The Attributes of God in Jesus Christ
|
"Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD." - Jer. 9:23-24 Table of Contents |
|
Theology | The Study of God | Knowing God
The normal enterprise of Theology these days certainly acquires knowledge about God. Yet, for the most part, the soul is left empty and bereft of divine life (Eph. 4:17-19).
Theologians and academics have failed to put a difference between acquiring knowledge about God and personally knowing God (Jn. 17:3; 1 Jn. 2:4; Titus 1:16). A lack of focused
|
|
emphasis on this vital issue has poisoned countless volumes of theology to date (Matt. 7:28-29, Mk. 1:22, Lk. 4:32, Acts 4:13, 2 Cor. 4:2). Consequentially, the Priests of the LORD have failed to put a difference between the clean and the unclean (Lev. 10:10, 11:47, 20:25, Jer. 15:19, Ezek. 22:26, 44:23; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1); neither have they discerned between the living and the dead (Prov. 21:16, Matt. 15:13, Eph. 2:1, Col. 2:13, 1 Tim. 5:6. Rev. 3:1).
This negligence is nothing short of murder (Acts 20:26). Eternity depends upon a real and living personal encounter with the LORD (Jer. 2:12-13). Unadulterated Theology directs the soul into a personal encounter with God at salvation and a growing knowledge of God coming with sanctification as one walks with God in the beauties of holiness. The true utility of the word of God humbles the soul rather than puffing it up (Heb. 4:12-13, Jer. 23:29), because only humble souls do abide and walk with God (Ps. 138:6, Micah 6:8, Isa. 57:15, 66:2). However, when and if Theology is committed into the hands of unconverted men, the divine utility of the word of God is compromised; therefore, instead of humbling the soul, "the knowledge of God" is puffing it up (Isa. 5:21).
|
"...Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the same is known of Him." - 1Cor. 8:1-3
|
With depravity taking its course, suddenly a whole generation is given over to the pride of knowledge about God in the brazen idolatry of human intelligence. They feel themselves to be the most humble people on the face of the earth by virtue of truly knowing God, but in reality what they believe to be the knowledge of God is the source of the problem. The knowledge they have acquired hasn't ushered their souls into the blazing light of God's Presence (Isa. 6:5). In all their knowledge about God they haven't come to know God! For, had they come to know the LORD in truth, they wouldn't feel so much that they have come to know anything, but rather that God has come to know them (Ps. 1:6, 4:3, 36:10, 139:23-24) and in the process they have found Him to be lovely beyond human description ("the love of Christ which passeth knowledge" - Eph. 3:17-19)!
If you entrust your soul to the good intentions of godless men, they will forbid you from knowing God by teaching you "the word of God". What they teach you about the Bible will make you wise unto damnation (Jer. 8:5-9, 1 Cor. 3:18-20, Php. 3:4-6). What they teach you about the Temple of the LORD will banish you from the presence of God (Jer. 7:4). In a demonstration of zeal that inspires you they will destroy you (Rom. 9:32-10:3, Gal. 5:7-9, 6:13-14). In eloquence of speech that fascinates you they will bewitch you (Rom. 16:17-19, Gal. 3:1). In formal training to master "divinity" they will make you an enemy of the Cross of Christ (Gal. 1:10, Php. 3:17-19).
|
A Biblical Framework for Studying the Attributes of God | The Names, Ways, & Attributes of God
The conceptual essence of true Theology has been corrupted. The ideological supremacy of Biblical logic has been dethroned and usurped by a disguised pretender. In order to rescue the Church from this plague of human wisdom, we must rediscover the sufficiency of God's wisdom. The diabolical perversions of Theological enterprise must be identified and corrected. Every crooked thing must be made straight. Every half truth needs to be made whole. Every incomplete idea must grow into the greatness of biblical perfection. Human wisdom must not be allowed to masquerade as divine wisdom any longer.
|
|
Every unlawful use of the Bible must be identified and proven false (1 Tim. 1:3-11). The words of men are confounding the word of God; therefore, like purging a great House from an infestation (2 Tim. 2:20), the crafty words of men must be found and exterminated (Gal. 2:4-5, 2 Tim. 2:14-19, Eph. 4:14). Being thus minded, let us turn our attention to the normal rhetoric of Systematic Theology, especially as it pertains to conducting the reader into a study on the Attributes of God.
|
"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;" - Eph. 4:14
|
The word "attribute" isn't in the Bible. Neither is the word "characteristic" or "trait". Nevertheless, theology books conduct their studies of God through analyzing the attributes of God. How do they do it? Meanwhile, as a plague upon society, learned students of theology boast a full comprehension of the character and personality of God! How can they be so confident (Isa. 29:13-14)? Certainly, any attempt to know the truth of Scripture without actually knowing God will always lead to heresy; however, any attempt to communicate the knowledge of God while deviating from THE BIBLICAL NARRATIVE will also lead to heresy.
This is the case even when well-meaning theologians attempt to compile a comprehensive list of the attributes of God by simply extracting the explicit statements of Scripture that speak about the character traits of God. Certainly, even though the words "attribute" or "characteristic" aren't in the Bible, the character traits of God are abundantly present. However, there are BIBLICAL EQUIVALENTS to these words that are totally ignored by modern theologians while they go about harvesting the character traits of God from Holy Writ. Therefore, in the extraction process of harvesting, the compiled attributes lose their original identity in the context of THE BIBLICAL NARRATIVE. Even so, when the list of growing attributes amounts to a Systematic Theology of sorts, the readers behold a distorted Image of God that is perverted by man's wisdom.
The Names and Ways of God are biblical equivalents to the "attributes" or "characteristics" of God. For example, in the Name Elohim, as depicted Genesis 1, we observe how God is the Mighty & Strong Creator God; just like we can see divine attributes in El Elyon (the Most High God) in Genesis 14:18-20, El Roi (God that Seest) in Genesis 16:13, El Shaddai (God Almighty or God All-Sufficient) in Genesis 17:1, El Olam (the Everlasting God) in Genesis 21:33, and Jehovahjireh (the Lord Sees & Provides) in Genesis 22:14. However, these BIBLICAL EQUIVALENTS are synonymous to and more excellent than these generic words. The scope of what is communicated in the Names & Ways of God does far exceed that of an attribute or a characteristic.
That's why knowing (Ps. 9:10, 91:14), remembering (Ps. 20:7), fearing (Mal. 2:5), and acting in the Name of God (Ps. 118:10-12) does automatically result in salvific aid and safety (Ps. 124:8, Prov. 18:10). Evidently, according to Scripture, the Name of God isn't merely something that can be spelled-out on paper or spoken in a word. In fact, such a relationship with the Name of God is strictly forbidden (Ex. 20:7, Deut. 5:11, Ps. 139:20, Isa. 29:13). To truly understand all that is meant by God and taught in Scripture concerning the Name of God, one must think spiritually by the virtue of the Holy Ghost (1 Cor. 2:14, Rom. 8:5-8). For, the Name of God isn't merely a word by which mankind should address God, nor is it just a characteristic about God; rather, it speaks of the actual living Person of God. Demonstrably, that's why the Name of God can be in or near people or places (Ex. 23:21, Ps. 75:1); or, that's why it can be recorded or placed in / upon people or places (Ex. 20:24, Num. 6:27, 2 Chron. 6:20).
Therefore, when Jesus came in the Name of the Father (Jn. 5:43, 10:25), it didn't mean that Jesus acted on behalf of the Father or because of the Father; nor did it mean that Jesus acted in defense of the Father's reputation or in remembrance of the Father. Rather, it meant that Jesus was living, thinking, speaking, and acting in the Father (Jn. 5:19-20, 10:30, 37-38, 14:9-11, 20); or, it meant that Jesus was being empowered by the Spirit of the Father. Therefore, speaking of His humanity (Php. 2:5-11), Jesus openly admits that He could do nothing without the Father (Jn. 5:30). Furthermore, as a Man, and as a trailblazer on behalf of Fallen Mankind, Jesus made a way for us to be saved. Literally, Jesus Christ is the Way (Jn. 1:12-13, 14:6, Acts 4:12).
This Way pertains to the unique relationship that Jesus Christ had with the Father during His earthly sojourning as a Man. Speaking of this, Jesus said, "I and My Father are one" (Jn. 10:30). Jesus Christ now makes possible for all mankind what was only possible for Him. Through being made one with the Them - the Father and the Son - redeemed souls are made to share in the salvific glory (Jn. 17:22), love (Jn. 15:9-10, 17:21-23), and life (Jn. 6:56-57) that was uniquely exhibited in the life of Jesus. It was always the will of God that redeemed mankind would be one with God in this way ("...that they may be one, even as We are One" - Jn. 17:22; Jn. 14:21, 23).
Therefore, just as Jesus came in the Name of the Father (Jn. 17:11-12), we are to live, move, and have our being in Jesus Christ (Gal. 2:20, Php. 1:21); and, in so doing, we are acting in the Name of Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:9-14, 26, 15:16, 16:23-24, 26; 2 Cor. 5:14-21). Herein, Jesus has declared the Name of the Father to us (Heb. 2:12, Jn. 17:26); and, in declaring it, redeemed mankind has come to know the Name of the Father (Jn. 14:6-14); and, in coming to know it, we have come to know God Himself (Jn. 10:14-15, 17:3)! Furthermore, this makes possible the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, as stated to the Apostles, "as the Father hath sent Me, even so send I you" (Jn. 20:21; Lk. 10:16, Mk. 10:40, Jn. 13:20).
This is the case even when well-meaning theologians attempt to compile a comprehensive list of the attributes of God by simply extracting the explicit statements of Scripture that speak about the character traits of God. Certainly, even though the words "attribute" or "characteristic" aren't in the Bible, the character traits of God are abundantly present. However, there are BIBLICAL EQUIVALENTS to these words that are totally ignored by modern theologians while they go about harvesting the character traits of God from Holy Writ. Therefore, in the extraction process of harvesting, the compiled attributes lose their original identity in the context of THE BIBLICAL NARRATIVE. Even so, when the list of growing attributes amounts to a Systematic Theology of sorts, the readers behold a distorted Image of God that is perverted by man's wisdom.
The Names and Ways of God are biblical equivalents to the "attributes" or "characteristics" of God. For example, in the Name Elohim, as depicted Genesis 1, we observe how God is the Mighty & Strong Creator God; just like we can see divine attributes in El Elyon (the Most High God) in Genesis 14:18-20, El Roi (God that Seest) in Genesis 16:13, El Shaddai (God Almighty or God All-Sufficient) in Genesis 17:1, El Olam (the Everlasting God) in Genesis 21:33, and Jehovahjireh (the Lord Sees & Provides) in Genesis 22:14. However, these BIBLICAL EQUIVALENTS are synonymous to and more excellent than these generic words. The scope of what is communicated in the Names & Ways of God does far exceed that of an attribute or a characteristic.
That's why knowing (Ps. 9:10, 91:14), remembering (Ps. 20:7), fearing (Mal. 2:5), and acting in the Name of God (Ps. 118:10-12) does automatically result in salvific aid and safety (Ps. 124:8, Prov. 18:10). Evidently, according to Scripture, the Name of God isn't merely something that can be spelled-out on paper or spoken in a word. In fact, such a relationship with the Name of God is strictly forbidden (Ex. 20:7, Deut. 5:11, Ps. 139:20, Isa. 29:13). To truly understand all that is meant by God and taught in Scripture concerning the Name of God, one must think spiritually by the virtue of the Holy Ghost (1 Cor. 2:14, Rom. 8:5-8). For, the Name of God isn't merely a word by which mankind should address God, nor is it just a characteristic about God; rather, it speaks of the actual living Person of God. Demonstrably, that's why the Name of God can be in or near people or places (Ex. 23:21, Ps. 75:1); or, that's why it can be recorded or placed in / upon people or places (Ex. 20:24, Num. 6:27, 2 Chron. 6:20).
Therefore, when Jesus came in the Name of the Father (Jn. 5:43, 10:25), it didn't mean that Jesus acted on behalf of the Father or because of the Father; nor did it mean that Jesus acted in defense of the Father's reputation or in remembrance of the Father. Rather, it meant that Jesus was living, thinking, speaking, and acting in the Father (Jn. 5:19-20, 10:30, 37-38, 14:9-11, 20); or, it meant that Jesus was being empowered by the Spirit of the Father. Therefore, speaking of His humanity (Php. 2:5-11), Jesus openly admits that He could do nothing without the Father (Jn. 5:30). Furthermore, as a Man, and as a trailblazer on behalf of Fallen Mankind, Jesus made a way for us to be saved. Literally, Jesus Christ is the Way (Jn. 1:12-13, 14:6, Acts 4:12).
This Way pertains to the unique relationship that Jesus Christ had with the Father during His earthly sojourning as a Man. Speaking of this, Jesus said, "I and My Father are one" (Jn. 10:30). Jesus Christ now makes possible for all mankind what was only possible for Him. Through being made one with the Them - the Father and the Son - redeemed souls are made to share in the salvific glory (Jn. 17:22), love (Jn. 15:9-10, 17:21-23), and life (Jn. 6:56-57) that was uniquely exhibited in the life of Jesus. It was always the will of God that redeemed mankind would be one with God in this way ("...that they may be one, even as We are One" - Jn. 17:22; Jn. 14:21, 23).
Therefore, just as Jesus came in the Name of the Father (Jn. 17:11-12), we are to live, move, and have our being in Jesus Christ (Gal. 2:20, Php. 1:21); and, in so doing, we are acting in the Name of Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:9-14, 26, 15:16, 16:23-24, 26; 2 Cor. 5:14-21). Herein, Jesus has declared the Name of the Father to us (Heb. 2:12, Jn. 17:26); and, in declaring it, redeemed mankind has come to know the Name of the Father (Jn. 14:6-14); and, in coming to know it, we have come to know God Himself (Jn. 10:14-15, 17:3)! Furthermore, this makes possible the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, as stated to the Apostles, "as the Father hath sent Me, even so send I you" (Jn. 20:21; Lk. 10:16, Mk. 10:40, Jn. 13:20).
All things considered, it was never the intention of the LORD to declare the Names of God all throughout the Bible in some superficial reckoning of character traits. This idea totally contradicts the Name of God as it is defined in Scripture. Therefore, at the revelation of Elohim (the Mighty & Strong Creator God) in Genesis 1, Jehovah Elohim (the Eternal Self-Existent Mighty Creator God) in Genesis 2:4, El Elyon (the Most High God) in Genesis 14:18-20, El Roi (God that Seest) in Genesis 16:13, El Shaddai (God Almighty or God All-Sufficient) in Genesis 17:1, El Olam (the Everlasting God) in Genesis 21:33, Jehovahjireh (the Lord Sees & Provides) in Genesis 22:14, and El-Elohe-Israel (God the God of Israel) in Genesis 33:20, we observe a salvific personal portrait of God as He characterizes Himself.
One would think that such a characterization wouldn't go unnoticed by Systematic Theologians as they catalog the attributes of God. How did it happen? This isn't just the makeup of the Book of Genesis. This signature method of divine revelation pervades the Bible. God crystallizes His own attributes with new Names all throughout the storyline of redemption, adorning the divine narrative with dazzling and unforgettable ornaments of glory. How can such fine jewelry be ignored by the theologians of our time (Matt. 7:6, Prov. 11:22, 23:9)? What lame carpenter would construct a theological survey of the attributes of God devoid of the Names of God (Jn. 3:10, Eccl. 12:9-11, 1 Cor. 3:9-10)? When, in fact, the ideological composition of the knowledge of God would utterly collapse without the Names of God!
Modern theologians don't pay too much attention to the storyline in the Books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, despite the fact that the Names of God do flourish into new glories in the plot of these Books. They don't even believe that the Exodus Generation was legitimately saved; which means that they deny that the Exodus Generation actually knew the LORD. I'm sure theologians have no problem acknowledging that the Patriarchs were truly saved (Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob); hence, they might put some weight upon the Names of God revealed in Genesis. In other words, they might admit that the Patriarchs personally knew and walked with God just like Noah and Enoch before them (Gen. 5:22, 24, 6:9, 17:1-2; Ps. 90:1); and, on the contrary, the wicked of the earth in those days rejected the LORD, saying to God, "Depart from us; for we desire not the Knowledge of Thy Ways." (Job 21:14). However, it is commonly believed that the vast majority of the Exodus Generation didn't even know the LORD.
|
"And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his Name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is My Name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations." - Ex. 3:13-15
"And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the Name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. And I have also established My Covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers." - Ex. 6:2-4 "And he said, I beseech thee, shew me Thy glory. And he said, I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the Name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy." - Ex. 33:18-19 "And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped." - Ex. 34:5-8 |
This marks the beginning of a whole new era of redemption in the Name of Jehovah (I AM). By ignoring the Exodus Generation, Theologians overlook an era where God crystallizes many attributes with the Name of Jehovah. Even with the emphasis made in Exodus 3:13-15 & Exodus 6:2-4, and the momentous occasion described in Exodus 33:18-19 & Exodus 34:5-8, the events of this storyline are lackluster and underwhelming to most readers. Why? The loss and tragedy of a generation going astray distracts the reader from these crystalline moments of redemptive history. It's all chalked-up to be some kind of failed attempt at redemption; ...end of story! For, most readers don't believe the Exodus Generation even knew the LORD!
Given the circumstances, it's understandable why the Names of God herein revealed are underwhelming to readers. If indeed the primary recipients of these revelations were mostly dead to God and alive in sin, how can the Names of God revealed in the plot and storyline of their journey be that important? Therefore, the space taken up in the Canon by the Exodus Generation is commonly belittled and the Names of God revealed in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are almost totally overlooked. Then again, it's commonplace nowadays for the cohesive message of the Old Testament to be almost totally disregarded.
Given the circumstances, it's understandable why the Names of God herein revealed are underwhelming to readers. If indeed the primary recipients of these revelations were mostly dead to God and alive in sin, how can the Names of God revealed in the plot and storyline of their journey be that important? Therefore, the space taken up in the Canon by the Exodus Generation is commonly belittled and the Names of God revealed in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are almost totally overlooked. Then again, it's commonplace nowadays for the cohesive message of the Old Testament to be almost totally disregarded.
In reality, if the Exodus Generation never knew the LORD, then the most important utility of the Names of God is undermined and nullified by their testimony. Yet, as a startling contradiction, the storyline of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy does abundantly confirm the fact that the Exodus Generation knew the LORD. In a total of nearly 25 undeniable acts of salvific power in their Exodus alone (all of which definitively revealed the personality of God in an effectual communication of the knowledge of God), and scores of other times in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, lo and behold: the LORD wrought upon the Israelite people to make sure the promise, “…ye shall know that I am the LORD your God” (Ex. 6:1-8, 7:16-19, 8:10, 22-23, 9:13-16, 29-30, 10:1-6, 11:6-10, 14:4, 17-18, 30-31, 16:6, 12, 19:4, 9, 20:2, 5-7, 18-21, 24, 23:20-33, 29:42-46, 31:13-15, 33:16, 18-19, 34:5-28).
|
Refuting Popular Misconceptions | Jeremiah 31:31-34 | The Mosaic Covenant | Knowing the LORD in the Old & New Covenants
At the fullness of time (Gen. 15:13-16), and in response to the sighing, crying, and groaning of a penitent remnant of Israel (Ex. 2:23-25, Deut. 26:7-8), the LORD descended from Heaven to deliver the people from Egypt (Ex. 3:7-10). Even though the vast majority of Israelites were in bed with the gods of Egypt (Ezek. 20:5-8), and only a small remnant was sighing and crying to God in truth, the LORD sovereignly chose Israel (Ps. 105:26-45). Then, at the arrival of Moses to Egypt in private communion with the Elders, there was a glimmer of hope that Israel as a whole would suddenly turn to God in faith and repentance (Ex. 4:29-31). However, whatever faith the Elders demonstrated in the beginning proved to be superficial when tested with adversity (Ex. 5:20-21, John 8:30-34). This is because Israel did not yet know the LORD (Ezek. 16:1-6, Deut. 26:7-8, Acts 7:6-7; John 17:3, 25).
|
|
However, that said, many people argue that this perfectly represents the storyline in the Old Testament. They believe that all the hardships that the Exodus Generation went through were because only a small remnant of Israel actually knew the LORD while the vast majority were unregenerate for lack of true conversion. They would argue that this explains why the Old Covenant(s) failed, as described in Jeremiah 31:31-34; and, contrastingly, this is why the New Covenant storyline is completely different.
|
“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my Covenant they brake, although I was an Husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” – Jer. 31:31-34
|
At first glance, Jeremiah 31:31-34 seems to settle the argument. It appears to plainly declare the fundamental difference between the Old Covenant & the New Covenant, namely that not everyone in Israel knew the LORD by virtue of true conversion, but in the New Covenant everyone shall know the LORD from the least to the greatest. However, the fine details matter. Things are not always as they appear. Howbeit, the fine details are sure to be unrealized if THE STORYLINE of the Old Testament is ignored by the interpreter. As an exemplification of this, consider the Doctrine of the Trinity.
One could argue against the Trinity based upon of Deuteronomy 6:4, even though THE STORYLINE of the Old and New Testaments do teach and support the Doctrine of the Trinity. Face value assumptions are born through ignorance (Prov. 15:28). That's why only a lawyer can be trusted to interpret the fine details of law documents. The fine details matter. Words matter in the natural and much more in the spiritual. Lawyers are hired because their knowledge is needed to assuredly know the bounds and parameters of the law (Hos. 4:6); and only a fool would suppose he can decipher complicated law documents with good success. Meanwhile, Christians endeavor the interpretation of Jeremiah 31:31-34 without an in-depth recollection of the Old Testament abiding in their souls! This is dangerous.
The fact that “all” of Israel didn’t know the LORD from generation to generation isn’t the issue. This is indisputable. Rather, the question is if “all” of Israel was required by law to know the LORD according to the Old Testament. Then, if the answer proves to be yes, we must search the Scriptures to see if this biblical ideal has ever been realized in Biblical Church History and / or if it ever will be realized according to Biblical Prophecy at some point in the future.
One could argue against the Trinity based upon of Deuteronomy 6:4, even though THE STORYLINE of the Old and New Testaments do teach and support the Doctrine of the Trinity. Face value assumptions are born through ignorance (Prov. 15:28). That's why only a lawyer can be trusted to interpret the fine details of law documents. The fine details matter. Words matter in the natural and much more in the spiritual. Lawyers are hired because their knowledge is needed to assuredly know the bounds and parameters of the law (Hos. 4:6); and only a fool would suppose he can decipher complicated law documents with good success. Meanwhile, Christians endeavor the interpretation of Jeremiah 31:31-34 without an in-depth recollection of the Old Testament abiding in their souls! This is dangerous.
The fact that “all” of Israel didn’t know the LORD from generation to generation isn’t the issue. This is indisputable. Rather, the question is if “all” of Israel was required by law to know the LORD according to the Old Testament. Then, if the answer proves to be yes, we must search the Scriptures to see if this biblical ideal has ever been realized in Biblical Church History and / or if it ever will be realized according to Biblical Prophecy at some point in the future.
|
Every individual in Israel was required to know the LORD, and that is exactly why the Jews were teaching every man his neighbor, saying, “Know the LORD” (Jer. 31:34). Every individual in the Assemblies or Congregations of the Israelite People, in any place or for any purpose within the Land of Israel, or anywhere in the Kingdom of God, especially within the City of Jerusalem & upon Mount Zion, or anywhere of closer proximity to the Temple of God, were required by law to be entirely populated by righteous and godly persons.
|
The only controversy is that this requirement was hard to keep. Therefore, the plot of redemptive history gravitates around this requirement of the law. Definitively, it all began with the Exodus Generation. This reference point is clearly in the mind of God in Jeremiah 31:31-34, when the LORD spoke of “the Covenant that [Jehovah] made with their fathers in the day that [the LORD] took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt” (Jer. 31:32). Therefore, we should begin our investigation at the formation of the Mosaic Covenant.
The LORD was determined to bring this nation to birth (Gen. 33:20; Ps. 135:4, 33:12). Therefore, with unwavering commitment as a Father, the LORD pled the cause of redemption (Ex. 4:22, Hos. 11:1). Through a total of 8 Severance Miracles the LORD won the heart of the Jewish People in saving faith and repentance. The love of Jehovah for the Jews became utterly undeniable amidst the onslaught of flies, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and death. In being separated from the Egyptians through a miraculous shield of divine favor amidst the plagues, the LORD won the trust of the fatigued and downtrodden people. Hereby, they came to know the LORD in truth (Ex. 8:22-23 [#1], 9:4-6 [#2], 11 [#3], 25-26 [#4], 10:13-18 [#5], 21-23 [#6], 11:6-7 [#7], 14:22-23 [#8]).
The LORD was determined to bring this nation to birth (Gen. 33:20; Ps. 135:4, 33:12). Therefore, with unwavering commitment as a Father, the LORD pled the cause of redemption (Ex. 4:22, Hos. 11:1). Through a total of 8 Severance Miracles the LORD won the heart of the Jewish People in saving faith and repentance. The love of Jehovah for the Jews became utterly undeniable amidst the onslaught of flies, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and death. In being separated from the Egyptians through a miraculous shield of divine favor amidst the plagues, the LORD won the trust of the fatigued and downtrodden people. Hereby, they came to know the LORD in truth (Ex. 8:22-23 [#1], 9:4-6 [#2], 11 [#3], 25-26 [#4], 10:13-18 [#5], 21-23 [#6], 11:6-7 [#7], 14:22-23 [#8]).
|
However, the popular interpretation of Jeremiah 31:31-34 would argue that the inward and spiritual work of redemption was exclusive to only a small remnant of Israel (Rom. 2:28-29), while the vast majority remained unconverted even though they were physically liberated from Egypt.
Yet, this ignores the fact that it was illegal for impenitent or presumptuous sinners to participate in and observe the Passover by offering a sacrifice for an atonement (Ex. 12:15, Lev. 16:33, 23:29; Num. 15:30-31, Heb. 10:28). Therefore, this interpretation promotes lawlessness. Furthermore, it’s obvious that God countenanced all the sacrifices of Israel in the Exodus rather than abhorring them (Prov. 21:27, 15:8, 28:9, 15:26) and hereby the LORD shielded the Jews from the destroying angel (Ex. 12:13, 23). Therefore, this interpretation calls into question the moral purity of God as the Judge of all the Earth (Gen. 18:25, Deut. 32:4). Of course, neither God nor the destroying angel would have regarded the blood if the sacrificial atonement in the Passover was outwardly observed in mere form and heartless pretense by wicked Israelites, but because the blood was indeed respected this means that Jehovah legitimately forgave the Israelites through an atonement (Num. 14:19, 15:25, 28; Gen. 4:4-5, Lev. 26:9, Num. 16:15)! Moreover (let the reader understand), this divine act of real forgiveness is impossible without God legitimately applying the virtue of the blood of Jesus through divine foresight (Rom. 3:25, Heb. 9:15, 10:4)! Therefore, this interpretation questions the efficacy of the blood of Jesus.
This erroneous understanding of Judaism allows for the presence of faithless ceremonial formalism and rampant hypocrisy (2 Tim. 3:5), all of which was forbidden by the Law, decried by the Prophets, renounced by Jesus Christ, and refuted by Paul. Popular interpreters look back on the scene of the first Passover and imagine rampant insincerity and overwhelming impurity among the people, while the inspired writers look back on the very same scene and see an allegory of Church Purity (1 Cor. 5:5-13). Popular interpreters suppose the Passover was open to depraved and unregenerate sinners, or unconverted Israelites, even while they close the Lord's Supper and forbid unbelievers from partaking of the holy ordinance for fear of profaning it (forgetting that the Lord's Supper was patterned after the Passover Feast). Also, further redemptive applications of the Passover Feast can be discerned in Paul's description of the Lord's Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:26, where the participants thereof must show a readiness to depart from this world like Israel suddenly departed from Egypt (Ex. 12:10-11, 13:19); even as Peter emphasized in 2 Peter 3:12, describing the general conversation of Christian believers in daily life following the instructions of Exodus 12:11.
Meanwhile, being ignorant of the fine details, men continue to argue that the whole point of the New Covenant is clearly stated in Jeremiah 31:34, in the declaration, “for they all shall know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD:”. Precise emphasis is put on the word “all” in Jeremiah 31:34. I only wish that equal emphasis is put upon such words every time they are found written in Holy Scripture.
Meanwhile, being ignorant of the fine details, men continue to argue that the whole point of the New Covenant is clearly stated in Jeremiah 31:34, in the declaration, “for they all shall know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD:”. Precise emphasis is put on the word “all” in Jeremiah 31:34. I only wish that equal emphasis is put upon such words every time they are found written in Holy Scripture.
|
The spiritual communion being described was the commonwealth of Israel wrought through faith in the Gospel, as it was communicated through the Manna that came from Heaven and the Water that came from the Rock (Manna: Ex. 16:1-36, Jn. 6:32-33, 35, 1 Cor. 10:3, Neh. 9:15, 20, Ps. 105:40, Deut. 8:2-3, 14-16 [Matt. 4:4, Lk. 4:4], Rev. 2:17; Water: Ex. 17:1-7, 1 Cor. 10:4, Jn. 4:10, 13-14, Ps. 78:15-16, 105:41, 114:8, Hab. 3:9, Neh. 9:15, Jer. 2:13, Deut. 6:16, 8:15 [1 Cor. 10:11, Ps. 107:32-43, Isa. 41:18, 48:21, Rev. 21:6]). Nevertheless, 21st Century Christianity has argued that they weren’t “all” in saving communion with Christ, even though this is precisely their point of argument in Jeremiah 31:34. Overlooking the hypocrisy in this, they argue that the vast majority of Israelites were lying when they triumphantly sang the Song of Salvation amidst the crystal walls of the Red Sea in Exodus 14:30-31, 15:1-2, & 13, and, when they vowed in commitment to the Mosaic Covenant at the base of Sinai in Exodus 24:3-8.
Yet, according to Isaiah, the only reason the LORD ultimately acted in real time to save the Israelite people is because He saw in them a sincere and truthful faith in Jehovah (Isa. 63:8). That's why David and Asaph, looking back, saw a righteous company of redeemed souls celebrating in gladness as the flock of Jehovah (Ps. 66:6, 68:3-4, Ex. 15:2; Ps. 77:14-20, 78:13, 52-53); or, that's why Hosea foretold the end goal of Church Purity being restored through the Assyrian and Babylonian Captivities with this celebration in mind (Hos. 2:15). Therefore, in praying for the revival of these divine exploits, the Prophets called upon God for the revival of favor, mercy, and grace according to the promises of God in salvation (Ps. 77:7-9, Hab. 3:2, Isa. 63:7-9, 11-15; Rev. 15:1-4). So, what do you see when you look upon the freshly baptized Israelite people going into the Wilderness? At this momentous occasion of glory (Ex. 14:29-15:22; Isa. 63:14), do you see a people plagued with insincerity for want of true conversion with hardly a remnant escaping? Do you believe the majority of Israel is still encumbered with the idolatry of Egypt in the secret of their own tents as they were at the beginning in the Land of Egypt (Ezek. 20:5-8)?
