Revelation 1:4: "The Seven Spirits of God"

Revelation 1:4  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 

One of the goals for my study of Revelation is to show how Revelation is the culmination of the Bible, and with that in mind, to show how it links up with the rest of Scripture.  These verses are so packed that it took us one study just to go through verses 4-6.  Every phrase is powerful, and usually references other portions of Scripture, if not outright quoting them.  But as "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" these Scriptures are so powerful for communicating who Jesus is as we start this book.  Let's take a look...

John to the seven churches which are in Asia:

I read that while there were bishops over the different churches in the various cities, John, as the last living apostle, probably served as the bishop over Asia in a broader sense, giving guidance to these important churches in a larger role, than say, Timothy, as the bishop in Ephesus.  We will, of course, be looking at these churches in much more detail as we continue through chapters 2 and 3.

Grace be unto you, and peace,

The classic greeting, which Paul often used in his letters!  Grace, a play on the Greek way of greeting people, and peace, a play on the Jewish way of greeting people. Both elements as one church in this dual greeting.

From him which is, and which was, and which is to come;

It's tempting to skip over this as simply a way of referring to an eternal deity, which it certainly is, but let's think about why John is using this particular phrase.  It's repeated in verse 8, being said by "the Lord", in connection with being the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the Almighty, which Jesus claims to be throughout the book.  And it takes us back to the first time when Moses, at the burning bush, asked who he should say sent him.  God's response?

Exodus 3:14  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 

There's an eternal element to this, as well.  What else would you call Someone who Is, Was, and Is To Come? He would call Himself, "I AM." The significance of this phrasing in connection to Jesus cannot be overstated.  It's reminiscent of the words from Hebrews:

Hebrews 13:8  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Some people would like to make a distinction between the persons referenced as the message being FROM the one who is, was, and is to come, and FROM Jesus Christ, as if there are two different people giving this message.  But I'm not sure that Revelation gives us that option.  What we know is that just as Moses was told that his message for the people of God was from "I AM", the message John receives for the people of God is from "Him which IS, and which WAS, and which IS TO COME."

And from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 

And now we are at one of those head swivel moments in the book of Revelation.  What?? The seven spirits which are before his throne?  What is THAT about?  Now some would say that this is tapping into second temple Jewish literature which claims that there are seven archangels before the throne of God.  Could be.  It wouldn't change my theology a ton if that were true.  However, I do wonder if something else is going on.  What do we know about these seven spirits from the rest of the book?

Revelation 3:1  And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

The first thing to note about this is that Jesus "has" the seven spirits of God.  Is this verse conflating the seven spirits with the seven stars in his hand, which we know from Revelation 1:20 are the seven angels of the seven churches?  Possibly.  It does seem odd though that the message would be TO the seven angels of the seven churches which are the seven spirits of God FROM the seven spirits of God as in verse 4.  Let's look further.

Revelation 4:5  And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

Now we see seven lamps before the throne which seem to suggest the candlesticks, which are the seven churches.  But these seven lamps of fire are identified with the seven spirits of God once again.  Hold on to these images.

Revelation 5:6  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

Finally, the Lamb, which we would all agree (I hope) represents Jesus, has seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.  Seven eyes?  Is that how you usually picture Jesus? But this isn't the first time seven eyes are connected to God in prophetic literature.  It's time to rewind into the Old Testament.  John isn't just using this phrase out of nowhere.  This phrase has appeared before...

In the context of the rebuilding of the Temple after the Babylonian Exile, two prophets are instrumental in its rebuilding.  Haggai and Zechariah.  Zechariah is referenced a LOT in the New Testament, and in particular, the book of Revelation.  Zerubbabel was the political leader of the time that is called on to lead the people, and Joshua was the high priest.  In Zechariah chapter 3, the prophet sees a vision of the high priest, Joshua, being restored to his position as high priest.  And in the context of the vision, this little gem is dropped...

Zechariah 3:8  Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. 

Zechariah 3:9  For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

There's a reference to a stone, which particularly in the context of rebuilding the Temple has Messianic overtones (the stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner, you know. ["The BRANCH" also has Messianic overtones.])  But there is something odd about the stone before Joshua, which we're supposed to look at.  It has seven eyes.  And there is a promise connected to it that the iniquity of the land will be removed in one day.  I have a theory about when iniquity was removed because the price was paid by Jesus...

Then in the very next chapter, Zechariah is awakened out of his sleep to look at seven lampstands.  (Hint: this should ring a bell from Revelation chapter 4...scroll back up and reread that verse if you've forgotten...)  

Zechariah 4:2  And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: 

Zechariah 4:3  And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. 

Zechariah asks the angel that woke him up to look at it what these things are. The angel, seemingly surprised that he doesn't know, responds:

Zechariah 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. 

Oh, of course!  Why didn't I see that?  This is a pretty famous Scripture, but did you know it was prompted by the gold candlestick with seven lampstands?  Something about these seven lamps connected to the one golden candlestick has something to do with the empowering spirit of God.  Seven lamps connected with the Spirit of the LORD...

Zechariah 4:7  Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. 

Hmm...now we're talking about a headstone.  Weren't we just talking about a stone in front of Joshua with seven eyes?  Now that's interesting, isn't it?

Zechariah 4:8  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 

Zechariah 4:9  The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. 

Zechariah 4:10  For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth. 

