Law and the First Commandment (No. 253)

The covenant as becoming God in the Temple of God

Exodus 24:1-18 And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off. ²And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him. ³And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.

Here an intermediary was established between God and His people, and Moses represented in physical terms that spiritual intermediary. The twelve pillars of the twelve tribes were representative of the twelve pillars of the Temple of God, while the twelve judges were precursor to those twelve pillars, who were the apostles of the Messiah.

⁴And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. ⁶And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. ⁷And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. ⁸And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

This covenant pointed towards the covenant of blood, which was the blood of Messiah, and thus a new covenant was set up from the establishment of the first (cf. the paper The Covenant of God (No. 152)).

⁹Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: ¹⁰And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. ¹¹And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink. ¹²And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. ¹³And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. ¹⁴And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them. ¹⁵And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. ¹⁶And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. ¹⁷And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. ¹⁸And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights. (KJV)

The Tabernacle or Temple of God was to be built from willing offerings, given by those who wished to participate in the construction. This was to point towards the willing self-sacrifice of the individual, who would become part of the Temple of God; which Temple we are (1Cor. 3:17).

Exodus 25:1-40 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

This Scripture deals with the building of the Tabernacle, and the freewill offerings were specific for the needs of the building. The instructions for building the Tabernacle were clear and included the furnishings; these instructions were to be followed exactly.

The structure of the ten curtains was reflected in the ten candlesticks of Solomon’s Temple. The ten curtains had to be gone through to arrive at the final Kingdom of God. This sequence pointed towards Messiah, the Seven Churches and the two Witnesses, each of which has a candlestick. The eleventh is of the ten, and points towards the return of the Messiah and the establishment of the millennial Kingdom of God.

Exodus 26:1-37 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

Here specific instructions are given in relation to the curtains and fittings of the Tabernacle. Numbers and colours are detailed and exact measurements and specific decorations are given, as well as instructions on how they were to be fastened, and the materials to be used. Even the leftover remnant of curtain was to be used. Every single thing that was freely given for the construction of the Tabernacle was used in its construction such that all the material was used. This fact pointed towards the construction of the spiritual edifice, where nothing was discarded, lost, or left unused.

The dimensions relating to the cherubim also concern their responsibilities in the four divisions of the universe. The four living creatures of Revelation chapters 4 and 5 are the cherubim in their divisions (cf. Ezek. 1:1ff.).

Exodus 27:1-21 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

The divisions of the Tabernacle and the pillars represent pillars of the Temple of God in their numbers; the total numbers represent the government of God.

The priestly attire has significance also to the entry of the Holy Spirit, which is in the breast of the priesthood, just as the Urim and Thummin were in the pouch of the High Priest.

Exodus 28:1-43 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

This chapter details the attire of Aaron and his sons. Each item is described with explanations as to how it is to be worn. The garments are holy and must be made by those who are wise- hearted and filled with the Holy Spirit.

The twelve stones represent the twelve tribes and the unity of the nation. The priesthood of the elect in the Holy Spirit are the end result of the Temple. The priesthood of the Temple themselves point towards the priesthood of the elect, as the spiritual Temple of the Kingdom of God. It is built in the dispersion from living stones and rules the world in the Holy Spirit during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. He rules on behalf of his Father.

Exodus 29:1-46 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

This text deals with the consecration of Aaron and his sons. The sacrifices involved are also described and the ceremony detailed.

Messiah sanctified all of the elect by the blood of his sacrifice, on his ear from the crown of thorns and the toe from the nails. He who sanctifies and they who are sanctified are of one origin. All are paid for in the sacrifice of Messiah and this is what the half-shekel tax pointed toward: it could only be paid by Messiah.

Exodus 30:1-38 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

In this chapter of Exodus, Aaron is instructed in the construction of the altar. It is to be used to burn sweet incense perpetually and must not be used for any strange incense or burnt sacrifice or meat or drink offering. Aaron, as High Priest, was to make atonement there once a year.

The elect as the royal priesthood were to be anointed as holy with the oil of the Holy Spirit. God calls all of the elect by name and sets them apart for the work of the Lord in the construction of His Temple.

Exodus 31:1-11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, see I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: ³And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, ⁴To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, ⁵And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. ⁶And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee; ⁷The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle, ⁸And the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all his furniture, and the altar of incense, ⁹And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, and the laver and his foot, ¹⁰And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office, ¹¹And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do. (KJV)

The faithfulness of Israel is fickle and the people wavered because God delayed His anointed one Moses, as He delayed His anointed Messiah; and the people lapsed into idolatry then as they do now.

Exodus 32:1-35 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

The gods of the pre-Exodus system were represented by the earrings whose shape formed symbolic representations of the deities. The earrings supplied the gold for the golden calf so that they would be removed from Israel. The golden calf was the focus of the ancient religious system, and related to the worship of the moon god Sin in its variant manifestations. This system also related to the worship of the oak and the Christmas and Easter system of the Pagans (cf. the papers The Golden Calf (No. 222) and The Origins of Christmas and Easter (No. 235)).

Exodus 33:1-23 The LORD said to Moses, "Depart, go up hence, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'To your descendants I will give it.' ² And I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Per'izzites, the Hivites, and the Jeb'usites. ³ Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you in the way, for you are a stiff-necked people." ⁴ When the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned; and no man put on his ornaments. ⁵ For the LORD had said to Moses, "Say to the people of Israel, 'You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now put off your ornaments from you, that I may know what to do with you.'" ⁶ Therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. ⁷Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp; and he called it the tent of meeting. And every one who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. ⁸ Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose up, and every man stood at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he had gone into the tent. ⁹When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the door of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses. ¹⁰ And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the door of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, every man at his tent door. ¹¹ Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tent. ¹² Moses said to the LORD, "See, thou sayest to me, 'Bring up this people'; but thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.' ¹³ Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found favor in thy sight, show me now thy ways, that I may know thee and find favor in thy sight. Consider too that this nation is thy people." ¹⁴ And he said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." ¹⁵ And he said to him, "If thy presence will not go with me, do not carry us up from here. ¹⁶ For how shall it be known that I have found favor in thy sight, I and thy people? Is it not in thy going with us, so that we are distinct, I and thy people, from all other people that are upon the face of the earth?" ¹⁷ And the LORD said to Moses, "This very thing that you have spoken I will do; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name." ¹⁸Moses said, "I pray thee, show me thy glory." ¹⁹ And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD'; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. ²⁰ But," he said, "you cannot see my face; for man shall not see me and live." ²¹ And the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand upon the rock; ²²and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; ²³ then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen." (RSV)

The Lord here tells Moses to depart and go to the Promised Land. An angel will go before them and their enemies will be driven out. Moses pitched the Tabernacle outside the camp, and here Moses spoke to the Lord. He asked that God’s Presence go with them. Moses was told that no one could see his face and live; however, Moses is allowed to see his glory and his hind parts. The Messiah is the Glory of the Lord. No man has seen Almighty God, neither has anyone beheld His form, nor have they heard His voice ever (Jn. 1:18; 5:37; 1Tim. 6:16; 1Jn. 5:20).

