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Let’s
start off with a review. Israel has been redeemed
from slavery in Egypt with great power, signs
and wonders, and by the deaths of the Passover
Lambs. We are no longer slaves. We are a free
people! We have crossed through the Red Sea on
dry ground. God is providing for all of our needs,
even miraculously, with manna, and the water that
came from the rock that Moses struck. We’ve fought
and defeated the Amalekites by relying on the
Lord, symbolized by the hands of Moses being lifted
up - then there was victory. God then manifested
His presence on Mount Sinai, and the voice of
God was heard by all of Israel, and the Ten Commandments
were given. Other laws were given. Israel accepted
this covenant with God, promising to obey His
commands. Animals are killed, and blood is sprinkled
on the people. The covenant is confirmed.
Then
Moses and Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, and seventy
of the elders of Israel, climb Mount Sinai, and
celebrate this covenant with God. They had a meal
on Mount Sinai, and they saw the God of Israel,
who manifested Himself to them!
Then
the Lord called Moses up on Mount Sinai by himself,
where God gave him two stone tablets of the Ten
Commandments, written by the finger of God, along
with other laws, and the plans to make the Mishkan
and its various items. Meanwhile, at the bottom
of Mount Sinai, the majority of the Jewish people
are quickly losing sight of God, and His commands,
and our covenant obligations. The majority of
Israel starts combining our religion with the
religions of the world around us. We make a golden
calf. Moses comes down, destroys the Two Tablets
of the Ten Commandments, and ends this shameful
debauchery. 3,000 men are killed, the golden calf
is burned up, ground into powder, scattered in
water, and the people forced to drink it, showing
everyone that it is no god. Then Moses intercedes
with the Lord, so that He does not destroy Israel.
Moses goes back up on Mount Sinai, and gets a
greater revelation of the Lord than he ever has
before. The Lord reveals His Thirteen Attributes
to Moses. Moses comes down after this second 40
days with his face glowing, and with another set
of the Two Tablets of the Ten Commandments.
Then
Moses assembles all the people, and takes an offering
to raise the things needed to build the Mishkan.
It was taken only from those who freely wanted
to give. And, most of the people responded. There
was a great outpouring of wealth. The people had
to be restrained from giving, because too much
was being given! When things are right between
us and God, we will want to give voluntarily,
willingly, generously to build up the Dwelling
Place of God. Do you?
Then
Israel built the Mishkan. The word Mishkan comes
from the Hebrew root Shachan, which means “to
dwell, to abide.” We get other Hebrew words like
neighbor and neighborhood from this same root.
You see, in spite of the Fall of man, and our
sinfulness, and the whole human race being alienated
from a holy God, He still wanted to dwell among
us, and be good neighbor to us! And, that’s the
kind of God He still is; but now He is dwelling
among us, not in a tent, or in a Temple made of
wood and stones, but in Messiah!
You see,
the Mishkan, and later the Temple in Jerusalem
which replaced it, and the various items in it,
no longer exist. But they always were intended
to point to and be fulfilled in a greater way
in the Messiah. The Son of God is the Substance
to which the Shadows pointed, and remains. He
is our Temple, where God most fully dwells and
manifests His presence among human beings. And
He enables us to become the Temple of God! He
is our Ark, the place where God and man meet.
He is like the Veil: He opens the way to God for
all mankind. He is like the Table: He provides
us with the Bread of Life, and the Wine of Joy.
He is our Golden Altar, making our prayers rise
up and ascend into the presence of God, and be
accepted by Him. He is our Golden Menorah, who
gives us blazing light, total victory and the
fullness of salvation, and the knowledge of God.
Messiah is like the Bronze Wash Basin who cleanses
us. He is our Bronze Altar, the place where the
various sacrifices were offered.
At the
Mishkan, and on the Bronze Altar, different types
of sacrifices were offered up. In Hebrew, "Korbanot"
is usually translated as "sacrifices"
or "offerings." The word korban comes
from the root which means "to draw near,"
and indicates the primary purpose of these offerings:
to draw us near to a holy God from whom the whole
world is estranged. Drawing close to God comes
through God appointed sacrifices.
The Chatat
- the sin offering, was basic to all the other
offerings. It was the first sacrifice offered.
First you dealt with the thing that separated
you from God - sin - before you offered the Olah
- the burnt offering of dedication, or the Mincha
- the grain offering of sanctified labor, followed
by the Zebach Sh'lamim - the peace offerings of
fellowship.
