a Voice out of heaven

After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water;
and behold, the heavens were opened,
and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him,
and behold, a voice out of the heavens said,
"This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."

"Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold;

My chosen one in whom My soul delights

I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the nations.

"He will not cry out or raise His voice,
Nor make His voice heard in the street.
"A bruised reed He will not break
And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;
He will faithfully bring forth justice.
"He will not be disheartened or crushed
Until He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law."

Thus says God YHWH,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread out the earth and its offspring,
Who gives breath to the people on it
And spirit to those who walk in it,

"I am the YHWH, I have called You in righteousness,
I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You,
And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the nations,
To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the dungeon
And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.

"I am YHWH, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another,
Nor My praise to graven images.

"Behold, the former things have come to pass,
Now I declare new things;
Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you."

Sing to YHWH a new song,
Sing His praise from the end of the earth!
You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it
You islands, and those who dwell on them.
Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voices,
The settlements where Kedar inhabits
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing aloud,
Let them shout for joy from the tops of the mountains.
Let them give glory to YHWH
And declare His praise in the coastlands.
YHWH will go forth like a warrior,
He will arouse His zeal like a man of war
He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry
He will prevail against His enemies.

I have kept silent for a long time,
I have kept still
and restrained Myself.
now like a woman in labor
I will groan,
I will both gasp and pant.
"I will lay waste the mountains and hills
And wither all their vegetation;
I will make the rivers into coastlands
And dry up the ponds.
"I will lead the blind by a way they do not know,
In paths they do not know I will guide them
I will make darkness into light before them
And rugged places into plains

These are the things I will do,
And I will not leave them undone."

They will be turned back and be utterly put to shame,
Who trust in idols,
Who say to molten images,
"You are our gods."

Hear, you deaf!
And look, you blind, that you may see.
Who is blind but My servant,
Or so deaf as My messenger whom I send?
Who is so blind as he that is at peace with Me,
Or so blind as the servant of YHWH?
You have seen many things,
but you do not observe them;
Your ears are open,
but none hears.

YHWH was pleased for His righteousness' sake
To make the law great and glorious.
But this is a people plundered and despoiled;
All of them are trapped in caves,
Or are hidden away in prisons;
They have become a prey with none to deliver them,
And a spoil, with none to say, "Give them back!"

Who among you will give ear to this?
Who will give heed and listen hereafter?
Who gave Jacob up for spoil, and Israel to plunderers?

Was it not YHWH, against whom we have sinned,
And in whose ways they were not willing to walk,
And whose law they did not obey?
So He poured out on him the heat of His anger
And the fierceness of battle;
And it set him aflame all around,
Yet he did not recognize it;
And it burned him, but he paid no attention.

But now, thus says YHWH, your Creator, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.
"For I am YHWH your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your place.
"Since you are precious in My sight,
Since you are honored and I love you,
I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.
"Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
And gather you from the west.
"I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
And to the south, 'Do not hold them back '
Bring My sons from afar
And My daughters from the ends of the earth,
Everyone who is called by My name,
And whom I have created for My glory,
Whom I have formed, even whom I have made."

Bring out the people who are blind,
even though they have eyes,
And the deaf,
even though they have ears.
All the nations have gathered together
So that the peoples may be assembled
Who among them can declare this
And proclaim to us the former things?
Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified,
Or let them hear and say, "It is true."
"You are My witnesses," declares YHWH,
"And My servant whom I have chosen,
So that you may know and believe Me
And understand that I am He
Before Me there was no God formed,
And there will be none after Me.
"I, even I, am YHWH,
And there is no Savior besides Me.
"It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed,
And there was no strange god among you;
So you are My witnesses," declares YHWH,
"And I am God.
"Even from eternity I am He,
And there is none who can deliver out of My hand;
I act and who can reverse it?"

Thus says YHWH your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,
"For your sake I have sent to Babylon,
And will bring them all down as fugitives,
Even the Chaldeans, into the ships in which they rejoice.
"I am YHWH, your Holy One,
The Creator of Israel, your King."

Thus says YHWH,
Who makes a way through the sea
And a path through the mighty waters,
Who brings forth the chariot and the horse,
The army and the mighty man
(They will lie down together and not rise again;
They have been quenched and extinguished like a wick):
"Do not call to mind the former things,
Or ponder things of the past.
"Behold, I will do something new,
Now it will spring forth;
Will you not be aware of it?
I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,
Rivers in the desert.
"The beasts of the field will glorify Me
the jackals and the ostriches,
Because I have given waters in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert,
To give drink to My chosen people.
"The people whom I formed for Myself
Will declare My praise.

