05 July 2023
Still plowing through Heiser's The Unseen Realm, I ran across something that confirms an image I've presented several times.
He points out that the scapegoat ceremony has a goat for Jehovah, and a goat for Azazel. The second name is not identified anywhere in Scripture, but outside literature suggests the name points to a demonic presence out in the wilderness. Keep in mind the Hebrew habit of using symbolic references that should not be taken literally. Within this ritual, the wilderness represents where demon forces lurk.
Once past Mount Sinai, the image was that the camp was God's turf. His angelic presence was there to protect Israel -- the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night. The point of the imagery was to build a sense of moral boundaries for this new covenant they had received.
God was saying, in so many words, "I will not protect you outside the boundaries."
Heiser goes on to note that the scapegoat was not some kind of offering to demons. Rather, what mattered was the symbolism of the sins placed on the goat. The ritual returned the sins whence they came, from the wild and unsettled places where just about anything might dwell. It's not that God can't control anything He wanted, but that He was warning Israel that there were limits for His people. He had consigned the other nations to lesser beings, but Israel was His very own.
This is where I got the idea of Covenant boundaries in Christ. You know that some of the Israelis did go out and scout resources or the route ahead. The wilderness was not an actual place of demons, but the symbol of the limits God sets for us. Geography isn't the issue. The issue is the moral boundaries that keep us out of Satan's turf, which is everything outside the covenant camp.
This brings us to another image, that of a vassal dominion. Upon entering the Promised Land, it wasn't long before the land was surveyed, and landmarks were nominated for the boundaries of each tribe. Then, each tribe was expected to parcel out their grant among the clans and families and households. They all held their land as vassals up through the ranks with God Himself at the top, the final Suzerain.
As long as you are faithful to His purposes, your domain will stand. It's when you start surrendering to the guidance or demands of an alien master that things come apart. Heiser notes that David's sin with Bathsheba didn't destroy his dominion in the kingdom, but it did reflect poorly on God's reputation. What lost Israel their domain was the idolatry of latter kings. God does not take this lightly.
Your domain under Christ is weakened by getting entangled in worldly/pagan concerns. That's tantamount to treason, betraying your Lord to another interest. This is what destroys your life.
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