Kingdom Keys - Asar, Binding/Shera, Loosening

Freedom! In our heart we all yearn to be free. Slavery is the archetype of bondage and represents the loss of personal choice. Yeshua in giving the authority of God to His disciples told them:

“And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."” (Mat 16:19, NKJV)

This verse connects heaven to earth through binding and loosening. This verse has generated all kinds of activities. In the broadest sense it has been used by Church authority to define what is permitted or not permitted in the church community. More recently it has become in vogue to use the terms to invoke spiritual authority against the demonic realm, binding demons, or loosening some positive outcome such as prosperity or healing. 

While these are possible interpretations and application of the terms, I want to go a little deeper into these words and how they might impact our walk with the Lord.

First let’s look at the context of the above verse:

Yeshua is having a conversation with His disciples asking them about who they and others say He is:

“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Mat 16:13-18, NKJV)

What is this really about? Isn’t it about what the conversation of the heart is about who Yeshua is to us? First, He wants to know what the crowd says. Then he wants to know what those who have been with Him say. Peter answers with what the Voice of God has revealed to Him. Then Yeshua establishes that it is by hearing the revelation of who He is from God, that the true church will be built.

This is why it is always a good idea to challenge people to ask God to reveal who He is and trust that He will reveal Himself.

The revelation of Messiah is the single most important listening in a person’s life. It stops the gates of hell right in their tracks. Just as an aside what do you think the gates of hell means. Well, we know that it is an actual place in Israel. Those of us who have been on the tours have visited Cesaria Philippi, the location of the gates of hell. This is a place where the demon God Pan was worshipped. 

Pan is half human half goat and is worshipped in caves and grottos like the one at Cesaria Philippi. He is said to play a flute-like instrument which is how he attracts the children. Disney used the imagery of Pan in their tale called Peter Pan who takes children to a place called never never land, which is a symbol of eternal youth, never having to grow up. The entire picture is one of children as the instrument of immortality. There is no need for adulthood or any sense of wisdom and morality and undermines the family, the Father and offers another voice, which Yeshua identifies as the gates of hell. 

We see vestiges of this today as children being encouraged to choose their own gender apart from the reality of a family and following the voices of pied pipers in the school system. Couple this with abortion, the sacrifice to the ancient demon-gods of Molech and you can easily see the gates of doorways of hell being thrown wide open. What is the alternative? Binding and loosening and listening to the voice the Father.

Let’s look first at “asar” to bind. 

“If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.” (Num 30:2, NKJV)

Asar means to commit oneself as in the giving of an oath or a promise, such as in the marriage covenant. 

The pictograph “samech” is a picture of a thorn representing a turning, the “reysh” is a picture of a head. Combined these mean "turn the head". The turning of the head to another direction. One who rules turns the people to his direction. The turning the head of the child or student into a particular direction. Adding the “aleph” gives the composite picture of a yoke. The yoke is bound to the neck of the oxen and used by the driver to turn the head of the oxen. A yoke was also used for prisoners. A binding of someone or something to move it by force. 

Now you can see how this picture of directing someone or something in a particular direction can be very tempting to those in need of control and power. This is where the idea of binding a demon, to force it into an agenda or also the binding of church authority. 

We need to contrast this though with the words of Yeshua who said:

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."” (Mat 11:28-30, NKJV)

He invites us to be bound to Him in a way that produces rest. It is a covenant invitation, a marriage vow into shalom and soul peace.

The key concept here is authority. God delegates authority to us to choose what we are bound to. Our vows bind us. Many of us in our pain have made vows that bind us to the pain. He invites us to be bound instead to Him in covenant and find rest for our souls.

The second word of authority is loosening, in Hebrew shera or some translate it as chitar. The basic idea is to release someone from an understanding. The picture of shera is in the account of Shadrach, Meshach and Abebnego who were bound with ropes and put into the fire and were then seen loose with a 4th man, Yeshua in Daniel 

“"Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."” (Dan 3:25, NKJV)

If we look back to the “keys of the kingdom” being to loose on earth which is then loosed in heaven, we can see the picture of the fire of God, freeing us from attachments in this world and into freedom from the fires that burn.

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Mat 10:28, NKJV)

When we look at the context of who do men say that I am and the gates of hell reference, we conclude that loosening is also a key to the kingdom, and it is best represented as becoming free from attachments to this world that bring destruction to our souls. 

In this way, we loosen ourselves when we repent. There is a component of freedom in getting loose from unholy attachments, like the one that Nebuchadnezzar wanted to put on the Hebrew prophets.

There is no fire in this world that can keep us bound to that idolatry without our choosing it. Heaven will honor our choices even if they are destructive to us. 

Shera The pictograph shin is a picture of the teeth representing pressure, the reysh is a picture of the head representing the top or beginning. Combined these mean "press the beginning". Ropes and cords were usually made of bark strips such as from the cedar or from the sinew (tendon) of an animal. The rope is made by twisting two fibers together. A single fiber is attached to a fixed point (top), and the two ends of the fiber are brought together. One fiber is twisted in a clockwise direction and wrapped over the other fiber in counterclockwise direction. The second fiber is then twisted in clockwise direction then wrapped around the first fiber in a The counterclockwise direction. The process is repeated through the length of the rope. The twisting of the fibers in opposite directions causes the fibers to lock (press) onto each other making a stronger rope. Shera is the untying of the rope to set someone free. This is the authority we have in the kingdom is to listen to who the Lord is and to choose to allow Him to release us from the cords that bind us. It is our choice on earth and it is settled in heaven.

“Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Ecc 4:11-12, NKJV)

The threefold cord can be a picture of a covenant adding the power of the Lord. What is certain is that the power of three is formidable. Consider that when you come into agreement with others. We saw over the past few years how truly formidable groupthink can be.

Activation: Binding and loosening. Reflection. Think back to times in your life when you were so sure you were right about someone or something. As the Lord to reveal any unhealthy yokes you have bound yourself to. Also, if you have allowed group-think to tie you up in knots ask to be loosed.