Sukkot - Drawing Living Water ...

                       ... from the wells of y'shu'ah (salvation)!

And on the last day, the great day of the festival, Yahshua stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me, and let him who believes in Me drink.  As the Scripture said, out of His innermost shall flow rivers of living water."  John 7:37, 38

“See, El is my salvation, I trust and am not afraid. 

For Yah, יהוה, is my strength and my song; and He has become my salvation.”

And you shall draw water with joy from the fountains of [y’shu'ah] salvation.  
 Isaiah 12:2, 3

Chag Sukkot Sameach (joyful Sukkot celebration) and Shalom from within my sukkah!

Because this moed (appointed time/”festival”) of YHVH  is such a joyful time and is my very favorite time of year, I would like to share my joy and scripture reading contemplations with you.

It would be great if we could all be sitting in one big sukkah together in Jerusalem reflecting on the Word of Yah together.    
Perhaps not today….but God says that in the end all nations will come together in Jerusalem to celebrate Sukkot.  Under the Messiah’s reign, we will live together with Him in eternal Sukkot, and then even small things like the pots and the bells on the horses will be labeled as set-apart to YHVH.  (Read Zechariah 14)

For those of you who have never celebrated this appointed time of Sukkot, there is no way to describe the joy or the richness or the rest or the liberty and freedom that this week brings. 
You have to experience it for yourselves!
Really!
I know many don't believe that it could be so wonderful!
I have heard many comments from believers who do not observe YHVH's commands regarding His appointed times...comments such as doing so is just legalism and that as believers we have been set free from the law.

To that, I simply say "try it...you might like it!"

It is far from legalism.  It is out of love for my Elohim, my Redeemer, my Living Water, my Salvation (Yahshua, my y'shu'ah) that I obey YHVH's Word.
And the result is much joy, great richness, and tremendous freedom...especially during Sukkot!

How will you know unless you experience it?  :o)

(Sidenote:  When I "simply say try it..." I realize that in our western culture's time schedule, it is not so simple to stick to God's appointed time schedule of Shabbat and the "no work" days during His moedim.  Yes, that is very true.  It is difficult to adjust ourselves and those around us to a different schedule.  But as difficult as it may be, it IS possible...and so enriching and restful and satisfying, and worth whatever was given up to do so.)

For now, as I sit in my sukkah on this autumn day, enjoying resting and reading and snacking in my sukkah, I want to share with you some of the things I am reading.

Let's start with the scripture that opened this post - John 7:37-38.
In John 7, Yahshua traveled to Jerusalem during Sukkot (obeying the command of Yah His Father, by the way...see Deut. 16:16).  It is on the last day of Sukkot, the Hoshanah Rabah or Great Salvation, that this scripture takes place.
Hoshanah comes from two the words hoshi'ah na (save now) in Psalm118:25.  It is a plea to Yah for Him to save His people.
Save now, I beseech You YHVH...

The tradition on this day was for the priest to fetch water (Living Water, Mayim Chaim) from the Siloam Pool, bring it to the Temple, and pour it on the altar.  This would be accompanied by sounds of great jubilation and singing (Isaiah 12:2) from the assembled people. He would then pray for YHVH to send His Messiah to save them (Psalm 118:25, 26)

... Yah, יהוה, is my strength and my song; and He has become my salvation...
Save now, I beseech You YHVH... Blessed is He who is coming in the Name of יהוה!   We shall bless you from the House of יהוה. 

So here is Yahshua, having traveled to Jerusalem for the appointed time of Sukkot, now standing in the midst of the assembly on the last day of the week-long festival, and during the high point of the festival, the water ceremony and the cry for salvation, He proclaims: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me, and let him who believes in Me drink.  As the Scripture said, out of His innermost shall flow rivers of living water."

Wow! Would that get my attention!  
Would it get yours too?  
It for sure got the attention of the scribes and Pharisees, and it divided the people who heard it (see the rest of the chapter).

What a claim!  Drinking from the wells of salvation, the Mayim Chaim (Living Water) through Yahshua!  
The next verse says that He was referring to the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) when He spoke these words.

Which exact Scripture was Yahshua quoting when He said "as the Scripture said, out of His innermost shall flow rivers of living water"?

Well, in that answer lies the rest of this blog post. 
Yahshua was not quoting one exact specific verse.  He was speaking generally of many places in the Scriptures that deal with this topic of the Spirit, salvation, and the flow of Living Water.

That topic - the Living Water and Salvation, and how they tie into Sukkot - is what I want to focus on in this particular blog post.

