PastorRodney’s Weblog

2025 12/28 After Advent: Fix your Eyes on Jesus – Prophet; [Heb. 3:1-6];Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20251228_jesus-prophet.mp3

For Advent we’ve been ‘fixing our eyes on Jesus’(12:2). We’ve been looking at some of the titles of Jesus in the book of Hebrews, looking at who he is, and what he came to do.

Hebrews 3:1 calls Jesus ‘the Apostle’, the one sent out from his Father, the only begotten Son sent to become one of us, to set us free and show us grace. It also calls Jesus our Great High Priest, the only mediator between God and man, the only sinless priest who offered himself as the once for all sacrifice for our sins.

In Hebrews 2 the eternal Word became flesh, became human, became one of us, so that he could die in our place. When we put our trust in him, who he truly is and what he has done for us, we are adopted into his family, and he is not ashamed to call us his brothers.

In Hebrews 1, Jesus is the final word. In contrast to the many ways God spoke in times past, God has spoken in Son. God has given us his final word. God has put his own glory on display in his Son, the radiance of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews is all about how Jesus is supreme. Jesus is the great Apostle, the High Priest greater than Aaron, the incarnate Word greater than all the ways God spoke in the past. Today we will see that although Moses was the great deliverer, law-giver and leader, Jesus is greater.

Promise of ‘A Prophet Like Moses’ [Deut.18:15-19; 34:10]

Deuteronomy gets its name from ‘deutero’ ‘second’ and ‘nomos’ ‘law’; the second giving of the Law. Moses was addressing the new generation, the children of those who were rescued out of Egypt but disobeyed and fell in the wilderness. Even Moses was not allowed to enter the promised land, but he was teaching the law to that generation who would enter in under Joshua. In Deuteronomy 18 he says:

Deuteronomy 18:15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— 16 just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ 17 And the LORD said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.

After Joshua, full of the spirit of wisdom, is appointed to lead the people, Deuteronomy closes with these words:

Deuteronomy 34:10 And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, 12 and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

Moses prophesied that YHWH God would raise up for the people a prophet like Moses from the people of Israel, who would mediate between God and man, who would speak God’s words, who would do signs and wonders, mighty acts of power, whom YHWH God would know face to face.

Expectation of ‘The Prophet’ [John]

We see this expectation in the New Testament: in John 1,

John 1:19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” …25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

Notice the definite article; ‘the prophet’; they were not just anticipating another prophet like the many God chose to speak through; they were looking for ‘the prophet,’ the one who would fulfill the promises of Deuteronomy.

In John 6, when Jesus fed five thousand men, in addition to women and children with five barley loaves and two small fish, and had 12 baskets full left over,

John 6:14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

in John 7,

John 7:37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. 40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.”

In Luke 7, when Jesus raised the widow’s only son,

Luke 7:16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!”

God had given his people the hope of a future prophet, a prophet like Moses, a greater prophet. And the people began to see in Jesus the fulfillment of that promise.

Jesus Like Moses; Compare and Contrast [Ex.20, 33; Num.12]

How is Jesus a prophet like Moses? What was different about Moses than all the other prophets? And in what ways was Jesus different than Moses, greater than Moses, the fulfillment, of which Moses was only a shadow?

A prophet was one to whom God gave his words, who spoke on behalf of God to the people. When YHWH God thundered his ten words from Mount Sinai to his people,

Exodus 20:18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” … 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

Moses was the mediator who stood between God and man, who represented the people before God, and brought God’s word to the people in a way they could hear it.

God Spoke More Directly with Moses [Num.12; Ex.33; Heb.1-2]

We saw in Hebrews 1 that God spoke at many times and in many ways; he spoke through creation, through dreams and visions, through a voice from heaven, through words written, through a still small voice. In Numbers 12 the Lord claims to have spoken uniquely to Moses. Miriam and Aaron challenged Moses’ authority; they argue that the Lord has spoken through them also.

Numbers 12:5 And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. 6 And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”

YHWH God made himself known to Moses more directly.

Exodus 33:11 Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. …

But even that direct revelation had limitations; when Moses asked to see God’s glory, the Lord answered, ‘But, you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” (Ex.33:20).

But as Hebrews 1 tells us, ‘in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son’. Jesus ‘is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature’ (Heb.1:2-3). Jesus who was in the beginning with God and who is himself God, Jesus is God the Word made flesh. Jesus is God’s final word.

Moses the Servant, Jesus the Son [Heb.3:1-6]

Hebrews 3 invites us to consider Jesus

Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. 3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

Moses was faithful as a servant in God’s house; Jesus was faithful as the Son. Moses has glory as a part of the house that God built; Jesus has far more glory as the builder of that house. Moses pointed beyond himself to the one who was to come; Jesus is the one who was to come, and he invited all to come to him and find life.

Moses Letters of Death, Jesus Life Giving Spirit [2Cor.3:7-13]

2 Corinthians 3 also compares and contrasts Moses’ ministry with the ministry of Jesus.

2 Corinthians 3:7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. 12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end.

Moses’ ministry was a ministry that brought condemnation and death, it was letters on stone, it had a glory that was being brought to an end.

Jesus brings the ministry of the Spirit written on human hearts, a ministry that brings justification, righteousness, life, and transformation, a permanent and infinitely more glorious ministry.

Law of Moses, Grace of Jesus [John 1, 3, 6, 7]

John 1 says:

John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Law brings reward for obedience and punishment for disobedience; we all fall short and deserve punishment. Grace is a good gift we don’t deserve and could never earn.

John 3, Moses lifted up a bronze serpent on a pole so that whoever looked at it was delivered from the immediate physical consequences of their sins. Jesus was himself lifted up on a cross to bear the punishment we deserve, so that whoever looks to him experiences forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

John 6, Moses prayed and God gave his people bread in the wilderness to meet their physical needs. Jesus, after meeting physical needs, pointed to our spiritual need, and claimed to be the bread from heaven, spiritual food to nourish and satisfy hungry souls. Jesus gave us himself as food to satisfy our greatest need.

John 7, Moses was given circumcision as a sign of the covenant, a cutting off of flesh. Jesus came to make us whole, complete.

Like Moses, Jesus came to his own people to rescue them, but his own people rejected him. Moses brought mighty signs in the plagues, bringing injury, ruin and death; Jesus did mighty signs of healings, restoring broken things, even bringing the dead back to life. Moses led the people out of slavery in Egypt; Jesus sets people truly free and brings us into our heavenly rest. Through Moses God gave the Law; Jesus came to fulfill the Law and satisfy its demands. Moses prayed and God gave physical bread from heaven; Jesus is the bread from heaven, he gave his own body to give life to the world. Moses struck the rock and water poured out to satisfy physical thirst; Jesus is the Rock that followed them (1Cor.10:4); he was struck to give us living water, the water of the Holy Spirit, water that springs up to eternal life and satisfaction.

Jesus the Fulfillment [Jn.5; Mt.5]

Jesus said in John 5:

John 5:45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.

Jesus claimed that Moses wrote about him. Jesus said in Matthew 5:

Matthew 5:17 ​“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Jesus is that prophet, who Moses wrote about, the fulfillment of all the law and the prophets and the Psalms. It truly is all about Jesus!

Both Peter in Acts 3 and Stephen in Acts 7 proclaimed Jesus as the one who is the prophet like Moses. Peter called Jesus ‘the Holy and Righteous One, …you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead’ (Ac.3:14-15).

Acts 3:22 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. 23 And it shall be thatevery soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’

Jesus is our greater prophet! Listen to him! How are we to respond?

Acts 3:18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 12/24 Christmas Eve: Glory! -glory to God in the highest; glory of God in the face of Jesus. Radiance of the glory of God (Heb.1:3; Lk:2:14; 2Cor.4:4,6): http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20251224_jesus-glory.mp3

In the dark fields around Bethlehem, the night lit up in a blaze of glory. An angel proclaimed to lowly shepherds “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” (Lk.2:10-12)

If one angel were not terrifying enough, the sky split “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Lk.2:13-14).

Glory. Glory to God in the highest. Glory is the bright shining of the confluence of all God’s attributes. God is holy, completely other; the divine three persons in one God. He is spirit, eternal, sovereign, good. He knows all, sees all, unlimited in power, beyond time and space, he fills all. He is just, he is love, he is patient, he is merciful and gracious. He is worthy of all worship.

Here’s the astounding thing; God’s glory was put on display that night in a shepherd’s cave, through the labor pains of a young unwed mother, and placed in a stone trough used to water sheep. The glory of God entered humanity in the person of Jesus. The Word who was with God and who was God, the Word who was in the beginning,

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The divine and eternal Word of God put his glory on display. John goes on to say:

John 1:18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

Jesus himself claimed:

“If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. …Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. …I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (Jn.14:7-11). “I and the Father are one” (Jn.10:30).

