Category: Inspiration

The Gift of Priestly Ministry

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

“But you and your sons with you are to maintain your priesthood for everything pertaining to the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the ministry of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone unauthorized who approaches will die”
(Num. 18:7).

When we consider the ministry of the Levitical priesthood, we probably would not think of it as a gift; yet, that is exactly what it is. As the Torah says: מַתָּנָה אֶתֵּן אֶת־כְּהֻנַּתְכֶם, “I give your priesthood as a gift.”

The Lord chose Aaron and his sons to serve as ministers in the Tabernacle, and later the Holy Temple. His choice of this particular family as servants to his sanctuary was a gift to them, and a type of grace. Still, this gift was not without responsibility.

At the opening of Numbers 18, the Lord warns the sons of Aaron, “You, your sons, and the house of your father with you will bear the guilt for the sanctuary, and you and your sons will bear the guilt for your priesthood” (Num. 18:1).

As Torah portion Korach opens, the priesthood of Aaron and his sons is challenged by Korach and over two hundred fifty men of renown (Num. 16:2). While all of the children of Israel are priests to the Lord (Ex. 19:6), not every person, or group of people, serve in exactly the same way. Korach, the leader of the rebellion, desired Aaron’s position for himself, even though his clan/family had more direct contact with the Ark of the Covenant; while Aaron only served at the Ark once a year.

This type of jealousy is not limited to ancient Israel and the Levitical tribe or clans; jealousy is a common issue among humans, even those born-again in Messiah Yeshua/Jesus. The Lord warned Aaron and his sons, and by extension us, to protect and take seriously the gift given to us; as Moses would not always be there to face down the opposition. Today, however, we often have to guard our gift from our own mishandling.

The apostle Paul identifies Gospel ministry as a type of priestly service, as he writes, “But I have written rather boldly to you on some points as a reminder – because of the grace given to me by God to be a servant of Messiah Yeshua to the Gentiles, in priestly service to the Good News of God – so that the offering up of the Gentiles might be pleasing, made holy by the Holy Spirit” (Ro. 15:15-16). Messiah, by the Great Commission, has given all of His followers a ministry (priestly service) by calling us to “make disciples” from among the nations (Matt. 28:19-20).

The gift of priestly ministry expresses itself differently in the Body of Messiah among those called (1 Cor. 12, 14). While some gifts and callings may seem more important or celebrated, the reality is that every gift given by the Lord through the Holy Spirit is vital to the proper functioning of the Body of Messiah. As Paul explains, some are given wisdom, others knowledge, to some faith is given, while others work in healing or miracles or prophecy or administrations; still, the gifts are not limited to those specifically mentioned (1 Cor 12:8-11). Paul writes, “But to each person is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the benefit of all” (1 Cor. 12:7). While Paul encourages us to seek the spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 14:1), he does so by encouraging us to seek and grow in intimacy with the gift giver.

Paul admonishes his close disciple Timothy concerning his gift in much the same way the Lord admonishes the sons of Aaron, as he writes, “Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands of the elders. Practice these things – be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be clear to all. Give attention to yourself and your teaching. Persevere in these things, for in doing so you will save yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim. 4:14-16). Timothy had a responsibility to walk in the gift imparted to him, to guard it against critics (1 Tim. 4:12), to mature in it and use it to bless those in his care.

Korach was given the gift of tending to the Ark of the Covenant, the place of atonement for a nation, even a nation of priests. Rather than pressing into the giver of this gift, he rebelliously attempted to steal the gift, position and responsibility of Aaron. This jealousy cost not only his life, but also the lives of many in his family, and those who followed him.

Dear reader, every disciple of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus has been endowed with a gift or gifts through the Holy Spirit. As we learn from Paul, this is our priestly service as regards the Gospel, and in this service we are to bless those around us. While we may look longingly at the ministry (usage of gift for heavenly purpose) of our brothers and sisters, we must keep our attention on the gift that our covenant Lord has entrusted to us. We must search the Scriptures to understand how to properly apply our gift within the context of the covenant community, and the broader community. We must be thankful that the Lord has extended His grace, not only for our salvation, but also to the work specifically prepared for us (Eph. 2:8-10) and the gift that the Holy Spirit is working in us. This gift is for priestly service to others, not ourselves.

