The Book of the Covenant - The Light of Torah Messianic Congregation

The Light of Torah
Messianic Congregation

Faith of Our Fathers Series
Presents Article Five
Prepared by P. R. Reid

“The Book of the Covenant, the Melchizedek Priesthood, the Book of the Law and the

Levitical Priesthood”

We will employ the following hermeneutical tools in this article:

1.) The Rule of First mention (the first mention of any word establishes the precedent for its use in Scripture)
2.) The Rule of Complete mention
3.) Covenant language i.e. “keep my commandments”
4.) His perfect will for creation
5.) PaRDeS (THE RULES OF PARDES INTERPRETATION *
6.) Ancient Hebrew pictograph
7.) Simple gematria

The four levels of interpretation are called: Pashat, Remez, D’rash & Sud. The first letter of each word P-R-D-S is taken, and vowels are added for pronunciation, giving the word PARDES (meaning “garden” or “orchard”). Each layer is deeper and more intense than the last, like the layers of an onion. (http://www.yashanet.com)

The Book of the Covenant begins in Ge. 1:1 and continues until Ex. 24:11. The Scriptural narrative contained within these perimeters was so important to YaHaVah, He wrote it all down and calls it The Book of the Covenant. Included within the perimeters of The Book of the Covenant lie the Melchizedek Priesthood. It is so called because it will be placed inside the Ark of the Covenant, resting under the “Mercy Seat.” This “book” is His Holy Writ. This “book” is the legal document by which mankind will be judged.

The people Israel confirm their acceptance of The Fathers’ terms and conditions:

Ex. 24:1 – 12: “Now He said to Moses, ‘Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. And Moses alone shall come near the LORD, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him.’” So Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the

judgments (מִשְׁפָּט). And all the people answered with one voice and said, ‘All the words which the LORD has said we will do.’” And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young men (אֶֽת־נַעֲרֵי ) of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD.

Our creator is both gracious and kind. He would not hold mankind accountable for the Rules of the Kingdom unless he had actually spent time teaching them. Using the Torah Parashot as our guide we can see His instruction unfold. His instruction is, in fact, the goal of book of Genesis, which in Hebrew is called Bereshit.

Ge. 1:1 – 6:8 recounts the week of creation. YaHaVah, along with His divine counsel, create

Heaven and Earth, the dwelling place of His proposed family. The abode of His proposed family is “good.” Nothing is left to chance rather, everything is in its perfect preordained order. Ge. 6:8 tells us that Noach found grace in the eyes of YaHaVah. Noach, representing the “pure seed,” was the only part of His creation that was still ritually pure.

This created a problem, as YaHaVahs’ family is to be ritually pure. So much corruption, that is, the DNA was no longer “good,” brought forth immediate judgment, this was the flood. After the flood, the earth was cleansed and those eight souls inside the
Ark, Noach and his wife, Shem, Ham, and Japheth along with their wives, would repopulate our planet.

The cursed Canaan sired a man named Nimrod. Nimrod will become the “Sun” god, Baal. In this example, both seeds, the “pure seed” and the

“serpent seed” have survived the flood. Sad but true! Never fear, YaHaVah will not be denied His family.

Ge. 12:1 Yah calls Abram; “Now the LORD had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.’”

Abram had quite a time reaching beyond the first 10 years of life. The Book of Jasher, Chapter 8, verses 34 – 36 read: “And the Lord was with Terah in this matter, that Nimrod might not cause Abram’s death, and the king took the child from Terah and with all his might dashed his head to the ground, for he thought it had been Abram; and this was concealed from him from that day, and it was
forgotten by the king, as it was the will of Providence not to suffer Abram’s death. And Terah took Abram his son secretly, together with his mother and nurse, and he concealed them in a

cave, and he brought them their provisions monthly. And the Lord was with Abram in the cave and he grew up, and Abram was in the cave ten years, and the king and his princes, soothsayers and sages, thought that the king had killed Abram.”

