“Behold, I send my messenger to prepare the way before Me, and The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His Temple the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, He is coming, says The Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears? “For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, till they present right offerings to The Lord.”
The day of His coming is not a reference to an actual appearance at that moment. We are so used to the words Second Coming and the appearance of the Lord in the skies as a future event, that we automatically reference this to the Second Coming of Messiah. Here is what is known as on-going prophecy, meaning it is a prophecy with a fulfillment in the time it was given and it occurred shortly after Malachi gave this prophecy; but it was also a picture of a future event and recorded for us because there will be an event similar to this that will take place in the future.
In light of the times in which we are living and the recent popular interest in the book of Revelation taking a look at what Malachi was prophesying may help us to further understand what our Heavenly Father requires of us.
We have looked at the refiners fire in a previous post but what or who is fuller?
It may surprise us to discover that this word is found five times in several scriptures other than Malachi 3:2 in both the TaNaKH (Old Covenant) and the Brit Chadashah, (ReNewed Covenant):
2 Kings 18:15-17; Isa 7:3; 36:1-2. Mark 9:2-3,
Who is a fuller and what is the significance of the fullers soap, in some translations launderers soap, and where was the fullers field located?
Jeremiah 2:22 HEB: וְתַרְבִּי־ לָ֖ךְ בֹּרִ֑ית נִכְתָּ֤ם עֲוֹנֵךְ֙ NAS: And use much soap, The stain KJV: and take thee much soap, [yet] thine iniquity INT: lye and use soap the stain of your iniquity
Malachi 3:2 HEB: כְּאֵ֣שׁ מְצָרֵ֔ף וּכְבֹרִ֖ית מְכַבְּסִֽים׃ NAS: fire and like fullers’ soap. KJV: fire, and like fullers’soap: INT: fire A refiner’s soapfullers’
Englishman’s Concordance
ū·ḵə·ḇō·rîṯ — 1 Occurrence
Strong’s Lexicon 1287
borith: Soap, Lye, Cleansing Agent
Original Word:בֹּרִית Part of Speech: Noun Feminine Transliteration:boriyth Pronunciation:bo-REETH Phonetic Spelling:bo-reeth’ Definition:Soap, Lye, Cleansing Agent Meaning:vegetable alkali
Derived from the root בָּרָה (barah), meaning:
“to purify” or “to cleanse.”
While there is no direct Greek equivalent for “borith,” the concept of cleansing and purification is echoed in Greek terms such as καθαρίζω (katharizo – Strong’s G2511),
meaning “to cleanse” or “to purify.”
The term “borith” refers to a cleansing agent, often understood as a type of soap or lye used in ancient times for washing and purification. It is associated with the process of making something clean or pure, both in a physical and metaphorical sense.
In ancient Israel, cleanliness was not only a matter of physical hygiene but also had significant religious and ceremonial implications. The use of cleansing agents like “borith” was common in daily life for washing clothes and personal hygiene. In a religious context, purification rituals often symbolized spiritual cleansing and renewal, reflecting the importance of purity in one’s relationship with God.
Using what is said within the context of the sentence there are clues which help us to develop a sense of its definition.
What or who is a fuller?
Understanding the role of a fuller and his ancient occupation can provide us with valuable insights into the cultural and historical backdrop of biblical times, enriching our comprehension of the scriptures. By exploring the concept of a fuller in the Bible we can gain a fresh perspective on familiar passages and characters, which sheds light on their experiences and challenges; creating a deeper connection with the timeless wisdom contained within the pages.
For many centuries, the process for making soap was a closely guarded secret among select Jewish families.
With the cloth soaking in soap and water, the fullers beat with a stick or stomped on with their feet to remove stains.
Raw wool scouring; aqueous and/ or solvent washing.
Carbonizing : is done to remove the cellulosic impurities from wool by treatment with acid or acid producing salt.
Fulling:cleansing of cloth (particularly wool) to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities.
The patriarch of the Jewish nation, Abraham, was presumably nurtured in Akkadia, the most advanced civilization of its time. It is written that Abraham and his entourage emigrated from Akkadia (Biblical Shinar) to establish himself and his posterity in Canaan.
Mesopotamian statues and iconography, dating from earlier than 3000 B.C. into the Akkadian period, depict woolen textiles of diverse weaves, some richly patterned and others with looped fringes. The cleansing and coloring of these textiles was a sophisticated and secret art. The Jews became privy to those secrets, and that knowledge was one of the mainstays of the textile industry as it was practiced by the Jews in the Diaspora into the modern era. Malachi 3:2 – But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
Before the dyeing of wool can take place, the oils have to be removed, a process called “fulling.” A number of bleaching and detergent substances (“soaps”) were used in ancient Akkadia. The bleacher or “fuller” took his Akkadian name from the azalog (soapwort plant). He also obtained the necessary caustic alkalis from wood ashes (potash) or plant ashes (soda). (Hebrew History Federation – Dye-Making A Judaic Traditional Art – Fact Paper 21 – Samuel Kurinsky –
“Researchers baffled by unique, mysterious Jerusalem structure from First Temple era Channels unearthed in City of David site, last in use around 9th century BCE, likely formed part of city’s economy due to location near temple and palace.”The site will be open to the public next week as part of the 24th City of David Studies of Ancient Jerusalem event” (The Times of Israel).
By MICHAEL HOROVITZ 30 August 2023″Archaeologists recently unearthed two unique structures used for an unclear purpose during the First Temple period 2,800 years ago in Jerusalem’s Old City, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Wednesday.
The installations, dating to around the 9th century BCE and found at the City of David archaeological site, were likely an important part of the economy, due to their proximity to the royal palace and temple.
Field of the Fullers in the City of David:
“Three Vs were uncovered in a complex of rooms carved into the bedrock near the Gihon Spring, the oldest section of the city whose founding dates back to the fourth millennium BCE.”
The term “Fuller” comes from the Latin word “fullo,” which means someone who works with fabrics or textiles, cleans and whitens clothes. Fullers were responsible for cleaning, bleaching, and softening cloth and garments, a process known as fulling.
