March 29, 2007              Strangers in the House      Kathleen Maples

Exo 12:43 And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:

Exo 12:44 But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.

Exo 12:45 A foreigner and a hired servant shall not eat thereof.

Exo 12:46 In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth aught of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.

Exo 12:47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.

Exo 12:48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.

Exo 12:49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

The Passover was a set apart time for the people of God to take a lamb without blemish, a male about a year old, taken from sheep or goat, and that first night in Egypt when they were preparing to leave bondage, the blood of the lamb was to be put on the side door posts and above the upper door post of the house where they would then roast the lamb with fire, and unleavened bread, with bitter herbs, and eat it. It was not to be raw or boiled with water, but roast with fire. Anything that remained the next morning was to be burnt with fire. They were to eat it with their garments on, prepared to travel, and not take their time about this. There is a spiritual application to be gleaned here. The Bible says not to cast your pearls before swine. Give not that which is holy to the dogs. The lamb typified Jesus Christ, who was God's Son, full of the Holy Ghost, a consuming fire. Jesus told them in John 6 unless they eat His flesh and drink His blood they had no life in them. He is Holy, and pure, and has no fellowship with darkness. A stranger was not allowed to eat this Passover meal with the children of God. But it's evident even here God wanted to reach out to strangers, because He made provision for them to be a part of this. In order to partake of it, any stranger had to meet certain requirements. He had to be circumcised, he had to be one of God's children's servant, bought with money-couldn't be a hireling. He couldn't remain a foreigner. In other words, he couldn't be a stranger to the ways and customs of God. If he was to partake, he had to be a bought servant, circumcised. The flesh had to be cut off, and any stranger wishing to be a part of the Passover had to become one of them-one of God's family. "As one born in the land for NO uncircumcised person shall eat of the Passover." This was a spiritual thing. This pointed to holy communion with the Godhead, and strangers with dark hearts cannot partake of that. Strangers with rebellious hearts, unwilling to be obedient to the Word of God cannot partake. They will try. Jude warned of this. (Jude 12). He says they will do this without fear-implying it is a dangerous thing to do.

When I was a sinner, under conviction, I went with my son to this church with a lady I worked with. They happened to be having the communion that day. There was an instinctive fear that caused me to shake my head no, and tell my son no, when they passed by our aisle with this tray of juice and crackers. I had cried through the whole message. I didn't understand why. I just knew I couldn't touch the juice and crackers and had no idea why. I saw from the lady I came with's expression she would not hurt my feelings and would have passed it to me. I also saw the relief when I shook my head no.

Children of God, we live in a world of bondage all around us. There is idolatry and heathen customs everywhere. Things are changing and deteriorating so quickly. I believe God wants us in His Word, eating this book, praying, seeking Him, drawing closer to Him, because the Lord is coming soon, and we need to be packed and ready to go. One thing we should remember here: before God brought His people out of Egypt, he sent awful judgments on this land. In the midst of these judgments which destroyed the nation of Egypt, their crops, their lands, many of their people, their animals, their firstborn-in the midst, God's people had a hiding place. They saw it happen, but it did not come nigh them because they were God's. I believe we will see more of God's judgments on this land, this world, before those who are ready to leave are taken. We must know the promises of God for ourselves. We must know HIM for ourselves and be full of His Spirit so we won't be running around like others full of panic and uncertainty. He's already told us beforehand what will happen in His Word. It's our responsibility to be aware, to be full of oil so we can share with those around us who are stumbling in the dark. Remember-God made provision for those outside His family but they must go through the Door, and come God's way. They must be born again.

If you read in Lev 21 you see the rules laid out by God to Moses about the priesthood of the Levites. These were to be ministers to the Lord in His tabernacle, and are types of us-who are now the temple of the Lord. They were to be holy, they were not to be unequally yoked with a pagan wife or profane woman, nor an adulteress.

Lev 21:17 Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.

Lev 21:18 For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous,

Lev 21:19 Or a man that is broken-footed, or broken-handed,

Lev 21:20 Or crookbacked, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;

Lev 21:21 No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.

Lev 21:22 He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy.

Lev 21:23 Only he shall not go in unto the veil, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them.

That's a lot to think about, and I was studying this and I have to thank God for helping me see what all this means-as always, because without HIM I cannot accurately understand anything that is written in this book. To have a blemish means stain, or spot, (physical or moral,) blind is one who cannot literally see or spiritually see the truth because they have not the Spirit of God in them. To be lame-one who has all kinds of excuses why they can't or won't walk in the way of God. The flat nose-VERY unusual because from the definition, the nose being flat is only symbolic: it means in the Hebrew (H2763) one who is banned, devoted to or dedicated for destruction, to divide, be forfeited. Remember Cain, Esau, Saul, these all had opportunity to have a part and place in the life and plan of God. They all were destroyed because of their decision to lightly esteem the Word and ways of God in favor of their own thinking and ways. They forfeited what they could have had because they were willing to trade it off, and had no heart to obey God.