Ge. 26:4 – 5 records thus “And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

During the life of Abraham he was taught the Rules of the Kingdom. These rules would have been passed on to Ishmael and Isaac. Isaac would have taught his sons Esau and Jacob these same rules. Consider Esau had just as much disdain for the rules
of the Kingdom as he had for his birthright, thus causing YaHaVah to say “Esau I have hated.”

Consider that Abram was chosen by the Father beforehand, for a special and unique quest. That quest was the man with whom Yah would enter into the “cut” covenant. Whenever something good is going to happen, the adversary attempts to prevent it! The adversary simply cannot outmaneuver YaHaVah!

Jasher, Chapter 9, verses 5 – 7: “And when Abram came out from the cave, he went to Noah and his son Shem, and he remained with them to learn the instruction of the Lord and his ways, and no man knew where Abram was, and Abram served Noah and Shem his son for a long time. And Abram was in Noah’s house thirty-nine years, and Abram knew the Lord from three years old, and he went in the ways of the Lord until the day of his death, as Noah and his son Shem had taught him; and all the sons of the earth in those days greatly transgressed against the Lord, and they rebelled against him and they served other gods, and they forgot the Lord

who had created them in the earth; and the inhabitants of the earth made unto themselves, at that time, every man his god; gods of wood and stone which could neither speak, hear, nor deliver, and the sons of men served them and they became their gods. And the king and all his servants, and Terah with all his household were then the first of those that served gods of wood and stone.”

Once again, there appears to be only one man, Abram, that remains ritually pure. A man YaHaVah can use to fulfill his desire for a family.

YaHaVah would make His “cut” covenant with Abram, Isaac after him and Jacob/Israel. Abraham would be called by The Father, to circumcise himself, his son Ishmael and all those in his household, as an outside sign of covenant loyalty. This covenant act would become an obstacle for the Apostle Paul much later in the Scripture narrative.

We arrive at the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah just three days after Abrahams’ circumcision. We all know how that ended.

Ge. 25 gives the reader the battling twins, Esau and Jacob. Esau would sell his birthright while Jacob would be renamed Israel, having sired twelve sons and one daughter.

It would be YaHaVahs’ perfect timing to send Moses and Aaron to the land of Egypt to deliver Israel, the offspring of Abraham, from bondage. This was the generation that would experience many signs and wonders preceding their deliverance. This was also
the generation that would receive first hand, the proposal from YaHaVah Himself.

Ex. 19:3 – 5: “And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell

the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant (אֶת־בְּרִיתִי ) then you shall be a special treasure to
Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.’”

This statement alone, tells us that generation knew about the Abrahamic covenant and the Rules of the Kingdom. They knew that they were to obey and keep! When they would choose disobedience they could also expect to be disciplined. Hence the Scripture, “they have tested me 10 times.”

As we read the full accounts of these ten times Israel tested God, we see God’s increasing frustration and decreasing patience with them. Notice the trend:

Test #1? He parts the Red Sea.

Test #2? He shows Moses a tree that, when cut and cast into Marah’s bitter waters, makes the waters sweet.

Test #3? He begins sending them manna each morning except the weekly Sabbath morning.

Test #4? Despite their blatant attempts to break the rules concerning the manna, He keeps sending it.

Test #5? See the response to test #4.

Test #6? He has Moses strike a certain rock with his staff, after which water comes gushing out of the rock.

Test #7? He tells Moses what is going on in the Israelite camp and agrees to show the nation mercy they surely didn’t deserve.

Test #8? With His patience now wearing thin, He kills only a few of the people as a warning rather than killing all of them.

