Shabbat Shalom family!
Day 28 of our counting to Shavuot!!! One of the key themes of our counting to 50 is the need for us to recognise our total dependency upon our Saviour and King, יהושע Messiah, and how we are to be led forth by His great provision as we walk in Him and remain steadfast in our hearing, guarding and doing of His commands. Each and every day we are to ‘eat our daily bread’ that gives us strength, wisdom, courage and boldness to fight the good fight of our belief in our soon coming King. We are able to truly rejoice each day as we meditate on and realise the wonderful gift we have been given by our Redeemer and king who clothes and covers us in robes of righteousness:
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 61:10 “I greatly rejoice in יהוה, my being exults in my Elohim. For He has put garments of deliverance on me, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”
As we sojourn here in our ‘Wilderness journey’ so to speak, we also recognize that this is the time that we ought to be growing, in ever increasing measure, in our ability to seek His Wisdom, discern His Voice and Understand His instructions as we diligently eat our fill each day of His Living word that sustains us, with the full assurance of His complete covering and protection over our lives – if we abide in His word and remain in Him, clothing ourselves daily in the Master יהושע Messiah.
Romiyim/Romans 13:14 “but put on the Master יהושע Messiah, and make no provision for the lusts of the flesh.”
We are able to ‘put on’ Messiah, because of the ‘covering’ that we have in Him – as He has covered our sins so that we can walk unhindered in the fullness of His righteousness. What we must recognize though, is that many assume to have the true covering of Messiah, yet they are simply covered by deceit and risk being exposed as having the wrong covering as their nakedness and shame will be exposed before all when the Master comes again to take up His True covered Bride! In a message tonight called, “THE RIGHT KIND OF COVERING” I would like us, in this season of counting to Shavuot, to be continually aware of our need to be clothed and covered in the Light of our Great redeemer and King!
Romiyim/Romans 4:7-8 “Blessed are those whose lawlessnesses are forgiven, and whose sins are covered, 8 blessed is the man to whom יהוה shall by no means reckon sin.”
יהושע Messiah has redeemed us from the curse of the Torah – which is death – and in Him we have the assurance and hope of everlasting life, as long as we remain in Him and this we do by keeping our ‘covering’ clean as we ‘put on’ the armour of Elohim, which I spoke on earlier this year by showing us how the full armour of Elohim represents our priestly garments that equip and ordain us to serve as a royal priesthood with Messiah as our High Priest and Head.
While I was reading this week, a couple of verses stood out for me and prompted me to prepare this brief message on how we are to guard our covering and not try to make our own, by simply walking in loving obedience to the clear instructions and commands of our King, so that we can faithfully represent his Kingdom Reign that is to come, as strong and courageous ambassadors in this dark world. The verses for the basis of tonight’s message are:
Mishlĕ/Proverbs 26:24-26 “He who hates, pretends with his lips, and lays up deceit within him; 25 Though he speaks kindly, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in his heart. 26 Hatred is covered by deceit. His evil is disclosed in the assembly.”
As I read this, I began to read verse 26 over and over and over again, meditating on what this passage of Wisdom from Shelomoh is saying to us and I started doing word studies as I considered the powerful picture of truth verses lies behind these verses. The word ‘hatred’ is the Hebrew word שִׂנְאָה sinah – Strong’s H8135 and means, ‘hatred, malice, i.e., a very strong dislike, with accompanying feelings of hostility and actions of opposition’, and comes from the primitive root word שָׂנֵא sane – Strong’s H8130 which means, ‘to hate, detest, turn against’ and is the word used in verse 24. To hate is to have or show intense hostility and turn away from someone or something, usually derived from fear, anger or a sense of injury, as one feels that they have been wronged and have no need to show respect or credence to another’s advice or instructions. The Hebrew root word translated as ‘deceit’ in verse 26 is מַשָּׁאוֹן mashsha’on – Strong’s H4860 which means, ‘deceit, guile, or dissimulation (which is to hide under a false appearance)’ and the Hebrew root word translated as ‘deceit’ is verse 24 is מִרְמָה mirmah – Strong’s H4820 which means, ‘deceit, treachery, dishonesty, falsehood’, and is used in Amos 8:5 with reference to those who couldn’t wait for the Sabbath to be over so that they could trade and falsify their scales by deceit!