Hebrews tells us:

Hebrews 1:2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. …

Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God; the exact imprint of his nature. Jesus puts the glory of God on display.

In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul writes of his practice of openly proclaiming the good news by which we can be saved:

2 Corinthians 4:3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

There is a satanic blindness that prevents people from seeing Jesus for who he truly is, from trusting in him and being saved. According to Paul, those who are blind to who Jesus truly is are perishing. Satanic blindness keeps people from seeing the light of the good news of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. But God can overcome even dark satanic blindness. He goes on:

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

It is God’s sovereign creative power that triumphs over the darkness and gives light, light to us, light in our hearts, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Do you see it? The glory of God in the manger? The glory of God most high in the face of the Son of God? The glory of God in Jesus of Nazareth, who hung on a cross to pay for my sins? For yours? Do you see it? Ask God to give you eyes to see it!

When you’ve seen it, you’ll spread it. God’s glory is uncontainable. It spreads. The shepherds that night went to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Luke 2:16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Glory to God in the highest! The glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The radiance of God’s glory on display in Jesus, who left his Father’s side to become one of us, to take on flesh, ultimately to take our sins in his own body on the tree, to pay my price so that I could enjoy his glory in his presence forever. That is good news of great joy. And it is for all people! It is for you, if you will receive it. Will you?

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 12/21 Advent 4: Fix Your Eyes on Jesus – The Word; [Hebrews 1:1-4];Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20251221_jesus-the-word.mp3

This Advent season we are taking the opportunity to ‘fix our eyes on Jesus’(12:2). We are looking at some of the titles of Jesus in the book of Hebrews, looking at who he is, and what he came to do.

We’ve looked at Hebrews 3:1 which calls Jesus ‘the Apostle’, the one sent out from his Father, the only begotten Son sent to become one of us, to set us free and show us grace. We looked at Jesus our Great High Priest, our only mediator between God and man, the only eternal priest, the only sinless priest, who offered himself as the once for all sacrifice for our sins, who entered the holy of holies in heaven and sat down at the right hand of his Father in glory.

We looked at Jesus our brother in Hebrews 2; although Jesus is the only begotten Son, although he is from above and we are from below, when we put our trust in Jesus, who he truly is and what he has done for us, we are adopted into his family, and he is not ashamed to call us his brothers; we are included in the Son’s inheritance.

At Many Times, In Many Ways

The book of Hebrews begins this way:

Hebrews 1:1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Our God is a communicating God. He spoke the world into existence, and ‘the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork’ (Ps.19:1); ‘The heavens declare his righteousness’ (Ps.50:6),

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion…

‘YHWH God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature’ (Gen.2:7), and YHWH God said it was very good. He gave Adam instructions, walked with him, spoke with him. The Lord spoke to Cain, to Noah, Abram, Hagar, Rebekah, Isaac, Jacob, Moses. God spoke directly, through an angel, through a donkey, through a burning bush; he spoke through thunder and lightning and cloud and thick darkness, and through a still small voice. He wrote on stone tablets, his finger wrote on the palace wall. He spoke to his people by his Spirit through the prophets. God spoke at many times and in many ways.

The Final Word

In contrast to all these many times, in these last days he has spoken. God spoke, but now God has spoken. His word, like his character, is and always has been true and unchanging, but it was unfolding, bit by bit, gaining clarity, resolution. Like pieces of a puzzle without the picture on the box-top, some in darker hews, some with brighter colors, some blurred, some with vivid clarity, slowly taking shape, coming together, each piece pointing to something bigger. How does it all fit together? God spoke at many times and in many ways.

But now he has spoken. He has given us his final word. It is definitive. Absolute. Complete. The picture on the box, what every piece was pointing to, is Jesus, his only Son. God has spoken. [Mic drop.]

In Son

In contrast to the many ways he spoke in times past, God has spoken in Son. Beyond ‘in creation, in direct conversation, in prophetic dreams and visions, in words written.’ Beyond all these ways, God has spoken ‘in Son’; that makes for awkward English, but it’s a very literal translation; ‘he has spoken to us in Son’. I am speaking to you ‘in English’. Abraham is in the back translating my words, speaking ‘in Spanish’. That is the language, the medium of communicating the ideas in my head over into yours. God’s final revelation was not ‘in Hebrew’ or ‘in Aramaic’ or ‘in Greek’; it was ‘in Son’. Jesus is the way God communicated most fully with us.

Angels are Messengers; Jesus is the Message!

Hebrews 1:1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

The word ‘angel’ means ‘messenger’. Hebrews 1:14 calls them ‘ministering spirits sent out to serve’. God at times sent angels to communicate his message. But in these last days he has spoken in Son. Hebrews is all about Jesus being superior; he is greater than Moses, greater than Aaron, greater than the angels. Angels were sent with messages about someone else; they usually started their message with two words ‘fear not’, because God alone is to be feared. And if the recipient of their message attempted to worship, they quickly refused; “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you… Worship God.” (Rev.19:10; 22:8).

Jesus was also sent from his Father with a message. Jesus is the greater messenger, sent from his Father with a message, and as the message. The message Jesus was sent with was himself. Jesus is both the language and the content of the message; both the method of communication and the message itself. Where angels were sent to point away from themselves to someone greater, Jesus received worship as the only Son of God.

Jesus, Creator of all things, heir of all things, radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of his nature, sovereign over all things.

Jesus a Matter of Life and Death (Jn.20:28-31)

This is what John’s gospel is all about. John gives us his purpose statement in John 20 after doubting Thomas confessed Jesus to be ‘my Lord and my God!’ (Jn.20:28)

John 20:30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

What we believe about Jesus is truly a matter of eternal life or death.

Incarnation (1John1:1-5; John 1:1-5,14,16-18; Col.2:9)

John in his short letter 1 John introduces Jesus this way:

1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

The Word of life was from the beginning, that life made known, put on display for eye-witnesses to see and hear and touch and experience. The eternal Word of life who was with the Father was made known, so we could make him known; the Father and his Son Jesus Christ.

This parallels John’s introduction to his gospel:

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Jesus existed in the beginning. Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God. Jesus always was, in relationship with his Father. The Father made everything that was made through Jesus the Word. In Jesus is life and light, shining in the darkness, making unseen things seen. Verse 14 says:

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus, the Word who was with God and who was God, the only Son from the Father, became flesh and pitched his tent among us. Eyewitnesses saw his glory; the glory of God in the face of Jesus, full of grace and truth.

As Colossians tells us,

Colossians 2:9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

God in a body. God with skin on. God in flesh, incarnate. God with us. The incarnation. Not just a little bit of God; the whole fullness of deity, God with us, fully God, in the person of Jesus.

Jesus Exegetes the Father (John 1:16-18; 10:30; 14:7-11)

John goes on:

John 1:16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

The Word who was with God and who was himself God, the only begotten God who is at the Father’s side has made God known. The word translated ‘made known’ is [ἐξηγήσατο]. That’s where we get our English word ‘exegesis’ or ‘exegetical’; it is used primarily in reference to Bible study or Bible preaching that gets out of the text what it means, what is really there, what the author intended to communicate, in contrast to ‘eisegesis’, which is to read in, to put into the text your own preconceived ideas, not what is really there but what you want to see there. Jesus exegetes his Father; he draws out, puts on display, makes know who God really is.

If you want to know God, to know who God is, what God is like, fix your eyes on Jesus. Jesus told his disciples “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. …Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. …I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (Jn.14:7-11). “I and the Father are one” (Jn.10:30). Jesus came, became human to show us who God is, to make his Father known.

Transfigured

In Matthew 17 Jesus took three of his disciples, Peter, James and John up on a high mountain by themselves.

Matthew 17:2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. [Mark says ‘radiant, intensely white’; Luke ‘dazzling white’]

…5 …behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

The Father interrupted Peter’s ramblings and spoke from heaven: ‘This is my beloved Son, …listen to him’. And notice, Jesus wasn’t talking at this point; he was shining. He was putting on display the glory of God. The Word who was with God and who was God became flesh to make God known through who he was.

Jesus Fulfillment of the Prophets (Is.7:14; 9:2, 6; Mt.1:20-23)

This is what the prophets were pointing to;

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 9:2 ​The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. … 6 ​For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Jesus is the fulfillment:

Matthew 1:20 …behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

Jesus the Final Word

Jesus is the Word, the messenger and the message.

Hebrews 1:2 …in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power…

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 12/14 Advent 3: Fix Your Eyes on Jesus – Jesus, Brother; [Hebrews 2]; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20251214_jesus-brother.mp3

We’re taking instruction this Advent season from the book of Hebrews to ‘fix our eyes on Jesus’(12:2); looking at some of the titles of Jesus, looking at who he is, and what he came to do.

