Shalom Aleichem...
Reflections is a weekly Christian Teaching Ministry. Each week we will talk about the Bible and lessons we can put to use in our daily life. We will try to, on a weekly basis, provide to you stories, thoughts, and just easy ways to live your life on a straight path.
THIS WEEK'S TEACHING....June 7, 2021
The Holy of Holies was the place where God's Presence dwelt in the Tabernacle. The symbolism of this Most Holy Place represented the character of God and the only way to approach Him.
“The Place of God’s Presence: The Holy of Holies”
Hebrews 9:1-14:
Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; 3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. 6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance; 8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience-- 10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. 11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
The Altar and the Veil
Last week we entered the Holy Place in the Tabernacle where the priests served daily in the presence of the Golden Candlesticks and the Table holding the bread of Presence, and we stopped in front of the Altar of Incense. The priests offered incense and prayers morning and evening on this Golden Altar of Incense as intercessors for the people of Israel. The Incense symbolizes the sweet aroma of continual prayer and praise being offered to God; Our prayers should also ascend to God as the aroma of sweet incense to our God. This altar stood directly against the veil or curtain which led into the Holy of Holies, also known as The Most Holy Place.
The altar of incense can also be seen as a picture of the intercession of Christ. Just as the altar of sacrifice in the courtyard was a type of Christ’s death on the cross on our behalf, the altar of incense in the Holy Place was a type of Christ’s mediation on our behalf—Christ’s work on earth and in heaven. The altar of incense was situated in the Holy Place just before the mercy-seat of the Ark on the other side of the veil—a picture of our Advocate’s standing in the presence of the Father (Hebrews 7:25; 9:24). The incense was to be burning continually on the altar of incense, which shows the perpetual nature of Christ as our Mediator and Intercessor. Christ’s intercession on our behalf is a sweet-smelling savor to God. What a magnificent picture for us today!
The thick curtain which separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place was known as the “veil” and was made of fine linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn. There were figures of cherubim (angels) embroidered on this curtain and gold cherubim on top of the Ark inside the Holy of Holies. We know from Isaiah 6 that cherubim were angels with three pairs of wings who stood in the very presence of God, serving Him and guarding His throne. These embroidered cherubim were reminders that God’s almighty power, presence and Holy majesty was on the other side of the veil in the Most Holy Place, or Holy of Holies, overshadowing the mercy seat of God on the Ark.
The word “veil” in Hebrew means a “screen, divider or separator that hides”. What was this curtain hiding? Essentially, it was shielding a holy God from sinful man. Whoever entered into the Holy of Holies was entering the very presence of God. In fact, if anyone except the high priest should enter the Holy of Holies they would surely die. Even the high priest, God’s chosen mediator for His people, could only pass through the veil and enter this sacred dwelling once a year, on a prescribed day called the Day of Atonement. No other person was ever permitted entrance. Certain death would be the consequence.
The veil stood as a barrier between man and God. Man cannot disregard the Divine Holiness of God. God’s eyes are too pure to look on evil and He can tolerate no sin (Habakkuk 1:13 tells us: “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness.”) The veil was a barricade and stark warning so that sinful man would not carelessly and irreverently enter into God’s awesome presence. Hebrews 9:7 explained this: “But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.”
The Most Holy Place/ The Holy of Holies
God’s special dwelling place during the Israelites’ wanderings in the wilderness was in this smaller inner room of the Tabernacle behind the thick veil. This 15 foot perfect cube was aptly called The Most Holy Place or The Holy of Holies. It was there that God’s very presence appeared as a pillar of cloud by day or fire by night, both in and above the Holy of Holies when God wanted His people to move. God’s presence was in the very middle of Israel’s encampment; each tribe had a specific place to camp with their tents facing the Tabernacle, so that whenever they looked toward the direction of the tabernacle, they would be reminded of God’s everlasting presence night and day. “God in the midst of them”, a symbolic picture of Heaven itself, God at the center of all.
The Day of Atonement
The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27-28), also known as Yom Kippur, was the only day of the year that the High Priest was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies. It occurred once a year on the tenth day of Tishri, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. On that day, the high priest performed elaborate rituals to atone for the sins of the people, described in Leviticus 16:1-34. Only Aaron and future high priests were to come into the Most Holy Place and only on this special day, lest he die (v. 2). This was to make the people understand that atonement for sin was to be done ONLY God’s way.
Before entering the tabernacle, Aaron was to bathe and put on special garments (v. 4), then sacrifice a bull for a sin offering for himself and his family (v. 6, 11). The blood of the bull was to be sprinkled on the top of ark of the covenant inside the Holy of Holies. Then Aaron was to bring two goats, one to be sacrificed on behalf of the sins of the Israelites, and its blood was sprinkled on the ark of the covenant. The other goat was used as a scapegoat. Aaron placed his hands on its head, confessed over it the rebellion and wickedness of the Israelites, and sent the goat out with an appointed man who released it into the wilderness (v. 21). The goat carried on itself all the sins of the people, hence the name “scapegoat”, and so the peoples sins were forgiven for another year (v. 30).
