Rabbi’s Reflections – Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Shalom,
Pillar Seven: The Kingdom is Expressed in a Quest for Unity – part 2
Rabbi Trail: Let’s pause for a moment. There, that wasn’t so hard now, was it? We should pause often, every day. And when we pause, let’s give thanks to God (with a grateful heart) for His many blessings. But, we get busy. There are so many distractions, especially baked into media. “Moked” is the Hebrew word for “focus.” It is pronounced in two syllables, “Mok” (short “o”) and “Ed” like short for Edward. When we pause, we should “Moked,” focus on God, His goodness and His many blessings toward us. End RT.
What is the purpose of God’s kingdom? After all, isn’t God already on the throne? Isn’t He already King of kings and Lord of lords? Why do we pray, “Thy kingdom come?” Did Yeshua not say, Mark 1:15 “Now is the fullness of time,” He said, “and the kingdom of God is near! Yes, but He also said, John 18:36a Yeshua answered, “My kingdom is not of this world.
Let me answer the question. The purpose of the kingdom of God is the redemption of the world. Many people are focused on the idea that Yeshua came to earth to get us out of here, so we can sit on clouds and play harps. Instead, our focus should be on His real purpose, to get Him in here. His desire is to reign in our hearts, and from there to the rest of the world.
This world has been and is being overrun with evil. God has ordained His goodness, holiness, and righteousness (which are interconnected) to overcome evil. His plan is to do this through His saints. How much of this will be done before His return is a question for the ages.
Meanwhile, we should discuss (at least for a short while) the quest for unity. God tells Moses, and He is telling us today to build according to the plan He has revealed. He refers to those who do this as “master builders.” 1 Corinthians 3:10 According to the grace of God which was given to me (Paul), like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another builds on it. But let each consider carefully how he builds on it.
And then there is this… Ephesians 4:13 This will continue until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of Ben-Elohim—to mature adulthood, to the measure of the stature of Messiah’s fullness. What will continue? Equipping the saints through the 5 ministries mentioned previously. Until when? “Until we all come to the unity of the faith.” This is our emphasis in pillar 7.
Week 8
Memory Verse: Exodus 20:1 Then God spoke all these words saying, 2 “I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
36 2/17 Monday: Exodus 19-20
37 2/18 Tuesday: Exodus 24-25
* 38 2/19 Wednesday: Exodus 26-27
39 2/20 Thursday: Exodus 28-29
40 2/21 Friday: Exodus 30-31
Question of the day: Why are we getting such detail in Exodus 26 and 27?
Answer: Every detail of building the Tabernacle is being discussed here. Why is this important? The real Tabernacle is in heaven (God’s spiritual realm). Revelation 15:5 After these things I looked, and the Temple of the Tent of Witness in heaven was opened. How would we know except we have the earthly representation of the heavenly (greater) reality?
If God cares about every detail of the Mishkan, how much more every detail of our lives (since we are the Temple)?
Rabbi Trail: The Hebrew word for the Tabernacle in the wilderness is Mishkan. It is a word taken from “Shekeina” meaning the radiant glory of God which appears as bright light. Those who know the Lord have that light inside. Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the lamp of Adonai, searching all his inmost being.
Blessings. R. Michael.