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Yeshua HaMashiach . . . . . . . . Yahweh's Salvation for the World

Readings and Commentaries
Temple Triennial Cycle      Year 2      Month Elul

 

 


Sabbath Twenty-two (August 10, 2002) 

Shemot (Names): Elleh p'qudey (These are the reckonings), commonly called Exodus 38:21-31   (*Divided for three Torah readers)

1 Amen* 21 This is the number of the things for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were numbered according to the command of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest. 22 Now Bezalel, the son of Uri the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that Yahweh had commanded Moses. 23 And with him was Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and a skillful workman and a weaver in blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and fine linen.

2 Amen* 24 All the gold that was used for the work, in all the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the wave offering, was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 25 And the silver of those of the congregation who were numbered was one hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; 26 a beka a head (that is, half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary), for each one who passed over to those who were numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for 603,550 men.

3 Amen* 27 And the hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the sanctuary and the sockets of the veil; one hundred sockets for the hundred talents, a talent for a socket. 28 And of the 1,775 shekels, he made hooks for the pillars and overlaid their tops and made bands for them. 29 And the bronze of the wave offering was 70 talents, and 2,400 shekels. 30 And with it he made the sockets to the doorway of the tent of meeting, and the bronze altar and its bronze grating, and all the utensils of the altar, 31 and the sockets of the court all around and the sockets of the gate of the court, and all the pegs of the tabernacle and all the pegs of the court all around.

Jeremiah 30:18

18 "Thus says Yahweh, 'Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob and have compassion on his dwelling places; and the city shall be rebuilt on its ruin, and the palace shall stand on its rightful place. 19 'And from them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of those who make merry; and I will multiply them, and they shall not be diminished; I will also honor them, and they shall not be insignificant. 20 'Their children also shall be as formerly, and their congregation shall be established before Me; and I will punish all their oppressors. 21 'And their leader shall be one of them, and their ruler shall come forth from their midst; and I will bring him near, and he shall approach Me; for who would dare to risk his life to approach Me?' declares Yahweh. 22 'And you shall be My people, and I will be your God.'" 23 Behold, the tempest of Yahweh! Wrath has gone forth, a sweeping tempest; it will burst on the head of the wicked. 24 The fierce anger of Yahweh will not turn back, until He has performed, and until He has accomplished the intent of His heart; in the latter days you will understand this.

Psalm 67    For the choir director; with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.

1 God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us-- Selah. 2 That Thy way may be known on the earth, Thy salvation among all nations. 3 Let the peoples praise Thee, O God; let all the peoples praise Thee. 4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for Thou wilt judge the peoples with uprightness, and guide the nations on the earth. Selah. 5 Let the peoples praise Thee, O God; let all the peoples praise Thee. 6 The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God, blesses us. 7 God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth may fear Him.

2 Corinthians 4:1 – 5:19

4:1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, 2 but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Messiah, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves but Messiah Yeshua as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Yeshua’s sake. 6 For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Messiah. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves; 8 we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Yeshua, that the life of Yeshua also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Yeshua’s sake, that the life of Yeshua also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death works in us, but life in you. 13 But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed, therefore I spoke," we also believe, therefore also we speak; 14 knowing that He who raised the Lord Yeshua will raise us also with Yeshua and will present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
5:1 For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven; 3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, shall not be found naked. 4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, in order that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. 6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord-- 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight-- 8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Messiah, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. 12 We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, that you may have an answer for those who take pride in appearance, and not in heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Messiah controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. 16 Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have known Messiah according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore if any man is in Messiah, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Messiah, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Messiah reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Commentary:

King – Priest – Prophet

King: Yeshua, as King, leads us into spiritual prosperity, and rules all things for us in love. Messiah was to be of Israel, a leader and ruler from their midst: (Jer 30:21) ‘And their leader shall be one of them, and their ruler shall come forth from their midst’. . .

(Matthew 1:1) The book of the genealogy of Yeshua the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham (from their midst).

Priest: Yeshua, as Priest, stands before Yahweh for us, making atonements.

(Jeremiah 30:21) He would dare to approach Yahweh, as no other man would (though Moses, in a sense, did so as prophetic type). (V.24) In the latter days, Israel will understand this.

(Jeremiah 30:21) . . .‘and I will bring him near, and he shall approach Me; for who would dare to risk his life to approach Me?' declares Yahweh.’

Exodus 34:1-8 Now Yahweh said to Moses, "Cut out for yourself two stone tablets like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered. "So be ready by morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain. "And no man is to come up with you, nor let any man be seen anywhere on the mountain; even the flocks and the herds may not graze in front of that mountain." So he cut out two stone tablets like the former ones, and Moses rose up early in the morning and went up to Mount Sinai, as Yahweh had commanded him, and he took two stone tablets in his hand. And Yahweh descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of Yahweh. Then Yahweh passed by in front of him and proclaimed, " Yahweh, Yahweh El, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations." And Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship.

(Matthew 1:20-21) an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, . . . you shall call His name Yeshua (Yahweh is Salvation), for it is He who will save His people from their sins.”

Prophet: Yeshua, as Prophet, teaches us His way, that His salvation may be displayed to all the earth.

(Psalm 67:2) That Thy way may be known on the earth, Thy salvation among all nations.

Psalm 67

It is interesting that Psalm 67, which we sing for Rosh Hodesh (New Moon), is the Psalm for the Sabbath that is the (first week of the month) eleventh new moon of the second year of the Torah cycle.