"Yet you have not called on Me, O Jacob;
But you have not brought to Me the sheep of your burnt offerings,
Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices
I have not burdened you with offerings,
Nor wearied you with incense.
"You have bought Me not sweet cane with money,
Nor have you filled Me with the fat of your sacrifices;
Rather you have burdened Me with your sins,
You have wearied Me with your iniquities.
"I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake,
And I will not remember your sins.
"Put Me in remembrance, let us argue our case together;
State your cause, that you may be proved right.
"Your first forefather sinned,
And your spokesmen have transgressed against Me.
"So I will pollute the princes of the sanctuary,
And I will consign Jacob to the ban and Israel to revilement.
"But now listen, O Jacob, My servant,
And Israel, whom I have chosen:
Thus says YHWH who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you,
'Do not fear, O Jacob My servant;
And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
'For I will pour out water on the thirsty land
And streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring
And My blessing on your descendants;
And they will spring up among the grass
Like poplars by streams of water.'
"This one will say, 'I am YHWH's;
And that one will call on the name of Jacob;
And another will write on his hand, 'Belonging to YHWH,'
And will name Israel's name with honor.

"Thus says YHWH, the King of Israel and His Redeemer, YHWH of hosts:
'I am the first and I am the last,
And there is no God besides Me.
Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it;
Yes, let him recount it to Me in order,
From the time that I established the ancient nation.
And let them declare to them the things that are coming
And the events that are going to take place.
'Do not tremble and do not be afraid;
Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it?
And you are My witnesses
Is there any God besides Me,
Or is there any other Rock?
I know of none.'"

I see everything else

"I believe in Christianity as I believe in the sun: not only because I see it, but because by its light I see everything else." CS Lewis

Jesus: "Let us go to Judea again."

Disciples: "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and You are going there again?"

Jesus: " Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."

Salvation belongs to Jehovah God

"and that He was buried,

and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures"

"In trouble, deep trouble, I prayed to GOD.
He answered me.
From the belly of the grave I cried, "Help!'
You heard my cry.

You threw me into ocean's depths,
into a watery grave,
With ocean waves, ocean breakers
crashing over me.

I said, "I've been thrown away,
thrown out, out of your sight.
I'll never again lay eyes
on your Holy Temple.'

Ocean gripped me by the throat.
The ancient Abyss grabbed me and held tight.
My head was all tangled in seaweed

at the bottom of the sea where the mountains take root.
I was as far down as a body can go,
and the gates were slamming shut behind me forever--
Yet you pulled me up from that grave alive,
O GOD, my God!

When my life was slipping away,
I remembered GOD,
And my prayer got through to you,
made it all the way to your Holy Temple.

Those who worship hollow gods, god-frauds,
walk away from their only true love.

But I'm worshiping you, GOD,
calling out in thanksgiving!
And I'll do what I promised I'd do!
Salvation belongs to GOD!"

the working sands and the rolling waves

4.) The burial of Christ is important in providing continuity between His physical dying and bodily resurrection (1 Cor. 15:3-5, 35-44)

"He was buried, and He was raised on the third day"

Buried/Sown

perishable
in dishonor
in weakness
natural body
earthly
bearing the image of the first man
sleep
mortal

Raised/Harvested

imperishable
in glory
in power
spiritual body
heavenly
bearing the image of the last Man
changed
immortal



Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

Therefore beloved, be a pillar..firm in your heart and a support of truth. Be still, without motion or moved away from this hope. As you stand firm, always go beyond the shores that can be seen as you wage His war, knowing that this labor of affliction and "refining" is not in vain in the Lord.

Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

"So the pure, limpid stream, when foul with stains
Of rushing torrents and descending rains,
Works itself clear, and as it runs, refines,
Till by degrees the floating mirror shines. "--Addison.

the pencil of the Master is here

Leviticus 16

This chapter unfolds some of the weightiest principles of truth which can possibly engage the renewed mind. It presents the doctrine of atonement with uncommon fullness and power. In short, we must rank the sixteenth chapter of Leviticus amongst the most precious and important sections of Inspiration; if indeed it be allowable to make comparisons where all is divine.

CH Mackintosh

Here, then, we have the other grand idea attached to the death of Christ — namely, the full and final forgiveness of the people. If the death of Christ forms the foundation of the glory of God, it also forms the foundation of the perfect forgiveness of sins to all who put their trust in it. This latter, blessed be God, is but a secondary, an inferior application of the atonement, though our foolish hearts would fain regard it as the very highest possible view of the cross to see in it that which puts away all our sins. This is a mistake. God's glory is the first thing; our salvation is the second. To maintain Gods glory was the chief, the darling object of the heart of Christ. This object He pursued from first to last, with an undeviating purpose and unflinching fidelity. "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again." (John 10: 17) "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him." (John 13: 31, 32) "Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people from far: the Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft: in his quiver hath He hid me; and said unto me, Thou art my servant, 0 Israel, in whom I will be glorified." (Isaiah 49. 1-3)

Thus, the glory of God was the paramount object of the Lord Jesus Christ, in life and in death. He lived and died to glorify His Father's name. Does the Church lose ought by this? Nay. Does Israel Nay. Do the Gentiles? Nay. In no way could their salvation and blessedness be so perfectly provided for as by being made subsidiary to the glory of God. Hearken to the divine response to Christ, the true Israel, in the sublime passage just quoted. "It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation to the ends of the earth."