The symbolic significance of the ritual, particularly to Christians, is seen first in the washing and cleansing of the high priest, the man who released the goat, and the man who took the sacrificed animals outside the camp to burn the carcasses (v. 4, 24, 26, 28). Israelite washing ceremonies taught the need for sinful mankind to be cleansed of sin. But it wasn’t until Jesus came and made Himself the “once for all” sacrifice that the need for cleansing ceremonies ceased (Hebrews 7:27). The blood of bulls and goats could only atone for sins if the ritual was continually done year after year, but Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient once for all the sins of all who would ever believe in Him. When His sacrifice was made, He declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30). He then sat down at the right hand of God,(which is symbolic of His work behaving been completed) and no further sacrifice would ever be needed (Hebrews 10:1-12).
“The sufficiency and completeness of the sacrifice of Christ is also seen in the two goats. The blood of the first goat was sprinkled on the ark, ritually appeasing the wrath of God for another year. The second goat removed the sins of the people into the wilderness where they were forgotten and no longer clung to the people. Sin is both propitiated and expiated God’s way—only by the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.
Propitiation is the act of appeasing the wrath of God, while expiation is the act of atoning for sin and removing it from the sinner. Both together are achieved eternally by Christ. When He sacrificed Himself on the cross, He appeased God’s wrath against sin, taking that wrath upon Himself: “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!” (Romans 5:9). The removal of sin by the second goat was a living parable of the promise that God would remove our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12) and that He would remember them no more (Hebrews 8:12; 10:17).
“The word atonement carries with it the idea of the just, holy, righteous side of God's nature being satisfied. God's law required death as the penalty for sin. When God saw the death of the innocent sacrifice, he was satisfied that the demands of his law had been carried out. Sacrificing an animal on an altar did not take away the sin. Man was still sinful. The sacrifice only pictured what was necessary for sin to be forgiven—death and shedding of blood. The blood provided an atonement or covering for sin.” (Source: The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus by John R. Cross, published by GoodSeed International) Jesus is our atonement.
This book is a wonderful read by the way:)
The atonement cover (the top of the ark of the covenant, overshadowed by the cherubim, was God’s throne but also His Mercy Seat in the midst of the Israelites. God is on His throne today in heaven and Jesus, our high priest, is at His right side. When we come to God now, we approach a throne of grace.
So the presence of God remained shielded from man behind a thick curtain during the history of Israel. However, Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross changed that. When He died, the curtain in the Jerusalem temple was torn in half, from the top to the bottom. Only God could have carried out such an incredible feat because the veil was too high for human hands to have reached it, and too thick to have torn it. (The Jerusalem temple, a replica of the wilderness tabernacle, had a curtain that was about 60 feet in height, 30 feet in width and four inches thick.) Furthermore, it was torn from top down, meaning this act must have come from above.
As the veil was torn, the Holy of Holies was exposed. God’s presence was now accessible to all. Shocking as this may have been to the priests ministering in the temple that day, it is indeed good news to us as believers, because we know that Jesus’ death has atoned for our sins and made us right before God. The torn veil illustrated Jesus’ body broken for us, opening the way for us to come to God. As Jesus cried out “It is finished!” on the cross, He was indeed proclaiming that God’s redemptive plan was now complete. The age of animal offerings was over. The ultimate offering had been sacrificed.
We can now boldly enter into God’s presence, “the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.” (Hebrews 6:19-20)
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body…let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” (Hebrews 10:19-22)
The Holy of Holies is a representation of heaven itself, God’s dwelling place, which we have access now through Christ. In Revelation, John’s vision of heaven — the New Jerusalem — also was a perfect square, just as the Holy of Holies was (Revelation 21:16).
“For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. …But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Hebrews 9:24-26) “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16).
This concludes our look at the Old Testament, the Commandments and how the church functioned in early times....
NEXT WEEK, we logically begin a 13 part series of teachings on the New Testament and the church today:)
I love you all.
The Holy of Holies was the place where God's Presence dwelt in the Tabernacle. The symbolism of this Most Holy Place represented the character of God and the only way to approach Him.
“The Place of God’s Presence: The Holy of Holies”
Hebrews 9:1-14:
Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; 3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. 6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance; 8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience-- 10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. 11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
The Altar and the Veil
Last week we entered the Holy Place in the Tabernacle where the priests served daily in the presence of the Golden Candlesticks and the Table holding the bread of Presence, and we stopped in front of the Altar of Incense. The priests offered incense and prayers morning and evening on this Golden Altar of Incense as intercessors for the people of Israel. The Incense symbolizes the sweet aroma of continual prayer and praise being offered to God; Our prayers should also ascend to God as the aroma of sweet incense to our God. This altar stood directly against the veil or curtain which led into the Holy of Holies, also known as The Most Holy Place.
The altar of incense can also be seen as a picture of the intercession of Christ. Just as the altar of sacrifice in the courtyard was a type of Christ’s death on the cross on our behalf, the altar of incense in the Holy Place was a type of Christ’s mediation on our behalf—Christ’s work on earth and in heaven. The altar of incense was situated in the Holy Place just before the mercy-seat of the Ark on the other side of the veil—a picture of our Advocate’s standing in the presence of the Father (Hebrews 7:25; 9:24). The incense was to be burning continually on the altar of incense, which shows the perpetual nature of Christ as our Mediator and Intercessor. Christ’s intercession on our behalf is a sweet-smelling savor to God. What a magnificent picture for us today!