Can you think of scriptures that speak of life-giving waters flowing and of salvation?
(Of course, Yahshua would have been quoting from and pointing to the Tanakh, the Old Testament, since the New Testament had not yet been written or even lived yet for the most part.)

Let's start with another instance in the book of John - the Samaritan woman at the well.  Yahshua said almost the exact thing to her personally during their meeting at the well.

John 4:13, 14
Yahshua answered and said to her, “Everyone drinking of this water shall thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water I give him shall certainly never thirst. 
And the water that I give him shall become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”


Now let's turn to the Tanakh and read what YHVH had to say through the prophets about Living Water (Yahshua) and Salvation (Yahshua).

Isaiah 55:1 
Here YHVH is speaking directly to Israel in a continuation of Isaiah 54 where He had said to them "For your Maker is your husband, יהוה of hosts is His Name, and the Set-apart One of Israel is your Redeemer....  For a little while I have forsaken you, but with great compassion I shall gather you.... For though the mountains be removed and the hills be shaken, My kindness is not removed from you, nor is My covenant of peace shaken,” said יהוה, who has compassion on you.... No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall prove wrong. This is the inheritance of the servants of יהוה, and their righteousness from Me,” declares יהוה.

And immediately after that comes invitation in Isaiah 55:1...

“Oh everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. And you who have no silver, come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without silver and without price."  

Reading Jeremiah 2 gives us a better picture of how vital it is for Israel to choose to accept the invitation for YHVH's Living Waters instead of going after their own dried up and broken water sources.

Jeremiah 2:12-13 

Be amazed, O heavens, at this, and be frightened, be utterly dried up,” declares יהוה. "For My people have done two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew out for themselves cisterns, cracked cisterns, which do not hold water. 

2:17-19
 “Have you not done this to yourself, by forsaking יהוה your Elohim when He led you in the way?  And now why take the way to Egypt, to drink the waters of Shihor? Or why take the way to Ashshur, to drink the waters of the River?  Your own evil instructs you, and your back-slidings reprove you.


Now look at the situation in Jeremiah 17:12-14:

An esteemed throne, exalted from the beginning, is the place of our set-apart place.   O יהוה, the expectation of Israel, all who forsake You are put to shame. “Those who depart from Me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken יהוה, the fountain of living waters.” 
Heal me, O יהוה, so that I am healed. Save me, so that I am saved, for You are my praise.

This is why Israel cries out "Save now! Hoshiah na!"

 Look at another place in Isaiah where YHVH speaks directly to Israel...

Isaiah 44:2-6

Thus said יהוה who made you and formed you from the womb, who helps you, "Do not fear, O Jacob My servant, and Yeshurun, whom I have chosen.  For I pour water on the thirsty, and floods on the dry ground. I pour My Spirit on your seed, and My blessing on your offspring, and they shall spring up among the grass like willows by streams of water." 
One says, "I belong to יהוה"; another calls himself by the name of Jacob; another writes with his hand, "Unto יהוה," and names himself by the name of Israel.  
Thus said יהוה, Sovereign of Israel, and his Redeemer, יהוה of hosts, "I am the First and I am the Last, besides Me there is no Elohim."


And in Isaiah 58:11-14

“Then יהוה would guide you continually, and satisfy your being in drought, and strengthen your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.   
And those from among you shall build the old waste places. You shall raise up the foundations of many generations. And you would be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.  If you do turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My set-apart day, and shall call the Sabbath ‘a delight,’ the set-apart day of יהוה ‘esteemed,’ and shall esteem it, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in יהוה. And I shall cause you to ride on the heights of the earth, and feed you with the inheritance of Jacob your father. For the mouth of יהוה has spoken!” 


And in Psalm 36:7-10

How precious is Your kindness, O Elohim! And the sons of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. 
They are filled from the fatness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. 
For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. 
Draw out Your kindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
 


Do you see so far how much YHVH wants Israel to know of His refreshing, His provision, His redemption...His Living Waters? 
And do you also see how Israel will reap the benefits in very practical and tangible ways?
Isn't it exciting to read so much of Yah's guidance, through His Spirit, of His people!
And isn't it exciting to know that YHVH had planned all along to provide salvation for His people Himself with His own Strong Right Hand - Yahshua, the Living Water!


Now let's continue to look at what is still to unfold in the seemingly not-so-distant future.  Let's see how these waters, the physical ones and the spiritual ones, are tied together for eternal Salvation...eternal Sukkot with our Redeemer.
(Yes, I am reading YHVH's Word literally.)

