Beards maketh the man.
A belief is common within some parts of our movement that hold beards are compulsory for men. It is not an uncommon belief for a religious person to take. In Islam shaving is generally considered haram (forbidden) or makruh (undesirable), depending on one’s position, on the basis that the prophets of Allah sung the praises of beards and their associated manliness. In Sikhism, growing a beard is a central tenant of the faith. Hair, being a creation of God, is regarded as sacred. So sacred are beards considered that in 1699, the Sikh spiritual leader Guru Gobind Singh declared, “My Sikh shall not use the razor. For him the use of razor or shaving the chin shall be as sinful as incest”.
There have been similar sentiments in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Ancient Israeli art depicted Israelites as having beards, while the hated Philistines were clean-shaven. In the Bible, the Ammonites humiliated the emissaries of King David by shaving their beards. This Judeo love affair with the beard did not cease in antiquity, with Orthodox Jews banned from shaving, to what extend depending on their level of Orthodoxy. The Hasidic Rabbi, Aron Moss gave the beard a mystical essence. He said, “The beard is hair that grows down from the heard to the rest of the body. It is the bridge between mind and heart, thoughts and actions, theory and practice, good intentions and good deeds. So we don’t cut the beard, but rather let it flow freely, to open a direct flow from the ideals and philosophies of our minds into everyday lifestyle”. Just how a beard did this was not, to my knowledge, extrapolated, but the point was made nevertheless.
Christianity has had an on and off again relationship with the beard. Around 1000 A.D, it was stated in the Canons of Edgar, “Let no man in holy orders conceal his tonsure, nor let himself be misshaven nor keep his beard for any time, if he will have God’s blessing and St. Peter’s and ours”. The Franciscans however disagreed. For them, “The Friars shall wear the beard, after the example of Christ most holy”. The Franciscan constitution praised the beard as “something manly, natural, severe, despised and austere”. The debate then was not settled in Christendom, however, I did stumble across a blog dedicated to Christian men’s beards and, unsurprisingly, it was full of incredibly handsome men which, though this was not their intention, nevertheless provided a very positive contemporary argument for the beard.
Unlike our Christian brothers, the pagans have had no such quarrel with the beard. One such pagan in the US Army was allowed to grow his beard due to it being an essential component of his pagan, Norse, beliefs. While I would never condone, and neither would HRM, the practice of pagan beliefs, if one where to practice such a belief, it would of course be prudent and moral to urge them to grow a beard as no Viking worth his axe should ever be without one.
Within our movement, the issue has again not been so clear cut. Many have adamantly denied that free flowing locks of male face hair are required by God, while others have taught that men, particularly men that lead congregations, must, at all costs, grow their whiskers to magnificent manly lengths in obedience to the Torah. Having spent zero time examining this issue in any substantial detail, and yet invested in it due to my own possession of a beard, I found myself turning to my own lived experience, and that of my father’s, to settle this most pressing issue.
My atheist father over the years mirrored the Christian relationship with the beard – while he has for the most part of his esteemed life had a beard of varying degrees, at times he did not. According then to the Torah commands beards advocates, I would be forced to conclude that his manliness dropped when he did not have a beard, he probably become somewhat weaker and forgot how to mow the lawn. On reflection however, I found that the quantity of facial hair he graced the world with had no impact on his manliness or moral character in general, and that he remained the same man who could out drink anyone, made things and fixed things around the house, loved football (the AFL – the only type), and at times, displayed his physical prowess through the odd show of strength when dealing with drunk, rude supporters – which in my younger days going to the football in the western suburbs of Melbourne was not at all uncommon. In this I learnt that there was no correlation between a man’s level of manliness and the degree of beard he adorned.
To some, this conclusion may be shocking, but there is more evidence that suggests there exists no such correlation between a manliness and beards. The argument that the beard maketh the man was dealt a severe blow with the rise of the hipster. The hipster male emerged from the city fringes somewhat in response to the general repulsion many men and, importantly, many females felt towards metro-sexual men when they were a thing. While the hipster sought to reclaim some sense of masculinity via the power of beards, primarily to attract females, the hipster has typically adopted ideologies that run contrary to the church, for example, the idea gender exists on a spectrum and other things like that and therefore proved that the presence of beards could in fact signify the type of masculinity at odds with Biblical teachings.
Noting that the above findings where not arrived at via a proper research methodology and neither not peer reviewed by any relevant authority, it is still proven, to some degree at the least, that the presence and or absence of a beard has no demonstrable bearing on a man’s inherent manly qualities and whether he can or cannot fulfil his duties at home or at work or leading a congregation. We can of course debate the theology – but in this instance maybe we shouldn’t, after all, it is just a beard.