The thick curtain which separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place was known as the “veil” and was made of fine linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn. There were figures of cherubim (angels) embroidered on this curtain and gold cherubim on top of the Ark inside the Holy of Holies. We know from Isaiah 6 that cherubim were angels with three pairs of wings who stood in the very presence of God, serving Him and guarding His throne. These embroidered cherubim were reminders that God’s almighty power, presence and Holy majesty was on the other side of the veil in the Most Holy Place, or Holy of Holies, overshadowing the mercy seat of God on the Ark.
The word “veil” in Hebrew means a “screen, divider or separator that hides”. What was this curtain hiding? Essentially, it was shielding a holy God from sinful man. Whoever entered into the Holy of Holies was entering the very presence of God. In fact, if anyone except the high priest should enter the Holy of Holies they would surely die. Even the high priest, God’s chosen mediator for His people, could only pass through the veil and enter this sacred dwelling once a year, on a prescribed day called the Day of Atonement. No other person was ever permitted entrance. Certain death would be the consequence.
The veil stood as a barrier between man and God. Man cannot disregard the Divine Holiness of God. God’s eyes are too pure to look on evil and He can tolerate no sin (Habakkuk 1:13 tells us: “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness.”) The veil was a barricade and stark warning so that sinful man would not carelessly and irreverently enter into God’s awesome presence. Hebrews 9:7 explained this: “But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.”
The Most Holy Place/ The Holy of Holies
God’s special dwelling place during the Israelites’ wanderings in the wilderness was in this smaller inner room of the Tabernacle behind the thick veil. This 15 foot perfect cube was aptly called The Most Holy Place or The Holy of Holies. It was there that God’s very presence appeared as a pillar of cloud by day or fire by night, both in and above the Holy of Holies when God wanted His people to move. God’s presence was in the very middle of Israel’s encampment; each tribe had a specific place to camp with their tents facing the Tabernacle, so that whenever they looked toward the direction of the tabernacle, they would be reminded of God’s everlasting presence night and day. “God in the midst of them”, a symbolic picture of Heaven itself, God at the center of all.
The Day of Atonement
The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27-28), also known as Yom Kippur, was the only day of the year that the High Priest was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies. It occurred once a year on the tenth day of Tishri, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. On that day, the high priest performed elaborate rituals to atone for the sins of the people, described in Leviticus 16:1-34. Only Aaron and future high priests were to come into the Most Holy Place and only on this special day, lest he die (v. 2). This was to make the people understand that atonement for sin was to be done ONLY God’s way.
Before entering the tabernacle, Aaron was to bathe and put on special garments (v. 4), then sacrifice a bull for a sin offering for himself and his family (v. 6, 11). The blood of the bull was to be sprinkled on the top of ark of the covenant inside the Holy of Holies. Then Aaron was to bring two goats, one to be sacrificed on behalf of the sins of the Israelites, and its blood was sprinkled on the ark of the covenant. The other goat was used as a scapegoat. Aaron placed his hands on its head, confessed over it the rebellion and wickedness of the Israelites, and sent the goat out with an appointed man who released it into the wilderness (v. 21). The goat carried on itself all the sins of the people, hence the name “scapegoat”, and so the peoples sins were forgiven for another year (v. 30).
The symbolic significance of the ritual, particularly to Christians, is seen first in the washing and cleansing of the high priest, the man who released the goat, and the man who took the sacrificed animals outside the camp to burn the carcasses (v. 4, 24, 26, 28). Israelite washing ceremonies taught the need for sinful mankind to be cleansed of sin. But it wasn’t until Jesus came and made Himself the “once for all” sacrifice that the need for cleansing ceremonies ceased (Hebrews 7:27). The blood of bulls and goats could only atone for sins if the ritual was continually done year after year, but Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient once for all the sins of all who would ever believe in Him. When His sacrifice was made, He declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30). He then sat down at the right hand of God,(which is symbolic of His work behaving been completed) and no further sacrifice would ever be needed (Hebrews 10:1-12).
“The sufficiency and completeness of the sacrifice of Christ is also seen in the two goats. The blood of the first goat was sprinkled on the ark, ritually appeasing the wrath of God for another year. The second goat removed the sins of the people into the wilderness where they were forgotten and no longer clung to the people. Sin is both propitiated and expiated God’s way—only by the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.
Propitiation is the act of appeasing the wrath of God, while expiation is the act of atoning for sin and removing it from the sinner. Both together are achieved eternally by Christ. When He sacrificed Himself on the cross, He appeased God’s wrath against sin, taking that wrath upon Himself: “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!” (Romans 5:9). The removal of sin by the second goat was a living parable of the promise that God would remove our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12) and that He would remember them no more (Hebrews 8:12; 10:17).
“The word atonement carries with it the idea of the just, holy, righteous side of God's nature being satisfied. God's law required death as the penalty for sin. When God saw the death of the innocent sacrifice, he was satisfied that the demands of his law had been carried out. Sacrificing an animal on an altar did not take away the sin. Man was still sinful. The sacrifice only pictured what was necessary for sin to be forgiven—death and shedding of blood. The blood provided an atonement or covering for sin.” (Source: The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus by John R. Cross, published by GoodSeed International) Jesus is our atonement.
