Judgment – Compassion - Resurrection
During the Passover season, the figures of Elijah
and Moses are highlighted. What do the scriptures say about these prophets and
their relationship to the House of Israel today? Malachi, for example,
concludes his book by saying that Elijah will come “before the great and
terrible day of YHVH” and “will turn the hearts of the children to the
fathers [Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob]” and vice versa, with the
exhortation which precedes these words being, to “remember the Torah of
Moses… and the statutes and ordinances for all Israel” (see Malachi 4:4-6).
Of course, one would have to know that they are Israel - YHVH’s covenanted
people - to heed this message and its warning. (Psalm 78 is a perfect
Psalm for Passover.)
If this message to “all Israel to remember…” is
ignored, the Father promises “to strike the earth with a curse”
(Malachi 4:6). This is not to be taken lightly or fugitively! This world
is no stranger to scourges, and no doubt many more will follow, as there has
been very little response to this call that has gone out, not only to the Jews
but also to the believers in the New Covenant who, according to Paul, are the
children of those forefathers (e.g., Romans 4:16). Thus the prophetic
word is equally applicable to both groups. The prophet Jeremiah announces the
wrath and anger of YHVH in the last days: “The anger of YHVH will
not turn back until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart;
In the last days you will clearly understand it” (Jeremiah 23:20,
emphasis added. See also Jeremiah 30:24).
On October 7th, 2023, we had a wake-up call in
Israel. What took place here was already foreseen by the prophet Ezekiel and
has been fulfilled many times ever since these words were uttered. YHVH’s
warnings and judgements came upon His adulterous people through the Assyrians,
Babylonians, and Romans, to cite a few examples. There have been ample warnings
for years, but they have fallen on deaf ears. This is one reason our
hearts must return to our forefathers, for they are our example (see 1st Corinthians
10:1-11) and the bearers of YHVH’s promises. Paul reminds us of our forefathers’
rebellion in the wilderness and the consequences of their waywardness. Ezekiel
also describes what can happen when we turn our backs on the prophetic
warnings:
"I shall also give you into the hands of
your lovers, and they will tear down your shrines, demolish your high places,
strip you of your clothing, take away your jewels, and will leave you naked and
bare. They will incite a crowd against you, and they will stone you and cut you
to pieces with their swords. And they will burn your houses with fire and
execute judgments on you in the sight of many women. Then I shall stop you from
playing the harlot, and you will also no longer pay your lovers” (Ezekiel
16:39-41).
The above scripture is uncannily descriptive of
what took place on October 7th. We all know by now that the enemy's
main plan was for this to erupt on all fronts. But why did it happen in the
first place? Could it be because His people who are called by His name
fell into gross sin and iniquity by profaning YHVH’s name (e.g. Ezekiel 36:20)
in a variety of ways, one of the worst being by mutual hatred? History proves how we have incurred the wrath
of Elohim for such attitudes and actions. But YHVH's feast of Passover
promises that even though “we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He
cannot deny Himself” (2nd Timothy 2:13).
Passover reminds us of
Elohim’s great and undeserved love and mercy. YHVH hears our cry and will come to deliver us no matter how deep and severe our bondage to sin is. This is the hope of resurrection life that Moses heard from the
voice that spoke to him at the burning bush: "I am the Elohim of your father,
the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob" (Exodus
3:6, emphasis added). Interestingly, in His address to Moses, YHVH mentioned each
forefather, but notice “your father”, which is singular. The
point is that our identity as Israel is a corporate identity of ONE life, ONE
father, even though we have had many. Yeshua unveils the mystery behind the
burning bush scene when he illustrates the principle of resurrection life in
His dialog with the Sadducees, who did not believe that the dead can or will
rise.
"But regarding the fact that the dead rise
again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning
bush, how Elohim spoke to him, saying, 'I am the Elohim of Abraham, and the Elohim
of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob '? He is not the Elohim of the dead,
but of the living; you are greatly mistaken" (Mark
12:26-27). Resurrection is embedded in the principle of the seed. The seed falls to the ground and dies so that its life can grow and produce after its kind in time. Yeshua’s resurrection was the “beginning” of the
new creation life, and Israel is the “first fruit” of the same (e.g., Jeremiah
2:3; Acts 2:1-4). Passover is the “feast of freedom”, away from the old
bondages and into newness of life. It represents the Aviv, which is the new
beginning of a seed that has fallen to the ground and now is in the season of
spouting, embarking on its journey of new life, knowing that it will bear its fruit
for YHVH’s harvest - “… the old things passed away; behold, new
things have come”(2nd Corinthians 5:17).
No comments:
Post a Comment