Someone asked me this past week if I knew the meaning of the PEACE SYMBOL that looks like a broken or upside down cross within a circle. I can still remember how I was warned against this symbol when I was still at school, and how it was branded in those days as a broken cross, a Nero cross or even a Satanic symbol, something that was believed to be against the very message of peace brought by Y’shua. In the meantime, however, I have learned some things, and not all of these things line up with the peculiar scepticism towards the peace symbol and the popular reverence towards the cross as a universal symbol of religion. Firstly, by the time Y’shua was put to death, the stake upon which He was nailed, may not have looked anything like the typical crosses of later times. It may have been a T-shaped structure, or simply a vertical stake. We also know that the cross symbol was not a recognized symbol among the earliest believers in Y’shua, and was hugely promoted by CONSTANTINE, 300 years after the lifetime of Y’shua. Constantine was coming out of paganism and he wanted to blend the symbols he knew with the new religion he was looking to promote as Caesar of the Roman Empire. T-shaped crosses were believed to be related to Tammuz, the god of fertility, whose name began with a “T”. And the Greek word “stauros” that is used in the New Testament to refer to the structure that was used for Y’shua’s execution, does NOT refer to any particular shape, at all.

So, is the controversial Peace Symbol an offence to believers in Y’shua? It shouldn’t be. Not because I say so, but because the symbol is, in fact, quite innocent. The Encyclopaedia Brittanica reveals that this symbol was invented by Gerald Holtom for the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in 1958. So, the “peace” in this particular “peace symbol” referred to Nuclear Disarmament, which was very much on the agenda’s of the leading nations of that time. The symbolism consists of two international flag signals, combined, and surrounded by a circle. The first flag signal is the flag signal for the letter “N” (for Nuclear), and the second is the signal for the letter “D” (for Disarmament). The flag signal for “N” is seen on the left, and the one for “D” on the right. One can clearly see how the flag signal for “D” corresponds to the vertical line in the middle of the peace symbol, and how the flag signal for “N” corresponds to the additional lines in the bottom half of the circle.

Are symbols and signals IMPORTANT to us today? Legitimate symbols are indeed important to us. And they were particularly important in ancient times, especially within the Hebrew context. It is said that a symbol is usually a material object representing an abstract concept. Hebrew-minded people do not beat about the bush, when it comes to ABSTRACT concepts. They would rather stick to material objects and even use these as a means of understanding those things that are more abstract in nature. It is interesting that this week’s parashah is located exactly between two different words for “go” in the Hebrew text. It starts off with Yahweh’s command to Mosheh to GO to Pharao (Exodus 10:1). And the whole parashah is directly followed up with the statement that Pharao let the people GO (Exodus 13:17). There is nothing abstract about GOING. Maybe it is something that we all need to do more. In stead of contemplating and reasoning and analysing and changing our minds, all the time, it might be better to just GO. Go, and do what is needed. Go, and be the one who is acting. Go, and stop being in a state of rest, or a state of retreat, or a state of doubt. Go, and make things happen. Jeremiah is a fine example of this attitude in Scriptures: Go and proclaim these words (Jeremiah 3:12); Go and stand in the gate (17:19); Go and get a piece of pottery (19:1); Go and pray unto Me and I shall listen to you (says Yahweh – 29:12).

What is even more interesting about this week’s parashah, is that the very first verse refers to SIGNALS OR SYMBOLS (“I shall show these signs of Mine before him” – 10:1), and the very last verse also refers to signals and symbols (“Presenting your firstborn to Me, shall be as a sign on your hand” – 13:16). In both verses the word “ot” is used, meaning flag, signal, token or mark. And between the first verse and the last, this same word is used three more times in the parashah, five times altogether. There are also at least 5 signs that feature in this parashah: (1) The PLAGUES as signs of Discipline; (2) The BLOOD on the Doorposts as a sign of Salvation; (3) The Pesach LAMB as a sign of Atonement; (4) The UNLEAVENED BREAD as a sign of Cleansing, and (5) The Acquitting of the FIRSTBORN as a sign of being Sons and Daughters.

Even though the plagues in Mosheh’s time were mostly aimed at the Egyptians, the word “PLAGUE” was not applied to the enemies of Israel only. The very same word is sometimes used when Yahweh disciplines his own people. And it was used by Solomon when he dedicated the temple to Yahweh, praying: “Yahweh, when there is scarcity of food in the land; distress by the enemy, plagues and sickness, please hear the prayers of your people, when they spread out their hands towards this house, knowing the plagues of their own hearts” (1 Kings 8:37). Let us not forget Isaiah 53 with its prophesy that the coming Messiah would be stricken with plagues, so that we may be healed by his stripes. Does Yahweh use plagues to discipline his own people? He certainly does. He is hoping that, in the process, we will come to know the plagues of our own hearts. And that we will turn to Him, not only in prayer, but in the orientation of our entire life.