The Psalm has a title and seven lines (shown as eight verses). The seven lines make the seven lampholders of the menorah (traditionally) on David’s shield.

(Psalm 67:title, 1-2) In the Temple, the Levitical orchestra played harps and flutes, and the Levitical choir sang, “God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us-- Selah. That Thy Way (‘I am the Way’ – John 14:6) may be known on the earth, Thy Salvation (Heb. – Yeshua) among all nations”.

Note the symmetry: compare verses 1 & 7, 2 & 6; 3 & 5 are identical.

1.        May Elohim favor us, although we are undeserving (Sforno).
May He bless us – together, as His people.
May He display His luminous countenance upon us – being pleased to grant us His light/understanding, so that we know His will and reflect His glory in our actions.

2.        So that we display His Salvation to all peoples of the earth, making His way known.
(Isaiah 11:9)
The earth shall be full of the knowledge of Yahweh, as the waters cover the sea.

3.        Then the people of all nations will acknowledge Elohim, the Creator and Judge.

4.        The nations will be glad and sing, because Elohim will judge with fairness, and will guide them.

5.        Then the people of all nations will acknowledge Elohim, the Creator and Judge.

6.        The earth has yielded the fruit of the Word of God.
 (John 4:36) The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!
(Matthew 3:10)
Even now the ax of God's judgment is poised, ready to sever your roots. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.

7.        May Elohim bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear Him.

2 Corinthians 4

The Apostolic portion parallels the Psalm.

(V.1-2) Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by making known the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God

(V.15) For all things are for your sakes, that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.


 

Sabbath Twenty-three (August 17, 2002) 

      

Shemot (Names): Vumin ha-techelet (From the blue), commonly called Exodus 39:1-32   (*Divided for seven Torah readers)

1 Amen* 1 Moreover, from the blue and purple and scarlet material, they made finely woven garments for ministering in the holy place, as well as the holy garments which were for Aaron, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 2 And he made the ephod of gold, and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen. 3 Then they hammered out gold sheets and cut them into threads to be woven in with the blue and the purple and the scarlet material, and the fine linen, the work of a skillful workman. 4 They made attaching shoulder pieces for the ephod; it was attached at its two upper ends. 5 And the skillfully woven band which was on it was like its workmanship, of the same material: of gold and of blue and purple and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

2 Amen* 6 And they made the onyx stones, set in gold filigree settings; they were engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel. 7 And he placed them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 8 And he made the breastpiece, the work of a skillful workman, like the workmanship of the ephod: of gold and of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. 9 It was square; they made the breastpiece folded double, a span long and a span wide when folded double. 10 And they mounted four rows of stones on it. The first row was a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald; 11 and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond; 12 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 13 and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were set in gold filigree settings when they were mounted. 14 And the stones were corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel; they were twelve, corresponding to their names, engraved with the engravings of a signet, each with its name for the twelve tribes.

3 Amen* 15 And they made on the breastpiece chains like cords, of twisted cordage work in pure gold. 16 And they made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece. 17 Then they put the two gold cords in the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece. 18 And they put the other two ends of the two cords on the two filigree settings, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it.

4 Amen* 19 And they made two gold rings and placed them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inner edge which was next to the ephod. 20 Furthermore, they made two gold rings and placed them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front of it, close to the place where it joined, above the woven band of the ephod. 21 And they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, that it might be on the woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece might not come loose from the ephod, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

5 Amen* 22 Then he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue; 23 and the opening of the robe was at the top in the center, as the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding all around its opening, that it might not be torn. 24 And they made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material and twisted linen on the hem of the robe. 25 They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around on the hem of the robe, 26 alternating a bell and a pomegranate all around on the hem of the robe, for the service, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

6 Amen* 27 And they made the tunics of finely woven linen for Aaron and his sons, 28 and the turban of fine linen, and the decorated caps of fine linen, and the linen breeches of fine twisted linen, 29 and the sash of fine twisted linen, and blue and purple and scarlet material, the work of the weaver, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

7 Amen* 30 And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and inscribed it like the engravings of a signet, "Holy to Yahweh." 31 And they fastened a blue cord to it, to fasten it on the turban above, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 32 Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was completed; and the sons of Israel did according to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses; so they did.