The direct context in Zechariah's day was in building the temple, and the promise is that the same hands of Zerubbabel that began the house will finish it.  This seemed like an impossible task by might or power, but with God's Spirit he will be able to do it.  And for anyone who despises the small start?  Guess what?  They will see the "plummet", which is a building tool associated with...wait for it...stones, with those seven (what seven? the seven lamps?), which are the eyes of the LORD running to and fro through the whole earth.  Hang on, we've seen that before in this blog post (but, of course, since we are studying Revelation, we approached it backwards).  The lamb had seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God, and there were seven lamps before the throne which are the seven spirits of God...

Okay, Michael, would you just get to the point and tell us what you think about this already?  I'll be honest, this is such a rich and complicated topic that it's hard for me to nail down a simple, straightforward answer to the question "What are the seven spirits of God?"  But as we look at this jewel with its multiple facets, I don't feel content to just call these seven angels.  I think there's more going on here.  Seven is obviously a very significant number in the Bible. It's spelled with the same Hebrew letters as the word for "complete" or "full".  Going all the way back to the Seven Days of Creation when God finished all His work and rested on the seventh day, we see seven being used to signal something that is complete or full.  I wonder if that's what's going on here? The complete and full Spirit of God, the complete and full vision of God...not just with two eyes like us, but with seven that see everything everywhere.  That's not the way we talk about things in our logical, western-minded culture.  We use words like "omniscient" and "omnipresent."  But mightn't the Bible use an image like the seven eyes of God to communicate the same concept?  Seeing everything everywhere?  All-knowing with His seven eyes.  

And I feel like it's not a coincidence that the symbol of the seven lamps with the one candlestick is used.  The sense of the candlestick with the seven lamps seems to me to be that, just as in the candlestick in the Tabernacle, the same oil flowed through the entire thing but produced seven flames, perhaps that's the same image being invoked by the seven spirits of God.  We know that there's only one Spirit of God, ultimately.

Ephesians 4:4  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 

1st Corinthians 12:12  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 

1st Corinthians 12:13  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 

But it's just possible that the image being used here in Revelation is one of the full or complete Spirit of God in every aspect.  Many commentators point to Isaiah 11, as a reference point for these verses:

Isaiah 11:1  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 

Isaiah 11:2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 

Again, this is a prophecy of the Messiah (note the connection to "The Branch" in Zechariah 3:8), and of the Spirit that will be upon Him.  But how many Spirits?  Well, one, right?  But notice that there are seven attributes of that Spirit... (count them!)  The Lamb with seven eyes, Jesus who has the seven spirits of God.  If I'm right about the number seven representing completeness or fulness, and the Seven Spirits of God representing the entire, whole, complete, full Spirit of God--every aspect of it--that is pretty powerful in reference to Jesus!

Colossians 2:9  For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 

But, wait, you might be saying, I thought the seven candlesticks represented the seven churches in Revelation 1!  Haven't you read ahead?  I have, but as I was reading Zechariah it hit me what an appropriate symbol it is to be connected with both Christ and the Church!  After all, what is the church?  The Body of Christ!  And, in theory, what are we supposed to be?  The light of the world!  (Matthew 5:14-16)  The same Spirit should be flowing through each part of the body, all of us drinking the oil flowing from the one Spirit through that gold candlestick, but producing seven distinct flames.  As individual churches, we just have one flame, but the same Spirit.  But Jesus was the Light of the World, in the sense that He is the One Candlestick WITH the seven spirits of God, the seven flames flowing out of Him!  Isn't that awesome?!  His identity determines OUR identity!  That's how the message could be FROM the Seven Spirits before the Throne of God, TO the Seven Stars, the Seven Angels of the Seven Churches, which are the Seven Candlesticks.  Jesus is in the midst of the seven lamps!

For me, this concept is truly...wait for it...a Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 1:1-3: "The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ"

Revelation 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 

Revelation 1:2  Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 

Revelation 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. 

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

This is the key to the book to me. From what I understand about the Hebrew (and I'm no Hebrew scholar, but I've read some stuff about it in commentaries), the grammar could go either way here to say the revelation which comes from Jesus Christ or the revealing of Jesus Christ.  I prefer the latter construction because that's just what this book is.  If you go to it only for a revelation of end-time events, I think you're missing the chief beauty of this book.  Speaking of which, we should talk about what the word "apocalypse" means.

G602 ἀποκάλυψις apokalupsis ap-ok-al'-oop-sis

From G601; disclosure: - appearing, coming, lighten, manifestation, be revealed, revelation. Total KJV occurrences: 18

We get our word "apocalypse" from the Greek word translated as "Revelation".  But when you think of an apocalypse what do you think of?  Typically we think of the end of the world or cataclysmic events (due to the nature of the things described in Revelation).  However, when we realize that an apocalypse is simply an unveiling or revealing, and that this book is a revealing or uncovering or unveiling of Jesus Christ...we get a different understanding.  And this first chapter in particular unveils Jesus Christ in some magnificent, earth-shattering ways.

I have a friend, Antonio, who has a way of looking at the New Testament as a picture of the Tabernacle.  The four gospels are the foursquare altar where the sacrifice for atonement of Jesus is made.  The book of Acts is the laver of washing, where the church is born and receives the cleansing power of that sacrifice to be identified with Him, (through the preaching of the word, belief, repentance, baptism, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost.)  The church, the tabernacle/temple is established.  The epistles are like entering into the Holy Place, where there is light and understanding and revelation, teaching which provides nourishment like bread, and worship of God and prayers like sweet incense rising to His throne.  But then we get to the veil.  And when we push past that Vail, past the flesh, we get to see the glory of God, and Jesus unveiled in His glory, as He is.  This is truly a powerful book, and chapter 1 is beautifully book-ended by chapters 19-22 in their depictions of Jesus.  We'll see more of that as we explore Revelation, particularly these first several verses in the introduction.

