2.13.25 ~ Chain of Command

Good morning!

Last night we got to enjoy a wonderful baptism in the middle of a snow storm. Prior to the wonderful event we discussed the amazing redemptive pattern of Genesis 1:2-14 (Days 1, 2, 3, & 4) and showed the incredible parallel to Colossians 3:1-4. Along with those thoughts we discussed the pattern of the Israelite journey from the blood of the Lamb (Ex. 12), the provision of their comforter and set apart status (Ex. 13), their baptism (Ex. 14) and their destination to Mt. Sinai where they would enter into the covenant relationship with Yahweh Elohim, the Lord God (Ex. 19-24; Jer. 31:31-34).

Why the history lesson for a modern New Testament believer? Ironically, until the revolution of the “new,” no one wanted to embrace a way of life that did not have a long legacy of success.  In fact, our preoccupation with the latest and the greatest has never been a high priority in human history.  Most cultures, as many of us have seen around the U.S. and the world, embrace traditional ways of doing things because there is security and certainty in what has worked for a long time. This was definitely the case in the Roman first century, when Yeshua and the Apostle Paul lived. A “new” religion could not survive because no one trusted an untested practice when the gods were concerned. This is one of the reasons that Christianity needed to claim the TaNaKh (The Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings; aka Old Testament) as its foundation.

As we see, even to this day, most religious systems employ some kind of chain of authority, something that passes the message from one generation to the next regardless of the requirement for subtle modifications. There must be a chain of command if the religion is going to be more than someone’s new idea. Our Savior and coming Messiah, Yeshua, always referred to what was established under Moses (Lk. 24:25-27; Deut. 18:15; Acts 7:37; Jn. 1:45; Jn. 5:39-47; Acts 10:43; etc.).

In this week's Torah portion, Moses calls the elders, the elders pass the message to the sages...and the journey continues to this day.

"So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before their faces/yasem lifnehem all these words which the Lord had commanded him." (Ex. 19:7)

At the beginning of this wedding ceremony, as we talked about on Monday's zoom call, Moses does not simply recite the commandments to the elders. He assigns the commandments to the elders and appoints them to carry them out. He designates the elders as teachers of the people. He sets them aside for this purpose. This is a chain of command, something Moses learned from Jethro (Ex. 18).

Moses assigned these men to teach what God said, not to interpret or embellish, not to add to or take away from (Deut. 4:2; 12:32; Josh. 1:7; Prov. 30:6; Matt. 5:18; Gal. 3:15; etc.). The authority always rests in the words of the Lord, not in the men who are assigned to disperse the message. We are to constantly listen to the author, not the messenger. Not distinguishing the two, too often creates chaos. Worse yet, those who think they should be listened to because they have been authorized are missing the entire point of a chain of command. The biblical chain of command is the obligation of a servant, not the right of a master.

Consequently, we can determine our messages today whether they've been genetically modified, like our food, or if it contains the original seed that God intended with His Word; which will always reproduce after its kind (Lk. 8:11; Gen. 1:11,12).

The marriage covenant is set before us. If we are to be His bride, we will want to pay attention to what was at stake for God's future bride and what was laid before the Elders (Ex. 19:5,6)...More on Friday night's zoom call...you won't want to miss this one.

Shalom

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