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From: Ephraim & Rimona Frank (shevet@netvision.net.il)
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: The Priesthood
Shalom Fellow Israelite,
It is of utmost importance to keep following the continuity of YHVH's "b'sora" (gospel), as presented from the perspective of the Tanach and elaborated upon in the Brit Chadasha (New Covenant).
The new covenant that was enacted by the Apostle and High Priest of our confession has by the "better blood" brought about the change in the order of the priesthood (Heb. 7:11-12). As mentioned last week, the Aaronic (Levitical) priesthood came to an end on the day that the sinner died, for it is written that He Himself became the guilt offering and did bear the iniquities of us all, and the sin of the transgressors was permanently removed as far as the east is from the west (ref. Is.53; Ps.103:12). It is interesting to note that aside from meaning "accompaniment", Levi also comes from the root "to borrow", which denotes a transitory state. Moshe was instructed by YHVH to tell Israel what His intended plan was for them: "'You are My first born son...you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex. 19: 5-6). Because of sin, YHVH 'borrowed', or temporarily selected the tribe of Levi to replace the first-born. "Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be Mine" (Num 3:12). Please note the connection between first-born and priesthood; neither BELONGED TO THEMSELVES. Their purpose was to be of service to YHVH. Let us bear in mind that these Torah statues do not change, no matter what universalistic doctrines we might hold!
A second glance at the Hebrew word for gospel, "bsora" (of the root b.s.r, meaning to announce, or bring tidings), reveals that it shares this root with: "meat" or "flesh". Thus, when "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14) the announcement of grace and truth came to life in Yeshua. The same holds true regarding our "flesh", with the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence. An added dimension to this 'flesh and blood' witness is the restoration of our (earthly) identity as a remnant of the lost tribes. What a declaration of "good news", of "heaven and earth kissing" (Psa.85:10-11)! It is a wonderful, enlightening revelation of our Father's faithfulness. However, as magnificent as it might seem, this is only the beginning of our destiny as a redeemed chosen race. Within YHVH's divine judicial order in the family of man He has a purpose for Israel, His prophesied priestly first-born nation, whom He wants to become His royal priesthood here on earth, perhaps even in this generation. But the question that lies before us is, what does this kingdom of priests look like and how does it function?
As already mentioned, Yeshua is the High Priest of this renewed order of YHVH's kingdom in the earth. Why renewed? As we see from the first few chapters of scripture, in the beginning the Sovereign One set up His kingdom-order on earth. Adam (male and female) had a relationship with the Creator, Who gave them a position, a function, a role, and an office to fulfill; they were to have dominion and to rule the earth, while being, at the same time, under His power and authority. Thus, 'earthward' they were functioning in the role of a servant-king, providers of life and light to the creation, which they received from Life and Light Himself. 'God-ward' they lived in a relationship with the Creator, fulfilling a priestly role. In a manner of speaking this rendered them "a royal priesthood, a holy nation" -"a goy"- even though just a family ("goy" simply means a people living under one governing authority). They were in the kingly-priestly position later to become known as the "Melchizedec Order" (which is what a 'royal priesthood' originally looked like). But, as we know, because of natural man's inherent weakness it did not last long. Sin entered in through man's God-given natural inclinations of his 'heart's desires'. This desire (passion) was actually put in man by the Creator as a gift, for desire is needed in order to have and maintain a relationship. Imagine a marriage relationship without it! It was this very powerful emotion, in its undefiled state, that took Yeshua to the crucifixion tree. It is the main ingredient of love. The will of man is many times subject to this powerful emotion, but let us not confuse desire (epipotheo) with lust (epithumia), which is from the kosmos of darkness.
It was the perversion of desire, through believing a lie, that caused man and woman to turn to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen.3:6; 1 John 2:16). After turning away (eastward) from YHVH, and essentially having their spiritual umbilical cord cut from life, they still remained in their position of dominion over the creation, but now devoid of life or light the creation fell into travail. Hence, it is now waiting for the restoration of the firstborn, who again will walk as a living conduit of spiritual Life. This will only be possible when the priesthood is re-established and the sons of God come boldly before their Father and perform their foreordained priestly office, which is to serve Him and love (with an unconditional passionate desire) Adoni their God with all their heart and all their soul, with all their strength, which is the highest form of worship. This love requires that we present our bodies (the 'seed' as a grain offering), becoming a living and holy sacrifice which is well pleasing to our God. (Rom 12:1).
