14th of the 3rd month 2016/2017
Shabbat Shalom all,
Qorintiyim Bět/2 Corinthians 6:17-18 “Therefore, “Come out from among them and be separate, says יהוה, and do not touch what is unclean, and I shall receive you. 18 “And I shall be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me, says יהוה the Almighty.”
This call to come out and be separate is one that most have heard; yet why is it then that so many still struggle with compromised standards that mix set-apartness with falsehood and as a result they lack the proper knowledge of Scripture which causes them to be confused and unable to follow this very clear and urgent call for set-apartness?
The Greek word here for ‘come out’ is ἐξέρχομαι exerchomai – Strong’s G1831 which means, ‘depart, come out from, go forth’, and is the same word used in:
Ḥazon/Revelation 18:4 “And I heard another voice from the heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.”
When Kěpha was in prison he obeyed the instructions of the messenger and came out, as we see this word being translated as ‘coming out’ in:
Ma’asei/Acts 12:8-9 “And the messenger said to him, “Gird yourself and bind on your sandals,” and he did so. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” 9 And coming out he followed him, and knew not that what was done by the messenger was true, but thought he was seeing a vision.”
Only when you truly ‘come out’ and be separate can you properly ‘follow’ the Master!!! You cannot follow properly if you are still attached or chained to worldly things!
Being separated involves a coming out from among that which foreign and contrary to the Torah! The Greek word used here for ‘separate’ is ἀφορίζω aphorizō – Strong’s G873 which means, ‘to mark off by boundaries, ostracise, separate, set-apart’ and comes from the two words: 1 – ἀπό apo – Strong’s G575 which is a preposition and primitive particle, meaning, ‘from, away from, against’ and 2 – ὁρίζω horizon – Strong’s G3724 which means, ‘predetermined, fixed, appointed, to mark off by boundaries’.
We are called to come out and be separate, marked by the clear boundaries of the Torah of Elohim that is now written upon our hearts, in which we delight and meditate upon day and night in order that we prosper in all we do, staying in the Master with great joy! What I like about these two verses in the second letter to the Corinthians is the promise that is given to those who respond correctly to the call of coming out and being separate. The promise is that יהוה says that He will be a Father to us and we shall be sons and daughters to Him. True children of Elohim have great boldness to withstand wickedness!
What is very clear throughout Scripture is that we are called to come out and be separate. If we do not heed this call to come out and be separate then we may find ourselves among those whom the Messengers of יהוה will ‘separate’ from the congregation!
Mattithyahu/Matthew 13:49-50 “Thus shall it be at the end of the age: the messengers shall come forth, and separate the wicked out of the midst of the righteous, 50 and shall throw them into the furnace of fire – there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
The choice is very clear – separate yourselves from all foreign worship and its practices or you will be separated for destruction! There is a clear separation that is called for, and the true royal priesthood has been separated unto Elohim, and therefore must no longer be ‘joined’ to the ways of the world:
Eph’siyim/Ephesians 5:7-11 “Therefore do not become partakers with them. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Master. Walk as children of light 9 for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth 10 proving what is well-pleasing to the Master. 11 And have no fellowship with the fruitless works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”
We also see a clear promise being given in Ḥazon/Revelation to those who overcome:
Ḥazon/Revelation 21:6-7 “And He said to me, “It is done! I am the ‘Aleph’ and the ‘Taw’, the Beginning and the End. To the one who thirsts I shall give of the fountain of the water of life without payment. 7 “The one who overcomes shall inherit all this, and I shall be his Elohim and he shall be My son.”
The Greek word that is translated as ‘overcome’ is νικάω nikaō – Strong’s G3528 which means, ‘to conquer, prevail, overcome, victorious’. As we stay in our Master and Elohim by guarding His commands and walking in set-apartness, we are equipped with courage to overcome!