We’ve looked at Hebrews 3:1 which calls Jesus ‘the Apostle’, one sent out from his Father, sent from above, the only begotten sent to become one of us, sent to rescue and redeem, to set us free and show us his grace. We looked at Jesus our Great High Priest, our only mediator between God and man, the eternal sinless Son of God, who gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins once for all, who entered heaven itself and sat down at the right hand of his Father in glory.

Jesus Our Brother (Hebrews 2:11)

Hebrews 2 says this:

Hebrews 2:10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12 saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

Hebrews 2 is talking about Jesus, and he says of us ‘he is not ashamed to call them his brothers’. Jesus claims us as his brothers! In what sense biblically is Jesus our brother? What does this even mean?

Mankind Given Dominion (Psalm 8; Genesis 1)

Hebrews is telling us that Jesus is greater. He is greater than Moses, than Aaron, than angels. Hebrews 2:5 says:

Hebrews 2:5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? 7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, 8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.” …

Hebrews quotes Psalm 8:4-6. In Psalm 8, David is looking with wonder at God’s creation. God’s glory is above the heavens; and the heavens are glorious; the work of God’s fingers, the stars he set in place. In light of all this, what is man?! Small, weak, finite, fickle, frail. What is man? And yet according to Genesis 1, God made man in his image and gave mankind dominion over all of his creation. God made man to rule under him over the rest of creation, crowned with glory and honor.

Hebrews 2 goes on:

Hebrews 2:8 …Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. …

That’s a staggering statement;

Psalm 8:6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,

Everything leaves out nothing. But this is also realistic;

Hebrews 2:8 …At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.

Jesus the Ideal Man (John 1:1,14; Philippians 2:5-7)

Mankind has failed to rule God’s creation well. But this points us to something greater, someone greater; the one Hebrews is pointing to:

Hebrews 2:9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

This all points to Jesus; him who for a little while was made lower than the angels. Jesus’ favorite title for himself was ‘Son of Man’. Made lower indicates that he was originally higher. For a little while indicates that this lowering in rank or authority was not permanent. What is this talking about? John’s gospel clarifies:

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. … 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

The Word, who existed before time in relationship with his Father, who in his nature was himself God, at a point in time became flesh and dwelt among us. This is Christmas!

Philippians 2 helps us:

Philippians 2:5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Jesus, eternally existing the form of God did not cling to his equality with the Father, but lowered himself by taking the form of a servant, taking human form, being born as a man.

Here’s a theological phrase that helps guard us from error; ‘remaining what he was, he became what he was not’. This is what Christmas is all about! Continuing in very nature as God, he took an additional nature, a human nature. Remaining what he was; eternal God, he became what he was not; human.

Jesus Experienced Death For Me (Philippians 2:8-10; Heb.2:9)

Why? Philippians goes on:

Philippians 2:8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In the words of Hebrews ‘Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.’ (2:9). Jesus the eternal Word became flesh, became human, in order that by God’s grace he could experience death in my place, for me. This is the why of Christmas. Why did eternal God, remaining what he was, become a baby in a manger? To display God’s grace. To take my sin, to pay my price. To die on a cross.

Everything Exists For God and Through God (Heb.2:10)

Hebrews 2 goes on:

Hebrews 2:10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Everything that exists, exists for God and through God. This is how Adam failed; he sought to live for himself and by himself. He made it all about himself. Jesus came to show us what true humanity was meant to be, lived for the glory of God, and through the strength that God supplies. Jesus showed us the perfection, the completion, the aim and end that humanity was meant for; Jesus the founder of our salvation lived for the glory of God and was obedient to his Father in all things, even in his suffering death for us. He showed us what we were meant to be in order to ‘bring many sons to glory’.

Jesus Suffered as a Human (Psalm 22, Isaiah 7:14; 9:2, 6)

Hebrews 2:11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12 saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” 13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

It was through his death as a human that Jesus sanctified us, cleansed us from all sin, made us perfectly holy. It is in his taking on our human nature that we all have one source; literally ‘we are all of one’. Jesus truly and genuinely became human, and in that he can call us ‘brothers’. This quote is from Psalm 22, the first line of which Jesus quoted from the cross;

Psalm 22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

The first half of Psalm 22 graphically describes the suffering of Jesus. As a man, Jesus took what I deserve. He suffered in my place. He bore the weight of the sin of humanity in his human body on the cross. Verse 22 is at the turning point of the Psalm, experiencing God’s salvation. Jesus displayed the name, the character of his Father to us as one of us. And alongside us he shows us what we were meant for; praise, worship, trust. The other two quotes are from Isaiah 8, the passage that talks about YHWH being our sanctuary, and a stone of offense and rock of stumbling; sandwiched between the promise of Isaiah 7:

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

and Isaiah 9:

Isaiah 9:2 ​The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. …6 ​For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Made Like His Brothers in Every Respect (Heb.2:14-18)

Hebrews 2:14 makes it clear:

Hebrews 2:14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Because Jesus came to ‘bring many sons to glory’; to save ‘the children God has given me’ he had to be made human, flesh and blood, so as a man he could strip death of its power by dying.

The fact that he had to be ‘made like his brothers in every respect’ (v.17) indicates that he was inherently not like us. Jesus is eternal God. At the incarnation, remaining what he was, he became really and truly human. And now, as a man, he is not ashamed to call us his brothers.

Jesus, Only Son of His Father (John 5:18; 10:33)

In the Old Testament the picture of God as Father is sparse. There are only a handful of places where God is referred to as Father; Father in the sense that he is our Creator, the Potter, our Redeemer, and he is compared to a father giving instruction to his disobedient children.

This picture radically changes when we get to the New Testament. Jesus addresses God as ‘the Father’ or ‘my Father’ about 23 times in Matthew’s gospel alone. He repeatedly claims to be the one and only unique Son of God, and this incites the religious leaders to kill him, because ‘he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God’ (Jn.5:18). They considered it ‘blasphemy, because you being a man, make yourself God’ (Jn.10:33).

Adoption (John 1:10-12; Galatians 3:26; 4:4-7; Romans 8:14-17)

When we understand that Jesus is indeed who he claimed to be, what is even more shocking is that Jesus invites us to address God as Father. Some 20 times in Matthew alone, Jesus calls God ‘your Father’ and invites us to pray to ‘Our Father in heaven’ (Mt.6:9).

The beginning of John’s gospel, which begins with the fact that Jesus is eternally in relationship with his Father, and is himself God, who became flesh and lived among us, says this:

John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

Through faith, we can become something we were not.

Galatians tells us:

Galatians 3:26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Jesus is the only Son of God, sent from his Father to be born a human, to rescue us. That is amazing grace! But it doesn’t stop there. God adopts us into his family as sons. As if that weren’t enough, we are not only adopted in as sons, but we share in the inheritance.

Romans 8 tells us:

Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

This is grace upon grace! As Jesus cried out ‘Abba, Father’, we too are invited to use this most intimate term to address him. Not only adopted children, but heirs, not only heirs, but fellow heirs with Christ. Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers, and he is generously willing to share his own inheritance with us.

Prodigal (Luke 15)

In Luke 15, Jesus tells a story of a father with two sons. An older brother, and a younger selfish prodigal who takes the money and runs. He wastes his part of the inheritance on sinful indulgence, and ends up in the mud, unclean, defiled, and desperate. The Father is generous, gracious, eager to forgive, watching for the prodigal to return. What we find out through the course of the story, is that the older brother is just as selfish, not really caring about his relationship with his father or his brother, just seeking to earn good things from his father by his good works, so that he can enjoy those things with his friends. The story ends with the prodigal’s return to his father’s forgiving welcoming embrace, and the older brother outside, in pride, bitter, refusing to join the celebration.

Jesus is everything this older brother wasn’t. Rather that clinging to his rights and privileges as the only Son, he left glory, left his Father’s side to pursue those that rightly deserved only punishment, to go after the wayward, to lay down his own life to seek and to save the lost, to pick us up, to cleanse us, to bring us home, to reconcile us to his Father, to gladly share his own inheritance with us.

And we were not wayward sons, we were enemies, children of the devil, treasonous rebels. And while we were ungodly, enemies, sinners Christ died for us (Rom.5:6-10).

1 John 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. …

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 12/07 Advent 2: Fix Your Eyes on Jesus – High Priest; [Heb.3:1; 7]; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20251207_jesus-high-priest.mp3

This Advent season we’re taking direction from the book of Hebrews to ‘fix our eyes on Jesus’(12:2); looking at some of the titles of Jesus, looking at who he is, and what he came to do.

Last week we looked at Hebrews 3:1 which calls Jesus ‘the Apostle’, one sent out from his Father, sent from above, the only begotten sent to become one of us, sent to rescue and redeem, to set us free and show us his grace.

What Is a Priest?

