CHART OF JACOB'S CHILDREN

	JACOB’S CHILDREN,	through (names in bold)
LEAH
1) Reuben	The Lord has seen my misery
2) Simeon	The Lord has heard I am not loved
3) Levi	The Lord will join me to my husband
4) Judah	This time I will praise the Lord
		RACHEL’S SERVANT:	BILHAH
		5) Dan	God is my judge
		6) Naphtali	My struggle
LEAH’S SERVANT:	ZILPAH
7) Gad	Good fortune
8) Asher	Happy
LEAH
9) Issachar	Reward
10) Zebulun	Honor
Dinah, a daughter	JUSTIFIED
		RACHEL
		11) Joseph	The Lord shall add to me another son
		12) Ben-Oni	Son of Trouble (or my Sorrow)
		renamed
		Benjamin	Son of my Right Hand

Out of Two, One New Man

Juliet: 'Tis but thy name that is my enemy.(40)
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? That which we call a rose(45)
By any other name would smell as sweet.  
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name;
And for that name, which is no part of thee,(50)
Take all myself.


Romeo:  I take thee at thy word.
Call me but love, and I'll be new baptiz'd;
Henceforth I never will be Romeo. taken from enotes

So what is in a name?  Is what you name your child of any import?  If you just like a name, yet it means something bad, does it make any difference?  Take, for instance,

Persephone - "Bringer of Destruction;" now one might argue that that may be true introducing a toddler into your otherwise orderly life... or perhaps one of today's most popular boy's names (#9 on the Social Security's list - and who better to know, eh?), Aiden: "Little Fire."  We parents know that boys spark more than a few flames in their raising and we pray every day to contain that little fire to be used for good and not destruction. 

There are some very unique names be given to children today, just as they were in the Old Testament, where it seems like every name given in the Old Testament means something way deeper than just a parents' whimsical fancy.  Often they were given names to reflect what the current state of the mother was, as you will see later when I tell you what Rachel named her last child.  Sometimes these names were prophetic, as you will see in the name Jacob. 

The Lord sidetracked me this morning on names.  I was actually on Chapter 8 of Seeing Christ in the Tabernacle, when I lingered on the meaning of the name Levi, joined together, - did his mother know when she gave birth to Levi that the Levitical priesthood would spring forth from her son?  So I decided to check it out.  I do hope that you will be able to follow my convoluted discoveries as I piece them out for you and think you will be as blown away as I was to see just how perfectly Christ IS revealed in the Old Testament.  In hindsight, we can see that all along God was revealing what He would do in Christ to reconcile man to Himself.

I remembered that Levi was Jacob's son and that somewhere in the Bible (turns out it's Genesis 49) Jacob prophesied over his sons, so I started there.

And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days."

I found Levi in verse 5.  "Simeon and Levi are brethren."  Wow.  I thought all 12 sons were brethren, why are they singled out as brethren?  Were they close?  Were they Rachel's children or Leah's, or their servants?  Well, if Levi means joined together what does Simeon mean and why was he named that?  So, I made this chronology of the sons of Jacob and what I discovered was a perfect shadow of what would happen in the last days (when Christ "finished" the work) to the Jew and the Gentile.  It is a beautiful picture of Ephesians 2:13-18:

But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

Let's begin with Jacob.  Remember Jacob?  He's the son of Isaac, who served his uncle Laban 7 years to marry Rachel.   Remember that Jacob deceived his father Isaac by pretending to be Esau in order to receive Isaac's blessing.  Evidently what we reap, we do sow, for when Jacob awoke after consummating his wedding vows, he discovered he had been deceived and it was Leah (the older daughter of Laban), he had wed, not Rachel.  I can just picture Laban laughing to himself thinking, "that young whippersnapper Jacob wants to do everything his way - well, I'll show him - it's our custom the older daughter always marries first - I'll veil [take note! veiled?] his bride, then make him work another 7 years to get what he desires - Rachel. [7 years of tribulation?]" Note that Leah was chosen BY HER FATHER, not by Jacob; just as Jesus proclaims, "all that the Father gives me, will come to me"  John 6:37.  Our wedding to Christ is veiled.  It is a mystery. 