Test #9? He has a tremendous flock of quail blow into Israel’s camp to be killed and eaten for food,

but even as the people are eating the meat, He puts a number of them to death by way of plague. Test #10? He tells Moses the sraelites will wander in the wilderness for 40 years, during which time every Israelite 20 years old or older (except for
Joshua and Caleb) will die off systematically so that Israel’s younger generation can eventually conquer and settle Canaan. (russellmckinney.com)

The Book of the Covenant

Ex. 24:6 – 12: “And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, ‘All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient.’ And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, ‘This is the blood (אֶת־הַדָּם ) of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words.’” Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy

of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone (אֶת־לֻחֹת ), and the law (תּוֹרָה ) and commandments (מִצְוָה ) which I have written, that you may teach them.’”
**The 10 commandments are the capstone of the Book of the Covenant.

The Book of the Covenant was written for the benefit of The Fathers’ family. We know this because of how it’s spelled: בְּרִית; the letters Bet, Resh, Yud and Tav. In its ancient form “brit” would read: The family was established from the beginning in order to worship the Supreme One who ordained His covenant.”

The numerical value of “brit” is 612; 6 + 1 + 2 = 9. Nine can be divided equally by 3. This can be a

reference to the three sides of the Menorah. See Article Two for a more comprehensive study of the Menorah.

From Ge. 1:1 – Ex. 24:11 the Scripture narrative tells the reader exactly how The Father acquired His family, from “pure seed” to “pure seed,” like kind and like mind, and how they were to follow the Rules of the Kingdom.

Moses was taught the Rules of the Kingdom by YaHaVah on the mount. The multitudes were taught the Rules of the Kingdom by Moses at the foot of Mt. Sinai. The twelve tribes of Israel were taught the Rules of the Kingdom by their father, Jacob/Israel. Jacob was taught by his father Isaac. Isaac was taught by his father Abraham. Abraham was taught by Noach and Shem.

Noach was taught by Adam himself. Adam was taught by the Et Kol, Yeshua HaMashiach, The Voice, in Gan Eden, the Garden of Eden.

The Book of the Covenant recounts the six days of creation which He called good, Tov. He rested on the seventh day, the first Shabbat. Ex. 16:23 tells us that the seventh day is the Shabbat: “Six days you shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the
Sabbath, in it there shall be none.”

The Hebrew word for Shabbat is שַׁבָּת. Shabbat is spelled with the letters Shin, Bet and Tav. In its ancient form Shabbat would read: The divine presence will join His family that is sealed.” The numerical value of Shabbat is 702; 7 + 2 = 9. Nine connects us to the word covenant.

The Melchizedek Priesthood

Adam and Chava sinned in Gan Eden. The garden was the place where they were taught the Rules of the Kingdom by the Et Kol, the Voice, Yeshua. Ge. 3:8: “And they heard the sound (אֶת־קוֹל ) of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.”

They had already made a mistake by choosing to eat from the tree of knowledge. They were immediately expelled from the garden, still, they too were given an assignment. They were responsible for teaching their off spring these same rules.

The Hebrew word for voice is Kol, קוֹל. This word is comprised of the letters Quph, Vav and Lamed. In its ancient form Kol would read: “The least will secure themselves to the teacher.” The numerical value is 136. 1 + 3 + 6 = 10. The voice was teaching them the Ten Words.

When Adam and Chava were expelled from Gan Eden, The Father gave them animal skins. Ge. 3:21: “Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.”

The Hebrew word for tunic is kotonet, כֻּתֹּנֶת. This is the priestly garment. In its ancient form, kotonet, would read: “Cover those who are marked for the heir and His covenant.” Adam and Chava had been commissioned as a priest of the most high. The question is, which priesthood?

Ex. 19:6 is the invitation to Israel was given to be a unique priesthood; “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

The Fathers desire was to have an entire kingdom performing the duties of the priesthood. Again, I ask which priesthood? Consider this unique priesthood is after the order of Melchizedek. The very same priesthood in which Yeshua would become the High Priest. Consider this, every group or individual I mentioned earlier, from Moses to Adam, were all members of this priesthood. That means that Moses would be functioning as the final priest after the order of Melchizedek. Let me explain.