Exodus 34:1-35 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

The two stones of the law are replaced, and Moses prays for forgiveness for the people. God will drive out their enemies but they must not make any covenant with the inhabitants of the land where they go; rather, they are to destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves (Deut. 16:21-22). They are to worship no other god. They are not to marry into other races, as they will be attracted to their gods. They are not to make any idols.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is to be kept. All the male firstborn are to be God’s, except the firstling of an ass, which is redeemed with a lamb, or its neck is to be broken. All the firstborn sons are to be redeemed and no one is to appear before God empty. The Sabbaths, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Ingathering are to be observed. Three times a year all males are to appear before the Lord God of Israel. Then God will cast out the nations and enlarge Israel’s borders, and protect its land. The covenant between God and the people is made from this point. Moses fasted forty days and forty nights while he wrote the Ten Commandments and the covenant (Deut. 10:1-11).

Deuteronomy 10:1-11 At that time the LORD said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood. ² And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark. ³ And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand. ⁴ And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the LORD spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them unto me. ⁵ And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the LORD commanded me.⁶ And the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to Mosera: there Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest's office in his stead. ⁷ From thence they journeyed unto Gudgodah; and from Gudgodah to Jotbath, a land of rivers of waters. ⁸ At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day. ⁹ Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is his inheritance, according as the LORD thy God promised him. ¹⁰ And I stayed in the mount, according to the first time, forty days and forty nights; and the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also, and the LORD would not destroy thee. ¹¹ And the LORD said unto me, Arise, take thy journey before the people, that they may go in and possess the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give unto them. (KJV)

The text here is to show that God’s willing self-revelation is by progressive extension to those whom He calls and establishes in authority. The structure pointed towards Messiah and his activities in the Incarnation.

Exodus 35:1-35 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

Moses instructed the people in the law. The Lord commands an offering from those who are of a willing heart. In the building of the Temple the willing brought all that was required for the work of God, while those with the gifts of the Holy Spirit did the skilled work from all that was provided by the willing participants.

The Tabernacle is established from the First day of the First month. This timing points towards the sanctification of the elect according to the holy Calendar, beginning with the sanctification of the Temple in the First month. Judah’s placing of the New Year in the Seventh and sometimes the Eight month strikes at this establishment and procedure. The practice of Rosh Hashanah is a late post-temple rabbinical custom, introduced from Babylon and established in the third century of the current era. It was never observed in the Temple period up to its destruction in 70 CE (cf. the paper Sanctification of the Temple of God (No. 241)) and also R. Samuel. Kohn, The Sabbatarians in Transylvania, ed. Cox, tr. McElwain and Rook, CCG Publishing, 1998, cf. Foreword p. v).

Exodus 40:1-38 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

When the Temple is constructed, the Glory of the Lord will fill the Tabernacle. The children of Israel will be guided into action by the Holy Spirit under Messiah, who is the Pillar of Fire and Cloud.

Sacrifices and offerings

These following texts deal with the concept of offerings to God as worship within the structure of the First Commandment.

Exodus 20:24-26 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen; in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. 25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone; for if thou lift up they tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. 26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that they nakedness be not discovered thereon. (KJV)

Leviticus 1:1-17 The LORD called Moses, and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, ²"Speak to the people of Israel, and say to them, When any man of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of cattle from the herd or from the flock. ³ "If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it at the door of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD; ⁴ he shall lay his hand upon the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. ⁵ Then he shall kill the bull before the LORD; and Aaron's sons the priests shall present the blood, and throw the blood round about against the altar that is at the door of the tent of meeting. ⁶And he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces; ⁷ and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar, and lay wood in order upon the fire; ⁸and Aaron's sons the priests shall lay the pieces, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire upon the altar; ⁹ but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn the whole on the altar, as a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD. ¹⁰ "If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall offer a male without blemish; ¹¹ and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw its blood against the altar round about. ¹²And he shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall lay them in order upon the wood that is on the fire upon the altar; ¹³ but the entrails and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer the whole, and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD. ¹⁴ "If his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves or of young pigeons. ¹⁵ And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; and its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar; ¹⁶ and he shall take away its crop with the feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes; ¹⁷ he shall tear it by its wings, but shall not divide it asunder. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, upon the wood that is on the fire; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD. (RSV)

In this text, offerings are to be from the herd or flock. It is to be a male without blemish, willingly offered before the Lord. The burnt offering can also be of fowls, that is, turtledoves, or of young pigeons.

Leviticus 2:1-16 "When any one brings a cereal offering as an offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense on it, ² and bring it to Aaron's sons the priests. And he shall take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense; and the priest shall burn this as its memorial portion upon the altar, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD. ³ And what is left of the cereal offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings by fire to the LORD. ⁴ "When you bring a cereal offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers spread with oil. ⁵And if your offering is a cereal offering baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil; ⁶ you shall break it in pieces, and pour oil on it; it is a cereal offering. ⁷ And if your offering is a cereal offering cooked in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. ⁸ And you shall bring the cereal offering that is made of these things to the LORD; and when it is presented to the priest, he shall bring it to the altar. ⁹ And the priest shall take from the cereal offering its memorial portion and burn this on the altar, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD. ¹⁰ And what is left of the cereal offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings by fire to the LORD. ¹¹"No cereal offering which you bring to the LORD shall be made with leaven; for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as an offering by fire to the LORD. ¹² As an offering of first fruits you may bring them to the LORD, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a pleasing odor. ¹³You shall season all your cereal offerings with salt; you shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be lacking from your cereal offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt. ¹⁴ "If you offer a cereal offering of first fruits to the LORD, you shall offer for the cereal offering of your first fruits crushed new grain from fresh ears, parched with fire. ¹⁵ And you shall put oil upon it, and lay frankincense on it; it is a cereal offering. ¹⁶And the priest shall burn as its memorial portion part of the crushed grain and of the oil with all of its frankincense; it is an offering by fire to the LORD. (RSV)

This section deals with the instructions for the meat offerings.

