BECHUKKOTAI
Leviticus 26:3 – 27:24
Please Pray this
Prayer
First before reading.
In the name
of Yahushua
Our Messiyah,
I pray for the Spirit of Understanding
The Spirit of Knowledge and
The Spirit of Wisdom
As I read
through this Parashas.
This Torah Portion Becchukotai means “In my
statutes” and it appears in the first verse of the reading, which generally
promise good things if the Torah is followed and negativity if Spiritual
principle are not followed, Deut 28: 1 -14, 15 – 68.
Parashas begins with the Heavenly blessings
that await the Yisraelites people if they live up to the covenant which יהוה have given to them, in
order for them to receive the Shekinah.
The only reason we study Torah, is to learn
the Ten luminous or commandments, and within those ten are 612 specific commandments. Why do we need to learn them, it is to come to ultimate state of
understanding. The ultimate state of knowledge is to come to the understanding
that we really do not know anything, that no matter what we have learned so
far, it is nothing compared to true understanding.
The only way our spiritual work actually
reveals Light is if we diminish our Ego in everything hat we do, that the
purpose of all our spiritual work is this consciousness of lowering ourselves.
When we look at the way nature works, on the
trees and other vegetation as they grow from a mere seed. The light of growth
exists in all the earth, but there has to be a diminished of the light in a
specific point, a deterioration of the shell around the seed before it can draw
all the Light of growth from the earth and become a plant. The same is true for
our spiritual life, if we are doing our work properly, it feels as if we are in
a endless competition as every tree in the forest fight to breaking through many
difference layers before reaching the light.
The majority of humanity do not know that we
are in a spiritual struggle as the plant in a forest is in a struggle for
light. However, our social structure use that competitive desire within us to
focus on the wrong set of criteria, to advance in this world, instead of in the
world to come.
I often tell people that knowing that we do
not know, does not refers to Torah studies, but to who we are. We are gods with
an ego, and it is the reprogramming of our ego which is of importance to us. It
is the reprogramming of our ego, the diminishing of our ego, why spiritual
rules were made. These rules when apply to the physical sense make no sence to
us, but as we work within them, we must be aware that whatever progress we have
made, there is still along distance to go.
A the core
and purpose of our spiritual growth, what we need to understand is that
we may have accomplish some ground, in comparison to what the CREATOR has in
store for us, we still have along way to go. If we see our spiritual work as
nothing, we have done a lot. Why? Because this is a sign of how much we have
grown.
The point I wish to make is this! Sometimes
we think of reducing the influence of our ego, the desire to receive, as a nice
addition to our spiritual development. However, if the purpose of diminishing
our ego is not at the heart of our spiritual life, them we have accomplish
nothing.
As believers we need to be very careful to
avoid the traps of religious thing, the thinking that all progress must be
outward. This state of mind is not spiritual accurate, for the level of
surrender comes from the level of sacrifice and bring with it tremendous joy
and inspiration.
By minimizing our self importance we make
room for the Holy Spirit to join us, so that this sense that our journey is
endless is accompanied by sheer delight in that journey, and when we feel this
way, it is a sure sign that we are growing.
The Statues we learn in chapter 23, represent
a particular harvest day in the Land of Yisrael, when we celebrate these day,
we might not see the spiritual growth, however, certain spiritual blessing is
ascribe to everyone who by faith in Messiyah Yahushua celebrate these days.
This story evolves into the description the
admonition, a sobering account of punishment, and curses that will be the
inevitable outcome of any attempt to violate the terms of the Covenant.
Although EL YAHVEH mercy is display in El
Yahushua Grace preventing all of these curses to overcome the believer who
sins. This Grace is given to all Hebrew people who believe that El Yahushua is
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the Earth.
A careful examination of the history of the
Church, we will see that those who believe in El Yahushua and keep his
Commandments were regularly persecuted, up until the year 324, when the church
became the religion of choice for the Roman Empire.
The Church was promise, fame, and fortune if
they violate the terms of the Covenant, and security from human persecution.
That is why the Shekinah was never seen in any church since then.
The blessing that EL YAHVEH promise in this Parasha,
are still in store for those who choose to be obedient to the terms of the
Covenant. El Yahushua improved on the original Covenant Moses negotiate between
ABBA YAHVEH and the Hebrew people at Mount Sinai, when He died on the Cross.
The terms and condition of this new covenant are seen plainly in what we call
today the renewed Covenant.
But the essence of the Covenant at Mount
Sinai can still be seen in the application of the Principles of the Renewed
Covenant.
The long list of blessing describe in verse 3
– 13 and the even longer list of curse verse 14 – 43 which was again repeated
in deut 28, could be misunderstood as an indication that there are many more
curses than blessing. Actually, the blessing are given in general terms, and
are therefore brief; the curse, however, are given in greater detail, because
they are intended to awe the people into obedience to יהוה command.
This commentary will explain in spiritual
term the meaning of the physical blessing, such as military victory, and
prosperity that are describe in this Parashas.
The blessing and curses are all result of an
inward spiritual manifestation. Since EL YAHVEH is the King of the Spiritual
Kingdom, there is a spiritual and a physical blessing and curses that are
associated with obedience to the Covenant.
The physical blessing, is to help us achieve
the lofty spiritual heights require for us to reach maturity. It is easier for a
physical fit person to clime a mountain that a man with a physical deformity,
such a one leg.
Material blessing are hardly the primary
reward nor is material deprivations the primary punishment; only in the World
to Come and Gehinnom can there be adequate reward and punishment.
A person who enjoys good health, prosperity,
and security finds it much easier to perform the commandments that will elevate
him spiritually. Therefore יהוה assures us that the person who serves Him with sincerity
and joy will be granted all the blessings of this world and the one to come.
Conversely, one who rebels will be punished with deprivation in this world so
that it will be difficult for him to perform the commandments and earn a share
in the World to Come.
Lev 26:3 ‘If you walk in My laws and guard
My commands, and shall do them, - If we believe in El
Yahushua “Jesus Christ” and walk in יהוה Laws and make an effort
to keep them, there is a reward. El Yahushua is the visa into the Kingdom; now
that we are in that Kingdom we must earn our right to remain in that Kingdom by
following the Constitution of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of Heavens has a
representative to looks for people to fulfill certain role in the Kingdom, He
is like a headhunter. It is those who past the test, those who fulfilled the
terms of the Covenant, who will be chosen for the prime, position in the
Kingdom to come.
This headhunter is El Yahushua, who Himself
have past the test absolutely perfect, that is why He has the Best Position
Possible in the Kingdom, the Second in Command to the King Himself, He sits at
the Right Hand of יהוה.
If we follow the terms of the Covenant by
engaging in intensive Torah study, with the intention that such study will lead
believers to observing the Commandments, and if we actually do perform them, we
will merit the blessings given in the following verse.
Lev 26:4 then I shall give you rain in its
season, and the land shall yield its crops, and the trees of the field yield
their fruit. – As rain is essential at the different stage
of the growth of the wheat. Light rain is needed for the freshly planted seed,
medium rain for the plain as it began to grow, and heavy rain for a plant that
have a establish root system.
The promise in this verse is that anyone who
believes in El Yahushua will be granted the appropriate spiritual rain, for
their level of spiritual maturity, as they embark on serious Torah Study. This
rain is the level of the Spirit of Understanding; we will receive during each
Torah study.
Rains are needed not only to irrigate crops.
They affect the climate and water supply, and, consequently, human health. The
blessing will be so inclusive that the rains will come at times when they will
not inconvenience people, such as the evening of the Sabbath, when believer are
not traveling.
Lev 26:5 ‘And your threshing shall last till
the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last till the time
of sowing. And you shall eat your bread until you have enough, and shall dwell
in your land safely. – This prosperity will be so complete that
believer will still be busy threshing your wheat when the time for comes to
harvest the grapes, and we will still be occupied with your vintage crop, when
the time comes to sow next year’s grain.
The verse stress that constant activity is
part of the blessing. When people are busy, they will feel spiritually
fulfilled, and their spiritual health will be better, as the verse says, you
will dwells securely in your land. But when believers are idle, they seek
amusement and stimulation somewhere else, example TV with its spiritual
contamination effects.
Those who disobey, will travel from church to
church, losing the discipline of home, routine, and the spiritual community.
This increases the dangers of participating in sinful activity.
Lev 26:6 ‘And I shall give peace in the
land, and you shall lie down and no one make you afraid. And I shall clear the
land of evil beasts, and not let the sword go through your land. – One of the reasons why there is a lack of peace over a land is deu to the
lack of the Holy Spirit. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is peace. The
spirit that is over a country will determine the fruit of the Spirit it will
produce.
When we keep the Terms of the Covenant, the
Spirit of the Covenant will be upon us, and love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, trustworthiness, gentleness, and self-control, will be the
predominant activity in that land.
Lev 26:7 ‘And you shall pursue your enemies,
and they shall fall by the sword before you. –
The exploit of our enemies will be foiled in its planning stage, we will
maintain superiority over them at all times.
Lev 26:8 ‘And five of you shall pursue a
hundred, and a hundred of you pursue ten thousand. And your enemies shall fall
by the sword before you. – This verse stress that when the believers
are united under in serving EL YAHVEH, the more we unite the more effective we
will be. If 5 can 100, a ratio of 1:20, then if we have 100 can chase 10,000, a
ratio of 1:100. In essence the effectiveness of the redeem community, would
increase exponentially.