Joel chapter 3 begins with "at that time when I turn back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem"... and when YHVH will bring all the gentiles to the Valley of Jehoshaphat for judgement there for His people Israel and His land of inheritance Israel.

Look at Joel 3:17-21

"Then you shall know that I am יהוה your Elohim, dwelling in Zion, My set-apart mountain. And Jerusalem shall be set-apart, and foreigners shall not pass through her again.  
And it shall be in that day that the mountains drip with new wine, and the hills flow with milk. And all the streams of Judah shall be flooded with water, and a fountain flow from the House of יהוה and water the valley Shittim. 
Egypt shall become a ruin, and Edom a ruin, a wilderness, because of violence done to the people of Judah, whose innocent blood they shed in their land.  
But Judah shall dwell forever, and Jerusalem to all generations. 
And I shall avenge their blood, which I have not avenged. 
And יהוה shall be dwelling in Zion!”

Zechariah 14 speaks of these physical living waters flowing from Jerusalem, and it also speaks of eternal Sukkot.  (And it also speaks of the destruction of those who fought against Jerusalem.)

Zechariah 14:8, 9, 16

And in that day it shall be that living waters flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea, in summer as well as in winter.   And יהוה shall be Sovereign over all the earth. In that day there shall be one יהוה, and His Name one.

And it shall be that all who are left from all the gentiles which came up against Jerusalem, shall go up from year to year to bow themselves to the Sovereign, יהוה of hosts, and to observe Sukkot [Festival of Booths]. 


Again this picture of future living, healing water flowing from Jerusalem is found in Ezekiel 47...the whole chapter.  Let's look at several verses...

Ezekiel 47
[1] And he turned me back to the door of the House. And look, water was flowing from under the threshold of the House [Temple] toward the east, for the House faced east, and the water was flowing from under the right side of the House, from the south of the altar. 
[9] “And it shall be that every swarming creature, wherever the stream goes, shall live. And there shall be very many fish, for these waters shall go there, and they are healed. And wherever the stream flows all shall live.

[12] “And by the bank of the stream, on both sides, grow all kinds of trees used for food, whose leaves do not wither and fruit do not fail. They bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the set-apart place. And their fruit shall be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

(Interesting point - right after this YHVH declares on oath the borders of this land that He gave to Israel as an inheritance.)


After looking through so much Scripture filled with the theme of YHVH's Living Water of Salvation given to His people Israel (and remember, we believing gentiles are grafted into His people Israel), it is so much easier to see the importance of the words Yahshua cried out to the crowd on that final day of Sukkot.
 “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me, and let him who believes in Me drink.  As the Scripture said, out of His innermost shall flow rivers of living water."

The importance of His words, His claim, would not have been lost on the crowd and for sure was not lost on the religious leaders.

He was claiming to be the fulfillment of all the Scripture regarding YHVH's plan of Salvation, His plan to provide Living Water...to save His people.

That was a huge claim...and according to John 7 many of the people were ready to believe that Yahshua really is what He claims...the Living Water, the Salvation (y'shu'ah), the promised Messiah!

But again, many were not.  

Even with the picture laid out so perfectly and completely before them - all of this taking place during the ceremony of the living water, after having praised Yah for providing and being Salvation and after having cried out "Hoshiah na! Save us now!", the religious leaders refused to admit that Yah answered their cries with the Messiah right there in the midst of Sukkot!

We can look back at it and say, "why were they so blind?"

But we can also say the same thing about some believers today. 
Yes, they see the truth that Yahshua is YHVH's provision of Salvation, the Messiah, the Living Water.  But they cannot accept the truth of the Tanakh for His people today...the truth of Yah's Word - beginning to end - for everyday living.  Why live by the Word of Yah?  Out of love for Him!  Obedience - I obey because I love Him and trust His ways.

Well, I'm getting a little sidetracked now.

Let's go back to the Word...back to the very end.
We've been given a preview of what's to come, and you were probably reminded of it while reading some of the Scriptures from the prophets just now.

Let's look at the Final Eternal Sukkot with the Eternal Living Water!

Revelation 7:15-17
...they are before the throne of Elohim, and serve Him day and night in His Dwelling Place. And He who sits on the throne shall spread His Tent over them.  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun strike them, nor any heat, because the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall shepherd them and lead them to fountains of waters of life. And Elohim shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.