Three times Israel had accepted Yahs’ proposal. Their acceptance ushered the entire nation into the “royal priesthood, they became priests after the

order of Melchizedek, they were in one accord, because, the very statement, Melchizedek, means “My King is Righteous.” Anyone making this declaration would believe in the Supreme Being, YaHaVah.

Then something went wrong. This very wrong event is recorded in Ex. 32:1: “Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, ‘come, make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do no know what has become of him.’” **This statement
brought them right out of the “royal priesthood.” We can’t declare Melchizedek, My King is Righteous if we believe in other deities!

Sadly, the tragedy of the golden calf, caused a breach, a chasm of sorts, destroying the harmony that had been created by their acceptance of the

Rules of the Kingdom. They could no longer operate as a united priesthood. Now what?

A second priesthood must be installed. A priesthood that would be responsible for teaching the multitudes. A plan would be initiated for the ministry of Israel, a “way” for them to regain their former state, the “royal priesthood.” We will discuss this aspect in part two of Article Five.

Heb. 7:3 tells us the ancestry of a priest after the order of Melchizedek; “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.”

The Melchizedek priesthood was transferred from father to his firstborn son. In my opinion, I believe this is true to a point. Moses was the second born son of Amram, Aaron being the first, and yet it was

Moses that was called by Yah to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage. Moses was the only man who could approach the glory of Yah. He really had to be a priest, a High Priest, after the order of Melchizedek.

Let me now explain the word Melchizedek, which is a compound word. This word is comprised of two other words, Melchi and Zedek. Melchi is the Hebrew word for My King and Zedek is the Hebrew word for righteousness. Taken together these words means “My King is Righteous.” A declaration of those in belief!

The first mention of the word Melchizedek is recorded in Ge. 14:18: “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.”

Melech (king) is spelled with the letters Mem, Lamed and Kaph. In its ancient form, Melech would read: “The mighty will teach and cover you.” The numerical value is 90; 9. A connection with covenant and the Shabbat.

The bread and wine offered to Abraham by Melchizedek is a fore shadow of the bread and wine offered His talmadim by Yeshua, another priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Lk. 22:19 – 20: “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘this is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘this cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’”

He. 5:10: “being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.” (ESV)

Heb. 7:11 – 12: “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? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. (ESV)

Heb. 5:1 – 6: “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. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Messiah 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;’ as he says also in

another place, ‘You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.’”

Throughout Scriptural history there has been a functioning priesthood. The Book of the Covenant has its Melchizedek priesthood. The Book of the Law has its Aaronic priesthood.

The Aaronic/Levitical priesthood, however, was only for a time. They functioned as priests UNTIL the first advent of Yeshua

For a compressive study of the transition from the Melchizedek priesthood to the Levitical priesthood, and back again, I would strongly suggest a book entitled Back to the Melchizedek Future by Dr. David L. Perry, Th.D.

The Book of the Law

Dt. 31:25 – 27: “That Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying: ‘Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there as a witness against you; for I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. If today, while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the LORD, then how much more
after my death?’”

This statement is being made at the end of the 40 year wilderness journey. Israel’s collective rebellion against YaHaVah is the very reason there is The Book of the Law.

The Hebrew word for witness is aid, עֵד . Aid is defined thus; a witness, to give testimony or evidence (of things). This word is comprised of two

letters, the Ayin and the Dalet. In its ancient form this word would read: “To see, know or watch for the pathway.” In the context of this Scripture, Israel refused to see, know or watch for the pathway who is the promised seed.

The numerical value of aid is 74; 7 + 4 = 11. Eleven is a number associated with Yeshua. The name Yeshua comes from the root word Y’sha which means to be saved. Y’sha is spelled Yud, Shin and Ayin. The numerical value of Y’sha is 380; 3 + 8 (the zero holds no value) = 11. This tells us that Israel rebelled and rejected the “pure seed” Messiah, a behavior easily seen in the Brit Chadasha.