1 Kings 7:13

13 Now King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre. 14 He was a widow's son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill for doing any work in bronze. So he came to King Solomon and performed all his work. 15 And he fashioned the two pillars of bronze; eighteen cubits was the height of one pillar, and a line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of both. 16 He also made two capitals of molten bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; the height of the one capital was five cubits and the height of the other capital was five cubits. 17 There were nets of network and twisted threads of chainwork for the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital and seven for the other capital. 18 So he made the pillars, and two rows around on the one network to cover the capitals which were on the top of the pomegranates; and so he did for the other capital. 19 And the capitals which were on the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily design, four cubits. 20 And there were capitals on the two pillars, even above and close to the rounded projection which was beside the network; and the pomegranates numbered two hundred in rows around both capitals. 21 Thus he set up the pillars at the porch of the nave; and he set up the right pillar and named it Jachin, and he set up the left pillar and named it Boaz. 22 And on the top of the pillars was lily design. So the work of the pillars was finished. 23 Now he made the sea of cast metal ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was five cubits, and thirty cubits in circumference. 24 And under its brim gourds went around encircling it ten to a cubit, completely surrounding the sea; the gourds were in two rows, cast with the rest. 25 It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east; and the sea was set on top of them, and all their rear parts turned inward. 26 And it was a handbreadth thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, as a lily blossom; it could hold two thousand baths. 27 Then he made the ten stands of bronze; the length of each stand was four cubits and its width four cubits and its height three cubits. 28 And this was the design of the stands: they had borders, even borders between the frames, 29 and on the borders which were between the frames were lions, oxen and cherubim; and on the frames there was a pedestal above, and beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging work. 30 Now each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles, and its four feet had supports; beneath the basin were cast supports with wreaths at each side. 31 And its opening inside the crown at the top was a cubit, and its opening was round like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half; and also on its opening there were engravings, and their borders were square, not round. 32 And the four wheels were underneath the borders, and the axles of the wheels were on the stand. And the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 And the workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel. Their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. 34 Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; its supports were part of the stand itself. 35 And on the top of the stand there was a circular form half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand its stays and its borders were part of it. 36 And he engraved on the plates of its stays and on its borders, cherubim, lions and palm trees, according to the clear space on each, with wreaths all around. 37 He made the ten stands like this: all of them had one casting, one measure and one form. 38 And he made ten basins of bronze, one basin held forty baths; each basin was four cubits, and on each of the ten stands was one basin. 39 Then he set the stands, five on the right side of the house and five on the left side of the house; and he set the sea of cast metal on the right side of the house eastward toward the south. 40 Now Hiram made the basins and the shovels and the bowls. So Hiram finished doing all the work which he performed for King Solomon in the house of Yahweh: 41 the two pillars and the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the two pillars, and the two networks to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; 42 and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each network to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the tops of the pillars; 43 and the ten stands with the ten basins on the stands; 44 and the one sea and the twelve oxen under the sea; 45 and the pails and the shovels and the bowls; even all these utensils which Hiram made for King Solomon in the house of Yahweh were of polished bronze. 46 In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan. 47 And Solomon left all the utensils unweighed, because they were too many; the weight of the bronze could not be ascertained. 48 And Solomon made all the furniture which was in the house of Yahweh: the golden altar and the golden table on which was the bread of the Presence; 49 and the lampstands, five on the right side and five on the left, in front of the inner sanctuary, of pure gold; and the flowers and the lamps and the tongs, of gold; 50 and the cups and the snuffers and the bowls and the spoons and the firepans, of pure gold; and the hinges both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, that is, of the nave, of gold. 51 Thus all the work that King Solomon performed in the house of Yahweh was finished. And Solomon brought in the things dedicated by his father David, the silver and the gold and the utensils, and he put them in the treasuries of the house of Yahweh.

Psalm 68    For the choir director. A Psalm for David. A Song.

1 Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; and let those who hate Him flee before Him. 2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish before God. 3 But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God; yes, let them rejoice with gladness. 4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name; lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts, Whose name is Yahweh, and exult before Him. 5 A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, is God in His holy habitation. 6 God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, only the rebellious dwell in a parched land. 7 O God, when Thou didst go forth before Thy people, when Thou didst march through the wilderness, Selah. 8 The earth quaked; the heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 9 Thou didst shed abroad a plentiful rain, O God; Thou didst confirm Thine inheritance, when it was parched. 10 Thy creatures settled in it; Thou didst provide in Thy goodness for the poor, O God. 11 Yahweh gives the command; the women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host: 12 "Kings of armies flee, they flee, and she who remains at home will divide the spoil!" 13 When you lie down among the sheepfolds, You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver, and its pinions with glistening gold. 14 When the Almighty scattered the kings there, it was snowing in Zalmon. 15 A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan. 16 Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks, at the mountain which God has desired for His abode? Surely, Yahweh will dwell there forever. 17 The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands; Yahweh is among them as at Sinai, in holiness. 18 Thou hast ascended on high, Thou hast led captive Thy captives; Thou hast received gifts among men, even among the rebellious also, that Yahweh God may dwell there. 19 Blessed be Yahweh, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation. Selah. 20 God is to us a God of deliverances; and to God Yahweh belong escapes from death. 21 Surely God will shatter the head of His enemies, the hairy crown of him who goes on in his guilty deeds. 22 Yahweh said, "I will bring them back from Bashan. I will bring them back from the depths of the sea; 23 that your foot may shatter them in blood, the tongue of your dogs may have its portion from your enemies." 24 They have seen Thy procession, O God, The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary. 25 The singers went on, the musicians after them, in the midst of the maidens beating tambourines. 26 Bless God in the congregations, even Yahweh, you who are of the fountain of Israel. 27 There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them, the princes of Judah in their throng, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. 28 Your God has commanded your strength; show Thyself strong, O God, who hast acted on our behalf. 29 Because of Thy temple at Jerusalem Kings will bring gifts to Thee. 30 Rebuke the beasts in the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples, trampling under foot the pieces of silver; He has scattered the peoples who delight in war. 31 Envoys will come out of Egypt; Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God. 32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to Yahweh, Selah. 33 To Him who rides upon the highest heavens, which are from ancient times; behold, He speaks forth with His voice, a mighty voice. 34 Ascribe strength to God; His majesty is over Israel, and His strength is in the skies. 35 O God, Thou art awesome from Thy sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God!

Hebrews 8:1-5

1 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a minister in the sanctuary, and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; hence it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. 4 Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; 5 who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, "See," He says, "that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain."

Commentary:

Today’s portions relate the past, present, and future meanings of the priesthood and Temple.
[See Sabbath #64 for pictures of priest’s garments.]

