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The Journal of A. Paige White dalet
09/14/2009 04:08 p.m.
What a beautiful meditation and invitation to behold Him, our door, our four and fore... I love the imagery of the myrrh dripping from the handle, encouraging us to answer His knock swifter the next time.
Tiffany Ann Lewis:"May We Be Diligent to Enter into Rest With Our God"
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.—Revelation 3:20
Knock - knock.
Who's there?
The Lord.
The Lord who?
The Lord of the Sabbath...
The Hebrew verb Shabbat (Sabbath) means to cease, desist, to put an end to, and of course to rest. But it is so much more than just a day; it is a spiritual doorway in which we can connect with our Creator. Let me explain.
The commandment to remember the Sabbath is the fourth out of the Ten. In Hebrew, numbers are represented by the letters of the alphabet. The number four is represented by a letter that is called dalet. Now, each letter also has a corresponding pictogram (a picture representing the word). Stay with me because, the pictogram for dalet is...a door! How profound considering Jesus said, "I am the door of the sheep" (John 10:7). We can see through these symbolisms that the commandment is a spiritual door into rest, while at the same time it also symbolizes a choice—to open it or to keep it closed.
It doesn't stop there; the word itself comes from a root which means draw out, draw up, and draw council (Dalah—Strong's #1802). God is supernaturally drawing His Bride. It is like a magnetic pull in the spirit beckoning us to this door. "These things says He who is holy, He who is true, 'He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens'...See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it..." (Revelation 3:7-8). The Lord wants to dwell with us.
Draw Me Away, Lord, I Will Run After You!
In the Song of Solomon, God (the Divine Lover) appears as an eager lover, a leaping deer, who is longing for intimacy with His Bride. We see Him knocking on the door saying, "Open for me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one..." (Song of Solomon 5:2).
In this heart-wrenching passage, we see that the Shulamite (the bride) did not arise and respond to the knocking. She was tired and had already prepared for bed, her own type of rest. The Beloved went a step further and put his hand to the latch of the door. Her heart yearned for him, then unfortunately when she arose and opened the door, her lover had already left. All that remained was what could have been—the liquid myrrh (symbolic of His presence), which was dripping from the handle, now covered her hands.
Like all Scripture, this passage too is a mirror into our own life. So often we are so tired from the works and worries of this world that we don't respond immediately to the invitation either. However, the liquid myrrh that is left on the door allures us, motivating us to swiftly arise the next time and welcome Him in.
There is a beautiful tradition in Judaism called Kabbalat Shabbat, which literally means, "The receiving of Shabbat." It is a portion of the Shabbat service on Friday night to welcome the Sabbath as a groom welcomes his bride. After the candles are lit and prayers are said, the L'cha Dodi (Come, My Beloved) is sung to escort the Shekhinah—God's indwelling presence—into their midst. To this day, many congregations arise and turn to the doorway or even bow to welcome the Shekhinah.
The Heavenly Bridegroom Knocking on His Bride's Door
Beloved, this is about welcoming the Lord into our midst. Shabbat is a doorway into His rest that we can enter into every day. Not just once a week, or once a year. The door is wide open—the Blood of Jesus Christ opened it up...it is finished. May we be diligent to enter that rest and Shabbat with our God.
But Shabbat isn't just about resting from our labors, it's about discovering God. All things have been hidden in Him from the beginning of time and God wants us to discover them. For, "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter" (Proverbs 25:2).
He desires for us to know Him and to comprehend the full width, length, depth, and height of the outrageous love that He has for us, not just the portion of it that we currently understand. It's Divine hide and seek; the more we seek the more we will find. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened" (Matthew 7:8).
It has been said that for six days God expressed His hand, but on the seventh He expressed His soul and provided a day for us to discover Him rather than His work. This interpretation was drawn out of the Hebrew word vayinafash which is found in Exodus 31:17: "...for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested (Shabbat) and was refreshed (vayinafash)."
Vayinafash comes from the root word which is translated as soul (nefesh—Strong's #5315). It means to breathe or inhale, or to refresh oneself, and has a range of meanings all related to the essence of a living being. The text could literally be translated as, "and He breathed." Beloved, God breathed out and we can breathe it in. It is His rest, for it is finished. This revelation brings the modern day song "Breathe" to a whole new level, doesn't it?
Knock – Knock...
We could stop here, but as you know, the more we seek the more we will find. I mentioned a word earlier you may not be familiar with—Shekhinah. Shekhinah is a verb that means to dwell, abide, reside, settle, inhabit, and is used to signify the dwelling or settling presence of God. If you have ever heard the phrase, "The Shekhinah Glory," it is referring to the Divine dwelling presence of God in all His glory. You see, when God walks into the room, all His splendor, abundance, wealth, and reputation come along with Him.
This is where Moses was when God revealed His precious thoughts to him: in the Shekhinah, the dwelling presence of God. The Lord's glory was revealed to him so powerfully in that encounter that Moses needed to veil his face from others.
And the glory (kavode) of the LORD abode (Shakan) upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud...so Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain.—Exodus 24:16 KJV and verse 18 NKJV
Notice that it was the seventh day, the Sabbath, when the Lord called out to Moses and Moses went into the midst of the cloud...and Moses responded.
There is a practical lesson that we can utilize in our own lives today regarding how to "get into the Lord's presence." Respond when you sense the Lord knocking at your door, arise and receive Him into your spiritual space. There are no formulas really, just capture your thoughts and focus on what He did—but more than that, focus on why He did it.
Jesus Christ laid down His life rescuing you from the grip of death because He loves you and wants to be with you. You were worth it to Him. That revelation alone is enough. It doesn't have to be for an hour or a day; it can be for a brief moment of any day. Beloved, the Lord just wants to whisk us away. "Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold..." (Revelation 4:2).
There is a purpose to the presence—to get to know God, not to apprehend the things of God but to apprehend Him. Shekinah Glory is about dwelling together with God, Immanuel—God with us, in every aspect of our lives. The glory, the signs and wonders, are a byproduct of His presence and simply come from His nature. It's one package. In His presence there is fullness of joy, and at His right hand there are pleasures forevermore. We experience them by being in His lovely presence, which is the heart desire of God and indeed the very purpose of creation.
Let us close where we began...
Knock - knock.
Who's there?
The Lord.
The Lord who?
The Lord of the Sabbath...
Beloved, the Lord is knocking. Arise, open the door and welcome the Shekhinah in. Amen.
Tiffany Ann Lewis
Dancing with the Flame of the Lord Ministries
I am currently Refreshed
I am listening to nothing at the moment
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