4th of the 12th month 2015/2016
Shabbat Shalom,
Bemiḏbar/Numbers 15:29-31 “For him who does whatever by mistake there is one Torah, both for him who is native among the children of Yisra’ĕl and for the stranger who sojourns in their midst. 30 But the being who does whatever defiantly, whether he is native or a stranger, he reviles יהוה, and that being shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he has despised the word of יהוה, and has broken His command, that being shall certainly be cut off, his crookedness is upon him.”
What is made abundantly clear in Scripture is the clear fact that there is no sacrifice for wilful sin, as the sin offering was required for unintentional sin that resulted from carelessness or laxness, teaching us the urgency we are to have when we come to the realisation that we have sinned, as we must repent immediately and turn to Messiah and confess to Him so that we may be cleansed. The being that does whatever defiantly reviles יהוה and shall be cut off because he has despised the Word of יהוה and broken His command!
The Hebrew phrase that is translated as ‘defiantly’ is בְּיָד רָמָה – ‘beyaḏ ramah’ which comes from the two root words: 1) יָד yaḏ – Strong’s H3027 and is a primitive root which is translated as, ‘hand, command, authority, power, tenons, side’, and the primary meaning of this noun is “the terminal part of the arm used to perform the functions of a man’s will.” We are able to therefore understand in the Hebraic mind-set that one’s hand symbolises what one does or one’s ‘works’.
2) רָמָה ramah – Strong’s H7411 which is a verb that means, ‘to beguile, betray, deal treacherously with’. Some of the nouns that are derived from this root verb are used to describe one who is ‘lazy or idle’. The noun רְמִיָּה remiyyah – Strong’s H7423 which means, ‘deceit, treachery, slothful, slack, idle’ is derived from this verb too. What we can therefore see here is that the one who has idle or lazy hands acts defiantly as they refuse to submit to doing what is commanded. The Hebrew phrase that is translated as ‘defiantly’ can therefore be understood as one who has a deceitful hand or one who ‘works deceit’, which can further be understood to be one who ‘works lawlessness’, and we know that those who ‘work lawlessness’ are not known by the Master and will be cast away and not enter into the reign of our Master and Elohim!
Mattithyahu/Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter into the reign of the heavens, but he who is doing the desire of My Father in the heavens. 22 Many shall say to Me in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name?’ 23 And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!’”
What is clear in the Torah is that יהוה does not show partiality and therefore it does not matter whether the one who acts defiantly is a native born or a stranger! Whoever does whatever defiantly and works deceit ‘reviles’ יהוה and will be cut off! The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘reviles’ is גָּדַף gadaph – Strong’s H1442 which means, ‘to revile, blaspheme’, and is written in the ‘piel’ verb tense which expresses an intensive or intentional action! The verb ‘revile’ means, ‘to speak about (someone or something) in a very critical, abusive or insulting way’, and the word ‘blaspheme’ means, ‘to speak or address with irreverence’. The reason I am expanding on the meaning of these words is to highlight the clear reality of how there are so many today who are reviling יהוה and cast His Torah behind their backs by claiming that it is of no purpose any longer and lack a proper reverence for our Master and Elohim as they scoff at the thought of walking according to the Torah and even speak very critical about it! How does one revile יהוה? The answer is given very clearly here in Bemiḏbar/Numbers 15:29-31! They who act defiantly revile יהוה because they ‘despise’ His Word and break His command! The Hebrew word for ‘despise’ is בָּזָה bazah – Strong’s H959 which means, ‘to despise, despicable, contempt, careless, to be vile, worthless’, and is used in:
Mal’aḵi/Malachi 1:6 “A son esteems his father, and a servant his master. And if I am the Father, where is My esteem? And if I am a Master, where is My fear? said יהוה of hosts to you priests who despise My Name. But you asked, ‘In what way have we despised Your Name?’”
In the above verse from Mal’aḵi/Malachi the answer to the question of how they were despising the Name of יהוה is given in the next verse:
Mal’aḵi/Malachi 1:7 “You are presenting defiled food on My altar. But you asked, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ Because you say, ‘The table of יהוה is despicable.’”
This rebuke that was given here for despising the Name of יהוה was due to the fact that Yisra’ĕl had engaged in mixed worship practices and as a result despised the Word of יהוה and broke His clear command to be set-apart!