This book is a wonderful read by the way:)
The atonement cover (the top of the ark of the covenant, overshadowed by the cherubim, was God’s throne but also His Mercy Seat in the midst of the Israelites. God is on His throne today in heaven and Jesus, our high priest, is at His right side. When we come to God now, we approach a throne of grace.
So the presence of God remained shielded from man behind a thick curtain during the history of Israel. However, Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross changed that. When He died, the curtain in the Jerusalem temple was torn in half, from the top to the bottom. Only God could have carried out such an incredible feat because the veil was too high for human hands to have reached it, and too thick to have torn it. (The Jerusalem temple, a replica of the wilderness tabernacle, had a curtain that was about 60 feet in height, 30 feet in width and four inches thick.) Furthermore, it was torn from top down, meaning this act must have come from above.
As the veil was torn, the Holy of Holies was exposed. God’s presence was now accessible to all. Shocking as this may have been to the priests ministering in the temple that day, it is indeed good news to us as believers, because we know that Jesus’ death has atoned for our sins and made us right before God. The torn veil illustrated Jesus’ body broken for us, opening the way for us to come to God. As Jesus cried out “It is finished!” on the cross, He was indeed proclaiming that God’s redemptive plan was now complete. The age of animal offerings was over. The ultimate offering had been sacrificed.
We can now boldly enter into God’s presence, “the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.” (Hebrews 6:19-20)
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body…let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” (Hebrews 10:19-22)
The Holy of Holies is a representation of heaven itself, God’s dwelling place, which we have access now through Christ. In Revelation, John’s vision of heaven — the New Jerusalem — also was a perfect square, just as the Holy of Holies was (Revelation 21:16).
“For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. …But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Hebrews 9:24-26) “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16).
This concludes our look at the Old Testament, the Commandments and how the church functioned in early times....
NEXT WEEK, we logically begin a 13 part series of teachings on the New Testament and the church today:)
I love you all.
QUESTIONS CHRISTIANS WANT ANSWERED....
How can I focus on the Heavenly things and not so much on the earthly things in my life?
It’s so easy to focus on things here on earth but this takes our eyes off the heavenly prize and Christ Jesus.
Priorities
The problem with this world and humanity as a whole has always been that people only seek bonuses, only what they like, trying to build their lives on all kinds of favorable terms. The problems with world Christianity and religious movements are not much different. Masses of believers today come to church only to receive God’s blessings for their lives. People in churches pray and ask God for healing or to give them jobs. Those who are smarter just ask for finances, others ask for a wife, a husband, and many other things. In reality, all of us need only one thing – to seek the One who blesses us, to sit at His feet and listen, learning God’s will for our lives so that we can carry it out in the future. God reveals His will to man to bring him into eternal life.
God With Us
God’s secret is that if we walk in the way of Truth, work out our Salvation here on earth under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in fear and with reverence if we abide in God, He will be with us in everything. God’s Word teaches that if we do that, we will be successful in everything we do in our lives. God led His people out of Egypt and out of the slavery of sin, but Israel, led by God in a pillar of fire and cloud, kept looking back constantly, remembering the Egyptian land full of onions, garlic, and meat. As they followed the Lord through the wilderness, they kept complaining, lamenting their situation and could only see giants and problems and not God’s promises. This, even as they approached the promised land, Instead of pitying our flesh and seeing only problems in our lives, we should look to the Prince and Finisher of faith, enjoying His presence, resting at His feet, trusting in Him, trusting Him in everything, because the Lord knows what He is doing.
Earthly Things
What was Israel’s problem? All that mattered to them was the land or the territory. Maybe that’s why they didn’t care which “god” would give it to them. They would worship the golden calf, as long as it solved their problems, so they made themselves a calf out of the Egyptian gold which they had taken out of the land of sin. No matter how you look at what you take out of the world, no matter how you twist that Egyptian gold, it will still make a calf. This is because when we care or worry about earthly things, we don’t see God and His sure provisions.
The Carnal Mind
In Matthew’s gospel, we find the following words of Jesus: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:30). God’s work is very simple – it is simply listening to God and obeying Him, but it is incomprehensible and almost impossible for the flesh to please God because the work requires that we deny ourselves. It seems simple, but it is not easy at all. It is not enough to give the example of any two people, one of whom was able to reject and the other not. It is much more complicated than that, for we are talking about a type or way of thinking: the religious, carnal mind of man and the spiritual, reborn man who has the “mind of Christ”
(1 Cor 2:16).
Repentance
Religious people perceive the Great Creator as a servant who only has to listen attentively to all their requests, problems and then solve them, but He is the Creator – He is God! So what happens? A religious person asks God for healing so that an illness will not prevent him from going even deeper, and in essence, he doesn’t care why the illness has caught up with him. Such a man will bombard heaven, begging God for healing, maybe even involving the whole church he attends in his prayer. But God expects them to truly repent, which means abandoning all human ways and religions, forsaking our own way, including our sins, and abandoning worldly wealth which always turns into a golden calf anyway. It is necessary to stop all attempts to solve our own problems and begin to seek the face of God, to be an instrument in God’s hands to carry out His plan for our lives. We simply need to let God be God Who is the Lord of all things. Can the clay tell the Potter what to mold out of it (Isaiah 45:9, 64:6)?