As you witness the gifts of other saints, admire not the gifting itself, but the faithful giver of the gift who will complete the work that He has begun in you (Phil. 1:6).

Maranatha. Shalom.

“What’s up with you?” Why the Left Turn?

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

In Psalm 147:3, the psalmist writes, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” As one of the psalms of praise, Psalm 147 has been sung in the Temple, the synagogue, and the church for centuries. In v.1 it opens by saying “Hallelujah, for it is good to sing praises unto our God.” The psalmist then emphasizes how the Lord builds up, restores, and supports. It seems a rather interesting choice by the psalmist to have us sing: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

We have such a blessed assurance from the Word of God that in our times of distress, heartache, and pain that the Holy Spirit comforts us. Yet, why do we sing Psalm 147:3? We are reminded that the Lord not only heals and binds wounds supernaturally, but also naturally through us, the Body of Messiah.

There is an interesting teaching in the Mishnah regarding how people entered the gates of the Holy Temple. In Middot 2:2 we read, “All who enter the Temple mount would enter by the right, circle, and exit to the left, except for one who had suffered an incident, who would circle from the left and exit to the right. People would ask this person, “Why did you go around to the left?” He would reply: “Because I am bereaved.” They would say: “May the One Who dwells in this house comfort you.”

As the throngs of visitors entered the Holy Temple, they would continue past the gate to the right. Yet, as they moved deeper into the Temple they would meet others coming from the other direction. In the Mishnah, those who had entered by the right ask those they now met: מה לך מקיף לשמאל, translated, “Why did you go around to the left?” Or another way: “What’s up with you?”

They entered the same door, but they did not walk the same way. Why? So that they would meet face to face, and in that meeting one would inquire of the other, “Why did you go that way?” They knew there was something wrong, but they dignified the other by asking, and in the asking they became present for them. Then, an avenue for healing would be open.

The apostle Paul writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:3-4).

Here is why we sing Psalm 147:3: “so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction.” The Lord healed us, bandaged our wounds, and prepared us to be present and available for the healing of others. Sometimes, however, those who are in need to comfort, help or aid do not know how to ask.

The leaders of the Temple made a way for others to do the asking: “Why did you go that way.” “I am bereaved … I am hurting … I am depressed … I am in pain … I need someone.” According to a report from the Surgeon General of the United States titled Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, “lacking social connection can increase the risk for premature death as much as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.”

In our technologically advanced and “connected” society, isolation, loneliness, depression, and heartache can make us feel overwhelmed and disconnected. The Temple said “enter by the left.” What do we say today? Well, we cannot always notice how people enter, but we can notice when people are not there.

As a pastor I notice when people are not in attendance in services, or when they are missing from my regular stops in life. What do I do? As best I can, I reach out. Not so much to say, “What’s up with you entering on the left … you who were not there,” but just to say hello. Personally, I know how easy to feel bereaved, overwhelmed and disconnected.

Dear reader, the Lord has comforted you, as Paul tells us, “so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction.” We can do this because when we turned to the left, the Lord met us from the right and graciously took the time to ask us, “What’s wrong?”

Perhaps this is not for you right now, but remember as you are praising the Lord this weekend, that you are able to lift your voice in praise because He healed you; and now He has prepared you to be an avenue of healing for others who are praying that someone will take notice of how they are walking.

Maranatha. Shabbat Shalom.

Fruitful Reminders

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

What do the spies sent into the Promised Land have to do with the fringes applied to the garments of Israelites? In Numbers 15:27-39 we read:

“The Lord spoke to Moses saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel. Say to them that they are to make for themselves fringes (tzitzit) on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and they are to put a blue cord on each fringe. It will be your own fringe – so that whenever you look at them, you will remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them and not go spying out after your own hearts and your own eyes, prostituting yourselves”

The command of the fringes (צִיצִת/tzitzit) is given after the tragic report of the spies (Num. 13 – 14). Twelve spies were sent into the Promised Land to spy it out, to see if it is as the Lord has promised. Ten of those spies bear witness to the goodness of the Land, that it in fact flows with “milk and honey,” but the emphasis of their witness is that the inhabitants of the Land are too great for them to overcome.

