Lesson date: 04/05/5856AA

Verses 1-2A – I am not very smart but I do know that for any endeavor to be successful, you need to practice. We have read the descriptions of the objects multiple times just like the Children of Yisra’el must have heard it. Can you imagine following the Word of YHVH out of Mitsrayim, across the desert of Sinai, watching the Reed Sea part, manna fall from heaven, the column of fire and the column of cloud lead the way, 3,000 souls die because of their disobedience and to sit in camp and hear the gossip about what the Voice of YHVH told Mosheh to do and to finally, come to the point of everything being ready to put together for the first time, imagine the excitement. And when did all this take place? The first day of Aviv. Why is it so special to get the First of Aviv right? Because, it was our wedding rehearsal.

Imagine your bride sending out invitations or notices to the bridesmaids, best man, pastor, everyone involved in the wedding and leaving off the date, or worse yet, telling everyone one date and writing another date on the rehearsal notice to everyone.

It has now been one year since the Children of Yisra’el left out of Mitsrayim and crossed over into the Wilderness of Sin. On the first day of Aviv the Children of Yisra’el became of “new” creature by being redeemed out of slavery to Mitsrayim. Now, one year later they have once again become a new creature, the Bride of YHVH. What I have to ask myself is, “Have I indeed become a new creature?”

Verses 2B-3 – Raise up the Dwelling Place of the Tent of Appointment, the chuppah! This is where the wedding takes place, under the chuppah. A rabbi once told me that the chuppah represents the tent of Abraham and Sarah. No, it doesn’t. The chuppah represents the Dwelling Place where the wedding of Yeshua to His Bride will take place. Once the “chuppah” is erected then comes the Place of Honor, the Ark of the Witness. Witness of what? The Wedding Covenant. How important is it? It is screened with a veil so, what does that tell you? That it why YHVH says what He did to Ezekiel; Eze 9:6 “Kill to destruction old, young men, maidens and children and women, but do not come near anyone upon whom is the mark, and begin at My set-apart place.” So they began with the elders who were in front of the House.

YHVH takes all of this deathly seriously and so should we.

Verse 4 – In the culture in which I was raised the bride’s mother arranged/planned the rehearsal meal and her sisters helped the bride’s mother put it together so it would be a success: Joh 2:1 And on the third day there was a wedding in Qanah of Galil, and the mother of יהושע was there.

Joh 2:2 And both יהושע and His taught ones were invited to the wedding.

Joh 2:3 And when they were short of wine, the mother of יהושע said to Him, “They have no wine.”

Joh 2:4 יהושע said to her, “Woman, what is that to Me and to you? My hour has not yet come.”

Joh 2:5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He says to you.”

I believe it was either Mary’s daughter getting married or her neice, that is why she was such a voice of authority at this wedding. Please notice that she did not tell Yeshua twice, nor the servants, nor did she plead or beg.

Next, the lampstand is brought in and lit. The Light is now present for each of the guests at the rehearsal meal.

Verse 5 – Remember us discussing how Yeshua was represented by the Altar of Incense? What is does the incense represent? ((Yes, Yeshua is represented by each facet of the Dwelling Place.)) Please notice that the Light is brought in first so that we can pray intelligently or coherently, so that our prayers can be heard: Mat 6:9 “This, then, is the way you should pray: ‘Our Father who is in the heavens, let Your Name be set-apart,

Mat 6:10 let Your reign come, let Your desire be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Mat 6:11 Give us today our daily bread.

Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Mat 6:13 ‘And do not lead us into trial,a but deliver us from the wicked one – because Yours is the reign and the power and the esteem, forever. Aměn.’

And, now we know how to pray so what do those prayers become? Rev_8:3 And another messenger came and stood at the slaughter-place, 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 slaughter-place which was before the throne.

Rev_8:4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the set-apart ones, went up before Elohim from the hand of the messenger.

Verse 6 – The slaughter place: Lev 17:11 ‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the slaughter-place to make atonement for your lives, for it is the blood that makes atonement for the life.’

Heb 9:22 And, according to the Torah, almost all is cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Verse 7 – The bronze laver is brought in so that we can wash our hands before we partake of the meal, right? Why? Job_17:9 And the righteous holds to his way, and he who has clean hands becomes stronger and stronger.