Today is no different as we see the same despicable mixed worship happening by people who claim to have come out and be set-apart unto יהוה. As we consider the severity of what reviling יהוה is we would do well to take heed against any such despicable worship as we live complete set-apart lives unto Him. In a message tonight called, “DO NOT REVILE יהוה!” I would like us to go through a passage from the Book of Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel and take careful consideration in regards to our need to live proper set-apart lives that have no despicable elements of mixed standards therein, lest we find that we are rejected when our Master comes for His ready Bride!
Please turn with me to Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 20:27-44 (Read)
In this chapter יהוה told Yeḥezqěl to remind Yisra’ĕl of the abominations of their fathers! When יהוה delivered Yisra’ĕl from Mitsrayim He commanded them to forsake the corrupt and abominable worship practices under which they had been enslaved for many years and that they were to throw away the abominations and not defile themselves with the idols of Mitsrayim (v.7). They did not obey as they rebelled and did not throw away their abominations or forsake the idols of Mitsrayim and יהוה resolved to pour out His wrath and displeasure yet He acted for His Name’s sake and brought them out into the Wilderness and gave them laws and right-rulings to live by. He also gave them His Sabbaths to be a sign between them and יהוה, in order to know that it is יהוה who sets them apart.
Yet, despite all of this, they rebelled and disobeyed and the wrath of יהוה was poured out on them in the Wilderness, yet for His Name’s sake He did not make a complete end of Yisra’ĕl but lifted His hand in an oath to not bring that generation into the Promised Land – because they had rejected His laws and right-rulings by which they were supposed to live. They also profaned His Sabbaths and their hearts went after their idols!
He then commanded the children to not walk in the ways of their rebellious fathers but guard the laws and right-rulings of Elohim and guard His Sabbaths as a sign between יהוה and His called out ones. The children also rebelled and acted corruptly and יהוה resolved to pour out His wrath and displeasure upon them in the Wilderness, yet He held back His Hand and acted for His Name’s sake and then lifted His Hand in an oath to those in the Wilderness, to scatter them among the nations (v.22-23) – because they had not walked in and guarded His laws and right-rulings and had profaned His Sabbaths!
That, in a nutshell, covers the first part of this Chapter 20 and then from verse 27-44 we see the instruction being given to Yeḥezqěl to speak to the house of Yisra’ĕl! He was now speaking to the generation that had been scattered among the nations and states that the fathers had further reviled יהוה by committing trespass against Him.
The Hebrew phrase that is translated as ‘by committing trespass against Me’ is בְּמַעֲלָם בִּי מָעַל – ‘bema’alam biy ma’al’ – and is constructed from two root words: 1) מָעַל ma’al – Strong’s H4603 which is the primitive root verb that means, ‘to act unfaithfully or treacherously, violate, break faith’, and the other root word translated as ‘trespass’ is the noun מַעַל ma’al – Strong’s H4604 which comes from the root verb מָעַל ma’al and means, ‘trespass, falsehood, unfaithful’. The use of the verb and noun together in this phrase gives great emphasis, and clearly described the actions of an unfaithful people who, in a manner of speaking, ‘broke faith’ by violating the commands of Elohim!
In verse 28 יהוה makes it clear that they broke faith and did violence to His Torah by going up to the ‘high places’ to offer their slaughterings and drink offerings.
The Hebrew root word for ‘high places’ is בָּמָה bamah – Strong’s H1116 which means, ‘high place, heights’, and is used as a technical name for a cultic platform, and is also used to describe the idolatrous high places of worship, and Yisra’ĕl were given this ability to tread down the high places of occult worship as a blessing:
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 33:29 “Blessed are you, O Yisra’ĕl! Who is like you, a people saved by יהוה, the shield of your help, and He who is the sword of your excellency! And your enemies are subdued for you, and you tread down their high places.”
Who is like Yisra’ĕl? A people saved by יהוה, and equipped to tread down idolatry!!! They were supposed to tread down the high places but instead they used them for worship and in doing so they defiled themselves!
In verse 30 יהוה asks the clear question to this rebellious and scattered house: “Are you defiling yourselves in the way of your fathers? And do you whore after their abominations?”
The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘defiling yourselves’ is נִטְמְאִים – nithme’iym which comes from the root verb טָמֵא tamey – Strong’s H2930 which means, ‘to be or become unclean, defiled, become impure’.
