Can you remember someone who made a promise to you, and then they broke the promise?

Well, unlike us human beings, when God makes a promise He never breaks it.  He is a Promise-Keeper!

We want you, to receive all of the blessings and promises that God has for you!  So, let’s take a look at what a covenant is and the promises God made to each of us — Jew or Gentile — through His covenant to Abraham.

The Covenant

The Hebrew word for covenant is brit, which appears 284 times in the Tanakh (Old Testament).

This word implies pact, contract, treaty or agreement between two parties and is likely derived from the Hebrew verb barah, which means to cut.

The Abrahamic Covenant is also called the Covenant of the Pieces (Brit bein HaBetarim or Covenant Between the Parts) in which God appeared in a smoking firepot and blazing torch and passed between the halves of the heifer, goat, and ram that Abraham cut:

“When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.”  (Genesis 15:17)

Because the word brit (covenant) is related to the word “cut,” it is associated with blood, which is how many agreements in the region were ratified;  through animal sacrifice or some exchange of blood.

This was an ancient, binding custom throughout Mesopotamia.

But in Abraham’s covenant, only the smoking, burning Presence of God, passed through the blood pathway.

This covenant depended on God alone to fulfill.

Mankind already had a poor track record:  Adam and Eve, Cain, the sin of Noah’s generation, and the list goes on.

It was vital that this covenant be fulfilled for the eternal salvation of mankind.

But God needed to find someone He could trust to begin the process of restoration.

 

He found it in a man from the land of Ur named Abram.

“The Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land (Canaan/Israel) that I will show you.

“I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

“I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’”  (Genesis 12:3)

God promised that Abram would become a great name.

Abram (אַבְרָם) means Exalted Father.

But God added the Hebrew letter hey (ה) to his name and made it Abraham, (אַבְרָהָם).

Many believe that God took this “hey” from His own personal name YHVH – יהוה, a symbol of His intimate involvement in the covenant that He alone is going to fulfill through Abraham.

God said to Abraham, “I have made you the father of many nations.”  (Genesis 17:5)

But Sarah couldn’t believe that she could get pregnant at her age, proving once again that the terms of this covenant are up to God alone to fulfill.  God would have to work a miracle in the barren womb of Sarah.

Isaac

God said to Abraham, “I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.” (Genesis 17:21)

Both Abraham and Sarah laughed at the promise of having a natural childbirth (Genesis 17:17, 18:12).

But, “Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14)

When Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90, she gave birth to a son and named him Isaac (laughter).

 

“Now Sarah said,  ‘God has brought laughter to me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.’”  (Genesis 20:6)

In Genesis 17, right after God changed Abram’s name to Abraham God explained to him the final part of His Covenant:

“You must keep My covenant of circumcision, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.  Every male among you must be circumcised on the eighth day…  It shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.”             (verses 7,11)

This was certainly speaking about the Jewish people as there has only been one people group in history which circumcises their male children on the eighth day — even up to this day in 2018.

Yesterday, a newborn son of one of our ministry staff cousins in Tel Aviv had a brit milah (circumcision).

Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel

From Abraham and the miraculous birth of his son Isaac, and then the birth of his son Jacob would come forth a people chosen (created) by God to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

Their job was also to be a light to the world (Exodus 19:6).

“I have chosen Abraham, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice; so that the Lord may bring about for Abraham what He (the Lord) has promised him.” (Genesis 18:19)

Isaac’s son, Jacob, whose name was changed by God to Israel, had 12 sons (the twelve tribes of Israel).

Not standing on God’s promises to us

Sometimes, after God speaks to us about a promise and we don’t see it fulfilled right away, we question if God really spoke to us.  Many times we lack faith and patience and go about things our own way and mess up.

In the case of Abraham, well, you know the story.  Before Isaac was born, Abraham had another son.

God appeared to Abraham in his early years in Canaan and said,  “‘Look towards heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’  Then He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.”  (Genesis 15:5)

Although Abraham believed the Lord, several years passed by with no son.
 Both he and Sarah lost patience for God to work this miracle as they were old.

Having also lost faith, Sarah told her husband Abraham to take her maidservant as a wife and have a child through her, since Sarah could not give birth. (Genesis 16:3)

Abraham named his son Ishmael, who became the father of the Arab nations.

Certainly, Abraham lived up to God’s promise to make him a Father of many nations.

Nevertheless, God made it clear in Genesis that the covenant promises would be established through Isaac, not Ishmael.

God promised to give Abraham’s descendants The Land

On the day that God passed through the animals, making the covenant with Abram, He said to Abram, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadie of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates….”  (Genesis 15:17–21; see also Jeremiah 34:18)

Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, God reiterates this promise and clearly tells us which descendants will receive this promise of land.

