Tentstake Ministries

The Torah

Within the context of Exodus and Moshe’s meetings with Elohim on the mountain are a type and shadow of the unique covenant made with the people of Israel. The first covenant is written stony and is broken by sin while the same covenant on new stones brings forth the glory of Adonai.

When the Israelites were gathered at Mount Sinai, Adonai met with them. He spoke the Ten Words or Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20. With the fire, the smoke and the blowing of the shofar, the people trembled in fear and asked that Moshe become their intercessor between them and yod hey vav hey. They feared for their lives.

In Exodus 24, Elohim invites Moshe, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu and seventy of the elders to come onto the mountain. While everyone bows before yod hey vav hey, Moshe alone is allowed to go higher and approach Elohim.

Before ascending the mountain, he sets up twelve stones to represent the twelve Tribes of Isra’el. He made burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings to El Shadai. Moshe took half of the blood and put it in basins, the other half he sprinkled on the altar. He read the book of the covenant promises and requirements of Adonai and the people responded and accepted the covenant – “Everything that Adonai has spoken we will do and obey.”

“Moshe took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which Adonai has made with you in accordance with all these words” (Exodus 24:8).

The Stone Torah

Adonai invites Moshe to come up higher on the mountain. Moshe ascends the mountain and enters the cloud that covered it and remains on the mountain for 40 days. Yod hey vav hey gives him two stone tablets on which are written His Torah, His teachings and instructions for the mixed multitude of Hebrews and Egyptians that He is forming into a nation.

“The glory of Adonai stayed on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day he called to Moshe out of the cloud” (Exodus 24:16).

Moshe is given instructions for building the Tabernacle, creating garments for the priests and High Priest, consecrating the priesthood, making holy anointing oil, taking a census and keeping the Sabbath. When He is done, Adonai gives Moshe the two stone tablets. On both sides is the writing of yod hey vav hey, His Words engraved by His own Hand.

This first ascent to the mountain for the stone of testimony is symbolic of having a hard, stone heart toward the Torah. While Moshe is receiving the very written Words of yod hey vav hey, the Israelites are busy mixing the holiness of Adonai with the paganness of Egypt. Their ‘high priest’ is deceived into believing they can worship the God of Isra’el in their own way rather than waiting for His ‘intercessor’ and His instructions.

When Moshe comes down from the mountain, he finds the people worshiping a golden calf and indulging in revelry. Symbolic to the sin of breaking Torah, Moshe throws down the tablets and shatters them at the base of the mountain. He melts the golden calf in the fire, grounds it into powder, scatters it on the water, and makes the people drink it. He confronts Aharon who had been left in charge. He makes ridiculous excuses for his own sin which allowed the people to become rebellious.

The Torah is broken. The stony hearts of the people revealed. The desire for their own way of mixed worship brings death to 3000 people.

Moshe and the Rock

Moshe leaves the camp. He pitches his tent far away from the people of Isra’el and he alone has fellowship with yod hey vav hey. The cloud of Adonai’s presence descends and blocks the entrance to the tent. Yod hey vav hey speaks to Moshe ‘face to face’ as a man speaks to his friend.

Because of the intimate relationship Moshe has with Adonai, he requests to see His glory. Yod hey vav hey tells him to stand on ‘the rock.’ When the glory passes by, Adonai Himself puts Moshe in a crevice of ‘the rock’, covers him with His hand until He passes by.

Moshe meets Yeshua ‘the Rock.’ This is the Rock of salvation, the Rock that brings forth living water in the wilderness, the Rock of Isra’el’s defense against the enemies of Adonai, the eternal Rock.

“Adonai is alive! Blessed is my Rock! Exalted be the God of my salvation [Yeshua] …” (Psalm 18:46).

“Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock” (Isaiah 26:4).

“Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation [Yeshua]. He only is my rock and my salvation [Yeshua]; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved” (Psalm 62:1-2).

“A Spirit-sent Rock which followed them, and that Rock was the Messiah” (1 Corinthians 10:4).

The Re-newed Torah

Adonai tells Moshe to cut two stone tablets like the first ones so that He can inscribe the Words that were on the first ones. Moshe ascends Mt. Sinai a second time with the two stone tablets in his hands.

