Our pascal lamb, for the believer, is none other than Christ himself. We shall see here that the original intent of Passover was a family affair, not something done at the temple as a religious rite. I will further comment on how the new covenant believer is the temple and sacrifices should be outside city gates. Let’s look this week at a broader view of sacrifices, especially during Passover and how renewal of Passover is a blessing before impending judgement.

— Sacrifices during Passover

You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates which the LORD your God gives you; but at the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide (Deut. 16:5)

When it comes to burnt offerings, after the consumption of the body in fire…
The priest shall take off his garments and put on other garments and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place (Lev. 6:11)

Besides the lamb (of the sheep or goats) other animals were sacrificed during the Feast of Unleavened Bread to include lambs, bulls and rams. Lambs were sacrificed twice daily in the Tamid Sacrifice as a burnt offering. This was distinct from the Passover lamb sacrifice which was to be done after the Tamid afternoon sacrifice on Nissan 14. Remember the Tamid sacrifice of a lamb was twice daily, a burnt offering and not eaten.

Also remember leaven in bread represents sin, pride, and hypocrisy. No leaven is allows as part of burnt offering (food) and for all of the feast.

Another of the animals sacrifice was the bull…
the bull of the sin offering and its skin and its flesh and its dung he burned up with fire outside the camp (Lev. 6:17)

Bulls got sacrificed on the first of each month and during special holy days.
Num. 28:11:: at the beginnings of your months, you shall offer a burnt offering to the LORD: two bulls from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish … similar offerings also during Passover and the Feast of Weeks (Num. 28:20,27). The burnt offering is a voluntary offering for unintential sins. Sins done in ignorance. It was to be a bull for the entire community. A female goat or even fine flour could be offered up by the poor. A ram was typically used for a trespass offering. That is, violations of things holy unto the Lord and for ‘sins’ against one another.

But this is not a lesson on all sacrifices Israel offered up during the year. Let look a bit on the Passover sacrifices during the future time of Ezekiel’s temple:

Ez. 45:21-25:: In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall observe the Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten. And on that day the prince shall prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bull for a sin offering. On the seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the LORD, seven bulls and seven rams without blemish, daily for seven days, and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering. And he shall prepare a grain offering of one ephah for each bull and one ephah for each ram, together with a hin of oil for each ephah. In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, at the feast, he shall do likewise for seven days, according to the sin offering, the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the oil.

Being an outcast even from our own community sometimes occurs. Reading in the book of Hebrews:

Heb. 13:10-14:: We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.

In this respect we set up our own camp. It includes the altar of Yeshua outside the camp of Israel. We have hope for an eternal city when the Lord Yeshua makes his abode with us and in us. We do enter into the city by way of the high priest Yeshua when his death tore open the curtain to the holy of holies. His blood was brought into the city. Some say the actual ark of the covenant was buried below Golgatha at the time of Christ’s execution so his blood did seep into the actual Temple of God. I think this is a bit of a stretch but it does highlight Christ’s role as priest.

Finally, remember that while the lambs are burnt up after the daily Tamin sacrifice the Pascal lamb is really not a burnt offering. It is taken home and roasted in the fire, then eaten that same evening in a family setting. Christ’s body was eventually consummed on the third day as it was tranformed to heavenly flesh.

— Passover renewed by King Josiah (2 Chr. 35 & 2 Ki 23:21-23)

Sometimes we forget about Passover because of other issues but we can renew ourselves and even all of society to the LORD’s feast and begin anew.

2 Chr. 35:18:: There had been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet; and none of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as Josiah kept, with the priests and the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

2 Ki 23:22:: Such a Passover surely had never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah.

The time from Samuel to Josiah was a space of approximately 300-400 years. The 2 Kings reference could extend this to 440 years. Unfortunately Josiah was killed in battle 10-15 years later as Judea slipped more and more into apostacy. I want to point out that this Passover, unlike any for a long time, roughly corresponds to the period of Israel being in exile in Egypt.

We too can be renewed with a reprive of pending judgement. I think President Trump is one such reprieve in modern times. Prayer in the White House is a great start. Trump has been called a modern day Cyrus. In this he needs to let the captives of Persia return to their homeland. Perphaps that is the ultimate goal of war with Iran.

The end did eventually come for Judah after Josiah. Perhaps the same fate will happen here in America after Trump. The real question is whether the Angel of Death will continue being held back. We have to properly apply the blood of the passover lamb to the door posts and lintels of our own lives.

Yeshua himself renews the Passover at the Last Supper.
1 Cor. 11:26 he says “for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Master’s death until He comes.
“
Remember the blessing over the bread and wine.

Matt. 26:26-28:: as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Remember, the Seder dinner was just that. A dinner. When we partake of only juice and bread we abbreviate what was the original ceremony.

Blessing Over the Wine (Kiddush)
Recited before drinking each of the four cups.

Hebrew: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן
Transliteration: Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha’olam, borei p’ri ha’gafen.
Translation: Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.

Blessing Over the Matzah (Bread)
Recited after washing hands but before eating the matzah.

HaMotzi (Standard bread blessing):
Hebrew: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, הַמּוֹצִִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ
Transliteration: Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha’olam, hamotzi lechem min ha’aretz.
Translation: Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.

Sources:
https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11934-passover-sacrifice#:~:text=The%20paschal%20sacrifice%20belongs%20to,liberation%20of%20the%20entire%20people.

Our pascal lamb, for the believer, is none other than Christ himself. We shall see here that the original intent of Passover was a family affair, not something done at the temple as a religious rite. I will comment on this and how the new covenant believer is the temple and sacrifices should be outside city gates but religion brings sacrfice within our temples. Historically gates are very important. Gates are important in both our personal and spiritual lives, as well. Finally I contrast the Last Supper to the Passover Seder.

— Tension between Exodus and Deuteronomy

To strictly follow the LORD we are told in Exodus 12:6 that at twilight on the fourteenth day of the month of Abib the whole assembly of the congretation of Israel shall sacrifice the lamb at twilight. Some of the blood shall be put on the doorposts and the lintels of the house where it is eaten (vs. 7)

This seems to be a family oriented affair where the lamb might not have been sacrificed at the tabernacle/temple but at each house.

Further instruction is given in Deuteronomy:
You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates which the LORD your God gives you; but at the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide, there you shall sacrifice the Passover at twilight, at the going down of the sun, at the time you came out of Egypt (Deut. 16:5-6)

Rabbi’s over the centuries have interprested the place where the LORD chooses to make His name abide as the being at the temple.

Question time: If the temple got placed within the city gates in Jerusalem is not the idea of sacrificing the pascal lamb at the temple ignoring God’s commands? Why are city gates important anyway?

Let’s explore these questions during this time leading up to Passover and how we should interpret things as New Covenant believers.

The idea of gates in Deut. 16:5 is a matter of some debate. The hebrew word šaʿar(shah’-ar) can mean gate, city, or door. It is a point of entry or exit. So slaughter withing your gates could orignally mean outside of your living area. That makes sense from a hygienic perspective. Who would do all of that within a kitchen or living area?

