Thursday, April 25, 2019

Praise for God's Deliverance


By Dan & Brenda Cathcart
The video version of this teaching is available at https://youtu.be/jxD9_A6LjiQ
The scripture reading is 2 Samuel 22:1-51
This haftarah portion falls during the Feast of Unleavened Bread following the Feast of Passover. In this haftarah portion, 2 Samuel 22:1-51, David praises God for delivering him from the hand of Saul and all his enemies.
2 Samuel 22:1 NKJV 1 Then David spoke to the LORD the words of this song, on the day when the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.
We don’t know when in David’s lifetime that he wrote this Psalm, but this Psalm stands out because it is not just recorded in the book of Psalms as Psalm Eighteen, it is recorded in the narrative of David’s life. David wrote many Psalms throughout his life; he is credited with writing seventy five of the one hundred fifty Psalms recorded in the book of Psalms. So, why is this Psalm recorded in the narrative? What can we learn from David who was far from perfect yet described as a man after God’s own heart? And why was this passage chosen to be read during the Feast of Unleavened Bread?
This record of David’s praise to God is near the end of the book of Second Samuel. Although the book’s title seems to indicate that Samuel wrote it, the death of Samuel is recorded as having occurred in First Samuel chapter twenty five. The NKJV Study Bible explains that Jewish tradition holds that the prophets Nathan and Gad completed the book of First Samuel and wrote the book of Second Samuel.[i] These two prophets, Nathan and Gad, were a constant presence in David’s life as he rose from exile to become Israel’s greatest king.
Although we don’t know specifically when David wrote this Psalm, the Jewish sage Abarbanel believes it was early in David’s life. The Stone Edition Chumash writes:
Abarbanel, in his commentary to Samuel, is of the opinion that David originally composed this song in his youth when he was still enmeshed in his many problems and misfortunes. He created it to be an all-inclusive psalm that would relate to every woe which could possibly occur in his life.[ii]
If Abarbanel is correct, the psalm is appropriately placed next to David’s last words demonstrating David’s faith from the early part of his life until the very end!
The book of Second Samuel opens with the death of Saul and Jonathan. David wrote a lamentation for their deaths. In his song, David points out that the shield of Saul did not protect him. The Stone Edition Tanach translation of 2 Samuel 1:21 reads:
O mountains of Gilboa—let neither dew nor rain be upon you, nor fields of bounty, for rejected there was the shield of the mighty ones, the shield of Saul, as if unanointed with oil.[iii]
In contrast, David opens his song of praise to God with the statement that God is his shield that would always protect him from violence!
2 Samuel 22:2-3 NKJV 2 And he said: "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; 3 The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence.
From the time David first faced an enemy, that of the giant Goliath, he affirmed his faith that God was his deliver.
1 Samuel 17:36-37 NKJV 36 "Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God." 37 Moreover David said, "The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you!"
God consistently delivered David out of the hands of his enemies. However it was not long after David came to the attention of Saul that Saul became jealous of David’s popularity with the people of Israel. Although Saul sought to kill David, God faithfully delivered David out of Saul’s hand. One such incident happened shortly after David fled from Saul’s court. David had taken refuge among the Ziphites, but his presence was betrayed to Saul. David and the men with him were forced to flee into the wilderness of Maon. Saul and his men pursued David and had nearly succeeded in surrounding him. However, news of the Philistines attacking Israel diverted Saul and his men.
1 Samuel 23:27-28 NKJV 27 But a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Hasten and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!" 28 Therefore Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines; so they called that place the Rock of Escape.
In this psalm, David declares that when he calls on God, acknowledging that deliverance only comes from God, then he will be saved from his enemies.
2 Samuel 22:4 (JPGreen)I call on Jehovah, the one to be praised; and I shall be saved from my enemies.
The phrase “to be praised” comes from the word “halal,” number 1984 in Strong’s Concordance meaning to shine, to boast, rave, praise, or celebrate. This is more than just a “good job” and a pat on the back! This is a boasting and celebration of what God does and who He is. David goes on to put this into practice by extoling God using the imagery of crossing the Red Sea.
2 Samuel 22:5-7 NKJV 5 'When the waves of death surrounded me, The floods of ungodliness made me afraid. 6 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. 7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry entered His ears.
David references God hearing from His temple, but if David wrote this psalm early in his life, what temple is David referring to? The word “temple” is from the Hebrew word “heykal,” number 1964 in Strong’s Concordance meaning a large public building in the sense of having a large capacity. This word is first used in the Bible in reference to the tabernacle in 1 Samuel 1:9 where the priest Eli is described as sitting by a post near the “temple of the LORD.” Since the temple had not yet been built, this public building would have been the tabernacle. However, David is not referencing this tabernacle; David’s description of God’s reaction to his plea places this public building on Mt. Sinai.
2 Samuel 22:8-12 NKJV 8 "Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry. 9 Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it. 10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet. 11 He rode upon a cherub, and flew; And He was seen upon the wings of the wind. 12 He made darkness canopies around Him, Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
David saw himself in the Exodus story and in the events at Mt. Sinai. He saw himself as being present when God brought the children of Israel across the Red Sea. He saw himself as being present when God spoke from Mt. Sinai and tongues of fire touched on all those present at the base of the mountain. He saw himself as present when God took the people as His own people and called them a special treasure.
David continues with the imagery of the Red Sea and Mt. Sinai.
2 Samuel 22:13-16 NKJV 13 From the brightness before Him Coals of fire were kindled. 14 "The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice. 15 He sent out arrows and scattered them; Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them. 16 Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered, At the rebuke of the LORD, At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
These verses, from verse eight to verse sixteen, form a chiasm, an inverted structure that ends where it begins with both sides pointing to a central theme. In verses eight and sixteen, there are wonders on the Earth. Moving in towards the central theme, verses nine and ten correspond to verses thirteen through fifteen about fire coming from heaven. Verses ten and twelve tell us God uses the darkness. This brings us to our central theme in verse eleven that God is swift to answer and bring help.
David explains that God is swift to answer because God delights in him.
2 Samuel 22:20 NKJV 20 He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.
The word “delight” is the Hebrew word “chaphets,”  number 2654 in Strong’s Concordance meaning to incline to, to be pleased with or delighted with. God is pleased with David. David elaborates.