The call to come out and be separate is a vital call that is to be taken heed of and acted upon in the proper manner, as this call to come out comes with the responsibility of overcoming the pressures and trials that will be faced in the process of living set-apart lives! This takes boldness and great courage in the Master and therefore we take note that the call to come out and be separate in not for the feint hearted! In a message tonight called, ‘BE AS RAMS BEFORE A FLOCK!’ I want to remind and encourage all of you to be strong and courageous and fight the good fight of the belief as a good soldier that does not mix set-apartness with worldliness. Sha’ul wrote the following to Timotiyos, which applies to us too:
Timotiyos Bět/2 Timothy 2:1-5 “You then, my son, be strong in the favour that is in Messiah יהושע. 2 And what you have heard from me among many witnesses, entrust these to trustworthy men who shall be competent to teach others as well. 3 Suffer hardship with us as a good soldier of יהושע Messiah. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets involved in the affairs of this life, in order to please only him who enlisted him as a soldier. 5 And if anyone competes in a game, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”
In order to be obedient to the call to come out and be separate one has to be fit and ready to walk and serve in set-apartness, according to the clear rules for set-apartness – rules that are clearly written for us in the Word of Elohim – all of it!
Timotiyos Bět/2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is breathed by Elohim and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for setting straight, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of Elohim might be fitted, equipped for every good work.”
While we are able to recognise the clear call to come out and be separate being one that is given very clearly we have to ask why so many still struggle with the proper response to this call. What are people missing? Why do they struggle to obey this simple yet urgent call? To answer this I would like us to look at a short passage from Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah.
Please turn with me to Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 50:1-8 (Read)
I am sure that you are able to see where I got the title of this message from!!! Verse 8 ends with… “And be as rams before a flock.” These are the words that struck me deeply this week as I meditated on the repeated call that is given in Scripture to come out and be separate! I believe that this is a key element that many are missing in their attempts of coming out and living set-apart lives as their ability to be as rams before a flock is non-existent!
In this Book of Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah we are able to clearly identify two clear themes that are focused upon in Chapters 50-51, which are:
1 – יהוה’s Judgement on Baḇel – both the city and all its inhabitants.
2 – Yisra’ĕl’s return
In these two chapters that have these two themes being greatly highlighted we are also able to see a powerful hymn of praise for יהוה (Chapter 51:15-19) and Yirmeyahu’s strict instructions that were given to Serayah (Chapter 51:59-64).
שְׂרָיָה Serayah – Strong’s H8304 means, ‘Yah is ruler’ and he was the messenger that Yirmeyahu commanded to read all the words that Yirmeyahu had written concerning Babel and after reading them he was to tie a stone to the book and throw it into the Euphrates river and declare, ‘So does Baḇel sink and not rise from the evil that I am bringing upon her, and they shall weary themselves.’.
שְׂרָיָה Serayah – Strong’s H8304 comes from the two words:
1) יָהּ – Yah – Strong’s H3050 which is the contracted Name of יהוה.
2) שָׂרָה sarah – Strong’s H8280 which means, ‘to persist, exert oneself, persevere, wrestle, contend’
Yisra’ĕl’ – יִשְׂרָאֵל Yisra’ĕl – Strong’s H3478 which means, ‘he who prevails, overcomes with Ěl’, comes from this primitive root verb שָׂרָה sarah – Strong’s H8280 and אֵל ĕl – Strong’s H410 which means, ‘Mighty, power, shortened form of Elohim – Mighty One’. This root verb is spelt the same as the name of Aḇraham’s wife, שָׂרָה ‘Sarah’ – Strong’s H8283 which means ‘princess or noble woman’; which is the feminine of the word שַׂר sar – Strong’s H8269 which means, ‘prince, captain, chieftain, ruler’! Only those who endure and overcome in Messiah, by the guarding and keeping of His Torah, will receive a crown of life, to rule with Him as princes in His Kingdom!
While it may seem like a little side-track by looking at this name שְׂרָיָה Serayah – Strong’s H8304, I want to assure you that the reason for me highlighting this is to highlight the fact that the true servants and faithful ambassadors of our Master and King are those who overcome and are bold in the Truth!
Back to Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 50:1-8!
The clear message we see here in the beginning of this chapter is the sure fate of Baḇel and Yirmeyahu was commanded to declare this among the nations, as this call of destruction being announced on Baḇel would also carry the clear awakening call for the true remnant Bride of Elohim to rise up, get out and be separated unto Him! This announcement of Baḇel’s destruction was not to be concealed but was to be loudly proclaimed. This message was a clear message of destruction that was being decreed upon the enemies of Elohim and His people and with this message comes the clear call for the Bride of Messiah to come out, lest she share in the sins of the people and find that she is destroyed with the wicked!