Even though after the fall, as mentioned, man continued in his given roles, he fell prey to another spiritual power and dominion, the "kosmos" (the fixed order) of darkness. This is seen quite vividly when the 'prince of this kosmos' tested Yeshua: "Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, 'All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me'" (Matt. 4:8-9). Yeshua did not dispute Satan's right to give to Him what he had usurped from man. However, Yeshua's answer was very revealing as concerning the topic of the priesthood, "You shall worship YHVH your Elohim and serve Him only" (v.10). This answer 'did Satan in', and he must have stomped off in anger.
Natural man cannot survive as an independent entity; he is totally dependent on some form of spiritual influence. He will either be subject to his Creator, the Spirit of Life and Light, or to the spirit of darkness and death. In Paul's midrash to the believers in Corinth he says that man, as a seed, has no honor or glory in himself, (ref. 1 Cor. 15:42-44), but that he has been created to receive that glory from that which he worships. Therefore, if he worships an ox, stone, star or whatever else, he receives the glory of that object (ref. Ps.106:19-20; Rom. 1:23), but if he worships himself, he has no glory. This is why it says that in the last days gross darkness will cover the earth (Is. 60:2). Since man's God-given position as a priest and his inherent desire to worship has now taken on the lowest form of glory, by the worship of himself and of the works of his own hands rather than the Creator, we may ask: are these the days described above, by Isaiah?
Man was placed into a preordained divine order in the creation, "a little lower than the angles...crowned with the glory of the Creator's life, and was appointed over the works of the Almighty's hands" (Heb. 2:6-7, as quoted from Ps. 8:4-6), but has lost his vessel of glory to the spirits of this present darkness. However, now, through the b'sora of Messiah Yeshua, the Israelite believer has been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. YHVH's order for the redemption of this Kosmos is on the path of fulfillment, but still requires His sovereign intervention (grace). Our kinsman redeemer, Yeshua, with the life of His holy and righteous Father in Him, came to reconcile this present chaos in order to put it in its rightful order, so that the kingdom of life and light would dispel death and darkness.
YHVH has called us, His people Israel, to be the first fruit in humanity's restored priesthood. The Father of Life did not send His Son to the Abrahamic family to die, in order to form some kind of a new religion amongst all the other religions of the world. He sent Yeshua that He might reconcile man back to that original relationship with Himself. In this way our worship of Him in spirit and truth will fill these vessels again with His glory. Now that we are in a position to receive His glory, we as a nation will be a light to the nations. When this happens all the peoples will go up to Zion, the dwelling place of the Creator, and will be taught of His ways by the redeemed remnant of the seed of Avraham. For this reason the writer of the book of Hebrews exhorts his Israelite audience to "pay much closer attention", and "not to neglect so great a salvation" (Heb 2:1,3).
Shabbat Shalom,
Shevet Achim
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From: Ephraim & Rimona Frank (shevet@netvision.net.il)
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject:The Priesthood
Shalom Fellow Israelite,
"Adonai sent a word into Ya'acov and it fell on Israel, and all peoples know it" (Isa. 9:8-9). In the past few days this scripture has been coming my way through various channels. And although it is interposed in a negative context, its truth is doubtlessly applicable to everything that YHVH ever spoke to our forefathers. In spite of the fact that His word was imparted to them thousands of years ago, a historical perspective, as well as present day reality, both reveal that, "His word has fallen on the entire nation of Israel as a testimony to all peoples".
Several of the more recent letters have been the outcome of
'mining
expeditions' in the area of that "word which fell on
Israel", that
being, "to be a kingdom of priests" (Ex 19:6). However,
this
proclamation may be read in a number of ways. The Hebrew word
used in
this text for "kingdom" is "mamlacha", which
can mean "priests who are
under a kingly authority", or "priests who themselves
have dominion,
sovereignty or royalty". The Apostle Peter, in his letter
addressing
"the aliens scattered abroad" within the Gentile
nations, refers to
his addressees as "a royal priesthood and a set apart
nation" (1 Pet.