2 Samuel 22:21-25 NKJV 21 "The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. 22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. 23 For all His judgments were before me; And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. 24 I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. 25 Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in His eyes.
We might question David’s sanity here. How could David assert that he has kept the ways of the LORD and is blameless before God? David seduced Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah one of his most loyal generals. He, then, conspired to have Uriah murdered! The prophet Nathan, who wrote the words of Second Samuel, was the one who confronted David in his sin. How could David call himself righteous? And why would Nathan include the words of this Psalm in the record of David’s life? It was because David was confident of God’s mercy. He was confident God would see him as clean!
2 Samuel 22:26-29 NKJV 26 "With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; 27 With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. 28 You will save the humble people; But Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down. 29 "For You are my lamp, O LORD; The LORD shall enlighten my darkness.
David acknowledges that in his own strength, he cannot be any of those things. He cannot be righteous, blameless, pure or humble.
2 Samuel 22:32-37 NKJV 32 "For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? 33 God is my strength and power, And He makes my way perfect. 34 He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places. 35 He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 36 "You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your gentleness has made me great. 37 You enlarged my path under me; So my feet did not slip.
David says that it is only God who enabled him to keep the way of the LORD, to walk in those high places. Similarly, it is only God who can enable us to keep the way of the LORD! Paul laments that, like us, he is unable to keep the way of the LORD. Although his spirit desires the way of the LORD; his flesh is weak. But Paul states he is not defeated; he is victorious in Messiah Yeshua.
Romans 8:1-2 NKJV 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
God was pleased with David’s humble heart and his desire to allow God to light His path. God was also pleased with Yeshua, His own son and a son of David. Yeshua had taken Peter, James and John onto a high mountain where Yeshua was transfigured before them; Yeshua’s face shone like the sun! Moses and Elijah appeared beside him, and Peter desired to build tents for them.
Matthew 17:5 NKJV 5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!"
The words of the remainder of David’s Psalm of praise could easily apply to Yeshua as well as to David. David writes of his victories in battle and of God placing him as the head of many nations!
2 Samuel 22:44-46 NKJV 44 "You have also delivered me from the strivings of my people; You have kept me as the head of the nations. A people I have not known shall serve me. 45 The foreigners submit to me; As soon as they hear, they obey me. 46 The foreigners fade away, And come frightened from their hideouts.
Unlike the foreigners, David did not serve a God that was dead. He served a God that had the power to act.
2 Samuel 22:47-50 NKJV 47 "The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, The Rock of my salvation! 48 It is God who avenges me, And subdues the peoples under me; 49 He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man. 50 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name.
David concludes his psalm with a look to the future, with a look at a coming king, God’s anointed.
2 Samuel 22:51 NKJV 51 He is the tower of salvation to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed, To David and his descendants forevermore."
Peter reminds us that we are following the messiah, the anointed one, a king in whom God is well pleased!
2 Peter 1:16-18 NKJV 16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
Nathan and Gad recorded David’s last words after those of his psalm of praise. They introduce David as God’s anointed and the sweet Psalmist of Israel.
2 Samuel 23:1 NKJV 1 Now these are the last words of David. Thus says David the son of Jesse; Thus says the man raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel:
David describes the ideal ruler of Israel who was coming!
2 Samuel 23:2-4 NKJV 2 "The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue. 3 The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: 'He who rules over men must be just, Ruling in the fear of God. 4 And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, Like the tender grass springing out of the earth, By clear shining after rain.'
David goes on to recognize that his house doesn’t live up to that description! Those who rebel against God would be burned with fire! But somehow God would bring about this ideal ruler through David’s house because of God’s commitment to the covenant He made with David.
2 Samuel 23:5 NKJV 5 "Although my house is not so with God, Yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, Ordered in all things and secure. For this is all my salvation and all my desire; Will He not make it increase?
As mentioned earlier, David’s psalm of praise for God’s deliverance is included near the end of the book of Second Samuel, but it is not at the end. The book of Second Samuel ends with David’s disastrous decision to number the children of Israel which led to the death of thousands of men. Once again, we see that David was not blameless; His hands were not clean. This time, David is confronted by the prophet Gad, the other author of the book of Second Samuel. Once again, David acknowledges his sin.
2 Samuel 24:17 NKJV 17 Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, "Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father's house."
The book of Second Samuel began with the death of Saul and the end of Saul’s reign over Israel. Saul’s kingship did not continue with his sons because he broke the covenant God had made with him and did not repent. In contrast, the book of Second Samuel ends with the continuation of the reign of David’s line even though David had broken God’s commandments. Throughout the book of Second Samuel, we see David continually turning back to God whenever he strayed. In this last instance, he repented and prayed, not for mercy for himself, but mercy for his people.
David’s psalm of praise is included in the narrative of his life because he lived his life by this psalm. He didn’t live it perfectly, but he lived it consistently. This psalm was chosen as the reading for the Feast of Unleavened Bread because David lived his life as if he, too, was brought out of Egypt by the hand of God and taken into covenant with God at Mt. Sinai. David never doubted in the goodness and mercy of God towards His people.
Yeshua, our Passover sacrifice, was given for us that we could enter into covenant with God. Paul testifies about the new covenant.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 NKJV 23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.
Like David, we will not be able to keep the covenant perfectly. But like Paul, we can trust that when we walk according to the spirit and not according to the flesh, we will have eternal life.
Romans 8:11 NKJV 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
If the spirit of Messiah truly lives in us, we will have the humble spirit of David. When we fall short, we will repent and turn back to God with all our hearts. We will strive, as David did, from day to day to follow God’s path. Alongside of David, we can testify that our God lives! Blessed be the Rock of our Salvation!
Study Questions:
1. What qualifies Nathan and Gad to be the biographers of David’s reign?