As far as cities go, like Jerusalem, all judgements, important decisions, and even markets are near to gates of a city. Again, hygenic requirements should place slaughter outside of city gats.
It is said that at the temple in Jerusalem that the Gihon Springs supplied ample water to wash away all of the blood shed during sacrificial ceremonies.

Leviticus 17 says in two places there is life in the blood. vs. 11 says ‘for the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls’. This is substitutionary atonement, the animal’s life for our lives. But Passover itself mainly deals with the death angel passing over us as we remember Yeshua as our sacrificial lamb.

When it comes to gates there are physical ones and ones that represent things spiritually…

— Personal and Spiritual Gates

Personal gates are what enters in or exits from our lives. We might need to get rid of some things like bad habits and things that lead us into sin like watching pornography or lustful desire for dishonest gain. We might need to let in good things like proper teaching and godly advice. Moses himself allowed his father-in-law Jethro to give him good advice about getting some help in leading. Many times it is our eyes and ears that serve physically as the gates to our temple.

Many argue that the place where the LORD our God chooses (for sacrifice) means at a central place like the temple. For sure Yeshua and the disciples went to sacrifice at the temple. However, the blood and the meal were to be used at one’s place of residence, at least for Passover. As a believer, if we are to consider our own bodies as a temple of the Holy Spirit that means we sacrifice something outside of ourselves. That could be our time or our resources. One could consider internal sacrifices as a religious rite like temple sacrifice. The words of Elijah to King Saul come to mind here….

Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams. (1 Sam. 15:22)

For in chapter 13 Saul had taken upon himself to sacrifice which was not legal for him to do. In chapter 15 he partially obeyed the Lord in that he destroyed the bad and spared Agag, the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good.

For Saul had his gates wide open and because of that demons came in to torment him. He had his eyes full of pride, impatience, and things of the world. He also let things come into his ears that plagues him like ‘Saul has killed his thousands and David his tens of thousands’.

So sacrificing within our gates can be messy if not cleansed by living water. This brinds to mind the idea of baptism that now saves us, the pledge of a good consciousness (1 Pet. 3:21) and washed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2) as we present our bodies as living sacrifices. Still, we need this living water to cleanse the mind and the flesh from the mess that ceremonial rites bring into our lives, especially rites pertaining to ungodly things.

Spritual gates are things we should maintain, as well. Dabbling in new age or occult practices leave us vulnerable to spiritual attack. Even not honoring the Lord’ supper by eating in an unworthy manner and not honoring the poor resulted in many becoming weak and sickly and some dying (1 Cor. 11). It is my belief that quite a bit of trouble some see is because of not having proper gates over behavior and not observing his commandments. This is not always the case, as in the situation with Job.

There was a rite associated with Passover that the Lord and all of his disciples are to perform yearly.

— The Last Supper vs. Passover Sacrifice
Matt. 26:17–29;Mark 14:12–25;Luke 22:7–38; John 13:21-30

Some consider that the last supper of Yeshua and his disciples was actually the night before Passover. Credence to this is found in John’s gospel where the idea that Yeshua was brought before Pilot at the sixth hour on the Preperation Day.

Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And (Pontius Pilot) said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” (John 19:14)

I found at least one reference to the Preparation Day actually being Friday of the week, not the day before Passover began. Synaptic gospels all point to the beginning of Passover making the Last Supper the actual Seder dinner. Seder means order. It is a very ordered dinner – much more than just sharing bread and wine and sometimes taking many hours to complete.

Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover? (Matt. 26:17, Mark 14:12)

Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat (Luke 22:7-8)

I certainly won’t solve this enigma here but want to mention the duality of the last supper vs. temple rituals as was orignially the Passover celebration being Family-oriented then later Community-oriented. In either case the communal meal is still at home, it is the sacrificial rite that is differentiated.

Is it possible that the Lord instituted the Last Supper before Passover. The whole idea of Pasover originally being a family affair and then later turning into a national event at the temple defies explanation, in my opinion. What I will say is that Yeshua wanted to spend time with his closest disciples before going to the cross. The death on the cross is a great backdrop to the concept of all Israel slaughtering the pascal lamb at the temple.

Yet even at the last supper one unclean who had given access to Satan was seated next to our Lord, that is Judas Iscariot. His final place of departure is know as akeldama, the field of blood. The thirty pieces of silver for which he sold out our Lord has become known as blood money.

We should not be as Judas, nor even King Saul. While most of the others abandoned Yeshua out of fear, all were forgiven, even Peter.

So this Passover or commemoration of the Lord going to the cross, let us all remember his sacrifice. Let us keep our gates closed when needed and open when needed. Remember the family of God no matter how big or small the event becomes. Let us be cleansed from wickedness and gain new life from the blood of the lamb.

Sources:
https://www.thetorah.com/article/pesach-in-egypt-pesach-in-jerusalem
https://www.catholic.com/audio/ddp/the-last-supper-and-passover

• The tabernacle or temple?

John talks about the tabernacling of Yeshua (Jesus) with us:
John 1:14 says ‘the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth’.

skēnoō (skay-no’-o) means to fix one’s tabernacle, have one’s tabernacle, abide (or live) in a tabernacle (or tent), tabernacle or just to dwell

This implies a temporary existence. Our flesh and blood is a temporary existence even though 1 Cor. 3:16 & 1 Cor. 6:19 speaks of us as the temple of the Holy Spirit which dwells in us.

naos (nah-os’) means the temple as in Jerusalem but really only the Holy Place & Holy of Holies or metaphorically the temple consisting of all of the saints of every age

— The book of Hebrews seems to consistently use the terminalogy of tabernacle (skēnoō)

a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man (Heb. 8:2)

Do you not see that the sanctuary the children of Israel made was after the pattern of the true tabernacle?

…priests who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain. (Heb. 8:5) [Ex. 25:40]

Ex. 25:8-9 says ‘let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them according to all that I show you, after the pattern of the tabernacle (miškān)’

If you read Exodus 35 you would see everyone had a contribution to the building of the tabernacle.

Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation (Heb. 9:11).

he sprinkled with blood (of calves and goats) both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry (Heb. 9:21)

— The book of Revelation uses both the temple and tabernacle

Rev. 7 says there is a temple in heaven which is even more confusing so the secondary idea of dwelling or living in a places seems more appropriate for skēnoō.

(those come out of the great tribulation) are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple (Rev. 7:15) And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.

the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple (Rev. 11:19).

Then (the beast out of the sea) opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle (skēnē), and those who dwell (skēnoō) in heaven (Rev. 13:6).

After these things I looked, and behold, the temple (naos) of the tabernacle (skēnē) of the testimony in heaven was opened (Rev. 15:5)

Ark is the temple and that is in the tabernacle where God dwells???

At the consummation the dwelling aspect of God seems to also surface:
I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle (skēnē) of God is with men, and He will dwell (skēnoō) with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God (Rev. 21:3).

Rev. 21:22::
But I saw no temple in (the New Jerusalem), for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

— Where is the temple and the tabernacle today?