What verse 24 here in Mishlĕ/Proverbs 26 is saying is that the one who hates, gives a vain lip service and his heart is filled with deceit; which is the total opposite as to what should be in the heart! The Torah is to be in our heart and in our mouths – to do it:
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 30:14 “For the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart – to do it.”
Many today are rendering a vain lip service in their falsified confession of faith, while their actions reveal otherwise, as their lack of walking in the Torah reveals that the Torah is not in their mouth, nor in their heart; and if the Torah is not laid up in one’s heart then what is? Deceit!!!
יהושע Messiah made it clear that no one is able to serve two masters:
Mattithyahu/Matthew 6:24 “No one is able to serve two masters, for either he shall hate the one and love the other, or else he shall cleave to the one and despise the other. You are not able to serve Elohim and mammon.”
What we can clearly recognise is the clear fact that hatred and love are complete opposites and we also are told that ‘love for Elohim’ is to obey His commands; therefore we can understand that the purest expression of our love for our Master is seen through our obedience to His commands, as outlined in the Torah – and to Him we cleave, despising the way of falsehood and deceit. Those who are not expressing their love through obedience to the instructions of Elohim by walking according to His commands as outlined in the Torah, prophets and writings, yet proclaim to love are clearly doing what we are reading here in Mishlĕ/Proverbs 26:24 – and that is that they are ‘pretending’ with their lips, as they disguise themselves under a false appearance that has been constructed by man-made dogmas and theologies.
Many who disregard the Torah and declare it to be of no effect, and very boldly make the claim that they are not required to walk in subjection to the Torah of Elohim, quickly develop a strong dislike to those who obey the commands of Elohim and actually walk in the Torah; and as a result the disobedient tend to harbour feelings of hostility toward the obedient, and wilfully act in opposition to what is clearly commanded in the Torah, as they cleave to a ‘lawless’ system that claims a right of inheritance in the True Master, yet totally disregards his instructions!
Verse 25 tells us clearly here to not believe such a person – one who pretends with their lips – for their lips can often pour forth very sweet sounding words and explanations, yet all that is revealed through their lawless actions is a heart that is filled with deceit. Verse 26 struck me when I recognised who ones hatred is covered by deceit! What I mean is this – those who do not love Elohim by guarding to do His commands as clearly taught in the Torah, instructing us how we are to live and walk in righteousness in a dark and wicked world, simply are ‘haters’ of Elohim – yet their ‘hate’ is ‘covered’ by deceit! And this is where I began to look a little closer at the concept of covering.
The root word used here for ‘covered’ is כָּסָה kasa – Strong’s H3680 which means, ‘to cover, conceal, clothe, hide’ and here it is written in the ‘hithpael form’ which expresses a reflexive action and can render the meaning, ‘to cover oneself, clothe oneself’ and can also be understood as, ‘to keep hidden, keep to oneself, not respond with knowledge, keep information from others although known by oneself’.
So what the lawless and disobedient do is cover their hatred for the Law/Torah with deception, be it wilfully or ignorantly – the lawless love for Elohim, which is a covered hatred is easily embraced by the masses who get their ears tickled by deception and falsehood and so clothe themselves with vain theologies which will render them as being unfit to enter the reign of Elohim as their garments will be the wrong ones!
When it says here in verse 26 that the one who hates and covers his hatred with deceit, will in fact be shown up in the assembly! This has many applications for daily living as well as the resulting judgement that is coming upon the lawless who and all who render vain lip service out of hearts that have little or no regard for the Torah of Elohim!
The root word translated as ‘disclosed’ is גָּלָה galah – Strong’s H1540 which means, ‘uncover, remove, to be uncovered, exposed’, and the root word for ‘assembly’ is קָהָל qahal – Strong’s H6951 meaning, ‘assembly, congregation, convocation’, and can mean the gathering of the set-apart ones for Sabbaths, New Moons and Feasts, as well as a convening for a meeting of the people, and can certainly give reference to a gathering of all for right-ruling and judgement. What we can see from this is how hatred covered by deception will be exposed. This can take place within an assembly as those who claim to walk the Torah yet do not do so wholeheartedly as they compromise in certain areas, will certainly be exposed in the gathering as the Truth of the Word shines upon their falsehood and deceptive reasonings. This exposing will definitely take place when Messiah returns and every eye shall see Him, and many who are covered with deceit will cry out to the Master, with their plea for entrance into the Kingdom through their vain and lawless works, shall be exposed on that day as having been haters or Elohim and not lovers as He shall declare to them that He does not know them!!!