God again promised Abraham,  “To your offspring I will give this land.” (Genesis 12:7) and again in chapter 13:14–18.

God promised Abraham’s son, Isaac,  “to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will fulfill the oath that I swore to your father Abraham.” (Genesis 26:3)

God promised Isaac’s son, Jacob:  “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring;”  (Genesis 28:13)

While many argue that the land of Israel belongs to the Palestinians, God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham, promising this land as an everlasting possession to the Jewish people.

God promised that all the families of the earth will be blessed through Abraham.

The Jewish People have certainly blessed the world in physical and spiritual ways.

Did you know that 22% of all Nobel prize winners have been Jewish (they only comprise 0.2% of the world’s population).

AIPAC, America’s pro-Israel lobby, states that Israel contains “the most scientists, technicians, start-ups, and published scientific papers per capita in the world.”

In a land mass where oil dominates natural resources and exports, tiny Israel stands uniquely apart in that its primary export is technology in all Industries. Its resource is the Jewish people behind the innovations, as this CIA Factbook map shows:

More importantly, through the Jewish People came abundant spiritual blessings.

The Jewish people through Abraham gave this world both the Tanakh (Old Testament) and the Brit Chadashah (New Testament).  Reading the Word of God builds faith and nourishes our souls.

The New Covenant came through Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), a descendant of the Tribe of Judah, God in the flesh (John 1:1).

Through Him, salvation was made available to the entire world, including you.

God promised blessings to those who bless the Jews and curses to those who curse them.

This is a method God uses to ensure His Abrahamic covenant is fulfilled.

For instance, even before Isaac was born, the entire nation of Israelites could have become extinct, but God intervened.

Twice, Abraham took his wife Sarah into a foreign land and told the leaders (first a pharaoh and then a king) that she was his sister.

(That is true because in Genesis 20:12, Abraham says they both had the same father but different mothers, which was acceptable during that time of history.)

And because Sarah was beautiful, each time these leaders took her, intending to lay with her, God cursed them.

To get her back from Pharaoh in Egypt, “the Lord cursed Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.”  (verse 17)

And Pharaoh gave Sarah back to Abraham.

Then, in the other instance, to get her back from Abimelech the king of Gehrer, God came to Abimelech in a dream and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”  (Genesis 20:3)

Then God closed the wombs of all the women in the land.  The people of Gehrer would now become extinct.  (Genesis 20:18)

That is until Abraham prayed for them and God lifted the curse upon them.

Many centuries later, when Moses was born, the Pharaoh of that time tried to kill all the Hebrew baby boys.  Eighty years later, God cursed the Egyptians with ten plagues, including killing the Egyptian firstborn sons.

Throughout the millennia, the Jewish People have continuously faced curses of extinction.

And God has continuously fulfilled the curse for curse terms in His Covenant.

Sometimes, we don’t see those curses fulfilled until a much later time.  One of the most recent examples is Britain.

The British government issued the Balfour Declaration in 1917, promising to help the Jewish People establish a Jewish homeland in the Land of Israel.

But after the Holocaust and WWII ended in 1945, when the Jews needed safe passage to the land of Israel, Britain forbid it.  In essence they cursed the Jews.

Since that time, the Great British Empire declined and never regained its strength!

On the other hand, the United States has stood by Israel and the Jewish people, being a blessing to them.  About six million Jews live in the United States.

Could this be why the United States has become the most powerful nation in the world?

This principle of curse for curse and blessing for blessing is not only for nations.  It is for every person who has a choice to welcome, comfort, and help a Jewish person.

The Final Fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant

God repeated the promise he made to Abraham to the Jewish prophets — about a full restoration to the Land of Israel.

While the Jewish People were restored to the land of Israel after the Babylonian exile (2,600 years ago) and then again in 1948, there are still promises to be fulfilled about them accepting their Messiah.

The Prophet Zechariah reveals how the fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant will also include a spiritual restoration of the Jewish people when they see Yeshua (Jesus) as He is returning soon!

Zechariah 12:10

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication.  They will look on me, regarding one whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”

Then, they will be cleansed of their sins:

Zechariah 13:1-2

“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.”

“This third I will put through the the Refiner’s Fire;  I will refine them like silver and test them like gold.

“They will call on My name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”

The post How You Can Claim the Blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant appeared first on Messianic Bible.

“Stop and consider the wondrous works of God.  Do you know how God lays His command upon them, and causes the lightning of His cloud to shine?”  (Job 37:14–15)

It happens when you least expect it.  Open a car door.  Reach out to a friend.  Then ZAP!  Getting shocked with static electricity isn’t fun.  It also isn’t new.

