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Awesome Hands – part 80

“The judgments” Part K

June 15th, 2015

The inspiration for the study today has been given to me by various recent events happening to me by the things the Lord has caused in my life.

As with most studies, a lot of what will be said today will be repetitive and will also be confirmation of spiritual lessons we’ve learned before, but having them apply to our everyday lives is quite different than living through them.

Cast it to the dogs

The verse we will be focusing on today is found in the last verse of Exodus 22.

Exo 22:31  And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs.

The interesting thing about today’s verse in particular is the broad application it has to everything we do each and every day of our lives. While it may not appear on the surface that this is true, we will look at the “sum of thy Word” to see if this is the case.

The first qualification to “ye shall be holy men unto me” is that we may not eat flesh torn of beasts “in the field” and next we must “cast it to the dogs”.

To be “holy” we must be sanctified/set aside and to be set aside as different we must see why the Lord sees one act as holy and the other as not.

For many such laws/judgments such as the one we are studying today, I’ve always heard these laws were made by God to make sure things were sanitary and disease was kept under control.

While there is an obvious physical application to that Truth, we also know that nothing physical is “only physical” and there is a spiritual application that can be applied.

When we look at the focus of this verse, “flesh torn of beasts”, we’ll notice some particular attributes which aren’t readily apparent.

The word “torn” is “terephah” in its feminine form and comes from another form.

H2966

ṭerêphâh

BDB Definition:

1) that which is torn, animal torn (by beasts)

Part of Speech: noun feminine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from (collectively) H2964
Same Word by TWOT Number: 827c

The feminine form comes from H2964.

H2964
ṭereph
BDB Definition:

1) prey, food, leaf
1a) prey
1b) food
1c) leaf

Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H2963
Same Word by TWOT Number: 827b

Yet, “tereph” also has a root. That root is H2963, “teraph”.

H2963
ṭâraph
BDB Definition:

1) to tear, rend, pluck
1a) (Qal) to tear, rend
1b) (Niphal) to be torn in pieces
1c) (Poal) to be torn in pieces
1d) (Hiphil) to provide food

Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number: 827

The word “torn” has root in prey which is rended and plucked, violently torn by beasts as food. To get a clear picture of why this is important to understand, let’s look at other places in scripture where this concept is used.

Gen 31:39  That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night.

If this animal is of your flock and is torn, then it is a loss for you. Jacob bore the loss of Laban’s flock which Jacob was overseeing.

Gen 44:25  And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food.
Gen 44:26  And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man’s face, except our youngest brother be with us.
Gen 44:27  And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:
Gen 44:28  And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since:

Joseph’s brothers told their father that Joseph has been “torn in pieces” and a beast had done this. This was loss to Jacob.

Exo 22:13  If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was torn.

Something “torn in pieces” can be used as a witness. One of the very judgments we’ve recently covered was that if you were looking after another man’s animal and it was torn, you could bring that as proof that this indeed happened, and you would not be required to pay for it.

Lev 7:22  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 7:23  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat.
Lev 7:24  And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it.
Lev 7:25  For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people.

The flesh and fat torn with beasts CAN be used for other purposes but NOT for CONSUMPTION, namely fat can be used as an offering to the Lord because it is the “best” part of the flesh.

Lev 17:15  And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean.

You are unclean if you touch flesh torn by beasts and must be wash your clothes and your body and wait for a period of time to become clean again.

Another confirmation of this is found later in Leviticus.

Lev 22:6  The soul which hath touched any such shall be unclean until even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he wash his flesh with water.
Lev 22:7  And when the sun is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterward eat of the holy things; because it is his food.
Lev 22:8  That which dieth of itself, or is torn with beasts, he shall not eat to defile himself therewith: I am the LORD.

The “fix” for even touching flesh “torn by beasts” is that your flesh must be washed with WATER.

Torn in pieces

In the book of 1st Kings, we start to see reference to what being “torn of a beast” is really all about when seeing that indeed we ourselves our beasts.

1Ki 13:1  And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.

And a few verses later:

1Ki 13:8  And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:
1Ki 13:9  For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.

And this is what happened when the man of God disobeyed the Lord:

1Ki 13:23  And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
1Ki 13:24  And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase.
1Ki 13:25  And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
1Ki 13:26  And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him.
1Ki 13:27  And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him.
1Ki 13:28  And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass.

When the Lord says to do a thing or not do a thing, we as the people of God, should take heed. We will be the first ones on whom the Lord passes judgment because we are indeed the house of God.

If you will recall this story in its entirety, it was the “old prophet” who told the man of God that it was okay for the man of God to come and eat bread with the old prophet, but the old prophet was lying.

However, look at how the Lord uses the lying prophet to then also PASS JUDGMENT on the man of God.

1Ki 13:18  He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.

1Ki 13:20  And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back:

Yes, the Lord uses the evil men of the world to pass His judgment off on us. Indeed, it is despising of the Word of the Lord that causes us to disobey the commandments we know we have been given by the Lord.

