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I’d like
to tell you a story. The story starts in the very
beginning and spans 2,000 years, concluding at
the end of the book of Exodus. In the beginning,
the good and wise Creator made the universe. In
that new universe was a beautiful planet, specially
designed for human beings. God created the first
human beings, Adam and Eve, and placed them on
Earth, in a magnificent garden in the Middle East,
named Gan Eden (the Garden of Delights). They
were designed in God’s own image, with mind, intelligence,
emotion, will, and the ability to reason, so that
they could know God, have a personal relationship
with Him, and be His companions. There the Eternal
One befriended our parents. But He also warned
them that there was one thing that could ruin
everything - eating from the Tree of the Knowledge
of Good and Evil.
But Adam
and Eve disobeyed God, and immediately everything
changed for the worse. Their orientation to God,
who is the Source of Life and Blessing, mutated.
Instead of drawing nearing to God, they ran away
from Him. Instead of moving toward life and blessing,
they gravitated toward death. The world was cursed,
and Adam and Eve were exiled from the Garden of
Eden. This one act of disobedience allowed
sin and evil to enter this beautiful new world
and ruin everything. Sin is the root of all the
suffering, misery, unhappiness, injustice, crime
and war that has happened since. And yet,
the Lord was also merciful to mankind, and provided
a temporary way for chah-vay-root (fellowship)
with God to be partially restored. This was accomplished
through the korban - the sacrifice. God provided
garments of skin for Adam and Eve, which implies
that at least one innocent animal had to die so
that their nakedness, guilt and shame could be
temporarily covered.
Then Kayin,
the first human being born into the world, who
carried with him so many expectations and hopes,
murdered his brother. That did not bode well for
humanity... Within several generations, the world
had become like Kayin -corrupt and violent. Things
got so bad that God destroyed that entire civilization
with a flood. Yet one good man, Noah, believed
in God and, along with his family, survived the
flood by building a huge boat. After they came
out of the boat their descendants began repopulating
the world. However, within a few generations sin
and evil began once again to prevail on Earth.
Unfortunately,
just as a dog returns to eat its vomit, so the
descendants of Cham, Shem and Yafet began worshiping
many gods. They began sacrificing their children
to these false deities. The people became sexually
perverse. Terrible wars were fought. But instead
of destroying civilization once again, the good
and wise God decided to do something else to redeem
the situation. He chose Abraham, entering into
a special relationship with him. Abraham was chosen
so that his descendants would know the true God,
the Source of Life and Blessing, be reconciled
to Him, and follow God’s good ways.
Through
this “Am Kadosh” (a nation that is holy, set apart
for God’s special purposes), the other nations
of the world might be reconciled to the Source
of Life and Blessing. From this Chosen People
the sacrifices that provided temporary atonement,
and God’s wise principles for living, would come
to the world. And finally, through the Jewish
people the Messiah, that Anointed Man, who is
somehow “Immanuel” (God with us), the only One
capable of fully reuniting man and God, would
come into the world.
But God
needed to give birth to this Am Kadosh in the
midst of very unholy nations. To accomplish this,
the Lord needed an “incubator” to protect this
infant nation while it was developing. He orchestrated
events and circumstances in such a way that Egypt,
the most powerful nation on Earth, would be that
incubator. God allowed a great famine to take
place in the Middle East, and the ancestors of
the Chosen People migrated to Egypt, where God
had sent Joseph to prepare the way for them, so
that there would be enough food for the Jewish
people, and the Egyptians, during this lengthy
famine.
Years
later a new Pharaoh came to power, who had no
regard for the good that Joseph had done, and
instead of showing gratitude, he enslaved our
people, further isolating us within the incubator
of Egypt. Then we are introduced to the next part
of our story, the birth of a baby boy, born under
the sentence of death, but whose life was marvelously
preserved by the workings of God. With a delightful
twist of irony, God moves in such a way that,
despite Pharaoh’s decree to kill all the Jewish
male babies in Egypt, Moses is not only saved,
but is raised by Pharaoh’s own daughter, who hires
Moses’ own mother to take care of the baby! Moses
grew up in the court of Pharaoh, where every advantage
was his. When he came to adulthood, he understood
that God intended him to be the deliverer of Israel.
So he went out, trying to do his job, and ended
up murdering an Egyptian.
Moses
fled from the land of Egypt and herded sheep for
forty years in Midian. Finally prepared, God called
Moses back to his original task, for the nation
of Israel was now ready to serve God’s purposes
among the nations, and the time had come for Israel
to be released from the incubator.