Adonai descends in a cloud, stands with Moshe and pronounces His name, yod hey vav hey. He tells Moshe about His character, who He is. Moshe bows and prostrates himself on the ground and asks forgiveness for the sins of Isra’el.

“Merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in grace and truth; showing grace to the thousandth generation, forgiving offenses, crimes and sins; yet not exonerating the guilty, but causing the negative effects of the parents’ offenses to be experienced by their children and grandchildren, and even by the third and fourth generations” (Exodus 34:6-8).

Adonai makes a covenant in front of all the people and says they must obey what He orders them to do. This is a re-newal of the first covenant of Torah on new and different stones.

Adonai explains He is a jealous God and in order to keep His anger from busting out against them, they must destroy all symbols of pagan worship when they enter the Promised Land. He does not want them to be enticed, as they already were, to worship other gods using His name.

Though He reiterates the previous Torah on the new hewn stones, He highlights teachings and instructions that have prophetic vision for a renewed covenant. He reminds them of the importance of His Sabbath which is a vision of eternity. He tells them that the firstborn from the womb is His. He gives instructions about Shavuot or the Feast of Weeks which is a memorial to the giving of the Torah and will have significance in the days after Yeshua’s ascension with the Spirit. He speaks about the Festival of Ingathering which will be at the time of the end with the gathering of the nation of Isra’el back to the Promised Land. He tells them to meet with Him three times a year because He will be expanding their Land. He reminds them not to leave the Pesach sacrifice until morning or offer a blood sacrifice with leavened bread. They are to eat unleavened bread during the days of matzah and bring the best of the firstfruits into His House.

When Moshe came down from the mountain, there is no mention of the people rebelling in sin. They awaited his arrival. They were prepared to hear the Words from Adonai-Yeshua.

Moshe didn’t realize that the skin of his face was sending out rays of light from being in the presence of yod hey vav hey. The glory of Adonai was so bright that Aharon and the people of Isra’el were afraid to approach him. But, Moshe called to them and they came to him. He taught them everything yod hey vav hey had taught him on the mountain.

When he was finished reading the stones of testimony, Moshe put a veil over his face. When he met with yod hey vav hey, he removed the veil, but when he spoke with the Israelites, he covered his face again.

The second visit to the mountain brought a transference of yod hey vav hey’s holiness, His glory onto Moshe. This is like the heart of flesh that is filled with the Spirit of Adonai, the Ruach haKodesh. The presence of Adonai remained with Moshe because he had a circumcised, repentant, humble heart and was filled with the Spirit.

The people did not have this same heart. Throughout their journey through the wilderness, their hearts remained like stone. They needed their stony hearts changed to hearts of flesh. Only Caleb and Joshua had the same heart and Spirit as Moshe.

“Adonai said to Moshe, “Take Y’hoshua the son of Nun, a spiritual man, and lay your hand on him.” (Numbers 27:18).

“But my servant Kalev, because he had a different Spirit with him and has fully followed me — him I will bring into the land he entered, and it will belong to his descendants” (Numbers 14:24).

Forty years after the giving of the Torah, Moshe makes a promise to the children and grandchildren of those who left Egypt. Before they enter the Promised Land, he tells them Adonai will circumcise their hearts so they can obey all of His Torah. This alludes to the promise of the re-newed covenant in Jeremiah 31:31 and Ezekiel 36:24 that was instituted by Yeshua at his Pesach seder in Luke 22.

“Then Adonai your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your children, so that you will love Adonai your God with all your heart and all your being, and thus you will live” (Deuteronomy 30:6).

The fulfillment of the promise of circumcised hearts happened on Shavuot, Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) – the pouring out of the Spirit of Adonai. On that day, 3000 Jewish men had hearts that were stung with the message of Yeshua. They were brought into the Kingdom through the Ruach haKodesh.

Moshe had received the first Torah written on stone. It was broken through faithlessness and sin of the people and brought death. He set himself apart from the nation of Isra’el in order to meet with yod hey vav hey face to face. On the mountain, in the presence of Adonai, Moshe received the Spirit, the renewal of the Torah. This Torah was restored and Moshe’s own countenance revealed the glory of being in the presence of the Writer of the Word. It revealed the power of the Torah to change the heart and face to reflect the glory of Yeshua.