Lev 26:9 ‘And I shall turn to you and make
you bear fruit, and shall increase you, and shall establish My covenant with
you. – The determining factor that will cause EL
YAHVEH to return to us is when we accept His Son El Yahushua as our Redeemer.
He has sent us the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost after His accession to Heavens,
to help us understand the Spirit of Torah. It is this continuous relying on the
Holy Spirit to help us that will help us to produce the fruit of the Spirit in
our lives.
As a natural tree grows according to the
different season of the year, our spiritual lives also grow as we participate
in the Feast of EL YAHVEH. We will notice that the three Feast days also
represent the three harvest in the land of Yisrael. We are promise that when
the new feast day arrive, we will still be processing the old crop from the
last harvest” Feast days.” What this verse is saying, as we are still trying to
understand the Fruit of the Spirit we have just receive, new ones will be
manifesting in our lives. Our lives will be a constant state of spiritual
amazement.
Lev 26:10 ‘And you shall eat the old supply,
and clear out the old because of the new. –
When we have discovered the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of Wisdom and
Understanding will be place upon the Spirit of Truth. Our testimony will be one
of continuous spiritual revelation.
Lev 26:11 ‘And I shall set My Dwelling Place
in your midst, and My being shall not reject you. – This is not an example of the Tabernacle been
place in the midst of the Camp. This is a prophetic indicator of the purpose of
Creation, to place the Shekinah within a certain type of people. These types of
people are what I call the Hebrew People.
The Hebrew People is a people who were called
out of the world, to be prepared to be the Bride. These people who are called
out are those who choose to follow the promises that was made to Abraham, as
Abraham himself took the challenge to leave his home or Ur, to a land he did
not know, solely on a promise of a better future.
Lev 26:12 ‘And I shall walk in your midst,
and shall be your Elohim, and you shall be My people. – As EL YAHVEH walked in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, He also
requires to walk among us daily. However He cannot walk among a people who are
contaminated, with the temporal things of this world.
EL YAHVEH will deal with the Hebrew people so
generously and openly that His presence will be as obvious as that of a human
King walking among his subjects. This verse make clear that the blessings of
this verse have not been completely fulfilled as yet, but in there entirely
they are meant for the future.
This is why Beyt Lechem Ministry stresses the
restoration of all things. The Jews today are not the chosen people, for they
do not believe in El Yahushua “Jesus Christ.” It is those of us who believe in
Him as the Messiyah, that the Holy Spirit will come and help us in our struggle
to reach perfection.
Lev 26:13 ‘I am יהוה your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, from
being their slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk upright. – As
the Children of Yisrael was brought out of Egypt by the Blood of a lamb, we are
brought our of our present day Egypt “The Word” by the Blood of the Greatest
Lamb, El Yahushua.
But notice that the Torah says that it is יהוה who brought us out,
even though it is we that decided to accept the challenge. It is יהוה who determine the
qualification we must meet in order to fulfilled the requirement to receive the
Shekinah the sign of full maturity. In the process, we have one responsibility,
to accept the terms and condition of the proposal and be obedient to it.
The terms and condition of the Covenant are
design by יהוה to help us to develop a certain Spirit that is very essential
for the Kingdom to Come. Obedience to the terms of the Covenant alone will not
produce the Fruit of the Holy Spirit, it produce condemnation. Condemnation is
a result of the lack of Grace. Grace come only trough belief in El Yahushua
“Jesus Christ.” Without His presence in our lives, we cannot walk in Grace. For
Grace help us, when we fail in keeping a “test” commandment, Grace gives us a
second chance to experience that test again, so we might pass it the next time.
Since life is design for humans to prove our
faithfulness, the manifestation of sin proves our unfaithfulness. We some time
sin unknowingly, this can be dealt with by examining ourselves carefully and
determine, why we sin and fix the reason why.
The admonition to keep the commandment has a
chain reaction of sin, composed of seven steps, each one leading to the next.
(a) We who do not believe in El Yahushua:
(b) we will not dedicate yourselves to study Torah, trough the Spirit of
Understanding;
(c) we will eventually stop performing the Commandments as Christian does;
(d) we will become revolted by others who are loyal to Torah;
(e) they will prevent other from being obedient to Torah;
(f)
They will deny that the Commandment is for
them;
(g) They will even deny that the Elohim who gave the Command, and replace Him
with Yahushua our Messiyah.
This is the only place in this chapter were
specific sins are listed. The later series of seven punishments are based on
the Hebrew people apathetic or negative attitude toward the Divine reaction to
sin is tantamount to a stubborn continuation of those very same sins.
Lev 26:14 ‘But if you do not obey Me, and do
not do all these commands, - If we choose to violate the terms of the
Covenant, we disqualify our selves from being someone who will be chosen as a
bride for the Bridegroom. An harlot, is someone who deliberately choose to go
after other Elohim ‘gods.’
Lev 26:15 and if you reject My laws, or if
your being loathes My right-rulings, so that you do not do all My commands, but
break My covenant, - If we choose to reject the commandments,
even out of ignorance, and disregard the right rulings and create our own. We
in essence label ourselves as a harlot spiritually. The King will not let His
Son marry a Harlot. He must only take wives from among the wise virgins.
Lev 26:16 I also do this to you: And I shall
appoint sudden alarm over you, wasting disease and inflammation, destroying the
eyes, and consuming the life. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your
enemies shall eat it. – They will sow their seed in vain, they will
ask for the Holy Spirit and it will not come to them. They will panic very
easily, for the Spirit of Authority is not with them. They will have a
religious spirit that will consume their time, giving them false hope.
Lev 26:17 ‘And I shall set My face against
you, and you shall be smitten before your enemies. And those who hate you shall
rule over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you. - יהוה will set His Faces against them and they will consume by the
enemy who is Lucifer. Those who hate them spiritually, the Devil will rule over
them, by a religious spirit, which He controlled. This is the first set of
punishments, design to bring the believer back to the Straight and Narrow Path.
Lev 26:18 ‘And after all this, if you do not
obey Me, then I shall punish you seven times more for your sins. – The punishment of EL YAHVEH is complete. It will accomplish what it
supposed to accomplish. If after the initial chastisement, if the believer did
not learn his or her lesson. They will be a further seven chastisement each
increasing in severity.
Lev 26:19 ‘And I shall break the pride of
your power, and shall make your Heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. – The purpose of this chastisement is design to break the yoke of our
pride. Heavens will become like iron and earth like bronze, not like the pure
gold that is used to build the Menorah. Iron is symbolic of those in the Outer
Court and those in the Holy Place are like bronze.
Lev 26:20 ‘And your strength shall be spent
in vain and your land not yield its crops, nor the trees of the land yield
their fruit. – The believer will try as hard as they can
to be kind and gentle, but it will not be a fruit of the Spirit. 1Co 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have
not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. The believer will be like driving in a foot of snow, the engine
will be revving, the wheal spinning but the car in not going anywhere fast.
This curse is doubly painful. If one does not try hard, and fail to achieve, it
is not nearly as aggravating as it is if one works very hard, but fail to
achieve success.
Lev 26:21 ‘And if you walk contrary to Me,
and refuse to obey Me, I shall bring on you seven times more plagues, according
to your sins, - This is the third series of chastisement.
If we knew that something is wrong and we still refuse to modify our behavior,
EL YAHVEH will cause seven more chastisement: Wild beast; domestic animals;
poisonous snakes; death of children; lose of livestock; diminution of
population; and desolations of roads. The people who refuse to recognize that
their misfortunes were Divinely ordained, if they were to carefully analyzed
there would see that the punishment fits the crime.
Lev 26:22 and send wild beasts among you,
which shall bereave you of your children. And I shall cut off your livestock,
and make you few in number, and your highways shall be deserted. – EL YAHVEH would remove the domination man was given over the wild animal
at Creation. The wild beast would become bolder towards us for that spiritual
protection has been removed.
Lev 26:23 ‘And if you are not instructed by
Me by these, but walk contrary to Me, - If
after this chastisement, we still do not change our way. The plagues in the
next verse will apply.
Lev 26:24 then I also shall walk contrary to
you, and I Myself shall smite you seven times for your sins. –
Please remember that the personnel in these verses are saved people, who
refused to modify their behavior patterns. EL YAHVEH says He will walk contrary
to us. Meaning instead of our Menorah growing inside of us, we will begin to
loose the advancement we have made building our menorah. If we had already
acquired the Spirit of Truth we would loose it.
Lev 26:25 ‘And I shall bring against you a
sword executing the vengeance of My covenant, and you shall gather together in
your cities, and I shall send pestilence among you, and you shall be given into
the hand of the enemy. – If a King goes to war against another
country and conquers it, he does not punish the inhabitants, even though they
fought against him fiercely and inflicted heavy casualties in the process. At
the time they did not owed him any allegiance and were entitled to defend
themselves, so their struggle did not represent disloyalty to him. But if a
King’s lawful subject rebels against him, he will punish them, because they
broke their covenant of allegiance to him. So, too, EL YAHVEH warns Yisrael
that for their rebellion against the Torah they will suffer the vengeance of a
Covenant.
Lev 26:26 ‘and when I break for you the
staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall
bring back to you your bread by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied.
– A staff provides support. When there is a shortage of
food, people feel like a cripple whose staff has been broken. Because of a
shortage of firewood, several women would share an Oven. Because of the
rottenness of the grain the bread will crumble in the oven. Therefore the bread
will be weight to determine who get what.