The limitations of the law regarding the first-fruits have been continually broken by the fallen Host and the enemies of the laws of God.

Leviticus 3:1-17 "If a man's offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD. ² And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering and kill it at the door of the tent of meeting; and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw the blood against the altar round about. ³ And from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as an offering by fire to the LORD, he shall offer the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, ⁴ and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver which he shall take away with the kidneys. ⁵ Then Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt offering, which is upon the wood on the fire; it is an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD. ⁶ "If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering to the LORD is an animal from the flock, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. ⁷ If he offers a lamb for his offering, then he shall offer it before the LORD, ⁸ laying his hand upon the head of his offering and killing it before the tent of meeting; and Aaron's sons shall throw its blood against the altar round about. ⁹ Then from the sacrifice of the peace offering as an offering by fire to the LORD he shall offer its fat, the fat tail entire, taking it away close by the backbone, and the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat that is on the entrails, ¹⁰ and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver which he shall take away with the kidneys. ¹¹ And the priest shall burn it on the altar as food offered by fire to the LORD. ¹² "If his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD, ¹³ and lay his hand upon its head, and kill it before the tent of meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall throw its blood against the altar round about. ¹⁴ Then he shall offer from it, as his offering for an offering by fire to the LORD, the fat covering the entrails, and all the fat that is on the entrails, ¹⁵ and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver which he shall take away with the kidneys. ¹⁶ And the priest shall burn them on the altar as food offered by fire for a pleasing odor. All fat is the LORD's. ¹⁷ It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood. (RSV)

These are the instructions for the peace offerings. They may be male or female from the herd or flock and must be without blemish. It is a perpetual statute that no blood or fat be eaten (cf. also Ex. 20:24-26).

Leviticus 4:1-35 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

Here sin against the Commandments through ignorance is dealt with. Atonement pointed towards Jesus Christ, but was continually seen as a responsibility of the rulers and the individual.

Leviticus 5:14-19 The LORD said to Moses, ¹⁵ "If any one commits a breach of faith and sins unwittingly in any of the holy things of the LORD, he shall bring, as his guilt offering to the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued by you in shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; it is a guilt offering. ¹⁶He shall also make restitution for what he has done amiss in the holy thing, and shall add a fifth to it and give it to the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven. ¹⁷ "If any one sins, doing any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, though he does not know it, yet he is guilty and shall bear his iniquity. ¹⁸ He shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued by you at the price for a guilt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him for the error which he committed unwittingly, and he shall be forgiven. ¹⁹It is a guilt offering; he is guilty before the LORD." (RSV)

This text deals with the sacrifices for sins committed in ignorance against the holy things of God. Here the offering is a ram without blemish and amends must be made by adding a fifth part. Breach of the law unknowingly is still a breach and requires redemption; ignorance is no excuse and the nations stand condemned.

Leviticus 6:8-30 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

Further instructions regarding the burnt offerings are given. The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.

Leviticus 7:1-38 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

Continuing instruction in relation to the sacrifices and offerings is given here. The sanctification of the priesthood is directed by offering and anointing according to ritual, which points towards the elect. All of the sacrificial law pointed towards the Messiah and the new and greater structure of Israel under an expanded priesthood.

Leviticus 8:1-36 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

This text deals with the consecration of Aaron and his sons.

The determination of the offering is made by God. He calls whom He will and He does not sanction unauthorised usage of His system and law.

Leviticus 10:1-20 Now Nadab and Abi'hu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, and put fire in it, and laid incense on it, and offered unholy fire before the LORD, such as he had not commanded them. ² And fire came forth from the presence of the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. ³ Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD has said, 'I will show myself holy among those who are near me, and before all the people I will be glorified.'" And Aaron held his peace. ⁴ And Moses called Mish'a-el and Elza'phan, the sons of Uz'ziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, "Draw near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp." ⁵ So they drew near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said. ⁶And Moses said to Aaron and to Elea'zar and Ith'amar, his sons, "Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not rend your clothes, lest you die, and lest wrath come upon all the congregation; but your brethren, the whole house of Israel, may bewail the burning which the LORD has kindled. ⁷ And do not go out from the door of the tent of meeting, lest you die; for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you." And they did according to the word of Moses. ⁸And the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying, ⁹ "Drink no wine nor strong drink, you nor your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die; it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations. ¹⁰You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean; ¹¹and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them by Moses." ¹² And Moses said to Aaron and to Elea'zar and Ith'amar, his sons who were left, "Take the cereal offering that remains of the offerings by fire to the LORD, and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is most holy; ¹³you shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons' due, from the offerings by fire to the LORD; for so I am commanded. ¹⁴ But the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered you shall eat in any clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you; for they are given as your due and your sons' due, from the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the people of Israel. ¹⁵ The thigh that is offered and the breast that is waved they shall bring with the offerings by fire of the fat, to wave for a wave offering before the LORD, and it shall be yours, and your sons' with you, as a due for ever; as the LORD has commanded." ¹⁶ Now Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it was burned! And he was angry with Elea'zar and Ith'amar, the sons of Aaron who were left, saying, ¹⁷ "Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, since it is a thing most holy and has been given to you that you may bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD? ¹⁸ Behold, its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary. You certainly ought to have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded." ¹⁹ And Aaron said to Moses, "Behold, today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD; and yet such things as these have befallen me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable in the sight of the LORD?" ²⁰ And when Moses heard that, he was content. (RSV)

Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, offered strange fire before the Lord and died. The consumption of wine or strong drink prior to service of the Lord in the Tabernacle is also forbidden.

The sacrifices are to be eaten in the holy place by Aaron and his sons and daughters, and the specific parts they were permitted are explained. The entire system of sacrifice and killing is dedicated to God; thus the killing of animals without acknowledgment of God is of itself a sin.

Leviticus 17:7-9And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations. ⁸And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice, ⁹And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the LORD; even that man shall be cut off from among his people. (KJV)

The consumption of meat not dedicated to God is not a sin where the killing of the meat is not under the control of the individual (cf. the paper Vegetarianism and the Bible (No.183)).

Leviticus 19:5-8 And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it at your own will. ⁶It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire. ⁷And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted. ⁸Therefore every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the hallowed thing of the LORD: and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. (KJV)

The restriction is subsumed in the general regulations of sacrifice taken over by the sacrifice of Messiah.

All aspects of the creation are to be pure and holy to the Lord God, and it is the responsibility of the elect to ensure that is carried out.