“So all of us, with faces unveiled, see as in a mirror the glory of the Lord; and we are being changed into his very image, from one degree of glory to the next, by Adonai the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

©2021 Tentstake Ministries Publishing, all rights reserved.  No copying or reproducing of this article without crediting the author or Tentstake Ministries Publishing.

Though the Hebrew word satan is a verb, it has become personified as the Adversary, the one who brought sin into the world and ultimately, in the end, the wrath of Elohim against that sin. Satan was used by Elohim to test Job as his modem of operation is to actively encourage the righteous to disobey the Word/Commands of Elohim.

This is why he tested Yeshua, the only righteous one who could remove the wrath of sin from those in the world who would choose to put their faith in him.

Satan, according to witches who worship him, appears as a normal man with blonde hair.

“All forest creatures are mine already, as are the animals [behemot] on a thousand hills …” (Psalm 50:10).

The word behemoth is the plural of behemah referring to a beast of burden. Behemoth is first among the works of yod hey vav hey on the sixth day of creation and only He can approach the animal with His sword. The physical description of Behemoth, like Leviathan, is given to Job by Elohim (Job 40:15-24). Some consider this animal to physically be a hippopotamus or an Egyptian water buffalo as it eats grass like an ox, has strength in its loins, and power in its abdominal muscles. The muscles in its thighs are like cables, its bones are like bronze, and its limbs are like iron. He can stiffen his tail like a cedar.

From a spiritual perspective, Behemoth is a beast. The mountains produce food for it which suggests that it nourishes itself from the power hungry nations of the world. It is compared to bronze and iron like the nations shown to Daniel in Babylon. It seems only Yeshua can approach the beast because he alone is the Word of God.

Behemoth lies down under thorns and is hidden by reeds in the swamp. Because this beast is thought to have Egypt as its origin, an allusion to Moshe being hidden in the swamp of Egypt in a reed basket could be made. Even Yeshua, who wore a crown of thorns was held in secret in the ‘swamp of Egypt’ in order to be protected from Herod.

Lotus bushes shade the beast and willows by the stream surround it. During the dry season in the Jordan valley, water levels in ponds and streams drop until the dry ground cracks. Lotus seeds and roots remain dormant in the dry ground. When the spring rains come, the lotus puts down its roots in the mud. The leaves and flowers soon appear growing out of the water showing that life that endures in spite of adversity.

Though the obvious is that Yeshua was put into the dry earth only to raise from the dead bringing forth eternal life, there could be another allusion to the nation of Isra’el. The people of Elohim have endured much adversity in their history from Noach to today. They have had times of refreshing spring rains to challenges of war, captivity, and assimilation. From being enslaved by the Egyptians to the more recent Holocaust, like the lotus, they continue living as a nation of people until this very day.

Psalm 137:1-3 describes the Jewish exile to Babylon where they hung their lyres on willow trees when those who had taken them captive demanded them to be joyful. This beast is surrounded by and made to remember that, no matter what happens to them, the nation of Isra’el will survive – as there is a judgment coming for Behemoth.

He doesn’t worry if the river overflows, he has confidence even if the Jordan rushes by his mouth (Job 40:23).

The Jordan River had to be crossed to enter the Promised Land. It seems that Behemoth hangs out in the desert west of the Jordan. The Hebrew word for ‘river’ in this verse is vadi and is a dry stream or river bed in the desert that fills with water when there is excessive rain. In Hebrew the word ‘overflowing,’ is ashaq and means ‘to oppress.’ The verse could be more accurately translated, “Behemoth doesn’t worry if he is oppressed, he is [so large and] able to drink a river, even if the Jordan gushes into his mouth.”

“How long must the land mourn and the grass in all the fields wither? The wild animals [behemot] and birds are consumed because of the wickedness of those who live there; for they say, “He will not see how we end up” (Jeremiah 12:4).

The books of Edras and Enoch give more description to the creation of Behemoth and Leviathan. While Leviathan was given the Abyss, the watery dark regions of the earth, Behemoth was given the dried up parts of the earth, the desert.

“Then you kept in existence two living creatures; the name of one you called Behemoth and the name of the other Leviathan. And you separated one from the other, for the seventh part where the water had been gathered together could not hold them both. And you gave Behemoth one of the parts which had been dried up on the third day, to live in it, where there are a thousand mountains; but to Leviathan you have the seventh part, the watery part; and you have kept them to be eaten by whom you wish, and when you wish” (4 Edras 6:49-52).