First,
sin must be atoned for. Then comes dedication
and service to God, then genuine fellowship and
intimacy with God. You can’t truly serve God until
you have genuine atonement. You can’t have genuine
intimacy and fellowship and closeness to God until
your sins are atoned for, and you are serving
the Lord. Do you understand?
That
brings us to last week’s and this week’s parashas.
Let’s start with chapter 9, which describes the
beginning of the work of the Cohaneem at the Tabernacle.
A priest
brings God closer to men, and he brings men closer
to God. But, before they can be mediators for
others, priests need to be free of sin, and dedicated
to the Lord. So, first of all, Aaron and his sons
are commanded to offer a sin offering and a burnt
offering for themselves. Now, if you believe in
Messiah Yeshua, you are a priest. We believe in
the priesthood of all Believers. Messiah Yeshua
is our High Priest, and we are lesser priests,
serving under Him. Priests can’t have sin in their
lives, and they must be dedicated to the Lord.
Are you?
When
a person asks Messiah Yeshua into his or her life,
what they are doing is symbolically laying their
hands on the head of Yeshua. The person confessed
his sins and the Son of God takes away the sinful
life of the person. Then He gives the person His
life, making the exchange of life complete. If
you have never done this, make Him your Chatat.
You need to identify with Him. Let Him take your
sins, and be your Substitute, and give you His
eternal, victorious life!
Then
you need to keep laying your hands on the head
of Messiah by confessing your sins to God, and
thanking God for the sacrifice of the Messiah.
Then the Lord will wipe away every sin you have
committed. Then, make a decision to dedicate your
life to God. Make a commitment to Him to serve
Him with all your heart, all your soul, and all
your might.
Then,
after the priests are clean, and committed to
serving the Lord, they are ready to serve others.
Look at verse 15-18: Then Aaron presented the
people's offering, and took the goat of the sin
offering which was for the people, and slaughtered
it and offered it for sin, like the first. He
also presented the burnt offering, and offered
it according to the ordinance. Next he presented
the grain offering, and filled his hand with some
of it and offered it up in smoke on the altar,
besides the burnt offering of the morning. Then
he slaughtered the ox and the ram, the sacrifice
of peace offerings which was for the people.
What
a beautiful picture! Israel drawing near to God
through the Korbanot. Their sin, which separates
them from God, is atoned for by the sin offering.
They are dedicated to the Lord by the burnt offering.
They are working and serving the Lord, represented
by the grain offering of sanctified labor. Finally,
they have peace and fellowship with the Lord as
seen by the peace offerings.
What
happens when the people of God are in a right
relationship with the Lord, truly committed to
serving Him, and working for Him, and close to
Him? Blessing comes! Verse 22 says that Aaron
lifted up his hands (a gesture of blessing)
toward the people and blessed them. How
could God’s representative not bless them, seeing
them is such a beautiful condition! And, the blessing
of God will come upon us as well, when we experience
the atonement provided by Messiah Yeshua, and
are dedicated to Him, working for Him and serving
Him, and sharing life and intimacy with the God
of the universe!
After
the High Priest blessed the people, then Moses
and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When
they came out and blessed the people, the glory
of the Lord appeared to all the people. Then fire
came out from before the Lord and consumed the
burnt offering and the portions of fat on the
altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted
and fell on their faces.
The sacrifices
bring us near to the infinitely holy God. Then
blessing comes, and then presence and power of
God comes! You want the presence and power of
God of your life? Make sure your sins are forgiven
by placing your faith in God and Messiah. Keep
on confessing your sins, and make a decision that
everything that God shows you to be right, and
something that He wants you to do, you are committed
to do. Then, serve the Lord - in your workplace,
in your home, in the synagogue. Spend some time
with the Lord, meditating on His word, singing
to Him, praising Him for the Supreme Being He
is, and the great things He has done. You will
experience the blessing, the power and the presence
of the Lord!
Chapter
9 shows us what we should do. Chapter ten illustrates
what we should not do. Nadav and Avihu, two of
the sons of Aaron, were in the Mishkan. They were
supposed to be burning incense, but instead they
offered Esh Zarah - strange, unauthorized fire
- to the Lord. The Lord was incensed at this lack
of respect, and another Esh - the fire of the
Lord, came from the Sh’chee-nah, the glorious
Dwelling Presence of God that was manifested in
cloud that hovered over the Ark Covering in the
Most Holy Place, and incinerated them!
Wow!
