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. Now she was his one and only child; besides her he had no son or daughter. When he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, "Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are among those who trouble me; for I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot take it back.” 11:34-35

And his daughter’s response was:

“So she said to him, "My father, you have given your word to the LORD; do to me as you have said, since the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the sons of Ammon.” v. 36

There has been much speculation as to how this story actually ended. The possibilities run all the way from the daughter was offered as a sacrifice, to as Keil and Delitzsch believe she was given to the priesthood to serve as a life long celibate in the sanctuary of the Lord. I suggest you grab a good commentary and let me know what you think. But how about this?

Do you see any guideposts in this latter half of our story? I do. I see a father who as a misfit youth was cast out of his family in shame, that was not his to bear. Who instead of turning his back on those who had hated him and done him evil, followed Adonai’s will and fought for them. Who was willing to follow through on what he must have later known was a rash vow to God. Who had to of instilled in his only child those qualities of acceptance of the very hard things life brings, of being obedient to her parents, of honoring her father, and his commitments to his God. Why else would she have submitted to her father’s vow as she did? 

I see a man I would of liked to have personally known. He made mistakes, but he did not waver from his responsibility to raise his child properly, or to be obedient to Adonai’s direction, or to serve Him with all his heart, even to the giving of his only child. 

This is a man who is a true and sound guidepost for me.   

B'rit Chadashah Chukat

John 3:17-21

As we come to our B’rit Chadashah we are directed to what is for most of us the most familiar book of the Bible and the best known chapter in it. It is the Gospel of John and the third chapter. For our purposes here we will focus in on just five, verses 17-21.

“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

We start with verse 17, “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” 

When it comes to heaven or hell, the Messiah came with singularity of purpose. His focus, His mission, was to see that men were saved, not that they were sent to hell. We might feel that it is a cruel God that sends men to an eternity apart from Adonai. But it is not God that sends them, He only facilitates their sure transfer, a transfer they have sealed themselves by not accepting the free gift of salvation from Hell, a gift offered in verse 16. No, The Messiah was not sent to judge, but to save.

Verse 18 reads, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” 

What is so clear here is that there IS a judgement. It IS real. It exists and has fallen on all of us, but judgement was not the Messiah’s purpose in coming to mankind. This is a judgement that can be and is removed by the once for all work of Yeshua on that tree, for you and me, if we put our faith in His work for us. “He who believes is not judged.” But for the one who does not believe, this one has already—in the past, before Messiah came—been judged. And that judgement which Messiah came to set us free from hangs over that sinner, “because he has not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son.”

And what is that judgement? It is an evaluation of each man’s deeds. And the vehicle for that evaluation is light. What do you suppose is that light? Why it is the Messiah Himself. He is that light, that standard to which we are compared. But remember the purpose of His coming was NOT to be a judge, but to be a Savior. However, in His incarnate person as He walked amongst His creation we were shown the standard of perfection, of sinlessness, of perfect obedience to the Father, YHVH. And we all fail that standard miserably, so much so that we are most deserving of being eternally separated from God, for our deeds are evil. How could such human imperfection ever be allowed into the company of such divine perfection? I think we each  instinctively know the answer. We could not. We know that our deeds can never meet up to the holy standard of God. That’s why we love darkness, so we can hide the wicked fruit of our lives, fruit of a nature that will never meet God’s standards. So we love darkness, rather than light. 

And thus John says,  “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.” v.19

Verse 20 goes on to say, “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” 

Of course we hate the light. It exposes what we have done that we should not, and that which we should have done that we did not. Who among us would want to walk into a dark room filled with the saints of old, the angelic hosts, and God Himself... and flip the light switch that brings illumination for all to see, yes for all to see the very deeds that will separate us for eternity from a holy God. 

We do not come to the Messiah of our own because we cannot bear to have our deeds exposed when compared to His holy standard. Doesn’t John later record the Messiah as saying, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” 6:44

So we hate the light and love the darkness. 

Now we arrive at verse 21, and what a wonderful place it is to come to after having spoken of deeds of darkness and separation from God. Here John says, “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Up to this point we have seen that Messiah had not come to be a judge of men but to be their Savior. But along with His incarnation to be this Savior came the standard by which He lived, and by which the lives of those He came to save could be measured. Messiah’s standard was perfection. Measured against even the best of man’s actions this standard of perfection made anything man did look far inferior. It brought to light the inadequacy if not the sinfulness of any of man’s deeds done apart from that which was “...wrought in God.” After all, are not the best acts of man, done apart from the agency of God in him, as a filthy rag? Isaiah 64:6 

This standard then was in effect a light, a light that shined upon the evil deeds of man. This was a light that any man would run from while he looked for darkness in which to hide his deeds.

But now we see another type of man, one who does not run from the light. Indeed he comes to the light. He comes to the light so that his deeds may be seen, but seen how? John says, “that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”   This is a seed truth that Messiah would later expand on in John 15 where He says that the ONLY good fruit a man can bear is that which is produced through Him, or in other words deeds manifested as having been wrought in God.

This is the counter opposite of the man who hates the light, who does not come to the light that his deeds would not be exposed. This is the man who has taken the sixteenth verse to heart and made the truth of it his own. He has believed in the saving work of the Messiah. And now he produces deeds that are worthy of reward. I Corinthians 3:12-15 

This is fruit that can stand the test of being placed against Messiah’s standard because this fruit has actually been produced by God through this saved and yielded servant. So this believer runs to the light to continually test his life and its product against the standard his Savior has set. 

This light is the Messiah. The Messiah sets the standard, and YHVH (Adonai Himself) produces this fruit through the saved and yielded believer. It is fruit that is, “wrought in God.” 

My prayer, for the rest of my life is that this is the fruit I will bear, not a fruit that I must hide in darkness, but a fruit that I will willingly bring to the light. For this is a fruit wrought in YHVH, a fruit gladly measured against the standard of Yeshua.   

And now, what about you? What decision will you make in view of the light that would and ultimately will shine upon all the deeds of all mankind and even yours as well?

Yes ... what about you?

Shabbat Shalom!
In Messiah's Love,
His EVERY Word Ministries