This question, ‘Are you defiling yourselves in the way of your fathers?’ is a question that is still being asked through the mirror of the Word to many today! What is important for us to understand is that in the service of the tabernacle if a priest became unclean or defiled (טָמֵא tamey – Strong’s H2930) then they would be unfit for service as they would be ceremonially unclean and unable to perform the required set-apart duties of the priesthood. As we consider that, as the body of Messiah, we are a called out, chosen, royal and set-apart priesthood, we must make sure that we do not defile ourselves and so render our lives as being unfit to serve our Master in Spirit and Truth!
The Greek word that is used in the LXX (Septuagint) for ‘defiling’ is μιαίνω miainō – Strong’s G3392 which means, ‘to stain, defile, pollute, contaminate, soil’, and this word is used in Sha’ul’s words to Titos, in:
Titos/Titus 1:15-16 “Indeed, all matters are clean to the clean, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving no matter is clean, but both their mind and conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know Elohim, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unfit for any good work.”
יהוה rebukes the house of Yisra’ĕl for the gifts that they were bringing as they were lifting up their gifts and practicing idolatrous worship that they had learnt from the nations at the same time. They were not being set-apart in their worship but were mixing it all up and assumed to be pleasing to Elohim, yet He asks them a very sobering rhetorical question in verse 31 which is, ‘And shall I be inquired of by you, o House of Yisra’ĕl?’ The obvious answer is ‘NO’!!!
Mixed worship nullifies your ability to properly inquire of and seek יהוה; for any prayer that is offered without complete set-apartness and obedience to the hearing, guarding and doing of His Torah is an abomination:
Mishlĕ/Proverbs 28:9 “He who turns away his ear from hearing the Torah, even his prayer is an abomination.”
Mishlĕ/Proverbs 15:29 “יהוה is far from the wrong ones, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.”
This clear truth is expressed very clearly in the Renewed Writings (N.T.) too:
Yoḥanan/John 9:31 “And we know that Elohim does not hear sinners. But if anyone fears Elohim and does His desire, He hears him”
Yoḥanan Aleph/1 John 3:22 “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we guard His commands and do what is pleasing in His sight.”
There are many people today who think that they are being heard by Elohim while they clearly have neglected to guard His commands in complete set-apartness and have compromised with mixed standards of the world!
יהוה once again tells this rebellious house that He is their Sovereign and that He would rule over them in wrath and bring them out into the Wilderness of the peoples and enter into judgment with them as He did with their father’s in the wilderness of the land of Mitsrayim!
Judgment begins with the house! And as we are scattered among the nations, He has been bringing many out into the “Wilderness of the peoples”, so to speak, as we recognise how many are ‘coming out’ of the inherited systems of corrupt worship and false traditions that were handed down in error, and this is where the ‘judgement’ begins!
The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘judgement’ comes from the word שָׁפַט shaphat – Strong’s H8199 – meaning, ‘to judge, govern, rule, pronounce judgement, give law’.
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 33:22 “for יהוה is our Judge, יהוה is our Lawgiver, יהוה is our Sovereign, He saves us”
There is only One who gives us the Law by which we must live and by which we are governed and these judgements and right-rulings and regulations given by Him, we must DO!!!
As we read this text it becomes very clear, as we see the cycle of errors being repeated generation after generation, that the true sifting takes place ‘in the Wilderness’, so to speak! “In the Wilderness” we learn to hear the Truth and respond correctly or rebel! The Hebrew word for ‘in the wilderness’ is בְּמִדְבַּר – Bemiḏbar, from the root word – מִדְבָּר miḏbar – Strong’s H4057 meaning, ‘wilderness, desert’ and can also mean ‘mouth’. This word comes from the primitive root – דָּבַר daḇar – Strong’s H1696 meaning, ‘to speak, command, counsel, declare, proclaimed, converse, warn, threaten, promise’, and a derivative of this word is also translated as ‘speech, word, commandment/s, message’.
The meaning of Bemiḏbar as mentioned means ‘in the wilderness’, and the literal meaning of this actually carries the concept of ‘The place of words’ or ‘The place of speaking’.
This text in Yeḥezqěl is as alive for us today as it was for them back then! In order for us to properly hear the Word of Truth, יהוה has called us out of the false worship systems and brought into the Wilderness of the peoples, where He can enter into judgement and refine His Bride! When we read this text we see something very important that we need to understand and that is that while many may have come out they may not get to enter in! By that I mean that while there are many who have come out of the church system or any other false worship system that they were enslaved to, in order to hear the Truth, we recognise that by their inability to let go of compromise and live set-apart lives they defile themselves and render themselves unclean for pure service and therefore revile יהוה and risk being unable to enter into the reign!
