| Kedoshim |
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| Written by Carl & Julie Parker | |
| Friday, 02 May 2008 | |
ScripturesLeviticus 19:1-20:27
Is it possible to walk in holiness? When we are born again we are seen in Yeshua’s righteousness, but is it possible for us to walk in holiness? The scriptures say yes. How is this doable? In Exodus 19:5-6 and 1 Peter 2:9 we are called a royal priesthood and a holy nation. As a royal priesthood we are expected to know the difference between clean and unclean, holy and unholy according to Ezekiel 44:23-24 written to those who minister to YHVH. The knowledge is there but many have not been taught how to walk in holiness. What does this mean exactly?
In Psalm 133:1-3 we are told about Aaron the high priest who was anointed by oil so much so that it ran down his beard and onto his garments. When an unclean person in any capacity, from the priesthood or community repents from having participated in an unclean realm (sinful nature of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil) he is to ritually apply the law of life restoring and transforming him to the clean realm (fruit of spirit of the tree of life). In Leviticus 14:14-18 the priest was to apply some of the blood from a sacrificed lamb to the right ear, thumb and toe. With extra oil given the man, the priest doing the anointing, in this case Yeshua, dipped His finger into this extra oil and applied it directly over the blood on the right ear, thumb and big toe. The remainder of the extra oil was poured over the head of the person being cleansed which run down over his beard and edges of his garments. This is what we see in Psalm 133:1-3. When oil is placed over blood it indicates YHVH desires mercy not sacrifice. When oil runs over the beard; out of the mouth a priest shall preserve mercy over sacrifice. Torah (sacrifice) on its own without Yeshua (mercy) brings death. Extra oil running down over the garments (representing wedding garments) speaks of being transformed from the unclean/unholy realm to the clean/holy realm and clothing one’s self in immortality. It is here, in mercy (immortality) that YHVH commanded His blessings, Life forever more because without holiness no one will see YHVH. We need to transform ourselves in order to “see” YHVH’s Life forever more. It is a commandment and the true “gospel” of Yeshua Ha Mashiach to His royal priesthood (us).
Work out your salvation (holiness and sanctification) with fear and trembling. Be holy as I am holy. We are commanded to discipline and train our bodies to walk the imperishable. We do changing. YHVH has given us the authority to war against principalities, dominions and powers in us that tries to exalt its self over YHVH. But the one who overcomers this temptation and who fights the good fight will inherit the right to eat from the tree of life in paradise, will not be hurt by the second death, will be given hidden manna, given authority over nations, will be dressed in white, will be a pillar in YHVH’s temple and given the right to sit with Yeshua on His throne (Philippians 2:12; Lev 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7; Deut 26:19; 1 Peter 1:16; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Revelation 2-3). We are not of this earthly kingdom. We need to leave the elementary things behind and press on to the goal of our redemption; Life forever more in a heavenly kingdom. Once we have redemption we need to transform from the corruptible mindset and lifestyle to an incorruptible walk of holiness because without holiness no one will see YHVH. How is this possible? We need to be finished operating in a sinful nature. The fruits of the sinful nature “are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told youin time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:18-21). After being born again if we are still grumbling, complaining, bitter, accusing, arguing or angry we are not applying the principles of the heavenly kingdom for which we are destined for. We are still walking in corruption and need to be transformed in our minds and hearts.
What are we taught? We are taught to distinguish between clean and unclean, holy and unholy and about the moedim/feast days and Sabbath’s of YHVH so we may put them into practice in our lives and walk in holiness, clothing ourselves in the imperishable. This is the only way we will see YHVH (Ezekiel 44:23-24) This teaching is for those who are believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and desire to walk in His ways. Kedoshim is designed to bring holiness into the lives of those who desire to respond to the call of the Bridegroom, Yeshua. Both our testimony and the spirit life we profess are improved upon by these sound foundational teachings in Leviticus that are designed to give us maximum life in Yeshua. We desire to do as Paul exhorted us in