Hebrews 3:1 says:

Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him…

Hebrews 3:1 calls Jesus the apostle. It also call him ‘the high priest of our confession’. What are the implications of calling Jesus the high priest?

A priest is one who officiates in religious services, mediates between God and man; one set apart for the service of what is holy.

Although there were many priests, there was only to be one high priest at a time; in Exodus 28 a distinct outfit was made for Aaron, and when he died (Num.20), that was transferred to his son Eleazar. It was exclusively the duty of the high priest to bear the names of Israel into the holy place, and once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Lev.16), to enter the most holy place in the Tabernacle [later in the Temple], and make atonement for himself and for the sins of the people.

Merciful Toward Man; Faithful to God

The book of Hebrews has a lot to say about the role of Jesus as our great high priest.

Chapter 2 begins by pointing to Jesus’ character.

Hebrews 2:17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

It is not just that Jesus holds the office of high priest. He is a priest with a certain kind of character. He is both merciful and faithful. We have enough examples of priests who were neither merciful toward people nor faithful toward God. Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas were ‘worthless men who did not know the LORD’ (1Sam.2:12). They took by force more than their portion of the sacrifices, and took advantage of the women who served at the tabernacle. They didn’t have care or compassion on the people, and their actions were not rooted in belief in God.

We see here the dual nature of the priestly office; both representing man toward God and God toward man. In representing man toward God, Jesus made propitiation for the sins of his people. He presented a sacrifice that satisfied the wrath of God against my sins. And Jesus our high priest is faithful, absolutely faithful to God’s perfect standards

Jesus is uniquely equipped to represent God to man. Because he himself suffered the ultimate temptation without ever giving in, he understands temptation, and he is uniquely able to help us when we are being tempted. He is both merciful toward us and faithful to his Father.

Hebrews 4:14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Appointed By God

Hebrews 5 clarifies the role of a high priest;

Hebrews 5:1 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.

A priest represents men to God. Because we all are sinners, he must offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. But the focus of Hebrews 5 is on the appointment of the high priest.

Hebrews 5:4 And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; 6 as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 5:9 …he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Jesus didn’t presume to the position of high priest; he was appointed by his Father. And notice, his appointment is not temporary; he is a priest forever. Thus he can be the source of eternal salvation to all who believe.

Hebrews 6:17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Here we have tabernacle or temple language; the inner place, or holy of holies; behind the curtain. Our hope enters the very throne room of God, because Jesus has entered first on our behalf. And God made it sure with an oath. The quote in Hebrews 5:6 is from Psalm 110:4. It says:

Psalm 110:4 ​The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Who Is Melchizedek?

So far, Hebrews has mentioned three times that Jesus is a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Who is this Melchizedek anyway?

The first mention of a priest in the Bible is not Aaron, it is all the way back at the time of Abraham, in Genesis 14.

Genesis 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

There’s a few things we need to know about Melchizedek; first, he’s said to be ‘a priest of God Most High; El Elyon. And he’s not only a priest, he’s a king; king of Salem or shalom; king of peace. This city later became known as Jerusalem. Here’s what Hebrews 7 says:

Hebrews 7:1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. 3 He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.

A Priest Forever

There’s been lots of speculation about Melchizedek. But here’s what we know; he shows up out of nowhere in Genesis 14, and we don’t hear anything else about him in the entire Old Testament, except in Psalm 110, a Psalm of David written over 1,000 years later, where YHWH proclaims that David’s descendant is David’s Lord, a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. When we read the Bible, we read a lot of genealogies, because there were blessings and promises made to specific people and their descendants. The priests who served at the tabernacle were descendants of Aaron of the tribe of Levi. In the time of Ezra and Nehemiah in the rebuilt temple, those who could not prove their genealogy were excluded from the priesthood (Ezr.2:62-63; Neh.7:64-65). Genealogy was a big deal. This is what Hebrews picks up on; in the pages of Scripture, Melchizedek shows up out of nowhere; no birth record, no death record; ‘without beginning of days or end of life’, he becomes an analogy of the eternal Son of God. When Hebrews says that Jesus is ‘a priest after the order of Melchizedek’ it is saying that he is eternal; not one priest in a long line of priests, succeeded after his death by another and another. The Son of God is eternal God; no beginning and no end.

Superior to Abraham (and therefore to Levi and Aaron)

Hebrews 7 goes on to say:

Hebrews 7:4 See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! 5 And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. 6 But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. 8 In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. 9 One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, 10 for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

Jesus, a priest after the order of Melchizedek, is greater than Abraham; Jesus is greater that Levi; Jesus is greater the Aaron and any priest descended from him!

Jesus Greater Than the Law of Moses

Hebrews 7 goes on:

Hebrews 7:11 Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? 12 For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. 13 For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” 18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

These verses highlight that Jesus could not be a priest after the order of Aaron, because he is from the wrong tribe, the royal tribe of Judah. These verses also point out that perfection was unattainable through the law and the Levitical priesthood; in fact, Hebrews boldly calls the law ‘weak and useless’; without strength and without effectiveness; the law made nothing perfect. It failed to bring any lasting change. It failed to transform even the sinners who served as priests into saints, and sacrifices had to be repeated over and over again. Something different was required. The former commandment is set aside; we have a better hope, through which we draw near to God! Jesus is the guarantor of a better covenant (7:22).

Jesus the Eternal Sinless Son

Hebrews 7:23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

Jesus is the better high priest because he had no sin of his own to atone for; he is the perfect sinless Son of God.

Shadow or Reality?

Hebrews 8 and 9 contrast the earthly tent, the tabernacle of the Old Testament, the shadow, the copy, with the true reality, heaven itself.

Hebrews 8:1 Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 4 Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. 5 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. … 6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.

Jesus our high priest has entered the heavenly original, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus Offered a Better Sacrifice; Once for All

Hebrews 9:6 These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, 7 but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. … 11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. … 24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Hebrews 10:11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Jesus offered a better sacrifice, a sacrifice of infinite worth; his own blood. His sacrifice never needs to be repeated; it is once for all; his work is finished, and he sat down at the right hand of his Father in glory. Jesus’ sacrifice does what the law could never do; it transforms, it perfects, it sanctifies.

Exhortation

Jesus is our merciful and faithful high priest. He was appointed by God with an oath; the eternal priest after the order of Melchizedek. He is superior to Abraham, to Levi, to Aaron; he is the Mediator of a better covenant. He is the sinless Son of God. He entered the heavenly original and offered once for all a better sacrifice, his own precious blood, and sat down at his Father’s right hand, having finished his work.

Hebrews 10:19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 11/30 Advent 1: Fix Your Eyes on Jesus – Apostle; [Heb.3:1];Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20251130_jesus-apostle.mp3

This Advent season I’d like to take our cue from the book of Hebrews and look at some of the lesser known titles of Jesus; to look at who he is, and what he came to do. Hebrews tells us that Jesus is the final Word (1:2). Hebrews instructs us to ‘fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter, the Founder and Finisher of our faith’ (12:2).

What Is an Apostle? (Mt.10:1-8)

Hebrews 3:1 says this:

Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him…

This is the only place Jesus is given the title ‘apostle’. In fact he is called ‘the apostle’.

We know in his earthly ministry, Jesus chose 12 men and appointed them as ‘apostles’. ‘Apostle’ is from the Greek word ἀπόστολος [apostolos] which means a delegate or ambassador, someone who is sent out with authority. Jesus

Matthew 10:1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 ​but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 ​Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.

Apostles were ambassadors, delegates selected and commissioned, sent out with authority.

What was the message the Apostles were given to proclaim? ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ A kingdom is those over whom a king rules. To declare that the kingdom of God has come near is to proclaim the good news that the King himself has come near.

Outside of the twelve and Paul the last of all the Apostles (1Cor.15:8-9), the word apostle is used a few times (Ac.14:14; 2Cor.8:23; Phil.2:25) of what we might call a missionary; (that’s not a word we find in the Bible!) someone commissioned and sent out by the church on a mission.

An apostle is one appointed and commissioned, sent out with authority as a representative.

Jesus The Apostle

Hebrews 1:3 is the only place the noun ‘apostle’ is used as a title for Jesus, but Jesus uses the verb ἀποστέλλω [apostello] from which the title is derived 27 times in the gospels to refer to himself in phrases like ‘him who sent me’ or ‘the one who sent me’; ‘God sent’ or ‘the Father sent me’; or ‘I was sent’.

Jesus Sent to Proclaim Liberty and Grace (Lk.4:17-21)

Toward the beginning of his ministry, at the synagogue in Nazareth,

Luke 4:17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 ​to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

The Spirit of YHWH sent me, anointed me (the word ‘anointed’ in Hebrew is ‘Messiah’ or in Greek ‘Christ’). Jesus was claiming to be the fulfillment of this prophecy, which his hometown interpreted as blasphemy, and attempted to kill him. He was sent out by God to proclaim good news, freedom, sight, God’s favor, God’s grace come.