2. Who were some of David’s enemies? What challenges did he face from his enemies?

3. In 2 Samuel 22:26-29, how does David understand the concept of “measure for measure” as it applies to God’s response to our actions?

4. David stated that God was pleased with him in 2 Samuel 22:20. Compare this with Paul’s words about the children of Israel in 1 Corinthians 10:5. In what way or ways was is God pleased with us?

5. Many of David’s psalms are prophetic. How can the words of this psalm, especially verses 37-51 refer to Yeshua?

6. What new insight did you gain by watching this video? How do you respond to this new insight? How will you realign your life based on this new understanding?

© Moed Ministries International. All rights Reserved.


[i] NKJV Study Bible. Earl D. Radmacher, Th.D, Thomas Nelson. ©1997, 2007. Page 469.
[ii] The Stone Edition Chumash. Rabbi Nosson Scherman and Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz. Mesorah Publications, ltd. ©2007. Page 1226.
[iii] The Stone Edition Tanach. Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Mesorah Publications, ltd. ©2007. Page 725.

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Why do we Celebrate the Feast of Passover?


By Dan & Brenda Cathcart
The video version of this teaching is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qK2819oihY
The scripture reading is Exodus 12:1-28 & Luke 22:7-23
When God spoke to Moses from out of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, He gave Moses instructions on how to draw near to Him through the five different offerings. The important thing to remember is that this occurred after God brought them out of Egypt, from their bondage to slavery, and after He took them for His people through the covenant mediated by Moses. This system of offerings was designed to allow God’s already chosen and covenant people to draw near to Him. When we accept Yeshua as our offering that allows us to draw near to God, we need to realize that this happens after we are taken out of our slavery to sin. It is after this that we enter into the New Covenant.
How does this work? Are the offerings and sacrificial system instituted at Mount Sinai a shadow of salvation through Yeshua? How exactly are we redeemed from our slavery to sin? And how do we enter into the New Covenant? It all begins back in Egypt with the original Passover sacrifice.
Paul tells us in his letter to the Corinthians that Yeshua is our Passover and admonishes us to observe the Passover and the subsequent Feast of Unleavened Bread in a manner worthy of our calling.
1 Corinthians 5:7-8 NKJV 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Understanding Yeshua as our Passover is critical to understanding how we are redeemed from slavery to sin, and how we can enter into the New Covenant.
God differentiates between what are considered offerings and what are sacrifices. In Deuteronomy, when God is giving final instructions to the children of Israel before they enter the Promised Land, He summarizes what they are to bring to Him.
Deuteronomy 12:11 NKJV 11 "then there will be the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the LORD.
The offerings are listed separate from the sacrifices! The Hebrew word for “sacrifice” is #2077 “zeh’-bach” literally meaning sacrifice as referring to the flesh. When we see the English word “sacrifice” in our Bibles, we must check to see if the Hebrew word used is Zebach because that is not always the case. Of the five types of offerings described in the book of Leviticus, only one of them is called a sacrifice; that one is the peace or Thanksgiving sacrifice. In fact, the Bible uses the word “sacrifice” for only two types of situations; they are to institute a covenant and to bring the peace sacrifice. This brings us to the Passover. The Passover is specifically called a sacrifice. In fact, God calls it His sacrifice!
Exodus 12:26-27 NKJV 25 26 "And it shall be, when your children say to you, 'What do you mean by this service?' 27 "that you shall say, 'It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.'" So the people bowed their heads and worshiped.
So, is the Passover sacrifice a covenant sacrifice or a peace sacrifice? As we will see, it is actually both!
First, take a look at the context in which the Passover occurs. The children of Israel went into Egypt to escape the famine that swept the entire region. Their sojourn in Egypt was in fulfillment of God’s prophecy to Abraham.
Genesis 15:13-14 NKJV 13 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 "And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
Jacob’s son Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt where he eventually rose to become second in command to Pharaoh. When the famine hit, Joseph called for all his family to join him in Egypt where he made sure they had the best of everything.
After Joseph’s death, another pharaoh rose to power and the children of Israel were seen as a threat not an asset to Egypt. They were slowly drawn into slavery by burdensome tax regulations until they finally called out to God for relief. Egypt had taken God’s people, the descendants of Abraham into slavery, and God was about to reclaim them.
Exodus 6:5-7 NKJV 5 "And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. 6 "Therefore say to the children of Israel: 'I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 'I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
The word “redeem” is the Hebrew word “ga’al,” #1350 meaning to redeem or avenge. God would both redeem His people and avenge them for the wrongs done to them. This is the dual role of the word “ga’al,” the redeemer and avenger of blood. Brenda and I have written an extensive study of this concept in our book Shadows of Messiah in the Torah, Volume 4 which is available from on-line book sources.
God’s stated purpose was to “visit” His people, remove the bondage of servitude to Egypt, redeem and avenge them, and take them as His people. And through all of this, they would know that He is the LORD! God begins this process by sending Moses and Aaron with a message to Pharaoh that the Hebrews were His people not Pharaoh’s and it was time to release them back to God.
Exodus 5:1-2 NKJV 1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.'" 2 And Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go."
Pharaoh refuses to accept the right of God to reclaim His people, and so, the battle is on! God sends the plagues on the Egyptians, differentiating between His people and Egypt until finally, God makes a formal appearance the night of the Passover sacrifice.
So, now we turn to the background on the Threshold covenant to understand the significance of the Passover sacrifice. The late nineteenth century theologian, Henry Clay Trumbull, in his book The Threshold Covenant, explains the Passover sacrifice in terms of this threshold covenant. In its simplest form, the threshold covenant was a way of inviting a guest into one’s home and assuring the guest that he was welcome. The homeowner or host would greet a guest at the door or threshold of the home. An animal would be sacrificed at the door and the blood poured out on the threshold. The guest would enter the house passing over the blood of the covenant. That guest would be welcomed into the home as one of the family. The owner was, then, obligated to protect the guest as he would a member of the family. In fact, the well-being of the guest took precedence over the well-being of a member of the family.