In the 1700s, scientists experimented with “static” electricity, but Benjamin Franklin took it a step further with his kite experiment, proving that lightning was a form of electricity.

That was over 250 years ago, but in the Bible going back to the story of Moses 3,300 years ago, the Israelites often encountered God’s electricity in the form of lightning as well as mini-lightning bolts (static electricity).

Let’s take a fascinating look at how the Hebrew writers of the Bible described their electrical encounters with God and how the Creator of the universe used His command of lightning

Chashmal Envelops the Body of God

Today in modern Hebrew and in the Bible, the word for lightning is בָּרָק – barak.

In the Bible, the Hebrew word חַשְׁמַל – chashmal only referred to the gemstone amber, which can be a fiery red color (as in the image above) as well as green, yellow, black, or a rare blue.

More than its striking appearance, amber has a very unique property: it can produce static electricity.

The Prophet Ezekiel likely knew about this “electrical” phenomenon of amber but had no scientific way to understand it.

So, when he described God’s form as bright, glowing amber in the following passage, he may have been thinking about the sparks that static electricity produces in addition to its fiery colors

In his vision of God’s throne, Ezekiel wrote:

“On this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man. From what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like gleaming chashmal (amber), flickering like a fire.  And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor.”  (Ezekiel 1:26–27)

Jewish commentators, such as Rashi say that we should not ponder this verse. However the Rabbis agree that it is speaking about God Himself, and His body is described as chashmal.

When light shines through amber, it indeed looks like fire or like “glowing metal” (as some Bible translations write it).  But perhaps, Ezekiel saw mini-lightning bolts fly out His body as well.

Chashmal Becomes Modern Electricity

Before God re-established Israel in 1948, He also resurrected the Hebrew language, since the Jewish People had been scattered throughout the world for 2,000 years.

In the late 1800s, God used a religious Jewish man by the name of Eliezer ben Yehuda to re-establish the Hebrew language.  He was born in Lithuania (under the Russian empire) and moved to Jerusalem in 1881.

At that time, no one spoke Hebrew in daily life in Israel.  Hebrew was viewed as the Holy language, only to be used for praying and synagogue worship.  Instead, the people spoke the languages from their home countries, mainly Yiddish.  

But God put in Eliezer’s heart to rebirth Hebrew as the spoken, read, and written language of Israel.  He forced his family to speak Hebrew in their home, and he created the first Israeli Hebrew newspaper and dictionary.

His efforts were quite prophetic, as the Prophet Zephaniah wrote in chapter 3 verse 9:

“For then I will restore to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one accord.”

Eliezer, had to create many new words which were not found in the Bible, such as “electricity” which was discovered by Benjamin Franklin only about 100 years earlier.  He chose the word chashmal.

Why did Eliezer choose that word?

When the Hebrew Scriptures were first translated into Greek about 2,100 years ago, the Hebrew word chashmal became the Greek word elektron.

Still, it only had the meaning of amber, and seems to be related to the Phoenician word elēkrŏn, meaning shining light.

In the 17th century, two English scientists (William Gilbert and Sir Thomas Browne) were trying to better understand the static electricity that amber produces.  Gilbert called it electrikus, meaning like amber.  Browne later changed the word to electricity, and the rest is history.

Judah Leib Gordon, one of the most notable poets of the Jewish Enlightenment of the 19th century helped popularize this new word when he wrote:

“The light, the heat, the steam, and the electricity (hash-ma-LA), all nature’s forces are the angels above.”

He explained in his footnote: “by hash-ma-LA, I mean the natural force that is electritzitat, since the Greek translation of hash-MAL is ‘elektrika.’”  (HaAretz)

Lightning Illuminates the Power of YHVH Sabbaoth

Lightning is the most powerful of all forces.  It races toward earth at 200,000 mph (322,000 km/h) and has enough power in one bolt to light up a house for 30 years.

Throughout the Bible, it is understood that lightning and all natural phenomenon are at the command of the God of Israel, YHVH Sabbaoth, the Lord of Hosts.  And at key moments in Israel’s history, God has appeared in the midst of lightning or hurled it to earth to prove that He is Master of the universe and there is no other.

“He covers His hands with the lightning and commands it to strike the mark.”  (Job 36:32)

For instance, in the seventh plague against Egypt, God sent hail and lightning, the worst storm Egypt ever had.  This proved the God of Israel’s supremacy over the Egyptian gods of rain, thunder, and lightning.