SERIES D --- YHVH’S TABERNACLE --- LESSON 14
ISRAEL’S TREASURE
TABERNACLE TREASURES
From Exodus 38
The work of constructing the tabernacle and its furnishings had been given to Bezalel and his skilled craftsmen. After he had constructed the tent itself, the Ark, the table and the golden lampstand, he made the altar to be used for burnt offerings. It was made of acacia wood and was seven and one-half feet square by four and one-half feet in height. At each of the four corners of the altar there was a horn, formed from the same piece of wood as the altar itself. When the altar was completed, it was covered with bronze. Bezalel also made the utensils for the altar, casting the pots, shovels, basins, forks and firepans from bronze. He made a bronze grating which was placed on a ledge halfway down on the inside of the altar. The altar was hollow inside, with rings on the sides through which the carrying poles were placed. These poles were made of acacia wood and covered with bronze. The great bronze laver and its pedestal were cast from bronze mirrors which had been melted down. These had been given by the women who ministered at the door of the tabernacle. The south wall of the courtyard was a hundred and fifty feet long. The curtains which formed the walls were made of fine-twined linen. These were fastened by silver hooks and rods to twenty posts, set in bronze sockets. The north side was the same. But the west side was seventy-five feet long with ten posts set in bronze sockets. The curtains on the west side were fastened to the posts by silver hooks and rods. The east side of the courtyard was seventy-five feet long, with twenty-two and one-half feet of curtains, supported by three posts, on each side of the entrance. These curtains were fastened by silver hooks and rods to the posts, which were set in bronze sockets. All of the curtains or draperies, of this courtyard wall were made of fine-twined linen, fastened with silver hooks and rods to the posts. The sockets for the posts were made of bronze and the tops covering the posts were plated with silver. The curtains covering the entrance were made of fine-twined linen with blue, purple and scarlet thread and decorated with skilful embroidery. These curtains were thirty feet long and seven and one-half feet wide and they were hung by silver hooks and rods on four posts which were set in bronze sockets. These posts had silver tops like those of the other posts. The pegs or nails used in building the tabernacle were all made of bronze. Here is a list of the workmen and materials involved in constructing the tabernacle to house the Ark which Moses commanded to be built. It was in this tabernacle that the Levites would minister to Adonai. The work was supervised by Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. The craftsman who supervised the skilled work was Bezalel, son of Uri and grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. His chief assistant was Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. He was a craftsman who was skilled in engraving, designing and embroidering in blue, purple and scarlet fine-twined linen. Altogether, there was about thirty-five hundred pounds of gold used in the tabernacle and about ten thousand pounds of silver. The silver was collected as a tax imposed on the 603,550 men over twenty years of age. Most of the silver was used for the sockets in which the posts were set, about a hundred pounds for each socket. The rest of the silver was used to plate the tops of the posts and to make the hooks and rods. The people also gave about seven thousand pounds of bronze. With this the craftsmen made the sockets for the entrance to the tabernacle, the bronze altar with its grating and all its utensils, the sockets for the posts surrounding the courtyard and the nails or pegs used throughout the tabernacle.
COMMENTS
ALTARS AND LAVER
In one way, the Israelites were like their neighbours, for they were people who shared many customs of their times. But as YHVH’s chosen people, they were distinct from their neighbours. Much of that distinction lay in their worship of YHVH, especially at the tabernacle. The altars and laver give an example of the uniqueness of the tabernacle as a place of worship. The Canaanite altars were made of plastered stones, bricks and rubble. But the Israelites had to make theirs only with earth and fieldstones. The stones were not to be shaped or trimmed in any way, because using a tool on the stone would make it unholy {Exodus 20:25}. Unlike the altars of their neighbours, the Hebrew altars had four horns, one on each corner. No one knows what the horns meant to the Israelites. Since they were supposed to be from the bull, which is such a strong animal, it is possible they were meant to remind the Hebrews of YHVH’s power. No steps were ever built to lead to the altar. It was always level with the worshipers. This was to prevent any accidental exposure of the priest’s body; if he didn’t have to walk up steps, the robe would be less likely to shift and uncover him. Such modesty was completely unlike the Canaanite priests, who conducted fertility rites entirely naked. Pagan altars were often places for the display and sacrifice of the human body. Hebrew altars, on the other hand, was places for spiritual communion with the invisible YHVH. Even long before the tabernacle, Noah, Abraham and Jacob had built altars to YHVH. The tabernacle had two altars. The smaller of the two was the incense altar. It stood in front of the veil to the Holy of Holies. The larger one was the altar of burnt offerings. The sacrificed animal’s body was placed on a bronze grating set halfway down inside it. All other altar utensils were made of bronze too. The laver was a large bronze bowl that stood on a pedestal. It was made of the melted-down mirrors donated by the women who ministered at the tabernacle door. Filled with water, it stood between the tabernacle and the altar. Moses anointed it with oil to make it sacred and there the priests washed their hands and feet before they performed any ritual.
