PARABLE OF THE MIRROR

There was a young man who was a filthy person. While looking into the mirror, he saw that he was filthy. Feeling ashamed, he asked for the wash cloth, soap, and water to cleanse himself. By applying the wash cloth with soap and water, he was freed from the filth. Once he became clean, he did not destroy or throw away the mirror because he wanted to check to be sure that he stayed clean. When he looked daily into the mirror, he would occasionally see filth appearing. He saw some that he had not previously recognized as filth, but after examining it more closely in the mirror, he saw that it was filth. Then he would immediately use the wash cloth, soap and water to free himself from the filth.

The meaning of this parable is very simple. When the man was young, he was a very filthy (sinful) person. He looked into the mirror (the law of YAHWEH) and saw that he was very filthy (sinful). He felt ashamed of himself and asked for the wash cloth (the grace of YAHWEH) and then applied the soap (the blood of YAHshua) and the water (the word of YAHWEH) to cleanse himself from the filth (sin). (The process is called repentance and conversion.) When he became clean (freed from his previous sins), he did not destroy or throw away the mirror (the law of YAHWEH). When he saw more filth (sin), he used the wash cloth (the grace of YAHWEH) and applied the soap (the blood of YAHshua) and the water (the word of YAHWEH) to free himself from the filth (sin). Now this is accomplished through YAHshua, who is our advocate with the FATHER, as stated in the first epistle John.

I John 2 (I) My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the FATHER, YAHshua Messiah the Righteous: (2) And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

PARABLE OF THE HOUSES

Before leaving suddenly on an extended trip abroad, a very rich man had built seven houses all alike in size and shape on the front side of his property. All the houses were completed except for putting in the windows. He gave his servants some special instructions for putting in the windows. He requested that they put nine windows each in all the houses except the last one at the end of the road. The house at the end of the road was the only one that was painted pure white while the rest were painted gray. For many reasons of his own good pleasure, the last house at the end of the road was to be his own very special house so he told them to put ten windows in it. He wanted that house to stand out from the others even though it was the same size. He wanted his servants to always think about him when they entered that very special house and to remember that it was him, their master, who had built all of the houses and owned both the property and the servants. After he left on his trip the servants discussed the situation before they started to put in the windows. An enemy of the rich man heard them discussing the matter and suggested that they put the ten windows in the first house and paint it white and repaint the one on the end gray. He told them that the first house should always be the master's house and that it didn't really make any difference to the rich man as long as they put the ten windows in one of them and painted it white for him. Convinced that the rich man's enemy's suggestions were okay and that it really didn't matter, they went ahead and put the ten windows in the first house and repainted it white and repainted the one on the end gray.

When the rich man comes back will he say, "Well done my good and faithful servants."? Will he tell them that it really didn't make any difference to him anyway? How would you feel if you were that rich man? Think about it before reading on.

In this parable, YAHWEH is the rich man, the devil is the enemy, the seven houses are the seven days of the week. The white house with ten windows is the seventh day of the week, the Sabbath. The windows are the ten commandments. The remembering to keep the seventh day (i.e. the Sabbath) holy is the fourth of the ten commandments. During the first six days of the week, nine of the ten commandments are to be kept. On the seventh day of the week, all ten of the commandments are to be kept.

We are to be holy seven days a week, but we are to remember to keep the seventh day of the week holy by not polluting it. We cannot bless or make any day of the week holy! Only YAHWEH, our Elohim, can bless and make a day holy and HE did! YAHWEH blessed and hallowed the seventh day at creation.

Genesis 2 (2) And on the seventh day [YAHWEH] Elohim ended HIS work which HE had made; and HE rested on the seventh day from all HIS work which HE had made. (3) And [YAHWEH] Elohim blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it HE had rested from all HIS work which [YAHWEH] Elohim created and made.

Since the Sabbath Day was blessed and hallowed at the end of Creation, the law of remembering the Sabbath Day to keep it holy was surely one of the laws and commandments that the great patriarch Abraham kept.

Genesis 26 (5) Because that Abraham obeyed MY voice, and kept MY charge, MY Commandments, MY statutes, and MY Laws.

When YAHWEH gave the ten commandments, HE specifically said for HIS people to "REMEMBER the Sabbath day to keep it holy"!

Exodus 20 (8) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (9) Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: (10) But the seventh day is the Sabbath of YAHWEH thy Elohim: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: (11) For in six days YAHWEH made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore YAHWEH blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.

YAHWEH also proclaimed the Sabbath to be a sign between HIMSELF and HIS people forever. (One should be aware of the fact that people such as Enoch, Noah, Abraham and the believing Gentiles are also HIS people.) Notice! It was important enough to YAHWEH to impose a death penalty upon doing any work upon HIS (not the Jews') holy Sabbath Day!

Exodus 31 (13) Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily MY Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between ME and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am YAHWEH that doth sanctify you. (14) Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. (15) Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to YAHWEH: whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. (16) Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. (17) It is a sign between ME and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days YAHWEH made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day HE rested, and was refreshed.

T.A.H.