The Mission: Make the Word of God the plan for your day. Focus on fulfilling His Word over anything else, and you will be led to His perfect will.
Psalm 139:16; Jeremiah 29:11; Ephesians 2:10
The Book of Days
DAY 116
THE OHEL MOED
WE WERE STANDING on a low mountain range that enclosed a vast open expanse.
“Imagine,” said the teacher, “this plain completely filled up with tents. If you can imagine it, that’s what it would have looked like when the Hebrews journeyed through the wilderness. But there was one tent that stood apart from the rest. It was called the Ohel Moed, the Tent of the Appointed Time, or the Tent of Meeting.”
“What exactly was it?” I asked.
“It was the tent of God’s presence, where God and man met together. Now imagine you were in the camp. How would you find that tent?”
“I don’t know.”
“You would simply walk to the center. The Tent of Meeting was always set up in the center of the camp. The rest of the camp was built around it. This one tent set the position of every other tent. The entire order of the camp itself was determined by its location. What does that reveal?”
“I don’t know, I’m not a camper.”
“Nevertheless, you need to build a tent of meeting.”
“And what does that mean?”
“Every child of God must dwell with God in prayer, worship, and communion. And to dwell with God, you must build a tent of meeting.”
“How so?”
“By setting apart an appointed time every day and establishing its parameters for one set and sacred purpose: to meet with God. That is your tent of meeting, your tent of the appointed time. But where do you set it up?”
“In a quiet place?”
“More than that. The tent of meeting must always be set up in the center of the camp. It must be the center of your day, the center of your schedule, the center of everything you do, the center of your life. That’s the key. If it’s not the center, then every other thing will crowd it out of existence. You don’t fit your time with God around your day or around your activities; you fit your day and activities around your time with God, your tent of meeting. Your relationship with God and the sacred meetings of that relationship can only occupy one place in your life—the center. Center your life and everything of your life around God and your time with God. When you do that, everything else will fall into its place.”
The Mission: Today, build and place your tent of meeting in the center of your day and life, and place the rest of your day and life around it.
Exodus 25:8–9; Matthew 6:6, 33
The Mishkan Kit I–II
DAY 117
THE HUPOGRAMMOS
HE TOOK ME into the Chamber of Books and to a wooden table on which was something of a tablet, a very shallow wooden box filled with soft wax. He had in his hand a small pointed rod, what I would imagine a stylus would look like. He placed the rod into the wax of the tablet and began to write. The letters were foreign to me.
“It’s ancient Greek,” he said. “And the word is hupogrammos.”
“What does it mean?”
“Grammos means writing, and hupo means under. Hupogrammos means the underwriting.”
“So you’re an underwriter,” I said.
He didn’t respond.
“In ancient times, the hupogrammos was used to teach students how to write. It was the model or master writing. In one form it would appear as a word or collection of words to be copied by the student. In another, the teacher would write the hupogrammos on a wax tablet. The student would then place his stylus in the grooves of the letters and trace out the word for himself.”
“But this is about more than writing,” I said.
“Of course it is,” said the teacher. “In the First Book of Peter it says this: ‘Messiah suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you might walk in His steps.’”
“And that has to do with this?”
“In the original Greek, it doesn’t say ‘example.’ It says ‘hupogrammos.’”
“So Messiah left us a hupogrammos?” I said. “An underwriting?”
“Messiah is the hupogrammos,” he said. “He is the hupogrammos by which you are to trace everything else. His life is the hupogrammos life by which you are to trace your life. The actions of His life are the hupogrammos actions by which you are to trace the actions of your life. The thoughts of Messiah are the hupogrammos thoughts, the manner of Messiah is the hupogrammos manner, His love, the hupogrammos love, His heart, the hupogrammos heart . . . And by that you are to trace your thoughts, your manner, your heart, your everything, from the grooves of His life and the imprint of His footsteps. Messiah is the hupogrammos of your life.”
The Mission: Don’t just go through this day, but seek first the hupogrammos of your day. Receive your actions and steps from Him—and then trace them.
Ephesians 5:1–2; 1 Peter 2:21
The Hupogrammos
DAY 118
THE COSMIC BRIDAL CHAMBER
IT WAS EARLY evening. We were gazing down at the tent camp in which we had first seen the bride. We didn’t see her that night, nor did we expect to.
“I wonder what she’s thinking,” I said. “And what she’s doing.”
“The bride?” asked the teacher.
“Yes.”
“She’s preparing for the day of her wedding.”
“How exactly is she preparing?”
“She no longer focuses on her home as she once did . . . not on how comfortable it is or how uncomfortable.”
“Because she’s leaving it.”
“Exactly. And the more she focuses on her present circumstances, on what she’ll be leaving, the less she’ll be able to focus on where she’s going. She knows that her time in her present home is now temporary and limited. It’s not for her to grow more attached to it, but less attached. It’s for her to tread lightly. It’s her time to let go, to begin to say good-bye. Everything she once knew as her home is no longer so. It’s now her bridal chamber. She must now use everything she has to prepare herself for the wedding and the life that lies ahead of her.”