The role of a Fuller was crucial in biblical times as they played a significant part in maintaining personal hygiene and cleanliness. Fullers worked with different types of fabrics, including wool and linen, using techniques such as washing, beating, and treading on the cloth to remove impurities and achieve the desired texture and color. Heavily fulled fabric looks like felt.
Fullers were also symbolic figures in the Bible, this symbolism is further highlighted in passages like Psalm 51:7, where King David prays for cleansing, saying, “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
The significance of Fullers in the Bible extends beyond their practical role in textile care to represent deeper spiritual truths of purification, renewal, and holiness. Their work serves as a metaphor for the cleansing power of God and the transformative process of becoming spiritually washed and renewed. It represents cleansing, purification, and restoration; highlighting the importance of inner purity and spiritual renewal in the lives of believers. Through their laborious task of cleaning and whitening fabric, Fullers offer a powerful illustration of God’s work in purifying and sanctifying His people. This imagery emphasizes the thorough and transformative process of purification that God’s presence brings to His people.
A “fuller of cloth” is actually a person who gathers and cleans newly woven cloth to remove oils, dirt, and other impurities. The fulling process involves beating or pressing the cloth to make it denser and more durable.
Fulling, also known as tucking or walking,
(Scots: waukin, hence often spelt waulking in Scottish English),
is a step in woollen cloth-making
which involves the cleansing of woven cloth.
Below is a sign noting the location of the first fulling mill in the United States.
2 Kings 18:17: “And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller’s field.”
Isaiah 7:3: “Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field;….”
A Fuller’s field is mentioned in Isaiah 7:3. where the prophet Isaiah told King Ahaz to ask for a sign from God, but the king refused to do so, saying he would not put the Lord to the test. Isaiah then responds by saying, “The LORD himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” This prophecy ultimately refers to the birth of Yeshua haMashiach/Jesus Christ. The mention of a Fuller’s field serves as a vivid illustration for the prophetic message being spoken.
Isaiah 36:2: “And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field.”
Malachi 3:2: “But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:…”
Mark 9:3: “And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.”
In Kings and Isaiah, we read that a “fuller” is connected to pools and conduits (channels of water).
The word full is from the Anglo-Saxon fullian,
meaning to whiten.
To full is to press or scour cloth in a mill.
This art is one of great antiquity.
En-rogel (q.v.), meaning literally “foot-fountain,”
has been interpreted as the “fuller’s fountain,”
because there
the fullers trod the cloth with their feet.
There is a field in Jerusalem, the fuller’s field which existed early in Bible History. The first mention of it is in the time of King Hezekiah (Kings of Israel and Judah), when the “invade and conquer” Assyrians (Ancient Empires – Assyria) were threatening the land of Israel:
“And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the House of The Lord [see “My Father’s House”], and in the treasuries of the king’s house. At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the Temple [see Temples] of The Lord, and from the doorposts which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria. And the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they arrived, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway to the Fuller’s Field.” (2 Kings 18:15-17 RSV)”In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem, with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller’s Field.”(Isaiah 36:1-2 RSV)
And The Lord said to Isaiah, “Go forth to meet Ahaz, you and Shearjashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller’s Field” (Isaiah 7:3 RSV)
Secondly, Malachi speaks of a fuller using soap.
in Micah 3:2, the idea of fuller’s soap should be understood in the same way as refiner’s fire. With the refiner’s fire, someone would bring a lump of gold or silver and the refiner would use fire to burn off the dross and purify the precious metal. Similarly people would bring their wool to the fuller and he would use soap to clean the wool and remove the impurities so that what is left is pure wool.
Perhaps the reason soap doesn’t sound too much of a threat is because the metaphor is misunderstood. The gold or wool being refined or purified is not an individual, but it is the nation itself. In verse 1:1, Malachi was speaking Gods words to Israel.
The question, “Who can endure his coming?” When the fullers soap comes, only those who are pure will remain. It will certainly not be the sorcerers, adulterers, those who speak falsely or the those who oppress the hired worker, the widow, the fatherless, and the stranger, says Malachi.
Before this statement given byMalachiwe read that the priesthood has been defiled; they offer polluted offerings, they have turned from God and refuse to listen to Him, profaning God’s covenant. Malachi therefore warns them that God is coming in judgment, and if they do not turn back to Him they will certainly not be able to stand at His coming. For He is a refiner’s fire who burns away the kind of dross that they represent and He is a fuller’s soap Who scrubs and beats out the kind of dirt and defilement that they represent.
The refiners fire purified the metal by melting it down completely so the dross hidden within it could be removed. Using fullers soap was a process that made the material become whiter than it normally was, as white as it possibly could be achieved by any other process. The soap used had a strong pungent odor and was very unpleasant, also the process involved trampling or beating the material to obtain the desired result.
For believers going through either or both of these processes is to ensure that we will have some measure of confidence in the presence of the Lord at His coming.
We will be tried, our faith tested through our endurance by how we keep His commandments. This may feel as though we have passed through the process of a refiners fire or of the fullers soap. While this may seem harsh and overwhelming, we have His promise that He will always be with us to give us strength, He will not give us more than we can handle.
We are always to remember He loves us more than anything, or He wouldn’t have given us commandments to help us avoid many of the hardships of life if we chose to follow them. Things won’t always turn out the way we might hope as we view it with our current understanding and desires, however we will become exactly what our Father wants us to be. He understands us, He has endured more than any test or trial we will ever be given to pass through here.
Messiah arrives suddenly, and begins a cleansing work among His faithful followers, all of whom are still in the flesh needing spiritual maturity which includes sanctification and character adjustment.
This seems to align with what Messiah describes in Revelation 3 at the church in Laodicea. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock…. I will come in and dine with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne…” We should take note that the condition of being a conqueror seems to follow participating in the feast. In the previous verses He also describes some issues found with His disciples when He arrived. “You say, ‘I am rich…not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire [note the connection with the refiner’s fire metaphor in Malachi] so that you may be [actually] rich, and white garments [which are what fullers produce in their cleansing vats] so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.”
