Cut off

 

… in our ongoing analysis of the Holy Bible we have come to an understanding that the definition for … the  children of God … extends to quite a few different categories of folks in a time frame that extends from the time when Adam and Eve left Eden to now … including …

 @ all unborn of humankind who die in the womb for any reason …

@ all children who die before they reach the age of reason … the age of reason is when an individual of humankind becomes accountable for the consequences of their free will decisions …

@ all adults of humankind who die after they have reached the age of reason however cannot be held accountable for the consequences of their free will decisions because pf some physical or mental infirmity which has impaired their ability to make free will decisions with an understanding of both the  ramifications and/or consequences of those free will decisions …

@ all Hebrew ( Jewish ) people who are older than the age of reason and fortunately for a life attentive to the Word of God and His will … do not meet the Biblical criteria … cut off from the people of God …

@ all other adults of humankind who are older than the age of reason and who confess that Jesus Christ is their LORD and Savior … and … who believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day …

@ folks who meet the sheep criteria as noted by Jesus Christ in Matthew chapter 25 …

 ... we are Christian folks who believe that the Holy Bible is the literal Word of God given to humankind as a project plan to better understand what is going on ... certainly there are many folks who understand and believe differently and we respect that ... we’re actually pretty sure that our current understanding of who the children of God are is probably not complete but it is what we see and understand right now ... the pivot point is the life ... death on the cross ... and ... resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ Who is God our Lord and Savior ... the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross purchased the redemption of all humankind stretching from Adam and Eve to the last person to be born on earth ... salvation which is life with God forever is the free choice of every adult of humankind above the age of reason and that choice in one way or another involves our individual and personal repentance which is a turning back to a knowledge of Jesus Christ God our Lord and Savior ... a pretty well understood process for most adult Christian folks and perhaps not so well understood a process for non-Christian folks ... this bible study is a consideration of one mechanism outside the clear redemptive understanding in Christianity in which one group of adults above the age of reason are able to make a free will decision to repent and turn back to God Who is YAHWEH ( YHVH ) Jesus Christ God our Lord and Savior ... from our current understanding of the Holy Bible the Hebrew ( Jewish ) people are the focus for this bible study ... their provided mechanism is found in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible ... it permits them to repent and turn back to God ... that process involves active free will choice and the Day of Atonement ... however ... rather than focus on the how and what of the process this bible study has a focus for the how and why an individual Hebrew ( Jewish ) person needs to repent and turn back to God ...  the reason for this focus in this bible study is that while the personalized redemptive process of Hebrew ( Jewish ) folks is specific for them ... the reasons why they need repentance as adults with free will is nicely defined and applicable to everyone of humankind ... perhaps useful for us all to consider ... this consideration has a focus on a single Hebrew verb which is often translated to English as ... cut off ... a verb probably developed to described the action of cutting down a tree of a forest ... an action which results in the tree no longer being a tree and the forest no longer containing that specific individual tree ... while the result for a tree is pretty much final ... for the Hebrew ( Jewish ) people God provided a defined process in which an individual can repent and rejoin the Hebrew ( Jewish ) people ... the people of God ... a little more complicated that our repentance through faith in Jesus Christ however still a very nice example that God does not forget any of His children ...

 

Ezekiel chapter 14, vs 8

14:6 לכן אמר אל-בית ישראל כה אמר אדני יהוה שובו והשיבו מעל גלוליכם ומעל כל-תועבתיכם השיבו פניכם

14:7 כי איש איש מבית ישראל ומהגר אשר-יגור בישראל וינזר מאחרי ויעל גלוליו אל-לבו ומכשול עונו ישים נכח פניו ובא אל-הנביא לדרש-לו בי אני יהוה נענה-לו בי

14:8 ונתתי פני באיש ההוא והשמתיהו לאות ולמשלים והכרתיו מתוך עמי וידעתם כי-אני יהוה

I set My face against them ... they are cut off from My people ... know that I AM the LORD ( YHVH ) ...

 

... note ... the reference in verse 8 is to verses Ezekiel chapter 14, vs 6 + 7 ...