Leviticus 19:19Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee. (KJV)

Leviticus 19:21-22And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass offering. ²²And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the LORD for his sin which he hath done: and the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him. (KJV)

God controls the consumption of His creation and establishes laws that protect the environment and the long-term welfare of the individual.

Leviticus 19:23-25 And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of. ²⁴But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the LORD withal. ²⁵And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the LORD your God. (KJV)

Holiness among God’s people

God said to Abraham that he was the Almighty God and ordered him to walk before Him and to be perfect (Gen. 17:1). He is to be known by His name as Yahovah (Ex. 6:3). All beings are subject to the higher powers and we are determined as His people (cf. Rom. 13:1-6).

The control of life and worship is directed to the One True God, within His calendar according to His law.

Leviticus 19:26Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times. (KJV)

We are not to deal with the familiar spirits or enchanters and be defiled by them.

Leviticus 19:31Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God. (KJV)

Leviticus 20:27A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them. (KJV)

Deuteronomy 18:9-14When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. ¹⁰There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, ¹¹Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. ¹²For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. ¹³Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. ¹⁴For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do. (KJV)

The direction is very clear: divination by astrology, necromancy or familiar spirits is forbidden and the punishment is captivity or exile. No sign of the system of worship of other nations is to be on us or among us.

Leviticus 19:27Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. (KJV)

Leviticus 19:28Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD. (KJV)

We are not to sacrifice to other so-called gods or participate in their associated barbarous rites, which saw human sacrifice of children and cannibalistic consumption of them (cf. the The Golden Calf (No. 222); The Origins of Christmas and Easter (No. 235) and The Messages of Revelation 14 (No. 270)).

Leviticus 20:1-7And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ²Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones. ³And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name. ⁴And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not: ⁵Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people. ⁶And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people. ⁷Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. (KJV)

Our people and the priesthood are to be holy.

Leviticus 21:1-24 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people: ²But for his kin, that is near unto him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother, ³And for his sister a virgin, that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled. ⁴But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself. ⁵They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh. ⁶They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy. ⁷They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God. ⁸Thou shalt sanctify him therefore; for he offereth the bread of thy God: he shall be holy unto thee: for I the LORD, which sanctify you, am holy. ⁹And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire. ¹⁰And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes; ¹¹Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; ¹²Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD. ¹³And he shall take a wife in her virginity. ¹⁴A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife. ¹⁵Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify him. ¹⁶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁷Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. ¹⁸For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous, ¹⁹Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, ²⁰Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken; ²¹No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God. ²²He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy. ²³Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them. ²⁴And Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel. (KJV)

Leviticus 21:10 states: “And he that is the High Priest among his brethren … shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes”. The fact that the High Priest rent his garment in dealing with Jesus Christ was to demonstrate that the High Priesthood had been torn from Levi and given to Messiah and the elect, in the order of Melchisedek (cf. Mt. 26:65; Mk. 14:63).

The Tabernacle and the shewbread

The entire symbolism of the Tabernacle pointed towards the spiritual relationship of the Church towards God in the Holy Spirit in the last days (cf. the paper The Day of the Lord and the Last Days (No. 192)). Judah was blind to the symbolism of this fact and thus failed to enter the conversion process for almost two millennia, except on an individual basis.

Leviticus 24:1-9 The LORD said to Moses, ²"Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning continually. ³ Outside the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the LORD continually; it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations. ⁴ He shall keep the lamps in order upon the lampstand of pure gold before the LORD continually. ⁵"And you shall take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes of it; two tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. ⁶ And you shall set them in two rows, six in a row, upon the table of pure gold. ⁷And you shall put pure frankincense with each row, that it may go with the bread as a memorial portion to be offered by fire to the LORD. ⁸ Every sabbath day Aaron shall set it in order before the LORD continually on behalf of the people of Israel as a covenant for ever. ⁹ And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, since it is for him a most holy portion out of the offerings by fire to the LORD, a perpetual due." (RSV)

The lamps in the Temple are to burn continually. It is the priest’s responsibility to ensure that this happens. The shewbread is set on the table in two rows with frankincense.Each Sabbath, the shewbread was set in order before the Lord on the table in two rows with frankincense, and stood as a memorial to the nation which was set in tribes under leaders in preparation for the Kingdom of God. This ceremony looked forward to the evidence of the Holy Spirit in the elect, among the tribes of Israel, as the Temple of God.

God commanded loyalty and forbade sacrifice to idols (cf. Law and the Second Commandment (No. 255)). The word of the living God details the punishment for the breach of the covenant. Failure to observe God’s law and failure to worship Him will be punished by pestilence, disease, plagues, war and captivity.

Leviticus 26:1-46Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God. ²Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. ³If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; ⁴Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. ⁵And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. ⁶And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. ⁷And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. ⁸And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. ⁹For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you. ¹⁰And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new. ¹¹And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. ¹²And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. ¹³I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright. ¹⁴But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; ¹⁵And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: ¹⁶I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. ¹⁷And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. ¹⁸And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. ¹⁹And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: ²⁰And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits. ²¹And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. ²²I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate. ²³And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; ²⁴Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. ²⁵And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. ²⁶And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied. ²⁷And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me; ²⁸Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. ²⁹And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat. ³⁰And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. ³¹And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. ³²And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. ³³And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. ³⁴Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. ³⁵As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it. ³⁶And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth. ³⁷And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies. ³⁸And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. ³⁹And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them. ⁴⁰If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; ⁴¹And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: ⁴²Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. ⁴³The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes. ⁴⁴And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God. ⁴⁵But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD. ⁴⁶These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the LORD made between him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses. (KJV)

God promised protection to Israel, and rain in due season if they were obedient to His law.

The price of redemption is determined according to age and ability. God enables all to enter the Kingdom in relation to the ability to work and serve. He who has much has much demanded of him.

Leviticus 27:1-34 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

This text deals with the making of vows and the dedication of a person, animal or land into the service of God and the redemption of any such offering, the value being estimated by the priest. The laws of the Jubilee in relation to dedicated land are explained. Firstlings of the herd or flock are already God’s and so cannot be sanctified. A fifth of the value is added to the price for redemption.

Levi in the temple

The priesthood is responsible for the erection and movement of the Tabernacle. This responsibility carries over to the priesthood of the elect, who, by their works, are responsible for the erection of the Temple of living stones.

