Genesis chapter 4
Today we are walking: Creating A Dwelling Place For Yah
Genesis 22:5
And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, H7812 and come again to you.
WORSHIP
Today we look to the word-WORSHIP- H7812 shachah--to bow down; prostrate oneself before superior in homage; before the Most High in worship
The Torah testifies.........……
Genesis 24:26
And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped H7812 the LORD.
Exodus 4:31
And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped. H7812
Exodus 34:14
For thou shalt worship H7812 no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
Deuteronomy 8:19
And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship H7812 them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.
The prophets proclaim..................
Nehemiah 8:6
And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped H7812 the LORD with their faces to the ground.
Nehemiah 9:3
And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped H7812 the LORD their God.
Jeremiah 25:6
And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship H7812 them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.
Zechariah 14:16
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship H7812 the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
The writings bear witness............
Joshua 5:14
And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, H7812 and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?
1Chronicles 16:29
Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship H7812 the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
2 Chronicles 7:3
And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, H7812 and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever
Psalm 66:4
All the earth shall worship H7812 thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.
Chapter 3
CREATING A DWELLING PLACE FOR Yah
Yah’s goal throughout history has been to get man back into His presence.
Yah is in the restoration business, and the Bible is a record of His efforts to get us back into His presence. Therefore, the stories in the Old Testament are not p rimarily about the p atriarchs, judges, kings, and prophets, or about the victories and defeats of Yah’s people. Rather, the Bible can be summed up as an account of Yah’s acts to get man back into His ideal environment. It tells of Yah’s basic desire: “I want a place on earth where I can put My presence again because I need to rescue this malfunctioning machine called ‘man.’“
This work of Yah to get man back into His ideal environment reached its climax in the life, death, and resurrection of Yahusha, Yah’s Son. Everything Yahusha did was to get Yah’s presence back into man’s experience. This is why He had to shed His blood. Yah’s temple, namely us, had become unholy, so Yah had to cleanse us and make us holy again through the sacrificial death and the poured-out blood of His Son. Truly, we cannot be qualified to receive the presence of Yah into our life until the blood of Yahusha cleanses us and makes way for the return of Yah’s Spirit to our human temples. Therefore, the key to the continuing work of Yahusha in each of us is the Ruach HaQadesh. When the Spirit is alive and well in us, He restores the presence of Yah to our life and leads us into the holiness that was our birthright at creation.
However, long before Yah sent Yahusha and the Ruach HaQadesh, man attempted to bridge the gap that his sin had created between him and Yah. These early attempts at worship begin in the Book of Genesis.
Altars for Yah
Man’s first act of worship is recorded in Genesis chapter 4, right after the story in Genesis 3 of man’s sin and his fall from Yah’s presence.
And in process of time it came to pass, that Qayin brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto Yahuah. And H'avel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And Yahuah had respect unto H'avel and to his offering: BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 4:3-4 את CEPHER.
What were Cain and Abel doing here? They were trying to get back into touch with Yah. They evidently knew they needed to be in communication with Yah. This effort to get Yah’s presence back into man’s life is evident throughout the Old Testament. Repeatedly, Yah’s people built altars to prepare a place for the presence of Yah to come and offered sacrifices either to invite Yah to come or to commemorate a time and a place where He had come.
ALTARS PREPARE A PLACE FOR THE PRESENCE OF Yah TO COME.
After the offerings given by Cain and Abel, the next record in the Bible of man’s attempt to communicate with Yah through sacrifices and offerings is found in the story of Noah. After the flood, when Noah, his family, and all the animals had emerged from the ark, Noah built an altar and offered burnt offerings unto Yah.
And Yahuah smelled a sweet savor; and Yahuah said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground anymore for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite anymore everything living, as I have done. BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 8:21 את CEPHER. As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” AND Elohiym blessed Noach and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 9:1 את CEPHER.
Please notice that Yah is pleased with Noah’s attempts to communicate with Him. Hence, Yah blesses Noah and his sons. Nonetheless, Noah is still a malfunctioning man. This is, perhaps, most evident in the blessing that Yah gives to Noah, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.” This blessing is very similar to Yah’s blessing of the first man and the first woman (see Gen. 1:28), but an important element is missing. Yah does not command Noah to subdue the earth and to rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature. Why? Through his sin, man has lost both his right and his power to dominate the earth. He gave that right to HaSatan, whom Yahusha refers to as the “prince of this world” (see John 14:30). Therefore, although man is again communicating with Yah, this relationship does not have the moment-by- moment intimacy of the garden fellowship that Yah and man had enjoyed.