In a clear message given to a proud and drunk Ephrayim we see a similar message of destruction being decreed, along with the call to hear, guard and do the Word, in:
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 28:22-23 “And now, do not be scoffers, lest your bonds be made strong. For I have heard from the Master יהוה of hosts, a destruction decreed upon all the earth. 23 Give ear and hear my voice, listen and hear my Word.”
This call to come out and be separate could not be given any louder as it is today, yet we still see so many who are not taking heed to this call, despite the clear knowledge that the destruction of Elohim is coming as the day of His wrath draws nearer each and every day! In verse 6 we take note of the words of our Master:
“My people have been wandering sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. They have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place.”
He says that His people have been wandering sheep that have been led astray by false shepherds and in doing so they have forgotten their resting place! This verse carries some powerful metaphors of how so many have been led astray by false traditions and man-made worship practices that have caused many to forget the need to keep the Sabbaths and Feasts of יהוה.
As I pondered on these words I was reminded of the attempts of the enemy who tried to curse the people of Elohim when Balaq tried to get Bilʽam to curse Yisra’ĕl and kept taking him to new hills or heights. When this didn’t work the foreign women were used to lead Yisra’ĕl astray. In many ways we are able to see how the whore has used this tactic of taking people from mountain to hill by presenting new approaches to worship while distracting them from the clear truth.
False shepherds have come and led many to high places of abominable worship and the wandering sheep have been caught by their delusions that have caused them to forget the Sabbath – the very day we are commanded to remember to keep!
The Hebrew word used here for ‘wandering’ is אֹבְדוֹת – ‘oḇdoth’ which is the plural of the word אָבַד aḇaḏ – Strong’s H6 which means, ‘to perish, destroy, lose, put to death, blot out, do away with, to give up as lost, vanish, be lost or strayed’.
The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘led them astray’ comes from the root word תָּעָה ta’ah – Strong’s H8582 which means, ‘to err, deceived, go astray, misled, wander, wandered’ and is also used in:
Tehillah/Psalm 95:10-11 “For forty years I was grieved with that generation, and said, ‘They are a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways.’ 11 “As I swore in My wrath, ‘If they enter into My rest…’ ”
This is a severe warning for us to take heed of, as what we see in Scripture is clear – if you go astray you will not enter into the rest of Elohim, just as the rebellious generation in the Wilderness did not enter into the Promised Land.
Going astray, being misled, being rebellious and disobedient is what grieves our Elohim, and this we are severely warned against, in order that we are securely sealed in Him for the day of redemption that draws near!
Many people today are as ‘wandering sheep’ and have been ‘led astray’ because they have neglected to delight themselves in the Torah of Elohim as they have been led astray by the teaching of lawlessness that is given by the false ear ticklers who are continually taking them to new heights of depravity and sin, while excusing away their lawlessness through a vain man-made standard of polluted worship that has multitudes following blindly!
The root word אָבַד aḇaḏ – Strong’s H6 is used in the words of Dawiḏ, as he says in:
Tehillah/Psalm 119:92 “If Your Torah had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.”
In verse 7 יהוה tells us that all who had found His wandering sheep have devoured them and claim innocence by stating that it was the sheep’s fault for sinning against יהוה. This statement carries a powerful truth that many refuse to take heed of, which is that you cannot blame the enemy for your lawlessness! When anyone chooses not to walk in the ways of Elohim they put themselves at risk of being devoured by the enemy and the enemy knows this, which is why he is like a roaring lion that is constantly seeking someone to devour. Kěpha tells us that we must always be on guard so that we are not caught by this devouring enemy!
Kěpha Aleph/1 Peter 5:8-11 “Be sober, watch, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in the belief, knowing that the same hardships are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 And the Elohim of all favour, who called you to His everlasting esteem by Messiah יהושע, after you have suffered a while, Himself perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the esteem and the might forever and ever. Aměn.”
The enemy knows who the wandering people have sinned against yet the wandering do not know due to the drunkenness of the cup of the whore that they have been lured in to drinking! The enemy knows who the ‘expectation of their fathers’ is – it is יהוה, yet sadly under the delusion of lawlessness the wandering sheep do not know יהוה.