Those who feared the Lord and brought their livestock and families inside were saved.  (Exodus 9:13–35)

Perhaps they thought like Elihu in the Book of Job, who said:

“At this also my heart trembles, and leaps from its place.  Listen closely to the thunder of His voice, and the rumbling that goes out from His mouth.  Under the whole heaven He lets it loose, and His lightning to the ends of the earth.  (Job 37:1–3)

Even though God possesses the power to destroy the entire earth with a wave of His hand, He deserves great reverence for using that authority righteously and justly.  In fact, the righteous have appealed to God, asking Him to use His immense omnipotence to defeat their enemies, as when David pleaded:

“Open the heavens, LORD, and come down.  Touch the mountains so they billow smoke.  Hurl your lightning bolts and scatter your enemies! Shoot your arrows and confuse them!”  (Psalm 144:5–6)

So, although God’s authority over lightning rightly invokes fear and trembling, it also commands reverence, honor, glory, and praise of Him who is righteous, just, and holy, holy, holy.

In the Book of Revelation is one of God’s final appearances on His throne.  The Apostle John sees God in the midst of “flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder” with angels about and 24 elders seated around Him.

When the angels called out, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” the elders cast down their crowns, bowed in worship, saying:

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created.”  (Rev. 4:8–11)

When God manifested in the form of a man, Yeshua (Jesus), His glory also manifested in a way that would invoke fear and reverence, glory and honor.

At times, as Yeshua’s Jewish disciples lived with Him, they got to see a piece of God’s glorious presence.  This is how they described it:

On the Mount of Transfiguration, “His appearance was like lightning, and His clothes were white as snow.”  (Matthew 28:3)

And “as He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” (Luke 9:29)

Very soon (since many signs indicate that we are in the last days) this is how the Son of Man, Messiah Yeshua, will appear to the entire world when He returns:

“For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”  (Matthew 24:27; Luke 17:24)

 

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Ki Tetze (When You Go Out)
Deuteronomy 21:10–25:19; Isaiah 54:1–10; 1 Corinthians 5:1–5

“When you go forth [ki tetze] to battle against your enemies, and the Lord your God delivers them into your hands …”  (Deuteronomy 21:10)

Last week, Parasha Shoftim focused rather broadly on the system of worship, judicial procedures, and the administration of the nation.

This week’s portion of Scripture, Parasha Ki Tetze, includes 74 of the 613 commandments contained in the Torah.  These commandments include miscellaneous criminal, civil, and family laws as well as moral and religious duties of the Israelites. 

The Curse and Death on a Tree

This Torah portion is a very practical compilation of teachings that squarely deals with most real-life situations: from inheritance rights of the firstborn to how to deal with stubborn, rebellious children; from returning lost objects to their owner to building safety fences around the roof of a home in order to prevent loss of life; from protection of the living to how to treat the body of the deceased.

The ethical treatment of a corpse extends to criminals hung on a tree after being convicted of a capital offense.  They have to be taken down and buried on the same day.  Bodies could not be left overnight, since anyone hung on a tree is considered cursed by God.

“If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and you hang him on a tree [וְתָלִ֥יתָ אֹתֹ֖ו עַל־עֵֽץ], his corpse shall not remain on the tree overnight.  You must bury it the same day; anyone who is hanged is a curse of God.”  (Deuteronomy 21:22–23)

The Hebrew word for tree is etz (עֵץ); the phrase “hang him on a tree” refers to death as a result of hanging on a tree or gallows, or to displaying a corpse on a tree after his execution.  Either way, the sight of a hung man on a wooden pole is a curse of God.

This is at least partly why a rich man named Joseph asked to take down the body of Yeshua (Jesus) from the execution stake.

“As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Yeshua.  Going to Pilate, he asked for Yeshua’s body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.  Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock.”  (Matthew 27:57–60)

But Yeshua wasn’t guilty of a capital offense, so why was he put to death on a tree?

According to Jewish priestly legal interpretation found in the halakhah (literally, the way) the one who is guilty of treason or blasphemy would be hung to death on a tree in full display before the people he has betrayed and the God he has blasphemed.  This interpretation of Deuteronomy 21:22–23 is found in early Aramaic translations of the Bible and rabbinic literature.

The Jewish leaders, therefore, saw Yeshua’s hanging as “proof” that He blasphemed the Lord by claiming to be the Messiah; in their interpretation, no true Messiah would hang on a tree and become a curse of God.

However, this Torah portion helps us see how Yeshua took the full measure of the curse on our behalf by hanging on a tree.

There on the tree, Yeshua took on Himself the curse that was meant for us, accepting the penalty for our sins and experiencing for the first time what it felt like to be separated from God because of transgression.