 

... the Hebrew word translated to English as ... cut off ... is Hebrew verb ... KARATH ...  כָּרַת  ... Strong# Hebrew 3772 ... the English translation ... cut off ... applies as a good literal meaning for this and most of the Old Testament verses in which we find this verb ... however ... best to keep that understanding in the frame of the actual Hebrew verb’s meaning which is to ... cut down ... like to cut down a tree in the forest so it is no longer a part of the forest ... essentially ... to cut off ... so that the referenced object or person is no longer a part of what it or they were cut off from ... in Ezekiel chapter 14, vs 8 ... the referenced folks were each once in the context of this verse a member of the Hebrew ( Jewish ) people and due to the consequences of their action noted in vs 6 + 7 they are cut off ... that is the individual is no longer a member of the Hebrew ( Jewish ) people ... no longer a member of Israel ... the chosen people of the LORD ( YHVH ) God Almighty ... no longer a child of God ... when we consider KARATH in Ezekiel 14, vs 8 note there are two prefixes and two suffixes ... in most interlinear translations these two prefixes and two suffixes provide an understanding which in English translates to something like ... they are cut off ... not cut off as a group of people but cut off as individuals as a consequence of specific free will decisions made as adults over the age of reason ... this bible study will review a selection of similar verses however ... like the term most often used for the Ten TORAH ... that is ten commandments given to Moses ... we view these scriptures within the proper literal translation of TORAH ... that is ... teaching ... God provides teaching for His people so we can make free will decisions to turn to Him ( repentance ) ... Jesus Christ has provided redemption for every individual of humankind ... and ... for all adults above the age of reason it is the free will decision of turning to Jesus Christ God our Lord and Savior that provides salvation ... as noted by Jesus Christ in Matthew chapter 25 ... regardless of if we know we are doing that or not ...

 

Genesis chapter 17, vs 14                  God speaking

17:9 ויאמר אלהים אל-אברהם ואתה את-בריתי תשמר אתה וזרעך אחריך לדרתם

17:10 זאת בריתי אשר תשמרו ביני וביניכם ובין זרעך אחריך המול לכם כל-זכר

17:11 ונמלתם את בשר ערלתכם והיה לאות ברית ביני וביניכם

17:12 ובן-שמנת ימים ימול לכם כל-זכר לדרתיכם יליד בית ומקנת-כסף מכל בן-נכר אשר לא מזרעך הוא

17:13 המול ימול יליד ביתך ומקנת כספך והיתה בריתי בבשרכם לברית עולם

17:14 וערל זכר אשר לא-ימול את-בשר ערלתו ונכרתה הנפש ההוא מעמיה את-בריתי הפר

... an adult male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin has broken My covenant ... that person is cut off from the people ....

 

... while our focus in Genesis chapter 17 is verse 14 ... the topic id developed in vs 9 - 14 ... note that this topic has the importance of an ALEF-TAV in verse 11 ... 

 

... the New Testament book of Acts and Paul’s epistles teach us that the early church had quite a few interesting perspectives and dialogs regarding this verse ... and reasonably so for the outcome was our current understanding is that circumcision is an attribute of the heart related directly to our relationship with God through Jesus Christ God our Lord and Savior ... for folks of Hebrew ( Jewish ) heritage it is also a physical action which reflects that much more important spiritual process in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ God our Lord and Savior ... all the children of God have circumcision of their heart and it is still very proper and correct for Hebrew ( Jewish ) men to have physical circumcision ... there is no need for any male who is not Hebrew ( Jewish ) in heritage to every have physical circumcision however there is no harm either ... God’s purpose for us all is the circumcision of our hearts for Him ... which for both men and women who are the children of God takes us back to the ALEF-TAV in verse 11 ... that is ... it is really important to God in His relationship with each of us as individuals ... the essential difference is that for us as Christians with faith that Jesus Christ is God and our confession that God raised Him from the dead is that ourselves and all of humankind have redemption that is renewed relationship with God through the life ... death on the cross ... and ... resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ ... everyone’s redemption is based on that single sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross ... our salvation is though our faith in Jesus Christ ... an adult person of Hebrew ( Jewish ) heritage above the age of reason with active free will is a child of God through repeated actions of atonement during their life unfortunately without the awareness that this has already been done for them by Jesus Christ on the cross ... we have a Blessed Hope ...