Which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; ...... for the time is at hand. 

A big issue that comes up when interpreting Revelation is the time period the book is describing.  And yet, for all the wrangling of the preterist, historicist, futurist, and idealist viewpoints, this book has had meaning for Christians from the time it was written till today, and that is a fact we should consider carefully.  The question we must think carefully about is: what kind of meaning did God intend this book to have for His Church?  And there are some extreme viewpoints I think we should avoid.  Was this book written for the first century context in which John wrote it?  Certainly!  I believe these were seven literal churches that needed these specific messages.  And yet the cry goes out, "whoever has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."  The extreme error we must avoid is assuming all the events have already happened and therefore these prophecies do not apply to us.  Similarly, a viewpoint that puts these things entirely in the future might feel similarly.  But Jesus says the blessing in reading and hearing and keeping these words is emphasized by the fact that "the time is at hand."  Only for those first century readers?  I think not.  Is Philippians 4:5 only for first century readers when Paul says, "Let your moderation be known unto all men; the Lord is at hand."?  I believe the entire church age over the last 2,000 years comprises "the last days".  We are the people Paul described as those "upon whom the end of the world has come".  Revelation is for US.  We are living in the time that Jesus brought about in enacting the New Covenant, and as such these are the last days.  Let's not make the mistake of the mocking scoffers in 2nd Peter chapter 3.  I like the quote from Aslan when Lucy presses him on what he means by "soon" in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Aslan responds, "Child, to me, all times are soon."  We musn't blow off the timeless message of Revelation by trying to tie down events to a particular time in human history.  Yes, it was for them in the past, and yes, this is for them in the future.  But it's also for us.  And isn't that just how the One who Was and Is and Is to Come would deliver a message?

And he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 

John sees his role here as a witness and a mediator.  Which is exactly what we are! Even if we haven't seen a miraculous vision, we can bare record of the Word of God, of the testimony of Jesus, and of the things we have seen God do in our own lives.  Like Peter and John said to the Sanhedrin in Acts 4:20, we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.  This threefold testimony of being familiar enough with God's Word to use it as evidence, with who Jesus is in the gospels and in our lives, and of our own experience is how we become God's witnesses in this world, as He intended Israel to be in Isaiah 43:10.

Revelation 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: 

As I mentioned in my last post, there is a blessing to those who read and hear the words of this prophecy, but there's one more catch.  Blessed are those who KEEP those things which are written therein.  That means that this is a book to be obeyed, whose principles must be remembered and guarded, and that we should keep present in our minds and hearts.  I have felt convicted that I have largely neglected teaching out of Revelation because I'm afraid of being drawn into controversy and uncertainty.  But I feel very strongly now that this book is for us, now, today, and for all of God's people in all times.  This book is crucial to know, and there is an inherent blessing in reading and listening to these words.  I hope in the upcoming blog posts you will also be blessed!

Ground Rules for a Group Study of Revelation

Currently, I am leading a Bible study that is going through the book of Revelation.  I have led Bible studies verse by verse through many books of the Bible over the years, really getting a lot out of even books that people find difficult like Leviticus or Ecclesiastes.  But I have tended to stay away from Revelation simply because I don't have my own eschatological views firmly established, and it can become very contentious very quickly.  I remember deciding I would read through it with a brother one time and we would just take it as it is, but we gave up at chapter 6.

This particular group however kept pressing me, and I realized how foolish it was to avoid the climactic, culminating book of the Bible that brings the whole story together.  Just because it's controversial doesn't mean we should ignore it.

But that being said, I knew I didn't want just a free-for-all.  So I told them we would do Revelation if we came up with some ground rules.  These are the ground rules I came up with and decided I would share them on my blog in case it's helpful to someone else.  I'm also going to try to post insights from the book as we go along. (We'll see if I can keep up with it!)  But for what it's worth, here are my group study ground rules for studying what some people may consider the weirdest book of the Bible!

 Ground Rules for Study of Revelation:

          As I set out these ground rules, please remember that I am not saying this is the only legitimate way to study Revelation or that you cannot make your own applications in other ways.  But with my limited knowledge, and with my lack of certainty, and with the nature of our group, and with considering other people’s GREAT certainty, this is how I am asking that we proceed forward with this study.  I am actually very excited about it, and believe it will be a HUGE benefit, but it IS going to be different from how many people approach it.