Revelation 21:3-6

  And I heard a loud voice from the heaven saying, “See, the sukkah [booth] of Elohim is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and Elohim Himself shall be with them and be their Elohim.  
And Elohim shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor mourning, nor crying. And there shall be no more pain, for the former matters have passed away.” 
And He who was sitting on the throne said, “See, I make all matters new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and trustworthy.” 
And He said to me, “It is done! I am the ‘Aleph’ and the ‘Tav’, the Beginning and the End. To the one who thirsts I shall give of the fountain of the water of life without payment. 
 
Revelation 22:1, 2  

And he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of Elohim and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
 

And Yahshua Himself says in Revelation 22:12-13

And see, I am coming speedily, and My reward is with Me, to give to each according to his work.  I am the ‘Aleph’ and the ‘Tav’, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.  Blessed are those doing His commands, so that the authority shall be theirs unto the tree of life, and to enter through the gates into the city.


Finally, in verse 17... 
And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And he who hears, let him say, “Come!” And he who thirsts, come! And he who desires it, take the water of life without paying!


May you draw water from the fountains of Yahshua our Salvation...with JOY and gratitude!

Gina

Psalm 80: The Shepherd and the Vine (Part 1)

 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, who lead Joseph like a flock; 
                 who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!

...and Psalm 80 has now begun!
This first verse sets so much of the stage for the rest of this rich Psalm.

Ra'ah Yisrael - Shepherd of Israel

(Incidentally...the Hebrew word used for "lead" here is the word nahag, pronounced n'HAHg - meaning to lead or to drive.  I learned this word during my many trips on the bus in Jerusalem when I stayed for one month during the autumn of 2010.  As a noun, it is the modern Hebrew word for "driver".  If you ride the bus very much in Jerusalem, you will inevitably hear it yelled out by a rider.  "Nahag!  Stop here!"  "Nahag!  Open the back door!"  And you might even see a slight resemblance between a bus driver and a shepherd!)

As you probably know if you have read the greeting from the previous blog post, I have just returned from a trip to Israel.  I was there for 3 weeks in January and February - first in Jerusalem, and then traveling for a week around Samaria, the Dead Sea, and the Negev and Paran Deserts...all the way down to Eilat and back up toward Ashkelon.

It was a wonderful trip!  
Actually, it was quite intense, as the whole purpose was to pray YHVH's Word concerning His Land and His People and His Kingdom (come and still to come).

I use the word wonderful to describe it because it was definitely a trip filled with the wonder of YHVH's Word of Truth coming to pass before our eyes in our time!  More about that later...first let's begin to look at Psalm 80.

 Psalm 80 

        To the Chief Musician upon Shoshannim-eduth [literally "lilies of testimony", 
             also the title of a popular song], a Psalm of Asaph.
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, who lead Joseph like a flock; who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!
2 Before Ephrayim, Benjamin, and Menasheh, stir up Your might, and come save [y'shua tah, a form of yasha] us!
3 Cause us to turn back, O Elohim, and cause Your Face to shine, that we might be saved [form of yasha]!
4 O YHVH, Elohim of hosts, how long shall You be wroth against the prayer of Your people?
5 You have caused them to eat the bread of tears, and have caused them to drink with tears, a third time.
6 You have made us a strife to our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Turn us back, O Elohim of hosts, and cause Your Face to shine, that we might be saved [form of yasha]!

Who is the One who is the Shepherd of Israel?
Who leads Jacob like a flock?
Who dwells between the cherubim?

I am sure you know the answer to these questions.
But let us take a look at some other scriptures regarding these questions.

Genesis 49:22-24 (spoken by Isaac about Joseph as he was blessing each of his 12 sons)
Joseph is an offshoot of a fruit-bearing tree, an offshoot of a fruit-bearing tree by a fountain, his branches run over a wall.  And the archers have bitterly grieved him, shot at him and hated him.  But his bow remained in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob - from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel -...

Notice here that Joseph is a shoot from a fruit-bearing tree.  Note also that Joseph's enemies have hated him and attacked him, but Joseph stays strong because of the strength of the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel!

Psalms 77 and 78 both tell part of the story of the children of Israel being led by YHVH out of Egypt:

Psalm 77:15-20
By Your arm You redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph...
The waters saw you, O Elohim...they were afraid....the clouds poured out water, the heavens rumbled...the voice of Your thunder rolled along...the earth trembled and shook...Your way was in the sea, and Your footsteps were not known.  You did lead Your people like a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Psalm 78:51-53
And He smote all the firstborn in Egypt...then made His own people go forth like sheep, and led them in a wilderness like a flock.  And He led them on safely, and they did not fear, but the sea covered their enemies.  And He brought them to the border of His set-apart place, this mountain which His right hand had gained...


