Very Important Thing, Which YHWH Showed Me This Morning

This is something, which the Lord showed me this morning, which I believe speaks volumes!

Exodus 23:20-22 -- Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.

Angel here is mistranslated, because we know that no angel is able to forgive sins (Luke 5:12).

The Hebrew word for angel here is mal'ak, and may be translated as:
A. messenger
B. angel
C. the theophanic angel, which simply means appearing to man as a god.

In Exodus 23:20-22, we can see that this "angel" was the Lord Jesus Christ or Yeshua, because no angel can forgive transgressions, nor can any have YHWH's name in Him. YHWH's real name is Yahuah, and Yeshua's (Jesus) real name is Yahushua. Clearly, the Son's name hold's the Father's name.

But what would be a good translation for Yeshua here? Angel doesn't seem appropriate. In all His glory, He is higher than the angels since through Him all things were created (Colossians 1:16 - For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.) And in His kenosis (veiling of His glofy) as man incarnate, He was lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:9 - But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.) So taking all this into consideration, angel doesn't look like the best answer.

Theophanic angel doesn't seem appropriate either, as it reduces His deity down to that as a common false god.

Therefore, messenger would be the best answer, but I think we can be more specific and say One who is commissioned by YHWH to carry out a specific action or deed; specifically in this case, Yeshua Ha Messiach.

Now, that we have established this "angel" as the Messiah what can we say about Him?

YHWH tells the Israelites to beware of Him. What does that mean? Usually, when we think of the word beware, we think of a dangerous dog. Does it mean that Yeshua is dangerous and is a threat? Absolutely not! Beware here, in the Hebrew, is shamar, and it means to watch, observe, retain to memory, or to give heed. Another words, YHWH is telling His people to pay attention to Him and to listen.

Next, YHWH tells the Israelites to obey His (Yeshua's) voice, yet He then says, after telling them not to provoke Him, "and do all that I (YHWH) speak."

So since the Israelites are suppose to hear and obey both parties, we can know that they have the same agenda.

What does YHWH speak that He so wants the Israelites to hear? Just 3 chapters prior He had given the Ten Commandments, and in Chapter 23, which we are reading, He had commanded them to observe the feast days.

And so YHWH promised if they followed the Ten Commandments that He would deliver them from their enemies and not only that, but also drive their enemies out of the land, and give it to them as their heritage (Exodus 23:30 - By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.)

But is this all that was required of the Israelites in their journey? No. Let me explain.

Exodus 18:5 - And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God.

Exodus 18:13-15 -- And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening. And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even? And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.

So, to explain it all - while Moses was living in the wilderness, Jethro came and saw Moses judging matters between 600,000 men, and maybe women as well, he asked him what he was doing, and Moses replied that he keeps the peace between them by teaching them YHWH's statutes and laws. YHWH had not given them yet, as a whole to the nation, but as problems arose, He had Moses instruct them, to edify them and to sanctify them in steps.

What? The laws and statutes had already been given? Yes, Abraham kept them perfectly (Genesis 26:5) and Noah must have know them, as well, because he knew what animals were clean and unclean.

So, we can presume that it was all the statutes, laws and commandments, which YHWH was warning the Israelite people to obey in Exodus 23.

It is clear in Leviticus 26 that if the Israelites did not keep these commandments, they would be cursed and their enemies would then overrun them.

Leviticus 26:14-16 -- But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; And 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: I 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.

So, if they keep YHWH's commands then they are blessed and their enemies will leave them alone, and if they don't keep His commands, the opposite happens and they are overtaken by the enemy.

Now, why have I gone through all this and why is it significant? Many of you may say, "That is only history; that is Old Testament Law."

But here is my point. Remember Ecclesiastes 1:9 - The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun? Well, most things, which happen are pictures of things to happen in the future. Look at Antiochus IV and Hitler! But we must know that when we become saved, we are leaving Egypt in our lives. Egypt represents the bondage. Our journey from here on out to eternity, until we enter that glorious promised land, is like their journey through the wilderness.

And so when we become new believers, we are as babies on milk. We must humble ourselves and learn His ways. That is why the first thing we learn is the Ten Commandments. Also, James and Peter saw it fitting that four more rules be enforced, in Acts 15:
1. Abstain from pollutions of idols.
2. Abstain from fornication.
3. Abstain from strangled.
4. Abstain from blood.

But that wasn't all that the early Christians were to do. The Jews were already zealous for the Torah, but the Gentile converts knew nothing about it. If the apostles had chosen to overwhelm them, then they would have become discouraged and lost their faith. Instead, they began their journey through the wilderness with these few burdens, but James said, in verse 21,"For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day."

Now, I don't usually like to leave the KJV or the HRV, but I am here, because I feel that it clarifies this point very much. Read verses 19, 20 and 21 in the NIV.

"It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.

So what he is saying is because it is so hard for the Gentile converts to learn to do these things, they were going to take baby steps in the beginning, and through the word of Moses being preached every Sabbath in the Synagogues, the sanctification process would be continued until the conversion process was completed.

It is with us as it was with the Israelites in the wilderness and as it was with the earliest of Gentile believers. When YHWH calls for Himself people, He does not put upon us more than we can withstand. He has promised that. Instead, we are to begin with milk and be built up to meat (the full word of God.)

I see many times Christians who obey and teach such laws as do not consult psychics, do not look for divination and do not steal, but they do away with such laws as do not get tattoos, observe my Sabbath and keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them, yet they are all, everyone, in Leviticus 19. It is time that we stop picking and choosing what laws we think do or do not apply to today, (a farce, known as cultural relativity) and obey YHWH's word in full; or else YHWH's judgment is going to fall upon us, and it's not going to be nice. Remember, I said that most things happened in the Old Testament as a picture of what will happen in the future? We already see many, many signs of Deuteronomy creeping in on us today. We must repent and shama (hear and obey).

And that "angel," Yeshua, whom helped the Israelites to the promised land, is still with us today, also helping us to our promised land, and He is saying the same thing, "But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments" - Matthew 19:17.

You may be thinking commandments here are the Ten Commandments, but actually the Greek word is entolē, and it means the commandments in the Mosaic law or Jewish tradition. Entolē is the same word for commandments, which is used in Matthew 5:17-19, wherein Yeshua says, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

Therefore, entolē is the same word, which is the 613 commands of Torah.

©Kimberly Padilla, A.A. in Religion
21 August 2009