2:9). The noun "aliens", or "strangers", is
translated from the Greek
word, "parepidemos" which literally means "a
people living alongside
the heathens" (ref. 1 Pet. 1:1). It behooves us to ask,
then, whom is
Peter referring to? Who was the nation that was not residing on
its
own realastate? It appears then that the Apostle is writing to
Israelites who are not in their own land, but are scattered among
the
other nations.
Peter continues to identify these people by quoting the prophet Hosea. He addresses those he is writing to as "not My people", being a reference to Israel of the House of Ephraim, or Yoseph (Hos. 1:10). He goes on to say that through the redemptive work of the Messiah they are now "a royal priesthood". But as we know, Levi was the tribe that was selected to be in that position after the Aaronic order. However, it is not that priesthood that Peter is referring to as fulfilling the divine call conferred upon the nation as a whole. Hosea already hints at this priesthood when he says to Ephraim: "Hear this, O priests! Take heed, O house of Israel! Give ear, O house of the king! For yours is the judgment...though I rebuke them all. I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me; for now, O Ephraim, you commit harlotry; Israel is defiled" (Hos.5:1-3). Why did YHVH refer to Israel (Ephraim) as a "priest"?
There was a priestly office in Israel, other than the Levitical one, which is mentioned shortly before the latter order came into being. In Exodus 19, which is one of the most dramatic chapters in the entire bible, Israel, YHVH's first born, arrives at the mountain of His presence in the third month. "I bore you on eagles wings and brought you to Myself" (Ex 19:4), is YHVH's description of that part of their journey. He then goes on, elaborating on the special status they are to have among all the other nations. And although all the earth was and is YHVH's, these children of Ya'acov were to belong to Him as His special treasure, or possession, and thus were not "their own". Immediately following these declarations, YHVH identifies them as "a kingdom of priests".
Before YHVH descended upon the mountain in the cloud and fire, He gave orders for the consecration of the people, so as to enable them to stand before Him and hear His voice. When all of this is said and done, the people gather on the third day around the mountain, which YHVH had warned them not to touch. But they were to be present there, before Him, in order to hear His Word. One of the conditions for becoming YHVH's kingdom of priests was to "obey His voice and keep covenant" (Ex. 19:5).
Because of man's inherent weakness and tendency to worship that which he sees with His eyes and touches with his hands, YHVH had to send Moshe down the mountain a second time to warn the people not to touch the mountain, or break through the set boundary. At this point YHVH commands Moshe to go down and to tell the priests to consecrate themselves (ref. Ex 19:22), repeating this charge twice. "Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to YHVH, lest He break out against them" (Ex. 19:24).
Who are these priests? Let us take a look at the ordination of the Levites. "Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be Mine" (Num. 3:12). The Levites had replaced the firstborn's priestly position. Let us venture back now to the day on which YHVH took the sons of Israel out of Egypt. One of the first things that He did was to take the first fruit unto Himself. "Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine." (Exodus 13:2). These firstborn of man and beast did not belong to themselves, rather they were YHVH's for His purposes. These were to be the priests and the animals that were set aside, or separated, holy unto YHVH.
By scriptural definition a priest is a firstborn who does not belong to himself; he is YHVH's special treasure and possession.
After Messiah fulfilled His redemptive role as the Lamb that takes away the sin of the Cosmos (the present sin and death world in humanity), YHVH, in the form of the Holy Spirit, began to draw out of the progeny of Avraham a first fruit of the New Cosmic order (ref. Rom. 4:16; James 1:1,18, Heb 2:16). Ever since the initial outpouring upon the disciples on the Feast of Shavuot -Pentecost - in the third month, He has been germinating a remnant of the Abrahamic seed, which is to grow and become an expression of a Priesthood after the Order of Malchizedec. "To Him (Yeshua our high priest), who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (Rev.1:5-6).
Shabbat Shalom,
Shevet Achim
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