My thoughts are in brackets.  First, I discover from Genesis 49:5 that Simeon and Levi are brethren [could this be Jew & Gentile?].  But Jacob goes on to prophecy, "instruments of cruelty are in their habitations, O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honor, BE NOT THOU UNITED: for in their anger they slew a man [Christ] and in their self-will they brought disaster upon themselves.  Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel:  I will divide them in Jacob [the flesh], and scatter them in Israel. 

I started seeing a picture of the separation of Jew and Gentile.  We were all wrought in sin.  But at some point, God separated out the Jew, "chose him," in order to bring judgement upon that sin.  So I look up the name Simeon.  Turns out it means, "God has heard that I am unloved!"  What a picture of the Gentiles.  Read again Ephesians 2.  The Gentiles were outside the law.  No hope of their sin being done away with for they had no instrument of judgement.  Or did they? 

So let me elaborate on the naming of Jacob's children and their order for that is so important!  Genesis 29 starts the story of their births, if you want to read them yourself.

First, God opens the womb of Leah. 

Her first son is Reuben, "the Lord has seen my misery!"  What misery?  That she is UNLOVED.  She's desperate for love; as we are desperate for God's.  She is outside the covenant made with Jacob-Rachel, as the Gentile was outside the covenant made with God and the Jews. 

Her second son is Simeon, "the Lord has heard that I am unloved!  This naming is no surprise to God - it is part of His plan.  Here I study a little more about the name Simeon.  Does his name sound familiar to you?  Yes!  Luke 2:25-38 tells us about Simeon of the New Testament,

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.  It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.  Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,  Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
  “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
   you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
  which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
   and the glory of your people Israel.”
  The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,  so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

And isn't it incredible that there were two witnesses right from the get-go?  Simeon, above, and Anna the Prophetess!

There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher [remember this, for this is one of Jacob's sons!].  She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,  and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.  Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Simeon, denoted in Gen. 49:5 as the "brethren of Levi" reveals the veiled purpose of God's plan:  a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel!  

Next, Leah bears her third son, Levi, "the Lord will join me to my husband!"  Here, the Gentile rejoices!  and sure enough,

Leah bears her fourth son, Judah, "this time I will praise the Lord!"  and, of course, Jesus was the Lion or the husband from the tribe of Judah.  Praise the Lord. 

But all this time, Rachel [the Jews] is watching Leah bear many sons to Jacob.  Genesis 30:1-2 sent shudders down my spine. 

And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied HER SISTER; and said unto Jacob [God], 'Give me children or else I die!'    And Jacob's [God] anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, 'Am I in God's stead, who has withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? [Jesus]'"

and so she gave him her servant girl, Bilhah, by whom Jacob has his 5th son - Dan, whose name means "vindicated," or "God is my judge."  And of course, we all are familiar with that other Daniel spoken of in the Bible:  remember, the one who was told in Daniel ch. 9:

Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end.  Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.

Then Bilhah gave Jacob his 6th son, Naphtali, "my struggle."  For since the veiling of the bride of Jacob, Israel has struggled with division. 

So now both Leah and Rachel have born children - one through her own body, own through the servant girl.  Now it is Leah's turn to catch up, though she seems to be going through a "barren" period.  She gives Jacob her servant girl, Zilpah. 

Zilpah [again, if you follow my logic, the lineage of the Gentile] bears Jacob's 7th son, Gad, "good fortune!"

Then another son, the progenitor of Anna the prophetess - Asher, "happy!"  And oh happy day.  Cadence, you know what I'm talking about!

Leah bears Jacob's 9th son, Issachar, "reward."

Then his 10th son, Zebulun, "honor."

And lest we women be disheartened, she bears now a daughter, Dinah, "justified."  As Anna witnessed the salvation of Israel in Jesus, Mary Magdelene witnessed the resurrected savior, Dinah bears witness that in Christ we are justified - in fact, verifying Levi's testimony, "joined to our husband," incidentally the curse given to Eve, "your desire shall be to your husband."  Not really a curse, because again, this pointed to Christ!

And that completes the Gentile line, if I am allowed that interpretation.

And then Rachel herself bears Jacob's 9th son, Joseph, which some resources said means, "may he add", but my bible (NKJ) reads, "the Lord shall add to me another son."  Interestingly enough, in Genesis 30:22 the word says, "and God remembered Rachel, and hearkened to her."  Now Rachel rejoices that God has added a son to HER!  Her jealousy has been resolved and she bears a son. But I perhaps erroneously thought, interesting that she is not satisfied - she proclaims the Lord shall add to her another son.  And I thought of Jesus' words in John 5:43,

I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.