 

Romans chapter 10, vs 25 - 27

... do not be uninformed of this mystery ... the partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in ... all Israel will be saved ... it is written ... the Deliverer will come to Zion and cut off the ungodly from Jacob ... this is the covenant with them ... God will take away their sin ...

 

... so ... as Christians we pretty much have a good understanding that the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross provided for the redemption of all humankind from Adam and Eve to now and to the very last human person on the face of the earth and perhaps other places if we manage to colonize the Moon or Mars ... this redemption has returned humankind to relationship with God for salvation ... that is everlasting life with God forever ... for folks who have died prior to the age of reason when we become responsible for the consequences of our free actions this is sort of an automatic ticket to life everlasting with God if a person’s life comes to an end early in life ... for folks above the age of reason and who are responsible for the consequences of their free will actions this is sort of an automatic ticket to everlasting life with God if a person choses Jesus Christ as their personal Savior ... however ... the bible teaches that the absence of that free will decision does not exclude everyone from everlasting life with God ... it defines some other criteria ... Matthew chapter 25 provides some general criteria and for the Hebrew ( Jewish ) people who are above the age of reason there is another criteria ... everlasting life with God is for all Hebrew ( Jewish ) people who are older than the age of reason and fortunately for a life attentive to the Word of God and His will that do not meet the Biblical criteria termed in the Holy Bible as cut off from the people of God … this is the focus for select verses that follow ... they are not rules or commandments but rather teaching from God to provide a clear understanding of the way of and the way to God ... the criteria of Matthew 25 represents a similar but separate bible study ...

 

Exodus chapter 30, vs 34 - 38                           God speaking

30:34 ויאמר יהוה אל-משה קח-לך סמים נטף ושחלת וחלבנה סמים ולבנה זכה בד בבד יהיה

30:35 ועשית אתה קטרת רקח מעשה רוקח ממלח טהור קדש

30:36 ושחקת ממנה הדק ונתתה ממנה לפני העדת באהל מועד אשר אועד לך שמה קדש קדשים תהיה לכם

30:37 והקטרת אשר תעשה במתכנתה לא תעשו לכם קדש תהיה לך ליהוה

30:38 איש אשר-יעשה כמוה להריח בה ונכרת מעמיו

... the LORD ( YHVH ) spoke to Moses and said ... add as equal parts each ... pure frankincense ... with what might be termed three spice like materials ... stacte ... onycha ... and ... galbanum ... this is a perfumed incense ... the work of a perfumer ... it is to be salted ... it will be pure and holy ... crush and beat to a very fine dust some of it before the Ark of the Testimony in the Tent of the Meeting where I meet with you ... the incense is to be most holy to you ... no one is to make a perfumed incense of the same proportions for themselves for any reason ... this incense is to always be holy to you for your use before the LORD ( YHVH ) ... anyone who makes anything like this perfumed incense is cut off from the people ...

 

... quite a few times in both the Old and New Testaments we are provided direct examples of how and why the term ... holy ... a term which provides specific limitations regarding how we express our faith to God ... we find each of these examples to be a consistent teaching which is intended to protect the children of God from the pervasive expanse of evil in our physical world ... while this is a bible study in its own right perhaps the best frame of reference is found in the book of Jude ... evil rubs off on the physical things of this world and we need to keep a mindful respect of that fact ... Exodus chapter 30, vs 34 - 38 is not a command or a sentence it is a teaching  regarding an ever present danger in our lives ...

 

Jude vs 20 - 23

... let us build ourselves up in our most holy faith ... praying in the Spirit of God ( Holy Spirit ) ... let us keep ourselves in the love of God as we wait anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring us to everlasting life with God forever ... let us have mercy on some who are doubting ... save some by snatching them out of the fire ... and ... save others with fear being careful of even their garments that have been polluted with evil by their flesh ... 

 

... having considered this very specifically prepared perfumed incense which is holy to the LORD ( YHVH ) ... it may be interesting to consider its components as stated to Moses by the LORD ( YHVH ) ... note that these components were not laying around out in the desert with the people of Israel during the Exodus ... they would have been materials carried out of Egypt on the day of the Exodus ...