Jesus Sent to Proclaim the Good News of the King (Lk.4:42-43)

In Capernaum, where Jesus had been healing the sick and casting out demons,

Luke 4:42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, 43 but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”

Jesus’ primary purpose was not physical healing and deliverance; these were signs authenticating his message; he was sent to proclaim the good news of the kingdom; that their King had arrived. He is the King who sets wrong things right, who truly sets captives free, who makes all things new. Jesus was sent to proclaim the good news that the kingdom of God had come down.

Jesus Sent From Above; Not of the Earth (Jn.1:15; 3:30-36)

John the Baptizer testified about Jesus;

John 1:15 ( John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)

John testifies of Jesus’ pre-existence.

John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.” 31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.

John is contrasting himself with Jesus; Jesus comes from above, from heaven. John is of the earth. John says about Jesus:

John 3:34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

John testifies that it is essential what we believe about Jesus.

Believe in The One The Father Sent (Jn.5:18-40; 6:27-29)

In John 5, because Jesus healed on the Sabbath,

John 5:18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

Jesus responded:

John 5:20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. …22 ​The Father …has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Jesus himself makes it essential to our salvation what we believe about him.

John 5:36 But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. 39 ​You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

We must believe in the one the Father sent in fulfillment of all the Scriptures

When the crowds were chasing Jesus looking for another free meal, Jesus rebuked them;

John 6:27 ​Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”

What is required of us to do to earn eternal life?

John 6:29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

The only work God requires is to believe in, entrust ourselves to the Father’s Apostle.

Believe Jesus is the I AM or Die in Your Sins (Jn.8:18-54)

In John 8, the religious leaders were rejecting Jesus’ testimony about himself, and because of the virgin birth, they cast aspersions on who his father was. Jesus said:

John 8:18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”

…23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” … 26 …he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” 27 They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

Jesus claims to be from above, not of this world. He claims to be the I AM and declares that those who refuse to believe that he is the I AM will die in their sins. He says:

John 8:41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.”42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. … 44 ​You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. …54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’

Jesus the Beloved Son Sent by His Father (Mk.12:1-10)

When the chief priests and scribes and elders in Jerusalem were challenging Jesus’ authority,

Mark 12:1 And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 ​And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 ​Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 ​And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. 6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 ​Have you not read this Scripture: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 11 this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” [cf. Matt.21; Lk.20]

Jesus is pointing them back to their history with the prophets, forward to what they are about to do, ultimately to himself, his own unique identity; the beloved only Son of the Father, sent to them.

Earlier, Jesus wept over Jerusalem;

Luke 13:34 ​O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

Jesus, the final word from the Father, the only Son sent out with his Father’s authority, was rejected by his own people.

Son Sent, Son Given (Jn.3:13-19; Mk.10:45; 1Jn.4:9-14)

But this was all part of the plan. Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:

John 3:13 ​No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 ​Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 ​And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

God sent his only Son into the world, ‘not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’ (Mk.10:45).

1 John 4:9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. … 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

Jesus The Apostle Who Perfectly Makes God Known (Jn.1:18)

Jesus is the Apostle, the one the Father sent into this world, his only begotten Son, to become human, to be born of a virgin, to live among us as God with us; to perfectly represent his Father and make God known.

John 1:18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025/11/23 Thanksgiving; What Is Worship?; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20251123_what-is-worship.mp3

This is thanksgiving week; next Sunday begins the season of Advent (advent means ‘coming’), anticipating the coming of Messiah into the world, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas.

Today I’d like to look at worship. What is worship? We talk about a worship leader, a worship team or worship band, worship music (which has become its own genre of music). But what really is worship? What is it all about? Is it just one part of what we do as a church on Sunday mornings at our ‘worship service?’ Biblically, what is worship?

We’re taking a break from our study of Numbers, part of the five books of Moses. In the Genesis, worship looked like building an altar and killing an animal. After the Exodus, worship looked like an elaborate royal tent where priests killed animals in sacrifice and lit lamps and baked bread and burned incense and splattered blood.

That’s a very different picture from what most of us probably think of when we say ‘worship’. So what is worship?

The Posture of Worship

The majority of the words translated ‘worship’ both in Hebrew and Greek literally mean to fall prostrate, crouch, or bow to offer homage, reverence or adoration. They point to a body posture in the presence of a superior. Sometimes these words are combined ‘to bow down and worship’

Here’s a picture of Old Testament worship, at the dedication of Solomon’s temple, in 2 Chronicles 7

2 Chronicles 7:1 As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s house. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” 4 Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the LORD. 5 King Solomon offered as a sacrifice 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God. 6 The priests stood at their posts; the Levites also, with the instruments for music to the LORD that King David had made for giving thanks to the LORD— for his steadfast love endures forever—whenever David offered praises by their ministry; opposite them the priests sounded trumpets, and all Israel stood.

Worship involved prayer, sacrifices, thanksgiving, music, a posture in the presence of God. The people ‘bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement’; the people stood.

CS Lewis comments in his insightful work ‘The Screwtape Letters’, a fictitious correspondence of a senor demon instructing his nephew on how to thwart praying, “The best thing, where it is possible, is to keep the patient from the serious intention of praying altogether. …At the very least, they can be persuaded that the bodily position makes no difference to their prayers; for they constantly forget, what you must always remember, that they are animals and that whatever their bodies do affects their souls” [Lewis, Screwtape, IV]. Body language communicates something. Physical posture says something. Bowing down, if nothing else, can help when our minds and hearts wander to remind us, that we got down on our knees for a reason.

But is worship merely an outward physical thing?

Isaiah 1:11 ​“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. 12 “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? 13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. 16 ​Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, 17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

Like most things there is tension between extremes; physical posture can be helpful, but empty posturing when the heart is not right is something the Lord hates.

Submission to Sovereignty

Genuine worship begins with a heart posture that God is God and I am not. He is King and I am his subject. He is high and exalted and it is right for me to lower myself in his presence. To pay him homage, to give him respect, to reverence him. Worship is not about me, it’s all about him. Worship is the opposite of pride, it’s me getting low in his presence so that he can be seen for who he is; exalted.

Worship Implies Obedience, Participation

Some of the words for worship are service words; we bow down and serve him. In Genesis 22, the Lord asked the unthinkable of Abraham. He asked him to offer up in sacrifice that which he treasured most, that which he had waited for, the fulfillment of God’s promises to him, his only son. Worship wasn’t merely a posture, it involved doing something. If God is God and God makes a demand, I must respond. That was the problem with the worship in Isaiah 1. They were going through the outward motions of sacrifices and prayers and observing holy days, but they missed the point, they weren’t doing what God instructed them, they weren’t doing good, advancing justice, caring for the helpless.

Worship isn’t something for spectators. Abraham said to his servants, ‘you stay here, I and the boy will go there and worship and we will come back’. The servants were there, but they were not part of the worship. Abraham and his son took the wood and the fire and the knife and carried it up the mountain to worship. And what amazing worship! Abraham was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. His only son was willing to lay his own life down in worship. But they got to watch God provide for himself a lamb for the sacrifice. They learned that God may demand it all, but God always gives more than we do.

Holy God, Sinful Man, Costly Sacrifice

Old Testament worship was rooted in sacrifice. Sacrifice was a continual reminder that the wages of sin is death. God graciously gave the blood of animals as a substitute for my own, and worship involved a lot of blood, reminding us that God is absolutely holy and graphically demonstrating the gravity of my sin. Worship was costly. But worship was never me doing something good to win God’s favor. Worship was taking God at his word and receiving what he had graciously given.

Worship a Response to God’s Salvation

Worship is a response to God’s provision, God’s salvation. In Exodus 4, the Lord sent Moses and Aaron with a message for the slaves who had cried out for rescue.

Exodus 4:31 And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.

The Israelites were in no position to contribute anything; they were slaves. They were helpless to do anything but cry out for rescue. And when they heard that God had seen, God had responded, that God had visited his people, they responded to his grace with worship. Worship is a response to God’s saving grace.

Wrath for False Worship

If we jump ahead to the New Testament, to Romans 1, we see that worship is a big deal.

Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, … 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images … 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. … 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

Worship is a big deal. God’s wrath is ignited when we worship the wrong things, and fail to worship him for who he really is. Truth matters in worship. We can’t just worship whatever we want however we want. God revealed enough of who he is in creation to hold us accountable. God is a God who wants to be known, and he reveals his eternal power and divine nature in creation. He revealed enough of himself for us to bow in humble submission and give him thanks.

But when we suppress his truth, when we exchange the truth about him for a lie, when we trade in his immortal glory for images, when we worship and serve what he created rather than the one who created it all, when we fail to acknowledge him as God, we bring down his wrath.

