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Set Apart or Called into Relationship?
Tell the whole congregation of Israel: Be holy because I, Yahweh your Elohim, am Qedosh.Leviticus19:2 What does it mean to be holy? One of Strong’s definitions of holiness is set-apartness. It’s separateness, sacredness, the state of being consecrated. In a nutshell, it’s Yahweh’s very essence. Ann Spangler says it so well. …holiness is grounded in God’s nature. It refers not to one of his attributes but to the totality of his perfection. In his holiness, God exists above and apart from the world he has made. And yet, with the name Qedosh Yisrael, Yahweh calls his people to join him in his set-apartness. As partakers of the New Covenant, we are…
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All Consuming Fire
Fire consumes. It destroys. As I’m writing this, the Smokehouse Creek fire in the Texas Panhandle has burned more than a million acres. Uncontrolled, fire is terrifying. Yahweh appeared as a consuming fire at Mt. Sinai during the Exodus. I can’t imagine how terrified the Israelites were. And to the eyes of the sons of Israel, the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top. -Exodus 24:17, NASB We can see the remnant of this event today in Saudi Arabia at Jabal al Lawz. Two great documentaries on it are The Search for the Real Mt. Sinai from Bob Cornuke and Journey…
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Is God a Green-Eyed Monster?
This week, we’re looking at two names which are closely associated. Esh Oklah, El Kanna. Consuming Fire, Jealous God. Today, we’ll look at our jealous God. Can jealousy ever be something good? The first use of קַנָּא , transliterated qanna or kanna, is in the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20. This word, translated jealous, is only used in reference to Yahweh. (Qana is the word for human jealousy.) In Exodus 34, Yahweh makes it clear he will not tolerate worship of any other god. For you shall not worship any other god, because the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. – Exodus 34:14, NASB Yahweh is…
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Before Us and Behind Us, With Us and In Us
As an army travels, its battle standard goes before them. But when the commander prepares to retreat, he places the standard where his troops are to gather. At the battle standard, we find refuge from the battle. Our Yahweh Nissi, the Lord our Banner, keeps us safe through trials. The Name of Yahweh is a strong tower. The righteous run to it and are safe [set on high.] Proverbs 18:10 The Bible is full of battle imagery. Why? Because this life is a spiritual battle. Yahweh Nissi only appears once (Exodus 17:15), but נֵס (nes) occurs 20 times in the Old Testament. It’s translated standard, banner, ensign, or pole. Time…
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Lift High the Lord, Our Banner!
Moses built an altar and called it Yahweh Nissi. He said, “Because a hand was lifted against Yah’s throne, Yahweh will be at war against the Amalekites from one generation to the next.” Exodus 17:15-16 This is the only mention of Yahweh Nissi in the Bible. What’s the context? As you read Exodus, you see a them in the people’s attitude. “The people grumbled . . . The people quarreled . . . The people complained . . .” Every time the people faced a challenge, they complained. Bitterly. Not some anonymous complaint to HR or grumbling around the water fountain. They hurled accusations at Moses. Did you bring us…