Abraham
Friends With Yah
Abraham (Abram) is the next man who the Scriptures tell us built an altar to the Most High. This follows Yah’s appearance to him when Yah promised Abraham that He would give the land of Canaan to Abraham’s offspring (see Gen. 12:7). This is but the first of many altars that Abraham built to Yah. Perhaps the most well-known altar Abraham built was the one on Mount Moriah when Yah commanded him to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering (see Gen. 22). This story shows why Abraham was regarded by Yah as His friend. Not only was Abraham a worshiper (as is evidenced by the number of altars he built), but so great was Abraham’s commitment to, passion for, and trust in Yah that he gave Him even his son, the son of promise. Believing that Yah would provide a lamb for the sacrifice, yet not knowing that at the very last minute Yah would provide a ram to take the son’s place, Abraham bound Isaac on the altar and raised his hand to kill him. Only Yah’s voice stopped him from giving Yah what He had asked for.
David
As is often true in the Bible, the place of one sacrifice becomes the place of another. This time the worshiper is David. He has sinned by counting the fighting men of Israel and Yah has shown His displeasure by sending a plague on the people. When David sees the carnage among his people, he entreats Yah to punish him, not them, because he is the one who has sinned. Yah, through the prophet Gad, then tells David to build an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah (later associated with Mt. Moriah where Abraham offered up Isaac; see 2 Chron. 3:1) so that the plague may stop.
This was certainly not the only time David built an altar to the Most High. As a youth tending his father’s sheep, he had learned to seek the presence of Yah. These early experiences with Yah influenced him so much that when faced with the choice of three years of famine, three months of fleeing from his enemies, or three days of plague, David chose the plague.
And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of Yahuah; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man. SHEMU'EL SHENIY (2 SAMUEL) 24:14 את CEPHER.
Do you see why David chose the third option? He preferred to fall into the hands of Yah rather than the hands of men. Why would David choose Yah over man? David knew the Yah he had sung to as a shepherd boy playing his harp. Now, when he is king and is faced with a difficult decision that means suffering not only for him but for his people, David draws on what he had learned during those years of private worship before he entered the public eye. He knows that Yah is good and His mercy endures forever, so he entrusts himself and his kingdom to Yah.
David’s lasting relationship with Yah is also seen when he takes Bathsheba, another man’s wife, to his bed and tries to cover his sin. When the prophet Nathan confronts him, David immediately responds, “And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against Yahuah. And Nathan said unto El-David, Yahuah also has put away your sin; you shall not die. SHEMU'EL SHENIY (2 SAMUEL) 12:13 את CEPHER. He doesn’t argue or make excuses. He accepts the truth of Nathan’s words and the justice of Yah’s punishment.
PRAISE MUST BE LEARNED IN PRIVATE BEFORE IT IS EXHIBITED IN PUBLIC.
And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against Yahuah. And Nathan said unto El-David, Yahuah also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Howbeit, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of Yahuah to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto you shall surely die. SHEMU'EL SHENIY (2 SAMUEL) 12:13-14 את CEPHER.
Psalm 51, written during this time in David’s life, shows just how much he valued the presence of the Most High. Although he interceded for his son’s life while the child still lived, David didn’t criticize Yah for taking him. In truth, Psalm 51 shows that David thought of a punishment far worse than the loss of his son:
Create in me a clean heart, O Elohiym; and renew a right ruach within me. Cast me not away from your presence; and take not your Ruach Ha'Qodesh from me. Restore unto me the joy of your yeshu`ah; and uphold me with your free Ruach. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 51:10-12 את CEPHER.
You see, David was used to having his own private worship services. He knew the joy and power of living with Yah. He also knew what happens to a man when sin takes the presence of Yah from his life.
As a young man, David had played his harp for King Saul when an evil spirit tormented him. This spirit came to Saul after the Most High had departed from his life because of his failure to obey Yah. The memories of those hours with Saul surely contributed to David’s own plea that Yah not take His Spirit from him. He knew the misery man endures when faced with the absence of Yah. Losing the Ruach HaQadesh and the presence of Yah would therefore have been a punishment far greater than the death of his son.
