Parsha Matot - "Seven Oneself"

"To Seven Oneself"




In the Torah portion Matot, the first of a double portion for this week, we read about vows and oath. Numbers 30:2 in Hebrew reads, אִישׁ כִּי-יִדֹּר נֶדֶר לַיהוָה, אוֹ-הִשָּׁבַע שְׁבֻעָה לֶאְסֹר אִסָּר עַל-נַפְשׁוֹ--לֹא יַחֵל, דְּבָרוֹ

The English translation is, "When a man voweth a vow unto the L-RD, or sweareth an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word;



The words for vow and oath in the above verse are shava and shevua. Both of these words have their root in the word sheva, which is the word for seven.



The first time we see an oath made in scripture in in Genesis 21:22 between Avraham and Avimelech. Genesis 21:23, "Now therefore swear unto me here by G-D that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son; but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do to me, and to the the land wherein thou hast sojourned." 24 and Avraham said, "I swear."
 
In verse 28 we see that Avraham set seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves. 29 And Avimelech said unto Avraham: "What mean these seven ewe-lambs which thou hast set by themselves?" 30 And he said, "Verily, these seven ewe-lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that it may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well." 31 Wherefore that places was called Beer-Sheva, because there they swore, both of them.
 
Beer Sheva = Seven Wells or Wells of Oath
 
One explanation of the covenantal ceremony is that both parties take an oath, and swear to honor the terms. There would be blessings and curses related to the covenant, and the oath would be established by the seven oaths, seven sacrifices, seven witnesses, or all of them.
 
The covenantal oath was called "To Seven Oneself"
 
In Genesis 26 we once again see Avimelech making an oath related to the wells dug by Avraham, but this time the oath is made between he and Isaac.
 
Covenants in scripture are powerful. We see this as early as Genesis 12 in the covenant made with Avraham to make of him a great nation, and to bless all nations through him. However, there is no greater covenant than that of marriage, and many of the covenants G-D made with His people speak to concept of Husband and Bride.
 
Isaiah 54:5 For thy maker is thy Husband, the L-RD of Hosts is His name; and the holy One of Israel is thy redeemer, the G-D of the whole earth  shall He be called.
 
Isaiah 62:5 For as a young man espouseth a virgin, so shall thy sons espouse thee, and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so too shall G-D rejoice over thee.
 
In Hoshea 2, even after speaking of the harlotry of Israel G-D says,
 
19 "And I will betroth you to Me forever, yes, I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion. 20 And I will you to Me in faithfulness, then you will know the L-RD.
 
Too many, this has been one of the great mysteries, and this is spoken about in the Brit Chadasha in Ephesians 5:32 This mystery is great, but I am speaking with reference to Messiah and the Kehilat.
 
The word mystery is from the Greek, musterion = Moos Tay Ree On. This means a hidden or secret thing, not obvious to the understanding. "A secret revealed (to one initiated)", a secret revealed by G-D, ie; religious or mystical truth, that which is known to the initiated, a mystery or secret doctrine. Thus the word literally means "a sacred secret, or doctrine, which the initiate knows but no one else."
 
We get our English words mystery from this, but this is actually a transliteration. It is not related to the idea of mysterious, but means something that one could not know until it is revealed. The term was originally used to describe the sacred oaths of the  Roman military, and recited by the initiated recruits. Once they had recited these oaths, then and only then, were the plans and strategies of the battle revealed to them.
 
This mystery in Ephesians 5 speaks of the covenant of marriage, which is the salvation of the L-RD through Messiah Y'shua. We see part of the plan unfolding at the wedding feast of Cana in Yochanan 2. I is believed that it was exactly seven days after His mikveh that Y'shua came to Cana to attend the wedding. At this feast He turns water used for ritual purification into wine. One would have to accept that this was a relatives wedding that He was attending, and as Yochanan the Immerser was a relative, that he would have attended as well. In Yochanan 3:29, just after the mikveh and the wedding feast we read, "He who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice, and so this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, but I must decrease."
 
In this we have seen that Y'shua has made a sacred oath with us. For in the picture of the biblical wedding we see that only the bridegroom is required to proclaim the responsibilities to the bride in the Ketubah. This brings us back full circle to the promise given to Avraham as we read in Hebrews 6:13, "For when G-D made the promise to Avraham since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying,
 
I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you
 
I will never forget the look of my wife when she circled me seven times at our marriage re-dedication, and gazed upon her bridegroom. It was a day of  great blessing and love, but also raised many questions for me as I related it to my marriage covenant in Messiah.
 
1. Is my marriage to Him one of word only, but not consummated by giving myself over in trust and abandon?
2. Rather than submitting in joyful obedience, do I only grumble, complain, and question my bridegroom?
3. Have I rejected the call to love, which is a sacrificial giving of myself to Him?
4. Have I defiled my marriage bed with idols and other gods?
5. Have I remained fixed on myself, offering periodic emotional gestures of love that only tease?
6. In my worship, does He see me erupting into a sudden burst of romantic sentiment as I sing my love songs to him.
 
These are questions that  we should all ask ourselves. How often if the L-RD's hope dashed in me, as I leave His service and return to my self involved life without putting any of these sentiments into practice? Without any change in my life? Without any deepening pursuit of Him?
 
When we remember that  the Messiah made a promise, swore an oath, has sevened Himself, and bound Himself to us through a covenant, and has not required that we make an oath to him, can we not circle Him seven times under the Chupah again? Can we gaze upon Him in a way that only two people in love can gaze upon one another? Can we return to our first love and have a marriage that is not one only in word, but one in which we devote ourselves to abandon and trust?
 
I think I can, and I think you can as well!