“So she prepares herself by letting go,” I said, “by saying good-bye?”
“Yes, and by whatever she can do to ready herself for her future life . . . not by beautifying her tent, but by beautifying herself. She prepares herself.”
“But there’s a spiritual realm to all this . . . yes?”
“Yes. If you belong to God, you’re His bride. And the world is your tent, your present home. And as the bride, your focus can no longer be on this, nor on your circumstances, nor on how comfortable or uncomfortable you are in this world. This is the place you’re leaving. And the more you focus on what you’re leaving, the less you’ll be able to focus on where you’re going. Your days in the world are temporary. You’re not in the world to grow more attached to it, but less attached. It’s your time for letting go, of treading lightly, of saying good-bye. So use every part of this life to prepare yourself for the life yet to come. Use the time you have in this world to prepare yourself for the days of eternity. You’re here to become beautiful. And from now on when you look at this world, no longer see it as your home, but see it for what it has now become . . . your bridal chamber.
The Mission: Live today as one preparing for the wedding. Use every moment as a chance to become more beautiful and heavenly.
Isaiah 52:1–2; Ephesians 5:26–27; Revelation 21:2
The Great Preparation
DAY 119
THE COVENANT OF THE BROKEN
IWAS IN THE common hall at lunchtime. I accidentally bumped into a clay jar that was set on one of the tables. It fell to the ground and shattered into a multitude of pieces. For a brief moment everyone’s attention was fixed on me. I noticed someone kneeling down at my side. It was the teacher.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“I didn’t come over to correct you,” he said, “b
ut to help you.” He then joined me in gathering up the fragments. “But I thought we’d make the most of the opportunity. This will be our next class,” he said as he continued to gather together the pieces.
“Where,” he asked, “is the new covenant first spoken of?”
“I don’t know.”
“In the Hebrew Scriptures, God spoke to the prophet Jeremiah saying, ‘The days are coming when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah, not like the covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to take them out of Egypt, the covenant that they broke . . . ’
“‘The covenant that they broke,’” he repeated. “So the new covenant is born of brokenness. It exists because of brokenness. It was first spoken of in the days when the land of Israel lay in ruins in the wake of judgment. It’s the covenant God made for those who had fallen from grace, a covenant for the broken.”
“But the new covenant is given to everyone, not just to the Jewish people.”
“Yes,” said the teacher, “but its nature is the same for all. All have sinned, all have broken His precepts, all have failed, all have fallen and have become in some way broken. So the new covenant is the covenant God gives to all who have sinned, all who have failed, all who have fallen, and all who should have no hope of any covenant with God, all who don’t deserve it. It is the covenant He makes with them regardless. So what is the power of the new covenant?” he asked. “It’s the power to put together that which is broken, the power of restoration and healing.”
“It’s the power,” I said, “to pick up and bring together all the broken pieces of our lives.”
“It’s the covenant of the broken.”
The Mission: As much as you’ve failed, get up. As much as you’ve fallen, get up. He redeems that which is broken. Go and do likewise.
Jeremiah 31:31–34; Hosea 14:4–7; John 8:9–11
The Brit Haddashah
DAY 120
THE MYSTERY OF THE SEMIKHAH
TODAY,” SAID THE teacher, “we open up the mystery of the Semikhah.”
“What’s a Semikhah?” I asked.
“It was a sacred act that had to take place before a sacrifice could be offered up for the sins of the one offering it, or before the scapegoat on Yom Kippur could take away the sins of the nation.”
“And what did it involve?”
“Physical contact. The priest or the one offering the sacrifice had to make physical contact with the sacrifice. He had to touch it. Specifically, he had to place the palms of his hands on the head of the sacrifice. As it is written, ‘Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess upon it all the iniquities of the children of Israel . . . ’ Only after the Semikhah was performed could the scapegoat take away the nation’s sins, or the sacrifice be offered up as an atonement . . . And here is the mystery. Messiah is the sacrifice, the atonement. But before the sacrifice can die for sin, the Semikhah must be performed. So who was it that offered Him up, that delivered Him to His death?”
“The priests.”
“Therefore, according to the mystery, the priest had to make physical contact with the sacrifice . . . with their hands. So it is recorded that after condemning Messiah to death, the priests began to strike Him repeatedly with their hands. For the Semikhah to be accomplished, they had to touch the head of the sacrifice with their hands. So it is recorded that priests specifically struck His face . . . His head. In the Semikhah, the one offering the sacrifice had to touch it with his palms. So the account records that they struck His head with their palms. There is even a rabbinical writing that states that when more than one person offers a sacrifice, they must all perform the Semikhah, taking turns touching the head of the sacrifice. So in accordance with the ancient mystery, it was only after hands were laid on its head, that the sacrifice, Messiah, was led away to be slain. And what happened in earthly realms is a symbol of what took place in heavenly realms . . . It was ultimately God who performed the Semikhah. He placed your sins upon Messiah. He placed the sins of you specifically upon Messiah specifically. And in His death those sins are gone and can never come back . . . For the act of the Semikhah has been performed.”
