The Standard

Our Sabbath service this weekend was absolutely fulfilling.  It seems that the last few Sabbaths have been executed with such an atmosphere of the Ruach HaKodesh that we have all left the sanctuary awestruck.  After some prayer and fasting and waiting on the Lord, it is becoming more and more evident that The Lord’s Table is, in no doubt, a mandate of the Lord.  Believe me, I have had some doubts over the last few weeks, but what just happened this last Sabbath has all but erased any doubts whatsoever.  Our Sabbath message simply confirms the beauty of what God is doing in our midst at this very hour. 

In Exodus 32:15, it says “And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hands: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written”.  The Midrash explains that the tablets were made of blue sapphire to represent the heavenlies and God’s throne.  It also states at the beginning of the Aliyah (31; 18) that these tablets were written with “the finger of God”.  What an awe-inspiring passage! 

The thing that stands out is that the commandments were written on both sides, a fact that one of our Garland group members took notice of.  What is even more miraculous is that the letters were bore through the entire tablet, yet somehow you could read both sides as if you were reading normally!  I can’t go into the implication fully in this short blog, but I can speak to what this means for us today. 

If, like Paul said, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, then we have a type of Arc of the Covenant resting within side our temple.  And, if that is the case, then we also have the tablets within the Arc inside of us.  I can’t even begin to go into the fact that they were broken and our Lord and Savior, our covenant maker, was broken.  Also, we come to the Lord broken, and so many other things could be said, but let’s focus on the fact that commandments were written on both sides.

What does this speak to us?  If the commandments are the standard we should keep, then our lives should reflect those standards from every angle.

As I mentioned in my message yesterday, if you’re in the grocery aisle and someone in front of you drops a $20 bill, and someone behind you sees that person drop that $20 bill, because of the standard you carry within your heart; your temple, you pick that $20 bill up and hand it back to its owner, because your standard goes before you.  The person behind you was hoping you would not see it so that he could pick it up, but then he sees you do the right thing.  That is why the commandments were written on both sides.  It shouldn’t matter whether you are coming or going, the standard should be well visible to anyone watching you.  As the scripture says in Deuteronomy 28:6, “Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out”, we are blessed because of the standard that we bear in our lives. 

My brothers and sisters, always remember that the world is watching you.  We will be judged more severely by the world because of who we claim to represent.  Let us endeavor to not bring shame to the name that is written across our hearts; Yeshua, Jesus, Jesu, our Rock, our Fortress, our Redeemer, our Friend, our Savior, and our Lord.  Selah!    

Deep Within

We had a wonderful Sabbath service this morning and the only reason that I am doing my blog tonight instead of tomorrow is because of a conference that I am going to be involved in. The details are on my website, www.davidsalinasministries.com.  So, I hope you can make it.

The depth of our message was profound.  The implications of the message reverberate deep within our spirit man.  I say deep because the Holy of Holies was the deepest spiritual place on the face of the earth in the Temple time.

 

Our Torah portion landed on the elements that were on top of the Arc of the Covenant.  Two Cherubim facing each other and the mercy seat were placed on top of the Arc.  The Word says that the manifest presence of the living God would appear in between the two angels, just above the mercy seat.   Verse #17 of our Torah portion instructed us to make a mercy seat. 

I find it such a beautiful thing that the Lord instructed us to fashion a mercy seat  and that He would appear above the mercy seat, not judgment seat, not throne, not even a casual seat, but a mercy seat.  It says to us that God will meet us at the place of mercy.  I am so thankful that He would meet us at a place of mercy, as opposed to meeting us at the seat of judgment.  I am one who is in need of His mercy daily.  And the Apostle Paul made it very clear that we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit.  So if the Spirit of God is within us, just like He was in the temple, then there must be a place of mercy where we can go to whenever we are in need of His grace. 

 

It should cause you to rejoice at the realization that His mercy endures forever and no matter how many times we mess up we can trust that His mercy shall endure. 

The Word says that God would instruct Moses concerning the commandments at that place.  As we seek the Lord at the mercy seat, we can rest assured that He will guide us, instruct us, and comfort us regarding every circumstance or situation in our lives. 

 

Still, like everything else, we must endeavor to enter into that place where the Shekinah glory of the Lord is ever present.  We have within our inner man access to the Spirit of the Living God and some of us fail to utilize the great mercy and grace that has been afforded to us by our precious Lord and Savior. 

I close with this thought.  Take time today and everyday to meet with your Father, whom in His unconditional love, provided a place for you to have communion with Him, to know Him, to love Him, to break bread with Him.  And that secret place just so happens to be deep within side of you.  Amen!