The second temple was destroyed in AD 70 after General Titus laid seige to the city. For almost 2,000 years there has been no temple in Jerusalem. The Jews re-invented Judiasm into what is now called Rabbinic Judiasm. The Christians departed from the temple now declaring we are the temple of the Holy Spirit through faith in Yeshua. Some would like to see a third temple built in Jerusalem but I see that as negating the finished work of Christ upon the cross. We accept Yeshua into our hearts who cleanses our temples from the inside out.

So the temple of God is actually us in which God resides within the human heart. Our life is temporary and goes with us when we move about, just like a tabernacle. When Philip was done with his enounter with the Ethiopian eunich he moved on to his next assignment in Azotus and preached in all of the towns unto Ceasaria (Acts 8:40). So the temple of the Holy Spirit is our bodies but we are now mobile. The great commission applies to our Jerusalem (local communities) to our Judea and Samaria (our countries) and unto the ends of the Earth.

Yeshua says to the church at Laodicea ‘behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me (Rev. 3:20)’.

Laodicea was the lukewarm church which Yeshua wanted to spit out of his mouth. They were wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. They needed faith for he said they needed gold tried in the fires of affliction and white garments no longer soiled by the filth of sin and salve for their eyes so they might recognize their wretched and pitiable condition. For they considered themselves rich and in need of nothing.

If you remember from the Table of Shewbread lesson the table is where the utensils lie so that the bread and the wine might be eaten and drank by the priests each sabbath. We cannot dine with the Lord if ceremonially unclean and so David’s men had to have abstained for three days. The Loadiceans were not clean enough to partake of the shewbread unless they opened the doors to their hearts to let the Lord come in to cleanse.

Each cake of bread was itself pierced (ḥālal) as is challah bread these days. The hebrew word is also used in Is. 53:5 where it says he was wounded (ḥālal) for our iniquities. We are often wounded by others and life’s trials. Likewise Yeshua was wounded for he is the shewbread.

Perhaps the difference here between the outer courts, the holy place and the most holy place can be equated to our place of sacrifice vs. fellowship vs. dwelling in God’s presence.

The outer courts are where ceremony and ritual rule our lives. We think we draw close because of the ceremonies or services we attend. Yet we make no real sacrifices in our lives. Others like priests or pastors or friends offer up sacrifices in our place.

The holy place is where we dine with the Lord at the table with the bread of his presence. He breaks bread with us in the same way Christ was broken upon the cross. Yet they broke none of his bones, seeing he was alread dead (John 19:33). What was broken was his will for he said not my will by thine be done unto the Father. Brokenness actually took place in the Garden btw. We have to be broken before coming before the Lord.

The most holy place is where we actually dwell in his presence and opbtain mercy at the mercy seat which is sprinkled with the blood of bulls and goats. It is only the high priest who enters and then only once a year. We acquire that privilege by intimacy and the sprinkled blood of Christ who opened up the way for us while dying on the cross.

So the temple and tabernacle represent us. It is where God resides.

Sources:
https://assemblytestimony.org/books/book-13-the-glory-of-the-tabernacle/chapter-9-the-table-of-shewbread/#loaves
https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2017/12/the-table-of-showbread/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0lqDutbCVs

The Table of Shewbread is important to Christians because it helps tie together the manna in the wilderness to the miracle of the loaves and fishes with the 5000 to Yeshua as being the manna from heaven. The 5 loaves of the young lad in the crowd of 5000 is like the request of young David for 5 loaves for his hungry men. There is also a eucharist depicted in the tabernacle using the shewbread and wine. For Yeshua becomes the manna and shewbread of the presence.

• Description of the Table

Core texts: Ex. 25:23-30 & Ex. 37:10-16

We start here with the eight (or nine) ‘you shall’ commandments:
You shall also make a table of acacia wood; two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height.
You shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold all around.
You shall make for it a frame of a handbreadth all around.
You shall make a gold molding for the frame all around.
You shall make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners that are at its four legs. The rings shall be close to the frame, as holders for the poles to bear the table.
You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them.
You shall make its dishes, its pans/spoons, its pitchers (jug), and its bowls for pouring. You shall make them of pure gold.
You shall set the showbread on the table before Me always.

What is not brought out in this text is the idea that the priests would eat the showbread and using the utensils partake of bread and wine in a communal meal just like we would partake of the bread and wine to commemorate the death and resurrection of Yeshua.

— Weekly practice for the shewbread

Core text: Lev. 24:5-9

You shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it. Two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. You shall set them in two rows, six in a row, on the pure gold table before the LORD. You shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, an offering made by fire to the LORD. Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. It shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the offerings of the LORD made by fire, by a perpetual statute.

Twelve cakes of bread is what was left over each week after the sabbath when the old bread was removed from the table of shewbread. It is said that each loaf consisted of about 4 quarts of flour — roughly equivalent to the amount of of manna collected on the day before the Sabbath.

We shall see that during the ministry of Yeshua he called the disciples to himself and with five barley loaves and two fishes told them to feed the 5000 during the miracle of this name. We read in each of the gospels that there were twelve basketfulls of leftovers after feeding all of the people. The twelve disciples had in essence 12 loaves of the holy shewbread remaining, but we are not told if the feeding of the 5000 happened on the sabbath.

Five loaves is also significant in that it represents the five books of the Torah, five offerings according to Leviticus, and many things in the Tabernacle represented by five ingredients in the holy anointing oil; five curtains bars, and pillars; and an alter 5×5 cubits.

Two fish represents opposites (day and night, good and evil, hot and cold, two sexes, binary).

— King David’s experience with the shewbread

Core text: 1 Samuel 21:1-6

Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?”

So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.’ I have directed my young men to such and such a place. Now therefore, what have you on hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever can be found. The priest answered David and said, “There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women. Then David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out. The vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day.”

So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the LORD, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was taken away.

One comment about the three days of ritual purity in which David’s men kept away from woman. It was only a requirement at Mount Sinai for three days purity (Ex. 19:15). It is also the same chapter where Moses told the children of Israel they would be a kingdom of priests unto the LORD (vs. 6). I am not sure David was thinking of Sinai when he made that statement or not but it does fit with the idea of receiving shewbread for his men.

Another comment here. It says that Ahimelech the priest was afraid. It is true he had need to be afraid for at this point in time King Saul was looking to do harm to David and any that helped him. Hence David concocted this story about being on a secret mission for the king. A spy called Doeg the Edomite reported all these things to the King and in the end Ahimelech and 85 priests got executed. It is also another case where David gets grace but those around him get hurt.

–– Yeshua’s comments on the shewbread

Core text: Matthew 12:1-4

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!” But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?

The text in 1 Samuel does not explicitly say it was the Sabbath but the objections of the Pharisees centered on activities Yeshua and his followers were doing on the sabbath and included the priests ministering on the sabbath, healing a withered hand on the sabbath, and care for an animal who falls into a ditch on the sabbath. For sure, eating the shewbread, which was reserved for the priest and his family, was not legal for David to do.