The Mission: The Semikhah has been performed. Therefore, live this day as one whose sins have been absolutely, for certain, and for real, taken away forever.
Leviticus 16:21; Mark 14:65
Footsteps on the Altar
DAY 121
THE SHERESH
TEACHER,” I SAID, “what is key to being fruitful in God? What causes some to become great in the kingdom and not others?”
He got up from the rock, walked over to a small plant that was growing just a few yards away. Grabbing the bottom of its stem, he slowly and carefully pulled it out of the soil.
“This,” he said, “this is the secret . . . the part of the plant you don’t see. The hidden part. Look at it. It’s hidden, yet it’s the most important part. When you look at a tree, you never see the whole tree. You just see what grows above the earth. The most important part is unseen, growing downward into the earth. From the roots come the tree’s water, its minerals, and its nourishment. Without the roots, the tree ceases to exist. And if its roots are shallow or weak, the tree and its fruits will wither away. A tree’s fruitfulness can never exceed its rootfulness.”
“So to apply this to our lives . . . ”
“In God, your life is like a tree. There are two parts to your existence, the part that’s visible to the world and the hidden part that no one can see. It’s the visible of your life in God that manifests the fruit . . . all your good works, your acts of love and righteousness. But the hidden part . . . these are your roots.”
“And what exactly are the roots?”
“Your inner life with God, your faith, your devotion, your love, communion, your time with Him in prayer, that which is in your heart. No one can see it, but it’s the most critical part . . . the part by which you receive spiritual life and nourishment. It is this which causes the rest of your life to grow and bear fruit. If your roots are shallow or weak, the fruits of your life in God will wither away. Your fruitfulness in God will always be directly proportionate to your rootfulness in God.”
“What’s the Hebrew word for root?” I asked. “And does it reveal anything?”
“The word is sheresh. And it’s linked to deepness, depth. And so if you would become great in God, you must become deep in God. Focus on strengthening your roots. Make it your aim to grow deeper in the hidden and secret places . . . and your life will bear much fruit. And so it is written, ‘The root of the righteous will bear fruit.’”
The Mission: Focus today on strengthening your roots, going deeper in God’s presence, deeper in receiving. And from those roots, bear your fruit.
Psalm 1:3; Proverbs 12:12; Colossians 2:6–7
Radically Rooted
DAY 122
THE ANTI-WITNESS
HE TOOK ME to a ruin not far from the school, but one I had never before seen or noticed. There wasn’t much to see, only the barest remnants of ancient buildings and artifacts and largely obscured by the desert sand.
“These are the ruins of an ancient fortress,” said the teacher. “It was destroyed not by age but war. They bear witness of two opposing sides and the conflict between them. The Scriptures speak of two opposing realities and a war in the spiritual realm, the kingdom of darkness against the kingdom of light. If we were visitors from another world, what evidence might we see on the earth that such a war exists?”
“The conflict over evil,” I replied.
“Yes, but even more specific than that. What if God were to use a people to accomplish His purposes, to advance the kingdom? What would happen in the conflict?”
“They would become the target of the enemy’s attacks. They would become the most attacked people on earth . . . the focus of a satanic hatred, the war of darkness.”
“Who are the most attacked people on earth?” he asked. �
��And what people have been the most hated, vilified, and persecuted in human history?”
“The Jews.”
“And what is the natural explanation for this fury, a fury with no rationale or natural explanation, a supernatural war that was there in the ancient world and is just as much there in the modern? And the greater the fury, the more overtly satanic the manifestation. Why is it that those most obsessed with destroying the Jewish people happen to be most evil and satanic, from the Third Reich to the masters of terrorism? It’s because evil is obsessed with destroying this people, the same people who just happen to have brought into the world the Word of God, the salvation of God, and the One called the Messiah.”
“It’s the proof of the war,” I said, “and of the existence of God and the enemy, and of a kingdom of darkness to which Jewish existence is a threat and against which it wars.”
“It is the witness of the dark,” said the teacher, “the anti-witness. And yet despite itself it bears witness that the Word of God is true and that the light, the good, and the answer are all linked to this people and to that which they brought into the world. The fact that, after all this, the Jewish people still exist bears witness that greater than all darkness is the light, stronger than all evil is the good, and, in the end, the fury of hell is nothing against the power of heaven.”
The Mission: Today, believe, take courage, and live confidently in the truth that the good will, in the end, prevail over all evil—in the world and in your life.
The Book of Mysteries Page 18
