Judah Goes First
AUDIO VERSION
I have been meditating on our coming out of the world system as the remnant army of God and the Lord has been opening up some scriptures concerning this movement. I want to share to you from Psalm 114:1.
‘When Israel came forth out of Egypt, the house of Jacob, from a people of strange language, Judah became God's sanctuary and Israel His dominion.
Now, do you notice that there's a difference there? Israel was his dominion. A Dominion is a place where a king has rulership. But Judah became God's sanctuary and a sanctuary is a safe place, a place that God inhabits and dwells in. Judah is the tribe that marched out first whenever the Israelites moved to follow the cloud in the wilderness. A king is present in a city but actually dwells in a palace within the city. The palace is his sanctuary, his resting place but his dominion is over the entire city. It is the city of the king and within it is the specific dwelling place of that king. This is the picture psalm 114 is painting for us. Israel is the city, the dominion of the Lord but Judah is His sanctuary, His palace where He rests and dwells.
The tribe of Judah went out first and Judah became God’s sanctuary when they came forth out of Egypt. THIS is why it is so important for us to come out of Egypt, out of the world's system. Judah is the place that God inhabits and dwells in. This is the Man-Child Company - those who have God in the midst of them. Psalm 114:7 says this:
‘Tremble at the presence of the God of Jacob’.
Now, the sanctuary originally in the wilderness was the tabernacle that was put together by Bezalel and his team and I want to look at Exodus 29: 43.
‘The tent of meeting shall be sanctified by My glory, My Shekinah (visible presence)... and I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God’
It is the sanctuary, it is the place of habitation that is sanctified by His glory. The tent of meeting is the Sanctuary once the tabernacle is built but psalm 114 says that Judah, the tribe of Judah becomes His sanctuary when the people of God come forth out of Egypt,
Exodus, 29:46 ‘and they shall know that I am the Lord, the God who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may well among them’.
But the specific place where He dwells is among the spiritual tribe of Judah. And this, Saints, is why we are coming out of the world system, out of Egypt or Babylon, that He might dwell by His manifest presence in our midst. This cannot happen when we are in Egypt because Egypt is defiled. Babylon is the stronghold of every foul spirit. But when we come out and be separate, He comes to make Judah His sanctury and Israel, the place where His rule is established. Look at Psalm 77 where it describes the crossing of the Red Sea:
‘When the waters saw You, oh God, they were afraid’.
Did you know, that Waters could see? Waters can see. But what did those barriers of the Red Sea and Jordan actually see? They saw the manifest presence of God in the tribe of Judah. They saw the manifest glory coming from the tribe that was His sanctuary, His safe place.
Remember, the Ark of the Covenant was not made by the time they crossed the Red Sea. It was only made after that. So when the waters of the Red Sea saw God and were afraid, what were they looking at? They were looking at the glory of Judah, who had become His sanctuary. Now, remember that the Red Sea was only crossed on the 21st of Aviv, not on the 15th of Aviv on the night when they left Egypt.
They left Egypt marshalled in ranks, so during the time from the 15th Aviv to the 21st; during that week of unleavened bread, the manifest presence of God established itself within the tribe that became His sanctuary. What happened between the 15th and the 21st of Aviv in history? What does this time signify? Well, first of all, way back in Exodus, Exodus 13 describes the consecration of the first born, and then they were led in a roundabout way to the Red Sea because of the Philistine giants. So, notice, people of God, it's not a straight route coming out of Egypt. They are a few stopping places; a few tarrying places on the journey. They camped at Succoth, then at Etham and then finally at Pi-Hahiroth, before mid Migdol, (which means ‘tower’) at the edge of the Red Sea.
And in the exact same timing. Jesus was crucified, put into the tomb before the evening of the 15th of Aviv and on the third day. resurrection power was released. Jesus was the firstborn from among the dead. And during the time described in Exodus 13 as the fulfilment of the consecration of the firstborn, He went to present Himself to His Father as the firstborn from among the dead, because the firstborn belong to the Lord. And they are the company that are coming out of Egypt or Babylon, and as they come out, this spiritual tribe of Judah, this Manchild Company are consecrated as the first born from among the dead company. Jesus was the firstborn among many brethren. But the important thing is that He was the Firstborn from Among the Dead and the company; the many brothers that He brings forth of His seed are also the Firstborn from among the Dead Company - and they are consecrated unto the Lord
Jesus was from the tribe of Judah and the Firstborn from among the Dead Company are spiritually from the tribe of Judah, because we are born of His seed and we die to all that has passed and we live unto the Lord, consecrated and set apart as the firstborn to Him. In psalm 106:9, it says ‘He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up’. The manifest presence of God released a sound; a rebuke; a frequency that commanded everything standing in its way - all the waters in the sea, to give way and to yield before the Lord of Hosts manifested in the tribe of Judah that went first.