God as Head
When followers of Christ, His true disciples, begin to grow spiritually, submitting to the leading of the Holy Spirit, constantly abiding in His teachings, they gradually begin to have spiritual discernment and see from the outside what other people who live by religious thinking and tradition are really doing. How they relate to God like little children who are always crying out to heaven, “Give this and give that.” In our heads, there are always prejudices, various obstacles, neuroses, and fears. That is why it is so important for all of us to understand one truth: It is necessary to allow God to be God, to be the Head of His own Church.
Made to see God
God is the only One who loves us with an infinite love and always desires the absolute best for all of us. Man in the flesh is the one who always succeeds in cutting someone off or rejecting him. Man cannot see everything as clearly as God does, but we very often think we know and understand everything, however we can’t see what is behind the wall or around the corner of time. We have no idea what is going to happen in half an hour, so we’re blind in that sense, but God sees everything. The Bible asks, “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit” (Luke. 6:39). Only God has eyes like a flame of fire and sees the hidden things.
The Holy Spirit If we want to reach our goal and be invited to the Marriage Feast of the Lamb of God, we need to become disciples and followers of Jesus Christ in this life. To do this, we must constantly seek His face, come into His presence under the covering of the sacrificial blood. We need to grow in the doctrine of Christ, feeding on the Revelations of the Holy Spirit sent to us from heaven, having a prayerful life, and giving praise to the Lord. To make this a reality in our lives, the Lord unites us by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ, the Church. Only God can ensure unity among us.
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! (Psalms 133:1)
Unity of the SpiritEach of us needs to leave our own way and cling personally to the Lord rather than to like-minded people or friends. True unity is the unity of the Spirit and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Only when each and every one of us clings to the Lord can we be one – because there is one God and one Mediator between God and man – Jesus Christ! Jesus and his heavenly Father are one. It is this unity that allowed Jesus to represent His Father here on earth and to put His plan of salvation into practice through the Church of God.
When we learn to contemplate the heavenly and seek first the Kingdom of God (Matt 6:33), we can be participants in God’s Work. This will allow us to be strengthened and grow in God every day. Many people think that to grow means to be exalted above others, but with God, to grow means for us to diminish so that He can be exalted. We must decrease: He must increase (John 3:30). It is given to man to decrease so that God can become God and Lord of his whole life. Jesus is already the victor! And we will have victory when He is victorious in us so let us continue to pray and seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness so that the Lord will do His work through us.i
How can I focus on the Heavenly things and not so much on the earthly things in my life?
It’s so easy to focus on things here on earth but this takes our eyes off the heavenly prize and Christ Jesus.
Priorities
The problem with this world and humanity as a whole has always been that people only seek bonuses, only what they like, trying to build their lives on all kinds of favorable terms. The problems with world Christianity and religious movements are not much different. Masses of believers today come to church only to receive God’s blessings for their lives. People in churches pray and ask God for healing or to give them jobs. Those who are smarter just ask for finances, others ask for a wife, a husband, and many other things. In reality, all of us need only one thing – to seek the One who blesses us, to sit at His feet and listen, learning God’s will for our lives so that we can carry it out in the future. God reveals His will to man to bring him into eternal life.
God With Us
God’s secret is that if we walk in the way of Truth, work out our Salvation here on earth under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in fear and with reverence if we abide in God, He will be with us in everything. God’s Word teaches that if we do that, we will be successful in everything we do in our lives. God led His people out of Egypt and out of the slavery of sin, but Israel, led by God in a pillar of fire and cloud, kept looking back constantly, remembering the Egyptian land full of onions, garlic, and meat. As they followed the Lord through the wilderness, they kept complaining, lamenting their situation and could only see giants and problems and not God’s promises. This, even as they approached the promised land, Instead of pitying our flesh and seeing only problems in our lives, we should look to the Prince and Finisher of faith, enjoying His presence, resting at His feet, trusting in Him, trusting Him in everything, because the Lord knows what He is doing.
Earthly Things
What was Israel’s problem? All that mattered to them was the land or the territory. Maybe that’s why they didn’t care which “god” would give it to them. They would worship the golden calf, as long as it solved their problems, so they made themselves a calf out of the Egyptian gold which they had taken out of the land of sin. No matter how you look at what you take out of the world, no matter how you twist that Egyptian gold, it will still make a calf. This is because when we care or worry about earthly things, we don’t see God and His sure provisions.
The Carnal Mind
In Matthew’s gospel, we find the following words of Jesus: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:30). God’s work is very simple – it is simply listening to God and obeying Him, but it is incomprehensible and almost impossible for the flesh to please God because the work requires that we deny ourselves. It seems simple, but it is not easy at all. It is not enough to give the example of any two people, one of whom was able to reject and the other not. It is much more complicated than that, for we are talking about a type or way of thinking: the religious, carnal mind of man and the spiritual, reborn man who has the “mind of Christ”
(1 Cor 2:16).