Very frightening thought to even think upon the pain that will be felt by so many who have walked under a disguised covering, only to be revealed as garments that are unfit for service in the Kingdom!
When Messiah encouraged His taught ones to not fear what accusations and slander and persecutions they would face, he told them that their covering of deceit and darkness would be exposed:
Mattithyahu/Matthew 10:26 “Therefore do not fear them. For whatever is covered shall be revealed, and whatever is hidden shall be made known.”
Knowing that love is expressed through our obedience, we can safely then say that hatred is certainly expressed through disobedience; and we have one of two options as we sojourn here in the earth – and that is that we can either be covered in the love of Messiah which, by His Blood we are covered and cleansed from all unrighteousness, or we can try to cover ourselves with man’s deceitful ways, that often can appear as the right kind of covering, yet is not – when measured against the plumb line of the Word. In other words we are either ‘covered’ with light or ‘covered’ with darkness. A derivative of this Hebrew word כָּסָה kasa is כֶּסֶא kese – Strong’s H3677 which is understood as the full moon or the full covering of the moon – that is when it is fully illumined – or best understood as being ‘covered with light’! What is interesting here is that this takes place by the 15th of each month, and two major Feasts take place on the full covering of the moon – and that is when we eat the Pěsaḥ Meal and begin the Feast of Unleavened Bread, as well as the day we begin Sukkot. These two Feasts speak of our being covered in righteousness and clothed with light, in order to walk as children of light and enter into the Kingdom Reign of Messiah; and those who are obedient to His commands, having been covered, cleansed and clothed by the Master in His Blood are also promised His protection (as His Light shines upon us) as long as we remain in the Light by walking in His commands; while those who are disobedient are covered by darkness and deception, and their covering will be exposed on the day of judgement!
We can either be clothed in righteousness and put on the Armour of Elohim/Armour of Light and serve as a royal, set-apart priesthood or we cover ourselves and risk being laid naked before the Master, because we did not serve in spirit and truth by walking according to His Torah.
When Aḏam and Ḥawwah sinned they tried to cover themselves, which proved to be fruitless as they were exposed in the Light of the presence of יהוה, yet in His great provision and mercy, He extended His loving commitment and gave them a covering of ram’s skins to protect them in the now ‘darkened world’, always with the plan of redeeming man to Himself by bringing the only covering, that can not only cover and protect but also forgive and cleanse – which He sent by the Blood of our Master – the Light of the World.
Having been born into a corrupt and dark world we all need the covering of the Light of Messiah to help us walk in straightness and truth, and so we recognise that while we once walked in darkness under the covering of deceptive falsehood and inherited lies, the Word Himself called us out of darkness into His Light, in which we must now walk:
Kěpha Aleph/1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a set-apart nation, a people for a possession, that you should proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.”
Sha’ul tells us in:
Eph’siyim/Ephesians 5:8 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Master. Walk as children of light”
Tas’loniqim Aleph/1 Thessalonians 5:5 “For you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.”
Yoḥanan tells us in:
Yoḥanan Aleph/1 John 1:6-7 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and are not doing the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of יהושע Messiah His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Sha’ul urges us in:
Romiyim/Romans 13:12 “The night is far advanced, the day has come near. So let us put off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.”
We have the Torah – our Armour – to put on each day as it becomes a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.
Those who do not receive a ‘love’ for the truth – that is the willingness to guard to walk in and do the commands, are handed over to deception in order to believe the lies and falsehood. Here in Mishlĕ/Proverbs we are told that the ‘hater’ does not have the Torah in his heart but rather he has 7 abominations!!! 7 (Seven) in Scripture represents wholeness or completion – we have the 7 Feasts, the Lampstand with 7 Lamps which represents the fullness of the Assembly in Messiah – as so too then does darkness have a complete form in its direct hate for the Truth. So while the deceived refuses to receive the fullness of the Truth, it holds fast to the deceptions and lies by keeping dark and wicked man-made feasts, gatherings and times, which are disguised by a manufactured covering rather than the real deal of the Truth in Messiah.