Yet, according to Isaiah, the only reason the LORD ultimately acted in real time to save the Israelite people is because He saw in them a sincere and truthful faith in Jehovah (Isa. 63:8). That's why David and Asaph, looking back, saw a righteous company of redeemed souls celebrating in gladness as the flock of Jehovah (Ps. 66:6, 68:3-4, Ex. 15:2; Ps. 77:14-20, 78:13, 52-53); or, that's why Hosea foretold the end goal of Church Purity being restored through the Assyrian and Babylonian Captivities with this celebration in mind (Hos. 2:15). Therefore, in praying for the revival of these divine exploits, the Prophets called upon God for the revival of favor, mercy, and grace according to the promises of God in salvation (Ps. 77:7-9, Hab. 3:2, Isa. 63:7-9, 11-15; Rev. 15:1-4). So, what do you see when you look upon the freshly baptized Israelite people going into the Wilderness? At this momentous occasion of glory (Ex. 14:29-15:22; Isa. 63:14), do you see a people plagued with insincerity for want of true conversion with hardly a remnant escaping? Do you believe the majority of Israel is still encumbered with the idolatry of Egypt in the secret of their own tents as they were at the beginning in the Land of Egypt (Ezek. 20:5-8)?
Remember, God sees not as man sees (1 Sam. 16:7, Jn. 7:24). All that matters is what the LORD saw when He looked upon Israel going out into the Wilderness; and, speaking of this, lo and behold:
|
The LORD celebrated Israel and showered upon her the goodness and mercy of divine rejoicing (Isa. 63:7-9, Deut. 28:63, 33:3; Ps. 68:1-20); something He would never do over a company of mostly liars (Prov. 11:20, 12:22). The LORD would only think, feel, and speak thus to a company of redeemed saints that are truly holiness unto the LORD (Jer. 2:2). Remember, holiness means separation – a separation from sin and sinners in a salvific consecration to God; even as God commanded Joshua, saying, “Up, sanctify the people” (Josh. 7:13), when the holiness of Israel was compromised by the presence of one sinner in the ranks (Josh. 7:25-26, Deut. 23:12-14).
Evidently, this is why Abraham separated from Terah, Isaac separated from Ishmael, Jacob separated from Esau, and Israel separated from Egypt. Holiness! The divine calling of the Gospel always separates men from sin and consecrates them to God. For, the LORD is perfectly pure and completely unable to countenance immorality and wickedness (Hab. 1:13, Isa. 66:1-2, Deut. 23:12-14). Therefore, the spiritual and moral status of every individual in Israel was of utmost importance to everyone (Josh. 22:16-20). If in fact Israel was a general assembly of sinners who are falsely converted with only a small remnant of true believers among them, the plot surrounding these outbreaks of wrath wouldn’t resound in confirmation that every Israelite man’s personal holiness mattered to God!
Evidently, this is why Abraham separated from Terah, Isaac separated from Ishmael, Jacob separated from Esau, and Israel separated from Egypt. Holiness! The divine calling of the Gospel always separates men from sin and consecrates them to God. For, the LORD is perfectly pure and completely unable to countenance immorality and wickedness (Hab. 1:13, Isa. 66:1-2, Deut. 23:12-14). Therefore, the spiritual and moral status of every individual in Israel was of utmost importance to everyone (Josh. 22:16-20). If in fact Israel was a general assembly of sinners who are falsely converted with only a small remnant of true believers among them, the plot surrounding these outbreaks of wrath wouldn’t resound in confirmation that every Israelite man’s personal holiness mattered to God!
|
This kind of behavior would be outrageous and uncalled-for, if indeed Israel was a general assembly of sinners who are falsely converted with only a small remnant of true believers walking in holiness before God. For, what could possibly be so aggravating to God about the presence of one sinner, if there are an abundance of sinners in the Church of the Wilderness at enmity with God (Acts 7:38, Rom. 8:7-8)? A diligent reader of the Old Testament would know that these courageous men were acting in obedience to the plainly stated laws of holiness authored to regulate the people of God (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1). These laws targeted one unholy person from among the people of Israel with the intent of mortifying the sin or executing the sinner to keep the spiritual environment of the people clean and pure.
|
How hardly could such regulations be comprehended by true believers if Israel in the Exodus Generation was crawling with at least 600,000 falsely converted sinners! Truly. The popular understanding of Old Testament Judaism utterly confounds the storyline of redemptive history. It’s no wonder that nominal Christians today don’t have even a basic understanding of the narrative of redemption in Biblical Church History. Also, it’s no surprise that modern-day Preachers point the people to Extra-Biblical Church History instead. For, everywhere you go in the Bible, and everywhere you read, the plot of redemption continues with the same resounding testimony:
|
The congregation of Israel must be holy because they are “the congregation[s] of God” (Neh. 13:1-3). Therefore, they were bound by one supreme “ordinance” (Deut. 33:4-5, Num. 15:15) which necessitated that every individual in the congregation was holy (Num. 16:3, Lev. 19:2), “righteous” (Ps. 1:5), saintly (Ps. 89:5, 149:1), and belonging to God (Ps. 68:10, 74:2); hence, this congregated people was separated from all the accursed things and people who bring contempt upon the congregation (Josh. 7:13, Ezra 10:11-14). When God said that such and such a person “shall not enter into the congregation” (Deut. 23:1-8), He meant it. All those whom God spoke of and named for expulsion in various ways throughout Scripture can form a list, which includes: “the adversary”, “the heathen” (Lam. 1:10), “the ungodly”, “sinners” (Ps. 1:5, Num. 15:30-31), “evil doers” (Ps. 26:5), “the dead” (Prov. 21:16), “vain persons”, “dissemblers”, and “the wicked” (Ps. 26:4-8, 12).
Even so, according to Doctrinal Rule, the people who populated The Land of Israel & Judah were exclusively: “the upright”, “the perfect” (Prov. 2:21), those who put their “trust” in the LORD (Isa. 57:13), “the faithful”, “he that walketh in a perfect way” (Ps. 101:4-8), and those who were “clean” (Isa. 52:11). The people who were eradicated from the Land of Israel & Judah via the Death Penalty were: false prophets (Ezek. 13:9), rebellious Israelites (Hos. 9:3), “the wicked” (Nah. 1:5, Ps. 101:8), “the transgressors” (Prov. 2:22), “the rebels” (Ezek. 20:38-40), unconverted and forbidden “strangers” (Hos. 7:8-9, Isa. 1:7), “a froward heart”, “whoso privily slandereth his neighbor”, “him that hath an high look and a proud heart”, “he that worketh deceit”, “he that telleth lies”, “wicked doers” (Ps. 101:4-8), “the uncircumcised”, and “the unclean” (Isa. 52:1). |
Most people feel they simply cannot believe that the Exodus Generation as a whole was truly converted. They feel that these people so often exemplified what shouldn’t be done rather than what should be done. However, it should be noted that this sentiment is not unbiblical. This is exactly how the Apostles of the New Testament employed their testimony. They warned all believers to beware of acting in the same way as the Exodus Generation (1 Cor. 9:27-10:13; Heb. 2:1-4, 3:1-4:11, 10:26-29, 12:18-29; Jude 1:5). However, in speaking of the Exodus Generation, they were warning believers about what they shouldn’t do rather than what they couldn’t do. They were warning believers about the real consequences of backsliding.
|
“The Understanding” of Perseverance in the Apostles during the Earthly Ministry of Jesus Christ
Why did the Exodus Generation backslide? In other words, why did they repeatedly provoke the LORD and fail to persevere in faith? Many would argue that they simply weren’t converted; and, to illustrate this, they would quote a verse like Deuteronomy 29:4.
Overlooking the fact that this was spoken to the children of the Exodus Generation (a people renowned for their faithful perseverance in the conquest of the Promised Land), the principle of faith brought into view is very important as it pertains to the Doctrine of Perseverance. We, as Christians, must come to understand and analyze the vitality and longevity of our faith based upon our ability to hear, see, and perceive Biblical Truth. As truly converted people we must learn to persevere in faith – in hearing, we must continue to hear; or, in seeing, we must continue to see (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29, 3:6, 13, 17, 22)! Therefore, in resounding harmony to the burden being conveyed in Deuteronomy 29:4, Jesus Christ said in John 16:12,
|
|
|
|
“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” - John 16:12
|
With respect to the question at hand (Why did the Exodus Generation backslide?), realistically, the same question should be asked about the Apostles of Jesus during the earthly ministry of the Messiah. In specific, why did the Apostles backslide and infamously deny the Lord of Glory at Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36-75, Lk. 22:45; Matt. 10:32-33)? Certainly, no one would argue that they weren’t truly converted. Right? They were Apostles (Matt. 10:1-8)! So, what happened? Their lack of perseverance in faith is spoken about in the Gospels by Jesus using the same terminology and language originally employed in the Book of Deuteronomy when the perseverance of Israel was the primary objective of Moses’ dying sermons. This was the foremost burden upon the Messiah’s heart as well, especially concerning the Apostles, therefore He prayed, “…Holy Father, keep through thine own Name those whom Thou hast given Me” (Jn 17:11; Lk. 22:31-32).
The Apostles, as believing disciples who followed Jesus prior to the Cross, were converted and saved in the same way that all other truly saved believers of pastime Judaism were soundly converted (Lk. 1:6, Mk. 1:4; Heb. 11:1-40; for more information, see The Preincarnate Jesus Christ). That is to say that Jesus, the Son of God, declared the “Name” of Father to the remnant of the Church in the 1st Century as the sole purpose of His existence (Heb. 2:12); which means in part that Jesus savingly “manifested” the “Name” of Jehovah to the disciples (John 17:6, Heb. 2:12) prior to His crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection – before salvation was hereby substantially provided (Rom. 3:25, Heb. 9:15, 10:4)! More than anything, this is a salvific communication of the Word of God (“I have given them Thy Word” – Jn. 17:14) that effectually works in those who believe through the Spirit (Jn. 3:3-11, 1 Thess. 2:13). Suffice it to say, the Apostles savingly “knew” the LORD (Jn. 17:2-3, 6; 1 Jn. 2:4-6) and “kept” the word of God even before the crucifixion of Christ (Jn. 17:6), which is only possible by regeneration; otherwise Jesus would not have spoken of them in prayer to the Father, saying, “…they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (Jn. 17:14).
Nevertheless, when their fidelity was tested at Gethsemane, they apostatized and treacherously denied the LORD! Why? Imagine the tone in which Jesus forewarned His closest disciples in an intimate setting, saying, “…All ye shall be offended because of Me this night…” (Matt. 26:31). Again, their apostasy certainly wasn’t for a lack of true conversion. So, why didn’t they persevere in faith? Only a detailed analysis of their 3-year journey leading up to Gethsemane will yield the answer to this important question.
The Apostles, as believing disciples who followed Jesus prior to the Cross, were converted and saved in the same way that all other truly saved believers of pastime Judaism were soundly converted (Lk. 1:6, Mk. 1:4; Heb. 11:1-40; for more information, see The Preincarnate Jesus Christ). That is to say that Jesus, the Son of God, declared the “Name” of Father to the remnant of the Church in the 1st Century as the sole purpose of His existence (Heb. 2:12); which means in part that Jesus savingly “manifested” the “Name” of Jehovah to the disciples (John 17:6, Heb. 2:12) prior to His crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection – before salvation was hereby substantially provided (Rom. 3:25, Heb. 9:15, 10:4)! More than anything, this is a salvific communication of the Word of God (“I have given them Thy Word” – Jn. 17:14) that effectually works in those who believe through the Spirit (Jn. 3:3-11, 1 Thess. 2:13). Suffice it to say, the Apostles savingly “knew” the LORD (Jn. 17:2-3, 6; 1 Jn. 2:4-6) and “kept” the word of God even before the crucifixion of Christ (Jn. 17:6), which is only possible by regeneration; otherwise Jesus would not have spoken of them in prayer to the Father, saying, “…they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (Jn. 17:14).
Nevertheless, when their fidelity was tested at Gethsemane, they apostatized and treacherously denied the LORD! Why? Imagine the tone in which Jesus forewarned His closest disciples in an intimate setting, saying, “…All ye shall be offended because of Me this night…” (Matt. 26:31). Again, their apostasy certainly wasn’t for a lack of true conversion. So, why didn’t they persevere in faith? Only a detailed analysis of their 3-year journey leading up to Gethsemane will yield the answer to this important question.
The 3-year journey was a tumultuous one. The Apostles were often confused, offended, and following on with trembling knees. They watched on in horror as Jesus’ hometown attempted to murder Him (Mk. 6:1-6, Matt. 13:33-58, Lk. 4:14-30), and they were perplexed why Jesus’ own family members thought He was crazy (Jn. 7:1-10, Matt. 12:46-50); but, worst of all, they were struggling with how much Jesus was offending the Pharisees (Matt. 15:12). Amidst it all they didn’t know what else to do but to question the LORD and follow on in sheer self-denial. That’s why the Apostles constantly resorted to asking Jesus questions all throughout His temptations (Lk. 22:28, Jn. 16:30).
At times the Apostles were more resilient, but their courage was tainted with pride; so, they argued with one another about who was the greatest (Lk. 9:46-48, 22:24-27, Mk. 9:33-37; Matt. 23:6-7). At other times they were more sorrowful in spirit and rash in speech; so, Thomas spoke up while reflecting upon Lazarus’ death, saying, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (Jn. 11:16). Certainly, they were too preoccupied with the pretentious Covenantal Idealism of their time (Matt. 24:1-2, Mk. 13:1-2) and too tolerant of the rampant hypocrisy practiced by the Pharisees (Matt. 23:16-22). An honest description of their fidelity was that they “scarcely” followed Jesus while beholding a tumult of offended defectors turn aside by the multitudes (1 Pet. 4:17-18, Jn. 6:60-66). The commotion about the countryside was such that even John the Baptist was made to doubt that Jesus was certainly the Messiah (Matt. 11:1-6; Commentary).
Nevertheless, the Apostles began well in the early days of Christ’s earthly ministry (Gal. 5:7). At the original call of Christ and in the beginning of miracles (Jn. 1:35-51, 2:1-12), their faith in Jesus as the Son of God was evident: it was written, “His disciples believed on Him” (Jn. 2:11). Also, thereafter, in accordance with spiritual law (Jn. 9:31, 33, Lk. 6:39, 2 Cor. 4:13), these believers in Christ went about Israel turning whole cities upside down by preaching the Gospel with power - the LORD confirming the word with signs and wonders as they walked in faith through love (Matt. 10:7-8, Mk. 9:23, Jn. 11:40; Mk. 9:38-41; 1 Cor. 12:28-31; Rom. 15:15-19)! Likewise, at pronounced moments of trial throughout their spiritual pilgrimage, the Apostles stood out as shining examples of faith! Consider the time when Jesus questioned the disciples, saying, “But whom say ye that I am?”, and Peter triumphantly confessed on behalf of them all: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matt. 16:16); or, consider when Jesus challenged them, saying, “Will ye also go away?”, and Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the Living God.” (Jn. 6:67-69).
It is critical to understand that the Apostles were truly converted by virtue of faith in the Son of God; and, in believing (Heb. 11:1), they had unstopped ears to hear the truth or unblinded eyes to see the truth (Matt. 11:25); while others in unbelief (on the contrary), had stopped up ears that were deaf to the truth or closed up eyes that were blind to the truth (Matt. 13:9-18). This is a biblical way of describing the presence or absence of saving faith in Biblical Truth. The Apostles were expected to continue in saving faith through a growing reception of Biblical Truth – especially those things which pertain to the identity, person, and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the aforementioned ways, with respect to the 3-year journey of the Apostles, it is clear that they had a good “understanding” that Jesus was the Son of God (Matt. 13: 13-15, 23); however, along the way they began to grow deaf to the Word of God spoken by Christ and the Ways of God exemplified by Christ. According to the Gospel of Mark, directly following the missionary campaign of the Apostles to the cities of Israel (Mark 6:7-13, 30-31), the crowds flocking to Jesus in the desert were so vast that Jesus compassionately taught and miraculously fed about 5,000 men (Mark 6:32-44). In the process, Jesus took the opportunity to “prove” the Apostles (Jn. 6:5-9). This event would have only increased the fervency of the Apostles in their conscious devotion to Christ, but their hearts were amiss. Therefore, after being constrained to depart by ship unto Bethsaida, and being caught in a storm on the way, the powerless disciples were in dire need of rescue (Mark 6:45-52). Jesus, being displeased with their faithless condition “would have passed them” (Mk. 6:48), leaving them there, had not the Apostles cried out to God in prayer. Explaining the situation, it was written,
At times the Apostles were more resilient, but their courage was tainted with pride; so, they argued with one another about who was the greatest (Lk. 9:46-48, 22:24-27, Mk. 9:33-37; Matt. 23:6-7). At other times they were more sorrowful in spirit and rash in speech; so, Thomas spoke up while reflecting upon Lazarus’ death, saying, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (Jn. 11:16). Certainly, they were too preoccupied with the pretentious Covenantal Idealism of their time (Matt. 24:1-2, Mk. 13:1-2) and too tolerant of the rampant hypocrisy practiced by the Pharisees (Matt. 23:16-22). An honest description of their fidelity was that they “scarcely” followed Jesus while beholding a tumult of offended defectors turn aside by the multitudes (1 Pet. 4:17-18, Jn. 6:60-66). The commotion about the countryside was such that even John the Baptist was made to doubt that Jesus was certainly the Messiah (Matt. 11:1-6; Commentary).
Nevertheless, the Apostles began well in the early days of Christ’s earthly ministry (Gal. 5:7). At the original call of Christ and in the beginning of miracles (Jn. 1:35-51, 2:1-12), their faith in Jesus as the Son of God was evident: it was written, “His disciples believed on Him” (Jn. 2:11). Also, thereafter, in accordance with spiritual law (Jn. 9:31, 33, Lk. 6:39, 2 Cor. 4:13), these believers in Christ went about Israel turning whole cities upside down by preaching the Gospel with power - the LORD confirming the word with signs and wonders as they walked in faith through love (Matt. 10:7-8, Mk. 9:23, Jn. 11:40; Mk. 9:38-41; 1 Cor. 12:28-31; Rom. 15:15-19)! Likewise, at pronounced moments of trial throughout their spiritual pilgrimage, the Apostles stood out as shining examples of faith! Consider the time when Jesus questioned the disciples, saying, “But whom say ye that I am?”, and Peter triumphantly confessed on behalf of them all: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matt. 16:16); or, consider when Jesus challenged them, saying, “Will ye also go away?”, and Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the Living God.” (Jn. 6:67-69).
It is critical to understand that the Apostles were truly converted by virtue of faith in the Son of God; and, in believing (Heb. 11:1), they had unstopped ears to hear the truth or unblinded eyes to see the truth (Matt. 11:25); while others in unbelief (on the contrary), had stopped up ears that were deaf to the truth or closed up eyes that were blind to the truth (Matt. 13:9-18). This is a biblical way of describing the presence or absence of saving faith in Biblical Truth. The Apostles were expected to continue in saving faith through a growing reception of Biblical Truth – especially those things which pertain to the identity, person, and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the aforementioned ways, with respect to the 3-year journey of the Apostles, it is clear that they had a good “understanding” that Jesus was the Son of God (Matt. 13: 13-15, 23); however, along the way they began to grow deaf to the Word of God spoken by Christ and the Ways of God exemplified by Christ. According to the Gospel of Mark, directly following the missionary campaign of the Apostles to the cities of Israel (Mark 6:7-13, 30-31), the crowds flocking to Jesus in the desert were so vast that Jesus compassionately taught and miraculously fed about 5,000 men (Mark 6:32-44). In the process, Jesus took the opportunity to “prove” the Apostles (Jn. 6:5-9). This event would have only increased the fervency of the Apostles in their conscious devotion to Christ, but their hearts were amiss. Therefore, after being constrained to depart by ship unto Bethsaida, and being caught in a storm on the way, the powerless disciples were in dire need of rescue (Mark 6:45-52). Jesus, being displeased with their faithless condition “would have passed them” (Mk. 6:48), leaving them there, had not the Apostles cried out to God in prayer. Explaining the situation, it was written,
|
|
“For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.” – Mark 6:52
|
Later on, again, when the crowds amassed to around 4,000 people and Jesus was minded to feed them (Mark 8:1-21), the Apostles were blinded by unbelief. Their first thought was to analyze the situation carnally, asking the Lord, “From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the Wilderness?” (Mark 8:4). Indeed, their faith should have grown to behave properly in this situation, having learned from the former occasion. Howbeit, similar to the last time, and as a repeated provocation, when the Apostles had ventured another journey by sea and arrived at Dalmanutha, and then at once returned to “the other side”, it was written, “Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.” (Mark. 8:14). Then, when Jesus charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.” (Mar 8:15), it was written,
|
“And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread. And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember? When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve. And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven. And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?” - Mark 8:16-21 [Matt. 16:6-12]
|
Discerning a growing sense of unbelief in the Apostles, Jesus spoke of their eyes being blinded and their ears being deafened – all of which amounts to a dangerous inability to “understand”. This is the same terminology used by Christ when rebuking the Apostles because they were offended at how Jesus was offending the Pharisees (Matt. 15:1-20). When Peter asked for an interpretation of the parable, Jesus said, “Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand…?” (Matt. 15:15-17).
These occasions, and the like, are symptoms of a growing hardness through evil unbelief, as described in Hebrews 3:12-13. However, worst of all, the Apostles were impenitently deaf to the repeated statements of Christ when He privately foretold His own betrayal and death at the hands of sinners (Luke 18:31-34, Matt. 16:21-27 [Lk. 9:21-22, 43-45, Matt. 17:22-23, 20:18-19, 21:38-39, 26:2]). Why? Because they were personally offended at it. They simply couldn’t believe it! They were expecting the Messiah to come and immediately restore the Kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6). Therefore, far from embracing the Cross and glorying in it (Gal. 1:10, 5:11, 6:14), Peter boldly withstood Jesus under the bewitchment of Satan in Matthew 16:21-27.
These occasions, and the like, are symptoms of a growing hardness through evil unbelief, as described in Hebrews 3:12-13. However, worst of all, the Apostles were impenitently deaf to the repeated statements of Christ when He privately foretold His own betrayal and death at the hands of sinners (Luke 18:31-34, Matt. 16:21-27 [Lk. 9:21-22, 43-45, Matt. 17:22-23, 20:18-19, 21:38-39, 26:2]). Why? Because they were personally offended at it. They simply couldn’t believe it! They were expecting the Messiah to come and immediately restore the Kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6). Therefore, far from embracing the Cross and glorying in it (Gal. 1:10, 5:11, 6:14), Peter boldly withstood Jesus under the bewitchment of Satan in Matthew 16:21-27.
|
“Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.” - Luke 18:31-34
“From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” - Matthew 16:21-23 |
The cardinal ethic of persevering faith is the ability to continuously hear, see, and receive all that God is speaking in the ongoing revelation of Jesus Christ to the soul. That is certainly why Leonard Ravenhill said, “Preacher, with all thy getting, get unction.” Or, rather, that’s why Solomon said, “…with all thy getting get understanding” (Prov. 4:7)! In respect to the Apostles, the longer they walked with Christ in the 3 years of His earthly ministry, the more they were exposed to the salvific operation of the Gospel in all of its phases of glory; and the longer they persisted in hardness against any vital aspect of truth that pertained to Jesus Christ, the more hazardous it became to their souls (John 14:6, 17:17).
The Son of God knew about the dangerous hardness that the Apostles were stubbornly persisting in, despite their own inflated perception of personal integrity and faithfulness to Christ (Matt. 26:33-35, Lk. 22:33, Mk. 14:29, Jn. 13:36-38). Amazingly, the Apostles were oblivious to the danger of un-mortified evil residing within (Rom. 8:13). However, at once, when Jesus changed his tone and ministered more plainly to the disciples, the occasion presented itself for Christ to confront them about the treachery that lurked within.
The Son of God knew about the dangerous hardness that the Apostles were stubbornly persisting in, despite their own inflated perception of personal integrity and faithfulness to Christ (Matt. 26:33-35, Lk. 22:33, Mk. 14:29, Jn. 13:36-38). Amazingly, the Apostles were oblivious to the danger of un-mortified evil residing within (Rom. 8:13). However, at once, when Jesus changed his tone and ministered more plainly to the disciples, the occasion presented itself for Christ to confront them about the treachery that lurked within.
|
“These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God. Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” - John 16:25-33
|
This was a moment of honesty with the Messiah that the Apostles never expected, right when they believed themselves to have achieved the clarity of sincere faith they always hoped to enjoy! Marvelously, this illustrates just how much the Apostles were stumbling at the stumbling stone (PDF Notes). The eyes of the Son of God pierced into the heart, discerning their unbelief; thus, Jesus said, “Do ye now believe?” (Jn. 16:31). They would soon find out what Jesus was talking about. Yet, not without Jesus pleading with them in hopes that they would not enter into temptation and treacherously apostatize before the heathen (Matt. 26:36-75; Ezek. 18:23, 32). Nevertheless, by refusing to pay good heed to their Messiah’s repeated appeals that they would watch and pray in vigilance, the sorrow of the world put them to sleep (Lk. 22:45, 2 Cor. 7:10). Fearfully, this serves as a lesson for us all. Namely, how the deafness of the Apostles at this critical juncture could have been prevented (Matt. 26:41), and should have been prevented, but because the Apostles weren't responsive to the Lord while in a saving relationship with Him, they suffered a precipitous fall into utter apostasy!
The warning signs abundantly preceded the treachery of the Apostles so that they are without excuse. Each offence was met with reproof and instruction from our Lord… but to no avail. Therefore, upon the resurrection, the Son of God has choice words for those whom He loved (Jn. 13:1; Lk. 24:13-35, 36-48, Mk. 16:1-14).
The warning signs abundantly preceded the treachery of the Apostles so that they are without excuse. Each offence was met with reproof and instruction from our Lord… but to no avail. Therefore, upon the resurrection, the Son of God has choice words for those whom He loved (Jn. 13:1; Lk. 24:13-35, 36-48, Mk. 16:1-14).
|
“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.” - Mark 16:9-14
“Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” - Luke 24:25-27 “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things.” - Luke 24:44-48 |
Why did the Apostles backslide and fail to persevere in faith? Well, it was for the same reason that the Exodus Generation backslid. It didn’t happen because the Apostles were unconverted and void of faith to begin with, as people assume was the case with the Exodus Generation reprobates (Heb. 4:1). Nor was it because the Apostles never had eyes to see or ears to hear. They backslid because they didn’t continue in the faith that they had from the beginning (1 Tim. 4:16, Rev. 2:4-5) – so that, in seeing, they would continue to see; or, in hearing, they would continue to hear – especially when we as Christians begin to follow Jesus as genuine disciples at conversion, and we come to realize that the way of truth isn’t what we originally expected it to be! For the Apostles in the 1st Century, this realization never fully dawned upon them because they stopped their ears to the message of the Cross. However, today, Christians are stopping their ears at the message of God in the Book of Revelation.
|
“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that Day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” - Luke 21:34-36
|
Jesus, foreseeing this, duly warns us to be watchful and prayerful concerning the Day of the LORD, just as He warned the Apostles concerning the Way of the Cross in the 1st Century. Howbeit, the Apostles weren’t watchful concerning their own souls with respect to the vitality and longevity of their faith – forgetting that their faith lives by every word of God (Rom. 10:17) – therefore, through rejecting vital portions of the word of God, they were blinded and rendered unable to persevere. Even so it is today.
|
Introducing the Language of Love in a Soul Religion
Discovering Faith in the Spiritual Biology of the Soul in the Day of Deuteronomy Despite being truly “saved”, why did the Exodus Generation backslide? A diligent search would prove that it was for the same reasons the Apostles of Jesus Christ backslid at the crux of the Messiah’s earthly ministry in the Garden of Gethsemane. Therefore, in speaking to the Apostles with the intent to put an end to their backsliding and ultimately secure their souls in perseverance, the Son of God drew from the ancient reservoir of holy doctrine first set forth in the Law (Duet. 32:2). The infinite wisdom of the Son of God had no better wherewithal to penetrate the heart and explain the vitality of faith, than to draw upon the language of Deuteronomy.
|
|
Whether in speaking to the Apostles in private instruction, or in open air preaching to the lost while putting a difference between the saved and unsaved (Mal. 3:18, Matt. 15:13-14), and all throughout various moments of triumph and tragedy in the perseverance or backsliding of the disciples, the Son of God spoke of the spiritualty of true religion in a terminology that originates from the Law. Some of those instances, surveyed in detail in the former section, were vital moments where Jesus of Nazareth was identifying a growing onset of spiritual deafness in the Apostles; a kind of personal offense against biblical truth that would eventually lead to a sudden and unexpected apostasy, like what happened in Gethsemane, if the truth spoken by Christ continued to be unheard.
In speaking of faith in God, or in the word of God, the Lord was speaking about the people having a personal heart perception of knowledge that is spiritual in nature and penetrating to the soul. This is something completely different than the head knowledge of intellectuals. Therefore, when divine truth was spoken, or the word of God declared, and yet it was unrevealed to any listening bystanders on account of their unbelief, the poor souls were blind and deaf to the spiritual reality of what was being preached and therefore incapable of truly understanding the message. However, as stated before, the primary use of this language pertains to the discovery of unbelief present within true believers, like the Apostles, or like the Children of the Exodus Generation, to assess the faith of true disciples who are in danger of backsliding and eventual apostasy.
Christ, as the Great Physician, demonstrated the proper use of this language as one wielding surgical tools for the souls of redeemed men. In a piercing and cutting way, with precision, while apparently drawing from Deuteronomy, this language was used to identify the real presence of unbelief in believers, or the real presence of unholiness in saints, by illustrating the threat of danger it presents to the soul in how the unbelief affects the spiritual biology of the person (Heb. 4:11-13). Faith affects the heart, and the heart affects the eyes and ears; therefore, when the heart is hardened through unbelief, the eyes and ears are proportionately blinded and deafened (Heb. 3:12-13). When the sensory receptors of the spiritual man are injured in this way, the soul is increasingly bereft of the ability to feel and experience the truth of the word of God. Even if the truth is plainly spoken and abundantly declared, it is still mysterious to the hearer and unknown in spiritual reality. In other words, it is hidden from their understanding. They cannot know it. In respect to backsliding saints, even what they know in actuality at present will be lost if the problem of sin is left undealt with (Rom. 8:13, Rev. 3:1-6). If sin grows in its blinding force upon the soul, even the things formerly known and understood simply cannot be spiritually recollected – the soul loses the power to remember the truth or consider what is necessary to persevere in the faith (2 Pet. 1:9, 2:21; Heb. 10:35, Gal. 3:1).
Christ, as the Great Physician, demonstrated the proper use of this language as one wielding surgical tools for the souls of redeemed men. In a piercing and cutting way, with precision, while apparently drawing from Deuteronomy, this language was used to identify the real presence of unbelief in believers, or the real presence of unholiness in saints, by illustrating the threat of danger it presents to the soul in how the unbelief affects the spiritual biology of the person (Heb. 4:11-13). Faith affects the heart, and the heart affects the eyes and ears; therefore, when the heart is hardened through unbelief, the eyes and ears are proportionately blinded and deafened (Heb. 3:12-13). When the sensory receptors of the spiritual man are injured in this way, the soul is increasingly bereft of the ability to feel and experience the truth of the word of God. Even if the truth is plainly spoken and abundantly declared, it is still mysterious to the hearer and unknown in spiritual reality. In other words, it is hidden from their understanding. They cannot know it. In respect to backsliding saints, even what they know in actuality at present will be lost if the problem of sin is left undealt with (Rom. 8:13, Rev. 3:1-6). If sin grows in its blinding force upon the soul, even the things formerly known and understood simply cannot be spiritually recollected – the soul loses the power to remember the truth or consider what is necessary to persevere in the faith (2 Pet. 1:9, 2:21; Heb. 10:35, Gal. 3:1).