 

Exodus chapter 12, vs 35 - 36

12:35 ובני-ישראל עשו כדבר משה וישאלו ממצרים כלי-כסף וכלי זהב ושמלת

12:36 ויהוה נתן את-חן העם בעיני מצרים וישאלום וינצלו את-מצרים

... the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses and requested from their Egyptian neighbors articles of silver gold clothing and other things ... the LORD ( YHVH ) gave His people favor in the sight of the Egyptians and they gave them all they requested ... and so ... the people of Egypt paid for the 430 years of bondage which the Hebrew ( Jewish ) people suffered under in Egypt ...

 

... getting back to Exodus chapter 30, vs 34 – 38 ...

... the four ingredients of the fragrant incense for the Tabernacle ...

  

@ Frankincense is also called Olibanum ... it is an aromatic resin produced by trees of the genus Boswellia ... particularly the species sacra but also the species frereana and serrata and papyrifera ... the use of this aromatic resin extends from the most ancient time to today ... harvesters make small cuts in the tree bark and the resin exudes hardening into small tear shaped globs of aromatic resin ... from ancient times to today the value is greater by weight than gold for its use in everything from traditional medicine to essential oil diffusers ... the Boswellia trees begin producing resin when they are eight to ten years old ... today the larger portion of the world supply of frankincense ( 90% ) comes from the horn of Africa ...   

 

@ Stacte is also called ... Myrrh ... Liquid Storax ... and ... Mastic Resin ... the Hebrew word for stacte is NATAPH which means ... to drip ... or ... drops ... there are some differences in opinion regarding what this specific reference may have been ... some sources proposed the naturally dripping oil of the Myrrh plant ... Commiphora myrrha ... while ... other sources propose the fragment viscous gum resin term Storax which is extracted from the Turkish Sweetgum tree ... Liquidambar orientalis ... or ... a separate tree Styrax officinalis ...

 

@ Onycha is the operculum of the a sea snail ... Murex whelk ... a mollusk found in the Red Sea that has the common name ... Strombus ... both the Hebrew name ... SHECHELETH ... and its corresponding Greek name mean ... fingernail ... or ... claw ... the operculum of the SHECHELETH is its meaty foot that forms a trapdoor lid for its shell ... when the mollusk is treated with alcohol vinegar and burnt the fishy smell of the extract is lost and the the liquid becomes a powerful fragrance fixative that helps scents to last longer ...

 

@ Galbanum is a bitter yellow-green gum resin that is harvested from the roots and stems of a plant that grows in Persia ( Iran today ) ... Ferula gummosa ... it is a member of the carrot and celery family ... raw galbanum has a sharp pungent unpleasant aroma however it is burned with other spices which bind and amplify the final aroma into a sweet fragrance ... unlike stacte and onycha whose roles and names have changed in perfumery today ... galbanum’s name and role remains the same ...  

 

... the fragrant incense which the LORD ( YHVH ) God defines for use at the Tabernacle is a good example of the large and wide cross cultural trade which archeology defines for just about all ancient societies as their remaining artifacts are discovered and studied ... while there are many different points of view regarding this phenomenon we believe the common starting point from the time of Noah followed by the Tower of Babel followed by the event at the time of Peleg the son of Eber are foundational to this understanding ... though that is a bible study for another time ...

  

Exodus chapter 31, vs 14                    God speaking

31:14 ושמרתם את-השבת כי קדש הוא לכם מחלליה מות יומת כי כל-העשה בה מלאכה ונכרתה הנפש ההוא מקרב עמיה

... observe the SABBATH for it is holy to you ... anyone who profanes the SABBATH is to be put to death ... anyone who works on the SABBATH is cut off from the people ...

 

Leviticus chapter 7, vs 20                   God speaking

7:20 והנפש אשר-תאכל בשר מזבח השלמים אשר ליהוה וטמאתו עליו ונכרתה הנפש ההוא מעמיה

... the sacrifice of the peace offering belongs to the LORD ( YHVH ) ... any person who eats that sacrifice while unclean is cut off from the people ...

