Month 9:29, Week 4:7 (Shibi'i/Sukkot), Year:Day 5939:266 AM
2Exodus 2/40, 4th Sh'mittah - Year 49/50
Global Judgment - Day #T-33
Gregorian Calendar Thursday 10 December 2015
Second Exodus Lineup
IV. Yahweh's Exodus Women
Continued from Part 3
Introduction
Shabbat shalom mishpachah and welcome back to this fourth session examining the characters of the First Exodus from which we try to deduce what kind of men and women will be needed for the Last Exodus.
The Eight Main Characters
Today, as promised, I am devoting an extra section to the women of the Second Exodus. Four men figure prominently in the First Exodus:
- 1. Moses (the Levite);
- 2. Aaron (Moses's brother and Israel's first the Cohen Gadol/High Priest);
- 3. Joshua (the Ephraimite); and
- 4. Caleb (the Edomite adopted into Judah).
To this list we can four women who are the main characters in the story:
- 5. Miriam (the Levite and the elder sister of Moses and Aaron);
- 6. Moses' first Cushite wife (according to tradition, the African Princess of Meroë called Tharbis);
- 7. Moses' second wife, Zipporah (the Midianite); and finally
- 8. Rahab the Canaanite of Jericho (who helped the two spies), after the death of Moses and during the invasion of Canaan under Joshua, who became an ancestor of the Messiah.
And then I shall conclude with a study of Dinah who, though not a physical part of the First Exodus, definitely had a spiritual rôle to play and will play an important rôle in the Last Exodus too.
The Four Women of the First Exodus
That makes a total of 8 main characters - four men and four women. (I exclude Eleazar the Cohen Gadol/High Priest under Joshua because nothing very extraordinary happened in his ministry, important thought he was). My task today will be to look at these four women, look for parallels in the Last Exodus, and to expound on the mystery of the '13th tribe' of Dinah.
The Three Siblings
There is obviously a special familial relationship between the three siblings (Num.26:59) Moses the navi (prophet), Aaron the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) and Miriam the neviah (prophetess), the latter of whom is remembered for leading the Israelites in singing after Israelites' deliverance from the Egyptians at Yam Suf (the Sea of Reeds or 'Red Sea' - Ex.15:20-21).
A Type of the Godhead
It is immediately obvious that there is a human 'trinitarian' picture here that in some way reflects the Elohimhead (Godhead) of Father ('Moses'), Son ('Aaron') and Ruach haQodesh/Holy Spirit/Heavenly Mother ('Miriam') with the human rebellion of Aaron and Miriam followed by Yahweh's response making very clear that the three were not in coheadship but subordinate to Israel's human elohim ("god") [1] or Ruler, Moses. Thus three siblings - two brothers and a sister (who was older than both her brothers) - are a character representation of the Elohim (God) of Israel.
The Families of Four Patriarchs
Not only that, but being as there are seven Ruachot (Spirits) of Elohim (God - Rev.1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6), we can that understand the Isaiah 4:1 prophecy of seven women being joined to one man with a good name or reputation not only points forward to the time of the end-time Remnant but back to the original symbolism of one Heavenly Father (Yahweh) and Seven Heavenly Mothers. As we trace the family make-up of the godly patriarchs from Abraham up to the kingly Messianic type, David (Yah'shua/Jesus being repeatedly referred to as the "Son of David" - e.g. Mt.1:1; Lk.20:41) we see an interesting wife tally:
- 1. Abraham (3 or more wives);
- 2. Jacob (4 wives);
- 3. Moses (2 wives); and
- 4. David (7 wives excluding Uriah's wife Bathsheba).
A Coheadship Issue
Miriam and Aaron rebelled against Moses supposedly because of the navi's (prophet's) first marriage to a Cushite woman yet it's clear there is a coheadship problem too. The Scripture is worded in a strange way:
"Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 'Has Yahweh spoken only through Moses?' they asked. 'Hasn't he also spoken through us?' And Yahweh heard this" (Num.12:1-2, NIV).
Miriam, Moses' Sister & a Neviah/Prophetess
A Jealousy Issue Over Divine Favour
As it stands, the the second of the two sentences is a non sequitur, meaning it doesn't not follow from the first - there is no logical connection. This can only mean one thing. The complaint against the Cushite woman was merely an excuse because the real issue was they were jealous of Moses' favour with Yahweh. Indeed, Yahweh makes it very clear indeed that the giftings of the three were not equal:
"When a navi (prophet) of Yahweh is among you,
I reveal myself to him in visions,
I speak to him in dreams.
But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all My house.
With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of Yahweh.
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?"
(Num.12:6-8, NIV).
Not a Classical Trinitarian Pattern
There is a clear distinction in toqef (authority) between Moses the Heavenly Father-type, Aaron the Son-type, and Miriam the Heavenly Mother-type - the Elohimhead (Godhead) is not a classical Catholic Trinitarian formula because the members of the Elohimhead (God) are not co-equal. Indeed, the formulators of the Trinity doctrine are guilty of the same blasphemy as Aaron and Miriam! There is a hierarchy of toqef (authority) and to break it is to make you unclean, represented by Miriam - who was, as the elder sibling, clearly the instigator of the rebellion - whose punishment was to become leprous (unclean). Aaron was the first to repent:
"[Aaron] said to Moses, 'Please, my master, do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother's womb with its flesh half eaten away'" (Num.12:11-12, NIV).
Miriam's Confinement and Punishment
As Moses interceeded for the whole of Israel, as we saw last week, for its tenfold rebellion, so Moses has to interceed for his kith and kin, those closest to him. As with Israel, Miriam was forgiven and healed but there was a punishment - a consequence - that could not be avoided:
"So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back" (Num.12:15, NIV).