The terms utilized by Christ to analyze and diagnose the growing problem of unbelief in the Apostles originated in the Law when Jehovah was diagnosing the problem of backsliding in the Exodus Generation with the intent to cure it from persisting in the Children of the Exodus Generation. In both cases the cure was successful. Unlike their Fathers, the Children of the Exodus Generation (with apostolic courage!) went on to become one of the few faithful and perseverant generations of biblical Church History. This is the story of the Law.
“What is written in the Law? how readest thou?” – Lk. 10:26
There is converting power in the storyline of the Law. For, this is a message of tragedy and triumph spanning two generations, where the love of God prevailed at last! History bears witness that Jehovah is a God of second chances. The first chosen generation failed, but the second prevailed against all odds. How? Uniquely, through the powerful message being conveyed in Deuteronomy; or, in other words, through “The 2nd Giving of the Law”, the Children learned from the mistakes of their Fathers. Therefore, evidently, lifechanging wisdom resides in this testimony. True enlightenment comes to blinded backsliders at the keeping of these commandments (Ps. 119:18, Prov. 1:23).
|
“The Law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.” - Psalms 19:7-11
|
Jesus Christ, the Messiah of the Jews, agreed with the lovely sentiments of David recorded in Psalm 19:7-11 in respect to the Law. Jesus spoke about the Law as a Romantic Love Story of redemption by which God offers to mankind Eternal Life (Lk. 10:25-28, Mk. 12:28-34). This fact is abundantly communicated in Luke 10:25-28, when a Lawyer answered correctly concerning the divine intent of the Law.
|
“And, behold, a certain Lawyer stood up, and tempted Him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.” - Luke 10:25-28
|
The Son of God affirmed, and did not deny, the virtuous offering of Eternal Life contained in the Law, despite how most interpreters today read the Law differently. This explains why Paul said that the Law was “ordained to Life” (Rom. 7:10). Jesus said, “this do, and thou shalt Live”, in answer to the Lawyer who inquired after an inheritance of “Eternal Life”, because the reading of the Law is a love story depicting the liveliness of a Soul Religion in the hearts of redeemed mankind (Deut. 30:20). In other words, it empowers them inwardly, as true Jews (Lk. 1:6, Rom. 2:28-29), to “love” God with “all” the heart and “all” the soul! For, this is the essence of true spirituality in the salvation of God throughout all ages.
|
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for He is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” - Deuteronomy 30:19-20
|
Accordingly, in it being a Soul Religion of love, its words have penetrating spiritual power. It had to be in order to meet the need of those to whom it was originally given (Deut. 11:1-9). The time, place, and people to whom the LORD was speaking in real time makes the reading of the Law an eye-opening experience of wonder and awe. This would explain why David was so focused in prayer to the LORD concerning the spirituality of the Law in Psalm 119, because he clearly understood how things must be divinely revealed to the soul for any individual reader to profit. Truly, this was the common denominator in all of David’s prayers: “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.” (Ps. 119:18)! For, evidently, the Children of the Exodus Generation were on the same course of backsliding as their Fathers, until the book of Deuteronomy intercepted them. The spiritual needs of Israel at the time, with the proper historical, geographical, and contextual understanding in mind, enables readers to discover the converting power of Deuteronomy (Ps. 19:7-11).
Upon crossing the brook Zered at the annihilation of all the rebels in the Exodus Generation (Deut. 2:13-16, Num. 21:12), and after triumphing over Sihon and Og (Num. 21:21-30, 31-35), the newly purified Church in the Wilderness was blessedly righteous and totally pure insomuch that they couldn’t be cursed (Acts 7:38, Num. 22:12, 23:7-8). Statedly, the people were morally identified in prophecy as “the righteous” (Num. 23:10) among whom God dwelt because the LORD had not beheld “iniquity” or “perverseness” in them (Num. 23:21). Statedly, they were unstoppably blessed and unconquerable in war according to the standards of holiness later reiterated in Deuteronomy 23:1-14, which is an elaboration of Leviticus 26:3-9. However, this blessed estate is only irreversible as long as the moral integrity of the people is perseveringly uncompromised by iniquity (Num. 23:20-21); as long as Israel remains “righteous” in holiness, which is to “dwell alone” in separation (Num. 23:9, Deut. 32:12, Ps. 81:8-16, Isa. 43:11-12; 2 Cor. 6:17-18) from all other toxic nations or peoples who are engrossed in iniquity, inundated with abominable customs, and doomed to die because of it (Num. 24:23).
Upon discovering this, Balaam made a last-ditch effort to survive the inevitable doom of falling as a sinner under an Israelite blade. Even though he couldn’t curse Israel by divination, he knew that if Israel’s moral integrity could be compromised then God would curse them. A forbidden connection to an unclean people is all that it would take for Israel to forfeit all. So, Balaam counseled Balak to go out to Israel in peace rather than for war, with a hidden agenda to entice them to sin against Jehovah. They conspired to use the daughters of Moab as an allurement, to make an occasion for idolatry and whoredom (Num. 25:1-18), and the plan proved successful (Neh. 13:26). This infamous and diabolical plan was later called, “the Doctrine of Balaam” (Num. 31:16, Rev. 2:14). The people paid dearly for this catastrophe. The sudden death of the 24,000 Israelites who joined with Baal-peor was only the beginning (Deut. 4:1-4, Josh. 22:17-18), unless the LORD could bow the heart of Israel in an unprecedented way to forbid the clear onset of generational backsliding. This situation was urgent. The foretold annihilation period in the Wilderness was rapidly coming to an end, which means that there wasn’t much time left.
Upon crossing the brook Zered at the annihilation of all the rebels in the Exodus Generation (Deut. 2:13-16, Num. 21:12), and after triumphing over Sihon and Og (Num. 21:21-30, 31-35), the newly purified Church in the Wilderness was blessedly righteous and totally pure insomuch that they couldn’t be cursed (Acts 7:38, Num. 22:12, 23:7-8). Statedly, the people were morally identified in prophecy as “the righteous” (Num. 23:10) among whom God dwelt because the LORD had not beheld “iniquity” or “perverseness” in them (Num. 23:21). Statedly, they were unstoppably blessed and unconquerable in war according to the standards of holiness later reiterated in Deuteronomy 23:1-14, which is an elaboration of Leviticus 26:3-9. However, this blessed estate is only irreversible as long as the moral integrity of the people is perseveringly uncompromised by iniquity (Num. 23:20-21); as long as Israel remains “righteous” in holiness, which is to “dwell alone” in separation (Num. 23:9, Deut. 32:12, Ps. 81:8-16, Isa. 43:11-12; 2 Cor. 6:17-18) from all other toxic nations or peoples who are engrossed in iniquity, inundated with abominable customs, and doomed to die because of it (Num. 24:23).
Upon discovering this, Balaam made a last-ditch effort to survive the inevitable doom of falling as a sinner under an Israelite blade. Even though he couldn’t curse Israel by divination, he knew that if Israel’s moral integrity could be compromised then God would curse them. A forbidden connection to an unclean people is all that it would take for Israel to forfeit all. So, Balaam counseled Balak to go out to Israel in peace rather than for war, with a hidden agenda to entice them to sin against Jehovah. They conspired to use the daughters of Moab as an allurement, to make an occasion for idolatry and whoredom (Num. 25:1-18), and the plan proved successful (Neh. 13:26). This infamous and diabolical plan was later called, “the Doctrine of Balaam” (Num. 31:16, Rev. 2:14). The people paid dearly for this catastrophe. The sudden death of the 24,000 Israelites who joined with Baal-peor was only the beginning (Deut. 4:1-4, Josh. 22:17-18), unless the LORD could bow the heart of Israel in an unprecedented way to forbid the clear onset of generational backsliding. This situation was urgent. The foretold annihilation period in the Wilderness was rapidly coming to an end, which means that there wasn’t much time left.
|
“And your children shall wander in the Wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.” – Num. 14:33-34
|
The journey to this critical juncture was long and tumultuous. They buried their Fathers in the howling Wilderness until the foretold moment of their sweet release would finally come; and, with respect to the giving of Deuteronomy, the people were fast approaching 40 years with only months remaining. Meanwhile, they weren’t ready for the wars of Canaan!
|
“Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven, A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak!” - Deuteronomy 9:1-2
|
Why wasn’t Israel ready for the wars of Canaan? Certainly, it wasn’t so much about the coming battles that they would face. The problem at hand had nothing to do with the height, strength, and fortitude of their formidable adversaries. Rather, their intimacy with God was in question. They weren’t ready to face the temptations of war with so great an adversary when things are not well in their souls. As the late Ravenhill once said, “A man who is intimate with God is not intimidated by man.”. This wasn’t ever about surviving a war, merely, inasmuch as it was about surviving Jehovah M’Kaddesh (Ex. 31:13, Lev. 20:8, Ezek. 37:28); that’s why their rebellious Fathers never even made it out of the Wilderness in the first place, much less win the battle they endeavored to fight against the Amalekites and Canaanites (Num. 14:42-45).
Surviving Jehovah M’Kaddesh by Cleaving to Jehovah Sidkenu
The holiness of God, with respect to the near proximity of the people to the LORD, was the real and present danger of the situation, and that’s why survival is a central theme of the book of Deuteronomy. The LORD is front and center on stage, and everything else is peripheral. Survival, as an achievement of grace in the immediate presence of Jehovah, is the same thing as perseverance; because even though their Fathers were truly converted as authentic believers, they didn’t survive for their failure to persevere in the faith (Heb. 12:15). Therefore, God wanted the Children of the Exodus Generation to better understand what faith is essentially, and how to discern its wellbeing sensibly in the spiritual biology of their souls, for only then would they be enabled to stay strong in faith with perseverance.
|
“Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you. But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.” – Deut. 4:1-4
|
The surviving Children of the Exodus Generation lived because when and if they fell into sin, they repented, instead of continuing in the provocative sin that brought them low (Prov. 24:16), while those who were carried away in the rampant wickedness of whoredom and idolatry at Baal-peor did so as a result of continuing in presumptuous sin. The ethics of perseverance forbid the continuance of provocative sin in the soul, stopping such episodes from continuing long and repeatedly without cessation (Ps. 68:21). Baal-peor was an ominous sign of the future for this generation. The outbreak of sin at Baal-peor was so great, and the people so vulnerable, something drastic had to happen to get their attention. They needed something comparable to the 40 day restoration period that Jesus had with His disciples after the resurrection, and in the aftermath of their apostasy (Jn. 16:31-32), when Jesus came to them and expounded “the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” that they couldn’t hear or understand theretofore because of their deafness and unbelief (Acts 1:3).
Even so, Jehovah was discerning the same subconscious working of spiritual blindness that can and does exist in true believers who are “cleaving” to the LORD and surviving, howbeit scarcely (1 Pet. 4:17-18), fearing for their eventual apostasy if these ways of blindness and deafness aren’t discovered by the believers and amended on a heart level. This is to discern a dangerous degree of unbelief in true believers; or, a dangerous degree of blindness in true seers; or, a dangerous degree of deafness in true hearers; all of which amounts to a dangerous degree of wickedness in a truly righteous people; or, all of which amounts to a dangerous degree of rebellion in true followers of the LORD. In order to repent of these unseen ways of rebellion, these truly righteous people need to behold the horrifying reality of their unsanctified ways.
Even so, Jehovah was discerning the same subconscious working of spiritual blindness that can and does exist in true believers who are “cleaving” to the LORD and surviving, howbeit scarcely (1 Pet. 4:17-18), fearing for their eventual apostasy if these ways of blindness and deafness aren’t discovered by the believers and amended on a heart level. This is to discern a dangerous degree of unbelief in true believers; or, a dangerous degree of blindness in true seers; or, a dangerous degree of deafness in true hearers; all of which amounts to a dangerous degree of wickedness in a truly righteous people; or, all of which amounts to a dangerous degree of rebellion in true followers of the LORD. In order to repent of these unseen ways of rebellion, these truly righteous people need to behold the horrifying reality of their unsanctified ways.
|
“…thou art a stiffnecked people.” – Deut. 9:6
“…ye have been rebellious against the LORD.” – Deut. 9:7 “Ye have been rebellious against the LORD…” – Deut. 9:24 “…be no more stiffnecked.” – Deut. 10:16 |
It’s true! The people were behaving like their Fathers, who were stiffnecked and rebellious, by dangerously veering off the path of perseverance to their own demise; and, if justice was served in full (Ex. 32:10, Num. 14:11-12, Num. 16:21, 45), they deserved to die. Therefore, in this respect, they shouldn’t say or believe that they continued in the Covenant as survivors because they were totally deserving; or, with respect to the current estate of things, they shouldn’t’ say or believe that they are proceeding forward to inherit the Promised Land in the stead of their Fathers because of their righteousness and uprightness. Why? Because of what the catastrophe at Baal-peor was signifying about the future, according to the foresight and all-discerning eyes of Jehovah.
|
“Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.” – Deut. 9:5-6
|
However, let the reader understand: God’s plan was to teach them to “be no more stiffnecked” (Deut. 10:16). In whatever measure the Children of the Exodus Generation were undeserving of the Promised Land (Deut. 9:5-6), they were certainly more deserving than those who had died theretofore, as boldly stated in Deuteronomy 4:1-4; remember, that’s the whole reason why they survived and the others didn’t in the first place. However, because of unknown degrees of unbelief in these believers, as depicted in the lives of the Apostles in the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, their blindness could potentially persist into mounting personal offenses that lead into apostasy and death. The all-discerning eyes of Jehovah were discerning this in the Children of the Exodus Generation. Therefore, the survivors thereunto needed to realize the way of survival thereafter with perseverance, lest such provocations continue and the generation is eventually lost. Even though they were currently undeserving (Deut. 9:5-6), and meanwhile more deserving than the dead (Deut. 4:1-4), they needed to learn to become worthy or else they would soon die. This is the only path of survival moving forward (Num. 32:23). Deuteronomy was a necessary rescue mission that proved 100% successful, enabling Israel to make the following confession to their children: namely, that it was for their “righteousness” as obedient overcomers that they were ultimately preserved alive as survivors!
|
“Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand: And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes: And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers. And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He hath commanded us.” - Deut. 6:21-25
|
This passage illustrates the transformation that was taking place in Deuteronomy, as just one among well over 25 times survival is directly spoken about in book of Deuteronomy. Herein, we see the absolute necessity of an attainable “righteousness” that ensures the survival of the people with perseverance. The Children of the Exodus Generation loved God, but they needed to learn to “love…alway” and without repeated episodes of rebellion (Deut. 11:1). They feared God, but they need to learn to “fear…always” (Deut. 5:29). Things needed to be different “now” and from here on out (Deut. 10:12). Therefore, they needed to “understand” what they had not seen or understood about God and thereby perceive the shallowness and insufficiency of their faith in God theretofore (Deut. 9:3); so that through sanctification they would become what they were meant to be in the righteousness of Jehovah Sidkenu.
What else but Deuteronomy could produce this change? Evidently, as in Horeb, but only now in the plains of Moab (Deut. 29:1), the LORD was showering divine wisdom upon the people as rain from heaven to revive and vouchsafe a whole generation in a newly ratified Covenant.
What else but Deuteronomy could produce this change? Evidently, as in Horeb, but only now in the plains of Moab (Deut. 29:1), the LORD was showering divine wisdom upon the people as rain from heaven to revive and vouchsafe a whole generation in a newly ratified Covenant.
|
“And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The LORD made not this Covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.” – Deut. 5:1-3
|
Were these just empty words uttered by Moses? No! Do you detect an erroneous hopefulness in Moses that Israel would hear, learn, keep, and do what was obviously undone by the Exodus Generation? God forbid! Therefore, as readers, I plead for the beholding of all that the day of Deuteronomy brings! For, it is true that the appointed time had come for Israel to cross over Jordan to inherit the Promised Land by war and conquest (“this day” – Deut. 9:1-2), and the people were fundamentally compromised by sin; moreover, by interpretation, this meant that the people were being spiritually incapacitated by sin acting as a blinding and deafening force upon their souls. However, further clarification about the day is given when Moses spoke of the real time problem, declaring:
|
“Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.” - Deut. 29:4
|
This must be one of the most wrested verses in the Law by conservative evangelical readers among Gentile believers today. Therefore, I urge every reader to part with the pet doctrines of our time (Isa. 29:10-14). For, a proper understanding of this statement would indicate that the story of the day doesn’t end with the prevalence of blindness in Israel, but rather a heart perception of truth that empowers perseverance in the Children of the Exodus Generation. For, in speaking Deuteronomy 29:4, the LORD wasn’t bringing the issue of blindness to the forefront to declare the problem unsolvable. Rather, Jehovah was providing a real time solution to the problem to wit, before the salvific exercise of Deuteronomy was over, it could be said:
|
“Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God…That thou shouldest enter into Covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his Oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day: That he may establish thee to day for a People unto Himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” – Deut. 29:10-13
|
Apparently, when the LORD spoke of Israel’s blindness and rebellion persisting “…unto this day” in Deuteronomy 29:4, it was a statement of victory rather than an admission of defeat. Jehovah wasn’t acknowledging that Israel’s blindness would persist beyond “this day” (Deut. 29:4). Rather, “this day” marks the end of the generational backsliding according to Deuteronomy 29:10-13; statedly, the LORD was putting an end to their blindness and rebellion by entering into a Covenant with them and establishing them as a People unto Himself. Therefore, in context, the LORD was declaring victory on this day (with the intent to provide the hope of perseverance to all future generations!) – because hereunto the reoccurring problem of backsliding persisted in the Children of the Exodus Generation, and through the converting power of Deuteronomy their backsliding was healed (Ps. 19:7; Jer. 3:22, Hos. 14:4).
Further clarity about what it meant to “become” the People of the LORD in this instance, or what it meant for the LORD to “establish” Israel as a holy People unto Himself on this day, had already been given in the prior chapters of Deuteronomy (“become” – Deut. 27:9-10; “establish” – Deut. 28:9-10). This attests to the people attaining a worthiness that vindicates the righteousness of God to preserve them alive and recognize them as His family, the sons and daughters of Jehovah (Deut. 32:5-6, 18-20).
Further clarity about what it meant to “become” the People of the LORD in this instance, or what it meant for the LORD to “establish” Israel as a holy People unto Himself on this day, had already been given in the prior chapters of Deuteronomy (“become” – Deut. 27:9-10; “establish” – Deut. 28:9-10). This attests to the people attaining a worthiness that vindicates the righteousness of God to preserve them alive and recognize them as His family, the sons and daughters of Jehovah (Deut. 32:5-6, 18-20).
|
“And Moses and the priests the Levites spake unto all Israel, saying, Take heed, and hearken, O Israel; this day thou art become the People of the LORD thy God…” – Deut. 27:9-10
|
The book of Deuteronomy is not a failed attempt to secure and persevere these beloved souls of Jehovah. All that is said about “this day” makes this clear to the reader. The LORD was not hiding from them the truth that they so desperately needed, nor was He refusing to give to Israel the healing medicine of the soul that would make their hearts better (Deut. 29:4). Explicitly, and openly, Moses said: “…this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off” (Deut. 30:11). The people were destined to give a resounding “AMEN” to the grand scheme of the Covenant, as depicted in Deuteronomy 27:9-26; therefore, when the choice was put before them on this fateful day of restoration and glory, the people had eyes to see and ears to hear! Credit should be given where it is due: Deuteronomy illuminated what was dark and enlightened what was blind to the eyes. David’s heart sang for joy upon discovering this very thing about the Law, saying: “…the commandment of the LORD pure, enlightening the eyes.” (Ps. 19:8)! Accordingly, when Moses said, “SEE”, their eyes were wide open to behold what God was directing them to look upon (Deut. 30:15)! Conclusively, when Moses said, “CHOOSE”, the people made the right choice (Deut. 30:19)! Why? Let Moses explain.
|
“For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.” – Deut. 30:11-14
|
In a revival of faith, through a fresh washing of the eyes that Israel might see clearly (2 Pet. 1:9; Rev. 3:18), the Children of the Exodus Generation were destined to persevere in faithfulness. They were destined to learn how to “cleave” unto Jehovah with perseverance so that they might live as becometh the royal pedigree unlike their Fathers (Deut. 30:19-20; Eph. 5:3, Php. 1:27, 1 Tim. 2:10). Remember, in the aftermath of Baal-peor, Jehovah knew that the Children of the Exodus Generation had resumed the dangerous course of their Fathers. For, evidently, the same fearless simplicity that allows for repeated provocations was ensnaring their souls. However, marvelously, and quite unexpectedly, the LORD rescued them from the onset of this spiritual condition of rebellion by virtue of Deuteronomy. Yonder, in the Plains of Moab, Jehovah put an end to their backsliding by securing this generation in the way of peace.
As for us, as readers, our goal is to discern in Deuteronomy the communicable virtue of inward religion and thus derive from it the Doctrine of Perseverance, because at the giving of these sermons from Moses the people were indeed rebellious, while thereafter they were perseverant. Literally, during the narration of Deuteronomy, whilst the transformation process was taking place in real time, God identifies the vital turning point of transformation where the people are established in the Doctrine of Perseverance: THIS DAY!
As for us, as readers, our goal is to discern in Deuteronomy the communicable virtue of inward religion and thus derive from it the Doctrine of Perseverance, because at the giving of these sermons from Moses the people were indeed rebellious, while thereafter they were perseverant. Literally, during the narration of Deuteronomy, whilst the transformation process was taking place in real time, God identifies the vital turning point of transformation where the people are established in the Doctrine of Perseverance: THIS DAY!
|
The Bonafide Equivalents of the Gospel in the Old Testament
The Age of the Chosen Generation on the Day of Deuteronomy The age group of the generation to whom the LORD appeals in Deuteronomy is vitally connected to the message being delivered. Perhaps, if you have been following our study, you too have been awestruck with wonder at the language of love employed by divine wisdom in this timely moment of decisive healing. With a penetrating language that reaches to the heart and heals the maladies of faith on full display in this Book, one ought to wonder what core doctrines of the faith were opened up and newly realized to bring about perseverance. If faith affects the heart, and the heart affects the spiritual eyes and ears of Israel, one ought to wonder what new sights and sounds were beheld and comprehended by the people. If faith affects the understanding, and a good spiritual understanding forbids forgetfulness through empowering diligent consideration of mind, one ought to wonder what core doctrines are the subjects of faith in Deuteronomy.
|
|
|
“And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen…” – Deut. 11:2
|
Yonder, in the plains of Moab, the LORD made Israel to see and know things that made the heart better; however, the new things which they were seeing and knowing cannot be understood without the scope of what they were already seeing and knowing. Only then will we, as readers, come to terms with the revitalizing message of Deuteronomy. This is why the age of this generation to whom the LORD is speaking in Deuteronomy will prove to be important. For, however much they had seen or known of the majesty & glory of Jehovah depends upon how old they were.
Evidently, according to Deuteronomy 11:2, Jehovah wasn’t speaking to the sons and daughters of the Children of the Exodus Generation, which would be two generations removed from the Exodus Generation. Rather, the LORD was speaking to a specific age group within the immediate posterity of the Exodus Generation. Some of the parameters of this special lot of Children are identified by the LORD in Numbers 14:29-34.
Evidently, according to Deuteronomy 11:2, Jehovah wasn’t speaking to the sons and daughters of the Children of the Exodus Generation, which would be two generations removed from the Exodus Generation. Rather, the LORD was speaking to a specific age group within the immediate posterity of the Exodus Generation. Some of the parameters of this special lot of Children are identified by the LORD in Numbers 14:29-34.
|
“Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this Wilderness. And your Children shall wander in the Wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the Wilderness. After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.” – Num. 14:29-34
|
With respect to the judgment of God, the Exodus Generation was made up of the fighting men that came out of Egypt, whose ages ranged from 20 years old and upward (Num. 1:3); the same generation that ultimately perished in the Wilderness for their rebellion in the Day of Battle (Num. 14:29-34, Ps. 78:8-11). Consequentially, according to Numbers 14:29-34, the mantle of responsibility passed to their immediate Children – specifically, those who were alive then, at the Day of Provocation (Ps. 95:8), rather than those who were born thereafter, that it might be fulfilled that they would wander with their Fathers forty years and bear their whoredoms. This would narrow the selection of this choice generation to the space of 19 years, only if one counts the underage years of babes and toddlers (Deut. 1:39; Isa. 7:16).
Apparently, God wanted the Children beholden to the punishment of their Fathers: “And your Children shall wander in the Wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the Wilderness.” (Num. 14:33). This was a redemptive process (Ps. 90:1-17). Jehovah wanted the Children to look upon the dead carcasses of their Fathers and personally taste the bitterness of whoredom against the LORD, that such wickedness would never again be committed in Israel. However, remember, the provocation at Kadesh-barnea took place around 1 ½ years after Israel’s Exodus from Egypt, and around a couple months after the giving of the Law at Horeb. Certainly, the capacity of knowledge in the Children at Kadesh-barea and thereafter was important to God, but what about the things that happened before Kadesh-barnea?
Depending upon the content of the message being communicated in Deuteronomy, the age group could be reduced to only those Children who were of age to be truly converted during Israel’s Exodus from Egypt. This would potentially limit age of the Children of the Exodus Generation to around 7 to 19 years old, depending when you reckon them up in the 2-year journey leading up to Kadesh-barnea. At age 7, an Israelite Child would certainly have the capacity to be saved by faith in the Exodus alongside their Fathers; and, being 19 years of age or younger by the time Israel numbered the fighting men for war, these Children would have been just short of becoming a part of the fighting men of the Exodus Generation. At this age the Children would have had the awareness and capacity to coherently witness the salvific virtue of all the wonders that took place from Egypt to Kadesh-barnea, in addition to witnessing what happened from Kadesh-barnea to the plains of Moab.
Whether or not the Children of the Exodus Generation were alive to coherently see and understand the Exodus from Egypt would certainly affect how the LORD would speak to them in Deuteronomy. Right? Whether or not they were alive and of age to see and comprehend what was happening at Sinai, at the giving of the Law, or in the shocking events thereafter, would certainly change what Jehovah would say to them in Deuteronomy. Right? For, this would add around 2 years to the repertoire of divine truth that the Children of the Exodus Generation would be accountable to.
This intentional passing of the baton from one generation to the next was duly emphasized in Deuteronomy 5:2-3, because at the death of their Fathers the intention of God originally declared must now be fully engaged. Therefore, in the plains of Moab, Jehovah pointed back to Horeb as if to say that their Fathers had been formally erased from the equation (Ex. 32:30-35, Ezek. 13:9, Rev. 3:5).
Depending upon the content of the message being communicated in Deuteronomy, the age group could be reduced to only those Children who were of age to be truly converted during Israel’s Exodus from Egypt. This would potentially limit age of the Children of the Exodus Generation to around 7 to 19 years old, depending when you reckon them up in the 2-year journey leading up to Kadesh-barnea. At age 7, an Israelite Child would certainly have the capacity to be saved by faith in the Exodus alongside their Fathers; and, being 19 years of age or younger by the time Israel numbered the fighting men for war, these Children would have been just short of becoming a part of the fighting men of the Exodus Generation. At this age the Children would have had the awareness and capacity to coherently witness the salvific virtue of all the wonders that took place from Egypt to Kadesh-barnea, in addition to witnessing what happened from Kadesh-barnea to the plains of Moab.
Whether or not the Children of the Exodus Generation were alive to coherently see and understand the Exodus from Egypt would certainly affect how the LORD would speak to them in Deuteronomy. Right? Whether or not they were alive and of age to see and comprehend what was happening at Sinai, at the giving of the Law, or in the shocking events thereafter, would certainly change what Jehovah would say to them in Deuteronomy. Right? For, this would add around 2 years to the repertoire of divine truth that the Children of the Exodus Generation would be accountable to.
This intentional passing of the baton from one generation to the next was duly emphasized in Deuteronomy 5:2-3, because at the death of their Fathers the intention of God originally declared must now be fully engaged. Therefore, in the plains of Moab, Jehovah pointed back to Horeb as if to say that their Fathers had been formally erased from the equation (Ex. 32:30-35, Ezek. 13:9, Rev. 3:5).
|
“The LORD our God made a Covenant with us in Horeb. The LORD made not this Covenant with our Fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.” – Deut. 5:2-3
|
This striking declaration put the Chosen Generation in awe and wonder. For, herein, God was making them “know” the dreadful promise uttered of old at Kadesh-barnea, when the LORD said: “…and ye shall know My breach of promise.” (Num. 13:34). How? God spoke about the Exodus Generation to their Children in Deuteronomy 5:2-3 with such forcible words, renouncing the former and confirming the latter, speaking so matter-of-factly about how the Exodus Generation was blotted out of existence and irrelevant to Horeb; speaking as though the Covenant at Horeb was never originally authored for the Exodus Generation or legitimately possessed by them. It is as Jehovah foretold: “…and ye shall know My breach of promise.” (Num. 13:34).
Even so, what does this say about the Children of the Exodus Generation? Considering the fact that Jehovah’s investment in the Exodus Generation was inestimable in value, what can be said about the next generation? What did they really know about Jehovah on the Day of Deuteronomy? Or, how shall God forbid their delinquency? For, if God couldn’t make the Exodus Generation persevere, how shall He make their Children persevere? Obviously, these questions are important to the storyline of the Law – naturally because the Law was delivered in a biblical narrative that spans these two generations. Therefore, the contrasting significance of these two generations is key to understanding the divine intent of the Law. Hence, the questions. This divine act of replacement begs such questions and more: For, after all, was the Exodus incapable of redeeming? Or, was Horeb insufficient to save? In conclusion, were the wonderous works performed leading up to Kadesh-barnea subpar revelations of Jehovah that inadvertently led to the reprobation of the Exodus Generation, so that something new and improved needed to be revealed in the plains of Moab to the Children of the Exodus Generation?
Theologically, to ask why the Exodus Generation backslid, or to ask why the Apostles backslid in the earthly ministry of Jesus, is to inquire after the subject matter. Moreover, to ask why the Exodus Generation backslid, or to ask why the Children of the Exodus Generation persevered, is to inquire after the same subject matter from a different vantage point. In any case, it wasn’t for the insufficiency of divine things revealed that true believers backslid. There were unconscious degrees of unbelief in the believers manifest in unknown ways of spiritual blindness & deafness to things they had already seen & heard. Therefore, if anything new was communicated to the Children of the Exodus Generation, making them persevere, it was only an amplification of the old with greater clarity. The revitalizing message came through a greater depth of understanding concerning what had already been revealed, which made the Children of the Exodus Generation harness the virtue of things already known.