Lev 26:27 ‘And if in spite of this, you do
not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, -
There is an old saying, the straw that breaks the Camel back, what plague is
too much for us, or what are we prepared to lose before we understand.
Lev 26:28 then I shall walk contrary to you in
wrath. And I Myself shall punish you seven times for your sins. – It
is a Fathers responsibility to punish his children, in this verse we see that
EL YAHVEH took upon Himself the task of punishment. All of this is been done to
bring us back to were we should have been. These chastisements are design to
teach us a lesson we will not soon forget. It will also prevent us from making
any similar mistake, in the future. That why Torah says don’t spoil the rod and
spare the child. For those who He loves He chastises.
Lev 26:29 ‘And you shall eat the flesh of
your sons, and eat the flesh of your daughters. –
Hunger will cause even believer to do strange things. If eating one’s child
flesh do not produce a change of heart nothing will.
Lev 26:30 ‘And I shall destroy your high
places, and cut down your sun-idols, and put your carcasses with the carcasses
of your idols. And My Spirit shall reject you. –
The spiritual gain they had made in the past will be destroyed, they will be
like idol which we call upon in times of trouble, but there will be no help;
For the Holy Spirit would have departed from them.
Lev 26:31 ‘And I shall turn your cities into
ruins and lay your set-apart places waste, and not smell your sweet fragrances.
– King Saul was at this position, at the end of reign.
The seven punishment for this series are: Cannibalism, destruction of defense
structure, death of people, lose of the Holy Spirit, destruction of cities,
desolation of the sanctuaries, and the refusal of our offerings.
Lev 26:32 ‘And I shall lay the land desolate,
and your enemies who dwell in it shall be desolate at it.
Lev 26:33 ‘And I shall scatter you among the
gentiles and draw out a sword after you. And your land shall be desert and your
cities ruins, - The believer will be scattered and become
isolated from one another, and exile is much harder to bear when one does not
have the support of the community.
The previous verse define a land that become
so desolate so that its conquerors will lose hope of returning home, for they
will think that their land has been desolated once and for all.
Lev 26:34 and the land enjoy its Sabbaths as
long as it lies waste and you are in your enemies’ land. Then the land would
rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. – From this verse we derive that the sin was
a failure to observe the Sabbatical year. If the people did not allow the land
to rest in their presence, it will rest in their absence. Because of the
seventy Sabbatical that Yisrael had violated prior to and during the first
temple, the Babylonian exile lasted for seventy years, during which the land
made up for the rest of which it had been deprived.
Lev 26:35 ‘As long as it lies waste it rests,
for the time it did not rest on your Sabbaths when you dwelt in it.
Lev 26:36 ‘And as for those of you who are
left, I shall send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies,
and the sound of a shaken leaf shall cause them to flee. And they shall flee as
though retreating from a sword, and they shall fall when no one pursues. – Faintness of heart is a result of the lack of the Holy “Ruach” Spirit;
this will cause the believers to be very fearful even of the blowing wind.
Lev 26:37 ‘And they shall stumble over one
another, as from before a sword, when no one pursues. And you shall be unable
to stand before your enemies. – The lack of the Holy
Spirit will make the people so demoralize that they will become so selfish and think
only of their own interests.
Lev 26:38 ‘And you shall perish among the
gentiles, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up, -
Lev 26:39 and those of you who are left rot
away in their crookedness in your enemies’ lands, and also in their fathers’
crookednesses rot away with them. – Exile will cause the
believer to be exposed to new sins, because they will be in a land of your
enemies. Because they did not understand the true cause of the exile. Those who
are left in the land will continue to waste away spiritually.
Lev 26:40 ‘But if they confess their
crookedness and the crookedness of their fathers, with their trespass in which
they trespassed against Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me, - Here is were Grace comes into the picture. Like the Prodigal Son who was
wasting away in a foreign land, when we today realize that El “Jesus” Yahushua
is Lord, that we still have a vise to return to the land, which we have been
evicted from. We can still confess our sin and wash or hand and feet in the
Blood and water that flow from His Side.
Lev 26:41 and that I also have walked
contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies – if
their uncircumcised heart is then humbled, and they accept the punishment of
their crookedness, - This verse speaks volumes. It describes the
reason behind why things happen to us in this life. It is always because of our
walk, the path we choose to walk on that will determine where we end up.
When we walk away from EL YAHVEH He will walk
slowly away from us, but when we turn towards Him He will run towards.
Punishment is never design to drive us away, it is to get us to correct of walk
with Him.
Lev 26:42 then I shall remember My covenant
with Yaʽaqoḇ, and also My covenant with
Yitsḥaq, and also remember My covenant with Aḇraham, and remember the
land. – When we turn around and walk back to Him, He will remember the Covenant.
Remember the Prodigal Son, he did not loose his son ship, when the Shekinah was
restored he continue from the place were he last dwell.
The sign of a good confession is to
acknowledge that the sins of our forefathers were indeed wrong, and that the
harshness and exiles imposed by EL YAHVEH were not haphazard. Only then can the
repentance be considered complete.
Lev 26:43 ‘For the land was abandoned by
them, and enjoying its Sabbaths while lying waste without them, and they were
paying for their crookedness, because they rejected My right-rulings and
because their being loathed My laws. –
The people too will repent and seek to appease EL YAHVEH so that He will allow
them to return to the land.
Lev 26:44 ‘And yet for all this, when they
are in the land of their enemies, I shall not reject them, nor shall I loathe
them so as to destroy them and break My covenant with them. For I am יהוה their Elohim. - EL YAHVEH leave the door open just in case if any of them choose to repent, they will not be totally rejected. At
this present moment a door in the form of El Yahushua is still open for the
people to re-enter the Land, but this must only be trough El Yahushua.
Lev 26:45 ‘Then I shall remember for their
sake the covenant of the ancestors whom I brought out of the land of Mitsrayim
before the eyes of the nations to be their Elohim. I am יהוה.’ ” – When we call upon His Name, EL YAHVEH will
remember the Covenant made will Abraham, who EL YAHVEH also brought out of the
Egypt for the same reason we are also brought out, to become Mature Sons of
Elohim.
Lev 26:46 These are the laws and the
right-rulings and the Torot1 which יהוה made between Himself and the children of Yisra’ĕl on Mount
Sinai by the hand of Mosheh. Footnote: 1Torot - plural of Torah,
teaching. – The word for Torah here is Torot, is in the plural sense because it
refers to the two Torahs: The Written Torah and the Oral Torah. This verse
emphasizes that both were given at Sinai.
Chapter 27
This chapter deals with the voluntary
contributions to the temple, which was not part of the commandments that formed
the covenant of the Admonition of chapter 26:46, even though it too would seem
to belong in the earlier chapters of this book, which deal with our offerings.
By excluding them, the Torah implies that
such voluntary gifts, while surely commendable, are not essential as the
performance of the commandments. Believer should never think that voluntary
contributions could atone for laxity in what is commanded.
There are two type of sanctified property:
Monetary sanctification, and physical sanctification. The difference is in the
nature of the sanctity, which is reflected in many laws. An object or animal
with monetary sanctification is sacred because it is property of the Sanctuary,
not because it is intrinsically holy. It is forbidden to use if for any purpose
other than a sacred purpose, just as it is forbidden to use anyone’s private
property.
An object or animal with physical
sanctification is used for an offering on the Altar, and is intrinsically holy.
Verse 1 -
8 describe valuations. Just as believers may vow to contribute specific
amounts of money to the Sanctuary, so one may vow to contribute the value of
oneself or another person or thing. One may do this in two ways. By declaring,
for example, the cash value of an object is required of them, they then become
obligates himself to give whatever that person would be worth as a commodity,
such as a slave.
That, however, is not the subject of our
chapter. Here the Torah speaks of a specific form of vow known as valuation.
This vow involves the holiness inherent in the individual the value of his
soul, as it were.
Since there is no market that can assess such
a value, and no way for human beings to measure it, the Torah assign the
amounts to be paid, based on the health, strength, earning capacity, or
commercial value of the subject, also on the age and sex.
In the fulfillment of this kind of vow, one
is require to pay a value prescribe by the Torah, a payment that goes to the
Tabernacle treasury, to be used for maintenance or any other necessary
expenditures, as specified in this Chapter.
Lev 27:1 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying, -
Lev 27:2 “Speak to the children of
Yisra’ĕl, and say to them, ‘When a man separates a vow, by your evaluation of
lives unto יהוה, - When a person make a vow unto EL YAHVEH, he ore she must live by it.
Lev 27:3 when your evaluation is of a male from
twenty years old up to sixty years old, then your evaluation shall be fifty
sheqels of silver, according to the sheqel of the set-apart place. – A
shekel is twenty geras of silver. The value of a full-grown healthy male is
fifty Shekels.
There are four age categories of valuation:
one month to 5 years, 5 – 20 years, and 20 – 60 years, 60 and over. The 20 – 60
are listed first because the chapter discusses the law of an adult who vows.
Next the 5 – 20 categories, which include
those over bar mitzvah age, who have not yet reach their potential, and finally
the oldest group, which is past their physical prime.
Lev 27:4 ‘And if it is a female, then your
evaluation shall be thirty sheqels; -
Talk about equality. The feminist movement would have a field day with this.
Lev 27:5 and if from five years old up to
twenty years old, then your evaluation for a male shall be twenty sheqels, and
for a female ten sheqels; - These verse is going to be a point of
contention when it is read. Why would EL YAHVEH make a 5 – 20 year old male
more valuable that a female of similar age. The answer is, because Torah said
so!