Isa 5:24  Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Isa 5:25  Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Who is it then, when we put all of this together, does the Lord send, to pass this judgment off to His people?

Jer 5:3  O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.
Jer 5:4  Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.
Jer 5:5  I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.
Jer 5:6  Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolfof the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.

It is a lion who walks about seeking whom he may devour, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and a leopard who can’t change its spots that will do the bidding of the Lord to bring about His judgments on those that transgress His commandments.

Eze 4:13  And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them.
Eze 4:14  Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.

It is the people of God whom the Lord says have defiled bread. When we read that we are not to “eat any flesh torn by the beasts in the field,” we must recognize who it is the Lord is addressing.

The Lord is addressing His people to NOT partake of the BREAD and WATER which are corrupted, “bread and water”, which tell His people to break His commandments or to ignore them altogether!

Take heed to yourselves, and judge yourselves and KNOW that you are these two groups of people!

I was watching the weather channel the other day and I saw a show about clouds and in particular how it is that clouds appear to float.

I am always intrigued to find out what science has to say about our physical reality because I believe scripture when we are told that the things we see physically are “spiritual representatives” of what is happening “in the heavenlies”.

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

In other words, I was interested to learn how “the invisible things of him” are clearly seen in a cloud that appears to float on a nice sunny day.

As I was listening to this show it was said that the average cloud weighs 1,000,000 pounds. It seems like an impossibility that a cloud that weighs so much and contains so much water could just float in the air given we all know the saying of, “what goes up must come down” due to gravity.

The truth is that a cloud is indeed sinking, but because a cloud is made up of an extreme amount of tiny water molecules, the pull of gravity on the individual water molecules is so minute that it seems that they aren’t dropping at all.

The reason a cloud appears to float across the sky is because it has two very powerful forces battling to move the water molecules. The first force is air current which pushes the molecules around and therefore up and over most times, and the second is gravity which is always pulling the molecule down.

The molecules are not very heavy, and because of their density, they float on the breeze just like a leaf.

(ASV) Rom 7:21  I find then the law, that, to me who would do good, evil is present.
Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23  but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24  Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me out of the body of this death?
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then I of myself with the mind, indeed, serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

According to science today, currently there are three ways clouds are formed.

1. Mechanical lifting up by an object such as a mountain. When air hits a mountain, the air is forced up. The rapid cooling of the air forms clouds.
2. Radiant heating of the ground by the sun. As the sun heats the surface of the earth warming the air near the surface and causing it to rise and then cool once it gets high enough forming clouds in the process.
3. Moving air masses. When two masses of air of different temperatures meet, the warmer and less dense air is forced upwards.

We, as the cloud of great witnesses, are formed by the miraculous works of the Lord in our lives.

We become His clouds due to the “mountains” He puts in our lives, the “heating by the Sun on the earth” in our lives and the “mass of His Holy Spirit” meeting with the “mass of the spirit of man” in us.

What we cannot forget is that while we dwell in this “earthly tabernacle of flesh”, we will always have the gravity of the HUGE earth pulling on us, but we also have the Spirit of God pushing us upwards and keeping us “floating in the heavens”.

The reason the Lord doesn’t want us to partake of “the flesh torn of beasts in the field” is because it is tainted and dead FLESH. We become PREY for Satan who walks as a LION, to and fro on the earth, seeking whom he can devour.

The Lord also sends wolves in sheep’s clothing, “the old prophets” sent to us, to LIE and tell us to NOT do what the Lord has told us to do.

When “flesh is torn in the field”, when the “world” is the battleground, we must desire and must be the children of the good seed and of the kingdom of God which is in HEAVEN.

Mat 13:38  The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

We must seek out the kingdom of heaven, put on His mind in ALL situations we encounter, finding the treasure He has prepared for us.

Mat 13:44  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

What is hard about the walk in which we are all participating is that we easily burden ourselves with guilt that we alone are working the sin in our lives, but we must remember Romans 7 and move on to Romans 8 and be spiritually minded to have life and peace.

Here is something that should give us all pause to think about being the “flesh torn of beasts in the field” of which we should desire to not want to partake of.

Mar 1:23  And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
Mar 1:24  Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
Mar 1:25  And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
Mar 1:26  And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.

The real spiritual significance of the message today of being the “holy men of God” and not partaking of OUR FLESH which is already DEAD is that the Lord uses many spiritual creations to bring about the salvation of His people THROUGH DEATH.

We all partake of the gravity the earth places on us, we all partake of the unclean torn flesh made prey for the father of lies, but the Lord is our deliverer!

If you feel this is impossible or that you are in an impossible situation, then listen to what the Lord tells you about yourself and being “the flesh torn of beasts in the field”.

Hos 6:1  Come, and let us return unto the LORD: FOR HE HATH TORN, and HE WILL HEAL US; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
Hos 6:2  After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and WE SHALL LIVE IN HIS SIGHT.
Hos 6:3  Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

Be sober and vigilant in your walk, be ready always, because our flesh is constantly wanting to keep us moving towards death, but the Lord would have us move towards the heavens.

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

And:

1Pe 1:13  Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;