Even so, what does this say about the Children of the Exodus Generation? Considering the fact that Jehovah’s investment in the Exodus Generation was inestimable in value, what can be said about the next generation? What did they really know about Jehovah on the Day of Deuteronomy? Or, how shall God forbid their delinquency? For, if God couldn’t make the Exodus Generation persevere, how shall He make their Children persevere? Obviously, these questions are important to the storyline of the Law – naturally because the Law was delivered in a biblical narrative that spans these two generations. Therefore, the contrasting significance of these two generations is key to understanding the divine intent of the Law. Hence, the questions. This divine act of replacement begs such questions and more: For, after all, was the Exodus incapable of redeeming? Or, was Horeb insufficient to save? In conclusion, were the wonderous works performed leading up to Kadesh-barnea subpar revelations of Jehovah that inadvertently led to the reprobation of the Exodus Generation, so that something new and improved needed to be revealed in the plains of Moab to the Children of the Exodus Generation?
Theologically, to ask why the Exodus Generation backslid, or to ask why the Apostles backslid in the earthly ministry of Jesus, is to inquire after the subject matter. Moreover, to ask why the Exodus Generation backslid, or to ask why the Children of the Exodus Generation persevered, is to inquire after the same subject matter from a different vantage point. In any case, it wasn’t for the insufficiency of divine things revealed that true believers backslid. There were unconscious degrees of unbelief in the believers manifest in unknown ways of spiritual blindness & deafness to things they had already seen & heard. Therefore, if anything new was communicated to the Children of the Exodus Generation, making them persevere, it was only an amplification of the old with greater clarity. The revitalizing message came through a greater depth of understanding concerning what had already been revealed, which made the Children of the Exodus Generation harness the virtue of things already known.
Forbidding all such misconceptions of this situation, Jehovah opened Deuteronomy by bringing clarity to the demise of their Fathers. Undoubtedly, by the virtue of things revealed from the Exodus to Kadesh-barnea, the Exodus Generation was expected to conquer the Promised Land by faith (Deut. 1:29-34). Their failure to conquer as overcomers was due to their unbelief, not for a want of grace available to believe (Heb. 12:15). They needed a lesson on faith, not something else to believe upon because of the insufficiency of former things revealed. They needed to learn a new way to think and pray about their own faith in the Law, as exemplified in Psalm 119:1-8. Inspiring this, Deuteronomy compels believers to look inwardly in godly introspection, making them see the necessity of wholeness & uprightness of heart in respect to faith in God; warning believers against the superficiality of outward religious exercise when sin has hardened the heart, teaching them to fear in such cases lest they are forsaken of God like the Exodus Generation.
|
“ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in His ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.” - Psalms 119:1-8
|
In respect to divine things revealed, the Children of the Exodus Generation were virtually indistinguishable from the truly saved Israelites of the Exodus Generation, except for their age. The choice generation to whom the LORD was speaking in Deuteronomy was alive, of age, and savingly wrought upon in the Exodus from Egypt, in the fiery display of majesty at Horeb, and everything in between leading up to Kadesh-barnea. This is an indisputable fact; one that is abundantly clear in even a casual reading of Deuteronomy, if only the reader would keep in memory that their Fathers were totally annihilated by the time Deuteronomy was given to Israel (Deut. 2:13-16).
|
“And the space in which we came from Kadeshbarnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the Men of War were wasted out from among the host, as the LORD sware unto them. For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed.” – Deut. 2:14-15
|
Therefore, when speaking about the Exodus, Jehovah was holding this chosen generation accountable to the salvific exploits they had already experienced theretofore: as Moses said, “according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes” (Deut. 4:34). Likewise, in reminding the Children of the Exodus Generation about Horeb, Jehovah was speaking to an audience that had personal knowledge of the shocking display of terrible majesty as eyewitnesses. Therefore, Moses described it as “the things which thine eyes have seen” (Deut. 4:9), at the time when God “showed [them] His great fire” (Deut. 4:36; Song 8:6); or, the things which their ears “heard” (Deut. 4:12), at the time when God made them to “hear His voice” (Deut. 4:36).
The Bonafide Equivalents of the Gospel in the Old Testament
God wanted the oldest of the Children of the Exodus Generation, ages 7 to 19, to know that He was covenanting with them, especially, much more than with those were born after these hallmark events of redemption. This is what is emphatically declared in Deuteronomy 11:1-9, in the words: “And know ye this day…” (Deut. 11:2). This unique age group is only made up of those who were old enough to be savingly wrought upon in all these salvific events of the past, from the Exodus to Kadesh-barnea, and young enough to come short of the Exodus Generation.
|
“Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway. And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm, And his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land; And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the LORD hath destroyed them unto this day; And what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came into this place; And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel: But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the LORD which he did. Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it; And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey.” – Deut. 11:1-9
|
The Children who were born much later, during the 38-year wandering period, weren’t alive to see the mighty acts of Jehovah at Egypt or Sinai, which means that they didn’t personally know the salvific glory of these events in real time. Deuteronomy 11:2 indicates this, showing how seeing in this case is equivalent to knowing; or, to see the event, is the same thing as coming know the virtue of it. Why? Because every survivor of the audience in this Spectacle of Salvation - from the Exodus to Kadesh-barnea - was overcome by grace and saved by faith (Deut. 4:1-4)! These divine exploits were sovereign mercy at its finest: eye-opening, irresistible, and mighty to save (Ex. 33:19, Rom. 9:15-16)! However, the spiritual sight of their Fathers dimmed so that upon arriving to Kadesh-barnea, they couldn’t spiritually behold the divine acts of salvation that were visible to others by faith. The Book of Numbers & Deuteronomy clarifies this to be a heart issue (Num. 13:30, 14:6-9, 22-24, Deut. 1:36).
|
“My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” – Prov. 4:20-27
|
From the Exodus to Kadesh-barnea, at having experienced salvation by grace through faith in repeated typological Gospel operations, the Exodus Generation suddenly denied the Gospel at Kadesh-barnea! They began running well (Gal. 5:7) - in Egypt, through the Gospel of Sacrifice; at the Red Sea, through the Gospel of the Spirit’s Baptism; in the Manna of the Wilderness, through the Gospel of the Imperishable Life of Christ; in the Water from the Rock in the Wilderness, through the Gospel of Living Waters; then they gathered before Horeb as the Church in the Wilderness to see and hear the majesty of Jehovah in the Gospel of the Kingdom (Acts 7:38; Ex. 19:1-20:21; 1 Pet. 2:9-10); nevertheless, they turned aside from faith in the Gospel at Kadesh-barnea. Why? Under inspiration, the writer of Hebrews provides clarity:
|
“Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the Provocation, in the Day of Temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known My Ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)…
|
“For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the Provocation, and as in the Day of Temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known My Ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.” - Psalms 95:7-11
|
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the Provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” – Heb. 3:7-4:11
Only a divine commentary on the situation will identify and prevent the problem. Even so, Psalm 95 & Hebrews 3-4 identify the problem to be one of an erring heart, such that true believers are vulnerable to have. Letting scripture interpret scripture, these passages point to the frequency of rebellious instances (such that truly converted people commit during repeated backslidings) rather than a continuous state of rebellion (such that unconverted people commit without intermission). In other words, this is speaking of a preventable hardening of the heart through the deceitfulness of sin, a spiritual calamity that should be guarded against by the daily exhortation of unctionized believers holding each other accountable to the truth of the Gospel (Heb. 3:12-14).
Psalm 95 & Hebrews merely echo the call of Deuteronomy, the mandate to prevent the deterioration of our faith by taking heed to its liveliness working in our souls giving us ears to hear and eyes to see. Therefore, for the safekeeping of faith, and to discern its wellbeing, one must understand the inward working of faith in the biology of the soul. By interpretation, this is to take heed to how well true believers are believing today; or, this is to take heed to how well true hearers are hearing the voice of God today.
Psalm 95 & Hebrews merely echo the call of Deuteronomy, the mandate to prevent the deterioration of our faith by taking heed to its liveliness working in our souls giving us ears to hear and eyes to see. Therefore, for the safekeeping of faith, and to discern its wellbeing, one must understand the inward working of faith in the biology of the soul. By interpretation, this is to take heed to how well true believers are believing today; or, this is to take heed to how well true hearers are hearing the voice of God today.
|
“Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known My Ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.” – Ps. 95:10-11
|
“And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?...For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” - Hebrews 3:18, 4:2
|
To categorically identify the core problem of negligence that led to a sudden apostasy in true believers, the spirit of prophecy in David focused on one thing in particular: “…My Ways” (Ps. 95:10). Furthermore, the writer of Hebrews (expounding Psalm 95:7-11 in Hebrews 3:7-4:11), interpreted this category of biblical truth to be: “the Gospel” (Heb. 4:2). Can you believe it? A simple comparison of these two passages reveals a bonafide equivalent to the Gospel: “the Ways of God”. In other words, to preach the Gospel is to preach the Ways of God; or, to deny the Gospel is to deny the Ways of God.
My reader, “Doth this offend you?” (Jn. 6:61). Do you feel that the Gospel is somehow being disrespected? Or, perhaps you believe the Gospel is being misconstrued? Such offenses are common in those who are blind to the beauty of these bonafide equivalents of the Gospel in the Old Testament. I entreat all such readers to commit themselves to prayer, as David did, saying, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy Law.” (Ps. 119:18). Perhaps God will be so gracious to open your eyes to the hidden beauty of the Law (Dan. 9:13)! It is commonly accepted (howbeit superficially!), that Jesus Christ is declared all throughout the Law. Remember? The Messiah spoke of this in Luke 24:47. Even so, this being the case, should we be surprised to find the Gospel declared all throughout the Law? For, wherever Jesus is on the page, thereabouts is a Gospel Message! Or, wherever the Gospel is on the page, thereabouts is Jesus Christ!
|
“And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” - Luke 24:27
|
In the most pristine revelation given to Moses, could he be seeing something or someone other than Jesus Christ? Or, in his prayers that led up to this revelation of a lifetime, in Exodus 33-34, could Moses be praying for and seeking after something other than Jesus Christ? Ever since Moses prayed in desperation to Jehovah, saying, “shew me now Thy Way, that I may know Thee” (Ex. 33:13), the Ways of God have formally become a core doctrine of the faith in the Bible. For, to know the Way of God is to abide in the Presence of God, according to Exodus 33:14; which is why God answered Moses’ original petition in this manner. Literally, the Presence of God reveals the Ways of God in real time. However, Moses, being uncertain about the full extent of how God would provide answers to his prayers, pled further with the LORD, saying: “I beseech Thee, shew Me Thy Glory” (Ex. 33:18). These two earnest entreaties were answered affirmatively with the Presence and Glory of God, to show the Way of God, as the LORD said, “I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the Name of the LORD before thee” (Ex. 33:19).
|
“And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the Name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” - Exodus 34:5-7
|
“He made known his Ways unto Moses, his Acts unto the children of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” - Psalms 103:7-8
|
Following the mighty proclamation of the Name of God to Moses in Exodus 34:5-7, all of Israel was formally required to walk in the Ways of the LORD, which meant that they were verbally required to walk in the Presence of God or cleave to the Person of God (Deut. 4:1-4, 5:33, 8:6, 10:12, 20, 11:22-23, 13:4, 19:9, 26:17, 28:9, 30:15-20, 32:4; Micah 6:6-8; Acts 11:22-24). Literally, each individual Israelite’s survival depended upon it. This is abundantly communicated to Israel in well over 25 explicit statements in Deuteronomy alone (Deut. 2:13-16, 4:1-4, 26, 40, 5:1-3, 4-5, 29, 33, 6:2-3, 18, 24-25, 7:4, 8:1-3, 19-20, 10:13, 11:8-9, 17, 21, 13:1-11, 17:2-13, 19:15-21, 21:18-23, 23:1-14, 29:20-21, 30:15-20). Evidently, walking with God in the Spirit for real practical obedience wasn’t just for Moses! the Ways of God weren’t something personally revealed to Moses with the common Israelites excluded from the picture, as is commonly purported through a wrong understanding of Psalm 103:7-8. Rather, Moses prayed as a figurehead on behalf of all of Israel, and God answered.
This divine proclamation, when Jehovah audibly declared “the Name of the LORD” to Moses, brings us full circle back to the original introduction of this subject matter, entitled, A Biblical Framework for Studying the Attributes of God. There, we learned how the Names of God are not mere character traits to be compiled and intellectually analyzed; rather, as a signature method of crystallizing divine revelation, we observed how a personal knowledge of the Names of God is equivalent to knowing God in salvation. Even so, here, with the added witness of Psalm 103:7-8, we observe the following amplification of harmonious biblical equivalents:
This divine proclamation, when Jehovah audibly declared “the Name of the LORD” to Moses, brings us full circle back to the original introduction of this subject matter, entitled, A Biblical Framework for Studying the Attributes of God. There, we learned how the Names of God are not mere character traits to be compiled and intellectually analyzed; rather, as a signature method of crystallizing divine revelation, we observed how a personal knowledge of the Names of God is equivalent to knowing God in salvation. Even so, here, with the added witness of Psalm 103:7-8, we observe the following amplification of harmonious biblical equivalents:
- Knowing the Names of God is equivalent to knowing God in salvation (Ps. 9:10, 91:14; Ps. 20:7; Mal. 2:5; Ps. 118:10-12; Ps. 124:8, Prov. 18:10; Ex. 23:21, Ps. 75:1; Ex. 20:24, Num. 6:27, 2 Chron. 6:20).
- Knowing the Ways of God is equivalent to a salvific knowledge of the Gospel (Ps. 95:10-11, Heb. 3:18, 4:2).
- Knowing the Way(s) of God is equivalent to knowing God through the ministry of the Presence of God (Ex. 33:13-14).
- Knowing the Ways of God is equivalent to a salvific knowledge of the Names of God (Ex. 33:19, 34:5-7, Ps. 103:7-8).
Now, at last, we are prepared to enter the Theater of divine things as they are in truth, at least to those beholden to the mystery of salvation in the Law (Heb. 11:1-40). Categorically, in being introduced to the divine network of core doctrines that pervade the Old Testament, we are prepared to survey the Exodus Generation and their Children to derive from Deuteronomy the Doctrine of Perseverance; and thereafter, in moving into the major and minor Prophets, and beyond, we will be able to trace the core doctrines of the faith as they proceed from the Old Testament into the New Testament. Only then will we discover the transcendent and eternal significance of what was begun in the Exodus Generation in the first Wilderness Experience of Holy Scripture. Then, finally, we will comprehend why Isaiah uttered a prayer of revival to God, saying, “Thy Name is from Everlasting” (Isa. 63:16), while thinking about the Exodus Generation! Or, why Habakkuk was compelled to pray and sing to God, saying, “His Ways are Everlasting” (Hab. 3:6), while reflecting upon the Exodus Generation! The ongoing stages of these Ways are increasingly glorious as time goes on. This will all be made abundantly clear in the End of the World. Soon, everyone will be forced to realize that there is much more to the Gospel than the atonement that took place on the Hill of Calvary. The ancient Gospel of Isaiah will be written across the face of the sky, just as it was foretold.
“The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.” - Isaiah 42:21
|
The Exodus & the Wilderness as a Theater of the Gospel
The Law as a Theater of the Names & Ways of God “All hail.” – Matt. 28:9
God’s Name is eternal. God’s Ways and Attributes are immutable. What has been revealed cannot be repealed by the fruition of new and greater Covenants. At the fruition of the Abrahamic Covenant in the Mosaic Covenant, or, at the fruition of the Mosaic Covenant in the Davidic Covenant; and, finally, at the fruition of the Old Covenant(s) in the New Covenant: the Names, Ways, and Attributes of God are increasingly clarified and never nullified.
|
|
“Thy Name is from Everlasting” - Isa. 63:16
“His Ways are Everlasting” - Hab. 3:6
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” – Heb. 13:8
“I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.” - Ecclesiastes 3:14-15
“His Ways are Everlasting” - Hab. 3:6
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” – Heb. 13:8
“I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.” - Ecclesiastes 3:14-15
From the genesis of redemption, to its glorious terminus (Rev. 2:17, 3:12), the exploits of salvation are being crystallized by ascribing to God a new Name to memorialize each event and capture the essential message as it pertains to the personality of God. However, not in the same sense that systematic theologies use generic or philosophical terms to catalogue the attributes of God (Prov. 25:14). This core doctrine of the Bible is grindingly practical to the daily walk of believers. The mighty scope of all that is intended in Scripture by the Names of God does far exceed the pathetic imaginations of men. Therefore, an oversight here means unforgivable loss in the pulpit.
A preacher who doesn’t comprehend what it means to know (Ps. 9:10, 91:14), remember (Ps. 20:7), fear (Mal. 2:5), and act in the Name of God (Ps. 118:10-12), being oblivious to the salvific aid and immediate safety of it (Ps. 124:8, Prov. 18:10), shouldn’t be in the pulpit. For, the Name of God isn't merely something that can be spelled-out on paper or spoken in a word. In fact, such a relationship with the Name of God is strictly forbidden (Ex. 20:7, Deut. 5:11, Ps. 139:20, Isa. 29:13)! For, the Name of God isn't merely a word by which mankind should address God, nor is it just a characteristic about God; rather, it speaks of the actual living presence of God. Demonstrably, that's why the Name of God can be in or near people or places (Ex. 23:21, Ps. 75:1); or, that's why it can be recorded or placed in or upon people or places (Ex. 20:24, Num. 6:27, 2 Chron. 6:20).
This being the case, what can be said of all the preachers who speak in the Name of the LORD from the pulpit on any given Sunday? Theological titles from your name brand Seminary nowadays commercializes the holy offices of “the Church”, making the study of God far from practical for the so called “laymen” of the congregation. Therefore, men should beware of the modern enterprise of Theology. Formal academic training will accredit your spirituality before men, but not before God. You will become professional and polished, and masterful at Church Polity, while the conceptual essence of “knowing” God in your soul is totally perverted in the process. The sheer volume of unbiblical information ingested by the mind of seminarians will bring decay to the memory of sweet communion in the presence of God. Before long, students will forget the reason why men are supposed to search the scriptures to begin with.
A preacher who doesn’t comprehend what it means to know (Ps. 9:10, 91:14), remember (Ps. 20:7), fear (Mal. 2:5), and act in the Name of God (Ps. 118:10-12), being oblivious to the salvific aid and immediate safety of it (Ps. 124:8, Prov. 18:10), shouldn’t be in the pulpit. For, the Name of God isn't merely something that can be spelled-out on paper or spoken in a word. In fact, such a relationship with the Name of God is strictly forbidden (Ex. 20:7, Deut. 5:11, Ps. 139:20, Isa. 29:13)! For, the Name of God isn't merely a word by which mankind should address God, nor is it just a characteristic about God; rather, it speaks of the actual living presence of God. Demonstrably, that's why the Name of God can be in or near people or places (Ex. 23:21, Ps. 75:1); or, that's why it can be recorded or placed in or upon people or places (Ex. 20:24, Num. 6:27, 2 Chron. 6:20).
This being the case, what can be said of all the preachers who speak in the Name of the LORD from the pulpit on any given Sunday? Theological titles from your name brand Seminary nowadays commercializes the holy offices of “the Church”, making the study of God far from practical for the so called “laymen” of the congregation. Therefore, men should beware of the modern enterprise of Theology. Formal academic training will accredit your spirituality before men, but not before God. You will become professional and polished, and masterful at Church Polity, while the conceptual essence of “knowing” God in your soul is totally perverted in the process. The sheer volume of unbiblical information ingested by the mind of seminarians will bring decay to the memory of sweet communion in the presence of God. Before long, students will forget the reason why men are supposed to search the scriptures to begin with.
|
“Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life.” - John 5:39-40
|
This is the robbery of our time, as in bygone ages. This diabolical art threatens all from the pulpit in the Church on your street corner. It is unrelenting until everyone’s sincere fascination of faith in God, for the sweetheart love of knowing the Lord in the Spirit, is replaced with sheer intellectualism and a growing sense of pride. Rather, in searching the Scriptures, God would have men to search for Jesus Christ; and, in searching for Jesus Christ, God would have men search for the Gospel and its bonafide equivalents woven throughout the tapestry of divine revelation. For, if these things are rightly being understood, they proclaim Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 10:1-4)!
At the mountaintop experience of Moses in Horeb a precedent was set. He was searching for the presence of God, with heartfelt longing to see the glory of God, and the LORD proclaimed to him the Name of God (Ex. 33:12-23, 34:5-8)! Remember? Upon hearing a mighty divine proclamation of the Name of God, things have never been the same. Accordingly, knowing God is formally clarified to be nothing short of an intimate and personal communion with the LORD made possible by the Presence of God, as it empowers redeemed men to walk in the Ways of God (Deut. 4:1-4, 5:33, 8:6, 10:12, 20, 11:22-23, 13:4, 19:9, 26:17, 28:9, 30:15-20, 32:4; Micah 6:6-8; Acts 11:22-24) – all of which is the same essential experience as thinking, speaking, acting, moving, and having one’s being in the Name of God.
Apparently, to be unknowledgeable of this doctrine is to be ignorant of the Gospel and unknowledgeable of God, even in the Old Testament (Ex. 33:13-14; Ex. 33:19, 34:5-7, Ps. 103:7-8; Ps. 95:10-11, Heb. 3:18, 4:2). For, in the Theater of Redemption, we behold an increasingly clarified sculpture of divine personality. In Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, & Deuteronomy we behold a Spectacle of Salvation that is crystalized in the Names of God. Anyone blind to this mystery needs to take another tour of the Law looking for the great hallmarks of redemption; only let the reader focus on the Names of God as they correlate with each exploit of salvation, and how these relate to the Gospel Message being presented through typological shadows. In God’s providence, this lens and scope shall make for a new experience in the divine spectacle – the storyline of these two generations: the Exodus Generation and their of age Children. From the vantage point of Deuteronomy, in retrospect, the core doctrines of the faith are profoundly clarified. This was God’s condescension to the Children of the Exodus Generation, and to us (1 Cor. 10:11-12), as the LORD seeks to forbid all believers from the wander lust of the Exodus Generation.
Deuteronomy shows the correlation between The Names of God and the Ways of God in the divine operation of salvation accomplished through the Gospel in the Old Testament. For, apparently, in losing sight of this, the Exodus Generation lost sight of Christ (1 Cor. 10:1-4). This is a truly unforgiveable offense committed by the Exodus Generation, now serving as an immortal warning to believers of all time (1 Cor. 10:5-12). Categorically identifying the core problem of negligence that led to a sudden apostasy in true believers, the spirit of prophecy in David focused on one thing in particular: “…My Ways” (Ps. 95:10). Furthermore, the writer of Hebrews (expounding Psalm 95:7-11 in Hebrews 3:7-4:11), interpreted this category of biblical truth to be: “the Gospel” (Heb. 4:2). Therefore, to comprehend what happened to the Exodus Generation in respect to their knowledge of the Ways of God, we must analyze their salvation experience focusing on the Names of God. Only then can we truly comprehend what happened to them and how to prevent it.
At the mountaintop experience of Moses in Horeb a precedent was set. He was searching for the presence of God, with heartfelt longing to see the glory of God, and the LORD proclaimed to him the Name of God (Ex. 33:12-23, 34:5-8)! Remember? Upon hearing a mighty divine proclamation of the Name of God, things have never been the same. Accordingly, knowing God is formally clarified to be nothing short of an intimate and personal communion with the LORD made possible by the Presence of God, as it empowers redeemed men to walk in the Ways of God (Deut. 4:1-4, 5:33, 8:6, 10:12, 20, 11:22-23, 13:4, 19:9, 26:17, 28:9, 30:15-20, 32:4; Micah 6:6-8; Acts 11:22-24) – all of which is the same essential experience as thinking, speaking, acting, moving, and having one’s being in the Name of God.
Apparently, to be unknowledgeable of this doctrine is to be ignorant of the Gospel and unknowledgeable of God, even in the Old Testament (Ex. 33:13-14; Ex. 33:19, 34:5-7, Ps. 103:7-8; Ps. 95:10-11, Heb. 3:18, 4:2). For, in the Theater of Redemption, we behold an increasingly clarified sculpture of divine personality. In Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, & Deuteronomy we behold a Spectacle of Salvation that is crystalized in the Names of God. Anyone blind to this mystery needs to take another tour of the Law looking for the great hallmarks of redemption; only let the reader focus on the Names of God as they correlate with each exploit of salvation, and how these relate to the Gospel Message being presented through typological shadows. In God’s providence, this lens and scope shall make for a new experience in the divine spectacle – the storyline of these two generations: the Exodus Generation and their of age Children. From the vantage point of Deuteronomy, in retrospect, the core doctrines of the faith are profoundly clarified. This was God’s condescension to the Children of the Exodus Generation, and to us (1 Cor. 10:11-12), as the LORD seeks to forbid all believers from the wander lust of the Exodus Generation.
Deuteronomy shows the correlation between The Names of God and the Ways of God in the divine operation of salvation accomplished through the Gospel in the Old Testament. For, apparently, in losing sight of this, the Exodus Generation lost sight of Christ (1 Cor. 10:1-4). This is a truly unforgiveable offense committed by the Exodus Generation, now serving as an immortal warning to believers of all time (1 Cor. 10:5-12). Categorically identifying the core problem of negligence that led to a sudden apostasy in true believers, the spirit of prophecy in David focused on one thing in particular: “…My Ways” (Ps. 95:10). Furthermore, the writer of Hebrews (expounding Psalm 95:7-11 in Hebrews 3:7-4:11), interpreted this category of biblical truth to be: “the Gospel” (Heb. 4:2). Therefore, to comprehend what happened to the Exodus Generation in respect to their knowledge of the Ways of God, we must analyze their salvation experience focusing on the Names of God. Only then can we truly comprehend what happened to them and how to prevent it.
The Gospel of Sacrificial Atonement & Spiritual Baptism
|
Jehovah
“I Am” |
Elohe Ha-Ibriyim
“The LORD God of the Hebrews” |
Jehovah Elohe-Israel
“The LORD God of Israel” |
|
Jehovah-Goalek
“God the Redeemer” |
Jehovah-Shaphat
“The LORD the Judge” |
One must zoom out to see the full picture of the Gospel. One must comprehend the divinely authored Names of God that are associated with every single instance of salvation by faith in the Gospel. One must discover the operation of the Gospel in all the Ways that God enables and inspires sinners to believe and be saved. Therefore, in considering the Exodus Generation, or their of age Children, let us look before and after their conversion by faith in the Gospel of Sacrifice in a quest for Jesus Christ. Or, let us look beyond the message of the Atonement in the Passover to discover the full message of the Gospel – searching for it being presented in the bonafide equivalents: the Names & Ways of God. In the same manner, let us comprehensively survey the rapid succession of Gospel Messages that led up to Kadesh-barnea: the Baptism, the Manna, the Living Water, the Kingdom, and the Promised Land. Only then will we have eyes to see all that is brought to light in the Theater of the Law, as it is the birthplace of many everlasting doctrines.
Apparently, a remnant of believers in Genesis were able to trace their spiritual descent through the ages back to Eber, a time when God made himself famous among sinners by the name Elohim. A considerable portrait of God took shape through all that was divinely revealed to the Patriarchs: in Genesis 14:18-20, God is revealed as El Elyon (the Most High God); in Genesis 16:13, God is revealed as El Roi (God that Seest); in Genesis 17:1, God is revealed as El Shaddai (God Almighty or God All-Sufficient); in Genesis 21:33, God is revealed as El Olam (the Everlasting God); in Genesis 22:14, God is revealed as Jehovahjireh (the Lord Sees & Provides); in Genesis 33:20, God is revealed as El-Elohe-Israel (God the God of Israel). All these names ascribe to God and demonstrate to man various attributes in God: namely, that God is most high over all kings, nations, and armies (Gen. 14:18-20); He sees when and where no one else is looking (Gen. 16:13); He is sufficient to perform mighty and otherwise impossible miracles in fulfillment of covenant promises (Gen. 17:1); He outlives and outlasts men like trees do the withering grass of the field (Gen. 21:33); He provides atoning mercy for the undeserving (Gen. 22:14); and He will be further revealed through Israel and his seed throughout their generations in a special way, for He is once and for all the mighty God of Israel (Gen. 33:20).
However, in Exodus, a striking shift takes place in the Theater of divine things being revealed. In a whole new era of redemption, “the LORD God of the Hebrews” (Elohe Ha’Ibriyim; Ex. 3:18, 5:3, 7:16, 9:1, 13) revealed Himself in the salvation of Israel by the name Jehovah (Ex. 3:13-15, 6:2-4); and, hereby, God became Jehovah Elohe-Israel (the LORD God of Israel - Ex. 5:1, 24:10, 32:27, 34:23; Gen. 33:20). This was the stated purpose of God from the beginning.