• I am not interested in trying to match the predictions in Revelation to specific events, current, historical, or otherwise.
• I am not interested in trying to construct a timeline, so leave your timeline charts at home.  Literary structure charts of the book, on the other hand, are fine.
• We are taking the book as a literary whole, meaning we are not trying to find out if the events predicted themselves are chronological, but rather, why they have been given to us in this order, and how it fits into the structure and themes of the book.
• Revelation is not a stand-alone book.  It is the culmination of the entire Bible, Old AND New Testaments, which means that it wraps up the overall story told in the prior 65 books. We will be seeking to explore those themes and interpreting symbols in Revelation based on the allusions it is making to the rest of Scripture.  If you have not read those other books, now would be a great time to start!
• We will be interpreting Revelation in light of the rest of Scripture, but also, the rest of Scripture in light of Revelation.  In other words, Revelation has some incredibly profound things to say by tying up threads left hanging in other places in the Bible, but we will need to understand the context of those previous hanging threads in order to understand what Revelation is teaching about them.
• Rather than viewing Revelation as a crystal ball to see the future (or the past, depending on your interpretation), in this study, we will be viewing Revelation as a book of teaching with instructions to be obeyed (Rev. 1:3; 22:7).  Therefore, our first thought as we read any passage will be to understand its theological implications (what does this say about God?), its practical obedience implications (what does this say about us and how we should live?), and its worldview implications (what does this say about our world and the spiritual and physical realities of it?).
• Finally, if a discussion is getting too heated about a particular viewpoint, we will close the discussion and move on to the next passage.  I don’t want this to be a battle of viewpoints, but rather an honest and open search for truth, so it is super important that we treat each other and each other’s views with grace, love, and wisdom.

Hope that all makes sense!  Again, I’m not trying to say that constructing timelines or matching events is an invalid way to study Revelation…that’s just not what we’re trying to do here.  And I hope that many people can come and be blessed and enriched by this study!

There Arose to Defend Israel...a Worm

When people ask you what your favorite verse in the Bible is, I doubt that Judges 10:1 springs right to mind.  Not that it's a verse you dislike...I just imagine that maybe, if you're like me, you haven't thought much about this verse in the past.

And when someone asks who your favorite judge in the book of Judges is (uh, no, I've never been asked that question and I don't know why someone would ask it, but just work with me here) I doubt Tola is the first guy you think of.  You may be partial to Samson with his superhuman strength or Gideon because of the amazing underdog story there. You may even think of Deborah (particularly if you want to emphasize that she was a WOMAN), or MAYBE Ehud, but Tola...what do we know about Tola?  Not much as it turns out.  Here's what we've got on him:

Judges 10:1  And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim. 
Judges 10:2  And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir. 

Pretty riveting stuff, huh?

We've got a name, a small genealogy, the tribe he's from, the place he lived, the length of time he judged, and the place he was buried.  What? No story? No conquering cities to win the hand of the fair maiden, as Othniel did? No Ehud's assassin dagger? No long origin story like with Gideon, or interesting tidbits about the way he defended Israel like with Deborah and Barak?  Come on, even with Shamgar, another judge we have only two verses about, we have enough to set our imagination afire as we learn that he fought off 600 Philistines with an ox goad.  But with Tola, eh, not a lot to go on.

Or so I thought.

I've been teaching a youth Bible study through the book of Judges, and I assumed we would fly through chapter 10 and get right into the story of Jephthah, once we got there.  We had pulled some pretty interesting things out of Abimelech's story, and now it's time to move onto the next main guy.  I thought we'd read about Tola and Jair just to get through them and give them a mention since the Bible does, but it wouldn't be the main highlight.  But when someone brings a Bible dictionary and starts looking up names and places, you may just get derailed.  Which is what happened and we spent the entire Bible study talking about one guy: Tola.  Not so much about his life, but because of what his name means.  Someone looked it up, and when I realized what it was talking about I freaked out.

H8439
תּוֹלָע
tôlâ‛
to-law'
The same as H8438; worm; Tola, the name of two Israelites: - Tola.
Total KJV occurrences: 6

At this point, you may still be squinting your eyes at the screen you're reading this on, wondering what I got so excited about.  "Why is Michael so excited about a worm?"

So let's dig a little deeper.  This isn't referring to your general earthworm with which you go fishing.  I got excited because I recognized that this specific kind of worm was also mentioned in a Messianic psalm written by David but clearly pointing to the Messiah:

Psalm 22:6  But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. 

Kind of a downer verse, huh? ("Boy, Michael, you sure are hitting all the Biblical high points in this blog post!"  Oh, don't worry...I have some stuff about the building of the Tabernacle coming up too...)

At first glance, the author of the psalm just seems to be beating himself up. Or at least describing how others look down on him.  He's not just saying, "I'm the worst, no one likes me; I guess I'll go eat a worm", but describing himself as the actual worm a person may eat!  But, this psalm has a deeper significance than that.  In case you're not familiar with why I call this a Messianic psalm, let me give a quick breakdown of some specific points... (You may skip this numbered sidebar if you're already convinced Psalm 22 is Messianic and want to get on to the wormy part.)