יהוה is our expectation! The Hebrew word used here in verse 7 for ‘expectation’ is מִקְוֵה miqveh – Strong’s H4723 which means, ‘hope, expectation’, as well as being translated as ‘a collection or gathering of waters’. Last year I gave a message called “THE EXPECTATION OF YISRA’ĔL – Immersion unveiled!” where I looked a little more closely at the use of this word and its ancient pictographic form, For more on this please see the notes of this message on our site under sermons 2014/2015 menu or simply click on the following link:
https://atfotc.com/index.php/our-sermons/sermons-2014-2015/590-the-expectation-of-yisra-el-immersion-unveiled
Amidst this clear proclamation of a coming destruction and the reality of the wandering state of many sheep, who have been led astray by false shepherds, comes the call to flee from Baḇel and come out from the land of the Kasdim.
The Hebrew word used for ‘flee’ comes from the primitive root word נוּד nuḏ –Strong’s H5110 which means, ‘to move to and fro, wander, flutter, flee, disappear, be moved or agitated’.
With this word being used in the clear command to come out we take note of the intensity that it carries; which implies a quick and hurried removal of oneself from that which you are not be joined to or be in the midst of! Sadly most wandering sheep are not agitated enough to move as the proclamation of the destruction of יהוה that draws near does not cause them to get up and do what it takes to live set-apart lives as they are comfortable in their sin-filled traditions!
The Hebrew word בָּבֶל Baḇel – Strong’s H894 was the place where the tower of Baḇel was built by Nimroḏ, representing that which seeks to build up oneself and disregard the need to submit to and obey the Torah of Elohim. בָּבֶל Baḇel – Strong’s H894 comes from the verb בָּלַל balal – Strong’s H1101 meaning, ‘to mingle, mix, confuse, confound’ and so בָּבֶל Baḇel can best be understood as meaning, ‘confusion (by mixing)’. Confusion certainly does arise when the True and pure Word is mixed with man-made doctrines, dogmas, theologies and traditions that aspire to build for themselves a ‘tower’ of self-identification! While the call to come out and be separate has been made abundantly clear, many refuse to do so as their actions clearly show that they prefer the corrupt standard of mixing with worldly ways when it is convenient and beneficial to their flesh! The command given here in Yirmeyahu is clear:
Stop living in the midst of mixed standards – come out and be separate or else you are going to get confused!
Flee from Baḇel and come out from the land of the Kasdim!
The Hebrew word כַּשְׂדִּים – Kasdiym – Strong’s H3778 is often referred to in English as the ‘Chaldeans’ and this Hebrew word is defined in the Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon as ‘clod breakers’, which some have questioned, yet we can in many ways understand this meaning as it gives us the identity of people who break up a lump of earth or clay! We are earthen vessels who have the treasured possession of the Good News, which the enemy is constantly trying to break up. This root word is believed to be linked to a word in the ancient Akkadian language which means ‘an attack’ and signified those who conquered lands. From this we can learn the clear lesson relating to the call to come out, which is to come out from the midst of those who will destroy you and break you down, because if you do not then you will be broken down – if not by them then by the Master Himself who is coming to pour out His wrath on His enemies. In other words – do not make friendship with the world as it will break you!
Ya’aqoḇ/James 4:4 “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with Elohim? Whoever therefore intends to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of Elohim.”
Come out! Come out! Come out! How often does one need to hear this before it is too late! We see this call also being given in:
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 48:20 “Come out of Baḇel! Flee from the Kasdim! Declare this with a voice of singing, proclaim it, send it out to the end of the earth! Say, ‘יהוה has redeemed His servant Yaʽaqoḇ!’ ”
Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 51:6 “Flee from the midst of Baḇel, and let each one save his life! Do not be cut off in her crookedness, for this is the time of the vengeance of יהוה, the recompense He is repaying her.”
At the beginning of this message I mentioned two verses from the Renewed Writings that give us this clear call to come out, yet why are people not listening? Perhaps one of the main reasons why many are not budging from their comfortable positions of mixed worship, which is no worship at all, is simple because they lack the proper courage to do so!
This is where these words in Yirmeyahu struck me this week as I recognised that this command given does not end at flee and come out but also gives us a clear instruction of what we are to do and how we are to flee and come out!
We are to: ‘BE AS RAMS BEFORE A FLOCK!’ What does this mean?