The Lord killed them for this religious infraction.
Moses tells us why: The Lord said: “By those
who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and
before all the people I will be honored.”
To whom much is given, much is required. The greater
a man’s knowledge or position, the higher the
standard he must keep. Good religious leadership
is essential. When the Lord is treated with reverence
by the leaders, the people learn and follow their
example, and the Lord is honored. Let’s be praying
for our religious leaders, that they would continually
treat the Lord as holy.
Why did
Nadav and Avihu offer strange fire? Either they
were not using the right kind of coals, from the
bronze altar, or they used the wrong kind of incense,
or they burned the incense at the wrong time -
other than during the morning or evening sacrifice.
They
weren’t being careful. They weren’t doing what
the Lord had clearly commanded them. Why weren’t
they being more careful? They may have been drunk,
since a prohibition against drinking immediately
follows this event (see verses 8-11). Now I like
a nice glass of wine or beer, but I never drink
when I am know I am going to be in a situation
where I will be called upon to serve the Lord.
Or, perhaps
they weren’t being careful with the Lord’s holy
things because they really didn’t fear the Lord.
They really didn’t love the Lord in their hearts;
and when we don’t really fear or love the Lord,
we aren’t careful with the things He has instructed
us to do.
People
who don’t really love or fear the Lord aren’t
careful about religion. They don’t seek the Lord,
they don’t study for themselves, they don’t learn,
to make sure that they are really doing what the
Lord wants and expects. And, as a result, they
will make tragic mistakes. They won’t learn those
absolutely essential teachings, like salvation
by the finished work of Messiah, and knowing that
salvation comes by faith alone, and not by any
human efforts. They won’t find out that the Holy
Scriptures are inerrant and infallible, and utterly
trustworthy. They won’t believe that Messiah Yeshua
is fully God and fully man, and that the Holy
Spirit is a Person. They won’t be careful about
maintaining moral purity in their lives.
Let me
give you some examples: you talk to a typical
Roman Catholic, and you challenge him: you should
read the Bible - God’s divinely inspired Word
for yourself. If you do, you will discover that
many of the practices and teachings of the Catholic
Church aren’t found in the Bible - they are traditions
of men that actually contradict the Holy Scriptures.
The Bible is the Supreme Authority in these matters,
and it clearly warns us not to add our man-made
traditions and teachings that contradict the Word
of God.
And,
here’s the response from someone who is not careful:
I’m not concerned. I don’t need to read the Bible
for myself. My church, my religious leaders, know
what is right.
You challenge
a typical Jewish person: you should read the New
Testament for yourself. It was written by Jewish
people, about a most wonderful Jewish man, a descendant
of David, who did the most fantastic miracles,
who taught the most beautiful truths, and who
then died, but came back to life, showing that
He is the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of
the world! Won’t you read the New Testament for
yourself? Won’t you study what God revealed to
the prophets about the coming of the Messiah,
like Isaiah 53?
Response:
O, I don’t need to. Judaism doesn’t believe the
Messiah has come yet. My spiritual leaders don’t
believe in Yeshua. He can’t be the Messiah. He
can’t be that important. In fact, to be honest
with you, religion isn’t all that important. I
want just a little bit of religion - and not too
much of it!
You witness
to your typical American about the reality of
God, and the evidences for God that surround us
everywhere, and the truth of His Word, and they
just aren’t interested. They don’t want to investigate.
They don’t want to read, they are unwilling to
study this all-important matter. They aren’t careful.
Why? They just don’t care. And, they will suffer
the consequences for despising the Lord in this
way.
The Holy
Scriptures reveal that there is a Holy God who
has a Holy People, who at one time had Holy Priests
serving in a Holy House, within which was a Holy
Place, in which was a Most Holy Place. There were
Holy Sacrifices that enabled us to draw near to
this Holy God. There are Holy Days - the Sabbath
and the yearly holidays, are set apart to accomplish
God’s special purposes. The Holy People must wear
Holy Clothes, and they must eat Holy Food. That
brings us to chapter 11, which gives us the principles
for Israel’s Holy Diet.
Regarding
land animals, they must chew the cud and have
a split hoof. Animals from the sea must have fins
and scales. Birds generally must not be birds
of prey, that prey on other birds and on animals.
Insects are limited to grasshoppers, locusts and
crickets.
I believe
that this Holy Diet is especially meant for Israel
- the Holy People. Look at verse 26: “they are
unclean “la-chem - for you - Israel, my Holy People.”