A Prophetess' Seven-Day Disfellowshipment for the Sin of Complaining
She was, in effect, excommunicated and disfellowshipped, her sentence being seven days, about which I could say a great deal, for she represents a sevenfold Being, the Ruachot haQodesh (Holy Spirits). When a wife - literal or allegorical - challenges a husband's toqef (authority) in open and defiant rebellion, even though she may be forgiven, her punishment is seven 'prophetic days' which may be seven years if adultery or prostitution is involved. The same tavnith (pattern) would apply to the allegorical Bride of Messiah, or part thereof, if there is rebellion against Yahweh's toqef (authority). If there is time later on we will return to this important mystery.
Did Miriam Marry Caleb?
We do not know much more about Miriam other than she died at Kadesh (meaning 'Holy, Set-Apart Place') and was buried there (Num.20:1). Tradition says that she married Caleb and became the mother of Hur. If she did, it would represent an interesting symbolism for Judah and Levi pretty much stuck together after the apostacy of the ten northern tribes after the death of Solomon.
Miriam vs. the Princess of Meroë
I mentioned in an earlier part of this study that one of Miriam's complaints was possibly racially motivated. There may be some credance in this suggestion when you consider that olive skin-coloured Miriam would have been turned white by the leprosy which would enhance the Cushite's woman's black skin colour even more to make the point that Yahweh was not interested in colour but in righteousness. (Had colour been important, the Cushite woman's skin would have been turned white as happened with the imaginary dark-skinned Lamanite people in the Book of Mormon novel as they became more 'righteous').
Why Aaron Escaped Punishment
Aaron escapes punishment because his repentance was instant - there is no evidence that Miriam repented immediately, again lending credance to the suggestion that she was the ring-leader in the rebellion. Aaron was weak in following his sister as he would be weak later in succumbing to the pressure of the golden-calf rebels. Another explanation, and the one which is probably the more plausible, was that Aaron, as a cohen (priest), could not be afflicted with leprosy otherwise it would have disqualified his service in the priesthood according to the Torah. Thus Aaron was saved by his office for the sake of the Good Name of Yahweh and not because he was 'better' than Miriam.
Limits of the Office of a Prophetess
All three siblings die without entering the Promised Land because of their several acts of disobedience. Miriam stands as a warning against challenging divinely-appointed toqef (authority) and reacting jealously towards the noblewoman from Meroë whom tradition names as Tharbis. Yet she also points to the emet (truth), lost by Roman Catholic apostacy that has been inherited by her Protestant children, also retained by her estranged sibling, the Eastern Orthodox Church, that Elohim (God) is not an all-male Trinity but a Divine Family of Father, Mother(s) and Son. Finally, we are reminded that a woman may be called to be a neviah or prophetess, as indeed both Old and New Covenant women were (Ac.2:17; 21:9), provided she does not exceed her toqef (authority). So there is much we can learn from Miriam for there shall be many prophetesses like her amongst the Remnant in the Last Exodus!
The Mutual Affinities of Moses and the Princess of Meroë
Moses' first wife, Tharbis, the Cushite Princess of Meroë (Saba), we have already discussed at length, based on the little we know about her. Since Miriam was clearly jealous of her, we may assume she was a figure of some importance in the Camp of Israel and not just by vitue of the fact the she was the wife of the esteemed Navi (Prophet) Moses. I suspect such jealousy as there may have been stemmed from the fact, in contrast to Miriam and Aaron's background as slaves, that the Princess had the same kind of privileged and educated background as Moses himself so it would have been natural for the couple of have had mutual affinities, intellectual compatibility and shared interests. Racial differences were as unimportant to them as we suppose they were unimportant to Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
Solomon and Sheba Compared
According to the Kebra Negast, Solomon fathered a royal dynasty through the Queen in Ethiopia through their son Melenik, the last representative of which was Emperor Haile Selassie who was deposed by the communist dictator Mengitsu Haile Mariam. I talk about this in my East African series of three sermons, Beyond the Rivers which you can read about afterwards if you want to pursue the fascinating African connection to Israel.
The Princess of Meroë, Tharbis, Moses' First Wife
Zipporah, a Descendant of Keturah
We have already talked about Zipporah, the Midianite, whom again we know little about aside from the sparse information about the marriage in Midian while Moses was an exile. The Midianites were Semites like the Israelites, being the descendants of the fourth son of Abraham and his young wife Keturah (Gen.21:1; 1 Chr.1:32). Aside from Isaac, Sarah's only child, the fate of all of Abraham's children was to be sent into the Arabian desert where they became the eponymous ancestors of Arab tribes (Gen.25:6).
When Zipporah Saved Moses' Life
The only other thing we know about Zipporah concerns an incident upon her returning to her husband with their two sons from her father's house to join Moses after the Exodus was underway. She is seen to be responsible for saving his life but seemed none too happy at what she was required to do in circumcising their son Gershom:
"At a lodging place on the way, Yahweh met [Moses] and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched [Moses'] feet (a euphemism for genitals) with it. 'Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,' she said. So Yahweh let him alone. (At that time she said 'bridegroom of blood,' referring to circumcision)" (Ex.4:24-26, NIV).
The Importance of Adhering to Covenant Terms
This is not an easy passage to understand at first sight and it is easy to pass a careless character judgment if one isn't careful. Clearly Zipporah saw the danger to her husband's life in his failure to have circumcised his firstborn son, a failure to dedicate him properly, a failure to adhere to the terms of His Covenant with him. Let's look at what Yahweh has to say about this through His navi (prophet) Jeremiah:
"Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh, circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, or My wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done -- burn with no one to quench it" (Jer 4:4, NIV).