This does not seem to be about a national cleansing and subsequent judgment, but that even among sincere people, whom He has called, there is considerable need of cleansing and maturity. He loves us and that’s why He comes to us as His sanctuary on earth, corrects us, and uses the refiner’s fire and the fuller’s soapto make the gold in our characters pure; and the stains of sin to be washed away with His blood leaving our garments pure white.
The ecclesia/called apart ones, are already experiencing these refining and correcting influences. May we be patient, obedient, and repentant whenever the cleansing message of His presence is with us.
Mark 9:3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.
A fuller is said to whiten raiment (clothes).
A fuller is simply one who fulls
meaning: bleaches or cleanses laundry.
In Bible times, clothes were washed by beating them with a bat, or stomping on them, in a tub of water. Various alkaline substances were used as a crude detergent.
fuller – כָּבַס, H3891, to trample or tread;
γναφεύς, G1187).
One who cleans, shrinks, and thickens newly shorn wool or cloth. Also in ancient times the fuller often dyed cloth.
The root of the Heb. word כָּבַס, H3891,
meaning “to tread,”
suggests what was chiefly involved in the fuller’s art.
A Little More Historical Information:
Before material could be used for a garment, it was necessary first to free it from the oily and sticky substances that stuck to the raw fiber. This was done by first washing the material with some cleansing substance like white clay, putrid urine, or nitre which was made from the ashes of certain plants that grew in Egypt. Soap was unknown in ancient times. The material was then washed free from the alkali by many changes of clean water or by boys treading on it in a running stream. After that it was placed in the sun to dry and bleach.
The fuller’s trade was an essential part of ancient textile production. Fullers used various natural substances, such as clay, alkaline plants, and soapwort, to clean and treat fabrics.
The process often took place in designated areas outside city limits due to the odors and waste produced. Fullers would tread upon the cloth in vats of water to agitate and cleanse it, a method that required physical strength and endurance.
While soap may have been employed (Malachi), natron or salt was equally helpful here (see “nitre” in Proverbs 25:20 and Jeremiah 2:22). Cimolite (picture below), a white clay, or chalk were used as “bleach” or whitening agents.
Fullers Soap בֹּרַית מְכִבְּשֵׁים ,
borith’ mekabbeshin’,
alkali of those treading cloth, i.e., washers’ potash;
Septuagint. ποία πλυνόντων, some alkaline or saponaceous substance mixed with the water.
Mention is made Proverbs 25:20; Jeremiah 2:22 of nitre.
Nitre is found in Syria, and vegetable alkali was obtained from the ashes of certain plants.
Fullers soap
Hebrew. phrase, וּכְבֹרִ֖ית מְכַבְּסִֽים,
consisting of a term בֹּרִית,
H1383, alkaline salt, natural lye
extracted from the Asiatic soap plants
such as Mesembrianthemum cristallinum;
Salicornia solacea; Salsala kali and the like (cf. I. Löw, Die Flora der Juden [1924-1934]) which are reduced by burning to produce a pasty mass used as a bleach, esp. in the presence of olive oil.
The other term is
כָּבַס, H3891, “to tread,” “knead”
and thus to wash in the Near Eastern fashion.
Where was the location of the Fullers/launderers Field?
Isaiah 7:3 : Then the LORD said to Isaiah, ‘Go out with your son Shear-jashub to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Fullers/Launderer’s Field.
The Fullers/Launderer’s Field is a location associated with the work of fullers, indicating a place where cloth was processed and cleaned. This setting provided a backdrop for the prophetic encounter between Isaiah and King Ahaz.
As in Kings and Isaiah,fullers worked in a field outside the city of Jerusalem. They needed large spaces to air or dry the laundered articles. Also, since their work involved pungent and unpleasant odors, they were situated away from populated areas. Because of the odors given forth in the process of fulling, the fuller’s shop was usually outside the city.
The Fullers Field
fool’-ers feld, (sedheh khobhec):
In all references occurs “the conduit of the upper pool, in the highway of the fuller’s field”; this must have been a well-known landmark at Jerusalem in the time of the monarchy. Here stood Rabshakeh in his interview with Eliakim and others on the wall, clearly the highway was within easy earshot of the walls.
2 Kings 18:17 Isaiah 36:2;
Isaiah met Ahaz and Shear-jashub his son here, by command of Yahweh (Isaiah 7:3). An old view placed these events somewhere near the present Jaffa Gate, as here runs an aqueduct from the Birket Mamilla outside the walls of the Birket Hamam el Batrah, inside the walls; the former was considered the “Upper Pool” and is traditionally called the “Upper Pool” of Gihon. However, these pools and this aqueduct are said to be of a later date.
Another view puts this highway to the North side of the city, where there are extensive remains of a “conduit” running in from the North. In favor of this, is the fact that the North was the usual side for attack and the probable position for Rabshakeh to gather his army; it also suits the conditions of Isaiah 7:3.
Further, Josephus (BJ, V, iv, 2) in his description of the walls places a “Monument of the Fuller” at the Northeast corner, and the name “fuller” survived in connection with the North wall to the 7th century, as the pilgrim Arculf mentions a gate. West of the Damascus gate called Porta Villae Fullonis.
The most probable view, however, is that this conduit was one connected with Gihon, the present “Virgin’s Fountain”. This was well known as “the upper spring” (2 Chronicles 32:30), and the pool, which, we know, was at the source, would probably be called the “Upper Pool.”
In this neighborhood-or lower down the valley near En-rogel, which is supposed by some to mean “the spring of the fuller”- is the natural place to expect “fulling.” Somewhere along the Kidron valley between the Virgin’s Fountain and the junction with the Tyropeon was the probable scene of the interview with Rabshakeh; the conversation may quite probably have occurred across the valley, the Assyrian general standing on some part of the cliffs now covered by the village of Siloam.
We are learning that a fuller’s job was to cleanse and whiten cloth and in Jerusalem, the cleansing process took place in a fullers’ field outside the city because of the smell. Dirt and oils were removed from the wool so that it would be pure white and ready to be dyed.