1) The psalm starts with the phrase: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" You may recall that these are the exact words Jesus cried out from the cross in Aramaic just before he died. (Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34) In those days they didn't necessarily have numbered psalms but would reference a psalm by quoting the first phrase.  Though I absolutely believe Jesus felt the weight of the world's sin on him, bringing the separation described here, I also believe he wanted to point our attention to this psalm in his final moments.
2) After the verse that prompted this post describing himself as a worm, a reproach of men, and despised of the people, the next two verses describe what people were actually saying about him..."All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him." These words are almost verbatim what the chief priests said about Jesus while he was on the cross.  The text also mentions that those who passed by reviled him, wagging their heads and mocked him. Even the thieves who were being crucified with him said similar things! (Matthew 27:39-44)
3) The psalmist continues to describe his torment as strong bulls of Bashan surrounding him, gaping at him like a ravenous lion. The prophet Amos described the corrupt leaders of Israel with this description (Amos 4:1), and if corrupt Israelite leaders are in mind in this psalm, we certainly see them attacking with wide open mouths in Jesus's case.
4) The psalmist continues, "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels." Interesting how John was quick to point out that when Jesus died, blood and water poured out of his side when he was pierced with a spear. (John 19:34) Medical experts have proposed that it came from Jesus's heart.
5) Again, the experience is described: "My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death." Before Jesus ever got to the cross, his strength gave way so that someone had to help him carry his cross. (Luke 23:26) One of the simplest but most poignant statements we get from the mouth of Jesus on the cross was the two-word sentence: "I thirst." (John 19:28)
6) After describing the bulls of Bashan surrounding him, the psalmist also makes mention of "dogs" and the "wicked" surrounding him. "For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet." Dogs are often a way of describing the wicked Gentiles (Matt. 15:26; Phil. 3:2; Rev. 22:15). If the bulls refer to the leadership of Israel, and dogs refer to the Gentile Romans, the description of what they do to the psalmist's hands and feet is almost shockingly prophetic in what happened to Jesus. (Luke 23:33; John 20:25)
7) "I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me." (John 19:33-37)
8) "They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture." The gospel writers explicitly draw attention to this particular verse as a fulfilled prophecy in two cases, though all four gospels record that this happened to Jesus. (John 19:23-24; Matthew 27:35)
9) The author of Hebrews applies this phrase to Jesus from the resurrection portion of the psalm: "I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee." (Hebrews 2:12)

I could go on, but you get the picture.  The parallels between this psalm and Jesus's crucifixion are clearly staggering, and the early church obviously recognized this psalm as a prophecy concerning the Messiah, given how often they quoted in reference to Jesus.

So, back to the original question, what is the significance of the psalmist/Messiah calling himself a worm or, as some translate it, maggot?  Isn't it just an expression of humility? Well, it certainly is that, but not only that.

This is actually a specific kind of worm, described in Strong's as follows:

H8438
תֹּלַעַת    תּוֹלַעַת    תּוֹלֵעָה    תּוֹלָע
tôlâ‛    tôlê‛âh    tôla‛ath    tôla‛ath
to-law', to-lay-aw', (3,4) to-lah'-ath
From H3216; a maggot (as voracious); specifically (often with ellipsis of H8144) the crimson grub, but used only (in this connection) of the color from it, and cloths dyed therewith: - crimson, scarlet, worm.
Total KJV occurrences: 43

To underscore my distinguishing between this and other worms, this is a different kind of worm than is mentioned at the beginning of Job 25:6 (which is entirely derogatory) with the following definition that matches how we most often think of worms or maggots in a Biblical context:
Job 25:6  How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm? 

H7415
רמּה
rimmâh
BDB Definition:
1) maggot, worm (as cause and sign of decay)

Both are often mentioned together, as in the above verse, but there is something special that separates the tola from the rimmah, though both translated in the KJV as "worms".  We learn from the encyclopedia the following information:

CRIMSON WORM , biblical tola'at shani (Heb. תּוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי), which yields a dye, called in the Bible shani, tola, karmil, and in rabbinic literature zehorit, which was extracted from the body of the "crimson worm" (carmine), the Kermes biblicus.
("Crimson Worm." Encyclopaedia Judaica. . Retrieved July 17, 2019 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/crimson-worm)

In fact, this color is what they used to dye many things in the Tabernacle: the innermost layer of curtains making up the inside of the Tabernacle (Ex. 26:1), the vail that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (Ex. 26:31), the hanging for the door to the Holy Place (Ex. 26:36), the gate to get into the outer court (Ex. 27:16), the ephod, girdle and breastplate of the high priest (Ex. 28:6, 8, 15) and even the pomegranates on the hem of his robe (Ex. 28:33).  The dye was to be used in the cleansing of the leper in Leviticus 14 and in the ashes of a heifer for purification after touching a dead body in Numbers 19.  A scarlet cloth made with this same dye was to cover the bread and instruments on the table of showbread when it was being moved according to Numbers 4:8.

Studies have been done on this worm in the Promised Land, and researchers believe they have identified the very creature described here.

Apparently, the female worm attaches itself to some sort of tree (usually oak) where she lays her eggs, then dies in process of giving them life.

"Kermes echinatus larvae are cleaved during summer from their mother coccoid, which dies thereafter." (Zohar Amar, Hugo Gottlieb, Lucy Varshavsky, David Iluz, The Scarlet Dye of the Holy Land, BioScience, Volume 55, Issue 12, December 2005, Pages 1080–1083, https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2005)055[1080:TSDOTH]2.0.CO;2)

And again, we see this entry from Dr. Henry Morris:

"When the female of the scarlet worm species was ready to give birth to her young, she would attach her body to the trunk of a tree, fixing herself so firmly and permanently that she would never leave again. The eggs deposited beneath her body were thus protected until the larvae were hatched and able to enter their own life cycle. As the mother died, the crimson fluid stained her body and the surrounding wood. From the dead bodies of such female scarlet worms, the commercial scarlet dyes of antiquity were extracted."
(Dr. Henry Morris, "Biblical Basis for Modern Science", p. 73. Baker Book House, 1985.)

According to Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913):

Kermes \Ker"mes\, n. [Ar. & Per. girmiz. See Crimson, and cf.

   Alkermes.]
   1.(Zo["o]l.) The dried bodies of the females of a scale
      insect (Coccus ilicis), allied to the cochineal insect,
      and found on several species of oak near the
     Mediterranean. They are round, about the size of a pea,
      contain coloring matter analogous to carmine, and are used
      in dyeing. They were anciently thought to be of a
      vegetable nature, and were used in medicine. [Written also
      chermes.]

