Bar’chu
et YHVH ha-m’vorach, Baruch YHVH ha-m’vorach l’O’lam va-ed!
Baruch
ata YHVH Eloheinu melech ha-olam asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim, v’na-tan lanu
eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Bless YHVH the blessed One; Blessed is YHVH, the
blessed One for all eternity. Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim, King of the
Universe, you have selected us from among all the peoples, and have given us
your Torah.)
Exo 30:1 “And you shall make an altar to
burn incense on, make it of acacia wood,
Exo 30:2 a cubit long and a cubit wide – it is a
square – and two cubits high, its horns of the same.
Exo 30:3 “And you shall overlay its top, and its sides
all around, and its horns with clean gold. And you shall make for it a moulding
of gold all around.
Exo 30:4 “And make two gold rings for it, under the
moulding on both its sides. Make them on its two sides, and they shall be
holders for the poles to lift it with.
Exo 30:5 “And you shall make the poles of acacia wood,
and overlay them with gold.
Exo 30:6 “And you shall put it before the veil that is
before the ark of the Witness, before the lid of atonement that is over the
Witness, where I am to meet with you.
Exo 30:7 “And Aharon shall burn on it sweet incense,
morning by morning. As he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it.
Exo 30:8 “And when Aharon lights the lamps between the
evenings, he shall burn incense on it – a continual incense before יהוה throughout
your generations.
Exo 30:9 “Do not
offer strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and do
not pour a drink offering on it.
Exo 30:10 “And
Aharon shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin
offering of atonement – once a year he makes atonement upon it throughout your
generations. It is most set-apart to יהוה.”
It appears that after the seven-day (29:35) ordination of
priests and dedication of the bronze altar that the ministry of the priests
could begin. The High priest could now enter into the set apart place and bring
incense to burn on the ‘’golden altar of incense’’ Some believe that fire from the bronze altar
was used for this purpose. This could explain why Adav and Abihu were killed as
they offered ‘’strange’’ fire on the
golden altar of incense. Strange incense – Heb. ‘’kitoret zarah’’ – ‘’zarah is
a stranger, can also mean ‘’harlot’’ referring to a form of mixed or pagan
worship.
During these ‘’seven thousand years’’ the priestly
calling will be internalized within a set apart priesthood over and over again
until it is fully manifest in this priesthood.
The bride of Messiah is being prepared for these ‘’seven
thousand years’’ to stand in the very presence of YHVH to minister to YHVH on
behalf of His Set Apart people.
Haftarah and Second writings portion:
Mal 2:1 “And now, O priests,(Heb – Kohanim) this
command is for you.
Mal 2:2 “If you do not hear, and if you do not take
it to heart, to give esteem to My Name,” said יהוה of hosts, “I
shall send a curse upon you, and I shall curse your blessings. And indeed, I
have cursed them, because you do not take it to heart.
Mal 2:3 “See, I
shall rebuke your seed, and scatter dung before your faces, the dung of your
festivals. And you shall be taken away with it.
Mal 2:4 “And you
shall know that I have sent this command to you, as being My covenant with
Lĕwi,” said יהוה of hosts.
Mal 2:5 “My
covenant with him was life and peace, and I gave them to him, to fear. And he
feared Me, and stood in awe of My Name.
Mal 2:6 “The Torah
of truth1 was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found on his
lips. He walked with Me in peace and straightness, and turned many away from
crookedness. Footnote: 1Neh. 9:13.
Mal 2:7 “For the
lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and they seek the Torah from his
mouth, for he is the messenger of יהוה of hosts.
Mal 2:8 “But you,
you have turned from the way, you have caused many to stumble in the Torah. You
have corrupted the covenant of Lĕwi,” said יהוה of hosts.
Mal 2:9 “And I
also, I shall make you despised and low before all the people, because you are
not guarding My ways, and are showing partiality in the Torah.”
Rev 8:1 And when He opened the seventh seal, there
came to be silence in the heaven for about half an hour.
Rev 8:2 And I saw the seven messengers who stand
before Elohim, and to them were given seven trumpets.
Rev 8:3 And another messenger came and stood at the
altar, holding a golden censer, and much incense was given to him, that he
should offer it with the prayers of all the set-apart ones upon the golden
altar which was before the throne.
Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, (Heb – kitoret)
with the prayers of the set-apart ones, went up before Elohim from the hand of
the messenger.
Rev 8:5 And the messenger took the censer, and filled
it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises,
and thunders, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
This most probably
refers to the golden altar in the heavenly tabernacle.
You can find some
basic outlines and illustrations of the Tabernacle on the following website:
Midrash:
What comes to mind
when we read these scriptures?
See again Mal 2:4-9
The end time
restoration of all things begins with the restoration of Torah – there is no
restoration of Torah unless there is a restoration of the Levitical priesthood
and those from the nations called to be part of the Levitical priesthood – Is
66:21- It is Aaron’s rod that is in the
ark of the covenant alongside the Torah and jar of manna, which proved he was
given the priesthood by YHVH – Numbers 16&17.
Somehow the whole purpose of our existence is found in our identification
and acceptance of the priestly ministry of the Levites and by extension the
bride of Messiah.
Rom 12:1 I call upon you,
therefore, brothers, through the compassion of Elohim, to present your bodies a
living offering – set-apart, well-pleasing to Elohim – your reasonable
worship.
Rom 12:2 And do not
be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so
that you prove what is that good and well-pleasing and perfect desire of
Elohim.
See Ex 28:16 – the pouch behind the breastplate which housed the the urim
and thummim was about 1 square cubit. (a span is about half a cubit)
Hos 3:1 Then יהוה said to me,
“Go again, love a woman loved by a friend, and an adulteress, according to the
love of יהוה for the children of Yisra’ĕl, though they
are turning to other mighty ones and love their raisin cakes.”
Hos 3:2 So I
bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver, and one and one-half ḥomers
of barley.
Hos 3:3 And I said
to her, “You are to remain with me many days, you are not to whore, nor become
any man’s, and so I shall also be towards you.”
Hos 3:4 For many
days the children of Yisra’ĕl are to remain without sovereign and without
prince, and without slaughtering, and without pillar, and without shoulder
garment or house idols.
Hos 3:5 Afterward
the children of Yisra’ĕl shall return, and seek יהוה their Elohim,
and Dawiḏ their sovereign, and fear יהוה and His
goodness, in the latter days.
Baruch atah
YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-‘Olam, asher natan lanu Toraht-emet, v’chay-yeh o’lam
nata-b’tochenu. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are
you Yahweh, our Elohim, King of the Universe, you have given us your Torah of
truth, and have planted everlasting life within our midst. Blessed are you,
YHVH giver of the Torah – Ameyn).