In verse 37 and 38 יהוה makes it very clear why He brings us out into the Wilderness to hear His Word, and that is to sift and purge out the rebels! In order to do this He causes us to ‘pass under the rod’ and be brought in the bond of Covenant!
This Hebrew phrase that is translated as ‘pass under the rod’ would have certainly been an allusion to:
Wayyiqra/Leviticus 27:32 “And the entire tithe of the herd and of the flock, all that passes under the rod, the tenth one is set-apart to יהוה.”
This was a clear means of separating that which belonged to יהוה as every 10th animal of the herd and flock that passed under the rod was separated and declared set-apart!
The way a shepherd counted his sheep as they entered the narrow doorway to the fold was to have them walk under a rod. This text in Yeḥezqěl brings us the firm assurance and promise of a restoration of the scattered House of Yisra’ĕl, which will pass under the rod of His discipline and rule in order to purge the rebellious ones, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
Mattithyahu/Matthew 25:32-33 “And all the nations shall be gathered before Him, and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats. 33 “And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.”
The purification of the exiled ones would be similar to the separation of the herd and flock that would pass under the rod, and every tenth one be set-apart! The Hebrew word for ‘rod’ is שֵׁבֶט sheḇet – Strong’s H7626 and means, ‘rod, staff, branch, shaft’ and is a symbol of authority and rulership, and is also translated as ‘sceptre’ in referring to the rule and authority of Messiah, the Sent One, in whom we have all authority!
As we come under the rod in the wilderness we undergo a discipline process that will cause a purging of rebels and the establishment of true sons and daughters! The concept of passing under the rod is also a clear metaphor for the discipline of The Word that we come under, as it is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for setting straight, for instruction in righteousness, so that we might be fitted and equipped for every good work!
Mishlĕ/Proverbs speaks of discipline with the emphasis on instruction, and to answer the question of how discipline is administered, we can see in:
Mishlĕ/Proverbs 22:15 “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline drives it far from him.”
It is because our Father loves us that He disciplines us in His Truth:
Mishlĕ/Proverbs 13:24 “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him, seeks him with discipline.”
Iḇ’rim/Hebrews 12:4-8 “You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 5 And you have forgotten the appeal which speaks to you as to sons, “My son, do not despise the discipline of יהוה, nor faint when you are reproved by Him, 6 for whom יהוה loves, He disciplines, and flogs every son whom He receives.” 7 If you endure discipline, Elohim is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom a father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become sharers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.”
Here in Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 20:38 it is made very clear to us that even though one is brought out into the Wilderness to hear the Truth and be taught under the loving rod of discipline, it is no guarantee that entrance into the reign of Elohim is a sure thing, as the rebels will be purged through the wilderness of discipline process, as each will pass under the rod and be set-apart for the Master or cast away from Him!
He brings us into the Wilderness and causes us to pass under the rod in order for us to be brought into the bond of Covenant! The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘bond’ is מָסֹרֶת masoreth – Strong’s H4562 which means, ‘bond, obligation’, and is understood in terms of ‘obligation’ as ‘something that is considered a duty in an agreement’, or, ‘what must be done’. We, as His Bride that has been brought out into the Wilderness in order for us to hear His Word, hear and learn what we are required to guard and do, as we enter into the bond of a Covenant Marriage with our Maker and Redeemer! Being brought into the bond of Covenant, which we were once far off from and excluded, means that we now have an obligation to guard the Covenant and do what our Husband commands us and be on guard against being a rebellious house!
The Hebrew word that is translated as ‘purge’ comes from the primitive root verb בָּרַר barar – Strong’s H1305 which means, ‘to purify, cleanse, select, choose, purge’.
The Hebrew root word used for ‘rebels’ is מָרַד maraḏ – Strong’s H4775 which means, ‘be rebellious, to rebel, revolt’.
Neḥemyah/Nehemiah 9:26 “But they became disobedient and rebelled against You, and cast Your Torah behind their backs. And they slew Your prophets who had warned them, to bring them back to Yourself. And they worked great blasphemies.”