Lev 27:6 and if from a month old up to five
years old, then your evaluation for a male shall be five sheqels of silver, and
for a female your evaluation shall be three sheqels of silver; -
Lev 27:7 and if from sixty years old and
above, if it is a male, then your evaluation shall be fifteen sheqels, and for
a female ten sheqels. –
Lev 27:8 ‘But if he is too poor to pay your
evaluation, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest
shall set a value for him. According to the ability of him who vowed, the
priest shall value him. – However, the Torah also makes provision for
every conceivable situation. If the one who makes the vow is too poor to pay
the full price, a Kohen must assess how much the poor person can afford. For
the purposes of this evaluation, such necessities as living quarters, tools,
and clothing’s are not included in the assessment.
Verse 9 – 13 discusses the Sanctification and
redemption of an animal. If an animal is sanctified for use as an offering,
then it may not be used for any other purpose, even a sacred one, nor may it be
redeemed.
If, however, the animal is not suitable for
an offering deu to a blemish, it may be redeemed and its value used for the
offering for which the animal was originally dedicated.
The cost of the redemption is the animal’s
actual value, unlike the previous passage, which deals with a fixed valuation.
Lev 27:9 ‘And if it is a beast of which they
bring an offering to יהוה, all
such given to יהוה is
set-apart.
– It is also possible to sanctify only a part of the
animal. For example, if someone sanctified only a leg as an Olah, that
leg becomes holy, not the rest of the animal.
Since the limb is sacred, however, the animal cannot be used far any
secular purpose. The rest of the animal be sold to someone who needs an Olah,
and he will then sanctify the rest of it for the offering.
Lev 27:10 ‘He is not to replace it or
exchange it, good for spoilt or spoilt for good. And if he at all exchanges
beast for beast, then both it and the one exchanged for it is set-apart. – A believer cannot substitute El Yahushua for another lamb. However if we
slaughter an animal for an Olah offering, it also become holy.
Lev 27:11 ‘And if it is any unclean beast of
which they do not bring an offering to יהוה, then he shall present the beast before the priest; - If
for example the first born animal was dedicated to be given and it developed a
blemish at birth, that animal may be redeem, it is not healthy or whole.
Lev 27:12 and the priest shall value it,
whether it is good or spoilt. According to your evaluation, O priest, so it
shall be.
Lev 27:13 ‘But if he indeed redeems it, then
he shall add one-fifth to your evaluation. –
In the process of redeeming the animal, twenty percent must be added to the
redemption cost.
Lev 27:14 ‘And when a man sets his house
apart, to be set-apart to יהוה, then
the priest shall value it, whether it is good or spoilt. As the priest values
it, so it stands. – When any thing is valuated by the Priest
that is the value of the object. Whether it is high or low the Priest word is
final.
Lev 27:15 ‘And if he who sets it apart does
redeem his house, then he shall add one-fifth of the silver of your evaluation
to it, and it shall be his.
Lev 27:16 ‘And if a man sets apart to יהוה a field he owns, then your evaluation shall be according to the
seed for it – a ḥomer of barley seed at fifty sheqels of silver. – If a field is dedicated to the Tabernacle. It must be valuated by the
seed it produces. Fifty shekel for a homer of wheat.
Lev 27:17 ‘If he sets his field apart from
the Year of Jubilee, according to your evaluation it stands. – If we set the field apart up to 50 years the promise must stand.
Lev 27:18 ‘But if he sets his field apart
after the Jubilee, then the priest shall reckon to him the silver deu according
to the years that remain till the Year of Jubilee, and it shall be deducted
from your evaluation. – However if the field is set apart after the
Jubilee, if the owner want to redeem it, it must be calculated from that time
up to the next Jubilee, which could be as high as 49 and a low as 1 year.
Lev 27:19 ‘And if he who sets the field
apart ever wishes to redeem it, then he shall add one-fifth of the silver of
your evaluation to it, and it shall be his. –
The person who wishes to redeem it must then add 20% to the cost of the
redemption money.
Lev 27:20 ‘And if he does not redeem the
field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it is no longer redeemed, - There are two way in which a person can lose the right to reclaim his
land in the Jubilee year. If the owner choose not to redeem it, and allow
someone else to redeem it.
Lev 27:21 but the field, when it is released
in the Jubilee, is set-apart to יהוה as a dedicated field, to be the possession of the priest. –
The field will then become the possession of the Levites. If the owner or his sons
fail to redeem the land, the land will no longer return to them after the
Jubilee.
Lev 27:22 ‘And if a man sets apart to יהוה a field which he has bought, which is not the field of his
possession, -
Lev 27:23 then the priest shall reckon to him
the amount of your evaluation, up to the Year of Jubilee, and he shall give
your evaluation on that day, set-apart to יהוה. –
Lev 27:24 ‘In the Year of Jubilee the field
returns to him from whom he bought it, to him whose is the possession of the
land. –
Lev 27:25 ‘And all your evaluations is to be
according to the sheqel of the set-apart place: twenty gĕrahs to the sheqel.
- All the evaluation must be done according to the
currency or the foreign exchange on the day the agreement was made.
Lev 27:26 ‘However, a first-born of the
beasts, which is first-born to יהוה, no man sets it apart – whether bull or sheep, it belongs to יהוה. – The first born of any animal cannot be used
as a set apart animal to EL YAHVEH since it is already set a part. A first-born
male animal from cattle or the flock is sacred from birth as an offering; it
cannot be consecrated as another sort of offering because it is not the
property of its owner. Alternatively, since the animal is holy from birth, it
is not necessary to sanctify it formally.
Lev 27:27 ‘And if among the unclean beasts,
then he shall ransom it according to your evaluation, and shall add one-fifth
to it. And if it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your
evaluation. – If it is a first born of an unclean
animal, it must be redeem plus 20% and given to the Priest.
Verse 28 – 29 speaks of Cherem/Segregated
property. The word cherem is customarily used to denote destruction or
something banned from human enjoyment. In the context of this passage, it
refers to a person’s expressed resolution to consecrate an object and thus make
it forbidden for personal use.
There are two type of cherem in the Hebrew
culture: one that is for the Temple treasury; and the other is a gift for the
Kohanim, and it becomes the personal property.
The cherem of the temple is used to
maintenance or other Temple related needs, or it can be sold, with the proceeds
going towards the Temple treasury.
The cherem of the Kohanim is similar to
terumah, in that the owner loses title to it and cannot redeem it. It must be
turned over to the kohanim, whereupon it becomes their personal property and
loses all sanctity.
Lev 27:28 ‘However,
whatever a man lays under ban for יהוה of
all that he has, man and beast, or the field of his possession, is not sold or
redeemed. Whatever is laid under ban is most set-apart to יהוה. – Anything that is set apart onto EL YAHVEH
Lev 27:29 ‘No
one under the ban, under the ban among men, is ransomed, but shall certainly be
put to death. – This verse speaks of a person who is
condemned to death by the court. If someone vows to contribute his monetary
value or his assessed valuation as seen in verse 2 – 7, the vow is not binding,
because, he shall be put to death, he has no monetary value and he shall not be
redeemed in payment of the vow.
This verse states that whereas a cherem for
the Temple treasury can be redeemed, a person condemned to death for disobeying
a national decree is beyond redemption.
Verse 30 – 31 describes a second tithe.
During the first, second, fourth, and fifth years of the seven year Shemittah
cycle, a farmer must sets aside one-tenth of his harvest, which he must protect
from contamination and taken to Yerushalayim to be eaten.
It is known as the second tithes, because it
is separated from the crop only after the first tithe is separated for the
Levite. The Torah permits the owner to redeem the tithe for coin, whereupon the
sanctity devolves from the tithe to the money, which the owner must take to the
Holy City and used to purchase food or offerings that may be eaten.
Lev 27:30 ‘And all the tithe of the land – of
the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree – belongs to יהוה. It is set-apart to יהוה. – There is a principle here we need to pay
close attention to. I believe that this is a Kingdom Principle. As we pay a
tithe to those over us, the person in charge of those over us also collect a
tithes. Regardless of how deep the layer of authority goes, each layer receives
a tithe from the people under them. I Samuel 22:7 …. make you all captains of thousands, and
captains of hundreds;
the
principle of tithe is an action that will be perform in the Kingdom. If we are
captains over a hundred cities or a hounded country or even a hundred planets,
we all have to tithe to who so ever is over us. If we find it difficult to
tithe we will also have problem performing this same actions in Heavens.
Lev 27:31 ‘If a man indeed redeems any of his
tithes, he adds one-fifth to it. – The penalty for
using the Tithe for other things is that we must add 20% to the original
tithes.
Lev 27:32 ‘And the entire tithe of the herd
and of the flock, all that passes under the rod, the tenth one is set-apart to יהוה. – What ever we produce we must all bring 10%
to the One who is in authority over us. The Kingdom of Heavens is so large;
there are billion of Stars in Heavens, each with its own solar system. Each
stars is under authority of someone. Some of us because of the level of our
maturity will be given more responsibility than others.
