1) Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: Deuteronomy 6:4
This is a very well known statement made by Moses. Most recognise its importance. But do you recognise its significance?
It is the beginning of the Law. No less than Jesus, who is known in Hebrew as Y'shua, confirmed this.
The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. (Mark 12:29-30)
Deuteronomy 6:4 is a poorly translated verse in most English version of the Bible. Most English translations use words that do not accuratly convey the meaning of the original Hebrew.
שׁמע ישׂראל יהוה אלהינו יהוה אחד׃
Shama Israel Yahveh Elohyni Yahveh echad
In English fully translated it is,
Hear - prince with The Mighty - He shall be - our Mighty Ones - He shall be - One
This has a wonderful context. Israel sang on their deliverance from Egypt
The LORD (He shall be) is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God (Mighty One), and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God (Mighty Ones), and I will exalt him. (Exodus 15:2).
Their offer to make the Holy One who will be Mighty Ones a habitation, is reciprocated. The Almighty, who none can see (1 John 4:12), said to Moses,
And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among/with them. (Exodus 25:8)
When designing this sactuary He who will be- Mighty Ones first asked Moses and the people to build for him, not an altar, but an Ark and Mercy Seat,
And there I will meet with you, and I will commune with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give you in commandment unto the children of Israel. (Exodus 25:22)
Also there is deep symbolism in the curtains of the tabernacle. This is what is said of them,
And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of another curtain, in the coupling of the second. Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another. And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches: and it shall be one tabernacle. (Exodus 26:4-6)
A company of curtains with fifty (the number of grace) blue loops (the colour of the heavens) and gold connections (of tried faith) becomes 'one'. The priniple was also expressed in Genesis,
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (Genesis 2:24)
Genesis Chapters one and two shows the unity in the one power of Spirit of the sons of the Mighty Ones, who were all involved in creation,
When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God (Mighty Ones) shouted for joy? (Job 38:7)
It is these many Mighty Ones that 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
So God (mighty Ones) created man in their own image, in the image of Mighty Ones created he Him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1:26-27)
This indicates that the Mighty Ones at creation were both male and female. But the Mighty ones were all one, or united, as their power (singular) at creation was the Holy One, who is a Spirit with no 'image' or body. They were mighty solely in the great power of the one Almighty Spirit.
Abraham saw three of these Mighty Ones who looked like humans but spoke for the one He who will be, and they ate with Abraham (Genesis 18). Jacob saw in a dream multitudes of these Mighty Ones at Bethel ascending form the earth in the power of He who will be who was above them (Genesis 28). The nobles and elders of Israel with Moses ate with Mighty Ones on the mount but were not touched by the Almighty power, who set the mountain on fire, who was called 'He' below. It is written,
And they saw the Mighty Ones of Israel: and there was under the feet a construction of sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel He laid not his hand: also they saw the Mighty Ones, and did eat and drink. (Exodus 24:10-11)
Therefore when Moses proclaimed the Law to the people, Israel had a long history of seeing quite a few Angels, or more accurately, Mighty Ones, all who exhibited the power of the one most Holy Mighty One. Moses' first proclaimation was that the Holy was one. There was no power but his. He was to be Israel's Mighty Ones, as the only had power in His power. Also that Israel were to be one, or united with them.
The purpose of the Law of Moses was to create a separated united people of the prince, and a people united to the Holy One,
And you shall be holy unto me: for I He who will be am holy, and have severed you from other people, that you should be mine. (Leviticus 20:26)
To Israel it was said,
A Psalm of Asaph. God (Mighty Ones) stand in the congregation of God (the Almighty); he judges among the gods (mighty ones). How long will you judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, You are gods (mighty ones); and all of you are children of the most High. But you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. Arise, gods (mighty ones), judge the earth: for you shalt inherit all nations. (Psalm 82:1-8)
There is no other purpose on earth but this, that those chosen by the Holy become mighty ones through obedince and the granting of His Almighty power. Y'shua reminded the leaders of Israel of this
“Is it not written in your law, 'I said, You are gods'? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say you of him, whom the Father has sanctified, and sent into the world, you blaspheme; because I said, I am the Son of God? (John 10:34-36)
Before we can undstand any of the commands, or indeed the purpose of grace, we need to understand the first of all commandments.
Hear prince with The Mighty He shall be our Mighty Ones He shall be One.
Or in other words, Hear Israel the Holy, in Mighty Ones, is one power and will be One
For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of He who will be as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:14)
And the LORD (He who will be) shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one He who will be, and his name one. (Zechariah 14:9)
The earth is not yet filled with His glory, as it is not yet filled with holy people united with He who will be Mighty Ones in the One Power of the universe..
For more see Son of God
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. (1 Corinthians 4:5)
This may be one of the most misunderstood passages of the Bible. Paul is notorious for long sentences of connected thoughts, and this is part of a complex wide ranging thought which lasts 2 chapters, and includes what seems opposite advice:
But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. (1 Cor. 5:11-13)
As I was thinking to write this article, having just read Psalm 46 as I do each year on that day, on January 25th a Bible was found untouched after a tornado hit Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
We have been given many time periods to prophetic events in the Bible. Many people think it too hard, and do not make an effort to understand them. However, if they were not to be understood, why were they given? And the Bible says the wise shall understand (Daniel 12:10).
In the light of the findings of science, how literally do we take what the scriptures say about the power of the God of the Bible, Yahweh Elohim (literally He who will become Mighty Ones)? Science at its best is a measurement of observable and repeatable phenomenon wrapped up in explanations which abound in analogy. There is no doubt in the benefit of investigating phenomena of the natural world. The surprising thing is that the more we investigate natural phenomena, the more it fits the explanations recorded over 2000 years ago.
The God of Israel is approachable and reasonable. He often speaks directly to his people. The following will seek to understand a passage where he speaks via the prophet Amos which has a few variant translations.