Thought for Today: Monday January 09:
May Adonai’s Grace and Power make you bold and courageous. May He remove from your midst sickness, despair, and disorder of every kind. May He bring clarity, peace and joy into your heart and mind today. May your obedience to Him, your love for Him and your faith in Him bring pleasure to His heart.
Q. How many ways of the oppressor should we learn?
A. None of his ways. They all lead to death.
Proverbs 3:31-35 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
For the froward is abomination to YHWH: but his secret is with the righteous.
The curse of YHWH is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.
Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth favor unto the lowly.
The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
Deuteronomy 18:9 When thou art come into the land which YHWH thy Elohim giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
Jeremiah 10:1-7 Hear ye the word which YHWH speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:
Thus saith YHWH, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O YHWH; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.
Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.
#amos the #prophet and the people of today 2023
https://odysee.com/@HebrewRoot....s:9/Amos2023z:8?r=3c
All three signs that God gave Moses demonstrated God's power over life and death, particularly three levels of life on earth:
1) Staff and serpent = plants and animals
2) Leprous hand = life and death of men
3) Nile into blood = nations
YHWH causes death and brings the dead to life.
In Exodus 4:9, Moses poured out the Nile onto the ground like the blood of a slaughtered sacrificial animal: a potent symbol to the Hebrews of God's power over Egypt.
A staff is a symbol of authority. God asked Moses "What is in your hand?" He didn't know that he had authority until God pointed it out.
A man's authority used for his own purposes is like an asp. It's dangerous to everyone, including the man. Our staffs must be cast down and picked back up again in service to the Creator.
Exodus 4:1-5
SERIES D --- YHVH’S TABERNACLE --- LESSON 13
PURE GOLD
FURNITURE FOR THE TABERNACLE
From Exodus 37
The Ark which Bezalel made was three and three-quarters feet long by two and one-quarter feet wide and two and one-quarter feet high. He covered it with pure gold inside and out and made a golden moulding around it. He placed two golden rings on each side through which he placed two poles of acacia wood, each covered with gold. These were used to carry the Ark. Bezalel also made a mercy seat of pure gold, which covered the Ark like a lid. It was three and three-quarters feet long by two and one-quarter wide. He fashioned two cherubim of beaten gold and placed them facing each other at the two ends of the mercy seat. This entire mercy seat was one piece of metal, including the cherubim, which looked down upon the Ark with outstretched wings. The next piece of tabernacle furniture to be made was the golden table. It was made of acacia wood, three feet long by one and one-half feet wide and two and one-quarter feet high. It was covered with gold and had a golden moulding around the edge. The frame which surrounded the table was about the width of a man’s hand and had a golden moulding around it. Golden rings were mounted on the four legs of the table, through which the poles were placed to carry the table. From pure gold Bezalel made the golden utensils for the table; plates and dishes for incense and bowls and flagons which were used to pour libations. He also made the golden lamp stand, moulded from one piece of gold. The entire piece, including its base and shaft, lamp holders and decorative almond blossoms, was made from one piece of gold. From its sides came six branches, three from each side. Each branch had three cups shaped like almond blossoms with calyx and petals. On the shaft of the lamp stand were four cups like almond blossoms, each having calyx and petals and a calyx below each pair of branches. The calyx and branch were all part of the lamp stand, so that the entire lamp stand was one piece of metal. The lamp stand itself was made of pure gold and weighed about a hundred and seven pounds. Also, all of the seven lamps, the snuffers and the trays were of pure gold. Bezalel made the incense altar of acacia wood and covered it with pure gold. It was three feet high and eighteen inches square and had a golden moulding around it. On each side were placed two golden rings through which were placed carrying poles, covered with pure gold. The anointing oil and fragrant incense were made from spices. These were blended by the perfumers.
COMMENTARY
THE MENORAH AND THE TABLE OF SHOWBREAD
In front of the veil before the Holy of Holies, two gold objects gleamed. One of them was a large lamp stand or candleholder called the menorah. The other was a table three feet long and one and a half feet wide; it held twelve loaves of bread-the showbread. The menorah had a long centre stalk. Three branches spread out from each side. It was made from pure gold, hammered out into one piece forming the base, stalk and the branches. The seven oil cups at the top were shaped like almond flowers; they symbolized fruitfulness. Beneath them sprouted tiny apples or pears and lily flowers. The burning lamps represented the presence of YHVH. Some believe the design of the menorah was meant as a symbol for the tree of life. It may represent Israel as a tree. It is possible that it is a copy of a real tree that has six branches and a centre stalk and is called a {Moriah} in Hebrew. Opposite the menorah stood a table that held twelve loaves of bread-two rows of six each. A cup of incense burned over each row. The priests ate the bread every Sabbath and replaced it with fresh loaves. Showbread meant {Bread of the Presence} and may have signified YHVH’s presence.
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