In response to those who believe the dye actually came from a plant instead of a living creature, Rabbi Moshe Bloom writes,

There are several poskim who believe that it does not make sense that the shani dye would be produced from a non-kosher insect, so they hold that the dye is plant-based (note that the same problem exists for both argaman and techelet). However, the Yerushalmi (Kila'im 9:1) states outright: "What is tola'at shani? Something with the spirit of life."https://www.toraland.org.il/en/beit-midrash/articles/place-and-parasha/shemot/parashat-pekudei-the-biblical-scarlet-worm-tolaat-hashani/

He also references the tradition in the Mishna that two woolen strings (dyed with the dye from this particular worm) were used on the Day of Atonement, one hanging above the door and another from the horns of the goat.

When the goat reached its final destination in the desert, the woolen string in the heichal would turn white. This was a Divine sign that the Jewish People's sins were atoned (Yoma 6:6-8). 
https://www.toraland.org.il/en/beit-midrash/articles/place-and-parasha/shemot/parashat-pekudei-the-biblical-scarlet-worm-tolaat-hashani/

The rabbi connects the tradition with Isaiah 1:18, which says, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."   The words for "scarlet" and "crimson" in this verse are connected with...you guessed it!...the tola worm.

Are you seeing the connections here??  Just to summarize, the Messiah in Psalm 22:6 is referred to as a worm, but not just any worm, a small, unattractive, living creature with "the spirit of life" that dies on a tree giving life to its children, producing a scarlet, crimson dye that is used in the Tabernacle, specifically connected with Atonement providing purity to the children of Israel!  AND it was used in medicine.  Isn't that incredible?  The gospel story told in the life cycle of a bug!

So back to the original verses in Judges, which we started with, I see the gospel radiating out of this short story, as well.

After Abimelech
The Bible tells us that Tola arose "after Abimelech."  Well, if you just read Judges chapter 9, you would know that Abimelech was the first self-proclaimed king of Israel.  He was the lowly, practically illegitimate son of one of Gideon's concubines.  Gideon's story is familiar to most of us, as it is one of the greatest deliverance stories in the book of Judges!  But his ending is not talked about much as he seemed to decline spiritually and make several major mistakes after God used him to defeat the Midianites.  However, he did know that God was the only rightful king over Israel.
Judges 8:22  Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian. 
Judges 8:23  And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.

His words are beautiful, however, the sentiment doesn't seem to be carried on in the name of the son his concubine bears him in Shechem, who is called "Abimelech", which is a compound of the Hebrew words for "father" and "king." "My father is king."  Growing up with this kind of heritage in his name, it seems that Abimelech really began to think of himself as deserving to rule over Israel, and when he is older, he kills his half-brother rivals and the people of Shechem proclaim him as King!  It's a sad story full of intrigue, civil war, and ultimately, his death, which is portrayed as the judgment of God for his wickedness.

Isn't it interesting that after "Abimelech" who I style as "The Self-Proclaimed King", comes someone to "defend" or "save" Israel.  Check out the Hebrew word used here for "defend" in the BDB:
H3467 ישׁע yâsha‛ BDB Definition:
1) to save, be saved, be delivered
1a) (Niphal) to be liberated, be saved, be delivered, to be saved (in battle), be victorious
1b) (Hiphil) to save, deliver, to save from moral troubles, to give victory to
Part of Speech: verb

This is one of the roots that form the name "Joshua", or as our English transliteration from the Greek would pronounce it, "Jesus."

Who arrives to save Israel after the self-proclaimed king who causes destruction and strife? Is it another king? A warrior?  The contrast in the Hebrew cracks me up.  No, after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel...Tola.  A worm.  But as, I've pointed out, at great and possibly unnecessary length through this blog post, not just any worm.  The Tola worm that dies to give life, leaving a scarlet dye symbolizing our atonement

And, in fact, what do we know about Tola?  He was the son of Puah, whose name signifies a blast of breath or wind, a blowing away, a metaphor for the Spirit.  The son of Dodo, the loving/beloved.  A man of Issachar, which means "he will bring a reward", depicted by Jacob in his blessing as a strong but serving donkey ladened between two burdens. He lives in Shamir, a place of thorns, in the mountain of Ephraim, which ultimately produces double fruit.  These are all passive descriptions of his lineage and dwelling place.

What are the active verbs that describe what he did?  He judged, he died, he was buried.  But, if I can switch around the order of the verbs, and place the first action he did last, as the ESV says, he "arose to save Israel." He judged, he died, he buried, he arose.  The BBE words it differently but makes it explicit that he "became the saviour of Israel."

"Aw, come on, Michael," you say.  "Aren't you going a little overboard with all these word tricks?  Isn't this just a bunch of verbal gymnastics to make a mountain out of a molehill and force something out of the passage that isn't there?"  Maybe.  But I still think there's something we can learn here in the life of this judge who is given two whole verses of Scripture.

Let me ask you...are you an Abimelech?  Have you proclaimed yourself as the king of your life, perhaps justifying your action by the mistakes of your mentors or the hard life you've lived?  Are you trying to establish your own throne?  Have you chosen the path of Abimelech?

If so, I want to encourage you to consider another way.  There is another who can arise to save you.  The tree stained red may be difficult to look at.  The worm who wants to save you isn't necessarily attractive to the eye.  Not like an Abimelech or an Absalom who flatters and offers you peace even as he rebels against the ways of his father who knew that the Lord is the only true and rightful king over your life.