Moses
Moses was another “friend of Yah.” As the leader of a grumbling, dissatisfied people, he often cried out to Yah. So when Yah told Moses to take the people up to the Promised Land, but that He would not go with them in case He destroyed the people as they traveled, Moses said, “No way!” He wasn’t going anywhere unless Yah was going with him.
And Mosheh said unto El-Yahuah, See, you say unto me, Bring up this people: and you have not let me know את whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, I know you by name, and you have also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray you, if I have found grace in your sight, show me now your way, that I may know you, that I may find grace in your sight: and consider that this nation is your people. And he said, My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest. And he said unto him, If your presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. SHEMOTH (EXODUS) 33:12-15 את CEPHER.
What was Yah’s response? Yah agreed to do the very thing Moses asked because He knew Moses by name and was pleased with him.
Like Abraham before him and David after him, Moses was hungry for Yah. He wanted to know Yah and to find favor with Him. Not only that, he wanted to see Yah. It wasn’t enough that Yah spoke to him from the pillar of cloud whenever he entered the Tabernacle and that his face shown with Yah’s glory even after he had left the Tabernacle. Moses wanted to see Yah face to face.
Yah knew that Moses’ request was a problem. No man in his sinful nature could see Yah and live. But since Moses was so intent on seeing Him, and because Moses was His friend, Yah agreed to let Moses see His glory.
What Moses saw ... Wow! That must have been some close walk Yah took past him. What else could Moses do but bow to the ground and worship. He had seen the glory of the Almighty! Now he was more sure than ever that he didn’t want to go anywhere if Yah was not going along (see Exod. 33).
Temples for Yah
The outdoor altars of Cain and Abel, of Noah, of Abraham and his descendants, and of Moses eventually gave way to the enclosed sanctuaries of the Tabernacle and the Temple, but their purpose remained the same. All were places of Yah’s presence, and sacrifices were offered there with the belief that Yah would accept them and be pleased with them.
In the Tabernacle and the Temple, however, the worship of Yah became more regulated. Indeed, the building of the Tent and the Temple, as well as the praise and worship offered there, were governed by the specifications of Yah Himself, with no room for variance.
AND Yahuah spoke unto Mosheh, saying, Speak unto the children of Yashar'el, that they bring me an offering: of every man that gives it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, SHEMOTH (EXODUS) 25:1-3 את CEPHER. And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. SHEMOTH (EXODUS) 25:8 את CEPHER
Do you see what verse 8 says? Yah wanted a place to live among His people so He told Moses to bring an offering. All this money was not about having a nice building with soft comfortable chairs. Yah told Moses to gather an offering from the people because He wanted to get His presence in their midst. It wasn’t enough for Him to meet with Moses on the mountain. He wanted to live with all His people.
Building a place for Yah is always about having the presence of Yah in the midst of His people. In fact, a big fancy building may look like a church and may even be called a church, but in reality it is very far from being one. Why is this? Nothing is happening there.
Building a church for Yah is not about the building or the equipment. It’s about Yah’s presence. If Yah’s presence is not with you, it doesn’t matter how elaborate your building is, how well educated your staff are, how well planned your worship services are, or how dynamic the preaching is. Without Yah’s presence, all you have is a big building filled with people. On the other hand, you can meet in a plain room with simple worship and an untrained preacher but have everything. The difference is in the absence or the presence of Yah.
Yah’s presence is the only essential ingredient in worship. Our praise and the other elements of our meetings must lead us into the presence of Yah. If they don’t, there is no reason to do them. Oh, yes, they may be nice and may make us feel good, but the purpose of gathering is to enter the presence of the Most High. Anything that does not contribute to this is simply unnecessary clutter. Yah’s presence in our worship is the only worthwhile end to our meetings.
This was Yah’s entire purpose for instructing Moses to build the Tabernacle: He wanted to get close to His people. Everything Yah told Moses to do in some way revealed the lost condition of man and unveiled Yah’s plan to rescue man from his wrong environment by getting His presence back in man’s presence.
Yah’S PRESENCE IS THE ONLY ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT IN WORSHIP.