The Torah portion tells of the priest’s garments, prepared for service in the Tabernacle, the place where God met with man, which is representative of this present life. The Haftarah portion tells of the furnishings being completed for the Temple of the Holy One, the place for God to meet with man, representative of the future renewed earth. Both the Tabernacle and Temple were earthly models of the eternal heavenly Temple. The Psalm speaks of the awesomeness of God as seen from His sanctuary – the Tabernacle or Temple. The Apostolic portion speaks of our High Priest Yeshua, in the heavenly Temple.

In the earthly models, Levitical priests offered sacrifices for sin, and thanksgiving offerings. Yeshua, who is our priest – after Malchi Tzedek, not the Levites – has made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins: the sacrifice that all the earthly animals pictured, and will picture in future sacrifices.

Ezekiel 45 gives commandment concerning how future sacrifices and offerings are to be performed. It is important, for understanding God’s Word, that we see that animal sacrifices never took away sin (“For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” Hebrews 10:4): they were pictures of Yeshua, and in the future will still be valid pictures of Yeshua. The Passover sacrifice of Tabernacle times was intended to picture Yeshua’s future crucifixion; and after Yeshua’s work was accomplished, was to be a memorial picture of Yeshua’s crucifixion (“Do this in remembrance of Me” – 1 Corinthians 11:24). The past picture of what He was to do in the then-unseen future, will still be a valid future picture of what He did in the now-unseen past. The fulfillment of the crucifixion, which could only be seen for a brief moment, did not negate the usefulness of pictures to promote understanding and remembrance of its application to us.

When the Tabernacle was traveling in the wilderness, as the Ark moved, Moses said, (Numbers 10:36) “Arise, Yahweh! Let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You”. But in Temple times, which picture God’s permanent restoration of earth, the Psalm says, (v.1-3) “Let Elohim (the Creator-Judge) arise! Let His enemies be scattered, and let His enemies flee before Him.” And, “Let the wicked perish in the face of Elohim.” Smoke or vapor symbolize the haughty man, whose pride drives him to higher and higher toward power and riches, only to have it dispersed as he perishes. So, for the present we see the grace of Yahweh, in patience; but in the end, the judgment of Elohim, taking vengeance.

We have a God – Yahweh – Who deals with us in grace. He is loving toward us, working all things together for our good – even if it doesn’t always feel good to us. We can rest in Him, assured that He cares for us. Some of us have a hard time ‘feeling’ that we really have such a God. It isn’t a matter of us feeling lovey-dovey about God, but knowing that He created us for His glory, and is leading us to our final state. Today’s Psalm reads, (V.19-20) “Blessed be Yahweh, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation. Selah. God is to us a God of deliverances; and to El Yahweh belong escapes from death.” We should note here, that His “deliverances” are from sin, resulting in our “escapes from death.”

But for those who have no part with Yeshua, it is not so. There is a judgment coming, where none can stand on his own before a Holy God.

In the last part of today’s Psalm, we are seen by God’s enemies, as we enter with a procession into the Temple: (v.24-26) “They have seen Thy procession, O God, The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary. The singers went on, the musicians after them, in the midst of the maidens beating tambourines. Bless God in the congregations, even Yahweh, you who are of the fountain of Israel.”

And once we are inside the Temple, it is: (v.35) O God, Thou art awesome from Thy sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God!”

Then the Apostolic portion gives fitting conclusion: (Hebrews 8:1-2) “Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary, and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.” We have a high priest, who makes atonements for our sin. He is clothed in glory and light, and sits in the heavenly Temple. We have a savior Who loved us enough to go to an agonizing death for us, and lives to lead us to walk with Him, and is coming back to rule a perfected creation.



Sabbath Twenty-four (August 24, 2002) 

Shemot (Names): Vayaviyu et haMishkan (They brought the Tabernacle), commonly called Exodus 39:33 – 40:38   (*Divided for seven Torah readers)

1 Amen* 33 And they brought the Tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings: its clasps, its boards, its bars, and its pillars and its sockets; 34 and the covering of rams' skins dyed red, and the covering of porpoise skins, and the screening veil; 35 the ark of the testimony and its poles and the mercy seat; 36 the table, all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence; 37 the pure gold lampstand, with its arrangement of lamps and all its utensils, and the oil for the light; 38 and the gold altar, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the veil for the doorway of the tent; 39 the bronze altar and its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils, the laver and its stand; 40 the hangings for the court, its pillars and its sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords and its pegs and all the equipment for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; 41 the woven garments for ministering in the holy place and the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests.

2 Amen* 42 So the sons of Israel did all the service according to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses. 43 And Moses examined all the service and behold, they had done it; just as Yahweh had commanded, this they had done. So Moses blessed them.

40:1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "On the first day of the first month you shall set up the Tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 3 "And you shall place the ark of the testimony there, and you shall screen the ark with the veil. 4 "And you shall bring in the table and arrange what belongs on it; and you shall bring in the lampstand and mount its lamps. 5 "Moreover, you shall set the gold altar of incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the veil for the doorway to the Tabernacle. 6 "And you shall set the altar of burnt offering in front of the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 7 "And you shall set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 8 "And you shall set up the court all around and hang up the veil for the gateway of the court.