As already mentioned on the Mount of Transfiguration referred to in Mark 9:3 and Matthew 17:2
There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light
Luke 9:29
And as He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became radiantly white.
Daniel 7:9
As I continued to watch, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.,
Messiahs clothing being exceeding white as snow, this was far beyond the work of any human or earthly fuller/launderer. It was a supernatural manifestation of our Heavenly Father’s holiness, purity and righteousness, giving a glimpse of His Glory which will be revealed very soon as He return like fullers’ soap to wash away the filthiness of sin!
“But who can endure the day of his coming?
Who can stand when he appears?
For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.”
Looking at the Micah’s similes: This metaphor highlights the transformative power of divine intervention and the call to righteousness. The spiritual symbolism of fulling in scripture often relates to purification and holiness. In the same manner as a fuller cleanses garments, God is depicted as cleansing His people from sin and impurity.
Malachi says, when the Lord returns, no one will be able to stand before Him. The Lord’s holiness and judgment will be as a refiner’s blazing fire and as a fuller’s bleaching agent. The idea of standing before the Lord is associated with withstanding or standing up to; sinful human flesh will not have the strength, the right, or the desire to resist the Lord in His glory. Psalm 76:7; Revelation 6:17.
The two similes help clarify why no one will be able to stand in the Day of the Lord. First, Malachi 3:2 says the Messiah will be like a refiner’s fire, an allusion to the process of purifying metal. A refiner uses a fire to heat metal to a molten state; then he skims off the dross that floats to the top. The refiner’s fire is, of course, maintained at an extremely high temperature, and such a high degree of heat is the prophet’s picture of the testing people will face on Judgment Day. All judgment has been entrusted to the Son. John 5:22. Upon His return, the intense flame of His judgment will purify the earth, removing the dross of sin.
Second, the Messiah will be like a fuller/launderer’s soap. As we have learned, this type of soap was caustic and quite effective in producing bright white clothing. The HCSB translates it as cleansing lye. When Messiah returns, He will cleanse the world of all impurity and every stain of sin will be scrubbed away. The account of Jesus’ transfiguration contains a reference to His purity, and uses language similar to Malachi’s: “He was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than any launderer in the world could bleach them”. Mark 9:2–3.
This passage described the Transfiguration of Yeshua/Jesus, where His garments became exceedingly white, surpassing the capabilities of any earthly fuller, emphasizing the divine nature of the transformation and the purity associated with Messiah.
The goal of Yeshua/Jesus will be to judge wickedness and purify His people: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness”Malachi 3:3. Like the refiner’s fire, He will burn away the impurities of the priests. Like launderer’s soap, He will wash away their uncleanness. Deuteronomy 4:29; Isaiah 1:25; Jeremiah 6:29–30; Ezekiel 22:17–22; Zechariah 3:5. The priests in the millennial kingdom will then be able to offer sacrifices from a pure heart. The sacrifices in those days will be similar to those when the temple was first built: “The offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years” Malachi 3:4.
The refiner’s fire and fuller/launderer’s soap indicate the holiness and burning judgment of the Messiah when He returns to reign in Jerusalem at His second coming. His purifying brightness and absolute holiness will affect those who serve Him, creating a cleansed temple and purified priesthood. “See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him” Isaiah 40:10.
How is the Savior like a refiner’s fire or like fuller’s soap?
A refiner’s fire is an extremely hot furnace (1,600–1,800˚F) in which gold and silver were melted. Impurities would rise to the surface, making it easy for the refiner to blow or scrape them away, leaving the pure metal.
A fuller’s soap was used to whiten wool, so that it could be dyed and used in cloth.
The Hebrew root of the word fuller, kabas (כָּבַס), means to wash or to tread. The fuller would use a strong soap and would beat or stamp on the wool until the impurities had been removed.
Strong’s Lexicon 3526. kabas
kabas: To wash, to cleanse
Original Word: כָּבַס Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: kabac Pronunciation: kah-vas Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-bas’) Definition: To wash, to cleanse Meaning: to trample, to wash Word Origin: A primitive root
G3068 (louo): To bathe, to wash
– G4150 (pluno): To wash, to cleanse (specifically garments)
As the Hebrew verb kabas primarily means to wash or cleanse, particularly in the context of laundering garments, its often used in the Old Testament to describe the physical act of washing clothes, but it also carries a metaphorical sense of purification and cleansing from sin or impurity.
In ancient Israel, washing garments was an essential part of daily life and religious practice. The act of washing was not only for cleanliness but also held ceremonial significance, especially in preparation for worship or participation in religious festivals. The process of washing clothes involved beating or treading them in water, often with the use of soap or alkaline substances. This physical act symbolized spiritual purification, reflecting the importance of holiness and purity in the Israelite community.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin a prim. root Definition to wash NASB Translation
The Savior paid the price for us to overcome our impurities and return to the presence of the Father. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He paid a price which we could not pay, but that doesn’t mean that the process of accepting His gift will be easy or painless.
So the job of the fuller was to make the clothfuller, more suitable for weaving or sewing. So as we walk with the Lord there should be a cleansing, we need to experience the bleach, wet, beat of our spiritual fibers to a consistent and desirable condition- fuller. It’s how we become more like Jesus/Yeshua, which is the goal. We need to prepare, we need to be full, meaning: consistent and desirable. Just as in immersion of baptism symbolically, our sins are washed away, so as we are out in the world from day to day, we must be continually refined and cleansed.
Like the purifying process, it may seem harsh, and impossible at times, but it is all meant to prepare us to be an offering in righteousness when He returns for His family.
As we come to a greater understanding of Him and His Word, this is how we gain our very own testimony and relationship with our Heavenly Father and a strong and true relationship with Messiah Himself. Every one of us needs our own experience in the life we are living for Him, and as we mature we begin to have a greater understanding of the Word. Then we are made full, cleansed and refined, this is His plan for us.
It is up to us to allow His fuller’s soap to be applied to us in the most beneficial way.