Now in light of the Threshold Covenant, Let’s take a look at the description of the Passover sacrifice.
Exodus 12:21-23 NKJV 21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. 22 "And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. 23 "For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.
The text doesn’t tell us where the sacrifice is to take place. We see that it must be near the door of the house since the blood is painted on the lintels and the doorposts. When we turn to the Hebrew language, we find another clue that the sacrifice is at the doorway of the home. The word translated as “basin” describing the location of the blood they use for dipping the hyssop is the Hebrew word “saph,” #5592 meaning something that contains such as a bowl, basin, door, or threshold. The Septuagint, which is a Greek translation of the Torah completed around 300 BCE, uses the Greek word “thoo-ra” meaning door or doorway for the Hebrew word “saph.”
So, the instructions to the children of Israel can be understood to mean that they were to dip the hyssop in the blood in the threshold. They were, then, to use the hyssop to coat the entire door frame with the blood. After coating the entire doorway, they were to enter the house and not leave it until the morning! When the LORD saw the blood on the doorway, He would know He was welcome in that home and “pass over the door, or the threshold and He would visit them and prevent the destroyer from entering the house! The LORD was an honored guest in the home and they shared a meal together eating the Passover sacrifice along with the bitter herbs! This, then satisfies the requirements of the peace sacrifice. The word “peace” in this case is the Hebrew word “shalem,” #8002 meaning a voluntary sacrifice in thanks. It comes from the Hebrew word “shalam,” #7999 meaning to be safe or complete. The Passover sacrifice brought safety and completeness to the children of Israel.
While the children of Israel were safely in their homes, the LORD visited the Egyptians as well: He visited them with judgment because they did not have the blood of the Passover sacrifice on their doorway! Trumbull describes this scene in his book, The Threshold Covenant.
Jehovah did not merely spare his people when he visited judgment on the Egyptians. He covenanted anew with them by passing over, or crossing over, the blood-stained threshold into their homes, while his messenger of death went into the houses of the Lord's enemies and claimed the first-born as belonging to Jehovah.[i]
Pharaoh, the enemy of God, who had refused to let God’s people go, then kicks them out of Egypt!
Exodus 12:31-32 NKJV 31 Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, "Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the LORD as you have said. 32 "Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also."
God leads them across the Red Sea and through the wilderness until they come to Mt. Sinai, the mountain of God where God would institute a covenant with them, a threshold covenant, where He would invite them into His home.
Exodus 19:5-6 NKJV 5 'Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 'And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel."
After God spoke the words of the covenant, the children of Israel brought offerings and peace sacrifices. These sacrifices were the sacrifices of the covenant offered at the base of Mount Sinai, the threshold of God’s dwelling place on the mountain!
Exodus 24:5-8 NKJV 5 Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. 6 And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, "All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient." 8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, "This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words."
After this, the children of Israel were allowed to approach the mountain although only Moses could go to the top of the mountain where God’s presence was manifest. They were allowed to pass the threshold. God welcomed them into His home and family. They shared a meal with God! God accepted them as His people!
Exodus 24:9-11 NKJV 9 Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. 11 But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank.
In Egypt, the children of Israel welcomed God into their homes. They shared the Passover meal with God. Then God took them out of Egypt, out of slavery, and brought them to His Mountain where He welcomed them into His home. But their new home was not to be at Mt. Sinai, it was to be in the Promised Land. So, God instructed the children of Israel to build a dwelling for Him.
Exodus 25:8 KJV 8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
God’s desire was and is to dwell among His people. He instructed the children of Israel how they could draw near to Him through the offering system. Of these offerings, only one is like the Passover sacrifice; that is the peace offering. Every time a peace offering is brought, it is a remembrance of the Passover sacrifice and a remembrance of the covenant with God!
Now, we turn back to our opening questions, “How are we redeemed from the slavery of sin?” How do we enter into the New Covenant? We do this by first welcoming Yeshua into our homes, our lives.
John 3:16 NKJV 16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Those who do not welcome Yeshua into their lives face the same judgment as Pharaoh.
John 3:18 NKJV 18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
We, then follow Him out of slavery to sin. This is the purging of the old leaven that Paul wrote to the Corinthians about! Yeshua is our Passover sacrifice. He is the blood spilled at the threshold of our lives welcoming God into our lives. He is the blood of the threshold covenant allowing us to enter into God’s home! He brings us safety and completeness in Him.
Luke 22:18-20 NKJV 18 "for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." 19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." 20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.
He is also our peace sacrifice bringing us peace, safety, and completeness.
John 14:27 NKJV 27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
We are to honor Yeshua by leaving the leaven of our old lives behind.  We can and should participate in the celebration of the Passover.  The Passover serves to be a reminder and a memorial of how we have been freed from our bondage. The Passover also reminds us that we have entered into a Threshold covenant with God through the sacrifice of Yeshua. This is what Yeshua taught His disciples on that last night with them.
As this teaching is streaming out to you, tomorrow is Nisan 13th on the Biblical calendar.  It was on the evening of the 13th as the day changes at sunset and becomes the 14th, that Yeshua shared His final Passover meal with His disciples. We too can keep this feast just as He taught His disciples. We can keep the feast of the Passover as well as the feast of Unleavened Bread remembering Yeshua as we do! The apostle Paul reminds us that Yeshua is the one who has redeemed us!
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NKJV 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
Since God lives in us, we are the temple of God! The Holy Spirit is the presence of God in our lives! The sacrifice has been made and the blood of that sacrifice has been placed on the doorway and He has entered in. Let the Holy Spirit lead you into all truth! And let us glorify God by all that we do!
Study Questions:
1. What are the things that God commits to do as His obligations under the covenant at Mt. Sinai?