Disobedience is rebellion, and those who cast the Torah of Elohim aside and refuse to walk in obedience to it are disobedient and rebellious and are ‘the wrong’. The disobedient and rebellious have no right to claim to be the Bride of Messiah, nor do they have a right to claim His Covenant promises!
Tehillah/Psalm 50:16-17 “But to the wrong Elohim said, “What right have you to recite My laws, or take My covenant in your mouth, 17 while you hated instruction and cast My Words behind you?”
So many like to ‘recite’ the 10 commandments and love to claim the Covenant promises and blessing found in the Word, while they rebel against the Word that they are reciting and claiming as their own as they wilfully cast aside The Word of Elohim by casting His Torah behind their backs and declaring that it is no longer valid!
After declaring the purging that will take place יהוה gives a stern warning in verse 39 where He basically tells the rebellious to go and serve the false idols if they wanted to, however they had better not profane His Name with their set-apart gifts that they offer up in falsehood! This is a clear warning against casting the pearl before the swine, as we take note of the clear warning against the bringing of gifts and talents in a compromised and mixed form of worship!
We are to serve the Master in Spirit and Truth and we cannot take that which is of Elohim and offer it up on the high places of falsehood along with those who profane His Sabbaths and Word, for then we have defiled our offering and revile our Elohim! יהוה was basically saying to those who rebel against His Rod of authority to go ahead and serve their idols, if they were not listening to Him! He was basically ‘handing them over’ to their own arrogant desires, yet with a very stern and clear warning and that was that they were not to profane His Name with their idol worship! Those who rebel and refuse to receive a proper love for the Truth while passing under the rod of our Master’s discipline and refuse to hear, guard and do His commands, will be purged and handed over to their own delusion of lawlessness and suffer the consequences of not entering into His reign.
Tas’loniqim Bět/2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power and signs and wonders of falsehood, 10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness in those perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth, in order for them to be saved. 11 And for this reason Elohim sends them a working of delusion, for them to believe the falsehood, 12 in order that all should be judged who did not believe the truth, but have delighted in the unrighteousness.”
We know that Scripture is very clear in telling us that love for Elohim is to guard His commands and if we love Him we will guard His commands and obey Him! This means no more reviling through defiling oneself with mixed worship!
Yisra’ĕl was clearly warned here to not profane His Name with their gifts and their idols!
The Hebrew word used for ‘profane/profaned’ here in this Chapter 20 of Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel is חלל ḥālal – Strong’s H2490 and means, ‘to bore or pierce through or kill or wound or defile’.
So many today have profaned His Sabbath and rejected His right-ruling and are not walking in His laws, this shows that they are in walking complete rebellion to the Truth! To those who are being rebellious the warning to not profane His Name with their gifts in idol worship is made very clear.
The Hebrew word translated as ‘gift’ in verse 6 and ‘gift for service’ in verse 7 is מַתָּנָה Mattanah – Strong’s H4979 which means, ‘gift, as he is able, reward’, and is the feminine of the word מַתָּן Mattan – Strong’s H4976 which simply means, ‘a gift’, which in turn comes from the root verb נָתַן Nathan – Strong’s H5414 which means, ‘to give, put, set, appointed, delivered, given, placed’. It is from this word that we get the plural term נְתִינִים Nethinim which means, ‘given ones’. This teaches us a very vital lesson, as we consider here that the Lěwites were given as a gift, a gift for service to Aharon the high priest, that this shadow pictures for us how we, as a called out, set-apart, chosen and royal priesthood, are the ‘given ones’, given as a gift – that is a gift for service unto our High Priest and King, יהושע Messiah!
As we consider this we need to take great care in how we present ourselves, as a gift to our High Priest and King! When you give a gift to someone, you do not give them something that is broken and dysfunctional, and so too must we see how our lives must never be presented to our Master and Elohim as something that is dysfunctional. We, as Sha’ul tells us in Romiyim/Romans 12, are to present our bodies as a daily living offering, set-apart and well pleasing to Elohim – for this is our reasonable worship!
The gifts and offering of our lives must be done in complete set-apartness and not be profaned by mixing worship! We do not go and ‘offer up’ our gifts, talents and praise to Elohim on the ‘high places’ of idolatry, which teaches us that we do not take that which is set-apart and go and share it with others in a mixed form of worship that profanes His Name!