The imagery of fulling in Scripture serves as a powerful metaphor for the sanctification process. Believers are called to be purified and made holy, reflecting the righteousness of our Heavenly Father and His Messiah. The fuller’s work is a reminder of the thorough and sometimes rigorous process required to achieve spiritual cleanliness, a theme which resonates throughout the scriptures, emphasizing the need for repentance, renewal, and the pursuit of holiness in the life of a believer. By allowing His process in our lives we will have assurance that we shall be able to stand in the day of His appearing.
Shalom, shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
It’s all about Life and Relationship,
NOT Religion.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…Don’t put it off one more moment…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.
You are now Born Again by the Holy Spirit of the Living God and you are part of the ever growing family of believers. You will never be the same again!
As the week of Unleavened Bread – Matzah are completed, it is not an end in itself but rather a transition into the next season and within that week, there is a Moed without an official name, though some call it yom haBikuriym, day of the first fruits. Lev. 23:9 -16
At this appointed time the sons of Israel are commanded to bring an omer to the priests. An omer is simply a sheaf of the harvest, specifically a bundle of grain from the beginning of the first crop. The priest is then to wave the omer before the Lord as a wave offering so that the omer and the entire harvest as well will be accepted.
This is also significant of Messiah and His resurrection from the dead, being the first fruit of the harvest of souls that will be gathered in at the final spiritual harvest. He was’ waved’, presented before the Father and His offering of Himself was accepted. The children of Israel were further instructed …
Then from the day of your bringing in the omer of the wave offering count 50 days and you will bring near a new offering to the lord.
Counting from the omer began this year, according to one Hebrew calendar, on 24th of April and will extend to 11th June when Shavuot/Pentecost begins.
There is some dispute concerning which day the counting is to begin, and has been since before Yeshua/Jesus day. This dispute hangs on the interpretation of Lev. 25:15 which says the counting is to begin from the day after THE shabbat.
The time to begin the count could be the day after the first day of the feast of matzah, the 16th day of the first month; which is the day after the 7th day Shabbat week of rest/no work. or the day after the last day of the feast of matzah. The current Jewish calendar fixes the date for the wave offering on the 16th day of the 1st month, the day after the 1st day of the feast of matzah. This is because Judaism considers the 15th day of the first month to be a Shabbat. Hence the day after the Shabbat, according to this interpretation, is the 16th of the month. According to scripture however, neither the first nor the last days of the feast of matzah, are notated within the text as shabbats, they are simply designated as days to do no regular work. Since the days of the month fall on different days of the week every year, the ocurence of the 7th day Shabbat during the feast changes from year to year. The date is always the same but the day varies, which can sometimes be on a weekly Shabbat day; i.e. Friday evening to Saturday evening. Remembering in Hebrew the days are as scripture reads in Genesis – day one through day 7. In Hebrew, day= yom, not as we designate the 7 day week named as Monday through Sunday.
The days are named simply by their numerical order in the week, and a Hebrew week starts with Sunday. “The First Day” Sunday in Hebrew: Sunday in Hebrew is Yom Rishon which literally means “first day”. It is written like this in Hebrew:
יוםראשון
Monday is the second day in the Hebrew week. Thus it is called Yom Sheni which literally means “second day”. Written like this in Hebrew:
יוםשני
Tuesday in Hebrew is Yom Shlishi which means “third day”. Written in Hebrew this way:
יוםשלישי
Wednesday in Hebrew is Yom Rvi-ee meaning “fourth day”. Written like this in Hebrew:
יוםרביעי
Thursday in Hebrew is Yom Chamishi, you guessed it! Yes, it means “fifth day”. This is how it is written in Hebrew:
יוםחמישי
Friday in Hebrew is Yom Shishi, meaning “sixth day” and this is how it is written in Hebrew:
יוםששי
Saturday Shabbat. This is how we write Yom Shabbat or Shabbat in Hebrew:
יום שבת or simply שבת
The modern Hebrew calendar has been designed to ensure that certain holy days and festivals do not fall on certain days of the week. As a result, there are only four possible patterns of days on which festivals can fall. Note that Jewish days start at sunset of the preceding day.
This time of counting is the combined period when Yeshua/Jesus was 40 days on earth after His resurrection and before His ascension; and it included the added 10 days He instructed them to wait in Jerusalem until the promise of the coming of His Holy Spirit. These 7 weeks are an important link between the first 3 feasts and the last of the 4 spring appointed times. They call for introspective thought on our lives and to focus on where we are walking daily.
Are we on that narrow Way?
Are we staying true to our commitment to Him?
In the agricultural sense, this is a season of growth, are we growing and maturing spiritually, ready for the harvest soon to come?
The counting from the Omer is a feature of Israel’s calendar that instructs her regarding the correct time to harvest and make an offering from the mature wheat crops. As we walk through the spring Moedim, we can also see a picture of our own walk with Messiah.
At Pesach/Passover, we are reminded of being set free from sin, then during the Feast of Matzah, we have opportunity to practice walking in our unleavened-ness.
As we count from the Omer, we are like the wheat crops growing toward maturity, ultimately destined to become an abundant harvest for Messiah. During this season of counting we can focus on certain spiritual themes such as: sowing, growing, increase, being fed and nourished by our Heavenly Father and being mindful of how we are growing in obedience toward maturity in Messiah.
One very important area is love, everything we do must be done in the love of the Father; which was very evident in Messiahs life.
This is a key to holiness.
1 Thess. 3:12-13 11 Now may our God and Father Himself, and Jesus our Lord guide our steps to you [by removing the obstacles that stand in our way]. 12 And may the Lord cause you to increase and excel and overflow in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; 13 so that He may strengthen and establish your hearts without blame in holiness in the sight of our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His [ a]saints (God’s people).
Our Fathers desire for us is that one day, at the coming of the Lord, we will stand blameless in holiness before our God and Heavenly Father. By what means does He expect us to come to this state of perfection/maturity? As we find ourselves right now, how can we hope to achieve such a perfect/mature state?