— Yeshua our bread of life

Later we hear Yeshua giving a sermon on the true bread from heaven and states:
Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world (John 6:31-33)

The sermon on bread of life was most directly pointing to the manna in the wilderness but it was also referring to the shewbread because that is why the table of shewbread was put into the tabernacle and temple: to remind everyone of the manna. Now Yeshua goes even further and claims he is that bread.

John 6:53-55:: Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.

Many abandoned Yeshua at this point in his ministry. Many will say this is because he seemed to be telling them to eat his flesh and drink his blood pointed to a gruesome requirement of cannibalism. Some may have taken it that way but I am more inclined to think they were merely offened by the implication that he is the manna from heaven. They did understand him speaking as a metaphor but they did not like the implications. He said ‘the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven’. He spoke of My Father. He was calling them to accept him as the Son of God. The miracle of feeding the 5000 was supposed to validate his claim.

Sources:
https://www.wikihow.com/Bible-Number-5-Meaning#:~:text=In%20the%20Bible%

• Description of the Ark

Core texts: Ex. 25:31-40 & Ex. 37:17-24

Most of the objects of the holy tabernacle which are described in two places within Exodus: the Ark of the covenant, the showbread table, the golden lampstand, the tabernacle itself, the bronze altar, the court of the tabernacle, and the priest’s garments. Inbetween the two descriptive chapters is the incident of the golden calf. In chapter 37 the text identifies Bezelal as responsible for creating the objects. His name means in the shadow (protection) of God. This is reminiscent of Psalm 91: He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. For there is safety dwelling under the shadow of the Allmighty.

— The Ark (Ex. 25:10-17)

(The children of Israel) shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length (117 cm), a cubit and a half its width (70 cm), and a cubit and a half its height (70 cm). .

You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around.

You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side.

You shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.

You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.

You shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you.

It is interesting that in chapter 25 the pronoun alternates from the third person plural to the second person singular. It is the “thou shalt” and the “you shalt” in KJV english. Yet when you go to chapter 37 the instructions are solely given to Bezalel. I assume he had helpers but the point is there is a specific person instructed to carry out this work.

The Testimony included the golden pot of manna, aaron’s rod that budded almonds, and the two tablet of the Law (10 commandments) although 1 Kings 8:9 says only the two tablets remained by the time of Solomon. There is only speculation on how the jar and staff disappeared. Some things just don’t last thru time. God’s law will last because Yeshua said ‘until heaven and earth disappear not the smallest letter or stroke of a pen will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished’ (Matt: 5:18). But remember it took only a day or two for manna to breed worms and the staff would bud and dry up quickly as well.

Speculations abound for the location of the Ark of Testimony from hidden chambers under the temple mount to a cave on Mount Nebo (Jordan), to being held in a monastary in Aksum, Ethiopia. In the 1981 movie ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ in the Indiana Jones series, the Ark was found. Unfortunately only demons remained within it’s contents. If the Ark and the Tablets were to be found it would serve as a significant archeological discovery but provide very little to our understanding of spiritual principles and concepts. Next, let’s look deep into the idea of what the Ark symbolizes.

— The Mercy Seat (Ex. 25-17-22)

This is where we get into the typology and symbolism of the mercy seat and see how Christ’s sacrifice as the Passover lamb is not directly related to the Day of Atonement.

You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. This is about 45″ x 27″ in english measure.

You shall two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. The cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.

You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. There I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

Lev. 16 speaks of the blood sprinkled on the mercy seat Verse 14 speaks about the blood of the bull and the blood of the goat. It shall be sprinkled onto the front of the mercy seat on the east and in front of the mercy seat sprinkle the blood seven times. The blood of the bull is a sin offering for the high priest and the blood of the goat for the people.

In biblical numerology the number is most significant. Last week we spoke of the seven lamps on the menorah and the seven churches of Asia Minor. Seven signifies the completion of the week and also siginfies the names of the Spirit of God. The once sprinkled blood onto the front of the mercy seat represents the oneness (or unity) of the Godhead. Even the two angels can point us to the two witnesses spoken of in Revelation and also the One New Man concept of Apostle Paul in the letter to the Ephesians (Jew and Gentile). I could also speak here of the two lambs that are sacrificed continually each day in the Temple, one in the morning and one in the evening.

The sprinkling of blood is a reference to the Day of Atonement which is covered by the writer of Hebrews:

Heb. 10:19-22: therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

The veil of the temple torn in two from top to bottom speaks of Christ’s flesh being torn away from him as he died. A new creation would soon emerge. The One New Man as head of his church provides a way of access to the Holy Sanctum where God once dwelt. Our hearts have to be sprinkled clean through the pledge of baptism and holy living.

I believe that Apostle Paul was alluding to this atonement for sin when he wrote to the Romans:

Rom. 3:24-25:: we are justified by his grace as a gift,through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forebearance he had passed over former sins.

But again, Paul was mainly speaking about Christ’s sacrifice at Passover, not Atonement per se.

— New Covenant Concepts on the Mercy Seat

It is once a year during Yom Kippur that the high priest ventures into the Holy of Holies to make atonement for himself and for the people. What is Christ’s role then in regards to the Holy of Holies? Be prepared, this is really deep and challenges some of our understanding of what ‘Lamb of God’ signifies.

The writer of Hebrews, when it comes to the Ark and the Mercy seat states: Of these things we cannot now speak in detail (Heb. 9:5) but the writer does give us some absolute truth.

If you read between the lines, the author of Hebrews seems to be saying in verses 8 and 9 that at the present time, while the temple is still standing, that the way into the Holiest of All has not yet been made manifest. This is very interesting and curious also. Decades after Christ’s resurrection we are told all things have not yet been revealed. He also references the first tabernacle and says it is symbolic of the present time so tabernacle and temple seem to alluded to as being equivalent spiritually which we shall see shortly is how John seems to be doing in his revelation of things to come.

Heb. 9:11-12:: Christ appeared as the high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation). He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

Please notice it is not the earthly tabernacle has Christ appeared. The text here says nothing of the temple but speaks metaphorically about the tent, or tabernacle. So why is the temple not even a consideration?

All three of the synoptic gospels record the temple curtain being torn in two from top to bottom during his crucifixion (Matt. 27:51, Mark 15:38, and Luke 23:45). This is when Yeshua breathed his last. Luke records it was at the time of twilight when the sacrificial lamb was slein. I submit to you it is then when God abandoned the idea of the priest only going into the Holy of Holies once a year on Yom Kippur. We all have such entry available to us through Christ’s blood to enter in and worship at the Ark of the Testimony and at the Mercy Seat.

The typology does not support the Day of Atonement but rather opens up the pathway for atonement. This is why we have Hebrews which explains things better than other writings which deal strictly with the Passover lamb (John 1:29,36;Acts 8:26-40;1 Pet. 1:18-21; Rev. 5:6-13).