 

... the teaching which the LORD ( YHVH ) God gave to the Hebrew ( Jewish ) people in the first five books of the Holy Bible include specific definitions for those situations which make an adult above the age of reason who is accountable for their free will decisions unclean ... that same teaching provides the mechanism to correct that status which is straight forward and can be accomplished with the help of any other adult ... to participate in a sacrifice to the LORD ( YHVH ) God is a conscious willful act of rebellion against God ...

 

Leviticus chapter 7, vs 21                   God speaking

7:21 ונפש כי-תגע בכל-טמא בטמאת אדם או בבהמה טמאה או בכל-שקץ טמא ואכל מבשר-זבח השלמים אשר ליהוה ונכרתה הנפש ההוא מעמיה

... everyone who touches anything unclean whether human uncleanness or an unclean animal or an unclean detestable thing ... and then ... eats the flesh of the sacrifice of a peace offering which belongs to the LORD ( YHVH ) ... that person is cut off from the people ...

 

... our select examples in this bible study are not complete or inclusive of any particular behavior which the LORD ( YHVH )’s teaching is encouraging the Hebrew ( Jewish ) people to avoid ... rather ... our intent is to provide some examples to make the consideration a little easier ... both ... at the time of the Tabernacle and the three temples there was remedial action to permit the reestablishment of an individual that wandered into a status of ... cut off ... for various reasons ... following the loss of the temple site in 70 AD Rabbinic Jewish Worship also provides remedial action ... in Christianity our covenant with Jesus Christ provides a direct path for an individual to repent and establish or reestablish relationship with God ...

  

Leviticus chapter 7, vs 25                   God speaking

7:25 כי כל-אכל חלב מן-הבהמה אשר יקריב ממנה אשה ליהוה ונכרתה הנפש האכלת מעמיה

... when an animal is offered as a sacrifice to the LORD ( YHVH ) by fire ... anyone who eats that fat of that animal is cut off from the people ...

 

Leviticus chapter 7, vs 27

7:27 כל-נפש אשר-תאכל כל-דם ונכרתה הנפש ההוא מעמיה

... anyone who eats blood is cut off from the people ...

 

Leviticus chapter 20, vs 3 – 5            God speaking

20:3 ואני אתן את-פני באיש ההוא והכרתי אתו מקרב עמו כי מזרעו נתן למלך למען טמא את-מקדשי ולחלל את-שם קדשי

20:4 ואם העלם יעלימו עם הארץ את-עיניהם מן-האיש ההוא בתתו מזרעו למלך לבלתי המית אתו

20:5 ושמתי אני את-פני באיש ההוא ובמשפחתו והכרתי אתו ואת כל-הזנים אחריו לזנות אחרי המלך מקרב עמם

... everyone who gives their offspring to Molech ... profanes My holy Name and defiles My sanctuary ... I set My face against them ... they are cut off from the people ...

 

Leviticus chapter 20, vs 6                   God speaking                                                              

20:6 והנפש אשר תפנה אל-האבת ואל-הידענים לזנת אחריהם ונתתי את-פני בנפש ההוא והכרתי אתו מקרב עמו

... everyone who consults with mediums and spiritists ... I will set My face against ... they are cut off from the people ...

 

Leviticus chapter 20, vs 17                God speaking

20:17 ואיש אשר-יקח את-אחתו בת-אביו או בת-אמו וראה את-ערותה והיא-תראה את-ערותו חסד הוא ונכרתו לעיני בני עמם ערות אחתו גלה עונו ישא

... siblings must not marry or they are cut off from the people ...

 

Numbers chapter 9, vs 13                   God speaking

9:13 והאיש אשר-הוא טהור ובדרך לא-היה וחדל לעשות הפסח ונכרתה הנפש ההוא מעמיה כי קרבן יהוה לא הקריב במעדו חטאו ישא האיש ההוא

... anyone who is clean and not on a journey who neglects to observe the Passover is cut off from the people ... they bear their sin because they did not acknowledge God’s gift at the appointed time ...