The Hebrew word that is used here for ‘as rams’ is כְּעַתּוּדִים – keattuḏiym and comes from the root word עַתּוּד attuḏ – Strong’s H6260 which means, ‘goats, rams, chief ones, young he-goat’ and is similar to the Arabic word ‘atadun’ which is also understood as being a young he-goat and can also have the meaning of ‘a horse that is fit for running and is ready for the course’ or an animal that is ready to fight. This Hebrew word comes from the root verb עָתֹד athoḏ – Strong’s H6257 which means, ‘to be ready, destined, make ready’.
The first time we see this word עַתּוּד attuḏ – Strong’s H6260 for ‘rams’ being used is in Berěshith/Genesis 31:10-12 where Ya’aqoḇ relates to Raḥel how he had a dream and saw that the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and mottled. This word is used 29 times and is one of several terms that are used for goats. It was a sacrificial animal and was designated as part of the peace offerings that the leaders of the tribes of Yisra’ĕl were to bring for the dedication of the slaughter place that was done for 12 days! The עַתּוּד attuḏ – Strong’s H6260 was associated with the male lambs and teaches us how sacrifice must be motivated by reverent attitude in order for it to be acceptable.
This word was also used figuratively on occasion and therefore this term was also used for leaders, as we see in:
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 14:9 “The grave from beneath is excited about you, to meet you at your coming; it stirs up the dead for you, all the chief ones of the earth; it has raised up from their thrones all the sovereigns of the gentiles.”
Here the Hebrew word עַתּוּד attuḏ – Strong’s H6260 is translated as ‘chief ones’, and in the following verse it is translated as ‘leaders’:
Zeḵaryah/Zechariah 10:3 “My wrath burns against the shepherds, and I lay a charge against the leaders. For יהוה of hosts shall visit His flock, the house of Yehuḏah, and make them like His splendid horse in battle.”
The reason for me mentioning this is to highlight that we are able to take note of the figurative use of this word עַתּוּד attuḏ – Strong’s H6260 in Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 50:8 in the command to: ‘BE AS RAMS BEFORE A FLOCK!’
While the use of this word in Zeḵaryah is a picture of bad leadership what we do see in the command to flee and come out is that this word is used metaphorically in a positive sense, as it teaches us that we need to be like a strong ram that will take the lead and come out and not be like the wandering sheep who lack the courage and strength to do what is right and be set-apart!
The picture of being as rams before a flock is one of having the necessary courage to stand up amidst the rest and do what is commanded, knowing that you may end up butting heads with others! Are you ready to butt heads?
The Hebrew word that is used for ‘before’, as in ‘before a flock’ is פָּנֶה paneh or פָּנִים paniym – Strong’s H6440 meaning, ‘face, faces’. And so we are to be as rams before the face of a flock, which highlights the clear fact that we are not undercover agents of the Kingdom but are to be bold proclaimers of the Kingdom of our Master – in the face of a flock who are wandering about without a shepherd!
The more I sat and meditated on these verses I began to recognise why many are struggling at coming out and being set-apart as they should be and it is simply because they will not be as rams before a flock!
In other words they will not boldly stand up for the Truth before others because they do not want to offend or lose friendships over matters that concern our required walk of obedience to the Torah of Elohim! While the call is repeatedly given to flee and come out, what many have failed to do is simply this: BE AS RAMS BEFORE A FLOCK!
When יהוה told Yeḥezqěl that he would make his forehead harder than flint, he meant it!
Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 3:9 “Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I shall make your forehead. Do not be afraid of them, nor be discouraged at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.”
To not get discouraged by the looks of the rebellious, one has to be as a ram before a flock – one who is willing to do what is commanded when all others are not! Yirmeyahu was also told to not break down before the face of those he was called to speak to:
Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 1:17-19 “Now, gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all that I command you. Do not break down before their faces, lest I break you before them. 18 “For look, I have made you this day a walled city and an iron column, and bronze walls against all the land, against the sovereigns of Yehuḏah, against her heads, against her priests, and against the people of the land. 19 “And they shall fight against you, but not prevail against you. For I am with you,” declares יהוה, “to deliver you.”
This call given to Yirmeyahu was, in essence, a call to be as a ram before a flock! Being a ram before a flock means that you will most certainly stand out and may even be alone, yet be as a ram before a flock and do not break down before a flock but be one who leads some of the wandering flock to the Master, through the example of set-apartness that you show amidst a wicked and crooked generation; never apologizing or making any excuse for your set-apart behaviour!!!