“And that day [of judgment] will two monsters be parted, one monster, a female named Leviathan in order to dwell in the abyss of the ocean over the fountains of water; and (the other), a male called Behemoth, which holds his chest in an invisible desert whose name is Dundayin, east of the garden of Eden” (1 Enoch 60:7-8).

Hebrew Word Pictures

Behemoth – בהמות

Bet is a picture of a ‘house’ and means ‘family’

Hey is a picture of a ‘window’ and means ‘reveal.’

Mem is a picture of ‘water’ and means ‘chaos’ or ‘mighty.’

Vav is a picture of a ‘nail’ and means ‘binding.’

Tav is a picture of a ‘cross’ and means ‘sign.’

Behemoth is a family revealing chaos bound as a sign.

Behemoth is a sign for the final judgment and the binding of chaos. Because Leviathan is split in half, its other half will receive the same judgment. Behemoth will have its ‘heads’ crused and be given as food to the creatures of the desert.

“By your strength you split the sea in two, in the water you smashed sea monsters’ heads, you crushed the heads of Livyatan
and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert” (Psalm 74:13-14).

©2021 Tentstake Ministries Publishing, all rights reserved.  No copying or reproducing of this article without crediting the author or Tentstake Ministries Publishing.

“And war broke out in heaven, Michael and his angels making war against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought, but they were not strong enough, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down—the ancient serpent, called the devil and satan, who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (Revelation 12:7-9).

From the passages in Revelation, the great Dragon was thrown down to earth after a war in the heavenly realm and will deceive the whole world.

Leviathan is called a ‘serpent in the sea,’ a Dragon. In Scripture, the ‘sea’ symbolizes nations and peoples. According to Psalm 104, it seems that Leviathan frolics in this sea of humanity.

“There, ships go to and fro. Leviathan—You formed to frolic there” (Psalm 104:26).

This ‘sea’ creature has many heads according to Psalm 74. Taken literally, the Dragon is multi-headed, but symbolically this suggests that Leviathan controls nations. According to Revelation chapter 12, he has made covenants with seven kings and the nations that rise up from those kings.

“Another sign was seen in heaven there was a great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven royal crowns” (Revelation 12:3).

In the book of Job, an entire chapter describes Leviathan who terrorizes all ‘beasts’ and is ‘king over all the sons of pride.’ He is so powerful that he cannot humanly be overcome. His desire is to have servants in covenant with him forever. When the Dragon arises, the mighty are afraid. To battle with him is foolish and the battle will always be remembered. No spear or javelin affects him. Iron is as straw, bronze as rotting wood. No arrow make will make him flee. Stones are like chaff blown away in the wind.

Physically he is described as impenetrable, having an outer garment of double armor. He has fearsome teeth and his rows of scales are his pride. He sneezes fire and has black shokor eyelids. His mouth shoots out flames, and his breath sets coals on fire. From his mouth come fiery darts (Ephesians 6:16). Smoke pours from his nostrils like a pot burning reeds. His neck is strong, his flesh is folded and immovable, his heart is hard as a rock, hard as a millstone. His underside is like earth that leaves a trail in the mud. He leaves a shining wake behind him giving him the appearance of white hair.

The Dragon’s heart is like stone, like the bottom part of the millstone. Whenever there is a mention of a millstone of judgment, it can be likened to the destruction of a child’s spiritual inheritance. Yeshua warns those of ensnare a child away from faith in him that their judgment will be worse than being tossed into the sea with a millstone around their neck (Matthew 18:6).

This creature, the Dragon, will be punished for his spiritual pride and deception. Those who have ‘made a covenant’ with him will be crushed. The prophet Isaiah referring to the Day of Adonai, Leviathan, prophesies that the Dragon will be killed in the ‘sea.’

“You crushed the heads of Leviathan, giving him as food to the desert dwellers” (Psalm 74:14).

“In that day Adonai will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent with His fierce, great, strong sword, Leviathan the twisted serpent! He will slay the dragon in the sea” (Isaiah 27:1).

Leviathan is an ancient demonic force of darkness and chaos whose main realm of influence is spiritual pride and deception. His female counterpart is Lilith.

©2021 Tentstake Ministries Publishing, all rights reserved.  No copying or reproducing of this article without crediting the author or Tentstake Ministries Publishing.