2. In the beginning of this teaching we quote Paul from 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 when Paul speaks of purging out leaven from our lives.  What is the broader context of Paul’s teaching?  What is the leaven that he is referring to and how is it removed?

3. Examine the biblical use of the Hebrew word Ga’al #1350. What are the meanings of this word beyond those covered in this teaching?  How do all these meanings apply to God’s words in Exodus 6:5-7 as well as how Yeshua is a fulfillment of these meanings?

4. In Exodus 3:8, God said He had come down to deliver His people from Egypt. In what way did God “come down?”

5. In what way is entering the Tabernacle or the Temple crossing the threshold of God’s dwelling place? In what way is participating in a peace sacrifice or a Passover observance (Exodus 12:41-50) similar to entering the Tabernacle?

6. What new insight did you gain from this teaching? How do you respond to this new insight? How will you realign your life based on this new understanding?

© 2019 Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.


[i]  H. Clay Trumball; The Threshold Covenant; Charles Scribner and Sons; 1896; page 209

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

The Feet of Him Who Brings Good News


By Dan and Brenda Cathcart
The video version of this teaching is available at: https://youtu.be/khQj7pErvFk
The scripture reading for this teaching is 2 Kings 7:3-20

Our haftarah portion this week in Second Kings 7:3-20 tells the story of four lepers who brought good tidings to the besieged city of Samaria. Samaria was the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel. At this time, Ahab’s son Jehoram, who is, also, called Joram, is king of Israel.  Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, had been trying to take over Israel since the death of Ahab. After Elisha stopped an attempted assassination of Jehoram by Ben-Hadad, Ben-Hadad brought his army against Samaria and quickly surrounded it.
2 Kings 6:24-25 NKJV 24 And it happened after this that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria. 25 And there was a great famine in Samaria; and indeed they besieged it until a donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and one-fourth of a kab of dove droppings for five shekels of silver.
The inhabitants of Samaria were slowly starving to death and many of them had even resorted to cannibalism. The Samarians were in desperate need of good tidings of salvation! The improbable messengers of this good news were four lepers. Why did God choose four lepers to bring this news? Why did God wait so long to bring deliverance?
Jehoram was the second son of King Ahab and ruled after his brother Ahaziah’s short reign. Ahaziah died childless, so Jehoram took over as king. Jehoram removed the pillar of Baal that his father and mother had placed in Samaria, but he continued in the worship of the golden calves that King Jeroboam had set up.
2 Kings 3:2-3 NKJV 2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like his father and mother; for he put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he persisted in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin; he did not depart from them.
The scripture tells us that Jehoram continued in and did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam. This emphasis tells us that Jehoram had the opportunity to turn away from his sins and chose not to do so. For example, shortly after Jehoram became king, Elisha warned Jehoram of the plot by King Ben-Hadad to kill him, but Jehoram did not turn from the ways of Jeroboam. After this, God allowed King Ben-Hadad to come against and besiege Samaria. During the siege, Jehoram inspected the walls every day! One day, he came across a woman who called out to him for help. She related the story of an agreement she had with a friend to take turns killing and eating their sons. After eating her son, the friend hid her own son and now the woman wants her friend to produce her son! The king is broken-hearted and enraged by this story!
2 Kings 6:30 NKJV 30 Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and there underneath he had sackcloth on his body.
He was already wearing sackcloth underneath his kingly garments. He was in enraged at the hardship they were forced to endure and in secret mourning for his people and his city. However, instead of turning to God, he blames Elisha for the situation and immediately sends a messenger to take Elisha’s life.
2 Kings 6:31-32 NKJV 31 Then he said, "God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today." 32 But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man ahead of him, but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, "Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent someone to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door. Is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?"
Notice that Elisha is waiting in his house in Samaria! He was in the city the entire time of the siege! Elisha refers to Jehoram as the son of a murderer who was getting ready to murder him! The seventeenth century theologian, Matthew Poole comments on these verses in his work, Commentary on the Holy Bible:
This wretched and partial prince overlooks his own great and various sins, and, amongst others, his obstinate cleaving to the idolatry of the calves, and the whoredoms and witchcrafts of his mother Jezebel, 2Kings 9:22, and the wickedness of his people, which was the true and proper cause of this and all their calamities; and lays the blame of all upon Elisha.
King Jehoram was not satisfied with his messenger just killing Elisha, in his rage he followed quickly and confronts Elisha.
2 Kings 6:33 NKJV 33 And while he was still talking with them, there was the messenger, coming down to him; and then the king said, "Surely this calamity is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?"