Aid, עֵד , is associated with the word adi, עֲדִי , which means ornaments. Consider the giving of the Ten Words were the betrothal ornaments given to Israel by YaHaVah himself. Their acceptance of these ornaments was the physical expression of their
covenant loyalty. When they removed these same

ornaments, their witness, at the golden calf, they effectively broke their betrothal. Israel not only rejected Yeshua, they rejected The Fathers marriage proposal as well.

The numerical value of adi is 84; 8 + 4 = 12. The number 12 speaks to the 12 tribes of Israel. All 12 tribes were given wedding ornaments. Some of the people kept their ornaments and some gave theirs to Aaron so that he could fashion the golden calf.

Since we are examining the Book of the Law, we should know what the word law meant to The Father. The Hebrew word for law is Torah, תּוֹרָה . Torah is defined as law, direction or instruction. This is a very familiar word to us all. Generally speaking, Torah is defined as the first five books of the Bible. In its ancient form would read: “Our covenant security was from the beginning in the One to be revealed.”

The numerical value of Torah is 611; 6 + 1 + 1 = 8. Eight is the number of covenant. The Book of the Law was imposed on Israel as a tutor. It was designed to show Israel what sin was, how to repent and reenter covenant.

In fact, Ex. 24:12 says just that: “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach (יָרָה ) them.’”

The root word for Torah is yarah,יָרָה . “Yarah” means to hit the mark. “Yarah” was used 42 times in the Tanakh with regard to “teaching.” In other words, to stay on track, the narrow path.

The numerical value of “Yarah” is 215; 2 + 1 + 5 = 8. Eight is the number of covenant.

In my opinion, during their 430 years of bondage, Israel had no teaching. I don’t think they really understand what sin was or even how sin would remove them from The Fathers’ presence. Recall The Father was silent during this time. For generations, all they knew was slavery. The entire book of Leviticus is devoted to ritually purity, why? Because they simply didn’t understand what ritual
purity was. Every other nation they were surrounded with worshiped several gods all at the same time. They ate the blood of animals, they marked their bodies etc. The Torah was designed to “teach” them how to remove themselves from worldly behavior, repent and return to covenant. The Fathers’ desire all along was to return Israel to covenant loyalty, NOT law.

For example, the very first commandment read thus: “And God spoke all these words, saying: ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You

shall have no other gods before Me.’” *This is significant because the land of promise was inundated with false gods.

When the Israelites invaded Canaan under Joshua in c.1406BC, the Canaanites worshipped local gods known as ‘Baals’ or ‘Baalim’. Baal’ was believed to be the son of ‘El’, the senior god of the Canaanites (‘El’ is the Semitic word for ‘god’ shared by the Israelites and the Canaanites). Baal means ‘Lord’ or ‘Master’.

The gods (or ‘Baalim’) of individual cities were often known by the name of the place, hence the Baal of Peor (see Numbers 25:3), Baal Meon (see Joshua 13:17), and Baal Hazor (see 2 Samuel 13:23). But the word ‘Baal’ also became a personal name to indicate the supreme fertility god of the Canaanites – the ‘Lord of the Earth’, who ensured good crops in this agricultural society.

Ashtoreth, the consort of Baal, was a Canaanite fertility goddess who had attracted the worship of some Israelites ever since the invasion of Canaan in c.1406BC (see Judges 2:10-13 & 10:6). In earlier days, Ashtoreth Karnaim was a center of Ashtoreth worship in the time of Abraham (see Genesis 14:5). The worship of Ashtoreth had become widespread among the Israelites by the time of Samuel in c.1024BC (see 1 Samuel 7:3-4). After King Saul was killed by the Philistines at the Battle of Mt Gilboa in c.1011BC, his armor was placed in the Temple of Ashtoreth at Beth Shean (see 1 Samuel 31:8-10).

The excavation of clay images showing a naked female at numerous archeological sites confirms that the worship of Ashtoreth was widespread during the time of the ‘Judges’ and throughout the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah. As well as male and female ritual prostitution, the cult of Ashtoreth also involved child sacrifice. Ashtoreth aka (Ishtar or Astarte).

