REDEEMING BLOOD (NUM.6)
YAHUSHA’S PRIESTLY BLESSING
Then YAHUSHA said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Yisharal (NOT THE WHOLE WORLD) with this special blessing: ‘May Yahuah bless you and protect you, smile on you and show you kindness. May He show you His favor and give you His peace (shalom)’. Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Yisharal IN MY NAME, I Myself will be there to bless them.” A BLESSING IS A VERB, IT’S ABOUT YAHUSHA TAKING ACTION ON OUR BEHALF. HE GIVES US PROTECTION FROM OUR ENEMIES AND FORGIVENESS WHEN WE STUMBLE. HE ALSO GIVES US HIS SHALOM WHICH SURPASSES ANY KIND OF EARTHLY UNDERSTANDING. SHALOM ENTAILS MUCH MORE THAN JUST PEACE. IT INCLUDES HAVING ALL THE MATERIAL THINGS WE NEED AND LIVING A LIFE FREE OF CONFLICT. SHALOM REFERS TO BOTH BODILY AND MENTAL HEALTH AND IN A NUTSHELL, SHALOM REFERS TO A PERFECTLY BALANCED SENSE OF WELL-BEING THAT ONLY THE TRUE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE CAN GIVE US (WE HAVE THE PATTERN):
THOSE APPLYING THE 3 RULES TO THEIR LIFE WILL START TO EXPERIENCE YAHUSHA’S SHALOM BUBBLING UP WITHIN THEM LIKE LIVING WATERS.
OFFERINGS OF DEDICATION (HEBREW: HANNUKAH)
On the day that the Tabernacle was finished, Moses anointed it, along with all it’s furnishings, altar and utensils, setting it all apart for YAHUSHA. Then all the Tribals-Leaders of Yisharal (who had registered all the troops for battle) came and brought their offerings. Together they brought six large wagons and twelve oxen (a wagon for every two leaders and an ox for each leader) and they presented these to YAHUSHA in front of the Tabernacle. So YAHUSHA said to Moses, “Receive these gifts of oxen and wagons today and distribute them among the Levites according to the work they have to do in transporting the Tabernacle.” So Moses took the wagons and oxen and presented them to the Levites, giving two wagons and four oxen to the Gershonite Clan, then four wagons and eight oxen to the Merarite Clan for their work, under the leadership of Ithamar son of Aaron the High-Priest. But he gave none of the wagons or oxen to the Kohathite Clan, because they had to carry the set-apart objects of the Tabernacle ON THEIR SHOULDERS.
The Tribal-Leaders also placed dedication gifts before the altar at the time it was anointed and YAHUSHA said to Moses, “Let one Tribal-Leader bring his gift each day for the dedication of My altar.” So for the next twelve days a Tribal-Leader presented this gift on behalf of their tribe: a 1.5kg silver platter and silver basin (both filled with grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil), a 114g gold container filled with incense, a young bull, a ram and a one-year-old male lamb for an ASCENDING-NEAR OFFERING, a male goat for a PURIFYING OFFERING and two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs for an INTIMATE-PEACE OFFERING. A tribe presented each day:
Whenever Moses went into the Tabernacle to speak with YAHUSHA, he heard the voice of the Creator speaking to him from between the two Cherubim above the Ark’s cover (the lid of atonement) that rests on the Ark of the Blood-Covenant Witness. YAHUSHA spoke to him from there.
PREPARING THE SEVEN LAMPS (NUM.8)
YAHUSHA said to Moses, “Give Aaron the following instructions: When you set up the seven lamps in the lampstand, place them so their light shines forward in front of the lampstand.” So Aaron set up the seven lamps so they reflected their light forward, just as YAHUSHA had Instructed Moses, and the entire lampstand, from its base to its decorative blossoms, was made of beaten gold and built according to the exact design YAHUSHA had shown Moses.
THE PRIESTS HAD TO TEND TO BOTH THE BRAZEN ALTAR AND THE LAMPSTAND TWICE A DAY TO ENSURE THE FIRE IN BOTH OF THESE SET-APART OBJECTS KEPT BURNING. HOWEVER, UNLIKE THE BRAZEN ALTAR (WHICH WAS KEPT BURNING 24/7), THE LAMPSTAND ONLY BURNED DURING THE NIGHTTIME.
THE LEVITES DEDICATED (NUM.8)
THE LEVITES HAD BEEN SEPARATED INTO AARON’S SON’S (THE PRIESTS) & THE REST
Then YAHUSHA said to Moses, “Now set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Yisharal and make them ceremonially clean by sprinkling them with the living water of purification, and have them cut their hair off short and wash their clothes. THEY WERE ALSO TO BATHE IN WATER (FULL IMMERSION) IN A RIVER OR STREAM AS THE LAST STEP TO TRANSITION FROM AN UNCLEAN TO A CLEAN STATE. Then they’ll be ceremonially clean. Have them bring a young bull and a LOVE-GRAIN OFFERING of choice flour moistened with olive oil, along with a second young bull for a PURIFYING OFFERING. Then assemble the whole community of Yisharal and present the Levites before Me at the entrance of the Tabernacle and the people of Yisharal must lay their hands on them.
THIS DOESN’T MEAN THE WHOLE POPULATION OF AROUND 2-3 MILLION PEOPLE LAID THEIR HANDS ON THEM, IT WAS JUST THE ELDERS WHO SERVED AS REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE PEOPLE, WHO LAID THEIR HANDS ON THE LEVITES.