Finally, Jehoram came to Elisha and through him to God, even though it was only to blame God! I have to think that Elisha was waiting day after day for Jehoram to come to him to hear the word of the LORD, especially after God had intervened through Elisha to stop the earlier assassination attempt. But Jehoram was not willing, and he wanted God to come to him! How much sooner could this siege have ended if Jehoram had only come and asked!
2 Kings 7:1 NKJV 1 Then Elisha said, "Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD: 'Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.'"
Food, that was non-existent that day, would be so abundant by the next day that its price would drop back to normal! God was ready to act! The officer who accompanied Jehoram scoffed in disbelief.
2 Kings 7:2 NKJV 2 So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, "Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" And he said, "In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it."
This was not just an officer assigned to guard the king. This officer was one on whom the king leaned! The word translated as “lean” is “shaw-an’, number 8172 in Strong’s Concordance, meaning to support one’s self, to lean, lie, rely, or rest on. II kings chapter 5 references this practice as one in which the king leans on someone’s hand when he bows to worship an idol.  Apparently, this captain performed this service for King Jehoram, and was comfortable enough in the presence of the king to offer his opinion about Elisha’s prophecy. It seems that Jehoram relied on the officer’s understanding and counsel as well! The book of Proverbs reminds us who we should lean on.
Proverbs 3:5-7 NKJV 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
Judgment against this one on whom the king leaned was immediate! He would see the salvation of God but would not receive any of the benefits!
At this time, we are introduced to the four lepers. Leprosy is a serious topic in the Torah. Instructions on what it is and how to deal with it cover two chapters in Leviticus. Leprosy is more than a skin condition; it can also infect a house. The sages teach that leprosy is the physical manifestation of the spiritual sin of gossip or the evil tongue. First Fruits of Zion in Torah Club Volume 1: Unrolling the scroll explains:
The rabbis considered biblical leprosy to be primarily a punishment for the sin of evil speech. The Hebrew term for evil speech is lashon hara. It literally means “evil tongue.” The rabbinic association between evil speech and leprosy is derived from the story of Miriam’s leprosy. Miriam was punished with leprosy for grumbling against her brother Moses.[i]
For a person who had leprosy, it was as if he or she was already dead. They were to tear their clothes, shave their heads, cover their lips and shout “unclean” so that no one comes near them. Leprosy was considered a type of living death. These people were the lowest of the low with virtually no status in their society.
The four lepers in this passage are living outside the city, but conditions inside the city were just as bad as the conditions the lepers experienced living outside the city.
2 Kings 7:3-4 NKJV 3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, "Why are we sitting here until we die? 4 "If we say, 'We will enter the city,' the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die."
The four lepers, who were living as if they were dead, were facing an actual death. They had no hope and chose the only option that gave them even the remotest chance for life; they would put themselves in the hands of the enemies of their people!
2 Kings 7:5 NKJV 5 And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there.
God had already acted to bring about what Elisha spoke! God had caused the Syrians to hear the sounds of chariots, horses and a great army. The soldiers fled in terror as night was falling leaving all their goods behind.
2 Kings 7:8 NKJV 8 And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.
The first acts of the lepers were those of selfishness. After they satisfied their hunger, they plundered the tents and hid the wealth for themselves. And then, one man stopped and realized that they were selfishly keeping the incredible news of the flight of the Syrians to themselves.
2 Kings 7:9 NKJV 9 Then they said to one another, "We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king's household."
While it was still dark out, they came to realize that their action in keeping the blessing to themselves was not right. They realized that this day was a day of good news! The phrase “good news” is from the Hebrew word “bes-o-raw’”, number 1309 in Strong’s Concordance meaning glad tidings, good news or reward for good news. Isaiah declares that the feet of those who bring glad tidings are beautiful on the mountain over which they cross.
Isaiah 52:7 NKJV 7 How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"
The imagery is of a runner crossing a mountain to bring the news of a victory in battle! The news that the lepers bring is that God was victorious over the Syrian army; God sent them running from Him in fear! The good news is that salvation had come to Samaria! This news was so important that the four lepers could no longer remain silent! They returned to the city and announced that the Syrian camp was deserted.
2 Kings 7:10-11 NKJV 10 So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying, "We went to the Syrian camp, and surprisingly no one was there, not a human sound-only horses and donkeys tied, and the tents intact." 11 And the gatekeepers called out, and they told it to the king's household inside.
Yeshua, also, used lepers to carry good news—the good news of the coming kingdom of God! The cleansing of lepers was one of the signs Yeshua gave to John the Baptist’s disciples as proof that He was the awaited Messiah. One leper that Yeshua cleansed could not remain silent about his good fortune.
Mark 1:42-45 NKJV 42 As soon as He (Yeshua) had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. 43 And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." 45 However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.