When Moses
returned to Egypt, he immediately came into conflict
with Pharaoh, who refused to release the Jewish
people. To force the king of Egypt to let Israel
go, God had to send nine dreadful plagues against
Egypt. Through these plagues God was not only
judging the Egyptians, but at the same time destroying
their false religious system, for each plague
was directed against one of the false gods of
Egypt. God was already using the Chosen People
to teach the nations that there is only one true
God that can help us. And yet, Pharaoh hardened
his heart in the face of all nine plagues, and
refused to let the Jewish people go.
The tenth
plague was the worst of all - death for all the
first-born sons throughout the land of Egypt,
both the first-born of Israel and the firstborn
of Egypt, both the first-born of man and the first-born
of the animals. There was only one way a first-born
son could survive that first Passover night. Through
Moses, God instructed the people to take an unblemished
year-old lamb, kill it, and drain its blood into
a bowl. Those who had confidence in God and the
words of Moses applied the blood to the two doorposts
and the top of the door of their homes. That night
there was a great outcry in Egypt, for there was
no home where there was not someone dead. But
as He had promised, on each door where He saw
the blood of a spotless lamb, God passed over
that home and spared the first-born son from death.
All those who had faith in God, and in what He
spoke through Moses, were perfectly safe within
their homes. Likewise, when we have faith in
God and in Messiah Yeshua, our Passover Lamb,
who died to atone for us, reconciling us to the
God from Whom we have been estranged, God will
pass over us, spare us from the second death,
and release us from our Egypts -those things that
enslave us.
At last
Egypt was overwhelmed by the power of God. Pharaoh
reluctantly consented, after the death of his
first-born, to let Israel go. The next day Israel
was released, ready to be the “Or L’Goyim” (Light
to the Nations), that special nation that would
bring the knowledge and salvation of God to an
otherwise dark and dead world. But that is not
the end of the story. Our ancestors left their
homes in Egypt, and came to the shore of the Red
Sea. In the meantime, Pharaoh had a change of
heart, and decided to re-enslave us. At the shore,
the Jewish people saw the Pharaoh’s army pursuing,
and the situation looked hopeless. The Lord then
had Moses stretch out his rod over the Red Sea,
and when he did, the waters rolled back and we
walked through safely to the other side, while
the Egyptians, who followed us, were caught in
the collapse of the waters and drowned.
The
Red Sea symbolizes our break with the sinful aspects
of the world. It is water that had come between
us and Egypt; Egypt is now on the other side.
It is similar to the water that has come between
you and the world when you decided to obey the
Messiah. There are people who are willing to
sit in their homes under the Passover blood, who
are willing to believe in Messiah Yeshua, but
they are not willing to walk through the waters
of the Red Sea. They never take that step which
cuts them off from the world. Their hearts
are still back in Egypt. They will not move forward
through the Red Sea, and until that happens they
are still under the bondage of Egypt. Any human
being who has genuinely been reconciled to God
must not only experience the atonement and freedom
of the Passover, but he must also pass through
the Red Sea, and cut off his sinful ties with
the world. When you take that step, you move
out into a place of joy, because our story records
that the first thing we did when we arrived on
the other side of the Red Sea was to start singing.
There hadn't been many songs in Egypt, but when
we crossed the Red Sea, we started singing joyous
songs, praising God for His help, because real
deliverance, real salvation brings new joy.
Then the
sons of Israel came to the bitter waters of Marah.
In order to cure these waters, Moses cut down
a tree, threw it into the waters, and the waters
became sweet. This is telling us that the tree
upon which Yeshua died is the cure to life’s bitterness.
When we remember Yeshua’s death on the cross,
which shows us the extent of God’s love for us,
the atonement we now have, and the hope of a joyous
eternity with the Source of Life and Blessing,
all the bitterness of life can be sweetened.
Immediately
following this, the manna fell in the wilderness.
Didn't you discover God’s care and provision for
you when you first became a Christian or Messianic
Jew? God watched over you and provided for you,
and carried you on eagles' wings, as He did for
the entire Jewish nation.
Then came
the battle with Amalek. I think that Amalek may
represent the first battle with the old nature.
It can be a startling realization to those who
have gone through the glory of the Passover, and
crossed the Red Sea of immersion, and experienced
the sense of God’s fatherly care and provision,
to then discover they still have a battle with
corrupt desires. But Amalek can be defeated. When
Moses held his hands up, Israel prevailed, and
when his hands were lowered, Amalek prevailed.
So Aaron and Hur assisted Moses, and supported
his hands, until Amalek was defeated. Our own
heartfelt prayers, combined with the support and
prayers of our Messianic brothers and sisters,
will help us to overcome the desires of the flesh.
When we pray and seek out the help of others to
support us, pray with us, and encourage us in
our battles with the flesh, we will experience
victory.