Yet in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of the true and greater Tola, an offer is made: "Come now, let us reason together.  Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow."

You may think I've gone way overboard in this analysis of two simple verses.  But I'll warrant that the next time you come across Judges 10, you'll read it slightly differently, and perhaps you'll be reminded of a picture of your true Savior and Defender who died to give you life if you'll only give up the rebellious ways of Abimelech, who must be put to death to open the way for Another who invites you to die and be buried with Him so that you can arise with Him to walk in newness of life. (Rom. 6:1-6)

Judges 10:1  And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim. 
Judges 10:2  And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir. 

Leviticus 8: The Consecration of the Priests

*A Quick Word of Explanation for What Will Follow:

I teach 3 Bible studies a week that follow the same basic structure of going through a book of the Bible chapter by chapter and verse by verse. I have teaching studies like this for the last 13 years and have gone through every book of the New Testament in this way and many books of the Old Testament. Occasionally when I am gushing to someone about how much I got out of Hosea or Judges or Galatians, I will get a request for my notes...to which I sheepishly respond that I have none. Then I frown as I imagine all the page of material that could have been given had I simply written a little about whatever chapter we were studying each week.

Well! I am finally going to attempt to do that! I use various resource books and information and the Bible studies are very free-flowing with everyone welcome to contribute and participate as we move through the Scriptures. Feel free to join the conversation as I submit these brief thoughts for your consideration. I am starting with the books I am studying now and will try to tag them in such a way that they are easily located later, but you will have to bear with me and forgive me for plunging right into the middle of Leviticus without background information. I hope this may be of some use to you and that together we can “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)

Leviticus 8: “The Consecration of the Priests”

As we begin the next section of Leviticus about the ordination of the priests, it is important to keep a few New Testament fulfilments in mind.

• Jesus has fulfilled the role of our high priest. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
• As His spiritual children, we are called to fulfill the role of priests, as well. (1 Peter 2:5, 9)

It is with those principles in mind that I read this chapter.

First of all, why were priests even needed? Because the people of Israel were unholy, yet attempting to approach a holy God and He set aside a class of people who would go before Him as intercessors and representatives of the people, who would, in turn, represent Him to the people. Aaron and his sons were these first priests, and yet, they themselves were unholy and needed to be set apart. Moses in this chapter, as the prophet, intercessor, and mediator, fulfills the role of High Priest to ordain Aaron and his sons.

First, an overview of what happens to them in this chapter.

1. The Lord tells Moses to gather everyone together for the ceremony.
2. Aaron and his sons are washed with water.
3. Aaron is clothed with the garments of the high priest.
4. Moses anoints the tabernacle and everything in it with oil, then pours the oil over Aaron’s head to sanctify him.
5. Aaron’s sons are clothed with their priestly garments.
6. A sin-offering is made.
7. A burnt offering is made.
8. A consecration offering is made and Aaron and his sons have the blood applied to their right ears, right thumbs and right big toes, then wave their portion before the Lord, then Moses receives his portion.
9. They are commanded to stay in the Tabernacle for seven days until the days of the consecration are at an end.

This may seem like an obscure ritual to you, and if so, hang on to your seat, because this is unbelievably applicable to our lives! Remember, everything in the Old Testament is in principle true and is fulfilled in the New Testament! There are reasons for all of these things which we should take note of--if these things were necessary for the priests to approach God in their ministry then, the principle is still true of us to approach God in our ministry today! The process is endlessly fascinating to me and I am sure there are depths that I will not reach in this short analysis but give me leave to point just a few things out point by point.

First, this is all done by the commandment of the Lord, which is pointed out continuously through the section. In fact, Exodus 28-29 gives us the specific commandments of the Lord which are fulfilled in this chapter. Everything is arranged and provided for in this process. The same is true for us. God has a specific plan we must follow, and He has provided the means for us to do it through the cross, resurrection, and outpouring of the Holy Ghost! The way has been prepared, but we must still follow the plan!

Secondly, Aaron and his sons are washed with water. In this instance, they are washing their whole bodies with water, unlike the future when they will merely have to wash their hands and feet when they minister before the Lord. (Exodus 30:17-21; Exodus 40:30-32) That alone brings to mind the words of Jesus when he was washing the disciples’ feet and Peter passionately requested for Jesus to wash his whole body, but Jesus responded: “He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.” (John 13:9-10) Yet, the initial washing in this ceremony was essential and we must all go through it! Once we do, the truth in Hebrews 10:21-22 is for us!

“And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

When does this washing happen? We, too, begin with our bodies being washed, even as our high priest began with His body being washed!

"Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him." (Matthew 3:13-15)

And here, I see the type being fulfilled, as the prophet Moses inducted the high priest, Aaron, so the prophet, John the Baptist, inducts our high priest, Jesus! We must follow in the footsteps of our high priest and be baptized in His name as His sons and daughters! That is the first step in our becoming priests!

Thirdly, Aaron is clothed with the garments of the high priest. I could spend a lot of time here going through each piece of his clothing and what it means but I’ll reserve that for a time when we study Exodus 28. Suffice it to say that as the priest bore the names of the people of Israel engraved on stones our high priest bears our names engraved on the palms of His hands. I am unavoidably also reminded of Isaiah 59:16-21, when YHWH, seeing no man, no intercessor, clothes Himself with garments and comes as our Redeemer to establish a new covenant!