And raising his hands, Aaron must then present the Levites to Me as a special offering from the people of Yisharal, dedicating them to My service.
Next the Levites will lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls, presenting one as a PURIFYING OFFERING and the other as an ASCENDING-NEAR OFFERING to Me, to purify the Levites and make them right with Me. Then have them stand in front of Aaron and his sons, and raise your hands and present them as a special offering to Me. And in this way, you will set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Yisharal, and the Levites will officially belong to Me, then after this, they may go into the Tabernacle to do their work, because you have purified them and presented them as a special offering.
THIS PROCEDURE OF THE YISHARALITES BEING SUBSTITUTED BY THE LEVITES WHO ARE IN TURN SUBSTITUTED BY THE BULLS IS A PRECISE PICTURE OF HOW YAHUSHA’S JUSTICE SYSTEM WORKS. INNOCENT BLOOD HAD TO BE SHED FOR DIRECT ACCESS.
Out of all the people of Yisharal, the Levites are reserved for Me. I have claimed them for Myself in place of all the firstborn sons of YisharaI as a substitute. For all the firstborn males among the people of Yisharal were mine, both of people and of animals. I set them apart for Myself on the day I struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. So Yes, I have claimed the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons of Yisharal. And of all Yisharal, I have assigned the Levites to Aaron and his sons to serve in the Tabernacle on behalf of Yisharal and make sacrifices to purify the people so that no plague will strike them when they approach the sanctuary.”
WE ARE SHOWN OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT WHEN SOMEBODY DISOBEYS YAHUSHA’S INSTRUCTIONS, HIS EVIL BEHAVIOUR MUST BE PAID FOR BY AN INNOCENT PARTY IF HE IS TO BE FORGIVEN, WHICH IS WHY IN THE SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM, AN INNOCENT ANIMAL IS SLAUGHTERED FOR WHAT THE SCRIPTURE TERMS `UNINTENTIONAL CRIMES’. AND FOR HIGH-HANDED INTENTIONAL CRIMES SUCH AS MURDER OR ADULTERY, THE CRIMINAL PAYS FOR HIS DISOBEDIENCE WITH HIS VERY OWN LIFE. YAHUSHA’S SET-APARTNESS IS SO PURE THAT HE CANNOT LET EVEN ONE DISOBEDIENT BEHAVIOUR SLIDE WITHOUT HIS SET-APARTNESS BEING COMPROMISED AND THIS IS ALSO THE REASON WHY AFTER EVEN KILLING AN ANIMAL FOR FOOD, IT IS FORBIDDEN TO DRINK ITS BLOOD. THE BLOOD OF THE ANIMAL MUST BE RETURNED TO YAHUSHA AS A RANSOM PAYMENT FOR IT BEING KILLED BY A HUMAN. REMEMBER THE VERY LIFE-FORCE OF EVERY CREATURE IS IN IT’S BLOOD.
So Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Yisharal dedicated the Levites, carefully following all YAHUSHA’S instructions. The Levites purified themselves from their disobedience and washed their clothes, and Aaron lifted them up and presented them to YAHUSHA as a special offering. He then offered a sacrifice to purify them and make them right with YAHUSHA and after that the Levites went into the Tabernacle to perform their duties, assisting Aaron and his sons. So they carried out all the Instructions that YAHUSHA gave Moses concerning the Levites.
YAHUSHA also instructed Moses, “This is the rule that the Levites must follow: They must begin serving in the Tabernacle at the age of twenty-five and they must retire at the age of fifty and after retirement they may assist their fellow Levites by serving as guards at the Tabernacle, but they may not officiate in the service. This is how you must assign duties to them”.
WE ARE TOLD THE LEVITES ARE TO BE SEPARATED FROM YISHARAL BECAUSE THEY HAD REPLACED THE STATUS AND PURPOSE OF YISHARAL’S FIRSTBORNS, SO THEY ARE NO LONGER A NORMAL PART OF YISHARAL ANYMORE AND WILL NO LONGER BE COUNTED AS SUCH, WHICH WAS THE WHOLE POINT OF THE CENSUS TAKEN EARLIER OF THE LEVITES AND ALSO THE FIRSTBORNS OF YISHARAL. OF COURSE IN TERMS OF BLOODLINE, THE LEVITES REMAINED A PART OF THE HEBREW RACE AND LIVED IN YISHARAL AMONGST THE 12 TRIBES BUT FROM THIS POINT ON, THEY WOULD NO LONG CONSIDER THEMSELVES YISHARALITES AND NEITHER WOULD YAHUSHA.
THESE RITUALS ARE NOT THE SAME AS WHAT OCCURRED IN THE ESTABLISHING OF AARON AND HIS SONS (THE PRIESTHOOD) WHICH INVOLVED BEING ANOINTED WITH OIL IN ORDER TO HAVE ACCESS INTO THE SET-APART PLACE. BUT THIS IS A PURIFICATION RITUAL, AND WATER IS BEING USED TO CLEANSE THE LEVITES SO THAT THEY WOULD BE `CLEAN ENOUGH’ TO WORK AROUND AND NEAR THE SANCTUARY ASSISTING WITH THE SACRIFICES AT THE BRAZEN ALTAR AND MAINTAINING THE TABERNACLE. THE PRIESTS WERE CONSIDERED TO BE AT A MUCH HIGHER LEVEL OF SET-APARTNESS THAN THE COMMON LEVITES.