There is no half measures of obedience – you either love the true Master and serve Him in loving obedience, completely covered by the Light of His Word or you hate Him and walk in darkness and ignorance!
We have His Word to guide us daily – and as we are approaching the ‘Bread Feast’ we can also be reminded of His sure and promised provision in His Word which we are to be faithful in gathering each day. Have you ever wondered why יהוה sent our father’s manna in the Wilderness? Now I know it is because they needed food, but on a greater understanding of this provision we are able to see a clear lesson on how his Word must sustain us as we are clearly told by our Master that He is that Bread which came from Heaven! When this provision was given after their grumbling, what was the first clear instruction given to the nation? They were to gather each day the daily quota for each being, except on the Sabbath, as they would gather twice as much on the 6th day. The sending of the manna was a clear lesson for them to guard the Sabbath, and we can also see from this that by the time the 7th Millennium comes, the ability to gather the True bread of life and partake of Him will be over – only those who have gathered as commanded shall be able to have their fill on the 7th day (7th Millennium). The Bread of Life – יהושע Messiah – The Light of the world has come and has shone His favour upon us, in order for us to eat of Him and walk in His Light.
The primary collection of daily manna was to teach them about the Sabbath, clearly showing us how vital His Sabbaths are to us. Sadly through the ages this necessity has been overshadowed by the darkness of vain traditions and falsehood, which we have been called out of in order to be in the Light and walk in the full covering of His Light, and throw off all coverings of deceit. Gathering our daily bread is vital for us in teaching us to not forget to keep the Sabbath. If one neglects to ‘eat their daily bread’ and does not have their fill of the Word each day, then the likelihood of them neglecting to keep the Sabbath is a certainty, in some way or form! What I am saying is simply that when you forget to have time in the Word each day then you will most likely compromise in keeping the Sabbath set-apart, and what you will most likely find is that those who either neglect the Sabbath totally or compromise it in some way or form have neglected to have their required fill of the Word each day of the Week!
When the Master taught us to pray and tell us to ask for our daily bread, He was teaching us how vital it is to Keep the Sabbath – for the Sabbath is our sign between us and Elohim forever(Yeḥezqěl 20:20), and eating our daily Bread and walking each day in the Master יהושע Messiah will cause us to joyfully submit to Him, the Master of the Sabbath, and obey His clear commands, clothing ourselves continually in His Light and walk as children of Light! So the message is simple – do not neglect your ‘quiet time’ each day – and you will learn to guard the Sabbath day and keep it set-apart, which will equip you to keep your eyes fixed on His coming reign as you hold fast to the sure expectation we have in Him.
The right kind of covering is what we are to have – and making sure that we do not defile it with darkness and deceit by trying to cover up our mess ups!!! If we sin, we must come clean before our Master in order that He can cleanse us and keep our covering of light intact, lest we be exposed in the assembly for having been covered with deception!
We have a Kingdom to proclaim and kingdom rules to live by, shining the light of this truth in a very dark world – the right kind of covering will cause you to face some persecutions and trouble, but take courage – for Our King overcame the world, and as long as we remain in Him, we have the right kind of covering! Have you found at times that your covering has been soiled and you have tried to manufacture a covering of your own through justifying compromise? Hear the clear call to throw off all deceit and hypocrisy and be clothed in the armour of light – the right kind of covering –
Qolasim/Colossians 3:12-14 “Therefore, as chosen ones of Elohim, set-apart and beloved, put on compassion, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, patience, 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other if anyone has a complaint against another, indeed, as Messiah forgave you so also should you. 14 But above all these put on love, which is a bond of the perfection.”
We have been given THE RIGHT KIND OF COVERING – do not go and make your own – let the word of Messiah dwell in you richly and shine that bright light – shine, aměn!
As you continue to be steadfast and walk in Him, being clothed in Him – the Right King of Covering may:
יהוה bless you and guard you; יהוה make His face shine upon you and show favour to you; יהוה lift up His face to you and give you shalom!