SHA'ATNEZ:
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Lev 19:198162 sha'atnez (shah-at-naze'); a cloth made by weaving linen and wool together
19 `You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your livestock breed with another kind. You shall not sow your field with mixed seed. Nor shall a garment of mixed (sha'atnez) linen and wool come upon you.
This Commandment is concerning your clothing. The Hebrew word translated as "garment" is beged. It means, "a covering, clothing", but its primary meaning is "treachery, deceit". This reminds us of this situation:
Gen 3:6-7
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin cloths.
Gen 3:21
21 Also for Adam and his wife YHWH Elohim made skin coverings and wrapped them.
Their beged, covering, came about as a result of treachery and deceit. They tried to cover themselves with leaves, something grown out of the ground, a type of linen. YHWH wrapped them in coverings of skin, or 'or in Hebrew. 'Or means, "skin of humans or animal hides". His covering was that of a living animal, like wool.
Another similar event takes place with Adam and Chavah's sons:
Gen 4:2-7Once again, we see YHWH preferring the animal over that from the ground. What is the difference? Of course there is something to be said for the fact that Abel brought the firstborn, a picture of Messiah, while Cain just brought an offering. But the big difference between the offerings was blood. Abel's animals and Cain's produce were both "living", yet only Abel's offering included blood. Cain's fruit came forth from the ground and the death of a seed, but Abel's flock came from the womb of life.
2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to YHWH.
4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And YHWH respected Abel and his offering,
5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
6 So YHWH said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
7 "If you do the right thing, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."
The offering of the ground is a picture of your life on earth, a life of toil.
Gen 3:17-19The offering of the animal holds a different picture:
17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.
18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.
19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return."
Lev 17:11The Hebrew word translated as "life" is nefesh, which means, "the breath, the soul, the vitality". It is the same word that is translated as "soul" in this passage. It is also used in this passage:
11 'For the life (nefesh) of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.'
Gen 2:7 7 And YHWH Elohim formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (nefesh).So Abel's offering represented what YHWH breathed forth out of eternity. It is a picture of the ways of Heaven the ways of YHWH.
Prov 8:32-36Cain's offering represented man's own labor as a result of sin. YHWH even reminded Cain of the problem of sin lying in wait. It is a picture of the way of the earth, the way of men.
32 "Now therefore, listen to me, my children, for blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction and be wise, and do not disdain it.
34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from YHWH;
36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; all those who hate me love death."
Prov 16:25
25 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
Isa 55:7-9
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to YHWH, and He will have mercy on him; and to our Elohim, for He will abundantly pardon.
8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says YHWH.
9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Abel's offering, the animal, was in accordance with the ways of Heaven. Cain's offering, the plant, was in accordance with the ways of men. So, we do not mix thread from an animal with thread from a plant. We are not wear upon us a garment that is part Kingdom and part the way of the world. We are to physically not wear mixed garments so that we may FEEL the difference between linen and wool, earthly ways and Kingdom ways, on our skin. But there is a deeper level to this. We must also not mix threads by mixing YHWH's ways with men's ways. We need to commit to the Kingdom or commit to the world:
Rev 3:15-18We see here a reference to the nakedness in the Garden. We also see a parallel established between garments and works, as is in this passage:
15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
16 "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
17 "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'-- and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked--
18 "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
Rev 3:4-5As returning Israel, we are to wear the garments of the Kingdom, the works and the ways of the Kingdom, which are the ways of YHWH. Our problem is that we inherited a mixed, and therefore worthless, garment from our fathers:
4 "You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
5 "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
Jer 16:19We must now begin to unravel this garment, thread by thread, to separate between the linen and the wool. One of the first steps is to remove the shatnez from our mouths by removing the Name and reputation of YHWH from the pagan names that we have replaced and mixed it with. YHWH is NOT god or lord; He is YHWH our Elohim. Yahshua HaMashiach is a Heavenly thread, while Jesus Christ is a thread of men's creation.
19 O YHWH, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come to You from the ends of the earth and say, "Surely our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness and unprofitable things."
We must separate between the threads of days, weaving the Kingdom threads of YHWH's Sabbath and Festivals as set forth in His Word, and unraveling the threads of pagan-based observances like December 25 and SUNday.
It is time for us to put on a garment of worship as YHWH prescribed in the Psalms: the worship He desires, as He instructed Israel to worship Him in the Temple, and tear away our foreign ways of worship.
Israel is called to wear a pure language, Hebrew, and to worship and communicate in this language, putting off the languages of curse given at Babel.
Contrary to popular teaching, we are NOT to walk in a garment of compromise for the sake of a false peace. We are to live, teach, and completely uphold the ways, the days, the titles, and the Name of YHWH. Of course we feed milk to babes, but it is cruel and wrong to allow babes to remain babes, when they should be walking upright and eating meat..
We must choose hot or cold, wool or linen, Abel or Cain, the narrow way or the broad way, YHWH or our way. We are being called to put on the Garments of the Kingdom, to complete the repair of Adam's transgression. It is our choice. Let us heed the words of our Messiah Yahshua:
Luke 12:22-32
22 Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.
23 "Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.
24 "Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and YHWH feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?
25 "And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
26 "If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?
27 "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 "If then YHWH so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?
29 "And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.
30 "For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.
31 "But seek the kingdom of YHWH, and all these things shall be added to you.
32 "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.