Asherah, another Canaanite fertility goddess, was believed to be the wife of ‘El’, the chief god of the Canaanites. In common with the cult of Ashtoreth, the veneration of Asherah was often associated with the worship of Baal (see Judges 6:25 & 2 Kings 23:4). ‘Asherah poles’ were symbols of fertile, fruit-laden trees and of the goddess Asherah herself. They were often erected near pagan altars (see 1
Kings 16:32-33) and adjacent to other ‘sacred trees’ (see 1 Kings 14:22-24).

The worship of sacred trees was common in Canaan before the Israelite conquest. Abraham and Jacob both visited the sacred grove at Shechem (see Genesis 12:6 & 35:4), while the Tomb of the Patriarchs at Hebron was built near the sacred trees of Mamre (see Genesis 18:1, 23:17 & 25:9). The toleration of these ‘sacred trees’ and their adoption by the Israelites was another major contributor to their fall from God’s grace (see Isaiah 1:29).

Chemosh was the god of Moab, the land to the south east of Judah. The Moabites are recorded as worshipping Chemosh in the time of Moses (see Numbers 21:29), but it was not until King Solomon built a ‘high place’ (an altar) to Chemosh on the Mount of Olives, facing Jerusalem, that the religion was officially sanctioned in Israel (see 1 Kings 11:7). This ‘high place’, built in c.940BC, was not removed until King Josiah desecrated the ‘Mount of \Corruption’ (the Mount of Olives) in 624BC (see 2 Kings 23:13). The worship of Chemosh was another pagan religion that practiced the ritual sacrifice of children. After the death of King Ahab of Israel in 852BC, King Mesha of Moab rose in rebellion, but was soundly defeated by the Israelites. As a final act of desperation, he stood on top of the city walls of Kir Hareseth and sacrificed his eldest son and heir, in full view of the horrified Israelite soldiers who looked on (see 2 Kings 3:27). The worship of Chemosh was decried nearly three hundred years later by the prophet Jeremiah, in exile in Egypt
following the fall of Jerusalem in 587BC (see

Jeremiah 48:13). Mount of Olives, Jerusalem (Yair Haklai) The ‘Mount of Corruption’ (Mount of Olives), where Chemosh was worshipped (Yair Haklai).

Molech, the God of Ammon, was also introduced into Israel by Solomon and his Ammonite wives with their foreign retinues (see 1 Kings 11:5). Prior to this, any Israelite or foreigner who sacrificed his children to Molech was guilty of an abomination in the eyes of Yahweh and was put to death (see Leviticus 20:1-5). After the official toleration of this foreign religion, children were burned alive on the altars of Topheth, in the Valley of Hinnom, immediately south of the city walls of Jerusalem (see 2 Kings 23:10 & Jeremiah 32:35). King Ahaz of Judah sacrificed his own sons in the fires of Gehenna (the name, often translated ‘hell’, adopted by the Jews to describe the Valley of Hinnom), as did King Manasseh (see 2 Chronicles 28:3 & 2 Kings 21:6). It was left to King Josiah to destroy the ‘high

places’ of Molech during the revival he began in Judah in 624BC (see 2 Kings 23:10-13), though the condemnations of Ezekiel, Malachi and Zephaniah all atest to smoldering pockets of resistance to Josiah’s religious reforms during the following century. (See Ezekiel 23:37-39, Malachi 2:11 & Zephaniah 4-5) Valley of Hinnom, Jerusalem. The Valley of Hinnom, where children were sacrificed to
Molech. (www.thebiblejourney.org)

Scripture clearly tells us that Israel was unwilling even to observe the first commandment much less the other nine. In the eyes of The Father, the worship of anyone or anything other than Himself is adultery.

Israel past, present and future were filled with spiritual adultery. This is the reason for the first commandment. This is also the reason for the Dt. 6:4 – 5: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with

all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

These same behaviors are with us today. The remnant bride are those who have chosen to come out of spiritual adultery and walk in spiritual purity. We have departed from the traditions of men and embraced The Father’s doctrine of truth.