Generational Considerations
This piece of surgery, no longer required under the New Covenant, represents Yahweh's call to take away fleshy things that keep the heart from being spiritually devoted to Him and from true emunah (faith) in Him and His will. Yahweh selected the reproductive organ as the location of the symbol of man's need for cleansing from sin, because it is the instrument most indicative of his depravity, since by it he reproduced generations of sinners. Zipporah, in touching her husband's genitals ("feet") with their son's prepuce, is making a symbolic reference to future generations so that they would not be cursed by her husband's negligence or disobedience.
From Deliverer to Blasphemy
One could argue that Zipporah delivered Israel thanks to her timely intervention because without Moses the project would probably not have held together without a lot of proving of the new leader first. Nevertheless to then go and describe Moses as a "bridegroom of blood" because of Yahweh's covenant requirements is to use strong words bordering on rebellion and blasphemy.
Moses Wakes Up in the Nick of Time
Though it's hard to know for sure, it may well have been that Zipporah disapporved of circumcision and Moses may have delayed initiating their son into the Covenant in order to appease her. When Moses realised Yahweh was angry at his failure to keep covenant, any fear of his wife's disapproval probably vanished. Then he may have suddenly pressed her to agree, and with a combination of fear for her husband's life coupled with continued anger over an ordinance she disapproved of, did it anyway whilst condemning him with the judgmental words, "bridegroom of blood".
Beware the Fear of Man!
It's a strange situation where we see a manifestation of Moses' weakness because of fear of his disapproving wife. At any rate we are warned in recounting this incident of the proverb:
"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in Yahweh is kept safe" (Prov.29:25, NIV).
And, of course, trusting also included obeying.
Zipporah the Midianite, Moses' Second Wife
When Husbands Fear Their Wives
A man of Elohim (God) should always fear Elohim (God) more than he fears his wife. Moses was certainly not the first for Adam feared to lose Eve after her sin with the Tree of Knowledge than he did fearing to displease Yahweh. Both Adam and Eve sinned but for different reasons - Eve for listening to the devil and disobeying Yahweh's single commandment not to eat from the Tree of Death, and Adam for listening to his sinful wife and entering into death with her for fear of being separated from her, no doubt because he remembered the intense loneliness in the garden before she was created for him.
The Sins of Moses and Zipporah
Moses and Zipporah both sinned but for different reasons. Moses wanted to keep Zipporah happy because he feared her disapproval but in doing so demonstrated that he feared Elohim (God) less. And that is not the beginning of wisdom - the fear of Yahweh is (Prov.9:10), a lesson all end-time leaders need to remember.
Fear and Unbelief
This was the only incident, aside from taking credit for a repeat miracle at the end of his ministry, where Moses was in danger of his life for disobedience. We don't hear of Zipporah again after this incident as she takes a back seat in the Exodus narrative. There is much for husbands and wives of the Remnant to ponder here for sure. It is a hard thing to have opposition in marriage especially for a leader like Moses. Fear is a species of unbelief, and unbelief is another word for atheism, an unwillingness to commit a problem to Yahweh and do what is right no matter the consequences, even if it means turmoil at home. Take a look at The Teeth of the Dragon: The Problem of Feelings and Fear for further orientation on this common issue we must all overcome.
Struggles in Putting Yahweh First
I know I have personally failed on this one many times in my life especially over the issue of the hardest priority-making decision of all: who comes first? Yahweh or a wife and children? Scripture furnishes us with many painful examples - Mrs.Job, Mrs.Lot and Mikal, the first wife of David, to cite three. Getting the priority right requires a hard, hard overcoming of the flesh at the deepest levels, but it has to be done by anyone serious about becoming the Bride of Messiah. Will we be like Moses and compromise to please a carnal wife?
Zipporah Perished With the First Generation
Zipporah did the right thing but she was full of resentment and that is not good either. She loved her husband enough to carry out what she thought was bloody genital mutilation, as she saw it, in order to save his life (since she could not deny the miracles that had taken place) but resented Yahweh and her husband for being required to do this to her son. Zipporah, in that respect, was just like the rest of the Israelites and she too - like Miriam and Tharbis, the Princess of Meroë - perished in the wilderness. These are hard choices especially when our feelings are out of control and not aligned with what we know in our spirit to be the emet (truth).
A Struggle All Spouses Have to Go Through
Many people have been passionately drawn to this work only to draw away in terror because of the threatenings of their spouses who were consumed with fear or resentment over the 'hot potatoes' of the fullness of the Besorah (Gospel). Both spouses are afraid but for different reasons. There's no guarantee your spouse will come along and at some point you may have to make hard choices. It's just as hard for us to give advice. In the end it's between the spouse caught between a rock and a hard place, and Yahweh. Nobody escapes this struggle and everybody is separated by it to join one side or the other.
Yahweh's Choice in Marriage is Essential
This is why Yahweh's choice of a marriage companion is essential if you want to avoid tragedy in the form of marriage conflict and break-ups. After choosing Yah'shua (Jesus) as your Master and Deliverer, the second most important choice in your life will be to choose the right spouse in order to raise children in the admonition of Yahweh. The two are very closely tied together. This is why I advise no-one to rush into a marriage but to invest quality time into making sure that a proper spiritual foundation is laid once Yahweh's clear will is known. That is why we devote so much time and effort to marriage and family to make sure that everything is done according to divine tavnith (pattern). Get this wrong and you are sowing a lot of heartache for yourself in the future. (If you are single, see the three-part series, Whom Should I Marry?).
Don't Play Russian Roulette in Selecting Marriage Companions
Even if you get the right companion(s) that does not mean that there won't be struggles or overcoming to do. The important thing is that you don't give up and that you seek to do things Yahweh's way under proper headship. Don't go marrying an unbeliever or a nominal believer or a lukewarm believer hoping he or she will change 'later' - that is to play Russian roulette with the rest of your life. If you are properly surrendered to Yahweh and are putting Messiah and the Kingdom first, you have the promise that Yahweh will take care of everything. He will create the circumstances in such a way that you will be in no doubt that it is His hand leading you to your spouse(s).