El Yahushua gave a Parable of the talents: Mat 25:14 For the kingdom of
Heavens is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants,
and delivered unto them his goods. 15
And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one;
to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his
journey. 6 Then he that had received the
five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17 And likewise he that had received
two, he also gained other two. 18 But he
that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
19 After a long time YAHVEH of those
servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 20
And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five
talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have
gained beside them five talents more. 21
His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou
hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 22
He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou
deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside
them. 23 His lord said unto him, Well
done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I
will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24
Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew
thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering
where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I
was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that
is thine. 26 His lord answered and said
unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I
sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money
to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with
usury. 28 Take therefore the talent from
him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For unto every one that hath shall be given,
and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away
even that which he hath. 30 And cast ye
the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth. 33 ‘He does not inquire whether it is good or spoilt, nor
does he exchange it. And if he exchanges it at all, then both it and the one
exchanged for it are set-apart, it is not redeemed.
Lev 27:34 These are the commands which יהוה commanded Mosheh for the children of Yisra’ĕl on Mount Sinai. –
These commands form the principle of the Kingdom of Heavens we need to learn, s
that when we get there we will know how the Principles of that Kingdom
operates.
Haftarah
Yirmeyahu “Jeremiah” 16:19 – 17:14
Jer 16:19 O יהוה, my strength and my stronghold and my refuge, in the
day of distress the gentiles shall come to You from the ends of the earth and
say, “Our fathers have inherited only falsehood, futility, and
there is no value in them.”1 Footnote:
1See Ps. 147:19, Isa. 2:3, Isa. 60:2-3, John 4:22, Rom. 2:20, Rom.
3:2, Rom. 9:4. – During the day of the
great tribulation, during the days of Jacob trouble not only will both the
house of Yisrael heed the call to return home, but even the non-Yisraelite will return to YAHVEH and seek
after Torah through HIS SON Yahushua.
They will confess that all their religion and
western culture has not mounted up to a hill of beans, and that they are
contrite and broken over their abominable sun worship offered ny their
ancestor, which was not according to YAHVEH, HIS Son, and HIS Torah.
Surwely this confession will come to pass by
millions of people turning away from Christanity, as they realize thatHebraic
worship and comprehension of YAHVEH remain HIS Will, and is the only way that
is not based on vain pagan philosophy, handed down through church history.
They will realize that there is no value in
non-Hebraic lifestyle.
Jer 16:20 Would a man
make mighty ones for himself, which are not mighty ones? – In this verse they argue thus with themselves
(and it is well argued), Should a man be such a fool, so perfectly void
of the reason of a man, as to make mighty ones to himself, the creatures
of his own fancy, the work of his own hands, when they are really no gods? Can a man be so besotted, so perfectly lost
to human understanding, as to expect any divine blessing or favour from that
which pretends to no divinity but what it first received from him? The
answer is Yes! This is why Adam was told not to eat of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. It is a fool who keep doing the same thing over and
over again and expect the same result.
How
many people had Christianity bring to maturity in the last 1650 years, since
they institute Sunday worship. I would say none.
Jer 16:21 “Therefore
see, I am causing them to know, this time I cause them to know My hand and My
might. And they shall know that My Name is יהוה!” – The Christian church have done away with the Five
Fold ministry and invent the office of the Pastor, and have forgotten the Name
of the creator.
The Ministry of the Mighty Hand which is the
Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher will be restored to Yisrael
and the True Hebraic name of YAHVEH the Father and Yahushua the Son, and the
Set Apart Spirit will be restored to Yisrael.
Father YAHVEH name is unique to HIM alone,
God is a definition! as man is a definition of human, and god is the definition
of a spirit. When we pray to father god, whom are we praying to!
Chapter 17
In
this chapter, I. EL YAHVEH convicts the
Jews of the sin of idolatry by the notorious evidence of the fact, and condemns
them into captivity for it (v. 1-4).
II.
He shows them the folly of all their carnal confidences, which will only
establish the curse of the Law upon them, this was now YAHVEH time to contend
with them, and that this was one of the sins upon which his controversy with
them was grounded (v. 5–11).
III.
The prophet makes his appeal and address to YAHVEH upon occasion of the malice
of his enemies against him, committing himself to the divine protection, and
begging of YAHVEH to appear for him (v. 12–14).
Jer 17:1 “The sin of Yehuḏah is
written with a pen of iron, engraved with the point of a diamond on the tablet
of their heart, and on the horns of your altars, - The people had asked in
(ch. 16:10), What is our iniquity, and what is our sin? as if they could
not be charged with any thing worth speaking of, for which YAHVEH should enter
into judgment with them; their challenge was answered there, but here we have a
further reply to it, in which.
I.
The indictment is fully proved upon the prisoners, both the fact and the fault;
their sin is too plain to be denied and too bad to be excused, and they have
nothing to plead either in extenuation of the crime or in arrest and mitigation
of the judgment.
1.
They cannot plead, Not guilty, for their sins are upon record in the
book of YAH’s Torah and their own conscience; nay, and they are obvious to the
eye and observation of the world. They are plainly written before YAHVEH
in the most legible and indelible characters, and sealed among his
treasures, never to be forgotten, Deu. 32:34.
They
are written there with a pen of iron and with the point of a diamond;
what is so written will not be worn out by time, but is, as Job speaks, graven
in the rock for ever. The sin of believers is never forgotten till it is
forgiven. It is ever before YAHVEH, till by repentance it comes to be ever
before us. It is graven upon the table of their heart; their own
consciences witness against them, and are instead of a thousand witnesses.
What
is graven on the heart, though it may be covered and closed up for a
time, yet, being graven, it cannot be erased, but will be produced in evidence
when the books shall be opened. We need not appeal to the tables of the heart,
perhaps they will not own the convictions of their consciences. We need go no
further, for proof of the charge, than the horns of their altars, on
which the blood of their idolatrous sacrifices was sprinkled, and perhaps the
names of the idols to whose honor they were erected were inscribed. Their neighbors will witness against them, and all the creatures they have abused by
using them in the service of their lusts.
1.
Today
the sins of Christianity in the forsaken of the Sabbath for Sunday, under the pretense that is because they love Jesus. Who is this Jesus? It could not be
the Hebrew Messiyah who was called Yahushua.
2.
They
will asked in ignorance what sins have we commited. They will be told you have
tarnish my Sabbath, and have forgotten My Name.
Jer 17:2 while their children remember their altars and their Ashĕrim by the
spreading trees on the high hills. - To complete the evidence,
their own children shall be witnesses against them; they will tell truth when
their fathers dissemble and prevaricate; they remember the altars and the
groves to which their parents took them when they were little. The Sunday
school class, the Easter Sunday, the good Friday, the Christmas day service.
It
appears that they were full of them, and acquainted with them betimes, they
talked of them so frequently, so familiarly, and with so much delight.
They
cannot plead that they repent, or are brought to a better mind. No, as the
guilt of their sin is undeniable, so their inclination to sin is invincible and
incurable. In this sense many understand.
Their
sin is deeply engraven as with a pen of iron in the tables of their
hearts. They have a rooted affection to it; it is woven into their very
nature and culture as easter and
christmas holiday is.
Their sin is dear to them, as that is dear to
us “Christman, Easter” of which we say, It is engraven on our hearts.
The bias of their minds is still as strong as ever towards their idols, and
they are not wrought upon either by the word or rod of YAHVEH to forget them
and abate their affection to them.
It
is written upon the horns of their altars, their churches. How many Easter service have you been to, how many christmas gift and cards and part
have you been to.
For
they have given up their names to their idols and resolve to abide by what they
have done; they have bound themselves, as with cords, to the horns of their
altars “church”.
As they remember their children, so
remember they their altars and their groves; they are as fond of them and
take as much pleasure in them as men do in their own children, and are as loth
to part with them; they will live and die with their idols, and can no more
forget them than a woman can forget her sucking child.
Most
Christians today will die to protect their Easter and Christmas holiday, but
will never remember Passover, Pentecost and Succoth.
Jer 17:3 “My mountain in the field, I give as plunder your wealth, all your
treasures, your high places of sin, throughout all your borders. – The indictment being thus fully proved, the judgment is
affirmed and the sentence ratified.
Forasmuch
as the Christian are wedded to their sins, and will not part with them, They
shall be made to part with their treasures, and those shall be given into the
hands of strangers. Yerushalayim is YAHVEH’s mountain in the field; it
was built on a hill in the midst of a plain. All the treasures of that
wealthy city will YAHVEH give to the spoil. Or, My mountains with the
fields, thy wealth and all thy treasures will I expose to spoil; both the
products of the country and the stores of the city shall be seized by the
Chaldeans.
Justly
are men stripped of that which they have served their idols with and have made
the food and the fuel of their lusts. My mountain (so the whole land
was, Ps. 78:54, Deu. 11:11) you have turned into your high places for sin,
have worshipped your idols upon the high hills, and now they shall be give
for a spoil in all your borders. What we make for a sin YAHVEH will make
for a spoil; for what comfort can we expect in that wherewith YAHVEH is
dishonored?
Jer 17:4 “And you, even of yourself, shall let go of your inheritance which I
gave you. And I shall make you serve your enemies in a land which you have not
known, for you have kindled a fire in My displeasure which burns forever.” – They shall be made to part
with their inheritance, and shall be carried captives into a strange land: Thou,
even thyself (or thou thyself and those that are in thee, all the
inhabitants), shall discontinue from thy heritage that I gave thee.
YAHVEH
owns that it was their heritage, and that HE gave it to them; they had an
unquestionable title to it, which was an aggravation of their folly in throwing
themselves out of the possession of it. It is through thyself (so some
read it), through thy own default, that thou art disseised.
Thou
shalt discontinue,
or intermit, the occupation of thy land. The law appointed them to let
their land rest (it is the word here used) one year in seven, Ex. 23:11.