Verse 8 – Set up the courtyard because you do not want the uninvited just showing up: Mat 22:11 “And when the sovereign came in to view the guests, he saw there a man who had not put on a wedding garment,

Mat 22:12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not having a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.

Mat 22:13 “Then the sovereign said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him out into the outer darkness – there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

You must have a door or gate to keep out the thieves and robbers: Joh 10:1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter through the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up by another way, that one is a thief and a robber.

Joh 10:2 “But he who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

Verses 9-11 – Anoint with oil: Mat 25:8 “And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’

Mat 25:9 “But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, indeed, there would not be enough for us and you. Instead, go to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’

Mat 25:10 “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut.

Verses 12-16 – Bring them to the Door of the Tent of Appointment. We all have appointments, some with the doctor, attorney, business associates. You need an appointment and once you have one you should keep it: Joh 14:23 יהושע answered him, “If anyone loves Me, he shall guard My Word. And My Father shall love him, and We shall come to him and make Our stay with him.

Rev 3:20 “See, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I shall come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

We need to keep this appointment. Now, what happens after we have kept ths appointment? Mat 28:19 “Therefore, go and make taught ones of all the nations, immersing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Set-apart Spirit,

We have to put on wedding garments: Rev_7:14 And I said to him, “Master, you know.” And he said to me, “These are those coming out of the great distress, having washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

What is next? We have to live up to our calling: 1Pe 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,  a set-apart nation, a people for a possession, that you should proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light,

We were called in the very beginning of this relationship to be a kingdom of priests: Exo 19:6  ‘and you shall be to Me a reign of priests and a set-apart nation.’ Those are the words which you are to speak to the children of Yisra’ěl.”

He has called us over and over and, we need to keep our appointment: Isa 61:6 But you shall be called, ‘Priests of יהוה,’ ‘Servants of our Elohim’ shall be said of you. You shall consume the strength of the nations, and boast in their esteem.

Verses 17-33 – Mosheh actually accomplished all that he was told to do. Have we?

Verses 34-35 – A huge change takes place here. Remember, up to this point it has only been Mosheh (Torah) and Yeshoshua that could enter into the Tent of Appointment. Now, the Esteem of Elohim has filled the tent and now only the priests may enter in. The Torah is supposed to train us to recognize the Messiah: Gal 3:24 Therefore the Torah became our trainer unto Messiah, in order to be declared right by belief.

Gal 3:25 And after belief has come, we are no longer under a trainer.

Instead, many have thrown away Torah and can’t recognize the Messiah because they have thrown away the instruction manual on how to recognize the Messiah. Without the instruction manual it is easy to accept a counterfeit, an anti-Messiah: Isa 42:8 “I am יהוה, that is My Name, and My esteem I do not give to another, nor My praise to idols.

Here is a very scary thought: Rev 15:8 And the Dwelling Place was filled with smoke from the esteem of Elohim and from His power, and no one was able to enter the Dwelling Place until the seven plagues of the seven messengers were ended.

In Chapter 16 of Revelation the plagues are poured out but no one is able to come to the Dwelling Place to repent and those that won’t repent receive the plagues. There is chesed and there is chen in the Kingdom of Elohim but at some point it ends and judgement(plagues) come.

Deu 4:31 “For יהוה your Elohim is a compassionate Ěl, He does not forsake you, nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.

Deu 31:6 “Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be afraid of them. For it is יהוה your Elohim who is going with you. He does not fail you nor forsake you.”

1Ch 28:20 And Dawiḏ said to his son Shelomoh, “Be strong and courageous, and do it. Do not fear nor be afraid, for יהוה Elohim, my Elohim, is with you. He shall not leave you nor forsake you, until you have completed all the work for the service of the House of יהוה.

Verse 38 – Cloud and fire. Cloud is H6051 – ‘anan – ענן – mist, cloud also, covering. But, we have to be careful because there is another word that sounds very close and that is anan – H596 – to complain, to murmur: Num 11:1 And it came to be, when the people were as complainers, it was evil in the ears of יהוה. And יהוה heard it, and His displeasure burned. And the fire of יהוה burned among them, and consumed those in the outskirts of the camp.

The same word is used in verse 38 as in Bemidbar 11:1 for fire -aysh- H784. If we have our “covering” then the fire will lead us, comfort us and guide us but, if we forget our covering and complain it can consume us.