7.6.26 – His Bride and New Beginnings, Part 2

In Part 1 of our "new" study, we examined some "new" thoughts on last week's Torah portion—Pinchas (Num. 25–30).

Before we go further, let us examine the word our English Bibles translate as "new"—chadash. In common usage, it does not mean "new" in the sense of never having existed before. In Hebrew thought, there is nothing "new" in that sense under the sun. The adjective chadash describes something that has always existed but has been acted upon by nature or time to initiate a fresh cycle of productivity. For example, each year a wheat field produces a "new" crop; each month the same old moon enters a chadash phase; and each lap a runner takes around a track is described as chadash, even though it closely resembles every lap before it. For the Redeemed of the Holy One, preparing for the chadash is not about starting over—it is about making necessary adjustments to account for environmental changes. As we know by experience, each day is "new" to us, but nothing is "new" to Him who knows the end from the beginning. What may be "new" in instruction has always been with Yahweh; it is instructively new for us, preparing us for His finale when He makes all things new.

Understand, however, that with Yahweh, what we see as "old" and "new" are always integrally related, perfectly consistent, and best understood as two sides of the same coin.

How can that be? And does this semantic really matter? Inquiring minds want to know 😊 since Yahweh is eternal—He dwells outside of time while interacting with us in time. With Him there is no shadow of turning; He does not wake up in a new world each day. There is no yesterday, today, or tomorrow with Him. He sees all that men perceive as time occurring at once. All generations and civilizations are part of one continuous tapestry. Knowing the end from the beginning, He confines all His dealings with men to the furtherance of His one unchanging, unshakable, unstoppable eternal plan of redemption. What seems "new" to us is not "new" to Him. It has always been His plan to reveal these things progressively as time unfolds—so be prepared for "new" things in the days ahead.

To Yahweh, what mortal men—created beings living in the constantly unfolding world of time—think of as "old" and "new" are the same play with the same themes. All that changes in His eyes are the names and faces of the actors, the scenery, and the stage props.

Consider a biblical example. Abraham was called as the prototypical hearer of the Creator's voice. He surrendered this role to Isaac, who surrendered it to Jacob, who passed it to Joseph and Judah. And so it continues—now the ball is in your court. The Voice did not—and cannot—change. The message did not—and cannot—change. The calling did not—and cannot—change. The Covenant did not—and cannot—change. Only the earthly faces, names, places, obstacles, and props change.

Similarly, it is now time for Moses to surrender his role as Friend of the Bridegroom and leader of the Camp to Joshua. Joshua will surrender to judges like Deborah, Gideon, and Samuel. The judges will surrender to prophets and kings like David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. And they will surrender it to Messiah Yeshua and the appointed heads of His government, the increase of which will know no end. But the Bridegroom will not—and cannot—change. His love for His Beloved will not—and cannot—change. The calling to return that love with passion and live according to His Ways will not—and cannot—change. Only the earthly faces, names, places, obstacles, and props change.

So what does "letting go of the past" entail for those in Covenant with the Most High? That is the point of this short two-part study 😊

First, it almost always means letting go of the comfort—or familiar pain—of faces and names that have played important roles in the chapter of life now closing. Letting go means releasing those who have meant the most to us, for good or evil, for pleasure or pain. Picture Abraham packing provisions for Hagar and Ishmael, later laying Sarah to rest in the cave of Machpelah. Picture Rebekah leaving her family to become the wife of a man she had never met and the matriarch of a nation beyond imagination. Picture Jacob fleeing from his twin brother, his father, and his beloved mother, never to see her again.

Are there people from prior chapters of your life you need to release to Yahweh? A parent, sibling, teacher, best friend, number one enemy, lost love, boss, business partner, client, pastor, priest, rabbi, child, or grandchild? Is there an Abel, Ham, Lot, Hagar, Ishmael, Isaac, Sarah, Esau, Laban, Rachel, Dinah, Joseph, Benjamin, or Pharaoh Yahweh is calling you to let go?

Second, letting go often means walking away from familiar places and symbols, trusting Yahweh to provide fresh and more fulfilling ones. Picture Abram and Sarai watching Haran grow smaller in the distance. Picture Joseph in chains, watching the gap widen between himself and the pit and his father's special garment. Picture the Exodus generation watching the pyramids and the Nile disappear as they strode toward freedom.

Are there places from your past you need to release? The house you grew up in, the school you attended, the fields or neighborhoods where you played, the city of your best or worst moments, the building where you worked, wed, or worshipped, the graves of those who have gone before?

Third, letting go often means moving past familiar phrases that have become clichés instead of the revelatory communications they once were. We have heard Moses say, "Let my people go," for the last time. Only three more times will we read, "And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying…" We will never again hear him declare, "Arise Yahweh, let Your enemies be scattered," or "Return, O Holy One, to the many thousands of Israel!"

Are there familiar phrases or clichés Yahweh is calling you to let go of? Do you find yourself repeating stale, second-hand phrases sprinkled with outdated religious buzzwords, instead of releasing fresh revelation? Do you speak accusations, place blame, rehearse offenses, and make excuses, instead of offering creative wisdom and solutions? Now, as the winds of change blow through the camp, it is time to press beyond clichés, get over offenses, and move toward future-based solutions. It is time to be part of the great movement toward "on earth as it is in Heaven."

Finally, letting go almost always involves moving past comfortable patterns of behavior—customary and convenient ways of doing things. Picture Abram describing his relationship with Sarah to Abimelech the same way he had to Pharaoh. Picture Moses at Meribah, rod in hand, preparing to strike the rock as he had at Rephidim. Sometimes we must re-evaluate how and why we do what we do—whether in worship, study, prayer, leadership, counseling, teaching, preaching, prophesying, or any other form of ministry. The same applies to eating, drinking, conversation, and interaction. Continuing to do things the same way simply because we always have is a trap for staleness, compromise, and settling for far less than the Holy One intends. It can cause us to miss the purpose and destiny for which we have been given breath at such a time as this.

We are much more than the people, places, circumstances, and behavior patterns that repeat in our lives. We are wonderfully designed, masterfully crafted, infinitely creative spiritual beings, with vast untapped reservoirs of intelligence, talent, strength, and world-changing ideas and energies waiting to be inspired and unleashed. Oh, that we would heed the Master's call to arise and live each day to the fullest, with wide-eyed wonder, leaping and running like calves released from the stalls!

But what of tradition? Tradition can be wonderful. If it connects us inextricably to the words of the Living God and directs us toward our destiny as His Covenant People, it can be one of the sweetest, most valuable wells of wisdom. But if it connects us only to dead men's bones and dead-end pathways, it is a poison cistern in which we may be buried alive.

We are in a new season! Seek His face in a fresh way!

Shalom,
Alan