The Parable of the Holy Spirit
An excerpt from CGWKBK5 Vol. 2: Shemot
In Workbook Four, the Scarlet Harlot and the Crimson Thread, the personification of the Spirit of Adonai as a woman was examined in detail. The Book of Proverbs (Parables) is rich with teaching about the Seven Spirits of Adonai in the parable of a woman. This is the essence of a parable, to explain a spiritual concept in the context of human dilemma.
The Proverbs 31 woman, or Woman of Valor, is a parable of the Ruach HaKodesh. The early chapters of Proverbs repeatedly refer to the Spirit of Wisdom as a woman. In 2 Samuel 14, the assistance of a woman was sought to bring restoration to the King's son:
"So Joab sent to Tekoa and brought a wise woman from there..." (verse 2).
The more mysterious relationship of a woman to a man is that of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) symbolized as a sister to a man, yet simultaneously she functions in the role of a wife (see Workbook Four for a more thorough explanation of "say you are my sister..."). In Shemot, many women labored to bring Moses to maturity. This help was an example of the Helper, the Ruach HaKodesh.
· Yocheved gives birth, protecting, nourishing, and then releasing Moses from the mikveh of her womb with hope in spite of Pharaoh's evil decree
· The midwives Puah and Shifrah provide protection for the children of Israel at the time of critical transition, courageously and cunningly defying Pharaoh's decree
· Miriam monitors the safety of Moses in his tiny ark in spite of the crocodiles, and she places him among the reeds in a strategic location where perhaps the one person in Egypt who could save Moses would be sure to see him. According to the Jewish tradition, Miriam opposed her father's divorce and talked him into reversing the decision, in effect, nullifying her father's vow
· Pharaoh's daughter[1] protects the Hebrew infant boy and pays for a wet nurse in spite of her father's decree; in essence, she annuls her father's vow concerning Moses
· Tzipporah circumcises their son, nullifying a decree of death with obedience to the commandment
All these females protected, nurtured, and enabled Moses in some capacity. It required rebellion against evil words and acting outside of the expected cultural role. Metaphorically, they guarded and watched over the Torah.
There is an example of Pharaoh's daughter's faith in the small piece of information given about her. She offers to pay the price of a wet nurse for Moses. Ancient Mesopotamian tablets state that a "foundling" would become the finder's property if she paid the price of a wet nurse. Pharaoh's daughter indicated immediately that she would pay the price of the nurse, and willingly accept Moses/the Torah as her own, as if he had been born in her home. The Torah would not be a stranger or a strange thing to Pharaoh's daughter.
According to the Midrash, Pharaoh's daughter attached herself to the Jews, and she was part of the mixed multitude that went up out of Egypt nearly 80 years later.
Perhaps this is why Pharaoh's daughter is not named when she was such a vital instrument of redemption. She can be ANYone who rejects the idolatry of her fathers and accepts Moses and the Prophet like unto Moses; she can be anyone who protects and guards Him while He grows to maturity in vision and completion of redemption work on her behalf. The midrash says that Pharaoh's daughter was different than the rest of Pharaoh's house. She was seeking a better way of truth, and therefore we find her immersing in a mikveh in her only appearance in the Torah.
In other Jewish commentary on Pharaoh's daughter, she is named Batyah, "daughter of Yah." This is an apt name for her work, for she annulled the decree of an earthly father in order to uphold a decree of her Heavenly Father. She made sure the shemamah (destruction) decreed on Moses was replaced by a shem (name, reputation), an opportunity to fulfill the potential in the name of Moses, a man "drawn forth" from the waters.
[1] In rabbinic literature, Pharaoh's daughter Batyah is one of seven women who lead Torah study in the Olam Haba (Raphael, 2009, p. 186).
ISRAEL STUDY TRIP
We still have two seats available on the March 19-30, 2017, Israel tour. Our focus is preparing for Passover as we walk in the ancient paths of our forefathers' faith. We're looking for spiritual renewal, and studies will focus on both the observance of Passover in the First Century as well as its spiritual and prophetic place in our lives and apocalyptic prophecies.
Cost is $2100 plus your airfare. For more information or registration, go to
www.blossomingrose.org and view the Pennington/Alewine tour: Standing With Israel: the Revelation.
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Truth, Tradition, or Tare: Growing in the Word.
Readers of the Newer Testament can find its treatment of tradition confusing. Many of the customs in its pages are Jewish, and therefore foreign to non-Jewish believers. Yeshua (Jesus) sometimes corrected those observing religious customs, yet at other times he said they should have observed them. Paul does the same in his letters, and twice he instructs non-Jewish believers to keep the Jewish customs he passed on to them.
Among believers in Yeshua today, some enjoy incorporating tradition into their worship. Some dismiss all customs as "man-made," and therefore extraneous at best or the sin "adding to" the written Word at worst. There is a way to determine the relationship of the written Word to tradition, for the Word would not leave us without comfort on such an important question. Our Father wants His children to grow in wisdom, maturity, and favor before Him as well as their communities.
The methods used by the prophets of the Older Testament (TANAKH) as well as the writers of the Newer Testament (Brit HaChadasha) did leave readers guidelines to divide the Seed of truth from tradition, and then to separate a tradition grown from truth from a "taredition" grown from a different seed. Additionally, it is just as important to the disciple of Yeshua to test the goodness of the soil on which the practice of the Word grows. The most important consideration in the Older Testament's, Yeshua's, and the apostles' instructions is the sincere heart that holds justice, mercy, and faithfulness as the weightier matters of any religious custom.
By evaluating the traditions that one chooses to observe or not observe, the individual can avoid the lament:
"O Lord, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble, to you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth and say: 'Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, worthless things in which there is no profit.'"
By applying the instructions in the Word, every believer is encouraged in his or her growth. A careful examination of Yeshua's instructions lifts a nuance that is frequently lost in discussions of truth and tradition. The first step is to identify whether that tradition is a tare. By throwing all tradition into a mental trash bin labeled Man's Tradition, it is possible that one could throw good plants and fruit into the bin with the tares. This is a logical fallacy called oversimplification. Yeshua's parables encourage his disciples to learn critical thinking skills so that growth in the Word is abundant life.
When a disciple of Yeshua examines his or her walk in the Word, there may be times that he or she feels that there is not enough growth. The very fact that we question our growth is a sign of readiness to grow. The next step is to allow the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) to teach us how to bear good fruit. To do that, every disciple can identify beliefs and practices that either stimulate healthy growth in the Word, or they stunt it. Welcome to the living fields of the Father's Garden!
LaMalah Children's Centre
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