3 Amen* 9 "Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the Tabernacle and all that is in it, and shall consecrate it and all its furnishings; and it shall be holy. 10 "And you shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar; and the altar shall be most holy. 11 "And you shall anoint the laver and its stand, and consecrate it. 12 "Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 13 "And you shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may minister as a priest to Me. 14 "And you shall bring his sons and put tunics on them; 15 and you shall anoint them even as you have anointed their father, that they may minister as priests to Me; and their anointing shall qualify them for a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations."

4 Amen* 16 Thus Moses did; according to all that Yahweh had commanded him, so he did. 17 Now it came about in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, that the Tabernacle was erected. 18 And Moses erected the tabernacle and laid its sockets, and set up its boards, and inserted its bars and erected its pillars. 19 And he spread the tent over the Tabernacle and put the covering of the tent on top of it, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 20 Then he took the testimony and put it into the ark, and attached the poles to the ark, and put the mercy seat on top of the ark. 21 And he brought the ark into the Tabernacle, and set up a veil for the screen, and screened off the ark of the testimony, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

5 Amen* 22 Then he put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil. 23 And he set the arrangement of bread in order on it before Yahweh, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 24 Then he placed the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle. 25 And he lighted the lamps before Yahweh, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 26 Then he placed the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the veil; 27 and he burned fragrant incense on it, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

6 Amen* 28 Then he set up the veil for the doorway of the Tabernacle. 29 And he set the altar of burnt offering before the doorway of the Tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the elevation offering and the meal offering (tamid), just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 30 And he placed the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing. 31 And from it Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. 32 When they entered the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses. 33 And he erected the court all around the Tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the veil for the gateway of the court.

7 Amen* Thus Moses finished the work. 34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of Yahweh filled the Tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of Yahweh filled the Tabernacle. 36 And throughout all their journeys whenever the cloud was taken up from over the Tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out; 37 but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up. 38 For throughout all their journeys, the cloud of Yahweh was on the Tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.

Isaiah 33:20 – 34:8

20 Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; your eyes shall see Jerusalem an undisturbed habitation, a tent which shall not be folded, its stakes shall never be pulled up nor any of its cords be torn apart. 21 But there the Majestic One, Yahweh, shall be for us a place of rivers and wide canals, on which no boat with oars shall go, and on which no mighty ship shall pass-- 22 for Yahweh is our judge, Yahweh is our lawgiver, Yahweh is our king; He will save us-- 23 your tackle hangs slack; it cannot hold the base of its mast firmly, nor spread out the sail. Then the prey of an abundant spoil will be divided; the lame will take the plunder. 24 And no resident will say, "I am sick"; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.

34:1 Draw near, O nations, to hear; and listen, O peoples! Let the earth and all it contains hear, and the world and all that springs from it. 2 For Yahweh's indignation is against all the nations, and His wrath against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to slaughter. 3 So their slain will be thrown out, and their corpses will give off their stench, and the mountains will be drenched with their blood. 4 And all the host of heaven will wear away, and the sky will be rolled up like a scroll; all their hosts will also wither away as a leaf withers from the vine, or as one withers from the fig tree. 5 For My sword is satiated in heaven, behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom, and upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction. 6 The sword of Yahweh is filled with blood, it is sated with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For Yahweh has a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom. 7 Wild oxen shall also fall with them, and young bulls with strong ones; thus their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust become greasy with fat. 8 For Yahweh has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.

Psalm 69    For the choir director; according to Shoshannim. A Psalm for David.

1 Save me, O God, for the waters have threatened my life. 2 I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me. 3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched; my eyes fail while I wait for my God. 4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies, what I did not steal, I then have to restore. 5 O God, it is Thou who dost know my folly, and my wrongs are not hidden from Thee. 9 For zeal for Thy house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach Thee have fallen on me. 10 When I wept in my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. 11 When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. 12 Those who sit in the gate talk about me, and I am the song of the drunkards. 13 But as for me, my prayer is to Thee, O Yahweh, at an acceptable time; O God, in the greatness of Thy lovingkindness, answer me with Thy saving truth. 14 Deliver me from the mire, and do not let me sink; may I be delivered from my foes, and from the deep waters. 15 May the flood of water not overflow me, and may the deep not swallow me up, and may the pit not shut its mouth on me. 16 Answer me, O Yahweh, for Thy lovingkindness is good; according to the greatness of Thy compassion, turn to me, 17 and do not hide Thy face from Thy servant, for I am in distress; answer me quickly. 18 Oh draw near to my soul and redeem it; ransom me because of my enemies! 19 Thou dost know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor; all my adversaries are before Thee. 20 Reproach has broken my heart, and I am so sick. And I looked for sympathy, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. 21 They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. 22 May their table before them become a snare; and when they are in peace, may it become a trap. 23 May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see, and make their loins shake continually. 24 Pour out Thine indignation on them, and may Thy burning anger overtake them. 25 May their camp be desolate; may none dwell in their tents. 26 For they have persecuted Him whom Thou Thyself hast smitten, and they tell of the pain of those whom Thou hast wounded. 27 Do Thou add iniquity to their iniquity, and may they not come into Thy righteousness. 28 May they be blotted out of the book of life, and may they not be recorded with the righteous. 29 But I am afflicted and in pain; may Thy salvation, O God, set me securely on high. 30 I will praise the name of God with song, and shall magnify Him with thanksgiving. 31 And it will please Yahweh better than an ox or a young bull with horns and hoofs. 32 The humble have seen it and are glad; you who seek God, let your heart revive. 33 For Yahweh hears the needy, and does not despise His who are prisoners. 34 Let heaven and earth praise Him, The seas and everything that moves in them. 35 For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it. 36 And the descendants of His servants will inherit it, and those who love His name will dwell in it.