Our Father must have some miracle plans of intervention in order to make us appear before Him with all His Holy Ones – His Kedoshim.
When we think of holiness, we usually liken it to levels of sinlessness. In other words, we think we are holy when we are able to resist acting on our physical desires and not fall into sin; and we think that to be really holy, we need to achieve some state of being, where we no longer even have any sinful desires. However, Paul shows us that holiness can be much more human than that and he indicates that holiness is present when the Lord causes us to overflow in love toward one another and toward everyone.
Only when we increase and overflow in such love will we receive the strengthening of our hearts to be blameless. When our hearts are weak we are too easily led away into sin. Strengthening in blamelessness comes as we take the focus off ourselves and pour out love toward one another. We are holy, not simply because we keep ourselves from sinning, but because we give away the love in our hearts; we walk the way the Master walks, we lov
1Cor. 13:4 love suffers long and is kind.
e the way the Master loves. Being holy is not just a matter of being on our best behavior, it requires our submission and active surrender to the Holy One. We do not automatically possess the inner strength to be blameless because of anything we do or think, it is the Lord alone who makes holiness grow and increase in our lives. Let’s choose to humbly and willingly submit and walk in God’s ways, and then yield ourselves fully to Him. He is the one who causes us to increase and to overflow in love –
toward the strengthening of our hearts, to be blameless in holiness.
1Cor. 13:4 love suffers long and is kind.
Love is not premeditated, it is spontaneous, that is; it bursts forth in amazing ways. Paul’s description of love doesn’t speak of precise certainty of how it will show itself. We cannot predetermine our thoughts and actions by making statements such as: now I’ll never think any evil thoughts and I’ll believe everything that Jesus/Yeshua would have me to believe.
No the characteristics of love is spontaneity.
We don’t deliberately set the statements of Jesus/Yeshua before us as our standard but when His Spirit is having His way with us we live according to His standard without even realizing it. Then, when we look back, we are amazed at how unconcerned we have been over our emotions; which is the very evidence that real spontaneous love was there.
The nature of everything involved in the spiritual life of God in us, is only discerned when we have been through it and it is in our past. We all have 20 20 vision in hindsight!
The fountains from which love flows are in our Heavenly Father, not in us. It is careless of us to asume that the love of God is naturally in our hearts as a result of our own nature.
Human love is inherently selfish.
His love is there only because ithas been poured out in our hearts by His Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5
If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure sign that we really don’t love Him. The evidence of our love for Him is the absolute spontaneity of our love, which flows naturally from His nature within us, and when we look back we will not be able to figure out why we did certain things, but we can know that we did them according to the spontaneous nature of His love within us.
The life of God exhibits itself in this spontaneous way because the fountains of His love are in the Holy Spirit given to us, Who abides within. As we continue on our way towards Pentecost/Shavuot, let’s prepare our hearts and purge ourselves from any hindrance to receiving a fresh outpouring from those cleansing purifying flames; and be ready to be filled afresh with all the fullness of the One Who can complete the work in us. As we engage in this process and let the overflow of His love pour out to those around us, it will enable us to be all He has called us to be.
Keep counting family!
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Peace to friends and family.
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
Not sure ..you can be…
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,
SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
The Answer is in the Yoke…but is a yoke one of bondage or freedom?
In the last post, the times of the Prophet Jeremiah were referenced and the weighing in the balance of Belshazzar, who was found WANTING or EMPTY.
The scales of balance can also refer to the yoke with which we are yoked to Messiah and serve to ensure we too are not disrespecting the Holy things of the Lord. The Temple Menorah which Balthazzar was using to light his festivities, was the very thing that illuminated the handwriting on the palace wall declaring Gods’ judgment of his sin! The line was drawn and his mockery was short-lived, sin only runs for a season then comes the inevitable consequences.
We are in a time now where the refiners fire is here and 1 Peter 4:17 indicates
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
The history of God’s people indicates that judgment always begins within the covenant community.
The dross is being skimmed off the top so we will come forth as gold Job 1:3
Change, was, and still is, the word for this season; we have a lull before the next wave of the storm breaks, just enough time to refill those lamps.
It is a cautionary example for all of us not to be found wanting/empty.
The solution to not having to see the writing on the wall, to not being found wanting/empty is being yoked to Our Heavenly Father with Messiah Jesus/Yeshua. In being yoked to Jesus/Yeshua it means that we are
in Complete Surrender
to His Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit.
However, if the answer is the yoke, is it a yoke of bondage or freedom?
How can it be both?
Why was Jeremiah wearing a Yoke?
What is its purpose and why did Jesus/Yeshua use the reference as a picture?
What can we learn from this image and the pictograph letters, that will enhance our walk along the WAY with Him?
We are familiar with such Scriptures as, the anointing breaks the yoke.
Isaiah 10:27
It will happen in that day, that his burden will depart from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be DESTROYED because of the anointing oil.
Yokes are often like burdens we carry around.
Yokes are bondages that need to be broken off in order for us to be free.
Because of Jesus the Messiah, it is not simply broken but the yoke has been DESTROYED!
This is what we are to remember every day and especially at this season of the Spring Appointed Times. This is what we are celebrating and remembering the scope of what He fulfilled perfectly.
Another reference to yoke is in
2Cor.6:14 be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, and Amos 3:3 can two walk together except they be agreed?
There is also the Jeremiah connection.
In Jeremiah 27 This chapter gives us another illustrated prophecy of Jeremiah’s to the rulers of his day, (and the Yoke of Christ/The Anointed). In this case, it involves not only the king of Judah, but the ambassadors of several small surrounding nations as well.
Jeremiah was known for his dramatic object lessons. For example, when emissaries from surrounding nations came to Judah asking the nation to join a rebellion against Babylon, Jeremiah put a yoke on his neck and went about urging the nations to submit to the yoke of Babylon and live (Jeremiah 27:2-11).
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me (Luke 9:23).
As we have already seen, God’s prophets preached not only through words but also through object lessons.
At times the prophets had to live out the messages; it was another way to get the point across. Thus, Jeremiah again was called to “live out” the words he was to deliver.