Two of the foremost crucial steps in the walk of sanctification leading to a life of holiness are respect for parents and observance of the Sabbaths. On a personal level, I was brought up in an alcoholic home and had, in my mind, plenty of justification and bitterness to prevent me from honoring my parents. Both parents were heavy drinkers. My perspective of the world and family life growing up was through their world and my heart became hard. My parents were generous materially, but failed to show love in areas that were so desperately essential. Innocently I started to walk out the generational curses that took me to wrong places for love. I entered marriage early, searching for this love I desired so deeply. Within three years I was homeless with an eighteen-month-old son to care for. After many years as a single parent, I remarried, looking for this deep love plus a stable home for my son who was then six. It was at this time that YHVH entered my life and for the first time an indescribable love and peace entered my heart. I began to grow on His foundation of true love by studying His Word and allowing it to nurture this gift of love that guided me each day. Years later, during my prayer time, YHVH asked me to honor my parents. This surprised me as I thought I loved them, but YHVH showed me that in my heart I kept them at a distance due to my judgment of their lifestyle and the bitterroot I had continued to hold against them. The truth was they were very hurting people and needed YHVH’s love. My judgment of them was apparent. This caused alienation, which was not according to YHVH’s plan. He forgave me, now it was time to allow Him to heal my broken heart so that I might forgive my parents. As a result of His gentle conviction on my heart, I phoned my mom and asked her to forgive me for my rebellious youth and how I treated them. In my eyes I was just trying to survive those years, but YHVH directed me to share and I obeyed. Little did I know this would change our lives and the lives of my parents forever. As I spoke the words of forgiveness to my mom I heard her weeping on the other end of the phone. My act of forgiveness toward her was unconditional; she never knew what it was like for me to grow up under the alcoholic conditions in our family. When I heard her weeping on the phone it was as if YHVH took what I had lived through all those years and washed my bitter heart clean. I then truly found myself loving my mom and dad. Shortly after, my mom was faced with a divorce. Her health was also quickly deteriorating due to the years of abuse. My husband and I decided to sell our home and soon found a better residence with a garden suite for my mom and invited her to live with us. Even though mom never fully recovered from the effects of alcohol in her life, those last years with her were joyful family times. I gained back the mom I remembered as a little girl, and best of all, she recognized her need for a Savior and gave her life to Yeshua! Mom always looked forward to Erev Shabbat evenings and often had tears in her eyes when she prayed the Mother’s prayer over her daughter.
We may not fully understand a commandment but it is the obedience to it that brings a flow of blessings and revelations. Righteousness and faith come from obeying YHVH’s teaching and instructions, His Torah. It is doing His commandments that bring holiness in our lives. When we obey by putting His Word into practice daily, we walk in His Kingdom. Sabbath is not just those one or two hours worshipping and fellowshipping with others, but lasts a whole twenty-four joyous hours. What we do with our Sabbath will effect the anointing for the rest of our days and have great influence on the family. May we use the time He gives us to celebrate with Him wisely and purposefully that we might bear fruit that glorifies Him and is evident to all.
Today, not many of us have farms or fields to plow but all of us have abundance in our lives to share with others, especially those who are poor among us, the fatherless, widows and orphans. If we followed this commandment today we would not have need for a social welfare system, and dignity and honor would be restored among the people and in the land. Leviticus 19:11-18 Various Other LawsStealing, lying, deceit and swearing falsely to one another profanes YHVH’s name. Defrauding, robbing, holding back wages, cursing the deaf (physically or spiritually), perverting justice, showing partiality, speaking slander, endangering a neighbor, and hating our brother or seeking revenge all makes our neighbor stumble and perverts YHVH’s name. How? YHVH is teaching us that every person is morally responsible to his or her fellow man, both individually and as part of the nation. If we tarnish ourselves through dishonesty and lies, we are profaning the Name that we bear and we are undermining the love of YHVH for whom we are to be messengers. Gossip, slander or sharing behind another’s back is called lashon hara in Hebrew. This harms a neighbor’s reputation. Taking pleasure in belittling another person is as shedding his blood. The Sages say, evil talk kills three people: the speaker, the listener, and the one who is spoken of. (Talmud, Erachin 15a) A great Jewish teacher, Sefer Chofetz Chaim, in the nineteenth century, spent his whole life teaching on the effects of our speech to one another. Daily we bless or curse our fellow man; this begins in our thoughts and in the attitudes of our hearts, which then flows through our speech. The tongue unleashes caustic, destructive ammunition when used to unleash lashon hara against people. This spreads defilement in contrast to the positive effects that flow by blessing our fellow man. Chofetz Chaim taught how to love your neighbor as yourself – through applying Torah principles. This concept is illustrated through the first offering mentioned in Leviticus chapter one called the Olah offering. This offering teaches us how to “elevate” our brother – at all times – higher than our self. And, yes, at times this will be a sacrifice…of praise!