Yah’s blueprint for the meeting place between Himself and man ensured that man could not just stumble or wander into His presence, lest he be consumed by Yah because of his sin. This is why Yah’s dwelling place was in the central part of the Tabernacle. Yah was safeguarding His presence to keep it holy. He also gave Moses very specific instructions concerning the priests, the sacrifices and offerings, and the atonement procedures so that nothing profane would come close to Him. Each of the furnishings, bowls, plates, and other utensils were also made according to Yah’s exact instructions, as well as the Tabernacle itself and the curtains that hung within it. Particular attention was given to the Ark of the Covenant, where Yah would dwell between the cherubim, and to the rest of the inner chamber that was known as the Holy of Holies.
The furnishings in the Tabernacle each revealed something about Yah’s intent concerning His people and His presence among them. In the Outer Court stood the altar of burnt offerings, where the sacrifices of the people were presented to Yah to atone for their sins. Beyond the altar, closer to the door leading into the Tabernacle, stood the laver, where the rites of purification were done. These washings were probably intended to make the priests and the sacrifices holy. Within the tabernacle in the Inner Court, also called the Holy Place, stood the table of shewbread, on which the priest put the fresh bread of the presence every Sabbath. This was eaten only by priests and only in the Holy Place. Frankincense was also placed on the table of shewbread. This was burnt on the altar of incense, which stood before the veil leading into the Holy of Holies, to make atonement. Across from the table of shewbread stood the golden lampstand or candlestick.
The final part of the tabernacle was the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. On the Mercy Seat above the Ark and between the cherubim that were part of the lid to the Ark was the place where Yah would dwell. Cherubim, the protectors of Yah’s presence, were also woven into the veil that hung between the Inner Court and the Holy of Holies. (See Exodus 25 and following.) All this was part of Yah’s plans and preparations to provide a place where He could live in the midst of His people. The same was true for the Temple in Jerusalem, when Yah gave the plans to David and entrusted David’s son Solomon with the task of building it.
With the coming of Hamachiach, each of the furnishings in the Tabernacle was revealed to be a type of Him. The Tabernacle, the very house of Yah, was a type of the Church, where Yah wants to live. The table of shewbread represented the physical body of Hamachiach and the Hamachiach that would be incarnated in the man. The lampstand, which never went out, represented the Word of Yah and the Ruach HaQadesh. The altar of burnt offerings was a type of the sacrifices of praise that continually arise from Yah’s people. The courtyard, or Outer Court, spoke of the assembling of Yah’s people. Even the material of the priests’ clothes and the things in the Ark of the Covenant revealed part of Yah’s plan that would be consummated in Hamachiach. The priests’ clothes were linen, not wool, so the priests would not sweat in Yah’s presence. (Sweat represented work. See Exodus chapters 28-29 and Ezekiel 44:17-18.)
The articles in the Ark of the Covenant were the tablets of the Ten Commandments, the rod of Aaron that budded, and a little jar of manna that was a reminder of the wilderness. All these represented important things to Yah. The rod of Aaron represented the death we experience because of sin, and the rebirth and new life that come through Hamachiach. It also represented the burial of Yahusha Hamachiach and His resurrection. The manna represented Yah’s grace, received through no work of man; and the tablets containing the Ten Commandments spoke of our helplessness to keep the law of Yah and thereby be righteous before Him.
When the priests poured the blood on the top of the Ark, it covered all those things that revealed our sin and our lack of grace. Instead of seeing our sin, Yah and the cherubim who protected His presence saw the blood. Thus, Yah could come to dwell above the Mercy Seat without destroying the priest because of his sin and the sin of the people. The law that condemned us was covered by the blood of grace.
Through Yahusha, we gain access to every part of Yah’s dwelling place. He is the sacrifice, the blood, the dwelling place, and the presence of Yah. He is also the One whose death destroyed the veil that separated Yah’s dwelling place from His people. Now everyone has access to Yah— everyone, that is, who accepts the gift of grace that is made available to us through the life, death, and resurrection of Yahusha.
This way provided by Yah is the same today as it was two thousand years ago. There is no improved savior and no improved blood. The Savior has been, is, and always will be Yahusha Hamachiach, and His blood is the only sacrifice sufficient and acceptable to atone for our sins.
Yahusha IS STILL THE ONLY WAY TO Yah. THERE IS NO IMPROVED SAVIOR, NO IMPROVED BLOOD.
We human beings may be looking for new and improved ways to worship, but Yah is not. He does not want experts in worship. What Yah wants is people who will follow His instructions every time they approach Him.