First, he had to wear a wooden yoke. “Thus saith the Lord to me; make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck” (Jer. 27:2).
A hard job, and it became harder because a false prophet challenged what Jeremiah said.
Today the history of nations speaks to us because God has assigned a place in His plan for each nation and each individual. Both people and nations are being tested weighed in the balance and measured by the plum line in the hand of the One who makes no mistakes. All are deciding their destiny by their own choice, and above all God is sovereign overruling every decision for the accomplishment of His plans purposes and final outcome.
No one would break (iron yoke) Gods message about Babylon.
It seemed a strange directive, but it was for the peoples good in the end even though it did not seem to be at the time. Similar parallel to Messiahs day, they wanted a King to free them from the bondage to Rome…. But
Jesus/Yeshua came to serve. (Luke 22:27 but I am among you as he that serveth.)
and submitted Himself to the authorities at the time.
(Mark 12:17. When Yeshua/Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,” He was drawing a sharp distinction between two kingdoms.
There is a kingdom of this world, and Caesar holds power over it. But there is another kingdom, not of this world, and Yeshua/Jesus is King of that one. (John 18:36).
Temporarily we are part of both kingdoms.
Rendering to Caesar is limited and defined by rendering to God. What is Caesar’s is determined by the fact that everything is God’s first, and only becomes Caesar’s by God’s permission and design.
Then, finally bearing upon Himself the yoke of bondage that had imprisoned the people under the heavy burden of the law of sin and death and the overwhelming physical laws imposed by the Pharisees which were impossible to keep.
This is why
…because He came to break that YOKE of bondage to their religious doctrines and dogmas, not by doing away with Gods’ original covenant commandments but by fulfilling them and bringing deliverance and freedom to all who would accept His WAY, restoring things to how Our Heavenly Father intended it to be.
Maybe some of us older readers remember what a yoke is.
A yoke is a farming tool used to accomplish a task – it is a beam of wood placed on a couple of oxen, cows/bulls, horses or donkeys, which are then used to plow a field.
A yoke can be a shaped length of wood placed on human shoulders to help in carrying a heavy load; for example, two buckets of water so fewer trips to the well would be necessary. This only works efficiently if they are balanced!
The Yoke of Messiah was the cross beam used for His crucifixion, the tool that accomplished the work of our salvation. Symbolic of Him breaking the Yoke of bondage.
When Jesus/Yeshua says take My yoke upon you He is saying…
Take up the cross, the yoke and walk with Me, but because My yoke is for two not one, I’ll carry the most weight, the bulk of the burden.
The closer we get to Jesus/Yeshua, the nearer we stay as we walk along His Way, even as pressures increase, He carries the greater burden… always but, if we move away we begin to feel the weight.
By the cross Jesus/Yeshua has accomplished the work of defeating all that burdens us in this life. Yet, we are invited to share in His sacrifice, with the knowledge that the hard work pays off in the end! Because our part of His sacrifice, in union with Jesus/Yeshua is a sharing in the salvation of the world that He accomplished through the yoke placed on His shoulders like a beast of burden.
His yoke, is also the cross of this life’s suffering, the cross of sacrificing ourselves for the sake of family and friends and those in need and it isn’t too heavy to carry because Jesus/Yeshua carried it for us, already. Jesus/Yeshua promises those who voluntarily yoke themselves to Him that, together, His strength will be there to get us through anything that comes our way.
This is the rest, the shalom, the peace of mind and heart He promises.
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. Hebrews 3:14
It is this rest into which the ancient Israelites failed to enter, for “My rest ” is God’s rest, God’s Sabbath rest. This is the rest some failed to enter, but which remains available to us today, a rest received by faith (4:3-6).
We who have believed enter that rest. There is one door/dalet to the safe, peaceful, happy rest of God and it’s the door of faith and Jesus is the door to enter in by. Anyone who puts faith in God’s promises bought for us by the blood of Jesus/Yeshua, and is diligent not to discard that faith, is a part of the ecclesia, His Bride.
His reference to, being as a child, is because the majority of children understand this concept naturally, in that, they trust that parents will love, provide for, and protect them. Most children don’t get too concerned with the details of how parents are going to provide meals or give them a place to live, they just simply trust that they will.
Our Heavenly Father is the divine parent who will do what it takes out of love. Because He knows what is best for us. Jesus/Yeshua called Him Father, giving us that concept in that we need to trust with the same instinctive love that a child has for parents.
In His taking up His yoke/the cross, Jesus/Yeshua trusted His Father; and it is the proof that God will do whatever it takes to get us to that place of peace/shalom and contentment and that we will not let anything defeat us.
Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one. John 18:9 & 17:12 Those whom thou hast given me I have guarded, and none of them is lost,
Messiah didn’t demand of His Father, to achieve the goal some other way. Instead He said in all humility, not my will but your will be done. He knew that His Father would take Him through because the Father could be trusted even if in His humanness, He didn’t know how the Father would make things work for His good.
Even when He asked If it were possible let this cup pass, He still took up His cross believing that even the worst thing that could happen to a person would not defeat Him.
In ancient culture, the word yoke was a term that was used to describe submission. So when someone was described as being yoked to someone or something, it was communicating the idea that he or she was in submission to that person or thing.
So to be yoked to Jesus/Yeshua is to serve and obey Him.
The people in Jesus/Yeshua’s day were using the yoke of the law to pull their life and everything in it along. It left them tired, worn out, and burned out on religion. The yoke of grace Messiah offered was contrary to the yoke of the law. It was a move from depending on one’s own efforts and ability to depending on God’s grace and power.
Jesus/Yeshua encourages those who are “heavy laden” to take His yoke upon them, and in so doing they will find rest for their souls. The yoke of Jesus is light and easy to carry because it is the yoke of repentance and faith followed by a singular commitment to follow Him continually.
The yoke to which Messiah invited people to accept, when borne as a co-laborer with Him, is no burden at all. It is a source of rest, satisfaction, joy, and contentment, true shalom because He is our life and strength. When we are yoked to Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach, the joy of the true disciple is in whatever He requires of us to do.
