Behar, On the Mount; Bechuqotay, In My Statutes, Customs (gathering together on Shabbat and the festivals are customs of the people of YHWH our Elohim)
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 25:1 – 27:34
YirmeYahu (Jeremiah) 32:6-27; 16:19 – 17:14
Luke 4:16-21; John 14:15-21; 15:10-12
Sometimes I feel so small and the mountains I face seem so insurmountable. My problems don’t seem to go away, at least not when I want them to. I can sure identify with this lyric from the 1994 song ‘Hold me Jesus:’
“Sometimes my life just doesn’t make sense at all. The mountains look so big and my faith just seems so small.” — Rich Mullins
Sometimes it’s my view of life, my perspective that needs changing. Is there something I’m not seeing from my Father’s eyes that can help me overcome the mountains I face?
Viewing a Mountain
In Hebrew thought, all things are in motion, even something as big and as massive as a mountain. The word ‘mountain’ in Hebrew is ‘har,’ spelled ‘hey, resh.’ The ‘hey’ is a picture of a revealing, a rising up of the ‘resh,’ the summit, the top, the head of a landscape.
Mountains are not as permanent as they seem. Not only do they rise on a landscape, but they can be brought down by the Almighty. This prophecy of Isaiah is relevant today:
A voice cries out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of YHWH. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley will be lifted up, every mountain and hill made low, and the rough ground will be plain and the rugged terrain smooth. The glory of YHWH will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together.” For the mouth of YHWH has spoken. Isaiah 40:3-5
So then rather than looking at how big my problems are, I’m better off seeing how big my God is – He can raise up or bring down any mountain. Only one mountain will endure.
The Only Mountain that Endures
How is He like the biggest, mightiest, and most enduring mountain of all? What characteristics of YHWH can we see in a picture of a dominating mountain rising against a dynamic sky?
Your lovingkindness, YHWH, is in the Heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mountains of Elohim. Your judgments are like a great deep. YHWH, You preserve man and animal. Psalm 36:5-6
How awesome, mighty, and enduring is His love! His lovingkindness is bigger than anything I face in life. How great are His righteous instructions for living and His judgments on any matter? You can always count on our loving God being there for you and for surrounding His people – just like the mountains are around Jerusalem.
A Song of Ascents. Those who trust in YHWH are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but remains forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so YHWH surrounds his people from this time forward and forever more… Psalm 125:1-2
We all need to take a trip up the mountain of Elohim once in a while to see all our troubles from His perspective. The mountain of Elohim cannot be removed, but all other mountains we face in life that are of the world can and will be shaken (Hebrews 12:26-29). Yeshua said they can be removed by our faith in the mighty God (Mathew 21:21-22). Come let us go up to the mountain and learn how to face those opposing mountains!
On Mount, Behar, Moses ascended and descended to meet with our Heavenly Father. The prophet greater than Moses, our Adonai Yeshua, also ascended and descended on the mountains in the headwaters of the Galilee and the Jordan (meaning Descender) to teach His people the ways of the God of Israel. Come let us go up to hear and learn from His word!
A Future View from Mt Sinai
What big picture did YHWH instruct Moses to give to the people from Mount Sinai?
Viewing the future of Israel, Moses commanded the people to give the land a rest every seventh year and a double year rest at the end of seven sevens of years, the 50th year. At that appointed time, all slaves and the land itself were to be redeemed and liberty proclaimed to all on the Year of Jubilee. Mountains of debt would be cast into the sea and slaves released in that year. Viewing afar gave a bondman a view of future liberty.
The release of real estate back to its original owners teaches us to deny the natural inclination to view any property as a ‘mine.’ We should see that all property on earth and the fullness thereof (Psalm 24:1) ultimately belong to YHWH. Abba wants His children to deny themselves the pursuit of material gain instead of spiritual growth. That we belong to Him and that He causes us to grow like trees gives us His perspective on life.
His Purposes for this Festival Season
What liberty did Yeshua declare when the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him to read on Shabbat (Luke 4:18)? How does He give liberty to His people today?
At Pesach (Passover) He liberated us from Egypt’s external holds. On Shavuot (Pentecost) He liberates us from the Egypt inside; He writes the Torah on our hearts and fills us with His Spirit. Only by hearts liberated from the flesh can we then keep the Torah and only by His Spirit empowering and enabling souls can we do His will.
What do the barley and the wheat harvests teach us about the redemptive work of the Messiah in us? What changes can we be expecting in His people during this season?
The 50-day omer count in the spring starts with a barley harvest and ends with the wheat harvest. Barley represents the carnal, worldly nature. Wheat represents the golden, spiritual nature of redeemed and sanctified souls. What YHWH wants to do in us is to change us from a carnal to a spiritual nature, where we are led by the Spirit in liberty, not by bondage to the flesh. Bondages and addictions of the flesh are often the mountains we face, that of opposition and encumbrances to life in the liberty of the Messiah.
One thing we can count on is that Abba will empower us through the Holy Spirit to remove mountains in our lives. He brought us out of miserable Mitsrayim (Egypt) that we may go up to Behar, on the Mount, so that we may worship Him. Empowered by His Spirit, we can descend into the world where we live in freedom to serve Him all our days. There we can lift up the lowly in the valleys and speak to the mountains exalting over us to bring them down by the Spirit of God Almighty. We overcome not by carnal weapons of our warfare, but our spiritual weapons are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds (Heb 6:18). No fortification can ‘hold safely’; no mountain is insurmountable.
Removing Mountains
Yeshua answered them, “Amen, I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, trusting, you shall receive.” Matthew 21:21-22
He is bigger than all our problems, bigger than all our fears. Yah is bigger than any mountain that we can or cannot see. With faith and no doubt, Yeshua said that we can speak to our mountains, say His Word, and He will remove them. (Mat 21:21-22)
The Master is encouraging us not to fear this world’s mountains of opposition. He is with us and He is helping us. With Him, nothing is impossible if we can believe (Mark 9:23).
As we count the omer to the day of Shavuot, may we know and anticipate the purpose for the day – to empower His people to be more effective witnesses, speaking His words.
Like the disciples after the resurrection, we do not know ‘the times or seasons which the Father has placed under His control’ (Acts 1:7) about the second coming.
. But we do know the purpose of the appointed time of Pentecost is to prepare for us for the great and awesome day of YHWH when all governments and kingdoms will fall like mountains into the sea. According to prophecy, His people have a part in the coming of His kingdom. His Bride is making herself ready. Yeshua offers a gift to help us prepare:
“But you will receive power when the Ruach ha-Kodesh has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and through all Judah, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
Now that’s something to look forward to this Shavuot! He promised the gift of the Spirit to us! Count on it! By His power, we can raise valleys, bring down mountains and make crooked paths straight!
Peter said to them, “Repent and let each of you be immersed in the Name of Messiah Yeshua for the removal of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Ruach ha-Kodesh. For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far away – as many as YHWH our God calls to Himself.” Act 2:38-39
BaShem Yeshua Ha’Mashiyach,
David Klug