Repentance
Religious people perceive the Great Creator as a servant who only has to listen attentively to all their requests, problems and then solve them, but He is the Creator – He is God! So what happens? A religious person asks God for healing so that an illness will not prevent him from going even deeper, and in essence, he doesn’t care why the illness has caught up with him. Such a man will bombard heaven, begging God for healing, maybe even involving the whole church he attends in his prayer. But God expects them to truly repent, which means abandoning all human ways and religions, forsaking our own way, including our sins, and abandoning worldly wealth which always turns into a golden calf anyway. It is necessary to stop all attempts to solve our own problems and begin to seek the face of God, to be an instrument in God’s hands to carry out His plan for our lives. We simply need to let God be God Who is the Lord of all things. Can the clay tell the Potter what to mold out of it (Isaiah 45:9, 64:6)?
God as Head
When followers of Christ, His true disciples, begin to grow spiritually, submitting to the leading of the Holy Spirit, constantly abiding in His teachings, they gradually begin to have spiritual discernment and see from the outside what other people who live by religious thinking and tradition are really doing. How they relate to God like little children who are always crying out to heaven, “Give this and give that.” In our heads, there are always prejudices, various obstacles, neuroses, and fears. That is why it is so important for all of us to understand one truth: It is necessary to allow God to be God, to be the Head of His own Church.
Made to see God
God is the only One who loves us with an infinite love and always desires the absolute best for all of us. Man in the flesh is the one who always succeeds in cutting someone off or rejecting him. Man cannot see everything as clearly as God does, but we very often think we know and understand everything, however we can’t see what is behind the wall or around the corner of time. We have no idea what is going to happen in half an hour, so we’re blind in that sense, but God sees everything. The Bible asks, “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit” (Luke. 6:39). Only God has eyes like a flame of fire and sees the hidden things.
The Holy Spirit If we want to reach our goal and be invited to the Marriage Feast of the Lamb of God, we need to become disciples and followers of Jesus Christ in this life. To do this, we must constantly seek His face, come into His presence under the covering of the sacrificial blood. We need to grow in the doctrine of Christ, feeding on the Revelations of the Holy Spirit sent to us from heaven, having a prayerful life, and giving praise to the Lord. To make this a reality in our lives, the Lord unites us by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ, the Church. Only God can ensure unity among us.
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! (Psalms 133:1)
Unity of the SpiritEach of us needs to leave our own way and cling personally to the Lord rather than to like-minded people or friends. True unity is the unity of the Spirit and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Only when each and every one of us clings to the Lord can we be one – because there is one God and one Mediator between God and man – Jesus Christ! Jesus and his heavenly Father are one. It is this unity that allowed Jesus to represent His Father here on earth and to put His plan of salvation into practice through the Church of God.
When we learn to contemplate the heavenly and seek first the Kingdom of God (Matt 6:33), we can be participants in God’s Work. This will allow us to be strengthened and grow in God every day. Many people think that to grow means to be exalted above others, but with God, to grow means for us to diminish so that He can be exalted. We must decrease: He must increase (John 3:30). It is given to man to decrease so that God can become God and Lord of his whole life. Jesus is already the victor! And we will have victory when He is victorious in us so let us continue to pray and seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness so that the Lord will do His work through us.i
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE...A TEACHING
We continue our journey through the Work of God this week with....What Will I Find in the Historical Books?
The historical books of the Old Testament are Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. All of these, except 1 and 2 Chronicles, were classified by the Jews as Former Prophets. Today we often think of prophets as those who predict the future, but the Bible uses the term to mean any messenger of God. These books were therefore regarded as God’s message delivered to God’s people by prophets. Former in this sense doesn’t mean that they used to be prophets, but that these prophetic books come before the major and minor prophets, which we’ll talk about in a later teaching.
The Former Prophets are also called by scholars Deuteronomic History, because they contain history that is told from a prophetic perspective through the lens of God’s law as recorded in the book of Deuteronomy. That is, these historians recorded how when Israel obeyed God, he blessed them, and when they disobeyed God, he cursed them—just as he said he would in Deuteronomy. Their concern in this history is morality, first and foremost.
There are some similarities between Old Testament history and other ancient Near Eastern sacred texts (e.g., from Babylonia, the Atrakhasis Epic and the Gilgamesh Epic). But in contrast to other ancient texts, which were full of mythology—stories of what the gods were supposedly doing up in the heavens—the Old Testament historical books recorded true history—what God was actually doing down on earth. Also, there are many similarities between Old Testament history writing and modern history writing, such as a desire to be accurate and record events truthfully. But in contrast to modern history writing, which strives to be objective, Old Testament history writing (along with all ancient history writing) was intended to be persuasive. Ancient historians were not content to write history just for the sake of recording events; they wanted to persuade their audience to think and behave in a certain way. There was always a “moral” to the stories they were recording—something to be learned. That does not mean they twisted the facts in order to convince their readers of something. They cared about accuracy—after all, these events were about God, who is the standard of morality and truthfulness. But they were more concerned that their readers become godlier rather than merely more knowledgeable.