The Book of the Law would remain in effect UNTIL the first advent of Messiah Yeshua. The purpose of The Book of the Law was to enable Israel’s repentance and their return to The Book of the Covenant.

Col. 2:13 – 14: “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us,

which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

Rom. 3:19 – 24: “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”

Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Yeshua HaMashiach, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Messiah Yeshua.” **The Book of the Law taught Israel what sin was.

Rom. 7:7: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”

1 Jn. 3:4: “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.”

Gal. 3:19 – 25: “What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom he promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have
given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under sin, which the promise by faith in Yeshua HaMashiach might be given to those who believe.

But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Messiah, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”

Gal. 3:15 – 18: “Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of
one, ‘and to your Seed,’ who is Messiah. And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Messiah, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”

The Scriptures we have just examined show us the transition.

Book of the Covenant – Ge. 1:1 – Ex. 24:11 Restored Book Of the Covenant

Mt. 1:1 – Rev. 22:21

Book of the Law – Ex. 24:12 – Dt. 34:12

There is a reminder to keep the Shabbat, the fourth commandment, included in The Book of the Law.

Ex. 31:12 – 18: “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: Surely My Sabbaths (אֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתַי ) you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD
who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath (אֶת־הַשַּׁבָּת ), therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath (אֶת־הַשַּׁבָּת ) day, he shall surely be
put to death. Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath (אֶת־הַשַּׁבָּת) throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.

It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens (אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם ) and the earth (אֶת־הָאָרֶץ ), and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed. And when He had made an end of speaking with him on
Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.’”

The Levitical Priesthood

Levi is the third son of Jacob/Israel. The tribe of Levi was awarded the priestly distinction for their actions after the
golden calf incident.

Ex. 32:26 – 28 : “Then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, ‘Whoever is on the LORD’s side—come to me!’ And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. And he said to them, Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’ So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day.”

The actions of the tribe of Levi set them apart for service in the sanctuary, which is the Mishkan. The name Levi means “joined to.” The Hebrew spelling is לֵוִי . It is spelled with a Lamed, Vav and Yud. In its ancient form Levi would read: “They will teach with authority those who secure themselves to YaHaVah, throwing the seed of truth.” (Definitions derived from the Hebrew Language Chart, www.shemayisrael.net.)

The numerical value of Levi is 46; 4 + 6 = 10. This is an entirely appropriate number considering their appointed task, i.e. Teaching Israel how to honor the 10 Words and reenter a covenant relationship.

The Levitical Priesthood has a beginning and it has an ending.

It is after the golden calf incident that Aaron, the older brother of Moses, and his sons are inaugurated into the Levitical Priesthood. Ex. 29:1 – 9 records their separation: “And this is what you shall do to them to hallow them for ministering to Me as priests: Take one

young bull and two rams without blemish, and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil (you shall make them of wheat flour). You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, with the bull and the two rams. And Aaron and his sons you shall bring to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall wash them with water.” **There must be a separation from the world in order to serve the Most High.

Then you shall take the garments (אֶת־הַבְּגָדִים ), put the tunic on Aaron (אֶֽת־אַהֲרֹן ), and the robe (אֶת־הַכֻּתֹּנֶת ) of the ephod, the ephod, אֶת־הָאֵפֹד) ) and the breastplate (אֶת־הַחֹשֶׁן), and gird him with the intricately woven band of the ephod. You shall put the turban on his head, and put the holy crown (אֶת־נֵזֶר ) on the turban. And you shall take the anointing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him. Then you shall bring his sons (אֶת־בָּנָיו ) and put tunics on them. And you shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and put the hats on them. The priesthood shall be theirs for a perpetual statute. So you shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.”

The Aleph Tav connects the priestly garments, Aaron and his sons to the “strength of the covenant,” because their job was to teach Israel and lead them back into covenant loyalty.

