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Awesome Hands – part 102

“A work with no sweat”

July 27, 2016

Life can be amazing at times. If we were all able to pay close attention to everything around us 100% of the time, life would be amazing 100% of the time. However, it is only when we are caused by God to pay attention that we do.

In our study today, we are going to finish chapter 28 of Exodus and see the purpose behind the Lord clothing the priests of His tabernacle. When we understand how and why we are clothed, then we will find that we are ready to serve the Lord in the ways He tells us to serve Him and not in our own way of ministering or serving God.

Pomegranate and bells

I often harp upon the importance of realizing that the old testament types and shadows are important for us to learn from because they show us who we are. It is easy to mentally separate ourselves from those “old testament Jews” and various folks because then we can somehow become a little better than them in our minds even when we don’t realize that’s what we are doing. After all they had God, but we have Jesssssss-uuuuuuuus.

The Truth is that we are them. While that is easy to say, it is much harder to SEE with eyes that can SEE.

That’s because that concept is invisible to us. It is true that we “have Jesus” but what does that really mean to its core? Before I answer that, I will read from our verses today to set the foundation for the study.

In the last study we talked some about the ephod of God so we are going to pick up for there.

Exo 28:31  And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.
Exo 28:32  And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent.
Exo 28:33  And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about:
Exo 28:34  A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.
Exo 28:35  And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

We have a robe being commanded to be created which is of one piece and slides over the head. On the hem of it we have pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet and gold bells between each of the pomegranates.

These items were required so that Aaron did not die so that should be something that perks our ears a bit.

Why did the Lord choose pomegranates and golden bells? Nothing with the Lord is left to chance so this has to be full of purpose. I believe the sum of the Word will shed some light on this.

Pomegranates

Here is another set of verses where pomegranates are used.

Son 7:9  And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.
Son 7:10  I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.
Son 7:11  Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.
Son 7:12  Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves.
Son 7:13  The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.

We see from these verses that pomegranates and wine are connected together, so why is this important? Pomegranates and wine are linked to the “loves” being given.

Let us read another example of where pomegranates are found.

Num 20:1  Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.
Num 20:2  And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
Num 20:3  And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!
Num 20:4  And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?
Num 20:5  And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; NEITHER is there any water to drink.
Num 20:6  And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.

Here in Numbers we see that the people complained to Aaron and Moses that they were brought to the wilderness to die because this is not a place which can sustain them with seed, figs, wine or pomegranates NOR is there water.

The children of Israel were confessing that they were not happy with what God was doing in their lives. As a result, Moses was commanded by the Lord to sanctify the Lord by speaking to the rock to bring forth water.

Num 20:7  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 20:8  Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
Num 20:9  And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
Num 20:10  And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
Num 20:11  And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
Num 20:12  And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

How is it we are to know that Moses did not BELIEVE the Lord? It was Moses’ ACTIONS that showed his belief. In other words, it was the WORKS accompanied with FAITH that mattered to the Lord.

Bringing this back around to the ephod that the priest is to wear, how are pomegranates and golden bells connected to approaching the Lord?

Here are how pomegranates are defined and used in scripture.

H7416
rimmôn
Total KJV Occurrences: 32
pomegranates, 22
Exo_28:33, Exo_39:24-25 (3), Num_13:23, Num_20:5, Deu_8:8, 1Ki_7:18, 1Ki_7:20, 1Ki_7:42 (2), 2Ki_25:17, 2Ch_3:16, 2Ch_4:13 (2), Son_4:13, Son_7:11-12 (2), Jer_52:22-23 (4)
pomegranate, 10
Exo_28:34 (2), Exo_39:26 (2), 1Sa_14:2, Son_4:3, Son_6:7, Son_8:2, Joe_1:12, Hag_2:19

H7416

rimmôn    rimmôn
rim-mone’, rim-mone’
From H7426; a pomegranate, the tree (from its upright growth) or the fruit (also an artificial ornament): – pomegranate.
Total KJV occurrences: 32

The root of pomegranates will reveal to us what pomegranates represent.
H7426

râmam
raw-mam’
A primitive root; to rise (literally or figuratively): – exalt, get [oneself] up, lift up (self), mount up.
Total KJV occurrences: 5
H7426
râmam
BDB Definition:
1) to be exalted, be lifted up
1a) (Qal) to be exalted
1b) (Niphal) to lift oneself
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number: 2174

If you read the story in Numbers and don’t see the POWER OF GOD on full display, then you have missed it completely.

Moses was told to SPEAK to the rock the words of the Lord, not hit the rock two times. Moses did his OWN WORKS to sustain the children of Israel. Yes, they were given water, but that work by Moses, taking what God commanded Him to do and doing with it was he wanted, cost Moses the gift of going into the promised land.

Pomegranates are directly connected to the power of God and the power of God is represented by WINE in this type and shadow. Our next study will help show why this is the case and how NEW WINE is connected to this.