Yeshua instructed the cleansed leper to show himself to the proper authorities to be examined and proclaimed free of leprosy. The cleansing from leprosy was a testimony to the priest that Messiah had come! The four lepers of our passage presented themselves to the proper authorities at the gates of the city and testified that God had acted on behalf of the city! The people’s response in Samaria sounds a lot like the response of the people of Yeshua’s day to the testimony of the leper; they rushed to receive the good news!
When Yeshua came into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, his disciples who were chosen from among the common people not the rich or influential, could not remain silent. They shouted praises to the one who came in the name of the LORD! When rebuked about their loud shouts of praise, Yeshua stated that if they were silent the rocks would cry out.
Luke 19:39-40 NKJV 39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." 40 But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."
If the four lepers would have remained silent, God would have used another means to carry the good tidings. The lepers were not silent and the king was awakened to hear the good news. However, the king did not believe the report, perhaps because the report came from lepers who would have been known for their evil speech and gossip. Could the word of a leper be trusted? Perhaps the king did not believe because of the scornful words of the officer whose hand he leaned on. Paul tells us that God chooses the foolish and the weak of this world to demonstrate His wisdom, power and authority.
1 Corinthians 1:27-29 NKJV 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.
We can see God’s choice of the four lepers as choosing the despised things of the world to humble the people of Samaria especially the king. But why did God choose four? The Jewish Encyclopedia says that four is the number of completeness and sufficiency.[ii] E. W. Bullinger in his book Number in Scripture describes four as the number of the fullness of creation referring to the fullness of the material creation on the fourth day while the fifth and sixth days served to populate the creation.[iii] In this case, the four lepers demonstrate the completion of the siege and the end of the famine. Perhaps, this also signifies Jehoram’s last opportunity to repent and turn back to God. Shortly after this event, Elisha will anoint Jehu and appoint him the task of destroying the entire house of Ahab including Jehoram!
In our passage, King Jehoram decided not to believe the report of the four lepers, and he conceived of a reason for the Syrian camp to be deserted.
2 Kings 7:12 NKJV 12 So the king arose in the night and said to his servants, "Let me now tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, 'When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.'"
However, things in the city were desperate! Like with the lepers, the residents of Samaria would die if food was not found immediately. One of the king’s servants points out the dilemma.
2 Kings 7:13 YLT 13 And one of his servants answereth and saith, `Then let them take, I pray thee, five of the horses that are left, that have been left in it--lo, they are as all the multitude of Israel who have been left in it; lo, they are as all the multitude of Israel who have been consumed--and we send and see.'
The phrasing of the Hebrew in this verse indicates that there were only five horses left! They might as well send men with the five remaining horses or the people of Israel would be as the population of horses—reduced to only five!
The king reluctantly sends out men to check the story. They find that the Syrians did indeed flee leaving their possessions in the camp and scattered along the road as they fled. When word reached the people of Samaria, they raced out to satisfy their hunger.
2 Kings 7:16 NKJV 16 Then the people went out and plundered the tents of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.
The city of Samaria was saved! The army that had caused the shortage of food in the city was gone leaving enough food for the city to get back on their feet until they could either buy more food from other cities or have access to their own fields and food supply.
There is one last loose end however. Elisha had prophesied that the officer on whom the king leaned would not be alive to eat the now plentiful food. King Jehoram had giving this officer the duty of taking charge of the gate. Imagine the swarms of people as they raced out of the city to find food for themselves!
2 Kings 7:17 NKJV 17 Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him.
First Fruits of Zion in Torah Club Volume Three explains the judgment against the officer:
The Talmud tells us that, “Four classes shall not see God—the scoffer, the liar, the slanderer, and the hypocrite.” In this case, it was the one who scoffed at God’s man that received the punishment.[iv]
After God’s miraculous intervention for the good of the people of Samaria, you would think that the people would turn back to God. You would think that the results of Elisha’s prophecy being fulfilled would have an impact on the nation of Israel. However, the scripture does not record any change in behavior of either the king or the people. We are taken back to the words describing Jehoram’s kingship as that of following after Jeroboam who caused Israel to sin.
God waited for King Jehoram to seek Him out before He acted. The entire time God was waiting, Elisha was also in the city waiting. He suffered along the rest of the city waiting for Jehoram to repent and turn to God. Then God chose the lowest of the low to be the first to receive the good tidings! He chose the lowest of the low to spread this good news to the rest of the population. We may not think that we are qualified or good enough to spread the good tidings of salvation through Yeshua haMeshiach, but if God could use the lepers, He can use you!
Study Questions:
1. Discuss the connection of this teaching to the Torah Portion Metzorah, Leviticus 14:1-15:33