I start to see that we were ALL dead in our sins - we were ONE in that, but CHRIST came to divide and divide He did.  Through the law.  The Jews were chosen to be that vehicle by which sin was revealed and chosen to bring forth the Messiah through whom sin would be judged.  Israel, like my sister Leslie said, is precious to God because Israel is the womb of salvation.  How absolutely precious Israel and the Jews are to us. 

But now we are no longer one in our sins.  The Jews have a vehicle of salvation - NOT through the perfect keeping of the law but through the sacrificial system that accepts a substitute for the wrath of God upon sin.  A scapegoat.  But Paul reminds the Jews, "It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." Heb. 10:4.  WHAT? Are you telling us we are NOT righteous?  Jealousy.  So Paul clarifies that those aren't his words, but God's, in Heb. 10:5-7,

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me;  with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.  Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God.’ 

What exactly was his will?  To provoke the Jews to jealousy.  As I see it the revelation to the Gentiles Simeon spoke of causes the Jews to be cut off.  Not because God hates them, but BECAUSE HE IS MAKING ONE NEW MAN.  The Jews, who began the same way as the Gentiles - dead in their sins - must now be grafted in, just as were the Gentiles, to that true Branch - the Messiah - the GLORY OF YOUR PEOPLE ISRAEL!

But between Rachel having Joseph and bearing her last son to Jacob, God causes Jacob to prosper, and because of this he must flee Laban's wrath, and he is reconciled to Esau (whom God had hated!).  And the sequence then blows me away because in Genesis 35:9 God appears once again to Jacob and blessed him. 

Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name...I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply...." 

as if this is the point of Israel's grafting back in.  For in Benjamin's  (Jacob's last child) birth, Rachel DIES [Israel the nation believes!] naming him Ben Oni, meaning the son of trouble [or perhaps the time of Jacob's trouble], but Jacob RENAMES him Benjamin, meaning the son of my right hand!

To me this is such a beautiful picture of God the Father sending his Son to redeem sinners, to make out of two, one new man.  For as it is said in Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."  Jesus has torn down that wall of partition between all, most importantly between us and God and we have been all given a new name.  No longer do we worry if our name means something negative for God has reversed it.  Praise God!

See chart.

 

Oh Glorious Weed

 

Tending to my garden of flowers soothes me and lifts my spirits.  I just love the Orange King Zinnias - they are tall and prolific and burst with color, so I couldn't believe it when I read that zinnias were once considered a weed and that orange is the least pleasing flower color.....such beauty from an unfavorable weed.  No matter, I love them, just as the Lord looks at this least pleasing, common woman and proclaims His love toward me.  

As a believer, I have wrestled with predestination and the inevitable question, "do I actually have a choice?" and if I don't, then "am I just a puppet?"  I have come to peace by realizing that I cannot understand the ways of God - I am limited as I walk step by step on this journey; I cannot comprehend eternity due to the constraints of time and capacity.  If God, who created time, is outside of time, than, yes....my journey is predestined.  But part of my journey is that crossroad where I have a choice to walk one way or another.  How can these concepts be reconciled?  Only by the infinite God.  

As I worked in my garden and listened to Chuck Smith, the Lord blessed me with a little glimpse in Genesis 24-26 of the reconciliation of these seemingly opposed points. 

As Abraham, now living as a stranger in the land of Canaan, faced death, he sent his servant to find a wife for his son Isaac from amongst his land and people.  The servant questioned Abraham with all the "what ifs."  Abraham, undeterred, stood on the promises of God and told the servant, "don't worry!  just do it, and if God doesn't provide this way, then you're clear from this directive."  Knowing only that he was headed to Abraham's land, the servant obeyed.  Upon reaching a well, the servant prayed to God, "I stand here by the well of water....let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink and she shall say, Drink and I will give thy camels drink also:  let the same be she that thou hast appointed..."  Of course, Rebekah, showed up and said exactly that.  The servant, I'm sure blown away by this direct answer, with trepidation asked, "uh, whose daughter are you?" inwardly praying she was Abraham's kin.  She said, "I am!  Come lodge with us!"  The next morning Abraham's servant, anxious to run back home with the good news and Isaac's prospective bride,  said, "ok, let us go now!"  But the bride's mother and brother cried, "no!  let her stay a few more days, 10 at least!"  I certainly would have said the same, "No, don't take my daughter away just yet!!!"  But the servant was anxious - and I suspect the mother and brother thinking Rebekah would agree to delay, said, "ok, we'll let HER decide.  If she's willing, fine."  But it's interesting that they didn't say to Rebekah, "will you go with this man NOW."  They just said, "Will you GO with this man?"  