They did not observe that law, and now YAHVEH would compel them to let it
rest (the land shall enjoy her sabbaths, Lev. 26:34); and yet it
shall be not rest to them; they shall serve their enemies in a land they
know not.
Observe,
(1.) Sin works a discontinuance of our comforts and deprives us of the
enjoyment of that which YAHVEH has given us. Yet,
(2.)
A discontinuance of the possession is not a defiance of the right, but it is
intimated that upon their repentance they shall recover possession again. For
the present, you have kindled a fire in my anger, which burns so
fiercely that it seems as if it would burn for ever; and so it will
unless you repent, for it is the anger of an everlasting YAHVEH fastening upon
the immortal souls, and who knows the power of that anger?
Jer 17:5 Thus said יהוה, “Cursed is the
man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart turns away from יהוה. - It is a excellent doctrine
that is proclaim in these verses, and of general concern and use to us all, and
it does not appear to have any particular reference to the present state of
Judah and Yerushalayim. The prophet’s sermons were not all prophetical, but
some of them practical; yet this discourse, which probably we have here only
the heads of, would be of singular use to them by way of caution not to
misplace their confidence in the day of their distress. Let us all learn what
we are taught here,
I.
Concerning the disappointment and vexation those will certainly meet with who
depend upon creatures for success and relief when they are in trouble. Cursed
be the man that trusts in man. YAHVEH pronounces him cursed for the affront
he thereby puts upon him. Or, Cursed (that is, miserable) is the man
that does so, for he leans upon a broken reed, which will not only fail him,
but will run into his hand and pierce it.
I
often hear people say my Pastor say this! They are the ones who trust in man
and not the Holly Spirit. It is the Spirit of Understanding that led us into
all truth, not the Pastor.
Observe,
1. The sin here condemned; it is trusting in man, putting that
confidence in the wisdom and power, the kindness and faithfulness, of men,
which should be placed in those attributes of the Holy Spirit, making our
applications to men and raising our expectations from them as principal agents,
whereas they are but instruments in the hand of Providence.
It
is making flesh the arm we stay upon, the arm we work with and with
which we hope to work our point, the arm under which we shelter ourselves and
on which we depend for protection. The
Mighty Hand of YAHVEH is HIS : Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist Pastor and
Teacher; the Pastor is the people’s arm, Isa. 32:2.
The
Mighty Hand of YAHVEH does all that the Head Yahushua says it should do.
We
must not think to make any creature to be that to us which YAHVEH has undertaken
to be. Man is called flesh, to show the folly of those that make him
their confidence; he is flesh, weak and feeble as flesh without bones or
sinews, that has no strength at all in it; he is inactive as flesh without
spirit, which is a dead thing; he is mortal and dying as flesh, which soon
putrefies and corrupts, and is continually wasting. Nay, he is false and
sinful, and has lost his integrity; so his being flesh signifies, Gen. 6:3.
Jer 17:6 “For he
shall be like a shrub in the desert, and not see when good comes, and shall
inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land that is not inhabited. - The
great malignity there is in this sin; it is the departure of the evil heart
of unbelief from the living Elohim. Those that trust in man perhaps draw
nigh to YAHVEH with their mouth and honor him with their lips, they call him
their hope and say that they trust in him, but really their heart departs
from him; they distrust him, despise him, and decline a correspondence with
him.
Cleaving
to the cistern is leaving the fountain, and is resented accordingly. The fatal
consequences of this sin. He that puts a confidence in man puts a cheat upon
himself; for he shall be like the heath in the desert, a sorry shrub,
the product of barren ground, sapless, useless, and worthless; his comforts
shall all fail him and his hopes be blasted; he shall wither, be dejected in
himself and trampled on by all about him.
When
good comes
he shall not see it, he shall not share in it; when the times mend they
shall not mend with him, but he shall inhabit the parched places in the
wilderness; his expectation shall be continually frustrated; when others
have a harvest he shall have none.
Those
that trust in their own righteousness and strength, and think they can do well
enough without the merit and grace of Messiyah or Torah the Law, thus make
flesh their arm, and their souls cannot prosper in graces or comforts; they
can neither produce the fruits of acceptable services to YAHVEH nor reap the
fruits of the Spirit, because they dwell in a dry land, void of Torah and
the Holy Spirit.
Jer 17:7 “Blessed is
the man who trusts in יהוה, and whose trust is יהוה. - Concerning the abundant satisfaction
which those have, and will have, who make EL YAHVEH their confidence, who live
by faith in HIS providence and promise, who refer themselves to HIM and HIS
Torah at all times and repose themselves in HIM and HIS love in the most
unquiet times.
Observe,
1. The duty required of us—to trust in the EL YAHVEH, to do our duty to
HIM and then depend upon HIM to bear us out in doing it—when creatures and
second causes either deceive or threaten us, either are false to us or fierce
against us, to commit ourselves to EL SHADDAI as all-sufficient both to fill up
the place of those who fail us and to protect us from those who set upon us. It
is to make EL YAHVEH our hope, HIS favor the good we hope for and HIS
power the strength we hope in.
2.
The comfort that attends the doing of this duty. He that does so shall be as
a tree planted by the waters, a choice tree, about which great care has
been taken to set it in the best soil, so far from being like the heath in
the wilderness; he shall be like a tree that spreads out its roots,
and thereby is firmly fixed, spreads them out by the rivers, whence it
draws abundance of sap, which denotes both the establishment and the comfort
which those have who make God their hope; they are easy, they are pleasant, and
enjoy a continual security and serenity of mind.
A tree thus planted, thus watered, shall not
see when heat comes, shall not sustain any damage from the most scorching
heats of summer; it is so well moistened from its roots that it shall be
sufficiently guarded against drought. Those that make EL YAHVEH their hope,
(1.)
They shall flourish in credit and comfort, like a tree that is always green,
whose leaf does not wither; they shall be cheerful to themselves and beautiful
in the eyes of others. Those who thus give honor to YAHVEH by giving him credit
YAHVEH will put honor upon, and make them the ornament and delight of the
places where they live, as green trees are.
(2.)
They shall be fixed in an inward peace and satisfaction: They shall not be
careful in a year of drought, when there is want of rain; for, as the tree
has seed in itself, so it has its moisture. Those who make YAHVEH
their hope have enough in him to make up the want of all creature-comforts. We
need not be solicitous about the breaking of a cistern as long as we have the
fountain.
Jer 17:8 “For he
shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the
river, and does not see when heat comes. And his leaf shall be green, and in
the year of drought he is not anxious, nor does he cease from yielding fruit. – They
shall be fruitful in holiness, and in all good works. Those who trust in
YAHVEH, and by faith derive strength and grace from him, shall not cease
from yielding fruit; they shall still be enabled to do that which will
redound to the glory of YAHVEH, the benefit of others, and their own account.
Jer 17:9 “The heart is crooked1
above all, and desperately sick – who shall know it? Footnote: 1See
7:24, 16:12, 18:12, 23:17. – Concerning
the sinfulness of man’s heart, and the divine inspection it is always under.
It
is folly to trust in man, for he is not only frail, but false and deceitful. We
are apt to think that if we trust in YAHVEH, and are entitled to the blessings
here promised to those who do so. But this is a thing about which our own
hearts deceive us as much as any thing. We think that if we trust in YAHVEH
when really we do not, as appears by this, that our hopes and fears rise or
fall according as second causes smile or frown.
It
is true in general.
(1.)
There is that wickedness in our hearts which we ourselves are not aware of and
do not suspect to be there; it is a common mistake among the children of men to
think themselves, their own hearts at least, a great deal better than they
really are.
The
heart,
the conscience of man, in his corrupt and fallen state, is deceitful above
all things. It is subtle and false; it is apt to supplant (so the
word properly signifies); it is that from which Jacob had his name, a supplanter.
It
calls evil good and good evil, puts false colours upon things, and cries peace
to those to whom peace does not belong. When men say in their hearts (that is,
suffer their hearts to whisper to them) that there is no Mighty One, or he does
not see, or he will not require, or they shall have peace though they go on; in
these, and a thousand similar suggestions the heart is deceitful.
It
cheats men into their own ruin; and this will be the aggravation of it, that
they are self-deceivers, self-destroyers. Herein the heart is desperately
wicked; it is deadly, it is desperate. The case is bad indeed, and in a
manner deplorable and past relief, if the conscience which should rectify the
errors of the other faculties is itself a mother of falsehood and a ring-leader
in the delusion.
What
will become of a man if what is in him which should be the candle of YAHVEH
give a false light; if YAH’s ministers to the soul, that is entrusted to
support HIS interests, betrays them? Such is the case for the deceitfulness of
the heart that we may truly say, Who can know it?
Who
can describe how bad the heart is? We cannot know even our own hearts, not what
they will do in an hour of temptation (Hezekiah did not, Peter did not), not
what corrupt dispositions there are in them, nor how many things will it turned
aside; who can understand his errors?
The
mind is the only part of the human composition that will justify itself
regardless of what sin it may be involve in. One just has to look at the numerous
sins against humanity throughout history and ask could any rational thinking
men do this.
Much
less can we know the hearts of others, or have any dependence upon them. But,
(2.) Whatever wickedness there is in the heart EL YAHVEH sees it, and knows it,
is perfectly acquainted with it and apprised of it: I YAHVEH search the
heart.
This
is true of all that is in the heart, all the thoughts of it, the quickest, and
those that are most carelessly overlooked by ourselves—all the intents of it,
the closest, and those that are most artfully disguised, and industriously
concealed from others.
