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Midrash for Shabbat of Sept. 10 2005
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Midrash for Shabbat of Sept. 10 2005 |
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Midrash
Sept. 10, 2005 Shabbat
Vv.1-7 - We see the priestly garments (Heb. Beged ) in Ch. 39. The first is the ephod, which seems to have been a fine linen garment, perhaps like a tallith-katan, made up of two pieces of fine linen, front and back attached at the shoulders by other pieces of fine linen, one on each shoulder. I think these were attached by the gold strips. Fine linen (usually white) symbolizes the righteousness of saints. Gold symbolizes the presence/tifereth of YHWH. Where it is associated with righteous men, it speaks of sin dealt with and removed. Blue (Heb. t'kheleth) symbolizes Shamayim - the heavens, and Ruach haKodesh. Purple1 (Heb. argaman) was the most precious of ancient dyes, derived from the same cerulean mussel that provided the blue dye traditionally used for the t'kheleth thread in the tzitziot. It took up to 250,000 mollusks to get one ounce of purple, which explains why it was a type of opulence, wealth and royalty. Scarlet1 (Heb. shaniy) symbolizes the blood atonement, sacrifice or sin, depending on context. I think cloth of these colors were used in the girdle used to tie the ephod close to the priest's torso, though it could have been used generally for the ephod, girdle and shoulder pieces. The gold was beaten
into extremely thin, flat plates, almost foil, and then cut into narrow
strips so it could be woven throughout the blue, purple and scarlet
of the girdle. The beating (wounded, bruised) and cutting (stripes)
of the gold symbolizes the suffering our Saviour, YHWH Yeshua haMoshiach,
went through to allow us the privilege of wearing the fine linen, white
as snow. The shoulder pieces were to couple the front and back pieces together. Attached to the shoulder pieces were 2 onyx stones with the names of the tribes of Yisrael embossed on them - six on one and six on the other. This engraving was not cut into the onyx, but stood out from the surface, like on a signet ring used to wax-seal a document. I make this point because the stones of the breastplate are carved in the same way. Imagine creating this effect on diamond - the hardest natural substance on earth. How did Bezalel or Aholiav get this done? I might be mistaken, but I don't think they had diamond drills and Dremel tools in the wilderness. The stone's settings in the shoulder pieces had gold rings with which to attach to corresponding gold rings on the breastplate via a gold chain/cord. The stones are said to be for 'a memorial to the children if Yisrael', so both Yisrael and the priest would remember that the priest's service was for Yisrael's benefit. Q&C Vv.8-21 - The breastplate was of gold, 2 sheets attached at one edge and 'folded' together. The word 'double' is from Heb. kaphul, which means 'fold' together. The way I picture it is that the bottom plate was made and the stones inlaid into it and then the top plate, with holes cut out for the stones, was laid on top to secure the stones in place. Then the gold breastplate was affixed to the blue, purple and scarlet material by the gold strips, in the same way the memorial stones were affixed to the shoulder pieces.
The Breastplate of Ex.39, 2/3 scale. Think Hebrew - left to right.
The King of Tyre's Breastplate Ez.28, author's conception. Think Greek/pagan - Right to left. I think it's interesting that the Breastplate of the wicked king of Tyre, who typifies haSatan, has only 3 rows and 9 stones. All of the stones in the Tyrian breastplate are in the Aharonic, but the entire 3rd row of Aharon's is missing from it, the last row is 'promoted' to the second, and other stones are jumbled. It seems very interesting that the stone that represents Judah in Aharon's breastplate is listed next to last and the stone that represents Levi is listed DEAD last. There is more in this comparison than I can see right now. Perhaps someone who has done a deep study of this subject can help us out here. W1828 says that
an 'ouch' is Vv.22-32 - The priest's robe was one piece, all t'kheleth blue, with a hole cut out for his head, which was hemmed and trimmed to keep the neck hole from fraying or tearing. Around the hem of the bottom of the robe were alternating pomegranates and bells. The pomegranates were of blue, then purple, then scarlet, so the succession was blue pome, gold bell, purple pome, gold bell, scarlet pome, gold bell, and so on. It has been suggested that the bells were there so everyone would know the priest was OK, as they would tinkle as he walked around in the Kadosh place. If the tinkling stopped, there must be something wrong, and they could send in some help. Scripture does NOT say any such thing, so it is just speculation. YHWH may have just liked pomegranates. The Hebrew word translated pomegranate is ??? rimmown, from the root ???, ramam, which means upright or exalted, so even the hem of the priest's robe is exalted in his ministry to YHWH and his people. The priestly garments, up to now, have been described from the outside inward. Nothing in the priest's attire hints of sin, not even the pomegranates that the world so often calls a symbol of sex and fertility. Our Adversary is the great counterfeiter of all things set apart. His children have counterfeited the real spiritual symbolism of the pomegranate and have the world believing them. Don't you fall into that trap. The coats, mitres,