So here's Rebekah, a perfect picture of the reconciliation of predestination and free will.  Behind the scenes, Rebekah had no clue that she was being sought after.  The servant had no clue that Rebekah was who he was seeking.  The servant went in obedience to his master.  Rebekah went to the well to satisfy her thirst.  When the servant offered her the marriage proposal, she said she was willing.  Could Rebekah have said no?  Probably.  But she didn't because God DID have a clue - He had been behind the scenes all along, drawing her to the well to accomplish His purpose.  This wasn't serendipity; this was God's divine appointment.  I've heard over and over again from believers, how after they believed, they saw every incident in their prior lives as being drawn to Him (the well).  I suspect unbelievers will also see that same thing on the day of judgement.  Yes, I heard, but.  Yes, I went to Sunday School, but.  Yes, I read the bible, but. 

Then Chuck Smith mentioned that Esau's name meant "hairy" and Jacob's name meant "heel catcher" - named for something noticeable happening at their births.  Esau "came out red, all over like a hairy garment," and Jacob, Esau's twin,  at birth grabbed hold of Esau's heel.  For some reason the sequence of the birth of Israel hit me - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob.  The Old Testament is full of pictures of the Christ who was to come.  First we have Abraham, the father of the nation, like God, a picture of God our father.  Then we have Isaac, Abraham's son, like Jesus, God's own son.  Genesis 25:5 is an obscure little verse that creates a vivid picture of the relationship of God the father and Jesus.  It reads, "and Abraham gave ALL that he had unto Isaac."  Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:18, "ALL authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."  Then Jacob, next in my sequence, is the heel catcher.  In Genesis 3:15, we read one prophetic action of the coming Messiah, - "and you will strike his heel," and in 1 Cor. 15:25, we see, "For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet."

So when we say, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob....we are seeing God's plan of salvation in this simple little sequence of names.  God the Father, giving all power and authority in heaven above and earth beneath to His only son, Jesus Christ, who will deliver the crushing blow to sin.  

God's word is like that onion skin.  Peel it back, layer upon layer.  Let it bring tears.  Let it sweeten your appetite.  Let it make you thirsty.  Let it transform a garden of undesirable weeds into a splash of glorious color.

The Big Bad Wolf is Dead, but the War Still Rages

Yesterday, Osama bin Laden was killed and justice was served.  For that, I was grateful - a fugitive from justice over the mass murder of so many Americans finally delivered his just desert. 

Our televised reaction to it, however, alarmed me; yet I was afraid initially to say it.   I expressed to my husband that while we are of course rejoicing that the big bad wolf is dead, we should not be "partying in the streets," and that is what it appeared to me the young crowd was doing in front of the White House and every single channel we turned to covered it as such!  Revelation 11:10 immediately came to my mind and I realized, "oh my God, this is what it will be like when the two witnesses who the world will so hate are killed."  And, all the world will see it.

I beseech that we Americans humble ourselves and get down on our knees, repent and pray.  Rejoice in the Lord and pray that He lifts us up.  

I quote below a few stanzas of America the Beautiful.

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

America! America!

God mend thine ev'ry flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law.

O beautiful for heroes prov'd

In liberating strife,

Who more than self their country loved,

And mercy more than life.

O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears.

RESURRECTION JOY

Today we visited our church from moons ago: in fact, it was 1991 and church then took place in a little elementary school before we progressed to a local community center.  Circumstance brought us to another place, but now, 20 years later (yikes!) we are back.  Twenty years later, the crowd has grown and the familiar faces aren't so familiar anymore, though perhaps time has costumed them, like me, with wider backs, jollier bellies and crowns of glory.  I was anticipating sneaking up from behind with a giggle into the ears of my old friends, but they no longer sat in the same approachable folding chairs, but sunk into a sea of stadium seating, if they were there at all.