Aaron, the High Priest, would wear eight garments

To fully appreciate the depth of depravity seen in this next section, we must remember that the priests of Israel came from the tribe of Levi. Priests and Levites were supposed to steer the people away from idolatry toward the worship of God, teaching them right from wrong (see Lev 10:8-11; Ezek 44:23). (www.biblestudytools.com)

As I said, the Levitical Priesthood was ordained to teach the people Israel how to reenter covenant loyalty. Ps. 135:20: “Bless the LORD, O house of Levi! You who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!” **They began their service with enthusiasm but ended in depravity.

Mal. 2:1 – 9: “And now, O priests, this commandment is for you. ‘If you will not hear, and if you will not take it to heart, to give glory to My name,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘I will send a curse (אֶת־הַמְּאֵרָה ) upon you, and I will curse your blessings (אֶת־בִּרְכֽוֹתֵיכֶם ). Yes, I have cursed them already, because you do not take it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your descendants (אֶת־הַזֶּרַע ) and spread refuse on your faces, the refuse of your solemn feasts; and one will take you away with it. Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, that

My covenant with Levi (אֶת־לֵוִי ) may continue,’ says the LORD of hosts.’”

My covenant was with him, one of life and peace, and I gave them to him that he might fear Me; so he feared Me and was reverent before My name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and equity, and turned many away from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, and people should seek the law from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. But you have departed from the way; you have caused many to stumble at the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,’ says the LORD of hosts. Therefore I also have made you contemptible and base before all the
people, because you have not kept My ways (אֶת־דְּרָכַי ) but have shown partiality in the law.”

Mal. 3:1 – 3: “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who

can endure the day (אֶת־יוֹם ) of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi (אֶת־בְּנֵֽי־לֵוִי ), and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness.”

Consider there are approximately 400 years from the time of Malachi to the first advent of Yeshua. The people Israel, their leadership and the Levitical Priesthood were in spiritual chaos. Yeshuas’ first advent will bring the Levitical Priesthood to its conclusion.

The messenger referred to in Malachi 3 refers to John the Immerser. John’s conception, birth and ministry are recorded in the book of Luke. Lk. 1:5 – 9: “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. So it

was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division (it’s important to understand that his division, the division of Abijah, was the eighth order-see 1 Chron. 24.), according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.”

Zacharias and Elizabeth were Levites, kosher Levites. The Father kept her barren UNTIL His appointed time. His appointed time for the birth of John. John would be the last Levitical priest. This is significant because a nonobservant Levite would not be ritually pure, a condition which was required for the transfer from the Levitical Priesthood back to the original Melchizedek Priesthood.

This transfer is recorded in Matthew 3:13 – 15: “Then Yeshua came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?’ But Yeshua answered and said to him, ‘permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’”

There was a washing of water transferring the priesthood from Moses, the last priest after the order of Melchizedek, to the Levitical Priesthood. The same method was used to transfer from the Levitical Priesthood back to the original Melchizedek Priesthood. Indeed, the glorious days of covenant loyalty were restored at the first advent of Messiah Yeshua.

Heb.7:11 – 12 make it clear that there was a transfer of priesthood: “Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a
change of the law.” Keep in mind that word for law is Torah. There were laws, or Torah, that were introduced under the Book of the Covenant.

1 Pt. 2:5 speaks to the restored Melchizedek Priesthood: “you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Yeshua HaMashiach.”

1 Pt. 2:9: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

Both Scriptures take us back to the Fathers’ proposal in

Ex. 19.

All those Israelites and foreigners who accepted the completed work of Messiah Yeshua were immediately ushered into the restored Melchizedek Priesthood. They were fully equipped, by Yeshuas’ teaching, to serve.

In conclusion, The Book of the Covenant and the 5Melchizedek Priesthood were restored at the first advent of Messiah Yeshua while the Book of the Law and the Levitical Priesthood were fulfilled.

BTW, Moses was both a Levite and a priest after the order of Melchizedek. In his position as a priest he was serving the Most High and the people.