As we walk in complete set-apartness we become a sweet fragrance to our Master, and when we allow His Word to discipline us in His Truth as we pass under the rod of His Authority we will know that He does so for His Name’s sake as He blesses us and puts His Name upon us and marks us as His own! We are the fragrance of Messiah!
Qorintiyim Bět/2 Corinthians 2:14-16 “But thanks be to Elohim who always leads us on, to overcome in Messiah, and manifests through us the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 Because we are to Elohim the fragrance of Messiah among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the smell of death to death, and to the other the fragrance of life to life. And who is competent for these?”
Who is competent for these? Those who pass under the rod and brought into the bond of Covenant!
As I read through this passage this week it struck me how so many people may be coming out, yet the Truth of the matter is that not all will enter in, as rebels will be purged through a severe discipline process in order to reveal the True Bride! The question we must allow the mirror of the Word to ask as we look intently into His Word on a daily basis is: ‘Are we defiling ourselves in the way of our fathers?’
Having been brought out of false tradition and lies that our fathers handed down does not guarantee entrance into the reign, as the purging process begins in the Wilderness… that is ‘in the place of words’, and more specifically in the place of hearing the Word of Elohim. ‘He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says’ is a repeated call given to us in Scripture and while we recognise that this call was given to each of the 7 assemblies in Ḥazon/Revelation, we take note that the command to take heed of the Truth and guard to do it is the call. Those who refuse and rebel, grumble and moan, or those who do things the way that seems right in their own eyes, will be purged as rebels and be sent away!
While this cycle of rebellion has continued through the ages, we all have an obligation to be set-apart and accept the discipline of the Word and do so with joy and gladness, lest we allow compromise and the bitterness of rebellion to set in for convenience of the flesh and find that we are left stranded in the Wilderness and unable to enter into the Wedding Feast that we have all been invited to, and not just been invited to but to be the Set-Apart and ready Bride of our Master, Elohim and King!
As we consider these words in Yeḥezqěl the command is very clear –
DO NOT REVILE יהוה!
Verse 43 tells us that when He brings us into the Promised Land that we will remember the ways and deed that defiled us and caused us to revile our Elohim; and we shall loathe ourselves in our own sight because of the evil that we did!
What this teaches me here is that when compromise is not disgusting to you then you will easily compromise! When mixing worship is not loathsome to you then you will not be phased by mixing all kinds of worship and even assume that it is ok, while being unable to recognise how you are defiling yourself and thus revile יהוה!
DO NOT REVILE יהוה!
As you hear the clear words of our Master through this text in Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 20 what things, if any, have you found yourself being defiled by? Have you tried to escape the true discipline of the Word and excuse away compromise and disobedience by holding on to ways that should be loathsome in your sight? Have you allowed your ability to distinguish between the set-apart and the profane, between the clean and the unclean to be compromised through sin and then think that you are ok because you have already ‘come out’ so to speak?
When יהוה told Yeḥezqěl to speak these words to the House of Yisra’ĕl then know that these words are for your ears too! The question is whether you have an ear to hear or has it been deafened by rebellion!
DO NOT REVILE יהוה!
In an urgent call to pursue set-apartness let us take heed against not hearing as we should and the dangers of not entering in, even though we have already come out!
Iḇ’rim/Hebrews 12:11-16 “And indeed, no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but grievous, but afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 So, strengthen the hands which hang down and the weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, lest the lame be turned aside, but instead, to be healed. 14 Pursue peace with all, and pursue apartness without which no one shall see the Master. 15 See to it that no one falls short of the favour of Elohim, that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, by which many become defiled, 16 lest there be anyone who whores, or profane one, like Ěsaw, who for a single meal sold his birthright.”
Ěsaw as we know is a clear picture of one who runs after the things of the flesh and we therefore must take heed to the warning against the defilement of our worship through the lusts and desires of the flesh and guard against defiling our set-apart worship for a single fleshly lapse in judgement which can cause us to revile our Master and Elohim and be in danger of being purged as a rebel!
DO NOT REVILE יהוה!
Let us not repeat the same cycle of wrongness that many did generation after generation but rather let us be those who pass under the rod and are set-apart unto our Master and Elohim, giving no room for compromise but put on the Master יהושע Messiah, and make no provision for the lusts of the flesh.
DO NOT REVILE יהוה! But rather…: ESTEEM HIM IN COMPLETE SET-APARTNESS AND TRUTH!
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!