Though saddened by the loss of intimacy, I was overwhelmed to see this humble little beginning now a big, Texas-sized, amphitheater, and I just thanked God for the many lives that have come and gone, just like mine, through the loving arms of Jesus-loving, people-caring folks like those at Calvary Chapel Houston. 

The pastor's teaching was entitled "The Door."  We who have come to that massive door in our lives, remember that it seemed so imposing, so closed, so limiting, so ominous, before we got close enough to hear Jesus' sweet voice beckoning for us to enter and soon we discovered it wasn't a door to shut us off, but one to show us the way, to enter in - a door to Joy, Peace, and Hope.  It was the mere veil that was rent in two at our Lord's crucifixion, torn so that we might HAVE ACCESS.  We who have entered through that door find a joy not subject to the vacillation of circumstance (as is happiness), a peace deep inside that no trial suffocates, and hope that this "corruptible will put on incorruptibility, this mortal put on immortality."

Hearing Ron illustrate his message with stories brought the gap of 20 years to nothing and it was like I hadn't been away that long at all.  I must admit I drifted off during a few stories, giggling (to myself), that I was so much like my mom, always looking for something poetic, the play on words - in fact,  I just googled the technique I'm thinking of, and ironically, it's an ACROSTIC, where the first letter of each line spells out a message and aids in memory retrieval.  In fact, according to Wiki, one of the most famous acrostics is Ichthys:

A famous acrostic was made in Greek for the acclamation JESUS CHRIST, GOD'S SON, SAVIOUR (Greek: Ιησούς Χριστός, Θεού Υιός, Σωτήρ; Iesous CHristos, THeou Yios, Soter — ch and th being each one letter in Greek). The initials spell ICHTHYS (ΙΧΘΥΣ), Greek for fish – hence the frequent use of the fish as a symbol for Jesus Christ from the early days of Christianity to the present time.

So I giggled to myself over the word JOY and every one of his points brought to my mind a message in the word Joy.

You go through that door when  
Jesus  
Overwhelms  
You.

Revelation 3:20 tells us that, "Here I [Jesus] am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." Think of every single jot and tittle of His Word as a Knock.  When we hear knock, knock, knock in a car we know it's time to see a mechanic; so it is when the master of our vehicle knocks, pay attention.  If you hear that knock, get thee to Jesus.  Hence my next wandering thought was:

Jesus
Operates on
You 

When elaborating on Peace in John 20:21 "Peace be unto you:  as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you," I continued reading the next verse which said, "and when he had said this, he breathed on them and said, 'Receive ye the Holy Ghost."  I immediately said,

Jesus
Oxygenates
You

then

Jesus
Opportunes
You

I couldn't think of any more O words though I pondered throughout the rest of the message.  Pulled out of my daydreaming by Ron's beckoning those who heard the Lord's voice to come forward for prayer, my eyes focused on a gathering crowd, around whom were gathered believing friends and deacons, with Pastor Ron on just a couple steps up before them praying in earnest and I began to cry as I felt like I was watching the miracle of birth.  The position made Ron appear as though he was the doctor receiving the child from the mother's womb, who had the assistance of the father and friends.....

and Jesus giggled in my ear:

Obstetrician.  I am the obstetrician for you.  You must be born again, but I am there, waiting to receive you into my arms.

And my search for O words was complete, except for one:

Other.  There are other doors the Bible speaks of:  the gates of Hades.  Those gates may look less Ominous, they may look more inviting, they may look like you can easily Open them, but you really don't wanna see what's behind those doors.  In fact, Proverbs 16:25 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."

Don't be deceived.  This isn't harmless fun like the Price is Right, for Luke 13:25 tells us, "When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You (not Jesus knocking this time) will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Lord, open the door for us!' But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'"

IN THE SHADOW OF LOVE

This morning my lover embraced me and showered me with sweetness and fellowship.  My husband did too.

Ok, I knew that would get your attention.

