THE PASSING OVER
PRINCIPLE
In 1980 Yahweh took me through His university in which He began teaching me His divine principles. He showed me that the most basic principle was that you reap what you sow. From this principle springs forth all other principles. There is the tithe principle, which includes Paul's statement that those who use this world should be as though they do not make full use of it (1 Corinthians 7:31). There is the principle of judgment, wherein as you judge so you will be judged. There is the principle of the second mile, going beyond that which is required of you. But most importantly, there is the principle that is called the passing over principle. In this principle we see that Yahweh passes over the first, He passes over the second, but He takes the third. Let us now look at this principle.
It was most interesting that when Yahweh began to teach me this divine principle, He revealed it to me from my own life. Later I taught these truths in a Sunday School class, but I could not find any examples from the Scriptures that validated this; but nonetheless, I knew it was true. Now, as you are about to see, that which Yahweh taught me from my own life, is in fact very true, is soundly supported throughout the Scriptures, and is an exceptionally determining factor in what Yahweh has done and is about to do.
Let us begin this examination with a testimony from the earliest beginnings of mankind. Adam and Eve had three sons - Cain, Abel, and Seth. Did Yahweh accept Cain? We know that when Cain and Abel presented offerings before Him, Abel's offering from the firstlings of the flock was "regarded," or literally "gazed upon," by Yahweh, but Cain's offering from the fruit of the ground was not "regarded," or "gazed upon." Yahweh thus passed over Cain and preferred Abel.
But even though of these two men Abel's offering was "gazed upon," Yahweh in fact passed over Abel as well in bringing forth mankind. Cain became angry at his brother and slew him, thus per the choice of Yahweh, Abel, of necessity, had to be passed over as well.
Next, Seth was born, and upon his birth Eve declared - "God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel; for Cain killed him" (Genesis 4:25). And most importantly, we read in Genesis 5:3 that Seth was a son to Adam made "in his own likeness, according to his image." This is the son of promise from whom came the line of the patriarchs and the Son of God. Thus we see at the very outset of mankind, Yahweh passed over the first, Cain, He passed over the second, Abel, and He took the third, Seth, to establish His line of blessing to all mankind.
But not only did Yahweh begin mankind with the application of this dynamic divine principle, He equally began the origin of the promise of faith with it as well - the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Already we see the pattern of three parts, or three men. Yahweh spoke to Abraham and told him that He would be the father of "a multitude of nations" (Genesis 17:4-5). Even his name, Abram, meaning "father of exaltation," was changed to Abraham, meaning "father of a multitude." So let us ask the question - Was Abraham then used to directly fulfill or show forth the signs of this fulfillment? The answer is - no. Abraham had two sons during the time of Sarah - one the promised son, Isaac, and one the son of the flesh, Ishmael. So was Isaac then used to express this fulfillment? Once again the answer is - no. Though receiving assurance from Yahweh of the fulfillment of this promise (Genesis 26:2-4), Isaac had only two sons - once again the son of promise, Jacob, and the son that was likewise rejected, Esau. So when would Yahweh finally begin to bring forth the nations He had promised to Abraham? Here again we see Yahweh's passing over principle as He passed over the first, He passed over the second, and He took the third.
The third patriarch was Jacob, and it was through this third individual that, according to His ways, Yahweh began to fulfill the promise that He made to the first, Abraham. Jacob was the beginning fulfillment of the promise of the "multitude of nations." As the very foundation of these many nations, Yahweh fulfilled His promise to Abraham and gave Jacob twelve sons, from which came the twelve tribes of Israel. Due to Yahweh greatly multiplying them, in time the sons of Israel began to outgrow their land and many went out to settle in other countries; but more particularly, He took the vast majority of them into captivity in Assyria, and afterwards sent them out and disbursed them across the Caucus mountains into all of Europe. In truth, from those first twelve sons/tribes through Jacob, Yahweh fulfilled His promise made to Abraham and reaffirmed to Isaac, and they became the many Anglo-Saxon nations of Europe and eventually America.
Thus, in keeping with His ways, Yahweh passed over Abraham, He passed over Isaac, and He took the third, Jacob, and fulfilled His promise. Jacob became the third-part fulfillment of the "multitude of nations" by the birth of his twelve sons. This is the passing over principle, and it is a principle that Yahweh performs over and over and over and over continually, because it is His ways.
Not only did He apply this principle at the beginning of man and at the beginning of the work of faith, He equally applied it at the beginning of the twelve tribes. If you take Levi out (who was the chronological third-born son, but was set apart from the twelve to Yahweh as payment to Him for not taking the lives of the first-born in Egypt during Passover), Yahweh passed over the first-born son, Reuben, for his failure; He then passed over the second-born son, Simeon, for his failure; and He took the third son, Judah, and gave him the right to reign. Thus, as with third-born Seth, it was out of Judah that came forth the Son of God, the Savior of the whole world. Once again, Yahweh passed over the first, He passed over the second, and He took the third.
For your benefit, let us note a few other revealing examples of this way of Yahweh. There are two testimonies we address in The Issue - II concerning the relevance and application of the 120 Jubilee period. These are the 120 years of Moses' life and the 120 year reign of the three kings - Saul, David, and Solomon.
We see that Moses' life was divided into three parts - forty years in the house of Pharaoh, forty years in the wilderness as a shepherd, and forty years as the deliverer of the sons of Israel. Obviously, while Moses was in Pharaoh's house, he knew that he was a Hebrew, for we read in Exodus 2:11 that he struck down an Egyptian for beating "one of his brethren," a fellow Hebrew. In effect, we see here Moses performing what Abraham performed with Hagar in bringing forth Ishmael - attempting in the flesh, though even possibly unknowingly on Moses' part, to fulfill the promise of Yahweh. Because of his place in Pharaoh's house, like a well placed Esther it would seem to have been the perfect opportunity to deliver the sons of Israel from their bondage in Egypt; but, the passing over principle dictated otherwise. Indeed, Moses was the man who would fulfill this, but we have already begun to see that Yahweh passes over the first; so, He passed over this first period of Moses' life and did not deliver the sons of Israel.