Revelation 15

1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished. 2 And I saw, as it were, a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had come off victorious from the beast and from his image and from the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. 3 And they sang the song of Moses the bond-servant of God and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and marvelous are Thy works, O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are Thy ways, Thou King of the nations. 4 "Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou alone art holy; for all the nations will come and worship before Thee, for Thy righteous acts have been revealed." 5 After these things I looked, and the Temple of the Tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened, 6 and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the Temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their breasts with golden girdles. 7 And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. 8 And the Temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the Temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

Commentary:

(V.1) They brought the Tabernacle to Moses. All of the pieces were brought to Moses.

(V.42-43) So the sons of Israel did all the service (avodah) according to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses. And Moses examined all the service and behold, they had done it; just as Yahweh had commanded, this they had done. So Moses blessed them: “And let the favor of Yahweh our God be upon us; and do confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands” – Psalm 90:17.

Within ten months of receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai, the Tabernacle was completed. The work of building the Tabernacle was called service (avodah), the same word as for offering a sacrifice. (Hebrews 12:25-29) We are to “offer acceptable service, with reverence and awe,” by not refusing Him who is speaking. For He whose voice then shook the earth at Mt. Sinai, will in the future shake also the heavens, such that only those with an acceptable offering will remain.

(V.40:17) Now it came about on the first day of the first month of the second year, that the Tabernacle was erected. Moses set up the Tabernacle. He anointed the Tabernacle and all of its furnishings. Then Aaron and Aaron’s sons went through a mikvah (baptistery), and Moses anointed them. Thereby, all of this was dedicated to the service of Yahweh.

Next, Moses lit the lamps of the menorah, and burned incense on the golden altar. Then he offered the first of the continual elevation offering: in the morning, (the tamid) a year-old lamb, and a large loaf of unleavened bread made from fine wheat flour and olive oil, were burned so that the aroma would ascend to the heavens. So, Moses initiated all that the priests were to perform. Henceforth, this would be done daily for most of fourteen centuries – until the destruction of the Temple about forty years after Yeshua’s crucifixion – to be resumed when the Temple is rebuilt according to Ezekiel 45 

Then Moses set up the courtyard around the Tabernacle, and the laver for Aaron and his sons to wash before entering the Holy Place.

When all was completed, God confirmed their service according to Moses’ blessing: (v.34-35) “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of Yahweh filled the Tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of Yahweh filled the Tabernacle.”

(V.38) Throughout all their journeys, the cloud of Yahweh was on the Tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.

“In the sight of all the house of Israel”: (Isaiah 33:20-21) “Look upon Zion . . .; your eyes shall see Jerusalem an undisturbed habitation, a tent which shall not be folded, its stakes shall never be pulled up nor any of its cords be torn apart. But there the Majestic One, Yahweh, shall be for us . . .”.

This was prophesied at the middle of the first Temple period, 700 years after the Tabernacle was established. In another 700 years, John would amplify this prophecy.

Apparently, about 2000 years after John, the prophecies will be fulfilled. (Revelation 15): Some real latter-day saints are going to be singing the Song of Moses (Micha-mocha), and the real Tabernacle / Temple (that the earthly ones picture) is going to be opened in heaven. And, as Moses could not enter the Tabernacle because of the glory of God, then no one is going to be able to enter the heavenly because of the smoke from the glory of God and from His power – in the latter case, until the seven angels pour out their seven last plagues.

Then this latter-day Tabernacle will come down to the earth. (Isaiah 33:20) It is called the City of our appointed Feasts – the eternal Feasts of Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits (Pentecost), and Tabernacles. It is called a tent that shall not be folded. Therein will reside the Majestic One. (V.36) “And those who love His Name will dwell in it.” (Revelation 21:3-4) This Tabernacle of God is where God will dwell among us, and we shall be His people, and He will be our God. Former things will have passed away, and all things will be new.

But this is for those who have been given to love His promised coming, not those who live for the love of pleasure.
(2 Timothy 4:8) “In the future there is laid up for me (Paul) the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
(Titus 2:11-15) For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority.

Those who built the Tabernacle were performing the service (avodah) of God. They loved the promise of God’s presence.

_____________________

To go back to Psalm 69:

This is a Messianic Psalm. It relates not only to David, but to the then-future crucifixion of Yeshua. It is about Yeshua performing the priestly service of God. It is as though Yeshua were saying this from the cross – and part of it He did.
 (V.3-4 – see John 15:25
) “I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched; my eyes fail while I wait for my God. Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies.”
(V.6-8) “May those who wait for Thee not be ashamed through me, O Yahweh God of hosts; may those who seek Thee not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel, because for Thy sake I have borne reproach; dishonor has covered my face. I have become estranged from my brothers, and an alien to my mother's sons.”
(V.9 – quoted in John 2:17) “For zeal for Thy house has consumed me.”
(V.15 – see Matthew 12:11) “May the pit not shut its mouth on me.”
(V.21 – see Matthew 27:34, 48) “They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”

(V.31) And this service will please Yahweh better than animal offerings.

 



Sabbath Twenty-five (August 31, 2002) 

On the Sabbath preceding the New Year (AM 5763) we begin Leviticus

Yayiqra (And He called) – the book: Vayiqra (And He called) – the portion commonly called Leviticus 1:1 - 2:16

1 Amen* 1 Then Yahweh called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 2 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When any man  of you brings an offering to Yahweh, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock. 3 'If his offering is an elevation offering  from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before Yahweh. 4 'And he shall lay his hand on the head of the elevation offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf. 5 'And he shall slay the young bull before Yahweh; and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall offer up the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 6 'He shall then skin the elevation offering and cut it into its pieces.

