“The Shabbat that precedes Purim is named, Shabbat Zachor or the Sabbath of remembrance. . . . Throughout Scripture Adonai commands us to remember many different things. Just as we are commanded to remember the Sabbath to keep it holy (Ex. 20:8); to remember the day on which we went free from Egypt (Ex. 13:3), and to remember what God did to Miriam (Deut. 24:9), so we are commanded to remember what Amalek did to Israel.”[1] But how does this relate to this week’s Torah Portion? Parashat Tetzaveh talks all about the garments for the kohenim and how to sanctify or make holy the kohenim. Is there any connection, well let’s find out.
[Read Ex. 17:8-16 and Deut. 25:17-19]In these passages, we learn a lot about this enemy, Amalek. For instance, they attacked without warning and when they did it was not a frontal assault. Moses recounts in Deut. that they attacked the rear ranks, the stragglers, those who were tired and weary, the women and children. Also, the battles fought against the Amalekites are spiritual as well as physical. In their first battle, Israel won because Moses “held up the rod.” Adonai reinforces this when He says that He will personally be at war with Amalek. We also see that Adonai is known as Jehovah-Nisi, which from the context is a banner of WAR.
This war against Amalek should remind us of the letters from Sha’ul [2 Cor. 10:3-6, Eph. 6:10-20]. Amalek represents far more than just a people group; it represents the “collective ‘children of darkness’ and servants of evil that abound in the world.”[2] When Adonai declares, “Adonai will have war with Amalek from generation to generation” [3] this is not just a physical battle, but most importantly a spiritual one. “Wiping out Amalek, then, is a call to spiritual warfare… It is a call to show compassion and kindness to those whom the “Amalekites” seek to destroy. On the surface it might seem high-minded to show tolerance and love for others who openly engage in evil and attack God’s people and truth, but such acquiescence is actually a form of spiritual complicity.” [4]
Judah writes (Jude 1:3), “Loved ones, though very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I felt it necessary to write to you urging you to continue to contend for the faith that was once for all handed down to the kedoshim. For certain people have secretly slipped in—those who from long ago have been marked out for this judgment. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into indecency and deny our only Master and Lord, Yeshua the Messiah.” Notice the statement, “marked out for this judgement”? This brings to mind those who receive the mark of the beast in (Rev. 13). The interesting thing is that the whole world receives the mark and worships the beast except for those who have been sealed by Adonai. This sealing occurs in (Rev. 7:1-3), but this is not the first time we have heard of being sealed on the forehead. The first time is in this week’s Torah portion. In [Ex. 28:36-28] we see that the High Priest wears a seal that says, “Holy to Adonai.”
We also have been sealed with the Holiness of Adonai. In 2 Cor. 1:21-22, Sha’ul says, “Now it is God who establishes us with you in Messiah. He anointed us, set His seal on us, and gave us the Ruach in our hearts as a pledge.” This is restated in the letter to Ephesus (1:13-14), “After you heard the message of truth—the Good News of your salvation—and when you put your trust in Him, you were sealed with the promised Ruach ha-Kodesh. He is the guarantee of our inheritance, until the redemption of His possession—to His glorious praise!” and (4:30) “Do not grieve the Ruach ha-Kodesh of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
So as we remember that ultimately Yeshua will bring about an end to Amalek and all the evil of this world, let us thank and praise Adonai that we have been sealed by the Ruach ha-Kodesh!
[1] John J. Parsons, Shabbat Zachor, N.P. Cited on 09 Mar 2017. Online: http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Shabbat/Special/Zakhor/zakhor.html
[2] Ibid.
[3] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from the Tree Of Life Version (TLV), 2014.
[4] Ibid.