Men
may be imposed upon, but EL YAHVEH cannot. He not only searches the heart with
a piercing eye, but he tries the reins, to pass a judgment upon what he
discovers, to give every thing its true character and due weight.
He
tries it, as the gold is tried whether it be standard or no, as the prisoner is
tried whether he be guilty or no. And this judgment which HE makes of the heart
is in order to HIS passing judgment upon the man; it is to give to every man
according to his ways (according to the desert and the tendency of them,
life to those that walked in the ways of life, and death to those that
persisted in the paths of the destroyer) and according to the fruit of his doings,
the effect and influence HIS doings have had upon others, or according to what
is settled by the word of YAHVEH to be the fruit of men’s doings, blessings to
the obedient and curses to the disobedient.
Therefore EL YAHVEH is Judge
himself, and HE alone, because HE, and none besides, knows the hearts of
the children of men.
Jer 17:10 “I, יהוה,
search the heart, I try the kidneys, and give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds. – It is true especially of
all the deceitfulness and wickedness of the heart, all its corrupt devices,
desires, and designs. EL YAHVEH observes and discerns them; and (which is more
than any man can do) HE judges of the overt act by the heart. YAHVEH knows more
evil of us than we do of ourselves, which is a good reason why we should not
flatter ourselves, but always stand in awe of the judgment of YAHVEH.
Jer 17:11 “As a
partridge that broods but does not hatch, so is he who gets riches, but not by
right. It leaves him in the midst of his days, and at his end he is a fool.” – Concerning
the curse that attends wealth unjustly gotten. Fraud and violence had been
reigning crying sins in Judah and Yerushalayim; now the prophet would have
those who had been guilty of these sins, and were now stripped of all they had,
to read their sin in their punishment.
He
that gets riches and not by right, though he may make them his hope, shall never have joy
of them.
It
is possible that those who use unlawful means to get wealth may succeed therein
and prosper for a time; and it is a temptation to many to defraud and oppress
their neighbours when there is money to be got by it. He who has got treasures
by vanity and a lying tongue may hug himself in his success, and
say, I am rich; nay, and I am innocent too (Hos. 12:8), but he shall
leave them in the midst of his days; they shall be taken from him, or he from
them. YAHVEH shall cut him off with some surprising stroke then when he says, Soul,
take thy ease, thou hast goods laid up for many years, Lu. 12:19, 20.
He
shall leave them to he knows not whom, and shall not be able to take any of his
riches away with him. It intimates what a great vexation it is to a worldly man
at death that he must leave his riches behind him; and justly may it be a
terror to those who got them unjustly, for, though the wealth will not follow
them to another world, the guilt will, and the torment of an everlasting, Son,
remember, Lu. 16:25.
Thus,
at his end, he shall be a fool, a Nabal, whose wealth did him no good,
which he had so sordidly hoarded, when his heart became dead as a
stone. He was a fool all along; sometimes perhaps his own conscience told
him so, but at his end he will appear to be so. Those are fools indeed
who are fools in their latter end; and such multitudes will prove who
were applauded as wise men, that did well for themselves, Ps.
49:13, 18.
Those
that get grace will be wise in the latter end, will have the comfort of
it in death and the benefit of it to eternity (Prov. 19:20); but those that
place their happiness in the wealth of the world, and, right or wrong, will
be rich, will rue the folly of it when it is too late to rectify the fatal
mistake.
This
is like the partridge that sits on eggs and hatches them not, but they
are broken (as Job 39:15), or stolen (as Isa. 10:14), or they become addle:
some sort of fowl there was, well known among the Jews, whose case this
commonly was. The rich man takes a great deal of pains to get an estate
together, and sits brooding upon it, but never has any comfort nor satisfaction
in it; his projects to enrich himself by sinful courses miscarry and come to
nothing.
Let
us therefore be wise in time—what we get to get it honestly, and what we have
to use it charitably, that we may lay up in store a good foundation and be wise
for eternity.
Jer 17:12 An esteemed throne,
exalted from the beginning, is the place of our set-apart place. - Here,
as often before, we have the prophet retired for private meditation, and alone
with YAHVEH. Those ministers that would have comfort in their work must be
much so. In his converse here with EL YAHVEH and his own heart he takes the
liberty which devout souls sometimes use in their soliloquies, to pass from one
thing to another, without tying themselves too strictly to the laws of method
and coherence.
I.
He acknowledges the great favor of EL YAHVEH to HIS people in setting up a
revealed religion among them, and dignifying them with divine institutions: A
glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. The
temple at Yerushalayim, where EL YAHVEH manifested his special presence, where
the lively oracles were lodged, where the people paid their homage to their
Sovereign, and whither they fled for refuge in distress, was the place of
their sanctuary.
That
was a glorious high throne. It was a throne of holiness, which made it
truly glorious; it was YAH’s Throne, which made it truly high. Yerushalayim is
called the City of the great King, not only Yisrael’s King, but the King
of the whole earth, so that it might justly be deemed the metropolis, or royal
city, of the world.
It
was from the beginning, so, from the first projecting of it by David and
building of it by Solomon, 2 Chr. 2:9. It was the honor of Yisrael that YAHVEH
set up such a glorious throne among them. As the glorious and high throne
(that is, heaven) is the place of our sanctuary; so some read it. All
good men have a high value and worship for the ordinances of YAHVEH, and reckon
the place of the sanctuary a glorious high throne.
Jeremiah
here mentions this either as a plea with EL YAHVEH for mercy to their land, in
honor of the throne of his glory (ch. 14:21), or as an aggravation of
the sin of his people in forsaking YAHVEH though his throne was among them, and
so profaning his crown and the place of his sanctuary.
Jer 17:13 O יהוה, the expectation of
Yisra’ĕl, all who forsake You are put to shame. “Those who depart from Me shall
be written in the earth, because they have forsaken יהוה, the fountain of living waters.”1 Footnote: 1See
2:13. - He acknowledges the righteousness of EL YAHVEH in
abandoning those to ruin that forsook him and revolted from their allegiance to
him. He speaks it to EL YAHVEH, as subscribing both to the certainty and to the
equity of it: O Lord! the hope of those in Israel that adhere to thee, all
that forsake thee shall be ashamed.
They
must of necessity be so, for they forsake thee for lying vanities, which will
deceive them and make them ashamed. They will be ashamed, for they shame
themselves. They will justly be put to shame, for they have forsaken him who
alone can keep them in countenance when troubles come. Let them be ashamed
(so some read it); and so it is a pious imprecation of the wrath of YAHVEH upon
them, or a petition for his grace, to make them penitently ashamed.
"Those
that depart from me,
from the word of Torah which I have preached, do in effect depart from
YAHVEH;’’ as those that return to YAHVEH are said to return to the prophet, ch.
15:19. Those that depart from thee (so some read it) shall be written
in the earth. They shall soon be blotted out, as that is which is written
in the dust.
They
shall be trampled upon and exposed to contempt. They belong to the earth, and
shall be numbered among earthly people, who lay up their treasure on earth and
whose names are not written in heaven. And they deserve to be thus
written with the fools in Yisrael, that their folly may be made manifest unto
all, because they have forsaken YAHVEH, the fountain of living waters
(that is, spring waters), and that for broken cisterns.
YAHVEH
is to all that are HIS, a fountain of living waters. There is a fulness
of comfort in HIM, an over-flowing ever-flowing fulness, like that of a
fountain; it is always fresh, and clear, and clean, like spring water, while
the pleasures of sin are puddle-waters. They are free to it; it is not a fountain
sealed. They deserve therefore to be condemned, as Adam, to red earth,
to which by the corruption of their nature they are allied, because they have
forsaken the garden of YAHVEH, which is so well-watered. Those that
depart from YAHVEH are written in the earth.
Jer 17:14 Heal me, O יהוה, so that I am healed. Save me, so that I
am saved, for You are my praise. – Jeremiah prays to YAHVEH for healing
saving mercy for himself. "If the case of those that depart from YAHVEH be
so miserable, let me always draw nigh to him (Ps. 73:27, 28), and, in order to
do that, Lord, heal me, and save me. Heal my backslidings, my
bent to backslide, and save me from being carried away by the strength of the
stream to forsake thee.’’
He
was wounded in spirit with grief upon many accounts. "Lord, heal me
with thy comforts, and make me easy.’’ He was continually exposed to the malice
of unreasonable men. "Lord, save me from them, and let me not fall
into their wicked hands.
Heal
me, that
is, sanctify me by thy grace; save me, that is, bring me to thy glory.’’
All that shall be saved hereafter are sanctified now; unless the disease of sin
be purged out the soul cannot live. To enforce this petition he pleads,
1.
The firm belief he had of YAH’s power: Heal thou me, and then I shall be
healed; the cure will certainly be wrought if thou undertake it; it will be
a thorough cure and not a palliative one. Those that come to EL YAHVEH to be
healed ought to be abundantly satisfied in the all-sufficiency of their
physician. Save me, and then I shall certainly be saved,
be my dangers and enemies ever so threatening. If YAHVEH hold us up, we shall
live; if HE protect us, we shall be safe.
2.