The BLOOD on the Doorposts meant salvation for the firstborn of Israel. It revolved around the contrasting interchange, whereby the death and the blood of an innocent creature or being, may bring life and salvation to others. It featured emphatically in Egypt, in the death of the firstborn of the Egyptians, and the “passing over” of the firstborn of the Israelites. It made its appearance time and again in the system of offerings and sacrifices, and was clearly a prophetic symbol, pointing towards the blood of the Innocent One who would later come, and be willing to be offered up, shedding his blood for the salvation of many others. Blood is always a reminder that as CREATED BEINGS, we are subject to bleeding and, therefore subject to death. Acts 20:28 is translated incorrectly in many Bibles. The incorrect version says: “The overseers should shepherd the assembly which Elohim has purchased with his own blood.” But no other verse in Scriptures refers to the blood of Elohim, and the Greek text literally says: “… which Elohim has purchased with the blood of his own”, clearly meaning: the blood of his own Son. This is the consistent and most prominent message of Scriptures.

The Pesach LAMB, as a sign of Atonement, is very similar to the sign of the Blood on the doorposts. Maybe the difference between the sign of the blood and the sign of the lamb, is to remind us that what really brings us back to Yahweh, is not only the spilling of (any) blood, but the laying down of a (specific) life. When John the Baptist introduced Y’shua of Nazareth to his followers, he said that this Y’shua was the Lamb of Elohim who was going to take away the sin of this world. Was this One going to take away EVERYONE’S sin, without exception? No, according to the book of Revelation, in which Y’shua is called the Lamb no less than 28 times (7X4), Y’shua took away the sins of those who washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, and followed the Lamb, and allowed the Lamb to feed them and reconcile them to Yahweh in such a way that Yahweh’s Name will be written on their foreheads.

The UNLEAVENED BREAD, which features so prominently during the seven-day feast that follows directly after Pesach, is a signal from Above in its own right. It is a symbol of the HASTE and the speed and the urgency with which we should leave the Egypt-like forms of bondage of our lives. Because there was no time for their bread to rise, the Israelites had to quickly eat unleavened bread before they left Egypt. Let us stop postponing when it comes to leaving our own areas of bondage. Let us not waste time. Life is too short. And let us start right away, getting rid of all kinds of leaven-like attitudes and words and actions in our lives. Attitudes and words and actions which are not about Yahweh and may puff up and bring damage to our own lives and to the lives of those around us. And, like the small percentage of the world’s population who sets themselves APART by not eating leavened products for seven days each year, let us make it our goal, every single day of our lives, not to be conformed to this world, not to follow the pattern of this world, but to live lives that are truly set-apart, because we simply want to align ourselves with the Set-apart One.

The acquitting (freeing, clearing) of the FIRST-BORN of the Israelites (while the first-born of the Egyptians were killed), was first of all a token pointing towards the principle that the first-born belonged to Yahweh. That is why we read in Numbers 3:13: “On the day that I struck all the first-born in the land of Mitsrayim, I set apart to Myself all the first-born in Yisrael, both man and beast. They are Mine, I am Yahweh.” By setting aside the first-born (and the first fruits) for Yahweh, we are, in fact, saying: The first and the best that I have, in fact, everything I possess and everything I receive and everything I achieve, is a gift out of Yahweh’s hand. This is my conviction because I BELIEVE in Him with every fibre of my existence. And, focusing on the coming of Y’shua, we may add: I believe that, because Yahweh gave up his first-born (and only) Son, I was acquitted and set free, and cleared of punishment, in the same way as the first-born of the Israelites were cleared. Furthermore, because Y’shua was raised as the first-born from the dead, I believe that death no longer has the final say in my life. Because the first-born was risen, we who believe in Him, will also be risen from the dead! It is the First-born who gave us the right to call ourselves sons and daughters of Elohim.  And as a result, Yahweh is now saying about each one of us, like He said about the first-born: They are Mine, I am Yahweh! Praise Yahweh for giving us these five symbols to bring Discipline, Salvation, Atonement and Cleansing into our lives, and granting us the privilege of calling ourselves Sons and Daughters of Elohim.

Views: 48