Here is another example.

1Sa 14:1  Now it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison, that is on the other side. But he told not his father.
1Sa 14:2  And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men;
1Sa 14:3  And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD’S priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone.
1Sa 14:4  And between the passages, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.
1Sa 14:5  The forefront of the one was situate northward over against Michmash, and the other southward over against Gibeah.
1Sa 14:6  And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will WORK FOR US: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.
1Sa 14:7  And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.
1Sa 14:8  Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will discover ourselves unto them.
1Sa 14:9  If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them.
1Sa 14:10  But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the LORD hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us.
1Sa 14:11  And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves.
1Sa 14:12  And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for the LORD hath delivered them into the hand of Israel.
1Sa 14:13  And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armourbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armourbearer slew after him.
1Sa 14:14  And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armourbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were an half acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plow.
1Sa 14:15  And there was trembling in the host, in the field, and among all the people: the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled, and the earth quaked: so it was a very great trembling.
1Sa 14:16  And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on beating down one another.
1Sa 14:17  Then said Saul unto the people that were with him, Number now, and see who is gone from us. And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armourbearer were not there.
1Sa 14:18  And Saul said unto Ahiah, Bring hither the ark of God. For the ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel.
1Sa 14:19  And it came to pass, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the noise that was in the host of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saul said unto the priest, Withdraw thine hand.
1Sa 14:20  And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.
1Sa 14:21  Moreover the Hebrews that were with the Philistines before that time, which went up with them into the camp from the country round about, even they also turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan.
1Sa 14:22  Likewise all the men of Israel which had hid themselves in mount Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle.
1Sa 14:23  So the LORD saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over unto Bethaven.

So here we see Saul sitting under a pomegranate tree while Jonathan was guided and directed by the Lord to go and kill the philistines. At the end of all of this we are told ….THE LORD saved Israel that day.

When Jonathan tells his armour bearer what his plans are, he says they will know the Lord is with them or not and will work for them based on the response of the Philistines.

All in all, it was the Lord alone that did the works THROUGH a faithful servant named Jonathan.

Before reading this story I just said, “Pomegranates are directly connected to the power of God and the power of God is represented by WINE.”

Bringing the power of God and pomegranates back around to Exodus 28 we know that this power of God is mixed with “golden bells”, so how are these items connected?

Exo 28:35  And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

Why would Aaron die if the sound of bells were not heard as Aaron approached God? Could it be that the covering of the Lord, commanded to be made by Moses via the Israelites, must represent a covering that we must have before we approach the MERCY SEAT of God?

Here is the rest of Exodus 28 which will help to answer this question.

Exo 28:36  And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
Exo 28:37  And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.
Exo 28:38  And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the INIQUITY of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.
Exo 28:39  And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework.
Exo 28:40  And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty.
Exo 28:41  And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
Exo 28:42  And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:
Exo 28:43  And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.

We do bear the iniquity of the holy things of God but we do not approach God without His coverings or we are bringing our OWN iniquities before God without His approved approach and coverings.

In New Testament terms, Jesus Christ is our covering and we know this from many scriptures. What are a part of the iniquities we can bring before God the Father in the new testament?
Could it be our works? Didn’t Saul try to call upon the ark of covenant in the story above, signifying his own works, before realizing that the Lord was ALREADY WINNING the battle with the work of the Lord through Jonathan?

Didn’t Moses take it upon himself to take the words of the Lord and do what He wanted to do with it? Out of his own mouth Moses was judged because he calls Israel REBELS.

If you take what I am saying at face value and agree with the premise that OUR WORKS are as filthy rags to the Lord, not the blood of the Lord but our OWN BLOOD/WORKS being represented in those rags, then what is the answer to how we approach God appropriately?

On a practical basis, how do we do this in our lives day to day? Did Jesus give us any examples? It so happens that His first miracle will give us a clue and it just so happens that water and wine are involved.

Joh 2:1  And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
Joh 2:2  And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
Joh 2:3  And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
Joh 2:4  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
Joh 2:5  His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
Joh 2:6  And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
Joh 2:7  Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
Joh 2:8  And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

We all know this famous story. We all know that Jesus turned water into wine. I’ve often wondered why this was Jesus’ first miracle. His first miracle wasn’t raising the dead or healing the blind and deaf. He didn’t tell anyone to rise upon their feet and walk when they were lame. He didn’t feed the hungry with fish and loaves of bread.

What He did was turn water into wine. When we know what water and wine represent this makes a ton of sense, but how did Mary KNOW that Jesus could help? If this was his first miracle, why did she tell Jesus in one statement and sentence, “they have no wine”.

More interesting than that, Jesus knew EXACTLY what Mary meant with her statement because He told her His time has NOT YET COME. Yet, He did perform a miracle!

The power of God was made from WATER. Jesus took what was presented to Him, that which was BEFORE Him and in front of Him, and He applied the POWER OF GOD to it.