However, in Exodus, a striking shift takes place in the Theater of divine things being revealed. In a whole new era of redemption, “the LORD God of the Hebrews” (Elohe Ha’Ibriyim; Ex. 3:18, 5:3, 7:16, 9:1, 13) revealed Himself in the salvation of Israel by the name Jehovah (Ex. 3:13-15, 6:2-4); and, hereby, God became Jehovah Elohe-Israel (the LORD God of Israel - Ex. 5:1, 24:10, 32:27, 34:23; Gen. 33:20). This was the stated purpose of God from the beginning.
|
“And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am Jehovah: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of El-Shaddai, but by My name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. And I have also established My Covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered My Covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.” – Ex. 6:2-8
|
Not only is this the first time God said, “I will redeem you” (Ex. 6:6); this is the first time redemption is displayed in the form of “great judgments” (Ex. 6:6). Statedly, in how God will judge Egypt in the redemption of Israel, the Israelite people will come to know God. This means that the judgment of Egypt is a means to an end. The end goal of everything was that Israel would personally become the people of God by adoption in fulfillment of the promise, “…I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God: ye shall know that I am Jehovah your God” (Ex. 6:7). However, in the course of things, that’s not to say that Egypt didn’t come to know that God is Jehovah in a different sense. Herein, the sculpture of divine personality becomes more glorious in detail.
|
Jehovah-Nakah
“The LORD that Smiteth” |
El-Peley
“God the Wonderful” |
Jehovah-Ehad
“The Only LORD” |
|
Jehovah B’Kerev Harets
“The LORD in the Midst of the Earth” |
Jehovah-Oshea
“The LORD Our Eternal Savior” |
In the forthcoming display of mighty signs and wonders (Neh. 8:7, Isa. 9:6), the LORD said, “the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah” (Ex. 7:5). This was repeatedly stated by God to Pharaoh in prophecy through Moses in Exodus 7:5, 7:17, 8:10, 8:22, 9:13-16, 9:29, 14:4, 14:18. Why? Because the Egyptians were the target of Jehovah. As stated in Exodus 9:13-16 & Exodus 10:1-2, what God did to Egypt was for the proclamation, declaration, and glorification of the Name of Jehovah (Rom. 9:17). The LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart to set the stage for a grand scale revelation. Therefore, in causing Egypt to know that Jehovah is God through a punishing display of wrath and judgment, Israel came to know that Jehovah is God through a merciful display of grace and redemption (Rom. 9:16-23). The glory of God in these acts does still resound in this late hour of human history! Therefore, in beholding the condemnation of Egypt, we observe the salvation of Israel!
|
Severance Miracle #1: “And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen…to the end thou mayest know that I am the Jehovah in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division between My people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be.” – Ex. 8:22-23
Severance Miracle #2: “And the Jehovah shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt…” – Ex. 9:4-6 Severance Miracle #3: “And the magicians could not stand before Moses…for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.” – Ex. 9:11 Severance Miracle #4: “…Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.” – Ex. 9:25-26 Severance Miracle #5: “…and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.” – Ex. 10:15 Severance Miracle #6: “…and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: …but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” – Ex. 10:22-23 Severance Miracle #7: “…And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt…but against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that Jehovah doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.” – Ex. 11:6-7 [Justification by Faith in the Sacrificial Atonement of the Passover: Ex. 12:10-11, 23-28, 39, 13:7, 19, 20-22, Ps. 78:51, 81:6, 105:36-38, Heb. 11:28, 1 Cor. 5:5, 7-8, 11:25-26, 2 Pet. 3:12; A Genuine Atonement of Real Forgiveness: Num. 14:19, Prov. 21:27, 15:8, 28:9, 15:25-26, 28, Gen. 18:25, Deut. 32:4] Severance Miracle #8: “…and Jehovah overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.” – Ex. 14:27-31 [Ex. 13:20-22, Ps. 114:1-7, Hab. 3:8-9, 15, Ex. 14:4, 13, 14, 17-18, 27-31 | Spiritual Baptism by Faith in the Red Sea: Ex. 14:30-31, 15:1-2, Ps. 77:14-20 (Ps. 77:7-9, Hab. 3:2, Isa. 63:7-9, 11-15, Jer. 2:6, 8), Ps. 78:13, 52-53, 106:8-12, (Ex. 14:10, Ps. 81:7, 77:18, 106:13), Hos. 2:15, Ps. 66:6, 68:3-4, 1 Cor. 10:1-2, 12:13, Acts 22:16, Isa. 63:14, Heb. 11:29; (Hab. 3:1-19, Rev. 15:1-4)] |
In the beginning, the vast majority of Israel was idolatrously loyal to the gods of Egypt (Ezek. 20:5-8). Clearly, neither the Egyptians nor the Israelites knew that Jehovah was God (Ezek. 16:1-6); and, whatever faith the Israelites did have in Jehovah, it proved to be superficial and transient at the onset of divine exploits (Ex. 4:29-31, 5:20-21, Jn. 8:30-34). Therefore, in order to save Israel from their misplaced faith in strange gods, the LORD had to break their apostate faith and cause them to spiritually defect from Egypt. El-elohe-Israel was jealous for the heart of Israel. Therefore, in targeting Egypt with judgment the LORD redeemed Israel from all her troubles. Through a total of 8 Severance Miracles the LORD poured out wrath upon the Egyptians and grace upon the Israelites. Hereby, Jehovah confounded the Egyptians and became the confidence of Israel! This is the science of Jehovah-Nakah. These are the wonderful works of El-Peley.
|
“And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.” - Ex. 3:19-20
|
Through a divine smiting of Egypt, Jehovah won the heart of the Israelites in the Exodus Generation! Strategically, in a sequential process of divine smiting, Israel came to know Jehovah-Nakah, even as Ezekiel said in a reawakened operation in a much later time, speaking to the Jews, “…and ye shall know that I am the LORD that Smiteth” (Ezek. 7:9, 20:33-38).
|
“And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay My hand upon Egpt, and bring forth Mine armies, and My people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. ” – Ex. 7:3-4
“Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that Jehovah your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.” – Deut. 4:34-35 [Ex. 7:3, Deut. 4:34, 6:22, 7:19, 26:8, 34:11] |
Wondrously, through bloody waters, frogs, and lice, Jehovah got everyone’s attention. Then, signally, through flies, pestilence, boils, hail-fire, locusts, darkness, and death, Jehovah-Nakah extracted Israel from Egypt. The Israelites watched as Egypt suffocated in dense swarms of flies while Goshen’s air was free; all of Egypt’s cattle died and Goshen’s roamed undisturbed; boils paralyzed Egyptian society and the Israelite slaves walked at large; hail mingled with fire fell upon Egypt and extensively slew or destroyed everything and everyone that was unsheltered in the mighty storm (herbs, trees, animals, & men!) while Goshen’s skies were clear and her inhabitants unharmed; locusts devoured everything green in Egypt while Goshen’s greenery was untouched; and, darkness froze the Egyptians in their places while Israelite captives went about their business with light in their homes. All this was visibly shown to Israel, Moses said, “that thou mightest know that Jehovah He is God” (Deut. 4:35), which is to say that there is a real science to this operation that makes it winsome to elect souls.
By design, this winsome experience was simply irresistible to the Jews. The same people who were so easily turned aside from faith in Jehovah at the unsettling results of the first miracle (Ex. 5:1-23), were won to God by the last miracle. The unrelenting appeals of El-Elohe-Israel alongside the increasing display of miracles that matched and far exceeded the magic of Egypt spoke volumes about the love of God for the Israelite People (Ex. 4:22-23, Hos. 11:1). Five Severance Miracles were exploits of mercy to endear the heart of the Jewish People to Jehovah (Prov. 11:30). Then, as a result, Jehovah-Shaphat expected the Jewish People to act in faith by cooperating with the latter Severance Miracles that would finalize the plan of redemption. In these Severance Miracles (#4 – Ex. 9:18-21, 24-26; #7 – Ex. 11:6-7, 12:27-30, Heb. 11:28; #8 – Ex. 14:22-23, Heb. 11:29), even the Egyptians had ample opportunity to respond by faith and join the Jews through conversion and thus escape the wrath of God, which explains why there was a mixed multitude that went up with the Jews at their liberation (Ex. 12:37-51).
The early Severance Miracles in Egypt were remarkably unconditional to any real presence of faith in the Jews, while the later ones were conditional to faith and conclusively salvific in nature. Therefore, contrastingly, when the freshly liberated Israelites journeyed into the Wilderness they were cleaving to God, while the Egyptians clung to the dead carcasses of their firstborn children in bitter remorse at their loss (Deut. 4:4, Jer. 2:2-3). By this shall iniquity stop her mouth (Ps. 107:42-43). This is the science of Jehovah-Nakah.
By design, this winsome experience was simply irresistible to the Jews. The same people who were so easily turned aside from faith in Jehovah at the unsettling results of the first miracle (Ex. 5:1-23), were won to God by the last miracle. The unrelenting appeals of El-Elohe-Israel alongside the increasing display of miracles that matched and far exceeded the magic of Egypt spoke volumes about the love of God for the Israelite People (Ex. 4:22-23, Hos. 11:1). Five Severance Miracles were exploits of mercy to endear the heart of the Jewish People to Jehovah (Prov. 11:30). Then, as a result, Jehovah-Shaphat expected the Jewish People to act in faith by cooperating with the latter Severance Miracles that would finalize the plan of redemption. In these Severance Miracles (#4 – Ex. 9:18-21, 24-26; #7 – Ex. 11:6-7, 12:27-30, Heb. 11:28; #8 – Ex. 14:22-23, Heb. 11:29), even the Egyptians had ample opportunity to respond by faith and join the Jews through conversion and thus escape the wrath of God, which explains why there was a mixed multitude that went up with the Jews at their liberation (Ex. 12:37-51).
The early Severance Miracles in Egypt were remarkably unconditional to any real presence of faith in the Jews, while the later ones were conditional to faith and conclusively salvific in nature. Therefore, contrastingly, when the freshly liberated Israelites journeyed into the Wilderness they were cleaving to God, while the Egyptians clung to the dead carcasses of their firstborn children in bitter remorse at their loss (Deut. 4:4, Jer. 2:2-3). By this shall iniquity stop her mouth (Ps. 107:42-43). This is the science of Jehovah-Nakah.
|
“Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his Name. He is thy praise, and He is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen. Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.” – Deut. 10:20-22
|
What Jehovah acted to accomplish in reality, Moses and Aaron foretold and demonstrated prophetically, until all the onlooking Israelites became believers in actuality (Deut. 33:2-3). This is a storyline of love and redemption that can be mapped out precisely by following the hand of Jehovah-Nakah, as follows:
|
“a mighty hand…I will stretch out My hand, and smite Egypt” – Ex. 3:19-20
“a strong hand…with a stretched out arm” – Ex. 6:1-6 “…I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt” – Ex. 7:5 “…I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand” – Ex. 7:17 “…take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand” – Ex. 7:19 “…he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters” – Ex. 7:20 “…after that the LORD had smitten the river.” – Ex. 7:25 “…I will smite all thy borders” – Ex. 8:2 “…Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams” – Ex. 8:5 “…Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters” – Ex. 8:6 “…Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land” – Ex. 8:16 “…Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth” – Ex. 8:17 “…the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle” – Ex. 9:3 “For now I will stretch out My hand, that I may smite thee and thy people…” – Ex. 9:15 “…Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven” – Ex. 9:22 “And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven…” – Ex. 9:23 “And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt…” – Ex. 9:25 “…the flax and the barley was smitten:” – Ex. 9:31-32 “…Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt” – Ex. 10:12 “And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt…” – Ex. 10:13 “…Stretch out thine hand toward heaven” – Ex. 10:21 “And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven…” – Ex. 10:22 “For I…will smite all the firstborn in the land” – Ex. 12:12-13 “For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians…and will not suffer the Destroyer to come into your houses to smite you.” – Ex. 12:23 “…He smote the Egyptians” – Ex. 12:27 “…at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land” – Ex. 12:29 “…Stretch out thine hand over the sea” – Ex. 14:26 “And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea” – Ex. 14:27 |
In the Theater of this operation (Ps. 78:43-54, 105:26-38), Jehovah-Nakah revealed Himself to Israel as a Redeemer (Ex. 6:1-8) whose acts and counsels are Wonderful (Ex. 3:20, 4:21, 7:3, 11:9-10, 15:11; Isa. 9:6). All hail the mighty power of Jehovah-Goalek! The smiting of Jehovah was Israel’s redemption in a series of calculated judgments (Ex. 6:6, 7:4, 12:12). All hail the wisdom of Jehovah-Shaphat! The relentless onslaught of signs and wonders collapsed the borders of Egypt (Ex. 8:2) and liberated the Israelites, proving to all men that “there is none like unto Jehovah our God” (Ex. 8:10, 9:14). All hail the holiness of Jehovah Ehad! Striking fear in the hearts of all men, God revealed Himself as “The LORD in the Midst of the Earth” (Ex. 8:22-23, 9:13-16, 20-21, 29-30, 19:5). All hail the enormity and inescapableness of Jehovah B-Kerev Harets! In the first ever explicitly stated demonstration of salvation, wherein Moses said to the people, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will shew to you to day” (Ex. 14:13), Jehovah-Nakah revealed Himself as the Savior of Israel through divine war (Salvation: Ex. 14:13-14, 30-31, 15:2, Hab. 3:7; the Man of War: Ex. 14:14, 21-28, 15:1-21). All hail the violent fury of Jehovah-Oshea! “Behold your God!” (Isa. 40:9)!
|
“Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his Holy Spirit within him? That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting Name? That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble? As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make Thyself a glorious Name.” - Isaiah 63:11-14
|
Marvelously, without coming to know the love of Jehovah-Nakah, the Gospel of Sacrifice presented at the Passover would have been totally unbelievable to the people. Remarkably, not just any realization of love in God would prepare the heart of Israel and enable saving faith in the Gospel. The people needed to behold the mighty judgments of Jehovah-Shaphat upon Egypt, and, the wonderous mercy of El-Peley upon Israel in severance miracles, in order to savingly believe the Gospel being presented in typology at the Passover & Israel’s subsequent Baptism.
Evidently, this Theater of redemption is a birthplace of many everlasting doctrines that are essentially connected to the Gospel, because these doctrines are the definitive Ways by which God makes possible faith in the transactional presentations of the Gospel that are communicated in typology or prophecy all throughout time. In other words, only those beholden to God are enabled to believe in the Gospel of God! Why? Because seeing the true nature of God allows for faith in the Gospel. Our knowledge of the former makes possible faith in the latter. The two are essentially connected howbeit unequal status. The Person of God precedes the Gospel – the superior preceding the inferior – inasmuch as the Gospel proceeds forth from God as an operation of His Hands according to the mighty working of His Arm (Ps. 28:5, Isa. 5:12, Col. 2:12; Isa. 40:9-11, 50:2, 51:5, 9, 52:10, 53:1, 59:16, 63:5).
The Person of God is superior to all the processes of redemption. The Trinity is greater than all the transactions of reconciliation. For, the transactional aspects of the Gospel point to the transcendent Person responsible for it all. Therefore, I say, the knowledge of the superior allows for faith in the inferior. Furthermore, this is precisely why all the momentous occasions of redemption throughout Scripture are adorned with divine Names. The Nature of God is chiefly responsible for all divine actions; and, the Nature of God is definitively revealed in Scripture through the Names & Ways of God. Of course, this is why the LORD jealously guards and pitifully loves the Name of God above all else (Isa. 48:9-11, Ezek. 36:20-23; Ps. 106:8, Ezek. 20:9, 14, 22, 44, 39:25). The Names & Ways of God are chiefly to be remembered - first and foremost by God Himself, and how much more by redeemed mankind? Meanwhile, famous expositors totally overlook the importance of this doctrine while the people generally disregard it.
Evidently, with the name Jehovah, like Elohim before it, God was in the process of immortalizing the identity of His holy Person before the eyes of all mankind. The LORD performed mighty exploits to accomplish the Exodus “to make Himself an Everlasting Name” (Isa. 63:12). Literally, in the ways that Jehovah chose to save, the chosen people were enabled to comprehend the personality of God. Therefore, to perpetuate this newly formed relationship with God, these ways were immortally crystalized in Divine Names before the people of God. In these Ways the LORD enabled the people to believe in the atoning grace of the Passover, and in these Ways the LORD will continue to enable the Church in the Wilderness to believe with perseverance (Acts 7:38), even as they come to understand that “His Ways are Everlasting” (Hab. 3:6)! For, it is impossible to personally walk with God without knowing the Person of God; likewise, it is impossible to walk in God, without acting in agreement with the ways of God (Amos 3:3), because the LORD has ordained that the two would walk together in the beauties of holiness (Deut. 30:19-20, Acts 11:22-24, Deut. 10:12-13, Micah 6:6-8; 2 Cor. 6:16).
Evidently, this Theater of redemption is a birthplace of many everlasting doctrines that are essentially connected to the Gospel, because these doctrines are the definitive Ways by which God makes possible faith in the transactional presentations of the Gospel that are communicated in typology or prophecy all throughout time. In other words, only those beholden to God are enabled to believe in the Gospel of God! Why? Because seeing the true nature of God allows for faith in the Gospel. Our knowledge of the former makes possible faith in the latter. The two are essentially connected howbeit unequal status. The Person of God precedes the Gospel – the superior preceding the inferior – inasmuch as the Gospel proceeds forth from God as an operation of His Hands according to the mighty working of His Arm (Ps. 28:5, Isa. 5:12, Col. 2:12; Isa. 40:9-11, 50:2, 51:5, 9, 52:10, 53:1, 59:16, 63:5).
The Person of God is superior to all the processes of redemption. The Trinity is greater than all the transactions of reconciliation. For, the transactional aspects of the Gospel point to the transcendent Person responsible for it all. Therefore, I say, the knowledge of the superior allows for faith in the inferior. Furthermore, this is precisely why all the momentous occasions of redemption throughout Scripture are adorned with divine Names. The Nature of God is chiefly responsible for all divine actions; and, the Nature of God is definitively revealed in Scripture through the Names & Ways of God. Of course, this is why the LORD jealously guards and pitifully loves the Name of God above all else (Isa. 48:9-11, Ezek. 36:20-23; Ps. 106:8, Ezek. 20:9, 14, 22, 44, 39:25). The Names & Ways of God are chiefly to be remembered - first and foremost by God Himself, and how much more by redeemed mankind? Meanwhile, famous expositors totally overlook the importance of this doctrine while the people generally disregard it.
Evidently, with the name Jehovah, like Elohim before it, God was in the process of immortalizing the identity of His holy Person before the eyes of all mankind. The LORD performed mighty exploits to accomplish the Exodus “to make Himself an Everlasting Name” (Isa. 63:12). Literally, in the ways that Jehovah chose to save, the chosen people were enabled to comprehend the personality of God. Therefore, to perpetuate this newly formed relationship with God, these ways were immortally crystalized in Divine Names before the people of God. In these Ways the LORD enabled the people to believe in the atoning grace of the Passover, and in these Ways the LORD will continue to enable the Church in the Wilderness to believe with perseverance (Acts 7:38), even as they come to understand that “His Ways are Everlasting” (Hab. 3:6)! For, it is impossible to personally walk with God without knowing the Person of God; likewise, it is impossible to walk in God, without acting in agreement with the ways of God (Amos 3:3), because the LORD has ordained that the two would walk together in the beauties of holiness (Deut. 30:19-20, Acts 11:22-24, Deut. 10:12-13, Micah 6:6-8; 2 Cor. 6:16).
The Gospel of the Imperishable Life of Christ & The Gospel of Living Waters
|
Jehovah-Sabaoth
“The LORD of Hosts” |
Jehovah-Rohi
“The LORD Our Eternal Shepherd” |
El-Abi
“God the Father” |
|
Jehovah Rapha
“The LORD our Eternal Healer” |
Jehovah-Nissi
“The LORD Our Eternal Banner” |
In victory, we see Jehovah-Sabaoth successfully mustering an army in the Wilderness in anticipation for more warfare on the horizon in the Promised Land (Armies: Ex. 6:26, 7:4, 12:17, 51; Num. 1:3, 2:3, 9, 10, 16, 18, 24-25, 10:14, 18, 22, 28, 33:1; the Wilderness: Ex. 3:18, 4:27, 5:1, 7:16, 8:27-28, 13:18-20, 14:11-12, 15:22; Acts 7:28). Herein, the operation of glory continues in the Wilderness without intermission (Ezek. 20:33-38). The war with Egypt was past, while new wars were still to come. Nevertheless, the armies of Israel needed to be reinforced in the knowledge of God before entering the throes of battle in the future (Ex. 13:17-18).
Israel wasn’t as observant of God’s character & identity as they should have been, nor did they understand their new identity as the Army of God. In other words, they weren’t ready to courageously fight heathen armies in train with Jehovah-Sabaoth. Chiefly, because they didn’t comprehend the mercy of moral hatred in the violent acts of divine war (Gen. 15:16, Lev. 18:25, 20:23, Deut. 8:20, Hab. 3:12-13; Ps. 101:1-8, 139:19-24). Recently, at the Red Sea, Israel behaved cowardly in the face of war. Remember?
Israel wasn’t as observant of God’s character & identity as they should have been, nor did they understand their new identity as the Army of God. In other words, they weren’t ready to courageously fight heathen armies in train with Jehovah-Sabaoth. Chiefly, because they didn’t comprehend the mercy of moral hatred in the violent acts of divine war (Gen. 15:16, Lev. 18:25, 20:23, Deut. 8:20, Hab. 3:12-13; Ps. 101:1-8, 139:19-24). Recently, at the Red Sea, Israel behaved cowardly in the face of war. Remember?
|
“Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea. Nevertheless he saved them for his Name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known. He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness. And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left. Then believed they his words; they sang his praise. They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:” - Psalms 106:7-13
|
The provocation at the Red Sea is early evidence of a general problem. Not that Israel didn’t ever savingly believe in God; rather, in coming to faith in the Gospel through the winsome divine character being unveiled in the Theater of mighty exploits, the people “remembered not” and later “forgot” what they had so clearly seen (Ps. 106:7-13, 81:7, 77:18). A closer look upon the situation proves this to be the problem. At having come to saving faith in God through the Gospel, climaxing in the Passover, and suddenly being faced with temptation at the rush of Egyptian chariots in pursuit behind them at Pihahiroth, the newborn Church “cried unto the LORD” in faith insomuch that God answered them “in the secret place of thunder” (Ex. 14:10; Ps. 81:7; Ps. 77:18); howbeit the children of Israel didn’t patiently wait upon the LORD for the divine answer and rashly murmured before it was physically manifest (Ex. 14:11-12).
This is the first appearance of an ongoing problem: a gaze that is so easily turned aside from “the beauty of the LORD” will lead to repeated episodes of unbelief and rebellion (Ps. 90:17; Ps. 27:4). Therefore, at the onset of their spiritual pilgrimage, if God wanted Israel to understand anything, or if there were any vital component of personal sanctification that was necessary for final perseverance, it was this (Ps. 106:7). Only a steadfast gaze that looks and keeps looking will spiritually behold the increasingly awesome sight of God being progressively unveiled in the Theater of redemption. This why a divinely organized proving process of grace began (Ex. 15:25, 16:4, 20:20; Deut. 6:16, 8:15-16, 33:8).
This is the first appearance of an ongoing problem: a gaze that is so easily turned aside from “the beauty of the LORD” will lead to repeated episodes of unbelief and rebellion (Ps. 90:17; Ps. 27:4). Therefore, at the onset of their spiritual pilgrimage, if God wanted Israel to understand anything, or if there were any vital component of personal sanctification that was necessary for final perseverance, it was this (Ps. 106:7). Only a steadfast gaze that looks and keeps looking will spiritually behold the increasingly awesome sight of God being progressively unveiled in the Theater of redemption. This why a divinely organized proving process of grace began (Ex. 15:25, 16:4, 20:20; Deut. 6:16, 8:15-16, 33:8).
|
“…there He proved them” – Ex. 15:25
“…that I may prove them” – Ex. 16:4 - The Gospel of the Imperishable Life of Christ “…who brought thee forth water out of the Rock of flint …that He might prove thee” – Ex. 17:1-7 / Deut. 8:14-16 - The Gospel of Living Water |
At Marah (Ex. 15), in the Wilderness of Sinai (Ex. 16), and at Massah / Meribah (Ex. 17), the Israelites proved to be easily dissuaded from the core doctrines of the Gospel. When faced with unexpectedly bad circumstances physically and visibly, they quickly abandoned their spiritual repose upon the goodness of God (Rom. 2:5). Their spiritual turbulence of faith was due to disbelief in the persevering love of God for their souls. Unsurprisingly, this was the very thing that Jehovah wanted to prove to them; howbeit, not without reinforcing other aspects of divine character at the same time. Literally, Jehovah did this all along the Way – which means that faith’s discerning eye would discern it in the Ways that Jehovah led, instructed, kept, and bore the people (Deut. 32:10-12; Heb. 11:1). However, unbelief deceptively blinds the soul to make it deny the things that are plainly in sight.
Certainly, upon beholding the love of God afresh in the miraculous provision of Manna from Heaven and Living Water from the Rock, as two typological presentations of the Gospel, Israel was easily recovered to faith in Jehovah. Yet, it was the Exodus Generation’s propensity to backslide that was disconcerting to God and dangerous in the long run. The problem wasn’t that they couldn’t immediately be recovered to faith, but that upon being recovered they would soon return to folly – faithless behavior resulting from a spiritual imperception of the Ways of God. To further shed light on the situation, consider Paul’s perspective while under inspiration in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13. Looking back on the situation from the vantage point of the New Covenant, in retrospect, Paul sees a Preincarnate form of the Son of God abiding with them as Jehovah’s Salvation in real time (Ex. 33:13, John 14:6). Of course, this is because falling out of the Way was due to unbelief in Jehovah’s Salvation, while faithfulness in the Way was a direct result of spiritual communion with Jesus in the Way of Salvation (Jesus / Jehoshua = Jehovah-Oshea). In other words, the Names & Ways of Jehovah were proclaiming Jesus to the people, while in real time Jesus was in the Way with the people for their salvation (2 Cor. 6:16).
Certainly, upon beholding the love of God afresh in the miraculous provision of Manna from Heaven and Living Water from the Rock, as two typological presentations of the Gospel, Israel was easily recovered to faith in Jehovah. Yet, it was the Exodus Generation’s propensity to backslide that was disconcerting to God and dangerous in the long run. The problem wasn’t that they couldn’t immediately be recovered to faith, but that upon being recovered they would soon return to folly – faithless behavior resulting from a spiritual imperception of the Ways of God. To further shed light on the situation, consider Paul’s perspective while under inspiration in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13. Looking back on the situation from the vantage point of the New Covenant, in retrospect, Paul sees a Preincarnate form of the Son of God abiding with them as Jehovah’s Salvation in real time (Ex. 33:13, John 14:6). Of course, this is because falling out of the Way was due to unbelief in Jehovah’s Salvation, while faithfulness in the Way was a direct result of spiritual communion with Jesus in the Way of Salvation (Jesus / Jehoshua = Jehovah-Oshea). In other words, the Names & Ways of Jehovah were proclaiming Jesus to the people, while in real time Jesus was in the Way with the people for their salvation (2 Cor. 6:16).
|
“And did all eat the same Spiritual Meat; And did all drink the same Spiritual Drink: for they drank of that Spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” – 1 Cor. 10:3-4
|
Should we be surprised? Amazingly, ever since Israel departed from Egypt, the LORD went before them in a pillar of Cloud and Fire by day and night (Ex. 13:20-22; Ps. 78:14, 105:39) – a manifestation that was formally recognized as “the Glory of God” in the Old Testament (Ex. 24:10, 16, 40:34; Ps. 114:1-8). However, sadly, this manifestation among other things was unappreciated by the freshly baptized Church in the Wilderness (Acts 7:38, 1 Cor. 10:1-2). The salvific acts of God theretofore were undeniable to the people, but the divine Character that was motivated to act on their behalf deserved a more in-depth consideration. A deeper personal love for Jehovah would have compelled them so to do (Eph. 3:17-19). Why? Consider the circumstances.
Imagine a day in the life of a freshly baptized Israelite in the Wilderness. Looking up, a pavilion of shade was spread overhead by day, shielding the you from the sweltering heat of the desert; and, looking ahead, a pillar of light guided you by night, protecting you from the encroaching blindness of darkness (Ps. 105:39)! Experientially, the message being divinely communicated in the Way was loud and clear: God lovingly delights to bless them (Num. 14:8). Therefore, what was abundantly communicated in word, and plainly discernable by deed, was too lightly esteemed by the people because of a blinding spiritual insobriety of mind (Deut. 32:15). In beholding the Ways of God, Israel failed to fixate their gaze upon the LORD as El-Abi (Deut. 1:31-33).
Imagine a day in the life of a freshly baptized Israelite in the Wilderness. Looking up, a pavilion of shade was spread overhead by day, shielding the you from the sweltering heat of the desert; and, looking ahead, a pillar of light guided you by night, protecting you from the encroaching blindness of darkness (Ps. 105:39)! Experientially, the message being divinely communicated in the Way was loud and clear: God lovingly delights to bless them (Num. 14:8). Therefore, what was abundantly communicated in word, and plainly discernable by deed, was too lightly esteemed by the people because of a blinding spiritual insobriety of mind (Deut. 32:15). In beholding the Ways of God, Israel failed to fixate their gaze upon the LORD as El-Abi (Deut. 1:31-33).
|
“And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the Way that ye went, until ye came into this place. Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God, Who went in the Way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.” - Deuteronomy 1:31-33
“O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand…” – Ps. 95:6-7 [Ps. 23:1-6] |
In beholding the Ways of God in the Wilderness, Israel should have reacted to the unexpected circumstances with a worshipful spirit of adoration and praise by remembering the impeccable character of Jehovah (Ps. 95:6-7). Albeit, while being intimately led into the barren pastures of the Wilderness, Israel lost sight of Jehovah-Rohi (Gen. 49:24, Ex. 13:21-22, Ps. 77:11-20, 80:1, 95:7, 114:1-8, Deut. 1:31-33, Isa. 63:7-14). Sheep can’t follow on if they lose sight of the Shepherd. Neither can true believers walk with Jehovah if they lose sight of Jesus in the Wilderness (1 Cor. 10:1-4). Yet, the LORD was there onsite in very Presence; it wasn’t as if He was nowhere to be seen or heard. That’s exactly why this brutish behavior of forgetfulness was so inexcusable (Ps. 78:7-8). Therefore, Israel needed to know that God, who was Jehovah-Nakah to Egypt, will be Jehovah-Rapha to Israel, as long as the Jews remained loyal to the LORD (Ex. 15:22-27, 23:25, Deut. 7:15, Ps. 103:3, 105:37, Isa. 3:17, Deut. 28:60); otherwise, their disloyalty would be met with the smiting of Jehovah-Nakah according to the good doctrine of Jehovah-Rapha (Hos. 6:1-3, Ps. 71:20-24, 90:14-15, 1 Sam. 2:6-10, Deut. 32:39, Isa. 53:4-5).
If they can happily face bitter waters while cleaving to Jehovah-Rapha, they will be at peace in war with Jehovah-Shalom (Judges 6:24, 7:20); but the newly saved Church in the Wilderness was naïve and shortsighted (Acts 7:38). Their novice mentality lacked the gravity necessary to survive in near proximity to the special and immediate presence of God. Even so, Satan took advantage of Israel in this vulnerable time through the Amalekites, against whom Jehovah-Nissi swore eternal war (Ex. 17:14-16). Nevertheless, the LORD was still determined to ground and settle Israel in the knowledge of God (Eph. 3:17, Col. 1:23, 2:7). Somehow, Israel would come to realize the purity and loveliness of the oath-bound moral hatred of Jehovah-Nissi, and thus be uncompromising in war (Hab. 3:12-13), but they needed to grow in grace to experience such renewals of mind (2 Pet. 3:18; Ex. 4:24-26). Evidently, until then, providential divine mercy allowed for serious misbehavior with no retribution (#1 – Ex. 15:22-27, #2 – Ex. 16:2-3, #3 – Ex. 17:1-7). This brings us to the final boulevard in the proving period of mercy. For, everything changes after Sinai.
If they can happily face bitter waters while cleaving to Jehovah-Rapha, they will be at peace in war with Jehovah-Shalom (Judges 6:24, 7:20); but the newly saved Church in the Wilderness was naïve and shortsighted (Acts 7:38). Their novice mentality lacked the gravity necessary to survive in near proximity to the special and immediate presence of God. Even so, Satan took advantage of Israel in this vulnerable time through the Amalekites, against whom Jehovah-Nissi swore eternal war (Ex. 17:14-16). Nevertheless, the LORD was still determined to ground and settle Israel in the knowledge of God (Eph. 3:17, Col. 1:23, 2:7). Somehow, Israel would come to realize the purity and loveliness of the oath-bound moral hatred of Jehovah-Nissi, and thus be uncompromising in war (Hab. 3:12-13), but they needed to grow in grace to experience such renewals of mind (2 Pet. 3:18; Ex. 4:24-26). Evidently, until then, providential divine mercy allowed for serious misbehavior with no retribution (#1 – Ex. 15:22-27, #2 – Ex. 16:2-3, #3 – Ex. 17:1-7). This brings us to the final boulevard in the proving period of mercy. For, everything changes after Sinai.