Verse 27: “they are unclean la-chem - for you.”
Verse 28: “they are unclean la-chem - for you.”
The primary
purpose of this Holy Diet is for Israel to be
holy. “Make yourselves holy and be holy... You
will be holy for I am holy (see verses 44-45).
Israel’s Holy Diet is designed to keep Israel
holy - distinct from the other nations, separated
to accomplishes God’s purposes.
It wasn’t
just eating a non-kosher animal that rendered
us unclean. If an Israeli touched the dead bodies
of one of these unclean animals, he became unclean.
He couldn’t worship at the Temple in Jerusalem.
He couldn’t offer the korbanot. He couldn’t draw
near to God. He remained unclean until he washed
his clothes, and until the evening fell, which
began a new day.
Should
we keep kosher today? I would encourage Jewish
people to do so, including Messianic Jews, as
these commands are “la-chem - for you.” They are
part of your distinct Jewish identity that keeps
us part of the Holy People. Gentiles need not
keep kosher, although they certainly may choose
do so. Since there may be some health benefits
from this diet, you may want to do so, although
you are not obligated to do so. It is a matter
of personal freedom.
Chapter
12 gives us another principles for cleanliness,
and it has to do with childbirth. When a woman
gives birth to a baby, it’s both a good thing,
and a bad thing. A new life comes into the world,
made in the image of God, but at the same time
a fallen human being comes into the world, who
will sin, who will do things that offend God,
who will do things in his life that will harm
other human beings. It can’t be helped.
When
a woman gives birth to a baby boy, she becomes
unclean for 7 days. She has brought another sinner
into the world. Sin is being transmitted from
generation to generation. The sin that started
with Adam is reaching yet another generation,
and that grieves the Lord. After 7 days, she must
bathe herself. On the eighth day the boy is circumcised
and comes into our covenant relationship with
God. The woman is unclean for Temple worship for
another 33 days, for a total of 40 days, the number
for testing and judgment.
After
the time for her to become clean has elapsed,
she must go to the Temple, and offer a sin offering,
to atone for sin, and a burnt offering of dedication.
After she is atoned for, and rededicated to the
Lord, she once more is clean in the Lord’s sight.
But if
she has a baby girl, the time is doubled, and
she is unclean for 80 days. Why is the period
of uncleanness double? Because women are worse
than men? No. My Rabbi, Louis Goldberg, speculated
that the reason is that a baby girl grows into
a woman, who is capable of giving birth, and directly
bringing other sinners into this world, and so
the length of time needed to become clean is doubled.
Chapter
13 deals with another issue of cleanliness and
holiness - leprosy. Leprosy can include Hansen’s
disease, what we know of as leprosy, but it can
also include other kinds of skin infections as
well.
If a
person had a skin infection, he went to the priest
who inspected it. If the priest wasn’t sure, the
man was isolated for 7 days, and then inspected
by the priest once again. If the priest could
determine that it was a skin infection, with raw
flesh or an open wound, the man was unclean. Verses
45-46 tell us what happened then: As for the
leper who has the infection, his clothes shall
be torn, and the hair of his head shall be uncovered,
and he shall cover his mustache and cry, 'Unclean!
Unclean!' He shall remain unclean all the days
during which he has the infection; he is unclean.
He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside
the camp. The poor man was in mourning, unclean,
isolated from Israel. It’s almost as if the poor
man was dead.
Leprosy
is a good illustration of what sin does to us.
Sin alienates us from God, HaMakor - the Source
of goodness and life and happiness and blessing.
Sin kills life; it removes the goodness and happiness
and blessing from us. Being in a state of sin,
unatoned for, is like being in a state of spiritual
death, cut off from God and true life. Human beings
who are still in their sins, unatoned for, are
not fully alive the way they need to be. Sin makes
us unclean, cut off from God, unable to worship
the Lord. Sin forces us to live alone, isolated
and unwelcome from the true community of God’s
people. How horrible! Yes, sin is truly horrible,
and the closer you draw near to the Holy One,
the more aware of how horrible sin is, especially
the sin in your own life.
Leprosy
affected not only human beings, but other parts
of their environment, like clothing. If some clothing
was suspect of having an infection, it was remedied
by washing the garment, cutting out the affected
part, or by burning it.
Thank
God that there is cleaning from leprosy, and cleansing
from sin! Next week’s parasha gives us the laws
for the cleansing of those who had leprosy, which
points us to the work of our blessed Messiah.
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