WORDS STUDY – DIVINE KISS – (ARAMAIC) גומסא
Numbers 20:1 “Then came the children of Israel, [even] the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. (2) And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.”
Read this passage and tell me if you don’t read something that sounds a bit strange. What I found to be strange about this passage is the mention of Miriam’s death. Miriam was a great woman, almost as great as her brothers Moses and Aaron. She led the worship for the nation, she led the women in dancing and rejoicing in the Lord. She was a leader and from what I read in Scripture and extra Biblical Jewish literature she was beloved of the people, maybe more so than Moses himself.
So why is her death just a footnote? It is almost as if it was added to provide an explanation as to why the people went belly aching to Moses and Aaron and not Miriam. I mean there should have been some mention of the people mourning, some eulogy something more than she just died.
I am not the only one surprised by this, the ancient sages were also and they record in the Talmud in Baba Bathra 17a that Miriam died with a Divine neshiqah. Neshiqah is the Babylonian Aramaic word used in the Talmud for kiss. She died with the Divine Kiss. I read this expression in other works of Judaism. It is attributed to the righteous who, when it comes time for them to leave this world and be with God regardless of age, pass away without any pain or agony. Death is such a glorious moment as one is entering the presence of God that they say God gives them a kiss as He greets them to take them to their eternal home. There is no fear, no terror, no pain, no suffering, just the glorious presence of God and that wonderful kiss of welcome. In Aramaic the word neshiqah is not a romantic kiss, but a kiss on the neck to show honor and respect. It is the same word used for the kiss that the father gave his prodigal son when he returned. This kiss symbolized respect and honor. Despite all the son’s waywardness his father still had respect and honor for his son.
For those who live a life to bring honor to God, God will greet them at their passing from this world with a Divine Kiss, honor and respect, a passing that is devoid of any pain or suffering. I Corinthians 15:55: “O death, where [is] thy sting?” The word sting in the Aramaic is lo masa’ which means refusal. When Jesus greets you with that Divine Kiss, you will not refuse death even if you were given a choice.
I recall reading how the last words of D.L. Moody was: “If this is death, it is glorious.” I was teaching a Hebrew class one Saturday morning in an inner city church in the basement. Suddenly, I heard right above us in the sanctuary hand clapping, foot stomping as if people were dancing and shouts of praise and Hallelujah. I asked one of the pastors who was hosting the class what was going on. He said: “Oh, it is a funeral, we do funerals a little different than you do.” Indeed they did, the funerals I attended everyone are quiet and all sad. Here people were rejoicing because a loved one had entered into the arms of Jesus, had received that Divine Kiss.
You know everyone is going to die, it is appointed unto man once to die. Oh, yeah I know people teach there will be a rapture where we will all go to heaven without dying. But when I hear people describe the rapture it is almost as if they are hoping for the rapture in their life time so they will not have to die. “Why” they say: “The rapture will be a glorious time, no fear, no pain, no suffering…” – wait! They just described the Divine Kiss. The only difference is that at a moment we think not we will pass out of this body into the presence of God, we will just leave this old flesh and blood behind.
Something that always bothered me about the teachings on the rapture is why does a certain number of people out of the history of the world get to escape death just by being fortunate enough to live in a certain era and especially Christians in the modern Western world. Not only do these Christians get to live a better quality of life than believers in the past but get to escape death as well. That sounds so unfair. The answer is this, all believers who live a life honoring God will be honored by God with the same experience as a rapture, a departure from this earth without pain, suffering or fear.
Christians need to change their definition of death from that or the world’s definition of death to a Godly definition of death which is a passing like that of the rapture. Heck, I have heard preachers say that at the rapture we will be changed in an instant to an heavenly body and taken to be with Jesus. Well, that is the exact description of neshiqah, the Divine Kiss.
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