Come to Understanding

Come to Understanding

They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding,

and they that murmured shall learn doctrine. — Isaiah 29:24

So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense,

and caused them to understand the reading. — Nehemiah 8:8

June 14, 2007
Volume 6 Number 12

Entering into the Presence of God

In order to ask anything of Yahweh, we must be able to approach Him and enter into His presence. When we try to approach Him in prayer, as He demonstrated to the people of Judah, He will not hear us unless we are first willing to hear Him:

11 But they refused to listen, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

12 Yes, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which Yahweh of hosts has sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from Yahweh of hosts.

13 Therefore it has come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, says Yahweh of hosts: -Zechariah 7

If we want to communicate with Yahweh, we must approach Him on His terms. He tells us in His word that He is holy. Therefore, those who claim to be His people must also be holy:

45 For I am Yahweh that brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: you shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. -Leviticus 11

When Yahweh first revealed Himself to Moses through a burning bush, He reminded Moses of His holiness:

4 And when Yahweh saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

5 And he said, Draw not near here: put off your shoes from off your feet, for the place whereon you stand is holy ground. -Exodus 3

The presence of Yahweh is the holy place. We cannot come into the holy place in an unholy condition. He warned the people of Israel that they could not even look upon Him:

21 And Yahweh said to Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto Yahweh to gaze, and many of them perish. -Exodus 19

He even cautioned the priests, who were the intermediaries between God and man, that they could not come near to Him unless they were first sanctified:

22 And let the priests also, which come near to Yahweh, sanctify themselves, lest Yahweh breaks forth upon them. -Exodus 19

Yahweh gave specific instructions on the sanctification of priests, which were Aaron and his descendents, before they could come into His presence:

12 And you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.

13 And you shall put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister to me in the priest’s office.

14 And you shall bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:

15 And you shall anoint them, as you did anoint their father, that they may minister to me in the priest’s office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations. -Exodus 40

They were required to separate themselves from the supposed "holy things of Israel." They also were not to profane Yahweh’s holy name:

1 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

2 Speak to Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am Yahweh.

3 Say to them, Whoever he is of all your seed among your generations, that goes to the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto Yahweh, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence: I am Yahweh. -Leviticus 22

In an example of failure to hear and obey Yahweh’s command that He cannot be approached by those who are not sanctified, Aaron’s sons had the boldness to try to approach Him with an unholy offering of "strange fire:"

1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before Yahweh, which he commanded them not.

2 And there went out fire from Yahweh, and devoured them, and they died before Yahweh. -Leviticus 10

They failed to listen to the word of Yahweh and sanctify themselves before trying to come into His presence.

Yahweh sanctifies those who hear, believe, and obey His word. We thereby receive our holiness from Him, rather from our own works:

7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be you holy: for I am Yahweh your God.

8 And you shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am Yahweh which sanctifies you. -Leviticus 20

Yahshua (Jesus) reveals that we are sanctified through the truth, which is the Word of God:

17 Sanctify them through your truth: your word is truth.

18 As you have sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. -John 17

The Word of God is God Himself, which always existed:

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. -John 1

Yahshua is the Word, who came in the flesh. Those who believe on His name have power to become "sons of God:"

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. -John 1

Through Him, we may enter into Yahweh’s presence:

6 Yahshua said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.

7 If you had known me, you should have known my Father also: and from now on you know him, and have seen him. -John 14

Yahshua, the Word of God, was prophetically called the "gate of Yahweh," who came in the name of Yahweh:

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise Yah:

20 This is the gate of Yahweh, into which the righteous shall enter.

21 I will praise you: for you have heard me, and have become my salvation.

22 The stone which the builders refused has become the head stone of the corner.

23 This is Yahweh’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 This is the day which Yahweh has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Save now, I beseech you, O Yahweh: O Yahweh, I beseech you, send now prosperity.

26 Blessed is he that comes in the name of Yahweh: we have blessed you out of the house of Yahweh. -Psalms 118

When Yahshua entered into Jerusalem on His way to offer Himself as the final sacrifice for sin, the people understood that He was the fulfillment of the prophecy. They cried "Hosanna," which means "Save now!," to the Savior who came in the name of Yahweh:

9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord [Yahweh]; Hosanna in the highest.

10 And when he had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?

11 And the multitude said, This is Yahshua the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. -Matthew 21

When He offered Himself as the final offering for sins, He offered the means by which we are perfectly sanctified. If we believe this, we will make no further offering for sin:

10 By that will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Yahshua the Messiah once for all.

14 For by one offering he has perfected forever them that are sanctified.

15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,

16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord [Yahweh], I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. -Hebrews 10

When we hear and believe the Word of God, we accept by faith that we are sanctified through the offering of Yahshua the Messiah. We are made holy through Him and by Him. As sanctified priests, we can now enter into the holiest place, which is the presence of God, by the authority of the name of Yahshua:

19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Yahshua, -Hebrews 10

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Scriptures are taken from the Proper Name Version of the King James Bible.