PARASHA “PORTION” OF THE WEEK – 2 OF 7 SHEMINI - EIGHTH By: Julie Parker - © Copyright 2003-2011 - Leviticus 9:1 to 11:47- 2 Samuel 6:1-19 -Mark 7:1-23 - Acts 5:1-11 - Acts 10:1-35 - 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1- Galatians 2:11-16 -1 Peter 1:14-16 The Priestly Ministry of the Melchizedek Order Salvation is gifted through the Abrahamic Covenant. The priesthood of Yeshua is formed within the next covenant called the Mosaic Covenant. The two are designed to work together. The book of Leviticus is part of the Mosaic Covenant and contains the instruction manual for those who will inherit eternal life. This book is the basis for all Yeshuas teachings. This Torah portion is about making right choices: choose to walk in Yahwehs right principles of holiness and lifestyle or choose a blended walk; mixing His holiness with our own personal preference (unholiness). One of the main areas Yahweh teaches us about His Kingdom is not to settle for the commonplace outer court lifestyle when we have been offered the opportunity to enter the Holy of Holies as a High Priest and inherit eternal life. In order to accomplish this we need to recognize where we are in our walk. Have the decisions we made taken us into a compromised lifestyle? If so, we may need to repent and make corrections to change our status. King Solomon recognized this at the beginning of his ministry when he sincerely asked, Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil (1 Kings 3:9). This Scripture begins our teaching of the priestly ministry of the order of Melchizedek. Leviticus 9:1-20 On the eighth day, after the consecration of Aaron as high priest and his four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar as priests, the ministry of the priesthood began. It is commonly understood in the Hebrew language that eight signifies both new beginnings and life beyond. The newly appointed priests first presented offerings on behalf of themselves and then made offerings for the whole Israelite community. After the inauguration, Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and pronounced the priestly blessing over them… Yahweh bless you and keep you; Yahweh make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; Yahweh turn his face toward you and give you peace/shalom. (Numbers 6:24-26) This blessing is still prayed over Israel today. The Death of Nadab and Abihu Leviticus 10 In the midst of the inauguration for the priests, which was celebrated with awesome festivities and the appearance of Yahwehs Presence in the form of fire, we see Aarons two older sons Nadab and Abihu offering strange fire in their censors before Yahweh. Nadab and Abihu erred by mixing the profane with the holy. They compromised Yahwehs instructions not to mix clean with unclean and offered what they favored and what seemed acceptable to them. By presenting the unclean as an acceptable offering to a Holy God they elevated their own wisdom (pride) over Yahwehs principle instructions. As a result, when they entered into His presence, they died. Nadab and Abihu where taught very well by Moses and Aaron, so it was not a matter of ignorance or misunderstanding as to the correct procedure. It was a matter of their hearts not honoring Yahwehs instructions and choosing what they preferred instead. The issue was obedience versus their independent thinking and self-idolatry. There is only one King and one Kingdom. By their actions, we see that hidden in Nadab and Abihus hearts was pride and self-righteousness. Rebellious and religious spirits are not of Yahwehs Kingdom and cannot survive in His presence. The priests are to represent the holiness of Yahweh, which means our walk is to mirror His. Mixing unholiness with pure worship disqualified Nadab and Abihu (as it will us) from drawing near to Him. The sinful nature cannot remain in what is to be His kingdom of priests and a holy nation if we are to represent Him. We must act as the King acts, walk as the King walks and talk as the King talks. Aarons eldest sons had uncircumcised hearts which had not been surrendered to the redemptive work of Yeshuas blueprint for life, called the Torah. Torah without the life giving Spirit of Messiah becomes legalism/works, which in turn produces after its own kind (a religious spirit), resulting in death/separation from Yahweh in every aspect of our lives. We need Yeshua in Torah to have life/chai. We cannot separate Yeshua from His instructions, as He is the Living Torah (John 1:1,14). After the death of Aarons two older sons, his two younger sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, took up the responsibilities vacated by their brothers. Eleazar becomes the heir apparent and both he and his brother Ithamar shared in the ministerial roles as priests in the tabernacle serving before Yahweh. Life in Our Tabernacle: Clean and Unclean Food Leviticus 11 We have learned that the tabernacle/mishkan is a shadow of what is already in place in heaven (Hebrews 8:1-2). The mishkan is also a prophetic living representation for us today of the Messiah and His Kingdom. This is a picture of what is already written on our heart. As we are learning to walk in the function of the tabernacle and what is on our heart, we are coming to understand, through progressive revelation, what a redeemed and sanctified lifestyle is in Yeshuas Kingdom. Moses and the Holy Spirit/Ruach Ha Kodesh are the believers point of reference when she chooses to walk as the Bride of Messiah and as a messenger of the Gospel of His Kingdom. As stated, our bodies represent the tabernacle/mishkan. If Yeshua has chosen us, then we have also been invited by His Holy Spirit/Ruach Ha Kodesh to come and join Him, to tabernacle with Him, in His dwelling place. Will we be obedient to His ways and enter in or will we hold onto choices rooted in our own belief system? Will we be mixing the profane with the holy as Nadab and Abihu did and thereby disqualify ourselves or will we be like Eleazar and Ithamar? The choice is ours. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit/Ruach Ha Kodesh who is in you, whom you have from Yahweh, and you are not your own; you were bought at a price; therefore glorify Yahweh in your body. Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God (Exodus 25:21-22).
Posted on: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 16:01:54 +0000
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