Devotions for the Sixth Year of the Torah-Gospel Devotional Cycle,
To be compressed into a Daily Devotional Book for 366 days (to include a devotion for Leap Year).
DEVOTION 13:
Introduction to Exodus and devotional commentary on Parashah SHEMOT: Exodus 1:1-6:1
INTRODUCTION: Exodus and HOUSE(-hold).
- The Evening Devotion.
This group of devotions focuses on Torah-Gospel insights into the Biblical extension of “FAMILY”* (Genesis) into HOUSE(-hold)^ (Exodus).
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[*Genesis: from Adam, through Noah and the Families of Humanity, through the Covenantal Patriarchs, into the Tribal Families of Kol Yisrael, “All Israel,” which is the Head (Hebrew “Rosh”—Head, Chief) of the Nations of Humanity—Jeremiah 31:7;
^“House(-hold)”: both the Family Itself and the Enclosing Building, even if the enclosure is but a hut or a tent that guards and surrounds the Family, setting it apart from the rest of the world.
FURTHER NOTES:
HOUSE(-HOLD) is the Cellular Structure of Humanity that protects It and each of its Members from the elements and from enemies. “HOUSE,” as the interconnected and naturally-protected Family, is that nuclear unit and container for the healthy growth of Mankind into branching fulness.
In the whole revelation of the Bible, we will ultimately see in the New Testament that a single Human is also a “House” or “Temple” designed for Spiritual Habitation—even potential habitation by a trespassing spiritual force unless the human is cleansed, swept, garnished and protected from intrusion by the corrosive demonic realm. See Matthew 12:44. Here Jesus demonstrates that a Clean Human MUST BE INDWELT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD to prevent unclean, invasive occupancy from destructive demonic spirits. See Mark 5:9. For infilling with the Holy Spirit, see Ephesians 5:18 with Acts 2:4; 10:47 and 19:1-7. The World does not understand this, generally; therefore, humans are easily contaminated by what they do not discern.
It will also be seen that the Biblical term “BEIT” is a naming word that gives identity to places as well as to families and to buildings. The term “HOUSE” is a very large term in the scriptures. It occurs well over 1900 times in the bible in translation as “House” and as part of the family term “Household.” Besides this, it can also be part of a place name, such as “Bethlehem” (“BEIT LECHEM”—”House of Bread”—the City of the birth of King David and of Jesus our Lord.) Furthermore, it can be part of such legal terms as “Beit Knesset” in Israel—”House of Assembly (or House of Gathering)”—the name of the unicamarel Parliament of modern Israel.
From these considerations it can be seen that the Bible views Humanity in terms of Collectives as well as in terms of Individuals.* Judaism in particular places utmost stress on the Collective. Modern Israel in its pioneer days was expressed as collectives of “moshavs” and “kibbutzim.” These are semi-socialist and purely-socialist collectives of organized polities in Israel.
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[*The very first collective in the Bible is Husband and Wife in Genesis 1:27—Mankind created Individually (“him”) but also in collective Unity (“them”). Therefore, consecrated Marriage is the Cornerstone of a godly society which is made in God’s Image and Likeness.]
Jews do not see themselves primarily as individuals but as families of individuals within the whole family of the descendants of Jacob, a Unity of All Generations of the third Patriarch’s family—“Kol Yisral”—ALL ISRAEL. (See Romans 11:26 where St. Paul uses the term in this way.) The Jews also see Humanity as the Families of Man. This is most clearly visible in Genesis 12:3 when God said to Abram, “And in you shall all the FAMILIES OF THE EARTH be blessed.”
When one considers that the specific term “Israel” is used in the Bible over 2,300 times but that also the term “Beth—House” as part of a place name, when added to the 1,900 times that HOUSE or HOUSEHOLD is used, then the total use of BEIT in the Bible in a place name (260), in addition to the ordinary usages of “HOUSE,” is almost equal to the number of times (2,100+) that the great Name “Israel” is used in the scriptures (2,300+). This should give us an indication of the importance of the concept in real human terms.
The further implication for the purposes of this devotion is that YOUR LIFE from the view of God in the Scriptures is in relation to your family and to all the Family Divisions of Humanity as a whole. (For example, see Acts 10:24 and 16:31-33.) The most important of the divisions beyond the nuclear family is “the Family of God” the Messianic Community of Yeshua our Lord. (Ephesians 3:15)
We relate to God as “Father”—His FAMILY identity as Head over all. (See 1 Corinthians 11:3) In our daily prayer given to us by the Messiah (Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4) we address God as “Our Father”—stressing the Communal Aspect of our relationship with Him, not just our individual relationship with Him (which is also vital—see John 17:1,5, 11, 21, 24 and 25—as an example.)
HOUSE(-HOLD) is the second major point of emphasis in these devotions. It comes naturally after FAMILY.
Beyond the individual devotions being a demonstration of the Unity of the Covenants Old and New, the envisioned cycle of the whole Devotional moves relationally and historically through ten general phases of Bible instruction for practical living with Three Servant (“Shamesh”) portions as follows:
GENESIS: Family. [1]
EXODUS: House(hold). [2]
LEVITICUS [3]: Altar.
Here is the Shamesh (Servant) for the Five Books of the Torah—our mediated relationship and fellowship with God at the Altar of Sacrifice and Consecration. It is also the place of worship, personal consecration and public devotion. There is also a “family altar” and a “private altar” of purification, devotion, study and consecration.