bonnets and britches were all of fine linen. These were the innermost
clothes, or undergarments, of the priests, which were made of material
that would not cause the priest to sweat or itch (like wool would),
probably cotton or flax. On the mitre is a gold plate inscribed with
the words Kodesh L'YHWH, Set-Apartness
to YHWH. The plate is fastened to the High Priest's mitre with another
band of t'kheleth blue. This plate contrasts with the mitre on the woman's
head V.32 tells us that the children of Yisrael did exactly as YHWH told Moshe. It's about time. If only we'd done that a few months before. Q&C 1Ki.7.13-26 - It
sure sounds like ol' Shlomo summoned Hiram, doesn't it? Hiram was to
the Temple what Bezalel and Aholiav were to the Tabernacle. He was ½
Yisraelite of the tribe of Naphtali, and ½ gentile, typifying
the nature of Yisrael, especially in our day. At this time he was NOT
the Phoenician king. I think Shlomo appointed him king due to his faithful,
righteous service, but I could be wrong about that. He made 2 pillars
of brass 18 cubits high with brass capitals (tops) 5 cubits high. The
pillars were 12 cubits in circumference. W1828 says, According to the ancient Paleo-Hebrew pictographs, Yachin can mean 'a work that covers activity', while the word Boaz can mean 'to see a house cut off'. Again, see Rood's video on Shlomo's Temple. Get
a load of the sheer SIZE of the brazen sea. It was 30 cubits, or 55
feet, in circumference - almost 18 feet across. It was about 9 feet
high. It would require a ladder or a platform of some type to wash the
offerings in. David designed it to be carried on the backs of 12 oxen,
4 sets of 3, each facing a cardinal direction. I think each ox represents
the head of one of the tribes of Yisrael. I also think that they are
in the same configuration as the camp; Yahuda on the east, with Yissachar
and Zevulon flanking, etc. But I doubt it. The sea was 18 feet across, 9 feet high; a ½ sphere of solid brass 4.5 inches thick set on 12 equally humungous brass oxen. The brass in Yahrushalayim was absolutely without number. The reason for this is that brass symbolizes sin and YHWH's subsequent judgment and wrath, which we deserve without measure. But in the brazen serpent, it also symbolizes his grace and mercy, which he grants to us without measure if we trust him to deliver on his promises. As an aside, brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, and in our modern world it was not invented until the 13th C. CE. For that reason, many think this was actually refined copper. I tend to follow scripture until it is PROVEN wrong, which hasn't happened yet. So I think Shlomo and Hiram knew how to alloy brass. There was, however, a very large copper mine in Southern Ontario, near the 'shores of gichee-goomie' (Lake Superior) that PLAYED OUT around 1000 BCE; the same time David was stockpiling all the materials for the Temple. Do you suppose…? Q&C Vv.27-51 Next comes the bases. They were 7 feet square and 5½ feet high. Why only 10, and not 12 in Shlomo's Temple? The #10 symbolizes completeness or fullness. These bases seem to have had a raised platform in the center, with a trough, or border, and then a raised ridge along the outside edge, not as high as the center platform. In the border were the various figures of the lion, oxen and cherubim. The bases all had 4 brass wheels, with plates of brass. The word 'plates' is the Strong's #5633 and is literally 'axles'. The 'undersetters' is Strong's #3802 and means, 'clothes' or 'side pieces'. Was this like 'skirts' over the wheels? If so, this was one tricked out ride, huh? There was a 'mouth' in each of the bases. The mouth was round and about 1 cubit above the bottom of the base. Was this the drain for the 'border' that carried away water that splashed out of the lavers to wash the priest's feet? The mouth was round, but its decorative border was square around it. The wheels were 1 cubit high and the 'undersetters' (skirts?) were ½ cubit and attached to the base itself. The parts of the wheels, axletrees (tierods?), naves (rims?), felloes (spokes) and spokes (hubs) were all of brass. There was also a round platform in the middle of the base upon which the lavers would be set. This platform was ½ cubit high and uniform