And is it not a blessed thing to know that God is glorified in the putting away of our sins We may ask, Where are our sins? Put away. By what? By that act of Christ upon the cross in which God has been eternally glorified. Thus it is. The two goats, on the day of atonement, give the double aspect of the one act. In the one, we see God's glory maintained; in the other, sins put away. The one is as perfect as the other. We are as perfectly forgiven as God is perfectly glorified, by the death of Christ. Was there one single point in which God was not glorified in the cross? Not one. Neither is there one single point in which we are not perfectly forgiven. I say we;" for albeit the congregation of Israel is the primary object contemplated in the beautiful and impressive ordinance of the scape-goat; yet does it hold good, in the fullest way, with respect to every soul that believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, that he is as perfectly forgiven as God is perfectly glorified, by the atonement of the cross. How many of the sins of Israel did the scape-goat bear away? "All." Precious word! Not one left behind. and whither did he bear them? "Into a land not inhabited" — a land where they could never be found, because there was no one there to look for them. Could any type be more perfect? Could we possibly have a more graphic picture of Christ's accomplished sacrifice, in its primary and secondary aspects? Impossible. We can hang with intense admiration over such a picture, and, as we gaze, exclaim, "Of a truth, the pencil of the Master is here! "

a holy sound

I am a dreamer, a wishful thinker. Along with Anne of Green Gables, I "soar on the wings of anticipation". I imagine, I picture.

This week of studying the goat for Azazel has deeply impacted me. My soul has been still and my soul has soared. I have been reminded yet again that Leviticus paints the sky and weaves the golden, scarlet and purple threads. But is is not the book of Leviticus is it? What is Leviticus? It is the voice of Jehovah. If you took your red pen and underlined every word that is Jehovah speaking..you would find pages and pages of red in front of you.

He, by His own words and voice, patiently and with great love (and I believe delight and merriment) explains all that He wants us to know. What an incredible picture he draws for us...it is truly a picture of thousands of words.

I imagine the Day of Atonement in the day of the Israelites...before we reach Isaiah and God's disgust of what the day has become to them.

All are gathered....all is prepared...He, Jehovah God is there in the cloud of incense above the mercy seat. The sacrifices are ready and waiting. All who have a role in this great day are prepared, cleansed and purified. It is a HOLY day.

Jehovah has said many things about the day and the two that touch me today are that it is to be a Holy Convocation and they are to humble their souls.

A convocation is a calling out, a voice, there is sound in this picture. There is the ram's horn blowing, there is the sound of the animals, the babies, the small children. There is crackle of fire and hiss of fat. The splashing of water. There is the confession and calling out of iniquities and transgressions by the High Priest.

The role of the people is one thing only: to humble their souls, afflict their souls. Do we have any concept in 21st century America what this means? to humble our souls? O Beloved the sound that is made from this humbling, this affliction.

Their is crying out, wailing, weeping, singing, howling. There is sound, there is noise , there is voice and togetherness. There is no work, there is only rest...and what a vocal rest it is! What a journey from mourning into dancing.

As I think about this Day of Atonement, I read Psalm 116 in a whole new understanding.

Psalm 116

Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death.

I love the LORD, because He hears
My voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.
The cords of death encompassed me
And the terrors of Sheol came upon me;
I found distress and sorrow.
Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
"O LORD, I beseech You, save my life!"
Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
Yes, our God is compassionate.
The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
For You have rescued my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
My feet from stumbling.
I shall walk before the LORD
In the land of the living.
I believed when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted."
I said in my alarm,
"All men are liars."
What shall I render to the LORD
For all His benefits toward me?
I shall lift up the cup of salvation
And call upon the name of the LORD.
I shall pay my vows to the LORD,
Oh may it be in the presence of all His people.
Precious in the sight of the LORD
Is the death of His godly ones.
O LORD, surely I am Your servant,
I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid,
You have loosed my bonds.
To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And call upon the name of the LORD.
I shall pay my vows to the LORD,
Oh may it be in the presence of all His people,
In the courts of the LORD'S house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!

Thank You, Thank You o Father, Son and Holy Spirit....that You have delivered us from death into life.

for such a time as this

Lev. 16:21 -

"Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness.

The One who led the goat for Azazel into the wilderness continues to intrigue me. After studying the scriptures I see the Father placing His hands upon this goat/upon Jesus Christ and transferring all of our sins . This goat/this chosen Son carried the burden of all iniquity into the wilderness/sheol.

Tradition states that the goat was taken to a cliff and thrown down. I do not see this in scripture yet, if at all. And to be honest, if we go with tradition then the analogy breaks down. God has provided this analogy for us...would he allow it to be incomplete?
Is there anything in scripture that tells us the fate of the goat for Azazel?

22 "The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.

A solitary land: G@zerah, a separated place , a cut off land. A separation of death from life.

"Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other ."

By the hand of the One chosen for just this time the goat for Azazel shall be sent into the wilderness and released into the wilderness. Life shall be divided from death, death from life.

send and release : Shalach: to cast out, to drive out, divorce, to let go

The One who was ready for such a time as this walked the path with the goat for Azazel and then had to let it go.....the One could go no farther and then had to begin the long walk back to the camp.

O what anguish of soul as the Beloved was separated from the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Can I ever fully comprehend the depths?