Numbers 1:47-54 But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them. ⁴⁸ For the LORD had spoken unto Moses, saying, ⁴⁹ Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel: ⁵⁰ But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle. ⁵¹ And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. ⁵²And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts. ⁵³But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony. ⁵⁴And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they. (KJV)

The elect are separate from the nation by birth and now salvation is of the Gentiles, being brought into Israel as a part of the nation but as the Temple of God.

Numbers 2:33But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel as the LORD commanded Moses. (KJV)

The divisions of the priesthood were placed around the sanctuary in accordance with the symbolism of the Tabernacle itself. Each of the functions related to the importance of the placement and the structure of the Tabernacle.

Numbers 3:1-51 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

Numbers 3 deals with the generations of Aaron and Moses. The numbers of Levites, the families and the responsibilities and duties are set out. The Levites were the Lord’s (Deut. 10:8-9). The firstborn of Israel was numbered and the redemption levy taken. The redemption of the firstborn represented the elect who were redeemed and given to the priesthood under Messiah. Levi formed the central cadre for the priesthood of the tribes and thereby pointed towards the elect who were called, nominated and purified from their birth.

The system was established to enable a person to be set aside as a Nazarite, and this pointed also to the elect. This system of and by itself could not and did not lead to salvation. The baptism of John was not acceptable for the conferring of the Holy Spirit even though he had been a Nazarite from birth, as a son of a High Priest. The laws of the Nazarite are explained in this text.

Numbers 6:1-27 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

The sons of Kohath, Gershon and Merari are numbered from thirty years old to fifty years old, and given their duties in the Tabernacle.

Numbers 4:1-49 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

The Melchisedek priesthood is without genealogy and without beginning of days or end of years; hence, the priesthood of the elect under Messiah is without mother or father by lineage, and without beginning or end of days (Heb. 7:1-10). This priesthood continues on after death to the resurrection, whereas the physical Levitical priesthood ceases after a certain time and goes to the second resurrection, unless specifically isolated by the Holy Spirit in the prophets and thereby qualifying for the first resurrection.

Numbers 7:1-89 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

This chapter in Numbers deals with the offerings from the tribes of Israel on the dedication of the Tabernacle in the worship of the One True God. The totals of the sacrifices are drawn from the tribes in accordance with the numbers of the heavenly Host, and the significance of the items also relates to the Host. Each sacrifice points to the structure, as do the annual, monthly and weekly sacrifices point to the elect as the 144,000, with the Great Multitude being represented by the evening sacrifice.

The lamps also have significance to the structure as seen here.

Numbers 8:1-26 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

The cleansing and sanctification of the Levites is dealt with in this text. The service of God in the Temple was by hard work from twenty-five years to fifty years of age, and then by teaching only from fifty onwards. Teaching in the Temple was affected from thirty years of age, while the period from twenty-five to thirty years was in service and learning to become a teacher.

God ensures the welfare of His people

Complaint against the Lord is offensive.

Numbers 11:1-35 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

The people complained of lack of meat in the Exodus so they were provided with manna. This looked forward to the period of the forty Jubilees in the wilderness and the bread and water of the elect being sure. Moses prayed to God that the burden of governing Israel was too great for him so he was ordered to choose seventy elders to assist him. The seventy elders of Israel eventually became the Sanhedrin. The establishment of the seventy with the spirit that rested on Moses pointed towards the Messiah and the seventy of the elect who became the new elders of Israel sent out two by two, as are the twelve grouped in Numbers 7 above (cf. Lk. 10:1,17).

The children of Israel were given quail when they complained they had no meat, but the meat was too strong for them; they were greedy, and many died. This has a spiritual connotation: God fed Israel as they were able to be fed, and those who were unfit died. The concept here points also to the power of the Holy Spirit and the understanding of the mysteries of God (cf. the paper The Mysteries of God (No. 131)).

God also gave Israel the opportunity to enter the Promised Land at the beginning but they rejected the opportunity. They were also to do this at the time of Messiah when they were given the opportunity. Judah and Levi rejected it even after his resurrection.

Numbers 13:1-33 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

Twelve men were sent out to see the Promised Land and bring back a report. The report of ten of them showed a complete lack of faith in God.

Numbers 14:1-45 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

The lack of faith of Israel counted against them. The congregation was afraid and complained against Moses and Aaron. Joshua and Caleb, who were the only ones with faith, were unable to convince the people that they should and could take their inheritance by faith. God was angry with them and it was only through the prayers of Moses that they were not destroyed then and there. The people were therefore condemned to wander in the wilderness for forty years for their lack of faith, and only Caleb and Joshua were allowed to go into the Promised Land. It also represented forty jubilees of the church in the wilderness.

Moses was tested and did not fail. God had established His system and His priesthood and His people, and He was dealing with them so that we might understand in the last days what was to come to pass. Judah was given forty years to repent after the death of Messiah but did not repent and so was destroyed and sent into captivity (cf. The Sign of Jonah and the History of the Reconstruction of the Temple (No. 13)).

The entire structure of worship and offering is to be uniform, both for Gentile and for native-born Israelite.

Numbers 15:1-41 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

This text reiterates the offerings and sacrifices, which are to be performed on entering the Promised Land. The punishment for breaking the Sabbath is death.

Numbers 16:1-50 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

The rebellion of Korah is dealt with here. All involved in the rebellion died, and the plague was stopped only when Aaron stood between the dead and the living. This act symbolised the intercession of the priesthood for the nation, and pointed towards the Church and its roles and functions. The rebellion of the sons of Israel actually commenced with the priesthood and the rulers of Israel. This apostasy was to re-occur among the tribes on a repetitive basis, both in Israel and among the Church after the dispersion, right through to the present century.

Numbers 17:1-13And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ²Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod. ³And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers. ⁴And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you. ⁵And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you. ⁶And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. ⁷And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.

The twelve rods under the rod of Aaron related to the twelve divisions of the tribes under the judges, and then the apostles. The foundation of the City of God rests on these twelve apostles and their works (cf. Rev. 21:10-14).

⁸And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. ⁹And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod. ¹⁰And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not. ¹¹And Moses did so: as the LORD commanded him, so did he. ¹²And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish. ¹³Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying? (KJV)

The iniquity of the sanctuary is borne by its leadership and this is true of the living temple.

Numbers 18:1-32 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

The elect are sent out among the world as sheep amongst wolves, and this process of inheritance amongst Levi applies in like measure to the elect. The elect are a chosen generation, a Royal Priesthood and a holy nation (1Pet. 2:9). Moses was prevented from entering the land because he smote the rock. He and Aaron died outside of Israel to remind us that we were to be of the First Resurrection and would go into Israel with Moses as spirit beings (cf. Deut. 10:6-7 above).