It matters that we worship him as he really is, not as we imagine him to be. It matters that we worship him as he reveals himself to be, not the way we like to think of him. It matters that we acknowledge him, that we honor him as God and give him thanks.

Romans 1:16 says:

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

True worship is treasuring the goodness and power of God in the gospel, that sinners like me who deserve his wrath can be saved by his might power.

Worship Jesus

Our word ‘worship’ comes from the Old English ‘weorthscipe’ from worth or worthy. In worship we are ascribing value or worth to the person or thing we worship. Who is worthy of our worship?

Matthew 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

These wise men came to bow down and pay homage to the true and rightful king of the Jews. That probably felt pretty disrespectful to the then current king they weren’t bowing to. But worship discriminates. It recognizes what is true and legitimate and refuses to bow to anything less.

Matthew 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Worship of the true King is not grudging; it is joyful. Although it was a profoundly humbling act for these foreigners of high status to bow down to a child, they thoroughly enjoyed it. They had the privilege of being among the first to bow the knee to King Jesus. One day every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

Their worship was planned. They had been watching, waiting. They must have planned their journey, and they planned their gifts. Sometimes we judge the value of something by its spontaneity, but the wise men show us that planned structured worship can be just as genuine and joy-filled.

Worship What We Treasure

What do you treasure? What do you value? That’s what you worship. How do you spend your time, your energy, your money? That’s what you worship. Are you worshiping the Creator, or the good things he has created?

To the rich man who asked what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus turned his attention to himself;

Mark 10:18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.

You have a lot, but you are still pursuing something. Do you know who I am? Do you know what is truly good? There is stuff that’s keeping you from me. Get rid of that stuff, and come follow me. Are there treasures in your life that are getting in the way of treasuring the greatest thing? Is your pride in the way of humbling yourself and bowing the knee to King Jesus?

Jim Elliot, missionary and martyr, wrote ‘He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.’

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 11/09 Numbers 9; Passover Accommodations ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20251109_numbers-9_1-14.mp3

Passover and Exodus

The children of Israel sojourned in Egypt 430 years. They were enslaved, oppressed, and they cried out to the Lord for help.

Exodus 3:7 Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians…

God stretched out his arm and redeemed his people with might acts of judgment against Egypt and against their gods (Ex.12:12), the climax of which was striking down all the firstborn of Egypt. But God made provision for all who would follow his instruction to be protected. They were to select a male lamb, a yearling without blemish,

Exodus 12:21 …and kill the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.

That very night, at midnight, the pharaoh sent the people out of the land of Egypt. On that original Passover, in Exodus 12, the Lord gave instructions that this was to be an annual feast to remember God’s rescue out of their slavery.

Exodus 12:14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.

Remembering Salvation

Here in Numbers 9, at the foot of Mount Sinai, we are at the one year anniversary of the Exodus from Egypt.

Numbers 9:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. 3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and all its rules you shall keep it.” 4 So Moses told the people of Israel that they should keep the Passover. 5 And they kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the people of Israel did.

Keep the Passover. God commanded that his people regularly remember his salvation. A year later he reminded them; ‘keep the Passover at its appointed time.’ We are prone to forget. Here, on the one year anniversary of the exodus from Egypt, the people obeyed. They kept the Passover.

The only other times in the history of Israel that the Old Testament records specifically that the Passover was kept were under Joshua (Josh.5) just before entering the promised land; under king Solomon (2Chr.8) after dedicating the temple; under Hezekiah (2Chr.30); under Josiah (2Chr.35; 2Ki.23); and then the returned exiles under Ezra (Ezr.6) at the rebuilt temple. We are told of Hezekiah’s celebration:

2 Chronicles 30:5 …for they had not kept it as often as prescribed.

2 Kings 23 tells us of Josiah’s celebration:

2 Kings 23:21 And the king commanded all the people, “Keep the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was kept to the LORD in Jerusalem.

Through most of her history it seems, Israel failed to keep the Passover as the Lord commanded, and their failure to remember their salvation was reflected in their persistent rebellion, wandering from the Lord. Failure to remember, neglecting to reflect has consequences. A rekindling of remembering the Lord’s mighty hand in deliverance brought revival. Still camped at Mt. Sinai, the people were obedient.

When Laws Conflict

But there was a problem, a dilemma.

Numbers 9:6 And there were certain men who were unclean through touching a dead body, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day, and they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. 7 And those men said to him, “We are unclean through touching a dead body. Why are we kept from bringing the LORD’s offering at its appointed time among the people of Israel?” 8 And Moses said to them, “Wait, that I may hear what the LORD will command concerning you.”

What do we do when in real life situations God’s laws conflict? In Numbers 5 God commanded specifically that everyone who was unclean through contact with the dead was to be put outside the camp, in order not to defile the camp in which YHWH himself had taken up residence. But here in Numbers 9, the command of the Lord is equally clear:

Numbers 9:2 “Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. 3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and all its rules you shall keep it.”

It’s an honest question. By keeping one command we violate another. God commanded for the unclean to be put out of the camp until they had followed the procedure for ritual cleansing, which in this case meant that they would be unclean seven days (Num.18:11), and miss the celebration of Passover, which the Lord commanded to be kept at its appointed time. What do we do? This is not the hypothetical question of a critic, intended to trip up, implying that God’s word cannot be trusted, who would refuse to believe even if given a credible answer. Nor is this the question of a lazy unbeliever, who is looking for an excuse not to participate in remembering the Lord’s salvation. This is a legitimate question from a believing member of the community who wants to participate fully, but who also doesn’t want to bring shame into the community by participating while ceremonially unclean. We see this in how they frame their question; ‘Why are we kept from bringing the LORD’s offering at its appointed time among the people of Israel?’ They are not looking for a loophole, in God’s law, an excuse to do what they want; they want to remember together with the community, but they are prevented by their circumstances.

There is great wisdom in Moses’ response. He doesn’t give his own personal opinion. He claim to know the answer when he doesn’t, and make something up. He doesn’t choose one command over another. He doesn’t condone or make light of disobedience to any of God’s commands. He doesn’t say ‘go ahead, don’t worry about it, it’s not really a big deal’. He takes it to the Lord. He seeks wisdom from God. He’s willing to say ‘I don’t know, but I will ask; can you wait with me for an answer?’

God’s Grace

God is ok with questions. Fire doesn’t come out from the Lord to consume the questioners. The Lord doesn’t rebuke Moses for bringing their question to him. This question actually gives opportunity for further revelation, further clarification. God answered.

Numbers 9:9 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If any one of you or of your descendants is unclean through touching a dead body, or is on a long journey, he shall still keep the Passover to the LORD. 11 In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight they shall keep it. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break any of its bones; according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it. 13 But if anyone who is clean and is not on a journey fails to keep the Passover, that person shall be cut off from his people because he did not bring the LORD’s offering at its appointed time; that man shall bear his sin. 14 And if a stranger sojourns among you and would keep the Passover to the LORD, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its rule, so shall he do. You shall have one statute, both for the sojourner and for the native.”

God meets us right where we are, right here, in real life with all its complexities. In response to this question, the Lord gives more that just an answer to the question; he gives grace. While still upholding the importance of remembering, he makes an accommodation to our weakness. We can’t control all our circumstances. Like he gave accommodation to the Nazirite in chapter 6 if one is defiled by someone who suddenly dies, he gives accommodation here. They are to keep the Passover to YHWH, but they must not keep it while unclean. In his grace, he allows a second opportunity to keep the Passover one month later, on the second month. Not only for these questioners, but for future generations. Not only for those in an unclean state, but also if someone is on a long journey. This concession would have nothing to do with their present circumstances, as the people were all journeying together through the wilderness, following the Lord’s guidance, taking along his portable sanctuary, where they were to make sacrifices. This concession makes more sense after they are settled in the promised land, with the one central place of worship established by God. In that context they may be on a journey where they are unable to make it to Jerusalem for the feast. We see this late Passover observed under Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 30.

God’s Holiness

But God is also clear. This isn’t a license to do whatever you want whenever you please. His grace is not a license to do as you please or opt out of doing what he commands. They are given the option of a late date, but it is a specific date. And there are to keep it at the right time in the right way; ‘according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it.’

There were consequences for a casual attitude toward God’s commands. The person without legitimate inability to keep the proscribed date who simply chooses not to remember shall be cut off from his people and shall bear his sin. Failure to remember, careless neglect carried a severe consequence.