In other words, Jesus performed the work of God, NOT OF HIS OWN WORKS for He said, “my time is not yet come”, but through Mary and God the Father working in Mary, Jesus reacted and performed the miracle that was needed to show us all just how important wine from water really is.

When the Lord comes to us, He comes to us when we are going along with a plan in our lives, and then all of a sudden, we hit a 4-way stop. We are on this narrow way, we are on this path to Life, yet it seems at every corner we have a stop sign, and why are we always presented with stop signs?

It is when we CEASE from our own works that God is able to cause us to pay attention. Jesus knew He was the Son of God even at this wedding or He wouldn’t be able to say His time was not yet come.

Jesus knew He was the Son of God when He was 12 years old going about His Father’s business in the temple. Yet, we don’t know what Jesus’ life was like between 12 and 30 before he comes onto the scene and is baptized.

Jesus was baptized and very quickly takes that type of baptism and THEN brings the POWER of God out of it.

I stated earlier and then asked, “Bringing the power of God and pomegranates back around to Exodus 28 we know that this power of God is mixed with “golden bells”, so how are these items connected?”

How does the chief musician answer this question?

Psa 51:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Psa 51:2  Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3  For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Psa 51:4  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and BE CLEAR WHEN THOU JUDGEST.
Psa 51:5  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Here is why and how we live, “his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not”:

Psa 107:4  They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
Psa 107:5  Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
Psa 107:6  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:7  And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
Psa 107:8  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Psa 107:11  Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High:
Psa 107:12  Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
Psa 107:13  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.

Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

When we know and confess our transgresses before the Lord, we are able to approach Him because our linen covering in Christ covers our nakedness. We are able to call out in our distressed and bear the holy things of the tabernacle because we acknowledge that ALL IS OF THE LORD, the trial and the deliverance alike.

When we have a 4-way stop come into our plans, which seems to happen on a daily basis, we are being shown by the Lord that we must STOP, PAUSE and LOOK around us to see what the Lord has put in our surroundings in order for us to continue moving forward.

We MUST acknowledge always the Will of God in our Lives and NOT just self-righteously move forward with our owns plans while IGNORING whatever it is we have learned and know to be how the Lord has told us to handle various situations.

We do so at our own perils otherwise.

When is it we are able to approach the Lord? In our distresses! How are we delivered form those distresses? We try out to the Lord in our troubles not to condemn and blame the Lord for CAUSING it in our LIVES but to recognize this is how we APPROCH HIM with HIS POWER.

Here then is the ROOT of the sound which allows us to approach the MERCY SEAT as kings and priests of the Lord.

H6472
pa‛ămôn
Total KJV Occurrences: 7
bell, 4
Exo_28:34 (2), Exo_39:26 (2)
bells, 3
Exo_28:33, Exo_39:25 (2)

H6472
pa‛ămôn
pah-am-one’
From H6471; a bell (as struck): – bell.
Total KJV occurrences: 7

H6471

pa‛am    pa‛ămâh
pah’-am, pah-am-aw’
From H6470; a stroke, literally or figuratively (in various applications): – anvil, corner, foot (-step), going, [hundred-] fold, X now, (this) + once, order, rank, step, + thrice, [often-], second, this, two) time (-s), twice, wheel.
Total KJV occurrences: 118

H6470

pâ‛am
paw-am’
A primitive root; to tap, that is, beat regularly; hence (generally) to impel or agitate: – move, trouble.
Total KJV occurrences: 5

H6470
pâ‛am
Total KJV Occurrences: 5
troubled, 4
Gen_41:8, Psa_77:4, Dan_2:1, Dan_2:3
move, 1
Jdg_13:25

Here is the ROOT of “golden bells”:

Gen 41:7  And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.
Gen 41:8  And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

Psa 77:2  In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.
Psa 77:3  I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.
Psa 77:4  Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

Dan 2:1  And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
Dan 2:2  Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
Dan 2:3  And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

Jdg 13:25  And the Spirit of the LORD began to MOVE him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Jdg 14:1  And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

Pharaoh was troubled by the Lord but instead when to the WORLD of WISE MEN to solve his troubled spirit. Nebuchadnezzar’s spirit was troubled and he too called on the WORLD of magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and Chaldeans to solve this for him yet there was no relief.

Samson was TROUBLED and MOVED which caused him to seek our Timnath instead of going to God’s people for his bride and look how that turned out.

We must approach God with His commanded and provided covering, Jesus Christ, if we at all expect to be delivered from our troubles. When the Lord puts a stop sign in your path, KNOW that the Lord is NOW working with you and imploring you to LISTEN to His will for YOU.

It is when we are moving along SMOOTH SAILING that the Lord is answering us according to the idol of our own hearts and the work of our own iniquitous hands.

We must wear the linen clothing of the Work of the Lord when we approach Him and heed the Work of His awesome hands. This is truly a work with not sweat that we are blessed to partake of.