Upon hearing this tragic report, the children of Israel weep and mourn all night, wishing that they had never left Egypt. They desired to return to slavery because they feared freedom. Of this, Rabbi Dr. Joseph Hertz writes, “The incident of the Spies is the turning-point in the lives of all those that had been born in slavery. By the cowardice and murmurings with which they receive the report of the Spies, they show themselves unfit for the tasks of a free nation. They must die in the wilderness. During thirty-eight years of wandering, a new generation that knew not Egypt was to be reared, in hardship and freedom, for the conquest and possession of the Promised Land.”

The spies, as part of testimony to the goodness of the Land, bring back with them a single “branch with a cluster of grapes. It was carried on a pole between two of them” (Num. 13:23). The fruit was a witness to the promise that lay in the Land; that it was a good and spacious land. The fruit of the Land, however, could not overcome the fear in their heart. The fruit overcoming fear would have to come from another place, from inside them.

The command of the fringe, צִיצִת/tzitzit, is rather unusual. The children of Israel were commanded to affix strings to the corners of their garments, but for what purpose? As with many ancient Near-Eastern cultures, identity markers on garments were not unusual. The color, placement, and length allowed a person to be identified at some distance. Yet, why does the Lord command this identifier? Although tribal identity would certainly be a factor, as they were to be a unique, priestly people, the fringes were a remembrance, so that they will “remember all the commands of the Lord and shall do them, and not search after your own heart and your own eyes after which you went whoring, so that you remember, and shall do all My commands, and be set-apart unto your God.”

Tzitzit/צִיצִת, comes from the root צִיץ, meaning “blossom.” Tzitzit could understood as a type of “blossom.” Tzitzit are a remembrance of his commands, his commands are the blossoms, or potential fruit in our lives. Fruit, like the Tzitzit, is an identifier. Recall the words of Messiah Yeshua, “A tree is known by its fruit,” and, “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are savage wolves. By their fruits you shall know them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? So every good tree yields good fruit, but a rotten tree yields wicked fruit. A good tree is unable to yield wicked fruit, and a rotten tree to yield good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruits you shall know them” (Matt. 7:15-20). By the fruit, we will know the false prophet; yet, we will also know God’s people by their fruit.

For the children of Israel, the words of the twelve spies were their first interaction with the Promised Land. Rather than walking in the victory that the Lord had promised, ten of the spies caused an entire generation to be lost, save two. For many people today, as we live and work in our daily lives, we are often the first contact that people have with the Kingdom of God. What do they see or experience with us? Do they taste and see that the Lord is good, by sampling the fruit of the Spirit in our lives (Gal. 5:22-23)? Or have we replaced the fruit of the Spirit with fear from the flesh?

The fruit of the land of Israel was symbolic of the promise of God, of what he could do and would continue to do. The wearing of Tzitzit was, for the people of God, the visual reminder of that promise. Today, however, the blossoms of the Tzitzit, and the fullness of their meaning, has settled inside of the follower of Messiah – not a replacement of, but rather, a maturing of concept. The fruit of the Spirit is the evidence of the Lord’s faithfulness to renew, restore, forgive, lift up, and cleanse; really, anything to do with the renewal experience in Messiah.

Still, what is the fruit for? In one sense it is for the tree – bringing forth new life; but in another sense, it is not for the tree at all. It is for others who will benefit from it. What do people taste of God’s Kingdom when they are with you? The fruit of promise and victory, or the fruit of fear and despair?

How do we change this, or increase our fruit? Psalm 1:3, “For he shall be as a tree planted by the rivers of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and whose leaf does not wither, and whatever he does prospers.” This is the fruit, the result of mediating on God’s Word day and night.

Old Testament scholar Derek Kidner beautifully explains, “The tree is no mere channel, piping water unchanged from one place to another, but a living organism which absorbs it, to produce in due course something new and delightful, proper to its kind and to is time.”

Let the blossoms of the Lord’s commands mature into blessed fruit for the Kingdom of God as you walk by faith and not by sight.

Maranatha. Shalom.