Have you ever had a person in your life that you would do anything for them? Maybe you feel that way because they were there for you at your most vulnerable moment. Maybe they are a person who knows you better than anyone else. Maybe they rescued you from a catastrophe. Or maybe you just fell in love with them. The point is, that you would fly anywhere, give any amount, or support them in any way possible to show your love and devotion.
When I was reading 2 Corinthians 8 & 9 this week, I was blessed by the Apostle Paul’s message to the church of Corinth. In this letter, Paul shares why giving liberally meant something to him. He talks about a ministry that overflows and while doing so he reminds others as to why he has devoted himself to that ministry. He is unapologetic about his mission, about his beatings, stonings, and imprisonments. For when he met Yeshua the Messiah, he was given mercy, thereby causing him to “do anything.” His eyes were opened and his life was changed.
It’s interesting to me that Paul was not well-received by almost everyone. Many of the congregations he met were a bit skeptical of his testimony. And they had reason to be. Paul had persecuted those who were following the teachings of Yeshua. And among the religious order from which he came, there was an outright rejection in that Paul was teaching another gospel—a gospel of mercy explained from the life of Yeshua and the Torah. (Book of Hebrews)
Have things changed much today? Some question personal testimony—skeptical out of jealousy or disbelief that they haven’t experienced a miracle. Many believe that being religious is just a matter of following explicit commands or rules. People can be judgmental toward Paul like leaders or speakers holding them in contempt because they were not the called out one. And of course, there are always the personified words we hear even in the Torah, “Who made you judge over us” and “we are all holy” sort of commentaries. So, would any of this change if we experienced mercy? I think so.
The concept of Scriptural mercy is based in the language of Hebrew—a language full of colorful pictures intended to fill the reader with the ability to “know.” The Western mindset is typically about formulas, proof texts, facts, and bullet points. But, the Middle Eastern mindset seeks to experience to confirm. Consequently, we see in the Torah, long explanations that fulfill a story meant to be taught to our children (Duet.6). Likewise, Yeshua Himself taught in parables (story pictures) so that people could relate. (Matt. 5)
In the biblical Hebrew language, the word for “mercy” (רחם; racham) shares the same three-letter root as the word for “womb” (רחם; rechem). The womb is a source of protection for a developing child who might die if made subject to outside variables.
When God dispenses mercy, the act displays the divine tendency to protect. This protective aspect of mercy emerges clearly in Yah’s interaction with Moses. When the leader of Israel asks to see the glory of YHWH, the Lord tells him,
“I will make all my goodness pass before you and will declare my Name before you… I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will be merciful (racham) to whom I will be merciful” Exodus 33:19.
It’s here we find the picture of “rechem” or womb. “But you cannot see my face, for a human being cannot see me and live…. Behold, there is a place near me where you shall stand on the rock and, as my glory passes by, I will set you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen” Exodus 33:20-23.
When Israel was in the wilderness, they were protected by the Ark of the Covenant which displays the Mercy Seat. During the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would sprinkle blood from a bull and goat on the mercy seat. What type of symbol was this and was it prophetic in nature or purely used for the time?
When mercy is combined with seat, we see an awesome picture. In the Greek understanding, the Mercy Seat is understood to be a propitiation. Paul writes about this in Romans stating that YHWH displayed publicly His Son Yeshua on the cross, a propitiation between man and God. In other words, man’s sin which separated him from YHWH and his Holiness was appeased or soothed by the blood of Messiah (Rom. 3:25). For only Messiah’s blood or DNA was perfect enough or holy enough to be considered worthy. His blood was substituted for ours—a propitiation or soothing to the courts of Heaven.
We can see in these pictographs that there will be a cover on the mouth which will open from the prince. But what prince? That would be Yeshua Ha-Mashiach, known as Jesus Christ. But what is He saying? For that, we must look below the seat and into the ark itself. The first three letters in Kapporeth are the root word Kapher, which in conventional Hebrew means to cover. The Kapporeth is not just a place for YHVH to meet with the High Priest, but it covers something important that speaks profoundly.
“Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant.” Hebrews 9:4
Although each of these items are symbols of the providential hand of YHVH in the lives of His people, they are also reminders of their sins. When YHVH provided manna for food, the people complained it wasn’t enough so He gave them quail. When Israel rebelled against priestly authority, Aaron’s rod miraculously budded as a sign from YHVH for Aaron to lead the nation as a priestly shepherd. The stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments were the law given for their instruction and their well-being. However, the people refused to obey and rebelled against YHVH.
The picture of blood in the Scriptures is life. It represents our life source, the DNA that is unique to every created being. Of course, the blood being sprinkled on the Mercy Seat did not belong to the people or person but to a bull and a goat (Leviticus 16:14-15). A bull in the Hebrew language is considered strength. And a goat represents an action of something that “takes away” as seen by the garments made for Adam and Eve as well as the goat in the thicket supplied for Abraham’s sacrifice. Consequently, it is only by the strength of the Yahweh that our sins are laid upon a scapegoat and then taken away.
The blood of bulls represented the blood of the Prince (strength of the house) who would keep His covenant (the cross) and is sent by YHWH as His Son (the Prince) knowing that mankind would not be able to keep their words when they promised Moses that they would follow Yah.
“There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat (kaf, pey reysh, tav), from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.” Exodus 25:22
In Exodus 24, we see Moses sprinkling the blood of bulls on the people after they promised to keep the commandments of Yah. Notice his words to them:
“Behold the blood of the covenant which YHWH has made with you in accordance with all these words.” Exodus 24:8
Meaning, that we are only saved through his merciful blood and not through ourselves.
So, what can we see in the study of Terumah and how does it relate to the writings of Paul to the Church of Corinth? I believe it’s in the appreciation of receiving mercy. In the Messiah, you have someone who knows you better than anyone else. He has saved you from catastrophe. He listens when you are at your most vulnerable moment. And yes, you and I are called to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. The mercy seat displays His propitiation for us, so that we may have an everlasting life. Therefore, Paul reminds the church to give from their heart, to sow with gratitude and not sparingly.
My wife and I along with two other dear friends—John and Zach, spent an evening providing love songs to roughly 200+ people. After singing and playing songs from the heart, we finished with a few songs that moved in the direction of love being given to us by God, with the last song being the Aaronic Blessing. You could have heard a pin drop at the close of that number. People started to stand one by one with an ovation that included virtually everyone in the room. No sermon was given. No teaching was given. But yet, people were blessed and drawn into the spirit, through the sharing of heart-felt conviction. The meaning of doing anything for the One I follow made sense to me right then.
Are you willing to give whatever the Lord has given you? Are you willing to share your love song? Friends, I call you on to give of yourself in thankfulness for what the Lord has done and is doing for you.
Be blessed this Sabbath,
Rollyn