Scripture tells us that Moses died in the land of Moab (cf. Deut. 34:5-6). If he had died in Israel they would have made idols and fetishes of his remains. For this reason the archangel Michael struggled with Satan for the body of Moses (Jude 9).

Numbers 20:1-13 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

We see from this text that obstruction of the Lord’s people brings with it a punishment.

Numbers 20:14-29 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

The Canaanites were judged by the judgment they meted out.

Numbers 21:1-35 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

Israel defeated the Canaanites but later become discouraged and complained against God once more. Then God sent fiery serpents as a punishment. Moses prayed to God and made the so-called serpent of brass for their healing. This object was actually a Seraph. The Seraph was a supernatural being with six wings, and the supernatural aspect of this activity is lost in the translations.

God protected Israel and brought them into their inheritance. The removal of the tribes that threatened Israel was done systematically. The inheritance of Israel was expanded beyond the Jordan in this process, and not all of Israel was in the land of Israel west of the Jordan. This also pointed towards the last days and the activities of the elect. However, Israel was led astray in idolatry by false priests who sought their undoing.

Balaam’s prophecy

In Numbers 22 we see Israel camped in the plains of Moab on this side of the Jordan by Jericho. Moab is afraid of the people, as they are so many. The Moabites sent for Balaam, the son of Beor, to curse the Israelites.

Numbers 22:1-41 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

The offerings of Balaam were designed to undermine Israel, which was to be protected through the seven spirits of God seen again in the Angels of the Seven Churches.

Numbers 23:1-30 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

This prophecy is of enduring significance because it relates to God’s direction to the prophets in the protection and blessings of Israel. It relates also to the doctrines of teaching for hire and misusing biblical law for monetary gain, which was to become virtually a genetic disease in Israel’s priesthood, as it was of the nations. It also deals with the Kingdom from David to Messiah.

Numbers 24:1-25 And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. ²And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him. ³And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: ⁴He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: ⁵How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! ⁶As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river's side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. ⁷He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. ⁸God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. ⁹He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee. ¹⁰And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. ¹¹Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour. ¹²And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, ¹³If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the LORD saith, that will I speak? ¹⁴And now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days. ¹⁵And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: ¹⁶He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: ¹⁷I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. ¹⁸And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. ¹⁹Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city. ²⁰And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever. ²¹And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock. ²²Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive. ²³And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this! ²⁴And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever. ²⁵And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way. (KJV)

The prophecy related to the captivity of Israel by Assyria and also to the annihilation of Eber. The destruction of the last days and the wars of the end are also outlined in this simple sequence, and the results are clear (cf. The Doctrine of Balaam and Balaam’s Prophecy (No. 204)).

Numbers 25:1-18And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. ²And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. ³And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. ⁴And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel. ⁵And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor. ⁶And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. ⁷And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; ⁸And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. ⁹And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. ¹⁰And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ¹¹Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. ¹²Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: ¹³And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel. ¹⁴Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites. ¹⁵And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian. ¹⁶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ¹⁷Vex the Midianites, and smite them: ¹⁸For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake. (KJV)

Midian also was to perish in this idolatrous deceit and by sections as we see from Scripture.

In the daily offerings, the lambs were sent and offered two by two, as with all the elect. Thus the Great Multitude of Revelation 7:9ff. is related to the daily sacrifice.

Numbers 28:1-31And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ²Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering, and my bread for my sacrifices made by fire, for a sweet savour unto me, shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due season. ³And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto the LORD; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering. ⁴The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even; ⁵And a tenth part of an ephah of flour for a meat offering, mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil. ⁶It is a continual burnt offering, which was ordained in mount Sinai for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD. ⁷And the drink offering thereof shall be the fourth part of an hin for the one lamb: in the holy place shalt thou cause the strong wine to be poured unto the LORD for a drink offering. ⁸And the other lamb shalt thou offer at even: as the meat offering of the morning, and as the drink offering thereof, thou shalt offer it, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. ⁹And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof: ¹⁰This is the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering. ¹¹And in the beginnings of your months ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the LORD; two young bullocks, and one ram, seven lambs of the first year without spot; ¹²And three tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, for one bullock; and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, for one ram; ¹³And a several tenth deal of flour mingled with oil for a meat offering unto one lamb; for a burnt offering of a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD. ¹⁴And their drink offerings shall be half an hin of wine unto a bullock, and the third part of an hin unto a ram, and a fourth part of an hin unto a lamb: this is the burnt offering of every month throughout the months of the year. ¹⁵And one kid of the goats for a sin offering unto the LORD shall be offered, beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering. ¹⁶And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD. ¹⁷And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten. ¹⁸In the first day shall be an holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work therein: ¹⁹But ye shall offer a sacrifice made by fire for a burnt offering unto the LORD; two young bullocks, and one ram, and seven lambs of the first year: they shall be unto you without blemish: ²⁰And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil: three tenth deals shall ye offer for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram; ²¹A several tenth deal shalt thou offer for every lamb, throughout the seven lambs: ²²And one goat for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you. ²³Ye shall offer these beside the burnt offering in the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering. ²⁴After this manner ye shall offer daily, throughout the seven days, the meat of the sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: it shall be offered beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering. ²⁵And on the seventh day ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work. ²⁶Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the LORD, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: ²⁷But ye shall offer the burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD; two young bullocks, one ram, seven lambs of the first year; ²⁸And their meat offering of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals unto one bullock, two tenth deals unto one ram, ²⁹A several tenth deal unto one lamb, throughout the seven lambs; ³⁰And one kid of the goats, to make an atonement for you. ³¹Ye shall offer them beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, (they shall be unto you without blemish) and their drink offerings. (KJV)

Thus the sequence runs to the days of Unleavened Bread and the offerings. Hence we can understand the offerings from the 144,000 to the Great Multitude over forty Jubilees.

Law of the occupation

God gave the Law to Moses through Jesus Christ, and he began to write it in Moab across the Jordan. Hence, the legislation for the occupation was prepared before Israel’s entry; so too will it be in the latter days.

Deuteronomy 1:1-46 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

At the end of the forty years Moses reiterated the events which occurred during the years in the wilderness. He reminded the people of their murmurings and told them that Joshua and Caleb would enter the Promised Land, but their fathers would not because of their lack of faith and disobedience to the Living God.

Moses was to be succeeded by Joshua as war leader and it was Joshua who then took Israel into the Promised Land. This fact again pointed towards Moses being succeeded by Messiah, called Yehoshua or Joshua, which was his given name in Judah. Jesus Christ is a derivative of the Greek form of the Aramaic, which is effectively Yoshua the Messiah. The Septuagint translates Yoshua with Ièsous.