Superfluous means serving no useful purpose, having no excuse for being, or more than is needed, desired or required. It's pointless excess. This speaks of the so called Christian who can't break free from the world, because they don't really want to give it up, and are drunk on the cares of this life, and pleasures of the flesh where in is excess. They often have one foot in the church and the other in the world. Broken footed means someone who has broken down and stepped on the standards and truths of God, and by their own wrong interpretation could cause others to err or be destroyed. They willfully interpret the Word to suit their own selves. Broken handed means something similarly-they are as the Scripture says, holding the truth in unrighteousness-they don't practice what they preach.

Crooked backed-literally hump backed, but spiritually-they don't stand for the straight truth, they bow to idolatry and the demands of their flesh and carnal minds. To be crooked means winding around the truth, deviating from it. Winding in moral conduct; devious; froward; perverse; going out of the path of uprightness; given to deceptive behavior or wandering from duty. Remember when the Lord told Isaiah His watchmen were dumb, greedy dogs, that didn't bark and warn the people of impending judgment? He said they are greedy dogs that can never have enough, shepherds that can't understand and look to their own gain. (Isa_56:10-11)

Dwarf-it means a very little thing, lean fleshed, and isn't it the little foxes that spoil the vine, the little leaven that leavens the whole lump?

The man that has a blemish in his eye-remember Jesus called them in Matthew 7 hypocrites-those who had beams in their eye and tried to judge the one who had a speck. If there is a blemish in their eye, they don't see things right, and if they can't see things right they can't teach them right. They will teach their own error to others..

The scurvy and scabbed- this means itch, with eruptive disease, scales, skin sores (like leprosy which is symbolic of sin) Those who have itching ears for smooth talking, and lies, and itching hands for making merchandise out of God's people. They themselves are stained with sin, and can only lead others captive, not to freedom for they themselves are not free-as Jude warned.

"These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; tress whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots. Raging waves of the sea, foaming out of their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. (Jude 12-13)

The one whose 'stones are broken' refers to their ability to reproduce life. They are impotent, emasculated or castrated. They are weakened, sterile. There is no life of God flowing through them so they can't speak life only death. That flow of life-those living waters, have been cut off. These are not to minister in any capacity in the House of God. They are not to sing, to preach or teach Sunday School, or take care of the nursery. They are not to have any position or influence in the House of God. But for all this-God is so merciful. He makes provision. He says these can eat the bread of God. He can't stand in the place of priest of the Most High and offer the bread (Word) of God to the people because he is stained with sin. But praise God, He has the only remedy for sin. There is a fountain that flows and sinners plunged into that are cleansed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, shed for our sins. God can't let such in His presence for communion, but He's able to feed them and wash them and cleanse them and make them right and then they can enter in.

In today's society, there are many in this condition, on TV, on the radio, in churches across this nation in this condition-the blind leading their congregations further into darkness. The Bible says where there is no vision the people perish. Where there is no understanding or revelation of the Lord, people are devoured by the adversary, by sin. Often they are told God understands, they can't live above sin, that their flesh will burn but their souls be saved. Heresy. The Lord came to save His people FROM not IN their sins. He's a mighty big God. He's a HOLY God.