This is what the Prophet Isaiah referred to when he wrote:

“Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted.  But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”  (Isaiah 53:4–5)

Paul, a former Pharisee, also referred to the curse when he wrote:

“Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.’”  (Galatians 3:13)

There on the tree, Yeshua took all of our curses so that we could experience His blessings.  Those who follow Yeshua are no longer alienated from God but have His laws inscribed on their hearts.

Holiness and the Laws of God

Having the laws of God written on our hearts means that God’s character and nature are known to us in a very personal way—not through external laws on stone tablets, but internally in our very souls.

That does not mean we can turn our backs on the Torah, which helps us to better understand holiness and God’s nature.

We see in this Parasha that sin has a very heavy cost.  For instance, while the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) commands us to honor our parents, this portion specifies that sustained disobedience to parents is a capital offense.

The punishment for breaking this law, it seems, was never carried out in Israel, but became more of an ideal law that emphasized the respect of parents.  Do notice, however, that this law seems to describe a son who is a grown man, which indicates that Adonai holds we are never too old to revere our parents. 

The ethical and moral laws provided in Parasha Ki Tetze cover several instances of marriage.  Among them is the case of a woman whose second husband has died or divorced her.

This Parasha states that her first husband cannot remarry her (Deuteronomy 24:4).

Another instance of marriage is the levirate marriage (yibbum).  If a man dies leaving a childless widow, the man’s brother has the responsibility of marrying the widow in order to continue his brother’s line so that the deceased can inherit through the levirate son his share in the inheritance of property.

This Parasha also outlines the prohibition of a son marrying his father’s former wife, as well as other violations of marriage law.

The laws in Ki Tetze also include paying workers promptly, and allowing those who work for you to eat while they work (not muzzling the ox).

As well, those lending money to a fellow Jew were forbidden from charging interest on their loan.

Ki Tetze continues to be relevant in our world today.

Although in our modern society, transgenderism and cross-dressing is becoming more accepted and common, this Torah portion clearly states that those who practice such acts are an abomination to God:

“A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for anyone who does such things is an abomination to the LORD, your God.”  (Deuteronomy 22:5)

There seems to be so much confusion in our day with regards to gender and sexual identity; it is good to have the solid rock of God’s Word to show us where to stand on these controversial issues.

Despite what some believe, women are traditionally well treated in Judaism.  Even a foreign captive woman was to be given respect—including time to mourn the loss of her parents.

The law ensures her dignity and provides for her ethical treatment and legal protection.

“If you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife.  Bring her into your home and have her shave her head, trim her nails and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured.  After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife.”  (Deuteronomy 21:11–13)

If the Israelite man decides that he no longer wants her as his wife, he must allow her to go free and cannot sell her as a slave to another.

These verses about captive women segue to the unloved wife and the firstborn son.  In a multiple wife situation, a man’s firstborn son born of the unloved wife must receive his inheritance of the double portion.  In other words, the father may not give his birthright to the son of the loved wife.

Israel’s Double Portion

The verses in this Torah portion about inheritance and victory in warfare bring to mind the final end-time battle.  According to Rabbinic Judaism, the Messiah (Mashiach) will wage war against the enemies of Israel and succeed in battle.

We know that a day is coming when all nations will gather to battle against Israel; but Yeshua the Messiah will fight for Israel and gain the victory.  All the spoils of the nations will come into the hands of the people of Israel.

In that day, we will receive back all that the enemy has stolen from us.  God will restore the years that the swarming locusts have devoured (Joel 2:25), and we will receive a double portion in our land.  Halleluyah!

“Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance.  And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.”  (Isaiah 61:7)

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“Above the dome over their heads there was something like a throne, in appearance like sapphire stone.”  (Ezekiel 1:26)

Can you imagine standing face to face with God?

Would you shout Halleluyah! or not be able to speak at all?

Would you dance for Yeshua or fall to your face before the Lord?

These are the questions the American Christian music band called Mercy Me asks in their song, “I Can only Imagine.”

Though we don’t know how we would actually respond when standing before the literal throne of God, we can see what it’s like to approach the throne of God.

The prophets shared with us their vivid visions of His throne.  And the apostles told us how we can enter His presence with confidence.

One day all of us will approach His throne (Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25 31-40; Revelation 20:4,11).

So let’s discover what His throne is, what it means for each of us today and on the day that we will appear before His throne.

Can God Really Sit on a Throne?

In the Tanakh (Old Testament), and in modern Hebrew the word כִּסֵא (pronounced keesay) is a chair.  But most often in the Bible, it refers to a throne.