Satan Hates the Family
One thing we know about Moses' two companions is that Yahweh endorsed the Cushite wife against the complaints or the two highest up after Moses in the spiritual hierarchy of Israel and did not say anything against his Midianite wife either. Yahweh did not object to the marriage. I am sure both had issues and struggles because I have never met a living married couple who didn't. The family is the object of Satan's greatest hate irrespective of its size or how many wives form a part of it.
The Three Hottest Issues for Believers
In my experience marriage, money and religious tradition are the three hottest issues for believers and you may assume these will occupy the same carnal rank of problem areas amongst those of the Second Exodus. In the early days of my ministry I took a very cautious approach to these things but I learned through hard experience that it is better to lay the emet (truth) out plainly so that people can either resonate or explode and thence make clear choices. In making an initial encounter with it, the emet (truth) is more painful than lies and sin but in the long term it is lies and sin that destroy you and ruin your possibility of eternal inheritance, simcha (joy), ahavah (love) and shalom (peace). So short-term pain is always better than long-term misery.
Rahab and an Unpromising Start
Our fourth and last Exodus woman is Rahab whose beginning does not look hopeful, the kind of woman that carnal believers would condemn out of hand. Her name Rahab means 'pride' or 'arrogance' and was taken from the name of a pagan Babylonian deity, the female monster of chaos also known as Tiamat who is closely associated with Leviathan.
The Reformation of the Earth
Indeed, the curbing of the satanic forces of chaos (pre-eminently the unruly sea) at the creation is poetically described in terms of Elohim's (God's) smiting through Rahab (Job 27:12; 9:13; 38:8-11) [2]. In my opinion it is describing the destruction of the earth between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, which had been a malak (angel) planet prior to the heavenly rebellion, was brought to judgment and flooded. It was over these flood waters, that had wiped out chaos of the demonic world in which genetic manipulation of the animal world had taken place (much as it is happening today), that was followed by the Ruach Elohim (Spirit of God) (Gen.1:2) - specifically the Ruach haRishon - was hovering prior to earth's recreation as an abode for man.
Rahab the Canaanite
Symbolism of the Unsaved Rahab
Importantly for our study, Rahab comes later to be employed (at least in her unredeemed state) as a poetic synonym for Egypt (Ps.87:4; Is.30:7) with her dragon associate becoming a figure of Pharaoh (Ezek.29:3). So there are many symbols here. So Rahab prophetically represents the Egyptian captivity in her unsaved state as well as the deliverance from Egypt or salvation to become a woman and heroine of great renown.
The Covenant With Rahab
Rahab was a zónâ or prostitute, as unsaved mankind is spiritually, whose house adjoined Jericho's outer wall (Josh.2:15) When the King of Jericho discovered that Joshua's spies were at Rahab's house, he ordered her to turn them over. She insisted they were gone even though secretly they were hiding on her roof with the stalks of flax. In return for her help, the spies entered into a covenant to spare her family in the coming battle. They told her to tie a crimson cord on the window through which the spies would soon leave, reminding us of the crimson cord that would be affixed to the Temple Doors which would supernaturally turn white after the Yom haKippurim offering had been made if Israel's sins had been forgiven for another year. (The miracles ceased after Yah'shua's/Jesus' death and resurrection). All of her family was to remain in the house during the battle (Josh.2:18) and she was to tell no one of their visit (v.14). Rahab lowered the spies through the window and they returned to Joshua's camp (Josh.2:22-24). Later, at the Battle of Jericho (Josh.6 - see sermons and articles on Jericho Marches) Joshua spared Rahab and her family. Thereafter she lived in Israel (v.25).
The Races of Canaan
Like Tharbis, Moses' Princess of Meroë, Rahab would have been dark skinned (red or black), and could either have been Afro-Arabian like the Somalis of today, pure African (Cushite) or possibly Nilo-Saharan as the Canaanites were not a single race. Israel itself was mixed, being a mixture of white and olive-skinned peoples (on account of Jacob's four wives, two being sisters and the other two servants likely from one or two different races), with some black from Joseph's wife Asenath. All the races of the earth were represented in that Israelite assembly by descent or by adoption.
The Incredible Faith of Rahab
Paul lists her as one of the heroines of the faith (Heb.11:31) and according to James was "considered righteous for what she did" (Jas.2:25, NIV) because she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road. She abandoned her heathen Canaanite gods and confessed total emunah (faith, trust) in the Elohim (God) of Israel. It was a huge risk to take, not trusting in the King of Jericho and the strongest fortress in the Middle East. This is an astonishing confession for a non-Israelite. The great irony is that whereas Israel was still surveying the land to see whether Yahweh 'could' give it to them, here was a Canaanite woman stating that she knew, as a matter of fact, that Yahweh had already given the land to Israel! Truly an early version of the Roman Centurion whom Yah'shua (Jesus) said demonstrated more emunah (faith) than His fellow Judahites (Mt.8:5-13; Lk.7:2-10) and a worthy addition to the Second Generation!
Faith is Unwaivering Trust Followed by Action and Risk-Taking
Emuah (faith), Paul says, comes by hearing (Rom.10:17) and it is clear that Rahab had heard and believed. What's more, her emunah (faith) was not just a verbal confession - it was combined with action. She was willing to risk her life on it. If the spies had been caught in her house, she would have been executed for treason. But because of her emunah (faith) in Yahweh, she was willing to take the risk. Moreover, her confession in the Elohim (God) of Israel was unwavering and withouit a trace of doubt.