Before we look at the second period, we need to note another way of considering that which Moses, in the smallest way, attempted to accomplish in this first period. When Moses delivered the Israelite by killing the Egyptian, he in fact sowed a small seed that, after being buried, would sprout forth later to become the much needed and fruitful harvest. The sowing of that small seed brought the immediate death of this first hope-filled period of his life, and he had to flee out of Egypt.
Once planted, that seed ushered him into the second forty year period of his life; but even it would be passed over as well. In this second period, Yahweh once again performed an in-part fulfillment for Moses, insomuch that He brought him into the very place where he would later bring the sons of Israel. There he shepherded a flock, even as he would later shepherd the flock of the sons of Israel. But finally, in accordance with the ways of Yahweh, that period too was passed over, and in the third forty year period of Moses' life, Yahweh fulfilled the purpose for which he had been born - to be the deliverer of the twelve tribes of Israel. Thus, once again we see the divine passing over principle in action.
Let us now look at the second of these two 120 year period testimonies - Saul, David, and Solomon. Yahweh was going to bless the sons of Israel and fulfill His promise to them to give them all the land of promise and cause them to be secure in that land. Up to now, "every man did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6 and 21:25), and Yahweh gave them judges to deliver them. But, they wanted a king over them, so even though the timing was premature, He gave them Saul as king. But was Saul the king of promise? No. Following in the same pattern as Moses, Saul had to be passed over. Saul reigned for forty years and his reign was marked by tremendous failure and conflict.
After Saul, for the next forty years David reigned as king; and even as the second period of Moses' life was a step toward Yahweh's fulfillment, so David's reign was likewise. But, there were two major shortfalls in David's reign - he was a man of war and was not allowed to build the temple of Yahweh, and the boundaries of the land of Israel continued to be far short of that which Yahweh had promised to them. In keeping with the ways of Yahweh, we see that having passed over the first, Saul, He then passed over the second, David, and with the third, Solomon, would fulfill His promises.
King Solomon was in every regard the fulfillment of the promises to the sons of Israel relative to that geographic area. It was solely during his reign that the sons of Israel occupied all the land "from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates," as promised to Abraham (Genesis 15:18). Likewise, it was the only time in which the sons of Israel were at peace with those outside their borders and did not experience the threat of war. Furthermore, it was in Solomon's reign that the magnificent temple of Yahweh was built, the work David specifically could not fulfill. Yahweh thus once again fulfilled His promise in the third part, evidencing one more significant testimony confirming the passing over principle.
I trust you are beginning to see this divine and oft repeated pattern. It is one that Yahweh follows continually. And as has been said, it is a principle that He first revealed to me from my own life; and if Yahweh opened your eyes to see, it is a pattern that would undoubtedly be revealed in many ways in your own life as well. Let me give you an example of this pattern from my life. While I cannot remember what the specific events were whereby Yahweh first revealed this truth to me, I can relate another personal example.
When the Vietnam War broke out and many young men were being drafted and sent off to war, I was called to appear for a physical. When I went to our family physician for a back x-ray, it was found that I had a spinal weakness called spondylosis. Basically, spondylosis is a condition in which as the child develops in the womb, a vertebra fails to form completely and it leaves a crack, a weak area, in it, presenting a very vulnerable and, later, troubling condition for the spine. This was the case with my lowest vertebrae. When the doctor found this, I immediately had to quit the heavy construction job at which I had been working during my college years. Furthermore, he said that by the age of 45, I would have to have back surgery to repair the condition. If I did not take these precautions, my spine could come crashing down on that weak vertebrae and I would be paralyzed. When I took this doctor's report with me to the military physical, they gave me a classification whereby old men and women would go to war before I would. They absolutely did not want me, and this condition kept me out of Vietnam.
In 1971 when I gave my life to Yahshua, one of the things that He spoke to me was that He healed my back. I rejoiced in this, but the big test for this healing came shortly thereafter. I got a job at a hospital, but as with the military, they x-rayed every potential employee to check if they had spondylosis. I did not know this was what they were looking for at the time; so when I went in, all I knew was that thy would x-ray me. The report came back and they wanted to x-ray me again. "Possible spondylosis," they said. So, back to the x-ray table I went a second time. Once again the report came back - "Possible spondylosis," and they wanted to take a third x-ray. So, in I went for the third x-ray. But this time as I lay there on that cold table, in full and complete faith I said within myself - "Why are you looking for that which God can heal with the touch of His little finger?" The third report came back - "No spondylosis." Thus Yahweh healed the spondylosis that I had x-rays before showing that it was there, fulfilling the promise He had given to me beforehand.
Did Yahweh fulfill His promise in the first x-ray? No, He passed over it. Did He fulfill His promise to me in the second x-ray? No, once again, consistent with His ways, He passed over it as well. Then did He provide His promise in the third x-ray? Indeed He did, for the ways of Yahweh are to pass over the first, to pass over the second, and to take the third. Today, I am ten years past the age in which I was to need surgery; I have worked construction and performed hard labor, and have never had any problems with my back. Yahweh once again fulfilled His word via His passing over principle.
Let us now look at yet another example. And as has been pointed out already, once you find a principle or pattern of Yahweh, it is forever repeated in the Scriptures, throughout history, and throughout life. You are in store for a big treat in this next testimony.
Continue to page 2 of The Passing Over Principle for LATTICE-BREAKERS