Fourthly, the Tabernacle is anointed and set apart and everything in it, specifically, the altar, which is sprinkled seven times and the laver. What is the purpose of this anointing with oil? As far as I can tell, oil symbolizes that these items are set apart for God’s specific use. They are not to be used in any other capacity. Then the oil is poured over Aaron’s head to sanctify him and set him apart for God’s specific use. Notice that the High Priest is anointed before the sacrifice is made and the blood applied, and that his sons are anointed afterwards. (vs. 30) Just as the Spirit descended and remained on Jesus at His baptism, signifying His anointing before the sacrifice was made, we cannot receive that same anointing until the blood is applied. Our High Priest had to go before us.

One more note on that comes from Psalm 133, which compares brethren dwelling in unity to the oil that flowed down Aaron’s beard. What a weird comparison, huh? But I think the Psalmist is drawing out the point that dwelling in unity sets us apart, even like the high priest was set apart to intercede for the people. There’s an anointing and blessing in unity that enables us to be the representatives of God to the people of this world!

Fifthly, Aaron’s sons are clothed with their priestly garments. A couple verses seem appropriate here:

Psalm 132:9 Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy. 

Psalm 132:16 I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Just as Moses clothed Aaron and his sons, the Lord clothes us with righteousness and salvation! Our clothing is Christ’s own righteousness! Once we are baptized in His name and anointed by His Spirit we receive the garments of praise in exchange for our filthy garments (just like Joshua the priest in Zechariah 3)!

Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

What a glorious, powerful truth this is!

Sixthly, (is that even a word?), before they can begin ministering, a sin offering is made. I won’t go into too much detail here because it is discussed in such detail in Leviticus chapter 4, but I will again point out that Jesus became our sin offering for us.

Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Isaiah 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Rom 8:3 For what the law was not able to do because it was feeble through the flesh, God, sending his Son in the image of the evil flesh, and as an offering for sin, gave his decision against sin in the flesh: (BBE)

Whether we sinned ignorantly or presumptuously, Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered outside the camp. (Hebrews 13:12) His blood was offered for us that we might approach God.

Seventhly, (just work with me), the ram for the burnt offering. The fact that it’s a ram immediately draws our mind back to the ram that took the place of Isaac in Genesis 22 when Abraham said in faith, “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.” Again, Jesus took our place, wholly offering himself up for us as a sweet-smelling savor, but then asks us to take up our cross and follow Him, fully offering ourselves up, every piece cut up and the insides washed with water, as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is our reasonable service. (Ephesians 5:1-2, Luke 9:23, Romans 12:1) Aaron and his sons were wholly devoted to the service of the Lord, and though the ram took their place in death, they offered themselves up for God’s service in life.

Eighthly, the consecration offering, which is new out of the sacrifices described in Leviticus chapters 1-7 but was commanded in Exodus 29. It functions as a peace offering essentially, except there’s a bizarre part added where blood is put on the priests’ ear, thumb and big toe. What’s that all about, huh? Well, there may be deeper reasoning than I have here, and if so, please inform me, but the priests are stepping into a place of authority. (That’s why it’s all on the right side. The right hand is the place of authority.) As leaders, their ear must be consecrated so that they hear what the Lord is speaking and can discern what the people say. Their right thumb is what enables them to hold and to grasp and to pick up, and every action they take must be consecrated in this way. The right big toe is what they lead with whenever they walk anywhere, and wherever they go must be consecrated before the Lord. What a beautiful reminder for us. Finally, they wave the offering before the Lord, and heave Moses’s part, and partake of this sacrifice. With the unleavened bread, the categories of sin offerings, burnt offerings, peace offerings, and grain offerings are all represented in the inaugural ceremony of the priests and they partake of this before the Lord. At this point, Moses also sprinkles them with oil and blood--the mingled oil and blood applied is necessary for them to approach the Lord, cleansed and set apart for His service, but now fully able to partake of the glorious sacrifices provided for by the Lord.

Ninthly and lastly, there is the poignant commandment to stay in the Tabernacle for seven days until the days of consecration are complete. What does the seven days remind you of? I think the seven days motif is always designed to throw us back to the initial creation, in which after seven days God completed His work, and on the eighth day, there was a new beginning! More on that in the next chapter, but, of course, God is instituting a priesthood for the first time--something new is being created in Israel, and they must abide in the Tabernacle for seven days until the consecration is completed. Then on the eighth day, God’s glory will fall. Interestingly enough, when Jesus rose from the dead on the 3rd day, He appeared to His disciples for 40 more days, making 43 days after Passover, then told His disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. Then when the day of Pentecost was fully come, (50 days after Passover when Jesus died), they were all with one accord in one place and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost! By my reckoning, they were tarrying for seven days until their priesthood was established. More on that in chapter 9.

What’s the application for us? I submit for your consideration, that once we’ve been baptized in water, and clothed with righteousness and anointed with the Holy Ghost and the blood has been applied to our lives...we are then asked to abide in the presence of God until the end. Until the completion, we are to stay in the house of God, consecrating ourselves before the Lord for His service. Isn’t that a great picture for our lives?

This has been far longer than I anticipated, but I believe in studying something that may seem obscure and irrelevant to us--the consecration of the Old Testament Levitical priests--we can see, just as when we turn a jewel a different way to catch the light in a dazzling new display, a picture of who and what we are called to be in just a slightly different way than we may have seen before, and be reminded of what Jesus has fulfilled for us, enabling us to approach as kings and priests to God!