While God is our King of kings, He is also Spirit, so can He really sit on a literal throne?  One of the most influential Jewish scholars and sages of all time, Maimonides also known as the Rambam (12th century) said, no.

He believed that God showed the prophets a literal throne only as a way to help the Israelites (who were accustomed to seeing kings and statues of pagan gods in Egypt and Canaan sitting on thrones) identify with Himself as the King of all kings, whose glory, reign, and authority are above any other throne on earth.

Whether God’s throne is literal or allegorical, the language of the throne in the Bible emphasizes God’s authority.  Just as a king has authority over his domain, so God has authority over all creation and beyond.

It’s also important to keep in mind that the word for to sit in Hebrew is shev, which can also mean to dwell or inhabit.

So, perhaps God dwells wherever His throne is.

As we’ll see, His throne could be anywhere and everywhere at the same time.

Let’s start to understand what the throne of God means to us by looking at the robe that our King of kings wears as He sits upon His throne.

The Glory, Exaltation, and Authority of Our King

“I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train (hem) of His robe filled the temple.”  (Isaiah 6:1)

No matter how wealthy and splendid an earthly king was, none of his robes could outdo the Lord’s, which “filled the temple” in Isaiah’s vision of God’s throne.

The length of a king’s robe represented the level of glory and splendor he wanted to portray among his subjects.  

Keep in mind that in ancient Israel, elaborate robes would have been painstakingly woven together by hand one thread at a time with great precision and craftsmanship.

The Lord’s robe is so expansive that His glory and splendor covers His entire house, summoning worship and praise from everyone.

But, of course, His glory is not limited to a building made by hands.

In chapter 6, God shows Isaiah another dimension of His throne.

This time, Seraph angels are attending to the Lord, calling out, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.’”

And in Chapter 66, God says that “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is My footstool.”

Even the clouds of the sky, the rain, the thunder, the air we breathe declare the glory of God, as if His robe extends around our earth and over each of our homes. (Psalm 77:13–19)

As David wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.

“They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”  (Psalm 19:1–4)

A king’s robe was not the only symbol of his glory.

The height of his throne represented the level of authority and power he possessed and commanded.

High above all other kings and kingdoms, God’s throne is in the heavens and the earth is but one of a vast array of creations.

“All these things My hand has made, and so all these things are Mine, says the Lord.”  (Isaiah 66:2)

What can anyone do in the presence of such power?

“Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,” writes the psalmist.  (Psalm 114:7)

Let’s see how even the holy prophets of God, who warned Jewish people about their severe sins ― and were also human beings who sinned ― entered the presence of such a holy, omnipotent, omnipresent King and left empowered and emboldened to serve Him.

Isaiah and Ezekiel Approach God’s Throne

When Isaiah entered the presence of God’s supreme power and majesty (Isaiah chapter 6), he was suddenly aware of his own sinfulness and did not understand how he could be in the holy presence of YHVH Sabbaoth, the Lord of Hosts.

“Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips.” he cried.

Just then, one of the Seraphs took a hot coal from the altar in the Temple and touched Isaiah’s lips:

“Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out,” said the angel.   With a clean slate, so to speak, in the eyes of YHVH, Isaiah could embark on His commission.

“Hineini – Here I am,” he told the Lord, ready to serve You.

When the Prophet Ezekiel approached God’s throne in all its splendor, he fell on his face.

But the Ruach or Spirit entered him and put him back on his feet so he could proceed with his unique commission.  (Ezekiel 2:1-3)

What God did for Isaiah and Ezekiel, He makes available to each of us.

Aware of our sin, He has removed our guilt and given us His Spirit so we can embark on our own unique commissions.

 How Can We Approach God’s Throne?

Just as God dealt with Isaiah’s sinfulness and Ezekiel was filled with God’s Spirit, so we too must come into God’s presence to be cleansed and filled with His Spirit.

We know that living a holy life is not always easy, but it is what God calls us to.  It takes work by spending time with God in prayer and in His presence.

But what can we do when we fail?

The words of the song by Dave Browning help us understand how we can deal with our sin and how God has provided for us.

We still need a High Priest to make atonement for our sins, as Israel did.

This High Priest who would atone for our sins once and for all “had to become like His brothers and sisters in every respect, so that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God; to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people.” (Hebrews 2:17)

That High Priest is Yeshua (Jesus)!

Through this eternal High Priest, we have access to the throne of God!

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  (Hebrews 4:16)

Understanding His mercy and receiving His forgiveness is humbling.

Filled with His Spirit, we can humbly but also boldly approach our King on His throne with praise and worship, asking Him for help and guidance in our lives.