Leviticus 19:18 The Second Greatest Commandment
In John 13:34 to 15:17 John quoted Yeshua teaching the people how to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Yeshua quoted Leviticus 19:18 when He gave this “new” commandment to them. It was not really a new commandment but one that Yeshua was making new to them again. Yeshua’s disciples would have known the scriptures from an early age and would have recognized Leviticus 19:18. He was teaching them what this love was. Love is when people walk in Yeshua’s commandments and keep them as a lifestyle, revealing a walk of redemption and consecration. “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me" (John 14:21). Yeshua’s commandments were spoken to us at Mount Sinai (John 5:46-47; Deuteronomy 29:14-15). These commandments in Leviticus are Yeshua’s commandments to us today. “You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:14). When Yeshua said, “This is my command: Love each other,” He was revealing Himself as YHVH in the flesh to us. Where two or more are gathered in His (Yeshua’s) Name, Yeshua is in their midst (Matthew 18:20). When we elevate our neighbor, it is Yeshua in our midst who is elevated. (The word new is Strong’s Greek word #2537 kainos, meaning re-newed not brand new). Leviticus 19:19 The Teaching On Clean And Unclean, Holy And Unholy
All YHVH’s laws are laws put into effect since Creation that govern the earth. The laws against mixing YHVH’s seed (plant or animal) are called kilayim in Hebrew. Mating different animal species, planting fields with genetically altered seed and wearing clothing woven with two kinds of material (shaatnez) are three ways of going against YHVH’s order on the earth that will corrupt His design. Hybridizing what YHVH made is forbidden. Today hybridizing has become a common and acceptable practice. There is order in YHVH’s design, and man’s “improving” upon it will bring disorder in our lives and in the environment He has given us to look after. Clean and unclean practices do not mix. Today, because of the unclean practice of mixing dead animal carcasses in with feed grain for animals and birds, we have diseases like swine and avian (bird) flu, SARS, anthrax and mad cow disease. These “mixed” animal products end up on dinner tables across America and worldwide. Swine flu and other diseases caused by the pig come from eating pork products. Other diseases originating from unclean practices in regards to animals are small pox, tuberculosis, malaria, measles, cholera and AIDS. Hybridizing grains and foods, something YHVH warned us not to do, continues to add to the long list of growing diseases. Because of our disobedience and/or innocent lack of knowledge of His Word, plagues have been rampant throughout the world and have caused millions of deaths. The mixing of clean and unclean, holy and unholy practices manipulate on the spiritual level also. What we mix in our mind and heart has a huge effect that brings contamination into our “camp”. Learning the laws of mixing helps keep compromise and lukewarmness far from us. In the book of Revelation of Yeshua scripture describes this mixing in a warning to the seven ekklesia/churches. Mixing causes us to leave our first love, removes the lampstand from our hearts causing us to lose our way and brings fear upon us. When fear has root, idolatry, harlotry and seducing spirits tempt us wanting to dominate and control our lives through other people. It may not be detected right away by us, but by association and what is attracted to us will reveal what is in us. When we are in right order with YHVH, distinguishing clean and unclean, holy and unholy ways and walking in His moedim/feast days and Sabbaths, wrong associations will leave us (Revelation 2-3).
Many people are going back to YHVH’s Word and searching the scriptures to see what His ways for a cleaner and healthier lifestyle are. Understanding what God considers food for us to consume and learning good farming practices are two very important biblical principles necessary for the perfect balance of our health and environment today. It is ultimately a heart issue.
Wearing appropriate fabric, especially next to the skin, is also important. YHVH’s Word says to use natural fibers with no mixture. Mixing a cool fabric (cotton/linen) and a warm fabric (wool) together, where one is to cool the skin and the other is to keep the skin warm, can cause problems for our body. Just look at the sexual revolution in the 60’s and 70’s. Polyester became the hottest fabric on the market. Slinky looks for shirts, dresses and undergarments became very popular. With fabric like this next to the body the temperature rises and, particularly in males, the sexual interest rises as well. These various laws in Leviticus 19 are also there to protect our hearts as they too reveal the condition of our hearts. Will we be obedient or rebellious toward the God we say we serve? Does He have full fellowship with us in all matters of our life? Does He desire for us to worship Him with all our whole heart, mind, and soul? Or can we choose the “shopping cart experience” and walk down the isles of God’s kingdom picking and choosing which ones we want to keep according to what we believe is right for our lives. These kilayim laws are made for the sanctification of our hearts. It is not only about the physical mixing but more so for the things we mix pertaining to the heart. Guarding over our response to these instructions is what keeps our hearts clean before a holy Elohim.
Trees often correspond to people in Scripture. It takes approximately three and a half years, the length of Yeshua’s ministry on earth, to walk out a redeemed lifestyle by progressive revelation before we start to see true fruit developing in our lives. During this time we learn to lay a good foundation of obedience to YHVH’s teaching and instruction. As temples of the living God, we are to offer freewill offerings of praise, encouragement and affirmation to God, our self and others. Likewise, we are to learn to distinguish between clean and unclean, holy and unholy and keep Sabbath and the feast days. Glorifying Yeshua in this brings an abundance of fruit and increase in our lives through the presence of the Spirit of Yeshua, as well as an ingathering and harvest of souls. It is all for the glory of YHVH! The priesthood had a five-year internship before they were able to start their duties in the temple (1 Chronicles 23:24). This was fashioned after YHVH’s kilayim laws. Many of us remember what our first year in Torah looked like. Opening our mouths was like a “mixed” bag! After three years of Torah study our conduct became more stable, and we pursued a more mature lifestyle, overcoming the old life (sinful nature) that we surrendered. Those who studied through five torah cycles began to lead and teach others. Their fruit had become holy and they were able to tend those in their “green” years. This tree Yeshua is describing in Leviticus is our walk through the progressive revelation of Torah that leads us into a holy lifestyle.