The Miracle People Who Cross Our Path
It is amazing that we, as believers, often remain blind to the victory that is ours in Messiah, and while we go around in fear and fret, the eyes of unbelievers like Rahab are opened to see the opportunities that Yahweh has placed before us. They are the ones who come into the assembly to encourage us to be bold, to be confident, to move forwards and possess our inheritance in Messiah. Such was Rahab. When we are committed to walking in the light of Yah's Davar (Word) and seeking to do His will, He will place on our way people who will be favourable to our course. Yahweh will provide someone who will identify with us. David declared:
"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" (Ps.23:5, NIV).
Her Whole Family Saved
Yahweh placed Rahab in Jericho to prepare a table for the spies, and the spies in Rahab's house to provide salvation for her house and one of the ancestors of our Master Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ).
Many Exemplary Women in the Last Exodus
These, then, are the four principle female figures of the First Exodus. Given the strong likelihood that women will outnumber men by as much as seven to one in the Last Exodus, you may expect to find, relative to righteous Moses-, Aaron-, Joshua- and Caleb-men, many more prominent and spiritually exemplary women in the years to come. Indeed, a consistent thread in this ministry from its very beginning has been the revelation both of the high profile of godly women in the Remnant (along with the restoration of a separate, parallel and overlapping women's priesthood) but also the gradual increase in prominence of the kind of godly polygamy that will provide stable and loving homes and families for them. As is to be expected, the carnal non-Remnant side of the Last Exodus, who will be in the majority until they have nearly all died out, will resist this because of 1½ millennia of Roman Catholic influence and perversion in the Body of Messiah.
Two Types of End-Time Polygamy in the Last Exodus
Sadly, but unavoidably, this lifestyle will be entered into by one of two ways:
- 1. The carnal, natural and unsatisfying way, out of practical, circumstantial necessity because of the shortage of godly men; or
- 2. The spiritual, supernatural and satisfying way through careful non-compulsive preparation by leaving the choice of spouses, and the important heart-preparation, to the sovereign will of Yahweh and the leading of Ruach Elohim (Spirit of God) over a period of time in the manner of Issac and Rebekah.
Early Days Yet
That is not, of course to say, that all will be called to live in this manner for the majority of the Exodus will not, for they will live the monogamous estate with some preferring to remain single, but it will almost certainly become the dominant, though not necessarily exclusive, lifestyle of the sanctified Remnant eventually. About the only thing I am certain of is the end-time twelve apostles of both the penultimate and last generation will necessarily be living it. For now, and indeed as we have been doing for a long time, we actively discourage this principle (see Statement on Plural Marriage). It is our belief that Yahweh will restore the living of this principle to the faithful Remnant over time as they spiritually mature enough and are ready for it, but not before, and that it will be the women who take the initiative, as they are led by the Ruach (Spirit), not the men ... which has the advantage of excluding carnal men, who have given the principle such a bad reputation in our time, trying to promote it for selfish reasons. These are early days yet for most of those who are yet to live this way as they must first be refined in the spiritual fire of Penultimate Judgment we are beginning to go through now.
SUPPLEMENT
Introducing Dinah, Daughter of Jacob
I promised that I would talk about Jacob's daughter, Dinah, and so I mean to end this study and series by looking at this woman's tragic life and how her name is to be used for the elevation of Yahweh's Remnant Women in the final two generations. Dinah was the only daughter of Jacob that we know of through his wife Leah, so she was a full sister to Reuben (the biological firstborn until his replacement by Joseph after his fall), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun (Gen.35:23). Her name means 'justice' or 'judgment' and is related etymologically to Dan, her half-brother, whose name is the active participle of din.
Dinah, Only Daughter of Jacob
From Rape to Murderous Revenge
Dinah, on an innocent enough though imprudent unaccompanied visit 'into town' (Gen.34:1), is raped by a pagan Canaanite prince called Shechem (v.2) who promptly falls in love with her. Eager to marry her, Shechem begs his father Hamor to negociate marriage terms with Jacob (vv.3-4). But Shechem's outrageous act, compounded not only by his desire to marry a covenant Hebrew woman but also by his father's intention to merge the two tribes together by negociating a general intermarriage between Hebrews and Shechemites, incites Dinah's elder brothers Reuben, Simeon and Levi, to plan a treacherous revenge. They insist that all male Shechemites be cicumcised prior to intermarriage, and when the Shechemites comply, being rendered weak and feverish by the operation and unable to defend themselves, the Benjamites enter the defenseless city, put all its males to the sword, and carry Dinah away. Jacob is furious over his sons' conduct, both because it was wicked (killing a whole clan for the sin of one man) but also fearing it might encourage other Canaanite tribes to rise up against him and his family, risking their extinction. The episode ends abruptly with Simeon and Levi's accusing retort to their father, "should our sister be treated like a whore?"
The Curse on Simeon and Levi
Unfortunately two wrongs do not make a right. Under the Ruach (Spirit) given in their patriarchal blessing, Jacob said to two of his sons:
"Simeon and Levi are brothers--
their swords are weapons of violence.
Let me not enter their council,
let me not join their assembly,
for they have killed men in their anger
and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.
Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury, so cruel!"
(Gen.49:5-7, NIV).
Benjamin, the Vikings and Norway
We can see where the ancient Vikings got their viciousness from in the person of unredeemed Benjamin who eventually settled in Norway:
"Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he devours the prey,
in the evening he divides the plunder"
(Gen.49:27, NIV).
The Good and Bad of Benjamin and Reuben's Adultery
Outside of Messiah, Benjamin is a "ravenous wolf" but in Messiah excels himself, providing nearly all of the first apostles! As for Reuben, his involvement in the wickedness is overshadowed by an even greater wickedness in the eyes of Yahweh when he committed adultery with one of his father's wives, Bilhah (the mother of Dan and Naphtali):
"Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might, the first sign of my strength,
excelling in honour, excelling in power.
Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father's bed,
onto my couch and defiled it"
(Gen.49:3-4, NIV).
No Protection for Rape in Pagan Cultures
Nevertheless this response by four of the twelve brothers ruined their spirituality and cursed future generations in their attempted carnal solution for their sister's rape. They were rightly enraged by what Shechem had done but their solution was evil, involving deceit (Gen.34:13), violence and murder. So poor Dinah is surrounded by much pain and sinning by four of her grief-filled and fury-driven siblings (Gen.34:7). In the pagan culture of the day nothing would likely have been done to ensure justice for the victim of rape. Dinah is in so many ways a symbol of the women victim even today where women have low value or none at all - you only have to look at some Asian and African countries to see this, not to mention Muslim countries where sharia law is in force. In the case of the latter, it is the victim who is punished with whipping and stoning. Shechem acted like a typical rich man's son, thinking he could buy his way out of trouble (Gen.34:11). He was so head-over-heels in love that he didn't think straight either and fell for Jacob's sons' lies. When the heart takes over and the mind is not allowed to work, all kinds of problems arise.
The Violation of Dinah
The Possibilities for Modern Norway
This ministerial work really got underway in Norway - the Land of Benjamin - but had to deal with the dark unredeemed side of that tribe and was eventually moved by Yahweh out of the country to Sweden - the land of Naphthali - where a very different spirit prevails. There, in Norway, you sense some of the genetic reverberations still in the people with the possibility for such great good but also great wickedness.
The Person and City of Shechem
Given the prophetic history of Israel and the tribes, which saturates the whole Bible, you would think that there might be a prophetic rôle for Dinah too...and signs of the presence of her rapist tormenter, Shechem. It is more than ironic, and no coincidence, therefore, that the capital of the 10 Tribes, after separation from the South, would come to be Shechem and that this was the first home of the Ark of the Covenant before the conquest of Jebus and establishment of Jerusalem.
The End of Dinah and Proper Chaperoning of Single Women
After Dinah's rape and and rescue we hear nothing more about her and there can be little doubt that she died single in Egypt along with her brothers after their father was invited by Pharaoh to move his family there. We can, of course, learn moral lessons from this tragic episode about believers properly chaperoning their daughters to prevent such incidents. Jacob was a righteous man but, it would seem, possibly somewhat naïve as to what pagans are capable of unless of course Dinah defied her father and went into town against his instructions. There is also a tradition that she was enticed out of her tent and then kidnapped.
Potted History of the Wickedness of Canaanite Culture
By the time of the First Exodus, Canaanite culture was so steeped in sin that they were beyond saving for when you cross a certain line of wickedness there is no conscience left to appeal to. It is at that point that "sons of perdition" are born (Jn.17:12; 2 Thes.2:3). We don't know exactly how long Israel was in Egytpt with estimates ranging from 215 to 430 years but certainly it was a good many generations. The Canaanites of Jacob's day may have been a very different species to the Canaanites in Moses whom we know were fully ripened in iniquity. Look at the West - it has only taken a century, from the aftermath of the First World War, which ended in 1918, to today - to witness almost total moral degradation in a short span of time. If the decline continues at its present rate the West - and quite likely the whole world - will probably be exactly the same as Canaan in Joshua's day in a very short period of time. Then the world will be ripe for the Last Judgment parallelling the judgment of Canaan under Joshua. So I think it would be unfair to blame all of early Canaanite culture for Dinah's degradation - we have to see this as essentially the work of one rich, powerful man who let his money and position infulence him to abandon any natural honour, moral scruples and decency he might have had. And whilst this is not to exonerate Canaanite paganism it is, at the very least, to be fair and to give the benefit of the doubt where doubt clearly is involved.
If Shechem Had Not Raped Dinah...
How might Israelite history have changed had Shechem not carried out his wicked deed? What if he had fallen in love with Dinah, approached his father according to the custom of the time, and his father had then approached Jacob for a marriage and tribal alliance? Would Jacob have agreed to it? The result would have been intermarrying with pagan unbelievers so unless they were first converted (and not by murderous deception as was the brothers' plan) it is unlikely the marriage would have gone ahead. That might have created enmity between Jacob and Hamor, of course, requiring Jacob to move on. What then would have happened to Dinah since the only believers were from Jacob's own house? There would, of course, have been members of Jacob's house who were not related by blood and it is possible that a faithful member of the camp might have provided Dinah with a husband. More likely, I suspect, Jacob would have sought a spouse from his own family abroad, as Abraham did for his son Isaac in finding a bride for him at Haran amongst his relatives. We can speculate endlessly, of course, over alternate histories.
Fate of the Shechemite Women and Children
One thing we do know is that after the Benjamites murdered the men of Shechem whilst they were weak and feverish following adult circumcision (potentially very dangerous which is why circumcision was ususally practiced on 8 day-old infants) was that they took the women, children and animals as booty. We are not told what happened thereafter, for there is no record in the Scriptures of the brothers taking these captive women as wives, but it is possible that either they or others not related by blood in Jacob's camp did. Israel always was a 'mixed company', a people of mixed blood. The Egyptian wife of Joseph (Asenath), the Cushite Princess of Meroë (Tharbis), Zipporah the Midianite, Rahab the Canaanite and Caleb the Edomite (adopted into Judah) from the Exodus period are typical examples. Many Egyptians joined the Israelite Exodus and presumably intermarried. So it is quite possible that Israel and the Canaanite clan of Shechem intermarried after all albeit it under very unhappy circumstances. Whether the deception and muder it self or whether the incoporation of so many pagan women into the Camp of Israel, there are bound to have been generational spiritual repercussions that are seen even today in Israel's descendants.