“This is the one to whom I will look,” God said on His throne, “to the humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word.”  (Isaiah 66:2)

The Jewish apostle Matthew wrote his book to the Jewish followers of Yeshua explaining that the true children of God have responsibilities to follow God’s word, His house rules.  That’s the deal.

A day will come when we will stand before the throne of Messiah and be judged according to His word:

“When the Son of Man comes [Messiah Yeshua] in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne.

“All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. …

“Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Get away from Me, you who are accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!” (Matthew 25:31–41) 

Let us pray that the Jewish People will come to the knowledge of their Messiah and be counted as one of the sheep who will enter eternity with Him in heaven.

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“Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate [Helper / Comforter] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”  (John 16:7)

Yeshua (Jesus) told His disciples that once He left to be with the Father, He would send a Helper.

We have often heard that this Helper is the Ruach Ha-Kodesh, the Holy Spirit of God, but this is only part of a much larger truth.

Here, we’ll see how God Himself is the source of all our Help.  He is our Advocate, Comforter, and Intercessor, sometimes helping us through Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) and through His Spirit. 

The word for helper in the Brit Chadashah (New Testament), which was written in Koine Greek, is often parakletos (masculine) or paraklesis (feminine).

Let’s take a closer look at how these Greek words apply to us today and in the lives of people in the Bible.

What Is Parakletos?

In the Greek literature at the time of Yeshua, parakletos was an advocate in a legal sense (like a lawyer), referring to one who represents someone in the presence of another.

Praklit (פרקליט) is a Rabbinical term adopted from the Greek word.  In modern Hebrew, praklit means solicitor or legal counsel.  Praklit ha-mechoz means district attorney, and praklit ha-medina is the Israeli solicitor general.

In Scripture, we find that God is both Advocate and Judge in His own court of law.

God Is Our Advocate

We don’t usually see the word “advocate” when we read the Old Testament (Tanakh) in English.

However, in the story of Job we find God Himself testifying and advocating for Job, a righteous man who lost ten children, his wealth, and his health.

In response to his tragic circumstances, Job’s wife told him to curse God, while his friends told him to repent of his sins.

 

Yet Job knew he had done nothing wrong, and he pointed to God as the only one who could testify of his innocence.

“Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and He who testifies for me [sahadi – שָׂהֲדִי] is on high.”  (Job 16:19)

In other Bible translations, we might read “my Advocate” or “He who vouches for me.”

Whatever English words are used, the Hebrew Sahadi is very personal.  It means the one who testifies or advocates on my  behalf.

While others accused Job, saying, “There is no end to your iniquities”  (Job 22:5), Job pointed to God on His throne as the only one who truly understood him, who knew the actual facts of why this calamity came upon him.  No earthly friend or lawyer could adequately know all of this.
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Because God sees and knows all, He is the only true Advocate (and Judge) we have, as well.

When people misunderstand our intentions or our words, or when they condemn us for something that we did not do, we have an advocate with our Father in heaven.  He will come to our defense if we ask Him, just as He did with Job.

God saw Job’s faith in Him, while his friends wanted Job to curse his Father in heaven.  After 42 chapters, God finally declared Job innocent and restored his fortunes two-fold.

But His friends were not so fortunate.  God penalized them for not speaking correctly about Him:

“My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.”  (Job 42:7)

But that was not the end of Job’s friends.  God has always made a way to reconcile us back into good standing with Him.  

“Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly.”  (Job 42:8)

Messiah Is Our Advocate

Like Job’s friends, we too have a sin problem which cuts us off from God, and there is a price to be paid for it.

But God not only became our judge in our own court case, He sent another Advocate to pay our fine.

The wages of sin is death.
That’s the deal.  To be set free from the penalty of death, God’s law required that all sacrificial offerings be without defect (Leviticus 1:3, 22:17–33) and the High Priest be purified (Leviticus 16:4, 20–28).

So, God revealed His essence as Yeshua (Jesus) to meet the sacrificial requirements of the Torah (Law) regarding the sin offerings.  By doing so, He forever redeemed us from our eternal death sentence.

Messiah Yeshua “emptied Himself, taking on the nature of a servant, being born in human likeness.  And being found in human form, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on the execution stake.” (Philippians 2:5–8)

As a man, Yeshua had “been made perfect forever.”  (Hebrews 7:28)

In His perfection, we were redeemed “with the precious blood of Messiah, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.”  (1 Peter 1:17–21)

This kind of perfection that met every requirement of the Law was only possible because Yeshua was not merely a man.

He was one with God even from the very beginning (John 1:1–2).