The book of Joshua is the story of Israel’s invasion of Canaan, the Promised Land. It covers about ten years after the forty years in the wilderness. It includes the famous story of the battle of Jericho, along with a record of other battles with the Canaanites. In all of these, God gave his people great victories. The latter part of the book describes how the conquered land was divided between the twelve tribes of Israel. Joshua 21:43–45 provides a good summary: “So the lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the lord gave all their enemies into their hands. Not one of all the lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.” So the book of Joshua records the faithfulness of God to keep his promises, but also the faith God’s people had in God to fulfill those promises. Both parts are important.
The book of Judges is quite a contrast to the book of Joshua. During this period, the people of Israel failed to honor God with their trust and obedience. This is primarily because they did not do what God had clearly and repeatedly told them to do: Completely expel the Canaanites (e.g., Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 20:16–18). Several times the opening chapter repeats that “they did not drive [the Canaanites] out” (Judges 1:21, 27, 29–33). As a result, the Israelites were entangled in two sins: intermarriage with the Canaanites and the practice of Canaanite worship, otherwise known as idolatry (Judges 3:6). Most of the book conveys a repeating six-stage cycle. First, the Israelites sin (3:7). Second, God punishes his people by allowing their enemies to invade the land and oppress them (e.g., 3:8). Third, God’s people eventually repent and cry to God for deliverance (3:9). Fourth, God provides deliverance through a judge, who was usually a military leader. Fifth, the judge defeats the invaders and drives them out of the land (3:9–10). Finally, things go well until the cycle repeats itself (3:11). The last verse of the book says it all: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit” (21:25).
The story of Ruth is set during this same terribly sinful period in Israel’s history, but there is a stark contrast between the two books. Ruth illustrates that even in the darkest periods of sin God preserves those who are faithful to him. Also in this book we find important family background regarding the line of the promised Messiah.
First and Second Samuel record the transition from the period of the judges to the monarchy of Israel. Samuel was the last judge, but now God’s people wanted a human king. This was a sinful desire, but God knew they would want this and intended to provide a human king for them all along. God appointed Saul as the first king of Israel. Unfortunately, he failed to obey God, and God removed the throne from him and gave it to “a man after [God’s] own heart”—David (1 Samuel 13:14). God blessed the reign of David (2 Samuel 5:10), and David became the greatest king in Israel’s history. But he was also a great sinner (2 Samuel 11), whom God forgave in response to David’s confession (2 Samuel 12:13).
First and Second Kings continues the story with David’s successor, his son Solomon. But due to Solomon’s sin, God divided the kingdom of Israel after Solomon’s death. The northern kingdom of Israel was ruled by nineteen kings, from nine royal families, over a period of about two centuries. The author of these books assesses all of them as bad kings, since they all promoted idolatry. The southern kingdom of Judah was ruled by nineteen kings and one queen, all from the Davidic royal family (except the queen), over about three and a half centuries. Some of these kings were assessed as good (e.g., Hezekiah and Josiah), but many of them were bad to very bad, because they also promoted terrible idolatrous practices. But in the end, God did what he had told them he would do in response to ongoing disobedience: he threw his people out of their land. In 722 bc, the kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians and was taken into exile. In 586 bc, the kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonians and was taken into exile.
First and Second Chronicles repeat much of the history found in the books of Samuel and Kings, but from a priestly perspective rather than a prophetic one. In other words, Chronicles emphasizes spiritual matters, such as the worship of God, more than moral matters, or obedience to God. The history here is also presented more positively than the history in Samuel and Kings. The focus is more on God’s faithfulness than Israel’s unfaithfulness.
The final books of history—Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther—record the end of Old Testament history after God allowed his people to return from their exile. We are told here of the rebuilding of the temple that had been destroyed in 586 bc, the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, the rebuilding of God’s people spiritually through the ministry of Ezra and various prophets, and the reestablishment of God’s people in the Promised Land. The main point of these three books is that God is faithful to his covenant promises. He preserved his people from an attempted genocide (the story of Esther), and he brought them back to the land he had promised them (the stories of Ezra and Nehemiah).
This may not be fun, but it is certainly fitting to note: The history of Israel is characterized by persistent sinfulness, broken occasionally by brief revivals. It should leave the reader wondering: What is the solution to all of this sinfulness? That question is answered in the New Testament.
HAVE A SAFE AND BLESSED WEEK:)
Ho'omaikaʻi ka Pua iā kākou
We continue our journey through the Work of God this week with....What Will I Find in the Historical Books?
The historical books of the Old Testament are Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. All of these, except 1 and 2 Chronicles, were classified by the Jews as Former Prophets. Today we often think of prophets as those who predict the future, but the Bible uses the term to mean any messenger of God. These books were therefore regarded as God’s message delivered to God’s people by prophets. Former in this sense doesn’t mean that they used to be prophets, but that these prophetic books come before the major and minor prophets, which we’ll talk about in a later teaching.
The Former Prophets are also called by scholars Deuteronomic History, because they contain history that is told from a prophetic perspective through the lens of God’s law as recorded in the book of Deuteronomy. That is, these historians recorded how when Israel obeyed God, he blessed them, and when they disobeyed God, he cursed them—just as he said he would in Deuteronomy. Their concern in this history is morality, first and foremost.