Notice in these Psalms that the Strong Arm, the Right Hand of YHVH once again gains the victory and accomplishes the necessary redemption (see the previous blog post on Psalm 118 for more on YHVH's Right Arm).

Isaiah chapter 63 is another very powerful chapter of YHVH's Word that is also a mirror of Psalm 80.
Take a look at the imagery of a God who acts in deserved righteous wrath (actually the people did NOT get what they deserved, which like for each of us should be much worse according to our actions and our sin against a holy God!).  Take a look at the compassion, the chesed, the mercy, the loving-kindness of the Shepherd of Israel, the Redeemer of Israel, the Savior (again the Right Arm saved).  And also notice the cry for mercy, the cry for YHVH to rescue His people, just as in Psalm 80.

Isaiah 63:11-12:
"Then He remembered the days of old, Moses, His people, 'Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the Shepherd of His flock...Who put His set-apart Spirit within him, who led them by the right hand of Moses, with His comely arm, dividing the water before them to make for Himself an everlasting Name...'"

Now take a look at Micah 7...speaking of the days when the world and the nations are steeped in corruption and wickedness (hmmm...sounds familiar, looks familiar).  Then read about the Shepherd of Israel and His remnant...

Micah 7:13-16
But the earth shall become a waste because of those who dwell in it, and for the fruit of their deeds.  Shepherd Your people with Your rod, the flock of Your inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest, in the midst of Karmel.  Let them feed in Bashan and in Gilead, as in the days of old.  As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I shall let him see wonders.  Let the gentiles see and be ashamed of all their might...


...now look at the rest of this chapter!


Micah 7:18-20
Who is a God like You - taking away crookedness and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance?  He shall not retain His wrath forever, for He Himself delights in kindness.  He shall turn back, He shall have compassion on us, He shall trample upon our crookednesses!  And You throw all our sins into the depths of the sea!  You give truth to Jacob, kindness to Abraham, which You swore to our fathers from the days of old!


And finally (for this part), let's look at Zechariah chapter 9.
This is obviously still to happen in the (not-so-distant?) future.

Notice the references to the Messiah of Israel in this chapter...the reigning King, ruler of the whole earth.

Zechariah 9:9-10  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!  See, your King is coming to you, He is righteous and endowed with deliverance [form of yasha - salvation], humble and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey....And He shall speak peace to the nations, and His rule is from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Verse 13  For I shall bend Judah for Me, I shall fill the bow with Ephrayim, and I shall stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and I shall make you like the sword of a mighty man.
Verse 16  And יהוה their Elohim shall save them in that day, as the flock of His people, for the stones of a diadem, sparkling over His land. 


Any ideas yet to the answer of the question, "Who is the Shepherd of Israel"?

I'm sure you know!  But here are a few more partial scriptures for your consideration:

Matthew 2:6  "But you, Bethlehem [Beyt Lechem], in the land of Judah, you are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you shall come a Ruler who shall shepherd My people Israel."  


Matthew 26:31-32  "Then יהושע [Yahshua] said to them, 'All of you shall stumble in Me this night, for it has been written, "I shall strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered."  But after I have been raised, I shall go before you into Galilee.'"

John 10:2, 11, 14-15  "But he who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep....I am the good shepherd.  The shepherd lays down his life for the sheep....I am the good shepherd, and I know Mine and Mine know Me, even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father.  And I lay down my life for the sheep."


Hebrews 13:20-21  "And the Elohim of peace who brought up our Master יהושע from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His desire, working in you what is pleasing in His sight, through יהושע Messiah, to whom be esteem forever and ever.  Amen."


And of course, the amazing powerful image of our Shepherd as seen in Revelation:
2:27  ...and he shall shepherd them with a rod of iron, as the potter’s vessels shall be broken to pieces, as I also have received from My Father.
7:17  ...because the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall shepherd them and lead them to fountains of waters of life. And Elohim shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.” 
12:5  ... And she bore a male child who was to shepherd all nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught away to Elohim and to His throne.

19:15-16  And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations. And He [Trustworthy and True; the Word] shall shepherd them with a rod of iron. And He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of El Shaddai.  And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: SOVEREIGN OF SOVEREIGNS AND MASTER OF MASTERS. 


Isn't it so exciting to see these scriptures about the Shepherd of Israel all together in one place?!
And this is only the first part of the first verse!!


Now, on to the second part of this verse...The One who dwells between the cherubim.