The purpose of this list is to reveal occult origins and practices, which were prevalent in that day just as they are so vastly widespread today. The people coming to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob needed to understand what were clean and unclean practices before YHVH. Today tattoos are the fad, as is cutting the body by means of piercings in unusual places of the body. Some pagan customs have become so subtle today that many do not realize they are from pagan practice. Our skin represents the skin of a Torah scroll. To mark it with permanent stains or cut it is to render the Torah scroll unclean, thus bringing defilement to the Temple and profaning YHVH’s Name. Outside of a Nazarite vow, the shaving of the whole head, and thus the concealment of the boarders of the beard, emerged from occult practices. YHVH asks us not to do this. We are to allow our hair/beard to grow enough to display and reveal their boarders.
Today as Ephraim is returning to the God of their forefathers the term “gentile” is inappropriate and non-scriptural. All twelve tribes with their companions are coming home. YHVH’s Word will be fulfilled as He spoke through His prophets long ago. Who can truthfully claim their ancestry today? All records were destroyed with the Temple. Living outside the land today, are we not all aliens and strangers?
This has as much to do with people as it does with commerce and trade. Favoring one person over the other by a standard of looks, status or position is using a dishonest scale. Prejudice to color, race or creed is the dishonest scale of racism. Devaluing our neighbor because of lack or gain is a dishonest scale. Favoring one Israelite tribe over the other is a dishonest scale. This is lashon hara on a deeper level.
YHVH is warning us a second time not to hand our children over to occult practices or to Molech (Leviticus 18:21). In the last parsha (Acharei) we learned, through legitimate statistics, about the pervasiveness of abortion in the United States. As parents, we are the guardians of YHVH’s children that He has gifted us with. We are to teach them YHVH’s ways, protect and cover them while they are growing up under our care. Government-run schools are a relatively new addition in history (His-story). Originally schools and colleges were biblically based and the curriculum or textbook used was the Bible. The standard was YHVH and He was the center of all activity. Over time these institutions become secular with much pagan influence. Today “God” is not allowed in schools. Prayer used to start the morning but today many children instead begin their school day by being screened for weapons and drugs. Socially correct conduct like illicit behavior is being encouraged while YHVH’s godly morals are blatantly ignored. Home schooling is beginning to grow steadily, especially over the last twenty years, as families are opting out of the “Molech system” and bringing their children home. Families are strengthened as parents participate in their children’s whole education and guide what they watch, read, are taught, and what influences and associations they are around, all based on the Word of YHVH.
YHVH now again goes over the rules for holy living and what happens when His people disobey His message. He is as faithful to the curses as He is to the blessings. Obedience brings the blessings; disobedience brings the curses. We need to encourage one another and uphold each other with the vision YHVH has put before us for our marriages and our children, our families, our neighbors and for the Nations (Leviticus 20:9-21).
These next verses hold the key to all of Leviticus
The priesthood of Yeshua rests on what we put into our “temples” as this reflects the condition of our hearts. What we put into our bodies, starting with the foods we eat, can defile us and hence govern and reveal the way we think and act. Mixing the unclean with the clean can bring a level of compromise into our hearts that will cause defilement and a breakdown between YHVH and us, rendering us unclean. Our prayer life, worship, communion, vision and personal walk with YHVH will come out of godly order and became distorted, separating us from Him. There will always be a war or conflict going on inside us, leaving room for rebellion to enter and mislead our hearts. We cannot mix. We are called to separate from the ways of the nations around us and not defile ourselves by their ways. It is we who cause our own separation from YHVH when we bring contamination into YHVH’s camp. Our choice of “food” we eat (both physical and spiritual) can lead to lack and poverty in our lives either physical or spiritual.
We have redemption through Yeshua. He has bridged the gap for our lack of understanding. Now that we have read and studied what separates us from YHVH and causes defilement in us, it is up to us to put it into effect in our lives or continue to go against that which blesses us. This is our walk of redemption, not for salvation purposes but for consecration and sanctification. May we repent and walk after YHVH’s ways for blessings and leave the curses far behind. True repentance from the heart is a sweet aroma to YHVH. There is no condemnation for those who walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh (Romans 8:1). May we be a people who return wholeheartedly to Yeshua who loved us so deeply that He died for ALL our sins and washed us clean. What have we done with our Temples since salvation? It is time to come back.
Shabbat Shalom, Reference: Past Parshot: www.messianicisrael.com/sheepfold-gleanings/ |
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