circumference. Next are the lavers, which were placed on the bases. These were 7 feet across. To use these lavers, there had to be a platform or step because they had to stand at least 6 feet high to the rim of the laver. The laver's purpose was for the priest to wash before and after each sacrifice. I doubt that he would get on his tippy-toes to wet his hands and then carry the water to the rest of his body. We aren't told about this step or platform, though. The lavers and their bases were set up in a row, I think, 5 on one side and five on the other side of the center of the approach to the Kodesh. Ten lavers represent the fullness of the judgment and wrath of YHWH, while the 2 sets of 5 shows his grace toward us. The sea was placed on the left (south) side of the approach before one came to the lavers. Everything of these bases and lavers were of solid bright brass (v.45) and typified sin, judgment and wrath, as well as mercy and grace, as we discussed before. As the priest approached any of the furnishings, he would see his reflection in the brass and be reminded of his sinfulness. He would be reminded of the wrath he deserved and the grace he did not deserve. He would be reminded of the complete faithfulness of YHWH. We are told in v.47 that Shlomo didn't weigh the brass, not that he couldn't weigh it. He wanted the priests to recognize that there was no way to measure the wickedness of either themselves or the people, nor the grace and mercy of our Elohim. As opulent and beautiful as the Temple was, Shlomo didn't use all the stuff that David accumulated for the purpose. He put all the leftover gold, silver and other valuable stuff in the Temple treasury. That which was dedicated to YHWH's use could not be used for anything else. David had been a very busy boy, collecting all the stuff. He'd sent over the whole earth looking for the stuff of the Beit haMikdash because he was building a Bayit for his Elohim who'd created all the earth. Shlomo got the message and produced. We need to do the same. What is YHWH moving you to do? With YHWH's spirit to guide you, just do it! Q&C Ps.68 - Vv.1-2 shows Elohim risen. This is a picture of YHWH Yeshua risen from the grave. Upon seeing him, his enemies WILL flee from him, and be driven away as smoke before the wind of Ruach. I notice that the Name of YHWH was only used twice in the last 9 chapters, but starting in v.4 its usage rises substantially, almost exponentially. It seems to gain use as the praises of his mighty acts are recounted. Some of David's word-pictures are extraordinary. Vv.7-8 says that when Yah marched in the wilderness (Selah! The Creator went with sinful men!), the shamayim 'dripped with the Shekinah of Elohim' so that Mt. Sinai itself moved, or quaked, at his presence. Then in vv.12-14, YHWH, at whose Word kings fled and were scattered, laid down in the thorns (a type of the grave, in context), only to soar as a dove whose golden feathers on silver wings will carry him back home to shamayim. David talks about Yeshua's ascension after leading captivity captive (v.18). There are at least two schools of thought on this, depending on one's belief about the state of the dead. Those who believe that the dead go directly to their reward, either in heaven until the resurrection, or in hell until the GWT, say that captivity was in the paradise section of Sheol and Yeshua descended to bring them out. These are the dead saints that walked among people in Jerusalem at his resurrection and were haBikkurim offering of the dead. Those who believe that the body goes to sleep in the grave to await the resurrection say that he led Yisrael out of captivity both physically in Ex.37 and spiritually in Eph.4.8. The saints who were raised with Yeshua are just a sampling of those who are awaiting the resurrection of the righteous dead at some future Yom Teruah. I am not interested in a theological debate on this point today, so leave it alone. I merely mention the most widely held opinions on the matter, and I stress the word OPINION. There is no way to KNOW certainly which is correct until we see it in the resurrection. Whichever is true, it makes NO difference to your salvation, so it is moot. Whichever is correct, the next thing you'll be conscious of after your death will be Yeshua's presence. HalleluYah! He speaks about the benefits from YHWH, El of our Yeshua, and then tells us to STOP and THINK about that. How often do you
stop when you come to 'Selah', and meditate even for a moment on the