Once again, I'm sure you know the answer to "Who is the One dwelling between the cherubim?"
as well as the answer to "what exactly are the cherubim?"...
still, I think it will be helpful to take a look at what the Scriptures say.

Let's start with what or who the cherubim are in the Scriptures.
I'm sure you know they are angels, heavenly beings, not of this world, messengers of YHVH, etc.

Do you know the Hebrew word cherub?
It is pronounced with the "ch" as in "Bach" or "loch", NOT with the hard "ch" of "chicken".
And because this word is a masculine word in the Hebrew language, the plural is formed with the addition of "im" at the end of the word (as opposed to the feminine which forms by adding "ot").

So the plural of cherub is cherubim (pronounced che-roo-BEEM).


(If you notice, the older King James version, the Authorized Version, placed the English formation of plural words, an added "s", in addition to the Hebrew word which is already plural!  KJV calls more than one cherub, cherubims.  No need to make it plural twice!  I think they realized their mistake, because newer KJV printings have the correct word - cherubim.)


Anyway...let's continue!

You probably remember the cherubim as those beings who were placed by YHVH at the east end of the garden of Eden to guard the way of the tree of life in Genesis 3 after the eviction of Adam and Chavah (Eve).

But do you know what the majority of Scriptures which refer to cherubim (almost 100 times) are speaking about?  Do you know the "job" or the "station" or the "function" of the cherubim in the majority of the Scriptures?

I think a good place to start is Exodus 25.

In this chapter, YHVH commanded Moses to take up a voluntary offering from the people...gold, silver, bronze, dyed yarn, animal skins, oil, spices, and precious stones.

Verse 8:  “And they shall make Me a Set-apart Place, and I shall dwell in their midst."
Verses 10, 11:  "And they shall make an ark of acacia wood...and you shall overlay it with clean gold..."
Verses 17-22:  “And you shall make a lid of atonement of clean gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide.  And you shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of beaten work, at the two ends of the lid of atonement.  And make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end.  Make the cherubim from the lid of atonement, at its two ends.  And the cherubim shall be spreading out their wings above, covering the lid of atonement with their wings, with their faces toward each other, the faces of the cherubim turned toward the lid of atonement.  And you shall put the lid of atonement on top of the ark, and put into the ark the Witness which I give you.  And I shall meet with you there, and from above the lid of atonement, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Witness, I shall speak to you all that which I command you concerning the children of Israel."

And also in Numbers 7:89  
And when Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the lid of atonement that was on the ark of the Witness, from between the two cherubim. Thus He spoke to him. 

So this is where YHVH chose to put His presence in the midst of Israel...above the lid of atonement on the ark of the covenant, between the cherubim...here He would speak to His people.

This dwelling place was also used in the description of YHVH, the only true Living Elohim, in various places throughout the Scriptures.

Which god?  The ONE Who dwells between the cherubim!


2 Samuel 6:2
And David rose up and went with all the people who were with him from Baal Judah, to bring up from there the ark of Elohim, that is called by the Name, the Name יהוה of Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. 

2 Kings 19:15
And Hezekiah prayed before יהוה, and said, “O יהוה Elohim of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are Elohim, You alone, of all the reigns of the earth. You have made the heavens and earth."

Psalm 99:1

 יהוה shall reign; Peoples tremble! He is enthroned on the cherubim; the earth shakes! 

So this Psalm, Psalm 80, is a plea, a cry, a beseeching of the Shepherd of Israel, the only True Living God, who dwells between the cherubim, to shine forth and to SAVE (yeshu'ah) HIS PEOPLE!

Who are His People?  

Israel!  Both kingdoms of Israel (Israel and Judah), as represented by "Ephrayim, Benjamin, and Menasheh" in verse 2.  

His People Israel, in this psalm, have eaten and have drunk "the tears."  

They have been disciplined for their hard-heartedness and their turning from YHVH.

Now the psalmist cries for SALVATION from the Elohim of Salvation, the One who provides Salvation with His own Mighty Arm.

The cry is for YHVH to turn His people back to Him in repentance and to restore them!

What a mighty cry!

"Turn us back, O Elohim of Hosts, and cause your Face to shine, that we might be saved!"

And in the second part of Psalm 80, the psalmist reminds YHVH of the vine He brought forth from Egypt and planted in HIS Land of inheritance for HIS chosen people.

Take a look at the next blog post for Part 2 of Psalm 80...and see why my latest trip to Israel made such an impression on me regarding YHVH's planting of His people in His land!