The Altar is the place for mediated reconciliation between individuals and collectives with each other. (See the Lord’s Prayer, “forgive us our [debts, sins, trespasses], AS WE FORGIVE those who have trespassed against us.” The Lord continued to instruct us, saying, “For if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”—Matthew 6:14-15.)
Very often, our damaged fellowship with God is healed when we forgive another human being with whom we have a breach of relationship. The moment we forgive another from our heart, our own relationship with God is elevated once more to the unity of the Spirit which is our normal state with the Beloved. Our spirit is once more at peace, and the sweet flow of communion with God operates as before untroubled.
NUMBERS: Journey. [4]
DEUTERONOMY: Word, Logos, Memra. [5] [The Shamesh for portions 1-9]
JOSHUA: Possession. [6]
JUDGES: Occupation (Dwelling). [7]
TANAKH, beyond Judges: Exile. [8]
TANAKH, beyond the Captivities: Return. [9]
NEW TESTAMENT [10]: Eternal Consummation; Transcendence merged with Temporality. This is King and Kingdom: Eternal Life in the New Heaven and the New Earth “wherein dwells Righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13). This is Exalted Glorification with Messiah, expressed practically as unending Righteous Rule over Temporal Creation under God the Father through Him. (Revelation 2:27; 12:15; 19:11,15-16—see 1 Corinthians 15:25-28 with Revelation 22:1-5.)
There is a DOUBLE SHAMESH for numbers 1-10, (5 & 6): Word / Joshua: This is THE WORD MADE FLESH IN YESHUA, JESUS, The Consummate Shamesh for All.
NOTES:
(1) Dr. Michael Magee’s Gematria interpretation of “2” in his marvelous book, DIVINE NUMBERICS, follows the line: 5+6=11=DOUBLE-ONE (=2), the Base Number of Messiah, the Divine-Human Son, being “2.”
(2) The author’s further gematria insight includes the fact that the number “2” is the only even prime number. Thus, midrashically in terms of numerics, Messiah the Son is the Unique Son of God. (John 3:16 etc.)
(3) Also, in Pythagorean geometry, the right-triangle hypotenuse “2” cannot be reduced to a rational square-root value.* This fact is a shadow projection into the material world of the Transcendent (Irreducible) Spiritual Root of a cognitive Human Being as manifested in human “Mind.”
[*The square root of the hypotenuse of a right triangle with sides “a” and “b” both being “1” would require the square root of side “c” (“2”) for the solution of the length of the hypotenuse. But the Pythagoreans of old, being religious about numbers, were horrified that the square root of “2” is not reducible to a ratio of real numbers. There is no ratio of two real numbers that can produce this square root. See Experimental Physicist Richard Muller’s proof and explanation in his book NOW: The Physics of Time. This book is included in the required reading of the HCC Course “THE DESIGNED LIFE THESIS” by this author, q.v.
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In Muller’s book, the point is made that the square root of “2” is a PURELY INTELLECTUAL, MENTAL REALITY! THERE IS NO PHYSICAL OR EXPERIMENTAL SOLUTION TO IT. THEREFORE, THERE EXISTS REALITY BEYOND PHYSICALITY. THAT IN TURN MEANS THAT PHYSICALISM, THE BELIEF THAT THERE IS NOTHING BUT PHYSICAL REALITY, IS A FALSE PHILOSOPHY. NOT ALL REALITY CAN BE REDUCED TO PHYSICAL EXPLANATION OR CAUSATION. PHYSICALISM WAS THE BASIS OF THE SECULAR PHILOSOPHY THAT CAME OUT OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT; IT IS A MYOPIC DOCTRINE THAT IS DESTRUCTIVE OF THE CORE REALITY OF THE SPIRITUAL NATURE INHERENT IN HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS.]
The above is not a forced set of interpretations and conclusions. The subsuming of the Revelation of the Bible in THE WORD [OF GOD] MADE FLESH is a self-evident and consistent principle throughout when one delves into the subsurface levels of meaning of the peshat (surface) text. “Yehoshua (Tanakh) and Yeshua” (New Testament) both mean “YAH Saves.” (cf. Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”) Taken to its highest meaning this “Son of Man”* is the Eternal Word of God who is referred to symbolically in Revelation as “The Lamb.” This One has come down from Transcendent Heaven into Temporal Earth, John 3 etc. The Biblical truth concerning Him derives from ALL OF THE LOGOS (MEMRA) THEOLOGY in the writings of the Priestly Apostle John, beginning with John 1:1-14 all the way through 1 John 1:1-7 and the Book of Revelation, for instance, Revelation 19:13. But that theology is rooted more deeply in the Kingly Theology that comes from God’s Messianic Covenant with David through Solomon to whom God gave the gift of Wisdom—see Proverbs 8:22 seq.].
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[*Ezekiel in his elevated experiences as the “Son of Man”: The Mystical Archetype personified in the prophet Ezekiel, especially Ezekiel 43:4-7, refers ultimately to the combined Esoteric-Material, Transcendent-Temporal “Second Adam” (another “2” who is the Unique embodiment of Two Realms.]
As we move devotionally through Exodus, may the LORD grant to you his vision for you in the context of your immediate Family and eventually for your Children and their Descendants into HOUSE(-hold). In these two settings you will find your most-basic purpose for living.
- The Morning Devotion. The Story of Parashah SHEMOT (Names) (Exodus).