2 Amen* 7 'And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8 'Then Aaron's sons, the priests, shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the suet over the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. 9 'Its entrails, however, and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer up in smoke all of it on the altar for an elevation offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh.

3 Amen* 10 'But if his offering is from the flock, of the sheep or of the goats, for a burnt offering, he shall offer it a male without defect. 11 'And he shall slay it on the side of the altar northward before Yahweh, and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar. 12 'He shall then cut it into its pieces with its head and its suet, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. 13 'The entrails, however, and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer all of it, and offer it up in smoke on the altar; it is an elevation offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh.

4 Amen* 14 'But if his offering to Yahweh is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering from the turtledoves or from young pigeons. 15 'And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head, and offer it up in smoke on the altar; and its blood is to be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 'He shall also take away its crop with its feathers, and cast it beside the altar eastward, to the place of the ashes. 17 'Then he shall tear it by its wings, but shall not sever it. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar on the wood which is on the fire; it is an elevation offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh.

5 Amen* 2:1 'Now when anyone presents a grain offering as an offering to Yahweh, his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it. 2 'He shall then bring it to Aaron's sons, the priests; and shall take from it his handful of its fine flour and of its oil with all of its frankincense. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke as its memorial portion on the altar, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh. 3 'And the remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons: a thing most holy, of the offerings to Yahweh by fire. 4 'Now when you bring an offering of a grain offering baked in an oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers spread with oil. 5 'And if your offering is a grain offering made on the griddle, it shall be of fine flour, unleavened, mixed with oil; 6 you shall break it into bits, and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. 7 'Now if your offering is a grain offering made in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.

6 Amen* 8 'When you bring in the grain offering which is made of these things to Yahweh, it shall be presented to the priest and he shall bring it to the altar. 9 'The priest then shall take up from the grain offering its memorial portion, and shall offer it up in smoke on the altar as an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh. 10 'And the remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons: a thing most holy, of the offerings to Yahweh by fire. 11 'No grain offering, which you bring to Yahweh, shall be made with leaven, for you shall not offer up in smoke any leaven or any honey as an offering by fire to Yahweh.

7 Amen* 12 'As an offering of first fruits, you shall bring them to Yahweh, but they shall not ascend for a soothing aroma on the altar. 13 'Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt, so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt. 14 'Also if you bring a grain offering of early ripened things to Yahweh, you shall bring fresh heads of grain roasted in the fire, grits of new growth, for the grain offering of your early ripened things. 15 'You shall then put oil on it and lay incense on it; it is a grain offering. 16 'And the priest shall offer up in smoke its memorial portion, part of its grits and its oil with all its incense as an offering by fire to Yahweh.

Isaiah 43:21
"The people whom I formed for Myself, will declare My praise.

Jeremiah 31:19
'For after I turned back, I repented; and after I was instructed, I smote on my thigh; I was ashamed, and also humiliated, because I bore the reproach of my youth.'

Micah 6:9 – 7:8
9 The voice of Yahweh will call to the city-- and it is sound wisdom to fear Thy name: "Hear, O tribe. Who has appointed its time? 10 "Is there yet a man in the wicked house, along with treasures of wickedness, and a short measure that is cursed? 11 "Can I justify wicked scales and a bag of deceptive weights? 12 "For the rich men of the city are full of violence, her residents speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. 13 "So also I will make you sick, striking you down, desolating you because of your sins. 14 "You will eat, but you will not be satisfied, and your vileness will be in your midst. You will try to remove for safekeeping, but you will not preserve anything, and what you do preserve I will give to the sword. 15 "You will sow but you will not reap. You will tread the olive but will not anoint yourself with oil; and the grapes, but you will not drink wine. 16 "The statutes of Omri and all the works of the house of Ahab are observed; and in their devices you walk. Therefore, I will give you up for destruction and your inhabitants for derision, and you will bear the reproach of My people."

7:1 Woe is me! For I am like the fruit pickers and the grape gatherers. There is not a cluster of grapes to eat, or a first-ripe fig which I crave. 2 The godly person has perished from the land, and there is no upright person among men. All of them lie in wait for bloodshed; each of them hunts the other with a net. 3 Concerning evil, both hands do it well. The prince asks, also the judge, for a bribe, and a great man speaks the desire of his soul; so they weave it together. 4 The best of them is like a briar, the most upright like a thorn hedge. The day when you post a watchman, your punishment will come. Then their confusion will occur. 5 Do not trust in a neighbor; do not have confidence in a friend. From her who lies in your bosom guard your lips. 6 For son treats father contemptuously, daughter rises up against her mother, daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own household. 7 But as for me, I will watch expectantly for Yahweh; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. 8 Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; though I dwell in darkness, Yahweh is a light for me.

Psalm 70    For the choir director. A Psalm for David; for a memorial.
1 O God, hasten to deliver me; O Yahweh, hasten to my help! 2 Let those be ashamed and humiliated who seek my life; let those be turned back and dishonored who delight in my hurt. 3 Let those be turned back because of their shame who say, "Aha, aha!" 4 Let all who seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee; and let those who love Thy salvation say continually, "Let God be magnified." 5 But I am afflicted and needy; hasten to me, O God! Thou art my help and my deliverer; O Yahweh, do not delay.