The blood of the lamb is not technically right for the Day of Atonement. The lamb’s blood was a passover symbol so that the Death Angel would pass over us but the lamb is also a symbol of the 2x/day continual sacrifices at the temple. According to Numbers 28 the daily lamb sacrifices were burnt sacrifices as part of food offerings and on the Sabbath day two BURNT offerings consisting of male lambs. But Christ is one so a double daily sacrifice is not good symbology either.

It is interesting in Heb. 9:7 that it speaks of blood being offered in the holy place for the high priest and for unintentional sins of the people, thus not speaking of atonement for intentional sins. Other versions translate this as sins done in ignorance or errors of the people. That is why Heb. 10:26 goes on to say if we go on sinning deliverately that there is no more sacrifice for sins.

Heb. 9:24:: For Christ has entered, not into holy place made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.

More on the Tabernacle itself in a few weeks.

Heb. 13:11-12 (Lev. 4:12,21) speak about the blood brought into the holy places by the priest for a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the city gates and goes on to say likewise Yeshua suffered outside of the city gates.

What I am not saying here is that the sacrifice of Yeshua is no no effect or that he wasn’t our ultimate sacrifice for humanity. What I am suggesting here is that a lamb of God typology for the sin sacrifice on the Day of Atonement is NOT very accurate. He died during Passover, not The Day of Atonement. Let me explain further.

The blood of the goat (or bull) is not traditionally symbolic of the blood of Christ. We call Yeshua the lamb of God. A young ram is also a lamb. A young goat is normally called a kid. This is where the analogy to the blood of Christ breaks down when it comes to the mercy seat. The daily sacrifice consisted of a male lamb morning and evening (every day!). Sacrifices of Passover also used the lamb.

In Num. 28:19 there were 2 bulls, 1 ram, 7 male lambs a year old used as a burnt offering during Passover. Verse 22 says that a goat was to be used for a sin offering, to make atonement for you. Does this not suggest the Passover lamb is not a good typology for our sin offering? For sure Hebrews does say that Yeshua was burnt outside of the city gates (Heb. 13:11-12).

Lev. 4:3: young bull required for anointed high priest (sin offering)
Lev. 4:13-14: you bull required for entire community (sin offering)
Lev. 4:22-23: male goat for the high priest (burnt and sin offering)
Lev. 4:27-32: female goat or lamb for common people (burnt offering)

Remember it was the ram (not goat) caught in the thickets that Abraham sacrificed for his son, his only son Isaac. So why is Yeshua considered The Lamb of God and not a ram, goat, bull, or even 7 lambs?

This is because in Exodus 12 there is one lamb selected from each household on the 10th of the first month. It was to be sacrificed on the eve of the 14th of this month, at twilight. The lamb was to be an umblemished male a year old from the sheep or the goats (Ex. 12:5) so the Word of God leaves open the possibility of a goat for a offering at Passover.

My main point here is the the Passover sacrifice is really a family affair! Of course in Jewish history one would want to sacrifice it at the temple and that caused many logistical obstacles due to the size of worshppers. The blood of the lamb was put on the doorposts and lintels of the house to remember the Exodus and to keep the Death Angel from coming into our household.

I would have to say after all of this that Christ should be the Goat of God for our sin offering as strange as that sounds. He was the Lamb of God for our Passover to keep away the Death Angel.

Sources:
https://www.jtsa.edu/torah/the-golden-calf-and-the-tabernacle/#:~:text=But%20there%20are%20many%20other,high%20priest%2C%20is%20abetting%20apostasy.

— Description of the Lampstand

Core texts: Ex. 25:31-40 & Ex. 37:17-24

Most of the objects of the holy tabernacle which are described in two places within Exodus: the Ark of the covenant, the showbread table, the golden lampstand, the tabernacle itself, the bronze altar, the court of the tabernacle, and the priest’s garments. Inbetween the two descriptive chapters is the incident of the golden calf. In chapter 37 the text identifies Bezelal as responsible for creating the objects. His name means in the shadow (protection) of God. This is reminiscent of Psalm 91: He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. For there is safety dwelling under the shadow of the Allmighty.

I felt led to cover the golden lampstand first. Let us read about this in Exodus 25:

Ex. 25:32:: there shall be six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it;

The lampstand is called a menorah in hebrew. Technically the whole seven lamps are part of the menorah but the center candlestick is called menorah. The seven lamps represent God’s spirit.

Ex. 25:33:: three cups made like almond blossoms, each with bulb (calyx =kap̄tôr) and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with bulb (calyx =kap̄tôr) and flower (peraḥ), on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand.

So on each of the branches are three cups which are like almond blossoms. Each cup has a calyx and a flower. These are the living parts depicted here which normally die before the fruit (almond) ripens.

We shall come back to the idea that each cup is also shaped like a goblet or chalice. Sufficient to say here that death must come before new life is formed.

• Bud (Blossoming Bud) – this is the part that we see as the flower which falls off before the fruit develops
• Calyx (Knob/Cup) – this is the green knob or cup that remains after the flower falls off and surrounds the developing nut
  https://www.jjtravelinisrael.com/wp-content/uploads/Almond-blossom-annotated.jpg

Now listen to what happened to Aaron’s rod overnight.

Num. 17:8:: it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds (peraḥ), had produced blossoms (ṣîṣ) and yielded ripe almonds (šāqēḏ).

From my understanding of almonds, they do not grow instantly when we have a bud or blossoms. It takes time. The bud yields a flower and that once pollinated grows the fruit (in this case an almond) inside the bulb and shell. The calyx, like the blossom, also dries up and falls off. The almonds actually consists of three parts:

1) The Hull (Outer Layer): The green outer shell, which is not edible for humans, dries, turns brown, and splits, often used as cattle feed.
2) The Shell (Middle Layer): The inner, woody part that protects the kernel and is often used for mulch or animal bedding.
3) The Kernel (Inner Part): The edible seed, or almond, that grows inside.

The idea in Numbers is that the almond did not take all season to ripen nor form a hull nor shell. The blossoms must have been on the ground since the verse says it had produced blossoms. It is a miracle of time when what normally takes about six months happened overnight. Never mind you, a staff is not a live tree so almonds don’t grow on staffs. It is also quite interesting from a new covenant perspective, this is a three part structure, all belonging to the seed (almond) at the center.

Now for the calyx or cup that holds the blossom. It also dries up and falls off after the blossom. Yeshua likewise took the cup at the after last supper saying “this cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20).

It is very significant that both the blossom which gets pollinated lest it dries and withers and the cup that originally held the flower both dry up and falls off as the pollinated flower begins to grow. The golden lampstand itself represents the tree of life. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin so the wine in the cup represents to blood of Yeshua. But that is not the end of the story. After death the pollinated stigma begins to grow. It ends up have three parts when ripe: hull, shell, and kernel. This is the three parts in one that represent the father, son, and holy spirit.

The seed itself has to fall to the ground and die before another tree might grow. Almonds are one of the first trees of the season to bud and bring forth flower. This is a firstfruits of sorts just as Yeshua is the firstfruits of them who have fallen asleep.