Deuteronomy 2:1-37 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

In this text Moses continued to remind Israel of the history of their wanderings in the wilderness, their battles and their victories. Thus all the nations were destined to be delivered into the hands of Israel, and subjugated in their order and according to the direction of God. This was a promise carried out in order to establish the commandments and God’s Law in their national consciousness, and pointed towards the millennial system under Messiah.

Deuteronomy 3:1-29 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

The text related to the battle against Og, King of Bashan. The victory saw the distribution of land outside of the Promised Land being allocated to the tribes there, and Joshua or Yoshua was formally charged with the leadership.

God was with Israel as it was obedient under its determined leadership. This sequence pointed towards the last days and the establishment of Israel in its inheritance, together with the placement of Israel under the captaincy of the armies of the Lord. The tribes in their inheritance were not excused duties in service until the entire period of subjugation was complete and all tribes were in their inheritance.

Israel was to keep the commandments free of addition or deletion. Judah has added to the commandments of the Living God by oral tradition; it was censured by Messiah because of this fact and then sent into captivity.

Deuteronomy 4:1-39 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

In this text Israel is warned to keep the covenant and the commandments and the statutes of God. Moses tells them here that they will not do so and that they will be scattered amongst the nations. Also, Moses himself was not to cross the Jordan.

Deuteronomy 4:40-49 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

In this Scripture we see that Moses established a judicial system outside of the Promised Land on the east of the Jordan; this also has relevance to the last days. God extends the promises to Israel, which has aspects of its inheritance tied to its duties (cf. Gen. 49:1-33).

The establishment of the legal system of the occupation was completed before Israel crossed over Jordan, and so will it be in the last days. The entire system was commenced from the Ten Commandments, which were repeated in Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 5:1-33 And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. ²The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. ³The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. ⁴The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, ⁵(I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to Shew you the word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying, ⁶I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. ⁷Thou shalt have none other gods before me. ⁸Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: ⁹Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, ¹⁰And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. ¹¹Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that tacet his name in vain. ¹²Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. ¹³Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: ¹⁴But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. ¹⁵And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day. ¹⁶Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. ¹⁷Thou shalt not kill. ¹⁸Neither shalt thou commit adultery. ¹⁹Neither shalt thou steal. ²⁰Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour. ²¹Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's. ²²These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me. ²³And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders; ²⁴And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath showed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. ²⁵Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die. ²⁶For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? ²⁷Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it. ²⁸And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the LORD said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken. ²⁹O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! ³⁰Go say to them, Get you into your tents again. ³¹But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it. ³²Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. ³³Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess. (KJV)

These commandments were established to give life not only to the people of Israel, but also to the entire world in and through Israel under Messiah in the worship of God.

Deuteronomy 6:1-25 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: ²That thou mightiest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. ³Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. ⁴Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: ⁵And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. ⁶And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: ⁷And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. ⁸And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. ⁹And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. ¹⁰And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, ¹¹And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; ¹²Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. ¹³Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. ¹⁴Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; ¹⁵(For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth. ¹⁶Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah. ¹⁷Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee. ¹⁸And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, ¹⁹To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken. ²⁰And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you? ²¹Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand: ²²And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes: ²³And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers. ²⁴And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. ²⁵And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us. (KJV)

Israel was continually being undermined by the idolatry of the nations. The structure of idolatry and the worship of the Host are forbidden in all their forms.

Deuteronomy 4:19And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven. (KJV)

The law and the calendar in the worship of God

The commandments are accompanied by the statutes, and the structure of the law stands intact (cf. Deut. 4:40, see above)

The structure of the covenant of Israel is extended into the Church under Messiah and on into the Gentiles. (cf. Deut. 5:1-7 above)

The structure of the law of God and His system is represented by the Sabbath and the Sacred Calendar. (Deut. 5:14 above)

Israel is required to establish the words of the law on two great stones, as each household is also required to do with the Ten Commandments. This stone structure is to serve as the master copy of the law in the nation.

Deuteronomy 27:1-26 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

This text has further warning to keep the commandments. They are to build an altar and write the words of the law on the stones.

Blessings and curses

Specific blessings for keeping the Law and curses for not keeping the Law are given in the following texts.

Blessings for Obedience

Deuteronomy 28:1-14 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: ² And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. ³ Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. ⁴ Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. ⁵ Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. ⁶ Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. ⁷ The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. ⁸ The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. ⁹ The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. ¹⁰ And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. ¹¹ And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. ¹² The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. ¹³ And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: ¹⁴ And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

If we serve and follow the way of life laid out by the One True God, the blessings listed above will accrue. We have received these blessings because of the promise to Abraham and we are his recipient descendants.

Curses for Disobedience

It is a crime to ignore God and disobey His commandments, statutes and judgments. When the nations’ iniquity is full or complete, Yahovah’s judgments will come upon them.

Deuteronomy 28:15-36 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: ¹⁶ Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. ¹⁷ Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. ¹⁸ Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. ¹⁹ Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. ²⁰ The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. ²¹ The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. ²² The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. ²³ And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. ²⁴ The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed. ²⁵ The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. ²⁶ And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away. ²⁷ The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. ²⁸ The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: ²⁹ And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee. ³⁰ Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof. ³¹ Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them. ³² Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand. ³³ The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway: ³⁴ So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. ³⁵ The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head. ³⁶ The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.

If we disobey, then the following curses will occur in our nation.

Deuteronomy 28:37-68 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee. ³⁸ Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it. ³⁹ Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. ⁴⁰ Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit. ⁴¹ Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity. ⁴² All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume. ⁴³ The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. ⁴⁴ He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail. ⁴⁵ Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: ⁴⁶ And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. ⁴⁷ Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; ⁴⁸ Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. ⁴⁹ The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; ⁵⁰ A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young: ⁵¹ And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. ⁵² And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee. ⁵³ And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee: ⁵⁴ So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave: ⁵⁵ So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates. ⁵⁶ The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, ⁵⁷ And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates. ⁵⁸ If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; ⁵⁹ Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. ⁶⁰ Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. ⁶¹ Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. ⁶² And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God. ⁶³ And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. ⁶⁴ And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. ⁶⁵ And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: ⁶⁶ And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: ⁶⁷ In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. ⁶⁸ And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.

From the Law and God’s gifts come the blessings which are removed through disobedience and the curses and restored through repentance. Further warnings against disobedience are given; these are examined in the paper The Blessings and the Curses (No. 75).