Now, the interesting thing about the Red Sea is that in Hebrew, it's not the ‘Red’ Sea, it's the ‘Sea of Reeds’ or rather the ‘Sea of Papyrus’. And since Egyptian texts were primarily written on papyrus. the parting of the Sea of Reeds or the writings or legal decrees of Egypt; those waters parted to let the people of God go through. I know that now, as we face all the legislation and the edicts that are being put into place concerning getting the jab in the arm and with not being able to buy or sell and all that kind of thing, - the incredible pressure being put upon people to become among those who have taken the shot, this particular sea of laws and ethics; the writings and decrees of the world system, form an impassable sea that blocks the way to deliverance of God's people from Egypt. BUT this is no barrier to God! When God arises in His people, His enemies scatter. Psalm 68 says this
‘When God arises, His enemies melt as wax melts before a fire. So let the wicked perish before the presence of God, but let His people be glad and glory before Him.’
His holy habitation, the tribe of Judah, His sanctuary are filled with the manifest presence of God, having come out of Egypt, the world system, before confronting the Reed Sea (a sea of Egyptian decrees and writings)!
The world says ‘it is written you may not do this. You may not do that. You may not go here. You may not go there. You are bound. You are locked down. You are inhibited’ But I want to say to you, remnant of God, whose report will you believe? You know, the people of God looked at that Reed Sea and they heard the Egyptian army thundering down upon them to come and take them back to slavery in Egypt. And they were terrified. But God said to them, through Moses in Exodus 14:13:
‘Moses told the people, fear not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will work for you today. For the enemy you see today, you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you and you will hold your peace and remain at rest in the Lord said to Moses, Why did you cry to me? Tell the people to go forward.’
I notice that the Lord fights for us. But how does He fight? With sound! He fights using a method described in psalm 106: ‘He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up’ ‘God issues a sound - a rebuke; a frequency that commands everything standing in the way to yield and give way. It's like that song, ‘Lift up your heads, ye gates, that the King of Glory may come in, be lifted up you everlasting doors. And it is asked, ‘Who is the king of glory? The Lord of Hosts. He is the King of Glory’.
Now, we normally think of the Lord of Hosts, as being the God of angel armies, and the Passion Translation translates the phrase like that - the Lord of Hosts is the God of angel armies. However, God brought His people out of Egypt marshalled by hosts. That is written in the Word of God! The people of God who come out of Egypt are His hosts; His platoons, His army. Now, that's an amazing thought. He is the Lord of Hosts and He removes obstructions and impassable barriers by a rebuke or a frequency. You know, when the waters saw Him, they were afraid. Do you know that if you slow down the speed of light forty times, it comes to the speed of sound, so light has a sound, but it moves so fast and we cannot hear it with our human ears. When the God of Light is manifestly present in the spiritual tribe of Judah, who has become His habitation, that light releases a frequency and the sound that rebukes the waters. That's how the Lord fights for us. And He also sends a strong east wind that pushes back the waters, to make a way to go through. When God arises in His people, His enemies scatter. Psalm 68 says God is already beginning to arise and His enemies to scatter!
As wax melts before a flame, so the wicked perish before the presence of God, but let His people be glad and glory before Him.
What is that describing? It speaks of an army in worship warfare. Verse 5 says He is a father to the fatherless, a judge and a protector of widows is God in His holy habitation. But where is His holy habitation? The tribe of Judah is His sanctuary, His habitation. He's going forth before his people, but who is marching in the front? How is God going forth before His people? It is Judah who goes first, following the pillar of cloud and fire. Psalm 68:20 says ‘God is to us a God of deliverance and salvation, and to God the Lord belongs escape from death’. There's a decree for you to make over your family, for your children. To God, the Lord belongs escape from death. Then there are the most glorious verses in psalm 68, starting verse 33:
‘Sing praises to Him Who rides the heavens, the ancient heavens. Behold, He sends forth His voice, His mighty voice’.
In other words, He releases a frequency and a sound that rebukes the waters and the words and the edicts and the decrees of Egypt. He rebukes the waters when they see Him - when they hear the frequency of the sound of light that's coming forth from the manifest presence of God in the midst of the tribe of Judah, they are terrified.
‘Ascribe power and strength to God, His majesty is over Israel and His strength and might in the skies. Oh, God, awe inspiring, profoundly impressive and terrible are You out of Your holy places? The God of Israel Himself gives strength and fullness of night to His people. Blessed be God;.
