As an example, let's compare the first three uses of karah in Genesis. In the first two instances, karah, translated as "befall" in English, indicates Jacob's fear of some random calamity that would occur if Benjamin traveled with his brothers:
- But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that harm may befall H7122 him.” (Ge 42:4)
- But Jacob said, “My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should befall H7122 him on the journey you are taking, then you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.” (Ge 42:38)
This unknown calamity was not a happening that Jacob already knew about, just something that could happen. The third use, however, indicates that it is a happening in the future that is already known by Jacob, prophecy:
- Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, “Assemble yourselves that I may tell you what will befall H7122 you in the days to come." (Ge 49:1)
Like a mikra, or appointed time of the feast, the prophecies of the twelve tribes of Israel are already known. The feasts of the future are not just holidays, but known prophecies being fulfilled. Although we may not know the exact year of the resurrection, which keeps us "guarding" our garments, we can come very close to knowing the day based on Scripture. These prophecies of resurrection were so known even in the First Century that Yeshua emphasized them and the apostles wrote about them!
If we know that the Greater Exodus is prophecy, then we learn from the past Exodus to prepare for what will "befall" us in the Greater Exodus of days to come. Just as Yeshua, the apostolic writings, and especially the book of Revelation guarantee, these days will not come upon us unaware. We already know it will happen at its appointed time. We already know there will be tribulation. These things were written to instruct us in preparation. Revelation repeats the plagues already visited upon Egypt, assuring us that it is not by chance, but planned from ancient times.
To understand Israel’s neck like the Tower of David as a prophecy, we search backward to the defeat of the Canaanite kings before and after the Israelites crossed the Jordan. Forty years previous to crossing the Jordan, these Canaanite kings appeared as giants in the Land in the Israelites’ perception:
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Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size [height]. There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” (Nu 13:30-33)
Ten of the Israelite spies had gone 'a walking, but alas, not in the preparation to cross over the Jordan to inherit. They didn't have foot-festival feet, for they failed to differentiate between random luck and planned prophecy. Ten of the spies thought they were grasshoppers! Only two spies could see that it was Israel called to be spiritual giants. Those gigantic grapes and pomegranates are two important symbols: Israel is the (spiritually gigantic) Vineyard, and pomegranates represent the commandments of the Torah, which will grow to gigantic proportions within a righteous Israel. Ten spies thought that level of spirituality and obedience was unattainable.
The grasshopper, although kosher, has no thought for future generations. It eats its way through life. To heck with the next generation! Proverbs 6:6 exhorts us to consider the wisdom of the ant, who prepares its food in summer for the winter. Oddly, the ant lives only six months, not long enough to eat from its stores. The ant prepares for the next generation, making sure there is not one generation-shield missing from the Tower of David.
When the Israelites crossed over forty years later, that generation's perception of itself had changed because their perception of The Holy One had changed. Now they became the unchallengeable giants with necks like a shielded tower (the neck was a vulnerable spot in battle). Their spiritual stature was higher and like an armory. Only after the men of war passed away could the wisdom of the two prevail. Men of war can't go into battle preparing for defeat.
The neck is vulnerable to the victor’s yoke: “By your sword you shall live, and your brother you shall serve; but it shall come about when you become restless, that you will break his yoke from your neck.” (Ge 27:40)
What makes the neck vulnerable spiritually is limited vision. It is vulnerable both to an enemy with the sword or the yoke of oppression. Although the grasshopper can physically see much higher than the ant when it leaps or flies, the patient ant sees much farther spiritually. She plans and lives for the next feast, even if she may die before it happens.
The neck also indicates prominence. When Israel is a mature people spiritually, they are gibburim, or mighty men, heroes. Their defense is the Holy One (Psalm 62), Who shields their neck with impenetrable armor instead of enslaving them. It is a noble yoke, and then the nations notice them because of their nobility, righteousness in the Word. They are not grasshoppers, but a royal priesthood fit for giant grapes and pomegranates, a first fruit of Sukkot and dwelling in the Mishkan and the Land. Adults prepared to settle into their inheritance, not children under the tutor.
“Your neck is like the tower of David,
Built with rows of stones [talpiyot]
On which are hung a thousand shields,
All the round shields of the mighty men [gibburim].” (So 4:4)
The center of the inheritance is where the foot-festivals draw Israel together, Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. The Temple is also nicknamed "The House." Mount Zion, the Holy Hill. Jerusalem and The Temple of King Messiah Yeshua's reign will not be built for random vacation choices or outings with friends. It is not for those exploring "many paths to God."
The Temple will stand for those who did not conduct their lives depending on or fearing chance. It is for those who already knew what would happen and lived accordingly. They grew their spiritual stature to reflect the promise given to Avraham and Sarah, and they are the generations of 1,000 mighty people who gave a good report of the Land even before they could dwell fully in their inheritance. Their feet were directed to the feasts because they believed the Word, that each was a mikra, part of a planned happening and prophecy.
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Pesikta Rabbati 33:1 R’ Avin the Levi said: “our neck is like the Tower of David, built as a model …” What does talpiyot mean? The hill toward which all turns are directed. [tel-hill]
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Proverbs 15:6 “The house of the righteous one [i.e., the Temple, built by David] is a tower of strength, but with the entrance of wickedness, it is polluted.”
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Tosafot on Berakhot 30a:10:1 The Gemara concludes that the verse “as the tower of David”, refers to the Beit Hamikdash [Temple]. לתלפיות literally means a landmark.
The House, or Temple, is a metaphor for Israel, something Paul emphasized. Next week in Part Three, we will look more closely at that Temple past, present, and future, for it is the place where it all "happens." It is part of the prophecy of the Greater Exodus to gather a single people from every nation, tribe, and tongue. What could possibly unite that remnant from every nation on earth?
- Assemble yourselves that I may tell you what will befall you in the days to come.
The Hebrew hidden nugget is found in beginning of the verse: "Then Jacob summoned [va-yikra] his sons and said..." Yes, children of Israel, Isaac, and Abraham, we have been called, and we are assembling. Not randomly, not by chance, but by Divine Appointment. This is a mikra to gather us from the nations. Another clue? Jacob says, "Assemble yourselves" so you can hear what will happen the last days. The verb Jacob uses for "assemble yourselves" is he-asfu הֵאָֽסְפוּ
Can you hear the root of Joseph's name Yosef? And the other name for the Feast of the Nations, Sukkot, which is Asaf [Ex 23:16]. Jacob is still telling his children what will happen when they gather themselves to the foot festival of Sukkot to hear.
You are called. Are you coming?