 

Numbers  15, vs 30 - 31                         God speaking

15:30 והנפש אשר-תעשה ביד רמה מן-האזרח ומן-הגר את-יהוה הוא מגדף ונכרתה הנפש ההוא מקרב עמה

15:31 כי דבר-יהוה בזה ואת-מצותו הפר הכרת תכרת הנפש ההוא עונה בה

... any person native or alien who blasphemes the Name of the LORD ( YHVH ) is cut off from the people ... because ... they despised the Word of the LORD ( YHVH ) and turned away from His teaching ... that person is cut off and their guilt remains with them ...

 

... so ... these are a few examples from a collection of specific verses in the Old Testament which teach the Hebrew ( Jewish ) people that the consequence for certain behaviors is to be cut off from the people ... at that time prior to first coming of Jesus Christ to be cut off from the people meant to be cut off from the grace and blessings of God ... the Hebrew word translated to English as ... cut off ... is Hebrew verb ... KARATH ...  כָּרַת  ... Strong# Hebrew 3772 ... the English translation ... cut off ... applies as a good literal meaning for this and most of the Old Testament verses in which we find this verb ... however ... best to keep that understanding in the frame of the actual Hebrew verb’s meaning which is to ... cut down ... like to cut down a tree in the forest so it is no longer a part of the forest ... essentially ... to cut off ... so that the referenced object or person is no longer a part of what it or they were cut off from ... a large part of the Christian church dismisses these scriptures as irrelevant and superseded by the grace we have as Christians ... however ... perhaps there is more going on in our world than a great many Christian theologians were aware of ... perhaps God maintains His relationships with humankind specifically as He developed specific relationships ... if that is the case ... then His relationship with the Hebrew ( Jewish ) people is unique ... and ... perhaps both they and we should realize just how much the Hebrew ( Jewish ) folks mean to the LORD ( YHVH ) God Almighty ... He loves them ...

 

... one good validation that the worship of God by the Hebrew ( Jewish ) people within the context of the covenant made with Moses ... essentially sacrifice and holy days as defined within the context originally of the Tabernacle and later the Temple at Jerusalem ... is ... the prophecy which the angel Gabriel gave to Daniel and which was also repeated by Jesus Christ regarding to abomination of desolation which defiles the temple of the LORD ( YHVH ) in Jerusalem ... if the Hebrew ( Jewish ) worship of God by current Rabbinical practice and the anticipated third temple worship is not a valid worship of God why would Gabriel’s prophecy in Daniel and the confirming words of Jesus Christ define this event as an abomination and a desecration ... in our analysis ... Hebrew ( Jewish ) people of today are the same Hebrew ( Jewish ) people of the Old Testament and they have returned to Israel the original homeland promised to them by the LORD ( YHVH ) God Almighty ... the ten TORAH which are the prominent portion of the 611 teachings of the LORD ( YHVH ) to the Hebrew ( Jewish ) people offer a select number of decisions which people above the age of reason can make with the consequence of cut off ... that is they are no longer a member of the Hebrew ( Jewish ) collective who are children of God ... note also that a provision is provided that permits repentance and reconnection with God as a reestablished member of the Hebrew ( Jewish ) people ...

 

Isaiah 27, vs 12                           God speaking

27:12 והיה ביום ההוא יחבט יהוה משבלת הנהר עד-נחל מצרים ואתם תלקטו לאחד אחד בני ישראל

... My people of Israel ... ... will be gathered one by one  ... on the day that the LORD ( YHVH ) begins threshing from the Euphrates river to the brook of Egypt ... 

 

Isaiah 43, vs 5 - 7                         God speaking

43:5 אל-תירא כי אתך-אני ממזרח אביא זרעך וממערב אקבצך

43:6 אמר לצפון תני ולתימן אל-תכלאי הביאי בני מרחוק ובנותי מקצה הארץ

43:7 כל הנקרא בשמי ולכבודי בראתיו יצרתיו אף-עשיתיו

... do not be afraid ... for ... I AM with you ... I will bring your offspring from the East ... gather you from the West ... I will say to the North ... give them up ... and ... to the South I will say ... do not hold them back ... and so I will bring my sons and daughters from afar from the ends of the earth ... I will bring everyone who is called by My Name ... I created them ... I formed and made them ... for My glory ...