The Gospel of the Kingdom
Melek-B’Jeshurun
“King in Jeshurun”- Num. 23:21, 24:7, Deut. 32:15, 33:5, 26-29; Rev. 15:3
“King in Jeshurun”- Num. 23:21, 24:7, Deut. 32:15, 33:5, 26-29; Rev. 15:3
“Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto Myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My Covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a Kingdom of Priests, and an Holy Nation…” - Exodus 19:4-6
|
El-esh-oklah
“God the Consuming Fire” |
El-Kanah
“Jealous God” |
Jehovah-M’Kadesh
“The LORD who Sanctifieth Us” |
|
Jehovah-M'Hokek
“The LORD Our Lawgiver” |
El-Chayim
“The Living God” |
Jehovah-Ishi
“The LORD Our Husband” |
El-Ira
“The Terrible God” |
The full implications of Jehovah-M’Kadesh were yet to be realized (Ex. 31:13; Lev. 11:44, 45, 20:7-8; Lev. 19:2, 20:26, 21:8, 23; Lev. 22:9, 16, 32; 1 Pet. 1:16; Ps. 111:9; Ps. 145:17). The newly called saints of the Ecclesia were unlearned about their own saintliness, neither did they expect to be led to the very “sanctuary” of Jehovah alone with God in the Wilderness (Ex. 15:17, Deut. 32:12), nor could they have imagined that the LORD would soon command them to construct a “sanctuary” that God might “dwell among them” (Ex. 25:8). Amazingly, the most eye-opening experience was yet to come! One more episode of divine proving was planned by the Godhead, howbeit this one was totally unprecedented.
|
“…God is come to prove you” – Ex. 20:20 [Psalm 103:13] - The Gospel of the Kingdom
|
The destruction of one Kingdom was for the setting up of another. Egypt was crushed that God might be crowned as “The LORD in the Midst of the Earth” – Jehovah B-Kerev Ha-Erets. In the aftermath of divine war, Jehovah-Sabaoth led the newly purchased people in captivity to Sinai like the spoils of war are laid before the feet of a great King (Ps. 68:18). However, instead of being enslaved as captives in some cruel way, as earthly magistrates might do, the Israelite people were granted citizenship in the Kingdom that God was setting up upon the earth (Ex. 19:6, 34:10, Deut. 4:7). As always, God wanted them to be willing bondservants as freemen (Ps. 110:3, 1 Cor. 7:22) – a requirement that is impossible in the flesh of Adamic Man (Rom. 5:12-14, Mk. 10:27, Jn. 1:12-13; Deut. 10:12-13, Micah 6:8). Knowing this, God made the impossible imaginable when the Israelites were showered with gifts and loaded with benefits at the foot of Sinai (Ps. 68:16-21, Eph. 4:8, Php. 3:20).
With the scenes of the Theater coming to this, the people were soon to realize like never before that “the Kingdom of God is at hand” – and, in repenting and believing the Gospel, the citizenry of Israel will submit to the Lordship of their newly coronated King (Mark. 1:15, 1 Cor. 12:3). As with all majestic occasions of royalty and splendor, the people had to be sanctified and made ready (Ex. 19:10-11). The deific splendor about to be unveiled was humanly unimaginable (1 Cor. 2:14). Why? Because, God said to Moses, “the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai” (Ex. 19:11). As foretold, on the third day, “the trumpet sounded long” (Ex. 19:13) and the descent began: “there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the Mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled” (Ex. 19:16). Then Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to the nether part of the Mount “to meet with God” in near proximity (Ex. 19:17). From this location they beheld the “fire” and “smoke”, while “the whole Mount quaked greatly”, and “the trumpet…waxed louder and louder” (Ex. 19:18-19)! Moses himself was totally overcome by the experience: “…so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake” (Heb. 12:21)!
If only Moses were alive today, he would tell the confused Christians of the Gentile Church Age that this experience wasn’t all bad. Contrary to popular opinion, this most terrible experience was a gracious act of El-Ira! Moses lived on for 40 more years to testify of this fact yonder in the Plains of Moab to the Children of the Exodus Generation (Deut. 5:29). I know that some of you will find this agreeable, but it’s not what you think. I’m not talking about the experience described by John Newton in the famous hymn, Amazing Grace, when he said:
With the scenes of the Theater coming to this, the people were soon to realize like never before that “the Kingdom of God is at hand” – and, in repenting and believing the Gospel, the citizenry of Israel will submit to the Lordship of their newly coronated King (Mark. 1:15, 1 Cor. 12:3). As with all majestic occasions of royalty and splendor, the people had to be sanctified and made ready (Ex. 19:10-11). The deific splendor about to be unveiled was humanly unimaginable (1 Cor. 2:14). Why? Because, God said to Moses, “the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai” (Ex. 19:11). As foretold, on the third day, “the trumpet sounded long” (Ex. 19:13) and the descent began: “there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the Mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled” (Ex. 19:16). Then Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to the nether part of the Mount “to meet with God” in near proximity (Ex. 19:17). From this location they beheld the “fire” and “smoke”, while “the whole Mount quaked greatly”, and “the trumpet…waxed louder and louder” (Ex. 19:18-19)! Moses himself was totally overcome by the experience: “…so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake” (Heb. 12:21)!
If only Moses were alive today, he would tell the confused Christians of the Gentile Church Age that this experience wasn’t all bad. Contrary to popular opinion, this most terrible experience was a gracious act of El-Ira! Moses lived on for 40 more years to testify of this fact yonder in the Plains of Moab to the Children of the Exodus Generation (Deut. 5:29). I know that some of you will find this agreeable, but it’s not what you think. I’m not talking about the experience described by John Newton in the famous hymn, Amazing Grace, when he said:
|
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed. |
No one gets relief from El-Ira (Heb. 12:28-29). “His Ways are Everlasting” (Hab. 3:6). According to Moses, this is not a fear to be relieved by grace (Deut. 5:29)! This is a fear that is taught and instilled by grace and, thereafter, kept by grace without intermission or relief forevermore (Lk. 12:4-5, 2 Cor. 5:11, Heb. 4:1, Rom. 11:20, 1 Pet. 1:17). If you fancy the words of John Newton in this majestic occasion, you’re missing the point. This isn’t the only time he got it wrong either. In another famous hymn, called, Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder, Newton’s perspective on Sinai is further clarified in respect to the grace of God in salvation.
|
Let us love and sing and wonder
Let us praise the Saviour’s name He has hushed the Laws loud thunder He has quenched Mount Sinai’s flame He has washed us with His blood He has washed us with His blood He has washed us with His blood He has brought us nigh to God |
If this is agreeable to you, my reader, you need to reconsider your perspective. This thunder can’t be hushed (Ps. 29:3). It’s only going to get louder! Jesus didn’t come to remove the thunderous display of majesty at Sinai, which was a divine firework display fit for a King! Apparently, what happened below among the redeemed sinners of Israel at Sinai, happens above in the realms of eternity among sinless beings in the third Heaven, because on both occasions the celebration of the King is centerstage (Rev. 4:5). Even so, neither can Sinai’s fire ever be quenched; no, not even by the blood of Jesus! Why? Because there is no competition here. Sinai is not a mountain of justice that rivals Calvary as a mountain of grace. No such comparison is made in Scripture! Howbeit, famous hymnwriters like Jehoida Brewer, in Hail Sovereign Love, have slandered Sinai and perpetuated a false narrative.
|
Indignant Justice stood in view,
To Sinai's fiery mount I flew! But Justice cried with frowning face, "This mountain is no hiding place!" 'Ere long a heavenly voice I heard, And mercy's angel soon appeared, He led me on with gentle pace To Jesus as my hiding place! |
This proposal is completely unbiblical. Essentially, in just two lines, this hymn is a remake of Amazing Grace following an erroneous interpretation of the historical plot and storyline of Sinai. The author’s sentiments about Sinai certainly don’t line up with the testimony of Scripture. For, he speaks of Sinai as if the holy mountain should be fled from as a man fleeing from Hellfire! Contrastingly, Moses said he brought the people near “to Meet with God” (Ex. 19:17). Think about it.
Did Moses bring Israel to the base of Sinai to look upon the merciless and graceless flames of Hell burning upon its holy slopes? No! Newton, in gazing upon the fiery blaze of Sinai, might as well be describing how men feel when looking into the open cavity of Hell – a sight that is an abhorrence to all flesh (Isa. 66:24)! This is no way to speak about the visible appearance of El-esh-oklah! Remember, God said to Moses, “the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai” (Ex. 19:11). What the people beheld, in gazing upon the Devouring Fire (Ex. 24:17), was declared by Moses to be God Himself, when he said: “For the LORD thy God is a Consuming Fire, even a Jealous God.” (Deut. 4:24). Therefore, to speak of the holy landscape of Sinai as a hellscape, is to abhor El-esh-oklah! Understand? Think about how personally insulting this is to Jehovah, when such blasphemous misrepresentations of God’s Person are brazenly committed in “worship” without the slightest awareness of profaning the sacred Name (Matt. 12:31-32).
Did Moses bring Israel to the base of Sinai to look upon the merciless and graceless flames of Hell burning upon its holy slopes? No! Newton, in gazing upon the fiery blaze of Sinai, might as well be describing how men feel when looking into the open cavity of Hell – a sight that is an abhorrence to all flesh (Isa. 66:24)! This is no way to speak about the visible appearance of El-esh-oklah! Remember, God said to Moses, “the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai” (Ex. 19:11). What the people beheld, in gazing upon the Devouring Fire (Ex. 24:17), was declared by Moses to be God Himself, when he said: “For the LORD thy God is a Consuming Fire, even a Jealous God.” (Deut. 4:24). Therefore, to speak of the holy landscape of Sinai as a hellscape, is to abhor El-esh-oklah! Understand? Think about how personally insulting this is to Jehovah, when such blasphemous misrepresentations of God’s Person are brazenly committed in “worship” without the slightest awareness of profaning the sacred Name (Matt. 12:31-32).
My reader, if God is hellish to you then you are on a dangerous path of eventual reprobation. If your misunderstandings of the Kingdom of God include monstrous blasphemies, in that you ascribe hellish characteristics to God at Sinai and thus have come to hate Horeb, then your current estate is comparable to the Apostles when they abhorred the Cross of Calvary and denied Christ like treacherous apostates. Dormant apostates are rife with personal offences against biblical truth; therefore, they can’t rejoice at the hearing of the Gospel (Matt. 16:21-23). These despicable slanders of El-esh-oklah should be an abhorrence to Christians everywhere. Instead, they are lyrical melodies in songs about Calvary! …as if Jesus shed his blood to erase the memory of Sinai from believers! My reader, be sure of this: if the New Covenant was formed to quench Mount Sinai’s flame by the blood of Jesus, then an apostolic letter would not have been written to the Hebrews showing the immortality of this gracious experience, strongly exhorting the people:
|
“Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a Consuming Fire.” - Hebrews 12:28-29
|
Messianic Jewish believers are taught to savor the gracious thought of El-esh-oklah, while Christian believers of the Gentile Church Age abhor the memory of El-esh-oklah. You can tell how poorly many prominent biblical commentators think about Israel in the Exodus Generation, given what they say about how God brought Israel to Sinai to frown upon them – even as the fires of damnation were inflamed against them! Such interpreters obviously don’t see Jesus in the Wilderness, like the Apostle Paul did (1 Cor. 10:4). What about you, my reader? “How readest thou?” (Lk. 10:26). Do you see Jesus in the Wilderness? Do you see Jesus at Sinai? In reading the Law, if you can’t see Jehovah’s Salvation in the Exodus and the Baptism (1 Cor. 10:1-2), or in the Manna and Living Water from the Rock (1 Cor. 10:3-4), then you’re certainly not going to see Jesus at Sinai. Nevertheless, He is there!
Lamentably, those who don’t see love in the Law will have a hard time seeing salvation at Sinai. However, because Jesus is there, divine wisdom made the experience as unforgettable as possible. Herein, salvation is secured, even as redeemed men in the New Testament are admonished to remember the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-2). Their souls were threatened with eternal loss if they failed to remember what their “eyes have seen” and their “heart” perceived, especially the day they learned to fear God at Horeb (Deut. 4:10; Ex. 20:18-21): when they came near and saw the burning Mount, and “heard” the voice of God proceeding forth from the devouring fire (Deut. 4:9-12). If only the Exodus Generation more deeply discerned all that there was to see in the glorious unveiling of Jesus before them, then they would have persevered. For, herein, the fearfulness of saintliness was revealed at Sinai (Deut. 33:2-3). The awesomeness of priestly kingship was revealed in the visible appearance of Melek-B’Jeshurun (Num. 23:21, Deut. 32:15, 33:5, 26; Rev. 15:3). Providentially, the proving was for perseverance (Ex. 20:20, Rom. 3:18)! The majestic splendor forced the prostration of the proudest people among the assembly of “Upright Ones” in Jeshurun. Herein, Israel was effectually gospelized at Sinai! Namely, in that they experienced the goodness of Isaiah’s proclamation, when he said, “Behold your God!” (Isa. 40:9).
Gospelization in this case meant that Israel experienced a total surrender to the Lordship of the King. Naturally, Kings rule over people by laws in the country they conquered. Good citizens comply with these laws (Isa. 63:8). Without these components there can be no Kingdom. Even so, this case isn’t any different, only the Israelite people didn’t possess the Promised Land just yet. The LORD brought the people before the burning mount of El-Chayim to meet with God first (Ex. 19:9-24, Deut. 4:24, 5:26; Ps. 78:43-54; Heb. 12:28-29), not only to see Jehovah… but to hear from Him as the Living God! With Sinai as El-Chayim’s pulpit, you can be sure that this wasn’t a dead sermon from some dead preacher preaching dead words to a dead people! …only tell that to those who believe the Law is just a dead letter! Proceeding forth from the Consuming Fire, a dreadfully loud voice proclaimed the Law - all hail the liveliness of Jehovah-Chaqaq (Isa. 33:22, Rom. 7:10)! Truly, Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder with amazement at the life-giving virtue of the Lawgiver, and so learn to cleave (“for He is thy life” – Deut. 30:20)!
Lamentably, those who don’t see love in the Law will have a hard time seeing salvation at Sinai. However, because Jesus is there, divine wisdom made the experience as unforgettable as possible. Herein, salvation is secured, even as redeemed men in the New Testament are admonished to remember the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-2). Their souls were threatened with eternal loss if they failed to remember what their “eyes have seen” and their “heart” perceived, especially the day they learned to fear God at Horeb (Deut. 4:10; Ex. 20:18-21): when they came near and saw the burning Mount, and “heard” the voice of God proceeding forth from the devouring fire (Deut. 4:9-12). If only the Exodus Generation more deeply discerned all that there was to see in the glorious unveiling of Jesus before them, then they would have persevered. For, herein, the fearfulness of saintliness was revealed at Sinai (Deut. 33:2-3). The awesomeness of priestly kingship was revealed in the visible appearance of Melek-B’Jeshurun (Num. 23:21, Deut. 32:15, 33:5, 26; Rev. 15:3). Providentially, the proving was for perseverance (Ex. 20:20, Rom. 3:18)! The majestic splendor forced the prostration of the proudest people among the assembly of “Upright Ones” in Jeshurun. Herein, Israel was effectually gospelized at Sinai! Namely, in that they experienced the goodness of Isaiah’s proclamation, when he said, “Behold your God!” (Isa. 40:9).
Gospelization in this case meant that Israel experienced a total surrender to the Lordship of the King. Naturally, Kings rule over people by laws in the country they conquered. Good citizens comply with these laws (Isa. 63:8). Without these components there can be no Kingdom. Even so, this case isn’t any different, only the Israelite people didn’t possess the Promised Land just yet. The LORD brought the people before the burning mount of El-Chayim to meet with God first (Ex. 19:9-24, Deut. 4:24, 5:26; Ps. 78:43-54; Heb. 12:28-29), not only to see Jehovah… but to hear from Him as the Living God! With Sinai as El-Chayim’s pulpit, you can be sure that this wasn’t a dead sermon from some dead preacher preaching dead words to a dead people! …only tell that to those who believe the Law is just a dead letter! Proceeding forth from the Consuming Fire, a dreadfully loud voice proclaimed the Law - all hail the liveliness of Jehovah-Chaqaq (Isa. 33:22, Rom. 7:10)! Truly, Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder with amazement at the life-giving virtue of the Lawgiver, and so learn to cleave (“for He is thy life” – Deut. 30:20)!
|
“And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them. Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words. Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. And he was King in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together.” - Deuteronomy 33:2-5
“There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew. Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.” - Deuteronomy 33:26-29 |
While in the presence of Royalty, it’s hard to forget the Royal Law (Jas. 2:8, 1 Pet. 2:9). Those beholden to its beauty will flourish as the workmanship of God in righteousness (Ps. 90:17; Ps. 27:4). Morality proceeds from the majesty of the Moral One - a rule of law legislated and verbally declared by the King in the ears of the people; and, believe it or not: the voice of God was the deadliest force to mankind (Ex. 20:18-19, Deut. 4:33, 5:24-29, 18:15-19), the most earth-shaking force to nature (Ex. 19:18, Heb. 12:26), and the most magnified manifestation of God Himself (Ps. 138:2, Ps. 29:1-11), and therefore is it the most frightening to men (Deut. 4:10, Heb. 12:18-21). Nevertheless, the divine purpose at hand was sure. In realizing the audible deadliness of El-Chayim, Israel would learn to live obedient to the voice of God forevermore (Deut. 8:3). Can you believe it? Marvelously, the deadliness of El-Chayim produced life in Israel! Even as the loudness of “the voice of El-Chayim” produced quietness in their souls (Deut. 5:26, Isa. 30:15, 32:17; Ps. 131:2). All hail!
|
“Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.” - Deuteronomy 4:9-10
|
Quietness comes in the confidence of a fully realized Covenant. This was a defining moment for the Church (Acts 7:38). At the “holy habitation” of God in the Wilderness of Sinai, when the people were “holiness unto the LORD”, and when there was “no strange god” with them, Israel began to see Jehovah as they had never seen Him before (Ex. 15:13, Jer. 2:3, Deut. 32:7-14).
Seeing Sonship at Sinai
Citizenship → Sonship
Citizenship → Sonship
Consequentially, they began to realize their familial identity in Covenant with God like never before (Ex. 6:7-8, 19:4-5, 17; 2 Cor. 6:16-18). Apparently, in conquering Egypt, God wasn’t forming a Kingdom for mere citizens. Much more than citizenship, God was seeking sonship! Much more than civil subjection, God was seeking the paternal honor that comes from dearly begotten children! A closer look at these majestic scenes of royalty will reveal the making of a family – the sons and daughters of Jehovah (Deut. 32:18-19).
|
“Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” - Psalms 103:13-14 [Deut. 1:29-31]
|
In fatherly goodness, El-Ira taught His children godly fear to remove from them the godless fears that plague the wicked (Ex. 20:20, Deut. 4:10). My reader, this would produce childlike joy in the Israelite people. Can you believe it? All hail the tenderness of the terribleness at the holy mountain of El-Ira! For, the most fearful occasion of terrible majesty to date was for their security, to make Israel the object of divine pity forevermore (Ps. 103:13). The fearfulness of the affair was always for their spiritual fortification and never their destruction (Deut. 5:29). Therefore, this was a thoroughly gracious experience (Heb. 12:28-29). The sights and sounds were for the security of their salvation. Compassionately, the LORD unveiled a fiery display of Consuming Fire, seeking to prevent Israel from being burned up in the divine protocols of the consumption that was soon to come.
|
“And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.” - Exodus 20:20
|
Where the word of a King is there is power (Eccl. 8:4). In speaking to frightened Israelites the word, “Fear not”, while defending the divine purpose of making Israel “fear”, God was acting to dispel worldly fear and ensure godly fear (Ex. 20:20). Of course, these two kinds of fear influence human emotion in profoundly different ways. No one is happy in Hell, but God would have redeemed men to be happy at Sinai! Why? Because the fear of the LORD is the essence of true happiness. “Happy is the man that feareth alway…” (Prov. 28:14)! Yet, what could Israel possibly be happy about, except that they spiritually perceiving that God was happy with them (Deut. 28:63)? This inward realization comes with the fear of God. Paternal instruction made the people see the fatherliness of this fear (Mal. 1:6). One must learn to look upon God the Consuming Fire and cry Abba – which is to say that He is El-Abi! For, in reality, Sinai was a celebration in which God was rejoicing over Israel (Deut. 28:63, 30:9).
As a divinely loved child, every one of them received of Jehovah’s words while sitting at His feet (Hos. 11:1, Deut. 33:2-3). Can you believe it? It wasn’t all utter prostration in the torment of fleshly fear! Rather, so great a revelation of the love of God was inwardly revealed to their souls (“Yea, He loved the people…” – Deut. 33:3; Ex. 20:20), that Israel graciously “sat down at [Jehovah’s] feet” to receive the word of God! As the Wilderness shook at the power and majesty of the voice of the LORD at Sinai (Ps. 29:8), Israel worshipfully gave glory to God (Ps. 29:1-11). What initially frightened Israel the most, later became the most cherished subject of conversation: “and in His Temple doth every one speak of His glory” (Ps. 29:9). Therefore, at the thought of Sinai, the people learned to “give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness” (Ps. 30:4). They learned to sing of His thunder rather than cry against it (Ps. 29:3).
As a divinely loved child, every one of them received of Jehovah’s words while sitting at His feet (Hos. 11:1, Deut. 33:2-3). Can you believe it? It wasn’t all utter prostration in the torment of fleshly fear! Rather, so great a revelation of the love of God was inwardly revealed to their souls (“Yea, He loved the people…” – Deut. 33:3; Ex. 20:20), that Israel graciously “sat down at [Jehovah’s] feet” to receive the word of God! As the Wilderness shook at the power and majesty of the voice of the LORD at Sinai (Ps. 29:8), Israel worshipfully gave glory to God (Ps. 29:1-11). What initially frightened Israel the most, later became the most cherished subject of conversation: “and in His Temple doth every one speak of His glory” (Ps. 29:9). Therefore, at the thought of Sinai, the people learned to “give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness” (Ps. 30:4). They learned to sing of His thunder rather than cry against it (Ps. 29:3).
|
“Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” - Psalms 2:11-12
|
Don’t think Sinai was without hugs and kisses in the Family of God. Disturbed “church members” of the modern era need to understand the rejoicing of those who trembled before the King at Sinai, even as wise men will understand this reality with the King upon Zion in the Latter Days (Ps. 2:11). In a sinaic nursery, the newly adopted children submitted to the paternal care of their Father. The untouchable mountain of holiness was an ecological wonder to behold, as fire burning above promised certain death to all presumptuous trespassers (Ex. 19:21-25; Num. .15:30-31), and the streams of holy water flowing below gave life to the assembled congregation (Hab. 3:9-10, Ex. 32:20, Deut. 9:21). Nature itself was celebrating the event alongside the people (Ps. 68:7-11)! Water issuing from the holy slopes of Sinai as a brook cooled the tongues of those who congregated before the heat of El-esh-oklah (Hab. 3:9-10, Ex. 32:20, Deut. 9:21). Ah! What a scene.
|
“The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary. Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor. The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.” - Psalms 68:8-11
|
This doesn’t sound like God frightened the people senseless without happiness (Deut. 33:29). Does it? Israel might have been thus, if God didn’t hush their ungodly fears through the word, “Fear not” (Ex. 20:20), and further assure them with the aforementioned happy revelations. Most confused believers today would flee from Sinai, while Elijah fled to Sinai in a time of desperate need (1 Kings 19:8). He found refuge in running to El-esh-oklah, because this Name is a strong tower of safety for believers (Prov 18:10)! Could this be what strengthened the 70 Elders of Israel to ascend partway up Sinai with Moses and the Priests, where they saw God and pleasantly ate and drank in the presence of God (Ex. 24:9-11)? Think about it. The Priests told the people in Ezra’s day, “the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Neh. 8:10).
|
“Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.” - Exodus 24:9-11
“…and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.” – Lev. 23:40 “And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice...” - Deuteronomy 12:7 “And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters…” - Deuteronomy 12:12 |
“But thou must eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose…and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God…” - Deuteronomy 12:18
“…and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household…” - Deuteronomy 14:26 “And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God…” - Deuteronomy 16:11 “And thou shalt rejoice in thy Feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates…thou shalt surely rejoice.” - Deuteronomy 16:14-15 “And thou shalt offer peace offerings, and shalt eat there, and rejoice before the LORD thy God.” - Deuteronomy 27:7 |
If ever there was a picturesque scene of a heavenly banquet here on earth below (Lk. 13:29), it was at Sinai’s Feast at altitude on the slopes of Sinai in Exodus 24:9-11. This was an original moment of pure joy, yet even this was a mere shadow of things above (Ex. 25:40, Heb. 8:5). The happiness of this occasion resounds throughout the ages in the legislation of Feasts ordained for all the people at appointed times. Because Jehovah was rejoicing over the people (Deut. 28:63, 30:9), the LORD wanted to replicate and perpetuate the rejoicing of the people before the LORD forevermore (Deut. 28:47). Therefore, the most remarkable feature of Israelite Feasts is that they “rejoiced before the LORD” (Lev. 23:40, Deut. 12:7, 12, 18, 14:26, 16:11, 14-15, 27:7; Note: men were required to attend the Feasts, but women and children were not forbidden). The Feast at Sinai was a prototype for all the Feasts that would follow.
Hypothetically speaking, would you have ascended Sinai for the Exodus 24 Feast? Perhaps not. But if you saw Jesus at Sinai you would. If only you had eyes to see the happiness of the occasion you would find strength to come near at such a time as this, for “the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Neh. 8:10). Do you think the Royal Priesthood and Elders hauled heavy loads of food and water partway up Sinai to have a Feast before the Glory of God? Or do you think Jesus cooked them food and spread a meal before them to ingratiate the happy occasion (Heb. 12:28-29)? I’m sure the 70 Elders felt like the Apostles were made to feel when, “as soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.” (John 21:9).
Undoubtedly, all throughout the Theater of redemption, Jehovah gave Israel every reason to rejoice before the LORD without ceasing (Php. 4:4). Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so damning for Israel to “serve” the LORD without joyfulness and gladness of heart all their days (Deut. 28:47). Think about it. “Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25). God isn’t unjust. Therefore, according to Micah 6:8, the LORD showed them everything they needed to know to do justly and love mercy, and walk humbly with their God. This is a mandate to sons not bastards (Heb. 12:5-10). Can you believe it? Let the Messiah plead! If you aren’t yet seeing more sonship than mere citizenship in the formation of the Kingdom of God in Israel (Lk. 15:11-32), then there are a lot of weighty things you aren’t seeing in the Law.
Hypothetically speaking, would you have ascended Sinai for the Exodus 24 Feast? Perhaps not. But if you saw Jesus at Sinai you would. If only you had eyes to see the happiness of the occasion you would find strength to come near at such a time as this, for “the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Neh. 8:10). Do you think the Royal Priesthood and Elders hauled heavy loads of food and water partway up Sinai to have a Feast before the Glory of God? Or do you think Jesus cooked them food and spread a meal before them to ingratiate the happy occasion (Heb. 12:28-29)? I’m sure the 70 Elders felt like the Apostles were made to feel when, “as soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.” (John 21:9).
Undoubtedly, all throughout the Theater of redemption, Jehovah gave Israel every reason to rejoice before the LORD without ceasing (Php. 4:4). Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so damning for Israel to “serve” the LORD without joyfulness and gladness of heart all their days (Deut. 28:47). Think about it. “Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25). God isn’t unjust. Therefore, according to Micah 6:8, the LORD showed them everything they needed to know to do justly and love mercy, and walk humbly with their God. This is a mandate to sons not bastards (Heb. 12:5-10). Can you believe it? Let the Messiah plead! If you aren’t yet seeing more sonship than mere citizenship in the formation of the Kingdom of God in Israel (Lk. 15:11-32), then there are a lot of weighty things you aren’t seeing in the Law.
|
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” - Micah 6:8 [Hos. 12:6, Ps. 101:1; Matt. 23:23, Lk. 11:42]
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” - Matthew 23:23 “But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” - Luke 11:42 |
How do you read the Law? What stands out to you at Sinai? According to Micah, there are two quintessential revelations that bring about submission in the souls of true Israelites, and these are justice & mercy (Deut. 10:12-13, Micah 6:8; John 1:47, Rom. 2:28-29, 9:6-7). As the Messiah openly stated, these are the weightier matters of the Law: “judgment, mercy, and faith” (Matt. 23:23). In other words, this is what the Law is all about! God divinely reveals to men “judgment” or “justice” & “mercy” so that through “faith” souls can be saved. Luke, recounting the same event, describes these divine revelations as “judgment” and “the love of God” (Lk. 11:42). In this case “mercy” and “the love of God” are being used interchangeably. So, here’s the question: do you see this in reading the Law? Apparently, the Pharisees didn’t.
|
“Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” - Matthew 23:24-33
|
According to Jesus, if readers do not see mercy, love, and faith in the Law, then they are blind to the weightier matters of the Law like the Pharisees of the 1st Century. Such readers could be called “Pharisaical Christians”. Accordingly, in being blind to the weightier matters of the Law, the Pharisees lived in want of true conversion to God that results in a cleansing within through the Holy Spirit (Matt. 23:24-33, Ps. 51:10). Fearfully, the same confounding stupor blinds readers to salvation by faith in the love of God at Sinai. the Law was first delivered at Sinai! This would certainly indicate that love was definitively unveiled at Sinai! You don’t believe it? Remember, sacrifices for atonement (as a typological Gospel Message) were made at the base of Sinai. Hereby, the blood-sprinkled people found power and sincerity to swear to God according to the Mosaic Covenant (Ex. 20:7, 24:8, Isa. 63:8)! Ezekiel, comprehending this, looked upon Sinai and understood it to be a Mountain of Love for Israel – namely, in that Israel’s time spent there was “the Time of Love” (Ezek. 16:8). Let me explain.
|
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth Good Tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth Good Tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” - Isaiah 52:7
|
The Israelites were effectually Gospelized at Sinai. Justice and mercy are essential components to any Kingdom – and much more in the Kingdom of God. Gospelization in the formation of the Kingdom of God makes possible citizenship through sonship in the realization of God’s reign through justice and mercy. At the divine pulpit of Sinai, the people heard the most powerful preaching of their lifetime communicate to them “judgment” and “mercy” or “the love of God” (Rom. 1:16-17); therefore, in defense of true Gospelization, Paul quoted Habakkuk 2:4 in Romans 1:16-17 as an accurate description of salvation: “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4). Of course, this is because “judgment” and “mercy” or “the love of God” are quintessential revelations that bring about submission in the soul by “faith”.
The Ten Commandments
|
Commandment #1: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” - Exodus 20:3
Commandment #2: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them…” - Exodus 20:4-5 Commandment #3: “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” - Exodus 20:7 Commandment #4: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” - Exodus 20:8 Commandment #5: “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” - Exodus 20:12 Commandment #6: “Thou shalt not kill.” - Exodus 20:13 Commandment #7: “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” - Exodus 20:14 Commandment #8: “Thou shalt not steal.” - Exodus 20:15 Commandment #9: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” - Exodus 20:16 Commandment #10: “Thou shalt not covet…” - Exodus 20:17 |
The first 4 Commandments pertain to the spiritual health of the people in a vertical relationship with God. The latter 6 Commandments pertain to the spiritual health of the people in a horizontal relationship with one another. In other words, the overflow effect of having vertical communion with God made possible horizontal godliness (Deut. 10:12-13, 30:19-20, Micah 6:8, 2 Cor. 6:16). In summation, according to Jesus, this is to love Jehovah with all the heart, soul, strength, and mind vertically, and to love your neighbor as yourself horizontally (Lk. 10:25-28, Deut. 6:4-5, 30:19-20). Evidently, the revelation of these things in truth will bring sinners into the Kingdom (Mark 12:28-34). If sinners are enabled by divine grace to discover the meaning of justice & mercy or the love of God as it is in truth, these men will be saved in the experience. In being transformed from sinners into a saints through salvation, these men will walk humbly with God in the bliss of citizenship through sonship (Micah 6:8, Hab. 2:4).