We Are Advocates

God not only required a sacrifice from Job’s friends, He gave Job the responsibility of now praying for them, interceding on their behalf for the false accusation they spoke against him and against God.

In this way, Job became their parakletos, their advocate, helping them to be reconciled back to God.

Reconciliation is always in God’s heart.  And we, too, are to become a parakletos for others, just as “God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them.”

Likewise, God has entrusted us with “the message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18–19)

If God can send Messiah Yeshua to be our Advocate, not counting our tresspasses against us, we can advocate for others, for we are “ambassadors for Messiah” and “God is making His appeal [parakaleo] through us.”  (2 Corinthians 5:20)

God Is All Comfort

Not only is God our Parakletos (Advocate), He is also our Paraklesis, our Comforter in a very personal sense.

He is the “God of All Comfort.”  (2 Corinthians 1:6)

He comforts the downcast (2 Corinthians 7:6) and those who mourn (Matthew 5:4).

God has provided for our ultimate comfort in the world to come, but we also have access to this comfort while we are on earth.  Paraklesis is the feminine form of parakletos; it is our holy urging — that exhortation, encouragement, or comfort we receive as God’s Spirit works in us through His Word or through His people to keep us under His authority and not the enemy’s.

That in itself is of great comfort.

For example, in Antioch, untrained men unsettled the souls of the congregation with their words, but when they read Paul’s letter to them, “they rejoiced because of its encouragement [and exhortation].”  (Acts 15:31)

Paul’s writings set forth God’s truth that put the error of these men to rest.

Paul says that paraklesis is one of the many spiritual gifts that God gives to Believers when we are reborn in Him.  Those who have it are to exercise it according to the amount they have been given:

“We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; … the exhorter (parakaleo), in exhortation (paraklesis).” (Romans 9:7–8)

Those who prophecy are supposed to do so to edify and to give paraklesis to the body of Messiah, as Paul did in his letters.  (1 Corinthians 14:3)

Paul overflowed with this gift of paraklesis, which was sometimes expressed through prophesying and through writing. Two-thirds of the writing in the Brit Chadasha (New Testament) is the Spirit of God working through Paul’s gift of paraklesis for our encouragement, edification, exhortation, and comfort.

But not only Paul’s writings. He said that the Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures) was also “written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement (paraklesis) of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

That hope pointed to Messiah Yeshua.

While walking among us 2,000 years ago, people called out to Yeshua for comfort and encouragement.  This calling out for relief and consolation can be expressed through the verb form of parakletos, which is parakaleo:

For example,

• A Roman centurion implored (parakaleo) Yeshua to heal his tormented, paralyzed servant (Matthew 8:5–6).
• A synagogue leader begged (parakaleo) Yeshua to heal his daughter (Mark 5:22–23).

We, too, can intercede for ourselves, imploring, begging, pleading with God for help, advocacy, reconciliation, relief.  He is the source of it all and He will help us.

There were others, however, who felt more comforted not being in Yeshua’s presence.  For instance, when demons begged (parakaleo) Yeshua to send them into a herd of pigs, a demon-possessed man was set free before the eyes of the town; yet, the people pleaded with Yeshua (parakaleo) to leave the region (Mark 5:11–17).

Imagine rejecting the personal, healing touch of Messiah Yeshua in your life.  May it never be.

God Is Our Intercessor

When we need comfort, encouragement, exhortation, conviction of sin, and reconciliation with God, we can call out to our Advocate in Heaven for help.

There may be times when we come to God with one of these needs, not knowing exactly how to pray for it.

In these circumstances, we can seek the help of the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) to intercede for us:

“The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit intercedes for us with wordless groans.”   (Romans 8:26)

Other times, Yeshua will intercede for us as our High Priest and final sacrifice, nullifying the accusations of our adversary who is continuously trying to tell us that we are not worthy.

In these times, Paul reminds us to stop believing such lies and to remember the truth of the matter:

“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?  It is God who justifies.  Who is to condemn?  Messiah Yeshua is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us”  (Romans 8:33–34)

However, with salvation comes a responsibility to live out God’s will, His truth, and be the disciples He has called us to be.  Then, we can become truly effective comforters, exhorters, and encouragers to others.

God did not leave us as orphans in this task.

He is our Parakletos and Paraklesis, our Redeemer, our Comforter, our Encourager, our Counselor, our Helper, and our Advocate working for us and in us through His Spirit and His Son, Messiah Yeshua.

It is up to us to call out to Him (parakaleo) for His help, advocacy, intercession, comfort—and wait for His answer. 

“O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary.  The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people.  Blessed be God!”  (Psalm 68:35)

 

 

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