Miracles in protection

Deuteronomy 29:1-29 [TO BE READ IN FULL]

The above text shows that the people of Israel are reminded of the miracles they had seen since the Red Sea; for instance their clothes and shoes did not wear out. They are told that the covenant between God and them remains in force, and they are again warned of the effects of breaking that covenant. This example was to stand as part of the Law for all time.

Deuteronomy 30:1-20And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, ²And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; ³That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. ⁴If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: ⁵And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. ⁶And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. ⁷And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. ⁸And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. ⁹And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: ¹⁰If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. ¹¹For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. ¹²It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? ¹³Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? ¹⁴But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. ¹⁵See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; ¹⁶In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. ¹⁷But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; ¹⁸I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. ¹⁹I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: ²⁰That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. (KJV)

Reading God’s Law

Moses came to be an hundred and twenty years old and his time was then finished. He encouraged the people, and he encouraged Joshua. Moses then proceeded to write the law and it was placed in the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. Moses then gave commands from God that this law was to be read (Deut. 31:10-13).

Deuteronomy 31:1-30 So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. ² And he said to them, "I am a hundred and twenty years old this day; I am no longer able to go out and come in. The LORD has said to me, 'You shall not go over this Jordan.' ³ The LORD your God himself will go over before you; he will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them; and Joshua will go over at your head, as the LORD has spoken. ⁴ And the LORD will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them. ⁵ And the LORD will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandment which I have commanded you. ⁶ Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in dread of them: for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you." ⁷ Then Moses summoned Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and of good courage; for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall put them in possession of it. ⁸ It is the LORD who goes before you; he will be with you, he will not fail you or forsake you; do not fear or be dismayed." ⁹ And Moses wrote this law, and gave it to the priests the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. ¹⁰ And Moses commanded them, "At the end of every seven years, at the set time of the year of release, at the feast of booths, ¹¹ when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place which he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. ¹² Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, ¹³ and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land which you are going over the Jordan to possess." ¹⁴ And the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, the days approach when you must die; call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may commission him." And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting. ¹⁵ And the LORD appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud; and the pillar of cloud stood by the door of the tent. ¹⁶ And the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, you are about to sleep with your fathers; then this people will rise and play the harlot after the strange gods of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them. ¹⁷ Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured; and many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, 'Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?' ¹⁸ And I will surely hide my face in that day on account of all the evil which they have done, because they have turned to other gods. ¹⁹ Now therefore write this song, and teach it to the people of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. ²⁰ For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. ²¹ And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their descendants); for I know the purposes which they are already forming, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give." ²² So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the people of Israel. ²³ And the LORD commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, "Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore to give them: I will be with you." ²⁴ When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book, to the very end, ²⁵ Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, ²⁶ "Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against you. ²⁷ For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are; behold, while I am yet alive with you, today you have been rebellious against the LORD; how much more after my death! ²⁸ Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears and call heaven and earth to witness against them. ²⁹ For I know that after my death you will surely act corruptly, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and in the days to come evil will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger through the work of your hands." ³⁰ Then Moses spoke the words of this song until they were finished, in the ears of all the assembly of Israel: (RSV)

The Song of Moses

God established His law and His system under a faithful servant. When he had done all that God had demanded of him, God then told Moses that it was time for him to die. Moses and Joshua presented themselves in the Tabernacle of the congregation, and the Lord appeared to them. He told them that he knew the people would break the covenant and that he would be angry and many evils would fall upon them. They were to learn and sing the second song of glory known as the Song of Moses.

Deuteronomy 32:1-52 Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. ²My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: ³Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. ⁴He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. ⁵They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation. ⁶Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee? ⁷Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee. ⁸When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. ⁹For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. ¹⁰He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. ¹¹As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: ¹²So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him. ¹³He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; ¹⁴Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape. ¹⁵But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. ¹⁶They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger. ¹⁷They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. ¹⁸Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. ¹⁹And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters. ²⁰And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith. ²¹They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. ²²For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. ²³I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them. ²⁴They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. ²⁵The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs. ²⁶I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men: ²⁷Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, Our hand is high, and the LORD hath not done all this. ²⁸For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. ²⁹O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end! ³⁰How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up? ³¹For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. ³²For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter: ³³Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps. ³⁴Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures? ³⁵To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. ³⁶For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left. ³⁷And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted, ³⁸Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, and be your protection. ³⁹See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. ⁴⁰For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. ⁴¹If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. ⁴²I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy. ⁴³Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people. ⁴⁴And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun. ⁴⁵And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel: ⁴⁶And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. ⁴⁷For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it. ⁴⁸And the LORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, ⁴⁹Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession: ⁵⁰And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people: ⁵¹Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel. ⁵²Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel. (KJV)

Blessing the tribes

Moses then blessed the tribes of Israel.

Deuteronomy 33:1-29And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. ²And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them. ³Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words. ⁴Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. ⁵And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together. ⁶Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few. ⁷And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies. ⁸And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah; ⁹Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant. ¹⁰They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar. ¹¹Bless, LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again. ¹²And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders. ¹³And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, ¹⁴And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, ¹⁵And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, ¹⁶And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. ¹⁷His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh. ¹⁸And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents. ¹⁹They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand. ²⁰And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head. ²¹And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel. ²²And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp: he shall leap from Bashan. ²³And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south. ²⁴And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil. ²⁵Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be. ²⁶There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. ²⁷The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. ²⁸Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew. ²⁹Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places. (KJV)

Moses and the elect

Moses was permitted to see the Promised Land but was “taken” before the occupation, and that is the fact of the lives of the elect, for they will see Israel under Messiah as spirit beings.

Deuteronomy 34:1-12And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, ²And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, ³And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar. ⁴And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. ⁵So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. ⁶And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. ⁷And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. ⁸And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. ⁹And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses. ¹⁰And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, ¹¹In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, ¹²And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel. (KJV)

God, as Yahovah of Hosts, set us apart to His service through and by the prophets under Yahovah. We are to have no other gods but God, as there is no Eloah but Eloah. Yahovah is our elohim and we shall have no other elohim before Him. The capacity to become elohim was extended by God to the Messenger of Yahovah through the Holy Spirit. This Messenger became High Priest and opened the way for us to become sons of God in power as elohim, like him, from the resurrection from the dead (cf. Rom. 1:4). He is made an elohim as the Angel of Yahovah at our head (Zech. 12:8). Through our obedience to the law unto death, we too are made sons of God, as gods and children of the Most High – all of us – and Scripture cannot be broken (Ps. 82:6; Jn. 10:34-35).