Welcome the Foreigner

There is also grace here toward the foreigner. God delivered his people, Israel out of Egypt. But the stranger is also welcomed to assimilate into the people of God. The sojourner is welcome to remember together with God’s people God’s salvation. The implications of this are that the stranger is identifying himself with God’s people, owning the God of Israel as his God, owning God’s rescue as his own rescue. The stranger was welcome to keep the Passover with God’s people, but he must keep it ‘according to the statute of the Passover and according to its rule.’ There was not to be two standards, one for the native Israelite and a different one for the foreigner. The foreigner was to be held to the same standard. At the origin of Passover, the Lord made it clear that no foreigner may eat of it, but if a stranger wanted to keep the Passover, he must be circumcised, and ‘Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land’ (Ex.12:48).

Jesus the Greater Passover Lamb

In Luke 22, Jesus

Luke 22:15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. …19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Jesus took the Passover and made it all about himself. The original Passover was to remember YHWH’s salving his people out of slavery in Egypt. But Jesus said ‘Do this in remembrance of me.’ Jesus came to save his people from their sins, to seek and to save the lost. In the original a lamb was killed and its blood applied to protect the firstborn. Jesus, the only begotten of his Father, makes a new covenant with his own blood. Jesus gave his flesh as life for the world.

1 Corinthians 5 calls Christ ‘our Passover Lamb’ who ‘has been sacrificed.’ Peter (1Pet.1:9) likens Christ to a lamb without blemish or spot. John 19 says:

John 19:31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness— his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth— that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.”

Jesus is our greater Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus extends his grace to every sinner who would come to him, but we must come on his terms. We must acknowledge Jesus for who he claims to be; the great I AM. But it is not ceremonial cleanness that he requires, not avoidance of everything that contaminates; he requires our death and resurrection. The old me must die. We must be made new in Christ, transformed by the Holy Spirit. Salvation is of the Lord; we simply take him at his word and trust that his blood is sufficient to satisfy his Father and secure my protection. All he asks in return is that we remember him, celebrate regularly the salvation we enjoy, and welcome others into this salvation we enjoy.

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 11/02 Numbers 8; Light and Living Sacrifices; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20251102_numbers-8.mp3

God Has Spoken

In Exodus 25 God said:

Exodus 25:22 There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.

After the dedication of the tabernacle, at the end of Numbers 7 we see this fulfilled;

Numbers 7:89 And when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; and it spoke to him.

Notice, Moses went in to speak with YHWH, and he probably had plenty to say, but we are told that ‘he heard the voice speaking to him.’ When you spend time with God, be careful not to do all the talking. Take time to listen.

Praise God, we have a speaking God; a God who has spoken through his apostles and prophets, who breathed out his very words, and it is written, so that we are able at any time to read and recall his authoritative voice (2Pet.1:12-15). He has has in these last days spoken to us in his Son (Heb.1:1-3).

Lampstand and Levites

In Numbers 8 we have two main subjects; verses 1-4 address the lampstand in the tabernacle, and how it is to be focused. The rest of the chapter deals with the Levites, their physical (5-7) and spiritual (8-13) cleansing, their being set apart and offered to the Lord as substitutes for the firstborn (14-19) and the age of their service (23-26).

Detailed instructions for the construction of the 75lb solid gold lampstand were given in Exodus 25:31-40. It was to resemble a tree of light, fashioned with stem, branches, buds, blossoms and flowers. Here in Numbers 8 we are given a detail on how the light was to be focused in the tabernacle.

Numbers 8:1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.” 3 And Aaron did so: he set up its lamps in front of the lampstand, as the LORD commanded Moses. 4 And this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold. From its base to its flowers, it was hammered work; according to the pattern that the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

We know from the arrangement of the tabernacle furniture given in Exodus 26:35 that the lampstand was placed on the south side of the holy place, to the left as a priest would enter through the first curtain; the table of incense straight ahead to the west, just outside the curtain which blocked the Holiest place, and the table for the bread of the presence to the right, on the north side. The tabernacle was constructed of multiple layers of heavy fabrics and skins, so the seven lamps would illumine the dark tent, and the light focused to give light in front of the lampstand would shine from the south side to the north side, toward the table of the bread of the presence, a gold plated table piled high with 12 large loaves of fresh bread, a reminder that in the presence of YHWH there is abundance. 12 loaves, a reminder in God’s presence of the 12 tribes of Israel.

Lights and Levites; what do these have to do with each other? Are these just random historical bits haphazardly tossed together? Or is there something more? Here’s what one commentary had to say:

“One may wonder, Is there a possible connection intended in the materials of this chapter between the proper positioning of the lamps within the tabernacle and the Levites outside in the camp? May one suggest that as the lamps were to be properly focused on the bread of the Presence, so the Levites were to have their proper stance within the community as well? Lamps that were not properly focused gave poorly diffused light; God’s intent was illumination. Levites that were not properly stanced within the community would give a diffused picture; God’s intention was that the nation understand who the Levites were and what they presented of the nature of God.” [ExpBC; RB Allen]“

This too connects us back to the blessing pronounced on God’s people in Numbers 6:22-27, where God blesses us by shining the light of his face on his people. In the holy place, there was always light shining on the 12 loaves made from the offerings of God’s people, and the Levites were to be between God and the people guarding the holy presence of God, and protecting the people from God’s wrath, so that God’s face would shine on them with favor.

Physical Cleansing

Numbers 8:5 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Take the Levites from among the people of Israel and cleanse them. 7 Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of purification upon them, and let them go with a razor over all their body, and wash their clothes and cleanse themselves.

The Levites were cleansed physically. Clean body, clean clothes, hair shaved.

Spiritual Cleansing; Atonement

Numbers 8:8 Then let them take a bull from the herd and its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another bull from the herd for a sin offering. 9 And you shall bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the whole congregation of the people of Israel. 10 When you bring the Levites before the LORD, the people of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites, 11 and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that they may do the service of the LORD. 12 Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the LORD to make atonement for the Levites. 13 And you shall set the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and shall offer them as a wave offering to the LORD.
Atonement and Propitiation (Mercy Seat)

The Levites were cleansed physically and they needed also to be cleansed spiritually. The word translated ‘atonement’ is the Hebrew word [כָּפַר] kaphar (kaw-far’); a verb that means to cover; the noun [כַּפֹּרֶת] kapporeth (kap-po’-reth), derived from this verb is the word that describes the cover for the ark of the covenant or mercy seat. When we look at the construction of the ark, which was a gold-plated box containing the tablets of the covenant, the mercy seat or atonement cover was literally a cover or lid for this ark or box. It was on this lid that the high priest once a year brought sacrificial blood to cover the sins of himself and the people and splattered it on this cover. The Lord promised to speak from the space above this atonement cover, from between the angelic guardian cherubim that adorned this atonement cover. So when the Lord looked down on the covenant agreement, which we are unable to keep, he would see his broken law covered with a gold lid splattered with sacrificial blood. The consequence our rebellion deserves is death, and the blood said that a death had occurred that covered the sins of the people. This is what atonement means; that our sins are covered.

The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, links the vocabulary of the Hebrew Old Testament with the Greek that the New Testament was written in. In the LXX the Hebrew word for ‘atonement cover’ is translated by [ἱλαστήριον] ‘hilasterion,’ a Greek word that pointed to a god being appeased by sacrifice and made propitious or favorable to the offerer. This word is used in Hebrews 9:5 of the atonement cover or mercy seat. In Romans 3:35 it is translated ‘propitiation’

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

The righteous Father put his only Son Jesus forward as an atonement cover, a mercy seat, by his blood. Hebrews makes the point that while the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin, and that the sacrifices had to be made for both unclean priest and people, and had to be offered again and again, the blood of Jesus, our perfect and sinless High Priest, offered once for all fully satisfied for all time all the righteous requirements of the Holy God, and makes God propitious or favorable toward us. Jesus is the atonement cover; Jesus is the mercy seat, so that when the Father looks down on his violated commands, he sees it covered not with a cover of gold splattered with blood, but with his own perfect spotless Son, the Lamb of God who takes away sin.

Laying Hands to Transfer Guilt and Identify With

Back in Number 8, if we look at verse 12, the Levites pressed their hands onto the head of the bulls, symbolically imparting their guilt to the animals (cf. Lev.16:21-22), who are then offered in sacrifice to make atonement for them. So in verse 10, where the whole congregation of the people lay their hands on the Levites, they are identifying with the Levites and symbolically transferring their guilt to the Levites. The Levites take the place of the people before the Lord like the animals take the place of the Levites in sacrifice to the Lord.

But the Levites are a living sacrifice. They were not killed as a substitute; the bulls died in their place. They lived a life of service to the Lord in place of the whole congregation.

Wave Offering; Living Sacrifices

Verse 11 tells us “Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that they may do the service of the LORD.” The wave offering is a symbolic way to offer something to the Lord. A portion of the grain or meat offering was waved or lifted up to present it as a gift to the Lord, who in turn gave it back as a portion for the priests to eat (Lev.10:12-15). This is the only place we see people offered as an offering to the Lord. The Levites are offered to YHWH from all the people. They are given to the priests, to Aaron and his sons to do the service of the Lord.