1 Cor. 15:20-23:: But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

I now suggest to you that the early death of the bud and flower is likened to Yeshua dying young so as to bring new life. There is a maturing of the fruit which needs to happen as that which brings forth life dies. We likewise as followers of Yeshua must die to the flesh. Our seed develops over time. The budding of Aaron’s staff did not follow this process, at least at the same speed as we mature. His staff matured bud and seed overnight!

The golden lampstand is also described by the prophet Zechariah:

Zech. 4:2-3:: I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. There are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.

• mûṣāqâ (moo-tsaw-kaw’) means lips, a piping, or casting. Whatever the true interpretation, they are for delivering oil to the lamps.
• gullâ (gool-law’) means a bowl or basin. This is not the same hebrew word used in Exodus 25 translated as bowl but I think it is a related term. The idea I have is there is one bowl here.

The two olive trees I consider being the two houses of Israel and in modern day Jew and Gentile. This is the one new man concept Apostle Paul spoke about in Ephesians 2:15. Zech. 4:14 describes these two olive trees as the two anointed ones (i.e., sons of the new oil).
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/zechariah-4-olive-trees-bowl-golden-lampstand–104568022582951020/

So the lampstand of Zechariah is a bit different than that in Exodus 25. Another lampstand is describe in the book of Revelation.

Rev. 1:11-13: Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man

In verse 20 we are told that the seven golden lampstands are the seven churches.

Chances are very high that the description means one lampstand consisting of three branches on each side and a center candlestick just as described in Exodus 25 and Zechariah 4. This agrees more with the idea of the seven churches being of one in unity and the sevenfold spirit of God being one spirit but with seven names as described in Isaiah 11:2. The center of the lampstand is the spirt of the LORD which we might now call the Spirit of Christ. In Revelation the depiction of the LORD is one like the son of man, describing the humanity of Yeshua. The greek word for lampstand is lychnia (look-nea) which can be translated simply as candlestick.
https://hehasyou.org/2018/12/16/the-seven-spirits-of-the-lord/

The description of Son of Man being described as at the center of the lampstand makes it clear now we are talking about Yeshua, having been raised as a life giving spirit (1 Cor. 15:45). He is at the center where both Jew and Gentile receive oil for their lamps. This makes it difficult to say the three branches on either side are Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is compouned worse in suggesting there are two sets of trinitarian description. Another explanation can be found in 1 John:

1 John 5:7-8: there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one and there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.

Notice it is the Word in heaven, not Jesus or Yeshua, but some manuscripts omit much fof this text entirely.

[NU-Text and M-Text] rendering:
there are three that bear witness the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.

The water symbolizes Jesus’ baptism, initiating His public ministry. He was baptised to fulfill all righteousness. Baptism is a later concept depicted in the time of Christ by the Mikveh. One gets cleansed when ready for service at the temple. Yeshua did not sin in the sense of wrongdoing but very well may have touched a diseased or dead person or done something that made his flesh ritually impure. We are likewise baptised into the Body of Christ and must purify the flesh for service.

The blood refers to His crucifixion, fulfilling His purpose as the perfect sacrifice for sin. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin (Heb. 9:22). We are, however, destined to be living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1).

The Spirit signifies the ongoing witness of the Holy Spirit confirming the truth about Christ. We read that Christ proceeded out of the bosom of the father (John 1:18). Our spirit must also be born again, from above.

Remember also it is the water and blood which came out of the side of Christ upon the cross. These bear witness upon Earth as to his divinity.

The two branches represent both Jew and Gentile. I think this is more logical that trying to fit this picture into a 2-fold trinitarian design with the Son of Man at the center.

Sources:
https://www.jjtravelinisrael.com/blog/2015/02/24/almond-blossom-and-the-golden-lampstand/
http://www.messianicgoodnews.org/part-2-the-seven-branched-golden-lampstand/

Many people think that Yeshua removed the law by being our perfect sacrifice. In actuality he redefined the law so that we might become a law under ourselves. Matthew is clear that the law has not disappeared, not one jot nor tittel, the smallest marks of hebrew vocabulary. For those wishing to review it is in the Introduction teaching on Law vs. Grace.

Romans 2:14-15:: when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them

Paul does not say in the letter that the Gentiles accomplish everything according to the law. What he is saying is our conscienceness should alert us to what we are not following, especially the more weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matt. 23:23-24). For if our consciousness seems to miss those points then we should examine ourselves to ensure we don’t have a seared consciousness speaking lies in hypocrisy (1 Tim. 4:2).

— Sermon on the Mount: High Cost of Following

In this great sermon Yeshua said may things like blessings. He also said “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matt. 5:17)

“For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:18-19)

Then he says a very difficult passage which leads to requirements well beyond the law:
“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:20)

The scribes and Pharisees were very meticulous to follow the law so we might be in trouble if we strictly follow this requirement. Then he goes into six things they have heard said:

1) Matt. 5:21-22:: You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder,[Ex. 20:13; Deut. 5:17] and whoever murders will be in danger of judgement. But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.

Anger in itself is not a sin because Ephesians 4:26 says ‘be angry and sin not’. We shall see in the 2nd greatest command of Yeshua there are stipulations about how we treat our neighbor. There is righteous anger but Yeshua is not referring to that. This teaching is directly from the 10 commandments. Murder here can be intentional or unintentional. The definition includes the slayer of men (which is a vengeful act itself).

2) Matt. 5:27-28:: You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’[Ex. 20:14; Deut. 5:18] But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

This is one of Yeshua’s hard sayings that goes beyond the Law to get at the thoughts and intents of the heart.

3) Matt. 5:31-32:: Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality [adultery,homosexuality,animal sex] causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

This is the commandment that deals directly with non illicit sex divorcement. To put away a spouse for other reasons like incompatibility or pride or differences of opinion causes adultery in her life and any she comes into contact with in the future. In the eyes of God and Yeshua, one has committed adultery in those situations.

4) Matt. 5:33-35:: Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

This is related to the 9th commandment which speaks of bearing a false witness against our neighbor. It is also spoken of in the judgements: You shall not circulate a false report (Ex. 23:1). This includes testifying falsely in a court of law. Just a note here. Some christians think we should follow the 10 commandments and ignore any other moral judgments in the law because we are under grace, not law. I tell you that any moral requirments of the law were strengthened, not annulled, by Yeshua, for he looks at the thoughts and intents of our hearts.

5) Matt. 5:38-42:: You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’[Ex. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21] But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

6) Matt. 5:43-45:: You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor[Lev. 19:18] and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven

To get context here let’s look at Lev. 19:18:: You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself:

This is part of the statutes of the Law. I just do not see how christians seperate the 10 commandments from judgements and statutes to justify sin and lawlessness. Again, God looks at our hearts, not just our actions. This is how our righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 5:20).

I was reminded this week of the words of Job after he lost his family and property and all he could say is ‘blessed be the name of the LORD’. Yet more testing was on the way despite the back story here using poor old Job as a testing ground for genuine faith and devotion. So from here we go to the greatest commandments.