Seeing Wifehood at Sinai
Citizenship → Sonship → Wifehood
Citizenship → Sonship → Wifehood
Accordingly, this knowledge is imparted to Israel in the revelation of the Kingdom of God at Sinai. By virtue of the fearful and terrible things revealed, Israel came to know the way of peace and confidence (Prov. 14:26). However, God was seeking something more than citizenship through sonship. With penetrating insight, the Prophets looked upon this sinaic scene of grandeur and saw wifehood!
|
“For thy Maker is thine Husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.” - Isaiah 54:5 [Deut. 10:17, Isa. 9:6]
|
The LORD, who formed Israel in their redemption from Egypt, and assembled them at Sinai as Jehovah-Sabaoth, is also their Husband in the beauties of holy matrimony. All the prophets agree with the spiritual perception of Isaiah that was gloriously declared in Isaiah 54:5. According to Hosea, when divine “mercy” (Hos. 1:6) originally brought to birth the Kingdom of God (Hos. 1:4) in adopting Israel as the People of God (Hos. 1:9), this was one and the same thing as Israel becoming the Wife of Jehovah (Hos. 1:2, 2:2). Even though Hosea’s burden of prophecy in his book pertains to Jehovah’s Wife committing adultery, warranting the strong denunciations delivered to her in Hosea 2:1-13 (like in Isaiah 50:1-3 or Jeremiah 3:1-15), let the reader understand that Jehovah is condemning the wickedness of Israel’s sin on the basis of the fact that He was her first “Husband” (Hos. 2:7). Nevertheless, despite the infidelity and treachery of Israel, a redemptive operation was underway insomuch that God would once again “allure her” with love into the Wilderness to make her “sing” there “as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt” (Hos. 2:14-15). Apparently, in Hosea’s mind, the Exodus Generation was a reference point of paramount love and romance.
|
“Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the Wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of his increase…” - Jeremiah 2:2-3
|
Harmoniously, Jeremiah discerned the same thing about Israel in the Exodus Generation. Jeremiah beheld Israel allured by love and drawn into the Wilderness as a newly espoused Bride seeking her Husband (Jer. 2:2-3, Hos. 2:14-15). This would indicate that Sinai was a celebration of a newly formed Marriage Covenant. Therefore, Hosea’s prophecy about a revival of singing in Jehovah’s Wife, as declared in Hosea 2:14-15, points to a revival of the first love of the Exodus Generation when Israel was a newly espoused Bride to the LORD (Rev. 2:4). This is a revival of a sweetheart love for God in the Bride that climaxed at Sinai, as is signified by the name Ishi instead of Baali (Hos. 2:14-20). These words are the same in that they both mean Husband, but they are emotionally distinct in their use, as Matthew Henry outlines: “they both signify My Husband, but Ishi is a compellation of love, and sweetness, and familiarity, Baali of reverence and subjection”. In other words, Hosea was prophesying that God would be known by Israel as Jehovah-Ishi again, even as the LORD was experientially known in this manner by the Bride at Sinai. This is why Ezekiel called the formation of the Covenant at Sinai “the Time of Love” in Ezekiel 16.
|
“I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare. Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine. Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.” - Ezekiel 16:7-14 [Ruth 3:9]
|
Much more than the making of a Kingdom for citizenship, the LORD adopted a Family of sons and daughters (Deut. 32:19) – and much more than citizenship through sonship, the LORD allured a Bride for a Wife. Ah! What a great mystery (Eph. 5:32)! My reader, if you are married, consider what enlargement of heart you personally experienced on your Wedding Day. In other words, remember “the love of thine espousals” (Jer. 2:2-3). It is an unforgettable feeling! Hopefully, through Christ, your love has only grown since then. Now, with all things considered, understand why the Prophets looked back and wondered with amazement at the heart of Jehovah for his Bride in the Exodus Generation! As a bereaved Husband in subsequent generations, the LORD made the Prophets remember how God once rejoiced over the Bride.
|
“Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of Thy holiness and of Thy glory: where is Thy zeal and Thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of Thy mercies toward me? are they restrained?” – Isa. 63:15
|
If only we could see what the Prophets saw, we would understand the sinaic situation. Through the Spirit of Prophecy, Asaph looked back and perceived favor, mercy, grace, and tender mercy in the heart of God for Israel in the Exodus Generation, while longing that this would be revived in his own backslidden generation (Ps. 77:7-9). Demonstrably, as described in Isaiah 63:15, the Prophets prayed for revival when they perceived that the heart of God was shut up or restrained, namely because it wasn’t filled with zealous expressions of mercy like in the Exodus Generation. Habakkuk, too, in consideration of the same, cried out for the revival of divine mercy in his day (Hab. 3:2). Meanwhile, modern day “church members” look back on the Exodus Generation and scoff.
|
“…where is Thy zeal…the sounding of Thy bowels…? – Isa. 63:15
|
Take a closer look at Isaiah’s prayer in Isaiah 63:15. He said, “…where is Thy zeal”, which literally means in other words: “…where is Thy jealousy”. Most occasions where the Hebrew word for “zeal” is translated into English, it is speaking of a zeal that comes from jealousy, rather than a zeal that is distinct from jealousy. Furthermore, this is the same word used by God at Sinai. Can you imagine why? Matrimonial love inspires jealousy. Like a mathematical equation, jealousy can only be as strong as love. While proclaiming the 10 Commandments from Sinai in “the Time of Love” (Ezek. 16:8), the LORD said: “for I the LORD thy God am a Jealous God” (Ex. 20:5).
|
Jehovah-Nakah → “I am Jehovah thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” - Exodus 20:2
Jehovah-Ishi → “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a Jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” – Exodus 20:3-7 |
In the first ever declaration, “I am Jehovah thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt” (Ex. 20:2), the LORD corporately invoked the name Jehovah-Nakah. This was a declaration of ownership. However, much more, it was an invocation that memorializes the divine smiting of Egypt; it was El-esh-oklah, “God the Consuming Fire”, etching into the memory of Israel the love of Jehovah-Nakah. Remember, the love of Jehovah-Nakah is what originally won the hearts of unconverted Israel – empowering them to believe in the Gospel of Sacrifice at the Passover. Even so, the newly purchased Bride went out into the Wilderness seeking her Spouse (Jer. 2:2-3); and, upon arriving at Sinai, Jehovah-Nakah proclaimed His love over Israel. In proclaiming His jealousy in Exodus 20:3-7, Jehovah was proclaiming His love, because jealousy is only as strong as love. You see? Jehovah-Nakah wanted to be known by Israel as Jehovah-Ishi.
Marital commitment solemnizes love. When you belong to your spouse then jealousy is lawful. So speaks “the Law of Jealousies” in Numbers 5. In other words, commitment is to be expected. The laws of marriage do not threaten the relationship; they seal it. A formal covenant consecrates the holy matrimony. Therefore, true lovers would never flee from the Law at Sinai. They would welcome it! Could this be why David said, “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day” (Psalms 119:97)! No wonder the Prophets discerned a holy matrimony at Sinai! Namely, because they understood that Jehovah-Ishi was moved with jealous love when He proclaimed the 10 Commandments at Sinai. the Law is not the death of love, inasmuch as a formal establishment of marriage by law is not the death of a romance.
Marital commitment solemnizes love. When you belong to your spouse then jealousy is lawful. So speaks “the Law of Jealousies” in Numbers 5. In other words, commitment is to be expected. The laws of marriage do not threaten the relationship; they seal it. A formal covenant consecrates the holy matrimony. Therefore, true lovers would never flee from the Law at Sinai. They would welcome it! Could this be why David said, “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day” (Psalms 119:97)! No wonder the Prophets discerned a holy matrimony at Sinai! Namely, because they understood that Jehovah-Ishi was moved with jealous love when He proclaimed the 10 Commandments at Sinai. the Law is not the death of love, inasmuch as a formal establishment of marriage by law is not the death of a romance.
|
Jehovah-Ishi → “And he said, Behold, I make a Covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee. Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a Jealous God:” - Exodus 34:10-14
Jehovah-Ishi → “Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the Covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee. For the LORD thy God is a Consuming fire, even a Jealous God.” - Deuteronomy 4:23-24 |
Amidst the romance, following the undeniable proofs of God’s love before the eyes of Israel, Jehovah-Ishi made sure the Bride understood the jealousy of divine love. Namely, in that Jehovah is El-Kanah – a Jealous God. Not just any kind of jealousy known to man. This is a character trait of infinite greatness, such that the world has never seen or known (Ps. 50:21-22, Isa. 6:3). Namely, in that El-Kanah is El-esh-oklah – God the Consuming Fire. Think about it. This is explicitly declared in Deuteronomy 4:34. Jealousy is declared to be the essence of the Consuming Fire. This adds one more equivalent to the equation of love. The consuming fire is only as strong as the jealousy, and jealousy is only as strong as love. The Prophets spoke freely in the terms of these characteristic equivalents. Therefore, when jealous love is provoked in God, the Prophets perceived and often spoke about the kindling of a fire. In reality, there’s no better way to describe the passion and fervor of divine love than to use the language that conforms to the original unveiling of love at Sinai in what Ezekiel called the Time of Love (Ezek. 16:8).
As each occasion required, Moses and the Prophets spoke of the fire of God’s jealousy as a cause for both judgment and love promising both punishment and restoration. Depending on the circumstance, and how provocative and longstanding the acts of infidelity were, jealousy would act to recover the love and purity of the Bride (Deut. 5:9, 6:15). For, in a divinely organized marriage, Jehovah-Ishi is only jealous for that which he lovingly covets to possess in undefiled matrimony. Therefore, in the case of adultery, Jehovah-Ishi was righteously infuriated with jealousy! Proportionately, this stokes the jealous fires of El-esh-oklah! However, if things progress without remedy, the fires of divine jealousy will be inflamed to a near unquenchable degree where God is moved to act in extraordinary ways as a last resort to recover the purity of the Bride. Nevertheless, at the end of the Day in the closing chapters of time… love wins. The following prophetic description is a melodious picture of just how love wins – namely, in that “mercy rejoiceth against judgment” (James 2:13).
|
“Who is this that cometh up from the Wilderness, leaning upon her Beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee. Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.” - Song of Solomon 8:5-7 [Isa. 24:14-16]
|
These are strong reasons to glorify the LORD in the fires of El-esh-oklah as commanded in Isaiah 24:14-16. For, this is the end of the Love Story. Love is strong. Proportionately, so is jealousy. Illustriously, they are like hot coals of fire! Not the kind that simmer with heat and cool over time. These coals are totally engulfed with flames and entirely on-fire! Nor is this just any kind of fire, these are like the vehement flames of El-esh-oklah at Sinai! This is literally what is being stated here in the Song of Songs. After all, only the love of El-esh-oklah could bring this Love Story to its conclusion with the Bride leaning on her Beloved. Indicating this, the Hebrew word for “a most vehement” is “Jah” or Jehovah. So, a more literal reading would be: “...the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a flame of JAH”. This Hebraic phenomenon exists in only a few other places in Holy Scripture, where the name of God is employed as a superlative towards an object which He Himself is infusing with His own greatness (e.g. I Sam. 15:16; Psa. 36:6; 80:10, etc.). Therefore, “a most vehement flame” is another way of describing the burning vehemence of El-esh-oklah’s love at Sinai, which we know to be the fire of Jehovah (Ex. 19:11)! For, where else did Jehovah illustriously burn with fiery vehemence more than at Sinai (Heb. 12:28-29)?
This Love Story would have had a happy ending very early on, if only Israel learned this posture of the Bride much sooner and with perseverance (Song 8:5). For, this love posture of bridal dependence upon her Bridegroom is only possible through seeing the vehement love of El-esh-oklah. If the Bride would have learned this from the beginning (what she is made to discover in the end!) things would have been radically different – if only Israel was made to Love and Sing and Wonder at how the love of Jehovah-Ishi radiated with heat in an awesome display of divine commitment and celebration at Sinai! Or, if only Israel knew the terribleness of divine romance from the beginning! Nevertheless, sooner or later this realization will come. Wifely submission will come at the end of all things (1 Pet. 4:7). Her destiny is inescapable (Rom. 11:26). In beholding the dreadful ferocity of divine fire, Israel will see a passionate display of how God is Love (Heb. 12:28-29, 1 Jn. 4:8, 16). The consummation is instrumental in the restoration.
The momentary upset of the Mosaic Covenant from Exodus 32:10 to Exodus 34:10 attests to this need in the Bride. There was too much blindness in the seers. With the fires of El-esh-oklah still in view, Israel should have disdained the vain hope of forging a calf and calling it Jehovah in a desperate attempt to find direction in the Wilderness (Ex. 32:1-6), even if they somehow lost hope that Moses would return from the Mount (Ex. 32:1). If only they steadfastly remembered how the brilliant fire was a spectacular display of divine love in real time! Yet, most people just think God was angry with Israel at Sinai. Period. Israel probably thought so too (Ex. 20:20), before the Lord hushed their ungodly fears through ministering to them at Horeb from Exodus 19 to Exodus 24. To be clear, Jehovah wasn’t angry with Israel until after they fell into idolatry, which was very late in the making of the Mosaic Covenant. This contrast can be understood in two periods of 40 days.
During the first 40 days that Moses spent on Sinai (Exodus 24 to Exodus 31), God wasn’t angry with Israel until the very end. In this case the heat of El-esh-oklah was nothing more than passionate and fiery divine love until the conception of idolatry. However, during the second 40 days that Moses spent on Sinai (Exodus 32 to Exodus 34), God was angry with Israel (Ex. 34:28) – in the same way Jehovah was angry when the first 40 day period of glory was suddenly terminated with a near annihilation of Israel at the outbreak of idolatry (Ex. 32:1-14). Moses, ascending Sinai a second time, fell down before the LORD in intercession with the same urgency exhibited in the sudden close of the first 40 days, only this time he abode there in intercession against the wrath of God for a total of 40 more days without intermission (Deut. 9:18-19, 25, 10:10, & Ps. 106:23).
This Love Story would have had a happy ending very early on, if only Israel learned this posture of the Bride much sooner and with perseverance (Song 8:5). For, this love posture of bridal dependence upon her Bridegroom is only possible through seeing the vehement love of El-esh-oklah. If the Bride would have learned this from the beginning (what she is made to discover in the end!) things would have been radically different – if only Israel was made to Love and Sing and Wonder at how the love of Jehovah-Ishi radiated with heat in an awesome display of divine commitment and celebration at Sinai! Or, if only Israel knew the terribleness of divine romance from the beginning! Nevertheless, sooner or later this realization will come. Wifely submission will come at the end of all things (1 Pet. 4:7). Her destiny is inescapable (Rom. 11:26). In beholding the dreadful ferocity of divine fire, Israel will see a passionate display of how God is Love (Heb. 12:28-29, 1 Jn. 4:8, 16). The consummation is instrumental in the restoration.
The momentary upset of the Mosaic Covenant from Exodus 32:10 to Exodus 34:10 attests to this need in the Bride. There was too much blindness in the seers. With the fires of El-esh-oklah still in view, Israel should have disdained the vain hope of forging a calf and calling it Jehovah in a desperate attempt to find direction in the Wilderness (Ex. 32:1-6), even if they somehow lost hope that Moses would return from the Mount (Ex. 32:1). If only they steadfastly remembered how the brilliant fire was a spectacular display of divine love in real time! Yet, most people just think God was angry with Israel at Sinai. Period. Israel probably thought so too (Ex. 20:20), before the Lord hushed their ungodly fears through ministering to them at Horeb from Exodus 19 to Exodus 24. To be clear, Jehovah wasn’t angry with Israel until after they fell into idolatry, which was very late in the making of the Mosaic Covenant. This contrast can be understood in two periods of 40 days.
During the first 40 days that Moses spent on Sinai (Exodus 24 to Exodus 31), God wasn’t angry with Israel until the very end. In this case the heat of El-esh-oklah was nothing more than passionate and fiery divine love until the conception of idolatry. However, during the second 40 days that Moses spent on Sinai (Exodus 32 to Exodus 34), God was angry with Israel (Ex. 34:28) – in the same way Jehovah was angry when the first 40 day period of glory was suddenly terminated with a near annihilation of Israel at the outbreak of idolatry (Ex. 32:1-14). Moses, ascending Sinai a second time, fell down before the LORD in intercession with the same urgency exhibited in the sudden close of the first 40 days, only this time he abode there in intercession against the wrath of God for a total of 40 more days without intermission (Deut. 9:18-19, 25, 10:10, & Ps. 106:23).
|
“And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also…Thus I fell down before the LORD forty days and forty nights, as I fell down at the first; because the LORD had said he would destroy you.” - Deuteronomy 9:18-19, 25
“And I stayed in the mount, according to the first time, forty days and forty nights; and the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also, and the LORD would not destroy thee.” - Deuteronomy 10:10 “Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.” - Psalms 106:23 |
Of course, God was angry with Israel after they fell into idolatry – and all throughout the Great Pause that took place from Exodus 32:10 to Exodus 34:10 – which marks the reinstatement of the Mosaic Covenant after Moses spent a total of 80 days on Mount Sinai. Also, during this interim period Israel was dangerously close to being consumed by the fires of El-esh-oklah (Ex. 32:10, 12, 33:3, 5). Nevertheless, before and after this point, the LORD forgave Israel (Num. 14:19) – which also means that Jehovah was no longer angry with the Church. All hail the first ever demonstration of sovereign mercy (Ex. 33:19, Rom. 9:15)! In respect to divine emotion, true forgiveness legally releases the torrents of divine benevolence in love.
|
“And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the Glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people. And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.” - Leviticus 9:23-24
|
Indeed, how could the Consuming Fire be angry with the sin of Israel, when El-esh-oklah had just consumed the sins of the people in the fiery consumption of a sin-burdened sacrifice for an atonement (Ex. 40:34-38, Lev. 9:23-24)? With the reinstatement of the Mosaic Covenant, the LORD was minded towards Israel in the same manner of benevolence formerly described. Admittedly, this is only possible after the stroke of divine judgment did exact every cause of justice in the camp of Israel (Ex. 32:25-29, 32-35), but this protocol was already made clear in the opening statements of divine love from Mount Sinai in Exodus 20:5-6.
It was hoped that things would get better after Sinai (Isa. 63:7-8). That’s why the LORD led the people immediately to Kadesh-barnea after spending around a year camped at Horeb. Despite three provocations committed by Israel on the way there (Num. 11-12), the Mosaic Covenant was firmly established and irrevocably sure. Jehovah-Ishi is faithful. Nothing like the Great Pause was going to happen again (Rom. 11:29). If there was anger in El-Kanah, let the Bride understand that it was inspired by the love of Jehovah-Ishi.
Sadly, things didn’t go as Jehovah hoped (Isa. 63:8). By faith in the love of Jehovah Israel was expected to believe the Gospel of Inheritance preached to them at Kadesh-barnea (Heb. 3:7-4:11), but instead they believed an evil report that erroneously proclaimed the hatred of Jehovah (Num. 13:32, 14:37, Deut. 1:27). Seeing that these things were written for our example, “upon whom the ends of the world are come” (1 Cor. 10:11), let us learn the lessons that the Exodus Generation didn’t lay to heart (Heb. 3:7-4:11). Let us look back with deuteronomic wisdom and behold what was amiss in them and amended in their Children. In so doing, let us personally discover the Bonafide Equivalents of the Gospel that would have inspired faith in the Gospel preached at Kadesh-barnea, had the Exodus Generation been properly considerate while in the Theater of Redemption. This brings us to the fatherly lovingkindness of El-esh-oklah.
Sadly, things didn’t go as Jehovah hoped (Isa. 63:8). By faith in the love of Jehovah Israel was expected to believe the Gospel of Inheritance preached to them at Kadesh-barnea (Heb. 3:7-4:11), but instead they believed an evil report that erroneously proclaimed the hatred of Jehovah (Num. 13:32, 14:37, Deut. 1:27). Seeing that these things were written for our example, “upon whom the ends of the world are come” (1 Cor. 10:11), let us learn the lessons that the Exodus Generation didn’t lay to heart (Heb. 3:7-4:11). Let us look back with deuteronomic wisdom and behold what was amiss in them and amended in their Children. In so doing, let us personally discover the Bonafide Equivalents of the Gospel that would have inspired faith in the Gospel preached at Kadesh-barnea, had the Exodus Generation been properly considerate while in the Theater of Redemption. This brings us to the fatherly lovingkindness of El-esh-oklah.
|
“Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes; And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place. Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God, Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.” - Deuteronomy 1:29-33
|
Backsliding through unbelief is a critical imperception of spiritual reality (Heb. 11:1, 27). Therefore, when Isaiah preached the Everlasting Gospel, he simply said: “Behold your God!” (Isa. 40:9). Disbelief makes men disregard something that is true, or someone, and in this case Israel denied the character of Jehovah who was mighty to save and standing among them. El-esh-oklah was there for Israel in a Father-to-Son relationship of sincere commitment from beginning to end. In the beginning, according to Exodus 15:7, El-esh-oklah was there for them at the Red Sea to consume the Egyptians. In the end, according to Deuteronomy 9:3, El-esh-oklah was there for them at Kadesh-barnea to consume the Canaanites. But Israel was tormented at the thought that the Consuming Fire was somehow against them! This outrageous misunderstanding was totally unacceptable. Moses, who preached the Gospel to the Exodus Generation at Kadesh-barnea (Heb. 3:17-4:2), later proclaimed the motivation of his preaching by declaring to their Children:
|
“Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven, A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak! Understand therefore this Day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a Consuming Fire He shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.” - Deuteronomy 9:1-3 [Deut. 4:24]
|
It turns out that the Consuming Fire at Sinai was for Israel, rather than against them, insomuch that El-esh-oklah was going before them to destroy their adversaries as they traveled to the Promised Land to dispossess many nations. This is the love of El-esh-oklah for Israel before, at, and beyond Sinai. This was made abundantly clear at Israel’s departure from Sinai (Num. 1:1-3, 10:11-36). Literally, at their first journey yonder to battle, as “the Ark was set forward” before the Armies of Israel (Num. 10:35), Moses was compelled to loudly declare before the Pillar of Fire: “Rise up, LORD, and let Thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee” (Num. 10:35). Comprehending the enormity of this invocation, David echoed Moses and elaborated upon the significance of what should have been Israel’s solemn expectation when coming to the battleline.
|
“Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.” - Psalms 68:1-2 [Judges 5:4-5, 20; Ps. 18:7-15]
|
Apparently, David understood the doctrines of El-esh-oklah and El-Kanah that were forged at Sinai. Accordingly, David understood the significance of the construction of a Tabernacle / Temple for the enthroned presence of the Glory of God upon the Ark. In other words, David fully embraced the fact that the God of Sinai, dwelling at its peak, descended into the congregation of Israel to abide within (2 Cor. 6:16) and walk among them in these ways (Lev. 26:11-12). Therefore, when Zion essentially replaced Sinai at the ushering in of the Ark of God into Jerusalem, David acquiesced in the shocking implications of residing upon the holy Mountain with Jehovah (Ps. 15, 24, 68).
Moses and David were invoking the glory of none other than El-esh-oklah, before whose face the adversarial armies of Canaan would melt like wax before the fire as they perish at the presence of God! Then, at the sheathing of every sword in the aftermath of victory at war, without a tinge of unholy fear, Moses would affectionately beckon El-esh-oklah back into the camp of Israel, saying, “Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel.” (Num. 10:36, Zech. 2:5). Apparently, they understood the love of El-esh-oklah! Yet, modern believers misjudge the terrible experience of fire before El-esh-oklah at Sinai (2 Cor. 5:11), so most people think that God was angry with Israel at Sinai and that’s all there is to it.
These evil reports have gained notoriety in modern times like the evil report prevailed among the people at Kadesh-barnea. Somehow, or someway, adulterous generations always adulterate the Gospel by mischaracterizing God at critical junctures of redemption. Ah! This horrifying propensity to think of God as one like unto ourselves (Ps. 50:21-22)! This is dangerous. Depraved human intelligence will always question what should be unquestionable (1 Cor. 2:14). Even so, unjustifiable questions about the Exodus Generation persist even unto this day! Why? “Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct Him?” (Job 40:2).
If only readers would pay more attention to divinely posed questions of the past and their answers, believers would not persist in asking so many unlawful questions. Readers of the Old Testament simply aren’t getting the message. Even after the Prophets posed many questions about these awesome events in respect to divine anger with the intent to inspire thoughtful reflection in the readers, people still aren’t getting the message. Specifically, the Prophets focused on the most widely misunderstood aspects of El-esh-oklah, which of course pertain to the scope and targets of divine wrath during Israel’s journey in the Wilderness. Nevertheless, rampant misunderstandings about the Exodus Generation prevail today because readers overlook what was most “in question” about the Exodus as Israel journeyed from Egypt to Canaan.
At the beginning of their journey, when crossing the Red Sea, why were the waters afraid & troubled at the sight of God (Ps. 77:16)? Or, at the end of their journey, when crossing Jordan, why were the waters ailed at the sight of God (Ps. 114:5)? Apparently, it was for the same reason that God intensely rebuked the Red Sea at the triumphant crossing (Ps. 106:9). Why did God “rebuke” the Red Sea instead of simply commanding it, like the verbal utterances spoken in the creation of the world (Ps. 106:9, Ps. 33:9)? Clearly, Jehovah was angry. But why? Or, at whom? In the words of Habakkuk, all this begs the question:
Moses and David were invoking the glory of none other than El-esh-oklah, before whose face the adversarial armies of Canaan would melt like wax before the fire as they perish at the presence of God! Then, at the sheathing of every sword in the aftermath of victory at war, without a tinge of unholy fear, Moses would affectionately beckon El-esh-oklah back into the camp of Israel, saying, “Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel.” (Num. 10:36, Zech. 2:5). Apparently, they understood the love of El-esh-oklah! Yet, modern believers misjudge the terrible experience of fire before El-esh-oklah at Sinai (2 Cor. 5:11), so most people think that God was angry with Israel at Sinai and that’s all there is to it.
These evil reports have gained notoriety in modern times like the evil report prevailed among the people at Kadesh-barnea. Somehow, or someway, adulterous generations always adulterate the Gospel by mischaracterizing God at critical junctures of redemption. Ah! This horrifying propensity to think of God as one like unto ourselves (Ps. 50:21-22)! This is dangerous. Depraved human intelligence will always question what should be unquestionable (1 Cor. 2:14). Even so, unjustifiable questions about the Exodus Generation persist even unto this day! Why? “Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct Him?” (Job 40:2).
If only readers would pay more attention to divinely posed questions of the past and their answers, believers would not persist in asking so many unlawful questions. Readers of the Old Testament simply aren’t getting the message. Even after the Prophets posed many questions about these awesome events in respect to divine anger with the intent to inspire thoughtful reflection in the readers, people still aren’t getting the message. Specifically, the Prophets focused on the most widely misunderstood aspects of El-esh-oklah, which of course pertain to the scope and targets of divine wrath during Israel’s journey in the Wilderness. Nevertheless, rampant misunderstandings about the Exodus Generation prevail today because readers overlook what was most “in question” about the Exodus as Israel journeyed from Egypt to Canaan.
At the beginning of their journey, when crossing the Red Sea, why were the waters afraid & troubled at the sight of God (Ps. 77:16)? Or, at the end of their journey, when crossing Jordan, why were the waters ailed at the sight of God (Ps. 114:5)? Apparently, it was for the same reason that God intensely rebuked the Red Sea at the triumphant crossing (Ps. 106:9). Why did God “rebuke” the Red Sea instead of simply commanding it, like the verbal utterances spoken in the creation of the world (Ps. 106:9, Ps. 33:9)? Clearly, Jehovah was angry. But why? Or, at whom? In the words of Habakkuk, all this begs the question:
|
“Was the LORD displeased against the rivers? Was Thine anger against the rivers? Was Thy wrath against the Sea…?” – Hab. 3:8
|
The LORD surely wasn’t angry with the waters. is incapable of immorality. Nevertheless, what ailed the waters did also bring the hills and mountains of the earth to tremble and skip (Ps. 114:6-7; Ps. 77:18). Speaking of the same phenomenon, Habakkuk said, “the mountains saw Thee, and they trembled” (Hab. 3:10). Is it possible for God to be angry with the soil of the earth? No.
These prophetic questions are intended to bring the attention of the reader to focus upon the divine purpose at hand in Israel’s journey to Canaan – the very thing that David was beholding in Psalm 68:7-8, when he described Jehovah as one marching through the Wilderness before the people (Ps. 68:7-8). Apparently, Deborah was seeing the same thing in Judges 5:4-5. This manner of divine movement indicates a resolute divine purpose of war for which God was angry.
These prophetic questions are intended to bring the attention of the reader to focus upon the divine purpose at hand in Israel’s journey to Canaan – the very thing that David was beholding in Psalm 68:7-8, when he described Jehovah as one marching through the Wilderness before the people (Ps. 68:7-8). Apparently, Deborah was seeing the same thing in Judges 5:4-5. This manner of divine movement indicates a resolute divine purpose of war for which God was angry.
|
“But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.” - Genesis 15:16
|
Jehovah was full of moral outrage against the Canaanites for their wickedness (Gen. 15:16, Lev. 18:28, 20:23, Num. 33:56, Deut. 28:63, 29:28, Josh. 23:15-16)! So dreadful was the invisible sight, even the rivers and mountains were afraid! They saw that God was angry with the Canaanites as early as the Red Sea; and, at every encounter thereafter: what troubled the sea ailed the mountains, and what made all to tremble for fear did also afflict Cushan and Midian (Hab. 3:7), the people directly bordering the Promised Land. Demonstrably, in traveling to Canaan, the LORD wasn’t merely walking or even sojourning – Jehovah-Sabaoth was marching to war! Then, upon arriving to the Promised Land, Habakkuk said, “Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger.” (Hab. 3:12).
Notably, if God was thus minded, the Israelites should have been marching too, but sadly they were hardly aware of this divine purpose especially early on in their voyage. The fiery indignation of Jehovah-Sabaoth was a necessary component to faith in the Gospel at Kadesh-barnea. Without this heart, how could Israel realistically expect to march with God in the throes of battle? Sadly, in lacking a sincere agreement with God, Israel proved delinquent at this critical moment of trial. “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3). One can only wonder how things would have been different if Israel had more depth of spiritual awareness early on to see that they were marching behind Jehovah-Sabaoth as the Armies of El-esh-oklah (LORD of Hosts: Ex. 6:26, 7:4, 12:17, 51, Num. 1:3, 2:3, 9, 10, 16, 18, 24-25, 10:14, 18, 22, 28, 33:1). Lukewarm Christians today don’t feel like the Church Militant of bygone ages either.
Israel’s stop at Sinai was in stride with this angry divine purpose. Originally, at Israel’s first arrival at Sinai, and upon the sealing of the Covenant with vows and blood (Ex. 19, 24), El-esh-oklah was not angry with the Church of the Wilderness (Acts 7:38). From Egypt to the Red Sea, from the Red Sea to Sinai, and from Sinai to Jordan, the people were meant to be fortified in and empowered by the anger of El-esh-oklah, rather than disempowered by it. While encamped at the Mount, the people were thoroughly instructed concerning the battle (Ex. 23:20-23, 34:11-14). The grotesque and toxic wickedness of the Canaanites was revealed by God to Israel in hopes to inspire a moral hatred among the soldiers of war (Lev. 18:24-30, 20:22-27). Only then would they be willing to totally annihilate those whom God had judged to die without pity (Deut. 7:1-6, 16-19, 23-26, 12:1-4, 29-32, 18:9-14, 20:16-18, 23:1-17, Josh. 23:2-16, Judges 2:2-3).