There are some similarities between Old Testament history and other ancient Near Eastern sacred texts (e.g., from Babylonia, the Atrakhasis Epic and the Gilgamesh Epic). But in contrast to other ancient texts, which were full of mythology—stories of what the gods were supposedly doing up in the heavens—the Old Testament historical books recorded true history—what God was actually doing down on earth. Also, there are many similarities between Old Testament history writing and modern history writing, such as a desire to be accurate and record events truthfully. But in contrast to modern history writing, which strives to be objective, Old Testament history writing (along with all ancient history writing) was intended to be persuasive. Ancient historians were not content to write history just for the sake of recording events; they wanted to persuade their audience to think and behave in a certain way. There was always a “moral” to the stories they were recording—something to be learned. That does not mean they twisted the facts in order to convince their readers of something. They cared about accuracy—after all, these events were about God, who is the standard of morality and truthfulness. But they were more concerned that their readers become godlier rather than merely more knowledgeable.
The book of Joshua is the story of Israel’s invasion of Canaan, the Promised Land. It covers about ten years after the forty years in the wilderness. It includes the famous story of the battle of Jericho, along with a record of other battles with the Canaanites. In all of these, God gave his people great victories. The latter part of the book describes how the conquered land was divided between the twelve tribes of Israel. Joshua 21:43–45 provides a good summary: “So the lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the lord gave all their enemies into their hands. Not one of all the lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.” So the book of Joshua records the faithfulness of God to keep his promises, but also the faith God’s people had in God to fulfill those promises. Both parts are important.
The book of Judges is quite a contrast to the book of Joshua. During this period, the people of Israel failed to honor God with their trust and obedience. This is primarily because they did not do what God had clearly and repeatedly told them to do: Completely expel the Canaanites (e.g., Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 20:16–18). Several times the opening chapter repeats that “they did not drive [the Canaanites] out” (Judges 1:21, 27, 29–33). As a result, the Israelites were entangled in two sins: intermarriage with the Canaanites and the practice of Canaanite worship, otherwise known as idolatry (Judges 3:6). Most of the book conveys a repeating six-stage cycle. First, the Israelites sin (3:7). Second, God punishes his people by allowing their enemies to invade the land and oppress them (e.g., 3:8). Third, God’s people eventually repent and cry to God for deliverance (3:9). Fourth, God provides deliverance through a judge, who was usually a military leader. Fifth, the judge defeats the invaders and drives them out of the land (3:9–10). Finally, things go well until the cycle repeats itself (3:11). The last verse of the book says it all: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit” (21:25).
The story of Ruth is set during this same terribly sinful period in Israel’s history, but there is a stark contrast between the two books. Ruth illustrates that even in the darkest periods of sin God preserves those who are faithful to him. Also in this book we find important family background regarding the line of the promised Messiah.
First and Second Samuel record the transition from the period of the judges to the monarchy of Israel. Samuel was the last judge, but now God’s people wanted a human king. This was a sinful desire, but God knew they would want this and intended to provide a human king for them all along. God appointed Saul as the first king of Israel. Unfortunately, he failed to obey God, and God removed the throne from him and gave it to “a man after [God’s] own heart”—David (1 Samuel 13:14). God blessed the reign of David (2 Samuel 5:10), and David became the greatest king in Israel’s history. But he was also a great sinner (2 Samuel 11), whom God forgave in response to David’s confession (2 Samuel 12:13).
First and Second Kings continues the story with David’s successor, his son Solomon. But due to Solomon’s sin, God divided the kingdom of Israel after Solomon’s death. The northern kingdom of Israel was ruled by nineteen kings, from nine royal families, over a period of about two centuries. The author of these books assesses all of them as bad kings, since they all promoted idolatry. The southern kingdom of Judah was ruled by nineteen kings and one queen, all from the Davidic royal family (except the queen), over about three and a half centuries. Some of these kings were assessed as good (e.g., Hezekiah and Josiah), but many of them were bad to very bad, because they also promoted terrible idolatrous practices. But in the end, God did what he had told them he would do in response to ongoing disobedience: he threw his people out of their land. In 722 bc, the kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians and was taken into exile. In 586 bc, the kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonians and was taken into exile.
First and Second Chronicles repeat much of the history found in the books of Samuel and Kings, but from a priestly perspective rather than a prophetic one. In other words, Chronicles emphasizes spiritual matters, such as the worship of God, more than moral matters, or obedience to God. The history here is also presented more positively than the history in Samuel and Kings. The focus is more on God’s faithfulness than Israel’s unfaithfulness.
The final books of history—Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther—record the end of Old Testament history after God allowed his people to return from their exile. We are told here of the rebuilding of the temple that had been destroyed in 586 bc, the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, the rebuilding of God’s people spiritually through the ministry of Ezra and various prophets, and the reestablishment of God’s people in the Promised Land. The main point of these three books is that God is faithful to his covenant promises. He preserved his people from an attempted genocide (the story of Esther), and he brought them back to the land he had promised them (the stories of Ezra and Nehemiah).
This may not be fun, but it is certainly fitting to note: The history of Israel is characterized by persistent sinfulness, broken occasionally by brief revivals. It should leave the reader wondering: What is the solution to all of this sinfulness? That question is answered in the New Testament.
HAVE A SAFE AND BLESSED WEEK:)
Ho'omaikaʻi ka Pua iā kākou