Numbers 8:14 “Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the people of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine. 15 And after that the Levites shall go in to serve at the tent of meeting, when you have cleansed them and offered them as a wave offering. 16 For they are wholly given to me from among the people of Israel. Instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the people of Israel, I have taken them for myself. 17 For all the firstborn among the people of Israel are mine, both of man and of beast. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself, 18 and I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel. 19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel, to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Israel, that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the sanctuary.”

Numbers 3 told us that ‘you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. …instead of every firstborn’ (3:9,12). Here in Numbers 8 we see how the Levites were given; purified and offered as a wave offering before YHWH. Verses 20-22 tell us that they obeyed; they did everything the Lord commanded them to do. They were living sacrifices set apart to offer acceptable service to the Lord.

The New Testament book of Romans, after unfolding the good news of God’s righteousness given as a gift to sinners who trust in the propitiation and righteousness of Jesus Christ, in chapter 12 says:

Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Therefore, because you have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus, purified, counted as righteous through faith in Christ, because you have received mercy; therefore present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.

You, Christian believer, are to be a living sacrifice. You, follower of the Light of the world (Jn.8:12), are to be ‘blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life’ (Phil.2:14-16). You, church,

Matthew 5:14 ​“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 ​Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Older Men Mentor the Younger

Numbers 8 concludes with a word about the ages for service of the Levites. The heavy lifting in the service of the tabernacle is to be done by those 25 years up to 50 years old. 50 and older can continue to minister alongside their brothers, but not in the heavy labor. It is interesting that Numbers 4 took a census of those from 30 years up to 50 years who could do the word of the tabernacle. Likely those first five years were being mentored under the older men, receiving instruction, oversight, wisdom and encouragement.

1 Peter 5:1 So I exhort the elders among you… 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight… 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Church, followers of Jesus, let your light shine to the glory of God. Present your bodies as living sacrifices made acceptable through Jesus. Make disciples and mentor others in their walk with Jesus.

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

2025 10/19 Numbers 6:22-27; YHWH’s Name, YHWH’s Blessing; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20251019_numbers-6_22-27.mp3

Today we are looking at YHWH’s blessing on his people, in Numbers 6:22-27. This is probably the most well known and often quoted part of the book of Numbers. God has set his people free from slavery by mighty acts of deliverance. He brought them to the foot of a mountain where he would meet with them, instruct them what it meant to be a people in relation with a holy God. God’s holy presence in thunder and lightning and smoke and cloud and thick darkness was so terrifying that the people requested Moses to go between them and God as a mediator (Ex.20:18-21). But while Moses was on the mountain receiving God’s instructions, the people were down with Aaron breaking the commandments, making gods of gold and worshiping them (Ex.32). The Lord’s anger was kindled, but Moses prayed for the people, and God extended grace and mercy, and promised to go with them and be their God and take them to be his people, and allow them to make a tent for him to dwell among them.

By the end of Exodus, the tent is complete and the glory of YHWH filled the tabernacle. In Numbers, the military age men are counted (1), the tribes are organized around God’s tent (2), the families of the tribe of Levi arranged immediately around God’s tent (3-4), guarding God’s tabernacle, guarding the people from God’s holy wrath (1:53). In Numbers 5 and 6, the camp is cleansed, the unclean are put out, reconciliation is to be made when one sins against another, covenant faithfulness is to be jealously guarded, those who take voluntary vows are to fulfill what they speak.

At the end of chapter 6 we find this blessing;

Numbers 6:22 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, 24 The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 27 “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

God’s Desire to Bless

A few things to notice about this blessing; it is initiated by God himself. It is not in response to any thing the people have done. It is not in response to a request for blessing. YHWH spoke to Moses, gave him words to put in the mouth of Aaron with which to bless his people. YHWH God desires to bless; his heart is to bless. When he created mankind, God blessed them; ‘be fruitful and multiply, fill, subdue, have dominion’ (Gen.1:28). After the flood, the Lord blessed Noah and his family (Gen.9:1). In Genesis 12,

Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God desires to bless his people. He initiates the blessing, and his blessing is not earned or deserved. He does promise blessing to the righteous and curses on the wicked (Prov.3:33); there are blessings promised for obedience and curses for disobedience (Deut.11:26-28); but often his blessings are what we might call random, spontaneous, unsolicited, unwarranted.

All Of Grace

God’s blessings are all of grace. We don’t deserve his blessings. When the Lord gave this blessing to his people in Numbers 6, they had already experienced an outpouring of God’s amazing grace. As we saw in Exodus 32, no sooner had the people agreed to the terms of the covenant and promised obedience to God’s commands, they prostituted themselves to other gods. Moses prayed, and God in his amazing grace, forgave them and came to live among them. Now, after the golden calf, after Nadab and Abihu disobeyed and were destroyed, God did not leave them or forsake them. He made his presence known among them, and in amazing grace he blessed them. The story of Numbers, is a story of repeated disobedience, repeated failure, repeated rebellion, and still God continued to bless them far beyond what they deserved. God’s blessing is all of grace. We don’t deserve it, we could never earn it, we do plenty to warrant his withdrawal, yet still he blesses us.

Blessed

Let’s look at this blessing. There’s an introductory command to bless the people, a concluding confirmation of his blessing on his people, and in the middle a three part blessing.

YHWH bless you and keep you. To be blessed means to be what you were created to be, to successfully realize your purpose, to find fulfillment, to be fruitful. The Lord who created us knows best how we will be most fulfilled, most satisfied, most filled with joy.

Jesus gave some unexpected teaching on true fulfillment.

Matthew 5:2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 ​“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 ​“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 ​“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 ​Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

God’s blessing may come to us in some unexpected ways.

Kept

The Lord bless you and keep you.

Psalm 121:1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 ​My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. 6 ​The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

The Lord is our keeper, the one who watches over, guards, protects, preserves. He is able to keep us from threats without and within. Jude ends his short letter with this doxology:

Jude 1:24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

His Face Shine Upon You

YHWH make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. What does it mean to make his face shine upon you?

Imagine walking through a crowded place, maybe the airport. Some people in conversation, some just blankly looking down or looking ahead, waiting in line. You see an old friend, someone you were close to, someone you haven’t seen in quite a while. You wave to get his attention, and say ‘hi, Jack!’ Jack looks around, makes eye contact, and squints his eyes a bit straining to recognize you. Imagine his blank expression doesn’t change, and he turns away and goes back to whatever he was doing. How do you feel? But imagine instead that as he squints, his face lights up with recognition, he breaks into a broad smile, says your name, ‘it is so good to see you, how ya doing my friend?’

I think it’s something like this. The Lord’s face lights up with recognition, he knows you, and he delights in you. His face illumines our darkness.

Even Moses, after the Lord answered his prayer and promised his presence with his people, when he asked ‘Please show me your glory’ (Ex.33:18), the Lord answered that he would make his goodness pass before him and proclaim his name, but ‘you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live’ (Ex.33:20)

Isaiah prophesied:

Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. 3 ​And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

John says this of the one who was with God and who was God:

John 1:4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. …9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. … 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. … 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Be Gracious

The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. God’s grace is a kindness we don’t deserve. We don’t want what we deserve; what we deserve is God’s anger, God’s wrath. The greatest gift we could never deserve is the gift of his presence, his face shining on us in kindness.

Ephesians 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

God’s grace is not our own doing, not a result of works, not what we deserve; it is a gift. This gift, the immeasurable riches of God’s grace in kindness toward us, comes to us in Christ Jesus.

Lift Up His Countenance Upon You

YHWH lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. In judgment the Lord says he will set his face against a person or a city to cut off, for harm and not for good. To lift up his face or his countenance upon you is the opposite of that, his face is not set against in the judgment we deserve, but lifted up in favor toward us.

Psalm 4:6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!” 7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. 8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Give You Peace

The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Shalom. Wholeness, completeness, fullness, fulfilled, satisfied, safe, rest.

Matthew 11:28 ​Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

John 14:27 ​Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

If God is For Us

God’s blessing, God’s face shining on us, God’s face lifted toward us preserves us, gives us grace and peace.

Romans 1:7 …Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Put My Name on the People

Numbers 6:27 “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

It is through this threefold blessing that YHWH’s name is put on his people. Israel bore the name of YHWH, enjoyed his blessing, received his grace and experienced his peace. His name, his character and reputation were connected with his people. When they misrepresented him by living inconsistent with his character,

Ezekiel 36:22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came.

Israel bore the name of YHWH in this threefold blessing. Jesus commissioned his followers:

Matthew 28:19 ​Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Today we bear the name of YHWH.

24 The LORD bless you

and keep you;

25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you

and be gracious to you;

26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you

and give you peace.

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org