Dinah in Jewish Tradition
The story of Dinah has been used historically to teach a number of important lessons. Jews have traditionally reworked the account of Dinah as a haggadic midrash to provide ethical guidance for Jews facing the tempting cultural advantages of hellenisation. Most apply Dainah's story to contemporary events to emphasise the continuity of Jewish tradition and its everlasting validity and applicability. To them, Simeon and Levi, perhaps suprisinging to us as Christians, are models of zeal and courage in dealing with Gentiles, Levi is the perfect prototype of the Jewish priest, and the Shechemites the forces waring against Elohim (God) and His covenanted people. Intermarriage is forbidden, priestly failings are severely criticised, and Dinah, the virgin daughter of Israel, is restored by her marriage to Job.
Jewish Uses of the Dinah Account
As Messianic Evangelicals we obviously have a number of problems with this midrashic approach. For one thing, Scripture clearly contradicts any notion that Simeon and Levi were heroes. They are soundly condemned, as we have seen, in Jacob's patriarchal blessing to these sons. Levi was not above blame either and, though a moderating influence, did not get in the way of the other brothers' jealous rage against Joseph. Though he prevented their murdering him, he was complicit in selling him into slavery to the Midianites slavers en route to Egypt. And we know about his adultery against Bilhah which cost him his birthright.
Levi's Career
Yes, the tribe of Levi later excelled itself at the Golden Calf rebellion and for that reason was given priestly service, but the tribe's later history was not particularly righteous either. Indeed there is an incident in the time of the Judges where a Levite is hired to become the personal cohen (priest) to the idolatrous Micah (Judg.17:5-13). So like all the tribes (we examined Benjamin earlier) we see that there is a mixture of good and evil.
Used to Justify Racism and Violence
Modern Jews use the Dinah incident to justify their racism and often treasoneous attitudes toward the nations they live in and this has extended, sadly, into Messianism where the scripturally unauthorised and violently racist and nationalist festivals of Hanukkah and Purim are used to perpetuate hatred and murder toward others in radical contradistinction to the teachings of Messiah and the apostles. The Jews are right, though, in using the Dinah Account to point out the ban on intermarriage with unbelievers, an emet (truth) that continues in the New Covenant and is reitterated by Paul (2 Cor.6:14).
Oral Torah Hocus-Pocus
I do not, in any case, take the talmudic rabbis very seriously because of all the unspired, superstitious hogwash they spout - they even stated that Leah was actually pregnant with a boy and when Rachel saw that her sister was pregnant, she prayed, resulting in a change of the embryo's gender [3]. And in another tradition, it is Leah who asks for a gender change so that Rachel could have a son. Since Leah had rendered judgment (danah din) on herself, the newborn was rendered Dinah [5]. And in yet another piece of talmudic fantasy, the rabbis claim Dinah was born together with a twin [6] ... and all completely unscriptural. This is the kind of nonsense the so-called 'Oral Torah' is filled with.
Catholic Exegesis
The Catholics have, frankly, not been much better than the Jews in abusing the Dinah Story, though in a different way. Gregory abused the story of Dinah's rape as an illustration of man's downfall being the entire responsibility of woman. Though we have no idea what Dinah's motives and feelings were from the sparse data in the account, she can hardly be blamed for the outrageous behaviour of a lusty pagan prince. Potentially positive or ambiguous or even relatively neutral features of the biblical text were used to serve the moralising purposes of the expositors whose interpretations fall clearly within an aescetic tradition of misogeny stretching back to Pseudo-Clement and Jerome.
Lessons to Learn from the Dinah Story
I believe we have gone as far as is reasonable and balanced, based on what we do and don't known, to extract moral lessons: single women should be chaperoned and marriage to unbelievers should be shunned as commanded by Torah. There is little of anything praiseworthy that can be extracted on behalf of the brothers other than their initial anger at the violation of their sister. Their reaction was righteous but their solution, consisting of treachery and murder, was plain evil - Jacob was right to condemn them and we would do well not to fall into the mysogenous traps of bad orthodox Christian exegesis or in any way be influenced by the anti-messianic/antichrist interpretations of the rabbis.
Dinah and the Exoduses
What does Dinah the daughter of Jacob have to do with either the First or - and especially - the Last Exodus? The answer to that question lies in the symbolism of the number 13, Dinah being the '13th' child of Jacob as well as being the numeric value of ahavah (love) and echad (one, unity). The number 13 represents the oneness or echad that is brought about by divine ahavah (love) which is the only thing that will bond the end-time 12 Tribes of Israel together. Multiples of 13 are to be found in the names of Moses, Joseph, Isaac, Abraham, Jacob, Israel, Sinai, Torah (Law, Teaching) and chodesh (month).
How to Unify Messianic Israel?
Looking at Christendom and the Messianic Movemant today with is enormous diversity and conflicting doctrines and practices, you would be hard pressed to find any kind of unity save of the wrong, compromising, ecumenical sort. But unity in all scriptural emet (truth) is absolutely necessary for the cementing together of the 12 end-time tribes to yet be gathered in separated and isolated spots around the globe toward the end of the Last Exodus. The gathering for the Last Exodus cannot happen without it. It has to be a totally unified Body without any kind of division for the Covenant of Miracles to be effective.
The 13th 'Tribe' of Dinah
There has to be a symbolic '13th tribe', as it were, to make this happen, the 'Dinah Factor' which is emet (truth) in ahavah (love). Just as there is a 13th month every Creation Calendar leap-year, so we need that invisible principle that unifies the 12 - Messiah unifying the 12 apostles as the 13th or Chief Apostle of our Emunah (Faith), Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ), and the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) unifying 12-tribed Israel as the Second Comforter/Helper (Jn.14:16,26; 15:27; 16:7) prior to reunion with Messiah at His Second Coming in the Land of Israel.