— The Greatest Commands

Matt. 22:35-40:: One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[Deut 6:5] This is the first and great commandment. The second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

What Yeshua said about loving God is pretty much an exact quote from Deuteronomy:
Deut. 6:5:: You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength

The part about loving your neighber as yourself is a bit more entailed:
Lev. 19:17-18:: You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

As you see, there are provisions in Leviticus of not bearing sin because of your neighbor, not taking vengeance, and not bearing grudges. So I get out of that if your neighbor commits sin we don’t have to cover for them. We also don’t take vengence nor bear grudges. This is what we would not do unto ourselves.

I hope by now you might see that instead of teaching us to ignore law, Yeshua actually taught it. So where do we go from here?

— The Great Commission

The ‘great commission’ is rather explicit. It says:
Matthew 28:19-20:: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

The key part of this verse is to make disciples, not just baptising them or declaring them christian. So the idea of sprinkling or baptising a new convert is not sufficient. For instance, jews are not christians now because they got sprinkled or even because they made a specific confession. Discipleship is a process. It also says to teach all things I have commanded. It can take much or little time. It all depends upon conviction and acceptance.

Some say the so-called great commission was a later addition. It does not matter here whether early or late, it bacame part of the gospel. But what is the gospel itself? Is it just the four accounts we have in our bible? It is all sayings of Yeshua? Does it contain parts of the old testament? Gospel itself means ‘good news’ or ‘good tidings’.

the angel said to the shephards in the field, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11)

For sure the good news was first brought to the jews before the gentiles. The split comes much later on in the church. I submit to you that this split is more man-made than that of God. The righteous works of Yeshua are there for redemption, for our salvation and justification. Not for willful ignorance and neglect of living right.

— Teaching and Preaching the Gospel

Mark 1:15 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.

Since he taught the gospel from the time John was put into prison it predates the gospels we have. Was it the same thing or some other version tailored for the Jews in that area?

To Simon and Andrew he said ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ (Mark 1:17).

Certainly following Yeshua must have been part of the gospel message. We imitate our teachers.

Matthew 4:19:: He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Fishing is one aspect of the gospel. It sounds an awful much like evangelism. There are at least two ways to fish. We need bait, a good cast, reeling in, and receiving into our boat. Another ways is a net and involving pulling in and loading our boat. Either way, it is a learned process.

Baiting people sounds deceptive so maybe he was referring more to nets which is the way most on the Sea of Galilee fished. For sure food or financial help can be considered bait and there is nothing wrong with that so long as it is not deceiptful. A net could also be bad in that it catches people where they live and ensnares them. With whatever method we use, it should be with good intentions and much love. Remember, this is good news, not something repulsive.

Teaching the gospel is more about teaching the kingdom of God than a list of do’s and don’ts. The law is very cut and dry and leaves little room for improvision or re-interpretation. I do believe some things are absolute and others teachings for how to live righteously. That is why Apostle Paul told the Philippeans to work out their salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:13). Without holiness no man or woman shall see the Lord (Heb. 12:14). Let us therefore strive to do what pleases the Lord and enter into his rest.

Finding Balance in Law vs. Grace (Virtues of Torah)

— The Romans dilemma

Let’s pick up this story in chapter 7 where Apostle Paul equates freedom from the law akin to one being freed when a husband (spouse) dies. This is a good analagy. Women are bound to their husbands until death when one is now free to remarry. Likewise one is free from the confines of the law once we die to the flesh.

Romans 7:5-6
For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

Dying to the flesh is not always easy. Some backslide and take up the fleshly nature anew. It is the Sprit of God that shows us how to live right.

Romans 7:8-13 speaks about law bringing death. Is that what he really meant? On the surface that seems to disagree with the Torah and Writing (which we shall cover in the next section)

The more immediate problem seems to be a conflict in Romans where Paul says ‘the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death’ (Rom. 7:10). His argument is that sin produces in us evil desire. This is evident from the beginning of Genesis.

‘I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died’. (Rom. 7:9)

This is in apparent conflict with his earlier statement in Romans 5:14 which says ‘death reigned from the time of Adam until Moses’. If before the Law death reigned then why even argue that the commandment brings death. Is there something else being stated here?

The clarity is in Romans 5:13 ‘For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law’. So death was there before the law and according to Paul death remained after the law due to sin creating in us evil desire. The law pretty much just codified sin, it condemns us. So one might concluded here whether law existed or not death still exists. Quite literally, Paul argues that law or no law we are still eternally lost. The law just made available the possibility of eternal life. Yet we are weak and often fleshly.

Romans 8:3-4:: For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Praise God he condemned sin in the flesh! The criteria is to live by the Spirt for Galations 5:16 says ‘Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh’ and verse 18 says ‘if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law’.

— Choose Life, Not Death

Paul’s arguments in Romans are not exactly what we see in the Law and in Prophets. Many times the old testament speaks of natural consequences not spiritual ones. Ultimately we shall live again so there is no distinction in reality. For there is a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust (Acts 24:15).

Romans 7:7:: What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet”.

It is a kind of argument that the law itself is sin in the sense it is not good. The greek word harmatia is used in the Septuigint and can mean iniquity, great sin, even faults.”

The letter of James speans again tersely concerning the law when we pass judgement on each other.

Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. (James 4:11)

We should be doers of the law not a judge. Here James equates speaking evil of a brother the same as speaking evil of the law. We should do neither. Do not speak evil of a brother and do not speak evil of the law. Rather Paul speaks of the law this way:

Romans 7:12:: the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good

and again in the Torah:
See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil (Deut. 30:15)

Deut. 30:16:: in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments (misva), His statutes (ḥuqqâ), and His judgments (mišpāṭ), that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.

These verses take me back to chapter 28 where the Hebrews were instructed to either choose blessings or curses. It is a choice to live righteously. Curses ultimately bring death.

But some will undoubtedly point to Acts 15 and Galations 3 to say that the gentiles are not bound by the law. This is true in part. It is our schoolmaster to help us discern right from wrong.

Gal. 3:24-25:: the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. It is really the milk of the word. For we really do not know what is right from wrong. However,

Heb. 5:14:: solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

So discern good from evil we have to use what we are learning. That is how we instinctively become a law unto ourselves (Romans 2:15), it is by use and recognition. Walking in the Spirit frees us from the confines of the law, so much as we are in the Spirit. It is not ignorance or willful neglect. It is the higher direction from God himself. This is what Yeshua followed after. Guidance.

— Proverbs on Law, Commandments, Wisdom, and Understanding (Intelligence & Discernment)

Let’s look at a few proverbs that Soloman wrote which extolls the virtues of the law and commandments.

Prov. 3:1-3:: In the first three veres of this proverb Solomon extols the benefits of following the law and commandments

My son, do not forget my law (torah), but let your heart keep my commands (misva). For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.

So there are definite benefits to following the law and commandments!

Then he covers mercy and truth (vs. 3-4), trusting and acknowledging the LORD (vs. 5-7), Fear of ther LORD (vs. 7-8), and Honoring the LORD (vs. 9-10). Please read those benefits youself. For brevity here lets jump to verse 13.