In truth, my husband and my love becomes so much more beautiful, romantic and sweet the closer we grow to each other in grace, through fellowship with God's Valentine to us - Jesus Christ.  It's sharing on the deepest level.  I'm certain that is why in Genesis 4 and numerous OT passages, the inspired words were "Adam KNEW his wife....and conceived." It's so much more than just the sex...it's a far more intimate spiritual connection and union that expresses itself in the physical.  Adam knew Eve after their nakedness was revealed and covered by grace.  Their sexual union now became the concealed shadow of being rejoined spiritually, the foreshadow of Christ and his church. 

As I read from Exodus 29 and 30 this morning, the shadows of the Old Testament leapt out again.  The enormous detail God dictated regarding the sacrifice caused me to think, "there must be a reason - what am I missing?"  So I went back to my study, Seeing Christ in the Tabernacle by Ervin Hershberger, as a source, and peeled back yet another layer of onion skin.

This time, the layer revealed that Christ's resurrection took place the same month and day that the Bible TELLS us the Ark came to rest on Mt. Ararat.  I emphasize TELLS because wouldn't this be the reason God would give us the date???  It blew me away that the OT Jews who studied God's word so meticulously missed the fact that Jesus resurrected on the exact same day the Ark rested.  If Jesus is our Ark, through him we enter that Sabbath rest (it's a state, which is another study altogether) and celebrate new beginnings.

It makes sense to me that as believers we have already entered into that rest and now Sunday is our day of fellowship, our "Pentecost" - new beginnings, the first day of the week.

On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread...  Acts 20:7.

We are not looking for that rest - it has begun (for my family out there, gives new meaning to our song, "We've Only Just Begun....").

In reading further, I thought it was beautiful how, before instituting the Passover, God demonstrated He was making all things new by taking the last half of the Hebrew civil calendar and making it the beginning:

This month [Abib] shall be unto you the beginning of months:  it shall be the first month of the year to you.   Ex. 12:2

I immediately thought, "no wonder Jesus said to the laborers in the garden in Matt. 20:16, "So the last shall be first, and the first last." Abib became the first month of the sacred calendar.  The same month the Ark came to rest on Mt. Ararat.  The same month Jesus rose, victorious over the sin (and as mom pointed out that Aaron's rod, as a serpent, swallowed up Pharoah's magicians' serpents, synonymous with "death is swallowed up in victory! everything is a picture for those who have eyes to see!)

At this point, I decided to check out the Jewish Calendar section in my Bible.  Well, I couldn't find Abib.  Turns out Abib was changed to Nisan.  WHY?  WHEN?

I should have kept reading because the answers were ahead, but God was making my study personal, making me ask questions (and any teacher will know a student assimilates best their instruction when they can formulate questions).  I likely would have missed the point, like I did in so many previous readings.

Abib became re-termed Nisan during the Babylonian Captivity. The significance of that blew me away.  First off, God never told them to change the name to Nisan as far as I can tell.  It was adopted from the Babylonian's term for the month!  Imagine that!  Remember they went into captivity in Babylon for idolatry and failing to keep the Sabbath!  Talk about idolatry! Subsequently, God's first sacred month was disguised to future generations.  Henceforward, unless they had eyes to see when they searched the scriptures and understood that Nisan was in fact Abib, they would fail to connect the Sabbath rest with its fulfillment.  The repeated use of Nisan rather than Abib shows a disconnect. Another shadow or picture that we must be born again to see the kingdom of God....or enter the Sabbath rest. Their sin took them into captivity in Babylon where Satan was God's instrument in blinding their eyes to Christ's very fulfillment of the Sabbath rest.   

I gave them My statutes and informed them of My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live.  Also I gave them My sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them. Ezekiel 20:11-12

Sanctify My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God. Ezekiel 20:20

For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. Matthew 12:8

Because they kept not the Sabbaths, they failed to see Christ was the Lord who sanctifies them.  Christ IS the Sabbath rest.  

Is it any coincidence that the Lord said in Matthew 16:4,

A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.

A sign so obvious, so, shall we say, "headline newsworthy" -

JONAH, THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF A WHALE, VOMITED ONTO SHORE.

but, do we see the sign?  Is it so obvious, we don't see it?

JESUS, THREE DAYS AFTER BURIAL, SWALLOWS DEATH UP IN VICTORY, THE FIRST FRUIT OF ALL WHO ENTER THE SABBATH REST.

I pray the Word of God would embrace you today, that you would discover the riches of his glory, the enormity of his grace, and fall in love.