In Exodus 30, the Lord gives directions on the anointing oil, and how it's to be prepared. It's to be made of three principal spices. Calamus, which is also called "sweet cane", and is a reed like plant found in Lebanon that is very fragrant when bruised. Sweet Cinnamon was the second ingredient. It was grown at the time in India and China, so had to be imported to the Egyptians and the Mid-East area. The inner rind when dried out and rolled into cylinders forms the cinnamon you buy now. The fruit of this tree and the bark when boiled produced a fragrant oil. Myrrh come from a stunted tree in Arabia. The gum resin that came in tear shaped drops from the tree, especially when the tree was cut, had a pleasing smell. However, the liquid resin had a bitter taste that when ingested by humans would cause them to be almost drunk. It was for this reason Jews in Jesus' time would mix it into a drink and offer it to those being crucified, to help stupefy the one dying to the pain. For this reason, Jesus refused to drink the "gall" offered Him. It was bitter, and had a narcotic effect. It was also used in the embalming of the dead. Together these three substances made a very fragrant and unique oil. Added to this mix was cassia, similar to cinnamon, and olive oil. It was used to anoint the tabernacle, the ark of the testimony, the table and all the vessels on the table, the altar of incense, the laver, and the priests. The anointing oil had to be on everything that was holy. It was not to be poured on flesh nor was any other oil made to be made like this and used for another purpose. It was not to be put on strangers. God won't anoint flesh. People getting up in the House of God and doing what they do in their own self He will not anoint. These people who are merchandising and selling "holy anointing oil" are in direct contradiction to the Scriptures. When they will anoint just anybody, and that word in religious circles is so misused and so abused and so misunderstood, it's dangerous. Only the Holy Ghost can bring the anointing that will destroy the yoke. In the New Testament, Jesus was anointed with oil, the man beaten and left on the road was anointed by the good Samaritan with this healing ointment. James wrote that if any were sick let him call for the elders and they would anoint him with oil and pray. Oil was used for the sick, for the holy, and for the hurting. Can't seem to find a Scripture that says you can sell it and make money for your ministry. There isn't one. God won't anoint someone He doesn't know, who has not spent time with Him and His Word, and He won't anoint someone acting in their own strength and reasoning.

Num 1:50 But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.

Num 1:51 And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

Strangers can't help establish and run the church. They are to have no say so. Only the children of God, those sanctified and set apart for God, by God, in the capacity of leadership and authority are to have this responsibility. If your elders and bishops and deacons are carnal men, then they can't be led by the Spirit and don't belong in the position. These names and the posterity and recognition that goes with them are often abused. Christ is to the be the center of all, for all, and by all. I guess I've never been comfortable with men being acknowledged by these titles because it tends to draw more attention to them than it should. CHRIST is to be lifted up, not flesh in any capacity. The Scripture says render honor to whom it is due, but only HE is to be the Center. You can respect your pastor or elder without words better than you can with words most of the time.

Num 3:10 And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

Levi, the tribe which was the priesthood of Israel to the Lord, means "joined". The priest, the minister, the individual believer born of God's Spirit, are supposed to be joined to the Lord, to stand before Him and minister to Him before they can minster to others. How many times in Scripture are we told it's they that wait upon the Lord who will be strengthened, fed and encouraged? How can someone get up and teach or preach or sing or edify the body of Christ if they have not done this first? Only when it is HIS Word, sought from HIM and His Bible, watered with prayer, taught by the Holy Spirit of God to the heart of the seeker, can it profit others. Without the direction and anointing of the Holy Spirit you can take the Word of God and kill somebody with it. It's sharper than any two edged sword. Spiritually, you can wound and kill someone. You can so discourage them they won't try but give up and go back to the world. How we need wisdom. Again, I say, the stranger, one who doesn't know God, who is only religious, is standing on dangerous ground when he tries to step into the place of the priest. Remember, John and Peter both tell us we are the priests of God now. We have been chosen, and called, who are born of His Spirit to be His dwelling place, to wait on Him and minister to His heart the worship and praise He is so worthy of, and feed on His supernatural and holy life, to drink that living water and thus become a well, a source the rivers of that living water can flow through to others.

Num 9:14, 15:14 tells us if a stranger wanted to be a part of God's family he could. He had to come God's way and do things God's way, but he was to be welcomed and received if he would do it right. He was to make a burnt offering to the Lord. Today, we are to be the offering daily to the Lord, presented to Him and burnt with Holy Ghost fire.

Deu 3:12 says gather the strangers among you and teach them about God so they learn to fear Him. Deu 17:15 says no stranger is to rule over the people of God. Pastors that don't know God, elders that don't know God, etc., are not to be in authority over the sheep of God. Just because they fill out an application and say they have been to seminary doesn't qualify them to shepherd the people of God. Spending time alone with God, being filled with His Spirit, THAT is the major qualification. It's not an option-it's a MUST.

You can read Solomon's dedication of the temple in 2 Chronicles and find out strangers could come in to the House of God and cry out for help from God and be heard and helped by God. But God warned Ezekiel about these things we've been studying too.

Eze 44:4 Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the house: and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD: and I fell upon my face.

Eze 44:5 And the LORD said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary.

Oh, we have to know the order and ways of God. We have to pray for understanding, and study this Word of God for ourselves to see if we are doing it right. We can't just go to church, without considering what the Word says about His Sanctuary and what He requires of those who enter. That's foolish and dangerous. I've been guilt of being ignorant. I praise God for His mercy. I want to know right from wrong, don't you?