Coming to Jesus/Yeshua, taking His yoke, and learning from Him can all be summed up in one word—trust. Just as we trust Him for our salvation, so we entrust Him with our burdens and rely on His teaching. Jesus/Yeshua assures us that we will find rest for our souls and in that shalom all uncertainty, fears, anxieties, and despair will be dispelled.
Jesus/Yeshua called His WAY being yoked and once we become His followers, it’s up to us to choose whether we are yoked to slavery or freedom. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Apparently as rabbis began to interpret the Torah for their students they emphasized different things in the law: e.g. care for the poor, correct worship, personal piety. It did not mean that they abandoned parts of the given law by God but rather in similar fashion as the gospel writers did, in that they paid attention to the community and culture, etc. of those to whom they were speaking and taught what was most needed for the people and those who were their disciples.
Their interpretation came to be called their yoke.
It would seem logical that when Jesus/Yeshua spoke of His yoke being easy and His burden light, He was calling us to the Way of love and to what He came to reveal of the Kingdom of God.
It is clear that for whosoever truly embraces His teaching; it’s the inner motivation and intention that allow a vision and path of light rather than life’s outer experiences being the deciding factor which we consider as being either easy or difficult.
This doesn’t mean that we’ll never feel burdened, but that in the light of the WAY Jesus/Yeshua revealed to us, we will be able to withstand our tests and trials because of the ONE who came to share His light “yoke” with us.
A Double Yoke
As we read this description think in terms of our relationship to Jesus/Yeshua.
The Purpose: To harness a pair of animals so that together they can pull a load as efficiently as possible. It us used most often with oxen for plowing soil.
How a Yoke is made:A beam carved from a single piece of wood is fitted specifically to the shoulders of an ox, this maximizes both the animals pulling force and comfort. The strap or bow around the neck is attached to pegs to secure the yoke. The hitch point connects the yoke to what’s being pulled.
How a Yoke works:The beam rests in front of the shoulder hump (or withers), distributing weight and enabling natural and comfortable movement. Custom fitting each side allows oxen of unequal size or strength to pull together without one being dragged by the other.
A Yoke is :
Designed to carry burdens.We dont need to drag the heavy weight of sin around because when we repent and come to Messiah, He takes away that burden and gives us His shalom/peace and healing. (Isaiah 5:18).
A Yoke is intended to help get work done.With the Messiah’s yoke, we can do His work because He works with us. It may still be work, however in it we find rest for our souls.
A Yoke is Custom fitted. It’s His yoke we take upon us—the one best suited for us, because His ways help us live in harmony with Him and because He knows us individually. Every hair on our heads is counted and as we lose many of those every day, it indicates He is in constant touch with us always knowing every detail about our lives.
When we come to Messiah to be yoked with Him and His power, that is so we are not the one pulling life’s load by ourselves, but instead pulling it yoked with the Savior and Redeemer of the world, When we do, then our problems, no matter how serious they are, become lighter.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28–30.
The yoke of bondage to sin and death is typified in Egyptian slavery. Egypt being a type of the worlds system, and we all know who is the god of this world, which is why we should not be yoked together with the world or love the things of it or what it offers to us. It all belongs to the prince of this world and we should refuse it just as Messiah did in Matthew 4:1-11.
It’s not the broad and seemingly easy WAY we are to follow it’s the narrow WAY.
So why did Jesus/Yeshua say Matthew 11:29 Take My Yoke
What is the yoke of Jesus/Yeshua and why did He say is it easy?
Here Jesus/Yeshua is inviting His followers to take on themselves the yoke of the marriage covenant which is the New, Renewed or Everlasting Covenant of Jer 31:31, 33 and Heb 8:8); that is, we are to accept Him as our heavenly and everlasting spiritual Bridegroom.
This is the yoke of the bondservant to which all the writers made reference in scripture, when they called themselves the bond servant of Jesus/Yeshua.
We only have two choices: Be a bond servant to Satan/Adversary or to Jesus/Yeshua.
The former leads to judgment against sin which is death, while the latter leads to mercies and forgiveness, deliverance from death and sin through Jesus/Yeshua resulting in eternal life/ never having to be separated from the Father.
The marriage covenant or New/Renewed/Everlasting covenant isn’t one of compulsion based on the fear of death, but rather based on voluntary servitude, a choice of our freewill. Love can’t exist under an atmosphere of compulsion, but only when there’s freewill choice.
It is a Yoke of Love.
This is what we are remembering this week!!! The Bridegroom gave Himself up for His Bride!
Acts 15 shows this freewill choice to take upon themselves the yoke of Torah. When the apostles made a decision in regards to the Gentiles being included into covenantal relationship with Jesus/Yeshua; that being the one that He had already established with the rest of the Jewish believers.
This was because the Pharisee believers were compelling the Gentiles to follow the Torah as a prerequisite for salvation and inclusion into the community of believers Acts 15:1
So, the apostles made it clear that as far as they were concerned, only certain minimum requirements be imposed on the Gentiles to be granted entrance into the community of believers. They believed the Gentiles needed to be drawn into the Torah covenants through invitation and freewill choice based on love, not by compulsion or fear.
In Acts 15:21 The apostles further state that based on this, the Gentiles will learn to take on the yoke of Torah a little at a time out of love not fear for Avinu/Father and Jesus/Yeshua their Bridegroom.
My Yoke is easy and a look at the pictographs are concluded in PART 2..coming soon!
This may not seem to be a timely message yet it is during times of testing that we should make certain that we are securely yoked to Messiah Jesus/Yeshua.
As this season is all about His Blood shed for us…
Oh the blood of Jesus Oh the blood of Jesus Oh the blood of Jesus It washes white as snow.
Shalom, shalom, mishpachah! You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read the posts, please share with others, like and subscribe, it all helps to freely spread the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth and reaches others with the blessing of His Truths that point us to Our Heavenly Father Through Jesus/Yeshua by the power of His Holy Spirit.
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It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
NOT SURE?
YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.
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