The reason why there are so many wandering flock is that those who are not willing to be as rams before a flock show that they are not being strong and courageous in the Master and are not willing to take a stand and be armed in the Torah with the helmet of deliverance and set-apartness, giving them a sure mind in the Master, but are sadly riddled with confusion and despair, being weakened by falsehood and the flowing stream of the influence of compromise and lawlessness that they deem as necessary in order to get by and survive! Many are not willing to stand up and butt heads with others! I am not saying that you are to deliberately go out and butt heads with others, for we are to live at peace with all wherever possible; however what I am saying is that anyone who desires to live reverently in Messiah shall be persecuted, which means you will butt heads with some and when this happens you need to stand firm and be as a ram before a flock, instead of giving in the to the masses for convenience of the fleshly battles that rage against the being!
One of the verses I mentioned earlier speaks of our need to come out of Baḇel and flee from the Kasdim:
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 48:20 “Come out of Baḇel! Flee from the Kasdim! Declare this with a voice of singing, proclaim it, send it out to the end of the earth! Say, ‘יהוה has redeemed His servant Yaʽaqoḇ!’ ”
Notice here that we are to declare this with a voice of singing and proclaim it everywhere as we declare the redemptive work of deliverance that our Master has worked for us! The voice of singing can only be properly done when done with confidence and boldness. When Dawiḏ danced before all, as he rejoiced at the return of the Ark of the Witness, he too was as a ram before a flock, especially before his wicked wife who despised his bold worship!
I could go on and on for hours relating many examples of the great men and woman of great faith who displayed clear boldness and courage in the Truth, and in many ways were as rams before a flock and led the way for many to follow, as we have their examples to learn from as we follow our only One True Shepherd who has called us out of darkness!
Being as rams before a flock indicates the need to be mature and while some ought to be as rams before a flock they still need milk as they are unable to stand up and lead others in the Truth as they shy away from the responsibility of pursuing set-apartness!
Iḇ’rim/Hebrews 5:12-14 “For indeed, although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first elements of the Words of Elohim. And you have become such as need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone partaking of milk is inexperienced in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food is for the mature whose senses have been trained by practice to discern both good and evil.”
So many that ought to be mature by now and be as rams before a flock are sadly still as wandering sheep who are being led astray by falsehood as they continue to follow the rest of the wandering flock in a state of confusion due to the mixing of standards and the mixing of that which is pure with that which is contaminated and defiled with compromise.
Solid food is for the mature! The Greek word that is translated as ‘mature’ is τέλειος teleios – Strong’s G5046 which means, ‘having reached its end, complete, perfect, mature’ and is used in the following verse in regards to the body of Messiah being equipped unto maturity:
Eph’siyim/Ephesians 4:13 “until we all come to the unity of the belief and of the knowledge of the Son of Elohim, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the completeness of Messiah”
This word is also used in:
Ya’aqoḇ/James 1:25 “But he that looked into the perfect Torah, that of freedom, and continues in it, not becoming a hearer that forgets, but a doer of work, this one shall be blessed in his doing of the Torah.”
Looking into the ‘perfect’ Torah and continuing in it – that is to be one who guards to do what is instructed in it – shall be blessed – for it is the Perfect Torah that perfects our set-apartness!
Our Master also tells us very clearly to be perfect:
Mattithyahu/Matthew 5:48 “Therefore, be perfect, as your Father in the heavens is perfect.”
This call to come out and flee from all idolatry and be as rams before a flock is a call that must be maturely followed and lived out, done so with the voice of victory, as we offer up a continual offering of praise and thanks to our Mighty Redeemer, יהוה our Elohim! This is a call that the True remnant Bride must take heed of and guard to do and in doing so, be the light that will lead others to the Truth! Perhaps you have found that the battles of life have caused you to be like an immature wandering sheep that moans all the time as opposed to a mature ram that is able to praise יהוה and take responsibility in leading others to the Good Shepherd! Hear this call to come out and be separate! A call you have all heard on many occasions! Hear it again… and:
BE AS RAMS BEFORE A FLOCK!
יהוה bless you and guard you; יהוה make His face shine upon you and show you favour; יהוה lift up His face to you and give you Shalom!