He says Ezekiel, you mark well, or pay attention to look and see and hear what is I'm tell you about My House, you understand and consider what I'm tell you. You pay attention to how they enter and leave the Sanctuary. That is how that translates when you look it up in the original Hebrew.

Eze 44:6 And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations,

Eze 44:7 In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations.

Eze 44:8 And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.

Eze 44:9 Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel.

There's a rebellious and bitter people here. They have brought their abominations into the House of God. He says Enough! Then He goes on to tell them some of what they are doing and how it is abomination to HIM. He says you have brought into My Sanctuary strangers, people who don't know me, who aren't born of My Spirit, who are working in their own flesh, their own ways and thoughts, which are not mine, and because of this, My House is polluted. When they offer the bread of God (His Word) they take the best for themselves, they teach be rich and prosper, and break the covenant. They don't teach the full counsel of God, because they don't have it. They don't understand it because they don't know Him. These men had been brought in, and set up in authority over the holy things of God-and weren't watching out for anybody but their own gain and their own selves. God says don't you bring carnal people who are religious and who don't know Me into this Sanctuary-MY House, and minister flesh to My people. All they will do is lead people away from God into idolatry. They cater to those who are living in sin. It's called seeker and sinner friendly churches. In these places, carnal people will stifle any move of the convicting power of the Holy Ghost that even tries to work.

Eze 44:11 Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house: they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them.

Eze 44:12 Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore have I lifted up mine hand against them, saith the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their iniquity.

Eze 44:13 And they shall not come near unto me, to do the office of a priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, in the most holy place: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed.

God says if you want your idols and sins, I'll give you ministers that will cater to that, but they won't come near Me or My Holy things. And if they aren't spending time with God, they will not have truth that sets people free from bondage and shame and pain. They will a form of godliness without any power. They will not come to the knowledge of the truth no matter how much they read other men's commentaries and books and men's wisdom.

Jer 5:22 Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

Jer 5:23 But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.

Jer 5:24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.

Jer 5:25 Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withheld good things from you.

It's by the fear of the Lord that men depart from evil. It needs to be taught to the people in the Sanctuary. (Psa 89:7) It's not an option but a MUST.

Jer 23:16 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.

Jer 23:17 They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.

Jer 23:18 For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?

Have you ever been in a service where somebody supposedly has the gift of a word of knowledge, and everything they prophesy to people is good? They call out the carnal, and the worldly and prophesy to them that they are going to be successful, and happy, when they don't even spend time with God and aren't faithful to His House? They don't pray much, but this so called prophet says God told me to tell you He's heard your prayers and He's going to move for you?

Jer 23:21 I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

Jer 23:22 But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.

Jer 23:23 Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?

When the Holy Ghost deals with me, He always points out what I'm doing wrong. He always tells me what I need to change. By His very presence in my life I know I am God's child-and that is encouragement and hope. The promises of God are mine as I walk in faith and seek Him and HIS kingdom-not my own ways and wants. If they are standing in the counsel of God, they will tell the people-turn off that TV, seek God, put GOD first, make things right with your brother or sister,-in short, they will deal with sin. They will reprove, correct, chasten, enlighten, and strengthen with hope that is on the heels of repentance-forgiveness and restoration. And God says, Hey, Am I not close at hand, that you can ask Me and seek Me yourself? You don't need anybody to prophesy to you. All you need is ME. I'm right here. Come hear what I have to say. You can't hide anything from Me, I'm everywhere. He hears all this stuff and it hurts His heart when people swallow it and don't even stop to ask Him what is His Word. And what is His Word?

Jer 23:29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

Jer 23:30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbor.

It's that fire of the Holy Ghost anointing that destroys the yoke of sin's bondage, whether it's fear, drugs, porn, suicidal thoughts, shame, no matter what it is. It's the Truth when it's known by the people that sets them free. Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am THE Way, The TRUTH and THE Life." To get to God we go through Him. He is the Door. No prophets, or prophetesses, or whatever. When people tack that label on themselves, beware! If you really are legit, you won't dare draw attention to yourself because you know the judgments of God, and you fear Him. You know He won't let flesh glory and take credit for what He does. God help us know better. If we don't read this Book for ourselves and spend time with God, we won't know better. If you don't know the truth, you can't spot a counterfeit. Remember, Satan's workers often manifest themselves as angels of light, speaking smooth things. They never rock the boat or deal with sin or warn of judgment or the need to change. Why? Because he wants you to go down. We would do well to examine for ourselves just what faith we are in-and does it line up with the Word?? Are we trusting in our flesh and our pastor or are we trusting HIM and HIS Word?