Finally,
we arrived at Mount Sinai, where Israel received
the Torah and the instructions to build the Mishkan
(the Tent of God’s Dwelling Presence) - the Tent
that enabled God to once again dwell among human
beings. God’s holy instructions for living, thundering
down from Mount Sinai, were frightening. God's
answer to that was the Mishkan and the rituals
and the sacrifices connected with it. That
is why on Mount Sinai, on the very same mountain
from which God gave His teachings on how we are
to live, He also gave the Mishkan, which is His
provision for our sins.
In the
Sinai wilderness the twelve tribes of Israel were
divided up; some on the east, some on the north,
some on the west, and some on the south. In the
center was the Mishkan. Over it was a cloud by
day and a fiery pillar by night. Here was God
dwelling among His people. But He could only
dwell among us by an intricate system of sacrifices
and rituals. If you wanted to draw close to
the presence of God on Earth, you would pass through
all the tribes on whichever side you entered,
and find your way to the center of the camp, where
the Levites were. As you continued through the
Levites you would come to the Mishkan. At first
you passed through a gateway into the outer court
where you would find a bronze altar and washbasin.
These brought a preliminary measure of cleansing
and atonement. Then there was an inner tent into
which no one dared enter unless he was a priest
from Aaron’s family. Inside the Holy Place there
was a veil that blocked the way to the Most Holy
Place. Only the High Priest of Israel could enter
there, only on Yom Kippur, only armed with the
blood of a sacrifice, and only after elaborate
preparations had been made. Only then could he
enter the Most Holy Place and come into the Dwelling
Presence of God on Earth.
The only
article in the Most Holy Place was the Aron (the
Ark of the Covenant). Atop the Ark was the Ark
Cover, with two Cherubim, their wings touching
each other. From above the Ark Covering the Creator
would manifest His Presence on Earth. Inside the
Aron were the two tablets of the Ten Commandments,
Aaron's rod that budded, and a golden jar with
manna.
The two
tablets tell us that the God of Israel is a God
of law and justice. His laws are of central importance
to Him. If we are going to have any kind of genuine
relationship with God, it will only happen on
the basis of His laws and principles. We must
come to Him on His terms - there is no other way.
The demands of His Torah must be met - not bypassed.
If you violate God's laws, ignore them or try
to circumvent them, you may not dwell with God.
It’s that simple. The golden jar with manna reminded
us that God promised to supernaturally provide
for His people - even in a desert wilderness.
Just as He miraculously provided for Israel, so
He will provide for us too! Aaron's rod tells
us that we need a God-appointed, God-ordained
mediator to approach God for us. Man in his fallen
state cannot enter the Presence of God.
Sin has
damaged us too deeply to approach the presence
of God directly. We can't approach Him directly
ourselves, and we can't appoint anyone we please.
The Mishkan
was good, but its value was limited. The trouble
with the Mishkan and its system of sacrifices
is that they weren't complete enough. They
weren't real enough. They were only shadows and
pictures. They could never really do anything.
The blood of bulls and goats, sheep and doves
could never fully atone for human beings. In the
Mishkan, God met us only through our representative,
our mediator, our cohen, our priest. All the rest
of humanity was excluded. The Mishkan and its
rituals and sacrifices were temporary measures
which enabled God to provide interim atonement,
and dwell among us on a limited basis, until the
Messiah, who is the true Mishkan, and the final
Sacrifice, and the ultimate High Priest, would
come.
That
is why, when we come to the book of Messianic
Jews, we are informed that while the basic principles
in the Torah are unchanged, the approach to God
is even better, for now we are dealing with the
One who is the fulfillment, the reality, symbolized
by all these shadows. We read that "we
have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place opened
by the blood of Yeshua" (Hebrews 10:19). By
means of Messiah’s death and resurrection, God
has so completely dealt with the problem of sin,
that we may be reconciled to the Source of Life
and Blessing, and be friends with Him, as we were
in the beginning. Because of the Messiah, the
holy God can dwell in His Mishkan in the hearts
and souls of Israel and the nations.
Let me
conclude this story with some questions to ponder:
Do you bless Israel, God’s Chosen People, or curse
us? Have you understood the true meaning of the
Passover? Have you applied Messiah's blood to
the doorposts of your heart? Have you passed through
the Red Sea of commitment and immersion, and left
behind the sinful things that kept you enslaved?
Are you singing a song of joy and victory to our
God? Are you fighting your way through the wilderness
of life in this fallen world? Are you, through
prayer and fellowship, overcoming your Amaleks?
Are you obeying the commandments of God, and dwelling
with Him? Are you bound for the New Jerusalem,
where you will live with God, and with Yeshua
the Passover Lamb, forever and ever?
[I'm indebted
to Ray Stedman for much of this message].
Shalom!
Rabbi Loren |