This is just the way Yah is. He isn’t looking for change, since He doesn’t change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (see Heb. 13:8). His bottom line continues to be His passion for getting His presence back into man’s experience. This is His plan for the entire human race because Adam carried in him all the nations of the world. Therefore, when Yah removed Adam from His presence, He removed all the nations as well. Likewise, when Yahusha came to earth, He came to restore the Ruach HaQadesh to all mankind. Before He could do this, however, He had to clean us up so that we could receive Yah’s Spirit. He had to cleanse our impurity.
To say that we are impure does not mean that we are dirty, as in the filth of dirt. What it does mean is that we are impure in Yah’s sight. What we believe, what we say, and what we do don’t match. This is what impurity is to Yah. Therefore, Yah sent Hamachiach to restore a pure heart to us so that we can be integrated in thought, word, and action. Only when our heart is once more pure can we become the temple in which the Ruach HaQadesh lives (see 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19).
Since the Ruach HaQadesh is Yah, He is the key to getting us into Yah’s presence today. He is also the only One who can teach us what Yah requires of us now (see John 14:26). Sadly, many Christians miss the joy of living with the Most High because their hopes are fixed on Heaven and what they will someday gain there. This may be the theology of the hymnbook, but it is not the theology of the Bible. Yah’s purpose is not that we will fly away to Him someday, but that we will live in His presence today in this world. Therefore, all His work through the Old Testament and into the days of Yahusha and the Church has been to get us back into the environment where He first put us here on earth. That environment is His presence.
In essence, the issue is not where you are located, but who is located where you are. You need Yah’s presence to function. So wherever He is, be that in Heaven or on earth, you can function there. This makes seeking Yah and living in His presence today in this life quite important.
Why else would Yah create a new Heaven and a new earth?
AND I saw a renewed heaven and a renewed earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. CHIZAYON (REVELATION) 21:1 את CEPHER.
He’s making another environment for us that is like the atmosphere man once enjoyed in the Garden of Eden. This atmosphere will be on earth because we were created to dominate the earth, not Heaven.
Therefore, Heaven is not the fulfillment of your future. Your eternal home will be a new earth.
AND I saw a renewed heaven and a renewed earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I Yochanon saw the holy city, Renewed Yerushalayim, coming down from Elohiym out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her man. CHIZAYON (REVELATION) 21:1-2 את CEPHER ... And I saw no Temple therein: for Yahuah Elohiym Tseva'oth and the Lamb are the Temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of Elohiym did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. CHIZAYON (REVELATION) 21:22-23 את CEPHER.
This new earth won’t need a sea to provide water or the sun and the moon to provide light because Yah Himself will be our light and our life. Just as Adam and Eve enjoyed continual fellowship with Yah in the Garden of Eden, we will wake up every morning in Yah’s presence and go through the whole day with Him. No matter where we are, we will breathe in life.
PRAISE IS THE WAY YOU GET INTO Yah’S PRESENCE.
However, you don’t have to wait for this new earth to live with Yah. He wants to come to you right now. He wants to live in your home today. He can if you will start praising Him and filling your home with testimonies of how great He is and how good He has been to you. Just start bragging about Yah from a pure heart, and He will come to you right where you are. He’ll set up His throne in your house. That’s His plan, and He’s bringing it to pass in our generation. He’s creating a new order where the power of HaSatan is defeated in your life and in mine simply because we make room for His presence. We know that He wants us to have His presence. The only question is whether we will make room for Him to come to us.
You do this by filling your environment with praise until He comes and fills the place you have made. That’s all. There’s no more sweating, no more hard work, no more contriving to do this or that to get to Yah. You make room for Him, and He comes. That’s it. And you do this through praise.
PRINCIPLES
1. All Yah’s work throughout history has been to get His presence back into man’s environment.
2. Altars, sacrifices, and offerings invite Yah’s presence to come or they commemorate where He has been.
3. Yah’s friends are worshipers.
4. The whole purpose of the Tabernacle and the Temple was to provide a place for Yah to live in the midst of His people.
5. Yah’s presence is the only essential ingredient in worship .
6. The design and worship of the Tabernacle looked forward to Yahusha and the return of the Ruach HaQadesh.
7. Yah wants His people to follow His instructions
when they come to meet with Him.
8. Yah wants to live with you today.
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