Beloved, strength and fullness of might is your portion. You are not coming out of the world system limping and fearful and feeble. Do you know in psalm 105:57, it says ‘He brought Israel forth also with silver and gold, and there was not a feeble person among the tribes’. Well, I'm sure after years and years of slavery, there were many who had been whipped, who were feeble, who were broken, who were injured. But when He brought them out of Egypt, when they marched out, marshalled in the ranks, a healing was released, a healing was released. Do you know I discovered something, you know, they painted the blood of the lambs on the doorposts and the lintels and we know that the sound of that blood caused the Destroyer to pass over them. In Isaiah 53, (we often pray these scriptures when praying for healing), we pray ‘by His stripes we are healed... He was bruised for our iniquity etc’. But the breaking of the body of Jesus released the Blood of Jesus. The bruising of the body of Jesus released blood under the surface of His skin. It is the Blood of Jesus that brings healing. It is the sound released by the voice of the Blood that ministers healing to the people of God as they come out of Egypt, marshalled in ranks, so that there is not one feeble person in their midst. You are coming out with the manifest presence of God in your midst - that presence that causes earthquakes and makes the waters of the Reed Sea to yield before Him and get out of the way.
Exodus 15:8 says, ‘With a blast of Your nostrils, the waters piled up!’ The violently expelled breath of an angry God shoves the waters, the words, the decrees of the Reed Sea, the policies of Egypt aside and says, “Get out of my way. We are coming through. I am the Lord of Hosts and I say, ‘Yield you princes at the gates, the King of Glory, the Lord of Hosts, is coming through!” The Lord and His hosts are coming through the Sea of Reeds and edicts and decrees. In Micah 2:13. It says ‘The Breaker goes ahead of them, the Lord at their head’. And He leads them out. He leads them out. God is going ahead of you - God manifest in the tribe of Judah, who have become His sanctuary because they came out of Egypt first.
When Israel left Egypt, the tribe of Judah was marshalled right at the front, and they left first. I mentioned that there were three stops the Israelites had before the Reed Sea parted for them. You find this in Numbers 33:5 onwards. They left Ramses and pitched in Succoth, This means ‘tabernacles or booth’ - in other words, God was tabernacling in the midst of them. So at this point. God manifested Himself in in the midst of Judah as His sanctuary and then they went from Succoth and pitched their tents at Etham, which means ‘plowshare’, in other words, a plowing up of the heart, a preparation for the receiving of seed. Then after Etham, they encamped on the edge of the wilderness at Pi-Lahiroth, which means ‘the mouth of gorges or the mouth of the serpent’. Great place to camp, right where the serpent is breathing upon you. It reminds me of Revelation 12, where the woman is in labor, bringing forth the manchild and the dragon positions itself right before her so that he can devour the child as it comes forth. And obviously, he didn't devour the child because it was snatched up to God and His throne, the manchild brought up to a higher spiritual place and protected from the dragon who wanted to devour it. And this is also the place where Israel was encamped – right in front of the serpent’s open mouth. And they couldn't go anywhere except for some supernatural deliverance. Then God fought for them and rebuked the waters and the frequency of His heavenly light released the sound that caused the waters to tremble and part. Let's read in Exodus 15:6:
‘Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power. Your right hand shatters the enemy. In the greatness of Your Majesty. You overthrow those rising against you. You send forth Your fury and it consumes them like stubble.’
Like stubble… the fiery manifest presence of the Lord in his Judah Company; His sanctuary, shatters the enemy. So those who have already come out of Egypt, those who already set apart and consecrated unto the Lord become His sanctuary. And with the sound that is released out of the midst of His presence, a way is cut through the Sea of Reeds, those edicts & laws, and they march straight through. Then those very same waters of the Sea of Reeds destroy the armies of Egypt who came behind to take them back into captivity. Hallelujah and hallelujah, we serve a mighty God, awe inspiring and terrible is He out of His holy places. He gives strength and fullness of might to His people. Hallelujah.
Are you ready to become His habitation? Do you desire to be His sanctuary? Come out without delay, separate from the system of Babylon within your heart and surrender to His leading you out, marshalled in your ranks, at His appointed moment. There is nothing to fear. You are moving from slavery to a system to experiencing the manifest presence of God in the midst of His sanctuary – with all the provision and protection that brings with it! You are moving from depicting the image fo the earthly to depicting the image of the heavenly!
Selah
Jeremiah 15:19-21
Therefore thus says the Lord:
“If you return, I will restore you,
and you shall stand before me.
If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
you shall be as my mouth.
They shall turn to you,
but you shall not turn to them.
And I will make you to this people
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
but they shall not prevail over you,
for I am with you
to save you and deliver you,
declares the Lord.
I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.”
SOUNDS like music to my ears! Stay safe and strong in the LORD.