1 Corinthians 3:1-23
1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Messiah. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? 4 For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not mere men? 5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it. 11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Yeshua the Messiah. 12 Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If any man's work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire. 16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. 18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become foolish that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, "He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness"; 20 and again, "The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless." 21 So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, 23 and you belong to Messiah; and Messiah belongs to God.

Commentary:

In the Book of Exodus, we saw the completion of the Tabernacle. It was to serve as the resting place of God among men, and His glory filled the house. It was the depository for the ark with the stone tablets, the place from which the Word of God was to emanate to all the earth. It was the place for men to come to be elevated to heavenly purpose.

The final destination of the Tabernacle, in Jerusalem, was to be the source, for all the world, of spiritual light and prophecy and judgment. Neither Salt Lake City nor Abilene Texas was ever proclaimed by God to be the source of prophecy. Neither a past Christian Europe nor America was ever proclaimed to be the source of prophecy. “The Torah shall go forth from Zion, and the Word of Yahweh from Jerusalem!” Yeshua and the Apostles were prophets of Jerusalem.

Only to the Tabernacle or later Temple in Jerusalem could men go to fulfill the Torah picture and offer themselves to God for purification and service. Only to the Temple of the Holy One in heaven can we go to seek cleansing through a risen-ascended Yeshua, to fulfill the purpose of service for which we were created. We are to make ourselves an offering, by dedicating ourselves unreservedly to God.

Elevation Offerings

 (V.2) “When any man (adam) of you brings himself as an offering (olahto come near, be elevated) to Yahweh” – the name Yahweh, rather than Elohim, is always used in relationship to offerings: God’s attribute of mercy, rather than judgment, relates to the offerings. The person bringing the offering must lean with both hands upon the head of the animal, thereby dedicating his strength and purpose to God. He then either confesses the specific sin for which he is seeking atonement, states the specific spiritual goal which he desires, or offers praise to Yahweh.

The animal is a substitute for the bringer, prefiguring Yeshua – who is the antitype substitute (Ephesians 5:2). It goes up (is elevated) in smoke as a sweet aroma to God, representing the man being elevated to heavenly stature or purpose.

Animal Elevation Offerings (in descending order of what one could afford):
(V.1:3) Elevation offering from herd (bull – from large domestic cattle)
(V.10) Elevation offering from flock (lamb or kid goat)
(V.14) Elevation offering from birds (turtledove or dove)
The dove is a bird of the pigeon family recognized by is cooing cry. The turtledove is a sub-group known for its devotion to its mate and to its young. These birds were raised in dome-shaped caves in northern Israel: one can visit these caves today and see the pigeon-holes all around the large rooms.

Grain Elevation Offerings (This is the offering of the poor, and is as though one offered his soul.):
A “soul” (nephesh) may bring a grain offering (minchah), made of unleavened finely ground wheat flour, olive oil, salt, with granules of hardened frankincense (an aromatic tree resin). Grain, the staple of human diet, represents our very existence being dependent upon God. Oil symbolizes comfort and healing, and frankincense represents joy and satisfaction; salt symbolizes God’s immutable covenant, because it preserves. No leaven or fruit-honey is allowed. The soul’s service should not be sluggish (represented by the slow action of leaven), nor should it be reduced by pursuit of pleasure (represented by adding the sweetness of honey).

These offerings were brought by someone desiring to overcome traits such as anger, jealousy, greed, or cynicism.

Cooked offerings are made as ten cakes or wafers, then broken into crumbs. “Threefingersful” (kometz) of the grain offering and all of the frankincense are burned on the altar as the memorial portion. The remainder may be eaten only inside the courtyard by priests.

(V.2:1) Grain offering – uncooked:
                wheat flour mixed with oil is salted and offered with frankincense.
(V.4) Grain offering baked in oven:
                wheat flour is kneaded with water, cakes mixed with oil or wafers spread with oil after baking,
                salted and offered with frankincense.
(V.5) Grain offering fried on griddle:
                wheat flour is kneaded with water, wafers mixed with oil, broken into bits and spread with oil,
                salted and offered with frankincense.
(V.7) Grain offering deep-fried in pan:
                wheat flour is kneaded with water, cakes mixed with oil, then cooked in oil,
                salted and offered with frankincense.

Firstfruit Offering on Waving Day

(This wave offering is not a “sheaf” of grain, and the day is neither the “Feast of ” nor “Day of ”  Firstfruits.)

(V.14) Omer of barley flour (for second day of unleavened bread):
                plump kernels of barley are parched over a fire, then ground and sifted into fine flour.
                It is mixed with oil, salted, and sprinkled with grains of hardened frankincense.
                It was waved before Yahweh.
                (An omer is a unit of dry measurement, and equals approximately three to six quarts of flour, depending upon the system of measurement.)
_______________

Paul said to the Corinthian church, “I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Messiah. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly.

If we are to become “spiritual,” we must become elevated beyond greed, hedonism, jealousy, cliquishness, exalting men, profaneness, etc. In today’s religious world, the Torah offerings are mostly ignored as irrelevant; so also are spiritual attributes ignored as unnecessary – even undesirable. Who wants to overcome this world’s manner of seeking riches and power and pleasure? Who seeks the good of others more than his own? Who desires even this milk of God’s Word, much less meat?

The offerings are the Torah basis for so much of what Paul taught; but in ignoring them, we lose the foundation of much basic Christian/Messianic

    


     

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