2. King Jehoram’s officer doubted that there could possibly be food by the next day even if the windows of heaven were opened (2 Kings 7:2). Matthew Poole compares this to when God opened the windows of heaven and rained down manna from heaven. How does this situation compare to Yeshua’s words in John 6?

3. The Talmud mentioned four types of people who would not see God, the scoffer, the liar, the slanderer, and the hypocrite. Where else do we see a group of four types of people? What is the significance of the number four in these situations?

4. Why did God delay in sending deliverance? How James’ words in James 4:1-6 apply in this situation?

5. God sent the four lepers, the lowest of the low to bring the good news of salvation. Where else do we see God or Yeshua choose those of low position? Why does God choose the low?

6. What new insight did you gain by watching this video? How do you respond to this new insight? How will you realign your life based on this new understanding?

Bonus Question: Metaphorically, the night or darkness refers to spiritual darkness and the morning refers to the coming of spiritual light or enlightenment. Metaphorically, why was it important for the lepers to bring the good news of God’s victory over the Syrians before morning came?

Bonus Question 2: King Jehoram was unable to receive the good news. What did Yeshua say were barriers to hearing and receiving the Word of God?

© 2019 Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.


[i] Torah Club Volume 1: Unrolling the Scroll. First Fruits of Zion. ©First Fruits of Zion. P. 436.
[ii] Jewish Encyclopedia. “Numbers and Numerals”. Caspar Levias. 1906. http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11619-numbers-and-numerals
[iii] Bullinger, E. W. Number in Scripture. Cosimo, Inc. ©2005. P. 123.
[iv] Torah Club Volume 3: The Haftarah. Boaz Michael. First Fruits of Zion. ©1999. P. 459.