The Sukkot Anointing
The fullness of the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) is not known amongst us yet because the fullness of the Sukkot (Tabernacles) Anointing has not yet come - and will not come - until it is needed and as the Remnant is prepared to receive it. That anointing is for the Last Generation and for the purged part of the Penultimate Generation only. Its mystery is hidden in the 13 bulls of the Tabernacles sacrifices.
Restoration of the Virgin Dinah Remnant
The rape of Dinah symbolises the dessicration of the Body of Messiah resulting in the departure of the fullness of the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) caused by sin and apostacy. Israel must collectively become as Dinah was before her defilement. Dinah, in her undefiled state, therefore represents the restoration Remnant of the Final Generation. The once defiled Body of Messiah is to be cleansed and her virginity restored by the grace and through the resurrection power of Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) through emunah (faith), obedience and ahavah (love). And thus shall virgin Dinah be remembered for what she might have been at the First Exodus but which she will definitely become by fire at the Second.
Oppression of Youth, Rule of Women
Miriam, Tharbis (the Princess of Meroë) and Zipporah did not make it into Canaan. Miriam's and Zipporah's sins we know. Their problem and therefore their generation was, in a very real way, as ours:
"Youths oppress my people,
women rule over them.
O my people, your guides lead you astray;
they turn you from the path"
(Isa.3:12, NIV).
The Bad Patriarchs Rebuked and Purged
The hot-headed youths (spiritual as well as physical) must be subdued and put in their place once more and women can no longer rule over them, but their fathers. But the men are also out of order:
"Yahweh takes his place in court;
He rises to judge the people.
Yahweh enters into judgment
against the elders and leaders of his people:
'It is you who have ruined My vineyard;
the plunder from the poor is in your houses.
What do you mean by crushing My people
and grinding the faces of the poor?'
declares the Master, Yahweh-Tzevaoth (Almighty)"
(Isa 3:13-15, NIV).
Ungodly patriarch must be purged out of Israel and true patriarchy installed by fire and by testing.
Sins of the Women of Zion
The women are to be brought to judgment too:
"Yahweh says,
'The women of Zion are haughty,
walking along with outstretched necks,
flirting with their eyes,
tripping along with mincing steps,
with ornaments jingling on their ankles.
Therefore the Master will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion;
Yahweh will make their scalps bald.'
'In that day Yahweh will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, the earrings and bracelets and veils, the headdresses and ankle chains and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, the signet rings and nose rings, the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls.
'Instead of fragrance there will be a stench;
instead of a sash, a rope;
instead of well-dressed hair, baldness;
instead of fine clothing, sackcloth;
instead of beauty, branding.
Your men will fall by the sword,
your warriors in battle.
The gates of Zion will lament and mourn;
destitute, she will sit on the ground'"
(Isa 3:16-26, NIV).
Returning Full Circle
And so we are brought full circle back once again to the 4th chapter of Isaiah and to the call of the Remnant and last two generations of latter-day Israel. Remember that Zion is usually used synonymously with Jerusalem in the non-historical passages of Scripture. Since under the New Covenant the physical Jerusalem is "Hagar" and the Old Covenant (Gal.4:24-25), and since the extension of a place name to refer to its inhabitants recognises the character of a city more by the traits of its people than by its buildings, and given that the Jerusalemites were the last of Israel and Judah to be taken into captivity, "Jerusalem" here in Isaiah refers to the core of surviving believers of which a "remnant" returns, as the end-time Remnant of the Final Generation shall return to the Land of Israel though not the physical city of Jerusalem (which will have been destroyed by this time) but to meet the New Jerusalem coming out of heaven:
"In that day seven women
will take hold of one man
and say, 'We will eat our own food
and provide our own clothes;
only let us be called by your [tov] shem (name).
Take away our disgrace!'
"In that day the Branch of Yahweh will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called qadosh (holy, set-apart), all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. Yahweh will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire. Then Yahweh will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain" (Isa.4:1-5, NIV).
Conclusion
And so we come to the end of this series on the Second Exodus lineup, the purpose of which has been to give a very general overview of what we can expect. I certainly don't claim this to be accurate in the details and without clear-cut revelation it is probably not prudent to speculate further. As with the ancient nevi'im (prophets), expect these end-time leaders to arise out of obscurity, unrecognised by the established religious denominations, but possessing the very evident keys, powers and toqef (authority) that we expect of them. And expect many anointed women to be amongst them, exceeding the brethren in numbers because such will the nature of end-time Remnant be. As Yahweh reveals more on this contingent of valiant ones, I will be sure to share it with you. Amen.
Endnotes
[1] "See, I have made thee (Moses) a[n] elohim (god) to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy navi (prophet)" (Ex.7:1, KJV)
[2] Leviathan is also to be viewed as a dinosaur whose size and ferocity are compared to a demonic entity of the same name - see Leviathan: Escaping the Brute Called Pride
[3] JT Berakhot 9:3,14a
[4] BT Berakhot 60a
[5] Tanhuma [ed. Buber], Vayese 19
[6] Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer [ed. Higger], ch.35
Acknowledgments
[1] Tokunboh Adeyemo (ed.), Africa Bible Commentary: A One-Volume Commentary Written by 70 African Scholars, Second Edition (World Alive Publishers, Nairobi, Kenya: 2010)
[2] David Noel Freedman (ed.), Eerdman's Doctionary of the Bible (Grand Rapids, Michigan: 2000)
[3] The New Interpreter's Study Bible - New Revised Standard Version With Apocrypha (Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tennesee: 2003)
[4] Tamar Kadari, Binah: Midrash and Aggadah
|