statement you just read? After David stopped and thought about what he'd just written in 18-19, he praises YHWH again, expanding what he'd just meditated on. El is the El of salvation and our YHWH OWNS the escapees from death. He can allow through anyone he chooses. And disallow anyone he chooses. He'll bring Yisrael back from among the heathen and scatter those who will not trust him. Vv.22-23 speak to YHWH bringing the house of Israel back from Bashan. Bashan was on the east side of Jordan and Chinnereth (Sea of Galilee) bordered by Gilead in the south and Mt. Hermon in the north. This was Manasseh's land east of Jordan. Og, king of Bashan came out against Israel on their way to the Promised Land and was thrashed by the believing armies of Yah. It seems that YHWH is going to call a bunch of us OUT of Bashan, which is now a part of Syria. He likens Bashan to the depths of the sea, a type of the world. His purpose in this is to let us enjoy his victory over the world. In v.27 David speaks of Benjamin, Judah, Zebulon and Naphtali as if they are the only faithful ones. Why address only these tribes if ALL of Jacob is faithful to bring praises to Yah? Where were these tribes settled? Zebulon and Naphtali were neighbors on the west shores of Galilee in the north; BenYamin and Yahuda were neighbors in the south. These areas are very much in dispute today by the PLO and the people of Israel. David says that YHWH has commanded their strength and they responded by asking YHWH to strengthen them in what he's prepared for them. I think this speaks of the 2 houses, Israel and Yahuda, joining in supplication to YHWH to deliver them (us) from the enemy (the Philistines). The elders of these tribes will make the supplication. The princes are the religious leaders and their supplications will be answered by the return of YHWH Yeshua haMoshiach to destroy his and our enemies. It will be at that time that the princes of Yahuda and Yisrael will say in unison, "Baruch haba b'Shem YHWH!" "Blessed is he who comes in the Name of YHWH!" David talks about the Beit haMikdash while he is still acquiring the stuff for it. The copper mines are still producing and he's already seen in the plans of YHWH that the Temple itself will cause the kings of the earth to tremble in awe of Elohim. He says that kings will bring presents to YHWH and that spearmen, their bulls and calves will submit to YHWH by bringing pieces of silver. I think this speaks of the kings and those in whom the kings trusted, their armies and false gods, bringing the ½ shekel Temple tax in tribute to Yah. As a political aside, all taxes are tribute paid to the victor in battle. Yeshua told Kefa that the children (citizens) are free, only the 'strangers' pay taxes (Mat.22.24-26). Then he tells the kings of the earth to raise their hands and voices in hallel to YHWH. Selah. Let's stop and consider vv.29-32. The Psalm ends with praises to YHWH for what David just stopped to contemplate. Q&C Rom.8.1-5 - The Brit haDashah passage for today deals with how Yeshua is now the High Priest who is clothed in the REAL robes, of which Aharon's were but a shadow. As beautiful as the priest's clothing was, it was drab and plain by comparison to Yeshua's, as was everything in the earthly tabernacle and Temple, especially the priest's ministry. Those were just shadow-pictures of that which is real in the shamayim. Our High Priest does not stand in a Holy place made with hands, but is set on the right hand of Avinu's throne in the truly Kadosh place. The implication is that when he offered his own blood there was nothing left for him to do to secure our righteous standing before YHWH. So he doesn't minister daily or weekly or yearly, but just that once. Moshe was taken
to the shamayim l'shamayim, the heaven of heavens, to see the actual
tabernacle - the very one in which Yah Avinu will tabernacle with us
in the new earth. And he made sure that everything was done exactly
to plan. But it must have been a disappointment to him to see only .9999
fine gold and silver being used, when the real tabernacle used ABSOLUTELY
pure gold and silver, gold so pure you can see through it. The context of the 8th chapter is obviously the 7th, where Sha'ul (I think he wrote Hebrews) weighs the Levitical/Aharonic priesthood against the Melchizedek priesthood and finds it wanting. Then the 8th chapter speaks of the new vs. the old. When you are reading on in Heb.8, keep the Melchizedek vs. Aharonic priesthoods in mind and notice that the word covenant is supplied by the translators a few times, I think wrongly. The priestly ministry is the subject in context in ch.7 and in ch.9, not the covenant. V.8 says, finding fault with them, not it. The fault was in the ministers of the covenant, not the covenant itself. But now we have a Melchizedek High Priest who offered his own blood once and now is set at the right hand of Avinu. Q&C End of Midrash. The Foundations of the New Jerusalem are of precious stones, like the stones in the breastplate. Perhaps a visual comparison is in order. I offer this as a spur to further study. I think it would be interesting in its prophetic and doctrinal ramifications. I haven't studied it and don't have any leading on it beyond what I touched on earlier. Have at it.
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