The sincere regard he had to YAH’s glory: "For thou art my praise,
and for that reason I desire to be healed and saved, that I may live and
praise thee, Ps. 119:175. Thou art he whom I praise, and the praise due to
thee I never gave to another. Thou art he whom I glory in, and boast of, for on
thee do I depend. Thou art he that furnishes me with continual matter for
praise, and I have given thee the praise of the favors already bestowed upon
me. Thou shalt be my praise’’ (so some read it); "heal me, and save
me, and thou shalt have the glory of it. My praise shall be continually of
thee,’’ Ps. 71:6; 79:13.
Brit
Chadasha
Ephsiyah “Ephesians” 2:11 – 19
Eph 2:11 Therefore remember that you,who were once a gentiles1
in the flesh, who are called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called ‘the
circumcision’ made in the flesh by hands, Footnote: 11 Cor. 12:2. - In
these verses the apostle proceeds in his account of the miserable condition of
these Ephesians by nature. Wherefore remember, etc. As if he had said,
"You should remember what you have been, and compare it with what you now
are, in order to humble yourselves and to excite your love and thankfulness to
God.’’
Converted
sinners ought to frequently to reflect upon the sinfulness and misery of the
state they were in by nature. Gentiles in the flesh, that is, living in
the corruption of their natures, and being destitute of circumcision, the
outward sign of an interest in the covenant of grace.
Who
are called uncircumcision by that, etc., that is, "You were reproached and upbraided
for it by the formal Jews, who made an external profession, and who looked no
further than the outward ordinance.’’ Hypocritical professors are wont to value
themselves chiefly on their external privileges, and to reproach and despise
others who are destitute of them.
Eph
2:12 that at that time you were without Messiyah, excluded from
the citizenship of Yisra’ĕl and strangers from the covenants of promise, having
no expectation and without Elohim in the world.
– The apostle
describes the misery of their case in several particulars. "At that
time, while you were Gentiles, and in an unconverted state, you were,’’
1. "In a Messiyahless condition,
without the knowledge of the Messiyah, and without any saving interest in him
or relation to him.’’ It is true of all unconverted sinners, all those who are
destitute of faith, that they have no saving interest in Messiyah; and it must
be a sad and deplorable thing for a soul to be without a Messiyah. Being
without Christ, they were,
2. Aliens from the commonwealth of
Yisrael; they did not belong to Messiyah’s church, and had no communion
with it, that being confined to the Yisraelitish nation. It is no small
privilege to be placed in the Yisrael of Messiyah, and to share with the
members of it in the advantages peculiar to it.
3. They are strangers from the
covenants of promise. The covenant of grace has ever been the same for
substance, though, having undergone various additions and improvements in the
several ages of the Yisrael, it is called covenants; and the covenants of
promise, because it is made up of promises, and particularly contains the great
promise of the Messiyah, and of eternal life through him. Now the Ephesians, in
their gentilism, were strangers to this covenant, having never had any
information nor overture of it; and all unregenerate sinners are strangers to
it, as they have no interest in it. Those who are without Messiyah, and so have
no interest in the Mediator of the covenant, have none in the promises of the
covenant.
4. They had no hope, that is, beyond
this life—no well-grounded hope in YAHVEH, no hope of spiritual and eternal
blessings. Those who are without Messiyah, and strangers from the covenant, can
have no good hope; for Messiyah and the covenant are the ground and foundation
of all the Yisrael’s hopes. They were in a state of distance and estrangement
from YAHVEH: Without YAHVEH in the world; not without some general
knowledge of a deity, for they worshipped idols, but living without any due
regard to him, any acknowledged dependence on him, and any special interest in
him. The words are, atheists in the world; for, though they worshipped
many gods, yet they were without the true YAHVEH.
Eph 2:13 But now in Messiyah יהושע you
who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of the Messiyah. – The apostle proceeds
further to illustrate the happy change that was made in their state: But
now, in Yahushua Messiyah, you who sometimes were far off, etc. They were
far off from Messiyah, from His Yisrael, from the promises, from the Yisrael
hope, and from YAHVEH himself; and therefore from all good, like the prodigal
son in the far country: this had been represented in the preceding verses.
Unconverted sinners remove themselves at a distance from YAHVEH, and YAHVEH
puts them at a distance: He beholds the proud afar off. "But now in
Yahushua HaMashiach, etc., upon your conversion, by virtue of union with
Messiyah, and interest in him by faith, you are made nigh.’’
They
were brought home to YAHVEH, received into Yisrael, taken into the covenant,
and possessed of all other privileges consequent upon these. The saints are
a people near to YAHVEH. Salvation is far from the wicked; but YAHVEH is a
help at hand to his people; and this is by the blood of Messiyah, by the
merit of his sufferings and death. Every believing sinner owes his nearness to
YAHVEH, and his interest in his favour, to the death and sacrifice of Messiyah.
Eph 2:14 For He is our peace, who has made both one, and having
broken down the partition of the barrier, - We have now come to the last part of the chapter, which
contains an account of the great and mighty privileges that converted Hebrews
and Gentiles both receive from Messiyah. The apostle here shows that those who
were in a state of enmity are reconciled. Between the Jews and the Gentiles
there had been a great enmity; so there is between YAHVEH and every
unregenerate man.
Now
Yahushua Messiyah is our peace. He made peace by the sacrifice of himself; and
came to reconcile,
1.
Hebrews and Gentiles to each other. He made both one, by reconciling
these two divisions of men, who were wont to malign, to hate, and to reproach
each other before. He broke down the middle wall of partition, the
ceremonial law, that made the great feud, and was the badge of the Hebrews’
peculiarity, called the partition-wall by way of allusion to the
partition in the temple, which separated the court of the Gentiles from that
into which the Hebrew only had liberty to enter.
Eph 2:15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity – the Torah of
the commands in dogma – so as to create in Himself one renewed man from the
two, thus making peace, - Thus he abolished in
His flesh the enmity. By His sufferings in the flesh, to took away the
binding power of the curse of the law, Deut 28:16 -68 (so removing that cause
of enmity and distance between them), because it enjoined a multitude of
external rites and ceremonies, such as the sacrifice of animals.
Putting into one
Sacrifice the different sacrifice of the Tabernacle: The Blood that flow from
the feet of Yahushua, the blood and water that flow from His side, the Blood
that flows from both His hands, and the Blood that flow from the crown of
thorns. The blood form His feet the Brazen Altar, the Blood and water from His
side the Laver, the Blood from His left hand the Altar of Showbread, the Blood
form His right Hand the Menorah, the Blood from the crown of Thorns the Altar
of Burnt offering.
Each one of those Altars represents the
different stages of our spiritual development.
Eph 2:16 and to completely restore to favour both of them unto
Elohim in one body through the stake, having destroyed the enmity by it. – Therefore Messiyah made in himself of twain one new
man. He framed both these parties into one new society Yisrael, or body of
YAH’s people, uniting them to himself as their common head, they being renewed
by the Holy Ghost, and now concurring in a new way of gospel worship, so
making peace between these two parties, who were so much at variance
before.
There
is an enmity between YAHVEH and sinners, whether Yisraelites and Gentiles; and
Messiyah came to slay that enmity, and to reconcile them both to YAHVEH. Sin
breeds a gulf between YAHVEH and men. Messiyah came to bridge the partition,
and to bring it to an end, by reconciling both Israelite and Gentile, now
collected and gathered into one body Yisrael, to a provoked and an offended
YAHVEH: and this by the cross, or by the sacrifice of himself upon the
cross, having slain the enmity thereby.
Eph 2:17 And having come, He brought as Good News peace to you
who were far off, and peace to those near. - The apostle proceeds to
illustrate the great advantages which both parties gain by the mediation of our
Yahushua HaMashiach. Messiyah, who purchased peace on the stake, came, partly
in His own person, as for the Jews, who are here said to have been nigh, and
partly in His apostles, whom He commissioned to preach the gospel to the
Gentiles, who are said to have been afar off, in the sense that has been given
before.
And
preached peace,
or published the terms of reconciliation with YAHVEH and of eternal life. When
the messengers of Messiyah deliver His truths, it is in effect the same as if
He did it immediately himself. He is said to preach to them, insomuch that He
who receiveth Torah receiveth Him, and He who despiseth them (acting by virtue
of His commission, and delivering his message) despiseth and rejecteth Messiyah Himself.
Eph 2:18 Because through Him we both have access to the Father by
one Spirit. – Now
the effect of this peace is the free access which both Jews and Gentiles have
in YAHVEH: For through Him, in His name and by virtue of His mediation, we
both have access or admission into the presence of YAHVEH, who has become
the common reconciled Father of both: the Blood of grace is shed for us to come
through, and liberty of approach to that throne is allowed us.
Our
access is by the Holy Spirit. Messiyah purchased for us leave to come to
YAHVEH, and the Spirit gives us a new heart to come and strength to come, even
grace to serve YAHVEH perfectly. Observe, We draw nigh to YAHVEH, through the
Blood of Yahushua HaMashiach, by the help of the Spirit.
Eph 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but
fellow citizens with the set-apart ones and members of the household of Elohim,1
Footnote: 1Rom. 11:17-24, Isa. 14:1.- The Ephesians, upon their
conversion, having such an access to EL YAHVEH, as well as the Jews, and by the
same Spirit, the apostle tells them, Now therefore you are no more strangers
and foreigners.
This
He mentions by way of opposition to what he had observed of them in their
heathenism: they were now no longer aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,
and no longer what the Jews were wont to account all the nations of the earth
besides themselves (namely, strangers to YAHVEH), but fellow-citizens with
the saints, and of the household of YAHVEH, that is, members of the Yisrael
of Messiyah, and having a right to all the privileges of it.