Starting in vs. 13 Solomon extols the benefits of following after wisdom and understanding

Prov. 3:18:: These verses speak directly about wisdom and understanding
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her and happy are all who retain her.

Verse 13 speaks about finding wisdom (ḥāḵmâ) and understanding (tāḇûn). As such it is those that are a tree of life.

and in verse 20 he extols adds knowledge

Prov. 4:22:: This proverb again extols the benefits of getting wisdom (ḥāḵmâ) and understanding/discernment (bînâ)

vs. 4 says ‘keep my commands (misva), and live’ so the wisdom and understanding are closely tied to following the commands (misvot)

Uses of Hebrew words meaning understand in early chapters of Proverbs:
tabun: 2:2; 2:3; 2:6; 2:11; 3:13; 3:19; 5:1; 5:1; 8:1; 10:23 (undderstanding with intelligence)
bînâ: 1:2; 2:8; 3:5; 4:1; 4:5; 4:7; 7:4; 8:14; 9:6; 9:10; 16:16 (understanding with discernment)

Notice here that the Hebrew word for understanding is different than in Chapter 3. tabun is understanding with intelligence and bînâ us understanding with discernment

Prov. 6:23::
For the commandment (misva) is a lamp, and the law (torah) a light ; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,

Prov. 6:20 is rather telling. It anthropromorphises the commandments and law:
My son, keep your father’s command (misva), and do not forsake the law (torah) of your mother.

Prov. 9:10-11::
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (ḥāḵmâ), and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (bînâ).

For by me your days will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you.

Conclusion: With all of the benefits of following God’s holy commandments why would we not want to do what prospers us. We can follow after grace and say that means I do what I want or we can follow after God’s ways and gain much. The opposite of not following Law is lawlessness. We would never want to promote lawlessness, nor teach others this doctrine from hell. We can certainly look to Messiah for eternal salvation because of his perfect blood sacrifice. We need to couple gaining wisdom to that of keeping the Law. This is where the ways of Yeshua are superior to the letter of the law. If we want to proser in THIS life, not just eternal life, then God’s ways are better.

Next week, God willing, we shall looks specifically at the commandments of Yeshua.

Looking into some Prophetic words spoken by Jeremiah on the fate of Elam (Iran). Attached is a recent YouTube video from Joel Rosenburg. I appreciate those who write much and research much. I do have a check in my spirit over pulling out of context prophesies and applying them for today. We need to see this prophesy in context to judgements also done against the Ammonites, Edom, Damascus, Kedar, and Hazor which are mainly around the modern country of Jordan. Pulling out of context can lead to erroneous conclusions. As example, the ‘unwalled villages’ of Israel spoken about in Ezekiel 38:11-14 can lead to wrong conclusions since walls are common in the modern state of Israel.

Grace is not mercy and mercy not grace. Grace has been defined as unmerited favor and mercy not getting our deserved punishments. We sometimes think grace means I get forgiveness for whatever I do. I can get away with almost anything and still have salvation. That is one view but it is not a very good view. It may earn you a ticket to heaven but certainly not one first class.

So what did Yeshua say about the law?
Matthew 5:18-19:: For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. “Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

What is the complete fulfillment? The gospels were written after Christ’s resurrection from the dead. If that be the fulfillment then Matthew really missed a prime opportunity here to say that which was just fulfilled. Yet we rather seeing him warning the early christians to not ignore any commandment and to not teach others to do likewise. He does not say people will not get into the kingdom but rather they are least in the kingdom. Maybe like being at the back at the great wedding feast.

So what about grace? Some consider it a license to sin but grace really means favor.

Ephesians 2:8-10:: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

So grace is not a stand-alone item. We get favor but then are expected to do something with it (works!). There are works of the law and also the works that the Lord has for us. They can be the same or different. Yeshua worked on Shabbat healing and delivering.

Galatians 3:1-9:: O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”[Gen. 15:6-God’s promise to Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars of the sky] Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”[Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14] So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

Notice the reference to Genesis is before Abraham offering his son up on Mount Moriah. It was before he and Sarah concocting this plan to have Hagar get pregnant and birth Ishmael. Ishmael was technically still Abram’s seed but it was not the plan God had in mind for him. Do you know sometimes we can second guess God’s plans for our lives and royally muck things up. But the good news is that God can still fix up our messes because Ishmael still fathered 12 great nations, the same number as the sons of Jacob. It is interesting that it took another generation for Jacob to father 12 tribes. Isaac fathered Jacob and Esau.

Romans 3:23-25:: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,

Redeam means to purchase back. We redeem coupons for a prize. Christ redeemed us so we can be brought back to right relationship with God. The propitiation is a sort of covering. By definition it is used of the cover of the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies, which was sprinkled with the blood of the expiatory victim on the annual day of atonement

Romans 4:1-8:: What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”[Gen. 15:6]
Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.”[Ps. 32:1-2]

Ps 32:1-2:: A Psalm of David. A Contemplation.[mascil] Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Let’s go back the covenant promise that God made with Abraham:
Gen. 17:10-11:: This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.

This is the sign of the covenant. The faith we find back in Gen. 15:6 related to Abram believing God according the number of his descendants being as many as the stars of the sky. So before Abraham was instructed to circumcise he was already counted as righteous for his belief.

The passage in Romans above shows that faith (belief) is sufficient. The part of Genesis quoted in chapter 15 was after God promised Abram’s descendants to be as numerous as the stars of the sky but well before offering up Isaac as a sacrifice upon the Mountain. Abram faith, however, was not yet perfected because he and Sarah concocted the use of Ismael to create his descendants. Likewise, our faith does not have to be perfect because God is the faithful one thru Christ (Rev. 1:5, 3:14). Abram’s faith did get perfected (completed with testing).

Hebrews 11:17-19:: By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,”[Gen. 21:12] concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

Apostle Paul had to make a stand against the requirement to circumcise Gentile believers. The Judiasers wanted all gentiles circumcised and to follow all of the laws of Moses.

Acts 15:5:: some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

This led to an big debate about accepting uncircumcised Gentiles into the church. The outcome covered a few general rules for the gentiles but was far from requiring them to get circumcised and follow the whole law of Moses. Then there is the arqument that the law is not sin but it points out sin.

Romans 7:8-13:: sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

Law Cannot Save from Sin::
Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.

Titus 3:4-5:: when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

Regeneration shows we are a new creation in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17). It is not the flesh that is regenerated, it is our spirit for flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 15:50). This is good because we don’t want to keep this fragile, sin, sickly body into enternity. Notice it is the washing of regeration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Regeneration washes us clean, both inside and outside. Renewing gives as a new mind and body. In the greek the regeneration and renewal are pretty much synonyms. Finally, I want to say tonight:

Romans 12:2:: do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Finally, let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus … now Christ made Himself of no reputation, took the form of a bondservant, and came in the likeness and appearance of a man.. So let us humble ourselves and be obedient to the point of death, if necessary, and die to our fleshly natures. (Dave’s Paraphrase for use on Phil. 2:6-8).