Seeing the morality of God makes men moral. Seeing the faithfulness of God makes men faithful. Seeing the love of God makes men love. Likewise, seeing the hatred of God makes men hate. Even in the New Testament! True spiritual intimacy with Jehovah (Ps. 139:1-18) would cultivate this kind of holy hatred in the Israelite people, the same that David passionately exemplified in Psalm 139:19-24.
Israel’s stop at Sinai was in stride with this angry divine purpose. Originally, at Israel’s first arrival at Sinai, and upon the sealing of the Covenant with vows and blood (Ex. 19, 24), El-esh-oklah was not angry with the Church of the Wilderness (Acts 7:38). From Egypt to the Red Sea, from the Red Sea to Sinai, and from Sinai to Jordan, the people were meant to be fortified in and empowered by the anger of El-esh-oklah, rather than disempowered by it. While encamped at the Mount, the people were thoroughly instructed concerning the battle (Ex. 23:20-23, 34:11-14). The grotesque and toxic wickedness of the Canaanites was revealed by God to Israel in hopes to inspire a moral hatred among the soldiers of war (Lev. 18:24-30, 20:22-27). Only then would they be willing to totally annihilate those whom God had judged to die without pity (Deut. 7:1-6, 16-19, 23-26, 12:1-4, 29-32, 18:9-14, 20:16-18, 23:1-17, Josh. 23:2-16, Judges 2:2-3).
Seeing the morality of God makes men moral. Seeing the faithfulness of God makes men faithful. Seeing the love of God makes men love. Likewise, seeing the hatred of God makes men hate. Even in the New Testament! True spiritual intimacy with Jehovah (Ps. 139:1-18) would cultivate this kind of holy hatred in the Israelite people, the same that David passionately exemplified in Psalm 139:19-24.
|
“Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” - Psalms 139:19-24 [Ps. 15:4, 31:6]
|
In this sense, the anger of God would encourage faith in the love of God towards Israel; or, the hatred of God would encourage faith in the love of God towards Israel. Why? Because the wrath of El-esh-oklah encourages valiant obedience in the bloody acts of war against their adversaries, rather than discouraging faith in the love of God towards Israel. A just God must needs be angry with the outrageous crimes of condemned sinners, even if He loves to show mercy and pardon sinners wherever possible.
|
El-Aman
“Faithful God” |
El-Rahum
“Merciful God” |
|
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” - Micah 6:8
|
It wasn’t personal or racial to Israel. It was moral. It was obedience to the Moral One. It had nothing to do with the patriotism & national pride embodied by the Pharisees of 1st Century Judaism, whose immoral hatred Jesus utterly denounced in the Sermon on the Mount. This was Israel’s childlike submission to God’s paternity. The Canaanites deserved their fate as a last resort of divine justice. The loveliness of divine anger in the Moral One spiritually inspired the morally pure Israelites to act as doers of justice as they walked humbly with God. Even so, as doers of justice, they were loving the transcending purposes of divine mercy at hand in the total annihilation. Justice and mercy in God always go hand in hand. God is faithful. In fact, God supplies mercy through justice! Israel’s dealings with Canaan were no different. The LORD personally proclaimed this balance of character in Himself at Sinai, in the following:
|
“…for I the Jehovah thy God am a Jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments…” - Exodus 20:5-7
“…Jehovah, Jehovah Elohim, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation…For thou shalt worship no other god: for Jehovah, whose Name is Jealous, is a Jealous God” - Exodus 34:5-7, 14 “He made known His Ways unto Moses, His Acts unto the children of Israel.” - Psalms 103:7 |
The mercy of God wasn’t boundless or arbitrary. It was strictly administered within the parameters of justice. This balance of character was explicitly emphasized in a balance of action in the Godhead – acts of mercy / love & justice. The mercy / love that Jehovah feels emotionally in heart manifests in the act of “shewing” mercy, which includes various ways of “keeping” it with longsuffering through “forgiving” the saints when they fall into sin, all of which amounts to a shocking demonstration of grace, goodness, and truth. However, the acts of “shewing”, “keeping”, and “forgiving” are harmoniously balanced with contrasting acts of “visiting” justice upon men when God refuses to “clear” sin. The act of “visiting” is a visitation of justice upon men whom God refuses to forgive without punishing the malefactors.
|
“Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his Name, Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:” - Jeremiah 32:18-19
“Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the Faithful God, which keepeth Covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.” - Deuteronomy 7:9-10 [Deut. 29:16-21; Heb. 12:15; 2 Tim. 2:11-13; 2 Pet. 3:9] |
Moses and Jeremiah elaborated upon the divine action of visitation with two synonyms. In total, the contrasting divine actions of mercy and justice are: acts of “shewing”, “keeping”, and “forgiving”, and acts of “visiting”, “recompensing”, and “repaying”. These contrasting actions target two different kinds of people: “the guilty” & the innocent (“…by no means clear the guilty” – Ex. 34:7). God makes a real time determination between men on a heart level: “them that hate Me” & “them that love Me” (Ex. 20:5-7). Of course, the Canaanites impenitently hated the LORD and therefore their death was warranted; but the LORD wasn’t partial in visiting Israel with the death penalty when and if they became presumptuous sinners like the Canaanites (Num. 15:22-31, Deut. 29:16-21; 1 Pet. 1:16-17). Jehovah is El-Aman – the Faithful God (Deut. 7:9-10, 2 Tim. 2:11-13). Namely, in that Jehovah is faithful to both mercy and judgment.
|
“…nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.” – Ex. 32:34
|
God’s possessive jealousy for every individual saint was strong, however no matter its strength it always complied with justice. Israel tasted the jealousy of El-Kanah in the visitation of justice upon certain targeted survivors during the Great Pause (Ex. 32:34). More specifically, they learned how the justice of God in a divine visitation could potentially erase men from the elect and covenanted people of Israel in order to regulate and restore the purity of the Bride. Without controversy, the LORD said: “Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My Book” (Ex. 32:33, Rev. 3:5). This frightening potential soon became a reality in the “breach” of the Exodus Generation (Num. 14:34) when they denied the Gospel at Kadesh-barnea (Num. 3:7-4:11) and afterwards were essentially erased – in being blotted out they became totally irrelevant to the Covenant at Horeb originally given to them (Deut. 4:1-4, 5:2-3; Rev. 3:5)! However, the LORD didn’t erase them without making them an example to their immediate Children and all following generations (1 Cor. 10:11).
|
“…lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood; And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst: The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven. And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:” - Deuteronomy 29:18-21 [Heb. 12:15, 28-29; Rev. 3:5]
|
By the end of the Day of Deuteronomy, it was no secret why the Exodus Generation failed the grace of God (Deut. 29:16-21, Heb. 12:15). They failed to diligently consider the Spectacle of Salvation before them, otherwise they would have abounded more and more in reverential love for the Names, Ways, and Attributes of Jehovah as revealed in the Theater of the Gospel (Diligence: Ex. 15:26, Deut. 4:9, 6:7, 17, 11:13, 22, 13:14, 17:4, 24:8, 28:1). The Exodus Generation was thoroughly proven and faithfully visited with justice according to the protocols set forth in Numbers 15:22-31 – laws that were legislated immediately following the divine oath of Numbers 14. Chiefly, that justice repaid those who “despised” or hated the word of the LORD (Num. 15:31, Heb. 10:28-29; Deut. 7:9-10), even as El-Kanah forewarned concerning those who “hate” God (Ex. 20:5-7).
I’m sure the upright souls of Jeshurun in the Exodus Generation never thought they would “hate” the LORD (Deut. 32:7-22). Such a thought is inconceivable to most Christians today, even while they despise El-esh-oklah and ascribe monstrous blasphemies to many sacred Names of God. Fearfully, this is exactly how the Exodus Generation backslid into a presumptuous despite of the Gospel (Ps. 95:10, Heb. 4:2, Ps. 91:14-16). Christians today should fear for themselves (Heb. 4:1) as David did for his own soul when reading the Law (Ps. 19:7-14), lest secret sin be our eventual downfall (Ps. 90:8, 19:12). God is faithful to show no mercy in the recompense of all such that continue in this kind of rebellion (Deut. 7:9-10, Heb. 10:28, Num. 15:30-31, Ps. 68:21). Survival was for the love of the Name (Ps. 91:14-16)! – which empowers men to “cleave” unto God (Deut. 4:1-4)! While destruction was for a despite of God as men acted in total disregard for the beautiful “Name” (Ps. 90:3, 8, 16-17, 91:14). In other words, it was simply impossible to believe the Gospel at Kadesh-barnea while being personally offended with El-esh-oklah, all of which alienated their souls from Jehovah-Ishi (Heb. 12:28-29).
Jehovah-Ishi wanted the wifely congregation to understand and corporately agree with their Husband’s faithfulness in this matter (Deut. 7:9-10). Remarkably, those who lovingly believed in God’s faithfulness did so by welcoming the “shewing” of love or the “visitation” of justice according to the jealous safekeeping of their possessive Husband. Even when the fiery anger of El-esh-oklah (that consumed men outwardly) did turn inwardly to consume Israelites-turned-Adversaries, the Bride was expected to act in agreement with El-esh-oklah. There was a merciful purpose in the moral hatred when El-esh-oklah commanded Israel to show no mercy in the total annihilation of the Canaanite Nations, and the same was true when an Israelite in the Church turned into a Canaanite, which happens when a saint is turned into a sinner. The Israelites were commanded to show no mercy to impenitent sinners in acts of judgment inwardly (Deut. 7:16, 13:8, 19:13, 21), for the same reasons they were commanded to act in judgment outwardly. The rules of love demand justice. Like Elijah, and Phinehas before him, the Bride should confessedly be possessed by the kanah of El-kanah in all the zealous causes of justice.
I’m sure the upright souls of Jeshurun in the Exodus Generation never thought they would “hate” the LORD (Deut. 32:7-22). Such a thought is inconceivable to most Christians today, even while they despise El-esh-oklah and ascribe monstrous blasphemies to many sacred Names of God. Fearfully, this is exactly how the Exodus Generation backslid into a presumptuous despite of the Gospel (Ps. 95:10, Heb. 4:2, Ps. 91:14-16). Christians today should fear for themselves (Heb. 4:1) as David did for his own soul when reading the Law (Ps. 19:7-14), lest secret sin be our eventual downfall (Ps. 90:8, 19:12). God is faithful to show no mercy in the recompense of all such that continue in this kind of rebellion (Deut. 7:9-10, Heb. 10:28, Num. 15:30-31, Ps. 68:21). Survival was for the love of the Name (Ps. 91:14-16)! – which empowers men to “cleave” unto God (Deut. 4:1-4)! While destruction was for a despite of God as men acted in total disregard for the beautiful “Name” (Ps. 90:3, 8, 16-17, 91:14). In other words, it was simply impossible to believe the Gospel at Kadesh-barnea while being personally offended with El-esh-oklah, all of which alienated their souls from Jehovah-Ishi (Heb. 12:28-29).
Jehovah-Ishi wanted the wifely congregation to understand and corporately agree with their Husband’s faithfulness in this matter (Deut. 7:9-10). Remarkably, those who lovingly believed in God’s faithfulness did so by welcoming the “shewing” of love or the “visitation” of justice according to the jealous safekeeping of their possessive Husband. Even when the fiery anger of El-esh-oklah (that consumed men outwardly) did turn inwardly to consume Israelites-turned-Adversaries, the Bride was expected to act in agreement with El-esh-oklah. There was a merciful purpose in the moral hatred when El-esh-oklah commanded Israel to show no mercy in the total annihilation of the Canaanite Nations, and the same was true when an Israelite in the Church turned into a Canaanite, which happens when a saint is turned into a sinner. The Israelites were commanded to show no mercy to impenitent sinners in acts of judgment inwardly (Deut. 7:16, 13:8, 19:13, 21), for the same reasons they were commanded to act in judgment outwardly. The rules of love demand justice. Like Elijah, and Phinehas before him, the Bride should confessedly be possessed by the kanah of El-kanah in all the zealous causes of justice.
|
“…because he was kanah for his God” – Num. 25:13
“…I have been very kanah for the LORD God of Hosts” – 1 Kings 19:14 |
Such men act to prevent an outbreak of unmitigated jealousy in times of apostasy by doing justice and judgment on behalf of the Bridegroom (Num. 25:11, Josh. 24:19-20; Jer. 22:15). Urgency is necessary. The consequences of the Bride ignoring her Husband’s love should not be taken lightly by anyone (Deut. 32:15). According to Exodus 20:5-7, 34:5-7, & 14, the original emphasis of jealousy speaks on behalf of love when it is scorned, promising an inevitable visitation of justice to all such that behave despitefully against love (Num. 15:31). Even so, consider how in every case of murmuring and disputing, the people should have been glorying in the fact that divine love was miraculously keeping them alive, when instead they were lamenting about how it appeared to them that divine hatred was putting them to death. Fearfully, if Israel can’t see the good, they have lost sight of the Gospel; or, if they are displeased at the Way forward, they have lost sight of God leading them at the forefront. Converted recipients of the Gospel are expected to continue believing the Gospel as they grow in their understanding of the character of God – the Names and Ways of God.
Even so, let every saint of God beware of divine love! Let every believer tremble before divine goodness by faith in the Gospel (Jer. 33:9)! For, divine love zealously desires the dove eyes of the Bride and jealously acts in violence and cruelty to get what it covets to possess (Song 8:5-7). The jealousy of God must act to recover the Bride even if some perish for the preservation of the whole (Isa. 1:21-31).
Even so, let every saint of God beware of divine love! Let every believer tremble before divine goodness by faith in the Gospel (Jer. 33:9)! For, divine love zealously desires the dove eyes of the Bride and jealously acts in violence and cruelty to get what it covets to possess (Song 8:5-7). The jealousy of God must act to recover the Bride even if some perish for the preservation of the whole (Isa. 1:21-31).
|
“Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” - Amos 3:1-2 [Deut. 32:12, Ps. 81:8-9, Hos. 13:4-8]
|
The Husband jealousy eyed the Bride looking for wholeness of heart, only that He mighty rejoice over her whole-heartedly (Lev. 26:1-46), like Joshua and Caleb wholly followed the LORD in contrast to the Exodus Generation (Deut. 1:36). This is the passion of perseverance. Wholeness of heart was divinely required because it was the essence of reciprocal love that the Wife gives back to Jehovah-Ishi (Deut. 6:5, 10:12, 11:13, 22, 13:3-4). No matter the circumstance, El-Rachum promised to restore the souls of everyone who returns to the LORD whole-heartedly (Deut. 4:27-31, Lev. 26:40-46, Deut. 30:1-6). In a true soul religion of love, each man’s heart is what matters most to God; therefore, everyone can experience automatic personal restoration from anywhere if men rediscover the beauty of knowing the LORD whole-heartedly. To be wholly consumed by the passion of El-esh-oklah is the essence of divine romance with the Bride. Therefore, true lovers of El-esh-oklah were lovers of divine fearfulness – they charged in stride with the fearful anger of El-esh-oklah with swords without and perpetuated this fear by stones within (Deut. 13:11, 17:13, 19:20, 21:21; 1 Cor. 5:12-13).
|
“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?” – Deut. 10:12-13
“Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” - Micah 6:6-8 [Ps. 95:6-11] |
This divine requirement was for their life. It was their reasonable service (Rom. 12:1-2, Eph. 5:1-2; Jn. 3:16, 1 Jn. 3:16). Israelite survival depended upon it (Deut. 4:1-4, 5:33, 8:6, 10:12, 20, 11:22-23, 13:4, 19:9, 26:17, 28:9, 30:15-20, 32:4; Acts 11:22-24). Even as the Exodus Generation died because of it (Ps. 95:6-11)! They were turned to “destruction” (Ps. 90:3), and then “consumed” by El-esh-oklah (Ps. 90:7). Why? Because the divine pursuit of justice was not merely a King enforcing the law upon the Citizenry of his domain. Much more, it was a Father acting to chastise his Children whom He loves. Even more, it was a Husband acting to recover his Bride whom He jealously cherishes. Jehovah is El-Aman (Deut. 7:9-10). Jehovah cultivated such a love in the Bride, it constrained her to whole-heartedly cleave to God in a vibrant walk with the LORD in real time requiring a growing agreement with all the Names & Ways of God being increasingly revealed. This is the Doctrine of Cleaving according to the Bible (Deut. 30:19-20, Acts 11:22-24).
|
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” - Deut. 30:19-20 [Lk. 10:25-28, Mk. 12:28-34]
“Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.” - Acts 11:22-24 |
Confessions of faith in true religion mean nothing if there is no cleaving of the soul to the presence of the Living God. This is expressly forbidden (Ex. 20:7). If anyone tells you otherwise, then they aren’t good men who are full of the Holy Ghost and faith like Barnabas (Acts 11:22-24). Does not even nature itself teach us that the Bride should cleave to her Husband (Eph. 5:32)? A Bride that no longer cleaves has lost her spiritual identity of reciprocal love to Jehovah-Ishi. This loss removes from the Bride the foremost sign of the Marriage Covenant, comparable to the loss of circumcision in the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 17:10-14). Can you image a physically circumcised man somehow becoming uncircumcised (Rom. 2:25-29)? Such a man should not glory as an inheritor of the Kingdom of God (Lk. 3:8, Jn. 8:33). For, the loss of this “token” would mean banishment from the Covenant (Gen. 17:11, 14)! Even so, when the Bride loses her sweetheart love for the Bridegroom it means inestimable loss (Jer. 3:8-9)!
|
“…the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” – 1 Sam. 16:;7
|
In looking upon the Bride, the Bridegroom “looketh on the heart” in search for love (Prov. 20:27, Ps. 139:23). If Jehovah-Ishi looks and doesn’t see perfect love in the Bride (1 Jn. 2:4-6, 4:17-18; Rev. 2:4-5), he denounces this unacceptable heart condition by calling the people: “uncircumcised in heart” (Lev. 26:41, Jer. 9:26, Ezek. 44:7, 9; Acts 7:51). Infuriated jealousy speaks strongly at such times, saying, “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest My fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.” (Jer. 4:4). Why? Because El-esh-oklah is longing to repossess the Bride.
This repeated use of the word “circumcise”, describing an inward spiritual circumcision of heart, is used broadly like the term “convert” in the Bible (Lk. 22:32, James 5:19). Both are used to describe the inward change that takes place when a sinner is born again or a backslidden believer is restored from a fallen condition, all of which is impossible without the regenerating power of the Holy Ghost changing the heart in a spiritual operation of God (Deut. 30:1-6; Tit. 3:5). Like Jesus sought the restoration and final perseverance of Peter, when he spoke to him about his restoration in terms of conversion, saying, “when thou art converted” (Lk. 22:32), Jehovah sought the restoration and final perseverance of the Children of the Exodus Generation in the Day of Deuteronomy using the word “circumcision”.
The surviving Children were truly converted believers (Deut. 4:1-4), howbeit they were showing signs of following in the footsteps of their recently deceased fathers judging by the episode of rebellion at Baal-Peor. Jehovah was determined to stop this once and for all. Clearly, the chosen generation scarcely survived theretofore by “cleaving” (1 Pet. 4:17-18, Deut. 4:1-4), but God wanted them to learn to “cleave” with perseverance without repeated episodes of rebellion (Deut. 10:20). The Bridegroom was searching for permanent love in the Bride! Therefore, Moses said: “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.” (Deut. 10:16). Hardly anything could emphasize the importance of spiritual identity to Jews more than God speaking of love in these terms. Truly! This kind of language would drive the point home. To discover the loss or restoration of bridal love in terms of a heart circumcision would be life changing to lukewarm backsliders in Israel. Such men would learn to pray even as backslidden David personally described this very experience in synonymous terms.
This repeated use of the word “circumcise”, describing an inward spiritual circumcision of heart, is used broadly like the term “convert” in the Bible (Lk. 22:32, James 5:19). Both are used to describe the inward change that takes place when a sinner is born again or a backslidden believer is restored from a fallen condition, all of which is impossible without the regenerating power of the Holy Ghost changing the heart in a spiritual operation of God (Deut. 30:1-6; Tit. 3:5). Like Jesus sought the restoration and final perseverance of Peter, when he spoke to him about his restoration in terms of conversion, saying, “when thou art converted” (Lk. 22:32), Jehovah sought the restoration and final perseverance of the Children of the Exodus Generation in the Day of Deuteronomy using the word “circumcision”.
The surviving Children were truly converted believers (Deut. 4:1-4), howbeit they were showing signs of following in the footsteps of their recently deceased fathers judging by the episode of rebellion at Baal-Peor. Jehovah was determined to stop this once and for all. Clearly, the chosen generation scarcely survived theretofore by “cleaving” (1 Pet. 4:17-18, Deut. 4:1-4), but God wanted them to learn to “cleave” with perseverance without repeated episodes of rebellion (Deut. 10:20). The Bridegroom was searching for permanent love in the Bride! Therefore, Moses said: “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.” (Deut. 10:16). Hardly anything could emphasize the importance of spiritual identity to Jews more than God speaking of love in these terms. Truly! This kind of language would drive the point home. To discover the loss or restoration of bridal love in terms of a heart circumcision would be life changing to lukewarm backsliders in Israel. Such men would learn to pray even as backslidden David personally described this very experience in synonymous terms.
|
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy Presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.” - Psalms 51:10-11
|
A loss of love in the backslider means a forfeiting of the cleanness of heart and rightness of spirit that David spoke about in Psalm 51:10-11. Of course, it wasn’t that David had never loved the LORD before, nor could it be said that he had never been spiritually circumcised in heart, but for the past year David was a stiffnecked backslider who was fallen from grace (Gal. 4:19; Rev. 3:16-19). David knew what this meant. He had a heart problem in a soul religion! In other words, David had a wrong spirit. He could feel it (Ps. 32:3-4). David knew the inward blessedness of a man who is truly forgiven by God, a man “in whose spirit there is no guile” (Ps. 32:2), so David cried out for a renewal of “a right spirit” within him (Ps. 51:10). Had David believed what people commonly do about the sacrificial system of the Old Testament, he would have just offered a sacrifice for an atonement and been done with it. Instead, he consciously withheld animal sacrifices (Ps. 51:16-19) until he was sure that the inward impurities of heart and spirit were made right by God (Ps. 51:6-7). Speaking of this, David said, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Psalms 51:17).
What the LORD accomplished at Sinai through Moses, and then perpetuated in a mobile Tabernacle, was later permanently fixed in a stationary way on Zion through the instrumentality of David (1 Chron. 28:19). Tracing the development and progress of redemption from Abraham to David makes this abundantly clear. We can be sure that David understood the importance of “a pure heart” to ascend and abide upon Zion (Ps. 24:4, 73:10), just as Moses demanded the same at Sinai (Ex. 19, 24); which is why David prayed to God for “a clean heart” when he was backslidden lest he die (Ps. 51:10, 101:1-8). What else but God’s forgiveness through imputed righteousness could give David “a right spirit” again (Rom. 4:3, 8; Ps. 32:1-2; Ps. 51:10)? Surely, the inward rightness of spirit that David was searching for was an imputation of righteousness into the heart and soul of a man (Rom. 4:3, 8, 8:10). Even so, he knew exactly what Moses was speaking about in Deuteronomy 10:16 when he commanded the Children of the Exodus Generation to make sure that their hearts were spiritually circumcised. Again, David perpetuated these codes of conduct at Zion!
What the LORD accomplished at Sinai through Moses, and then perpetuated in a mobile Tabernacle, was later permanently fixed in a stationary way on Zion through the instrumentality of David (1 Chron. 28:19). Tracing the development and progress of redemption from Abraham to David makes this abundantly clear. We can be sure that David understood the importance of “a pure heart” to ascend and abide upon Zion (Ps. 24:4, 73:10), just as Moses demanded the same at Sinai (Ex. 19, 24); which is why David prayed to God for “a clean heart” when he was backslidden lest he die (Ps. 51:10, 101:1-8). What else but God’s forgiveness through imputed righteousness could give David “a right spirit” again (Rom. 4:3, 8; Ps. 32:1-2; Ps. 51:10)? Surely, the inward rightness of spirit that David was searching for was an imputation of righteousness into the heart and soul of a man (Rom. 4:3, 8, 8:10). Even so, he knew exactly what Moses was speaking about in Deuteronomy 10:16 when he commanded the Children of the Exodus Generation to make sure that their hearts were spiritually circumcised. Again, David perpetuated these codes of conduct at Zion!
|
“Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.” - Deuteronomy 10:16
|
Think about it. If outward circumcision was intended to be a physical “seal” that demonstrates “the righteousness of the faith” that God inwardly imputes into men (Rom. 4:11), then inward circumcision is certainly a sign of an inward righteousness imputed by God. The inward realities of religion do always precede and authenticate the outward things of religion, even in the Old Testament (Matt. 23:25-28; James 1:27; Matt. 15:10-20). Lo and behold, there is a spirituality to the Ceremonial Law! Don’t let the Pharisees deceive you. Let Scripture interpret Scripture and let each Prophet answer to next Prophet, as God unfolds the mysteries of redemption throughout time. Marvelously, the mosaic command to “circumcise…your heart” in Deuteronomy 10:16 was interpreted by Ezekiel and harmoniously rendered: “make you a NEW heart and a NEW spirit” (Ezek. 18:31).
|
“Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a NEW heart and a NEW spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” - Ezekiel 18:31
|
The mosaic mandate for a spiritual circumcision is exactly interpreted by this prophetic command. The two are perfectly equivalent: “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart” = “make you a NEW heart and a NEW spirit”. When David cried out for his own personal restoration in the words, “Create in me a CLEAN heart, O God; and renew a RIGHT spirit within me.” (Ps. 51:10), he could have said: Create in me “a NEW heart and a NEW spirit” (Ezek. 18:31). It means the same thing. Under inspiration, Ezekiel was quoting from Psalm 51:10. The cleanliness and rightness being “renewed” is the newness.
This use of the word “new” speaks of a renewed cleanness and rightness of heart and spirit even in Ezekiel’s time. Why? Because Ezekiel was primarily speaking to true believers who were backslidden in context, like David was backslidden in Psalm 51. Josiah’s reign and the subsequent falling away set the stage for this appeal. Therefore, like David, this generation needed a restoration of heart and spirit. Are you seeing the harmony?
The divine outcry, “…for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezek. 18:31, 33:11), emphasizes the certainty of death promised to the impenitent whom God called “wicked” through memory omitting powers (Ezek. 3:17-21, 18:21-24, 30-32, 33:11-20; Note: these same appeals can be observed in the New Testament, when the legal status of backslidden believers is altered at their fall into sin). All the Prophets of the Wilderness periods were very bold to set before the Church the way of life and death with all authority (Deut. 30:15-20; Jer. 21:8-10, 27:13). Love cries to endangered souls showing them how to survive Jehovah-M’Kadesh, while whole-hearted listeners answer the cry and live to tell the story (Ps. 91:1-16). In this case Babylon was a chastisement to aid each man’s personal restoration, which of course comes by a personal revival of whole-heartedness or a heart circumcision (Deut. 4:27-31, Lev. 26:40-46, Deut. 30:1-6). In turn, this leads to a corporate restoration of the Church in Covenantal Idealism that reunites Israel and Judah under Jehovah once again.
This use of the word “new” speaks of a renewed cleanness and rightness of heart and spirit even in Ezekiel’s time. Why? Because Ezekiel was primarily speaking to true believers who were backslidden in context, like David was backslidden in Psalm 51. Josiah’s reign and the subsequent falling away set the stage for this appeal. Therefore, like David, this generation needed a restoration of heart and spirit. Are you seeing the harmony?
The divine outcry, “…for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezek. 18:31, 33:11), emphasizes the certainty of death promised to the impenitent whom God called “wicked” through memory omitting powers (Ezek. 3:17-21, 18:21-24, 30-32, 33:11-20; Note: these same appeals can be observed in the New Testament, when the legal status of backslidden believers is altered at their fall into sin). All the Prophets of the Wilderness periods were very bold to set before the Church the way of life and death with all authority (Deut. 30:15-20; Jer. 21:8-10, 27:13). Love cries to endangered souls showing them how to survive Jehovah-M’Kadesh, while whole-hearted listeners answer the cry and live to tell the story (Ps. 91:1-16). In this case Babylon was a chastisement to aid each man’s personal restoration, which of course comes by a personal revival of whole-heartedness or a heart circumcision (Deut. 4:27-31, Lev. 26:40-46, Deut. 30:1-6). In turn, this leads to a corporate restoration of the Church in Covenantal Idealism that reunites Israel and Judah under Jehovah once again.
|
“And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.” - Deuteronomy 30:6
“And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:” - Ezekiel 11:19 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” - Ezekiel 36:26 |
Sadly, such verses as these are grossly misinterpreted to be prophecies that exclusively describe salvation in the New Testament. However, this description isn’t a “new” experience of salvation in the sense that it didn’t exist in the Old Testament. Rather, these scriptures speak of a renewed work of salvation in a newly restored operation, one that was already at work in the Old Testament at better times. These prophecies powered the work of God in the 1st Restoration Generation of the Jews, when they were regathered from Babylon and restored to the Holy Land, according to Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, & Zechariah. Accordingly, with the spiritual identity of the Bride restored, the Bridegroom was rejoicing!
|
“Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with My whole heart and with My whole soul.” – Jeremiah 32:41 [Amos 9:8-15, Ezek. 20:37-42]
“For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the Bridegroom rejoiceth over the Bride, so shall Thy God rejoice over thee.” – Isaiah 62:5 “In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” - Zephaniah 3:16-17 |
No more fear - Jer. 23:4, 46:27-28, Ezek. 36:15
No more weeping - Isa. 30:19 No more uncleanness in Israel - Isa. 52:1, Zech. 14:21, Ezek. 36:29, 33 No more defilements - Ezek. 11:18, 37:23, 43:7 No more straying from God - Ezek. 14:11 No more idols - Zech. 13:2, Ezek. 20:37-42, 36:25, Hos. 14:8 No more Divine anger - Ezek. 16:42, Isa. 54:9-10, Ezek. 39:29, Hos. 13:14, 14:4 No more leaving the Holy Land – Amos 9:11-15, Jer. 31:40 No more war – Jer. 23:4-6, Hos. 2:18, Isa. 60:18, Mic. 4:3-4, Ps. 46:9 |
Through a divine repentance Jehovah-Ishi was rejoicing over the Bride as in days of old (Deut. 28:63, 30:9; Hag. 2:5)! However, sadly, despite God’s full intention to glorify the Jews in a fully restored Kingdom in the Holy Land, the people fell into sin with continuance (Neh. 13; Mal. 1-4). A failure to meet the moral criterion is unacceptable to the LORD. Therefore, the 1st Restoration Generation was breached and the vision was recalibrated and recast to the 2nd Restoration Generation. Then, upon the Jews rejecting their Messiah, the vision was recast once again to a 3rd Restoration Generation. However, this is where the story ends (Rev. 19): the espoused Bride will be happily wedded to the Bridegroom and their rejoicing together shall fill the infinite space of eternity forevermore! “He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love.” (Song of Solomon 2:4). Even so, Amen.
